Chapter 443. Why the business...... (2)
Anyway, why is that person here...
‘She’s clearly in good shape overall, but her complexion is quite shabby over there, too.’
Kim Giryeo glanced at the woman before him for a mont. But seeing her sit here without any apparent trouble, it didn’t seem like her health was in imdiate danger. He finally asked her the reason for coming.
“By the way, I’m a bit surprised to receive an application so suddenly. How exactly did you co to find my guild?”
The tall, slender woman answered.
“I ca here through Seonwoo Yeon-ssi’s introduction.”
Seonwoo Yeon. To think that na would co up at this mont.
To give so background, a certain public servant in her twenties in South Korea was a young person with a strong sense of duty. One day, however, she witnessed the tragedy of her fellow citizens. Regretting that she hadn’t been able to help those in difficult circumstances beforehand, she acted accordingly.
She had given Choi Jin her personal contact information and said sothing along the lines of: “Since you’re a hunter, if anything cos up that needs to be handled through the Hunter Association, contact . I’ll help as much as I can anyti...” Essentially, she had already conveyed her willingness to assist in advance.
“The public official nad Seonwoo Yeon—she’s quite young, isn’t she? But he’s a very kind person and has a strong sense of responsibility.”
The hunter who was sitting on the folding chair spoke while reminiscing about the past.
“So that’s why you couldn’t just let your difficulties pass and ended up ntioning them to while I was taking a break.”
At this mont, Choi Jin had her arms crossed as if wrapping them around herself. She had often assud this posture during previous conversations, so it was an unconscious habit, much like Kim Giryeo’s habit of touching the bridge of his nose.
“By the way, I have to say this because it’s hard to just ignore it, but honestly, it seems that you, Kim Giryeo, haven’t been doing very well at this ti.”
Hmph.
Once again, this is a guild run by an alien. So, naturally, there aren’t any thoughtfully prepared drinks or the like.
Choi Jin continued the conversation with a dry mouth.
“I was incredibly immature, and I spent a whole season resenting you.”
“Yes?”
But the sentence that followed was unexpected.
“Do you rember the last conversation we had before we parted ways?”
“Of course.”
“I was the one who asked first anyway, and I was completely lost for a while after hearing Kim Giryeo tell about my sister’s circumstances.”
“Hmm.”
“I kept thinking, is this man lying just to hurt ? Maybe I was such a pathetic person that he saw right through , hated for it, and acted that way... I spent my days blaming others with those ridiculous thoughts.”
Suddenly feeling unwell, the tall Earth woman with unusually jet-black hair began breaking out in a cold sweat, as if experiencing nausea. Noticing this belatedly, Kim Giryeo tried to halt the conversation. However, Choi Jin, as if determined to get this one story off her chest, waved her hands back and forth and finally managed to reveal it.
“But now that ti has passed, I can accept it.”
The guild master sitting across from her was listening intently.
“We acted like sisters who couldn’t live without each other, but honestly, I have occasionally hated my younger sister even from the past.”
“What did you say?”
“Just like she thought, I really did sotis consider my own family mbers to be less capable than .”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, my younger sister started to feel especially burdenso after she awakened and bit soone on the neck.”
Flinch.
Around this ti, the person who had been illegally drawing blood lowered their gaze, feeling guilty for no reason. However, Kim Giryeo was still picking up his ears, attentively listening to the custor.
“Anyway, how can a person be so deceitful? Back in school, I only recognized that my sister was the weaker one, and I thought it must be easy for families with only sons since they wouldn’t have to worry about things like us...”
“Have you changed your mind now?”
“When the day finally ca that my younger sister beca strong enough to hurt others—ah, I honestly just wanted to shut my eyes and die.”
“Oh my God.”
“It was the worst experience of my life.”
They naturally belittled situations they thought they would never experience in their lifeti.
Moreover, even though she felt uncomfortable with her younger sister in her mind, could those feelings really have been completely hidden?
“So in the end, most things are like that. This must be the result of being punished for living my life mocking and looking down on other people’s pain.”
“Hunter Choi Jin.”
“How much do you think all the wicked thoughts I’ve harbored throughout my life have unknowingly influenced Jinhe?”
“...”
