Chapter 19: The Irregular from the Twilight Guild

Lee So-hyeon remained speechless long after the video ended, her eyes fixed on the frozen frame of the screen.

“……”

Seeing her reaction, Lee Na-yeon quickly spoke up.

“What do you think? Incredible, right? Shouldn’t we recruit him? If Twilight—which is practically a Mage guild anyway—doesn’t take him, who will?”

The Twilight Guild was unique among the nation’s Big Five; from the Guild Leader down, a vast majority of its core members were Mages. While they had tanks, healers, and melee dealers, their composition was overwhelmingly skewed toward magic users.

“Ha! Soloing an F-rank dungeon boss… that’s not easy even for a B-rank. And he’s only a D-rank? This is the definition of an ‘Irregular.’”

“Has your mind changed then? I know our most urgent priority is building a stronger tank line, but letting a Mage of this caliber slip away is madness. A Mage who can solo a boss raid without a tank, a dealer, or even a healer’s support? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Twilight held its spot in the top five due to its overwhelming firepower, but its lack of a sturdy frontline often caused them to lag behind the other major guilds. Consequently, all their current recruitment efforts were focused on top-tier Tanks.

However, the man in the video was so compelling that he was worth shifting the entire guild’s strategy.

“Hmm.”

As Lee So-hyeon hesitated, Lee Na-yeon pressed her advantage.

“He’s D-rank now, but he’ll reach Phase 2 growth soon. If he jumps straight to B-rank, his market value will skyrocket. It’s better to catch him now while he’s ‘cheap.’”

Even for an Irregular, a D-rank’s signing fee was significantly lower than a B-rank’s. Na-yeon saw this as a high-value investment. Then, she delivered the final blow to end her sister’s indecision.

“Plus, here’s the kicker! Do you know who his younger sister is?”

So-hyeon tilted her head. “What? His sister?”

“Hehe. It’s the very person you’ve been drooling over—the S-rank potential Tank and the Academy’s top prospect: Jang Se-hee.”

So-hyeon’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “What? Jang Se-hee is his sister?”

“Exactly. I verified it through my contacts in the Association. Which means? If we sign Jang Se-hyeon, our chances of landing Jang Se-hee go up exponentially. Depending on how it goes, it could even be a ‘one-plus-one’ deal.”

Se-hee was under strict protection at the Academy, making her nearly impossible to approach. But Se-hyeon was an adult and a registered hunter. He was accessible.

“You should have led with that! Send a scout immediately! No, wait—Na-yeon, you go. Go personally and bring him to our guild by any means necessary.”

Na-yeon smirked. “I was already planning on it. What’s the budget? How high can I go?”

“Considering he might be an Irregular, offer him treatment equivalent to a C-rank. If he pushes, tell him we’ll give him the absolute top-tier C-rank package.”

Offering C-rank treatment to a D-rank was a massive leap, but considering the footage, it was a fair opening.

“And if the situation calls for it… B-rank treatment? Deal?”

Na-yeon pushed further.

“What? B-rank? That’s overkill. That’s a matter of equity—the other B-rank members would riot.”

“Sis, soloing a boss is something only a B-rank should be able to do. Even a C-rank couldn’t solo an F-rank boss that efficiently. If he’s performing at B-rank levels, we should pay him accordingly.”

“Even so, his official rank is D. If it leaks that a D-rank is getting a B-rank salary, it’ll destabilize the guild’s internal hierarchy.”

Like most guilds, Twilight relied on its B-rank members as its backbone. If they felt undervalued, the guild would crumble.

“Fine, fine. Top-tier C-rank is the ceiling for now. I’ll start negotiations there,” Na-yeon conceded.

“Go. Negotiate with that, and if the situation gets complicated, call me,” So-hyeon added. She was just as eager as her sister—not just because of Se-hee, but because the raw talent shown in that video was undeniable.

Meanwhile, after parting ways with Park Sang-soo, Se-hyeon was back at home when Choi Hyeon-seong contacted him, asking for a brief visit.

“Whoa, eighteen months? And 60%? With all other conditions remaining the same? This is much better than I expected.”

