Welcomed into Wolfsrein
Having carefully examined the revised contract, Park Taemin stamped his seal in the signature section. Sin Dong-hyun extended his hand for a handshake.
"Welcome to the Wolfsrein Guild."
"Thanks. Looking forward to working with you."
"First, I'll report to the chief of staff, then head to HR. Please wait here just a moment—there's some things I need to explain."
"Sure."
A short while later, Sin Dong-hyun returned.
"Let's head out. I'll show you around the building."
Taemin followed him up to the third floor.
"The entire third floor is dorms for guild members. This side with two rows is for the men, and over there across the way—you see it?—that's for the women. Generally, those under level 60 share with three others, while level 60 and above room with just one roommate."
"Do we have to use the dorms?"
"Not necessarily, but living here saves a ton of time when forming teams or prepping for raids. Plus, there are all sorts of perks by rank, so it's convenient overall. For example, B-rank hunters and up get free access to the multi-portal."
"Rank?"
"Ah, you didn't know. Hunters are ranked by level brackets: 40 to 60 is C-rank, 60 to 80 is B-rank, 80 to 100 is A-rank, and 100-plus is S-rank. The absolute top is SS-rank."
"So... our guild has SS-rankers too?"
"Of course. The guild master and chief of staff are both SS-rank. You'll get a full org chart with your hunter ID later—it'll make everything clearer."
Sin Dong-hyun led Taemin up to the sixth floor as he spoke.
"This floor is for hunters' leisure—arcade games, gym, pool, indoor sports court, screen golf, you name it. Pretty much any outdoor activity you can think of, available right here. The floor above handles HR and admin departments—that's where I work. Shall we head down?"
Passing the tactical training rooms on the fourth and fifth floors, they descended to the second floor and entered the archive room.
"This is our archive—hunting records, item and class info, everything. Dungeon layouts and traits, monster habits, drop items, even all current market gear. Pretty much everything hunter-related is organized here. Lots of post-hunt reports too. If it's a new dungeon, check the intel first—it makes hunts way smoother."
"Got it."
"And the first floor— you probably saw—everything except the main entrance is shops. Right side has daily necessities; left has hunting consumables and gear. Far corner has the auction house and gear exchange—prices match the Hunter Market. Consumables get that 20% discount I mentioned, so cheaper than the market. Think that's the tour. Back to the VIP room?"
Taemin followed Sin Dong-hyun back to the VIP room, where he promptly left again with a "wait here."
About thirty minutes later, Sin Dong-hyun returned, holding what looked like a cash card—Taemin's freshly issued hunter ID.
"Here's your hunter ID. Under level 40 gets no rank, so we set it as C-rank. You need it to access facilities. And for government dungeons—unlikely, but show it and you're in. Anyway, your dorm's assigned—want to check it out?"
Taemin's assigned room was at the end of the third-floor hall. Far nicer than he'd expected from "dorm"—spacious, comfortable, better than his old one-room. Hotel-level amenities, especially the full-wall glass front.
"Nice."
"Four-person rooms were full, so you got a two-person—normally B-rank and up. Lucky break, and it's brand new, never opened."
Sin Dong-hyun handed him a booklet and a folder.
"Guild org chart and building layout. Check 'em out when you have time."
"Thanks."
"That covers it. Any questions?"
"Can I just come and go? Got my car parked—need to sort stuff."
"Yep. With your ID, in and out anytime. HR for anything else."
"Got it."
"Then I'll head out... Once more, heartfelt welcome to the guild, Taemin."
After Sin Dong-hyun left, Taemin examined his hunter ID. He'd thought of himself as a hunter before, but it was half-baked. To civilians, maybe, but not to other awakened—solo hunters didn't count.
"Am I a real hunter now?"
Staring at it with mixed feelings, Taemin headed out to unpack his car.
Guided by some hunters at the first-floor elevator, he reached his car.
"Thanks."
He drove out, past the darkened shantytown, back home. After a quick meal, he sat at his desk and opened the org chart Sin had given him.
Baek Dong-ha
SA-rank
Sim Woo-bin
SA-rank
Park Kang-tae
SA-rank
"Only nine S-rankers—the real heavyweights—and 31 A-rank. Still, total headcount's solid. With about 40,000 registered hunters nationwide... yeah, top-tier guild."
If Wolfsrein was one of the top ten, the other nine matching it meant they collectively rivaled all registered hunters. Enough to secure a top-ten spot domestically.
"Anyway, what's next? Joined a real guild now..."
Until now, Taemin had just hunted on whims. Awakening felt natural, netting him a fortune he'd never touch otherwise. No grand goals—just keep hunting, earn more, live better.
But guild life changed that. Sin Dong-hyun's words lingered: guild wars brewing soon. Competition, clashing interests, casual murders. Too clear to ignore.
If it happened, Taemin had one job: get stronger. Protect himself, his family. Top priority.
'Yeah. Ignorance is one thing, but now? Gotta power up. At least enough to shield my family.'Resolved, he eyed the chart again. Guild master Choi Tae-ik, SS-rank level 163—top-ten domestically. Aim that high to relax?
Ambitious, maybe, but Taemin wouldn't settle small. A man's dreams should be big.
"Level 160s... how long? Heard he's got over 20 years as a hunter."
No clue on time, but it'd be ages. Wolfsrein, top-ten guild, had just 31 A-rank vets. Leveling was brutal.
Luckily, he could solo. Solos dominated EXP—no sharing. Items too. Three, four times faster than parties.
'Guild secured. Time to grind hard.'
After crashing at home, Taemin drove back to HQ next morning. Felt like commuting—oddly good mood. He entered smiling.
First stop: sixth-floor portal management. Mandatory for hunts. Busy even early, hunters queuing.
Taemin drew a number, waited. His turn—he flashed his ID.
"First-timer?"
"Yeah."
"Park Taemin-ssi, options are Phildia Mountains or abandoned factory."
He pondered, picked the new one: factory.
"Factory. C-rank... Others' IDs too?"
"Others?"
"Your party. They forget theirs?"
"Nah, solo. Just me."
The staffer blinked. "Solo? C-rank needs minimum four. Grab more and come back."
"I can solo. System not updated yet—ask HR's Sin Dong-hyun; he'll explain."
"Uh... hold on."
She eyed him skeptically, phoned HR.
"Sin Dong-hyun-ssi? Yes... Oh, got it."
She stamped his pass, wide-eyed. "Weird case. C-rank no-solids policy, but... here's your pass. Return it after—gotta log."
"Thanks."
Taemin checked the pass: portal location, his name, rank, level—all detailed. "Hunters' fast-pass, huh."
He strolled out lightly.