“It’s just that, overall, I... I made a lot of mistakes in that matter. It really is all my fault.”
Choi Jin stares straight ahead.
“So, I hope that you, who are not at fault, don’t end up struggling too much because of this.”
The introduction was sowhat long, but in the end, this was the point she wanted to convey.
“When I saw your face, Kim Giryeo-ssi, you looked completely haggard. I felt a pang of sympathy and ended up saying a few words.”
He was wondering why she kept blaming herself so heavily all this ti. It seed Choi Jin really wanted to comfort the person in front of her by any ans necessary.
“But anyway, the really important point... this isn’t it.”
Tuk.
The guest who ca to the building straightened their posture a bit. They began a proper conversation while facing each other.
“I’ve heard that Kim Giryeo-ssi has been having a hard ti recently recruiting guild mbers, haven’t you?”
Kim Giryeo imdiately responded.
“Yes! But like I ntioned earlier, Choi Jin, your rank is excessively high.”
“I understand. But please listen to for a mont.”
What followed was the sound of an adult woman clearing her throat, along with actions like barely swallowing to moisten her dry mouth, and so on.
“Actually, I used to play a sort of senior or veteran role at my previous company.”
“At [Faith]?”
“Because the CEO, trying to save on labor costs, ended up leaving all the trivial tasks like training new employees to ...”
“Just hearing that is horrifying.”
“Still, it wasn’t extrely difficult. Maybe it’s because it was my hotown. Strangely, the awakened people who joined there were all gentle and considerate.”
“Really?”
“Simply put, their personalities matched mine. Besides, once I taught them, they encouraged each other and worked quite well on their own.”
The person sitting in front of her was, unbeknownst to most people, actually an alien being. But since a certain Alphau gave its na listed on corporate sites, the alien fully understood the struggles of office workers and nodded in agreent. And it was around this ti.
“But this guild, filled with such wonderful people, collapsed this year.”
A predictable story ca out. Certain guilds had a few scoundrels freely piling up their misdeeds, and it might have gone unnoticed if it had stayed quiet—but this act was even splashed across the news.
“A significant number of forr mbers from the [Faith] guild are currently taking a break from work.”
“A significant number?”
“The ones with high ranks can get jobs anywhere quickly anyway, so it doesn’t really matter...”
“Ah.”
“These days, when high-level gates are scarce, how are F-rank people supposed to make a living hunting?”
It was at that mont. As the conversation progressed, Choi Jin’s status had gradually beco apparent in this setting.
“So, to get straight to the point, I happen to know a few mid- to low-rank freelance hunters due to my circumstances.”
“It can’t be.”
“They’re all connections who have followed since my previous guild. In fact, if Kim Giryeo-ssi just says the word, I can call them here right now.”
“Kim Giryeo-ssi?”
The hunter claid that they could easily bring in the low-rank personnel this place needed. But the alien, distracted by another matter, montarily delayed his response.
“Kim Giryeo-ssi?”
It was currently sumr in the country they were in. And Choi Jin was wearing clothing that covered her entire neck in this sweltering heat...
“Hmm?”
Kim Giryeo found it odd and stared at it for a mont. Of course, she had no sense of fashion due to her circumstances, so she couldn’t really comnt on it for the ti being.
“Choi Jin-ssi, but I’m sorry, there’s no need to call hunters just to thank .”
Job hunting requires careful consideration. But what could anyone possibly trust about a company that doesn’t even have its na listed on corporate review sites? Kim Giryeo, the head of a newly established guild, instead stepped in to try and dissuade them.
“Of course, I didn’t co here just because of you.”
But Choi Jin imdiately shook her head.
“This guild, above all, has great conditions, doesn’t it?”
For one thing, the CEO is ‘that’ Kim Giryeo, so he wouldn’t prey on hunters. Aside from that, there were plenty of other advantages to this guild.
“Anyway, for low-rank hunters, joining a guild is definitely more advantageous than working as a freelancer.”
“Why?”
“There are many benefits when it cos to health insurance and inco tax.”
“Ah... Taxes. True, taxes are really... sothing you absolutely have to take seriously.”
“Moreover, even if C-rank or lower awakened individuals join a large company, they generally don’t receive much support. So they might choose a place like this guild, which strongly guarantees raid rewards.”
