Chapter 54 — Oppa, I'm in a good mood today.
Chapter 54 — Oppa, I'm in a good mood today.
Translation: GodTL
Right after completing what was ostensibly a sparring session but in reality Go Yu-na's "special discipline."
Thanks to having resolved a long-standing concern in one fell swoop, Sia felt incredibly relieved.
That fox-like woman who'd been subtly wagging her tail around Min-jun had always been a thorn in her side, but today she'd finally succeeded in completely severing those ties.
Naturally, after the sparring session ended, Go Yu-na hastily excused herself with an awkward excuse about suddenly having urgent business to attend to.
Having used Dragon Fear to make things crystal clear, unless her guts were literally spilling out, she probably wouldn't dare show her face around Min-jun ever again.
'Oppa must have been really troubled by that woman all this time too.'
From Sia's perspective, Min-jun had always been somewhat soft-hearted, and Go Yu-na's cunning fox-like behavior had been so meticulously calculated that it seemed he hadn't been able to shake her off until now.
Though Min-jun had actually resolved to firmly reject Go Yu-na just the day before, this was something Sia still didn't know.
Anyway.
Though she still felt somewhat unsettled by what had happened at the Dragons' gathering, Sia's mood had improved slightly compared to the previous day thanks to having dealt that satisfying blow to Go Yu-na.
She'd removed the biggest nuisance weighing on her.
To celebrate, Sia called Min-jun.
"Oppa. Have you eaten yet?"
[No, I was just about to have a hamburger. How about you, Sia?]
"I hadn't thought about what to eat yet, but hearing you talk about it makes me want a hamburger too."
Unlike yesterday when she'd been somewhat subdued, today Sia continued the cheerful conversation with Min-jun at her usual energy level.
And Min-jun could clearly sense this change.
[You seem to be in a much better mood today?]
"Hmm, do I?"
[Yeah. I didn't mention it earlier, but yesterday you definitely seemed worried about something. But today you seem brighter—I'm glad.]
Saying he could finally feel somewhat relieved, Min-jun smiled brightly at Sia.
Her heart fluttering at that radiant smile, Sia grinned widely as she replied.
"I-Is it that obvious?"
[I've told you before—sometimes you're not very good at hiding your emotions. Did something good happen today?]
At Min-jun's question, Sia smiled and gently pressed her index finger to her lips.
"It's a secret."
They say rumors travel a thousand miles without feet.
Certain topics that capture people's attention inevitably spread from person to person regardless of the concerned party's intentions.
For instance, cases like Min-jun's recent rank re-evaluation.
It's already uncommon for someone to return for a rank re-evaluation in less than a month and a half, let alone have their rank jump two whole levels from the results.
The staff member who handled Min-jun's re-evaluation and the receptionist who processed his paperwork.
These two shared this astonishing experience with their acquaintances, and within just a few days, rumors about Min-jun had spread to numerous people.
Not just ordinary people completely unrelated to the Hunter industry, but also journalists, YouTubers constantly seeking such scoops, and even guild officials.
Thus, in the offices of One Light Guild—one of South Korea's top ten guilds.
"Someone must've spiced up the rumors along the way, right? Normally it'd be raising one rank over a couple months at most."
Jeong Tae-seong, an S-rank Hunter and leader of One Light Guild, questioned his deputy leader Lee Ro-un about the unbelievable news he'd just heard.
"That alone would be impressive enough—why exaggerate? I double-checked and looked into it from every angle—the chances of the rumors being inflated are slim."
"What kind of common sense is it for some ordinary D-rank Hunter to become B-rank in just a month and a half?"
"My point exactly. But apparently, it's true."
Having recruited numerous talented Hunters, they'd seen all kinds.
Yet even they had never encountered a case where someone's rank jumped two whole levels in less than a month and a half.
There's a reason the Hunter Association requires Hunters to pay additional fees for re-evaluations within three months of a previous one.
Since rank improvements rarely happen that quickly, the Association sees no reason to waste money otherwise.
"You don't think he was holding back during his previous evaluation, do you?"
"If he were a villain, that might make sense. We'd need to investigate further, but from what I hear, he's most likely just a decent Hunter."
"Hmm."
Though none of this made logical sense, that very fact made him want to dig deeper.
If this Hunter wasn't a villain—if his explosive growth wasn't hiding some dangerous secret but was simply the result of overwhelming potential—
Then there was no reason not to recruit him.
No, they had to recruit him.
Even if he was already under another guild, they'd have to pay an astronomical transfer fee to secure him.
Who knew when another prodigy like this would appear?
If they missed this chance, none of them could say when—or if—another Hunter of this caliber would emerge.
"Does this Hunter currently belong to any guild?"
"None now, and none before, apparently. Still, we should investigate just to be sure."
"Find out everything. Everything. No method is off the table."
Tae-seong knew.
If the other top-ten guilds caught wind of this rumor, they wouldn't hesitate to jump into the recruitment battle.
B-rank wasn't rare among major guilds—plenty of Hunters held that rank. But the rank itself didn't matter.
A Hunter who had grown this fast would inevitably reach S-rank one day.
And there was a good chance he'd even surpass that, becoming an SS-rank Hunter.
It might be premature to say, but who knew? Maybe someday, he'd become South Korea's first SSS-rank Hunter.
But Tae-seong also knew the other guild leaders would be thinking the exact same thing.
So if they waited until the media caught wind of him, it'd already be too late.
