LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Grace Guild
“Are we talking roles here?”
Lim Sang-hyuk pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from his briefcase.
Then he drew two large circles. In the left circle, he wrote A, B, and C, and in the right circle, he wrote D and E.
“E-rank Hunters have no real role in intermediate or higher-level Gates. Like I mentioned earlier, they’re pretty much pack mules.”
Sang-hyuk tapped the left circle with the tip of his pen.
This time, he pointed to the right circle and said, “But in lower-level Gates, E-rank Hunters can contribute to hunting to some extent. Our guild only takes on lower-level Gates, after all.”
“Hmm, so if I join Grace Guild, I can hunt too?”
Lee Si-hyun continued, his eyes pondering something.
“But doesn’t it sound better for an E-rank Hunter to make easy money instead? Is there any special reason to take the risk of hunting?”
“First off, let me remind you that spots for E-rank Hunters in the medium and large guilds are all filled. As for a special reason… it’s the income, of course!”
“Incomes, you say?”
“As pack mules, you only get a fixed payment based on the Gate’s difficulty. But if you hunt, you can receive a fair share of the spoils. For instance, our guild splits all the profits from that day’s raid by the number of raid team members. If the total income is 100 and the raid team has 4 members, each one gets 25 first. After that, we split with the guild. E-rank Hunters get 40%, while D-rank Hunters get 50%, and so on. So, that means an E-rank Hunter could end up with 10 in total income. Each guild has different ways of distribution, but this is how we do it. Does that make sense?”
“Ah, I see. Got it.”
Si-hyun nodded as if he understood.
In reality, Si-hyun needed hunting to solve his quest.
As long as he could hunt, he didn’t care if it was a small guild or anything else. After all, wasn’t it said that in bigger guilds, he’d only end up as a pack mule?
It was hard to refuse such an offer.
“Is there a signing bonus?”
“I’m afraid no guild gives signing bonuses for E-rank Hunters.”
“I see… Oh, wait. I have one thing to mention.”
With a suddenly thoughtful expression, Si-hyun spoke up.
“Go ahead.”
“I work on weekdays, so can I only do guild activities on weekends?”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of work do you do?”
“I’m a correctional officer.”
“A correctional officer… so you’re a public servant?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought public servants couldn’t have side jobs…”
Sang-hyuk’s face stiffened slightly.
“Technically, that’s true. Public servants aren’t allowed to engage in for-profit work outside their duties. But there are plenty of people who take on side jobs without anyone knowing. Some work at bars, some are substitute drivers, others work at laundromats or deliver newspapers… It’s quite varied. Most run businesses under their spouse’s name or take jobs that don’t provide four major insurances.”
“So if you don’t get caught, it’s fine?”
“Exactly.”
“Then I’ll process it as a part-time job on weekends without formally registering you as a guild member. And paying you in cash means I won’t get caught, right?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then. We can work it that way. Given your situation, just come in on weekends. In fact, quite a few E-rank Hunters have side gigs.”
“Is that so?”
“The pay is pretty tricky. If it’s a dual-income household, it’s manageable, but for a single income, raising a child can be tight. Hence, they have side jobs.”
“That makes me feel a bit better. I was worried I’d be a burden.”
“Haha, don’t mention it. And normally our guild operates mainly on weekends. We have a lot of university students and working folks in the guild. Now, would you like to take a look at the contract?”
“Sure.”
Sang-hyuk pulled out a contract and handed it to Si-hyun.
“Take your time reading it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Si-hyun began reading the contract slowly.
I don’t get why contracts are so complicated. Wouldn’t it be nicer if they were simpler?
Although he started reading seriously, Si-hyun eventually skimmed through it.
He reasoned that if anyone was scamming hunters with a malicious contract, they’d be out of business pretty quickly in this line of work.
“I’ve finished reading.”
“How is it? Are you willing to sign the contract?”
“Yes, I will.”
Having made up his mind, he answered without hesitation.
“Hahaha, good choice! Let’s work well together from now on.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
With that, Si-hyun took his first step as a Hunter.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Is that the building?”
After signing the contract on Monday, Si-hyun headed to Grace Guild that Saturday. He held a smartphone with a satellite map app open in his hand.
Royal Building in Sihung-dong, Geumcheon-gu.
That’s right.
Even though it was called “Royal,” it was an old, rundown five-story building. The black grime plastered on its walls made it look like it hadn’t been painted in ages. There were also thin cracks here and there. Honestly, it looked a bit unsafe.
