Chapter 22

Jin-Woo met Jin-Ho the next day at a French café near his house.

It's nice that the kid thought that if he wants to drag him somewhere, at least that "somewhere" is close to his place of residence.

Not a big plus for him.

Yoo Jin-Ho greeted him happily. Jin-Woo's senses sharpened as he entered, but he didn't notice any other hunters. At least it wasn't an ambush intended as some kind of revenge.

Maybe Jin-Woo was paranoid because this kid was kind, and generous and stood up for him.

But he preferred to be careful.

He sat down opposite Yoo Jin-Ho. There was half-eaten ice cream in a bowl in front of the kid.

- I didn't think I'd see you again. - Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow in surprise.

However, the unimpressed Jin-Ho smiled broadly and started to get up.

- Have you ordered anything? Should I go get some coffee?

Would the system consider caffeine in coffee as poison?

Jin-Woo hoped not. He already regretted not being able to get drunk. He didn't want to lose coffee either.

- Sure. Could you get one with a lot of milk?

- Of course. - The boy gave him a dazzling smile.

Well, if Jin-Woo was already forced to come here, at least he could drink coffee.

When the boy returned with the coffee, Jin-Woo thanked him politely, taking the drink and Jin-Ho sat down in front of him again.

- So, why did you want us to meet?

Jin-Ho clenched his fists under the table.

This guy was dangerous.

And he was a false ranker, Jin-Ho should stay away from someone like that.

But he needed help, and Sung Jin-Woo was so incredibly strong.

- I want to create a group of hunters.

- I refuse.

- You didn't even let me finish. - Jin-Ho noted miserably.

Sighing deeply, Jin-Woo crossed his arms.

- Do you want me to join your expedition group? - Jin-Woo guessed.

- Only 20 times. No, only 19 times.

- You're that determined. - Jin-Woo looked at the determined, hard expression on his interlocutor's face, a bit surprised.

No one who simply wanted to have some fun in the dungeons and had plenty of money for survival would wear such a serious expression.

Jin-Ho looked ready to beg. Jin-Woo tilted his head. There were three reasons why people became Hunters: Money, duty, and adrenaline. Yoo Jin-Ho didn't seem to fit any of these ideals. The young heir didn't need money from the dungeons, and if duty brought him there, he wouldn't ask someone else to do all the work for him. He definitely didn't seem like someone seeking thrills and adventures.

- You will be fairly rewarded.

Jin-Woo wasn't greedy. He had a lot of money saved up now and didn't need more for now.

- Your last outing didn't teach you anything. Being a hunter is not an exoteric adventure. Have you seen how easy it is to die on the other side, and yet you want to start your own group?

As soon as he finished saying this, something flashed brightly in his head.

20 raids.

That specific number.

Hwang's raid was his first.

And now he wanted to complete exactly 19 more, as he corrected himself after a moment.

- Do you want to establish your own guild? - Jin-Woo asked surprised.

- Exactly!

- Why do you want to do that?

The kid's face turned red.

- Establishing a guild, contrary to appearances, isn't that difficult. Participating in a minimum of 20 raids will allow me to obtain permission to create my own guild. Of course, there's an exam, but I'm not worried about it. I have a head on my shoulders; otherwise, I couldn't inherit the company.

- Hm? Are you talking about Yoo-Jin Architectural Office?

Yoo-Jin was one of South Korea's leading construction firms. Despite the name, their activities extended beyond construction. The company was known for having a hand in various business areas, and recently, they had even started getting involved in businesses related to Hunters, making a lot of money.

- Yes. To be honest, establishing the guild is related to it. It's my father's idea.

The dungeons were dangerous places, but they were also filled with precious treasures. Stones were just a small part of them. Monster remains were used to make many things, from magical jewelry to weapons and armor. It was logical that large corporations eventually became interested in this business.

The strongest hunters in the world were filthy rich. Even richer than most billionaires.

If the company wanted to do business in the hunter world, working with the Guilds was crucial. Acquiring magical cores, monster remains, mana stones, and other treasures from B or A-rank gates required collaboration with those who obtained them.

- Companies communicate with guilds, and in return for a steady payment, they receive all the loot from expeditions. This way, they don't have to buy materials from intermediaries.

- Yes. My father plans to hire an S-rank hunter and place him as the head of the guild. My brother will be his deputy, but he will actually be in charge of everything.

As soon as Jin-Woo heard about this plan, he spotted several loopholes.

- Korea has, or had, nine S-rank Hunters. One of them likely moved to the United States, the Association President, two from Hunter Guilds, the White Tiger's Guild Leader, and the leaders of the Fame and Harvest Guilds. Min Beong-Gyu... he probably retired. And one died during a raid. Not only do you not have much to choose from, but I don't think anyone with that rank would want to be a puppet when every major guild would be vying for them. Even if they agreed, conflicts could still arise between them and your brother.

Jin-ho sighed, not looking surprised by Jin-Woo's words.

