Guild Recruitment Begins
Treasure hunting.
For a full month now, I had been searching for and conquering uncharted gates.
I was starting to feel that it was time to adjust my approach.
"Lower grade, twelve middle-grade mana stones... two high grade."
As I counted the mana stones I had obtained this week in my hand and made an estimate, my expression soon turned sour.
"Efficiency is declining little by little."
"Our conquest speed is indeed fast, but among the uncharted gates, the number of high-grade ones is still limited. From now on, we will have to explore a wider range, won't we?"
"Still, the A-grade gate I discovered last week was good."
"The first level upper I found? It wasn't an incredibly great item."
"I fed it straight to Na-yeon. In terms of mana capacity right now, Na-yeon is closer to S-rank than I am."
Kim Do-yoon, the Right Guardian, needed to grow strong quickly if the guild's scale was to expand rapidly.
Since I was slowly approaching the extreme peak through my years of training, it made sense to stuff minor pills into Kim Do-yoon's mouth. After all, one decent-grade pill would be enough, just like the ones that came out of ancient species.
Thump, thump.
Even while I was deep in conversation with him, Kim Na-yeon's hands never stopped stroking my hair.
"...Na-yeon noona is stroking my hair so lovingly today."
"Hihi. Don't like it? Should I stop?"
"No, no. Keep going."
I accepted Kim Na-yeon's stroking obediently.
After the wine-fueled rampage incident, I had decided to accept the special characteristic of having a 'child's body.'
Having the Heavenly Demon go berserk while drunk?
Even as a master of the Natural Realm, I had shown such outrageous behavior.
They say that even in this advanced scientific age, the human brain still contains vast unknown territories.
It was probably because the child's brain reacts sensitively to various factors. The 'fiery qi' that directly affects the body was a prime example.
No matter how high the soul's realm might be, the instinctive reactions caused by an immature body are a separate matter.
Kim Na-yeon's stroking felt good.
If so, there was no reason to refuse.
In the end, it was better to enjoy good things, wasn't it?
"Uu... Noona, only stroking Ji-yeon...!"
"Ah, Da-yeon is here? Come sit beside noona."
Thump, thump.
Before long, the First Disciple Lee Da-yeon, who had just sat beside me, began receiving strokes from Na-yeon as well.
A happy smile quickly bloomed on Da-yeon's face.
"Hehe."
Look at that, Wiji Yeon.
The First Disciple also enjoys being stroked so much?
Even though I, the Heavenly Demon, am the same age as Da-yeon in terms of body age and enjoy being stroked, it is not at all strange.
"...Hic!"
While self-rationalizing that I was accepting these happy feelings, my mind suddenly snapped back.
No matter what, as the one who had accepted the child's body, I could not neglect the duties of the supreme being.
I secretly withdrew from Na-yeon's hands, patted the profit-and-loss report a few times, and crossed my arms.
"The Heavenly Demon is finding it increasingly difficult to handle every little thing. From now on, we will have to expand the search range, but we must discard the useless ones, right? Low-grade gates and the like."
Clang.
At that moment, the office door opened and Kim Do-yoon entered with a haggard expression.
"In the end, it's a shortage of manpower? Don't worry. I already thought of something."
"Oh, it's the Right Guardian. You seem to be on to something?"
"Uuu... If I get overworked any more, I'll collapse before you."
"You talk as if you're about to cry. No matter how much you fill the missing internal energy with pills, you won't break through the extreme peak wall if you neglect training and real combat experience."
I had always placed Kim Do-yoon, the Right Guardian, at the forefront of every gate conquest.
The current A-class hunter and peak expert, Kim Do-yoon, was already a fully formed martial artist. There was no need for me to personally unleash every movement and lay the foundation like I did for the other guild members.
If he combined battlefield experience that crossed life-and-death, my teachings, and internal energy enhancement through pills, the extreme peak wall before him would naturally be broken.
Kim Na-yeon smiled brightly.
"Our oppa looks like he's having trouble holding on a little longer."
"I won't abandon even small gates. Right now, our guild is considered to have far superior gate exploration capabilities compared to other guilds. We have the excellent gate radar, Wiji Yeon, don't we?"
The Left Guardian and First Disciple pelted the Right Guardian with ridicule.
"Uuu, oppa, you're really bad. Treating our Ji-yeon as a living radar?"
"Uuu. Do-yoon oppa, that's too much!"
"...? Is it really too much? I wasn't thinking anything."
Do-yoon wiped sweat from his forehead and corrected his words.
"...Because we have Ji-yeon who finds gates so well. Anyway! Starting now, we're going to do this."
"Do what?"
"Activities as a proper hunter guild."
The Right Guardian lifted his smartphone and showed us a website.
"...A job recruitment site?"
I stared blankly at the text on his phone.
[Shingyo Guild – Recruiting Guild Members!]
***
"Hunter Academy 65th top graduate, A-class hunter 'Kim Do-yoon of Lightning and Thunder', and the guild of his 71st top graduate sister Kim Na-yeon. I expected something grand."
"Indeed, the guild is small, isn't it? ...Not a single person visible inside the building."
"Still, I heard it will be relocated soon. They're probably looking for a good branch building since their income is rising."
C-class hunter Han So-rim, D-class hunter Park Jeong-ah.
After their interviews, these two female hunters walked down the corridor of 'Shingyo Guild'.
