STC chapter 29

Hearing Ye Ilhu’s bombshell statement, the expressions of the Idea management team cracked. Ryu Min also slightly furrowed his brow.

Among them, only Chae Gohae, who was used to Ye Ilhu’s ways, remained unfazed.

Resting his chin on his hand, he asked gently,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Ye Ilhu plopped into his seat closest to Chae Gohae and continued,

“We’re gathered today to discuss the team system restructuring, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, put Hunter Kang Baram in my team.”

Idea originally didn’t operate with a team system. There was a separate internal strategy team, and hunters were assigned to gates based on gate grades and accumulated data.

As a result, the combination of hunters entering gates of the same grade tended to be similar each time.

For example, when a new A-grade gate opened, the main team would consist of high-grade hunters like Ye Ilhu and Ryu Min.

It was concluded that it would be more efficient to create new teams based on past data rather than forming new teams each time.

Furthermore, having a team meant the members could better coordinate in battles.

Naturally, despite his personality, Ye Ilhu was a top candidate to lead a team.

His team was expected to be composed of hunters with exceptional abilities.

But requesting a D-rank was absurd.

Chae Gohae tilted his head and asked for confirmation.

“You really want Hunter Kang Baram?”

He gritted his teeth slightly.

He didn’t understand why so many people were suddenly interested in Kang Baram.

A chilling premonition filled his mind that this might ruin everything.

“Why do you keep asking? Yes, Kang Baram. A D-rank physical support type.”

Ye Ilhu’s eyes sparkled as he answered.

It was the first time in a long while that he looked so lively since his older brother, Ye Onho, had died miserably inside a dungeon.

Ye Ilhu thought it was the best choice and kept smiling.

Chae Gohae was also an excellent hunter, but it was the Ye Onho and Ye Ilhu brothers who significantly contributed to making Idea the best guild in South Korea.

So, no matter how capricious Ye Ilhu was, they had no choice but to let him be. Especially when he found an interesting new “toy” like now.

But that didn’t mean there was no way to stop him at all. Chae Gohae responded with a voice that was still warm but slightly sharp.

“Why?”

Even though they should be doing what he wanted immediately, Chae Gohae questioned it, causing Ye Ilhu’s expression to harden a bit.

“What do you mean, why?”

“There needs to be a reasonable justification for the management team to agree, Ye Ilhu.”

With that, Ye Ilhu looked around the room. Familiar faces stared at him tensely.

They didn’t seem willing to oppose him, but they weren’t about to agree easily either.

Only then did Ye Ilhu sit up properly, feeling ready to have a serious conversation. He tapped his fingers on the table and spoke.

“Do you know the grades of the gates Kang Baram has entered so far?”

Naturally, no one present could answer that question accurately. Kang Baram had only recently started attracting attention because of Ye Ilhu. Many of the management team didn’t even know who Kang Baram was.

Only Ryu Min, who had recently taken an interest in Kang Baram like Ye Ilhu, could answer immediately.

“The most recent was about two months ago, a B-grade, and before that, it was about once every four months, in D or E grades.”

The management team looked puzzled at Ryu Min’s answer. Generally, lower-grade gates appeared more frequently as higher-grade gates were rarer.

The fact that D-rank Kang Baram had entered gates so infrequently meant he had been considered quite useless.

One of them stammered,

“No, that’s absurd… Usually, lower-grade hunters are the busiest handling minor tasks. Isn’t he D-rank?”

Ignoring the man’s comment, Ye Ilhu continued to persuade Chae Gohae.

“You know what Kang Baram’s ability is, right? He can use SS-grade powers like me. Although it’s only for 3 minutes, followed by a 10-minute cooldown.”

He glanced at the bewildered management team and calmly continued.

“Of course, up until now, you were stuck in insignificant gates like D or E class, so you probably would’ve been out in 3 minutes. After all, the work Kang Baram did was to take down the monsters that swarmed in when the gate first opened.”

Among the management, it was rare to find a hunter. Most of them were professional managers running the guild.

If Ye Ilhu could accurately demonstrate Kang Baram’s usefulness here, there would be no one to stop him.

“But I think differently.”

This made Ye Ilhu even more confident. Kang Baram was truly an outstanding hunter. No one knew this better than Ye Ilhu, who had been sparring with him all this time.

“No matter how short 180 seconds is, how and when you use it makes a huge difference.”

“……”

“And the higher the gate’s rank, the longer the time spent inside, as the boss would know best.”

As he astutely pointed this out, Chae Gohae’s eyes narrowed slightly. Ye Ilhu’s words were true.

Currently, all the permanently open gates belonged to the state or large guilds, but to own a gate, you had to clear all the monsters in the dungeon according to gate law.

This meant that hunters had to stay in the dungeon for several days to clean it up.

The time required was insufficient even for a full day, so compared to that, 10 minutes was extremely short. It would be more efficient to rest in between and use the SS-rank ability again.

Some of the management, who had been wary of Ye Ilhu, now looked interested, realizing his point.

If they could utilize Kang Baram in S-rank or A-rank gates, they could obtain by-products from the dungeon faster.

“In other words, we’ve been wasting Kang Baram’s ability until now.”

No matter how complacent Ye Ilhu seemed, he wasn’t one to act without a plan.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Kang Baram’s talents were being wasted just sitting in his room.

The more he sparred with Kang Baram, the stronger this feeling grew.

Indeed, SS-rank abilities were rare, even if it was just for 3 minutes.

Ye Ilhu was accurately pointing out the aspect that everyone had ignored due to the limit time.

“And I’m the only one who can lead him, having sparred with him. Who else can handle an SS-rank ability, right?”

At those words, the room fell silent. Ryu Min also looked surprised and glanced at Chae Gohae. In fact, Ye Ilhu’s team was already decided, consisting of Ryu Min, Chae Goya, and an A-rank elemental support hunter, making a total of four.

Chae Gohae turned to the management. They were already in agreement with Ye Ilhu’s argument. Ultimately, it was Chae Gohae’s decision, but he couldn’t ignore their opinions.

“Boss.”

Ye Ilhu called Chae Gohae in a pleasant tone. Looking around, Chae Gohae bit his lip slightly and then smiled. Kang Baram, who posed a constant risk, couldn’t keep being in the spotlight, but there was no rebuttal.

* * *

Enjoying the rare leisure, I walked leisurely through the colorful guild garden with Jeong Yeonji and Heo Taekgyun by my side. Dukbong also seemed in a good mood, circling above my head with a chirp.

I no longer had to avoid the sub-gongs like before. It meant I didn’t have to rush off immediately after meals like sneaking pork from kimchi stew in the kitchen without my mom knowing.

“Ah… The coffee tastes good.”

Until just a few days ago, I couldn’t even make myself a proper cup of mix coffee, so it tasted even sweeter now.

As I looked up at the clear sky and murmured happily, Jeong Yeonji laughed as if she found it ridiculous.

“Suddenly talking about how good coffee tastes? Anyone hearing you would think you’ve become some sort of sage.”

As the tense nerves relaxed, I became as leisurely as when I first came to this world.

‘I just hope things stay peaceful like this without any incidents.’

I didn’t wish for sudden wealth or to become the strongest in this world. I just wanted to live a normal life without major illnesses and die peacefully at the end of my lifespan.

As I took a sip of my iced Americano, I suddenly heard a sneering voice next to me.

“Hey, look, it’s him. D-rank.”

At those words, I glanced in the direction of the sound. I was in a great mood today, but there’s always someone who tries to pick a fight at times like this, right?

I tried to ignore them, but another hunter continued the mockery.

“He’s the one favored by Ye Ilhu.”