Hunter Han Sungyeun (5)

Hwang Manho trembled with his fists closed tight.

I couldn't help but let a small laugh slip at the sight.

'He probably didn't even expect me to pass.'

I completed the exam, at the highest difficulty, in an instant.

He was probably as frustrated as he was embarrassed.

Kicking himself for his little speech about giving up while I was ahead.

But I'd become an entirely different person since I entered that tower.

Of course, he couldn't predict the results.

Grit.

I heard a small voice through Hwang Manho's gritted teeth.

"Ha, haha. Congratulations Sungyeun-nim, or shall I say, hunter Han Sungyeun."

Hwang Manho forced himself to continue while visibly faking a smile.

He'd lost the composure to even hide his feelings.

'Why's he even so spiteful?'

I was just curious to know what I did to make him hate me so much.

All I did was show up and train every day.

Well, I guess it doesn't matter now.

'It's not like I'll keep seeing him around.'

That gave me a little more peace of mind.

"I sure am. Weren't you also a C-rank hunter before you retired?"

"Y-yeah. Haha."

"Then it looks like we're the same rank now, manager Hwang."

"…"

I noticed him squeezing his fists.

Not only that, his poker face was completely ruined.

So he understood what I was actually saying to him.

The trainee that he once looked down on was now at the same rank as him.

'That's exactly what I meant by it…'

From the looks of his face, he seemed to have understood it a little too well.

I leaned in closer to land my final blow to the aggravated man.

"Too bad we won't be on the same level for too long."

It could mean different things without context, but it was clear what I was trying to say.

I'd surpass C-rank soon and stand above him at his prime.

"…Ha, haha. That might be difficult."

It was a completely emotionless response, but I smiled even bigger in return.

"We'll see, stranger things have happened. Like a 7-year trainee becoming a C-rank hunter overnight."

He dropped the facade and started tightening his muscles.

'The taunting is working better than I thought.'

Hm, he might even make a move here.

It was then—

"That's enough, manager Hwang."

The silent observer attempted to remediate the situation.

"There's nothing to be gained by escalating this situation."

Kim Inhoo dropped the previously robotic tone and continued in a frigid tone.

"We'll take care of the Han Sungyeun hunter from now on. You don't have to worry."

"…Are you really going to end our relationship, just to save face for a new hunter?"

Hwang Manho responded with a similarly low and threatening tone.

But—

"I suppose so."

The examiner didn't back down.

I didn't expect him to jump in like this, but it wasn't unexpected.

The hunter association would prefer not to have a battle happening within their office.

Especially if one of those constituents is a highly-anticipated newbie.

If there's one thing that bothers me…

'End the relationship.'

That meant they had some sort of relationship that could be ended until this point.

'I didn't know he had a connection with the examiner.'

It did make sense, considering that he's a manager of a famous training center.

The hunter association only dealt with the biggest fish in the sea. 

I didn't know the White Lotus was in that group.

Too bad it wasn't a strong connection.

"…Fuck all of you."

He expressed his disapproval and briskly walked out.

Kaaang…!

He slammed the door shut and the silence filled the room.

Kim Inhoo looked as if nothing happened and carried on with the conversation.

"Hm, looks like everything's settled."

"…I think so."

"On that note, there's something I want to tell you with your hunter license…"

The corners of his mouth raised as his eyes met mine.

"Can you lend me a bit of your time?"

"Sure."

It was best to get the license as soon as possible.

There was some annoyance on the way here, but I achieved what I had set out to do.

'Saving time, and getting the hunter license.'

I condensed a 3-day schedule to just one day.

"Well let's get a change of scenery. I'll give you the license first."

I nodded and followed him down a hall.

It was finally starting to set in that I was an official hunter.

"I guess I'll be hunter Han Sungyeun from now on…"

It wasn't the most satisfactory rank after 7 years but—

'It's not bad.'

I was satisfied to take the first step.

***

"This is the license that you'll be using from now on."

I thoroughly examined the small rectangle handed to me.

「 Hunter Han Sungyeun 」 

「 Rank: C 」 

「 Type: Melee 」 

「 Issued Date: 2026-01-21 」 

It felt good.