"But the conditions are ridiculously good. How many gates do they find so well that they offer exclusive conquest rights yet still give such a high payout ratio?"
"Moreover, they say they'll support gate control personnel from Sorim Guild until the guild grows large. Plus, free use of the medical center."
"Sorim Guild under Master Han So-rim? One of the top five guilds in Seoul? As expected, with both siblings being top graduates of Hunter Academy, their connections must be enormous."
"...But what was that clause?"
Han So-rim tilted her head, recalling the cautionary notes from the interview.
'Prohibited from unauthorized filming inside the guild.'
'Prohibited from unauthorized SNS upload of guild information.'
'Permission required before stroking.'
'Prohibited from giving food freely.'
Two of the clauses were understandable.
Hunter guilds each possess unique special techniques, so these were simply measures to prevent leaks, and there was no problem with them. In fact, many hunter guilds strictly controlled information leaks.
"Still, the reason for the gate radar system security must be it. That one is definitely excellent."
"But the last two clauses are weird."
"...Are they planning to keep a cat or something?"
Thud, thud.
Thud, thud.
"...Huh?"
Park Jeong-ah turned around at the sudden sound of footsteps behind her.
Nothing was visible.
"...Why are you doing that? Jeong-ah, what are you going to do about it?"
"What?"
"Are you thinking of job-hopping after gaining experience? Not many guilds hire us now that we've just become proper hunters, but... Strictly speaking, this guild is a startup, right?"
"In the case of startup guilds, this would be considered the best conditions."
"Yeah... But we don't have the power to make this guild grow large as initial members."
Shhhick.
Shhhick.
"...This time you heard it too, right?"
"Yeah."
The two hunters turned back, exchanged glances, and tilted their heads in confusion.
Clearly, the only formal hunters registered in this guild were A-class Kim Do-yoon and B-class Kim Na-yeon.
And one more, an elderly retired hunter who appeared to be the building manager, was watching the desk on the first floor.
A startup hunter guild that had just begun member recruitment, with someone outside the guild members?
"Is it just the person who cleans the building?"
"...People who secretly roam around?"
Park Jeong-ah and Han So-rim turned their heads and stared fixedly at the corridor where the sound had come from.
Swish.
Swoosh.
And from the leftmost room at the very end of the corridor, two white and black strands peeked out, then disappeared.
"Hic!"
"What is it!? There's something!"
"Jeong-ah, something's weird here. Let's go down quickly."
"Just a moment. Aren't you curious?"
"Hey, Park Jeong-ah!"
Park Jeong-ah swallowed hard and started walking toward the corridor corner where the strange bundle of threads had been visible.
Han So-rim paced in place and watched her back.
Finally, Park Jeong-ah's body reached the room where the bundle had been.
"...Kyaa!?"
With a swish sound, she was sucked into the room and vanished.
"Jeong-ah...! Hic!?"
Han So-rim rushed over after seeing Jeong-ah disappear.
And something soft and small pulled her in as well.
"Uuu..."
"Jeong-ah, are you okay?"
"Y-yes, I'm fine. Just move your butt a little."
"Ah, sorry."
Han So-rim had fallen over on top of Park Jeong-ah who had tumbled onto her bottom.
The two hunters groaned and pushed themselves up, then looked around.
This place seemed like a small room used as a warehouse.
A few boxes were scattered around, and sunlight streamed through the windows.
What had brought them here?
"Hehe."
"Huhu hu hu."
The sound of laughter reached the ears of the two female hunters as they scanned their surroundings.
They hurriedly turned toward the source and saw...
...Two strands of white and black hair with a mischievous, devilish laugh?
No, not strands.
It was a small pair of girls with side-ponytail hairstyles.
The two female hunters screamed in shrill voices.
"Kyah...!"
"Um, um."
The girls looking down at the two hunters with bright, roomful laughter were incredibly cute.
"Hello. I'm the First Disciple, Lee Da-yeon of Shingyo Guild."
"I am the Heavenly Demon, Wiji Yeon. You may call me Heavenly Demon-nim or Lord."
The white-haired girl bowed her head politely, while the black-haired girl crossed her arms in an arrogant manner.
"Oh my."
Park Jeong-ah, completely smitten by the adorable and mysterious self-introduction of the two girls, reached out toward them with trembling hands, barely managed to hold back, and asked.
"Ah, hello? ...First Disciple? Lord?"
"Isn't this just kids playing?"
"For now, welcome to the Heavenly Demon Cult guild. Hunters."
"...Why does your speech sound like that? Kiki. You are fun, you."
"But wasn't this guild called Shingyo Guild?"
"I decided not to include 'Heavenly Demon' in the guild name until I fully step forward. The reason I called you here is none other than to test whether you qualify as disciples of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Um, so... it's an interview!"
As if agreeing with the black-haired girl's words, the white-haired girl added the explanation.
Jeong-ah and So-rim exchanged glances and tilted their heads.
"Interview...?"
"Didn't you finish it with Master Do-yoon?"
"Hmm, this would be a deep interview."
Before long, the girls had settled into suitable boxes and sat down.
Jeong-ah and So-rim sat in the boxes opposite them, creating a face-to-face position with the girls.
So-rim whispered to Jeong-ah.
"They seem like they want to play. Let's play with them a little."
"Y-yes?"
Jeong-ah's face lit up with color as well.
Even without So-rim saying it, Jeong-ah's mind was already filled with thoughts of playing with these adorable girls.