Chapter 162

Sung Suho’s [Woojin Guild] had a clear standard for selecting dungeons.

Leveling up.

That meant either a high-grade dungeon or a dungeon with a large number of magical beasts—these provided the best experience gains.

Of course, such dungeons were also highly sought after by other Hunters.

The stronger the magical beasts, the more valuable their byproducts. And the more beasts there were, the greater the number of byproducts one could obtain.

Naturally, the demand for these dungeons made their raid rights expensive.

Currently, Woojin Guild had a budget of 1 billion won.

A significant sum, yet not quite enough to be extravagant. Given this amount, Sung Suho had to make a decision:

1) Split the guild’s 1 billion won to clear multiple mid-to-low-tier dungeons.
2) Bet everything on a single high-tier dungeon raid right.

For a typical profit-driven guild, either option would have been reasonable.

However, for Sung Suho, whose priority was leveling up, both options were frustratingly inefficient.

Now that he had surpassed Level 50, mid-to-low-tier dungeons no longer gave him any experience.

Even high-tier dungeons were uncertain—clearing just one might not even raise his level by a single point.

Of course, by next month, the Scavenger Guild would provide a massive influx of funds, resolving all financial concerns.

But until then, he couldn’t just sit idly in the guild office twiddling his thumbs.

Thus, the option Suho chose was neither of the two.

From a guild’s perspective, it might not be the most efficient choice, but for someone focused purely on leveling up, there was one more alternative.

3) Entering a dungeon already claimed by another guild.

This method was further divided into two approaches:

– Joining as a mercenary.
– Some guilds, after winning a raid right through auction, might later realize the dungeon’s difficulty was beyond their expectations.
– In such cases, they would request reinforcements from other guilds or independent Hunters.
– However, this was rare—most guilds only bid on dungeons they were confident they could handle.

– Purchasing raid rights from another guild.
– Typically, this involved paying a premium over the original bid price.
– But for a guild with limited funds like Woojin, this wasn’t a feasible option.

Sung Suho’s solution? Family connections.

‘…That’s why I asked Do-Gyun hyung to negotiate with the Reaper Guild for their raid rights.’

Since the Lee Minseong incident, Reaper Guild had been struggling with a severe manpower shortage.

It was only natural—they no longer had the personnel to utilize all their dungeon raid rights.

To maintain cash flow, they might be forced to sell off some of their raid rights quickly.

And since Do-Gyun’s father’s guild was involved, there was a chance they might sell it at a discounted price.

The plan was perfect.

Except for one thing Suho hadn’t anticipated…

‘Reaper Guild is in worse shape than I thought.’

That’s right.

Im Taegyu’s guild had fallen.

Once regarded as Korea’s top guild, Reaper Guild had been on a steady decline ever since the Lee Minseong incident.

The only reason they weren’t completely bankrupt was because of the hidden funds Quay had left behind before his death.

That money had bailed them out at the last minute.

But financial aid alone couldn’t bring back Hunters who had already left.

The guild’s reputation was ruined.

Thus, Im Taegyu made a bold decision.

Instead of recruiting new members, he chose to raise the salaries of the Hunters who had remained loyal.

Then, he abandoned the idea of a large-scale guild and transitioned into an elite strike force.

Much like what Suho was doing with Woojin Guild.

This meant that, much like Suho, Im Taegyu’s guild also needed to conserve funds.

To stay afloat, they decided to operate as a mercenary force.

Despite their tarnished reputation, they were immediately in high demand.

After all, an S-rank Hunter leading a mercenary team was unprecedented.

One of the first guilds to extend an offer was Knights Guild, the leading guild of the Yeongnam region.

“As you already know, our Knights Guild has the highest number of A-rank Hunters in Korea.”

As they made their way to the guild office, B-rank Hunter Lee Ju-Hee explained the situation to Sung Suho.

“But while we have plenty of A-rank Hunters, we don’t have a single S-rank Hunter. So when we run into cases like this, we end up struggling. That’s why we’re so grateful that Hunter Im Taegyu agreed to join us as a mercenary.”

Thud.

At the mention of Im Taegyu’s name, Im Do-Gyun, who was walking beside Suho, visibly flinched.

Seeing this, Suho smirked and gave him a light pat on the back.

“Hyung, relax. You look like you’re heading into a fight.”

“R-R-R-Right.”

“…”

Im Do-Gyun was completely malfunctioning.

And then—

The inevitable moment arrived.

“We’ve arrived. They’re in the middle of a strategy meeting.”

Knock, knock!

Lee Ju-Hee knocked on the office door before stepping inside, with Suho and Do-Gyun following close behind.

The moment they entered, every Hunter in the room turned to look at them.

“…Who’s that?”

“We’re in the middle of a meeting, who just—”

As they turned, they saw Lee Ju-Hee.

And suddenly, they fell silent.

– Knights Guild’s B-rank Healer, Lee Ju-Hee.

With her elegant and graceful demeanor, she was one of the most well-known figures in the guild.

Her warm and kind personality made her incredibly popular among her fellow guild members.

A good-natured healer was always welcomed everywhere.

She was so beloved that even the citizens of Busan, who had been helped by her at some point, had given her the nickname—

“The Angel in White.”

Of course, it wasn’t just her good nature that earned Lee Juhee such recognition.

More importantly, her former profession was that of a nurse.

Before her awakening, she had spent years working in a hospital, meaning she wasn’t just skilled in healing magic—she was also highly proficient in emergency medical treatment.

In other words, even when her mana ran dry in battle, she could still remain calm and treat patients effectively, making her a professional-grade healer.

“Ahem. Hunter Lee Juhee, who are the people accompanying you?”

“They are from Woojin Guild. This is Sung Suho, the guild master, who arranged today’s meeting.”

“Oh! The additional mercenary support we requested…!”

At Juhee’s response, the Knights Guild Hunters exchanged surprised glances.

At the same time, their eyes swiftly assessed Sung Suho and Im Dogyun, who stood beside her.

The people gathered here were the executives of Knights Guild.

Since they had convened to respond to the emergency situation in Haeundae, they would gladly welcome any skilled Hunters to the cause.

However, if those Hunters couldn’t prove their strength, it was a different story.

‘Woojin Guild… If I remember correctly, it’s a newly established guild.’

‘And it only has three members, including the guild master.’

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t even consider accepting a mercenary request from such an unproven guild.

In a crisis like this, unskilled Hunters could easily become liabilities, increasing the risk of casualties.

But there was one problem—

The person who had personally recommended Woojin Guild was none other than Im Taegyu.

Even though Knights Guild lacked an S-rank Hunter, the fact that Im Taegyu himself—an S-rank Hunter—was leading the operation gave him considerable influence.

‘If Hunter Im Taegyu recommended them, they must have some hidden strength, right?’

‘Given how few they are, maybe they’re a support-focused guild with buffs and healing skills.’

Such thoughts crossed their minds, but ultimately, their instinct was to underestimate Suho.

And the reason was simple—

It was because of Im Dogyun’s frozen state.

“G-g-g-g….”

‘Tsk. They’re just a bunch of rookies after all.’

‘This is worrying. At the very least, I hope they don’t become a burden…’

Seeing Im Dogyun standing there stiff as a rock, unable to even breathe properly, the Hunters clicked their tongues in disappointment.

They subtly glanced at Im Taegyu, who was standing on the podium conducting the strategy meeting.

‘Even if Hunter Im Taegyu recommended them, we should object if they’re not capable… huh?’

‘What is Im Taegyu thinking… huh?’

But then, something unexpected happened.

The normally composed and charismatic Im Taegyu—who had been outlining battle strategies just moments ago—

…was now making the exact same frozen expression as Im Dogyun.

“G-g-g-g-g….”

“G-g-g-g-g….”

“…What the hell is this?”

The Hunters looked back and forth between the two stiffened men, utterly confused.

—

The father-son reunion, orchestrated by Suho, began in excruciating silence.

Neither Im Taegyu nor Im Dogyun had the courage to speak first.

Even the Knights Guild executives, who unknowingly found themselves witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

It wasn’t long before they realized the tragic backstory behind Im Taegyu and his son.

‘Right… On the day of his awakening, Hunter Im Taegyu’s wife turned into a Mistborne.’

‘And that Mistborne attacked their son.’

‘To save his son, he had no choice but to… personally eliminate his wife.’

Since this had happened on the same day that Im Taegyu awakened as an S-rank Hunter, it had become a well-known story.

‘After that, his son ran away from home, didn’t he?’

‘Can’t blame him… No matter the reason, he witnessed his father kill his mother with his own eyes.’

Everyone who knew the story understood why the atmosphere was so tense.

But at the same time…

‘Why here, of all places…?’

‘I wish they’d take this somewhere else…’

They were suffocating.

‘We’re already busy as hell.’

While everyone else was struggling to breathe in the thick atmosphere, two people carried on as if nothing had happened.

Knights Guild’s guild master, Park Jongsu, and Sung Suho while ignoring the awkward reunion, the two calmly shook hands.

“Nice to meet you. I am Park Jongsu, A-rank Hunter and guild master of Knights Guild.”

“I’m Sung Suho, guild master of Woojin Guild.”

Park Jongsu was a composed and well-mannered individual.

Or rather, he had no choice but to be.

Unlike his fellow executives, he had already received information about Suho from Im Taegyu.

‘The unidentified figure who was captured on camera during the Lee Minseong incident…’

In the low-resolution drone footage, there had been a mysterious person whose face was unclear.

Many guilds were desperate to identify him, suspecting him to be a rising star.

And now, that very person had walked straight through their doors.

This was an opportunity.

If Suho really was the talent that Im Taegyu described, forming a good relationship with him now could be beneficial in the future.

With a warm smile, Park Jongsu personally pulled out a chair for Suho.

“Please, Guild Master Sung. Have a seat.”

“We are pressed for time, so let’s continue this conversation after the meeting.”

And with that, the meeting commenced.

Im Taegyu—who still hadn’t exchanged a proper word with his son—begrudgingly returned to the podium.

Meanwhile, Im Dogyun sat stiffly beside Suho, his eyes quietly observing his father from the sidelines.

Gradually, the expression in his eyes changed—becoming calmer, steadier.