Chapter 445

...Several days had passed since the alien's company got off to a smooth start. The humans carrying silver rods entered various dungeons and reported the results of their soil surveys. So far, there hadn't been any income from golem materials. Still, in the meantime, the new company had managed to increase its staff considerably.

"That's fast."

Without the guild master knowing, it was almost as if some kind of multi-level marketing scheme had been going on. Honestly, new hunters were joining at a pace that could almost be considered suspicious.

"Alright, I can understand C- and D-rank hunters from my hometown joining as freelancers, but... have we already recruited twenty hunters in total?"

Naturally, there was a reason for this drastic change. Until now, people had been too intimidated by South Korea's fourth-ranked S-class hunter to even consider joining. But now that the initial recruits had experienced the company firsthand, the baseless fear surrounding Kim Giryeo's guild had diminished considerably.

"Hmm."

It had all started with a simple incident. The low-rank hunters at this new company had recently been working tirelessly, like ants. Then, about three days ago, an F-rank hunter team had gotten caught up in a strange dispute.

"This is why hunting work is such a problem. When you work rough jobs out in the field, you end up running into all kinds of crazy people."

The hunting ground the F-rank team was supposed to enter had been "double-booked" due to an error in the Association's system. As a result, members of this guild unexpectedly came face-to-face with hunters they had never seen before. Originally, they had intended to discuss the matter with their industry peers at the gate and resolve the situation as smoothly as possible. But the other side suddenly insisted, "We reserved this first," pressing their claim without presenting any evidence, and that was how the incident began.

"Once a hunt is completed, it becomes very difficult for anyone else to claim ownership of that dungeon. Maybe the other side just blurted out their claim without thinking..."

Choi Jin reviewed the outline she had heard from her acquaintances back in her hometown.

In any case, the employees of Kim Giryeo's guild had spent their entire careers working in other cities, so in certain areas they were complete unknowns.

"You're all fresh recruits who only recently awakened, right?"

So it was no surprise that when they encountered people who had been active in the capital for a long time, exchanges like this occurred. At first glance, the transferees from the [Faith] Guild looked so unfamiliar that one might wonder whether they even had a week's worth of experience. And setting appearances aside, there were low-tier gates filled with valuable monsters, as plentiful as spring crabs—so who could easily cling to their conscience?

Because of all those underlying circumstances, the hunters on the other side of the double-booking incident reportedly said the following.

"Ah—sorry, but we actually reserved this gate much earlier."

"Don't you have a screenshot showing the reservation time or something?"

"How could we possibly have that? Anyway, this gate is on the verge of a Dungeon Break, so we need to clear it quickly. Please check the records with the Association afterward."

"The procedure seems a little strange...?"

Of course, Kim Giryeo's employees, who had some experience of their own, couldn't simply accept that. Even though they tried to stand their ground, the opposing side refused to back down, and soon one of them snapped.

"Oh my! How many times do we have to explain this? It's frustrating. If we wait for the institution to correct the gate assignment, it'll break. You know how long it takes to get through to their coordinator, right? So someone has to enter first, don't they?"

"This is exactly why freelance hunters can be a problem... Nobody teaches them anything, so they don't even know the basic unwritten rules. Honestly, at this point, insisting on this is no different from just being stubborn."

"Wait a moment. We also belong to a perfectly legitimate company."

Up to this point, it still hadn't been enough to start an actual fight.

"Really? You have an affiliated company? Wait, then just how small is it if they make employees handle work like taskmasters...?"

The veterans from the capital eventually became irritated during the argument. According to witnesses, a rather dramatic line was uttered shortly afterward.

"Hey, enough. Look, just try asking your guild master to give us a quick call!"

If they were even accepting bottom-tier F-rank hunters, chances were it was a brand-new guild with barely any name recognition. By contrast, the hunters operating in the capital belonged to organizations far superior in terms of recognition, history, funding, and so on.

E. D.Moreover, for low-tier hunters to operate smoothly in the market, they obviously couldn't afford to go against a guild that was like a dinosaur even at the bottom rung of the industry. It seemed the other side was simply putting on airs to strengthen their position.

