Chapter 66: You're Not Quitting After All? (1)

The guild member in charge of directing greetings looked up.

He was a bald young man with strikingly thick, caterpillar-like eyebrows.

His name was Park Yongman, wasn’t it?

“Are you heading up to the office?”

“No, I stopped by to discuss something with the Guild Leader.”

“Ah, I thought you might be checking on your Vice Guild Leader’s office space.”

“Didn’t I mention yesterday that I wouldn’t need one?”

“Yes, I remember. You said there was no need to prepare a Vice Guild Leader’s office for you in the Main Office. But are you really sure you’re okay with that?”

I nodded.

As Vice Guild Leader, I had no intention of regularly coming to the office.

If I ever needed to handle something at the Main Office, I could simply kick out Ko Youngmin and take over the Guild Leader’s office.

“Understood. Then I’ll clear out that son of a bitch’s… ahem, I mean, the former Vice Guild Leader’s space.”

“Please do.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll escort you to the Guild Leader’s office immediately.”

I could have found my own way, but there was no need to refuse such special treatment.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Appreciate it…?” Park Yongman’s jaw dropped in awe, his face deeply moved. The other bald heads lined up behind him reacted similarly.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing at all. It’s just… it’s hard to believe that someone as humble as you is the new Vice Guild Leader I’m serving under. It still doesn’t feel real.”

I’d barely shown even minimal courtesy, yet they reacted like this. Just how awful had Jo Yongtae been?

“Then, please follow me.” Park Yongman bowed deeply and led the way, his demeanor now impeccably respectful.

The guild members who had greeted me earlier scurried back into action.

“Minsik! Why aren’t you getting ready? If you keep dawdling like that, we’ll never leave by 11!”

“Team Leader 3, about the Paju Joint Expedition scheduled for 4 PM today…”

Everyone’s working so hard.

It wasn’t just the way they were treating me. The entire Guild’s atmosphere was completely different from yesterday.

Until yesterday, the Main Office had been as gloomy and oppressive as a Necromancer’s lair. Today, it was practically overflowing with vitality.

Looking around, I remarked, “It’s not even 9 AM yet, and everyone’s already here.”

“It’s worth coming in for,” Park Yongman replied, his gaze fixed on the rows of congratulatory flower wreaths lining the lobby. “Do you know how brutally Jo Yongtae used to torment his subordinates? He was an absolute monster. If he was in a bad mood, he’d pick a Guild Member at random and beat them senseless as soon as they arrived. He’d throw people into life-threatening situations for the slightest offense, leaving them half-crippled before kicking them out.”

”…”

“The worst part was how he stole what was rightfully ours.”

Park Yongman ground his teeth in frustration.

“Whether he participated in expeditions or not, he took half of the essence stones and byproducts earned by the Hwiryung Guild members. Who would want to work hard on expeditions under those conditions?”

It’s not uncommon for guild leaders or vice guild leaders to steal their members’ earnings, especially in smaller, lesser-known guilds. But even then, taking half was outrageous.

“That’s why I was so surprised by your inaugural address yesterday. It felt like you understood exactly how we felt. Vice Guild Leader, have you experienced something like this before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Ah.”

“I wasn’t a Hunter to begin with. I was just a salaried porter. My treatment was probably even worse than yours.”

Park Yongman’s eyes widened as he pressed the elevator button.

“So the rumors in the media were true… You were a porter until your B-rank assessment?”

“That’s right,” I replied.

“I can’t believe it. It really happened…”

Ding.

As the elevator doors opened, I stepped inside and said, “I’ll take it from here.”

“Understood. Uh, if you don’t mind, may I ask you one more thing?”

Park Yongman, who had been looking down, hastily called out to me.

“If we keep working hard, will we ever be able to become like you, Vice Guild Leader?”

I paused to consider.

Then, just before the elevator doors closed, I met Park Yongman’s earnest gaze through the closing gap and replied, “Yes. Effort never betrays you.”

“Hmm.”

I laid the contract, which I had meticulously scrutinized, word for word, on the table in the Hwiryong Guild Leader’s office.

“Um, we’ve included every single request you made, Hunter Taejun,” Ko Youngmin said, fidgeting like a puppy needing to relieve itself.

“A 10:0 split of essence stones, unlimited expeditions to guild-owned dungeons, and all government subsidies earmarked for the guild will be deposited directly into your account, bypassing Hwiryong entirely.”

I had thoroughly reviewed the contract, expecting some last-minute trickery. But to my surprise, Ko Youngmin had accurately incorporated all my demands. Clearly, he wasn’t as foolish as Jo Yongtae, who had dug his own grave.

I nodded. “And the Guild Leader will handle all my guild-related taxes and other administrative matters, right?”

“Yes.”

“Just to be perfectly clear, I’m entrusting this matter to you, Guild Leader,” I said with a bright smile, emphasizing my words. “Not to any other guild member.”

“Ah, I understand. I’ll handle it personally. I won’t pass it down to my subordinates.”

The Hwiryong Guild Leader bowed obediently, showing no sign of resentment.

