At my words, Yoon Sung-hyun paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said,
"You didn’t graduate from the academy, right? I’ll explain simply.Hunters affiliated with a company usually have three ranks. Junior, Senior, and Partner."
A newly affiliatedHunter is a Junior, and after gaining some experience, they become a Senior.
Both Juniors and Seniors work in teams led by PartnerHunters and receive salaries, so fundamentally, they are at the same level.
Juniors and Seniors receive fixed annual salaries from the company, and additional incentives depending on various contract terms.
"PartnerHunters don’t get a salary. Instead, they own company shares and receive a portion of the net profit the company earns."
PartnerHunters act independently, securing contracts from the government or businesses for erosion zone exploration and source elimination. They carry out such missions with their Juniors and Seniors or dispatch them for the task.
Hearing this, I let out an accidental ‘Ah’.
"That’s basically like lawyers..."
"Yeah, I heard theHunter who first founded a company modeled it after a law firm. Of course, it’s not exactly the same."
Come to think of it, lawyers working through client contracts andHunters taking on requests have some similarities.
So,Hunters not affiliated with a company are like independent lawyers.
After some thought, I came to a conclusion.
"Thank you for the offer, but I’ll think it over a bit more before deciding."
Yoon Sung-hyun chuckled and replied,
"You thought I was going to ask for a stamp here or something?"
After speaking, he placed both hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.
"But make sure to decide carefully."
Huh, did he come to recruit me or to warn me? In the suddenly tense atmosphere, I was only able to smile.
"Yes, I will."
I really don’t like this kind of atmosphere. I probably won’t be joining Taebaek.
After Yoon Sung-hyun left, I contacted Lee Se-eun, intending to hear what Jannabi had to say.
— I'm at the cabin on the second floor of the Association building. I’ll send the location."
The call ended right after that response. I headed to the place she indicated.
The cabin wasn’t an actual cabin but the name of a café. I heard they have about 280 branches worldwide. The main one is apparently in Ikseon-dong.
As I approached the café entrance, an employee stopped me.
"Hello, sorry, but only members and up to three guests are allowed inside."
"Hunter Lee Se-eun told me to come here."
Hearing her name, the staff member looked surprised. After checking something briefly, they nodded.
"Confirmed. I’ll guide you to the seat."
Following their lead, I saw Lee Se-eun sipping an ice chocolate drink with a straw.
"Sit down."
"Like you said, only one person came to see me."
"Yoon Sung-hyun from Taebaek. No surprise. When Taebaek shows interest, others usually back off."
"But Jannabi is different, right?"
As far as I know in terms of reputation and skill, they’re not inferior to Taebaek. At my words, Lee Se-eun let out a small sound and laughed.
"I’m not looking to recruit anyone."
"What?"
What’s she saying now? I thought she came here to scout Hunters for her company. Was I wrong about that?
"How about working solo instead of joining a company? As a freelancer."
"I wasn’t expecting to hear that, but please continue."
Hearing this, Lee Se-eun clasped her hands and looked at me.
"They offered you a Junior position, right?"
"Yes, and from what I’ve heard, it’s a lot like a law firm."
She nodded and made a thoughtful sound.
"You don’t have to be a Junior or Senior in a company to become a Partner Hunter."
After thinking briefly, I responded,
"I see. As long as I become famous and achieve notable results."
Realizing this, Lee Se-eun searched through her pocket again and handed me a piece of candy. Why is she doing this? Trying to assassinate me with diabetes?
Well, a gift is a gift, so I accepted it.
"Juniors and Seniors are salaried workers. On top of that, they must work under Partner Hunters and follow orders, so they lack autonomy."
"That part did concern me."
Grinning, she continued.
"That’s why I’m giving you this advice. Don’t join a company right now. Take commissions and work alone."
I made a troubled expression. I could sense her sincerity, but I didn’t understand it no matter how hard I thought about it.
Don’t join a company and work as a solo instead?
"If I work solo, where would I get requests?"
It’s a matter of trust. No matter how well I did here, I have no connections or experience, so getting decent requests would be tough.
After my words, Lee Se-eun poked her thumb at her chest.
"I’ll connect you. Free of charge. After you complete a few successful requests with my help, you’ll get plenty of jobs on your own."
"I don’t understand why you’d help me this much."
She replied,
"So that in the future, if you achieve enough fame and results to be worth recruiting as a Partner Hunter... you would at least remember that Jannabi exists."
