You Ready?
“You ready?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah! Bro…. I mean, Sunbae-nim!”
“…Just call me bro.”
On the way to the Black Lion headquarters by taxi, I patted Yoo Sung-su's stiff shoulders. Man, his muscles were so tense.
“Dude, no need to freak out. Up until yesterday, these were the same people we were drinking and hanging out with at my place. Why the nerves?”
“B-but, bro…. It's my first day. I was talking all big yesterday about how I'd crush it, and if I screw up like an idiot…. Arghhh…!”
Sung-su panicked, clutching his face and groaning. It was like a live-action version of The Scream.
I sighed.
“That's why I'm coming with you to help out. I don't even show up to work that often myself….”
Truly something to boast about!
Why send a message like that, as if I'm so pathetic, Mom? The contract clearly states 'flexible attendance' in the fine print.
But today, I decided to make the big effort and head to guild HQ.
Because this was Sung-su's first day too.
Since I pulled strings to get him in, I gotta take responsibility and show him the ropes.
Last night at the housewarming party, I'd introduced Sung-su right in front of Representative Heo and the Black-White Brothers.
—This guy's gonna be the treasure of Black Lion!
—Representative Heo, you'll take him, right?
—When our guild's hero Jae-min recommends someone? Of course we're thrilled!
And just like that, Sung-su got the job. Part-time days over—welcome to full-time life.
…Technically, he's a parachute hire, huh?
Not exactly a heartwarming tale to spin. Whatever. A guy with the Voice Buff skill like Sung-su is essential talent, especially to prep for the future ahead.
The man who'd get tens of millions of players begging for his blessing!
That's Yoo Sung-su.
“Lip balm…. Where'd I put my lip balm…. My lips crack when I'm nervous….”
“…….”
He's gonna be S-rank soon, you know.
Don't underestimate our Sung-su—he's the real deal.
A short while later, we got out of the taxi and headed to the guild office on the fifth floor of a rundown building.
Before opening the door, I patted Sung-su's back and said,
“It's a family vibe—super chill. Oh, and 'family vibe' isn't sarcasm. What I'm saying is, no matter how family-like it is….”
“Greet everyone properly and stand tall, right?”
“Exactly.”
The kid knew when to step up. Sung-su straightened his expression, looking all mature now.
I could tell—this guy was gonna do great.
I smiled and opened the door.
At the same moment, Sung-su puffed up his chest to greet everyone.
“Hello—.”
But the first greeting after I opened the door wasn't from Sung-su.
Not from Representative Heo or the other staff either.
“Impressive. Your presence lives up to the rumors.”
“…….”
A man with eerie glints in his eyes. His vibe screamed snake—like he might flick out a red tongue any second.
I knew exactly who this was.
Mad Dog's….
“Hong Suk-kyu, recruitment team leader for Mad Dog.”
The guy even called 'Viper' in the worst guild out there.
Why the hell is he in our guild?
***
Transfer Consent Form
Entry Contract
Those were the bold headers on the two sheets Hong Suk-kyu shoved at me.
I looked up from the papers straight at him across the table.
Flanking me were Sung-su and Representative Heo.
Looming behind Hong were two burly guys with scars across their faces.
“Ugh….”
Representative Heo was sweating bullets, crushed by the thugs' intimidation.
These bastards. Acting like this is their turf, coming in hot to assert dominance.
I glanced sideways at the papers on the desk.
“What's this?”
“Oh, our S-rank player's asking first? Thrilled! It's exactly what it looks like.”
Don't 'our S-rank' me. Even if the sky fell, I'd never tangle with you scum.
Mad Dog Guild. Need I say more? They live up to the name.
One of the seven major guilds dubbed 'Giants,' scraping the bottom rung.
But 'they climbed with dirty money.'
Not a guild—a straight-up crime syndicate.
The guild master and S-rank, Oh Chae-rin, is one crazy bitch.
She built Mad Dog with filthy cash from shady underworld ties.
Dirty from the start—think the internals are clean? Corruption, scandals, illegal crap galore….
I'd seen countless promising players sign with them and wreck their lives.
Lee Ji-yoon was the prime example.
Regression Day 1. The high school girl who'd given me her card as thanks for saving her brother.
Later, she became the disaster known as 'Demon,' dooming Mad Dog.
After the bloodbath, evidence spilled out, exposing all their crimes to the world.
Not that anyone was left to punish them….
Karma, right? I knew they'd done vile shit and met a pathetic end.
So what now? Transfer consent? Entry contract?
I swallowed bile and asked,
“Who’s this transfer consent for, and whose entry contract? Mind if I ask?”
“We already chatted with Representative Heo…. Haha. But since our S-rank's curious, I'll spell it out.”
Hong flashed a fake-friendly smile and pointed at me.
“All for Player Hwang Jae-min.”
“…….”
“Join Mad Dog, Player.”
Right on cue, the sleazy pitch.
Yesterday, Uncle Lee Tae-ho had warned me.
Now that I'm S-rank—and everyone knows I'm the son of that S-rank power couple—life's gonna get noisy.
I wanted it, expected it….
But not trash like this crawling out the gate.
It's Sung-su's first day, and these clowns ruin the morning vibe.
Oblivious to my mood, Hong kept yapping.
“Just sign, and we'll wire 50 billion signing bonus right away. Cover your Black Lion breach fee too—of course. Saw it's five times your current bonus?”
He smirked at Representative Heo.
“Five times? Pocket change compared to what we'd pay.”
“…….”
Representative Heo's shoulders slumped under the gaze. Classic big corp bullying small biz.
Like a political cartoon.
“Just 50 billion? Join us, get top-tier treatment. Free A+ gear minimum…. Oh, we cover housing and cars too. Plus—.”
