GM Ch53

Kim Nayeon, who had been watching the dazzling display of skills by the S-rank hunters, spoke her honest thoughts. Shin Youngjae added his own comment.

“Just their attack skills are overpowered, but they also have defensive skills, stealth, and detection skills. They even have flight and suppression skills. In one-on-one combat, they’re practically invincible. Their combat sense is top-notch too.”

“And their stamina recovery is incredibly fast.”

“They’ve trained in kendo for a long time.”

“And boxing too. Their movements are no joke.”

“They’re a total cheat character.”

Minjun nodded at the mix of envy, respect, and admiration. He was overwhelmingly strong as he faced monsters in the Grassland Dungeon. His skills, often referred to as those of a handsome lunatic, were the real deal.

Minjun quietly observed the flashy fight of the S-rank hunters. Due to the difference in rank, he often lost sight of them, but out of habit, he simulated how he would fight them in his mind.

If he could recover to S-rank, he could beat them both. His record against Kwak Jonghoon was 15 wins, 0 losses. Eight years had passed, and while Kwak Jonghoon might have become more experienced, so had he. Fighting Soohyuk would a bit trickier. To break through that brilliantly shining shield, he would need special items. Or he could use deception tactics, or ambush with a spirit. If he tried to overpower Soohyuk with sheer strength, Soohyuk might end up dead.

Hmm. That wouldn’t help with his retirement plans.

Minjun suppressed his competitive spirit. If he beat Kwak Jong-hoon and then Yoon Soohyuk, his long-desired retirement would be endlessly postponed. His plan was to be active as Korea’s seventh S-rank hunter for a while and then disappear.

While he was lost in thought, Gwak Jonghoon, who had been beaten to a pulp, surrendered. Soohyuk was the victor.

***

After drinking a top-grade potion, Kwak Jonghoon healed all the wounds from the recent fight. However, his torn and burnt clothes remained the same. Still, the dignity of an S-class hunter couldn’t be ignored. He greeted Minjun with a powerful smile.

“I’m Kwak Jonghoon from the Legion Guild.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Minjun.”

Minjun also greeted him politely. Meeting someone from his past brought a strange sense of emotion, but he didn’t show it.

The last time they parted, Kwak Jong-oon was thirty-one. Now he was thirty-nine. The man’s eyes, which seemed to have hardly aged, still shone brightly as they did back then.

“You really do look like Minjun. Even more handsome, though.”

“Thank you.”

Minjun bowed his head slightly and looked at the other man. The urge to shout, “I am that Kim Minjun,” surged up, but he held it back.

“You’re fearless. Favorite’s Kiss is a buff skill, right?”

“Yes.”

Since his information had already been exposed by detection skills, Minjun didn’t lie.

“Of course. Hunter Kim Minjun. How much is your penalty fee?”

“What?”

“How much is the penalty fee for breaking your contract? Come to our guild. I’ll treat you the best.”

“Uh…?”

Minjun blinked at the straightforward scouting offer. Kwak Jonghoon’s audacity to ask about the penalty fee right in front of his guild leader and members was astonishing.

He wasn’t like this before, was he?

While Minjun was taken aback, Soohyuk and the other A-class hunters seemed to have expected it.

“What nerve, trying to poach our chick right in front of me?”

It wasn’t Minjun who responded to his offer, but Soohyuk.

“What? Are you not confident?”

“Don’t you know that our chick and I have a special relationship?”

“What?”

“We’re taking it slow, getting to know each other.”

“No way. Are you two dating?!”

Minjun wanted to punch Soohyuk for making everyone stare at him. The man had a natural talent for escalating situations. He glared at Soohyuk before calmly responding. Given the situation with the bound item, claiming they were getting to know each other was the most appropriate lie.

“We’re still in the getting-to-know stage.”

“What? How? Yoon June is handsome, sure, but his personality is awful. And you’re only twenty. You don’t even remember anything, right? Yoon June, you have no conscience… but then again, you never did.”

Kwak Jonghoon’s reaction was similar to Choi Euiseong’s. Both acknowledged Yoon Soohyuk’s good looks but emphasized his bad personality and expressed concern for Minjun. This time, Minjun couldn’t help but laugh.

“The guild leader is indeed handsome.”

“Wow, so you fell for his looks. Did you guys know about this?”

