Chapter 99
“Everything with the guild paperwork—is it all going smoothly?”
“It’s in the final stages now.”
Today’s schedule had ended after just the morning training session.
For lunch, we went to our usual Korean soup restaurant, wanting something familiar after a long time.
“Suddenly bringing in an S-rank hunter, and a foreigner at that… visa issues aside, they’re all the kind of people who sort it out quickly.”
At first, when Hyunsoo heard that an S-rank hunter had been brought in, he thought it was a joke and didn’t even react properly.
But knowing that Juhyuk wasn’t the type to joke about such matters, he quickly realized that it was true.
After all, Juhyuk had even brought the hunter to the training ground to demonstrate in person—there was no reason to doubt him.
“The organization keeps asking, are there really two S-rank hunters?”
“They must’ve been shocked. I was, too.”
It was unbelievable—two S-rank hunters in a relatively small guild.
The scale was far beyond what Juhyuk had first mentioned, so it was only natural to be surprised.
Hyunsoo thought about the new guild members he had trained with that morning and asked,
“She’s also pretty, right? I bet ads and sponsorships would roll in. Did you plan that?”
“No. She’s still young, so I want to make sure she isn’t exposed to the public unnecessarily.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t bring someone in just for calculations like that.”
As expected, Hyunsoo added his own playful jab.
Lunch ended while exchanging necessary documents and information for recruiting, as well as other things to be careful about when founding the guild.
Some people might say you shouldn’t talk about work while eating, but when everyone’s busy, it’s inevitable to use such small pockets of time for conversation.
“Where did you say you were going afterward?”
“The Association. They contacted me suddenly, wanted to see me.”
Since arriving in China, a message had come from the Association’s head.
It seemed urgent—they wanted to meet and discuss matters as soon as possible—so he agreed.
“Do you think they’ve already heard that two S-rank hunters have been gathered?”
“We’ve already submitted the documents to the organization, so it wouldn’t be surprising. Even if they knew beforehand, it wouldn’t be shocking.”
Juhyuk had been stalked and tracked so much that news of the guild’s S-rank hunters wouldn’t surprise him.
“Then I’ll head over first.”
“Alright, contact me if there are any problems with the documents.”
After finishing the conversation, Juhyuk got into his vehicle first.
He started the engine and drove toward the Association building to meet the head.
I wonder what exactly they want to talk about.
During the interrogation, the Association head had observed quietly without contacting him.
Juhyuk didn’t feel any resentment over that.
It’s better not to involve the Association unnecessarily.
If the head had any contact with a controversial hunter, it could raise unwarranted suspicions.
Even having stepped down from an executive position, the head still had connections wider than most—potentially problematic factions.
If they misjudged the situation, it could put the head in trouble.
I thought it might be a bit early to meet and talk, Juhyuk thought.
The eyes of those factions still lingered within the Association.
It was obvious that if he met alone, the news would leak to them.
Even knowing the noise it might cause later, the fact that they called him meant it was a very important matter.
Probably something about Cheonsi, he guessed as he arrived at the Association.
Following the desk’s guidance, he entered the building, already feeling countless eyes on him.
My head feels like it’s going to split from all these stares.
The blatant gazes made him frown automatically.
Though expected, it was still unpleasant.
Finally, he entered the Association head’s office. The head stood to greet him.
“Come in, have a seat.”
Following the gesture, Juhyuk sat on the long leather sofa. The head sat across on a single-seater leather chair.
“How was China? I heard it was a tough journey.”
“Not bad. I even enjoyed some sightseeing along the way.”
At that moment, the door opened.
The head’s secretary brought green tea—the same one from Juhyuk’s previous visit.
They exchanged casual conversation until the secretary left and her footsteps faded.
Then came the moment to reveal the real purpose.
“So, what did you call me here for?”
“Well… honestly, there aren’t many reasons I call you.”
The head continued nonchalantly.
“You brought an S-rank hunter from China, and the friend who traveled with you, Juhyuk, you know them too.”
The head pushed Seong Jia’s presence forward.
