By Zephyria If you were to name famous Guilds in the Hunter powerhouse, South Korea, anyone would undoubtedly pick these three.
First, Wave.
Second, Samra.
Third, Seowon.
Samra Guild was the first official Guild in South Korea. Song Jo-heon, who directly rose from A-rank to S-rank and proved that Awakened could improve their rank after Awakening, was the Guild Master. Based on the solid foundation built over a long period, it formed a significant pillar of the South Korean Hunter world.
Seowon Guild was famous for a slightly different reason. The main building of Seowon Guild housed a vast library connected to other dimensions. It was like an ark that gathered knowledge from after the Day of the Rift. They were a group that pursued knowledge instead of money or fame, focusing more on research than actual combat.
And finally, Wave. Wave Guild didn’t need a long explanation. Two things were enough to summarize it.
Elite few, and Lee Sa-young.
One side of the spacious Wave Guild conference room was a glass wall, offering a panoramic view of the city. Bae Won-woo, the Vice Guild Leader of Wave Guild, entered the conference room with a tablet, tapping on the door as if knocking to draw attention.
“Alright, let’s start checking attendance… Does anyone know why four people are missing?”
He had placed chairs to match the number of attendees, but four seats were empty. It was strange since he hadn’t received any notice of absence. Had an emergency Rift occurred somewhere? As Bae Won-woo scratched his head, a woman with bright red hair tied in a half-ponytail raised her hand and said.
“Vice Guild Leader~ They’re lying in the infirmary. It’s been a day, I think.”
“Huh? Why? They didn’t even go into a Dungeon.”
At the puzzled question, the red-haired woman, Kang Ji-soo, shrugged.
“I don’t know. They got beat up somewhere.”
“What? Some crazy brat beat up our people? And we’re just letting it go?”
“Hey, of course, we were going to beat them up too. But the Guild Master told us to leave it alone.”
Bae Won-woo’s gaze darted towards Lee Sa-young, who was sitting at the head of the table. Lee Sa-young, who seemed uninterested in the previous conversation and was fiddling with something with a listless expression, tilted his head as if sensing the gaze.
“What.”
“No… You’re telling us to just let it go when our people got beat up by some crazy brat? That’s not the Wave Guild’s loyalty.”
“Leave it. Guild Master’s orders.”
Lee Sa-young replied slowly in a still-apathetic voice. Bae Won-woo narrowed his eyes and tried to see what Sa-young was distracted by. What he was holding in his hand… looked like a crumpled business card.
“What’s that in your hand?”
“A letter.”
“A letter? Who gave it to you?”
“You’re full of questions….”
Sa-young, tilting his head, gestured with his chin towards the direction where the Guild members were sitting.
“Let’s start the meeting.”
“Tch… Ji-soo! Tell the ones lying down what we discussed in the meeting.”
“Ugh, you always make me do it.”
Kang Ji-soo grumbled, but Bae Won-woo didn’t add anything and went up to the platform to adjust the microphone. Clearing his throat, he announced the start.
“Then, let’s proceed with the Dungeon bidding meeting for this quarter. Everyone, please turn on your tablets and open the file sent by the support team.”
The meeting, which started with data related to several Dungeons, ended sooner than expected. That was because everyone’s opinion was focused on one Dungeon. Bae Won-woo, standing on the platform, adjusted the microphone and announced the results of the meeting.
“Uh… If there are no more opinions, we will participate in the Jongno 3-ga underground Dungeon for the fourth quarter bidding. Yes, it is decided. Does anyone object?”
“No!”
“Good~ Jongno 3-ga is convenient for transportation, and the materials that come out of it are good too.”
“Does Life Recovery Potion material come out of there? Why is the government releasing that prime location for bidding?”
“They must be short on money. The bidding price will probably be eeeeeextremely high.”
After it became known that the byproducts of Dungeons and Monsters could be turned into money, the Hunters, who had taken what they needed and closed the Dungeon doors, went a step further and decided to leave useful Dungeons open.
They began to periodically explore the inside of Dungeons where Monsters had been almost completely wiped out and collect byproducts to make money. In addition, the government and the Awakened Management Bureau conducted research on unclaimed Dungeons and put useful Dungeons up for auction.
Normally, the Guild Master and Vice Guild Leader would discuss and participate in the auction, but this quarter’s auction had so many prime Dungeons that it was not easy to decide. So, Bae Won-woo convened today’s meeting to hear everyone’s opinions. It ended rather anticlimactically, though.
“Then, we’ll end the meeting with th–”
“Wait.”
Lee Sa-young, who had been listening quietly throughout the meeting, raised his hand. The eyes of the Guild members, who were preparing to leave, turned to him. Bae Won-woo, who was about to wrap up the meeting, blinked.