‘No elevator either.’
As Si-hyun stepped inside the building, he wore an incredulous expression. It had been a long time since he encountered a building without an elevator.
To think he was foolish to expect an elevator in such a rundown place.
What a coincidence that Grace Guild was on the 5th floor.
Si-hyun climbed up the narrow, dark stairs.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too tall, and he reached the 5th floor faster than expected.
There was a glass door with a sign that read “Grace Guild” above it, along with the words “Pull Here.”
He had come this far without much thought, but upon arrival, he felt a small shiver.
It was like the jitters one gets before a first day at work.
Si-hyun paused for a moment to catch his breath before opening the glass door.
Inside were the guild leader, Lim Sang-hyuk, and a man he had never seen before.
The man had narrow eyes and a sharp nose.
He appeared to be around thirty years old.
“Hello there.”
Si-hyun greeted first.
“You’ve arrived. Si-hyun, please have a seat here.”
Sang-hyuk gestured to the sofa next to the reception table.
Before Si-hyun could even sit down, the man’s inscrutable smile caught his attention.
“Wow, a newbie, huh?”
“That’s right.”
“Whoa, our guild leader finally caught someone!”
“Hey, Min-jun, that’s rude to say on the first meeting.”
“Come on, it’s the truth. Anyway, nice to meet you! I’m Kang Min-jun, a D-rank Hunter and knight, and I serve as our guild’s main dealer and main tanker. Quite the complex role, right?”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Lee Si-hyun, an E-rank Hunter and mercenary.”
Even when Min-jun heard that Si-hyun was an E-rank Hunter, there was no hint of disdain on his face.
This left a positive impression on Si-hyun about Min-jun.
“How old are you? I’m thirty.”
“So we’re the same age. I’m also thirty.”
“You look younger than I expected. I thought you’d be younger. Let’s drop the formalities and speak casually.”
Min-jun immediately suggested they speak informally.
He seemed to have a very easygoing personality.
“That works.”
“Great! This feels more comfortable, right, Si-hyun?”
“Min-jun, aren’t you being a bit too reckless with that on the first meeting?”
“Oh, come on! What’s the big deal? We’re pretty much family in this guild, you know? The familial vibe is so nice I was planning on settling down here.”
“Min-jun’s right. Given his age, don’t hesitate to speak informally. It feels uncomfortable otherwise.”
Si-hyun said with a smile.
“Wow, if you put it that way, I’ll oblige. Si-hyun.”
Sang-hyuk responded with a slightly awkward expression. It seemed he found it hard to speak casually before becoming friends.
“Welcome aboard, fifth family member.”
Before he knew it, Min-jun poured a cup of cool water from the cooler and placed it in front of Si-hyun.
“Fifth?”
Si-hyun looked confused.
He didn’t quite understand what that meant.
“See, originally our guild had four members, and now that you’re here, we’re five.”
“What?”
Even though it was a small guild, just having five members? No, before he joined, there were only four?
That number was hard to wrap his head around.
“Haha, I see you don’t believe it, but it’s true. Our guild leader messed up once, and it went downhill from there. These days we’re barely trying to get back on track. Word’s spread that we’re an impoverished guild, so who’d want to join us?”
“Min-jun, why bring up bad stuff on the first meet?”
Sang-hyuk looked like he was poked in a sore spot. It seemed unpleasant memories had surfaced.
“Honestly, isn’t that what the guild leader said? Si-hyun would’ve been lured in without knowing anything about it.”
Min-jun grinned.
“Well… it’s pretty obvious from my shabby state that we’re struggling. Ugh, sorry for not mentioning that earlier, Si-hyun.”
Sang-hyuk scratched his head and apologized.
“It’s fine. I was a bit surprised by the low number of guild members, but as long as I can hunt, I don’t mind.”
“Exactly! You made a great choice! Although we may be impoverished, we have familial ties here. You won’t find another guild with such a warm atmosphere, Si-hyun.”
Si-hyun took a sip of the cool water that Min-jun had poured.
“And what about the other two?”
“The other two are… Oh? It seems they’re arriving just in time.”
As the glass door opened, a figure walked in.
“Our guild’s lady is here.”
The newcomer was a slender woman wearing tight jeans and a white T-shirt.
She had distinct features and an intelligent aura about her—a beauty.
Even in flats, she seemed to stand over 170 cm tall.
“Eun-hye! Our new family member has arrived.”