Raid Team Establishment 1
"Hello. I'm Choi Deokhui, the head enchanter at the Enchanter Workshop."
Choi Deokhui bowed her head in greeting to the guild members. Today was a rare day when all the guild members were gathered together, so I'd invited her to join us. I'd originally planned to bring Kim Seungmin too, but...
"An executive meeting? No way in hell. I've finally got my freedom back—why would I go back to that place? I'm gonna enjoy life from now on. The others are all busy planning their vacations anyway, so just have Noona Deokhui deal with that headache."
His firm refusal made me give up on the idea. Once I heard about the average daily working hours at the Enchanter Guild, it all made sense. They'd been grinding eighteen hours a day for twenty-nine out of thirty days each month—not just for a month or two, but for years. In a situation like that, no enchanter would want to cut their hard-earned rest short. And it wasn't much different for enchanters in other countries. Even in the US, which supposedly had the best conditions, they worked ten hours a day, six days a week. The rest of the world was obviously worse.
No wonder they'd gone so wild over my white ink. In the end, the only new addition to the executive meeting was Choi Deokhui.
"It's been a while since we've seen you like this."
Seo Taehee was the first to welcome her warmly.
"Yeah, I never thought we'd meet again like this."
I was surprised to learn that Taehee and Deokhui knew each other. And their names even sounded similar—Taehee, Deokhui.
"You two know each other?"
I voiced the question everyone was wondering, and Choi Deokhui answered.
"Back when I was obsessed with mana ink production, Taehee gave me a lot of help."
"I see."
After exchanging greetings with the others, I got down to the main agenda.
"I called this meeting because I have something important to tell you all."
The guild members' expressions grew serious, mirroring my unusually solemn tone.
"We haven't made any official announcements yet, but you've probably guessed it already. We're changing the guild's policy. Up until now, we've kept things closed off and limited to hide our strength, but that's going to change. We'll still keep strategic items like buff potions under wraps, but when necessary, we'll reveal the miracle potion too."
The guild members, who knew exactly what the miracle potion meant to me, looked stunned. My words carried real weight.
But that wasn't the end of it for me. Whether the others had realized it yet or were holding their tongues in anticipation of even bigger ripples beyond the miracle potion, I still had the superior healing potion up my sleeve. I hadn't tested it on civilians, but compared to regular healing potions, the only difference was that it packed more densely compressed mana. That meant the odds of mana addiction were extremely low.
The day that superior healing potion went public might unleash chaos beyond my wildest imagination. But as I'd just stated, I was prepared to reveal it if the situation called for it.
Choi Deokhui, unaware that I was the miracle potion's creator, couldn't understand the guild's reaction.
"The miracle potion? You mean that miracle potion? But why bring it up now?"
I looked at her and said, "I'm the one who made the miracle potion—Miracle."
"Pardon?"
"Before I became a leatherworker, I was a potion maker too."
She hadn't batted an eye when I said I could enchant magic patterns on leather armor, but this time was different. Her eyes shook violently, and she stammered.
"H-how... three classes? I've never heard of anything like that."
To the bewildered Choi Deokhui, I drove the nail in.
"Next up, I'm thinking of learning metallurgy."
While she reeled in confusion, the guild members waited patiently for her to recover. They'd all been through it themselves, so they understood.
Once Choi Deokhui had steadied herself, the meeting resumed.
"Back to the main point. What I wanted to announce today is that, in line with our new guild policy, we're forming a raid team. It won't be easy, but the ultimate goal is conquering an SSS-rank dungeon."
Forming a raid team was a decision that felt a bit late in coming, but I'd been mulling it over constantly since the Lee Sehyuk incident. With me around, everyone in the guild building was safe. But inside a dungeon? I couldn't do a thing. There was no guarantee another Lee Sehyuk wouldn't show up—or worse, a group that openly ambushed guild members instead of scheming from the shadows.
So, I'd come up with the raid team as a countermeasure. And that wasn't the only reason.
Ever since acquiring my NPC Class, I'd constantly wondered why me? When I first unlocked potion-making and produced healing potions free of mana addiction, I thought maybe I was a hunter meant to help civilians. If production-class hunters supported combat types, perhaps I was for the general public.
