GM Ch56

“Is this all?”

“This car is not just ‘all,’ you know.”

“I gave you those magic stones, didn’t I? That should keep you from going bankrupt for now.”

“Those are emergency funds for dire situations.”

The three S-rank magic stones Soohyuk had given him were safely stored in his inventory. Those precious stones were to be used only in times of great danger.

“If you need money, just tell me. I can lend it to you interest-free. You can use a wish ticket, or you can pay me back with your body.”

“With my body?”

“By extending your contract. Just delay your retirement a bit.”

“Oh…”

Minjun, who had imagined something lewd, turned his head in embarrassment. It was a perfectly innocent suggestion, but he felt ashamed for thinking otherwise.

“You didn’t think I meant that, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You answered without even taking a breath.”

“Anyway, I didn’t.”

Soohyuk had noticed without Minjun even clearing his throat. He wasn’t an S-rank hunter for nothing. There was a hint of amusement in his voice, which made Minjun feel like crying.

“As I’ve said before, I have a lot of money.”

“I’d rather just keep diving into dungeons. If I clear a few A-rank dungeons, I’ll be rich in no time.”

Soohyuk glanced at Minjun, who was determined to earn money, and smiled. Most high-ranking combat hunters had extravagant spending habits. The job was dangerous enough to justify the high earnings, but for the same reason, hunters spent as much as they earned. But Minjun seemed to enjoy saving money. It was quite an unusual trait.

“When are you going to buy a house?”

“A house?”

“You need a house if you want to retire. It’s better to buy one early.”

“Oh, that’s for later. I like the dorms for now. Having someone prepare three meals a day is amazing.”

Despite having a lot of money, Minjun’s spending habits were modest. The scheming guild leader, Soohyuk, secretly planned to bankrupt Minjun.

***

The first thing Minjun did when he returned to the dorm with shopping bags in both hands was to organize the clothes he had received as gifts.

The dorm’s dressing room was spacious enough to hang over twenty outfits and still have room left. As he tidied up the empty shopping bags, Minjun looked at the clothes hanging on the rack and felt a strange sensation.

He couldn’t refuse Soohyuk’s insistent gifts. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but now it seemed odd. It wasn’t weapons or armor for dungeon use, but clothes that Soohyuk had given him.

“It’s too much to call it kindness…”

Soohyuk’s kindness had been evident from the start. He had gone out of his way to deliver the proceeds from the magic stone sales and warned Minjun not to fall for scams claiming to be his relatives. He had also provided rare items for dangerous dungeon expeditions.

There was a lot more than that. Because of the bound items, Soohyuk, one of only six S-rank hunters in Korea and the leader of a massive guild, had volunteered to act as Minjun’s bodyguard and accompany him on dungeon raids. Buying him clothes today was just another example. No matter how close they were, this was excessive.

“Is it because he’s my believer?”

Minjun speculated on the reason. Until now, he hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that Soohyuk was his believer. Other than the occasional notification that Soohyuk was praying, there hadn’t been much to note.

But today was different. Soohyuk’s kindness felt overwhelmingly clear.

“He doesn’t know my true identity. This is…”

Feeling a bit perplexed, Minjun scratched his head. It was strange that Soohyuk showed such kindness without knowing his true identity. At the same time, Minjun felt a sense of responsibility.

He had decided to treat Soohyuk well. But there wasn’t much he could do for him at the moment. He had already given Soohyuk a scroll that ensured a good night’s sleep, so he needed to find something else.

“I should have brought a weapon or something.”

Minjun regretted selling all his items to return to Earth. If he had a mythical weapon, he would have gladly placed it in Soohyuk’s hands. He needed something rare, impressive, and valuable.

In the other world, there were many items that could be obtained under specific conditions. Minjun racked his brain to remember how to acquire a mythical weapon.

***

Once the date for the Poison Jar Dungeon raid was set, Minjun had an official schedule.

It was time for the Poison Jar Dungeon briefing. On the first Tuesday of March, still close to winter, Minjun wore the guild uniform for the first time since joining the June Guild.

Standing in front of the mirror, Minjun frowned at the brilliantly white guild uniform.

“This is really a strange preference.”

