Rank 1's Invitation
"…Dungeon raid?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, what was this about? A dungeon raid, no less. And from the guild master of none other than Gu-guk Guild.
Honestly, looking back on my experiences so far, I wasn't exactly weak. Quite strong, in fact. But they were scouting me based on physical ability scores taken without me even going all out—and with my mana at zero?
"I can't help it if you're already in a guild, but why not join our raid party? You might change your mind."
"Ah. Sure."
So that's what it was. One last push to recruit me.
'Did my physical scores come out that good?'
I hadn't gone all out, but for someone like Lee Shin-yul to show up like this...
Honestly, it felt suspicious as hell. But no matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't think of any connection between us—let alone one that wouldn't be suspicious in itself.
"…I'll think about it."
It would've been rude to flat-out refuse when he'd gone this far. And thanks to him, I'd gotten an A+ rating, after all.
"Alright then."
Lee Shin-yul pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it over.
"Ooh…!"
The surrounding awakeners' eyes went wide, letting out gasps of awe just at the sight.
Gu-guk Guild
Lee Shin-yul
011-XXXX-XXXX
'011 number, huh.' I'd heard those were all phased out.
Whatever.
"I'll be waiting for your call."
"Yep."
Lee Shin-yul left the Hunter Association testing grounds as quietly as he'd arrived.
"Hmm…"
Even his retreating back exuded an extraordinary presence.
"Guess that's what it takes to be rank 1."
Business done, I pocketed the card and headed out.
"A+ grade? Both of you?"
"Yeah."
Back home, Sujin grinned at the grade assignment papers.
"Yay~! Yelena! Doesn't that make you higher than me?"
"I doubt it, Sujin. He's probably gotten stronger from eating all those otherworld crops. If you retest, you'll score even higher."
Otherworld crops were said to enhance an awakener's physical abilities. I'd been chowing down on hook-claw lettuce and fairy peaches like crazy, so it made sense.
"Heh. You think?"
"Want to get remeasured, Sujin?"
"Nah, I'm good. A-rank's plenty for now. But it's kinda weird?"
Sujin glanced at me sideways.
"You got A+ too, bro? I figured at least S-rank."
"Don't even get me started. I almost got in deep shit over it."
Sujin had been handling guild registration stuff at home, so she couldn't come. I told her about meeting Lee Shin-yul and how he'd gotten me the A+ rating—her eyes went wide.
"You met Lee Shin-yul?"
"Yeah. He's Korea's rank 1, right?"
"Duh! Korea's rank 1? More like the world's top hunter easy. He hasn't fought other countries' hunters much, but still."
"Hmm."
Why would someone like that make me an offer? Sujin might know something.
"Actually, this happened…"
When I told her he'd tried to scout me, her already-wide eyes nearly popped out.
"Gasp…"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Bro… just be happy if you go there…"
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
Sujin already looked glum, like I'd joined Gu-guk Guild for sure.
"What else? Gu-guk Guild! It's on another level from Yukang Group awakeners. Before I joined Yukang, I was gunning for Gu-guk. Even tried transferring while active—got rejected at the resume stage every time."
"…That prestigious?"
To reject someone like Sujin at the resume? What kind of guild was it?
"Totally! Guess how many times I got resume-rejected applying there? Double the salary from my active days, custom artifact crafting too! No joke!"
"Whoa…"
Was rank 1's guild that big a deal?
"Pfft. Like I need artifacts. Money? I'm making plenty now."
"…True that."
Sujin paused, then nodded, her gaze drifting to the living room window.
"Cheonma Group's good, right?"
"Yep! Bumped fairy peaches to 30 trees like you said, and they're buying the full yield at the same price."
"Phew, good."
I'd worried they'd back out, but they were playing nice so far.
"How'd you sweet-talk Cheonma's execs into that? All this volume at that price."
"Heh."
Sujin didn't know the details, so she figured I'd talked Cheonma Chairman Cheon Ji-hoon and the board into it with killer persuasion. This misunderstanding? Not bad.
"Sujin, this is your bro."
"Heh, our bro's the best."
10 trees netted just over 100 million won. 30 trees? At least 300 million per batch, 1.2 billion a year. Taxes and expenses would bite, but still insane money.
'This rivals a Gu-guk hunter's pay…'
"This is about what a Gu-guk newbie makes."
"…What?"
They paid that much?
