Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Irresistible Conditions
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Hearing those words, Chief of Staff Kim I-gang reflexively opened his mouth before he even realized it.
Yeah.
You must have something to say.
So he spoke first.
“Yes, of course, that would only apply while I’m here. But a guild run by just one person’s exploits can’t grow in the long term. I’ll help Nexus expand as much as possible while I’m around. Things like recruiting guild members or improving training methods. By the way, there’s that guy who placed third in the recent Hunter Exam, right? He’s from our academy here—Kang Dae-han.”
At those words, Kim Su-ae immediately replied.
“Yes, Kang Dae-han placed second runner-up this time.”
“Didn’t that kid suddenly switch weapons? That was my tip. He came by last time to sign a scholarship contract, and I happened to spot it and corrected him.”
“Oh? You were the academy contact from back then, Suho-ssi?!”
Kim Su-ae was genuinely shocked.
And rightly so—Kang Dae-han had been an unexpected windfall in this exam.
But to think there was a secret named Suho behind that windfall.
On top of that, they’d been trying to track down the ‘mysterious contact’ Kang Dae-han had mentioned.
Whoever he was, since he’d helped produce a second runner-up, they’d been thinking of giving him a bonus at least.
But to think it was Suho.
Suho answered.
“Yes, back then I wasn’t even an official staff member, so I just passed myself off as a contact. But now that my face is pretty well-known, you’d recognize me right away. Doesn’t this prove my teaching skills to some extent?”
“Of course. Based on our data stats, we figured Kang Dae-han had virtually no chance of passing this year. But thanks to you, Suho-ssi, he achieved second runner-up... That’s truly impressive.”
Suho smiled, nodded once, and turned his gaze back to Bae Dong-hyeok.
“What do you think? Isn’t this a win-win strategy? What’s your take, Guild Master?”
At those words, everyone’s eyes turned to Bae Dong-hyeok.
Bae Dong-hyeok seemed surprised by Suho’s bold proposal but quickly crossed his arms, responding coolly as befitted the head of a major guild.
“If things are as you say, these are incredibly favorable terms. Refusing them would make me look like an idiot. But I had one question while listening—it’s the only thing I need cleared up, and then I’ll sign the contract as you propose, Hunter.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“You mentioned proving various things through a sealed gate earlier. As you know, sealed gates are designated as special management targets by the government, so not only personal bids but even major guilds like ours can’t easily bid on them. The government prioritizes public safety over making money from bids. So how do you plan to obtain entry to a sealed gate?”
What a trivial question.
Suho replied nonchalantly.
“I’ll handle that issue myself. With that in mind, once I bring the sealed gate entry permit first, we can push articles sequentially: my guild joining after the sealed gate raid, the sealed gate challenge, and then the sealed gate clear.”
“Ha ha... You’ve got it all planned out, Hunter.”
“Of course. In that spirit, let’s hold off on the ‘real contract’ for now. I’ll raid one sealed gate first to prove my words. That way, you’ll believe whether I’m bluffing or not.”
At Suho’s proposal, Bae Dong-hyeok clicked his tongue in admiration once more.
“You really only propose terms we can’t refuse, Hunter.”
“Who knows. I think this is normal. Sure, I’m the hottest rookie right now and cleared the Tower of Challenge, but I’m still a non-ranker who hasn’t even hit level 100. And at best, I’m just a ‘rookie,’ right? So shouldn’t I shed the rookie label as soon as possible with solid proof and become a rainmaker in the scene?”
Suho’s flawless response left Bae Dong-hyeok speechless.
No, not just Bae Dong-hyeok—everyone else was equally in awe.
“Then let’s discuss the detailed agenda after I bring the sealed gate entry permit.”
“Understood.”
As Suho stood, the others quickly rose and escorted him to the building entrance.
Soon, as Suho drove off in his red Ferrari, Bae Dong-hyeok watched it fade into the distance and said.
“Chief of Staff.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“From now on, prepare all necessary documents for An Su-ho Hunter and form a special team just for him. A dedicated team to handle only An Su-ho Hunter.”
“Already? After he brings the entry permit... no, after he clears the sealed gate?”
“Timing doesn’t matter. But preparing in advance shows sincerity to An Su-ho Hunter. In my view, he’ll absolutely keep every promise he makes.”
“A hunch?”
“Look at his eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who’s already seen the answer key. Not a hint of hesitation.”
“Well...”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Bae Dong-hyeok’s words.
***
National Hunter Association building.
Jeong Cheol-min sat clutching his head.
And rightly so—he’d just gotten chewed out over the phone by the vice president for still having no news.
‘Ugh... So what excuse do I use to bring Suho-ssi here?’
Even if the Tower of Challenge was run as a public gate for training new hunters, it was still dealing with gates—humanity’s enemies—so praise was in order.
‘Should I say we’ll give him a commendation?’
