"Keke, Lee Soo-ah Hunter."

"Yes..."

Lee Soo-ah seemed to have calmed down a bit. After pouring out her thoughts, she appeared to be sorting through a mix of conflicting emotions.

"Don’t be like that~"

"Yes."

"Try this approach instead. That way of acting won’t get you anywhere. It’s too childish."

"Hah... Then what should I do...?"

"You should be more compliant with Ji-hoon’s wishes~ Show him that you care about him and support him. Acting out like this won’t help at all~"

Section Chief Cha sipped his coffee as he calmly advised Lee Soo-ah.

"Hmm... so then..."

"Here’s what you should try."

Section Chief Cha began to offer various suggestions to Lee Soo-ah.

Knock, knock.

It was Cha I-seul.

"Ji-hoon, I was thinking..."

She entered with a serious expression, indicating she had something important to discuss.

"What do you think about us tackling high-level dungeons?"

"Hmm? High-level dungeons?"

"Yeah, not just A-rank dungeons, but at least S-rank or higher."

"Hmm..."

Her suggestion was bold. Typically, large guilds focused on A and B-rank dungeons to make money, but she was proposing that we aim higher.

"Isn’t that too dangerous? There’s probably a reason why others don’t attempt it."

"True, but we have four S-rank Hunters. I think we might be able to handle it. We don’t need to do the same as other guilds. We’re in a unique position."

"Hmm."

It wasn’t a bad idea, though it did seem a bit risky.

"Besides..."

Cha I-seul frowned slightly.

"The Hunter Association has been putting a lot of pressure on us."

"Pressure?"

"Yeah. You might not know this since you’ve only recently become an S-rank Hunter, but the association has been pushing S-rank Hunters to take on more dangerous dungeons."

She looked rather troubled.

"Why?"

"It seems that the higher-level dungeons are slowly expanding because no one’s clearing them. If left unchecked, they might start encroaching on civilian areas."

It made sense, but it wasn’t an easy task.

"And the current S-rank Hunters aren’t able to handle it?"

"Exactly. They’re all spread out across different guilds, so it’s been difficult to coordinate. But now that we have four S-rank Hunters in our guild, I think we might be able to take on the challenge."

Knock, knock.

"Uh, Ji-hoon hyung. The Hunter Association president is on the line... It seems like you should go see him."

Just as we were discussing, I received my first call from the Hunter Association president.

"I’ll go."

I had to move quickly.

‘The Hunter Association president... This is a bit nerve-wracking.’

After all, he was the most powerful figure in the Hunter industry.

"Baek Ji-hoon?"

"Yes."

His voice was sharp from the start.

"How did you become an S-rank Hunter?"

The first question was pointed.

"I saved up my points and used them."

I answered truthfully, though the full story was more complicated.

"Hmm."

He didn’t seem pleased.

"I’ve heard that you’re the one gathering S-rank Hunters in Blue Guild. Is that true?"

"It’s true, but not entirely. While I did recruit them, most of them came voluntarily."

That was also true.

"I find you suspicious, Baek Ji-hoon."

He said it outright. It was rare to meet someone who would speak so bluntly to a person’s face.

"Whatever your intentions are, drawing too much attention to yourself won’t end well."

His tone carried a subtle warning.

"I believe S-rank Hunters should be doing their job as S-rank Hunters. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we need you to focus on higher-level dungeons."

He looked at me with a piercing gaze.

‘Ah, so this is what I-seul was warning me about.’

"Everyone’s been taking on the easier dungeons, and I think that’s why the Hunter industry isn’t progressing. Therefore, I’m considering penalizing those who take on dungeons below their rank."

He came across as someone who didn’t care much about others’ opinions—he was determined to do things his way.

"Now that you’re a newly minted S-rank Hunter, you should be aware of this."

His voice was cold.

"Our A-Team will focus on higher-level dungeons."

I replied in a serious tone after listening to him. He seemed a bit surprised by my response.

"Really? Other Hunters have been avoiding them..."

"I’ll handle it."

‘The Hunter Association president... He’s not exactly pleasant. He seems like someone who wants to control everything.’

