With the final exams over, all second-year classes concluded.
On the afternoon after all exams were done, my teammates... no, should I call them guild members now? Anyway, everyone gathered in the clubroom, which also served as our guild's hideout.
"Everyone worked hard this year."
"Dojin, you worked hard too!"
Naeun was the first to acknowledge my efforts, smiling brightly.
As expected, only my bitch cares about me.
"That's right. Pup... no, Dojin, you've truly worked hard this year."
Elena cut in, as if not to be outdone.
For a moment, the word 'Puppy' almost slipped out, and I flinched.
She calls me 'Puppy' and clings to me whenever we're alone, so my worries are endless.
I'm afraid of making a slip-up like this, and I wonder how long I can keep it up... Sigh.
Unlike my stifled feelings, Elena didn't seem to care much.
Her attitude was, 'If you really want to, why not just get married and do it?'
So I asked if she intended to marry me, and she got so dramatically sulky, exclaiming, 'Did Dojin only see Elena as a midsummer night's dream?!' I had a hard time placating her.
"Alright, thanks, everyone. The reason I called you all here is... I'm planning to slowly put the plan I mentioned before into action starting this vacation."
The clubroom was spacious enough for five... no, now six, including Juyeon.
But there was only one reason we decided to start here, a place that looked far too humble to be called a guild hideout.
"That... you mean holding an admission test for university students?"
"Exactly."
Shin Yujeong was right.
Where was Hankuk University?
It was one of the Hunter Academies that garnered attention not just in Korea, but worldwide.
As such, it was like a treasure chest where all talented young Awakened Ones gathered.
Moreover, most university students were in FA (Free Agent) status, unless they came from families that ran Hunter Guilds.
This meant that even if I hand-picked the ones I wanted, I could recruit them as long as I provided a signing bonus.
"As everyone knows, the guilds in South Korea are currently saturated."
There were far too many guilds on this small landmass.
That's because many, once they got a bit of an idea, would challenge themselves with, 'Maybe I should try forming a guild too?'
It was similar to the old days when everyone, after quitting their jobs, would open a chicken restaurant.
As a result, talents were constantly fragmented and then merged in countless processes.
And in that process, failing guilds would demand transfer fees, trying to earn even a single penny.
"But here, talents are just lying around on the ground, aren't they?"
They might be a bit lacking for immediate use, but talents that would fully blossom in the future were gathered here.
And I intended to pick out only the gems among them, one by one, to establish a prominent guild.
"The plan is excellent, but... will it really go as you intend?"
Seoyeon, who had been listening quietly, interjected with a challenge.
"If what you say is true, there must have been many sunbaes who founded guilds in a similar way before us... but I've never heard of any such guild succeeding."
"That's a good point."
Hmm.
She's my daughter, but her insight is incredibly sharp.
"As Sunbae Seoyeon said, there were many prophets who had the same idea as me before."
"...Prophets?"
"Shh, quiet."
"......"
Shin Yujeong, know when to speak and when to shut up.
"But no guild has ever succeeded in attracting talent and growing. Why do you think that is?"
"Uh... because everyone knows their own worth?"
You again, Son Seoyeon!
"Everyone, applause!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap...
"That's the correct answer. If you've entered Hankuk University, graduated, and obtained a Hunter license, you're qualified enough to join at least a strong mid-tier guild. So, if you tell them to waste their talent by joining a small-scale guild starting in a clubroom, who would come?"
They all failed that way.
Small-scale guilds started by university students in clubrooms.
Would they succeed or fail?
No, to be precise, there was no reason for anyone to step into such a perilous place where the chances of failure were several times higher than success.
Whether it was an admission test or an invitation, it simply didn't resonate with them.
"But we're different."
"What's different?"
Shin Yujeong asked with a lukewarm attitude.
She's sulking again.
I'll have to placate her later.
"Our members are different."
The reason we were different from all those failed guilds was precisely our members.
"We're university students, but we're already active Hunters. Moreover, every single one of us is an elite, at least B-rank or higher."
On top of that, we also had a hidden card that everyone coveted.
"We even have Hunter Han Juyeon with us."
"Oh my."
When I pointed to her and spoke, Juyeon covered her cheeks with both hands, as if embarrassed.
It was cute, but... wasn't it a bit much to do in front of university students?
"Our guild is already treated as being on par with, or even superior to, most strong mid-tier guilds."
In other words, we had more than enough conditions to attract the interest of talented university students.
Furthermore, joining an early-stage guild with guaranteed growth meant being treated as a founding contributor.
