CH 27

After Han Cha-soo closed the door and left, the two guild leaders descended into the cafeteria. Not particularly conscious of the hunters in the appraisal room.

“I heard you were busy.”

“You pretend I’m not?”

Jung Yiheon asked, trying to keep his off his back.

“If you don’t run now, the plane will fly away, Guild Leader Geum Myeong-yeol.”

“You know my flight schedule, but you don’t know that it’s a private plane, so it’s not as useful a source of information as I thought.”

And Geum Myeong-yeol simply followed him down, trying to scratch his head while Han Cha-soo was gone.

He smirked, resting his chin in his hands.

“You must be feeling a sense of crisis, seeing as how you want to get rid of me so quickly. Are you afraid that Han Cha-soo’s heart will turn towards me?”

“Guild Leader Geum Myeong-yeol.”

Jung Yiheon put down his cup with a human-like smile.

“When a man drives out a beast, it’s not out of rivalry, it’s for the safety of the community.”

Han Cha-soo is my man, and you are not a human but a beast, and therefore I am casting you out to protect my man.

At the bony words in the soft voice, Geum Myeong-yeol smiled.

“Oh…”

“I wonder what they’re talking about?”

The cafeteria workers, watching them from afar, whispered among themselves.

“I heard they’re not getting along, but they look nice.”

Just as they said that, the two men smiled at each other.

One was Jung Yiheon, the leader of Korea’s number one guild, Heavenly Spirit.

The other was Geum Myeong-yeol, the head of Exilis, which is even higher in the global rankings.

The difference between their gentle charisma and overwhelming power was evident from the outside.

“One looks like an actor, the other like a mafioso.”

“Yeah, right. Guild master Exilis is a half-blood, so it’s more plausible.”

The words were muttered from a distance, but there was no way they could not be heard by S-class hearing.

Jung Yiheon covered his mouth with a small smile.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

Veins sprouted on Geum Myeong-yeol’s forehead at the arc of his eyes.

‘Foxy bastard.’

Whether it was his public image or the way he treated his subordinates, Jung Yiheon was undoubtedly the most well-liked hunter among the S-class.

But the S-grade hunters who rivalled him knew that.

Jung Yiheon is not a man to be trifled with.

Geum Myeong-yeol took a sip of the tea he’d ordered and pushed it away.

“Guild Leader Jung Yiheon.”

“Speak.”

“I know I was a little light-hearted in front of Han Chasoo-ssi, but I trust you don’t intend to let it get to you.”

“Of course not.”

Jung Yiheon raised the corner of his mouth.

“Who doesn’t know that the Guild Leader’s light-hearted favour is directed towards the item Han Cha-soo has.”

“…….”

“If you don’t like light, let’s call it a heavy, sullen favour.”

“I always thought, you know, half of my Korean skill is thanks to you.”

“I wasn’t planning on taking on a pupil, but I’m glad you found it helpful.”

“So, I learnt something from my secretary this time, and I want you to make sure it’s useful.”

Geum Myeong-yeol smirked.

“It’s the word ‘frivolous.’ He said it can be used against someone who grabs someone who wants to take a break and forces them into a lifetime contract, am I right?”

“…….”

In the midst of a bloody snowball fight, the phone rang through the cafeteria.

“Answer it.”

Jung Yiheon said, jerking Geum Myeong-yeol’s mobile.

His brow cracked as he looked at the screen, and when he saw the look on his face, Jung Yiheon was sure.

‘It’s England.’

Geum Myeong-yeol was about to board a flight to England. He suddenly exited the airport and headed here.

It was a good thing they had told him to report any suspicious activity.

Otherwise, today, Han would have been the victim of a second kidnapping attempt.

“You don’t have to worry about Korea.”

Geum Myeong-yeol stroked his chin wordlessly. His golden eyes stared at Jung Yiheon with a deep glow.

He was smiling weakly, but he was cold inside. Jung Yiheon knew what he was thinking.

‘He’s probably making a list of people who might be interested in Han Cha-soo’s items.’

The Earring of Cursed Resonance, for Geum Myeong-yeol, is a must-have item. But he can’t put pressure on Han Cha-soo himself.

The next targets would be the prospective buyers.

Cursed and faith-related awakeners who would have their eyes on the item like Geum Myeong-yeol.

Jung Yiheon could think of three or four names off the top of his head.

