← A Perpetually Unknown Hunter Takes Over a Failing Guild# Understanding the Current Situation
The reading room on the first basement floor of the Association headquarters had stagnant air beneath gray fluorescent lights. Junho sat in front of a terminal. A public terminal. The Hunter License verification system accessible to anyone.
He turned on the screen. A login window appeared.
Username: Lee Junho
License: F-2013-118564
His fingers stopped above the keyboard. Wasn't it strange that he remembered his license number from ten years ago? But Junho had already endured far stranger things. Compared to the fact that he had died and returned, a single license number was not a problem.
He pressed Enter.
The system responded.
**[Hunter License: Lee Junho (F-Rank)]**
**[Association Registration Date: November 24, 2013]**
**[Accumulated Completed Requests: 0]**
**[Current Status: Active]**
Junho exhaled. Zero. That was right. Today was his registration day. More precisely, it was two hours ago.
He moved the keyboard again. The public terminal in the reading room provided only basic information. But it was enough. What Junho needed was basic information. The movements of top guilds. The Association's official rankings. Most importantly, the location of the Cheongjung Guild where Choi Min-jun was.
He opened the guild search system.
**[Guild Name: Cheongjung (天定)]**
**[Rank: S]**
**[Guild Master: Choi Min-jun]**
**[Average Member Rank: A-]**
**[Accumulated Points: 847,300]**
**[Current Ranking: 1st Place]**
1st place. That was right. In Junho's memory, Cheongjung was always 1st. At least for the past two years. He knew how they maintained 1st place. A conservative strategy focused on high-difficulty requests. The absolute strength of their members. And a covert relationship with the Association.
Junho scrolled the screen. The top ten guilds were listed.
2nd Place: Emperor Guild (Accumulated Points: 823,100)
3rd Place: Polaris Guild (Accumulated Points: 798,400)
4th Place: Dragon Slayer (Accumulated Points: 776,800)
5th Place: Holy Guild (Accumulated Points: 754,200)
Junho's eyes scanned the list. The Shinwol Guild was not visible. That was natural. Shinwol didn't exist yet. Jung Hye-jin's bankrupt guild was still alive, but pushed out of the rankings.
He tapped the keyboard again. He typed 'Shinwol' in the guild name search box.
**[Guild Name: Shinwol (新月)]**
**[Rank: E]**
**[Guild Master: Jung Hye-jin]**
**[Average Member Rank: F]**
**[Accumulated Points: 12,400]**
**[Current Ranking: 2,847th Place]**
2,847th place. Junho felt the weight contained in that number.
Shinwol was a dying guild. It had almost no points, and while it maintained the minimum number of members, it was practically like a zombie wandering around. Jung Hye-jin must have struggled to save this guild. Just as Junho had experienced ten years ago.
But now it was different.
Junho began searching for other information. Request records of top guilds over the past six months. Trends in point increases and decreases. Member promotion status. These were public information, but most hunters didn't analyze them in such detail.
The recent three-month request history of Cheongjung Guild appeared on the screen.
**[Request History]**
**November 20: S-Rank Dungeon 'Tower of Gold' - Completed (Points: +8,500)**
**November 18: A-Rank Dungeon 'Lava Canyon' - Completed (Points: +4,200)**
**November 15: S-Rank Dungeon 'Forest of Silence' - Completed (Points: +8,200)**
Junho's eyes narrowed. The point calculation was inconsistent. Even for the same S-rank, 8,500 and 8,200. What was the difference? Completion time? Member damage? Or some other variable?
Junho searched the records of more guilds. Emperor Guild, Polaris Guild, Dragon Slayer.
A pattern began to emerge slowly.
High-difficulty request + Slow completion = High points
Low-difficulty request + Fast completion = Low points
Then what about the reverse?
Low-difficulty request + Very fast completion = ?
Junho began searching for more detailed information. Completion time. Request rank. Member composition. But the public terminal didn't provide that level of detail.
Then a different method was needed.
