"Alright, everyone, may I have your attention?"

Lee Soo-ah had gathered the six newly recruited S-rank hunters in the meeting room. As their senior in the Blue Guild, she was trying to assert her authority.

"I’ll overlook the fact that you transferred to the Blue Guild without my approval. After all, even if I objected, the Guild Master gave his permission, so there’s nothing I can do."

Her voice carried a hint of disappointment.

"But..."

She emphasized her next words.

"Now that you’ve joined us, I plan to create a great opportunity for all of us to work together."

The six new recruits were confused, not quite understanding what Lee Soo-ah was talking about.

"Soo-ah, what are you trying to say right now?"

"Well... what I mean is, as your senior in the Blue Guild, I have something I really want to accomplish, and I need your help to do it."

Lee Soo-ah decided to push forward with her agenda. She had reached a point where she felt she could no longer sit idle.

‘Ugh, Cha Isul... she's dangerous... I have a feeling she’s trying to get closer to Ji-hoon. Her expression was strange. I can’t just leave this alone.’

"What is it that you want to do?"

"Well... I want to reclaim the top S-rank position!"

"Huh?"

Everyone exchanged confused glances.

"Reclaim the top S-rank position? You mean, beat Hunter Cha Soo-hyun?"

"Isn’t that going to be really difficult? From what I’ve heard, there’s nothing wrong with Hunter Cha Soo-hyun’s condition."

"Yeah, and even though she’s resting now, if she comes back to hunting, it’s going to be tough to catch up. Her growth rate was insane."

"Right, right. I understand you want to be number one, but it’s going to be pretty tough."

Everyone shook their heads. Logically, it didn’t seem like a possibility.

"No... I can catch up quickly. I’ve already closed the gap quite a bit. And I doubt Hunter Cha Soo-hyun will just sit around."

"Maybe she’s just taking a break after reaching number one. As soon as she resumes hunting, you’ll get left behind again. Why not just live comfortably without stressing yourself over this?"

Bang!

"No... I can’t let that happen!!!"

Everyone flinched as Lee Soo-ah scowled in frustration.

"Please... help me. I’ll work really hard. Just support me from the sidelines, that’s all I ask."

Lee Soo-ah looked at the S-rank hunters with a desperate expression. They seemed reluctant but ultimately had no choice under her pressure.

"Alright... I don’t know why you’re so eager, but let’s give it a shot."

"How far behind are you?"

"About 2-3 million points..."

"Even if you work hard, it’ll take at least a month to catch up, right?"

"A week."

The six S-rank hunters flinched again.

"A week...?"

"Yeah, I can do it. Hehe... let’s go."

Lee Soo-ah was practically dragging them into it.

"Hyung, Hunter Lee Soo-ah’s been acting kind of strange lately. Well, she was always a bit off, but now it’s even worse."

"Why?"

"Apparently, she’s been taking the new S-rank recruits and pushing them hard into dungeon raids."

Hyung-seok looked puzzled as he explained.

Ever since the six S-rank hunters transferred to the Blue Guild, the internet had exploded with chatter. It wasn’t just online—TV and media were also focused on the event. Even international outlets couldn’t ignore it.

Having ten S-rank hunters in a single guild was no small feat. But the Blue Guild had done it.

"Isn’t it because she’s worried about getting overshadowed with so many S-rank hunters joining?"

"I heard she’s trying to become the top S-rank hunter."

"Really?"

For me, this was good news. If Lee Soo-ah became the top S-rank hunter, the person who’d be most pissed off would be Cha Soo-hyun. I hadn’t even done anything to provoke her, but Lee Soo-ah was working hard on her own. It was hard not to feel pleased.

"Great. We should push her even more."

"It feels off, though. I don’t know why she’s trying so hard~"

"Probably because there are too many S-rank hunters now."

Knock, knock.

"Ji-hoon."

"Hm? Isul?"

It had been a while since Isul dropped by the office.

"I have something to ask you."

"Sure."

"The S-rank hunters... did you bring them here?"

"No."

Of course, I had to deny it. It wasn’t true.

I had no idea why they had suddenly shown up either.

"Then why did they all flock here? People are saying you once talked about gathering S-rank hunters for the Blue Guild. Was that not you?"

"It wasn’t me. Sure, I might have mentioned something like that before, but I had nothing to do with this. I haven’t even properly greeted those people yet."

