Chapter 490. Financial Difficulties (2)

The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

Chapter 490. Financial Difficulties (2)

Well, at least my point had been made successfully. I let Kang Changho's proposal to cancel the previous agreement and enter into a cooperative relationship slide by, saying I'd just think it over slowly. And for now, I hurriedly wrapped up the conversation.

***

Although I had even prepared various trap spells to deal with guests, the third conversation with an S-rank turned out to end somewhat peacefully.

'Now I've only reminded myself of problems I'd rather have forgotten.'

But this was truly unexpected. The S-rank hunter named Kang Changho, ever since entering the country, had started causing new trouble. More precisely, he had begun following me again.

'Is he crazy?' I clearly said I needed some time to think over his cooperation proposal!

And this wasn't a joke—this was literally the kind of stalking that could violate the law. Whenever I went out to handle a high-level gate, he'd suddenly appear nearby without warning. By the time I asked him what on earth was going on at the site, the mammal came out with some absurd explanation.

Because I'm a hunter, I happened to spot the generated gate while looking around...

Anyone hearing that might think he was the most diligent professional ever. But Kang Changho's true nature was that of a delinquent in the industry, constantly getting warnings from the Hunter Association.

'So that bastard... now I see, his whole "let's cooperate" act was really just to keep an eye on me. Everything was just an excuse.'

Apparently, he'd gone through quite a few emotional changes since the Ant Nest incident.

'I was already annoyed that he messed with Choi Jin. Seriously... forget that brief moments of normalcy I sometimes saw—should I just give him a private punishment right now?'

In any case, ever since Kang Changho returned to the country, he'd been constantly displaying unexpected behavior without giving anyone a moment's rest.

'Honestly, Earth is fundamentally cursed with bad genes.'

But even as the Earthling beside me began to kick up a fuss, I wasn't particularly paying attention to him.

'There are just too many abnormal humans.'

To be perfectly honest, some clumsy tail following me around wasn't exactly a high-priority issue that needed immediate attention. So then, what was the real crisis I was facing?

To explain, first of all—on the planet called Earth, the upward trend in the number of high-difficulty gates had finally, officially come to a halt. But it wasn't something we could be completely reassured about just by trusting a series of reports—at best, the rate of increase had merely stopped. In truth, gate difficulty had not dropped back to previous levels.

In other words, the phenomenon had stabilized at a point where the probability of S-rank gates was by no means low.

[Online News - Today Gate]

[Is the "New Normal" of Monster Aggression Arriving?]

Because of this, I felt that society was still standing at the very center of an ongoing anomaly, and my sense of unease remained.

'What if dungeon difficulty just keeps rising like this?'

It was only natural for such thoughts to arise.

'And just how far does this difficulty increase go?'

I knew it might be worrying about a problem far in the future, but unlike Kang Changho, I couldn't afford to be lazy in the face of the word "destruction." So I wanted to secure preventive measures early.

'I can't just rely on the [Guardian] system alone. Of course, even a single golem like a [Dragon] isn't nearly enough.'

Drawing on the power of the Core was a desperate measure to begin with—something meant to be used maybe once, and only in a moment of absolute life-or-death crisis.

So I constantly racked my brain to secure other weapons.

'Hmm.'

And after going through all the processes, the item that came to mind was this very specific one.

'Come to think of it, there was that [Mystic Equipment] I obtained back in that American Gate—the one that was nothing but a sea of lava.'

Sssh.

Sitting at home, I picked up the nearby tabletop item box to examine the material. It was slightly larger than a human fist, with a surface tension that gave it a sheen almost identical to mercury. What lay in my hand now was the reward from the reappearance hunt of Nuckelavee—the [Mystic Equipment].

'With this, I could probably craft some equipment.'

Moreover, this item was famous for its [Enchant] effect lasting a long time. But everything described so far was based on Earth's standards. In reality, this soft metal with its fine sheen was often used as a core material for weapons.

'Equipment...'

From this, one thing became clear: even the Alphaauri lifeforms, whose majority of the population were magicians, sometimes seriously used auxiliary tools.

'Originally, the best material would have been the body of a trained sorcerer, but with the Earthling body—whose vessel hasn't evolved much—you'd at least need to attach crutches.'

This thought hadn't changed much since the early days of my reincarnation. Anyway, I wanted to craft a new weapon using this [Mystic Equipment]. A part of me wondered—what's an archmage doing playing the role of a blacksmith in a cramped room?

'It's not the time to fuss over minor details.'