Junho left the terminal. As he stepped out into the hallway outside the reading room, Association employees passed by. He was looking for one of them. An information officer. Or a data analysis team. Someone had to manage this system, and someone had to organize the request records.
But approaching them directly was dangerous. If an F-rank hunter suddenly asked about the point calculation formula, it would be easy to raise suspicion.
Junho walked down the hallway thinking. Ten years ago, after taking over the Shinwol Guild, how had he gathered information?
Back then, there was Park Seo-yeon.
Park Seo-yeon. A former A-rank hunter. A realistic and capable woman. She had joined two weeks after Junho took over Shinwol. It wasn't that Junho had posted an advertisement; she had come looking for him on her own. Why?
Junho didn't remember that part clearly. Ten years of time had made the memory hazy. But one thing was certain. Park Seo-yeon had believed in Junho. Even after just two weeks of meeting.
Could he meet her now?
Junho found an electronic bulletin board in the Association building. A hunter registration information search terminal. He could search for Park Seo-yeon there.
He entered the username: Park Seo-yeon
The result appeared.
**[Hunter Name: Park Seo-yeon]**
**[Rank: A]**
**[Affiliated Guild: Cheongjung (天定)]**
**[Association Registration Date: July 15, 2010]**
Junho's fingers stopped.
Park Seo-yeon was in Cheongjung Guild. Right now. At this point in time.
In Junho's ten-year memory, Park Seo-yeon had joined Cheongjung much later. After Shinwol had become strong enough, and after Junho had convinced her to leave that place. But now it was different. Park Seo-yeon was still in Cheongjung.
In other words, she hadn't met Shinwol yet.
Junho sighed. The calculation had become complicated. To convince Park Seo-yeon, Shinwol had to grow first. But to make Shinwol grow, he needed Park Seo-yeon's abilities. It was a vicious cycle.
No, it wasn't.
Junho thought again. Who were the initial members who joined Shinwol ten years ago? Before Park Seo-yeon, who made up Shinwol?
He searched his memory. At first, there was Jung Hye-jin, and two C-rank hunters. He didn't remember their names. But they weren't enough. They were too weak.
Junho left the terminal. He returned to the reading room. He sat in front of the public terminal again.
This time he searched for different information. Records of new hunters. Hunters who hadn't joined a guild yet, currently active as individuals. Especially talented newcomers who hadn't been discovered yet.
The database was vast. In the Seoul area alone, thousands of new hunters were registered.
But Junho was looking for someone specific.
Han Ji-eun. A sixteen-year-old new hunter at the time. Talented but too poor to catch the eye of a proper guild.
He searched.
No results.
Junho's eyes narrowed. It meant Han Ji-eun wasn't a hunter yet. Either her registration date hadn't come, or she was registered under a different name.
Junho searched in a different way. Age, gender, location. He combined every possible variable.
And he found her.
**[Hunter Name: Han Ji-eun]**
**[Rank: F]**
**[Association Registration Date: October 11, 2013]**
**[Current Status: Inactive]**
Inactive. Junho read that word. Han Ji-eun had only registered but hadn't accepted any requests yet. It meant she hadn't joined a guild either.
Junho thought in front of the screen. How much time was left? Until he discovered Han Ji-eun and brought her into Shinwol, and until she became sufficient combat power.
But there was a more important question than that.
Were these pieces of information visible in the Association database really accurate?
Junho searched for Choi Min-jun's information once more.
**[Hunter Name: Choi Min-jun]**
**[Rank: S]**
**[Affiliated Guild: Cheongjung (天定)]**
**[Association Registration Date: March 20, 2009]**
S-rank. In the Association's official data, Choi Min-jun was an S-rank hunter. But in Junho's memory, Choi Min-jun was actually stronger. It meant that the Association's official ranking system didn't reflect everything.
Then what about other information?
Junho checked the member composition of Cheongjung Guild again. Fifteen members. All A-rank or higher. Average rank A-.
