However, no matter how much I want to move, in a capitalist society the biggest problem is, in the end, money.
Of course, I’d gained attention as a potential S-rank, but that didn’t mean I could make a fortune right away. That was because during the mandatory 39 months of service, economic activity is prohibited. Aside from a stipend slightly above the national minimum wage, there’s effectively no income. It’s not a negligible amount, but with that alone, it was impossible to relocate Jeong Dajeong to somewhere safe.
Still, if there’s no way, you just find one.
Two days after the Dungeon Break in Gwanghwamun was brought under control, in a massive building standing in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul…
"Welcome," Han Jaeyeong greeted me with their arms spread wide. “Welcome to the HP Guild.”
Online, people sometimes mock it by asking why a mage guild is called the HP Guild, but it’s a guild led by the mage Han Jaeyeong as guildmaster.
“What do you think? Our guild looks pretty neat on the outside, doesn’t it? We’ve got a lot of members too.”
“I didn’t need such a showy welcome,” I replied curtly, and for good reason. When I arrived, dozens of staff members had gathered on the first floor and applauded.
If I were a nineteen-year-old on the verge of adulthood with no memories of a past life, I’d either have looked for somewhere to hide out of embarrassment, or my ego would have inflated and I’d have grown arrogant. Were they aiming for the latter?
“Showy? This is a heartfelt welcome. Just because I’m the guildmaster doesn’t mean everyone blindly follows my orders. They all really came out to see you, Jeong Daon. Since you’re a mage, they can’t just sit still right now. Everyone’s probably all fidgeting, hoping to say at least a word to you.” Han Jaeyeong then gestured toward the sofa, signaling me to sit. “But why are you wearing a school uniform? I thought you were about to graduate.”
“Simple reason. Out of all the clothes I own, the uniform is the most expensive and the cleanest.” It would’ve been fine to wear a hand-me-down, but Jeong Dajeong had taken on an extra part-time job just to buy me a new uniform. There was also the fact that there weren’t many days left to wear the uniform my blood relative had bought while working himself to the point of nosebleeds. Once I officially graduated, I wouldn’t be able to keep wearing it, no matter what.
Hearing that, Han Jaeyeong shrugged. “Ah, then after we’re done talking today, want to go clothes shopping together? You can use my personal card or the company card.”
“Wouldn’t the latter be embezzlement?”
“That depends on how today’s talk turns out. If it’s for guild member welfare, it’s not really embezzlement, is it?” They grinned. “A potential S-rank Hunter who needs money. What a rare commodity. I’d love to buy you in, no matter the cost.”
Right. There are many ways to make money as a Hunter, but at this point, the fastest way for me to earn money was to join a guild. Normally, you apply to a guild much like submitting a job application, but for exceptional Hunters, any guild would want them, and they’re sometimes recruited with a signing bonus. Of course, how potential stats actually awaken is another matter entirely. Contrary to the common belief that the results of the ability appraisal are like winning the lottery, there are quite a few cases where abilities never fully awaken. Most people only join a guild after completing the 39 months of mandatory service, once their performance and stats have been evaluated by the market.
“But in your case, Daon, there’s no need for that. I’ve already seen it clearly with my own eyes.”
Han Jaeyeong turned the laptop monitor they’d been looking at before I arrived so I could see it. Two videos were playing on the screen. One showed the defeat of the Queen Ant, and the other showed the shadow ghosts being taken down in the emergency stairwell two days ago.
“I asked you to keep the latter private.”
“I’m the only one who has it. It’s such a legendary scene that it’d be a shame to delete it.”
“…”
I’d thought this since our last meeting, but they really have an annoying personality. Honestly, if there were a better option, I wouldn’t have come to Han Jaeyeong in the first place, but…
As long as things are fair and square, they don’t seem like the type to hold a grudge.
We’d only crossed paths briefly, but extreme situations are often the best way to see someone’s true nature. And for me, someone like Han Jaeyeong is preferable to someone like Yu Hanul. Han Jaeyeong judges others by their own standards and is clear about what they want. They keep at least the minimum line of human decency, while calculating gains and losses rationally. With someone like this, even if I were betrayed, it wouldn’t come as a shock. In fact, since there was no trust to begin with, the word “betrayal” might not even apply.
The way they were provoking me now was probably driven by unfulfilled curiosity. They must have been hoping that by provoking me like this, I’d get heated and let something slip. But…
Like I’d fall for that.
I’m not young enough to get flustered by such provocations. All I need is to take what I came here for, and what I intend to get from Han Jaeyeong is…
“If I’m such a desirable commodity, you must have decided on the price.”
Among Korean Hunters, Yu Hanul is famous for his character, while Han Jaeyeong is famous for their wealth.
In principle, the detailed stats, skills, and magical specializations of S-rank Hunters are all classified information, but as dungeon raids accumulate, some basic information inevitably leaks out. And the raid teams led by Han Jaeyeong’s HP Guild boast the highest number of dungeon clears in Korea, which means they possess large quantities of materials and items brought out of dungeons.