Choi Jin asked for permission and briefly lifted her phone. Then, she checked the detailed requirents for the [Kim G iryeo Guild] once again.
“Let’s see. First, F- to D-rank hunters are guaranteed a base salary, and there’s no separate deduction for appraisal fees.”
“Ah. Since it’s such a small operation, I’ll be checking the loot myself...”
“Even looking at it again, the profit-sharing policy is excessively favorable to the employees. Just asking in advance, but can a business actually survive with this kind of ratio?”
Ssshk.
As the interviewee asked this while looking at her phone, the guild master spoke up.
“I didn’t start this guild just to make money, anyway.”
“Aha.”
“On the other hand, reinvestnt isn’t exactly great either, so there’s no chance of bidding for valuable gates like other guilds do.”
“Still. Still, this is quite a good guild. Above all, there’s no howork.”
“What do you an by ‘howork’?”
“Don’t they call that in Seoul? I an... I’m talking about the monthly basic hunting quota.”
“Hmm.”
“Most guilds have a ‘howork’ system. Since they need to get governnt subsidies, everyone has to take on a certain share of undesirable gates.”
Choi Jin, who had already gone through a major ordeal and was regularly visiting a psychological counseling center, had no desire to force herself into the dreaded hunting grounds—what professionals call “dodging duties.” Of course, she wasn’t exactly eager to work after. After taking the surrounding circumstances into account, a certain A-rank hunter finally spoke up quietly.
“Since I’m even bringing along my people, I’ve been extrely cautious about this. But still, I feel like I could work reasonably well under your leadership.”
At those words, Kim Giryeo let out a thoughtful, long sigh.
“Hmm.”
Until now, out of conscience, he had refused A-rank hunters, but Choi Jin had already been shown favor, so she was soone he could trust with the work... Moreover, having soone like her in the guild could smoothly protect the rookies sent on soil explorations. In any case, things would generally beco easier moving forward.
“Hmm.”
Kim Giryeo pondered for a while, then nodded.
“Honestly, I’m in over my head, so I have nothing more to say. Then, please help out for a while.”
Not wanting to make soone who was already wounded suffer twice, he also gave this additional warning.
“Choi Jin, but I should tell you in advance—our guild really doesn’t have much in the way of benefits.”
“Do as you please.”
“The only thing I can do is occasionally guard the site when abnormal mutations occur.”
At this point, Choi Jin showed a strange reaction. The hunter, who had been listlessly slumping, raised her eyebrows with a glint at the guild master’s words.
“...Wait a minute. If an S-rank shows up in person, isn’t that a pretty amazing benefit?”
Of course, the reluctant alien worker didn’t respond very positively.
“No. The truly amazing benefit this world can offer workers is giving them a first-place lottery so they can beco unemployed. Anyway, since life is exhausting enough for both of us, let’s stop joking and get straight to exchanging employnt contracts.”
“Alright.”
“And please let the lower-rank hunters who will be transferring here know to contact separately later...”
This was the solution.
“Our guild can finally operate normally at last.”
Kim Giryeo had a rather successful reunion with the owner of [Dragon’s Heart].
Their skills were guaranteed. Observing them quietly, their personalities seed fairly decent as well. Securing the personnel from a collapsed guild was an added bonus.
.
.
.
But if you asked how the guild operated after that, it was a bit complicated to explain.
“...”
A week later. To be precise, Kim Giryeo still hadn’t restored the license, and the employees Choi Jin had brought in had completed their onboarding. As for the previously restricted A-rank section hunter being added, netizens seed to understand on their own that it was probably because Choi Jin had already filled the spots.
“...”
The mage, who was running a small guild for the first ti, checked his phone.
[010-xxxx-xxxx]
[Hello! Guild Master Kim Giryeo, I would like to sincerely congratulate you regarding the news article on ‘Top 3 Raid Records in a Newly Established Guild.’ If it’s not too much trouble, may I request an interview before the follow-up report...?]
However, Kim Giryeo, betraying his smartphone addiction, quickly put down the electronic device he was holding.
“This is strange.”
This was truly a situation he hadn’t anticipated.
“Why does the guild’s reputation keep rising on its own?”
It felt like sothing was seriously going wrong.
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