"Hmmm. Really?"

Isul looked suspicious, as if she was still unsure.

"Then let me ask you something else..."

"What is it?"

"I’ll be direct."

"Go ahead."

"Do you have a girlfriend? Are you seeing someone right now? Or... is there someone you’re interested in?"

"No. I don’t. Why?"

"Then... will you go out with me?"

Pfft.

I almost spat out my drink. The sudden shift in the conversation caught me completely off guard.

"What did you say?"

"I mean... ha... I didn’t want to rush this, but..."

She looked like she was nervously fidgeting, almost like a puppy that needed to pee.

"I feel like more and more S-rank hunters are joining the Blue Guild, and it’s making me anxious. So I thought I should act quickly... before someone else snatches you up..."

Isul seemed a bit flustered.

"What does that even mean? How is that related?"

"I mean, if I don’t make a move now, I feel like someone else will. So... I’m taking the first step. Let’s date. What do you think?"

I had been so focused on dealing with Cha Soo-hyun that I hadn’t given this kind of thing much thought. Her sudden proposal left me stunned.

"Uh..."

It sounded like Isul was implying that the other S-rank hunters were interested in dating me too.

‘No way... right?’

"Do you really want to date me?"

Isul and I had been childhood friends for a long time, but I never expected our relationship to evolve like this. I could only ask again, bewildered.

"Yeah..."

Isul answered shyly.

"Okay then. Let’s date."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Her worried expression softened into a bright smile, looking relieved.

"Huff... huff... Finally... finally... I did it...!"

Lee Soo-ah was laughing hysterically, clearly overjoyed.

"Soo-ah, did you do it? Did you pass Hunter Cha Soo-hyun?"

"Yes!!!! I’m the number one S-rank hunter again! Hahaha!"

Lee Soo-ah was laughing triumphantly.

"Thank goodness... Honestly, that was exhausting."

"Yeah... does the Blue Guild always push dungeon raids this hard?"

"No, it’s just because I was in a hurry."

Lee Soo-ah gazed at the other S-rank hunters with satisfaction.

"Thank you all. But this is just the beginning."

"The beginning...??"

The S-rank hunters looked horrified. They had helped her reluctantly, but the experience had been grueling. Now she was saying this was just the start.

"Yeah. What if Hunter Cha Soo-hyun tries to catch up again? I need to widen the gap so much that she won’t even think about trying. Hehehe."

Lee Soo-ah was becoming more and more obsessed. It seemed like nothing could stop her now.

The six S-rank hunters watched her in growing fear.

"What are the results of the re-evaluation...?"

Lee Soo-ah was trembling with excitement as she waited. Even though the outcome was pretty much guaranteed, she was still anxious.

"Wow. Just as you said, Hunter Lee Soo-ah. You’ve reclaimed the top spot. How did you manage to earn five million points in such a short time?"

The head of the evaluation office looked shocked. He had been doubtful, but Lee Soo-ah had actually regained first place.

"Yessssss!!!!"

Lee Soo-ah threw her arms into the air in victory.

"Thank you!!! I’m number one again!"

Her voice echoed with delight.

"G-Guild Master..."

"What?"

A sharp, heavy response came.

Lee Jin-hyuk was in a foul mood. The fact that ten S-rank hunters had gathered in the Blue Guild had sent shockwaves through the hunter industry.

It was no surprise that he was irritated.

"We have a problem..."

"What is it?"

"Hunter Lee Soo-ah... she’s reclaimed the top S-rank position."

The employee of Baekho Guild stammered as he delivered the news. He had hesitated, knowing how Jin-hyuk might react.

"What??? What did you just say?"

Jin-hyuk’s eyes widened as he jumped to his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"A notice just came from the Hunter Association. Hunter Lee Soo-ah has officially been re-evaluated as the top S-rank."

"Shit!!!!!!!"

Jin-hyuk cursed angrily. Just before he had secured Cha Soo-hyun’s recruitment, he had been optimistic about his future plans. But ever since bringing her into Baekho Guild, they had been falling behind the Blue Guild.

He had hoped to crush the Blue Guild and secure Baekho’s spot as the undisputed top guild in the industry. But instead, the Blue Guild was growing at an incredible rate.

"Where the hell is Cha Soo-hyun? Damn it."

Jin-hyuk swore again and stormed out of his office.