Hunter Ranks Don't Mean Shit!
The first day of the preliminaries, and both Jeong Ayeon and I had already secured our spots in the main bracket. That left us with a ridiculous amount of free time during the actual qualifying rounds. There weren't any more guilds worth visiting, and the dueling arena was completely packed, so practicing alone wasn't really an option. So what did we decide to do?
"What do you think of that side?"
"The right side's gonna win."
We chose to watch the preliminary matches. After all, they say if you know yourself and know your enemy, you can't lose. We ended up spending the entire afternoon parked in the spectator seats.
[My dear, who looks the most troublesome to you?]
'Probably that furry team over there.'
My eyes were currently locked on the CATS team that had just started their preliminary match. At the center of it all was Caersi, the Saintess. Strangely enough, she wasn't participating as a student. Instead, she'd formed a team with a leader paladin who wasn't even enrolled here. It was definitely suspicious, but no one was raising any objections.
To clear up my doubts, I wandered over to where the professors were gathered.
"The hell do you want, you little shit?"
"Hey, old man. Why'd they let outsiders join the tournament?"
Luckily, Professor Pilyong was right there among them. He glared at me like he wanted to bite my head off, but still answered properly.
"Hmph! Unlike you brats, the Saintess donated a massive sum to the academy!"
"......Just how much money did she dump on you guys to make this okay?"
"Thanks to you, we have to pay salaries to the research students now, but her donation more than covers the loss!"
"Wow, for someone who used to rely on unpaid labor, you've got a lot of nerve complaining."
The professor clearly still believed research students were meant to be exploited. His attitude pissed me off so much that I decided to dangle some bait they couldn't resist.
"The Kim Shinwoo Law really hit you guys hard, huh?"
"Hard? Hard?! Because of you, we can't even go out for team dinners anymore! We don't have the research funds for a fourth round of drinks!!"
"That's why I'm working on getting the bill repealed."
"Is that true!!!"
Professor Pilyong's attitude flipped instantly. He broke into a bright smile and tried to hug me. I sidestepped his reach and gave him my most wicked grin.
"Nah, I'm just fucking with you. You actually believed that shit?"
"You son of a bitch!!!!"
His open arms turned into fists in a flash, flying straight at me. But I'd already put enough distance between us. I easily dodged and called out to him.
"I'll think about it once hair starts growing on your head, Professor."
"Just say it'll never happen, you bastard!!!!!!"
[......Even he knows his own limits, it seems.]
'If you've got no hair, at least have some self-awareness.'
Despair always hits hardest when there's a sliver of hope first. Leaving behind Professor Pilyong, who was now furiously venting without restraint, I laughed heartily and returned to where Jeong Ayeon was waiting.
"Hey, Jeong Ayeon. How's the match going?"
"The team with the Saintess won handily."
"Figures."
It really was a team that fully showcased the value of having both a Saintess and a paladin. They'd be a real pain in the ass if we faced them in the main bracket. At the same time, another team caught my eye.
"Jeong Ayeon, isn't that your sister over there?"
"......It is."
Jeong Ayeon's older sister—with her navy-blue hair braided on both sides and wearing glasses—was competing in the preliminaries. Standing beside her was a mature-looking blonde woman with blue eyes who looked like a foreigner. She was holding a book in one hand. But the look in Jeong Ayeon's eyes as she watched them wasn't exactly warm.
Curious, I was about to focus on their match when I heard Elsia's voice.
"Get your skewers! Fresh chicken skewers for sale!"
Elsia was shouting from a spot a little ways away from us. As her words suggested, she had somehow acquired a food cart and was busy grilling and selling chicken skewers. Since we were starting to get hungry anyway, Jeong Ayeon and I headed over to her stall.
"Husband! Welcome~!"
"Elsia, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Seasonal business, of course!"
Elsia answered while flipping skewers over the charcoal fire. The perfectly browned chicken made my mouth water, and the savory aroma of meat and seasoning hit my nose hard. Right then, a female student waiting in front of the cart gave Elsia an annoyed look.
"When is my skewer going to be ready?"
"Just a moment."
Elsia pulled out one of the perfectly grilled skewers and—
"Nom!"
"Why are you eating it?!"
Instead of handing it to the student, she popped it straight into her own mouth. Even while chewing, she somehow managed to keep talking.
"This one's mine!"