- Yes, I know. It's true that eventually a hunter can awaken as another S rank, so the lack of willing hunters can still be overcome, but...

At 31 years of age, Yoo Jin-Ho's older brother had already become a successful businessman.

In comparison, the younger brother was just a 22-year-old college student, not to mention he was only a D-rank Hunter.

It was clear that the president intended to leave the Guild's interests to the firstborn. Although the elder brother could not become a Guild Master as a non-hunter, he had achieved excellent results in the business related to Hunters.

But Jin-Woo somehow didn't want to believe that any S-rank hunter would want to listen to someone who wasn't even a Hunter.

- And what about you? Your experience is, at best, minimal, and your rank is quite low. You're probably not even considered for this project. Do you want to improve yourself a bit to be of use to your father?

- Exactly!

Now Jin-Woo understood why Yoo Jin-Ho had clung to him with such desperation. If the young man had simply hired a high-ranking Hunter and obtained the license, it wouldn't have been much different from buying the license. But what if he went on raids with low-ranked Hunters like him and completed 20 of them?

This might have been of great interest to his father.

Yoo Jin-Ho had to demonstrate that he could lead the remaining Hunters.

When he became the Guild Master, he could appoint an S-rank Hunter as his deputy and attract other qualified Hunters who might be interested in joining a guild with an S-rank Hunter.

For all of this to happen, he needed 20 raids, preferably with low-ranked Hunters.

The remaining issue was the loyalty of such an S-rank Hunter who might still not want to listen to a D-rank Hunter.

But that wasn't Jin-Woo's problem; as far as he was concerned, this plan had no chance of succeeding.

- The information that you're a... I mean, that you're hiding your true abilities. I'll take it to the grave. If you still want to participate in raids, I guess you could use someone like me? Completing dungeons with an E-rank Hunter would bring more glory than doing it with someone stronger.

This kid was a good planner, you had to admit it.

Jin-Woo would have trouble finding a raid and hiding his skills.

- Furthermore, I have something that could be suitable for your... payments.

He took out an envelope he had prepared from his briefcase. Inside was a building plan. He handed it to Jin-Woo.

"This is a building currently under construction. The estimated value is around 30 billion won." (~22169355 USD)

While the Association tried its best to prevent gate openings, the possibility of a gate opening always existed. As a result, in areas where large guilds had established their headquarters, land values had sharply increased. After all, life was the most valuable resource.

Even the presence of a small guild nearby would increase their safety, but what if it were a large guild? The value of the land significantly rose.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened as 30 billion won kept buzzing in his ears.

- The building is located on the outskirts of the White Tiger's influence zone, very close to the beginning of the Hunter Guild's area. After it's built, it'll be yours. You can do whatever you want with it.

Yesterday, in the C-rank dungeon, Jin-Ho had learned that anything could happen during a raid.

Entering with a weak Hunter could result in his death. On the other hand, if he hired a famous strong Hunter, his father wouldn't be convinced.

There was also the possibility of encountering someone like Hwang Dong-Suk, which Jin-Ho really preferred to avoid.

But Jin-Woo was different, he was an E-rank Hunter who single-handedly defeated a C-rank boss and many C and D-rank hunters without major injuries.

He was at least a B rank if he could deal with C-rank hunters so easily.

Maybe even higher.

Together with Jin-Woo, he would be safe.

- I have one condition.

Going on a joint hunt would reduce his experience points, and it would also be difficult to operate under the watchful eyes of others. Even in the last dungeon, he had to ensure Jin-Ho's silence and keep what had happened there a secret. It would also be very inconvenient to coordinate his schedule with his team members. No matter how he looked at it, there were too many negatives.

Unless no one but him and Jin-Ho enters the dungeon.

- Whatever you want. - Jin-Ho replied immediately.

- You and me, and no one else.

In one second, Jin-Ho's face turned pale and he looked like he was going to be sick.

- Just the two of us...? - The boy asked weakly. -You want us to clear a C-rank dungeon?

- Bingo.

For E-rank Hunters like him, it was very challenging to get into a private raid group. He had realized this while trying to find a group yesterday. He couldn't reserve a dungeon with his rank, and he couldn't create his own raid group. But now, Yoo Jin-Ho was proposing to create a group for him.

It was the perfect opportunity.

- But... But we need at least 10 people to meet the required limit.

- We'll do the same as Hwang Dong-Suk. We'll pay people to sign up for the list to fulfill the formalities.

- Wouldn't that be too dangerous?

- If we can handle it with just the two of us, more people won't make a difference. They'll be fine. Think about it; we'll complete 19 raids, and every group will come out of it unharmed. Your father will be impressed with your skills.

Jin-Ho's eyes widened in understanding.

He would be able to show that an ordinary D-rank Hunter could lead 19 raids without any losses. It would be a testament to his abilities, paving the way for him to become the Guild Master. It would be the greatest achievement he could present to his father.