"What the hell is this? No sense of decency! How dare a different entertainment agency try to scout from within Myeongho Guild's territory instead of Myeongho Entertainment!"
"Since when has Myeongho Guild been so old-fashioned? It's been more than three hours since Myeongho Corporation started the dissolution process."

Han Chae-rin, effortlessly batting away Joo Yeong-jun's sharp jabs.
Her influence was so strong that even the CEO of Myeongho Entertainment, Joo Yeong-jun, couldn't avoid her grasp.

"Do you know? Half of your singers and actors already have meetings scheduled with other agencies."
"I know without you telling me."
"Heh. Then you're even more shameless, aren't you? Scouting people while your company is about to fall apart. If it weren't for Myeongho Guild’s name, wouldn't your company crumble in an instant?"

Joo Yeong-jun had no words left.
This wasn't just about Myeongho Entertainment; it applied to all businesses that used the name of Myeongho Guild.
Companies that grew with the guild’s influence inevitably crumbled when that influence faltered.

"There's no worse place for someone who aspires to become a star awakener than Myeongho Entertainment now."

Han Chae-rin openly mocked Joo Yeong-jun.
In response, Joo Yeong-jun glared, his face red with anger as he pointed at her.

"Are you saying it's all just words? Our company, huh? It's a company with bonds!"
"Who doesn't have bonds~? I gave our people a 300 million won performance bonus this month. And you’re lucky if you even manage to pay your salaries on time. Isn’t that right?"
"Shut up! You may want a cooperative relationship with Haenampa, but we came here to be acquired!"

Joo Yeong-jun still had some confidence.
He had come to discuss the possibility of recruiting Hae Eung-eung as an entertainer and establishing a good relationship, unlike Han Chae-rin, who had come with shallow intentions.
But both he and Shin Seong-gwak had come to seek refuge with Haenampa.

"I admit the value of Myeongho Entertainment as a company has declined. But if Haenampa acquires Myeongho Entertainment, we could influence the industry!"

If a new guild wanted to secure major contracts or quickly expand their business, entering the entertainment industry was one of the quickest methods to gain notoriety.

"You deserve credit for swallowing your pride. But isn’t Myeongho Entertainment’s industry rank barely in the top 20?
Even so, acquiring Myeongho Entertainment would turn the actors, singers, and their agencies who lost opportunities because of Myeongho Guild into enemies.
If you calculate the pros and cons, the losses outweigh the gains. It’s obvious if you think about it, don’t you think?"

Joo Yeong-jun responded gruffly.

"That’s your opinion. But it’s up to them to choose, right?"

Han Chae-rin, unlike Joo Yeong-jun, didn’t lose her composure.
She knew full well how desperate Joo Yeong-jun and Myeongho Entertainment’s situation was.

"You’re in a very difficult position because of a sharp-tongued woman. Still, I’ll ask for leniency. Joo Yeong-jun here came with me, he's all in now."

Shin Seong-gwak stepped in, speaking up for Joo Yeong-jun.

"The only ones who held on to their loyalty until the end in this crumbling guild were the suicide squad and this guy. He’s a decent person."
"It's admirable. To maintain a friendship with an incompetent fool who puts everyone else at risk..."

Han Chae-rin selected only the most biting words.
Both Shin Seong-gwak and Joo Yeong-jun clenched their fists in anger.

[That's enough.]

Having heard the opinions of the three, Hae Eung-eung collected her thoughts.

[Shin Seong-gwak, my offer to accept you as a guest master of Haenampa remains unchanged. I’ll conduct interviews for the suicide squad members and accept them.]
"What will you do with Joo Yeong-jun and the entertainment company?"
[We can't accept them.]

The firm response from Hae Eung-eung made both men's eyes widen in surprise.

"If you’re worried about bankruptcy, don’t. I plan to buy the company with the money from selling the subsidiaries of Myeongho Guild."
[It’s not about money. It’s about trust. Should I remind you of how many enemies Myeongho Guild has made?]

Even Hae Eung-eung, until recently, had been a powerful enemy of Myeongho Guild.
Though Shin Seong-gwak returned to the guild late and attempted to reform it, the grudges built up over time didn’t simply disappear.

[Accepting people means inheriting their karma. Myeongho Entertainment is beyond my tolerance.]

Hae Eung-eung, despite her apparent lack of worldliness, hadn’t forgotten the wisdom she had gained from her life in the martial world.
She remembered how the Hao Sect, having accumulated numerous sins, ultimately fell.
Myeongho Guild wasn’t any different.
For those who had chosen the wrong place to be, perhaps, but she had no intention of accepting the lower-tier organizations that had profited from joining criminal enterprises.

"I must have come to the wrong place. Senior Shin, let’s go back now."
"...I’m sorry."
"Ha. You invited me here, and now you’re abandoning me? That’s too much."
"Can you really give up the company?"
"I can’t. I’ll figure out my own way. I’ve owed you a lot, Senior Shin."

Hae Eung-eung refused to accept Myeongho Entertainment.
Joo Yeong-jun left, harboring negative feelings.
Shin Seong-gwak felt guilty, but Han Chae-rin, on the other hand, found it intriguing.

