Chapter 174

After that, the Knights Guild received 1 billion from the Woojin Guild and handed over the right to raid three intermediate dungeons. These three dungeons had appeared in the Yeongnam region including Busan. The fact that they only received 1 billion won and handed it over was proof of how much they were grateful to Suho for this incident. Even the knights guild members gave consideration that they did not ask for.

"The Woojin guild doesn't have a healer, right? While you are active in Busan, we will support you with one of the most skilled healers in our Knights Guild."

"A healer? No, you don't even have to..."

Lim Do-Gyun, who was stuck in the contract handed over by Suho, initially tried to refuse the consideration of Park Jong-Soo, Guildmaster of the Knights. However, Lim Tae-Gyu, who helped with the contract process, accepted the offer with a snap.

"A healer whose skill is the best among your guild? Could it be you are talking about Hunter Lee Joo-Hee?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Hoo."

Lim Tae-Gyu looked quite surprised. Then he whispered right into Lim Do-Gyun's ear.

"Take it unconditionally. Hunter Lee Joo-Hee can be very helpful, in many ways."

"¿Really? In many ways..." Lim Do-Gyun was puzzled. Lim Tae-Gyu didn't even listen to his son's answer, but went ahead and grabbed Guildmaster Park Jong-Soo's hand and grinned. "Thank you for your consideration. As expected, the reputation of the Knights Guild is great, and they pay attention to even the smallest details."

"Oh, no. This is also because Hunter Lee Joo-Hee volunteered for it."

"Ah, as expected of headhunter Lee Joo-Hee."

"...?"

Lim Do-gyun was still confused because he did not know how the situation was going. 'Anyway, does that mean that the knights will cut the price of dungeons and support healers?'

It was proof that Haeundae, which Suho protected, was of great value in Busan.

From that point on, the Woojin Guild, led by Suho, started full-scale activities in Busan.

However, unlike the Knights Guild, not all hunters in Busan were friendly to the Woojin Guild.

'Hey, did you hear? The Knights Guild handed over three intermediate dungeons to the Woojin Guild? That's cheap!'

'If that's the case, why did they compete with us for the fierce bidding?'

'No matter how active they are at Haeundae, this shouldn't be allowed to do this!'

'If there was not enough manpower from the beginning to conquer it, they should have preempted the dungeon instead. Isn't it right to give our guild a chance first?'

'If the Haeundae Knights Guild had done their job properly in the first place, there wouldn't have been a need to call in mercenaries from outside, no?'

In the end the Knights Guild is only big in name but not in performance.'

Dissatisfaction began to emerge from the small and medium-sized guilds in Busan, which were usually suppressed by the Knights Guild, the largest guild in Busan.

Although their claims were like those of a persistent bird, their complaints weren't entirely unfounded either.

During the Haeundae incident that was solved by Woojin Guild, there were only a few people that had seen this serious situation play out. Meanwhile, hunters from other guilds were busy attacking other dungeons at that time.

That's why most of them were able to come across the incident only belatedly through the news. A disaster seen through the screen is inevitably less effective than seeing it right in front of you. But now, when the news came out that they even went to the mayor of Busan to give them a plaque of appreciation, they couldn't hold back their anger.

'No, fuck. What the hell is the Woojin Guild doing?

'I heard it's a new guild with only 3 members!'

'What the– The guild leader is a C-class hunter and the deputy guild leader is an E-class hunter? This is not even remotely funny.'

'So what did they do?'

'At the end of the video, a foreigner named Esil found the location of the gate?'

'It is said that a guy named Sung Suho defeated the boss mob, but there was nothing recorded on the video about how he defeated it?'

…Of course, since most of the full-fledged battles took place inside Harmakan's instance dungeon, the embers of their dissatisfaction began to burn.

And in the end.

"Hold it!" There were people who stood in front of Woojin's guild. They had arrived at the gate to attack the intermediate dungeon that they had given money for.

'Hmm?'

Suho looked at them with a puzzled expression. They were faces he didn't know.

