Chapter 40
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Our Generous Puppy (1)
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On a certain hunter-related community website.
A new post appeared.
[My idiot brother got screwed by a sponsor guild]
[Title says it all, ffs……. He’s in his room crying with the mana contract in his hands;; What do I do?]
⌎ Lmao, your bro’s hunter career is over.
⌎ Looks like he got properly screwed lol. This is why you should always avoid sponsor guilds.
Poster - Stop laughing, isn't there anything he can do……? He looks like he might kill himself.
⌎ Isn't quitting the only option? If you miss their quota even once, they'll chain you down like vultures.
Poster - F*ck, he’s really screwed……. I told him not to get a big head and join a proper guild.
⌎ It’s tempting for rookies, lol. They offer to buy your items at a high price and even provide gear for free.
⌎ The quota isn't a big deal~ Yeah, if you're an A-rank hunter or higher~
⌎ Just tell him to quit cleanly. If he had to sign with a sponsor guild, he probably wasn't that skilled anyway.
Poster - That’s the only way, huh? T_T He was acting all high and mighty after his awakening, sigh.
⌎ If he signed a mana contract, there’s really no way out.
⌎ Yeah, sponsor guilds are a bit like pyramid schemes, but they’re not illegal.
⌎ This is all because of that ‘Promised 1st Division Head,’ lol.
⌎ Sponsor guilds? They won’t get sanctioned. ‘Because that is the promise.’
⌎ Holy crap, lol.
Poster - Sigh……. I’m gonna go tell my brother to just enlist in the army……. Thanks, everyone…….
⌎ Hey.
Poster - Yeah?
⌎ Which sponsor guild did your brother sign with?
Poster - The Heukgyeon Guild, dammit……. If you see that name, just run. They’re seriously the worst.
⌎ Thank you. This should be a sweet deal.
Poster - ?
***
A 10-story building located in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.
The nameplate at the entrance of this glittering building read ‘Heukgyeon (黑見)’.
Although it used the character for ‘to see,’ eight or nine out of ten people who knew of them called the guild by the derogatory name ‘Black Dog Bastards.’
“Fuck, you bastard. Can’t you do your job right?”
Ju Jisan, the guild master of ‘Heukgyeon,’ was spewing verbal abuse at his secretary first thing in the morning.
“I told you to manage the community forums properly. Our image is the most important thing.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But the post was taken down in 30 minutes…”
“Hey, you motherfucker! Who said it being taken down in 30 minutes was the important part? It’s a matter of vigilance, vigilance! Do I really have to beat you to get it through your head?”
Ju Jisan rose from his seat and picked up a golf club from the corner of the office.
“This won’t do. Let’s see how this golf club tastes after so long.”
“I apologize, sir.”
The burly, 190cm-tall secretary quietly got on his hands and knees.
This was not the first time this had happened.
Ju Jisan raised the golf club high, his thinly slit eyes filled with rage.
But before he could swing.
*Ring!*
The phone on his desk rang.
“Shit, what now? I’m busy.”
Until that moment, his venomous face was contorted with anger.
However, shortly after answering the phone, his expression slowly relaxed.
“Right now? He says he received a thorough explanation? Did you confirm his rank and affiliation? Alright, send him up immediately.”
Ju Jisan hung up the phone, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.
It was a small community, but having the Heukgyeon Guild’s true nature exposed online was quite irritating.
However, it seemed the exposé from last night had ended as a minor incident.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
After all, another sucker had just walked right into his den.
Hearing the knock, Ju Jisan growled at his still-kneeling secretary.
“Get up, you bastard. And act right.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary rose with a blank expression and stood beside him.
Ju Jisan straightened his clothes and spoke.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a guild employee, a hunter, and a figure that looked like a small child entered.
“Sir, this is a hunter who wishes to receive guild sponsorship.”
“Welcome.”
After the employee left, Ju Jisan stared at the hunter before him.
The hunter seeking sponsorship had his face covered with a mask and sunglasses.
His head was covered by a deep hood.
*What a clown.*
Although his face was hidden, Ju Jisan didn’t think much of it.
He’d seen this type before.
People who lacked the ability to join a respectable guild but wanted to hide the fact that they had come seeking sponsorship.
They were the type with no skill, only an overinflated sense of pride.
“And who is this?”
Still, the presence in the black raincoat who had followed him in was strange, no matter how you looked at it.
He looked to be about eight years old at most, but this one was wearing something akin to a traditional Gaksital mask.
The visitor spoke up.
“Ah, that’s my son.”
“…Your son?”
“Yes. I told him to wait in the car, but this building is just so magnificent, isn’t it? So shiny, with the glass facade. He threw a tantrum, insisting he wanted to come along, so I had no choice but to bring him.”
“Ah, I see. It was designed by a famous Italian designer, you know. Hahaha! Your son has an excellent aesthetic sense.”
