Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Hunter, To Become the Best
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[What the Hell is This?][Posted by: AgentZ]
(New Guild Report)
Molrang Guild's official now?
They've been hunter-ing on the side?
I thought they'd just stay a company.
-Not joining a guild would be stupid, the perks are on another level.
└(OP): Not just anyone can do it.
└Forgot Molrang has an S-Rank hunter?
└Having an S-Rank is basically a free pass.
-They're gonna recruit hunters, right? I'm hyped?
└Nah, probably not.
└Wtf why, shit, I wanna go full-time hunter instead of freelance too goddamn it.
└Molrang just hired 777 jewelers this time.
└For real?
└There was a hiring thing? Those jeweler bastards sucked up all the honey.
└Should've taken a break, only jewelers cashed in.
└Should've taken a break, but I'm a hunter ffs.
**
Guild.
The word had lost a bit of its original punch these days.
In principle, it was a group of hunters banded together for mutual benefit.
Early guilds were made up purely of hunters, but in modern society, they'd evolved into full-fledged corporations.
'So isn't it just a company? No need to distinguish, right?'
I'd thought that once, but surprisingly, there was a clear line drawn.
[Guild Registration Application]
I only learned about it when it was time for me to fill out the form myself.
[Registration Requirements]
*Must meet at least one of the following conditions below.
1. (Representative Requirement) The representative must hold A-Rank hunter qualification or higher.
2. (Member Requirement) Awakened individuals must make up at least 30% of total members, and this ratio must be continuously maintained.
Guilds deal with gates and monsters, after all.
That's probably why these rules exist.
Anyway.
Tons of companies were itching to become guilds.
The benefits were just that damn good.
For starters, only guilds could own gates.
From C-Rank gates and up—where monsters actually showed—these were guild-exclusive.
Even C-Rank gates, low-tier as they were, brought in solid steady revenue.
And companies couldn't resist that fixed income stream.
Guilds kept popping up after jumping through those strict hoops, and now there were over 100 in Korea!
The Hunter Association ranked them weekly and announced the results.
"Where are we... What's our rank!"
[Domestic Guild Rankings: Week 2 of April]
I checked the rankings right at 9 AM when they dropped.
1st: Sinwol / 98.73
2nd: Quantum / 97.28 (▲1)
3rd: Hwayeon / 95.11 (▼1)
4th: White Night / 94.34 (▲1)
5th: Zenith / 94.27 (▼1)
6th: Rain / 87.31
.
.
.
.
13th: Molrang / 80.89 (NEW)
"Ugh."
13th. Thir-fucking-teenth???
What the hell is this pathetic number?
Hey, Hunter Association President. You full of shit or what?
You said we'd be one of the Big Six soon. What is this bullshit!
There are twelve goddamn guilds ahead of us!
No matter how many times I refreshed, that ominous 13 stuck right there in front of us.
"Argh..."
I huffed and puffed to vent, but my blood was still boiling—
Molrang!
I plopped Molrang-i on my head, let that cool squishiness soothe me, and finally regained my senses.
Okay.
Let's think rationally.
13th.
Not actually that bad.
For a brand-new guild, it was the highest debut rank ever.
Last record was 24th, right?
Considering that, it was a huge jump.
Turn on the 10 AM news later, and we'd probably be the top story.
"Molrang Guild officially launches," "Molrang Guild debuts at sky-high rank for a newbie"... they'd hype it up.
Thinking that way, the rank started to feel pretty good.
Of course, that lingering emptiness still bummed me out.
"What? This is awesome. We'll be top 10 in no time."
Unlike me, Hayoung was all positive.
Disappointing. I thought she'd feel the same pinch.
This is why normies can't hang.
Anything short of first is failure.
My endless drive for improvement will take me to the top.
"No... this sucks."
But where'd that drive go? I sounded so down.
This feeling... it's been forever.
Like expecting a top score on a test, only to open it and see average.
Never thought I'd feel it again.
"Huh? What'd you expect?"
"At least 7th."
7th was my baseline.
Anything less, and it didn't have the dignity of a future Big Six... no, top-dog guild.
[7th: Alkan / 87.13]
But reality's wall was thick.
"7th? Uh... that's a pretty big gap."
Hayoung gave an awkward smile, reading the room.
Yeah.
Big gap, just like she said.
Guild scores from the Association split into two categories.
Guild revenue: 50 points. Guild achievements: 50 points.
80+ total makes you a major guild.
And like all scores,
Past 80, every point is a grind. Standards get brutal.
'Where the hell did we lose points?'
I flipped to the guild-by-guild evaluation breakdown.
