"Hah... damn it..."

Lee Jin-hyuk tapped his desk, his face twisted in deep contemplation. The situation had become dire, and there was no room left to retreat.

He had planned to elevate Baekho Guild to prominence by recruiting Chae Soo-hyun, an S-rank number one hunter. Instead, Blue Guild was accelerating its growth at an alarming rate.

‘Even if I pour money into this...’

He knew, however, that simply relying on financial power had its limits. Frustration etched across his face.

‘Hah... Chae Soo-hyun... really, she’s no help at all.’

His expression darkened. He never had any real personal interest in Chae Soo-hyun; his sole concern was to grow the guild and inherit the Taeyang Group’s legacy.

‘Damn it. How did things fall apart like this?’

"Hey, Chief Lee, get in here," Jin-hyuk called out, his voice thick with irritation.

"Yes, sir!"

A well-dressed man entered promptly, standing at attention.

"Sigh... what's the current state of the hunter industry? Especially with Blue Guild," Jin-hyuk asked, though he already had a feeling he wouldn’t like what he heard.

"Well..."

Chief Lee hesitated, clearly knowing that no matter what he said, it would only aggravate Jin-hyuk further. He had been working with Jin-hyuk for ten years now and knew exactly how to read the room.

"Just say it. I need to figure out what our next steps should be."

Chief Lee sighed, realizing Jin-hyuk already expected bad news.

"Blue Guild is dominating. If things continue as they are, I fear that no other guild will be considered a major force..."

Bam!

Jin-hyuk slammed the table.

"Damn it... what about Chae Soo-hyun? What's she been up to lately in the guild?"

"Well, she hasn’t been doing much... mostly staying in her office."

"Sigh..."

Jin-hyuk’s thoughts grew increasingly tangled.

‘Should I just cut Chae Soo-hyun loose?’

He seriously considered it. He had half a mind to throw her out immediately. But there was no good reason to do so, no clear justification.

After all, they had made a huge public spectacle when recruiting her, so kicking her out now would only tarnish his own reputation.

‘Damn it... What good is being number one in the S-rank if she just sits around doing nothing? One month should’ve been more than enough time. How much longer am I supposed to wait? What is she even thinking?’

He couldn’t make sense of it. He had recruited her thinking she’d keep the top spot, but instead, she had done nothing but slack off. Now, with Lee Soo-ah reclaiming first place, Chae Soo-hyun had fallen to second.

‘Is she secretly preparing something to surprise me? Maybe she’s been gathering points in dungeons without my knowledge?’

Jin-hyuk allowed himself a brief moment of wishful thinking, hoping against reason that she had been secretly working toward something big.

‘If that’s the case, I could let it slide.’

But, of course, it wasn’t. Deep down, he knew that.

"Sigh..." Jin-hyuk turned to Chief Lee and said, "Have you found any potential S-rank hunters to recruit?"

"Pardon?"

"S-rank hunters. Specifically, women. Try contacting those who didn’t already join Blue Guild."

"Ah, you’re aiming to secure the second-place spot?"

"No, I want to replace Chae Soo-hyun."

"...What?"

Chief Lee stared at him, stunned. He couldn’t tell if Jin-hyuk was serious or just venting his frustration.

"I’m serious. I want to replace Chae Soo-hyun. She’s a sunk cost at this point."

"I see..."

Chief Lee nodded, finally understanding.

"I’ll start scouting other hunters immediately."

Chief Lee bowed and exited.

"Damn it... I never thought I’d be reduced to this."

Jin-hyuk knew that if he replaced Chae Soo-hyun, his reputation would take a hit. But he couldn’t see another way. She was completely ignoring the guild’s goals, seemingly indifferent to Blue Guild’s growth and Lee Soo-ah’s rise to number one.

‘Please, let it be a surprise she’s preparing for me...’

Jin-hyuk stood abruptly, his chair screeching across the floor as he pushed it back, and made his way to Chae Soo-hyun’s office.

Knock, knock.

"Yes?"

"Hey."

"Oh, oppa. What’s up?"

‘Ugh, what’s he doing here again? What does he want now?’

Chae Soo-hyun was already sick of Jin-hyuk. He had been coming to her office every day, pressuring her to start hunting again.

‘I’d love to hunt, but what am I supposed to do when I’m stuck at E-rank?!’

Every time Jin-hyuk entered her office, her heart raced with anxiety.