In that sense, no guild in Korea has better cash flow than the HP Guild. That’s because Han Jaeyeong not only has the guild members needed for raids, but also maintains a separate item production team.
Mages who invest in item crafting skills usually struggle with organizational life, yet the HP Guild’s production team has been operating successfully for a very long time. Rumor has it they offer the best treatment in the industry, and in any case, the successful operation of that team has brought immense wealth to the HP Guild.
Han Jaeyeong smiled brightly. “I’m curious how much you want that you came looking for me so urgently. Well, I don’t really intend to negotiate. How much do you want? For reference, a rookie S-rank Hunter usually signs with a base annual salary of 1.5 billion won, with the number of successful dungeon clears counted as an option, and on the condition that the guild takes 30 percent of the byproducts at market value.”
That made me pause in slight surprise.
1.5 billion won. It was an amount that would make Jeong Dajeong faint if he heard it. It was also a number utterly unrelated to the life of an ordinary office worker.
I knew Hunters made a lot of money, but… this much?
And when you think about it, that 1.5 billion was just the base salary, less than what an S-rank Hunter could earn personally, which was why they could propose it so casually. Still, it was undeniably an unfamiliar figure.
“Of course, I’m not thinking of offering you just that level of treatment, Jeong Daon. How about double? Three billion won.” He said it so lightly that the amount sounded less like a real sum of money and more like a child’s game. “And of course, you’ll formally join the guild after completing your 39 months of mandatory service, but since you said you need money, we’ll pay half of the base salary in advance.”
I skimmed through the contract Han Jaeyeong handed me and nodded. “Not bad.” Honestly, these terms would make even a regular S-rank Hunter’s heart race, let alone a rookie.
There were several other detailed clauses, but the key points were clear: you join the guild, but actual activities begin only after the mandatory service ends; the minimum activity period is three years, with a set minimum number of dungeon clears; if you fail to complete the three-year activity period, you must return all advance payments. The finer details didn’t really matter. What mattered most was that even though actual guild activity would only start after the mandatory service, I’d receive the signing bonus upfront.
With about three billion won, I could put out the immediate fire. As I looked over the contract, I said, “I thought there’d at least be a clause demanding several times the amount as a penalty if the contract is broken.”
“For an ordinary Hunter, that might act as a shackle, but for you, Daon, it wouldn’t really be one. Once your mandatory service is over, there’ll be guilds lining up, willing to pay the penalty just to take you. Including a meaningless clause like that would only sour your mood. And besides, you won’t be leaving anyway.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
“Haha, I do have my reasons. Once you actually join, you’ll find it incredibly comfortable here. Compared to other guilds, we’ve got money.” Han Jaeyeong winked. “Mages cost a lot, you know.”
That was true. Up until now, since I’d only been using low-level magic or outright incantation magic, I’d paid the cost in mana or the rank of my soul, but generally speaking, the higher the level of magic, the more expensive the required materials become. Mages always have to worry about their finances.
I stopped scanning the contract and looked up. “If you’ve got that much money, I want to add one more condition.”
Han Jaeyeong raised an eyebrow. “Ah, I was wondering when we’d get to the real point. So this is it?”
"Yes."
Honestly, the money itself didn’t matter that much. If Jeong Dajeong didn’t have to support me as well, he could easily earn enough to live on his own, and I could cover the costs of my magic myself. What mattered was something else.
“I’ll be blunt. I want a safe residence and security. And I want the security assigned not to me, but to my family.”
In a short span of time, I’d already been targeted twice. Until now, they’d been after my life, but it was obvious they’d go after my family next, especially if the enemy’s identity was exactly what the system had shown.
At my words, a glint appeared in Han Jaeyeong’s eyes. “I’d heard you’re very close to your family. Looks like that’s true.”
I’d already assumed Han Jaeyeong had investigated my family situation, but the way they flaunted it like this was irritating.
Once this immediate problem is dealt with, I’ll remember this.
Right now, I’m just a low-level mage barely at level 20, but later on, I’d definitely pay them back in kind.
“A residence isn’t difficult at all. You can choose the area freely. We could even lease a house under the guild’s name. As for the security… what level are you looking for?”
“Just enough to barely manage everyday life. If the risk level rises, I don’t mind if it interferes with daily life.”
“…You did discuss this with your family, right?”
"..."
“The lack of an answer worries me, but very well. It’s not my place to interfere. Shall we add that clause to the contract, then?”
“Yeah.”
Han Jaeyeong tapped away at the keyboard a few times, then handed me the tablet. After confirming the newly added clause in the contract, I signed my name.
Jeong Daon.
It was the first signature I’d ever written since coming to this world.
“…This is less fun than I expected.”
At their offhand remark, I looked up. Han Jaeyeong was watching me with a peculiar gaze.
“Fun?”
“We only met two days ago, but the impression is very different. Back then, you didn’t seem like a freshly awakened novice Hunter. You felt like a veteran who already had something to rely on. I thought the contract would take longer…”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I cut Han Jaeyeong off. “I’m not a tool meant to entertain you. Go look for your fun somewhere else. If you’re dissatisfied, we can pretend this contract never happened.”
