The Mir Guild's Hollow Welcome

The top floor of Mir Guild headquarters.

I had been invited to a penthouse overlooking Yongsan-gu.

"Coffee? Beer? There's wine too, so help yourself."

His attitude was pure nonchalance. He had already cracked open a can of beer with a sharp pssht and was drinking it himself.

"I'll take an iced americano, please."

"What about Director Hong?"

"I-I'm fine, thank you."

"We've got a guest. Relax and have something."

"Then... hibiscus tea, if you would."

Tremble, tremble, tremble.

The woman who had been so confident when she came to pick up Yeondu and me was now shaking so hard her legs could barely hold her.

Be careful. That man is the one who sent a telepathic message to that maiden earlier.

Telepathy?

He told her to proceed with the sparring.

So she had hesitated over my proposal and only accepted because of the guildmaster. He had been watching this whole situation from the start.

I figured as much. Something had smelled off about the sparring suggestion from the beginning.

Are you certain you need no contingency plan?

This maiden shall clear a path for you.

Don't worry. I came here as a guest—how could they try anything? Word that I was heading to Mir Guild had already reached the other top five guilds. Any dirty tricks here would only hurt them.

"Your drinks."

I took a sip of the coffee the secretary handed me.

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Ugh. Bitter.

Maybe it was because I had gotten used to the coffee President Baek brewed. This one tasted worse by comparison.

"Mind if I drop the formalities?"

"Of course."

As if he hadn't already.

"About your summons, Hunter Park. Their skills were impressive."

"I consider them more than I deserve."

"A strong summon is still a reflection of the hunter's ability. Take pride in it."

"Yes. Thank you."

"Don't be so stiff. Make yourself comfortable. Comfortable."

Wow. You. Are. Making. Me. Extremely. Uncomfortable.

"Guildmaster, may we proceed with the discussion?"

"Recruitment is Director Hong's department. I'll just watch, so talk freely."

He said he would make me comfortable, but the vibe was more like he was about to lay me in a coffin and drive the nails in himself. At least I would sleep forever—that part would be comfortable, I guess.

"These are the benefits we can offer Hunter Park."

Four billion won with a 7% commission.

Compared to the terms Chilseong Guild had offered, every single point was missing a screw. The signing bonus was less than half. Even the monster byproduct commission was awkwardly high.

These shameless people are undervaluing Master's worth.

My lord! Leave this place at once!

Calm down, both of you.

Honestly, I was a little stunned. Four billion was still a huge sum. It was a bit under half of Chilseong's ten-billion offer, but it was not small money.

And yet... I wasn't surprised. Normally my heart should have been pounding at the sight of those numbers. Instead, all I thought was, Oh, four billion, and that was it.

Was I already getting used to this kind of treatment? Not long ago I had been scraping by in E-rank gates. The contrast was almost moving.

"Director Hong."

"Yes, Guildmaster!"

"Don't be like that. Let's spend a little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more."

"Pardon?"

"Who was the new recruit we gave the best terms to?"

"Hunter Kim Younghwan, currently B-rank. His signing bonus was five billion."

"I'm in a good mood. Let's give Hunter Park fifteen billion."

"Will that be all right? Our department's budget doesn't stretch that far."

"I'm the representative and guildmaster, aren't I? What's the problem?"

In an instant the signing bonus more than tripled. It had even surpassed Chilseong Guild's ten billion.

"I'll need some time to think it over."

"Sure, sure. I like that a young man is careful."

Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo spoke with complete confidence.

"No one else will match what we can offer, so think it through and contact us through student Yeondu."

Right. Except that wasn't true at all.

"Thank you for the warm hospitality."

"Hope we see each other again."

He suddenly thrust out his hand. I stared at Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo's offered handshake for a moment, then took it lightly with a limp grip.

A luxury sedan pulling away from Mir Guild headquarters. Inside rode Minho—the key figure who had resolved the Break incident, the man now called the Necromancer of Guui-dong.

From the penthouse on the top floor, Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo watched the car leave.

"I'm sorry, Guildmaster."

"For what?"

"For the disgraceful display in the training hall."

HR Director Hong Yuri bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.

"As long as you know."

Yong Cheonwoo waved his right hand dismissively. Hong Yuri understood perfectly well that the gesture was not forgiveness.

"I will take full responsibility."

"Of course it's your responsibility, Director Hong."

The answer came without a second's hesitation. "Responsibility" was exactly the word Yong Cheonwoo had wanted to hear.

The one who authorized the sparring was the guildmaster, but...

She could not point that out. Yong Cheonwoo did not like taking responsibility himself. He had been the one to accept a sparring match with a C-rank hunter, yet the blame belonged to Hong Yuri.

"Recruiting Park Minho. Think it'll work?"

"I believe the odds are fifty-fifty."

"If it's just a coin flip, I could do that myself."

Yong Cheonwoo's smirk carried sharp thorns that pricked Hong Yuri with every word.

"So four billion wouldn't even have been a contest."

"Chilseong seems to have offered a larger sum."

"Chance they went over eight billion?"

"...It's not impossible."

"Wow. Good thing I stepped in, or we'd have been in real trouble."

Both the order to propose four billion and the later dramatic raise to fifteen billion had been Yong Cheonwoo's instructions. After giving the telepathic order, he had swaggered in like a generous boss and jacked up the terms himself.

"If it works out, it's thanks to me. You know that, right?"

"Everything is thanks to the guildmaster's efforts."

"Good, good."