"Ugh...... Then the ones at the far end are done, right? Give me one of those."
The girl sighed but couldn't give up completely, pointing at the skewer on the far left. She clearly had good taste—it was obviously one of the best-looking ones, grilled to perfection.
"Munch munch~."
"Why are you eating that one too!!!!"
"This one's too well-done to sell!!"
"Goddamn it, seriously!!!"
The student was stomping her feet in frustration, unable to walk away without buying something. I lightly bonked Elsia on the head.
"Hey, Elsia. If you're gonna run a stall, at least sell the food."
"Hng. Okay~."
"Then why the hell are you still eating them!!!!!!!!!!"
"......Here, take this."
Jeong Ayeon, unable to watch any longer, quickly handed the girl a perfectly grilled skewer dripping with fragrant oil. The student practically snatched it and thrust out her card.
"Payment, please."
"We don't accept cards."
"What kind of bullshit place is this!!!"
Elsia suddenly turned dead serious, insisting on cash only. It was like watching a foul-mouthed old lady running a restaurant who immediately shuts down anyone asking for credit with a stern, "No tabs allowed, customer." The girl cursed up a storm but eventually paid in cash and left.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, I spotted Hye-ji aggressively hawking food to students watching the preliminaries. Hye-ji's sales tactics generally fell into three types of student reactions.
The first were the obedient ones who just went along with it.
"Hey, buy some chicken skewers."
"Huh?"
When the male student looked confused, Hye-ji immediately shoved a gun barrel in his face with a loud click.
"I won't repeat myself. Go buy some skewers."
"Yes! Yes! Please let me buy them!!"
The guy rushed over to Elsia's cart in a panic and placed an order.
The second type were the ones who pushed back against her aggressive sales pitch. A group of female students sneered and looked down on her.
"Who would eat something that low-class?"
"Bring us something that matches our standards."
"Buy it before I count to three."
"Hmph! I'd like to see you try!"
The girls weren't about to back down. So Hye-ji aimed her rifle at their feet.
"One."
- Bang!
"It's still one!"
"Two."
- Bang! Bang!
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
The girls panicked at the sudden barrage of bullets, tears streaming down their faces as they begged Hye-ji.
"We get it! Please stop shooting!! We'll buy them!!"
"Buy enough for everyone. Or else."
With that, Hye-ji walked away from the group.
The final type were the ones who proudly declared they had no money. When Hye-ji approached a group of male students, they smirked arrogantly.
"We really wanted to buy some, but unfortunately we don't have any money!"
"Man~! What a shame~! We wanted to eat so bad~!"
"Oh yeah?"
Hye-ji dragged the entire group over to us without warning. Then she looked at them and spoke quietly.
"Jump in place."
"What?"
- Bang!
"Eek!!!"
Hye-ji's rifle spat fire. This time she pointed the barrel directly at them and growled in a low, menacing voice.
"Did you not hear me say jump in place?"
"O-okay!"
The boys didn't dare complain. They started jumping up and down repeatedly. At that moment, Elsia's eyes sparkled.
"I heard the sound of bills rustling in that student's inner pocket!"
"How the hell did you hear that?!"
"Oh! The guy in the middle just made a jingling sound from his right pocket!"
"What kind of beast are you!!!"
Hye-ji tilted her head slightly and gave the boys a sinister smile.
"You've got money, don't you?"
"We'll buy some! Please spare us!!!"
And so, even the last group of students ended up buying skewers without a fuss. Watching them cry while they ate, it seemed Elsia had grilled them with true artistic flair. I felt strangely proud.
In the end, Hye-ji's aggressive sales tactics succeeded across every type of student. 'She's seriously the best salesperson ever.'
[They're just a bunch of fucking thugs!!!! You goddamn robbers!!!]
'Hey now. We conducted a perfectly legitimate business transaction, didn't we?'
The sight of students desperately wanting to eat those skewers, combined with the growing pile of cash in the food cart's register, was more than enough to completely short-circuit my brain. Watching the preliminaries suddenly felt meaningless. Who gave a shit about the tournament anymore? This was the dawn of the food service industry.
There was still time before the main bracket started, and it was a great opportunity to gain some real-world experience. The justification was solid. If I couldn't become a hunter after graduation, I could always run a restaurant. Let's go. Into the world of food service!
This is supposed to be an academy novel, you bastards!!!