From now on, I have to begin gathering new materials. Of course, gates were literally otherworldly, and since the truth about their creators was unknowable, I'd avoid entering them as much as possible.

'I can't completely stop dungeon exploration itself.'

Relying solely on resources beneath Earth's surface would inevitably hit a limit someday. Therefore, recognizing that I had no other choice, I had decided to try gathering the rare resources found within the dungeon at the same time, but...

[[ Kim Giryeo, your rent is due tomorrow.]]

'Damn it.'

On top of that, the crisis that had just hit was seeping through my skin even faster than a dungeon shock.

'By the feeling of it, I haven't even paid the rent for a few days... how is it already due?'

Financial trouble. To think that an archmage would once again be exposed to such a dreadful disaster.

'Ugh...'

Thud.

I weakly put down the [Mystic Equipment] I had been inspecting until now. Of course, the financial issue that just arose wasn't serious enough to threaten an S-rank hunter's survival.

'Still, it's better than realizing I once owed 40 billion in taxes.'

That [Kim Giryeo Guild] had fallen completely into the red wasn't something to take lightly. For a business owner, this was practically like being struck by lightning.

'We're doomed.'

I had been going out frequently for dungeon investigations and other schedules, and the office rent kept going out steadily. However, whenever the guild master went on a business trip, countless items [appraisals] were entrusted to a third-party agency. So it was perfectly understandable that the profits earned by the guild members simply vanished.

'I won't shamefully deny the fact that we're in the red.'

Thunk.

Just because of the cost, there was no way I could keep personally sorting the loot brought in by F-D-rank hunts...

'Is this the limit?'

Disbanding the guild was by no means a perfect solution either. Using lower-rank hunters to gather a large amount of information had always been an incredibly convenient method.

'I'll probably keep making items nonstop, so human help is inevitably essential.'

So now, the situation left only one conclusion.

'I can't just leave this deficit as it is.'

I lifted my face from the palm of my hand.

'Then it's about time to completely overhaul the system of the guild I run.'

From now on, I decided to tackle this problem head-on.

...

...a head-on approach. Just hearing that phrase makes it sound like some massive upheaval is about to happen.

"Ah, really? Did Director Kim say that?"

The measures I took afterward were, in fact, remarkably straightforward.

"Yes. The amount of loot we bring in far exceeds expectations."

"Of course, that's only natural. The Director is a busy S-rank hunter, after all."

"Starting next year, our guild will also begin deducting fees related to [appraisal], just like other guilds. The Guildmaster said to take note of this when renewing your contracts, and if anyone wants to leave, feel free to let us know anytime."

All that remained was to inform the guild members about the upcoming changes to their contracts and then wait patiently.

"No employee would be happy hearing that their earnings are being cut."

By the way, bringing up this kind of topic usually sparks resistance, so I had given some money to Choi Jin, the field team representative, and told her to take the team to a Korean beef restaurant—serving as my messenger.

But then...

"If we held a lunch gathering at a time like this, we'd probably get dirty looks."

Surprisingly, the response wasn't bad at all.

"As long as the Guild Master allows it, of course we'll keep working here!"

A few minutes later. When the employees heard that the guild system was about to be reorganized, they reacted like this. Instead of grabbing their severance pay and making a quick escape, they declared that they would stay in this tiny, struggling guild.

"Really?"

I couldn't fully trust their words, so I subtly asked Choi Jin to gauge their true feelings. Then Choi Jin roughly conveyed the employees' thoughts. Apparently, even the field staff vaguely realized that the guild was giving out excessive benefits.

Recently, with the guild master being pulled in all directions due to various dangerous dungeon breaks, after seeing the news on TV, the employees had quietly thought, "I guess it was bound to happen eventually."

I nodded after hearing this report, and Choi Jin continued.

"Besides, these employees are humans too. In the end, they have been calculating in their heads and decided it was worth it to stay, didn't they?"

For reference, this wasn't exactly surprising news.

"Well, after all, my guild still pays a top-tier base salary."

I had even experienced the life of an F-rank worker firsthand, so if someone still didn't understand the staff's mindset, they'd just be foolish.

'From the perspective of a low-tier hunter, it's better to stick around here safely, earning the minimum, rather than chasing higher income elsewhere...'

Reforming the internal structure of the guild turned out to be easier than expected. Just as I was feeling grateful about all this, a short-haired Earthing standing nearby spoke up.

"Um, Hunter Kim Giryeo... I have a question."

It was Choi Jin who continued.