In his ten-year memory, Cheongjung had more members. Twenty-five or more. Then what had happened in these ten years? Or did the information the Association database disclosed never reflect the latest status?
Junho found the Association's official announcements. The guild information update cycle was once a month. In other words, the information currently visible was likely from early November.
Then at this very moment, the actual state of Cheongjung Guild could be different.
Junho left the terminal. This much information alone wasn't enough. The Association database was only public information. The real answer was elsewhere.
He left the reading room. He went up to the second floor of the Association headquarters. Where the personnel and finance departments were located. Somewhere there, more precise data would exist.
But an F-rank hunter couldn't directly enter that place.
Junho thought again. The structure of the Association. Their customs. And most importantly, how a hunter who wanted information should approach it.
The answer was simple.
Money. Or debt.
The Association moved on money. The Association's employees also moved on money. The most certain way to approach someone with information was to present what they needed.
Junho put his hand in his pocket. Thousand-won coins. An F-rank license.
He had no money.
But he had time. And most importantly, he had ten years of memory.
Junho left the Association headquarters. Sunlight hit his face. It was around 2 p.m. There was enough time left.
It was time to head to Shinwol.
The Shinwol Guild was located in a back alley of Gangnam.
Junho ran for thirty minutes, transferring subway lines from the Association headquarters. He checked the route on his phone's map. It wasn't a latest-model smartphone. It was a 2013 model. The screen was small and the battery drained quickly, but the map application worked.
When Junho stood in front of the Shinwol Guild building, he remembered this place.
Before the regression. 2023. By then, Shinwol had long since disappeared. It remained as an abandoned building. But now, it was still alive.
There was a sign. The letters were peeling off, but the characters "Shinwol" remained faintly visible. The building was a four-story office building. There was a convenience store on the first floor, and the Shinwol Guild occupied the second floor.
Junho climbed the stairs.
On the second floor, there was a glass door. When he opened it, cold air flowed out. The sound of an air conditioner's outdoor unit could be heard. It was a ceiling-type cooling system. It cost money. It was a sign of how difficult Shinwol's situation was. If they turned off the air conditioner, they could save a little on electricity bills.
The interior of the office was more organized than he expected.
There was a reception desk. Behind it, he could see three individual desks. On the left wall, there were lockers for storing armor and weapons. In the middle was a conference table. At the far right, he could see a small office door. That must be the guild master's office.
"Welcome."
A voice was heard.
A woman stood up from the reception desk. She was in her late thirties. She wore a black suit. But there was dust on the shoulders of her suit. It was another sign indicating the management state of this place.
"Are you looking for the guild master?"
Junho nodded.
"My name is Lee Junho. I don't have an appointment, but could you spare a moment?"
The woman's eyes changed. A momentary wariness. Then a faint hope. She had let down her guard upon seeing he was an F-rank hunter, but still considered the possibility of something unexpected.
"Just a moment. Let me check."
The woman knocked on the office door to the right. A few seconds later, the door opened.
It was Jung Hyejin.
In Junho's memories from before the regression, he had seen Jung Hyejin before. In the Shinwol archives in 2023. Back then, Jung Hyejin was no longer the guild master. She was the person who had reported Shinwol's dissolution to the Association.
But now, in 2013, Jung Hyejin was still the guild master.
She appeared to be in her early forties. Her long black hair was tied back. Her face looked tired. The dark circles under her eyes were deep. But her eyes themselves were still sharp. They were the eyes of someone who had once been an A-rank hunter.
She scanned Junho.
"F-rank, I see. What brings you here?"
Her voice was low and cold. It was a tone that assessed others.
"I'm interested in the Shinwol Guild."
Junho said.
Jung Hyejin's eyes narrowed slightly. Interest. She already knew what that word meant.
"Come into the office."
Jung Hyejin turned around. Junho followed her.
The office was larger than expected. But it was empty. Papers were stacked on the desk. The papers were various colors. The white of official Association documents, the green of bank passbooks, letters from creditors.
