Chapter 43
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Guild Creation (1)
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After the ancestral rite concluded successfully,
Kang Sa-hu returned home with Kang Ji-ye and spent the next four days holed up inside, resting.
Of course, resting at home didn't mean he did absolutely nothing.
The exhaustion from performing such a massive ritual single-handedly had been shaken off days earlier with nonstop sleep, day and night for three straight days.
The final day was filled writing the report he'd promised the National Intelligence Service and gathering intel on hunters.
In this connected world where everyone exchanged information online,
Kang Sa-hu was deftly plucking out the hunter-related details he needed from that vast sea of data when
some articles suddenly caught his eye.
-S-Rank Hunter from the UK reveals himself as a Knight of the Round Table...
-Awakeners spotted taming monsters in the Amazon?!
-Meteor crashes atop Mount Everest—what is its true nature?
Kang Sa-hu's eyes deepened as he quietly read the news headlines.
'Hmm... so they're finally starting to make their move.'
He hadn't delved into the details, but he could guess who they were, and he sank into thought.
That's when the sound of a passcode being entered echoed, and the front door burst open.
Kang Ji-ye came charging in with a clatter and mercilessly knocked on Kang Sa-hu's door.
"Oppa! Oppa!"
"Hold on. Stop with the knocking."
Feeling the remnants of fatigue rise at the woodpecker-like rapid tattoo on his door—tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—Kang Sa-hu opened it.
The moment he did, Ji-ye slipped inside like she'd been waiting.
"Seriously! Oppa! Your phone's off again!"
"My phone?"
Kang Sa-hu blinked in confusion at her sharp tone, then nodded as realization dawned.
"Guess I must've turned it off without thinking while I was sleeping through all the noise."
"That's why everyone from Mom and Dad on down kept calling me! I told you to keep it on every day, and now it's off again!"
She scolded him sharply, but recalling the immense fatigue he'd endured, she pouted and stopped.
Performing the rite alone—its toll must have been unimaginable.
Plus, she'd just wrapped up hunts with the others, leaving her nerves frayed, she realized. Admitting she'd been too harsh,
"Sorry, Oppa. I must be tired from clearing four gates today."
"Nah, it's fine. Happens. Good work out there."
Instead of bristling, he patted her shoulder and praised her effort. Ji-ye gazed at him, touched.
"Don't look at me like that. So, Mom and Dad called?"
"Yeah. Looks like they saw your rite online too. They were freaking out. Oh! And thanks to your rite, my NewTube channel blew up! Check this out!"
Beaming with excitement, she shoved her phone in his face.
The screen showed "1 Billion Views," and Kang Sa-hu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Whoa, a billion views? Congrats."
"Heehee! Back when I did vlogs, I barely hit a hundred. Now it's a full billion!"
Kang Sa-hu knew a billion views was no small feat, so he smiled warmly at her bouncing joy.
It meant a billion people had witnessed the rite—more than enough to achieve his goal and then some.
"By the way, anything special happen on your hunts? Anyone get hurt?"
"Nope! Not at all! Uncle Bae Deok-ho's on fire lately! We cleared an E-Rank gate just the two of us, and he could solo F-Ranks no problem now?!"
Starting with Bae Deok-ho filling in admirably for him, Ji-ye detailed how much everyone's hunting skills had sharpened,
and how much stronger they'd grown.
"Oh, and everyone's waiting for you."
"Yeah, time to see them."
A faint glint sharpened in his eyes as he replied.
"We've got plenty to discuss. And decisions to make."
"Huh? Discuss? Decisions? What about?"
When she asked curiously, he answered casually.
"Whether they'll stick with us going forward... or not."
Her eyes went wide at the unexpected reply.
The next morning,
Kang Sa-hu drove with Kang Ji-ye to a quiet café on the outskirts of Seoul.
He let her out first, asking her to order him a warm latte, then parked and checked the time on his phone as he shut the car door.
"...Hm."
On Giant Hound, it'd have taken under twenty minutes. By car, it'd been over forty.
"Not the most comfortable."
Now accustomed to riding Giant Hound, Kang Sa-hu pocketed his keys, grumbling about the car, and headed inside.
"Welcome... Gah."
The part-timer's rote greeting cut off as they spotted him, breath catching.
"My group's already inside, so they've probably ordered."
"Y-Yes? Oh. Uh, yes!"
"...?"
Passing the flustered worker who couldn't get it together, he headed to the second-floor conference room where his comrades waited.
True to its identity as a large suburban café, even the conference room was spacious enough for ten people comfortably.
"Leader!"