No.
His superiors would 100% shoot it down.
Something like, ‘You’re giving commendations just for a photo op?’
Of course, Jeong Cheol-min knew the real truth behind the excuse.
The visual impact on the public was different between an official photo holding a commendation and one that just looked ‘chummy’ with nothing in hand.
‘This is ridiculous.’
That was when it happened.
Viiiing.
Unknown number.
Who is it?
Jeong Cheol-min quickly answered.
“Yes, this is Gate Management Division Team 1 Leader Jeong Cheol-min.”
- Team Leader, hello? It’s me, An Su-ho.
“S-Suho-ssi?!”
The caller on the unknown number was none other than Suho.
Startled by the sudden call, Jeong Cheol-min sprang from his seat like a coiled spring.
Catching his subordinates’ stares, he hurriedly left the office for a quiet spot.
“Suho-ssi, what’s this number? Did you get a new one?”
- Yeah, my old number was getting too many calls, so I got a sub number. Contact me here from now on.
“Ah, I see... Anyway, thanks for reaching out again. Honestly, after the Tower of Challenge, I thought we’d never talk again.”
- Come on, how could that happen? Anyway, are you free right now by any chance?
“Right now?”
- Yeah, I haven’t eaten yet. How about Songrae Gukbap in front of the Association? I took the exam and became a hunter now, so we can meet casually like this, right? If you’ve already eaten, Team Leader, we can just grab tea...
“No, no! I haven’t eaten because I wasn’t hungry! I’ll see you at Songrae Gukbap. They have rooms there—I’ll reserve one in my name and wait.”
- Sure, thank you.
The call ended.
Jeong Cheol-min stared at his phone in a daze.
What on earth just happened?
‘For now, let’s meet.’
With that thought, he hurriedly prepared to meet Suho.
***
Songrae Gukbap.
A gukbap restaurant in front of the National Hunter Association, a regular spot for Jeong Cheol-min and Suho.
It had a few private rooms, which was why it became their go-to.
Jeong Cheol-min had reserved a small room and was waiting when Suho soon arrived.
Seeing Suho, Jeong Cheol-min stood and greeted him warmly.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah, I was nearby, so I came right over. Man, it’s been ages here too.”
“Oh? You know this place?”
Of course he did—whenever he pulled all-nighters for paperwork, he’d come here to eat.
But he couldn’t say that, so he gave a vague answer.
“I used to come here a lot when I worked part-time nearby. Anyway, shall we order food first? Their boiled pork rice set is great. I’ll have that.”
“Then I’ll have the same.”
“Boss! Two boiled pork rice sets here!”
The order went in, and Suho poured water first as he spoke.
“Any troubles lately? Like the Association wanting me to come in, for example.”
Pfft! Yes, what?
Jeong Cheol-min spat out his water.
His eyes widened hugely as he stared at Suho.
“Wh-what do you...”
“Right after clearing the Tower of Challenge that day, I wondered why you insisted on bringing me to the Association. Normally, even for hard gates, they just request reports, not drag you in person. So I looked into it privately, and usually these summons are for photo ops with the president or vice president.”
It wasn’t speculation.
Just check the association president’s promo materials—tons of photos with star players who cleared hard gates.
Caught off guard, Jeong Cheol-min stammered.
“Th-that’s...”
“It’s fine by me. You should’ve just been upfront. It’s not a big deal for me.”
“...Sorry.”
Jeong Cheol-min’s face burned.
It felt like his clothes had been stripped off.
Suho didn’t want to put it this way either, but his plan came before Jeong Cheol-min’s pride.
Suho continued.
“Guess it really was. Still, I’m grateful to you, Team Leader. I heard they sometimes slap on fake charges for these summons, but you were completely reasonable and gentlemanly.”
At Suho’s words, Jeong Cheol-min gave an awkward laugh.
“Haha... Yeah, well. I couldn’t be forceful either.”
“So, how about I visit the Association now? I owe you personally, and as someone aiming for the National Hunter Association, getting acquainted with the president or vice president would help in many ways, right?”
“Ah... Y-yeah... that makes sense?”
“Shall we go after eating? Or schedule it separately?”
“No, after eating is fine! Hold on!”
At those words, Jeong Cheol-min jumped up and grabbed his phone.
From his demeanor, he’d clearly been under a lot of pressure.
Suho felt sorry for him.
‘Hang in there just a bit longer, hyung. Endure until the end of the year, and I’ll handle everything after.’
Soon, after notifying about Suho’s visit, Jeong Cheol-min returned with a bright expression and urged him to eat.
“We can go after eating. Their schedule just cleared up. I’ll treat you here, haha.”
“Sounds good?”
The two enjoyed a delicious meal after a long time.
Jeong Cheol-min because his problem was solved, Suho because he got to eat Songrae Gukbap with Jeong Cheol-min again.