Chapter 8
'Ah, I was hoping he wouldn't talk to me.'
Yoon Seo had sensed his presence for a while but pretended not to notice since the other person was using a stealth skill. Now that he initiated the conversation, Yoon Seo had no choice but to respond.
"Who are you?"
When he turned around with wide eyes, the first thing he noticed was red hair. The man, who stood slightly taller than Yoon Seo, squinted as he looked at him. Seeing his face surprised Yoon Seo slightly—not because of the red hair or blue eyes but because of how close he was. This man was more skilled than he had anticipated.
"Your reaction's strange. Shouldn't you be more surprised? You're a beat too slow, too."
"..."
Yoon Seo stayed silent, simply staring at the man.
"Well, you look weak, but you're a hunter too, right? What rank are you? What's your hunter name?"
"I don't enter dungeons."
"Ah, so you're an office worker."
The man smirked, his tone and gaze dripping with arrogance. He stepped closer to Yoon Seo and extended a hand.
"I'm Hong Euiyoon from Endfire Guild."
Yoon Seo didn't particularly want to shake his hand. He briefly glanced at it before looking back up at Hong Euiyoon.
"Yoon Seo."
"Hah…"
Hong Euiyoon let out a breath, sounding exasperated, as he pulled back his hand. Yoon Seo didn't mind arrogance, he had encountered far more conceited individuals in his life. He simply didn't feel like shaking hands.
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
['Hong Euiyoon' is viewing your
How amusing.
Yoon Seo suppressed the grin threatening to tug at his lips and feigned ignorance. The profile Hong Euiyoon was looking at was a fabricated one, created through Yoon Seo's special skill.
[Yoon Seo, 29 years old, Male
Rank: B
Trait: Survival
Skills:
Special Skills: (None)]
Everything except for his age and gender was fake, crafted meticulously using his unique skill,
"What the hell. You're just a boring weakling."
Without a guardian god, no unique skills, and even his general skills appearing suited for desk work, Hong Euiyoon immediately lost interest. Watching the disappointed man, Yoon Seo also used a skill.
[The
[Encyclopedia of People: Hong Euiyoon, 27 years old, Male
Rank: A
(Item 'Temper Band' enhances the flame resistance capability)
Trait: The Burning One
(Protected by the God of Flame)
(Protected by the God of Rocks)
(Protected by the God of Thunder)
Skills:
Special Skills:
*Additional statuses can only be viewed in dungeons.]
'A-rank….'
Seeing a higher rank than expected, Yoon Seo was inwardly surprised. The number of skills he possessed was impressive, and one of them was even an S-rank skill. With this, he was among the top-tier A-rank hunters. While Park Soobin was a healer, and Hong Euiyoon specialized in offense, making a direct comparison difficult, in terms of stats alone, he surpassed Park Soobin.
'Not that it matters to me, though.'
Yoon Seo tilted his head slightly and turned back, placing his hand on the glass wall. If he delayed any further, he would be bombarded with nagging from his guildmates.
Yoon Seo had skills that could let him pass through the wall, fly into the sky, or even teleport to where his guildmates were, but he chose to climb up the wall using only his physical strength. Since awakened beings were inherently stronger than normal humans, it was possible.
"Humph, crawling like an insect."
When he reached the third floor, Hong Euiyoon soared past him. He appeared to be flying using an item.
Yoon Seo sighed inwardly. He was now part of the same guild as this man who couldn't resist picking fights like a child. While Yoon Seo could handle it, he worried about how the kind and gentle members of the Guild of Leaves would endure it.
***
As soon as Yoon Seo arrived, Goh Heewon, who had been loitering near the entrance, rushed over and started nagging him about being late. After receiving his name tag, business card, and souvenirs, he entered the conference hall, which was bustling with people. While the density wasn't high compared to the hall's size, to Yoon Seo, it looked like a swarm of ants.
"I know you always cut it close with meeting times, but doing it even today is over the line. Look around—everyone's already here."
Inside the hall, there were seven round tables, and the only empty one had a sign that read "Seokyoung."
"Why are there seven tables?"
"The table next to ours is for a one-person guild, so they combined them. Hwashim and Deep Blue. Mercenaries."
The concept of mercenaries had emerged recently. Although the Gaia System itself was only 12 years old, the mercenary system had been around for less than two years.
