Chapter 320

The title of the Four Great Guilds of Korea carried immense prestige. In the modern era, the profession of Hunter was revered by the public, and the reputations of the four most powerful guilds—Behemoth, Icarus, Phoenix, and Messiah—continued to soar to new heights.

This was largely due to the presence of S-rank Hunters and their ability to tackle the Core, an area notorious for its extreme difficulty. The world had become so centered around Hunters that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that society revolved around them. Major news portals were constantly flooded with reports about them.

However, among all the Hunter-related news, one specific headline caught the attention of the employees of the Fissure Management Division: The Rise of Seoul City Hall... Online Communities Dub It the ‘Fifth Great Guild.’

In the Hunter ranking evaluations conducted last June, most contract Hunters affiliated with Seoul City Hall were promoted to A- and B-rank, generating immense buzz. A comparison of their numbers and ranks against the Four Great Guilds showed that Seoul City Hall was not far behind.

Some online communities had already begun referring to Seoul City Hall as the “Fifth Great Guild,” though it was still considered a casual remark. However, after the Hunter’s Bureau announced yesterday that Hunter Cha Ye-Ji had joined the Core Expedition Team, the online consensus shifted to the idea that the Four Great Guilds should now be called the “Five Great Guilds.”

During a press conference, Seoul’s Mayor Park Dal-Myeong credited the success to the efforts of the Fissure Management Division employees and contract Hunters, vowing to keep working toward even greater progress.

“This is insane...”

“No wonder all those reporters stormed in yesterday.”

The employees recalled how, just before the end of their workday, journalists had suddenly flooded their office, demanding interviews with the Fissure Management Division staff. The mayor, who had been in a meeting with Korea Expressway Corporation about a city road expansion project, had even left halfway through to address the unexpected situation.

“Who would’ve even dreamed of something like this happening to us? Just two years ago, everything was a mess. Remember when that D-rank Hunter drank a little too much and threw a fit about terminating his contract? And I had to beg him to stay? I even had to treat him to expensive drinks just so we wouldn’t be short-staffed,” Cheol-Soo said.

Jong-Min chuckled as he listened to Cheol-Soo reminisce about the past.

Back then, Cheol-Soo had endured tremendous stress. Losing even a single D-rank Hunter could have crippled their operations, so much so that Cheol-Soo had personally bought premium whiskey with his own money to placate them.

“But how did we turn things around in just two years? It’s almost unbelievable,” a female employee commented as she skimmed the article.

Amidst the cheerful chatter, Cheol-Soo slightly turned his head, glancing toward the break room where Do-Jun and Ye-Ji came out. Do-Jun was holding an iced coffee in each hand, while Ye-Ji looked like a nervous puppy.

“M-mr. Administrator, I really don’t think I’m ready for this yet...” she said nervously.

“That’s how everyone feels at first. Just drink this and let’s go.”

She took a sip of the iced coffee he handed her. The cup wasn’t filled to the brim, so it disappeared in just a few gulps.

After confirming she had finished, Do-Jun walked over to Cheol-Soo. “Chief, I’ll be taking Hunter Cha on a short business trip.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Be careful out there,” Cheol-Soo said.

With that, Do-Jun and Ye-Ji left the office. The employees, who had been gathered around Cheol-Soo’s desk, silently watched as they exited.

Jong-Min stroked his chin. “You know... I feel like the Hunters really like Do-Jun. Or is it just me?”

***

Near the Core entrance, in Sodaesan Mountain in Gangwon-do, a translucent barrier stretched high into the sky. This was the Core Barrier maintained by the Hunter’s Bureau.

With a simple wave of his hand, Do-Jun caused a small section of the barrier to dissipate, just enough for a single person to pass through. Taking a deep breath, Ye-Ji stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a fierce headwind blowing from below.

This was the entrance to the Core Tutorial Zone.

Though she had seen this countless times in the livestreams of other S-rank Hunters, stepping into it herself was an entirely different matter. The moment she realized she was truly about to enter the Core, fear took hold of her.

Wow, I’m really going into the Core...

Ye-Ji swallowed nervously.

Who would’ve thought she’d make it this far? She was more nervous than when she became an S-rank. Watching her tremble slightly, Do-Jun was reminded of when he first met her. Once a low F-rank Hunter, she was now an S-rank Hunter standing at the edge of the Core. It was an incredible transformation.

Do-Jun decided to offer some encouragement. “You just need to do what you’ve always done. Relax. I’ll be right here with you.”

***

S-rankers were known for taking meticulous care of themselves, but Kang-Hyun always tried to go the extra mile. Even on days when he had just completed grueling missions, he never skipped his training in the Hunter’s Bureau Special Training Room. People called him a man of overwhelming talent, but behind that strength was relentless, bone-crushing training.

A training dummy, specially designed with S-grade mana stones, lunged at Kang-Hyun at breakneck speed. Without using a shred of his mana, he dodged purely through instinct, honing his senses. His sharp gaze tracked the dummy’s every movement, anticipating its next attack.

