Breaking Up with the #1 S-Class

When talking about large guilds in Korea, people usually think of four guilds.

S-class Rank 1, Frozen Queen, Yoo Eun-ha’s guild, now collapsed [Frozen Heart]

Then S-class Rank 8, the Witch’s guild [Witch’s Temptation]

Then S-class Rank 3, the Sword Saint’s guild, [Sword Saint Society]

Finally, S-class Rank 5, the Saint’s guild [The Order]

These four large guilds.

Naturally, most hunters want to join large guilds, and so do I.

I wanted to join one of these four guilds if possible.

But it seems that would be impossible.

—Thank you for applying to our Sword Saint Society. But since positions are limited…

—Hunter Lee Si-woo’s abilities are outstanding, but it seems The Order cannot proceed with Hunter Lee Si-woo.

“Hmm… I guess they all have the same stance…”

After leaving the [Witch’s Temptation] guild, I visited other large guilds.

However, all the large guilds refused to accept me, and they all said something similar to what Min Seo-jin had said.

They all claimed that they currently have no TO and are being selective.

Now that Yoo Eun-ha’s guild [Frozen Heart] has collapsed, it seems all three guilds share the same desire to become the number one guild.

“Hmph…”

So in the end, I had no choice but to give up on large guilds.

I had hoped to get what I wanted on the first try, but it seems that’s difficult.

Normally, my qualifications would have been more than enough to join, but it’s a bit disappointing that the Hunter Association imposed sanctions at such a time.

Somehow, in this situation, I’m tempted to reveal my EX-class skill, but still, I decided never to do that.

I can’t even imagine the aftermath if I announced that I have an unprecedented EX-class skill.

If I were to reveal it, I think it should only be to someone I truly trust.

‘But it’s okay.’

It’s disappointing. But it’s not desperate.

It would be nice to join a large guild from the start, but gradually working my way up isn’t bad either.

So I submitted a job application to one of the better small and medium-sized guilds.

Although it was a small hunter guild, it had good performance and occasionally participated in raids with large guilds.

Above all, it was close to my home, so the conditions were quite good for me.

The only problem was…

It was a family company in the truest sense, beyond just being a company “like family.”

‘Hmm. Family management is rare for a hunter guild.’

I felt a bit conflicted when I received a text message asking me to come for an interview.

I had applied there as insurance in case all the large guilds rejected me, but I wasn’t very enthusiastic.

This was because this guild was a small elite guild with only two members, an older brother with B-class and a younger sister with A-class, and since it was a family guild, I couldn’t help but worry about various things.

‘What if they keep all the good stuff for themselves and just exploit me…?’

Even a cursory internet search reveals how difficult it is to work at a family-run company.

I’m a bit afraid that such difficult situations might arise if I work at this company.

‘Still, I should at least talk to them first, right?’

Nothing is confirmed yet. It’s a situation of half expectation, half worry.

This company has such good conditions for me that I would like to work there if there are no major problems.

So I plan to at least go for the interview.

“Are you Si-woo who’s scheduled for an interview today?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Si-woo.”

“Haha. Nice to meet you too. Please have a seat.”

“Yes.”

I visited the company.

I was able to meet B-class hunter Park Jin-soo, a young man with a slightly small build and an innocent-looking face.

‘If it’s not right, I can always leave.’

For now, I’m planning to just try working there.

After all, resignations are free, and if things seem off, I can just quit.

— — —

Three days have passed since I joined.

I’ve been working at the guild during that time, and if there’s anything I’ve felt about this guild…

It’s that it’s not a bad company to work at, rather quite good.

‘This is better than I expected?’

At first, I was worried about what kind of power trips they might pull, but there was nothing like that.

Park Jin-soo was as kind in personality as his innocent appearance suggested.

And since we got along well, I became friends with Park Jin-soo before I knew it.

“Good morning, Si-woo. It’s a good morning.”

“Yes, Jin-soo. Good morning.”

When I arrived at work, I found a man who had already finished cleaning the office.

We exchanged greetings as company colleagues.

