The World's Most Expensive Hunter

A Special Advisor's clock-out time was his own. Being treated as a kind of executive, the understanding was simple: just get the work done.

In the early days, I'd still been self-conscious about it.

Before, I used to force myself to fill out every last minute of the workday.

I'd sit in the office staring into space. The Guild Master caught me at it and immediately kicked me out. Home, that is.

Come and go as if I were out having fun, he told me. Don't stress about it — not even a little. I could feel, very clearly, how carefully he was looking after me.

I guess that's what makes a leader. The man really knows how to handle people.

And that tendency only grew stronger after everything with Kang Minji.

"W-what's this?"

"You like it?"

"I get this place all to myself?"

I'd been assigned a new office today. Except this looked bigger than the Guild Master's.

"The Guild Master's office is just for paperwork, so it doesn't need to be big. I've got a separate reception room. You'll be using this for both. Or should I give you another room?"

"No, this is more than enough!"

Uncle Paldeok had so much work that he'd split the rooms. I didn't even have any officially assigned duties. This was already extravagant.

"Don't feel pressured. This is about the size of a typical conglomerate CEO's office. Once we fill it with furniture, it'll look a lot smaller than it does now."

"Interior design? Well..."

Was I going to fill it with bookshelves? Raise bonsai trees? It was probably going to stay empty no matter what.

"I already drafted a plan. You like games, right? We'll put four monitors on one side of the desk, and hide a top-spec rig under the floor."

"Oh!"

"We'll outfit the place with a sound system that rivals a movie theater. Most of the interior budget's going toward that."

"Ohh!"

Was this what conglomerate benefits looked like? This guy really knew how to handle people. When had such a busy man even found the time to think about all this?

"So how much is all this going to cost?"

"Why would you worry about that? I don't even know. The person in charge would. Just enjoy it."

"Wow..."

Why would you worry about that? I don't even know. What a beautiful thing to say.

The computer, fine. But a sound system was a bottomless pit. This had to be running close to six figures, right?

"If you want anything else, skip me and order it from the person in charge. Here's their extension."

"Thank you!"

Gear setups for gamers? An eternal romance — and an eternal homework assignment. And I wasn't even spending my own money.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. You didn't just save our guild — you saved Korea's future."

"Ahaha..."

Ugh. Getting praised to my face was so embarrassing.

While we were still discussing the interior, someone came in.

"I'm here!"

It was Minji.

"Tea and cookies. You said they were good."

"Wow, thank you."

"If you ever want more, just say the word. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'll make them every day if you'd like!"

"Every day?"

They really were delicious. But this level of kindness was starting to feel overwhelming. The office, too — was it really okay to accept this much?

"Haha, what's with that reaction? Hyeonseok, I don't think you fully grasp the value of what you've done."

"Huh?"

"What kind of hunter do you think the Kang Minji standing right in front of you is?"

"What do you mean?"

Kang Minji grinned, clearly delighted — the look of someone bursting to say something. Her tightly pressed cheeks twitched like a squirrel's.

I thought she was the timid type, but she makes mischievous faces like that too, huh.

Kang Minji of the 55th floor. Advance Guild. Korea's highest-floor attack team. SS-rank. Anything else?

"She got an SS-Rank Clear on the 54th floor. You know that a typical SS-Rank Clear values a hunter as if they'd cleared twenty floors higher, right?"

"Right."

"So what's that make her?"

"Seventy-four... ah!"

The strongest hunters currently in the world were about to challenge the 57th floor.

"Her market value is incalculable. Right now, Minji is the most expensive hunter in the world. There's never been a case of an SS-Rank Clear above the 40th floor."

I'd just taught her a skill to keep Korea from collapsing. And it had turned into this.

"We haven't gone public with it yet, but it's going to cause an uproar."

"Isn't this going a little too well? Won't she get better offers and leave for somewhere else?"

"Absolutely not! How could I ever leave this place!"

Was there a reason she couldn't leave?

"Huh?"

Whoa. That came on way too strong. I could barely keep the conversation going.

"W-well, it's about time I headed into the Tower."

"Oh, come to think of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, Advisor Hyeonseok — what floor are you on?"

Oops. If this conversation went any further, it was going to get awkward. Uncle Paldeok shot me a look that said get out of here.

"See you next time — I'm going in!"

I entered the Tower.

Elementalists spraying water, fire, and wind.

Fwoosh—

Ugh, hot!

A new enemy type, so I was a bit thrown off. But if you blew their heads off, they all died.

BOOOOM!

I left the Tower. That evening, the news was about Kang Minji again.

Yeah. The top-floor attack team really is being treated like heroes.

Right now, all of Korea was talking about nothing but the attack team. Not a dark future — they were discussing achievements. The whole country seemed to have come alive.

The next day, I climbed the Tower in earnest as well.

I'd heard horses were skittish creatures.

BOOOOM!

Neeeeigh—!

They're not spooked?

The elf cavalry's horses didn't even flinch at the sound of thunder.

So I can't knock them off their mounts.

I'd just have to kill them one by one, then. One horse. One rider.

BOOOOM—!

I left the Tower and checked the news again. Information was gradually leaking to the public.