"——..."

...

But of all things, the company where the former [Faith] Guild members had gathered just happened to be—

"Do you really want me to call our guild master?"

"Is everyone... alright with that?"

No further explanation was necessary.

As soon as he heard that something had gone wrong, Kim Giryeo jumped in surprise and rushed to the scene. The dungeon was close to his rented office, so reaching it wasn't difficult.

"What's going on? Did our guild make some kind of procedural mistake?"

"Huh? K-Kim..."

"No, could it be that these people really do belong to a guild...!"

They had assumed these people belonged to some petty, insignificant guild and had freely thrown their weight around, only for an S-rank Awakener notorious for his foul disposition to suddenly appear.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Afterward, afraid that they might anger Kim Giryeo, the opposing team panicked and fled, bringing the incident to an abrupt end. In the end, the overlapping dungeon reservation problem was neatly resolved.

'But when I checked with the Association later, they said our reservation had actually been made a few seconds earlier.'

This was the moment that instilled a sense of loyalty in the guild members.

F-rank, or even E-rank. From a company's perspective, Awakened people of that level might be little more than minor earners. Yet Kim Giryeo had rushed straight to the scene, sincerely concerned about what might have happened to such employees.

'Could I, an alien, somehow be running this corporation incorrectly?'

In truth, part of it was simply because he himself felt somewhat guilty due to certain circumstances.

Regardless, the company's low-rank hunters kept repeating the same line.

"Hunter Kim Giryeo is the best!"

The emotions that followed were admiration, awe, and gratitude.

"Working in this industry, we've been treated like insects more than once! He really treats us like human beings!"

This sentence contained expressions that did not match reality. Yet the mammals who knew nothing of the truth simply reveled in their happiness.

'Moved by the company's humane treatment, they even posted anonymous messages on online communities saying they hoped it would succeed. They actively recommended it to acquaintances, telling them that applications were still open, and that's how the guild grew.'

Recruitment went so well that the guild's promotional page, which under normal circumstances might have remained open for several days, was taken down after just one day.

'Not bad for a first attempt.'

Honestly, if the business owner hadn't been Kim Giryeo, such rapid success would have been impossible even if someone died and came back to life.

Just how far could talent carry a person?

At this point, Choi Jin thought about it lightly. A single action by an S-rank Awakener had already earned the employees' loyalty, and from her perspective, it was genuinely impressive.

'Being strong and having a good character at the same time... that isn't something you come across easily.'

Moreover, that wasn't the only thought that crossed her mind. The newly established guild had been suffering from a staff shortage only a few days earlier, while the hunters she had brought along, on the other hand, had struggled with insurance payments because they couldn't find employment.

'At this rate, it's a win-win for everyone. Honestly, I'm a little happy that things worked out so well for all of them.'

Choi Jin felt a sense of pride.

And with that pleasant feeling still lingering, she strode briskly down the corridor of a certain office building.

[Current time - 8:31]

It was only a little after 8 a.m. At this hour, when the workday was just beginning, she needed to meet the guild master and receive a new metal rod.

"Huh?"

But she was in luck.

"Hunter Kim Girye..."

She didn't even need to go all the way to the office. She quickly spotted the person she was looking for halfway down the corridor.

'No, should I be calling him Director Kim Giryeo now? After all, he returned his license.'

At the end of the dimly lit corridor of the rental building stood a man.

For the time being, he wasn't a hunter. At the same time, he was somewhat too young to be regarded as a teacher or superior.

"Boss?"

The dyed-haired man in front of her continued the conversation naturally.

"Boss, boss... Somehow, that doesn't sound too bad."

"Hmm."

"But I don't want you to keep calling me that."

"Why?"

"If you use that word, doesn't it unconsciously make you think of things like 'company' or 'going to work'? That's kind of unpleasant."

He looked like someone who would wield authority better than anyone else, yet when actually given the position of director, he recoiled from it and refused.

'Is that why he gave up his hunting license, which allowed him to freely use his awakened abilities, so easily? Or did he really, just as the rumors say, get hit by some unusual dungeon curse that caused him to lose his powers...?'