“Did Si-woo get home well yesterday?”

“Yes, I got home fine.”

“Yesterday, I went to the sword training hall to test the swordsmanship Si-woo taught me, and it was really good.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

I continued to chat amicably with Park Jin-soo.

Park Jin-soo has quite a kind personality, and as I helped him with various things, we quickly became friends.

This is absolutely not empty talk; yesterday, we became close enough to train together.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to Si-woo these days. How difficult it was for me and my sister to run the company just the two of us. I registered as a hunter following my sister, but I’m just a rookie who hasn’t even been doing this for a month.”

“Haha. I’m also lacking in many ways as a returning hunter. You’re overestimating me.”

Park Jin-soo keeps expressing his gratitude to me.

I awkwardly laugh it off.

Park Jin-soo is a late awakener, and he said he established the guild with his sister who didn’t have a guild at the time.

That’s the guild I joined, and that’s why he was so glad to have me.

Moreover, as a somewhat experienced new employee, I might have had a lot to teach from Park Jin-soo’s perspective.

“No, really. I’m just grateful that you’re so proficient in paperwork. I may be your senior at the company, but don’t mind that, and I will learn a lot from you in the future, Si-woo.”

Park Jin-soo’s compliments don’t stop.

The decisive moment I became friends with Park Jin-soo was actually because of paperwork.

In the past, I worked as Yoo Eun-ha’s manager, so naturally, I was also part of the S-class Rank 1 guild [Frozen Heart], and because of that, I have plenty of experience with paperwork.

For someone like me, the paperwork at the guild I’m in now was as easy as pie.

From what I can see, it seems neither Park Jin-soo nor his sister Park Jin-ha are very good at paperwork.

In the first place, it would be stranger for a hunter to be good at paperwork…

“Ahaha.”

I continued to listen to Park Jin-soo’s compliments, and even I was beginning to feel a bit burdened.

So I felt the need to change the topic of conversation.

“By the way, where is your sister? I’ve never seen her.”

I asked Park Jin-soo about Park Jin-ha, another employee.

I had heard that there was also Park Jin-soo’s sister, Park Jin-ha, in the guild, but I hadn’t seen her once during these three days.

So I asked Park Jin-soo, and he answered.

“Ah. Did I not tell you? My sister Jin-ha is currently on a business trip to Busan.”

“Aha. A business trip.”

A business trip, nothing special.

Due to the nature of gates, they can appear anywhere, so visits to various places are common.

However, what surprised me was Park Jin-ha’s specs that Park Jin-soo mentioned afterward.

“Yes. If things go well with this business trip to Busan, she might become the 10th S-class, they say.”

“Oh… I see. I heard that Jin-ha was impressive, but was she that good?”

“Yes. Unlike me, she’s a smart and friendly kid who has been working as a hunter for a long time.”

Park Jin-soo continued to talk about his sister shyly.

I couldn’t help but be a bit surprised at the mention of the 10th S-class.

What ultimately evaluates hunters’ worth is their rank.

In any case, the word S-class is never something that can be disregarded in hunter society.

Being evaluated as S-class itself already reveals one’s true value.

Park Jin-soo seems to know this, as his expression showed pride in such a sister.

“Oh right. Come to think of it, Si-woo also has a younger sister, right? Si-eun, was it? What kind of person is Si-eun?”

“Just a cute and kind student who, unlike me, doesn’t know anything about hunter work.”

This time, Park Jin-soo asked me.

I had previously mentioned to Park Jin-soo that I have a younger sister, so he seemed curious.

Like Park Jin-soo, I told him about Si-eun with a proud expression.

Although Si-eun isn’t something like S-class, I think Si-eun is the most proud sister in the world.

“Huh? Is it already this time? Si-woo. You know there’s a task today to conquer a gate in cooperation with another guild, right?”

“Yes. I know from the work email.”

Anyway, this was enough for morning greetings, and now it was time for us to work.

Today, we will be conquering a gate together with another guild.

“Then let’s depart, Si-woo.”

The work we’re going to do now.

It was what’s commonly called raid support.