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Join the ServerOnly belatedly did Agon, gritting his teeth, massage the back of Dokyeom’s neck.
As the knotted muscles loosened, Dokyeom felt his fatigue recede.
Dokyeom let out a weary sigh as he lay there for a moment; the dark, clotted nosebleed soon stopped.
Yet, even as dawn broke and he went to work at the guild, everyone’s faces were shadowed with worry, and no one spoke.
Except for one person.
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ says he heard from a close friend that you vomited blood, and asks if it’s true.]
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ adds that they were asleep at the time and definitely didn’t go anywhere.]
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ pounds their chest, asking what you did while they were gone to become such a sick chicken!]
“Sheesh, making such a fuss over a single nosebleed.”
If the story gets twisted one more time, I’ll end up in my grave.
Dokyeom watched the changing numbers on the elevator display and patted his own shoulder.
Beside him, Beom Yeonhu reached out a hand but then curled his fingers and lowered it.
“Dokyeom, you’re tired. I don’t have to do this today, so let’s head back.”
“Hyung, it would be more wasteful to turn back after coming all this way. Besides, I’ve already thrown the kids into the pool.”
Of course, it had taken a whole hour just to separate them and bring them along.
A faint sigh escaped Beom Yeonhu’s lips.
Dokyeom understood his concern, but today, he couldn’t afford to stay home leisurely. He had to settle Beom Yeonhu’s contract with Taeseongyeon.
He had already messaged Taeseongyeon last night about his intent to contract Beom Yeonhu, and had also sent several lines of demands.
Taeseongyeon had merely replied with a meeting time and place, along with a single smiling emoji.
So Dokyeom was prepared to flip the table if even one of those demands was omitted from the contract.
“Hyung, just so you know, no matter how high the salary offer is, don’t change your expression until I give the okay. I’m going to strip the Sahyeon Guild down to the bone this time. Let’s fill your coffers to the brim.”
Just then, the elevator numbers stopped and a mechanical chime announced their arrival.
Dokyeom stepped into the spotless lobby.
Beom Yeonhu silently followed behind.
While Beom Yeonhu had been undecided about his next move, the media had focused intently on his plans for days.
That was the nature of an S-Rank Hunter’s emergence. An S-Rank was essential to national security, and could solidify a country’s standing on a global scale.
The Association had desperately tried to cling to Beom Yeonhu’s coattails and entice him, which also contained the intention to check the firmly entrenched Three Great Guilds.
Because the balance of power was too heavily skewed toward private corporations—
And as Beom Yeonhu’s decision became intertwined with ‘Han Dokyeom,’ the media churned out speculative breaking news about his moves.
Considering he might be swayed by old ties, they guessed it would be the ‘Sahyeon Guild.’
And that guess turned out to be exactly right.
Knock knock knock—
“It’s Han Dokyeom, Mr. Taeseongyeon.”
As soon as he heard a faint reply from beyond the door, Dokyeom flung it open.
Sunlight streamed through the window, stabbing at his eyes.
In the unusually spacious, tidy room, Taeseongyeon sat in his usual seat, welcoming Dokyeom. He smiled, leisurely resting his chin on his hand.
“Long time no see, Mr. Han Dokyeom.”
“Yes, the thought of seeing that thick contract makes the world look bright, and my heart is all aflutter.”
As Dokyeom sat down opposite Taeseongyeon, Beom Yeonhu entered with a dignified step and took his seat.
Only then did Taeseongyeon’s gaze shift past Dokyeom to land on Beom Yeonhu.
A dry air circulated once, and Beom Yeonhu first bowed his head in greeting.
“Thank you for last time. I worry that I’m always imposing on you for your conveniences in many ways. There was also the matter of the rank examination, so I wanted to express my gratitude when we met again.”
“Well, if Hunter Beom Yeonhu says so, then it must be so.”
His voice was low yet gentle, exuding experience.
The overly decorous words felt almost solemn. The empty table, without the usual tea cups, gave off a stark, businesslike atmosphere, perhaps making things feel stiffer than usual.
“Before the contract, let me ask Hunter Beom Yeonhu something.”
“Yes, please do speak.”
Taeseongyeon tapped the armrest with his fingertips. His gaze, seeming bored yet sharp, remained fixed on Beom Yeonhu until he let out his question.
“I’m curious as to why you chose the Sahyeon Guild. I’d be quite disappointed if the name ‘Hunter Han Dokyeom’ comes out of your mouth.”
As if hearing something unexpected, Beom Yeonhu’s gaze dropped sharply.
