Chapter 97. A Majestic E-Class Participant (Revised)
Chapter 97. A Majestic E-Class Participant (Revised)
[Edit complete]
"Why am... I here..."
Lee Chae-hyun was sitting in her seat, unable to calm her nerves.
"Son, are you telling me you want to enter her in this?"
We were in a conference room of the Hanul Guild.
My mother and father were there, along with the guild's executives.
"..."
I nodded with firm resolve at my mother's words.
She pressed her fingers to her forehead slightly, a look of worry crossing her face.
"Son, do you have any idea how important this tournament is?"
"..."
I wasn't taking this lightly at all.
It was a competition where hunters from major guilds participated, not just unaffiliated hunters or those from small and medium guilds.
A stage broadcast nationwide and drawing the attention of the media.
Offers poured in for lower-ranked Hunters who proved their potential, sparking fierce scouting wars between guilds.
And guilds that already hold promising prospects put their names forward and send them in.
The resulting brand effect and increase in public trust were immense.
'This was when competition between the guilds gets the most cutthroat...'
She could have actually registered as unaffiliated.
But since she intended to receive help from the Hanul Guild, she was trying to participate under their banner, even though she wasn't a member.
'Well... the manager also said she wanted to repay them somehow...'
"Hunter..."
At that moment, a dignified man seated next to my parents stood up.
"This isn't simply a tournament of skill..."
"..."
"Of course, there's the prize money... but the most important issue at stake is the guilds' pride."
I knew that.
Because the rising stars from each guild always participated around this time.
And I also knew that while Hanul was a major guild, it was ranked at the very bottom.
"Are you... confident?"
"Yes."
The man glanced sideways at Laila.
Then he looked back at me and spoke.
"Healing and support from Laila Hunter will be impossible... You must face combat solely with your own strength."
At those words, the air in the conference room grew a little heavy.
My mother, the guild master, quietly looked at Lee Chae-hyun.
"Are you really that confident?"
"Yes! I'll do it!"
Hearing that, the middle-aged man slowly nodded.
He was the person who practically managed several of the guild's projects.
"The number of hunters sent under the guild's name is limited."
"..."
"We will be using one of those cards on Lee Chae-hyun."
He bowed politely to Lee Chae-hyun, despite the significant age gap between them.
"We humbly ask for your best effort."
And just like that, the Hanul Guild...
decided to send Lee Chae-hyun into the tournament under their own name.
---
[ World's Strongest Hero : Special Notice (About our Manager) ]
I turned on the stream again for the notice.
[Ah yeah of course it's a special notice lololol]
[This dude always has special notices lololol]
[It's really special tho ngl]
Maybe it was because of the word 'Manager' mentioned in the title.
Quite a lot more people than usual tuned in.
Just in case, I sneakily checked my phone.
'They're still fired up about that topic...'
"Fufu, everyone, this really is a special notice~"
Laila smiled brightly, calming the viewers down.
And the viewers quieted down at her sincere words.
'...Lucky bastards.'
"You know our manager, right?"
[Chae-hyun?]
[Chae-hyun lolol what is she your boyfriend?]
[Boyfriend on standby]
"Chae-hyun has decided to participate in the tournament this time."
[???]
[She's participating in the tournament?]
[Even if E-ranks can join, the tournament is a bit...]
[There are people up to C-rank, is that possible?]
I had checked all the records from past tournaments.
It wasn't like E-ranks had never participated, but it was very rare.
Most of them had joined just to gain experience.
Naturally, the actual winners were C-ranks, and there were no E-ranks among the top-ranked hunters.
"That just means I have to train our manager well enough."
[Train]
[Training: Bones get wrecked, holes in your body]
[Usually we call that torture, not training...]
[The growth story of an unaffiliated E-rank Hunter daebak]
"Ah, for reference, she's not participating as unaffiliated, but under the Hanul Guild's name."
[???]
[What? Chae-hyun joined Hanul Guild?]
"No, it's not like that, it's just that the manager said she wants to repay the help she received."
I looked into this point a little as well.
Whether there would be any problem if we just borrowed their name.
But there was no problem at all.
'In the first place, who would do such a thing...'
From the guild's perspective, they had to use their competitor card sparingly.
Also, unaffiliated hunters wanting to boost their value for love calls profited far more by participating as unaffiliated.
[ Anonymous voted 10,000 won! ]
- But isn't there anyone who pays money to participate under a guild name?
[Would they, ffs]
[Participation is possible without a guild anyway, so why bother?]
[There's no advantage to participating under a guild name anyway]
"Once the manager gets here, I'll probably head back out."
─ Ding-dong.
"Speak of the tiger and it appears."
Since she had been here once before, we had registered her personal information.
