"Yes!"

I silently celebrated the success of the recruitment. The process had been swift and decisive.

Technically, Yoo Hana and Lee Soo-ah were already part of Blue Guild, so Cha I-seul was the first real target I had actively pursued and successfully recruited.

[Hey, Hyung-seok, come over here.] [On my way!!]

Hyung-seok showed up in less than two minutes after I sent the message.

"Hey, you know who Cha I-seul is, right?" "Of course I do, bro. How could I not know Cha I-seul Hunter? I’m familiar with all the female Hunters in the country, even down to B-rank."

This guy was truly obsessed with women. The number of Hunters in the country, even just the B-ranks, was massive.

He wasn’t just a Hunter fanatic; he was a fanatic specifically for female Hunters.

"Cha I-seul Hunter is joining Blue Guild. She’s transferring."

"What????"

His face was filled with disbelief. I’d grown accustomed to seeing that expression recently.

"Are you serious...? Cha I-seul Hunter is transferring to Blue Guild? That’ll make four S-rank Hunters?!"

It was a massive shift in the Hunter industry. Having three S-rank Hunters in one guild was already unprecedented, but four?

We were making monumental changes in just one day.

"Just remember that. You’re my assistant, after all." "Yes, sir!!!" "Then I’d like you to prepare for I-seul’s arrival."

I smiled.

"Of course, sir!"

"Kekekekekeke."

Hyung-seok was practically skipping down the hallway like a madman.

'What’s his deal...?'

Lee Soo-ah couldn’t hide her anxiety. Whenever Hyung-seok laughed like that, it never boded well for her.

"Hey, Hyung-seok."

She quickly chased after him.

"Hey... wait..."

Her face was tense, her body hunched as she cautiously asked.

"This... isn’t what I think it is, right? You’re not talking about... Cha I-seul Hunter, are you?"

"Cha I-seul Hunter is coming to our guild."

"Oh no..."

Lee Soo-ah collapsed on the spot.

"Miss Lee Soo-ah? Please, get a hold of yourself. Miss Lee Soo-ah."

'What’s going on...?'

As soon as I heard that Lee Soo-ah had fainted, I rushed over.

'Why? What happened?'

I looked at Hyung-seok, who shrugged, clearly clueless.

"I just told her that Cha I-seul Hunter was joining us. That’s all."

"Wait, what?"

Everyone around us gasped in surprise.

"Cha I-seul Hunter is coming to our guild? Blue Guild?"

"Yes, that’s right~"

Hyung-seok replied with a grin that made it clear he was thoroughly enjoying himself. His job satisfaction was through the roof.

"Um... Team Leader..."

The members of Hunter Sections 1 and 2 approached me with newfound deference. Just recently, they had been casually calling me "Ji-hoon."

"Is it true? Is Cha I-seul Hunter really joining our guild?"

Their faces showed disbelief, like they were hearing something too extraordinary to be real.

"Yes, it’s true. She just informed me of her decision."

"Wow... Amazing..."

They had initially gathered out of concern for Lee Soo-ah, but the news about Cha I-seul left them stunned.

"Team Leader... I don’t understand... How are you doing this? I can’t make sense of what’s going on right now..."

The Section Chief of Hunter Section 1 approached, his demeanor far more humble than before. It was clear his attitude had changed dramatically; he could no longer stand confidently in front of me.

"Well, it’s a skill, I suppose."

I smiled.

Bam!!!!!!!

The Guild Master of Zeus Guild slammed his desk in fury.

"Cha... Cha I-seul... How could you...?"

"I’m sorry, Guild Master."

Cha I-seul stood her ground, unshaken.

"Do you know how much effort I put into raising you?"

"If we’re being accurate... I think I’m the one who raised Zeus Guild."

Cha I-seul’s reply was firm and to the point.

The Zeus Guild Master gritted his teeth, biting down on his lip. She wasn’t wrong.

"The contract renewal period still has a long way to go..."

"I’ll pay the penalty."

"What????"

His expression showed clear displeasure.

"Cha I-seul Hunter, you can’t do this. How can you just leave your guild? You know that’s not how the Hunter world works. What do you think you’ll do there? Do you really think you’ll be treated well? From what I’ve heard, the S-rank Hunters there are only department heads."

Being the Guild Master of the 4th ranked guild, his information network was quick.

"I’ve heard about that guy too, and he seems like a mess. Why would you go to someone who’s known for hoarding points instead of spending them?"

He couldn’t understand and pressed further, his tone becoming sharper.

"If I don’t do this now, I might miss my chance. I believe I’m making the right choice."

Cha I-seul’s voice was resolute. As an S-rank Hunter, she had every right to be.

"Hah... Fine. Go ahead and leave. How ungrateful can you be?"

His tone was as sharp as a knife.

"Thank you."

With a polite bow, Cha I-seul left the Guild Master’s office.

