The "Zion" PC Bang was a dungeon in its own right. Located in a basement, it smelled of cup noodles, energy drinks, and teenage angst. The only light came from the glow of three hundred monitors.
Ren walked through the rows of gamers, his eyes scanning the seat numbers.
Seat 43... Seat 44.
There she was.
Curled up in a gaming chair that had seen better days, wearing a stained hoodie three sizes too big. Her hair was a bird's nest of black with cheap red dye streaks.
[Target Identified: Ha-Eun]
[Current Class: None (Civilian)]
[Potential Class: Hellfire Witch (S-Rank)]
[Current Net Worth: -$20,000 (Debt)]
On her screen, a bold red text flashed: GAME OVER.
"Stupid healer!" she screamed, slamming her mouse onto the desk. "Why didn't you heal me?!"
"Excuse me," Ren said, standing behind her.
"F*ck off!" Ha-Eun didn't turn around. "I paid for three hours! I have thirty minutes left!"
"I'm not the owner," Ren said calmly. "I'm a recruiter."
Ha-Eun spun her chair around. She looked Ren up and down. She saw his cheap clothes (he hadn't changed yet) and his young face.
She snorted. "Recruiter? For what? A pyramid scheme? I don't have money, idiot. Check my bank account. It's mostly cobwebs."
"I don't want your money," Ren reached into his pocket. He pulled out a thick, white envelope. He dropped it onto her keyboard. Thud.
Ha-Eun stared at it. "What's that?"
"Fifty thousand dollars. Cash."
Ha-Eun's eyes widened. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. She grabbed the envelope and peeked inside. It was full of bills. Real ones.
"Who do you want me to kill?" she whispered, clutching the envelope.
"Nobody. Yet." Ren leaned against the partition. "I'm starting a Guild. I need a Mage. I want you."
Ha-Eun burst out laughing. "A Mage? Dude, have you lost it? I'm not Awakened! I'm a high school dropout who plays LoL all day. I can't even light a cigarette without a lighter."
"Not yet," Ren checked his watch. "In exactly two hours, at 3:00 AM, you will undergo a spontaneous Awakening. Your affinity is Fire. High-grade Fire."
Ha-Eun stopped laughing. "You're crazy."
"Without preparation," Ren continued, his voice devoid of emotion, "your Awakening will cause a mana overload. You will generate a temperature of 2,000 degrees Celsius. You will incinerate this building, the forty people inside it, and yourself. You'll be nothing but ash and a headline on the morning news."
Ha-Eun swallowed. The way he said it... it was too specific. Too cold.
Ren pulled a small glass vial from his other pocket. Inside was a glowing blue pill. He had bought it at a Hunter Pharmacy on the way here for $50,000. A rip-off, but necessary.
[Item: Mana Stabilizer (Grade C)]
"This is a Stabilizer," Ren said. "If you take this when the fever starts, you control the fire. You live. You become powerful."
He placed the vial on top of the money.
"The money is your signing bonus. The pill is your life insurance. In exchange, you sign with me. 10 year contract."
"And the split?" Ha-Eun asked, her voice trembling.
"90-10," Ren said. "I take 90."
"That's slavery! Standard is 70-30!"
"Standard hunters don't get a $50,000 bonus before they even Awaken," Ren countered. "And standard hunters don't have someone to save them from burning alive. Take it or leave it. You have..." he checked his watch again, "...one minute before the fever starts."
Ha-Eun opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly, she grabbed her chest. Her face flushed red. Sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
"It... it burns..." she gasped, falling out of her chair.
The heat coming off her body was palpable. The plastic armrest of the chair began to warp.
"Choice is yours, Ha-Eun," Ren looked down at her.
She looked at the money. She looked at the pill. She looked at Ren's indifferent eyes.
She snatched the vial, popped the cork, and swallowed the pill.
Cooling blue mana flushed through her veins, battling the rising heat. She gasped, collapsing onto the dirty floor, panting heavily. The pain subsided, replaced by a hum of power in her fingertips.
[System Alert]
[User Ha-Eun has Awakened.]
[Class: Apprentice Pyromancer]
Ren pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. A handwritten contract.
"Can you hold a pen?" Ren asked.
Ha-Eun looked up at him. Fear, awe, and greed swirled in her eyes. She grabbed the pen.
"You're a demon," she whispered, and signed her name.
"I'm your boss," Ren corrected, taking the paper. "Welcome to Monopoly Inc. Get up. We have work to do."