"But Hunting Is Just So Tedious..." "Shut Up, You Dummy!"

Realistically, he probably had no idea what it felt like to have absolutely no power.

She tried not to let it show, but she couldn't help feeling a bit bitter. She was always on the honest side, which was why she actually supported Yunjae joining the Blast Guild.

Maybe an office job would suit me better.

But under the current circumstances, it was true that such thoughts crossed her mind. She didn't know if they would even want her there, but thanks to Yunjae, she wouldn't have to pay rent for the next fifteen months.

On top of that, if she could land an office job at a mega-guild like Blast, it would be infinitely better in terms of stability than risking her life as a hunter.

"Let's do it together, Mari! An office job will be so exciting! I'll make the PowerPoint slides, and you can do the presentation! Let's conquer the world of corporate presentations together! And when we're done, we can go to a pub for an after-work drink and split the bill!"

"Shut up! I don't want a partner like that!"

But she had her pride too.

"I'm a hunter!"

She might only be a C-class with no special abilities, but it was the only job she had done her entire life. How could she give it up so easily?

"Sigh, honestly."

Yet, if Yunjae really left for the Blast Guild and she was left all alone, Mari wasn't sure where she would even begin. Could she even find a new teammate?

But I'm just so tired now...

She had dreamed of settling down in Point 6, but that had fallen through. Now, she might have to keep drifting again.

"Still, it would be nice if you worked in the office with me, Mari."

"What, are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Ah! No, that's—!"

"Hmph. I guess since Auntie Rosa is prettier than me, you wouldn't even dream of it, right?"

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Now able to predict his patterns, Mari let out a dry chuckle.

"Anyway, even if there isn't an office job, you should join them. It's the best option."

"But I really, really don't want to hunt! If it comes to that, I'd rather throw myself into delivery work!"

"What?"

"Warehouse workers and delivery drivers are overworked and underpaid compared to the labor they do, so doing that would be perfect!"

"Are you living under a rock? Do you have any idea how expensive delivery services are these days with hazard pay added?"

"Ah! No way!"

"If you want to do part-time work that badly, just explain your situation and do it."

"But that's too weird. People will look at me like I'm a freak."

"You're already a weird game character."

At her words, Yunjae pouted, looking dejected.

"Why on earth won't this username go away?"

"How should I know?"

It was true that he possessed incredible power, but he was far too naive for someone so strong. According to him, it was because he had been alone for fifty-seven years, and his only conversations had been with NPCs who only repeated programmed lines.

"Anyway, you have to keep your wits about you! The real world isn't that easy!"

Either way, looking at him—who felt like a younger brother to her—she couldn't help but worry. Of course, the duo of Kim Myeonggu and Myeonghan, who had tried to take advantage of him, had already been thoroughly put in their place, and it didn't seem like anyone else could easily walk over him either.

"You're a really good person, Mari."

"Shut up. I'm just a fool who can't even take care of herself."

In truth, those were her genuine feelings. She was truly worried about what would happen to her once Yunjae left.

"Then this time, let me convince you, Mari."

"Huh?"

"Work in the office with me!"

"W-Why on earth would I do office work?!"

"But it's much more stable than wandering around looking for monster contracts. What you wanted in Point 6 was to settle down. And settling down means wanting stability in life, doesn't it?"

As the max-level player's persuasion skills began to take effect, Mari froze.

"But I..."

"In fact, wouldn't your experience as a hunter be a huge asset in an office job? There's a massive difference between someone who has actually been on the field and someone who hasn't."

"That's..."

"So if the office job is about supporting the field agents, you'll do a much better job than anyone else! Far better than a pathetic loser like me who wasted his life on a video game!"

That wasn't wrong either. She didn't know what kind of work office staff did in a guild, but having plenty of field experience would certainly be an advantage, not a disadvantage.

"What the... since when did you become such a smooth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talker?"

"I've mastered the persuasion skill too!"

"Ugh! Why don't you use that at other times?!"

"Ah... I'm too shy, so..."

"Why are you shy when you're trying to persuade someone?!"

"To be honest, I don't really feel the need to persuade other people."

His unwavering personality made her burst into laughter.

I guess he really does think of me as a friend.

Knowing that Yunjae felt comfortable around her brought a strange, warm feeling to her chest. She felt both apologetic and somewhat pathetic. While she genuinely liked him as a person, she had also been harboring thoughts of benefiting through him.

"In any case, you're the first person I met when I came here, and you've been helping me all this time. So, I want to help you too, Mari!"

"Then please, just be my partner."