When one received a blessing from a specific god or obtained skills and items, they gained the authority to form a guild. If that person gathered like-minded individuals, the Gaia System would create a "Guild" category. This guild category generated useful skills, like "Guild Teleport," "Guild Member Tracking," "Guild Communication," and "Guild Subspace," which could only be used inside dungeons. The effectiveness of these skills also varied based on guild experience. For instance, the Guild of Leaves only had the "Guild Communication" skill, which Yoon Seo had never used since he didn't enter dungeons.
Joining a guild was optional, but having one was advantageous in dungeon battles, so many hunters joined guilds. However, as with any group of people, various vices arose—exploiting clueless awakened individuals into slave contracts, monopolizing dungeon loot, and power struggles for guild leadership roles.
Two years ago, fed up with such issues, an American S-rank hunter formed a guild under his own name and declared himself a mercenary. He took requests from other guilds, joined them in dungeon raids, and earned fair compensation. Since then, one-person guilds, or mercenary hunters, had gradually emerged.
Currently, at the one-person guild table, a large, taciturn man was seated. His hunter name was Deep Blue. The adjacent seat was empty, but the nameplate indicated it belonged to someone named Hwashim.
"Yoon Seo, you punk. Why are you so late?"
"I'm not late."
"How many times do I have to tell you not to show up right on time? Especially on days like today, you should be here at least 30 minutes early. Are you even Korean, huh?"
As soon as Yoon Seo reached the Guild of Leaves' table, the guild master began nagging at him. Yoon Seo listened with one ear and let it go out the other as he indifferently scanned the seats. The seats next to the guild master and Team Leader Park Youngbum were vacant. Greeting the guild members, he quickly sat in the seat next to Park Youngbum, which was clearly where Goh Heewon had been sitting to greet him.
"Oh, oppa! That's my seat."
"That seat over there is empty."
"Ugh, seriously."
Goh Heewon grumbled as she took the seat next to the guild master. Yoon Seo smirked triumphantly, and the guild master gave him a look that said, 'Just you wait.' Meanwhile, Park Youngbum was wolfing down cookies and pudding.
"Our ace, Yoon Seo, these are delicious. Eat plenty."
"You should have more, Team Leader."
When Yoon Seo handed him a cookie he had picked up earlier, Park Youngbum grinned and thanked him.
"Yoon Seo, I was wondering when you'd get here."
Although he had rushed to take this seat, it wasn't the perfect one. Park Soobin was seated to his left, and as always, Park Soobin was cheerful, sporting a suspicious smile.
"I always see you in your work clothes, but seeing you today is something else. Your looks are already outstanding, so I figured any clothes would suit you, but seeing you in a suit… wow. Your physique and posture are impeccable. Do you work out or something?"
"Thank you. You're quite dashing yourself, Soobin. Do you work out?"
"That wasn't a compliment fishing for a compliment, you know. I was genuinely impressed by how great you look in your suit."
"So was I."
At Yoon Seo's curt reply, Park Soobin chuckled, as if resigned.
"Why are you so late today?"
"I'm not late."
"Well, true. You never technically show up late. You just cut it close. I'm curious—what kind of hobby were you enjoying before you came here this time? Watching dramas?"
"No. I went mountain hiking after early-morning fishing. What about you, Soobin?"
Wow, Park Soobin marveled.
"Every time, I can't help but think how diverse your hobbies are, Yoon Seo. You seem so indifferent and nonchalant about everything, but fishing, hiking…."
"Yoon Seo oppa is incredibly diligent. He watches dramas, plays games, reads books, and even plays Go, right? Isn't he a 3-dan?"
"Yoon Seo, didn't you attend piano classes a few years back?"
"That's right. Then you randomly started attending programming classes too. You have a lot of hobbies, but they're more shallow and wide-ranging."
The guild members chatted about Yoon Seo. He began to regret how little he had kept private from them.
At that moment, sounds of awe and murmurs filled the room. The lively chatter ceased as everyone turned to look in one direction. Following their gazes, Yoon Seo spotted a man with a solid build. He had curly black hair, sharp eyes, and a firmly pressed straight-line mouth. He wasn't wearing a suit but a hunter outfit. Though tidy and well-fitted, it wasn't appropriate for an event like this.
"Wow, someone managed to show up even later than Yoon Seo on a day like today."
"He looks incredibly strong. Is he A-rank?"