He wasn’t avoiding; he was lost in thought.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered that answer himself. The common media narrative of loyalty or affection was partly correct.
But if that were all, it would have been easier to persuade Dokyeom to leave instead.
Beom Yeonhu had come to this meeting with a clearer sense of purpose.
“…Regrettably, I did not come here with the intention of contributing to the guild. If I could have pulled Hunter Han Dokyeom out, my choice would have been to become an independent mercenary hunter, not join the Sahyeon Guild.”
“Then what is it?”
“I have no particular desire to gain fame or wealth by belonging to a guild. For now, my purpose is simply to protect Hunter Han Dokyeom as much as possible. And I believe that if Hunter Han Dokyeom chose this place, he had his reasons. For now, I want to respect that decision.”
His words carried many implications. ‘For now’ meant that might not be the case in the future.
Only after finishing his words did Beom Yeonhu lift his gaze to meet Taeseongyeon’s eyes directly.
This might have been impossible in the past. His vitality had expanded his presence as well; now he expressed his intentions without a hint of hesitation.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
Yet Taeseongyeon offered a deliberate smile. His leisurely gaze soon turned to Dokyeom, who was sitting with his head propped up.
A gentle question followed.
“What should I do, Dokyeom? His intentions seem impure.”
“…Cut him some slack. I’ll take a bit less than the salary I mentioned yesterday. About… 100 million or so…”
“But didn’t Mr. Han Dokyeom call for 17 billion?”
Beside him, Beom Yeonhu let out a startled cough.
A shocked gaze followed. As if he hadn’t expected such an amount, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes shaking violently as if caught in a storm.
Dokyeom rolled his eyes and then spat out again.
“…Well, maybe… I could consider up to 200 million…”
Taeseongyeon let out a low laugh.
There was no choice even if he put it that way. On his side, he needed a pool as big as the national swimming pool for Agon to swim in, and a yard of about 100 pyeong for Dali, who had transformed into a chimera, to run around freely. He also needed Dali’s food expenses and a spacious house.
Everything would be transferred to Beom Yeonhu’s assets, but just staying temporarily… well.
“Ah, if you’re going to reject it, just say it quickly. Then I can reconsider and adjust, or not.”
As Dokyeom grumbled boldly, Taeseongyeon suddenly gestured to the chief secretary standing by the door.
The secretary quickly approached and handed over a thick document envelope.
From it, Taeseongyeon took out the contract and slid it in front of Beom Yeonhu.
“This is a contract that accepts all the terms Mr. Han Dokyeom demanded. Take a look. Everything except the highlighted parts can be negotiated, so if you have additional clauses, let’s discuss. He’s an S-Rank Hunter, after all; we need to be generous in our circumstances.”
“If you keep being sarcastic, I might go to the Uhwa Guild, Mr. Taeseongyeon.”
“I believe Mr. Han Dokyeom’s contract term was 100 years.”
Another cough came from beside him. Beom Yeonhu’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
His eyes seemed to say, ‘Dokyeom, it was 100 years?’
Dokyeom glared at Taeseongyeon with a displeased look and snatched the thick contract. He placed it on Beom Yeonhu’s lap and scrutinized it from the first page.
Taeseongyeon, having received a tablet showing the contract from the secretary, also fixed his eyes on the screen to check for errors.
And so, a long while passed.
“…Please keep the salary fixed, but adjust the stated 7-year contract term to 5 years. Also, please list Hunter Han Dokyeom in the team I can form within gates of A-Rank and below.”
Only upon reaching the last page of the thick contract did Beom Yeonhu speak calmly.
Without taking his eyes off the tablet, Taeseongyeon left the answer to Dokyeom.
“What do you think, Mr. Han Dokyeom?”
“A-rank gates… well… yes, please do that. Oh, and please terminate the contract I had with you earlier.”
All the conditions stated in the contract were excessively generous, including welfare. Not only the terms Dokyeom had demanded, but also the equity stake, profit share, and the annually increasing salary hit an unheard-of upper limit.
The starting salary of 17 billion would reach approximately 25 billion after five years, with a signing bonus of 10 billion alone. For boss drops from A-rank and above gates, they would belong to Beom Yeonhu’s assets.
He could swear that no matter where Beom Yeonhu went, he wouldn’t receive such treatment right away.
Of course, there were also mandatory clauses. Things like compulsory dispatch when an S-Rank gate appears, or not being able to refuse participation when a gate break occurs.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Illusionary Dream! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Illusionary Dream
