Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: 21. Recruitment War (3)
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It was an unfamiliar experience for Jeong Hye-mi.
The act of recruiting—not an S-Rank or even an A-Rank, but a mere B-Rank hunter—only to be turned down while carrying the prestige of Heavenly Firmament.
She wasn't flustered.
But it left her with a strange feeling.
'What an impressive guy. It's like he's absolutely certain that even six months from now, Heavenly Firmament will still be begging him to join.'
Jeong Hye-mi's offer.
It had been extraordinarily generous.
She had gauged Kang San's potential and laid out those terms accordingly, but if he fell even slightly short over the next six months, they'd have no choice but to renegotiate. Harsh as it was, that's reality. Management agencies aren't charities digging up dirt to hand out deals—if expectations drop, this kind of opportunity won't come knocking again.
Yet there wasn't a hint of regret on Kang San's face.
As if her offer would remain on the table forever, he held the upper hand against Heavenly Firmament itself.
Come to think of it, Kang San had always been like this.
He knew of Heavenly Firmament's interest but never got carried away, and he hadn't shown a shred of impatience against the two giants of the management world: Heavenly Firmament and Grand Ocean. That only made her more anxious. His words might sound utterly absurd to some, but somehow, she felt they'd hit even harder six months down the line.
Jeong Hye-mi took a sip of her tea.
She let her burning desire to sign him right then and there settle slowly with the fragrant brew.
Clink.
"...So, I take it this means you'll decide your future through open competition going forward?"
"That's right."
"Understood."
She didn't press further.
There was no need to drone on about why he'd made that call or how great her offer was.
Kang San's eyes showed no room for compromise.
Having dealt with countless people in the management world, Jeong Hye-mi knew exactly what was needed now.
"In all my time doing this job, there have been two people I've desperately wanted to recruit. I ended up signing both, and it paved the way for me to become a team leader at Heavenly Firmament. Kang San, from now on, whenever I share this story, I'll say there were three—and that the last one is still ongoing. So, whatever you're thinking, please remember that Heavenly Firmament's doors are always open to you."
She went all in.
Now that he'd decided to enter the recruitment war, she dropped all ambiguity.
"Oh, and this is the gift I promised for Project B Team's victory. It's pure goodwill, so please accept it."
Jeong Hye-mi handed something over.
Kang San gladly accepted the blatant gesture of favor.
"Thank you."
After parting ways with Jeong Hye-mi.
Kang San checked her gift.
Iron Armor
1. Temporarily increases Defense by 10%. (Cooldown: 5 minutes) 2. Reduces incoming damage by 10%.
An upgrade to Iron Body.
It was the exact reward Kang San had hoped for, and Jeong Hye-mi had remembered and prepared it separately.
But her gift didn't end there.
Body Strengthening
1. Increases base Attack Power by 10%. 2. Increases base Defense by 10%.
The effects weren't as dramatic as one might expect.
Similar in scale to the 2-star Iron Armor, but this passive skill commanded a hefty price on the market. It was in the same vein as the Thorn Armor he'd acquired before. Passives applied permanently without activation, so with Body Strengthening, Kang San's base Attack Power and Defense each rose by 10%. It was like keeping Iron Armor's temporary 10% Defense boost active for life.
And it was base Defense.
If he had 100 Defense, it became 110—and Iron Armor's effect scaled from there.
The description said 10%, but the actual boost was even greater.
Jeong Hye-mi was certainly straightforward.
In a situation where she could have clung desperately, she backed off cleanly and boosted goodwill with a gift. Perfect timing, too—she'd promised a skill for leading Project B Team to victory, so she slipped in Body Strengthening alongside the Iron Armor he'd eyed.
Without making it feel burdensome.
But clearly signaling her favor.
She knew exactly how to win hearts.
'If Jeong Hye-mi became my manager, Heavenly Firmament would be a fantastic option.'
Heavenly Firmament.
Korea's top management agency.
Factoring in party member Jeong Chan-woo's presence, it was indeed Kang San's ideal choice. Even so, he had zero intention of rushing the decision before six months were up. For him, surviving an S-Rank outbreak mattered far more than maximizing gains from a management deal.
Heavenly Firmament or Grand Ocean.
He'd judge their sincerity when the time came.
Rewards they promised? That was a problem for later.
'Heavenly Firmament's settled for now...'
Meeting Jeong Hye-mi first.
It was only polite.
She'd invested effort, so unlike the others, he'd sorted things out with her separately.
Now for the rest.
Time to explain open competition to them.
No need to drag it out—Kang San fired off texts using contacts from the stacks of business cards he'd collected.
Gathered in small groups.
Facing reps from various management agencies and guilds, Kang San repeated the same lines he'd given Jeong Hye-mi.
"...And that's the conclusion I've reached."
He finished.
It was a one-sided declaration.
Rejecting all current offers, he'd decide his future via open competition.
The unexpected turn had people murmuring.
"What the hell?"
"So, he's telling us to compete and fight over him?"
"This is ridiculous."
This crowd.
Not just Heavenly Firmament and Grand Ocean—top names from their fields were all here. Kang San was that appealing. His B-Rank promotion and Master Yoo Jung-young's endorsement had drawn them all, eager to stake a claim. But even so, they couldn't accept it as calmly as Jeong Hye-mi had.