"But you won't go, right bro?"
"O-Of course not. You know me."
"Heh, yeah."
I wavered for a sec. Money wasn't everything, but damn, that amount.
"Should I just text and decline?"
"Hmm. If you're cool with it, trying the dungeon raid together might not be bad."
"Hm."
Thinking it over, she had a point. Rude to outright refuse, especially from Gu-guk. If I pissed them off somehow, a fledgling guild like our "Gihyang" could get crushed. He didn't seem petty, but still. Plus, working with them might reveal why Lee Shin-yul was so fixated on me.
"But is it okay? Getting tangled with another guild like this."
"Why not? Ji-hyang came to help today, didn't she?"
"What? Ji-hyangmon?"
"Ji-hyangmon?"
I tabled Sujin's question and headed to the yard. Sure enough, Ji-hyang was helping with farm work.
"Ji-hyang?"
"Ah! Master!"
Ji-hyang beamed and bowed deeply at the sight of me.
"What're you doing here…?"
"Haha! Work's slowed down lately! Sitting home felt lame, so I came for some part-time gigs!"
"I see."
Cha-sun-myeon was notorious for labor shortages. Do-cheol was offline from fairy peach overload anyway.
But Ji-hyang was B+-rank now, a pro hunter with a guild. Farm work felt like a waste.
'…Though Yelena's the real waste of talent.'
"No work at Myoryong Guild?"
"No! Well… not exactly…"
Ji-hyang sheepishly explained. TL;DR: Her rank was the issue. Myoryong was a newbie guild—master Kang Dae-hee at B-rank, small biz vibes. Ji-hyang hitting B+ suddenly? They were recruiting, but mostly D~E-ranks. Best dungeon for newbies? C-rank tops. Tough fit for her.
'Didn't see that coming.'
"Just quit and switch guilds then."
"Heh… Yeah, but contracts, y'know? And ditching the boss who suffered with us feels wrong…"
"Hmm."
Classic Ji-hyang. Too pure. She could've bailed easy, but the Druid ordeal stuck with her. Technically, I saved her life, but she probably credited Sujin or Kang Dae-hee.
'Eh, first aid and all—not wrong.'
"Heh, bro. Don't be so cold. She wanted to help you too."
"Oh, really?"
"Heh… yeah."
Ji-hyang blushed and fidgeted. Such a good kid. I'd love a daughter like her.
"Contract shouldn't be an issue, Ji-hyang. I told Dae-hee bro already."
"Dae-hee bro…?"
"Y'know, the bald guy. Myoryong master Kang Dae-hee."
"Ah, that's his name."
Bald guy rang a bell.
"Anyway, think of it as dispatched to Gihyang Guild for now."
"Yes! Sujin unnie!"
"Tch. Call me President Park."
"Ehehe. Yes! President Park!"
Sujin felt the same—like a cute niece.
"So, what're you gonna do, bro?"
"Hmm. If guild dispatches are common…"
"Totally. And it's Gu-guk. No harm staying friendly."
"True."
All things considered, worth doing. Didn't know raid rewards yet, but could check that first.
• Gihyang Guild: Founded by sister Park Sujin. Otherworld crop farming specialist. Est. June 2023.
• Lives with sister and acquaintances (total 3).
Lee Shin-yul frowned at the report.
Knock knock.
"Section Chief Kim Ji-seon."
His face darkened further at the voice beyond the door.
"…Come in."
"Response came. Declined guild offer, but agreed to Masinjeon raid."
"…I see."
Kim Ji-seon felt uneasy at his rarely seen scowl. Longtime Gu-guk vet, it hit her hard.
"Something wrong?"
"…Heh."
Lee Shin-yul chuckled softly at her concern, face lightening a bit.
"Don't worry. It's nothing."
"…"
His words stung her chest—thanks to her unique ability, Lie Detection. He knew she had it. If he was lying anyway, there was reason. She didn't press.
"Hoo."
Still, his mind raced. Korea's rank 1 for twenty years, strongest hunter. Yet these events? Unprecedented. Now and ahead.
Just in case, he focused his eyes. They flashed blue briefly, but his frown held.
'My ability doesn't work on him.'
At the vortex's center: the man in the report. Park Soo-hyeok.
"…"
Oblivious to Lee Shin-yul's turmoil, the report's man smiled brightly in a faded, twenty-year-old photo.
