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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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‘If I sign a contract with a foreign guild, I’ll gain emergency conscription rights from that nation’s Hunter Association.’
Emergency conscription rights allowed a nation to summon hunters affiliated with foreign guilds in emergencies that threatened national security, such as war or extradimensional invasions. It was a way to address the national security concerns arising from the outflow of skilled hunters to other countries.
For the Korean Hunter Association, whose purpose was to protect the nation and promote its interests, even if Lee Seong-joon worked for a foreign guild, they wouldn’t be at a significant disadvantage.
‘Vice President Ko Taehyun. This isn’t just clever; it’s cunning.’
Joining a foreign guild didn’t mean giving up one’s citizenship. He would remain a Korean citizen, and since he was pursuing triple affiliation, he wouldn’t be working extensively for the new guild.
Lee Seong-joon would rarely leave Korea. In short, they secured both emergency conscription rights and Lee Seong-joon, further strengthening national security.
‘On the surface, it seems like Baekho is getting nothing…’
But looking deeper, Baekho was arguably getting the biggest prize. Although there was no direct contract, given the nature of martial artists, who valued loyalty and reciprocity, Lee Seong-joon wouldn’t forget today’s favor. They had earned a debt of gratitude.
Both Baekho and the Association were benefiting.
Although it was a cunning move, Lee Seong-joon didn’t dislike it. In fact, he quite liked it.
‘The more competent the factions that follow me, the less work I have to do.’
Therefore, he wasn’t going to sign the third contract easily. He would scrutinize it even more carefully.
‘I’ll choose the best one out of the remaining candidates.’
Whether it was a foreign or Korean guild didn’t matter. His criteria were clear. A powerful faction that could protect him and his family from those who threatened and harassed him.
‘And a place that doesn’t restrict my freedom.’
It was a demanding condition, but he didn’t think it was impossible.
‘If I wait… it will appear.’
Vice President Ko Taehyun, acting as his manager, was filtering out unqualified candidates. Although he was a stickler for rules, his judgment wasn’t bad, so Lee Seong-joon could trust him. He didn’t have to worry about those bothersome and unpleasant meetings.
All he had to do was wait.
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Lee Seong-joon’s wait wasn’t long. No, it was much shorter than he had expected. Perhaps it was because he had broken the record of Archmage Sandra Bullock’s party, solo. Guilds, associations, and alliances from around the world were clamoring for a contract. Of course, most of them didn’t meet his criteria.
“As I reported a few days ago, the Vice President has narrowed down the final candidates to five: Bulsae and Sasin Guilds from Korea, Aqua Guild from Japan, Hailong Fortress from China, and Neuro from the US.”
In the conference room of the Hunter Association headquarters, Lee Seong-joon nodded at Jo Kang-hyun’s report.
“Good.”
It was a small number, but they were all guilds he had heard of, all with considerable reputations. There were no small fries. Ko Taehyun had done an excellent job. As a satisfied smile spread across his face…
Knock, knock—!
“I’ve brought the VIPs as you requested. We’ll enter now.”
Since it had all been arranged in advance, the door opened as soon as he heard the voice.
Creak—!
Five men and women entered. Lee Seong-joon’s gaze was drawn to a beautiful woman with long red hair.
‘Lee Ye-rin?’
Unlike the other factions, the guild master herself had come, not a scout.
‘What is she thinking?’
As the head of a large organization, a guild master had to have charisma. High self-esteem went without saying, and they also had to possess considerable reputation and authority. But the guild master herself had come to a formal contract meeting?
Success meant breaking even, but failure would damage their hard-earned reputation. In the worst case, it could raise doubts about their leadership qualities.
‘Is she that confident?’
Or perhaps it reflected her determination, a willingness to stake everything. He couldn’t tell for sure, but her resolve was evident.
‘She has spirit.’
As if sensing his thoughts, Lee Ye-rin smiled faintly and entered the conference room with confident strides, her heels clicking against the floor.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Seong-joon.”