“Come on, of course not. It’s just… you seem rather pressed. Are you being chased by someone?”
That question hit the mark exactly. Perhaps this really was what you’d expect from an S-rank Hunter; their intuition was quite sharp.
It was true that I was pressed, and true that I was being pursued by someone. But that wasn’t something I could reveal, so I countered calmly, “…I got caught up in Dungeon Breaks twice in just one week. Wouldn’t it be stranger not to be on guard?”
“I suppose that’s true, if you put it that way.”
I thought they might press further after asking such an unnecessary question, but surprisingly, Han Jaeyeong backed off without much resistance. The way they hovered right at the line without crossing it made them unsettling in more ways than one.
“Well, even if there’s another reason, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that right now, Jeong Daon wants something from me, and I want something from Jeong Daon.”
“The contract’s already signed. Are you saying you want to add another clause now?”
“It’s not something that needs to go into the contract. This is just a question born of simple curiosity.”
Han Jaeyeong’s pitch-black eyes gleamed faintly. Their impeccably groomed appearance should have inspired goodwill, yet the chill in their gaze made them look unsettlingly reptilian.
“Just how do you use incantation magic?” They pointed at my image still playing on the monitor. “Ordinary people who don’t know much about magic, or low-tier mages who barely even know that incantation magic exists, wouldn’t understand. But we do.”
Just as having absolute pitch doesn’t let you compose music if you don’t know how to write sheet music, there are realms that can’t be reached by talent alone. They’re reached only through accumulated knowledge and the kind of bone-grinding pain that leads to true insight.
“I’m curious. No matter how much of a once-in-a-century genius you might be, there’s a gap here that can’t be explained.”
The question itself wasn’t all that surprising. When I came to meet Han Jaeyeong, I’d fully expected to be asked this. In fact, if they hadn’t been curious about it, I would have found that more suspicious.
“I can’t tell you that.”
That didn’t mean I had any intention of answering.
“Put simply, if I let my trump card get exposed, wouldn’t this contract end right then and there?”
There was only one reason Han Jaeyeong could keep needling me like this while still staying just short of crossing the line and maintaining a friendly front. It was because I was an enigmatic existence that defied their common sense.
This was only the second time I’d met them, but I’d seen this type of person countless times before. For now, while their curiosity remained unsatisfied, there was room for them to grant what I wanted. But once that curiosity was fulfilled, that would be the end, along with any goodwill they showed me. For someone like me, whose stats were still stuck at low-tier mage, that was a situation to avoid.
And it wasn’t as though I could simply tell them I retained memories of being an archmage in a past life.
The answer I needed to give was already decided.
“You didn’t put it in the contract because you want to find the answer yourself anyway.”
If they truly wanted nothing but the correct answer, they would have demanded it as the price of the contract, since they’d seen through how desperate I was. But they hadn’t.
That meant Han Jaeyeong’s strongest desire was intellectual curiosity.
And that they were too suspicious to believe my answer even if I gave one.
"Ahaha." Han Jaeyeong let out a short laugh. “Feels like I got stripped bare just trying to hear one answer.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
I hadn’t stripped anything from Han Jaeyeong. I didn’t even properly know their gender yet. We’d been talking this whole time, and it was still ambiguous.
“A hiding place, huh.”
I tapped the guild name written on the contract—“HIDING PLACE”—with a finger.
“That’s a pretty unambitious guild name.”
“Ahaha, that’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
Inside the hiding place they’d built themselves, Han Jaeyeong’s eyes gleamed sinisterly, like a snake’s. It didn’t feel great, walking into the lion’s den of my own accord, but this was something I could accept. After all, what mattered most right now was Jeong Dajeong’s safety.
As Han Jaeyeong gathered up the contract, they spoke again. “By the way, may I ask just one more thing?”
“As long as it’s not a pointless question.”
“Did you fight with Hanul?”
The sheer absurdity of the question made my eyes widen.
“Fight? After the Dungeon Break ended, Yu Hanul was taken straight to the hospital.”
“Exactly. Since you were the first one to find him, Jeong Daon, I thought you might at least ask about his condition. It’s classified information that hasn’t been reported in the media.”
"..."
I frowned.
I see. Come to think of it, it would have been normal for me to ask about Yu Hanul’s condition, so the fact that I hadn’t was what seemed suspicious.
In the end, I admitted it honestly. We were bound to be entangled one way or another going forward, and it wasn’t worth hiding.
“We didn’t fight… I just don’t want to get involved with him.”
“Why? Unlike me, Yu Hanul isn’t putting on an act; he’s genuinely a good guy. He’s not being nice to you out of some ulterior motive either.”
"I know." That was precisely why it bothered me.
I glanced toward the empty air where the system window was floating.
The quest "Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿" is in progress.
The system requests that “Jeong Daon” provide support to “Yu Hanul.”
Would you like to participate in the quest “SAVE THE WORLD”?