“Hello. Nice to meet you.”
In the screen, Chae Suhyeon wore a bright expression, bowing to the reporters.
It had only been a few hours since she had notified me of our breakup, yet she looked so cheerful.
‘Huh… Is she an incredible professional? Or is she just a massive b*tch?’
I was fuming inside but tried my best to hold it in.
Now wasn’t the time to be angry or anything like that.
Besides, Hyungseok was here.
“But, when did you two break up…?”
“Today. Just a moment ago.”
“Huh? Just a moment ago…?”
Hyungseok clicked his tongue as he looked at the screen.
He was also glancing at me.
“Hunter Chae Suhyeon… She’s really unbelievable…”
“Haha… Right? Like, who even thinks like that?”
“I gathered you all here today to share the good news that I’ve ranked first among S-Rank Hunters. I must apologize to the previous first place S-Rank Hunter, Lee Sooah.”
She smiled sweetly, pretending to be all good-natured.
“Oh dear. Our guild is in complete chaos because of this.”
“Chaos?”
“Yes. Of course, the top hunter getting dethroned would cause a stir. Hunter Lee Sooah went completely out of her mind, smashing everything in sight. It was absolute chaos trying to stop her.”
‘What the hell. That bit*h. Is he trying to shove me into the ring to deal with her?’
A flurry of thoughts crossed my mind.
“Oh, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. You can just focus on supporting in the dungeon and level up. Since our system has you avoiding direct encounters, you probably won’t meet her much. Other than when we greet each other, I doubt you’ll run into her.”
Quickly picking up on my mood, he changed his demeanor.
He was indeed a master at navigating social situations.
“The reason I haven’t engaged with the media or joined any guilds until now is…”
Chae Suhyeon began spinning tales and weaving stories.
‘Huh… You’re really good at lying effortlessly.’
‘You set all this up from the start, using me as a pawn.’
‘Haha. This is turning into quite the funny situation.’
I decided to calmly observe how Chae Suhyeon would act.
It would be better to move accordingly.
‘Well, the first step is good.’
‘Chae Suhyeon joining the Baekho Guild. I just need to join the rival Blue Guild.’
I couldn’t tell how far she had prepared. Had she been anticipating this for quite a long time?
‘Was her original goal to join the Baekho Guild?’
I found myself lost in thought for a moment.
However, my thoughts quickly solidified.
As Lee Jinhyeok appeared on the screen.
The star of the Baekho Guild, Lee Jinhyeok.
Of course, he’s not highly ranked among S-rank Hunters.
But he has one significant point.
He comes from a chaebol family.
He was the heir to the Taeyang Group, arguably the largest conglomerate in our country.
‘Hah… Was that her goal…?’
Using me as a stepping stone to become the top S-rank Hunter.
And then joining the Baekho Guild.
After that, seducing Lee Jinhyeok.
The entire process seemed too obvious.
‘Hah… Are you kidding? Really? Using people as mere tools?’
It was absurd.
But seeing Chae Suhyeon and Lee Jinhyeok on the same screen made it seem plausible.
That guy, Jinhyeok, was notorious for treating people as tools as well.
The Taeyang Group was known for treating its workers poorly; no other group could claim to be more ruthless.
Furthermore, the Baekho Guild had grown under the substantial support of the Taeyang Group.
It was evident that they shared the same culture and system.
They wouldn’t flinch at the cost of a few lives in the dungeon.
People like them clearly had no interest in a human life as long as there was profit.
‘They really are gathering in their own little circle.’
At this point, I felt quite foolish.
‘Hah… No, it’s fine. If I use my points wisely, I might be able to become the top in the world.’
I once again recalled my status window in my mind.
There were definitely enormous points available.
Chae Suhyeon and Lee Jinhyeok might all become irrelevant.
“I would like to announce that I have joined the Baekho Guild today.”
With a very bright voice, she tightly held Lee Jinhyeok’s hand while leaning on his shoulder.
‘Huh? Damn. Is this how it feels to be NTR-ed??’
‘Was it always like this? Damn it.’
I started to feel irritated.
‘Suhyeon, you really can’t do this. I can’t just let it slide.’
She was continually stoking the fire within my heart.
“Um… Are you going to keep watching this?”
Hyungseok began glancing between me and the press conference scene, sensing the discomfort in my mood.
“Hey. I’m joining right away. Is there some kind of contract?”
“Yes. Here it is. Please read it carefully and fill it out.”
The contract was processed very quickly.
Seeing Suhyeon going on air and doing that made it impossible for me to just sit back.
‘Ha… Suhyeon. This is it for you.’
