𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕𝟑: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
At the banquet hall of the 〈Korea Hunter Association〉.
Siwoo, the seven Guild Leaders of Heptagram, and Chae Woo-dam, the Association President, were gathered there, engaging in a casual conversation.
“I’m looking forward to it. There haven’t been any remarkable individuals among the recent graduates.”
Lee Ye-ji remarked, swirling the wine glass in her hand.
“That’s right. The number of individuals with notable skills has also significantly decreased, and there’s no one who stands out even among the high-ranking graduates.”
Choi Sung-il agreed with her.
“If we’re talking about recent hot topics. . . .”
Min Si-joon glanced at his older brother.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“‘It must’ve been noisiest when the master showed up. I just ignored it, but I heard that the Guild Leaders came to check it out for themselves.”
Kang Yeo-hwa chimed in from the side.
“That’s right. Even Hunter Choi Sung-il came.”
Min Si-joon deliberately avoided mentioning Ryu Ji-hwan’s name.
Not only was he not someone who held fond memories, but there were also those who had been deeply hurt because of him.
He turned his gaze to Hunter Chae Woo-dam.
Chae Woo-dam was looking into the void with a faint smile on his thin face.
He was already a man of few words, but now that he wasn’t saying anything at all, it was difficult to ask him questions.
“Hahaha. Anyway, I’m glad we changed the selection system. Otherwise, every time there were graduates, the guilds would fight like crazy!”
Do Kyung-hoo poured a strong liquor into a 500cc beer mug and smiled with satisfaction.
Until recently, whenever graduates who had completed climbing the Tower of Trials came out, there was fierce competition among the guilds to secure contracts with them.
Even if their rank was slightly higher, they would often scout them by paying signing bonuses without properly checking their abilities.
As this situation repeated itself, the emphasis on simply securing high-ranking Hunters became stronger.
Which guilds have more of A+ rank, or who offered a higher signing bonus, etcetera.
The competition to secure high-level Hunters had somehow transformed into an industry that sought to produce stars.
The problem only worsened, but no one could come up with a solution.
They were divided into factions: those like Do Kyung-hoo, Gi Il-lyeon, and Lee Ye-ji who stepped back from the competition altogether; and those like Ryu Ji-hwan, Min Si-joon, and Choi Sung-il who tried to preempt each other, and the Guild Leaders failed to find common ground.
Although they had organized several discussion sessions, Ryu Ji-hwan would always start a conflict, deepening the rift, and even those sessions became rare.
Then, the incident at the ‘Gangwon S-rank Gate’ became the tipping point.
An unprecedented disaster in South Korea.
And in that battle, the Guild Leaders faced a grim reality.
They were all highly valued, but when it came to facing powerful monsters, there were few Hunters who could actually fight properly.
It was then that Siwoo, after taking over the [Gold River Guild] and transforming it into the [Mad Dog Guild], proposed an agenda at the policy meeting.
━Let’s not have the guilds choose, but give the graduates the power to choose.
It was a suggestion to let them pick their first, then, second choice of a guild that they wish to join, like how you would select a college. If the guild does not want that particular graduate, it would allow other guild’s to try and sign them in.
Not only Heptagram but also other small and medium-sized guilds decided to participate in this.
“It’s a kind of contract market. Until now, we’ve been running around like salesmen. . . In fact, I don’t know what we’ve been doing because we haven’t had time to verify or understand the Hunters.”
Choi Sung-il looked back on the past with a regretful expression.
A chicken game where they thought they would win if they brought in as many Hunters as possible, even for a higher price.
Thinking that the bitter war was over, he felt a sense of relief.
“Hahaha! Now, we have to sell the future of the guild, not money. In order to be chosen by the graduates, we have to let them know why our guild is good. But you came up with such a great idea, Mad Dog.”
“It’s just something that came from experience.”
When Siwoo returned to Earth, the Guild Leaders rushed to him when he caused a commotion after coming out of the Tower ofTrails.
Of course, it is true that someone needs to come to stop a troublemaker, but that role did not belong to the Guild Leaders.
