The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 16

 

 

It felt like the man’s entire weight was pressing down on me, as if he couldn’t keep himself upright. I carefully set my bag aside and caught hold of him. He was so big that even with both arms supporting him, I struggled to steady him.

 

‘Did he drink? But… there’s no smell of alcohol.’

 

“Um, excuse me…?”

 

His eyes remained shut.

 

I gently lowered him to the ground, and he collapsed without resistance—either unconscious or completely out of it.

 

He was taller than I’d expected.

 

And his build… definitely the kind of body you get from working out. But why did his face look so familiar?

 

There’s no way I’d forget someone that handsome. Where had I seen him before?

 

‘Before I regressed, I think I saw him… Clairvoyance?’

 

[Choi Tae-hyuk. 29 years old. Awakening: S-rank in progress]

 

Huh? Awakening in progress?

 

Did that just say S-rank Awakening???

 

Choi Tae-hyuk… right, there was an S-rank Hunter by that name!

 

‘An S-rank who later became an SS-rank.’

 

☆ YouHaveBeenBlessed has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

S-rank… this isn’t just luck. This is a blessing from the god of fortune.

 

☆ But has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Are all S-ranks this handsome? At the auction house, too… they were all…

 

☆ Hmm… has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

A strong S-rank and a weak F-rank. Somehow… heh♥

 

☆ ThatGuy has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

His features are even sharper than AetherFuture’s.

 

☆ EveryoneLOL has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Guys. The important thing is that he’s an S-rank Hunter. Why are you all drooling over his face? LOL

 

☆ HotFaceSpot has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Another eye candy center after Aether.

 

☆ It’sAHunter has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

An S-rank Hunter just rolled in!!

 

‘Yeah, I wasn’t expecting a Hunter to show up like this.’

 

With a rush of wind, Choi Tae-hyuk’s body floated up from where he’d been leaning against me. That much force should be fine.

 

I quickened my pace toward the guild, carrying him along. I couldn’t just leave him anywhere, so I placed him in an empty dormitory room, then pulled out my phone and called An Bom.

 

“An Bom, sorry, but I need a favor.”

 

— Yes, go ahead.

 

“I need you to use a healing spell.”

 

— Huh? Heal? All of a sudden? Are you hurt?!

 

“No, not me—someone else.”

 

— Ah. Where are you?

 

“I’m in Room 602, 6th floor. Please come here.”

 

— Okay, I’ll be right there.

 

After ending the call, I looked back at Choi Tae-hyuk.

 

The heat radiating from him was enough to warm the whole room.

 

Before long, An Bom arrived. The moment she saw him, she covered her mouth in surprise.

 

“…Oh my. This man—”

 

“You know him?”

 

“He’s a kendo athlete. I’ve seen him on TV—he even won at the World Championships. His name is…”

 

So I was right. Tall, built, and apparently a professional athlete.

 

I hadn’t known Choi Tae-hyuk was in kendo, but it turned out he was even more famous than I thought.

 

“Choi Tae-hyuk,” I added.

 

“That’s right. What happened to him?”

 

“Awakening sickness,” I explained. “I’ve heard it happens once you reach S-rank or higher.”

 

“I see… so that’s it.”

 

Enough heat to make the room feel like a sauna.

 

‘So becoming S-rank isn’t easy after all.’

 

“Would my healing help?”

 

“Yes. Healing works wonders on awakening sickness. Just a little is enough.”

 

At my request, An Bom took his hand and cast a spell.

 

As the magic spread, his ragged breathing eased, growing steadier.

 

Once I confirmed he’d stabilized, I stepped out to buy ice and an ice pack. When I returned, the heat still lingered.

 

I checked his temperature with the thermometer I’d just bought.

 

40.5°C.

 

Even if the healing helped, that fever showed he was still in the middle of awakening sickness.

 

“An Bom, you can rest now. I’ll handle the rest.”

 

Even if she was a healer, I couldn’t exactly ask her to nurse a grown man.

 

‘Cooling patches, ice packs, wiping him down—simple enough tasks.’

 

Good thing I’d bought cooling patches. I pulled one from the pack and stuck it on his forehead.

 

They only had kids’ size, so I thought I’d need four—but turns out, just two covered his whole forehead.