“What is it, Sa-young?”
“Do you have something to say….”
“What’s the matter?”
Curious eyes all looked at Lee Sa-young. Was there something he didn’t like? Or an additional Dungeon bid? Was he trying to take away another Guild’s bidding rights?
However, the words that came out of his mouth were unexpected, breaking everyone’s expectations.
“Have you ever seen a man wearing a soju brand apron? Around here.”
“A soju brand apron? Out of the blue?”
“Yeah. Black. And carrying a ladle this big.”
“A ladle?”
“Good-looking… And black hair… No, was it gray?”
“Good-looking? Black hair but gray?”
Lee Sa-young made a circle with both hands. Bae Won-woo, the Wave Guild’s reliable Shield and Vice Guild Leader, looked around as if wondering what nonsense this was. However, everyone was just looking at Bae Won-woo with puzzled faces, and there was no gain.
‘Hey, don’t any of you know?’
‘If the Vice Guild Leader doesn’t know, who would?’
Such mental voices seemed to be exchanged in the air.
No! Lee Sa-young wouldn’t have brought this up for no reason, right before the meeting ended. Bae Won-woo, racking his brain as hard as he could, scratched his cheek and asked.
“Did you see… a soju promotion event?”
Bae Won-woo was a diligent and reliable Tanker, but he didn’t have keen intelligence. His reasoning was completely off, but the other Guild members didn’t have any guesses either, so they agreed with Bae Won-woo’s opinion for the time being.
“Ah~ Guild Master, did you go to a mart?”
“No, if he went to a mart, it would have been posted on social media by now.”
“That’s true.”
“Isn’t it a bit strange from the start to be wearing an apron?”
“Why? You could if you work at a restaurant.”
“Why would the Guild Master be looking for a restaurant employee?”
“I don’t know. Or maybe he enjoyed the meal and forgot to take off the apron when he came out.”
“Don’t the owners usually tell you to take off your apron when you pay?”
“You’re not helping at all.”
Lee Sa-young, who had been listening quietly to the opinions of the Guild members, gave a cold assessment.
“No, who was it that suddenly started talking about a man wearing an apron when we were talking about bidding?”
Bae Won-woo slammed the platform, expressing his injustice. The wooden platform was dented in the shape of his fist. The head of the general affairs team did not miss the moment and adjusted his glasses, causing the lenses to flash.
“Vice Guild Leader, I will send you the bill for the platform replacement cost.”
“Ah, damn it. Can’t you let it slide just this once?”
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sa-young got up from his seat. He rotated his shoulders a few times and slipped the crumpled business card into his pocket. Sa-young waved his hand, announcing the dismissal even as he watched Bae Won-woo begging the head of the general affairs team.
“That’s it. Meeting adjourned. Go have dinner.”
“Hey, Sa-young! Don’t skip meals again!”
Affectionate nagging followed him, but Lee Sa-young left the conference room first without answering. Won-woo, watching his retreating figure, sighed deeply. Kang Ji-soo shrugged.
“Is it new that the Guild Master skips meals? Let’s just eat.”
“Sigh… Okay, let’s go eat Hangover Soup.”
“Ugh! Stop eating Hangover Soup so much. If you’re eating that again today, I’m not eating with Vice Guild Leader.”
“Want to come along? I’ll buy.”
“Ah, I can’t hear you. I’ll eat at the cafeteria. Go alone.”
Kang Ji-soo quickly ran out of the conference room before he could even grab her, so Bae Won-woo carefully asked the remaining people, holding onto his last hope.
“Is there anyone who wants to go with me?”
The moment he said that, the Hunters quickly left the conference room. They weren’t even that fast when running away from a level 2 Monster!
“Doesn’t everyone, starting with the Guild Master, take the Wave’s loyalty too lightly!”
In the end, Bae Won-woo had to trudge alone to the Hanover Soup Restaurant. The old Hanover Soup Restaurant, which he frequented every day, was a famous restaurant, but in fact, Bae Won-woo’s visit was not just for that reason alone.
First, rumors spread the fastest where people gather! I’m going there to gather information and build friendships by talking to the Hunters there! The Vice Guild Leader of Wave outwardly promoted these deep meanings and stamped his attendance at the restaurant every lunchtime. The pride he felt every time he saw his signature on the restaurant’s old wallpaper was a bonus.
Second, the Hanover Soup Restaurant maintained its old prices as much as possible even when prices were going crazy, and the taste was good and the portions were generous. It made you wonder if they had anything left after selling it like that. It was also heartwarming that the Grandmother Master greeted him gruffly every time he visited. The Hanover Soup Restaurant was the only place that maintained its appearance from before the Day of the Rift in the changed world.
It was a few months ago that a strange young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, suddenly appeared at the restaurant.