They simply moved quickly so as not to miss out on a promising talent.
Siwoo remembered the emotions he felt at that time.
‘𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳?’
The fear of being overtaken by other guilds made them busy.
In his opinion, that was not the role of a Guild Leader.
“I won’t be resentful even if the graduate I want goes to another guild.”
Choi Sung-il smiled and looked around at the Guild Leaders of Heptagram.
“Of course.”
“Hunter Do Kyung-hoo, I apologize in advance.”
“Hahaha! Min Si-joon Brat has grown up a lot! [Brawler Guild] is not dead, don’t look down on us!”
The Guild Leaders joked with each other, filled with anticipation for the selection process that would take place soon.
“Gi Il-lyeon, do you have any graduates you’ve been keeping an eye on this time?”
Siwoo asked her, who was standing silently beside him.
Gi Il-lyeon scratched her short hair and hesitated for a moment before pulling down her mask and answering briefly.
“A genius. . . .”
“A genius?”
She nodded.
A genius.
Come to think of it, Ryu Ji-hwan’s nickname was also genius.
After a while, the Guild Leaders of the small and medium-sized guilds arrived.
And, guided by the Korea Hunter Association’s guide, the new graduates who had graduated within the past four weeks appeared in the banquet hall.
There were a total of 58 graduates.
They looked around nervously, their faces tense.
Although there were quite a few people present, including the Guild Leaders of small and medium-sized guilds and the Korea Hunter Association’s assistants, the graduates’ gazes were drawn to a single table near the stage.
“Holy sh*t. . . It’s the Guild Leaders of Heptagram!”
“This is my first time seeing them in person.”
“Hey, hey, isn’t that Hunter Do Kyung-hoo over there with his hair down?”
“‘OMG. . . Hunter Kang Yeo-hwa is beautiful. They call her the empress, but she’s like a goddess.”
“Hunter Gi Il-lyeon is here too! Someone who was the fourth in ranking back then in Korea while still in the 20’s has to come from a legendary generation.’
The graduates whispered to each other, unable to calm their excitement.
They could not hide their excitement at the fact that the objects of their admiration and role models were watching them right in front of their eyes.
“It looks like ‘that guy’ is among them.”
Do Kyung-hoo, who had emptied a bottle of liquor in no time, cast his gaze with a slightly puffy face.
“As expected, Hunter Do Kyung-hoo is also after ‘that guy’, huh?”
Kang Yeo-hwa looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
“Well, it’s true that I’m concerned. Who here isn’t after ‘that guy’?”
“Who the hell is that?”
Siwoo asked, looking at them, clueless.
“Are you telling me you came here. . . without knowing that?”
“So, who is it?”
“Our master doesn’t watch the news. . . . Please understand, Hunter Do Kyung-hoo.”
“Nothing has changed, huh? He seems to be even more indifferent to the way the world works than I am.”
Do Kyung-hoo shook his head.
“Actually, there’s a ‘genius’ among this year’s graduates. He’s a super rookie who cleared the Tower in the shortest time, breaking Ryu Ji-hwan’s record.”
Kang Yeo-hwa explained the details of the rumor one by one so that Siwoo could understand.
A new Hunter who came out with those who were one grade ahead, thanks to his incredibly fast clear time.
“There are no adjectives that don’t follow him, from ‘the second Gi Il-lyeon’ to ‘supernova’. And according to interviews with graduates who came out with him, he was evaluated as a genius even when he was in the academy.”
Siwoo looked intrigued by the unexpected information.
He didn’t want to recruit him to his guild, but he simply wanted to see the ‘genius’ of the rumor.
“That’s why everyone is desperate to recruit ‘that genius’. Are you interested too, master?”
“Well. . . I’m just curious about what kind of person he is.”
“According to the rumor, when a fellow graduate asked him which guild he was going to apply to, he mentioned that he would join Si-joon’s guild. That’s why he’s so excited over there.”
“Sister! When did I get excited. . . I’m just being myself, right?”
Min Si-joon dismissed Kang Yeo-hwa’s words with a slightly flushed face.
Siwoo watched their conversation from the side and chuckled.