‘Damn it... What’s he going to say this time?’

She tried her best to act casual as she faced him.

"Come on, let’s go to the rank evaluation center," he said.

"Huh? Why the rank evaluation center? I’m already S-rank."

"I know, but let’s have you reevaluated."

"What?!"

Soo-hyun froze, completely taken aback.

‘Reevaluation? Why now?!’

If she went to the center, her true E-rank status would be exposed immediately. She had to stop this at all costs.

"N-no! I don’t want to!"

"Why not?"

Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes, his brief hope fading away.

‘What the hell? Why’s she reacting like this?’

Her extreme refusal made him even more suspicious.

‘Is she preparing something to surprise me? Maybe she’s not ready yet...’

He was clinging to optimism, trying to interpret her actions in the best possible light.

"Why?! Why should I do that? I’m an S-rank hunter! Why would I need a reevaluation?"
"You know Lee Soo-ah’s back at number one, right?"

Jin-hyuk looked at her sharply.

"You might’ve improved too. Who knows?"

"No, I haven’t! I haven’t done anything! I’m not going! Absolutely not!"

She was adamant.

‘What’s with her? Why is she being so stubborn?’

Jin-hyuk’s suspicion deepened. One of his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

‘Could she have faked her rank this whole time?’

There had been rumors of hunters bribing their way to higher ranks, though it was mostly at the B-D levels. But still, the idea started creeping into his mind.

‘No way...’

He stared at her with a deeply furrowed brow.

‘Did she use some underhanded tactic to fool me...?’

"What?! Why are you looking at me like that? Ugh, you’re annoying. Just leave. I don’t have anything else to say to you."

Soo-hyun’s voice was icy, and she crossed her arms, clearly signaling that she was done with him.

‘Ugh, I’m done with Baekho Guild. I’ll just get Jihoon oppa back.’

It was as if she already had a fallback plan.

"Let’s go. I need to know for sure. You have no reason to refuse, right?"

Seeing her resistance only strengthened Jin-hyuk’s resolve. Something felt off, and he had to get to the bottom of it. Ever since her recruitment, she had done nothing but appear on TV and in commercials. She hadn’t done any actual hunting.

‘Did she trick me to become a celebrity hunter?’

Ever since the Hunter era had begun, high-ranked hunters, especially those A-class or higher, were fast-tracked into celebrity status. It was like how beauty pageants used to serve as a stepping stone for actresses.

‘She’s suspicious.’

"No." Soo-hyun’s voice was firm. She crossed her arms and shook her head defiantly.

"What’s your deal? You’re not even number one anymore. Don’t you care? Lee Soo-ah took the top spot! You know all your TV gigs are gone, right? They don’t have any reason to hire you now that you’re not number one."

Jin-hyuk was trying to provoke her, hoping she’d slip up and reveal the truth.

"I don’t care. That’s not what matters right now."

"Then what does?"

The conversation was getting more suspicious by the minute.

"Get out. I’m not in the mood to see you today. Just leave."

"Sigh..."

Jin-hyuk was at his wit’s end.

‘Damn it... I can’t just drag her by the collar. My reputation is on the line.’

He couldn’t resort to violence, knowing it would ruin everything he had worked for.

"Fine."

With that, he left.

"Chief Lee, did you find any S-rank hunters to recruit?" Jin-hyuk asked, returning to his office with a face full of frustration.

"Yes, I found a few S-rank hunters who are interested."

"Who?"

"Seo Ji-soo from the Erpheus Guild."

"Damn it. Not her."

"Pardon?"

Now it was Chief Lee’s turn to be confused.

"Why... why not?"

"She’s my ex from college. I dumped her because she was obsessed with money. I already know why she’d agree to join."

Jin-hyuk’s expression twisted with disgust.

"Ah... I see. I didn’t know that."

Chief Lee, who had worked alongside Jin-hyuk for years, was clearly surprised by this new information.

"Is there anyone else?"

"No... No one else. I even contacted the S-rank hunters who went to Blue Guild, but none of them are interested. Other guilds are the same. In fact, the remaining S-ranks seem to be preparing to join Blue Guild as well."

"What? Ugh... damn it!!!"

Jin-hyuk slammed the desk again in frustration.

"Fine, then... bring in Ji-soo. We’ll recruit her, no matter how much it sucks."

His face was full of frustration. He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice.