The Murim Alliance

I couldn't find an answer no matter how much I agonized over it, so I quickly gave up. And since I'd had a good rest... it was time to get back to active duty as a Hunter. But then...

"Um, so you're saying Ah-young and Gyuri are..."

"They're being trained by a Murim Alliance instructor. Apparently, after testing them, the instructor said their basics were severely lacking. For the time being, they'll be focusing on training rather than real combat."

"Wait, don't they need to make money?"

Their family situations weren't great, so they practically lived hand-to-mouth...

"Of course they're getting paid a salary."

My sister smiled, asking what the point of joining a guild was otherwise.

"No, but still..."

"Well, the guild will take a cut of their future earnings, but..."

Apparently, learning how to manipulate mana—or rather, qi—and building a solid foundation was deemed far better for them right now than half-heartedly hunting goblins.

"I see..."

I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or concerned. It was a bit of a gray area.

"Then what about me?"

"For now, you're on a separate, independent team. You'll basically be deployed as support whenever needed."

And apparently, Ah-young and Gyuri were assigned under me as my team members.

"So they only plan to call me in for difficult or dangerous Gates?"

"Yeah. You're a high-value S-class healer, after all."

So they didn't intend to treat me carelessly.

"But if you want, you can join any Murim Alliance party you like."

Since I had more than enough skill and ability to back it up...

"Oh, right. Here's this."

My sister handed me something. I took it and looked... It was my Hunter license, but it had been upgraded to a dazzling, luxurious design. In the rank section, a bold letter S was clearly engraved.

"Sigh..."

I couldn't believe it was ready already. I had no idea they processed things this quickly. I really was an S-class now...!

I accepted the license. The only saving grace was that while my S-class status had been officially announced, my appearance hadn't been made public yet.

They had released my name and general abilities, but they hadn't attached a photo...

Or so I thought.

While relaxing and scrolling through my phone, I froze in shock.

"Wait, where did this come from?"

My information—specifically, my photo—was circulating all over the internet. Posts claiming to show "the new S-class Hunter" were popping up everywhere... and to my horror, it was actually me.

Judging by the outfit and the background...

"The Academy..."

It was a photo from my days at the Academy. Had someone actually taken a candid photo of me without my knowledge? I had absolutely no idea.

What made it worse was how disgusting the posts sharing the photo were. The comment sections were absolutely rife with sexual harassment.

Ugh... It was taken right around the time I'd gotten used to the Academy and started dressing a bit more lightly.

To put it plainly...

It was a shot that clearly highlighted the contours of my body. I usually wore a coat to conceal my figure as much as possible, but in this photo, I had taken it off, fully exposing my incredibly voluptuous curves.

"Ha... Fuck..."

What was I supposed to do? Reading those sexually harassing comments made me feel sick, annoyed, and incredibly angry. Should I talk to my sister when she got home? But bringing this up to her felt too embarrassing. What if she said something like, 'You used to be a guy, why do you care so much about a little sexual harassment?'

"Fuck, fuck!"

I almost crushed my phone in a fit of uncontrolled rage. Sigh... The comments were truly revolting. Some made crude remarks about my breasts, while others claimed they were going to make me their wife.

I need to stop looking... Feeling like my eyes were about to rot if I kept reading, I shut off my phone. How could these people be so utterly fearless? Sigh. Just bear with it. Calm down.

After a full day of rest and a complete recovery, I headed to the Murim Alliance Guild. I'd heard their headquarters was located on the outskirts of Seoul, and when I arrived...

"Whoa..."

They occupied an entire ten-story building. Stepping inside, I discovered that the basement went down five levels. Basements three through five were parking lots, basement two housed a fitness center, and basement one was designated for sparring and training.

Aside from a few convenience facilities, the first floor was a lounge area where people could relax. The second through fourth floors were used by the support teams, containing laundry rooms, equipment storage, and consumable supplies.

The fifth through seventh floors were reserved for the Hunters. It was a space where they could gather to hold discussions, form parties, or check requests submitted directly to the guild.

The eighth floor had meeting rooms, the ninth floor was reserved for the guild's key executives, and the tenth floor was apparently the exclusive office of the Alliance Leader.

"This place is seriously impressive..."

Considering the guild's total roster exceeded a thousand members, including the support staff, it made sense why they needed a building of this scale.

As I was looking over the directory on the first floor, someone approached me.

"Haha, our Murim Alliance Guild is quite something, isn't it?"

I glanced back to find a young man looking smug and full of himself.

"Not really. I don't care all that much."

"Is that so? Your eyes seemed to be sparkling as you looked around, though."

He smirked, stepping closer, and casually draped his arm over my shoulder. I had no idea who he was, but... it was incredibly unpleasant.

As I debated whether to tolerate it or flip him over, a thought struck me. I'm an S-class Hunter now. Do I really need to hold back? It's not like he's a civilian; he's a Hunter too, right? The corners of my mouth curled upward of their own accord.

"Get lost."

I had to give him at least one warning.

"Oho, feisty, aren't we? You know, women who act like that don't get much love."

His words and actions clearly reeked of misogyny. There was definitely no need to hold back anymore. I was just about to settle for a solid punch to his gut when...

"Hey, you dumbass!"

Someone suddenly appeared and smacked the back of the man's head.

"Do you have any idea who the hell you're talking to right now?"

Oh... The newcomer was the Hunter who had served as the main tank during our raid on the Great Forest. An A-class Hunter... I couldn't remember his name, but he was highly skilled. Honestly, his movements were even sharper than my sister's.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"This lady right here is our guild's second S-class Hunter, you absolute moron."