And the next day, I climbed the Tower again. Today was the day I challenged a Guardian, no less.

I got here pretty fast.

It was also a floor with a somewhat special meaning.

An elf appeared in the distance.

That's the Guardian that kept Youchan stuck for two years.

Lightning Fist clenched its fists. Settled into a stance. Lightning crackled across its hands.

The 20th floor's concept was Fighting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Oneself. Based on your track record in the Tower, the most similar elf warrior appeared.

From the 1st floor on, my main technique had always been Heavenly Exploding Strike. That was why a lightning-attribute brawler had shown up.

Youchan must have seen this guy too.

I walked toward Lightning Fist. And I settled into a stance of my own.

His looked like some ancient martial art from a forgotten school. Mine, on the other hand, was a sloppy boxing stance I'd never even been taught.

Let's try this without Shunpo.

Just like Youchan.

Here it comes.

Lightning Fist charged and threw a punch. I met it with a punch of my own.

KRA-KOOOOM—!

His fist — everything below the elbow — exploded. Lightning Fist looked stunned. I was just as surprised.

Only the fist blew up?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Must have been because it was a brawler. That body was ridiculously tough.

Another punch came in. I slipped it with a boxing guard.

Whoa, that's tingly.

Your turn to taste some lightning.

My lightning fist drove into its fully exposed solar plexus.

BOOOOM—

Lightning Fist went flying.

Still alive?

But it couldn't get up — just twitched on the ground. I planted one last Heavenly Exploding Strike in its head.

KRA-KOOM—!

Its head exploded.

Alright. Twentieth floor, cleared. Time for the system to pay up, right?

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Alright. Let's see!

"Oh!"

It was finally unlocking! From here on out, this was where the Hunter Management content really began.

A lot of abilities unlocking, and I'm almost on the same floor as Youchan.

I'd come pretty far myself. Whoa — now my stats were the same as Youchan's.

Wait. Hold on.

Youchan hadn't managed an SS-Rank Clear here. His SS-Rank had come on the 21st floor, after he got Supreme Heavenly Movement.

So why did I get a Master Clear?

He'd fought the same enemy as me. With the same skill. His stats should have been the same too.

What was different between us?

Curious. And now that I had Team, I should take him into the Tower with me sometime. We'd be on the same floor soon enough.

I left the Tower.

It's lunchtime.

I headed to the company cafeteria. Today's menu?

"Hanwoo beef bibimbap~"

"Wow, thank you!"

Amazingly, they were using grilling-grade Hanwoo — the kind you'd throw on a barbecue — as a bibimbap topping.

This is what a major guild looks like.

Plus a hearty earthenware pot of soybean paste stew. A little sharp and spicy — exactly my kind of thing. Advance Guild's cafeteria really was the best.

I watched the news while I ate.

Oh. They both cleared today.

There was an article about me, too. Not the usual Master coverage — an article about me as Advance Guild's Special Advisor.

I could feel my reputation spreading in real time. When I cleared floors as Master, and right now too.

Good thing I kept my identity hidden.

For now, Uncle Paldeok was still protecting my identity as the Advisor. Not as aggressively as with Master — people in the industry had probably all memorized my name by now. The goal was just to keep daily life from getting inconvenient.

This won't last forever either.

A hunter's fame was an unavoidable phenomenon.

I was eating and watching the news when someone sat down across from me.

"As expected of Master."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jo Youchan scraped and folded his rice with vigorous strokes of his spoon.

"Can't you see? Every hunter in here keeps glancing this way."

"Huh?"

I looked around. A few people whipped their heads away.

"Wh-what?"

"This is the third SS-rank. Of course they're staring. They're all dying to catch your eye, Master."

Ugh, this was so awkward. Could they at least leave me alone during meals.

Come to think of it, it's about time I picked up the next skill.

We'd entered the 20s now. What would be good?

"Oh, right. Don't climb the Tower. Wait for me. Let's go up together."

"What!? F-for real!?"

"It's been a while. I want to see if your skills are still up to snuff."

"Woooah—!"

Jo Youchan looked ready to launch into the sky. Was it that exciting? He was SS-rank — it wasn't like he was lacking for instruction.

"You're going up with my boy? Now that's some welcome news."

"Huh?"

Uncle Paldeok joined us, tray in hand.

"Dad, what brings you to the cafeteria?"

"What do you mean, what brings me. I've been too busy to eat here. This lady cooking? I personally brought her in."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course. She used to run my favorite home-style restaurant back when I was young. I never forgot that taste, so I scouted her."

Wow. He'd hired his regular restaurant's owner as a chef? This was major guild master class, huh.

"I thought I sensed some real inner power in the food."

"You think so too? A home-style restaurant owner's cooking doesn't have likes or dislikes. Everyone loves it."

Then he mixed his bibimbap with practiced, no-nonsense strokes.

"More importantly, Hyeonseok. Take a look at this?"

"A tablet? What is it?"

"Dad! You can't talk business while Master's eating!"

"Sorry, sorry. I've just been so busy."

The tablet had a list of countless hunters. Not just from our guild — people from other guilds too. Most of them were famous hunters I'd known even back when I was a civilian.

"What about these people?"

"They're people who want to learn from you."

"What?"

This many hunters?