The June Guild’s uniform, designed by a famous fashion designer, was custom-made and definitely stood out. Even in the winter morning sunlight, it held its shape. But it was absolutely impractical for everyday use. A single drop of soup or coffee would spell disaster. Minjun wondered what was going through Soohyuk’s mind when he ordered such a beautiful yet useless guild uniform.

“Sigh.”

With a sigh, Minjun brushed off the spotless uniform and left the room. He made his way to the guild building through the dormitory basement. As he walked, he noticed the guild members he passed giving him glances. Minjun couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself. The stark white uniform was certainly eye-catching.

Arriving at the guild leader’s office ahead of schedule, Minjun knocked on the door. Only after hearing a voice inviting him in did he open the door and step inside.

“You’re here?”

Soohyuk, who had been sitting at his desk reviewing documents, stood up with a bright smile. He was also wearing the guild uniform. On a tall, long-limbed man like him, the uniform looked perfect.

Soohyuk looked impressive on TV and WeTube, but in person, his presence was overwhelming. With his hair neatly combed back, his sharp and bold features stood out even more.

Goodness, he’s really handsome.

Minjun greeted him, trying to keep his thoughts in check.

“Hello.”

“The uniform suits you well. Just as I thought.”

“Thank you.”

“Not much of a reaction, huh?”

“I’ve been curious for a while. Why did you choose white for the guild uniform?”

Minjun didn’t beat around the bush. Usually, the design of a guild uniform reflected the guild leader’s tastes and opinions.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Oh, you don’t know about the secret bulletin board yet. I like gold and white. They really stand out. Other guild uniforms are all black, gray, green, or blue. Oh, and there’s red too. But pure white is the best, no matter what anyone says. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“The dry cleaners must love you.”

Soohyuk burst out laughing at Minjun’s dry joke.

“We give them a lot of money for maintenance.”

“Right.”

Minjun decided to hold his tongue. Convincing someone with such unique tastes was difficult. In a guild, the guild leader’s word was law, especially if the guild leader was an S-rank hunter.

Seo Wooju, the oldest among the S-rank hunters, was a rare individual. He had a serious personality and cared deeply for his hunters. However, he had one nearly incurable quirk: he often took guild members hiking. It was well-known that to earn the Cosmos Guild leader’s trust, you had to hike with him.

Even though the guild members disliked it, Seo Wooju insisted that hiking was a very healthy hobby and tried to spread it throughout the guild. Naturally, the guild members climbed the mountains with him, smiling on the outside but crying on the inside.

Such was the tyranny of guild leaders everywhere. So, a pure white guild uniform was relatively normal.

“You don’t seem too satisfied. So, what color do you like if not white?”

“Black. It’s the most practical.”

Soohyuk laughed at Minjun’s immediate response. He had noticed before that Minjun had a strong preference for black.

“Hm, rejected.”

“I figured.”

Seeing Minjun’s sulky face, Soohyuk chuckled silently. Minjun rarely showed his emotions, but his lips pouted when his expectations were dashed.

But what could he do? White suited Minjun better.

***

Five years ago, a C-class Poison Jar Dungeon appeared in the underground parking lot of the Capital Defense Command headquarters. It was a particularly troublesome place to manage.

The fact that it was located in a military facility meant that the National Security Agency had to manage it directly. Additionally, the overlapping poisons in the C-class dungeon made it difficult to clear.

The National Security Agency sought hunters with poison resistance and immunity, excluding S-rank hunters and their guild members for political reasons. However, they could only find four such hunters in the country. Although Joo Myunghwan, an A-class hunter, had poison resistance, it was impossible for him to clear a dungeon where even a small wound could lead to severe poisoning alone.

The National Security Agency tried to recruit the highest-ranking hunters possible and solve the problem with detoxification potions, but there was another issue. The supply of detoxification potions was precarious due to a shortage of ingredients. There had even been an incident where a hunter died during a raid because they ran out of detoxification potions.

The National Security Agency continuously searched for hunters with detoxification skills but had no success. Given this situation, it was inevitable that they would cling to Minjun, who not only had detoxification skills but also poison resistance.

This was information Minjun had already heard from Soohyuk. The key point was what came next.

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