"You’re thinking far ahead. Seems like you want to plant a debt."
Swirling her iced chocolate with the straw, she replied,
"This world needs excellent Hunters. I don’t believe they all need to belong to Jannabi. Whether now or in the future, if you don’t want to join, I won’t force you."
"Do you happen to do volunteer work in your spare time?"
She sounded like a volunteer addict. At my words, she chuckled and answered coldly,
"Hunters are more useful on the battlefield than in senior centers or orphanages. I do make donations. I’m busy. I have money but no time to spend it."
I had nothing to say to that.
"Thank you for the advice. Honestly, working independently will probably suit me better anyway."
Taking orders and earning a salary doesn’t suit someone who’s lived 45 years already. It’s not a role I can suddenly take on now.
"Good. Wait just a moment."
She made a phone call and pulled some papers from her bag. After a five-minute call, she handed them to me.
"What’s this?"
"A request from Incheon City. There’s a place called Gyodongdo. They failed to remove an Erosion Core two years ago, so an Erosion Zone was formed."
"I need to eliminate the Erosion Core then?"
With a smile and a satisfied expression, she spoke with her gaze on me.
"Eliminating an Erosion Core huh… That’s some passion. The initial Erosion Core on Gyodongdo called the Alpha, is still ungraded."
Erosion Cores have four levels. Grade 1, 2, 3, and ungraded. The first source in a region is called Alpha.
"Due to Erosion Cores growing stronger over time, the Alpha area is always the most dangerous."
I nodded after hearing her. Makes sense. I turned my gaze to the documents.
The Incheon request is to patrol Gyodongdo and eliminate any newly discovered Erosion Cores. While I reviewed the papers, she added.
"It was cleaned three months ago... so any new ones should still be ungraded."
According to the papers, Incheon requested 72 Hunters. The fee is 500 upfront and 1500 upon success.
The mission is a one-week patrol, starting a month from today.
Earning 2000 for a week of work means money won’t be a concern for a while.
"But I guess it’s not the best pay considering I have to risk my life for it."
"It’s a government contract. But it builds a relationship with Incheon City Hall."
I heard smaller Hunters aim for government jobs just to make connections.
"A month from now huh."
Plenty of time. After finishing her drink, she stood up.
"By the way, there are freelance Hunters more famous than company-affiliated ones."
According to her, some requests required a single powerful person rather than thousands of troops.
"And when a company can’t handle a job alone, they recruit additional help."
So even as a freelancer, I could collaborate with other Hunters.
"The treatment would differ though."
As she put on her coat, she answered.
"Become strong and famous. If people feel honored to work with you, and you’re a walking PR for a company, no one will treat you poorly."
"Thanks for the advice."
I had a month before starting my Hunter career in earnest.
"By the way, doesn’t the Association have training spaces?"
"They’re all full. Want one?"
I shook my head in response.
"I don’t want to take someone else’s spot."
"It’s mine. I’m heading back to Cheorwon, so it’s empty."
The Association practically gave her a training space for show, which meant she never uses it.
"Then I’ll gratefully accept."
She operated her phone and transferred access to me through an app.
That was the end of our meeting.
* * *
After parting with Yoo Chan-seok, Lee Se-eun immediately contacted someone else, a fellow Partner Hunter and leader of Jannabi’s Team 1, essentially its founder.
Kang Hoon. He was under contract with the Korean government and had the task to eliminate Erosion Cores while blocking monsters crossing from the Erosion Zone beyond Paju.
— Anyone promising?
"More than promising. His name’s Yoo Chan-seok."
On her way back to her area, she told Kang Hoon everything.
"Over four hours huh? That’s impressive."
"Impressive is an understatement. If you want to see his true worth, you have to fight him yourself."
She was still shaken.
One of his steps felt like ten, and one thrust of his spear was as if he swung it ten times. It showed just how efficient he was with his movement.
He had no wasted movement, no meaningless strikes. And that black flame...
She still couldn’t analyze what it was or what it did.
— You’re that serious? But you held back anyway, right?"
"Boss, I’m a ten-year Hunter. I’ve survived hell for ten years."
Even limiting herself, their experience levels were incomparable.
"It should have been me toying with him. Four hours? That’s unbelievable."
If she had sparred with that academy graduate Kang Hoon once praised under equal conditions, she was confident enough to have ended it in a minute.
— How would you feel if he reaches your level?"
"You might not like me saying this… But if Yoo Chan-seok reaches my level, he could likely end your life."