Naturally, that would lead to greater influence within the guild.
"...Now that you mention it, that's true."
After hearing the explanation, everyone seemed to be convinced.
"So, how many people are you recruiting?"
"Well. If their talent satisfies my standards, I'll take them all."
"What are your standards?"
"Naturally... they'd have to be at least on par with you guys, wouldn't they?"
The others chuckled wryly at my words.
"...Doesn't that mean you're not going to accept anyone?"
"It sounded that way to Elena's ears too."
"High-standards Dojin, so cute...♥"
Haha.
They're overflowing with confidence, these kids.
I'll need to flatten those proudly raised noses during vacation.
.
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Three days after the promised time, I was on my way to the Zodiac Guild's hideout.
The thought that I might finally obtain information about the veiled Hexagram, combined with Han Ju-hee's answer to my question and Jeong-hee's words, intertwined and continued to echo in my mind.
The anxious time of a wife left behind after sending off her Hunter husband...
After marriage, as she took on various responsibilities, her activities as a Hunter naturally decreased.
She went to a slightly safer place, while I still went to places where battles with monsters awaited.
Of course, it wasn't certain whether she had been anxious during my absence or not.
However, it was also true that I had overlooked such feelings.
"...I thought she'd be fine."
She was a Hunter, just like me.
She also knew better than anyone how I cleared dungeons and dealt with villains.
So I thought she'd be fine, but what if she wasn't...?
"She might have been disappointed."
If she, waiting for me, truly felt such emotions, it would be reason enough for her to dislike the title of 'National Hunter'.
Because it would have seemed like the very cause that drove her husband into even more dangerous places.
"...Was that why?"
Han Ju-hee had thoroughly blocked Seoyeon's dream of becoming a Hunter like me.
She never gave me a chance to teach her swordsmanship, and she broke the child's stubborn will to enter Hankuk University to become a Hunter, forcing her into the Magic Tower instead.
At the time, I understood it as simply not wanting her precious daughter to be in danger... but what if it wasn't just that?
"Was it because of me?"
Perhaps, more than simply opposing the Hunter profession, she cast a strong dissenting vote against the part where Seoyeon wanted to become a Hunter like me.
If her heart had been so anxious waiting for her husband that it had burned black, then it would make sense.
But that was as far as it went.
"This alone isn't enough."
That one reason couldn't explain all of her actions.
A prime example was her reason for joining hands with Hexagram.
She was a woman who could grasp anything she desired.
Wealth, honor, power.
What could a woman who possessed all of these, lacking nothing, possibly be wanting?
"...I'll have to find that out now."
An ominous thought wouldn't leave my mind.
Was she perhaps plotting something absurd, something that ordinary thinking could never conceive?
Embracing a stifling frustration, like stuffing sweet potatoes into my mouth without a drop of water, I entered the building.
"Welcome."
Just like last time, a blonde woman emerged from the desk to guide me.
As I rode the elevator up, my eyes met K, who was standing in front of the Guild Master's office.
"Welcome. You've arrived right on time."
"I tend to be punctual."
"Haha, is that so?"
He chuckled dryly and pushed open the door to the Guild Master's office.
"Please, go inside. The Boss is waiting."
"...Their Boss, personally?"
"Yes. When I conveyed what you said, they expressed a desire to speak with you directly, at least once."
Should I call this an unexpected windfall?
There was nothing bad about this for me.
If I faced this 'Boss' directly, I might be able to roughly gauge the extent of their power.
"Alright, let's go in."
Hiding my tension, I stepped inside.
Contrary to my expectation that the 'Boss' would be waiting, the Guild Master's office was empty.
......
Instead, a large screen hung on one wall.
All that was reflected on it was a completely black screen.
In the center, a silhouette, slightly darker than the black screen, was faintly visible.
A man sat in a chair, one leg crossed.
From there, a voice spoke.
"-Pleased to meet you, Kim Dojin. You are far more impressive than K described."
Hmm.
Only a silhouette was visible on my end, yet they could see me perfectly.
This felt a bit unfair.
Well, what could I do?
The thirsty man digs the well, and the one who needs something has to endure.
Hiding my discomfort, I asked him.
"You're the Boss of Zodiac?"
"-That's right. I'd appreciate it if you called me King. However..."
As he trailed off, an unknown force caused the mana in the air to surge and gather around me.
The mana, thus gathered...
"-Have you ever considered that your tone is a little insolent?"
Rumble...!
It began to emit intense pressure, crushing my entire body.