‘The peak has already passed. Once the points I gave you run out, you’ll just end up as a C-Rank Hunter.’
‘Moreover, even if you manage to break through to S-Rank again, what will you do about your status ailments?’
The aspect that I considered important about myself was exactly this.
Releasing status ailments.
Interestingly enough, points could also be invested in improving status ailments.
Thanks to this, Suhyeon was able to grow without significant mental issues, unlike other S-Rank Hunters.
‘Even if you try again, you won’t be able to reach that position, right?’
Now, it was just a matter of time.
Even if I just stood still, her stats would gradually deplete.
And I would slowly grow in the Blue Guild.
Someday, we would cross paths.
“Um, senior, let’s introduce ourselves to Ms. Lee Sooah. When we sign a contract, we usually exchange greetings.”
Hyungseok, having finished reviewing the contract I wrote, started the conversation.
“Yeah. Sure.”
*
“Hello, Hunter Lee Sooah. I’m Baek Jihoon, and I will be working with you starting today.”
Under Hyungseok’s guidance, I met Hunter Lee Sooah.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Hunter Lee Sooah up close.”
So far, it had been quite difficult to be friendly or close with other hunters.
After all, Suhyeon had opposed it.
‘Ah, Oppa. What’s the point of meeting other hunters? Are you going to date them? Hang out? What do you want to do with them? Don’t meet them. You’re too busy leveling up with me right now, aren’t you?’
‘No. Why should I care about other female hunters when you’re here?’
‘Oppa, seriously, don’t be distracted by other women. If you keep doing that, I don’t know what I might do.’
Although I hadn’t put in any particular effort, memories of the past gradually surfaced.
“She really is pretty.”
Once, an S-Rank hunter who caused quite a stir nationwide.
She was a hunter who held the number one spot for quite a long time.
Her skills were exceptional, and her beauty was outstanding.
But she was hindered by mental issues.
Those mental problems that even doctors around the world couldn’t comprehend.
It seemed that those issues often arose particularly among S-Rank hunters.
These days, she was known for being short-tempered and easily irritated.
“Hello.”
She greeted with a voice that contained a hint of annoyance.
“I heard you’re E-Rank. Just be careful not to get hurt. I might not be able to pay full attention to you.”
Her voice and expression were clearly filled with irritation and annoyance, yet there was a warmth that shone through.
“Yes. Understood.”
I bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
*
“I feel like it wasn’t this bad before, but it seems to be getting worse over time. Please understand if she’s a bit irritable.”
We carefully closed the door behind us and headed to another location.
Hyungseok was trying hard to make excuses for Lee Sooah, who had initially responded unkindly.
“Ah, I know. Apparently, not just Hunter Lee Sooah, but other hunters are in similar situations too.”
“Yes, that’s right. Sigh. It’s frustrating that no one knows why.”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“By the way, I think Hunter Chae Suhyeon seems okay…”
Hyungseok wore a thoughtful expression as if he was recalling something.
“Hmm. Maybe it’s because of me…”
It wasn’t certain, but I had a feeling that my decent distribution of points had something to do with it. Of course, I wouldn’t be mentioning that fact here and there.
Every time I brought up the fact that I could distribute points to others, everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. I might have tried to explain it earnestly in the beginning, but now I didn’t do that at all. It would just become a hassle.
“Senior. But are you going out starting today? The Lee Sooah Hunter Team has a schedule today.”
He spoke with a tone that seemed to offer me an option.
“Well, yeah, I guess I’ll go out starting today. After all, Chae Suhyeon is also…”
I inadvertently mentioned Chae Suhyeon. I didn’t want to show that I was concerned about her, but it happened.
“Ah… um… yes. Understood.”
*
“Hello.”
“Hello. I hear you’re E-Rank?”
“Yes.”
I greeted the team members I would be working with in the future.
Of course, this was inside a dungeon.
“Hehe. How did an E-Rank end up with our team…”
“Right? Did they send a rookie to such a difficult team…?”
“Ah, I’m not a rookie…”
Of course, socially speaking, E-Rankers are undoubtedly considered rookies. But along with Chae Suhyeon, I had been through a lot and was a veteran. Maybe I might even know more than these guys.
It was only natural that most hunters wouldn’t know anything about me since Chae Suhyeon and I had kept a low profile.
“Hmm. Everyone tends to say that. Well, anyway, nice to meet you. Welcome to the Hellish Lee Sooah Team.”
He offered me a handshake.
‘Helllish Lee Sooah? Why? Hyungseok clearly said it was okay and recommended it…’
A slightly suspicious feeling began to arise.
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