"Right. That’s what it was.”

Lee Soo-ah nodded her head as she returned to the office. She recalled Baek Ji-hoon’s expression from just moments ago.

An expression that seemed utterly clueless. His reaction was as if it was the first time he had heard anything like it.

‘He’s acting like this... all for me... Ji-hoon...’

She felt her heart flutter slightly.

‘He wanted me to grow quickly... for my sake... So that’s why he acted like he didn’t know anything…’

She nodded slightly. It was a moment where her heart inexplicably trembled.

Until now, she had never met anyone who truly cared for her.

All the men around her had only ever been obsessed with her, clinging to her.

But Baek Ji-hoon was putting immense pressure on her.

For the first time in her life, she had resisted such pressure fiercely...

But then, she started to think it was all for her.

‘Someone who cares for me... Someone who acts for me... Ji-hoon... He’s a true cold city man...’

Her expression turned slightly trembling. She thought it was the first love she had ever experienced.

‘Yes. From now on, I’ll live right. Just for myself.’

With firm determination, she stood up.

Yoo Hana’s situation was the same.

‘He truly cared for me. That’s why he was so cold and forceful... I see now...’

Her pupils trembled slightly. She felt a strange emptiness in her office.

‘I’ve always lived like this... No one has ever truly understood me or cared for me. Everyone only ever tried to gain something for themselves or tried to build a connection with me. This is the first time…’

She couldn’t control her shaking emotions. She felt like she had completely fallen for Baek Ji-hoon in an unusual way.

‘Hana, stay strong. From now on, live your life. You need to repay Ji-hoon’s care...’

She clutched her trembling heart, trying to regain her composure.

“Hey, Hyung-seok. We don’t have to pay taxes on this, right?” “Nope~ That’s all taken care of when you deposit it with the guild. Income tax is almost 50%, after all. Once you give it to the guild, taxes are basically all handled~ Hehe.”

He was beaming, grinning widely.

Looking at the billion won in his hand, he was in an exceptionally good mood.

“Hyung... Thank you so much... sniff... I’m not even a hunter. I never imagined this could happen to me... sniff...”

Tears of gratitude seemed ready to spill from his eyes.

“Hey, this is just the beginning. We’ve only sold one item so far. There’s so much more to do.” “Yeah... sniff…”

He couldn’t help but feel nervous.

[Wow, I saw the auction closed early. That’s crazy.] ㄴ I saw it too. Sold for 10 billion won. ㄴ Baekho Guild bought it. Those guys are insane, they must be swimming in money. ㄴ Well, it’s not something you can buy with money, so I get it. ㄴ These days, there’s no supply at all, so it makes sense. It’s not like they’re wasting money. ㄴ But isn’t 10 billion a bit much? It sold for 2 billion last time. ㄴ Prices are based on supply and demand. If you think it’s too expensive, go try to get it yourself.

[Is that person going to keep getting fragments of the tormented soul? Is it luck? Or did they pick it up somewhere?] ㄴ If I were them, I’d run dungeons like crazy every day. ㄴ But S-rank hunters can’t even clear S-rank dungeons due to status effects, right? How are they doing it? ㄴ Yesterday, female S-rank hunters cleared an A-rank dungeon, so who is it? ㄴ Who knows? Maybe they’re not really an S-rank hunter? ㄴ Stop talking nonsense. If they weren’t an S-rank hunter, how could they get that item? Did they make it with alchemy? ㄴ Either way, I’m super jealous. Their life is made. ㄴ Not quite. After taxes and fees, the government takes 90%. ㄴ Damn, what do they even do for hunters? ㄴ They give you permission to enter, lol. ㄴ Still, even at 10%, that’s crazy, isn’t it? 1 billion won? You’d need 20 years to earn that with a 50-million-a-year salary. ㄴ Damn, I’m so jealous. I want to be a hunter too.

Of course, the internet was buzzing with talk about us. Everyone was incredibly curious about who we were.

They were also wondering if more items like this would continue to appear in the future.

‘Well, we’ll keep going.’

“Heheh. Hyung, how about we hit a different dungeon next? Hehehe...”

Hyung-seok, who had been digging through various things, smirked suspiciously.