Given that she had already been active in China, he likely already knew what kind of person she was.
It was almost impossible for him not to have noticed.
At the café where Ryu Suyan first tried to recruit him, she had openly used a gate.
In China, she opened the gate in front of everyone.
Even with a few people witnessing, the rumor would spread rapidly. Ten or more people had seen it—was there any need for further explanation?
Of course, she always wore a mask and hat in places with CCTVs, but being discovered wouldn’t have been surprising.
Since the head didn’t bring up her name yet, he probably didn’t have full confirmation.
[Don’t worry. I’ve already wiped all traces with Hyeonho Candy.]
Juhyuk remembered her confident remark that she wouldn’t get caught.
“The S-rank hunter wanted to join the guild, and that friend is someone you know, Association head.”
The day Hyeonho Candy was first revealed to the world—a group in black suits wearing masks and fedoras appeared.
One of them, the person who moved with Juhyuk, had opened and closed the gate. The head likely already knew this.
“You didn’t call me to hear more about them, right?”
“Not at all.”
The head didn’t expect Juhyuk to reveal more.
So why call him in?
It wasn’t because of Cheonsi or Seong Jia.
“I called you today because I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
The head began to explain in detail.
“You know the frequency of gates occurring worldwide has increased recently.”
“Yes. China also requested my help because of that.”
The recent surge in gate appearances worldwide had all countries struggling, though the exact cause was unclear.
“Because of this, the Association is even considering reducing mandatory rest periods to one week.”
Mandatory rest periods rarely change.
Although it varies by country, in South Korea, they aren’t shortened except in extreme emergencies.
At least since 1990, it’s never changed.
A policy maintained for over 30 years.
Changing it indicated how much the gate surge was affecting even South Korea.
“I heard you handled four gates in two weeks and still maintain good condition. It looks that way in person as well.”
Two A-rank, two S-rank gates.
Completing all within two weeks and still appearing fine—if he were an ordinary hunter, he would have been completely drained. But Juhyuk showed no signs of fatigue.
Why was he still in perfect condition after so many gates in two weeks?
The secret was his mana management.
His efficiency with mana was several times better than others.
In short, he had an extremely efficient body that didn’t drain mana easily.
Moreover, his body was already strong without mana.
Enhanced by the dream herb, he was almost superhuman.
Even fighting A-rank monsters required almost no mana, so depletion was naturally avoided.
His incredible physique and stamina preserved his mana.
As a result, despite tackling four gates in two weeks, he remained energetic.
“If you’re okay with it, I’d like you to handle the increased number of gates.”
Impossible for anyone but someone like him.
Other S-rank hunters were also working quickly, but Juhyuk was in a class of his own.
“The gates not handled on time are reacting poorly. They need to be contained quickly.”
“So that means there’s more than just one or two gates to deal with.”
“Yes, and we must handle all of them as soon as possible.”
Gates needed to be managed quickly before any breaks occurred.
Every minute of conversation felt wasted.
He wanted to start handling them immediately.
“Of course, if it’s too hard for you, I understand… but it’s really urgent, so I’m asking.”
“…Understood.”
Juhyuk lifted his teacup.
He accepted the request calmly.
“I don’t want breaks to occur either.”
“Thank you so much!”
Grateful yet feeling guilty, he was ready to assist with the gates immediately.
“I’ll handle any noise from guild formation as much as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“One more thing—may I ask?”
“What is it?”
He paused, his gaze flickering before settling.
“About the friend you traveled with in China, Seong Jia—you knew she could open a gate?”
“….”
Juhyuk immediately understood the question.
He answered the obvious underlying intent.
“No, she couldn’t.”
“…Right, since this is a global issue.”
The head nodded in understanding, giving an awkward smile.
“Sorry. I had to consider every possibility.”
“I understand.”
Juhyuk stood.
“I’ll get going then. Send me the locations, and I’ll handle the most urgent gates first.”
“Good. Thank you.”
With that, the head was left alone in the office.
The closing door echoed in the room.
The head still watched the door through which Juhyuk had left.