Push the blame onto others. Claim the credit for himself. That was Yong Cheonwoo's true nature—something outsiders never saw.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Don't forget the written apology for the sparring incident."

"...Yes."

Creak—

Alone in the vast penthouse that occupied an entire floor of the building, Yong Cheonwoo stared out the window.

That was no ordinary undead.

The razor-sharp thrust that had dropped Jang Minseok in a single blow. For a single instant, even Yong Cheonwoo—watching from a distance—had felt a chill run down his spine.

It wasn't raw power. There had been no Aura Blade. The sword hadn't even been coated in Aura. An attack like that could hit him a hundred times and leave nothing but a light scratch on his skin.

And yet the principle of ascending swordsmanship contained in that single strike had startled him.

How does a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠low-grade undead know swordsmanship like that?

It was bizarre. Undead species were generally rated a bit lower in combat power for their rank. Rotting, decaying bodies meant average specs were inevitably weaker. On top of that, they were monsters driven purely by hatred for the living, so their movements were simple. Only at the level of a Dullahan did intelligence appear and allow them to use their abilities properly.

He overturned that common sense.

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Minho's undead transcended it. A mere low-grade undead had packed a principle of ascending swordsmanship into its blade that even Yong Cheonwoo could not fully read on the first viewing.

It had to be because Minho's ability was special.

He must become one of ours.

A hunter talented enough to shift the deadlock among the domestic top five! If recruitment failed...

Then he would have to obstruct him by any means necessary.

If I can't have him, better to crush him.

Crunch!

The beer can in his hand crumpled beyond recognition.

"Shall I take you home?"

"No. To Blacksmith Street, please."

"Understood."

The ride out of Mir Guild was quiet. Aside from the driver, there was no one else. That let me calmly organize my thoughts.

"Thanks for telling me about the telepathy."

It was nothing.

While we were discussing contract terms, Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo had ordered her to act as if four billion was the absolute ceiling. He must have thought telepathy meant no one else could hear.

Joke's on him—I have Sir Isra, the greatest sword of the continent, with me.

He's more underhanded than he looks.

"Yeah."

I had never heard any particularly bad rumors about Yong Cheonwoo. Before meeting him I had vaguely assumed he was an impressive man. The type who never dirtied his own hands and dumped responsibility on others.

"Not joining them is the right call."

But Chilseong's contact person has changed. Won't the terms change as well?

"President Baek said if anything, they'll go up, not down."

The ten-billion bid had been before the Break incident. Now that my name was all over the media, whoever the successor was, they wouldn't be able to lower the offer.

Will you speak with the other guilds as well?

"I'll think about it."

Even among the top five there was a rough hierarchy. Mir and Hwarang Guilds were old powerhouses that had built their strength since the early days of the Great Cataclysm. Chilseong Guild was a corporate-style guild that had grown rapidly with the backing of the Chilseong Group. The remaining two lagged a bit in name value.

"If I bother talking to anyone else, it would probably just be Hwarang."

I wasn't exactly eager. Maybe it was because I had "received" three hundred million from their new recruits—or rather, had it transferred to me. Something about it still felt awkward.

Chilseong was also awkward now that the original contact, Director Baek, had been fired. And with President Baek swearing he would serve me with his life after retirement, I was starting to wonder whether I even needed to join a guild at all.

This maiden will support whatever choice Master makes!

Yeah. Thanks.

Having someone who always took my side—someone who wasn't family—turned out to be more reassuring than I ever expected.

Before I knew it, Blacksmith Street came into view.

"We've arrived."

The driver even opened the door for me. Aigoo. I feel unworthy.

"Thanks for the ride."

After saying goodbye I headed straight for Hanil Blacksmith.

"Hunter Park! You're here?"

Nam Jinwoo approached with a bright smile.

"Is... the Meister not in?"

"Master went to his private workshop to work."

Whew. Thank goodness. Just remembering Han Yohan's bloodshot eyes still gave me chills. Better to deal with Nam Jinwoo, who at least spoke a language I understood, than that intense craftsman.

"Today's lesson is spear crafting, right?"

"Yes. Please take care of me."

The main purpose of the workshop experience was to learn how to craft a variety of weapons. The weapons that synergized best with undead were those made from corpses. By studying the structures of many different arms and adapting the processes to the material of "bone," my Necrosmith abilities would grow and my undead soldiers would become stronger.

"You're ridiculously good at this, though."

"That's because you teach so well, Mr. Nam."

"Nah. You pick things up faster than I do."

Hearing that from the chief apprentice of Korea's greatest blacksmith felt good even if it was just flattery.

Clang! Kaaang!

Following Nam Jinwoo's guidance, I heated the metal, hammered the glowing crimson steel, and quenched it. Before long a Magic-grade spear was complete.

"If your thrusting skill had been even one level lower, this would have come out Normal-grade."

"Haha... scraped by, huh?"

"If I told anyone a first-time spear maker pulled a Magic grade, no one would believe me."

Is that so? Since the good result wasn't purely from my own skill, I didn't feel particularly proud. Five years of fiddling with corpses had raised my Dexterity stat. According to Nam Jinwoo, it was already higher than most apprentices'. That bonus was what produced the result.

"I keep telling you it's not just that."

"Yes. Thank you."

No need to argue with someone trying to compliment me.

"You can handle the basic processes now, right?"

"Yes, thanks to you."

"Spears come in many forms and the methods differ a little each time, so come back and learn more."

"I will. Thank you."

Just as I was about to leave after saying goodbye—

Huh?