“A different dungeon?” “Yeah. I have a feeling, Hyung, that your abilities are limitless. I think we could aim for even rarer items. Hehehe...”

He was busy scribbling something down.

“This will be a breeze for you, Hyung. Hehe. Just trust me and follow my lead.” “Of course, I’ll do what you say. It’s no big deal to me.” “Hehe. Thank you. This time, let’s aim for something even pricier. Hehe...”

Knock, knock.

“Yes.”

Creak.

It was Cha Manager.

“Ahem, I heard the news... You sold the item?”

He must have seen it online.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Both Hyung-seok and I couldn’t help but smile happily.

“Wow... That’s insane. How did you... Wow... Ji-hoon, I knew from the moment you joined us that you’d make it big~ Didn’t I say so?” “Haha... Did you?” “Of course! My eye for people is spot on.” “Thank you.”

I bowed my head to Manager Cha.

“But Ji-hoon, how about enhancing the items before you sell them?” “Enhancing them?” “Yeah... If you could enhance it, the price would skyrocket...”

He looked at me with an expectant expression.

“Hmm... I’m not too familiar with enhancing...” “That’s where I come in.”

Manager Cha quickly moved closer and grabbed my hand. He looked at me with a desperate expression.

“Whoa, Manager Cha, don’t get any ideas. I’m still here, and I know plenty about enhancing.” “Hey, Hyung-seok, can’t I join in too? I know my stuff.” Manager Cha started begging.

“Haha, no way... Ji-hoon is mine. Haha...” “Aren’t you busy with your department’s work?” “Haha... I am busy... But this is much more interesting...”

His eyes sparkled.

“Ahem...” “Hey, there’s something I want to suggest...” “Yes?” “How about we reorganize the department? Things are a bit chaotic right now, don’t you think?” “Reorganize the department...?” “Yeah... We should split into six teams like before and create a separate S-rank hunter team. And I’d love to join your secretarial office...”

He spoke with gleaming eyes.

“You want to be my secretary?” “Of course. I’ve wanted to since the first day you joined.” “Don’t lie.” “I’m serious.”

He looked utterly sincere.

“Hmm... I’ll think about reorganizing the department. First, let’s gather the S-rank hunters...”

I recalled the six hunters Lee Soo-ah had mentioned.

‘Could it be... those people are coming over to our side?’

If we could gather the S-rank hunters, we could create a super-elite team.

‘If that happens... It’ll be an insane combination... But will the S-rank hunters really come to us?’

I was feeling a bit uncertain.

“Hmm...”

Lee Haru, Lee Yeji, Lee Areum, Cha Ayeon, Park Yeo-eun, and Jo Suji.

The six hunters were gathered in one place.

Their expressions were quite strange.

“Hey, isn’t the Blue Guild acting really weird these days...?”

Cha Ayeon broke the silence.

“Yes... It’s really weird. Soo-ah kept pestering me, so I had no choice but to help... But does any guild assign missions like that?” “That’s what I’m saying. It felt like a mission designed to screw us over.” “Is the Blue Guild leader out of his mind...?”

Lee Haru, Park Yeo-eun, and Jo Suji nodded in agreement. They felt like there had been significant upheaval in the hunter industry lately.

“That guy, Baek Ji-hoon... He seems a bit unusual...” “Right? He suddenly became an S-rank hunter? And after he joined, Yoo Hana came back to the Blue Guild, and Cha Isul too...”

They were struggling to adjust to the situation.

On top of that, they were also a bit worried about their own positions.

The hierarchy of S-rank hunters had been solid for a long time.

But now, Cha Soo-hyun had suddenly risen to the top, and Baek Ji-hoon had appeared out of nowhere, shaking things up.

“Hmm... What if we joined the Blue Guild too...?”

Lee Areum glanced at the others, gauging their reactions. She seemed to have already made up her mind.

“Huh? You’re saying you want to transfer to the Blue Guild...?”

Everyone felt quite confused by the situation.

“Judging by the current state of things... The Blue Guild is growing rapidly. Just look at Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana...”

Lee Areum bit her lip slightly.

‘That’s true. The world is changing completely... What on earth is going on...?’

Lee Yeji recalled seeing Baek Ji-hoon’s status window.

‘He can transfer points to others...? Hmm...’

Her eyes wavered slightly.