"L-Leader!"
"It's been too long, Leader."
Bae Deok-ho, Lee Yu-rim, and Kim Ho-myeong rose to greet him.
Deok-ho, overjoyed, rushed over for a bear hug. Yu-rim, gauging the mood and tempted to join, flushed red and hovered awkwardly.
"Good to see you all. Have a seat."
"Whoa, got a bit too excited there!"
Deok-ho released him at the words and sat. Yu-rim slunk back to her chair, a touch crestfallen.
Kim Ho-myeong, watching, noticed Ji-ye—usually chatty beside him—uncharacteristically quiet and spoke up.
"Ji-ye, everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh, no... nothing like that."
Her listless reply screamed something's up. As Ho-myeong leaned in to press,
Kang Sa-hu took the middle seat at the table's end and scanned his comrades one by one.
"Things have been hectic with so much to handle, so this is the first chance to meet. Everyone doing well?"
"What, we've got our cute little messenger Ji-ye for that? She passed on all your updates during our joint hunts! You heard about us too, right, Leader?"
"Yeah, I heard you've all honed your skills and gotten stronger."
"Too kind, Leader."
Yu-rim jumped in first at the praise acknowledging them.
Deok-ho and Ho-myeong shot her baffled looks—such a contrast from hunts with her—but her eyes were fixed solely on Kang Sa-hu, ignoring them.
Nodding, he sipped the latte he'd had Ji-ye order ahead.
"I called this meetup because I wanted to see you all after so long. But also to discuss our future seriously."
All eyes locked on him as he moistened his throat with coffee.
Ji-ye fidgeted most, having heard a preview.
"First off... I'm planning to form a guild soon."
"...!"
Everyone but Deok-ho gaped at "guild."
"It's finally here, Leader."
Yu-rim replied as if she'd waited ages for this.
"Guild... guild... Yeah, thinking taxes and support perks, no reason not to."
Hunter gate hunts had plummeted post-'C-Rank Gate Fluctuation Incident,' raising Gate Break risks in Korea.
To counter, the National Assembly rushed bills faster than ever.
Less than a month later, they announced benefits supporting guilds—groups of foreign and local hunters.
Ho-myeong, long interested in starting one, had researched and vetted it thoroughly, so he nodded readily.
Guilds were profit groups hunters could form freely now.
Balanced benefits for hunters and state alike.
Hunters gained security—no risking life with unvetted randos in deadly gates—plus tax breaks, optional hunter apartments.
The state could mandate guild involvement in existential threats like the recent B-Rank they'd cleared.
Of course, it was contractual; no forcing reluctant hunters inside.
Which was exactly why the state quietly hoped for guilds.
With state perks came obligations: guild gate participation.
To lure more, they dangled military exemptions, tax perks, welfare.
But Kang Sa-hu's motive went beyond—to personal necessity.
'A guild of trusted allies minimizes risks to Ji-ye.'
With parents in the Necromancer Society, his sole worry was Ji-ye.
He could handle himself; with him, she was safe.
But he couldn't shadow her 24/7.
Not just hunts—as hunter scrutiny rose, daily life posed threats too.
Especially with his Necromancer Society visit looming; best settle this first.
"You've all grown incomparable to before. We grouped for survival back then. Now, you have choices."
He knew why they stuck around.
Deok-ho: NIS orders.
Ho-myeong and Yu-rim: his power, Ji-ye's healing.
Loyalty had grown, sure.
But unwanted bonds frayed eventually—fragile ties of necessity.
"Joining means strict guild rules, limits on personal activities—including privacy."
Silence hung heavy; no one spoke.
As it deepened, Kang Sa-hu closed then opened his eyes, scanning them.
"Speak now if you have thoughts. And please, decide while you're here."
Ho-myeong raised a hand.
Kang Sa-hu nodded; Ho-myeong met his gaze solemnly.
"Any plans to claim gate resource rights via guild power?"
"...?"
Caught off-guard by the curveball, Kang Sa-hu listened as Ho-myeong laid out his long-brewed scheme.
Hunters' importance would surge; gate resources, future fortunes.
Unspoken before, Ho-myeong's initial motive for joining was this venture—plans detailed.
Kang Sa-hu nodded, stunned but on board.
"If feasible, it'd be ideal. No reason not to."
"Thank you. That's all from me."
Ho-myeong sat, satisfied. Yu-rim shot her hand up next.
"Yes, your question."
"Once the guild's made, will we hunt together more? Like once a week...?"
"......"
Kang Sa-hu grimaced inwardly—her question veered so far from intent, something felt off.