Chapter 25: The Re-evaluation Date and a Visitor

For several days after the Gate Defense Battle, I spent my time in a whirlwind of activity.

After finishing urgent tasks and quickly eating lunch, Im Seung-ju sought out Shin Ji-ho. He then provided a rather detailed report on the matters he had handled throughout the morning.

More striking than the increasingly detailed explanations was the radical shift in Im Seung-ju’s demeanor.

Far from his usual disdainful gaze, his attitude was meticulously polite and respectful, as if addressing someone of significant importance. I could swear, in the nearly year I had observed Im Seung-ju, this was the most courteous he had ever been.

‘Could a single skill truly change a person so drastically?’ I wondered. Yet, upon reflection, Im Seung-ju had always disliked Shin Ji-ho for being weak. It seemed only natural that he would acknowledge Ji-ho now that he had grown stronger.

The problem was that Ji-ho, who had previously tolerated Seung-ju’s attitude with indifference, now found him rather irritating. Ji-ho had always harbored a strong aversion to people who discriminated against others based on arbitrary standards.

‘No, this is just how society works,’ he thought.

When Ji-ho had announced his intention to form a separate guild, his brother, who had offered the most positive response, had given him advice.

He had warned that the path Shin Ji-ho would tread, having incurred people’s hatred from the start, would be thorny. He advised Ji-ho to smile even when he disliked it, and to learn patience. Though his brother had concluded by saying that if Ji-ho didn’t want to do that, he should just quit and come home, it was advice given with genuine care.

Shaking off the intrusive thoughts that had begun to creep in, Ji-ho continued to listen to Seung-ju’s report.

The other reports, aside from an increase in scale compared to previous rifts or Gate Defense Battles, held no particular significance. The most crucial part of the report was what Im Seung-ju said at the very end.

“The 18th of this month?”

As Ji-ho’s gaze drifted towards the calendar, Seung-ju immediately added before he could even look closely.

“Yes. For now, there are no other appointments scheduled for that day.”

“Understood. Please inform them that we will proceed on the 18th.”

“Yes. Is there anything else you require?”

“No, that’s all. You may return to your duties.”

Im Seung-ju bowed respectfully before exiting the Guildmaster’s office.

Ji-ho flipped through the calendar. Today was May 4th, leaving only two weeks until the 18th. He penned a note on the calendar.

[Re-evaluation Date]

The day he once dreaded more than anything was now just two weeks away.

He no longer felt anxious. Instead, a sense of anticipation was building within him.

After his assistance with the F-rank Awakener and his handling of the A-rank Gate, the number of people who doubted Shin Ji-ho’s abilities had significantly dwindled. With such momentum, few would likely raise objections to his promotion to S-rank.

Even the Hunter community, which had once been hell-bent on criticizing Shin Ji-ho, had seen a considerable shift in public opinion.

Now, only a nominal confirmation and promotion remained.

‘They scheduled the date more urgently than I expected,’ he mused.

Since the re-evaluation request itself had only been submitted the day before yesterday, it seemed they had chosen the earliest possible date to allow for preparation.

He could vaguely guess why they were acting with such haste.

The public was uneasy due to the abnormal Gate occurrences that defied predictions.

The higher-ups in the Hunter Association and the government would likely want to add another S-rank Hunter to their ranks. An S-rank Hunter’s mere existence would bring a sense of stability, and indeed, things would become a bit safer.

Humming a tune, Ji-ho cheerfully processed the documents requiring approval.

Currently, Noname was merely a B-rank guild. If its Guildmaster were promoted to S-rank, it would become the most attractive B-rank guild among its peers—a guild worth boasting about to Awakeners seeking a new affiliation.

Shin Ji-ho swelled with anticipation, imagining a Noname vastly different from its current state.

New wine needed new wineskins. In the Noname to be filled with new guild members, not even a quarter of the existing members would remain.

All guild members who harbored strong resentment were cut. Among those who had inadvertently gone along, individuals with useful abilities and good character had their terms renegotiated and contracts renewed.

Heo So-ri had been quite helpful in finalizing the list of personnel to be dismissed.

‘I’d like to recruit a few A-rank Hunters, or at least some B-rank ones,’ he thought.

The problem was that recruiting Hunters was not an easy feat.

There were a total of 252 A-rank Awakeners in the country.

While it seemed like a small number, it was quite high relative to the population. Nevertheless, from the perspective of managing a guild and needing to recruit Awakeners, it inevitably felt insufficient.

There were nine guilds of A-rank or higher in the country. The majority of Hunters willing to join a guild were already affiliated with one of these nine.

The number of unaffiliated A-rank free Hunters was also quite substantial. However, would an A-rank Hunter who had already rejected nine other guilds truly consider joining Noname?

He would try his best, but the probability of recruiting them was low.

While Ji-ho was deep in thought alone in the Guildmaster’s office, a rare event occurred at the Noname Guild: a visitor arrived.

****

Today was the day Shin Ji-ho had arranged to meet Seon Tae-woong. It was their first encounter since being trapped alone in the S-rank dungeon.

Tae-woong, meticulously dressed, entered the Noname Guild. He was momentarily taken aback.

“No, what are all these flowers…?”

Roses bloomed so profusely inside the guild that, for a moment, he wondered if he had mistakenly entered a flower shop instead of a guild. He checked, thinking a flowerbed might have been built indoors, but the blooms simply emerged from vases.

The roses themselves were beautiful. However, their overgrown abundance brought to mind plant-type monsters, sending shivers down his spine. Just as he began to question Shin Ji-ho’s taste…

“I hear they’re flowers sent by the Cheongram Guildmaster.”

