Chapter 441. Seosun’s Attack (3)
Chapter 441. Seosun’s Attack (3)
Meeting someone and being asked outright if she would “resign from office” was certainly unexpected. Seonwoo Yeon didn’t answer immediately. All she did was step past the man in black blocking the doorway and activate the digital door lock pad. Standing there, she paused and fell into thought.
‘In a way, maybe it’s for the best that I found out who this person really is so quickly.’
Beep, beep, beep.
The sound of the five-digit apartment password being entered echoed for a few seconds.
‘If I had kept interacting with them without knowing they were an alien, I would have misunderstood them for life.’
In the process, the unique number that granted access to the room was fully exposed, but Seonwoo Yeon didn’t pay much attention to it either.
‘He really has a strange personality… …I probably would have internally judged him every time we met.’
That S-rank being is clearly an extraterrestrial creature. Moreover, with their formidable magic, they could probably pass through doors like a ghost at any time—so what’s the point of trying to cover the keypad with their hand?
-I’m asking if you’re thinking of resigning from your public office. I’ll pay you a lot! Aren’t you going to submit your resignation?
The alien near the door kept asking the same question. If someone listened closely, it was actually quite a typically Korean way of asking. But since Seonwoo Yeon had no intention of quitting her current job, she ultimately just shook her head while listening.
‘By the way, maybe it’s because he’s such a powerful and unorthodox person, but lately I feel like I’ve been getting too influenced just by being around him.’
Swish.
A woman with long black hair swung open the door to the small apartment.
“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, let’s make this hypothetical. Even if I gave you ten billion won, would you really still want to work as a public servant?”
“Let’s go inside first and talk.”
“Even if someone offered you ten billion won, wouldn’t you at least need to think it over a bit?”
What followed was the act of inviting the neatly dressed awakened one inside.
‘Last time, right in front of the gate, Hunter Jeong Haseong even unleashed his magic… I was so startled that I ended up asking the alien for a solution.’
But even as Seonwoo Yeon let the alien into the room, she kept pondering continuously.
‘Moreover, he just casually asked if there were any monster photos, and I ended up sharing the Association’s materials so naturally. Really… I was too careless this time. I need to get a grip.’
This was also a strong rebuke directed at herself.
‘From now on, I mustn’t rely carelessly on that S-rank. And conversely, if they try to exploit my position illegally, I need to refuse firmly.’
Seonwoo Yeon finally became aware of the flexibility she had unconsciously allowed herself. She firmly vowed at that moment not to show favoritism toward acquaintances anymore. Maintaining this resolve, she carefully guided the visitor from another world.
“It’s not about the money. Through this work, I pursue a certain sense of self-fulfillment, so resigning from my position right now would be difficult.”
“I see.”
“But today, why on earth did you end up asking that question—what were you pondering all by yourself?”
“Well… the truth is, I suddenly found myself in need of some workers, from the perspective of a business owner…”
“Hmm?”
“Like you said, let’s go inside first. I think I’ll need to wet my throat with some iced tea before I can even begin to explain.”
“You speak as if you’ve already set aside some green tea for me.”
Workers? And a businessman?
There wasn’t enough time to process the words worker or businessman. Kim Giryeo was showing signs of urgency. So, to address the question that had arisen, Seonwoo Yeon decided to first brew the green tea as her guest had requested.
.
.
.
But who would have thought the aliens would bring such a ridiculous topic?
“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, I’m currently recruiting guild members here on Earth.”
It happened just as the conversation was getting underway. Seonwoo Yeon and Kim Giryeo were quietly sitting across from each other at the tea table. Blowing gently on the brewed green tea, Seonwoo Yeon suddenly paused, lost in thought.
‘That’s right. I’d completely forgotten since the guild is so inconspicuous. Come to think of it, the hunting business was actually registered properly after all.’
She was specifically recalling the online reviews of a certain business.
‘Ordinary people don’t know the secret of that fourth S-rank. Well, back when the guild was first established, it did become a topic of discussion…’
Kim Giryeo’s guild. Even if the name sounded outdated, the amount of attention the company received was immense, simply because the guild master was an S-rank Hunter.