They had to move now—swiftly—if they wanted to secure this Hunter.
Because the other guilds would act the moment they heard the news.
"Tell HR to start preparing the recruitment offer immediately. And make sure the signing bonus is high enough that no other guild can outbid us."
"I already gave them the heads-up."
Strike first, report later.
Ro-un had judged that even a half-step delay would cost them any chance of success, so he'd already issued orders to HR the moment he heard the news.
"Good."
After confirming Min-jun's recruitment was underway, Tae-seong skimmed through the files containing the contract terms of their existing prodigy Hunters.
As expected of a top-ten South Korean guild, the conditions were groundbreaking—far beyond what mid-tier guilds could offer.
But he knew.
Even these terms would fall far short of what it'd take to secure this Hunter.
'Who knows how fast this guy's value is going to skyrocket?'
Money mattered, but he judged the real battle was against time.
With growth this explosive, the media would inevitably catch on soon.
They'd run feature articles, hyping up the prodigy Hunter to no end.
And the more articles came out, the more his price would soar beyond reason.
His prediction wasn't wrong.
In reality, not only were most of South Korea's top-ten guilds already eyeing Min-jun, but other major guilds were too.
And the media, upon hearing the rumors, had already begun drafting articles while scrambling to uncover Min-jun's contact details for interview requests.
It was the calm before the storm.
Yet the man at the center of it all—Min-jun—remained oblivious, living out his ordinary days.
After ending the video call with Sia, I could finally relax.
Yesterday, she'd seemed to be forcing a smile to keep me from worrying. But today, her smile was genuine—unfiltered.
I didn't know what had happened between yesterday and today to lift her mood, but I was just glad to see her smiling again.
I'd been worried she'd still be in a slump.
Anyway.
Just as I finished the call with Sia—
Right as I was about to take another bite of my half-eaten burger—
My phone rang.
'Who is it?'
An unsaved number.
Normally, I wouldn't answer unknown calls, but for some reason, I felt like I should take this one.
"Hello?"
[Is this Yun Min-jun, the Hunter?]
"Yes, speaking?"
"Hunter Min-jun Yun," not just "Mr. Yun Min-jun."
From that moment, I began sensing something distinctly different about this call.
[Hello, this is reporter Min Yun-seo from NBS. Regarding your recent...]
Just hearing that much was enough for me to understand.
News about my rank reassessment results had started spreading everywhere.
I hadn't told anyone except Sia and Rokan, but it was bound to leak eventually.
Though the timing was slightly earlier than I'd anticipated.
In the past, I would've immediately agreed to the interview, already calculating how to leverage it for better guild offers.
I'd have been planning how to parlay this into favorable terms with elite guilds.
But now, the circumstances were entirely different.
Would joining a guild even be the wise choice in this situation?
Honestly... probably not.
Besides, even if I gained fame through media appearances, there was nothing substantial for me to gain.
Yet even as I organized my thoughts, the reporter continued pressing forward.
[...so if you're amenable, we'd like to conduct an interview. Just name your preferred location and time—we'll accommodate your schedule.]
"My apologies, but I'm not considering any interviews."
I politely declined and moved to end the call.
However—
[Might you have already secured an exclusive interview with another network?]
"...Excuse me?"
What kind of question was that?
[Ah, since you declined, I thought perhaps another outlet had already arranged an exclusive.]
"There are no scheduled interviews, nor do I intend to give any. I prefer maintaining a quiet life. I'll be hanging up now."
After ending the call, I returned to my lunch.
But—
Just when I thought I could finally eat in peace, the phone rang again—another unknown number.
Somehow, I already knew what this would be about.
"Hello?"
[Good afternoon, is this Hunter Min-jun Yun? This is Choi Jae-wook, HR team leader at One Light Guild.]
If the last call was a reporter, this time it was a guild.
And not just any guild—one of South Korea's top ten.
[We were wondering, if you're currently unaffiliated, if you might consider joining us. We've taken the liberty of reaching out despite the presumption.]
They must've heard about my reassessment results too—no one makes offers like this without intel.
But even with top-tier benefits, joining a major guild would only hinder my growth.
Unlike other Hunters, my power comes solely from awakening the dormant Dragon force within me.
No guild training program or Gate raids could ever achieve what I need.
Though briefly tempted, I declined again.
"Apologies, but I'm not looking to join any guild at this time."
[Have you received offers elsewhere? At least hear our terms first. If they don't suit you, we can adjust conditions to your preferences.]
Maybe it was my imagination, but his persistence mirrored the reporter's earlier tone.
That desperate determination to secure me.
The excessive attention felt awkward—this was all new to me.
Still, principles remained.
I maintained the same polite refusal as before.
"Personal circumstances prevent me from considering guild affiliations currently. I appreciate the offer."
[...I see. Should you reconsider, please don't hesitate to contact us.]
After hanging up,
I tried returning to my meal and original plans.
But from then on, my phone rang incessantly.
Every call—interview requests or guild recruitment.
At first, the sheer volume amazed me, but the relentless repetition quickly grew exhausting.
I briefly considered turning my phone off entirely, but that posed its own problems.
If Sia called while it was off, she'd assume something was wrong and worry.
Wait—
Since I'm thinking of Sia anyway, maybe I should call her?
At least while making a call, my phone wouldn't ring.
Weary from the barrage, I decided to catch my breath and dialed Sia's number.