The A-class hunters of the June Guild shook their heads at Kwak Jonghoon’s question. Park Hanyoung had suspected that Yoon Soohyuk might be hitting on the youngest member but some laughed it off as ridiculous, while others tilted their heads, wondering if it was true.

Choi Yohan was in the latter group. Park Hanyoung, Kim Nayeon, and Shin Youngjae were strongly suspicious. However, none of them thought Minjun and Soohyuk were mutually interested. Minjun was too guarded for that.

But now that Minjun had publicly revealed it, there was no room for doubt.

“Now that you’ve met our chick, it’s time for you to leave, Legion Guild leader.”

Soohyuk smiled brightly and took a step forward. In reality, Kwak Jonghoon had no right to be here. Unauthorized intrusion into a dungeon managed by another guild was a serious crime. Soohyuk had reluctantly allowed him to see the June Guild’s rookie hunter. Now that the meeting was over, it was time to send him away.

“Seriously, why are you two dating? This is a crime, Yoon June.”

“We’re not dating yet. And our chick is an adult, so it’s not a crime.”

Soohyuk spoke only the truth. They were having sex but weren’t in a relationship. And Minjun was twenty, so there was no legal issue. At first, his conscience had made its presence known. But now, it was completely absorbed in the sex, eagerly awaiting the next time.

Of course, Kwak Jonghoon didn’t need to know that.

“Then, here’s the deal. If you two break up, come join our guild. After all, when an office couple splits, one of them usually has to leave. What do you think?”

“Where do you get off saying that?”

Soohyuk answered in Minjun’s stead. It was time to shoo away this persistent pest.

“What? You think you’ll be together forever?”

“I already told you, we’re not dating yet. And I’m sure your wife would love to hear what you just said.”

Soohyuk reminded Kwak Jonghoon that he had a scary wife, whom he married three years ago. The mans face turned red as he realized his mistake.

“You… just wait.”

“Have a safe trip back.”

Spouting villainous lines, he disappeared through the emergency dungeon exit with an A-class hunter from the Legion Guild. Left behind were Minjun, Soohyuk, and the four A-class hunters from the June Guild.

Soohyuk turned to Choi Yohan and Park Hanyoung with a wide grin.

“Hunter Choi Yohan, Hunter Park Hanyoung. Since we’re in the dungeon, let’s clear it quickly.”

Choi Yohan and Park Hanyoung, who had entered the dungeon to keep an eye on Kwak Jonghoon, were now caught in Soohyuk’s grasp.

No matter what anyone said, Soohyuk was a ruthless guild leader.

***

The desert dungeon, which had become a toxic asset because no one bid on it, was cleared in five hours. The boss was a sand scorpion, fitting for the desert terrain.

The scorpion’s pattern of scattering and reforming with sand made it tricky to tackle, but it didn’t last even a few minutes against one S-class and four A-class hunters.

As soon as the escape gate appeared, Kim Nayeon, Shin Youngjae, and Park Hanyoung rushed out. Choi Yohan followed after being urged by Soohyuk.

“You, give me a moment.”

“Do you have something to say?”

“Summon a spirit. Any spirit. Just make sure I can’t see it.”

“Why?”

“I’m curious if I can sense it.”

Minjun sensed something was up but still summoned an earth spirit. The earth spirit, which had been quite active today, let out a cheerful laugh and sat on Minjun’s head.

“I summoned it.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“I really can’t tell.”

“You’re not an elementalist, guild leader.”

Only elementalists could sense the presence of spirits that hadn’t materialized. Even an S-class hunter couldn’t detect them. In the other world, various items could reveal whether a spirit had been summoned. But on Earth, such items didn’t exist yet.

“Can you tell me about the restriction you mentioned earlier?”

“That’s my secret weapon.”

“I should’ve put a clause in the contract. Something like, ‘The guild leader can ask about skills, and you can’t hide anything.'”

“That would be a toxic clause.”

A hunter’s skill effects were their greatest weapon. Asking for detailed information about skills was considered rude. If a contract required discussing skills, it would indeed be a sign of a ruthless guild.

“Have you ever thought about what you could do with a spirit that even an S-class can’t detect?”

“I could do a lot, I suppose?”

Minjun answered vaguely. Spirits without combat abilities couldn’t fight monsters. However, there were countless things a spirit could do. In a dungeon raid, they could procure water, start fires, create walls to block wind and rain, and even level the ground. It might not seem like much, but as a support role, it was perfect.

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