The tank smacked the back of his head once more.

"Please excuse him. Since we're in the same guild now, please feel free to look around as much as you like."

"Hehe, thank you."

The tank dragged the pest away by his ear. I watched them go with a smile. It had been a brief, unpleasant encounter, but it wasn't worth dwelling on.

My main purpose for visiting the guild today was to check on Ah-young and Gyuri's training. I had planned to tour the building while I was at it, but my mood had soured, so I decided to skip that part.

As I tried to head deeper into the building, a security guard stopped me to verify my identity. I panicked slightly since my sister hadn't given me any kind of guild pass, so I pulled out my Hunter license, hoping it would suffice.

"S-class... Nix..."

The guard's attitude shifted instantly, clearly recognizing my name.

"If you require a guide, I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠call someone for you right away."

"No, that's fine."

I already had a rough idea ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of what was on each floor, so I decided to go alone. Having someone chatter next to me would only draw unnecessary attention. Though, to be fair... my appearance was already drawing plenty of eyes anyway.

People stared at me everywhere I went. Annoyed, I glared back, causing them to flinch and quickly look away. If you have a problem, why don't you say it to my face? Regardless, my mood didn't improve as I headed down to the first basement level.

"Ugh..."

Reaching the basement, I saw that the space was divided into several sections. A long hallway stretched out, lined with individual training rooms where Hunters were practicing.

"They set this up surprisingly well..."

The training rooms had large glass windows, making it easy to see who was inside. The rooms varied in size, and I could see Hunters training diligently—some swinging swords, others meditating, each focused on their own regimen.

I walked down the corridor, searching for Ah-young and Gyuri. Soon, I noticed a crowd of people gathered outside one particular training room. I wondered what was going on to attract ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so many men. Was the Sword Saint himself training inside?

I leisurely strolled over to take a look.

"Oh?"

Inside were Ah-young and Gyuri. At my soft exclamation, several men turned around, only to gasp in shock.

"The S-class healer!"

How on earth do they all know who I am? Well, actually, my photo had already spread far too wide. It wasn't just circulating on the internet anymore; it had even made the news. What an absolute shitshow. Naturally, anyone who paid attention would recognize me.

"What are you boys all gathered here for? You didn't come here with any ulterior motives, did you?"

I flashed them a smirk, and the men panicked, stammering out apologies before scurrying away. Pathetic bastards...

The commotion outside seemed to have reached the two girls inside, as they were now looking in my direction.

"My cute little Ah-young and Gyuri, how have you two been?"

"Ah, Miss Nix!"

As I stepped into the training room, Ah-young scurried over to me. Gyuri stood a bit further back, wearing a rather complicated expression...

"Have you both been doing well?"

"Yes, though it's only been a few days."

I spoke as if it had been ages, but in reality, only four days had passed...

"Have you adjusted to the guild?"

"Adjusted? Well... we're basically nepotism hires."

She wasn't wrong. Neither of them had been admitted based on recognized talent or achievements; they were pure connections. They were rolling stones that had landed in the Murim Alliance Guild solely because they knew me.

"Really? Is someone giving you trouble over that?"

"Of course not... Who in their right mind would want to make an enemy out of an S-class Hunter, especially a precious healer?"

Gyuri replied bluntly. Listening to them, it seemed they felt guilty about enjoying such luxurious treatment.

"Well, you two are my party members, aren't you?"

"That's exactly why we're so self-conscious...?"

An S-class healer's party members being E-class and D-class... They said anyone who heard that would laugh.

"So what? I'm the one who chose you."

"Hehe..."

Ah-young looked blissfully carefree. At any rate, they seemed to be doing fine. I decided to watch them train. They were learning diligently under a dedicated instructor.

"The Samjae Sword Style is the most foundational of all sword techniques. Once you master this completely, everything else is just an application of it."

Horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, and thrusts... It was the absolute basics of swordsmanship. By the way, I never expected him to be their instructor...

It was the man whose internal organs I had healed. He had returned to active duty as a Hunter, but since he was still undergoing rehabilitation, he was temporarily handling instructor duties as well.

"I'm... a mage... Do I really... need to... swing a sword... like this?"

Gyuri grumbled, panting as she swung her sword.

"Miss Gyuri, your talent is currently in a transitional phase. If you aim to reach greater heights, training with a sword is highly beneficial. Furthermore, once you acquire class-specific skills later on, you will need to manipulate your mana with precision. This training also aids in mental discipline."

"That's... why... I'm doing it..."

Gyuri squeezed out her words between heavy breaths, continuing to swing. Ah-young, on the other hand, trained in silent concentration. She was working so incredibly hard that it was genuinely endearing.

Seeing that they were both doing well put my mind at ease. Out of curiosity, I asked the instructor about their official roles within the guild.

"They are your escorts."

Since I was a healer, they assumed I lacked combat capabilities and would need protection during active duty. Thus, the guild had brought them in under the pretext of being my personal escorts.

"You wouldn't easily trust someone the guild assigned to you, and having familiar faces around would put you at ease, wouldn't it?"

"That's actually very thoughtful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of you."

"The guild will do everything in its power to accommodate your convenience."

"I know."

And in return, I would help the guild as much as I could. After checking on the two girls, I took my time exploring the rest of the building. The facilities were undeniably top-notch. With shower rooms, a cafe, and almost every convenience imaginable, there was plenty to keep me entertained. Life in the Murim Alliance Guild... might actually be pretty decent.