【HunterNet】
[lm***: No way!!!!! At first, I thought you’d filter employees like Garion did, but not even recruiting new members at all??? Aaaaaah, accept my application, accept my application, accept my application, accept my application!]
└ [08*: Why on earth does this person want a hunter like Kim Giryeo as their boss, haha;]
└[Mu***: Usually, working under a tiger-like boss is exhausting and tough. But in this industry, at least you actually learn something, haha.]
The man who had long ignored such fervent public interest had now announced his decision to resume the guild’s operations. And as Seonwoo Yeon listened further, it turned out that the alien was facing nothing less than the cliff of “tax exemption cancellation and full withdrawal of benefits.”
“Giryeo-ssi.”
Tak.
Seonwoo Yeon put down the teacup she had been holding.
“I understand your situation, for now.”
“Yes.”
“But if it’s just about meeting the minimum guild requirements, couldn’t you simply post a recruitment notice? You could hire a few hunters while you’re at it.”
The black-haired woman’s remark was nothing if not perfectly reasonable.
“I’m sorry, but that’s a bit…”
However, the blond guest waved his hand dismissively, saying that there was a problem.
“I was looking for a worker I could really trust—someone whose rank is, well, conveniently low.”
“Would it absolutely have to be someone other than an S-rank Hunter?”
“Yes. Well, it’s not like I’m doing this just to fill up the headcount with random Hunters.”
“Is that so?”
“The only reason things are delayed right now is because the Hunter Association president is overseas. My license is going to be reinstated soon anyway, so it’s not like I’m short on hunters or anything.”
“Oh, right.”
From the sound of it, Kim Giryeo didn’t seem to be thinking only about taxes.
“Hmm.”
And as if to prove that the homeowner’s intuition about the taxes wasn’t wrong… the blond alien soon began to roughly explain the situation he was in.
“Hunter Seonwoo Yeon-ssi. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been working on a way to exterminate the monsters of this world.”
What followed from the guest were statements that, from the perspective of hunting, were perfectly natural.
“I want to take down the mastermind responsible for creating the gates.”
“Yes.”
“But if you’re planning to catch and destroy something, you first need to observe where it is and what condition it’s in, right?”
“That’s right.”
“So the first thing I’ll try to build is something like a telescope for spotting hunting targets.”
“Telescope?”
“More precisely, I need a telescope made with a certain special mineral.”
Fortunately, the alien who had settled on Earth wasn’t one to shy away from using metaphors. Thanks to that, Seonwoo Yeon had no trouble following along and grasping the gist of what he was saying.
“Just like how people here mine and use iron ore, I’m planning to dig up some of the anomalous underground resources contained within the Gates and use those instead.”
“I understand.”
“Of course, one fortunate thing is that, since I happen to be a genius, I somehow managed to complete the mineral detector itself…”
What he’d just said could basically be taken as bragging about having invented litmus paper all the way out in deep space.
-Sshk.
Then, the alien sitting across from her took something out through his [Item Box]. What Kim Giryeo presented with a lifeless expression was a very thin, elongated rod.
“If you plant this in the ground and wait for about two hours, you can determine whether the minerals I need exist in that area.”
However, Seonwoo Yeon had always preferred subjects like literature and history since her school days. In other words, she’d never been particularly interested in science or technology,
so she had no real desire to hear about how the device actually worked.
“I see.”
Besides, the alien also wanted to make efficient use of his time.
“But even though I somehow managed to complete the tracking device, the problem is I have no idea which dungeon might contain the minerals I need.”
The conversation flowed smoothly.
“So I roughly narrowed it down to domestic dungeons that seem like they might have the right environment. Most of them turned out to be low-grade hunting grounds, from F to D rank.”
“Ah.”
“And it’s not like I’ll get results after just one or two tries. To find even a single mineral, I’ll probably have to raid a dungeon a hundred times over…”
“So that’s why you needed guild members.”
