This wasn't just anyone's office—it was the office of the president of the Korean Association. Kicking the door open like this was extremely rude.
"Hey, what are you—!"
The association president started to shout angrily, but stopped mid-sentence when he recognized who had entered.
Turning around, I immediately understood why he'd frozen.
"Director Yoon Seong-hyeon?"
The man who had kicked the door open was Yoon Seong-hyeon of Taebaek. In that moment, the hierarchy between companies and the Association became crystal clear in my mind.
No matter how powerful the Association president might be, he couldn't raise his voice in front of a team leader from Taebaek—one of the top three companies in Korea.
"Seong-hyeon, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"President."
After offering what barely qualified as a greeting, Yoon Seong-hyeon turned his gaze to me.
"Let's talk for a moment."
He wasn't armed, and the mana accumulated inside his body wasn't moving at all.
Strictly speaking, Taebaek seemed to stand above the Association in the chain of command, but it didn't look like the gap was so overwhelming that he could resort to force.
"What would you like to talk about?"
Yoon Seong-hyeon answered calmly.
"I heard you held a press conference saying you have no intention of joining a company. Didn't I warn you?"
Ah, so that's what this was about. I smiled and replied.
"I only said I don't have plans yet. The transfer market will open soon, and when that happens, I'll be released as a free agent."
FA—free agent. Hunters without an affiliation can naturally be contacted and contracted by companies once the transfer market opens. Yoon Seong-hyeon frowned slightly at my words.
"Then why didn't you contact Taebaek immediately?"
"Hunter Lee Se-eun from Jannabi introduced me to a few requests."
"So?"
"So what? I continued in a gentle tone.
"Joining Taebaek doesn't have to happen right away. But wouldn't it be extremely rude to reject a request that Hunter Lee Se-eun personally handed to me on the spot?"
My words carried the implication that once I became a free agent, I would naturally join Taebaek anyway.
It should satisfy Yoon Seong-hyeon—if not completely, then at least to some extent.
"I understand."
And it worked. Still, it didn't seem like his displeasure had fully vanished.
"That's all I needed. By the way, President—what were you discussing with this kid?"
The Association president let out a hearty laugh.
He wasn't in a position to say something as blunt as, 'What business is it of yours?' so instead he smiled, clearly signaling that he had no intention of telling him.
You don't want to say it? Then I'll say it myself.
"It's nothing special. The president introduced me to a few requests."
At my words, the president looked at me, while Yoon Seong-hyeon turned his gaze to the president.
"However, I'm not someone important enough to require the Association's help… and I don't exactly have a way to repay such a favor yet, do I?"
Yoon Seong-hyeon responded to that, and in that moment, an unspoken and faint sense of alliance settled between us.
Receiving help from Jannabi was one thing, but now even the Association president was trying to work something out with me through requests.
From Taebaek's perspective—since they clearly wanted me—this wasn't a very favorable development.
"A request recommended by the Association president, huh. Now I'm curious."
At Yoon Seong-hyeon's words, I looked straight at the president.
"Is that all right?"
You showed me a request you'd rather not reveal to Taebaek. What are you going to do if you say it's not all right now?
The president nodded, and I readily showed Yoon Seong-hyeon the request the president had offered me.
After scanning it briefly, Yoon Seong-hyeon let out a small scoff and looked me over.
"Planning to step into politics? Touching patriotism. There are hunters-turned-lawmakers, so it's not an impossible dream."
"I have no such intention. I already declined."
Yoon Seong-hyeon nodded at my response.
"Power is power, and authority is authority. A hunter should focus on strengthening their own power."
Power, huh. It was a statement that revealed quite a bit about Yoon Seong-hyeon's values. But…
"If you don't mind, I have a question."
"You're free to ask questions, but you'd better choose them carefully."
"Was what you just said Taebaek's ideology, or is it your personal philosophy, Director Yoon Seong-hyeon?"
So—was that a question unpleasant enough to irritate you?
"It's Taebaek's ideology. Hunters affiliated with Taebaek continuously train and grow stronger under the law of survival of the strongest."
"Thank you for answering."
Having heard that, I made a decision about what kind of relationship I would have with Taebaek going forward.
In any case, it seemed Yoon Seong-hyeon wasn't pleased with the requests the Association president had offered me.
"President, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok is one of the hunters Taebaek has its eye on."
"I know. You were the first to make contact, weren't you?"
At the president's words, Yoon Seong-hyeon nodded.
"A fine gem only shines after undergoing proper polishing. It's good to help Yoo Chan-seok, but I wish you'd be a bit more cautious."
It was phrased as a warning to be more careful in the future, but the meaning was essentially don't interfere.
"If nothing comes up, let's grab lunch together."
Yoon Seong-hyeon said this as he stood up. Since there was no reason to refuse a meal someone else was paying for, I got up and left with him.
"This place suits my taste pretty well."
Our lunch was a simple set meal of cheonggukjang. He had modest tastes. I'd assumed someone at the level of a partner hunter would be eating expensive food all the time.
"Taebaek has 148 groups, excluding its direct branches in Korea."
"That's an impressive number."