"Ah! I'll be your office partner anytime!"

"Ugh, not that kind!"

It was frustrating that he was absolutely determined never to hunt, but she felt strangely happy. Even if she teamed up with other people, those relationships were never deep. They banded together strictly for mutual benefit, and if things went south, they would part ways without even a goodbye, just like Jay had. That was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the life of a hunter.

In that sense, to someone like her who had lived as a hunter for thirteen years since she was fourteen, Yunjae was an incredibly foreign existence.

"I'm only staying with you because you make me so anxious."

Though she always made the honest choice, she was terrible at expressing her feelings. At her tsundere remark, he beamed brightly.

"Thank you, Mari!"

"Hmph. And yet you won't even be my partner."

"Ah! I'll do all the photocopying!"

"I said I don't want to be your office partner!"

"Why not?! I think you'd look great in a suit, Mari!"

"Is that all you wanted to see?"

"Ah! How did you—?!"

She couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

"...Honestly."

He was a fool, but she couldn't remember the last time she had spent such peaceful days.

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad..."

Of course, she would have to think about it if it actually happened. If a place like the Blast Guild accepted her, it would purely be because she was riding on Yunjae's coattails.

"And Mari."

"Yeah?"

"I'm an adult, so you can lean on me. I'm in my seventies, after all."

It seemed Yunjae had picked up on her inner turmoil after seeing her complicated expression for a while.

"Don't make me laugh. A seventy-year-old grandpa with 'Slender Forearms'?"

"Ah! Attacking me with facts! That's so mean, Mari!"

Seeing him hide his forearms again, she burst into laughter once more. At first, he had seemed so bizarre, but now she was gradually falling for his timid charm.

"Anyway, we're almost there."

As the taxi pulled up to the massive skyscraper that served as the Blast Guild Headquarters, Mari's face tensed with newfound nervousness. And with good reason. Standing right in front of the building was...

"Slender Forearms!"

Akemi, Taejun, and the top ability users of the Blast Guild—including Gyojin and Pim, who hadn't left for the portal yet—were all waiting outside.

"So the guy inside that taxi is the incredible ability user?"

"He's amazing! Especially his forearms!"

"Sigh."

Everyone shook their heads at Akemi's bizarre obsession.

"Anyway, he's the ability user Demian Lewis was desperately searching for. Akemi verified it too. He's definitely not ordinary."

"I want to fight him and see just how strong he is."

As the battle-hungry Gyojin licked his lips, Taejun glanced at him.

Akemi verified him, but that's not enough.

To be honest, Akemi wasn't the most reliable source. While she possessed an incredibly unique teleportation ability, her personality was eccentric and highly unpredictable. And though she boasted decent offensive power alongside a body enhanced by nano-machines, her combat ranking within Blast wasn't particularly high. Her role was fundamentally geared toward support.

"Gyojin. Test him. I want to see it with my own eyes."

It was only natural that Taejun wanted to witness Yunjae's skills firsthand. After all, the logic of power ruled this world now!

Gyojin smirked at his leader's command.

"Don't regret this. He might get scared and run away."

"If he were that pathetic, Demian Lewis wouldn't have been looking for him."

"That guy is weird too. Spouting nonsense about a Demon King."

Taejun let out a small chuckle as Gyojin snickered.

In any case, Demian has already left. We must recruit this guy no matter what.

If Demian met Slender Forearms, who was presumed to be a powerhouse, he would undoubtedly form the Nemesis Guild. Taejun's eyes gleamed with the desire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to prevent any alliance that could threaten them. Meanwhile, inside the stopped taxi...

"What is that?"

Finally, Slender Forearms stepped out.

"Slender Forearms!"

"Ah! Akemi! I told you, I'm just slender all over!"

The owner of those delicate forearms shouted, his face flushing red!

No, just as he said, he really was slender all over. On top of that, he was incredibly beautiful. If his hair were long, one might even wonder if he would be prettier than Akemi or his companion, Mari. Because of this, he didn't look threatening at all. He looked like nothing more than a fragile video game character.

"Are you kidding me? That weakling is the top-tier ability user Demian Lewis was looking for?"

Gyojin asked, utterly speechless at the boy's mind-boggling appearance. Taejun, seeing him in person for the first time, also looked quite taken aback.

"Akemi already verified him. He's definitely out of the ordinary."

"Even so, he only dodged Akemi's attack."

"He didn't even flinch after taking my full-power strike!"

At Akemi's indignant shout, Gyojin shrugged as if it didn't matter and stepped forward.

"Are you Slender Forearms?"