At the voice from beside him, Seon Tae-woong revised his thoughts.

If they were from the Cheongram Guildmaster, they must certainly be special flowers.

Tae-woong smiled and turned his head.

“Greetings, Hunter Im Seung-ju.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

Im Seung-ju, whose expressions rarely varied, maintained his usual stiff, impassive face today as well.

When he was with the Cheongram Guild, he had at least possessed a semblance of vitality. However, since joining Noname, he seemed to have withered slightly.

Today, though, he looked inexplicably haggard.

He wasn’t sure why.

No, he truly didn’t understand. With this opportunity, Noname would rise to at least an A-rank guild, so shouldn’t Im Seung-ju, as the Vice Guildmaster, be pleased?

Im Seung-ju’s gaze fell upon the potion gift set in Seon Tae-woong’s hand.

“Are you here to see the Guildmaster today?”

“Yes, I’ve come to express my gratitude for what happened recently…”

Tae-woong offered an awkward laugh.

There had been very little conversation between Seon Tae-woong and Im Seung-ju until now. Tae-woong, feeling a touch of pity that an A-rank like Im Seung-ju was beneath Shin Ji-ho, had never bothered to pick a fight with him.

Im Seung-ju, for his part, had never spoken to Seon Tae-woong either. He had always remained silent, merely observing while Seon Tae-woong provoked and lambasted Shin Ji-ho.

‘Ah, so that’s why he’s like this,’ Tae-woong thought.

It was only natural for a Vice Guildmaster to feel a sense of crisis if the Guildmaster they had previously ignored suddenly began to flourish.

‘He should have done better sooner…’ But then again, Tae-woong was hardly in a position to criticize Seung-ju.

Even today, to make a good impression on Shin Ji-ho, he had painstakingly chosen his clothes, gotten his makeup done at a salon, and personally bought a gift from the Hunter’s section of Cheongram Department Store.

His sister, Shin Ji-hye, had scoffed, asking if he was going on a blind date, but honestly, he felt more nervous than when dealing with someone of the opposite s*x.

‘I don’t want to be disliked by Shin Ji-ho.’

‘I want to fight alongside Shin Ji-ho once more.’

‘Because the exhilaration of receiving that skill was truly incredible…’

“Hunter Seon Tae-woong.”

“Ah, yes.”

Seung-ju called out to Tae-woong, who had been momentarily lost in the intoxicating memory. With a hesitant expression, Seung-ju parted his lips.

“Um… Hunter Seon Tae-woong, you also received the [Star’s Blessing], didn’t you?”

“Ah, I didn’t know that was its name… Yes, I suppose so.”

“How was it?”

“It was incredible! I felt like I had nothing to fear from anyone.”

“Did you not feel something change back then?”

“I became… incredibly strong? No, I became *extremely* strong. That’s the feeling I had.”

Despite Tae-woong’s efforts to maintain a businesslike tone, overt excitement now colored his voice. Seung-ju observed the clearly thrilled Tae-woong with serious eyes.

“When you used the skill, did you not perceive any other sensations?”

“What kind of other sensations?”

“When I swung my sword, I felt my movements had improved from before. It wasn’t just an increase in stamina or strength; it was as if my swordsmanship itself had ascended to a higher level. I tried training, recalling that sensation…”

Im Seung-ju’s voice trailed off as he clenched his fist tightly.

Those movements had been close to perfection for Im Seung-ju at the time. Although he couldn’t perfectly replicate them once the skill’s effect vanished, he could follow them to a certain extent, perhaps because he had experienced them physically.

While a Hunter’s rank was an absolute determinant of strength, if ranks were similar, then individual effort became the deciding factor.

‘If only I could receive that skill one more time, I could follow it even more precisely,’ he thought.

Since the rank re-evaluation was confirmed, Shin Ji-ho wouldn’t be going on external missions for a while. Regret washed over him belatedly, remembering how he had constantly nagged Ji-ho not to leave for missions.

Meanwhile, only confusion was visible on Tae-woong’s face as he listened to Seung-ju.

“Uh, I didn’t really notice anything…”

“…”

As a fleeting look of pity crossed Im Seung-ju’s eyes, Seon Tae-woong hastily offered an excuse.

“At that time, both Hunter Shin Ji-ho and I were practically at death’s door. We weren’t in a state of mind to compare anything.”

“That’s certainly understandable.”

Indeed, they had been injured in an S-rank dungeon and barely survived. It would have been difficult to perceive such subtle differences, unlike Im Seung-ju, who had been able to fully immerse himself in his senses with a clear mind.

Though he understood Seon Tae-woong’s situation, Im Seung-ju, who yearned to confirm if the sensations he had felt back then were real, retreated with a sense of regret.

After Im Seung-ju departed, and as Seon Tae-woong was guided to the Guildmaster’s office, his mind raced with increasing complexity.

‘The skill itself became more efficient?’ he wondered.

Seon Tae-woong’s skill was magic-based. Magic-type skills could also be improved, allowing for more efficient mana usage or increased power, depending on one’s efforts.

‘I should have focused more then,’ he lamented.

Seon Tae-woong clutched the potion gift set tightly, filled with regret. He felt an overwhelming urge to punch himself for all the harsh words he had hurled in the past.

‘I need to make a good impression now, at least.’

The lingering image of Shin Ji-ho, transferring his mana to him, kept floating before his eyes. He had spent his days searching for old articles about Shin Ji-ho online, and now, finally, he would see him in person again.

Calming his strangely fluttering heart, Seon Tae-woong stood before the wooden door of the Guildmaster’s office, marked with a nameplate.