 

‘Even his face is small and handsome. He really has it all.’

 

I filled ice bags and set them at his sides.

 

Since lighter clothing was better, I took off his socks and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a muscular physique.

 

☆ Mr. Killer Body has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

No wonder he was so hot—he really was an athlete.

 

☆ God of War has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Feels like someone’s secretly filming me… His body’s not much different from mine.

 

So this was what a real six-pack looked like. Even before my regression, he’d been famous for his looks and physique.

 

‘He was also close with Yeon Do-jin.’

 

To the point people used to joke, “A handsome guy next to another handsome guy.”

 

When Choi Tae-hyuk joined the Kanghyeon Guild, the two hit it off right away.

 

My former boss, a low-ranking hunter, used to complain they were obnoxious for always sticking together—but whatever.

 

Good looks and natural talent! He was exactly the kind of hero I’d imagined.

 

Just then, Choi Tae-hyuk stirred restlessly.

 

“Ugh…”

 

From his groans, it seemed like the fever was really getting to him.

 

Once it broke, he’d probably be fine. I fetched some fever medicine and a glass of water, then sat beside him.

 

‘Hmm. How do you give medicine to someone unconscious?’

 

☆ Oho? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

What’s with this scene?

 

☆ No way… has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Is this the famous mouth-to-mouth moment?!

 

☆ AlmostFellAsleep has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Wow, I’m wide awake now. Gotta watch this properly.

 

☆ Everyone! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

What are you guys thinking?! This is basically CPR!

 

☆ Aether-nim has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Do mouth-to-mouth and I’ll drop 10,000 stones!

 

☆ Mission! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

20,000 if you do it! It’s medical, so don’t be embarrassed!

 

‘What on earth are these gods even thinking?!’

 

I glanced between the medicine, the water, and Choi Tae-hyuk, then made up my mind.

 

‘Let’s just wake him up.’

 

No way I was doing mouth-to-mouth. Instead, I used wind to prop him up. The movement made him groan. Setting the medicine down on the bed, I lightly tapped his cheek.

 

Tap!

 

“Wake up. You need to take your medicine before you sleep.”

 

…Was that ticklish? Why wasn’t he waking up?

 

Tap!

 

I tapped his cheek again, harder this time. He frowned.

 

“Wake up.”

 

Slowly, he cracked his eyes open. I gave him the medicine and held the cup to his lips.

 

He swallowed, but not all of it—some water dribbled down his chin and onto his chest.

 

Ugh, troublesome—I’ll have to wipe that up. Just drink without spilling, will you?

 

I controlled the wind so the water would flow straight into his mouth without spilling.

 

After giving him the medicine and water, I took off his shirt before laying him back down. I couldn’t bring myself to take off his pants, so I just cut them into shorts above the thigh.

 

I could always buy him new clothes later.

 

‘That should do it.’

 

☆ TheNursingGod has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

And it’s Aether-nim doing the nursing?! I want that too! Why am I stuck being a god?! ㅠ

 

Maybe thanks to my diligent wiping—or maybe it was just his body stabilizing—his fever held steady at 39.5°C, no higher, no lower.

 

Since his temperature was so high, the ice packs kept melting quickly, and I had to replace them again and again. Every now and then he’d crack his eyes open, but his gaze stayed unfocused.

 

Each time he drifted back to half-consciousness, I made sure to give him some water.

 

Seriously, after all this nursing, he’d better not go and join some other guild. Should I whisper in his ear that I’m the one taking care of him? Or just keep chanting, You must join the Yeon Guild…

 

* * *

 

Choi Tae-hyuk didn’t fully wake until an entire day had passed.

 

“…Where am I?”

 

“You’re awake?”

 

“…Why am I here?”

 

“You collapsed in front of me—it looked like awakening sickness.”

 

“…I see.”

 

“…?”

 

Huh? What’s with that reaction?

 

Shouldn’t he be asking what awakening sickness even is?

 

While I scratched my head at his oddly calm response, Choi Tae-hyuk slowly got up. His gaze dropped to his half-naked body, then flicked back to me.

 

“Well… you had such a high fever, I had to take some clothes off. You were sweating buckets too, so maybe wash up over there.”

