~ Chapter : 10 ~
‘The Haeyeon Guild?’
The Haeyeon Guild—the strongest guild in Korea, and the one that possessed Hunter Kang Jin-hwan.
Since Kang Jin-hwan, the number one ranked Hunter, belonged to it, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was the strongest guild in the world.
Why would the guild master of such a place want to see her?
Hyoji looked confused.
“Why do you want to meet me?”
She first put some distance between herself and the man.
She couldn’t let them find out she was an Awakener.
No matter how low or high the rank, all Awakeners had to become Hunters.
If their rank was low, they handled weak dungeons. If high, strong dungeons.
But Hyoji had absolutely no interest in clearing dungeons.
Even if Hunters earned stable salaries, she had no confidence to risk her life fighting monsters with a sense of duty.
“There’s no need to be so wary. It’s probably because we’re investigating the A-rank dungeon you were caught in.”
“An… investigation?”
“Yes. First, the fact that no monsters were found in the A-rank dungeon. And second, that the system marked it as a cleared dungeon.”
“……”
“And you are the only person who was caught inside that dungeon.”
“……”
“If you come as a witness, that will be enough. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Jin-hwan glanced at her, trembling slightly.
Hyoji forced an awkward smile.
“Haha… I wouldn’t be scared or anything like that.”
Ha… ha…
It was a stiff, robotic laugh.
Jin-hwan let out a short, amused sigh.
“Then get in.”
The door of a sleek black sedan opened. Jin-hwan tilted his head slightly, signaling her to get in.
‘This is bad.’
Hyoji got into the car as if accepting a death sentence.
The luxury sedan moved smoothly—and extremely fast.
The scenery outside flashed by until the car stopped in front of a tall, grand building.
“Hello, Hunter Kang Jin-hwan.”
“You don’t need to greet me every time.”
“I prefer doing it this way.”
A burly man took the car keys from Jin-hwan after they got out.
“By the way, this person is…?”
Hyoji avoided his gaze, feeling strangely guilty.
“A guest of the Master.”
“Ah—! I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you!”
The man bowed 90 degrees toward Hyoji.
Goodness. This was way too much pressure.
Hyoji awkwardly bowed back.
“Yes! Please take care of me!”
“No, no! I should be the one asking that!”
It was a strange scene—the two of them bowing deeper and deeper until their heads were almost touching the ground.
Jin-hwan sighed and rubbed his eyebrow.
“Both of you. What are you doing? Stand up.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
They both straightened up at the same time, faces red from the rush of blood.
“…Let’s go.”
Jin-hwan walked ahead with a tired expression.
“Th-thank you for your hard work.”
Hyoji followed behind him like a child.
“Was there always someone like that among the Master’s guests?”
Left alone, the man muttered while holding the car keys.
Most visitors here were Hunters, Awakeners, politicians, or guild masters.
But Hyoji didn’t seem to belong to any of those categories.
Small frame, round and cute yet pretty…
“Hm.”
The man rubbed his red ears and got into the car.
* * *
The Haeyeon Guild Master was a middle-aged man with a scary, strict impression.
Well-groomed beard, neatly slicked-back hair, and a perfectly fitted suit.
“…Hello.”
As Hyoji bowed slightly, the man naturally guided her to the sofa.
“Thank you for coming. Were you injured in the dungeon?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. Bring something to drink. Coffee? Iced tea?”
“I’ll have iced tea.”
Hyoji fidgeted with her fingers. She badly needed something sweet to moisten her dry throat.
“I assume Jin-hwan explained things to you on the way, but do you know why I called you here?”
“Yes. You said it was about checking the A-rank dungeon.”
“Hahaha!”
The man suddenly burst into laughter.
“Jin-hwan isn’t usually that kind or detailed. This is unusual.”
Hyoji glanced at Jin-hwan standing by the window.
‘He doesn’t look like the friendly type.’
But he had been kind—he saved her from reporters, told her why she had to come here… she had just overreacted and embarrassed herself.
“Alright then, let’s get to the point. You said there were no monsters in the dungeon?”
“Yes. None at all.”
“Did you explore deeper inside?”
“No… I was too scared, so I stayed near the entrance.”
That was true.
She had stayed near the entrance—and the dinosaur monsters had come to her.
“Then one more question.”