"Ah!"

Confronted by Gyojin's muscular physique, which stood in stark contrast to his own, Yunjae shyly hid his arms behind his back.

"...Slender Forearms really is cute."

As the absolute epitome of introverted shyness, his every action looked like that of a delicate girl.

"You've lost your mind, Akemi."

"But it's true, he is cute."

"Hmm?"

Everyone flinched and stared at Suyeon, shocked that even the perpetually gloomy girl showed interest in him. Suyeon quickly shut her mouth, her face turning red. It seemed that as an exceptionally beautiful boy, his looks alone were more than enough to charm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the women.

"Anyway, you."

"My name is Lim Yunjae!"

"Hmm..."

As Gyojin confronted Yunjae, Taejun gave a silent nod.

"Ah, a private chat?"

"Wh-What?!"

In that instant, they all gasped.

"Ah! I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'm sorry!"

As Yunjae bowed apologetically, Taejun's face filled with utter bewilderment. Had he accidentally sent the telepathy to Yunjae as well?

No, that's impossible!

There was no way a powerful psychic ability user like him would make such a mistake.

"But do office workers need to take a test too? Ah! Don't tell me this is a stress interview?"

"You dummy, of course not!"

Mari, who had finally stepped out of the taxi, awkwardly tried to hold him back. Yunjae might be strong, but this was the Blast Guild! And the people standing before them were the top ten hunters, world-class ability users whom Mari knew all too well.

And as everyone knew, ability users were rarely sane. Since the appearance of portals and monsters, the world revolved around power. Because ability users were born with innate strength, they easily fell into elitism or extreme narcissism. That was why Mayor Manson of Point 6 had once remarked that compared to others, Yunjae was a pleasantly eccentric, highly manageable ability user.

Especially guys like him. They're dangerous. They'll definitely try to test him.

Ironically, the higher-ranking a guild member was, the stronger this tendency became. Knowing this all too well, Mari looked deeply concerned. She feared that if Yunjae acted as defenseless as usual, he might end up in serious danger.

"Ah, excuse me..."

Hoping to intervene, she started to speak, but—

"Who are you?"

Gyojin dismissed her without a second thought. His gaze was filled with absolute contempt, looking down on her.

"She's my friend."

"A friend?"

Gyojin smirked, finding this amusing.

Whoosh!

He casually threw a shockwave of fist wind toward her.

Boom!

"Ah!"

Before anyone could react, Yunjae reached out and blocked it.

"A surprise attack, just like a real stress interview!"

"I told you, it's not a stress interview! You dummy!"

"Ah! I heard that stress interviews in Korea are designed to cause embarrassment and humiliation, so I thought this was just a highly advanced version!"

At his flustered shout, Gyojin, Taejun, and the other Blast Guild members exchanged glances, realizing he was definitely not ordinary.

He blocked it effortlessly. I want to see his real strength.

Leave it to me!

Having exchanged silent signals, Gyojin licked his lips and spoke.

"Low-class humans shouldn't butt into a conversation between ability users."

"What did you say?"

Mari glared at him, her temper flaring.

"Seeing that gun, you're a C-class? B-class at best. But honestly, with that piece of junk, it's hard to even call you a B-class. That outdated weapon of yours."

The limit for non-awakened hunters was B-class. While some managed to reach B-class through high-end gear, the model she carried was ancient. Unable to refute Gyojin's assessment that she was a mere C-class, Mari bit her lip and fell silent.

"Well, it was just a friendly reminder for low-lifes to back off."

He was crude and aggressive. He had never been a considerate person to begin with, and as one of the strongest hunters who constantly looked down on others, quite a few members within the Blast Guild disliked him.

"Gyojin is such a jerk."

Like Akemi, for instance.

"Hey, Slender Forearms. I'm going to test you to see what level you're at. To see if you're worthy of hanging out with us."

As Gyojin issued his provocative threat, Yunjae shrank back slightly, looking intimidated.

"Ah..."

Is he... scared?

He looked exactly like a middle schooler who had just run into a neighborhood bully!

"So cute, Slender Forearms."

Yet, Akemi just giggled, finding even his terrified expression adorable.

"Talking like that when this isn't even a video game... That man is a bit strange."

In truth, Yunjae wasn't scared; he was just genuinely bewildered. He took a step forward.

"I don't know what kind of answer will get me through this stress interview, but..."

"I said it's not a stress interview!"

"Ah... first of all, please apologize to Mari."

Though his voice was soft, his tone carried an unusual firmness that made Mari look at him in surprise.