Chapter 26
Villain hunting was hunting, after all. At first, Seo Dami instructed her secretary to reach out to the author tls123 in the name of the Crimson Guild. “You’re tls123, right? This is the Crimson Guild. We’d like to arrange a meeting with our guild master──.”
[Crimson Guild? If you're gonna do voice phishing, at least change up your script. If you're the Crimson Guild, then my grandpa's the Sword Saint.]
It couldn't be helped. The misunderstanding arose because their approach was too similar to the voice phishing scams riding on the wave of Seo Dami's recent fame. Scammers pretending to be the Crimson Guild were on the rise──"We're the Crimson Guild~ We highly value your abilities~ Join our guild~"──demanding membership fees and such. Calling out of the blue claiming to be the Crimson Guild during that time...
Considering how voice phishing impersonating the Crimson Guild was rampant even among ordinary folks who knew less about the industry than hunters did, the timing was just plain bad.
The recipient, Yoon Sungjin, thought, 'I've been making some money off webnovels, and these guys sniffed it out like ghosts.' So he gave them a stern lecture──"That crap doesn't work, so don't try fishing again"──and blocked them.
And who could blame him? It didn't make a lick of sense. 'Why would the Crimson Guild come looking for a nobody webnovel writer like me?' If you're gonna phishing, at least put some effort into it. Trying to sell Crimson Guild membership to someone not job-hunting for guild admin or hunter work, just a guy content writing webnovels at home? It was absurd.
In the end, contacting him in the guild's name was a bust. Feeling absurdly frustrated, Seo Dami decided to call him herself. The result? "Wait, once they hear my voice──."
[They warned about AI voice phishing on the 9 o'clock news just yesterday, and you're trying this?]
"So, come to the guild or meet in person..."
[Don't pull this crap. Live an honest life, tsk tsk.]
"Hey, wait──you? Hey! Did he really just hang up?!"
Mistaking her for using an AI voice changer, he mocked her and hung up unilaterally. Furious, Seo Dami called back, only to find out, "This jerk blocked my number?!"
"Ugh, stress."
How could one man be so suspicious? It was infuriating, but looking into Yoon Sungjin's past, it made sense. He was a gate orphan. Kids orphaned by gate disasters weren't rare in this era. Things had stabilized somewhat now, but twenty years ago, when he lost his family, gate breaks were happening left and right, total chaos. They lacked hunters not just for raiding and closing gates, but even for cleanup after breaks. Without aid from foreign hunter powerhouses, they might not have survived──that's how bad it was.
Thanks to the senior hunters' hard work, stability came eventually, but scars from the past don't vanish cleanly. Yoon Sungjin's generation saw a surge in gate orphans, becoming a social issue. And amid the chaos, crimes targeting those orphans were rampant──a dark chapter in history. Yoon Sungjin had records of exploitation at the orphanage, and even after reaching adulthood, wage theft and scams plagued him.
No wonder he was overly cautious, bordering on distrust of people. Still...
"So frustrating."
Seo Dami irritably swept back her hair.
"Should we try contacting him through his serialization platform?"
"That sounds good── No. I'm busy right now, so later."
She wanted to go see him right away, but circumstances weren't allowing it. The intense reforms centered on Kang Sora had pulled her in too.
『You think you can just tip us off and dip?』
The multifaceted internal affairs investigation at the Hunter Association meant Crimson Guild had to help with gate management and villain response to cover any gaps. Physically, she had no time to leisurely meet people. She'd planned to talk over the phone or summon him, but ended up treated like a phisher.
She was boiling inside. Once things settled, she'd have time to visit naturally, but she wanted to see him now.
"All the phishers are dead."
Deciding to vent her stress and fury by upholding justice, Seo Dami set out to exterminate villains for the day's schedule. "Huh? Cha Hunter?"
Their paths crossed unexpectedly with Cha Yaeun.
"Why's Cha Hunter here?"
"Ahaha... well..."
Under Seo Dami's puzzled gaze, Cha Yaeun scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Bounty hunting?"
"Yes, exactly."
No point hiding it. Lately, Cha Yaeun had gotten hooked on bounty hunting instead of monster slaying in gates, so overlapping routes with Seo Dami wasn't odd.
Of course, the Hunter Association did its utmost to prevent and punish Awakener crimes. The massive bounties on villains were a prime example.
These bounties weren't just cash rewards. There were tax breaks, and points accumulated for contributions to villain captures. Those points could be redeemed at the Association for rare items or favors hard to buy with money alone──like trading 10,000 points for top-tier Maker equipment even money couldn't easily snag, or one-on-one training from S-rank Kang Sora.
It was quite lucrative, enough that some hunters specialized as full-time bounty hunters instead of regular gate runs. But bounty hunting wasn't to be taken lightly. It was riskier and tougher than typical gate monster hunts for mana cores and items. The world's most dangerous predator was still humans, even with gates around. Common sense dictated low-rank villains were deadlier than average monsters, making bounty hunting a life-on-the-line gig compared to standard hunting.
So Cha Yaeun hadn't initially planned on bounty hunting.
But──.
"Oh? With these points, just a bit more and...!"
Circumstances changed. After her major contribution capturing the Blood Demon, the Association awarded her hefty points. A quick calculation showed a little more would let her trade for gear she'd eyed jealously while twiddling her thumbs.
Not anything insanely top-tier, but the highest-rated in the mass-produced line from a top U.S. hunter gear company──defensive equipment. Fresh out of porter life and stepping up as a real hunter, it was a stretch to buy outright. Her current gear, bought with scrimped savings, prioritized weapons, leaving defense lacking.
If she could cover the point shortfall and snag it? Complementing her weak defense would perfect her setup.
'They say bounty hunting isn't for just anyone...'
Focus on what you're good at──that was best. But her eyes kept wandering. After days agonizing, Cha Yaeun couldn't resist temptation.
"Close my eyes and just fill the points gap."
She'd go for the big score. Decisions made, action was swift. She posted a help thread on Hunter Gallery.
Of course, the replies weren't what she'd hoped. Gallery users gonna gallery──some answered nicely, others snarkily. But the message was unanimous: Don't get delusions, stick to what you know.
Villains were hard to catch and find. If their locations were known, Association agents would've wiped them out already. Strictly speaking, even pro bounty hunters operated as regular hunters normally, jumping on tips when they panned out. Without insider info, Cha Yaeun diving into villain hunting was a stretch.
"Ugh..."
Cha Yaeun groaned, racking her brain for a way. Her mind was already fixated on filling those points for the gear.
Sure, grinding monsters would've let her buy it outright──but facts aside, she was in full impulse-buy mode. Logic wouldn't touch it.
'I didn't say I'd catch 'em myself. Just find and report... Ah.'
Lightning struck her brain. Her gaze flicked to her smartphone──more precisely, The Hunter Who Got Good at Leveling.
'I've got the answer key right here...!'
From today, Cha Yaeun would scour the novel's crime scenes and villain movements.