I began to understand what I-seul had been hinting at. It seemed like her decision to join Blue Guild might have been influenced by these pressures.

‘The S-rank Hunters were under more pressure than I thought.’

It was clear from my conversation with the Hunter Association president.

He seemed to view S-rank Hunters as mere tools, not caring about their struggles or difficulties.

‘What kind of person is he? No empathy at all.’

‘Well, I’ll just have to deal with it my way.’

I decided to take a bold approach. I’d go all in, using every point I had.

"Hyung-seok."

"Yes!"

"Is there a cap on the points?"

"Yes, there is. Not many people reach it, but it exists."

"Really?"

"If you max out your stats, you could reach SSS-rank. But honestly, it takes so much time that no one’s likely to achieve it in their lifetime."

‘SSS-rank, huh...’

I began to plan something that would take everyone by surprise.

"Hmm..."

Lee Soo-ah was deep in thought. She was reflecting on what Chief Cha had just told her.

—Soo-ah, whining and clinging won’t make a man like you. —Then what should I do? —You need to be more attractive in his eyes. —How do I do that? I wouldn’t be asking if I knew. —Well, first...

Chief Cha had given her various pieces of advice.

‘Hah... Why is winning someone’s heart so difficult?’

She was realizing how challenging it was. She wished things could just fall into place, but nothing was going the way she wanted.

‘Get it together, Lee Soo-ah. You can’t keep living like this. You need to make another good impression on Ji-hoon. Focus and stay sharp.’

Lee Soo-ah decided to take action.

Knock, knock.

"Yes."

Squeak.

"Um... Ji-hoon..."

Her demeanor had completely changed. Where she had once been whiny, she now seemed more composed and demure.

‘What’s going on? Lee Soo-ah? What happened to her? Did she take some kind of medication?’

"Ji-hoon... Is there anything you need?"

"Not at the moment."

"If you ever need anything, please call me. I’ll do my best to help."

"You?"

"Yes..."

Her behavior was completely different, as if she were a whole new person—kind, gentle, and polite.

The demanding, clingy side of her was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm... Okay. I’ll keep that in mind."

Though it felt odd and suspicious, I decided to see where this would lead.

"Phew... At least I’ve taken the first step..."

Lee Soo-ah took a deep breath as she left Baek Ji-hoon’s office.

‘Soo-ah, pull yourself together. S-rank Hunters might keep flooding in, and you could end up being left out in the cold. You can’t let that happen. Stay calm and approach this slowly.’

With a determined expression, she headed towards Hunter Section 1.

"Um... Section Chief?"

"Yes?"

"How’s the preparation going for what I asked earlier?"

"Oh... Yes, yes."

The Section Chief looked a bit startled, clearly not expecting such a change in Lee Soo-ah’s behavior.

"Um... Deputy Chief Lee Soo-ah...?"

"Yes?"

"Did you take some medicine?"

"No? Why?"

"You seem... different."

"Oh, come on, Chief."

Lee Soo-ah smiled slightly.

‘What’s going on with Soo-ah...? This is so unlike her.’

This was the most unrecognizable version of Lee Soo-ah he had ever seen. When she had led A-Team alone, she had exuded the aura of a general. But now, she seemed almost feminine.

‘Hah... I can’t get used to this...’

He couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

"Hmm. Independent dungeon expeditions for each department are fine, but I’m thinking of organizing a team of S-rank Hunters to tackle an S-rank dungeon. What do you think?"

I was discussing this with Hyung-seok.

"Uh... just S-rank Hunters...?"

"Yeah."

"That’s never been done before."

"It’s not that it hasn’t been done—it’s that no one could do it. S-rank Hunters used to fight among themselves. But I don’t think that’ll be an issue for us."

"Well... that’s true."

"So, I’m planning to give it a try."

"Hmm. If it works out, it could be huge. S-rank dungeon items are incredibly rare, and they sell for ten times the price of A-rank items."

"What? Really?"

It meant that, unlike A-rank dungeons, where large guilds had driven the market price down due to competition, S-rank dungeon items were still extremely valuable due to their rarity.

‘Then it’s obvious—we should focus on S-rank dungeons.’

I felt a surge of excitement.