Ju Jisan smiled and patted the head of the raincoat-clad figure.
A sound like ‘Krek’ came from within.
“?”
“My son is a little shy.”
Ju Jisan nodded.
He did hear a sound like a child clearing phlegm, as if he had asthma.
But it didn’t matter to him whether this brat was shy or coughing.
“Please, have a seat.”
The visitor and his son sat on the guest sofa, and Ju Jisan sat opposite them.
“First, then… your name is…”
As was typical of these prideful worms, the visitor had presented his license, but his name was covered.
Ju Jisan smirked inwardly.
The more transparent they were, the easier they were to handle.
“Kim Wooju.”
“Ah, yes. Mr. Kim Wooju, you’re here to receive our guild’s sponsorship, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“My staff probably gave you a brief overview downstairs, but I’d like to explain it again myself. Is that alright with you?”
Kim Wooju silently nodded.
“The Heukgyeon Guild is a sponsor guild. We’re different from regular guilds. We don’t sign hunters to yearly binding contracts. Instead, we form monthly sponsorship agreements. What is a sponsorship? It’s literally like being a sponsor.”
Ju Jisan spoke with practiced fluency.
This was what he did best.
“Once we have a sponsorship agreement, we provide our hunters with various forms of support. Most notably, we purchase all items and byproducts you wish to sell at 1.15 times the market price. We can also provide information on gates, dungeons, and other guilds, as long as it doesn’t break the law. And we support you with all the supplies you need for expeditions.”
“Do you make any profit from that?”
“Oh, hardly any. We’re practically giving it all away.”
Ju Jisan waved his hands exaggeratedly.
He put on his kindest possible expression.
“Well, unlike the major guilds, we don’t have the money to sign hunters to yearly contracts. Nor do we have the ability to manage them continuously. I myself am only a C-rank hunter. We do this for the sense of fulfillment. You know, the feeling that even someone as lacking as myself is contributing to peace by helping these valuable individuals.”
Of course, it was a lie.
But most rookie hunters would look moved at this point.
It was a way to subtly flatter the hunters who came for sponsorship.
He appealed to them by showing his intentions were pure and benevolent.
It was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone when dealing with rookies whose pride was their only asset.
“I see.”
Kim Wooju nodded, stroking his son’s head.
His reaction was subtle.
“My goodness, we have a valuable hunter here, and I haven’t even offered you a cup of tea.”
At Ju Jisan’s gesture, his secretary quickly brought two cups of green tea.
“Anyway, that’s the gist of it. We provide hunters with various information and expedition supplies under the banner of sponsorship, and we even take care of their dungeon byproducts.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“We have a separate business we run. It’s a platform that sells daily necessities and miscellaneous items. All we ask is that you help promote it a little. They aren’t strange products, so you don’t have to worry. Would you like to see the catalog?”
Ju Jisan pulled out a professionally made catalog from under the table.
But before he could show it, Kim Wooju quietly held up a hand.
“No, that’s alright. The explanation seems sufficient.”
“Then, shall we proceed with the sponsorship contract?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Things were proceeding more smoothly than expected.
A glint appeared in Ju Jisan’s eyes.
*He said he was a B-rank hunter. This could be a chance to get a slave I can work for life.*
The hunter before him was a big fish he hadn’t hooked in a while.
He was B-rank, yet had no record of being affiliated with any guild.
On top of that, his license was issued only a few weeks ago.
Ju Jisan trusted that information completely.
Even if the personal details were blocked from view, there was nothing more reliable than a license’s barcode.
If he had stolen another hunter’s B-rank license, it would be exposed quickly.
And that would be even better, as he could use it as leverage to force an even more unfair contract.
In that sense.
This man was a rabbit who had unknowingly walked into a tiger’s maw.
“Here is the contract.”
So there could be no mistakes.
Ju Jisan placed the mana contract, handed to him by his secretary, on the table.
“You’re B-rank, but upon checking your license, I saw you have no guild affiliation history. We may be lacking, but considering we’re the first guild to contract with you, hunter, I’ll add one more condition in your favor.”
“Hm.”
“Now, let’s see.”
The pen moved busily across the contract.
“We’ll raise the purchase price for items and byproducts from 15 percent above market price to 50 percent. That means we’ll buy them for 1.5 times the market price.”
This was the final step to reel him in.
Because aside from the ‘first month after the contract,’ he would never have to buy byproducts from this man at 1.5 times the price.
But as he finished speaking, the ‘son’ next to him reacted.
“Kereuk!”
“?”
“Son, you must be quiet, no matter how excited you are. This is a place for adults to talk.”
Kim Wooju whispered.
The little kid in the raincoat looked dejected and lowered his masked face.
“Haha, your son has a very cute laugh. Please read over the contract and sign when you’re ready.”