"You just mentioned not only the appraisal fee changes, but also that the guild will be expanding its members."

"Yes, that's right."

"Will this expansion be carried out through a public announcement?"

"Right?"

"Then, would it be alright if I passed this information on to my acquaintances? Of course, if it's a top-secret schedule, I'll put an embargo on it until you give permission, Hunter."

In fact, according to what had just been said, I was planning to take additional measures to turn the business into a profit. And the measure I was talking about was increasing the number of employees.

"No, well, this isn't exactly a top-secret schedule..."

Since most of the employees in the business I ran were lower-ranked hunters, the profit any single person could bring in was obviously limited. Now that I was organizing a team of low-ranked superhumans, I would openly pursue a strategy of small profits from many people.

'I'll focus on recruiting workers in the sub-C rank range, where it doesn't overlap with the Magic Tower Guild. Esther should understand this level of hiring—'

***

[[Breaking News] S-Rank Hunter Kim's Private Guild Finally Opens Its Doors Wide.]

The sudden announcement of a recruitment drive from a guild that had kept its doors tightly closed since its founding. Various news outlets spread the story without holding back any detail that could attract public attention. Especially since Kang Changho's antics of hiring third-rate media had ended, news like this drew even more attention from the public.

'Looks like once there's no one paying, weird comments immediately dropped by 90%.'

So, up to this point, things could be said to be going well.

"Kim Giryeo—is the guild representative Kim Giryeo here today—?"

"Huh? How did Hunter Seo get into our guild...?"

It seemed this person had a different perspective. Upon hearing that [Kim Giryeo Guild] had brought in additional lower-rank hunters, Esther immediately reacted like this.

"Hmm?"

For reference, I had made a bold move to expand the company by purchasing a small building. Being an alien, real estate investment was a bit premature, but among my assets, property was relatively safe, so I bought it for that reason as well. And yet, right into the guild building I had prepared, Seo Esther showed up first thing in the morning.

And the moment she saw me, she stepped closer and said.

"No, this guy's seriously crazy, isn't he?"

"S-speaking informally?"

"You said you had zero intention of running a successful guild, yet you suddenly start recruiting employees? With this, I guess you are really a Grade 6 public officer!"

"Please calm down..."

"Unless you're some agent expanding your influence in the superhuman industry, what reason would you have to deceive me and pull off such a scheme?"

"Hunter Seo, please calm down first."

"I even personally [cursed] the reporters spreading rumors, and now you dare turn a favor into an enemy!"

To think the first thing I experienced after setting up the guild building was a fight. For starters, since she was one of the articles before the morning was even over.

[[ A Pink Atmosphere Between S-Rank Hunters? O... Seo Esther caught gently fixing her partner's tie for quite a while ]

Suddenly, rumors of a romance were spreading.

"Damn it."

My head was already spinning.

"So that's how Esther gripping my collar and whispering so menacingly ended up looking at Earth cameras."

For now, I calmed down Seo Esther, who had come in angry, and sent her off. But inside the building, there was no time to rest—uninvited guests kept streaming in.

"Hunter Kim!"

The voice belonged to Jeong Haseong. And since I already had a rough idea of what he was about to say, I couldn't exactly look cheerful.

"Haseong-ah..."

"Congratulations on the guild expansion!"

"You must have had a hard time coming to this inconvenient building... you really didn't have to..."

"Since we're in this line of work, celebratory occasions don't come around often. So whenever there's a chance, I want to make sure to properly congratulate you."

"Yeah..."

A colleague appeared, carrying a bunch of health supplements made from dungeon resources. Normally, there'd be no reason to dislike this. If someone is giving a gift for free, why would a materialistic person like me refuse it?

"Oh right, by the way, before I came here, I also checked the morning news."

While I was sullenly keeping my mouth shut, the guest, Jeong Haseong, continued speaking.

" [Kim Giryeo] really went all out creating jobs for the elderly, didn't they?"

"..."

"Anyway, Hunter, you're really impressive. I've always been so focused on making my own work easier that I wouldn't even glance at an applicant unless their specs were top-notch."

"..."

"But thinking about it again, that probably wasn't a very fitting attitude for someone whose job is to protect the city."

"It's not something I did out of some grand idea."

"Then was this kind of win-win approach just a natural attempt? That's even more impressive. I wonder when I'll ever be able to match your insight, Hunter—"

It wasn't my intention to hire the elderly for that reason. This time too, I had acted with the cold, calculated purpose typical of an Alhauri.