Lee Seong-joon stood up from the head of the table and greeted the scouts. In the past, some of them would have required interpreters due to language barriers, but the translation devices created by Archmage Sandra Bullock had simplified things.
Everyone understood his words immediately and returned the greeting.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Janet McCadie, head of human resources at Neuro Guild.”
“Thank you for this valuable opportunity. I’m Mayuki Hoshino, Chief Human Resources Officer of Aqua Guild.”
“I am Jin Ja-woon, Master of the Wind Dragon Division of Hailong Fortress.”
“It’s a pleasure. I am Jung Sung-baek, Vice Guild Master of the Sasin Guild.”
“It’s the first time we’ve met face-to-face. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Ye-rin, Master of the Bulsae Guild.”
Except for Jung Sung-baek of Sasin and Lee Ye-rin of Bulsae, who had witnessed Lee Seong-joon’s exploits in Korea firsthand, the foreign scouts eyed him with scrutiny.
‘This is Lee Seong-joon…’
‘I wonder if he’s truly the hope of Korea.’
‘…He certainly has an impressive presence.’
Lee Seong-joon didn’t react to their thoughts. Their opinions didn’t matter to him.
“Please, have a seat.”
At his words, the scouts nodded and sat down.
“I assume you’ve all reviewed my information, so I’ll skip the introductions.”
The scouts nodded, as if it were a given. They wouldn’t have come to a contract meeting without researching him.
“I’m not one for beating around the bush, so let’s get straight to the point. I’d like you to each present your contract terms.”
At Lee Seong-joon’s words, their expressions shifted. Some frowned, others widened their eyes. Their expressions varied, but their underlying emotion was the same: bewilderment. They looked at him with confusion.
“All of us together?”
It was Lee Ye-rin of Bulsae who voiced the question. But everyone was thinking the same thing. It was awkward to disclose contract details in front of competitors.
“Contract terms are confidential… If Hunter Lee Seong-joon could assign us numbers, we’d like to discuss them with you in order.”
Lee Ye-rin tried to explain the situation and offer a solution as politely as possible. But it was futile. Lee Seong-joon, having already signed two contracts, couldn’t possibly be unaware of confidentiality clauses.
‘…This is how I get the best offer.’
This was why he had summoned all five scouts at once.
‘It’s a basic market principle: the more competition, the higher the value.’
But most hunters, due to the influence of the guilds, were forced to have private discussions and couldn’t disclose the terms due to confidentiality clauses. In other words, those clauses were a tactic employed by the guilds to recruit hunters at the lowest possible price.
Naturally, Lee Seong-joon had no intention of playing into their hands.
“I won’t force you, but I have no intention of signing a contract with anyone who isn’t willing to disclose their terms. So, if you’re not comfortable, you may leave.”
“……”
A heavy silence fell over the conference room at Lee Seong-joon’s firm stance. But the scouts didn’t show any anger or displeasure. These were all guilds handpicked by Ko Taehyun.
They had passed his strict screening process, based on their relationship with Korea and their past conduct. Of course, that didn’t mean they were entirely pleased with Lee Seong-joon’s attitude.
“I’m not sure if this is appropriate to say after coming all this way, but I’m sorry. I don’t think I can proceed with a contract under these conditions.”
Jin Ja-woon spoke coldly and stood up. A faint smile touched Lee Seong-joon’s lips as he looked at him.
‘Jin Ja-woon of Hailong Fortress… They’re familiar.’
He had encountered them a few times in the Thousand Continents.
‘Good people.’
A deep and pure internal energy, a weighty presence, polite manners, and a decisive attitude. Although their outward personalities varied, they were all similar on the inside.
‘They’re proud, but not the type to cause trouble or engage in underhanded tactics.’
Indeed, Jin Ja-woon, without saying another word, simply bowed his head and left the conference room. Lee Seong-joon then turned to the remaining scouts and asked,
“What will the rest of you do?”
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