After two hours, the bell rang, signaling the start of the second training segment. Without hesitation, Kang-Hyun threw his fist forward. Activating his Core-awakened Armorize skill, his arm turned a deep indigo. He poured his full strength into the strike and delivered a devastating blow to the training dummy.

With a deafening noise, the dummy exploded into pieces.

Kang-Hyun grabbed a towel from the side, wiped off his sweat, and picked up his smartphone. The screen showed 10 AM. As soon as he switched off do not disturb, notifications from the “DAC” chat group came rushing in. Only when he heard the nonstop buzzing did he realize how many unread messages he had received.

Ping!

Ping!

Ping!

The highly secretive chatroom, exclusive to S-rank Hunters, was initially created for scheduling meetings and discussing strategies, but it gradually became a space for casual conversations among S-rank Hunters.

A new message arrived.

﹂Supervisor Lee is working overtime on a Fissure exploration this Saturday. Anyone want to help? He said he’d buy dinner after. Two people. First-come, first-served.

Kang-Hyun quickly began typing, “I want to go too,” but he was too late. Min-Ji and Kwak Young-Ho had already responded at lightning speed.

﹂Me!

﹂Me.

Kang-Hyun stared at the messages in disbelief. He had lost. His hands trembled, unable to let go of his smartphone. While he had no choice but to let this opportunity slip away, as DAC’s president, he had wanted to help with the Fissure exploration and leave a good impression on Do-Jun.

Then, his finger slipped, and he saw a notification message.

[Lee Kang-Hyun has invited Lee Do-Jun to the chat.]

Kang-Hyun’s eyes widened in horror. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The message still hadn’t disappeared.

﹂...?

﹂...?

﹂...

The once lively chatroom suddenly went silent. Then, another notification appeared.

[Ryu Jun-Yeol has left the chat.]

One person left, and it triggered a chain reaction.

[Kwak Young-Ho has left the chat.]

[Han Min-Ji has left the chat.]

[Lee Jin-Goo has left the chat.]

[Kang Min-Hyuk has left the chat.]

“Oh... my...” Kang-Hyun’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.

***

The tutorial progressed smoothly. Since it had four stages and gathering as many achievements as possible was crucial for moving freely within the Core, Do-Jun didn’t hesitate to reveal his strength whenever Ye-Ji struggled with a section.

Stage three granted the Skill Ring, and the fourth stage granted the Status Window Snake. While the power of one’s Armorize could be improved through personal effort, both the Skill Ring and the Status Window Snake required maximizing achievements during the tutorial.

To ensure that, Do-Jun helped Ye-Ji unlock seven slots in her Skill Ring and the purple Status Window for her Status Window Snake.

“This marks the end of the tutorial.”

At the word “end,” the tension eased. Ye-Ji let out a breath, recalling the countless times she had narrowly escaped death in the final stage, facing hordes of snakes of various sizes and colors. She glanced at Do-Jun, her expression slightly dazed, remembering how he had saved her multiple times by slicing through danger with his sword qi.

“I thought I’d become pretty strong, but... I guess I’m really not, huh, Mr. Administrator?” she remarked.

“The Core is certainly significantly harder than our world. But from the first floor onward, it’ll be much easier than the tutorial. Since other S-rank Hunters have already paved the way, you can think of it as following their footsteps.”

In truth, as an individual, Ye-Ji was already stronger than many S-rank Hunters. If she continued honing her skills within the Core, refining her swordsmanship and combat experience, her mastery of Scholar’s Swordsmanship and Falling Moon Blade would become even more impressive.

***

Using the Book of Transfer, Do-Jun and Ye-Ji instantly returned to the front of Seoul City Hall. It was lunchtime.

Ye-Ji snapped a picture of the Status Window Snake wrapped around her wrist.

“I should post this in the group chat,” she said happily.

A group chat? Do-Jun could vaguely guess what she meant by that. However, realizing her mistake, Ye-Ji quickly covered her mouth and looked up at Do-Jun.

“I-it’s just my friends’ group chat,” she said, trying to do damage control, while discreetly opening her messenger app and turning slightly away from him.

Do-Jun also took out his phone. Noticing an unread message, he opened the same app. The chatroom name was displayed at the top.

[DAC]

Do-Jun tapped on the group chat and saw a flurry of messages.

[Lee Kang-Hyun has invited Lee Do-Jun to the chat.]

﹂...?

﹂...?

﹂...

[Ryu Jun-Yeol has left the chat.]

[Kwak Young-Ho has left the chat.]

.

.

At that moment, Ye-Ji flinched. Slowly, she turned her head and looked at Do-Jun, who was staring at the chat window.

Then, another group of notifications appeared.

[Lee Do-Jun has invited Ryu Jun-Yeol into the chat.]

[Lee Do-Jun has invited Kwak Young-Ho into the chat.]

[Lee Do-Jun has invited Han Min-Ji into the chat.]

After reinviting the S-ranks who had left, a final notification popped up.

[Lee Do-Jun has left the chat.]

Do-Jun exited the group chat without hesitation.