Geum Myeong-yeol would probably want to keep the information from getting out to them.

He himself had no reason to stop him.

It’s common sense that the less risk, the better, and a controllable variable of goodness injects some tension.

A definite, controlled risk instead of a multitude of unrecognized threats.

‘One Geum Myeong-yeol is fine.’

As long as he was after items, Han Cha-soo would have no choice but to stay with the Heavenly Spirit Guild.

My contented thoughts were interrupted by a brisk declaration from Geum Myeong-yeol.

“Thank you for the tea, Heavenly Spirit Guild Leader.”

He rose from his seat without a second thought.

“We’ll finish talking when I get back.”

He swept a hand through his hair and tipped his teacup. It was a gesture of calculation.

Jung Yiheon laughed silently and shook his head.

“You’re welcome.”

If you can get rid of him for the price of a cup of tea, it’s a good business. Jung Yiheon was willing to buy tea again and again.

I stood up to see him off, out of courtesy, but my phone rang.

“You’re not answering?”

“…….”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a call from your loudmouth vice guild leader.”

Geum Myeong-yeol’s eyes glinted as he sneered at me. He wasn’t about to leave until he did.

“Ha….”

As soon as he finally sighed and picked up the phone, a shout came through the receiver.

-Damn it, Jung Yiheon, where are you!

Hearing the sound, Geum Myeong-yeol smiled with the satisfaction like a well-fed tiger.

Meanwhile, Han Cha-soo was in a state of extreme anguish. Leaning against the wall, a long sigh escaped his lips.

He had just hit a horrible, horrible 0.5% jack pot.

‘If you’re going to give me this kind of luck, you should have given it to me when I was possessing a villain.’

If there really was a God, he wanted to break his back. Han Cha-soo looked out the window with tearful eyes.

The sky was so clear and beautiful. It was incomparably clearer than the world before.

But his situation was too dire to enjoy the untainted nature.

[Earring of Cursed Resonance]

-Earrings once worn by a priest of a sinister deity. The owner’s blood has dried on them.

-Difficulty to obtain: Rank 1

-Increased Curses/Faith Skill Attack (S)

-Increased Mana Recovery Speed with Curses/Faith (S)

-Increased Curses/Faith Attribute stats (S)

-Slots available for registration (2/2): currently sealed

-Couple Item (Partner is not registered.)

-Attributable item (Owner: Han Cha-soo)

He checked again, but nothing had changed.

Han Cha-soo washed his face dry and closed the item window.

‘Difficulty level 1, three S-class skills. Plus, it has two slots.’

In terms of value alone, he could have rushed to the auction house and traded it for Universal Escape Stone.

In fact, to some, it was more valuable than the Universal Escape Stone. It had two slots.

A slot is a rare stat that drops at a very low rate regardless of difficulty.

They’re usually made from enchanted gemstones or jewellery, and give an item additional stats.

I’m sure that’s enough to make Geum Myeong-yeol’s eyes glaze over. You can get the effects of three items from one earring.

So, I have to unbind it somehow.

‘As long as I don’t die… No, I can’t die.’

This is a life I’ve saved, and I don’t want to let it go because of Geum Myeong-yeol.

After killing as much time as possible in the corridor, Han Cha-soo walked slowly.

He hoped that the two S-classes would return due to their busy schedules.

He had been walking for almost a minute when he reached the issuing office.

“Gasp.”

“…?”

The receptionist at the front of the issuing office saw him and gulped. Han Cha-soo tilted his head and covered his mouth.

‘Is he sick?’

Then he remembered that the appraiser kept talking about it.

Han Cha-soo thought that the appraiser might have caught a cold, not from the intimidation of the S-class.

After all, the building was exceptionally well air-conditioned.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh… yeah, yes!”

The employee, who had caught his breath in the meantime, asked cautiously.

“…Are you number 72?”

“Yes. Can I go in?”

“No, sir. The previous number is still inside. Please wait a moment until I call you inside.”

He came so slowly, but the previous customer was still not finished. Han Cha-soo was very impressed with the speed of Korea Association’s work.

After checking the waiting list, he lingered in front of the issuing office for a while. The wait was longer than he expected, so he decided to check the news.

It was a habitual search to see if my name would appear somewhere else.

‘Seoraksan, Frost Giants Dungeon…. All gone. Not even an article about Baek-sun.’

I flicked through the pages, relieved, and my turn came.