Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Magma Guild Merger
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“Non-awakened staff, huh... How many are there?”
“Four office workers and three kitchen staff.”
I wanted to shout “Deal!” right then and there.
The Justice Guild had to shut down several businesses due to a lack of administrative personnel.
Not just the merch business and aggressive marketing, but even the ongoing projects with Maestro Guild.
Even with Han Ji-seong's help, he was busy with his own research, so I'd had to restrain my ambitions and only take on what I could handle alone.
But if four seasoned administrative staff were coming on board!
How much money could we make!
It was like giving sturdy limbs to me, who'd been wriggling around on the ground all this time.
Plus, having three kitchen staff was icing on the cake.
Since Seong Yona had safely returned to dungeons—even if briefly—cooking would have to remain a hobby from now on.
No matter how I looked at it, these were appealing terms, but I barely managed to keep my lips from twitching and maintained a neutral expression.
The negotiation wasn't over yet.
“Seven people.”
“They're all good workers.”
I figured as much.
But even excellent staff could become a huge burden if you inherited all their employment contracts.
“If we're taking on Magma Guild's debts and all its employees, we'll need the guild's assets too.”
“For example?”
“All guild-owned items except bound ones, assets convertible to cash, and basically anything of value.”
“Hmm.”
Yang Hwa-yeon pondered for a moment before speaking.
“We're broke, though?”
“...That bad?”
“Anything we could liquidate went straight to paying off debts. We really didn't want to get absorbed by Sama Guild. The only assets left are... our support team, maybe?”
I was taken aback, but she had a point, so I nodded.
Calling people “assets” felt off, but to a guild, support staff were worth that much.
“So you're okay handing over everything that's left?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“But if you've really sold everything off, that could be tricky.”
I said that, but since she'd proposed the merger first, my mind was already made up.
Yang Hwa-yeon and the rest of Magma Guild were top-notch hunters, so the immediate 10 billion expense could be covered in no time.
Let's wrap it up here.
That's what I was thinking when it happened.
Mistaking my brief silence for hesitation, Yang Hwa-yeon made an unexpected offer.
“Take this land as collateral and accept our people.”
“The land as collateral?”
I'd asked for guild assets.
The guild grounds, being her personal property, weren't part of the negotiation.
Yet she was offering to put up her own land too.
All to protect her guildmates.
“They're like family to me.”
I was really starting to like Yang Hwa-yeon.
She was the type who took responsibility for her people, even staking the land her grandparents left her.
“Straight collateral is tricky. Instead, lease the land to Justice Guild.”
“The land...?”
“You've seen the Justice Guild building. With new members joining, we'll need to build a new one.”
“Then...”
“We'll iron out the details in the contract, but let's merge. Welcome back to Justice Guild, Hunter Yang Hwa-yeon.”
“Haa.”
I expected her to beam with joy, but instead, she sighed and bowed her head.
“You okay?”
“Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... the tension suddenly eased up.”
The way she rubbed her eyes, holding back tears, conveyed the full weight of the responsibility she'd been carrying.
“Honestly... guild leadership just wasn't for me. I hate complicated stuff like management.”
As she poured out her pent-up feelings, I asked honestly.
“But aren't you sad to lose the title? It's still the guild master position disappearing.”
“I'm relieved, actually. I just want to raid dungeons with the people I like. And it's Justice Guild, not some stranger.”
“Not a total unknown, right?”
“That too. Truth is, I saw that Camellia Guild rampage incident.”
Yang Hwa-yeon grinned as she glanced at Kang Han.
“Justice Guild looked badass. Standing up to the Association to protect fellow hunters? The total opposite of Sama Guild, scheming behind the scenes.”
Exactly.
Kang Han was nothing like Sama Young.
As I nodded inwardly, Yang Hwa-yeon pointed out something I'd overlooked.
“There are probably tons of hunters who think the same way. Not just me.”
The next day.
I arrived at the Maestro Building for my appointment to meet in Jeong Je-hwa's workshop via the Sugar Workshop.
As I walked the now-familiar path through the underground mall, I organized my thoughts.
“There are probably tons of hunters who think the same way. Not just me.”
Sama Young seemed to be dividing awakeners and non-awakeners to build his faction.
But beyond the bulk grown through aggressive mergers, it was unclear how many truly aligned with Sama Guild.
Still, I couldn't just sit idle waiting for a clear picture.
I need to do my part.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the workshop door.
“Boss, it's me.”
Jeong Je-hwa opened the door with a greeting.
“Nayeo-ju, how've you been?”
His eyes flicked to the necklace I was wearing.
Checking if I'd needed the absolute defense necklace again.
“I've been good. Mind if I take a look around the workshop? It's been a while.”
“Of course. You're always welcome, Nayeo-ju.”
Jeong Je-hwa led me to the workshop.
Once the door connecting to the main workshop closed, leaving just us two, he spoke.
“Truth be told, I barely slept last night.”
“Why? Something happen?”
“No, I just had a feeling your invitation meant something really important.”
Everyone was quick on the uptake.
Since it came up, I nodded readily.
“You're right. I'm here to commission an item from you today.”
“It's been a while. I'm looking forward to it.”
Unlike the excited, smiling Jeong Je-hwa, I couldn't join in the smile.
Sensing something off, he tilted his head and studied my face.
“Nayeo-ju, you okay?”
“Yeah, just a bit nervous.”
I took a short breath and opened my mouth.
“There's been a lot of talk about the rampage incidents lately. Do you know why they happen?”
“Rampages...”
Jeong Je-hwa thought for a moment before answering.
“I figured it's like a flu awakeners get sometimes.”
As expected, even he hadn't pieced it together yet.
In the novel, he invented the dark measurement device much later.
“Not quite?”
“Exactly. It's like how fatigue buildup causes flu-like symptoms in people.”
Jeong Je-hwa's deep brown eyes fixed on me.
“Seems like you know what builds up to cause rampages.”
I nodded and explained.
“Gates—more precisely, dungeon interiors—contain a substance called 'darkness.' It's in dungeon byproducts and magic stones too. Darkness causes addiction. The body can tolerate it up to a point, but once the addiction level exceeds the threshold, rampage happens. In other words, rampages are a symptom of dark addiction.”
“Dark addiction...”
“Thresholds vary by person, of course. Some are more sensitive to darkness than others. Those people rampage more frequently.”
“There are definitely awakeners like that. So high-rank hunters rampage more because they enter dungeons often?”
Jeong Je-hwa was sharp as ever.
He grasped it from a simple explanation.
“Right. Retired hunters have way fewer incidents, for example.”
“But where did you learn all this, Nayeo-ju?”
Instead of answering, I took his hand.
After checking the number on his status window, I said,
“As I mentioned, even those handling dungeon byproducts can get addicted to darkness. Your dark addiction level is currently 89%. You've been feeling off lately, right? Probably thought you might rampage if you're not careful.”
“How did you...”
“It's my skill. It lets me see others' dark addiction levels. And...”
“Feeling a lot better now, right?”
“This is...”
“Another of my skills. It purifies others' dark addiction.”