Lee Yong-su from Drake Guild was a prime example.
"What the hell gives you that confidence?"
His voice cut through the crowd.
All eyes turned.
Kang San's gaze included, Lee Yong-su wore his irritation openly.
"I acknowledge your value, Kang San. Backed by Master Yoo Jung-young and promoting to B-Rank, we at Drake even judged you worth recruiting. But let's be real—you're still just a B-Rank hunter. Have you ever seen heavyweights like Drake, Heavenly Firmament, or Grand Ocean all move at once for a single B-Rank? No precedent exists. The reason you're getting this hype? It's all Master Yoo's halo effect. The B-Rank promotion's just extra credit."
He was pissed.
A guy who'd been F-Rank not long ago, acting like some big shot—it grated.
This was Drake.
Top of Korea's guilds—they didn't grovel to types like Kang San.
"Frankly, I can't wrap my head around this. Everyone here probably wants a good tie with Master Yoo more than you. Isn't this over the top? How full of yourself do you have to be to gather all these big shots and spout nonsense about six months of open competition? Tone it down before you blow this golden chance."
"He's right."
"Harsh, but yeah—B-Rank promotion's just a bonus, like the man said."
A few nodded along.
They differed in intent.
Jeong Hye-mi saw Yoo as a bonus; she was sincere about recruiting Kang San himself.
But Lee Yong-su from Drake Guild and some others couldn't swallow their pride enough to agree Kang San warranted this pursuit. As he'd said, ultimately just a B-Rank. Promising future or not, they weren't keen on open competition for him.
The mood soured.
Unlike with Jeong Hye-mi, this could fizzle into nothing.
This scenario?
Kang San had anticipated it.
Doubt was essential, in fact.
Only when negativity peaked would proving himself create massive impact.
Kang San opened his mouth.
Or rather, was about to deliver his planned line—when someone else stole the spotlight.
"I beg to differ."
A familiar voice.
Grand Ocean's team leader.
Goo Jun-ho asserted his presence amid the crowd.
Goo Jun-ho spoke.
"Maybe Drake's here just to deal with Master Yoo Jung-young, but Grand Ocean's top priority is recruiting Kang San. So if you're here to sour the mood, quit whining and leave. Nobody forced you to show up—Kang San didn't beg for it, did he?"
Cough.
The atmosphere flipped.
Grand Ocean's Goo Jun-ho.
Everyone knew him, and backed by Grand Ocean, his words carried weight.
As Lee Yong-su gave an awkward chuckle looking cornered, Goo Jun-ho pressed his advantage.
"This was meant to be private, but I'll use this chance to publicly apologize to Kang San. I've heard that Im Chan-young from Grand Ocean made major mistakes against you before—and during this test too. We're sorry. It's our management failure. We deeply regret it and plan to terminate our contract with Im Chan-young to prevent repeats. If any hard feelings linger, Grand Ocean will work harder to prove our sincerity goes beyond words."
"Whoa."
"They're cutting ties with Im Chan-young?"
Goo Jun-ho's statement.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Who was Im Chan-young?
A congenital awakener rated C-Rank at age 13, hailed as Korea's future star. Grand Ocean bet 10 billion to sign him, cementing their status as one of the big two. Symbolic figure. And he'd just passed B-Rank testing—yet they'd drop him over Kang San?
Unbelievable.
But Goo Jun-ho wouldn't lie publicly.
It was deliberate.
By naming Im Chan-young, he elevated Kang San's value.
'The thornier the issue, the more impact it'll leave if Grand Ocean takes his side in Kang San's memory.'
Im Chan-young was expendable.
So use him meaningfully.
Sacrificing him boldly to hype Kang San.
"And if you'll decide in six months? Fine. Understood. Grand Ocean wants you badly. Over the next six months, we'll prove our sincerity and show no better option exists in Korea."
A declaration of war.
An outfit like Grand Ocean signaling desperate commitment.
The mood shifted again.
People who'd buzzed at Lee Yong-su's words fell silent at Grand Ocean's entry into the fray. No response to Kang San would've been embarrassing. A demand-less auction would've collapsed, but Grand Ocean changed everything.
A man Grand Ocean was staking its neck on.
Kang San's value reassessed.
The gathering wrapped up.
With even Lee Yong-su silenced, no one grilled Kang San further.
'Impressive guy.'
It surprised Kang San.
He hadn't expected Goo Jun-ho to leverage Grand Ocean's name to publicly boost him.
Jeong Hye-mi and Goo Jun-ho.
They earned their reputations.
As Kang San moved to leave, a stranger blocked his path.
"Jeong Min-jun from Flare Guild. Care to talk privately?"
"Sorry, but I just stated my stance on recruitment."
Flare.
Korea's top guild.
Its prestige couldn't hold Kang San back, but the man who'd introduced himself smiled.
"Yes, I fully respect your position on that. But the reason I'm asking for your time is because of Master Yoo Jung-young and Mage Yeon Woo-bin. Please, just once."
Yoo Jung-young and Yeon Woo-bin.
Kang San stopped.
Interest piqued at last, he looked at Jeong Min-jun.
"Alright. Let's move somewhere else."