He droned on, but I tuned it out. More pressing: what to eat for Sung-su's welcome dinner.
Waste of time.
I leaned back, sneering,
“So you're telling me to betray them?”
“This biz doesn't see transfers as betrayal…. But a loyal type like you might. Fair enough. But is it really betrayal?”
What now?
Hong's eyes shifted from me to Representative Heo.
“In exchange for Hwang Jae-min joining us, Mad Dog pledges five A-rank players to Black Lion, plus ongoing guild support.”
An average A-rank's worth 10 billion. Translation: Black Lion trades me for 50 billion equivalent.
If it weren't Mad Dog.
Backstabbing's their specialty.
Wanna verify with Throw Eye?
Emotions:False / Superiority / Lewd
See? Told ya. 'Viper' is too kind—even for him. Rotten eel fits better.
Clueless that I'd read him, Hong leaned toward Representative Heo with smug superiority.
“Representative Heo? How long you planning to run a guild from this crumbling lease dump?”
“…….”
“No-name guild got some buzz thanks to Hwang Jae-min. Time to upgrade to a big building. Don't you feel bad for your members slaving in this dump?”
That bastard!
Totally get it, Mom. But I stayed quiet.
Separate from wanting to tear his mouth off….
They made that offer, huh?
I wanted to hear it straight from Representative Heo.
So I held my tongue. Didn't even glance his way—didn't wanna pressure him.
Wanna mess with 'em a bit?
I reached for the transfer consent like I was interested.
Whoosh.
“…….”
Representative Heo snatched it first.
He skimmed the dense text and spoke.
“Losing an S-rank hurts the team…. But this more than fills the gap.”
“Haha, even no-name guilds have sharp leaders. Quick on the uptake—glad—.”
“But giving up Hwang Jae-min? That's tough.”
“…Pardon?”
Hong blinked, eyebrow twitching.
“What do you mean….”
“We can lose the S-rank player. But the human Hwang Jae-min? No way.”
“Wait, hold on. Doesn't that just mean you're against his transfer?”
“Quick on the uptake. Glad.”
Representative Heo forced a smile, sweat beading on his face. He was intimidated, scared stiff.
But he smiled anyway. Terrified his true feelings might hide behind fear, he pushed through.
“You know? Hwang Jae-min turned down golden offers from top guilds to come to us first.”
“…….”
“So isn't it only right we ignore all those offers and hold onto him?”
I quietly activated Throw Eye. Sorry, sir—but curiosity killed me.
Emotions:Fear / Truth / Resolve / Steadfast
“Giant guild support. Fancy new HQ building…. All meaningless.”
Representative Heo's hands gripped the top of the paper.
“We're not bonding with him over calculator math.”
Riiip!
He tore the transfer consent in half right there.
Hong's face twisted like his heart had been ripped out.
I felt a rush of relief.
Bonus: No 'hesitation' or 'conflict' in his emotions. Huge relief.
The man I'd seen as a second father thought this way of me—pure joy.
“Y-you…!”
Hong's face was priceless—he'd never imagined this turn.
Glare full of contempt at Representative Heo, then he turned to me.
“Wh-what about you?!”
“Me?”
“An S-rank wasting away in this dump? Insane! Mad Dog can unlock 100% of your potential—.”
“Better than a shithole, right?”
“Sh-shithole…?!”
Guy's clueless. I went easy calling it a shithole.
I caught Representative Heo almost bursting into laughter.
I shoved the torn consent and untouched entry contract at Hong.
“Looks like we're done. Take this and go? Got a new 'family' member today—busy.”
I slung an arm around frozen Sung-su, who'd witnessed the drama.
But….
“…You think I'll just leave quietly?”
Hong dug in, ignoring my polite request.
His eyes looked off, so I fired up Throw Eye again.
Emotions:Anger / Humiliation / Obsession / Do-or-Die
Oof. Full venom now, rotten eel.
Representative Heo clenched his trembling fists, refusing to back down.
“Wh-what if I don't leave quietly? Gonna cause a scene in someone else's guild?”
“If it snags an S-rank? Damn right.”
Aftermath, lawsuits…. Mad Dog crushes Black Lion every way.
Like an adult scaring a kid.
Thud.
The Black-White Brothers stepped forward from behind. If you won't go, we'll make you.
Of course,
“Lowlifes interrupting the bosses?”
Hong's scarred thugs moved too, exuding menace toward the brothers.
Power level? A-rank. Top B at least.
Wasting them as bodyguards. Psychos, confirmed.
Black-White Brothers? C-rank. They'd lose bad.
I don't watch allies I care about lose.
“You two scar-faced lumps. Take one more step from there.”
I unleashed mana from my seat, glaring.
“I'll make you miss the days those scars were fresh.”
「…….」
The pigs paled at my mana.
They glanced at Hong, faces ashen—more 'save us' than 'orders?'.
But black companies are ruthless.
Hong snapped coldly,
“Y-your boss is me! Don't wanna end up homeless? Obey—.”
“Hey.”
A voice so icy even I startled.
Hong's head creaked toward me like a broken machine.
“Wanna cause a scene? Try it. Right in front of the S-rank you dogs obsess over.”
“…….”
“No brains? Think I'll sit idle if you trash the place? Too dumb for a third-rate villain?”
Said it myself—spot on.
I stood and approached Hong.
“H-hik…!”
He shot desperate eyes at the pigs, but….
Pigs were frozen pork belly now.
I gently—very gently—placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hek…!”
Light touch, but he flinched like his shoulder vanished.
Any more and he'd piss himself. I reined in the mana.
Tempting to see, but who'd clean the couch?
I smiled and said simply,
“Scram.”
Moments later, the spectacle of a rotten eel and two pigs fleeing in unison.
Happy ending!