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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Jung Sung-baek of the Sasin Guild, after a moment of contemplation, nodded and stood up.
“Thank you for the invitation, but under these conditions, it’s difficult for Sasin to proceed with a contract. We wish you a successful agreement.”
With a brief farewell, he left the conference room. Now, three remained.
‘Bulsae, Aqua, Neuro.’
Lee Seong-joon looked at the remaining scouts with a relaxed expression.
“Are you willing to disclose your terms?”
“…”
Although they remained silent, their determined gazes spoke volumes.
“Let’s start with the signing bonus. How much can you offer?”
Once again, it was Lee Ye-rin of Bulsae who spoke first.
“We offer 250 billion won.”
“Aqua Guild offers 290 billion yen.”
290 billion yen was equivalent to about 280 billion won. However, these initial offers were just a starting point.
As soon as Hoshino of Aqua finished speaking, Lee Ye-rin spoke again, “We’ll raise our offer to 300 billion won.”
“330 billion yen. I’ll have to discuss it with the Guild Master, but considering Hunter Lee Seong-joon’s skills, I’m sure they’ll approve.”
Just as expected. The signing bonus began to skyrocket as the competition heated up. Gathering the scouts in one place to hear their offers had been a wise decision.
A satisfied smile played on Lee Seong-joon’s lips as the offers continued to climb.
“350 billion won.”
Perhaps because of his overwhelming performance in breaking Sandra Bullock’s record? Although he hadn’t checked the details yet, the signing bonus alone was reaching SSS-rank levels.
‘…This is a bit surprising.’
It was certainly possible. But it was just a possibility. There could be unforeseen variables.
‘Of course, that will never happen…’
It was natural for the scouts, who didn’t know about ‘Lee Seong-joon, the Demon God,’ to lack such certainty. Despite the risk of not even recouping half their investment, they continued to raise their offers.
“370 billion yen, which is about 355 billion won. We, Aqua Guild, will also cover the exchange fees.”
Having reached their limit, they started adding supplementary conditions, and the increments decreased. Seeing Hoshino’s anxious look, Lee Ye-rin smiled faintly.
“360 billion won! Additionally, I’ll transfer 40 billion won worth of my personal stake in Bulsae Guild.”
Hoshino’s eyes widened.
“Are you serious? You’ll pay a total of 400 billion won as a signing bonus?”
As mentioned before, even SSS-rank hunters usually received around 350 billion won. Although Lee Seong-joon had an impressive record, his estimated rank was, at best, SS+. Bulsae was offering 400 billion won, an amount offered to lower-ranked Grand Masters, not ordinary SSS-rank hunters.
“Yes, of course. We believe Hunter Lee Seong-joon is worth even more.”
Hoshino’s face darkened at Lee Ye-rin’s confident reply. He looked at Lee Seong-joon and cautiously made another offer.
“Although 370 billion yen is our limit for the signing bonus, we, Aqua Guild, will offer additional conditions to maximize Hunter Lee Seong-joon’s profit. So, we would be grateful for the opportunity.”
At Lee Seong-joon’s unwavering expression, Lee Ye-rin couldn’t hide her smile. She sensed victory. But it was just wishful thinking.
Janet McCadie of Neuro, who had remained silent, spoke quietly,
“400 million dollars. If you prefer Korean won, we’ll adjust it to 500 billion.”
“……?!”
Hoshino and Lee Ye-rin’s eyes widened at Janet’s drastic offer. Lee Seong-joon also turned to look at Janet.
‘…As expected of their reputation.’
Neuro Guild, though last on the list, was still among the world’s top ten guilds. They were a world-class guild, with more power and wealth than any other guild present.
“We’ll also offer you the highest rates in the industry for your base salary, incentives, and by-product handling fees. And if you wish, we will provide you with a mansion, a private car, and even a private jet.”
A massive sum of over 500 billion won, along with exceptional supplementary benefits. It was an offer usually reserved for the highest-ranked Grand Masters. Hoshino and Lee Ye-rin’s faces darkened, as if realizing they couldn’t compete with Janet’s offer.
But Lee Seong-joon wasn’t going to accept Janet’s offer immediately.
‘This is excessive.’
There were no one-sided deals in the world. Especially a world-class guild like Neuro wouldn’t operate at a loss.
‘Janet herself doesn’t seem too greedy…’
But she was just a scout. He didn’t think the core executives of Neuro would be as generous.
‘And it’s not just the Neuro executives.’
If he signed with a foreign guild, that nation would have to give emergency conscription rights to the Korean Hunter Association. This meant that the US government and Hunter Association would also try to compensate for their losses.
‘They’ll probably try to make me an American asset, or find some clever loophole in the contract to make me work for the money they paid.’
Both Neuro and the US would try to bind him and maximize their profit. Their desired relationship was completely different from what he had in mind. If he signed a contract with them, it would create future headaches.
‘There’s no need to create conflict.’
Of course, with the support of Neuro and the US, he could quickly and easily walk the path of an emperor. But even without their support, it wouldn’t be a problem. It was a path he would walk eventually.
‘I shouldn’t make the foolish mistake of choosing short-term comfort over long-term hardship.’
Moreover, he had no intention of revealing his thoughts to the scouts. Having organized his thoughts, Lee Seong-joon smiled and said, “You’ve all made good offers, so it’s difficult to make a decision right away. I’ll carefully consider them and contact you later.”
After a brief farewell, he stood up and left without hesitation.
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That night, in a 5-star hotel room, Janet’s face was clouded with worry as she spoke on the phone. She couldn’t answer Milo’s questions.
-So, what do you think after meeting him in person? What’s his potential?
“I apologize… I couldn’t assess him.”
-Didn’t Lee Seong-joon say he would attend? Did he cancel at the last minute?
“No, Hunter Lee Seong-joon was definitely there. I just couldn’t assess him.”
-……
The conversation stopped, and silence hung in the air. She hadn’t been dispatched as a scout without reason. She possessed the S+-rank skill Limitless Vision, which allowed her to estimate a target’s growth potential.
‘But… I couldn’t see anything.’
To be precise, she couldn’t read him. A thick wall of darkness blocked her Limitless Vision.
‘It felt like looking at the Master.’
Victor Wiseman, the master of Neuro and a member of the Guardians. Lee Seong-joon exuded the same aura as him, one of the strongest in the world.
‘Is that even possible…?’
Returnees usually gained power and knowledge proportional to the time they spent in the other world. Those who excelled in their respective fields had usually spent 10 to 20 years in another world before returning to Earth. But according to her research, Hunter Lee Seong-joon had only spent five years in another world.
‘Moreover, he only returned to Earth six months ago.’
It was unprecedented.
‘What kind of life did he live in the other world? What’s his growth limit?’
While Janet was lost in thought, Milo let out a joyful laugh from the other end of the line,
-Hahaha! Good! Good! He really could be the master key we’ve been looking for! No matter the price, get the contract signed and bring him to Neuro.
Milo’s voice was filled with hope, perhaps because she had reported earlier that Hunter Lee Seong-joon had put the contract on hold. But having seen the coldness in Lee Seong-joon’s eyes when she presented the offer, Janet couldn’t give a positive answer.
“I’ll do my best, but… I believe there’s a 90% chance he won’t sign with Neuro.”
-What? Is there something he wants besides money?
“No, sir.”
-Then what is it?
Although her Limitless Vision hadn’t worked, she hadn’t become a personnel team leader solely because of that skill. Her sharp intuition, honed from assessing countless people, had also played a part.
“…He doesn’t want to be a member of a guild. He wants to be a leader.”
-Is that so?
Despite things not going according to plan, Milo’s voice remained calm.
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