“Then I should be going. Contact me if you need anything.”

As I tucked the contract into my coat and started to rise from my seat, Ko Youngmin suddenly spoke up.

“Ah, and… there’s someone who wants to meet Hunter Taejun.”

“I thought I made it clear: until I give permission, the news of my joining Hwiryong and my appointment as Vice Guild Leader are not to be released to the media.”

“It’s not a journalist or anyone from the press,” Ko Youngmin hesitated before continuing.

“My uncle wishes to see Hunter Taejun again, at his residence.”

“The Honorary Guild Leader?”

Go Geonho.

He had quietly vanished shortly after my inauguration speech yesterday, along with Jo Yongtae, who was still unconscious and sprawled on the floor.

“May I ask why?” I inquired, my voice sharpening slightly.

Even though he was the legendary Necromancer hero who had once captivated the world, I wasn’t exactly pleased. The main reason I had chosen Hwiryong Guild was its moderate size and the absence of anyone who might bother me. If Go Geonho started interfering like this, my plan to use the guild as a mere backdrop while pursuing my own interests could fall apart.

As if sensing my thoughts, Ko Youngmin hastily replied.

“We didn’t call you here to ask for a favor, Hunter Taejun.”

“Then why?”

“Uncle said he has something to give you, Hunter Taejun. A gift to commemorate your inauguration.”

An inauguration gift?

When I remained silent, Ko Youngmin continued with a bitter expression. “If it’s not too much trouble, I hope you’ll accept Uncle’s gift.”

”…”

“It’s the first time he’s ever mentioned giving something to someone as a gift.”

“The first time?”

“Yes. He’s never even given me a gift before. He said that even when he leaves in a few years, he’ll donate all his belongings to society and dispose of anything dangerous beforehand.”

This was unexpected.

Given that he entrusted Hwiryong to me, I assumed he had a soft spot for Ko Youngmin and had been showering him with gifts for years.

But what puzzled me even more was…

“Leaves in a few years?”

“Ah.”

Ko Youngmin stammered, his face betraying his surprise. “He mentioned he’d be leaving Korea for good in a few years.”

“Hmm.”

I sensed he was holding something back. But before I could press him, Ko Youngmin continued, “Anyway, it seems Hunter Taejun made quite an impression on him. So, if you have the time…”

I hesitated.

A gift from the hero of the Great Change and Korea’s foremost Necromancer. Based on our conversation and his demeanor yesterday, I doubted he’d offer a meaningless gift just to extract favors or manipulate me.

If that was the case, there was no reason to refuse.

“I understand.”

“Ah, then we can proceed right away…”

I cut off Ko Youngmin’s eagerness. “No. Meeting Lord Nine Heavens Bone King will have to wait.”

“Oh? Do you have urgent business?”

“Yes.” I smiled. “I have an item up for auction I need to check on.”

Immediately after returning to my one-room apartment from Hwiryong’s Main Office, I placed the rusty knuckles on my desk and opened the Status Window.

The Synchronization Rate had increased by 2% since my last check. This was thanks to Iratu acquiring a new Skill, which upgraded the ‘Growing Skeleton’ Skill from D to C rank.

I now needed to increase the Synchronization Rate by 2% within the next 14 days.

But before that…

“I should take care of this first.”

This was why I had postponed my reunion with the Nine Heavens Bone King.

If I were to receive an item or learn a skill from him and satisfy the Synchronization Rate, this quest would be as good as gone.

“Alright, let’s check this out.”

I launched Parsley Market and immediately navigated to the Phil Damrok window.

I checked the post I had uploaded three days prior. The red “+230” next to the post made me smirk.

The top comments were mostly self-promotion or insincere praise for the poster.

But as you scrolled further down:

The comment section was rapidly devolving into a mudslinging match.

In the end, it devolved into a fierce bidding war.

Clearly, demand was low while supply overflowed.

Honestly, it was a little pitiful.

If these Ability Users were on Earth, they wouldn’t have to hustle so hard. They’d be swimming in money without even trying.

After all, Earth lacks the technology to restore items with depleted Durability.

“Hmm, still seems pretty expensive.”

But judging by the prices they were asking, even with the lack of work, these guys probably weren’t going hungry anytime soon.

The lowest price I saw in the comments was 20,000 Coins.

That’s equivalent to 2,000 Low-grade Essence Stones, or two billion won in real-world currency.

I currently had about 6,000 Coins on hand—the sum I’d accumulated by fully charging all the essence stones I’d recovered from Dua’s Territory.

Even if I fully charged all the High-grade Essence Stones I’d acquired from constructing the Black Death Bride, I’d barely surpass 7,000 Coins.

Curious about why the price was so high, I checked the comment offering 20,000 Coins.

Come to think of it, this was the same seller whose post I’d seen a few days ago.

If I remembered correctly, that post had also exuded excessive confidence.

Given that my affiliated dimension was the Dwarf Settlement and my ID was “Dwarf Village Chief,” it was understandable.

“First, I’ll try sending a chat message,” I muttered.

I immediately tapped the Status Window.