Then, a man came to the center of the banquet hall and looked around with a microphone in his hand.
“I would like to thank everyone who has gathered here. I am Park Myung-joo, a personnel manager at the 〈Korea Hunter Association〉, and I will be hosting this event. First, let me introduce the graduates who have worked so hard to come out of the Gate. Please give them a round of applause!”
As the host finished speaking, applause erupted from here and there.
The graduates seemed unfamiliar with this situation, and they kept bowing their heads with embarrassed expressions.
Lee Ye-ji, who was watching their innocent appearance, muttered to herself.
“Those who are good, shine.”
“Isn’t Hunter Lee Ye-ji having a good time right now?”
“Oh my, thank you for the compliment, Hunter Kang Yeo-hwa. But. . . Hunter Kang Yeo-hwa, who is speaking like that, is also getting prettier by the day? Are you in love these days?”
“Y-Yes?? Oh, no! I’m not in love. . . . I-I don’t do anything like that.”
“Haha. Why are you suddenly so flustered? I was just joking. Or is there someone you like?”
“Yes. . .? N-No, that’s. . . .”
Kang Yeo-hwa glanced at Siwoo, who was sitting opposite her, without realizing it.
“Oh my~. Don’t tell me you have a cru. . . eek.”
“Uwaaaaah! Stop stop!”
She used a palm of her hand and closed Kang’s mouth shut at that instant she was about to open and say something.
At that moment, the host’s voice rang out through the banquet hall again.
“Thank you. Next, I would like to introduce the Guild Leaders of the guilds that support our Republic of Korea. Please give them a round of applause.”
Cheers erupted again, and applause filled the space.
Of course, the introduction said that they were the Guild Leaders of the guilds, but everyone’s attention was focused on Heptagram.
The seven pillars made up of the top Hunters in South Korea.
“Now, let’s have the graduates come to the center of the banquet hall one by one and announce the guild they wish to join. Guild Leaders and non-graduates, please move to the banquet hall next door for a while and enjoy the banquet.”
About half of the people left like a receding tide at the host’s words.
After a while, the graduates’ names were called, and they came out one by one to stand in the center of the banquet hall.
“Yes, hello. . . My name is Han Byeong-cheol, and I acquired a B-rank skill this time. Since I am a tanker, I hope to join Hunter Choi Sung-il’s [White Lion Guild].”
“Hello. My name is Choi Yu-na, and I acquired a C+ skill. Um. . . It’s a support skill, so I would like to join the [Armadri Guild].”
“Ah, hello. My name is Seo, Seong-shi. And, my skill is A-rank. . . It’s a magic skill, so I would like to join the [Imperial Guild].”
The graduates spoke confidently about the guilds they wanted to join, even though their faces were full of tension.
The Guild Leaders calmly observed them, checking the graduates they wanted or taking notes of the graduates who wanted to join their guilds.
Starting with this batch, there was a limit on the number of members in each guild, so they could not take all the graduates without question.
The quota allocated to Heptagram was two members per guild.
The number of graduates who had made their announcements gradually increased, and finally, the last remaining graduate walked to the center of the banquet hall.
Everyone’s eyes were focused on that graduate.
“Hello. My name is Choi Kang-yul, and I acquired an S-rank skill.”
He was a handsome young man with a typical pretty boy face and a stylish hairstyle.
“So he’s the ‘genius’ from the rumor.”
“I wonder which guild he will say.”
“I heard he wanted to go to [Imperial].”
“No, according to the graduates this time, he wanted to go to [Brawler].”
People couldn’t stop buzzing about Choi Kang-yul’s appearance.
Siwoo looked at him with a surprised expression, as he was not what he had imagined.
Choi Kang-yul looked at the Guild Leaders of Heptagram with calm and composed eyes.
Soon, his mouth slowly opened.
People’s attention was focused on him in an instant.
“The guild I want to join is. . . .”
Choi Kang-yul’s gaze fell on one of the Heptagram members.
Siwoo raised one corner of his mouth as if it was funny.
“Hunter Min Siwoo’s [Mad Dog Guild].”
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