"No way... Is Cha I-seul really leaving? This is a big deal... Not just for Zeus Guild, but for the entire Hunter industry..."

"Yeah, and the situation hasn’t even been fully reported yet... If Blue Guild ends up with four S-rank Hunters... That’s going to be crazy, right?"

"Is there any guild that can handle four S-rank Hunters? It doesn’t make sense... They’ll just end up fighting each other."

After all, S-rank Hunters were known to clash whenever they met. They usually kept their distance from one another. So it was hard to comprehend how such a force could be gathered in one place.

"Thank you for all your hard work. If I do end up transferring to Blue Guild, I’ll see you again then."

Cha I-seul wore an apologetic expression. Leaving a guild she had been with for years was hard, but it was something she had to do.

She couldn’t let the opportunity slip by after reuniting with her childhood friend. The conditions were simply too perfect.

Both of them were S-rank Hunters. There was no more stable situation than that.

And then there were Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana. Something felt off about them. She could see how they clung to Baek Ji-hoon.

'Why... Why are they doing that...?'

Cha I-seul decided to follow her instincts. It had been a long time since she had taken such a bold step.

The Guild Masters' meeting.

For the first time in a long while, the leading Guild Masters gathered together—those from the top 1 to 20 guilds.

It was like a G20 summit for the Hunter world.

Such meetings were rare, but the situation had become urgent.

Bang! Bang!

The Zeus Guild Master, his face contorted in anger, slammed his fist on the table.

"Hey, you, Blue Guild Master."

The Blue Guild Master, his face hidden, calmly looked at the Zeus Guild Master.

"Is this really acceptable? Isn’t there an unspoken rule in the industry? Are you just going to poach S-rank Hunters from other guilds?"

"Haven’t we all done similar things before? Poaching talents, planting spies—it’s been an unspoken practice between guilds."

The Blue Guild Master spoke calmly, though there was an unmistakable satisfaction in his voice.

"What...?"

The Zeus Guild Master hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Are you saying it’s true? That Cha I-seul Hunter is transferring? I thought there was an unwritten rule in our industry. S-rank Hunters don’t transfer unless they’re leaving the Hunter world entirely."

The Orange Guild Master, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction, picked up where the Zeus Guild Master left off.

"Exactly. I don’t know if this is right. If Cha I-seul Hunter transfers, that’ll mean Blue Guild has four S-rank Hunters. Is that really acceptable?"

Another Guild Master, who had been quiet until now, added his voice to the discussion.

"There’s no rule against it, and it’s not prohibited. To be frank, the only reason it hasn’t happened before is that no one has been able to pull it off."

The Blue Guild Master spoke with a sharp tone, his voice commanding and overwhelming the others.

"Why are you being so aggressive?"

Lee Jin-hyuk, trying to keep his emotions in check, responded as calmly as he could. It was clear he wanted to protest strongly, but he was also trying to resolve the situation amicably.

'Recruiting Cha I-seul? How is that even possible? She’s the face of Zeus Guild. If they can recruit Cha I-seul, they can probably recruit anyone. What are they using to recruit these S-rank Hunters? Are they seriously going to gather all the S-ranks?'

Lee Jin-hyuk’s thoughts raced as he furrowed his brow, remembering the time he had met Baek Ji-hoon.

From appearances, Baek Ji-hoon hadn’t seemed capable of something like this. There had been nothing aggressive or sharp about him.

But in such a short time, in less than half a day, he had successfully recruited Cha I-seul.

'Hmm. I thought he was just bluffing, but I guess I was wrong. There must be a reason why the Blue Guild Master promoted him to Team Leader.'

There were many things Lee Jin-hyuk didn’t understand, but he could see that things were unfolding just as the Blue Guild Master had planned.

"Aggressive? I’m just continuing the same recruitment practices that have always existed between guilds. The only difference is that the target this time is an S-rank Hunter."

Transfers were common enough among B-rank Hunters. No one really paid much attention.

But when it came to A-rank and above, things became much more sensitive, as these moves could significantly impact relationships between guilds.

"I think we should avoid indiscriminate recruitment between guilds..."

Lee Jin-hyuk tried to steer the conversation in a more diplomatic direction.

"Didn’t Baekho Guild just secretly recruit Cha Soo-hyun Hunter last week? A previously unknown S-rank Hunter, no less."

The Blue Guild Master’s voice grew a bit sharper. After all, Baekho Guild had engaged in similar behavior recently.

"Th-that’s..."

Lee Jin-hyuk was momentarily speechless. He had indeed been trying to achieve the same effect as Baek Ji-hoon, though it hadn’t worked out as planned.

'Hah... Cha Soo-hyun... She’s turning out to be more of a burden than I expected...'

"In fact, I think Baekho Guild might have started this whole situation with your recruitment of Cha Soo-hyun Hunter. Wasn’t that the first move?"

The Blue Guild Master began to press Lee Jin-hyuk harder.