One Taebaek group consists of about fifteen to twenty members—the same size as a team in other companies.
If you compare it to the military, exaggerating just a little, that's about the scale of an entire corps.
"Managing that many hunters must come with considerable difficulties."
"That's why strong power is necessary."
Ten groups combined are finally called a team. Judging by sheer scale alone, Yoon Seong-hyeon—the man sitting across from me—was just one of many team leaders, meaning he commanded a force roughly equivalent to a battalion.
On top of that, each team leader also runs a directly affiliated group under their personal command.
"You'll become a junior hunter in a group directly under Team Four."
Team Four was the team where Yoon Seong-hyeon served as both team leader and partner hunter. Naturally, it seemed he intended to place me directly under himself.
"It seems the CEO has already memorized your name."
"…The CEO? I thought hunter companies generally don't have a position called 'CEO.'"
Yoon Seong-hyeon nodded at my remark.
"That may work for other companies. But Taebaek is the largest in the world, and its ideology is survival of the strongest."
The single strongest individual exercises absolute command over all hunters affiliated with the company, controlling them without exception. That was how Taebaek was structured.
And beneath the CEO, there were apparently five special direct groups with distinct roles, mobilized to achieve specific objectives. In military terms, they were something like special forces.
"I understand your situation from what I heard earlier. You didn't have the strength to refuse Lee Se-eun, so complying was the natural course."
Because I was weak, I couldn't resist. Yoon Seong-hyeon didn't seem dissatisfied with that fact.
"The IHC has set this year's winter transfer market to run for ten weeks, starting at midnight sixty-five days from now."
International Hunter Convention. Not some grandiose name—just an international conference of hunters. It was something I already knew from answering reporters' questions.
Sixty-five days. There really wasn't much time left.
"After we finish our meal, I plan to report to the CEO that your joining is confirmed once the winter transfer market opens."
For a moment, I almost stopped eating—but I didn't.
"You'll need to keep your word. If you don't, one of the CEO's direct groups will come after you."
"That won't happen."
I replied calmly. If I showed even a hint of hesitation or panic here, Yoon Seong-hyeon would immediately begin to doubt my sincerity.
That wouldn't be good at all.
"By the way, how does one become part of a direct-affiliate group? Do you recruit hunters from outside separately?"
Only then did Yoon Seong-hyeon smile. That question alone was practically proof that I was considering joining Taebaek.
"First, the CEO has to take an interest in you. After that, you go through several tests, followed by background checks on your family and anyone you're associated with. If there are no issues, you're selected."
"I see."
Taebaek is planning to go after me in the upcoming transfer market. No—planning isn't quite right. They fully expect me to join them. My head is starting to spin.
The fact that hunters can't transfer whenever they want does at least give me some breathing room.
And that breathing room is sixty-five days. If, within that time, my achievements and personal growth don't reach a certain level…
I'll be forced to join Taebaek. And I really don't want that.
"Survival of the strongest" as a corporate ideology? What is this, some kind of childish soldier play?
"Understood."
As we continued eating, Yoon Seong-hyeon went on at length about how impressive Taebaek was.
Each team had its own dedicated office, of course, along with a massive situation room to support the team's operations.
"Through partnerships with several Korean banks, we even offer savings plans with preferential interest rates for affiliated hunters. And when you travel for assignments, you get free lodging and meals at famous hotels all over the world."
Given its sheer scale and influence, hunters affiliated with Taebaek enjoyed enormous benefits.
"Of course, those benefits aren't given to everyone. You need to reach a certain level first."
However, if you become a junior hunter in a team's direct-affiliate group, you can use all those benefits without restriction.
After listening to all that praise about how great Taebaek was, the meal finally came to an end.
"Then I'll see you again. Next time, it'll probably be regarding transfer matters."
With those words, Yoon Seong-hyeon left. I immediately pulled out my phone and started combing through every request I could find.
"Money isn't what matters."
I can fill my pockets later. For now, I need to take on difficult, unpleasant, downright miserable requests and clear them nonstop. I need to become a monster that even a company like Taebaek would struggle to swallow.
Before the transfer market opens in sixty-five days.
"Let's think of it as volunteer work."
If you look hard enough, there's no shortage of low-paying, high-difficulty jobs.
"Like this one."
[The Association of Tsushima Island Kidnapping Victims is requesting assistance from hunters.]
Tsushima Island is believed to be home to a Grade 2 Corrosion Source. All the original residents either died or fled to Japan, turning it into a completely deserted island.
Ordinarily, Korea wouldn't have much reason to care. Tsushima is Japanese territory, and Dokdo is Korean territory, after all.
Ah—Dokdo isn't even up for debate anymore. After the Corrosion Zone crisis, Korea gained overwhelming international influence, and a joint Korea–Japan declaration firmly established Dokdo as Korean territory.
"Fishermen from Geoje and Tongyeong."
In any case, even though Tsushima is foreign land, a problem has arisen. Fishermen from Geoje and Tongyeong have to go out to sea to make a living.
And it seems the monsters from the Corrosion Source on Tsushima have been abducting some of those fishermen. So far, seventeen people have been kidnapped.