Jung Hyejin sat in the chair behind the desk. She gestured for Junho to sit in the chair facing her.
"Your name?"
"Lee Junho."
"Which guild are you affiliated with?"
"None. I'm an independent hunter."
A smile appeared on Jung Hyejin's lips. But it was not a laugh.
"Interested in Shinwol, how interesting. Do you know about our guild?"
"Yes. I saw it in the Association database."
"Ah, then I understand. You know what rank our guild is."
Jung Hyejin leaned back in her chair. It creaked.
"2,847th."
Junho stated the exact number.
Jung Hyejin's eyes sparkled. It was a self-deprecating light.
"Precise. That's certainly a low enough rank. Why are you interested in a guild like ours?"
Junho paused for a moment and observed Jung Hyejin. She already knew. What state her guild was in. And why he had come.
"I want to acquire it."
Junho said directly.
Jung Hyejin burst out laughing. It was genuine laughter. But despair was mixed within it.
"An F-rank independent hunter? Wants to acquire a guild?"
"Yes."
Jung Hyejin continued laughing. Then she suddenly stopped. Her eyes scanned Junho again. This time, differently.
"Are you in your right mind?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever managed a guild?"
"No."
"But you want to acquire one?"
"Yes."
Jung Hyejin picked up a document from the desk. It was a letter from a creditor.
"Our guild currently has 350 million won in debt. We can only earn about 5 million won per month from commission revenue. Just the interest is 20 million won per month. Within six months, we'll be in an unrecoverable state. Can you handle this?"
Junho answered calmly.
"How much do you want?"
"What?"
"How much do you want for the guild acquisition?"
Jung Hyejin's face changed. In that moment, she realized this F-rank hunter was serious.
"Fine. Then let's talk realistically."
Jung Hyejin cleared her desk. She pushed the documents aside and pulled out a new paper. It was a financial statement for the Shinwol Guild.
"Current asset value is approximately 200 million won. Building lease rights, equipment, and hunter contracts. But with 350 million in debt, net assets are negative 150 million. Normally, who would buy a guild like this?"
"That's why you're seeing me."
Junho said.
Jung Hyejin's eyes narrowed.
"You're really an interesting person. That's right. You're desperate, and I'm desperate too, so we can make a deal."
She wrote a number on the paper.
"50 million won. With this, I can handle things somehow. The rest of the debt is yours."
Junho looked at that number. 50 million won. He currently didn't have even tens of thousands of won in his wallet.
"What's the deadline?"
"One month. If you can't raise 50 million won by this deadline, this deal is off. After that, I'll report the dissolution to the Association, and the guild will officially cease to exist."
Jung Hyejin leaned forward.
"If you really want to do this, sign this contract and go. And bring the money within a month."
She handed him a pen. Junho took it.
The contract was simple. It stated that all rights and obligations of the Shinwol Guild would be transferred to Lee Junho. In exchange for 50 million won.
Junho signed.
Jung Hyejin took the contract. And handed one copy to Junho.
"Congratulations. You are now the guild master of Shinwol. The guild currently has three members. The woman outside is Park Jieun, an office worker and D-rank hunter. And the two training in the basement are E-rank hunters Kim Suho and Lim Junhyuk."
She stood up.
"I'm leaving now. You seem like you need to do something here, but I'm not sure what. But if you don't bring 50 million won within a month, this guild will disappear into history. Fighting."
Jung Hyejin left the office. After that, the sound of the front door closing was heard.
Junho was left alone. On the desk remained the Shinwol Guild's financial statement and the contract. And in his hand was the guild seal of Shinwol.
He breathed quietly.
50 million won. One month.
It was an impossible number. Not the kind of money an F-rank hunter could earn in a month. By normal standards.
But Junho was not a normal hunter.
He knew ten years.
And within those ten years, there was a loophole in the point calculation system. It was a secret known only to a few people. Or rather, even they were using it without clearly recognizing it.
Junho stood up from the desk. It was time to go down to the basement.
It was time to meet Shinwol's members.