"Though I was the one who caused trouble, it’s impressive you gave up a chance to swallow an entire company. You weren’t even putting your own money into it."
[We can’t stain Haenampa’s name.]
"Heh, I knew my eyes weren’t wrong. The patience to not chase immediate profits and build up your value instead... Not everyone can have that."

Han Chae-rin became even more interested in Hae Eung-eung.
It wasn’t just her quirky personality, or her ability to appeal to the public, or even her combat skills that could be recognized by current awakeners.
It was Hae Eung-eung herself that intrigued her.

"Has the guild establishment permit from the association come through?"
[I just received contact today. Haenampa is now officially registered.]
"That’s good. With Myeongho Guild’s disbandment, the association will soon take control of the gates they managed and entrust them to other guilds."

Even without accepting troublesome missions regularly, having control over a single gate allows for challenges in multiple dungeons.
This ensures a high degree of stability when it comes to gathering contributions, earning experience points, and collecting materials.
Gaining control over a gate would be immensely profitable.

"The conditions for entrustment are that the guild must be officially registered with the association, have jurisdiction over areas near the gate, possess high-level awakeners, and gain the support of the residents."
[You’re quite well-informed.]
"Star awakeners are entertainers, but also awakeners. If you have an entertainment company that nurtures star awakeners, it’s bound to make you very knowledgeable about the industry."
[Why are you being so nice to me?]
"Originally, I was going to offer you a place in our Royal Club’s 3rd-generation female group, but now I want to make a different proposal."

Han Chae-rin walked closer with a model-like grace, extending her hand to Hae Eung-eung.

"If Haenampa wants rapid growth, we need to succeed in the bid for this gate. We'll be competing with other large guilds targeting Myeongho-dong."
[Are you offering help?]
"Let’s call it mutual support. If Royal Club and Haenampa form a partnership, I’ll help you create the recognition and image needed to compete with other large guilds. Even if you lag behind in guild size, you’ll easily make up for it in the residents’ popularity votes and gain the entrustment score."
[And what’s the cost?]
"I’ll make you a fixed panel on our Royal Club’s broadcasting platform. We’ve planned a gate exploration variety show, one episode per week for a total of 24 episodes. Of course, we’ll pay you for your appearance."

This offer was much more reasonable than Joo Yeong-jun’s absurd request for Hae Eung-eung to shoulder a bomb.
Though, Han Chae-rin had her own hidden agenda.

‘The first step is always the hardest. Once she becomes a panelist, resisting the temptation to become a star awakener will be hard. Our people will try to charm her, too.’

Han Chae-rin had a clever plan to familiarize Hae Eung-eung with the life of a star awakener by making her experience it up close!

"Our original plan was to have the gate exploration take place at Myeongho-dong, but since Royal Club is organizing and producing the show, changing the filming location isn’t a big deal."
[Am I the first to receive this proposal?]
"Good question. It’s not the first time, actually. Since specific guilds typically hold the rights to explore certain gates, we had already cooperated with a guild for filming."
[The compensation must have been expensive.]
"Then an opportunity arose. A gate without an owner appeared in Myeongho-dong. If we pick the right guild to entrust the gate to, we can lower the agreement costs significantly."
[The guild you’ve already cooperated with probably won’t be happy about this.]
"Even if we pay the penalty fees, the profits from this gamble will be much greater."
[You plan to support a specific guild to help them gain the entrustment right, and in exchange, you’ll save on costs. You intend for that guild to be our Haenampa.]
"You’re quick to understand."

This was a gamble for Han Chae-rin as well.
She would need Haenampa’s help to win the entrustment rights for the gate, but if it failed, the costs would increase.
She was taking a risk that could backfire if the other guilds attacked her for interfering with the process.
But Hae Eung-eung trusted Han Chae-rin because they were sharing this risk together.
However, Hae Eung-eung didn’t see any reason to accept the offer.

[Getting the gate would be nice, but I don’t think it’s necessary. There’s something more important than increasing the size of Haenampa.]
"What’s more important than the guild? Now you’ve got me curious. What is it that you want?"

Hae Eung-eung answered confidently.

[Game broadcasts.]
"Sorry?"

Even Han Chae-rin, who had prepared thoroughly, didn’t expect this answer.

[I’m going to be the best streamer.]

Hae Eung-eung had made her decision: to achieve the dream of many in the martial world—making the martial arts world, led by the Heavenly Demon, into one united force, through VTube. She had vowed not to waver from this resolve.

Han Chae-rin stood there dumbfounded as she responded.

"Then why did you create a guild?"
[It’s a guild to protect my younger sibling. There’s no need for great growth.]
"Ha… I’m dizzy now. Fine. I’ll give you that. I’ll let you off the hook for creating a guild."

Han Chae-rin rubbed her throbbing head and asked.

"Someone who wants to be the best streamer, why do you broadcast every three weeks?"

The ruthless schedule of the Silent Swordsman’s broadcasting frequency didn’t look like something someone with such a big goal would follow. It was a schedule so brutal, one might believe she was streaming just as a hobby.