I was proud that I stuck it through to finally get here.

Kim Inhoo interrupted as I was admiring the license.

"Now that you're registered, you'll be able to act as an official hunter now."

I opened my mouth at the good news.

"Then I'll be able to sell items and enter dungeons?"

"Yes sir. Of course, you'll only be able to go into dungeons that match your rank. Same with the items."

After a brief pause, he stared at me with a more serious look on his face.

"Sir, I have a proposal for you."

"If you mention a proposal…"

"It's exactly what you thought it was. Would you be interested in working exclusively as a hunter for the hunter association?"

"…"

It was out of the blue, but it didn't come as a surprise.

To Kim Inhoo, I must be a diamond in the rough.

'No associations, completely undiscovered.'

I was probably one of a kind.

Most young promising hunters were sponsored by big guilds.

So, the hunter association couldn't poach any of those rising stars.

'But I'm not from any guild nor am I affiliated with any group.'

He even confirmed that I had a bad relationship with my only connection, Hwang Manho.

There was no reason for them not to try to poach me.

And this wasn't a bad deal.

'hunter association hunters receive a salary even if they don't do anything.'

Unlike most hunters who make their living by scavenging through dungeons, these hunters escort or arrest for a living.

Protecting famous celebrities or arresting fugitive hunters, that's what they did.

In reality, you'd do that for extra pay.

'You don't have to do anything as long as you respond to their calls at specific times.'

But even then, their salaries were ridiculously high.

I put the license in my wallet and snuck in a question.

"Exactly how much would the pay be?"

"It starts off at 1 million, but you can negotiate for more."

That's fairly high, even in this industry.

An incredible amount for essentially doing nothing.

"That's pretty good."

"Well, I think you have the potential to be worth it."

Kim Inhoo didn't even bat an eye at that amount.

'Hmm, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested.'

It'd be very worth it considering the time I'd spend in the tower.

But—

'It's a bit iffy if they previously had a relationship with Hwang Manho.'

The hunter industry is incredibly corrupt.

A lot of murders happen within the dungeons.

To the point where there are hunters who exclusively neglect corpses in dungeons.

If you put a body in a dungeon that needed to disappear, no one could ever track you.

And just like how the hunter industry had a dark side, the hunter association wasn't all clean.

There were a lot of instances of candidates paying absurd sums of money to be evaluated at a higher rank.

'In that aspect, Kim Inhoo was suspicious as well.'

They probably tried to mess with my test.

'It was actually different from the tests I took before.'

To be honest, there was something that felt a bit off about this exam.

Everything from the available items to how incompatible I was with the monster.

I'd heard that a candidate who took a level 7 exam got D-grade weapons, but I only had F-grade available.

And how most melee combatants would never be able to beat the flame bird.

I didn't say anything because I assumed the level 10 test was special but—

'There's a lot to be suspicious of.'

If that was the case, it would be foolish of me to accept this offer.

Fool me once, shame on them. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Of course, I didn't have any concrete proof.

I still couldn't say if an immediate response was a wise decision.

"Thank you for the offer. I'll think about it."

"If it's because of the salary, you can negotiate it up."

"No, it's not like that. Just some personal reasons."

"…I see. Feel free to call any time."

He made a disappointed face and held out a business card.

「 Hunter Association Examiner Kim Inhoo 」 

"Give me a call when you feel like it."

I took the card and nodded.

"Alright. I'll head out now."

"We hope to keep a good relationship with you."

'Exclusive hunter for the hunter association, huh.'

I'd consider it for a bit longer, but there were still things I had to do.

'Now that I have a license, I can start selling items.'

I needed to get more out of the 3 days I had.

'The return stone is cheaper than expected, so there's probably a bunch of us here.'

That might affect the market price of my items.

The tower would eventually let the challengers go, and they'd all have items with them.

Whether that was good or bad, it'd change the market.

I'd have to act quickly to prepare for that.

"Let's make some money first."

I could probably charge some extra premium for my items.

I'd need some money to prepare to go to the tower.

This would be the first thing I'd do as a hunter.

____