CH 6

Before saying anything, Seo-ah took a sip of water and glanced at the people sitting opposite her. Her eyes met Yoo Ji-an’s.

“Cough, cough!”

Like before, he was staring like he was about to eat her.

“Huh? Darling, are you sick?” Baek Eun-hee, someone who had never coughed in her life, made a fuss.

Seo Ah-hyun silently pulled her back to her seat.

“What made you ask for me?”

The two guild representatives looked at each other, reluctant to speak first.

Yoo Ji-an’s eyes were getting unbearable.

“Well,” Seo-ah began, “it seems like you have something to say.”

“10 million won per raid. If you join our guild, you’ll get 100 million as down payment on the spot.”

Her mouth dropped open.

It was also strange that Baek Eun-hee was showing her so much favor, but Yoo Ji-an’s offer compounded with his suspicious gaze made her warier.

“We’ll give you 20 million won per raid, and the down payment will be 150 million.”

“200 million.”

“Then, we’ll offer 300 million.”

“500 million.”

The terms they were throwing out grew more surreal by the moment, but neither batted an eye.

In any case, hunters earned exorbitant amounts, and it was even more so for S-class hunters and their guilds.

As such, the money itself was not the problem.

It was Yoo Ji-an’s nonchalant attitude.

“Hey, Yoo Ji-an!” Baek Eun-hee jumped out of her seat.

Park Seo-ah covered her ears at the uniquely loud voice.

The hunter clapped a hand over her mouth apologetically. “Oh, darling!” she lowered her voice noticeably. “I’m sorry, I didn’t consider your constitution. Don’t just stand there, examine her! We must make sure that her eardrums are okay!” She looked at Kim Jung-soo and Oh Hyun-soo behind her.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Yoo Ji-an shook his head, much to her annoyance, but she held in her scream.

Seo-ah opened her mouth. “I wonder why you’re all doing this in the first place.” She looked at the two S-class hunters alternately.

Unable to absorb and interpret the amazing scene in front of them, Kim Jung-soo and Oh Hyun-soo remained silent.

“Nothing is free in this world. Is this all worth it? As you may have noticed, I’m only an E-class healer.”

Of course, that wasn’t her only concern. Were they able to detect her locked status that she herself didn’t understand?

There was a moment of silence.

To be quite honest, their offers were very attractive from her standpoint. But the world of hunters was dangerous, and she could die without even spending a fraction of the millions they were offering.

“Well, I don’t know either. Is it worth it?”

Unexpectedly, it was Baek Eun-hee who spoke first.

Truly, it was difficult to understand how the minds of hunters worked.

“Give me a proper reason, or else I won’t join either guild.

Baek Eun-hee sighed and glanced at Yoo Ji-an. “Ji-an, wouldn’t it be better if we met with her separately?”

“…I suppose.”

“I want to talk with Seo-ah alone.”

Not even Seo Ah-hyun stayed in the large conference room.

Seo-ah gulped. She’d almost forgotten, but Baek Eun-hee was a powerful person. Her overwhelming presence was evident.

“I don’t know what Yoo Ji-an’s plans are, but I’ll look into it. And as I said earlier, I also don’t know if any of this is worth it.”

“What do you want to look into?”

Baek Eun-hee came closer to Seo-ah. “As you know, I don’t have much destructive power for an S-class hunter.”

“Yes…?”

“Oh, it’s talked about every day on the news.” She didn’t bother mentioning that there were hundreds of hunters who mistakenly thought she was weak instead of understanding that it only meant that she was relatively weak.

She raised her index finger and set it down on the desk, effortlessly creating a divot in the wood.

“Uh…!” Seo-ah’s eyes widened.

“Look. I can do this only because you are here with me.”

Seo-ah looked at her skeptically.

Baek Eun-hee touched her shoulder. “Shall we see if I’m right?” She then held out her little finger this time, then placed it on the desk even more gently than earlier.

Crack!

There was a hole.

Seo-ah pursed her lips, speechless.

Seemingly surprised, Baek Eun-hee looked at her fingers and shrugged. “Well, I was somewhat doubtful, but it really does work.”

“You’re a very strong S-class hunter.”

“No, I’m not talking about myself. It’s you.”

“Me?”

Baek Eun-hee looked at Seo-ah like she was a precious object, ignoring her curiosity. “Where did you come from? Did the system grant my wish?” She resisted the urge to pinch her cheek, lest she accidentally use too much force. “Anyway, I don’t know why, but I think my strength increases for a period of time after we make contact. The change doesn’t show up on my status window, but that’s what makes it even more interesting.”

“So…?”

“You don’t know why that’s happening?”

Baek Eun-hee smiled, but the question was sharp. Seo-ah forced an awkward smile in return. She couldn’t tell her that she was something called a supporter yet.

“I don’t.”

“Well, you can’t trust me yet, can you? That’s reasonable. If you want to become a hunter, you’ll need at least that much vigilance.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“How about signing a contract with me? Let’s build trust step by step. I’m much better than Yoo Ji-an, that guy with the bad personality…”

“Thank you for your suggestion,” Seo-ah interrupted. “But first… May the next person please come in?” she called out.

Baek Eun-hee panicked.

“Opportunities must be fair.”

Seo-ah figured that if she really was that valuable, Baek Eun-hee would not get mad at her over that. And as expected, the hunter only sighed and quietly retreated.

On her way out, she smiled, the kind expression vanishing as soon as she saw Yoo Ji-an. “Hey, aren’t you just trying to scare her? Seo-ah, scream if he does anything.”

The door closed as Yoo Ji-an sat opposite Seo-ah, his eyes never leaving hers.

She clasped her hands under the desk.

He was so handsome that he probably intimidated celebrities with his looks.

“I was wondering if you were lying, but you really are an E-class healer.”

“What?”

“I saw your status window.”

Was that possible? Seo-ah also looked intently at Yoo Ji-an, but nothing happened.

“I used my ‘Observation’ skill, so even if you try, you won’t be able to see mine.”

“…Oh, I see,” she mumbled.

By the way, why did he check if she truly was an E-class healer?

“I saved your life that day.”

Unexpectedly, Yoo Ji-an spoke first. He didn’t seem like the type to show off, but what he said was the truth.

Seo-ah bowed slightly. “Yes, thank you very much for saving me.”

“I went into that gate because I was looking for something—although it had opened earlier than I expected.”

“Wasn’t it a sudden gate? How did you know…?”

Yoo Ji-an answered her question with one of his own, “Did you find anything there? Bead-shaped items and the like.”

“No, I hadn’t been in the right state to find anything there. Did you not find it?”

“I didn’t. Instead, I found something even more peculiar.”

Seo-ah was starting to get used to his perennial gaze.

“In any case, if you have a conscience, you should just choose me as thanks for saving you.