Lucky they provide analysis up to 15th.
No analysis? I'd march straight to the president.
[13th: Molrang]
[Revenue: 44.34/50]
Hm.
Revenue's solid enough.
Reasonable. Puts us 6th in revenue alone, right behind the Big Five.
[Achievements: 36.55/50]
Achievements, though? Brutal.
16th by raw rank. Stings like hell.
Achievements basically measure total power of your awakened members.
More hunter activity, higher-grade monster kills = better scores.
Of course, it includes non-hunter awakened activity too.
That's why we scooped up all those jewelers...
'Not enough, huh.'
Cracking mana stones ain't matching monster kills.
[Owned Hunter Score]
[S-Rank: 1 person - 35 points]
[A-Rank - Below threshold]
[Hunter Activity Score: 0]
[Other Score: 1.55 points]
Matching? Bullshit.
Total disaster.
Out of 777 jewelers, 567 were awakened.
We skipped the cheap normies, filled with awakeners.
And those 567 crank out 5,000 B-Rank mana stones a day.
Even then, that score? Jewelcrafting ain't scoring jack.
One path left.
'Boost the hunter activity score.'
Bump that 0 to 10, and we'd leap to 6th.
Obviously, +10 ain't easy.
Rough guess: Hire 500 B-Rank hunters.
But didn't have to be 500.
Quality over quantity sometimes.
Wish I could do it myself, but time says no.
Long-term, hiring's the play anyway.
"No. 2!"
Nyaaang!
"Scramble now!"
Nyaaaang!
I gave Kami No. 2 her orders and headed upstairs.
Didn't forget to tell Hayoung on the way.
"Sis, prep the car?"
"Car? What kind? Black tea? Coffee?"
"Nah. Got a place to be."
"Huh? Weren't we chilling at home today? Movie time, remember? Even bought popcorn..."
"Tomorrow."
"...Tomorrow you're at the lab."
"Next day off then. Anyway, get it ready."
Hayoung hung her head.
That bummed about the movie?
Felt kinda guilty... but work first.
**
Ding!
A-Rank—no, A+-Rank hunter Seo Ji-hyeok.
Ding!
"What the... hell."
The random alert ruined his nap. Grumbling, Ji-hyeok checked it.
[New post registered.]
New post alert? Oh...
He rubbed his eyes awake and fiddled with his smartphone.
The alert he'd set.
For 'Molrang Gallery' new posts.
Him and tons of other awakeners set it to catch Molrang announcements fast.
Especially with Molrangtori competition heating up.
Had to track every change.
"...Huh?"
But today felt off. The post content. The vibe.
[Want to Become the Best?][Posted by: WannaRaiseADragon]
Welcome, my comrades.
I am the one who will lead 'Molrang' to stand atop the heavens.
I write this to recruit stout souls to build achievements with me in Molrang.
Have you heard of 'Maris'?
Maris.
An unconquered special A+ gate.
Getting the picture?
Recruiting hunters to conquer Maris with Molrang.
Cowards, begone.
Only the truly brave need apply.
Come as you are.
Molrang will provide everything.
All you bring is confidence and will.
One last thing.
Want to become the best?
Come to our Molrang.
I will lead you to the heavens.
-Concept wtf lmao xD
└Thought I read it wrong fr
-Mariss? Can't even approach that thing.
└It's in the sky, tough af
-Guys, B-Ranks can't join right...
└Yeah just chill at home
└Probably targeting A-Ranks?
└Hehe applied anyway.
└Dude you're gonna die fr?
└Molrang. Molrang's got our back shit
└That guy's a total madlad kekeke
"..."
Maris, huh.
Ji-hyeok swallowed a dry laugh.
Felt totally absurd.
Maris was one of the world's rare dungeon-type gates.
Countless hunters had knelt before its trials.
Ji-hyeok too.
Failed once, never looked back—straight-up felt like a wall.
Challenge it again...
Fun. Real fun.
Such a unique recruitment pitch.
Normal guilds lured top hunters with salaries, bonuses.
More hunters = more profit, so they kissed ass.
That's why?
Molrang's post—nothing like the others—lit a fire in his hunter blood.
Since when were hunters just paid workers?
Hunter essence.
Monster hunts, gate clears, becoming the best.
"Nice."
And the guy saying it? Molrang's owner.
No one doubted Molrang would be world #1.
He offers a hand to stand in the heavens together.
Who'd refuse?
Click.
Ji-hyeok logged into his guild, Hwayeon's site.
Ding!
[Processed.]
Clean quit.
Sudden resignation cost a fee, but whatever.
**
"Scramble!"