“……”
“Are you an Awakener?”
Here it came.
Hyoji swallowed nervously.
“No?”
Her voice came out awkward and tense.
The man observed her carefully. She didn’t seem to be lying. There was no strong energy that Awakeners usually had.
“As Jin-hwan may have told you, a dungeon with no monsters is unprecedented.”
“Yes, I heard that. But there really were no monsters.”
“We are doing everything we can to prevent dungeon outbreaks, but every new variable is a serious concern. Sorry for burdening you with this.”
“N-no, it’s okay.”
Hyoji felt guilty. The Master’s face looked deeply troubled.
“Do you know that dungeons are getting stronger over time?”
The Master stood up and walked toward the window.
Outside, Seoul looked peaceful.
But on the transparent LED screen showing radar data, red dots covered the world map.
“As dungeon monsters grow stronger, the abilities required from Awakeners are increasing as well.”
Jin-hwan calmly drank his coffee, used to this kind of situation. Hyoji, on the other hand, was extremely uneasy.
‘How did things end up like this?’
It’s all because of the system.
If it didn’t give her ridiculous quests like clearing A-rank dungeons…
If a gate hadn’t appeared right in front of her house…
“But Awakeners still have limits.”
The Master placed a hand on Jin-hwan’s shoulder.
“Unless they are strong from the beginning, like this guy.”
“Please remove your hand.”
“Low-ranked Hunters are barely surviving these days.”
Hyoji stirred her iced tea nervously, ice clinking in the glass.
“Hunters need to grow stronger to clear dungeons.”
I just want to go home…
I should go home and rest so I can clean tomorrow again.
And what about all those potions in my room?
“If only there was a support-type Awakener who could strengthen Hunters…”
Should I just eat them?
They are organic plant potions… they shouldn’t be bad for me, right?
“For example, a potion maker…”
“Master, that’s enough. How far are you planning to go with a civilian here?”
Jin-hwan’s voice snapped Hyoji out of her thoughts.
“I got a bit carried away. Sorry. My mind has been complicated lately.”
“It’s okay.”
Hyoji smiled politely. She hadn’t actually understood most of what was said anyway, so she was relieved.
“You may go now. Thank you for your time.”
“I didn’t really do anything…”
She had just come here and drank iced tea.
Still, she felt relieved she could finally go home.
“We always appreciate Hunters. Clearing dungeons is not easy.”
As Hyoji stood up, both men turned to look at her.
Feeling awkward, she quickly added:
“Even though Hunters earn a lot, you’re basically risking your lives to save others…”
“……”
“Like firefighters or police officers in the past?”
Did I say something wrong?
A strange silence filled the room, and she quickly continued:
“I really respect you. I’ll always support you!”
That should be enough for a goodbye.
She slowly stepped back with a professional smile.
“Well then… I’ll be going?”
The two men finally snapped out of their daze.
“Oh, right. That was the first time I heard something like that. Jin-hwan will take you home.”
“Me?”
Jin-hwan pointed at himself in disbelief.
“Then should I go? Stop complaining and go already.”
Normally he would’ve ignored it, but for some reason he obediently walked toward Hyoji, despite looking annoyed.
“My driving is a bit rough, but it’s faster than public transport.”
“I can go alone though…”
Just as she was about to refuse—
Ding!
A chilling notification sound rang.
Hyoji swallowed nervously.
[Hidden Quest Activated!]
Hidden quest?
A bad feeling rose in her chest. And as always—it was correct.
[Join the Haeyeon Guild. (Level requirement: 100+)]
Hyoji stared at the window in disbelief.
She tried to stay expressionless, but inside she was boiling.
[Time limit: 5 minutes]
[Failure: Death]
Red warning letters appeared.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going home?”
Jin-hwan was waiting at the door.
“U-uh…”
She felt like she was going to cry.
“Come out quickly.”
From the front was Jin-hwan. From the system was pressure.
[Remaining time: 4 minutes 32 seconds]
Time kept ticking.
[Remaining time: 4 minutes 1 second]
“No, no!”
In panic, she suddenly shouted.
“What’s not okay?”
Both men looked at her.
Hyoji bit her lip, looked down, and clenched her fists tightly.
And then—
“P-please accept me!”
The room fell into silence.
“I want to join the Haeyeon Guild as a dungeon cleaner!”