 

He was shirtless, and his pants were shredded short. I handed him some of my clothes with a chuckle. Wordlessly, Choi Tae-hyuk accepted them and went into the bathroom.

 

While he showered, I contacted Gumiho and tidied the room. My hands worked automatically, but my thoughts were a mess.

 

‘Should I try recruiting him to our guild?’

 

I mean, I did save him. That should be enough for him to join… shouldn’t it? …Or maybe not.

 

In the past, he’d been part of the Kanghyeon Guild. Would someone like that really join an unknown guild led by an F-rank? Maybe this wasn’t the golden chance I thought it was.

 

“…The clothes are a bit small.”

 

“Oh. Uh… yeah.”

 

When Choi Tae-hyuk came out in my clothes, the sleeves and pant legs were too short. Was he even in the Korean size range? I wasn’t exactly short myself, but next to him, I felt it.

 

☆ Aether. has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Didn’t realize it before, but he’s seriously tall.

 

☆ That face and that physique has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Even in ill-fitting clothes, he still looks handsome. The first time I’ve thought a human—not a god—was actually good-looking.

 

Ignoring the lovestruck comments from the gods, I said, “There’s nothing here that can treat you, so please, come this way.”

 

If I was going to do this, I might as well show off our guild’s strengths. I led Choi Tae-hyuk out of the room. We walked slowly down the long corridor toward the 7th-floor office, giving him time to look around.

 

But instead of sightseeing, he kept glancing at me.

 

‘Why are you looking at me?! Look around, would you?!’

 

When we arrived, Gumiho—who had been notified in advance—guided us to the guild master’s office.

 

I sat down on the sofa, and Choi Tae-hyuk followed.

 

“Where am I?”

 

“This is our guild. You collapsed right in front of us, and since you didn’t have a phone or wallet on you, we had no choice but to bring you here.”

 

“You said it was awakening sickness. So that means I awakened as an S-rank, then.”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.”

 

I had been planning to tell him myself that he was S-rank, but he beat me to it.

 

How does he know so much? Was he always interested in Hunters?

 

“…I see.”

 

At that moment, a knock came at the door, and Gumiho entered with tea. Her nine tails swayed gently, as if to welcome him.

 

Gumiho’s reaction aside, Choi Tae-hyuk was the very picture of the substitute hero I’d been dreaming of—S-rank combat power and a handsome face.

 

Even angels would have no choice but to side with me on this!

 

I had to recruit him.

 

No matter what, I had to recruit him.

 

After setting down the tea, Gumiho left the room.

 

Choi Tae-hyuk, who had been watching me, lowered his gaze to his own hand.

 

“How did you know I awakened?”

 

“You had awakening sickness.”

 

“Couldn’t it have just been a normal fever?”

 

“One of my skills is Clairvoyance—it lets me see a person’s awakening and their skills in advance.”

 

At my words, Choi Tae-hyuk lifted his head, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

 

‘What’s with that look?’

 

“…Then, can you see my skills too?”

 

“Yes. Would you like me to check?”

 

“Yes.”

 

‘Clairvoyance.’

 

The moment I received his permission, I activated my Clairvoyance skill.

 

[Choi Tae-hyuk, 29 years old.]

 

S-rank: Ruler of Electricity.

 

Skills:

 

• Collapse of Power (S)
• Lightning of the Scales (S)
• Destruction (S) 
• Erasure (S+)
• Companion of Thunder (Pending)

 

He’s got practically every electricity-related skill out there, but what on earth are Annihilation and Nullification? And what’s with “Scales” and “Collapse”?

 

I stopped reading and told him,

 

“You’ve awakened as an S-rank electricity Hunter. You have three S-rank skills and one S+-rank skill.”

 

“So that’s four skills.”

 

“Yes. And there’s also a pending skill called Companion of Thunder.”

 

“…I see.”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk nodded.

 

Sudden awakening, sudden skills—he had to be shaken, right? So I tried to sound as gentle as possible.

 

But the man himself looked perfectly calm, as if he’d known all along.

 

“For S-rank awakenings, you can report directly to the Hunter Association. We could even take you there, if you want.”

 

“How could I possibly repay this favor?”

 

☆ ComeOnComeOn has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

If you join Aether’s Guild, that’ll be repayment enough!

 

‘That’s right! Just join our guild!!’