But that idea crumbled once quests unlocked and I started crafting leather armor. The healing potion was just a fluke; NPC was merely a special production class, I figured.
Then I met Hespera and heard about SSS-rank dungeons, and my thinking shifted.
My NPC Class might exist for conquering SSS-rank dungeons.
Dungeons had appeared on Earth over twenty years ago, yet no SSS-rank had been cleared—not even a single step inside, from what Hespera said. When she claimed my leather armor was the key to conquering one, it was natural to think that way.
But embarrassment quickly flushed my face. It sounded so middle-school edgy that I shoved the thought away.
Then the mana recovery speed potion brought it roaring back. I'd seen it as a simple accelerator, but its true implications exceeded my expectations. The buried idea resurfaced without shame this time—bolstered by conviction.
I don't know why it's me, but NPC is definitely tied to SSS-rank dungeons.
Thinking it privately was one thing; voicing it aloud was another. It still felt too embarrassing to share.
After laying out my self-made decision to the guild, I gauged their reactions, bracing for negativity. Surprisingly, there was none.
"Whoa! I was gonna bring it up soon anyway—raiding dungeons with just us is getting overwhelming. Perfect timing! And with hyung's support? SSS-rank is a given."
"Jeonghun's right. Thank you for deciding to form the raid team first. SSS-rank dungeons have stumped every raid and guild so far, but with the Guild Master's backing, it's a realistic goal."
The combat-class hunters were the most enthusiastic, as expected.
"An excellent decision. Even if production hunters are the guild's core, combat hunters are essential—for securing materials and self-defense."
Taehee spoke up, and Choi Deokhui backed her.
"She's right. Look at the Enchanter Workshop—we had no power, so we got tossed around by other hunters. Honestly, I was shocked to see only three combat hunters in the guild. Glad you're making the right call now."
Their support lightened my heart.
"Guild Master, how will you select the raid team?"
Bang Taegeuk's question amid the lively discussion drew all eyes to me. Jeonghun and Yeji stared especially intently.
Under their gazes, I shared my thoughts.
"Honestly, I don't know much about dungeons. All I can offer is support for clears. So I'd like help from Iron Dragon, Jeonghun, and Yeji for selections. But there's one firm condition."
Everyone except Choi Deokhui seemed to get it without me spelling it out. I was a special hunter who didn't need to enter dungeons. No one had ever seen me go in since the guild formed. They respected my privacy and never pried, nodding as if it were obvious. I continued.
"Skill matters, but harmony is key. Even I know breathing as a team is crucial. If even one of Iron Dragon, Jeonghun, or Yeji objects to someone, no matter how strong, they won't make the cut."
It was consideration for them, but also plain common sense. If the ones fighting in the dungeon disliked someone, I wouldn't pick them—not even the world's best hunter. Hearts aligning mattered more than minor skill gaps, which my support could cover anyway.
"Finally, and most importantly—there's a reason I said 'raid team.' These members won't be guild members. We'll run it like Paragon Raid, as an external team."
This hit harder; the hunters' focused expressions shifted. Our country didn't operate raids that way—guilds contained them, even if multiple per guild. All were fellow guildmates.
Abroad, especially Europe, guilds and raids were distinct. A raid might be all from one guild or mixed, more like freelance parties. Hunters often joined multiple and picked dungeons freely, though mismatched synergy made clears tough. Top global raids stuck to fixed members.
I had my reasons for this approach.
"You mean running it like foreign teams?"
"Yes. We might recruit raid members into the guild later, but we'll keep them separate at first. I've even prepared a separate building for the raid."
"May I ask why go to such lengths?"
With their puzzled looks, I explained.
"From what I know, talented hunters are already in the Five Great Guilds or majors. If we recruit, would they quit and join immediately? Sure, some might rush over for my gear."
I scanned their attentive faces.
"But wouldn't that be a red flag? Gear matters to hunters, but ditching their guild on a dime? There might be circumstances, but I prefer those who hesitate over instant jumpers. That's why my solution is..."
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC