Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 84
Suho nodded.
“We’ll need two more people.”
“Right. It might be a bit tricky to find them. It was the same for your father. You’ll need hunters who don’t actively engage in hunting but can fill the headcount.”
Yoo Jinho seemed nostalgic about this conversation.
‘He’s probably planning to clear dungeons solo with just his shadow soldiers, just like his father.’
“I’d love to step in myself, but if I did, reporters would swarm all over me.”
Yoo Jinho himself was technically an awakened D-rank hunter.
Of course, when he once mentioned wanting to try entering a dungeon, he faced endless nagging from his employees and ultimately gave up on the idea.
Maybe it was his suppressed desire that drove him to feature hunters in his new game.
Suddenly, a suitable candidate popped into Suho’s mind.
“I have one in mind.”
“Who is it?”
“An demon named Esil.”
“An demon, you say?”
“No, an actual demon.”
“…Can we trust this demon?”
Yoo Jinho hesitated at Suho’s answer.
It was Beru who responded to his doubt.
[I’ll vouch for her. Esil was Master’s second follower, just like you, runt.]
“Impossible.”
Yoo Jinho’s expression turned serious as he rebuked.
“Hyungnim wouldn’t have another sibling like me.”
[…Don’t compete over something so trivial.]
Esil, unlike Gray, the heir of the Beast Monarch, was a free entity not bound by the system.
However, she was one of the beings most fearful of the Shadow Monarch.
She had witnessed firsthand Jinwoo’s annihilation of every demon clan except hers.
The only reason she had survived until now was that she had early on betrayed the demon world and sided with Jinwoo.
“In any case, since she’s not human, we’ll need to make her an ID before registering her as a hunter. I’ll handle the necessary paperwork,” Yoo Jinho said, jotting down “foreign worker” in his notes with a circle.
He looked back at Suho.
“Who’s the other person?”
At that moment, Suho’s phone buzzed.
*Buzzzz.*
Ever since his face appeared on the news, his phone had been inundated with calls.
But when Suho checked the caller ID, he gave a wry smile and answered.
“I think I’ve found the second person.”
[Instructor Im.]
Im Do-Gyun, a painting instructor at Korea University.
By day, he worked as a university instructor; on weekends, he freelanced as an E-rank hunter specializing in excavation.
-Hello? Suho? Are you okay? You’re alive, right?!
As soon as Suho picked up, Im’s rapid-fire voice came through.
-I just saw the news. What on earth happened? How did you end up in such a dangerous place? I’ve told you time and again, hunters should aim to live long and quiet lives…!
Listening to the endless concern, Suho chuckled.
‘For someone who always runs first in danger, he sure nags the most after everything’s over.’
Instructor Im was just a coward through and through—fearful of his own death and others’.
Perhaps it was this trait that allowed him to survive as an E-rank hunter with his body intact.
How dedicated was he to fleeing that he, an E-rank hunter, had top-notch running skills?
‘That’s exactly why he’s perfect.’
Suho needed a nimble porter rather than a combat companion right now. Someone who could quickly get out of harm’s way when the fighting started.
-Anyway, what I was saying is…
After a torrent of nagging, Im Do-Gyun finally got to his point.
-Your value must’ve skyrocketed after this. Guilds will probably flood you with offers.
“Yeah, it’s already happening since this morning.”
-What? Already? Whatever you do, don’t sign any contracts hastily, okay?
Just when Suho thought the lecture was over, it started again.
-You have no idea how many hunters regret joining the wrong guild. Make sure to gather all the offers, review them carefully, and let me inspect them first! Got it?
“…Sure.”
Suho’s lips curled into a slight smile as he listened.
For all his nagging, the concern buried in his words was obvious—true to the nature of a senior.
-And if the offers are from shady guilds, reject them all! I’ll help you find a better one. I’ve collected quite a few business cards myself recently.
“Wait, Instructor. Are you planning to join a guild?”
-Yeah, after this incident, freelancing feels way too risky. Plus, guilds seem to be hiring E-rank hunters like me full-time these days.
“…”
Hearing this, Suho felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Was it really just coincidence?
This trend likely stemmed from recent incidents Suho had been involved in.
With hunters dying left and right lately, guilds faced manpower shortages and began managing lower-rank hunters directly.
-Anyway, I’m still researching guilds. When I find the best one, I’ll let you kno—
“Instructor, forget that for now.”
Suho cut him off abruptly.
“I’ve got a better guild here. Why don’t you join me?”
-…What? Where?
—
“Huff…!”
Shortly after arriving at Ajin Soft, Instructor Im was breathless.
“Y-Y-Yoo Jinho, the CEO?!”
“Nice to meet you.”
My god.
What was going on?
Yoo Jinho smiled kindly and extended his hand for a handshake, leaving Im frozen like a broken toy.
It was the CEO of Ajin Soft, someone he’d only ever seen in gaming news.
“Ah, hello! I’m, um…!”
“I’ve already heard the gist from our Suho. You’re a close friend of his, right?”
“Ugh.”
He called him “our Suho.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’m here as Suho’s uncle, not as the CEO of Ajin Soft.”
“…!”
If anything, that made Im freeze even more.
On the way here, Suho had given him a brief heads-up. But hearing it directly from Yoo Jinho amplified the shock.
Suho handed Im a contract.
“I had this drawn up while you were on your way.”
More precisely, Yoo Jinho’s secretary had prepared it.
Opening the document, Yoo Jinho explained.
“This guild will have no connection to Ajin Soft. It’s entirely funded by my personal expenses. Also, your pay will be the highest for an E-rank hunter. Rest assured.”
“Gasp! Thank you!”
Im bowed deeply, his gratitude overflowing.
Yoo Jinho waved it off.
“Thank Suho instead. He seems to think highly of you.”
“Suho…!”
Moved to tears, Im looked at Suho with a trembling expression.
Yoo Jinho continued, “But don’t expect too much. Due to tax constraints, I can’t spend recklessly. At most, I’ll provide a small office building rent-free.”
“An office building, rent-free?!”
Once again, Im’s eyes widened in shock.
“Haha. In the old days, I’d have just given the building away. But since Suho’s family, inheritance laws make it tricky. This is the best I can do within legal boundaries.”
Then, a sudden thought struck Im.
‘Wait, family? Did he just say Suho is his family?’
Realizing this inconsistency, Im turned to Suho, then back to Yoo Jinho with growing unease.
“Uh, CEO, the guild master of this guild… it wouldn’t happen to be…”
“Ah, you didn’t hear? Of course, it’s…”
[Our young lord.]
Beru interjected with a mischievous grin, causing Im to freeze.
‘I knew it. The terms were too good to be true.’
Only now, after rushing over, did Im learn the crucial detail.
Suho, an awakened hunter for less than a month, was the guild master.
“Suho, can I ask one thing before signing the contract?”
“What is it?”
“How many other guild members do you have?”
“Plenty.”
“Really?!”
Hope flickered across Im’s face, only to vanish instantly.
“Rise.”
“…?!”
Shadows surged up from the ground, encircling Im.
[Kehehehe!]
[Kiieeek!]
Black, smoky mummies surrounded him, howling with glee.
Among them, only one was a regular guild member—Quay.
Quay leaned in menacingly.
[Remember this. I’m the master’s first servant. You’re the second.]
“…”
Don’t compete over something so trivial…
Im, seated, looked utterly defeated.
“Are there any humans?”
“Just the two of us. That won’t change.”
“I see…”
Im murmured, processing the revelation.
Even so, Im had seen Suho fight before.
Logically, this arrangement might actually work. No maintenance costs for the office or additional salaries for guild members.
“Fine. But you know you need at least three humans to officially register a guild, right?”
“Of course.”
Suho smiled meaningfully.
“That’s why I already recruited someone who looks human.”
“Looks human…?”
A sense of foreboding washed over Im.
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