Eclipse Hunters Guild (2)

Lee Seung didn't look back or remove his watch from the screen. Despite the murmurs, he knew no one would dare claim he was overpowered.

"Besides, I am not stronger than a D-rank Hunter."

* * *

Silence...

Lee Seung continued to scrutinize his stats on the screen. A few seconds later, he turned around, still pinning his palm to the screen.

"Are we done here?" he asked, looking at Mr. Choi.

Kim Eunji sighed loudly, crossing her arms behind her back. Her eyes locked with Seung's. "Mr. Lee Seung, your guild registered you for the test as an F-ranker, but these stats are way too high."

Lee Seung gritted his teeth, feeling his breath grow hot. His other palm suddenly became sweaty.

Kim Eunji continued, "Is it that there's a mistake with the inputted rank, or...you are undergoing super evolution? I'm curious."

'She's trapping me! D*mn it, what do I say?' Lee Seung thought. He knew the truth—he was as strong as an E-ranker—but admitting a rapid rise could raise suspicions. His heart pounded.

Silence...

Mr. Choi realized what the lady was attempting. She stared at him seriously while Lee Seung avoided her gaze.

'No matter how I try to connect the dots, he's leveling up too fast. But that doesn't matter too much,' Mr. Choi thought. He then laughed, "Haha, Miss Kim, please be lenient with my employee. He always forgets to put the scroll back on the shelf."

Eunji's cold eyes shifted to him. "What do you mean, Mr. Choi?"

"Last time he went hunting, I had to remind him to wear his gear to stay safe around monsters that release acidic liquor..."

"Could you please go straight to the point? Time doesn't favor any of us," Kim Eunji said in a low, cold tone.

Mr. Choi sighed. "Mr. Lee forgot to do a stats checkup at the Hunter Centre. As you can see, he's dumbfounded by how much stronger he's gotten. He forgets things easily, haha."

Despite his explanation, Eunji's suspicious expression remained. She asked the elderly man beside her for a record and clutched a bulky book. After scrolling for a while, she turned the page to Mr. Choi.

"The Hunter record?" Mr. Choi mumbled.

"Yes, I have the record of this guild's hunters, including your employee's," said Eunji. "Mr. Lee Seung took the hunter examination a few weeks after getting awakened, which is less than a month ago. Do you agree he could rise to a higher rank in that time?"

Mr. Choi stared at the floor, speechless. He knew if things got more serious, Lee Seung could be detained for investigation.

He swallowed hard, not knowing what to do next.

"It's true I became a Hunter a few weeks ago," a masculine voice said from the front. Mr. Choi looked toward the source of the familiar voice.

Kim Eunji looked forward as well, crossing her arms nonchalantly.

"The reason for my rapid ascension is understandable; my sister has been comatose for years, and I was told she could be cured with the Jar of Life. That's why I became a Hunter and raid dungeons frequently to get stronger. I know I must become stronger at all cost because it may not take long for me to find a C-rank monster," Lee Seung said. "Finding the rare treasure is my motivation."

A few moments later, Lee Seung and Mr. Choi exited the testing room. Kim Eunji leaned on the door, rubbing her chin as she stared at their backs.

"Miss Kim, are you off his case now?" asked the elderly man, Mr. Chu, standing behind her.

Kim Eunji responded, "I can't easily buy that. I have a plan."

Lee Seung's eyes widened, and his legs froze upon reaching the lounge. He pointed and shouted, "The truck driver should stop! The girl is in the way!"

Everyone in the lounge glanced outside. The guild was built with glass and close to the main road.

"OH, MY!"

"Someone, please save her!"

"Oh goodness!"

The people panicked, seeing a little girl, around eight years old, standing on the road with a truck driving toward her. Some security guards ran out of the building and signaled to the truck driver to stop.

"Pull over! I repeat, pull...over!"

No matter how hard they shouted, the truck wouldn't stop. It was a few inches away from hitting the girl!

Bam! Buzz! Crash!

Lee Seung gently looked up. At that moment, his lips parted, and his eyes widened.

"Who is he?? He...he stopped the truck?!" he said aloud. A man with white hair in a long black coat was standing at the truck's front, his palm firmly pressed against its front end. The man had just stopped the moving truck and saved the girl.

"Wow! It's the S-rank Hunter, Park Junho! He's so strong!" one of the men in the guild said loudly.

Lee Seung was completely overwhelmed. How could someone effortlessly stop a fast-moving truck?

"There's no reason to be so shocked, Mr. Lee. That's the least an S-ranker can do," said Mr. Choi.

In a second, the Hunter appeared at the guild's entrance with the little girl. Lee Seung couldn't help but utter the word 'Wow.'

'So, this is what it means to be the best at something? I can't even move that fast if I use Light Speed,' Lee Seung thought.

"One warning before he gets here; don't make it obvious that you admire him," Mr. Choi whispered.

"Why?"

"Because he can be a jerk too."

Step...

The sound of the man's shoes on the tiled floor drew closer to Lee Seung. Getting to Mr. Choi's side, the man stopped.

He smirked. "Nothing is fun if people don't realize my presence. Don't you agree, Mr. Minho?"

"I don't think I have the best response, Mr. Park," said Mr. Choi, with a faint smile.

The man, hands behind his back, stared at the ceiling. "It's such a pity you're expelled from Dongwon Guild. You wouldn't be a peasant manager by now." He smirked, then looked at Mr. Choi. "I believe you must have the best response to this, right?"

Lee Seung stared at Mr. Choi with astonishment. He never knew Mr. Choi had worked for one of the largest guilds in Seoul. Most importantly, he was surprised to learn that the man had been expelled.

'But for what?' Lee Seung said inwardly.

Mr. Choi clenched his fist.

The S-rank Hunter looked briefly at Lee Seung, then back at Mr. Choi. "I know you're cunning when it comes to money. But I don't expect you to be greedy, not employing a manager but doing the role of guildmaster and manager yourself...."

At that moment, Lee Seung stepped on him, looking all innocent. He pleaded, "Oh, my. That was an accident. I am sorry..."

'What the heck is that? A human leg or metal?' he thought, looking at the man's shoe.

The man remained unfazed, as if nothing had stepped on him. He said to Seung, "I see you're his employee. Why don't you work as my errand boy and I pay you a billion won per day?"

Lee Seung knew his intention right away. It was clear that Mr. Choi and the man weren't on good terms. So, he was trying to play the rich man card.

Lee Seung said, grinning, "Oh, my. It's a huge chance to be employed by someone like you, sir." He then asked, "Can I ask a quick question, sir?"

"Ask away," said the white-haired man, proudly.

Lee Seung said, "Who do you think is wealthier, a man with a thousand gold coins or a man who owns a field of precious herbs?"

Silence...

The man didn't respond; instead, he kept looking at Seung with a wry expression. The young guy's calmness didn't wane, even with time.

The S-rank Hunter chuckled, "I see you have a sharp mouth. I'll give you that."