A Luxurious Awakening and the Guild's Shadow
Is this some kind of ulterior motive?
"Mm..."
Refreshed from a deep sleep, I stretched my mouth wide in a lazy yawn and sat up.
"Hnyaah..."
The sensation pressing against my back felt utterly unfamiliar.
Wasn't this different from the mattress I'd enhanced with my kneading?
"Huh...?"
I snapped my eyes open, clenching my fists to rub away the sleep.
As my vision cleared, the sight before me made me freeze, breath caught in my throat.
A spacious room filled with lavish decorations that screamed luxury—nothing like my dingy one-room apartment.
"Wh-where... where am I...?"
Sleepiness vanished in an instant.
A chill raced up my spine, goosebumps prickling my skin.
What the hell? Kidnapped...?
I yanked the blanket tight around me and desperately rummaged through my memories.
I remembered eating strawberry cream donuts with Guild Leader Cha Eunwol and Kim Hyunah... watching them pant and gasp. Then I ate one too... got exhausted and passed out in the passenger seat of Kim Hyunah's car.
That was my last recollection.
Crazy... what is this? Did I get kidnapped?
Did Kim Hyunah get taken too?
No matter how I racked my brain, this made zero sense by any logical standard.
Organ harvesting? Ever since the Tower appeared, organs are worthless—no demand.
Did someone find out about my abilities?
Flooded with terrifying possibilities, I scooted to the corner of the bed and pulled the thick blanket over my head.
My body trembled uncontrollably.
Click.
Then, the doorknob of the firmly shut door turned softly.
"Eek..."
I held my breath and peeked through a gap in the blanket toward the door.
The person who stepped in made my eyes go wide.
"Did you sleep well?"
It was Kim Hyunah, towel-drying her damp hair like she'd just showered.
What the—?
My brain short-circuited at the sight of her in nothing but a loose white dress shirt draped over her body.
What in the world is going on?
My mind went blank, eyes darting wildly as I had no clue how to react.
Oblivious to my panic—or maybe not—Kim Hyunah casually approached and plopped down at the edge of the bed where I was huddled.
"Wh-where exactly is this place?"
I pulled the blanket up to my chin, voice barely a squeak, but she just swept back her wet hair and answered matter-of-factly.
"My house."
"Y-you... why'd you bring me to your place?!"
I yelped in confusion, but she showed no remorse, just a relaxed smile.
"You were sleeping so soundly in the car, I didn't want to wake you. And since I couldn't leave you at a motel or hotel alone without knowing your address, I brought you here."
Kim Hyunah offered me a steaming cup of tea.
"Please understand. Drink this while it's warm."
Her words were all perfectly reasonable, but...
I eyed her suspiciously but took the cup anyway.
A sip of the fragrant, sweet tea melted away my tension like butter.
"Thanks to the morning bread you baked last time, our guild's new recruits are leveling up at an insane rate. Fatigue reduction makes it obvious."
She bowed her head slightly, her words sincere.
"You've made a huge contribution to strengthening our guild. On behalf of Baekya Guild, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Why this all of a sudden... so embarrassing.
I shrugged and fiddled with the teacup.
"Well... it wasn't free, right? It's business. No need to go that far."
"It might be a simple short-term deal for you, but it's invaluable to us."
Kim Hyunah's expression darkened in an instant.
The cozy atmosphere vanished, replaced by the sharp gaze of a hunter.
What the hell...?
I tensed up instinctively and straightened my posture.
"Because of that, you've got a major obstacle ahead."
"Obstacle?"
"Yes. Baekya Guild is conquering the Tower at an unprecedented pace right now."
She tapped the bedsheet lightly with her finger and continued.
"That means we're shattering the association's top records daily. It's public data we can't hide."
"When we surge ahead like this, other major guilds will take notice. We're not the only ones gunning for Tower dominance."
"So they'll come looking for me?"
"Exactly. They'll be desperate to figure out how Baekya pulled off these impossible results and start investigating."
Kim Hyunah nodded slowly, her heavy gaze locking onto mine.
"No matter how much we smokescreen or block info, there's a limit. Long tails get stepped on. Your name, Baek Arang, will naturally float to the surface."
My heart plummeted.
I swallowed hard and stared at her face.
Worst-case scenarios flooded my mind.
"If that gets out... what happens?"
"Simple. A war will erupt in both the light and shadows to secure you."
"Hate to admit it, but our Guild Leader Cha Eunwol seems wild, but she's surprisingly reasonable in the hunter world. The others... who knows if they'll play by the rules."
I totally agreed.
"We can't expect morality or ethics from them. The association prevents outright kidnapping, but... methods abound."
Just like she said—they could exploit my weaknesses, blackmail me into baking for them by force.
The world isn't optimistic or soft enough to rely solely on the association.
Terror washed over me at the mere thought, my body shivering.
Maybe I'd been too naive about the hunter world.
Seeing my pale face, Kim Hyunah let out a soft sigh.
"Don't worry too much. Baekya Guild will step up as your shield, of course."
"But nothing's 100%. No matter how thorough we are, gaps appear."
She handed me what she'd been gripping tightly.
It was a palm-sized silver pendant, a transparent gem glowing faintly blue at its center, pulsing with subtle mana.
Looked expensive at a glance.
"What's this?"
"An emergency pendant for calling help and defense. If you're in danger, press the blue gem hard."
I examined the gem closely, listening intently.
"It'll instantly send your location to the guild and association, release embedded mana, and deploy a powerful shield."
"So... wait inside the shield for rescue?"
"Yes. Even an A-rank hunter would need at least 10 minutes to break it."
S-ranks? The idea of blocking one with a trinket like this was insane from the start.
I felt the cool metal in my hand and looked at Kim Hyunah.
"Can I really just take something like this?"
"You still don't grasp your own value. This is nothing compared to your bread—less than a roadside pebble."
She stared straight into my eyes. The sincerity in her gaze made me look away.
"Don't misunderstand. We're not using this to force an exclusive contract."
"Huh...? I wouldn't mind, honestly..."
I'm not greedy for cash... just enough to live safely.
"You might regret it later, even if it's fine now. We have no intention of tying you down. Trade freely with any guild you want—we'll back you up."
Her words touched me a little.
Promising guild protection for someone they'd just met, without even an exclusive deal.
These people are better than I thought.
I took a moment to process, then nodded.
"Got it. I appreciate you and Guild Leader Cha Eunwol's intentions."
"That's all I needed."
Relief finally softened Kim Hyunah's smile.
With the heavy talk over, the room's air lightened.
"Um, Baek Arang..."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"This is purely a personal request, but..."
She cleared her throat awkwardly, mumbling before whispering.
"If it's not too much... could you maybe do that massage from the bakery room last time? Even occasionally?"
"Pardon...?"
"Not for free, of course! I'll pay whatever from my own pocket... please..."
A strange desperation flickered in her eyes.
...Any感动 just evaporated.
Uh... tell you later.