Maybe because of that, she came straight in without going through security.
"Then I'll go outside and turn the stream back on."
---
Korean Hunters Association.
The three of us arrived there.
"Hnngh..."
"What, you're trembling?"
"Ah, Chairman... now that I'm actually here, I'm nervous."
"Chae-hyun, you've been here before."
"But still... since I'm here to register for the tournament, I'm a bit nervous..."
[Looking at how imposing the building is, I'd be nervous as hell]
[Whoa there are so many people]
[Maybe because the registration period starts today, it's crazy crowded]
[Were there always this many hunters in our country?]
The place was bustling with many people, including hunters participating in the tournament, their families who came to cheer them on, and staff from their affiliated guilds.
She too walked in with a majestic stride, determined not to be outdone.
In one part of the lobby stood a sign reading: 'Hunter Tournament - Official Participant Registration'.
The staff member sitting behind the desk lifted her head and looked at Lee Chae-hyun.
"I'll check your name and hunter registration number."
Lee Chae-hyun bowed her head as she pulled out the prepared document envelope.
Her registration number, ID, a copy of her hunter license, medical records, and mental health screening results were all neatly organized.
'What kind of tournament demands all this...'
Additionally, a physical examination, criminal record and past disciplinary record check, even a psychiatric evaluation...
Since it was a tournament where lives could be endangered in an overheated atmosphere, I could understand it to some extent.
"This is your name tag, but it's effectively your registration card, so absolutely do not lose it!"
The staff member repeatedly urged her not to lose it.
After finishing the registration, a curious question suddenly occurred to me, so I asked the staff member.
"How many E-rank hunters participated?"
The staff member thought for a moment, then checked her monitor.
"Hmm... there are a few, but not that many."
"Ah, really...?"
It seemed not many E-ranks participated.
Sure enough, even looking around, there weren't many people who had a similar mana presence to Lee Chae-hyun.
"Is the registration done?"
"Yes, I think it's time to head back home, right?"
I nodded.
And I briefly scanned the surroundings, looking for the restroom.
"Laila, I'm going to the restroom for a bit, so please take care of the stream."
"Oh my, let's go together."
Laila smiled slightly and followed me.
Holding my phone and going into the restroom was a bit much though...
"Ah, take care of the stream for a sec."
"Huh? Me?"
"You've got experience as a manager, roughly."
As I said that, I handed my phone to Lee Chae-hyun.
And then I headed for the restroom with Laila.
"Why is the restroom so far away?"
---
She stood awkwardly, holding the phone handed to her by Song Hoon.
"Umm... Hello?"
[Seriously, she's like a totally different person from the Internet Lü Bu lololol]
[Hey try banning 'em lol]
[Girlcards incoming!]
"This is the Chairman's account... I can ban with this too."
[....]
[Gasp]
[Everyone hands off your keyboards!]
At that moment, a man approached her.
Lee Chae-hyun glanced over and thought, 'Who was this?'
"Excuse me... Are you an E-rank Hunter?"
"Yes... why?"
When she said she was an E-rank, the man gave a strange smile.
"Wow... An E-rank is actually participating..."
Lee Chae-hyun felt oddly offended.
Just then, the man pulled a hunter license from his jacket and showed it.
"Nice to meet you. I'm C-rank Hunter Kim Do-hyun. How about a meal together? This is my 3rd tournament, I'll give you some tips."
"...?"
Lee Chae-hyun tilted her head, wondering what on earth this situation was.
[Is he trying to get her number right now?]
[With that face?]
[Whaaat seriously lololol]
[This is legendary]
"Ah, I'm sorry... I'm with a group..."
Lee Chae-hyun politely declined.
And as she looked around, she saw Song Hoon and Laila in the distance.
---
"What's that? Someone she knows?"
I could see some man next to Lee Chae-hyun in the distance.
Seeing him talking to Lee Chae-hyun in a friendly way, was he an acquaintance?
He might be, so I walked over and cautiously asked.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, aren't you Unknown Hunter! It's an honor!"
I went blank for a second at the sudden noise.
"You surprised me..."
The man looked back and forth between me, Laila behind me, and Lee Chae-hyun.
"Ah, then this person is that... Lee Chae-hyun...!"
"Someone you know with our manager?"
"Ah, no...!"
He spoke hurriedly and fled.
'What's with that bastard...?'
I calmly looked at Lee Chae-hyun.
She finally let out a relieved sigh.
"Manager, who was that person?"
"I don't know? He said he's a C-rank Hunter named Kim Do-hyun..."
"Kim Do-hyun...?"
A name I swear I've never heard of once in my life.
A face I swear I've never seen once in my life.
Yet somehow, it felt familiar...