The moment one signs a mana contract with a pen, the target’s body is ensnared by a curse.
That was why he wasn’t interested in Kim Wooju’s personal details.
“By the way, what is this clause?”
Kim Wooju, who had been reading the contract, spoke up.
Here it comes.
“Which one are you referring to?”
“Party A must trade at least 500 million won worth of byproducts or items with Party B at least once a month from the contract date. If the above condition is not met, it will be deemed a failure on the part of Party A, and Party B reserves the right to arbitrarily modify the contract’s terms and duration.”
“Ah, that.”
Ju Jisan put on a benevolent smile and continued.
“It’s a kind of safety net. We have profit margins to consider, you see. We buy at a high price, so we need to trade in large quantities. We only make a profit if we trade at least 500 million won worth. You don’t need to worry. If you follow the information we provide for your dungeon or gate expeditions, 500 million will be easy.”
“Is 500 million a month that easy to earn? I just awakened not long ago, so I don’t really have a feel for it.”
“Oh, of course. You’re a hunter, after all.”
*Of course, it’s possible if you’re at least A-rank or belong to one of the top three guilds.*
For a run-of-the-mill B-rank or lower, it would be incredibly difficult.
And if they followed the information provided by the Heukgyeon Guild, the chances of success converged to zero.
“Hmm, so if I wanted to trade more than 500 million won worth, would the contract period be extended under these terms? For example, say, 1 billion won.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes, of course. If you trade 1 billion won worth at once, the contract period will be extended to two months. And that’s not all! We’ll upgrade you to VIP status at the guild level!”
“What changes when I become a VIP?”
Ju Jisan smiled, pointing to a section of the contract with his finger.
“The very fact that we are sponsoring a capable hunter enhances our guild’s reputation, does it not? Therefore, a VIP can extend the sponsorship contract period at any time. You’ll also be granted a certain degree of authority to intervene in the guild’s policies.”
It was a clause added precisely because the structure made it impossible to ever be promoted to VIP.
However, Kim Wooju nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad.”
“Ah, and I’m just saying this just in case, but you can’t use loopholes to make a profit or meet the 500 million won quota. For example, buying items from other hunters or exchanges and reselling them. You can assume that no loopholes will work at all. We have ways of checking all of that.”
“I have no intention of doing so.”
“Hahaha, I’m only saying this out of caution, as we’ve had people like that before.”
While answering, Ju Jisan pursed his lips to keep from laughing.
*No intention of doing so, yet he brings up 1 billion?*
The media really had overhyped hunters.
Making them seem like monsters who could earn a billion a month without batting an eye.
When in reality, the majority of them couldn’t even get into a guild and ended up fading away.
*Well, it’s because they only spotlight the successful ones that we can make a living.*
The future was clear.
This hunter would go on expeditions to dungeons or gates following the guild’s guidance.
The maximum profit he could make in a month would be around 450 million.
A lot of money, but it wouldn’t reach 500 million.
Since he failed to earn 500 million, the Heukgyeon Guild would hold all the cards.
Thus, under the pretext of a contract breach, the sales ratio and sponsorship period would be readjusted.
And he would be reduced to a slave of the Heukgyeon Guild for eternity.
“Very well, I’ll sign the contract.”
“Yes. Please sign here. This is a contract with a mana penalty, so please check the penalty clause as well.”
*Hook, line, and sinker!*
Ju Jisan smiled benevolently.
Just then, Kim Wooju, who was checking the penalty clause, tilted his head.
“The penalty is too flimsy. In case of a contract breach, half of the violator’s stats are forfeit for three years… Is something like this really enough?”
“Excuse me? A stat reduction is a pretty severe penalty. A 50% reduction means a B-rank could instantly drop to C-rank or D-rank.”
“I’m still a rookie who doesn’t know anything, so I don’t have a good feel for it. Besides, isn’t this a penalty that doesn’t really affect you even if you violate the contract, sir? You’re only a C-rank and not an active hunter anyway.”
Ju Jisan’s eyebrow twitched.
This brat was subtly bruising his pride.
“Are you saying you want to increase the mana penalty?”
“Yes. I think it should be at least severe enough to lose a wrist.”
“Uh…”
Suddenly, a new contract was placed right on top of the old mana contract.
“So I brought one with me. Let’s sign with this mana contract.”
A parchment from which a red mist was slowly rising.
He had never seen one in person before.
But Ju Jisan instantly realized what it was.
“…Is this, by any chance, a Designated Body Part Immolation Parchment?”
“Yes.”
Kim Wooju smiled faintly.
“This is a contract involving hundreds of millions of won. If we’re going to use a mana contract, shouldn’t we each wager a precious body part? Don’t you think so, Guild Master Ju Jisan?”
“…A precious body part?”
And it was from this moment that Ju Jisan’s plan started to go awry.