"Suho. No, guild leader." Lim Do-Gyun, who was next to him, quickly whispered into Suho's ear. "They are famous hunters in Busan. They are called…"

"What are you doing?" Suho listened to Lim Do-gyun's explanation and asked them.

Then, a large hunter in the middle of them stepped forward to Suho with a stern expression, revealing his teeth.

"Hey…"

"Wait a minute! Noh Joon-Gi Hunter, you can't do this here! This dungeon belongs to the Woojin Guild!"

The Hunter Association employees of the Busan branch, which manages the gate, were greatly embarrassed and blocked hunters who suddenly entered the scene. Then, the huge hunter, Noh Joon-Gi, glared at the association staff who were restraining him with a disapproving expression.

"I know. Who doesn't know Korean?" His gaze glanced at a nearby sign.

[Gwangalli Gate]

※No entry except for Woojin Guild

Tch!

Then, grinding his teeth, he again raised his fierce momentum toward the association staff. "Is it okay for the Association to do this?"

"Yes? Why wouldn't it be?..."

"Is it okay for the association to break the law set by the association first?" Noh Jun-gi looked at each of the hunters in Woojin's guild and said. Guild leaders Sung Suho, Lim Do-Gyun, and Esil.

"I'm really dumbfounded. Only 3 people? Since when was it acceptable to clear a mid-level dungeon with just this amount of members?"

"You're right. Isn't the raid starting with at least 10 people?"

"This is obviously illegal."

The other hunters brought by Noh Joon-Gi raised their voices as if they had waited and began to agree with his words.

'So he came with those intentions.'

Seeing this, Suho laughed.

The hunters' sit-in was on a different level from what ordinary people did. When the hunters, led by No Joon-Gi, expressed their dissatisfaction by actually raising their magic power, even the air around the area was shaking ominously.

"Now, calm down for a moment…" The problem was that the association employees who had to deal with that energy were office workers, so they were non-awakened. They were oppressed by the energy emitted by the hunters, including Noh Jun-ki, to the point where they could not breathe properly. It was then.

"I'm sorry! I'm a little late!"

The moment Lee Joo-Hee, a B-class healer supported by the Knights Guild, arrives on the scene.

"…Huh?" In an instant, the heavy air became lighter, and the hunters' energy disappeared like a lie.

"Hunter Lee Joo-Hee?"

"What is Lee Joo-Hee doing here?"

They recognized Lee Joo-Hee and their eyes widened. "Ah! Long time no see. I'm so glad you all look healthy."

When Lee Joo-Hee also recognized the hunters and nodded, they waved their hands, not knowing what to do.

"It's Lee Joo-Hee hunter-nim! We have to say hello!"

"Hello Lee Joo-Hee hunter-nim, have you been well?"

"I heard that you joined the Knights Guild. So what are you doing here?"

"Ah, I heard that there are no healers in the Woojin guild, so I came to support you for the time being."

"...!"

'¿Hmm?'

A strangeness appeared in Suho's eyes. With the sudden appearance of Lee Joo-Hee, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

"Guildmaster Sung Suho, I'm sorry for being late." Lee Joo-Hee approached Suho and apologized politely once again.

"No, it's fine. You're only a few minutes late."

"No, in fact, there is one more thing I have to apologize for. I found the scene of a traffic accident on my way, so I spent a little bit of my magic healing the emergency patients."

Lee Joo-Hee who sincerely apologized again. It was a very big mistake for a healer to waste magic before clearing a dungeon. However, if the reason was to save emergency patients, no one who knew Lee Joo-Hee's character could denounce the mistake.

"Ah, you're still the same."

"As expected of Lee Joo-Hee…"

"Mhm."

Especially those former rookie hunters who once had days with no money or connections. Such an act held a strong significance for the hunters in Busan who had the experience of receiving her free healing at least once. Until relatively recently, Lee Joo-Hee had been working as a freelance healer, treating injured hunters free of charge. It was not for nothing that she was nicknamed the 'Saint of Busan'.

"Mhm."

"Hmm."

The hunters, who had been attacking vigorously, suddenly hesitated in front of Lee Joo-Hee with embarrassed expressions.

'Ah, so that's why he said she would be helpful in many ways.'

As the atmosphere returned to normal, Lim Do-Gyun was able to understand what Lim Tae-Gyu said.

"... But Still!!" Noh Joon-Gi closed his eyes and opened his mouth again. The other hunters also tried to avoid Lee Joo-Hee's eyes and gained momentum again. "What's Illegal is illegal!"

"The minimum number of hunters to enter a dungeon is a rule set by the association!"

The limit on the number of people is the minimum safety device for hunters. It was a rule established by the association to prevent hunters from entering the dungeon blindly and losing their lives.

"So how dare you all sell a dangerous dungeon to such a weak guild!"

"Oh, don't worry about that."

"…Excuse me?"

Lee Joo-Hee, who finally noticed the situation, calmed their complaints with a smile.

"It is true that there is a minimum number of people, but when making the rules, Woo Jin-Chul, the president of the association, made special exceptions."

"… And what are they?"

Lee Joo-Hee suddenly had thought of this as she saw the frowning hunters. After the cataclysm, the president of the association, Woo Jin-Chul, a great person who has only taken special steps every time, had probably anticipated that something like this would have happened and planned something out beforehand.

"The number of people in the raid can also include the number of summons they have." As soon as Lee Joo-Hee's explanation was finished, Suho opened his mouth as if he had been waiting to say it.

"Arise."

...!

Surprise unfolded in the eyes of all Hunters. With Suho at the center, countless summoned beasts raised their bodies all at once! The powerful energy emitted by the shadow soldiers, who shivered in black steam all over their bodies, burst out in all directions. Noh Joon-Gi, who was at the front, was startled by the fierce momentum and nearly backed away.

Just then, the little ant Beru, thrusted himself to the face of Noh Joon-Gi and roared in the most ferocious force.

[Kee Ee Ee Ekk!!!]

"Ahhhhh!!"

Crash!

Noh Joon-Gi fell and hit his butt.

"Now then," Suho, turned away from those who stood there in shock. He smiled faintly as he glared at the ominous blue gate in front of him. "Shall we start?"

[Your level has risen!]

[Your level has risen!]

How long did it take for Woojin's guild to clear all the intermediate dungeons transferred to the Knights' guild? Only 3 days, including the time it took to mine it.

"…This is nonsense!"

All the hunters in Busan, including Noh Joon-Gi, were astonished at that phenomenal speed.

* * *

Around the same time in the US.

"Hmm. I think I should tell Sung Suho about this."

The Guildmaster of the Scavenger Guild, Thomas Andre, America's strongest S-rank hunter, took out his cell phone leisurely.

-Thomas?

"Oh good, you picked up." Thomas Andre smiled as he heard the voice of Sung Suho over the cell phone.

"You've become quite famous in Korea these days, right? Both of us seem to be busy now, so I'll go straight to the point." A soft light was emanating from the body of Thomas Andre, who was talking on the phone.

"First of all, your mother said she found something in the tombs of the light dragons, so she asked me to pass it on to you instead. Coincidentally, Laura said she had just obtained a higher-level magic crystal, so I sent both things with her, she should arrive soon."

Cha Hae-In, who decided to stay at the Tomb of the Dragons a little longer, decided to deliver the goods through the Scavenger guild working in Ireland.

"Oh, and…" Thomas Andre glanced at the other hand that was not holding the cell phone, holding the collar of a corpse that he held before he continued, "I just killed an Apostle of the Itarim."

...!

The land where Thomas Andre is standing now has a huge crater formed as if a meteorite had fallen.

Woosh…

Soon, the body he was carrying was broken into pieces and scattered like ashes.

Shuuaaaaa

The ashes turned into light powder and permeated Thomas Andre's body.

- Who was it?

"It's as you guessed."

Absorbing that power, Thomas Andre looked back at the face of the Hunter he had killed.

"Christopher Reed."

He was a man who was once an American national-level hunter in his previous life.