The man, whose hair was dyed with hair coloring, nodded and continued. Of course, this gray rod—by Alphauri standards—was created with very primitive technology, so even if it leaked or was copied, it wouldn’t pose a major problem. Still, the alien seemed intent on assigning the mineral exploration task to a worker trustworthy enough to keep the secret.
“Hmm.”
Seonwoo Yeon thought there might be an alternative solution to the matter. So, in a calm voice, she offered a different suggestion.
“I understand well what you’re worried about, Giryeo-ssi.”
“Yes, yes.”
“But if your concern is about the leakage of technology within the guild, I think you could simply add a confidentiality clause to the employment contract, just like other companies do.”
This time, the alien’s eyes widened as if listening to a story from another world.
“[The Knight’s Oath] or not, do you really think people will keep a promise just because it’s written on a scrap of paper?”
But Seonwoo Yeon’s demeanor remained calm and composed.
“Employees who unlawfully leak guild know-how can be made to pay substantial damages under the law.”
“Aha.”
If they slip up even slightly, they could be sued by an S-rank hunter and end up penniless. Besides, what courage would weak hunters—whose main turf is low-grade gates—have to refuse orders from someone like Kim Giryeo? And above all, just look at the face of the guild master.
“And that inspection rod… when handing it out to people, there’s no need to go around explaining its exact function to each person…”
“Ah, I see. So… you mean I should just tell people that the rod is roughly a secret soil moisture detector I developed?”
The golden-haired magician was eventually persuaded by her companion’s words.
“Alright. Listening to you, Seonwoo Yeon, I can see your point really makes sense.”
“I’m glad it was helpful.”
The alien nodded and continued speaking.
“Indeed, you can’t avoid making kimchi just because you’re afraid of maggots. If it’s for important research, you have to accept a certain level of risk.”
“Haha, where did you learn a proverb like that?”
“Apparently, that proverb was already in Kim Giryeo’s brain dictionary.”
“…”
Then, since he has finally made up his mind…
“Anyway, thank you for the consultation today. I’ll see you again next time.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Staying too long would just be a bother.”
“Whoa~ That was really something only a human on Earth would say.”
“And I’m especially grateful that you shared the Elixir monster photos last time. I’ll make it up to you gradually, so if you ever need quick cash later, be sure to contact me.”
Drrrk.
Kim Giryeo stood up.
“I’ll follow your advice and try hiring a regular worker.”
His attitude seemed confident and bright.
‘It’s a bit of an issue that the boss is an alien, though.’
After all, this one is a universe-level work-averse being who completely understands a worker’s hardships.
Kim Giryeo straightened his back and began outlining a hopeful plan for running the guild.
***
And a few days had passed since then.
“….”
For reference, on the planet Earth, it was common for heads of public institutions to travel abroad. Since the new association head wasn’t expected to return until the middle of this month, Kim Giryeo decided to postpone the return of existing hunters for a few days and focus first on recruiting the long-awaited new hunters.
Generous salary offerings. Comprehensive leave and vacation policies guaranteed.
Moreover, recently, a proper office was even rented in the capital for guild operations. Surely, no applicant would fail to show up at such a reputable establishment, right?
‘In life, it’s all about serving the right person.’
The alien had completed the maximum preparations it could manage and was waiting for contact from someone in the industry. Yet, today marked a full 48 hours since the recruitment of new employees had begun.
[Received Emails: 0]
These shocking results were revealed.
“Why?”
For reasons not yet understood, Kim Giryeo’s guild had an unusually low number of applicants.
“Even though I’ve put up so much money, why can’t I find a proper employee to send out for soil exploration?”
The even more absurd thing was that, even now, if he checked the internet, there were posts shouting that people desperately wanted to work with Kim Giryeo. Using the information he had recently learned, Kim Giryeo skimmed through the emails he had already read once more.
[From: Jeong Haseong]
[From: Jeong Haseong]
[From: Jeong Haseong]
But as expected, there was nothing positive to be found in that list. In fact, this itself was a major reason hindering the modest operation of the guild.
Click.
Kim Giryeo sent the emails marked in gray as “confirmed” to the trash and briefly covered his face with both hands.