Without dwelling on it too deeply, Choi Jin got straight to business. She asked the alien standing in front of her for a new measuring rod.

"Should I give you six again today?"

"Yes."

But the moment Kim Giryeo heard that answer, he hesitated.

"Hmm?"

The man, whose dry, frizzy hair was prone to static electricity, rolled his unusually fierce eyes. After appearing to choose his words carefully, he clasped his hands together in front of Choi Jin and finally spoke.

"But there's something I'd like to say seriously."

"What is it?"

"Could you... take it a little easier with the work?"

"Yes?"

Just from his demeanor, it was obvious that he was serious.

"Honestly, I'm saying this because even I can barely understand it."

"What part?"

"Honestly, I'm already covering the hunters' basic living expenses with their salaries."

"That's right."

"Then why do you insist on working yourselves to death? At this rate, we'll practically be building the pillars of the building with the fees we're skimming off Hunter Choi Jin alone."

Building the guild's pillars from the fees alone... wasn't that a good thing?

Choi Jin opened her eyes wide and asked as though to say, The company seems to be doing perfectly well, so what exactly is the problem?

'Hey, you mammal. Please, stop making our guild stand out so much...'

But in reality, there were quite a few problems.

'The more attention reporters pay to this place, the more that reckless resignation I submitted gets dragged back into the spotlight. Thanks to that, I got three times as much abuse online today.'

His hunter's license was going to be restored anyway, so that part wasn't a serious issue.

The main reason Kim Giryeo was displeased with the company's success, however, was the items.

In other words, the loot.

'And please, stop making this Archmage use [Appraisal] skills——! Low-level gates barely drop rewards in the first place, so just how many magic stones have you people sorted out in a single week? Huh?'

The resources dropped by monsters inside the gates were giving the alien guild master a serious headache.

Since there were only a few employees, he had initially assumed he could handle the appraisal work as a casual weekend pastime. But just a few days later, there were already so many items to sort through that he now had to show up at the rental office every single day.

How could he possibly welcome that?

The alien had no desire whatsoever for the company to prosper.

Yet if the guild master used his authority to seriously restrict the employees' activity levels, that would create another serious problem in itself.

'As if it wasn't bad enough that this guild is basically a hole-in-the-wall shop.'

The base salary the alien provided was only enough to keep everyone from falling behind on rent or going hungry.

For a top-tier Awakener like Choi Jin, merely continuing to hunt would already increase her wealth considerably. But what if a company with poor benefits dared to restrict how many hunts its employees could undertake?

"[The Kim Giryeo Guild Blocks Hunters' 'Path to Survival'... Prices Are Already Soaring, and Now They're Restricting Hunter Activity!]"

If that happened, there would be nothing he could say even if he faced a headline like that in the future.

Therefore, the alien chose his words carefully.

"Just... try to gradually reduce your workload from now on. What does the company's profit matter anyway? If you keep cramming six jobs into one day and running through dungeons nonstop, you'll only wear yourself out, Hunter Choi Jin."

"Hmm."

"Please don't ever think you need to repay me. That won't make me happy, so just take it easy."

In truth, Kim Giryeo merely wanted to protect his own well-being and didn't particularly care about the employees' income or anything of the sort. But since he didn't want to come across as a villain, he chose his words carefully.

"Take it easy...?"

The moment those words reached the employee's ears, their meaning became completely distorted.

A person who stood to make more money the harder his employee worked was instead insisting that she take a break.

And the person saying this was none other than a superhuman believed to have retired because of illness.

Naturally, to Choi Jin, who had spent her entire life in a capitalist society, the statement could only sound... simple.

'Huh? This person really seems to care about my health.'

Choi Jin nodded as though she had just heard something kind.

'I've thought this for a while now, but despite his appearance, Kim Giryeo really does seem to have a good personality.'

In conclusion, Kim Giryeo's request went completely unheard, and the employees' behavior remained unchanged.

The black-haired A-rank hunter continued maintaining the same hunting pace for some time afterward.

She truly demonstrated her competence.

But 48 hours later, the alien guild master suddenly sent Choi Jin a message summoning her...