Choi had arrived to present the finalized compensation package from the Association.

“It shows just how much the President and our department value you, Hunter Jang. Shall we proceed with this?”

Se-hyeon nodded. “Yes, this is excellent. Let’s do it.”

He hadn’t expected much to begin with, so receiving a package better than his own counter-offer was a win.

“Great. We’ll finalize the paperwork. Also, an announcement will be posted on the Association’s website. We need to explain the reasoning for such a unique compensation package to the other hunters to avoid rumors.”

“Do what you must. But… I have to ask. Why go this far? Give me the real reason, not the ‘correcting a mistake’ corporate line.”

Choi looked momentarily flustered. “The real reason? Haha, there isn’t anything like—”

“There clearly is,” Se-hyeon interrupted. “Even when I said I was fine with it, you guys pushed for more. You don’t do that just for ‘hunter welfare.’ Would you believe that if you were in my shoes?”

Choi sighed and relented. “Fine. I’ll tell you. To be honest, the Awakened Management Department and the Talent Development Department are bitter rivals. Talent Development used to be a sub-unit of ours before they broke off. Since then, they’ve clashed with us on everything, slowly eating away at our budget until they grew larger than us.”

Se-hyeon smirked. “Aha. So you’re using me to embarrass them? Since they were the ones who officially labeled me as ‘unable to awaken’?”

Choi nodded. “Yes. But please know that while that’s part of it, the majority of this decision is based on your own incredible potential.”

“Fair enough. I profit either way. But doesn’t this mean the Talent Development folks won’t exactly be my biggest fans?”

“Actually, no,” Choi countered. “They are likely to try and approach you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because of your sister, Jang Se-hee. She is the crown jewel of their development program. Now that they realize her brother is a powerful hunter in good standing with our department, they’ll be terrified that we might steal her away. They’ll likely approach you to try and sway her to stay loyal to them.”

Se-hyeon realized things were getting complicated. “So, two rival departments are essentially backing the brother and sister against each other?”

“Precisely.”

Se-hyeon looked amused, then turned serious. “Should I tell my sister to ditch them and sign with you guys instead?”

It was a tempting offer for Choi, but he shook his head. “It’s a sweet proposal, but no. That would be an open declaration of war. Besides, we value you for your worth, not just as ‘Se-hee’s brother.’ Our intentions might not have started out pure, but we are now fully focused on your growth.”

Se-hyeon smiled. “I thought you’d jump at the chance. I’m impressed. I think I can trust you, Manager Choi.”

The next day.

Se-hyeon moved early, long before sunrise, to enter a fresh D-rank dungeon with a clear rate of only 8%.

“Only two parties have entered so far, so progress is slow,” Park Sang-soo noted. “Soon, the crowds will arrive, but for now, the place will be crawling with monsters. Are you sure you can handle a D-rank solo?”

The dungeon was the Giant Ant Colony. Giant Ants, like Orcs, were D-rank staples. They had similar health and defense to Orcs but lower attack power and much higher agility. They were notoriously weak to fire.

‘If their defense is like an Orc’s, I should be fine, but I’ll start slow.’

From his tests at the simulation center, Se-hyeon knew his 10% magic efficiency boost allowed him to one-shot Orcs. He hadn’t tested it on ants yet, so caution was key.

“Let’s try. It’s early; if it’s too much, we’ll just pull out and go to an E-rank dungeon,” Se-hyeon said.

“Fair enough. Same as last time? We follow with the trailer?”

“Yes. Oh, and I see everyone showed up.”

Se-hyeon was surprised to see all the porters from the previous day. He expected some to quit out of fear for their lives in a D-rank zone.

“They saw what you did in the Kobold and Goblin dungeons. They trust you. And… well, the danger premium helped,” Park Sang-soo laughed.

“I’ll have to make sure I don’t let that trust down then.”

Se-hyeon looked at the group. He saw Park Sang-soo as a valuable long-term asset and planned to bring him closer. As for the porters, he’d keep them around for now to maintain the secret—if they proved loyal, he’d help them grow; if not, he’d cut them loose.

It was time to put his new gear to the test.