The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 37

 

“Guildmaster Ji Yeon-woo, Ji Yun-seo awakened as an S-rank two weeks ago—why is she only registering as a Hunter now?”

 

“Some oppose minors entering dungeons. What are your thoughts on that, Guildmaster Ji Yeon-woo?”

 

“Is it true you cleared the last dungeon completely on your own?”

 

“Will Ji Yun-seo be joining Yeon Guild?”

 

“When will she officially begin Hunter activities?”

 

As the reporters bombarded us with questions, I quickly lifted Ji Yun-seo, who was clinging tightly to my pants. While Choi Tae-hyuk shielded me, security from the Hunter Association rushed out, pushing the reporters back and clearing a path for us to go inside.

 

“Miss Ji Yun-seo, is that really an S-rank monster you’re holding?”

“You awakened some time ago—what have you been doing since then?”

“Miss Ji Yun-seo, could you say a few words for us?”

 

Ignoring the barrage of questions, we stepped into the building. Perhaps out of consideration, the registration area was calm—just a few others registering and staff at their desks.

 

Sensing Ji Yun-seo shrinking under all the attention, I gently patted her back and walked up to the counter.

 

“Registration for Ji Yun-seo, please.”

 

“Ah, yes. Right away.”

 

“We’ll also be registering her tamed monster.”

 

The man nodded quickly and handed over the forms. With her tiny hand, she stamped her seal and filled out the basic information.

 

For the guardian’s name, I wrote my own. Legal guardians and Hunter guardians could be listed separately.

 

Next was Kero’s registration. The form only required rank and type—skills weren’t needed—so I filled it out and handed it back.

 

“Would you prefer a necklace or just a medal?”

 

Because Kero was still small, the staff pointed at a necklace.

 

‘If Kero grows, it’ll either choke them or snap right off.’

 

The medal contained the Tamer’s information, and all tamed monsters were required to wear one as either a necklace or anklet. One of the two was mandatory.

 

Planning to use rabbit leather from a past dungeon to craft a necklace later, I chose the medal. The staff then handed me three.

 

‘Ah, right. Three heads means three medals.’

 

“Will she also be registering with a guild?”

 

“No, not yet. We’re not planning on that for now.”

 

The Hunter ID was issued with the guild field left blank. I handed the card to a curious Ji Yun-seo and pocketed the medals.

 

“Well then, shall we head home?”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk, who had been silent until now, extended his arms. Tilting my head, I let him gently take Ji Yun-seo. Despite not seeming like the type who had ever held a child before, he carried her naturally.

 

“There are more reporters outside. I think it’ll be better if I carry her.”

 

☆ Dad has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

A stiff, stoic man—but with the heart of a warm father.

 

☆ How Strange has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Looks like a dad carrying the child to protect the frail mom~?

 

☆ Daddy has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Wow, she looks tiny in his arms. When Aether carried her, she looked like a child, but with him she’s like a doll.

 

‘They just can’t give up the dad jokes, huh.’

 

Just as the gods said, Ji Yun-seo looked even smaller in Choi Tae-hyuk’s broad arms.

 

I nodded and stepped back outside. As predicted, even more reporters had gathered.

 

They surged forward, desperate for an exclusive. By the time we reached the car, I was sick of the flashing cameras and endless questions.

 

Their persistence in blocking the car was impressive—but only for a moment. After Choi Tae-hyuk slammed the gas and brake pedals twice, the crowd scattered.

 

“…Looks like we should avoid the Hunter Association for a while.”

 

“Yes. They say the office is already flooded with calls.”

 

Unlike the noisy adults, Ji Yun-seo was happily examining her new Hunter license with Kero. Even though it wasn’t anything remarkable, she was completely fascinated.

 

“If I’d known she’d like the ID this much, I would’ve gotten it for her sooner.”

 

“It’s probably because it has her name on it. That makes it special.”

 

“Is that so…”

 

I hadn’t felt anything when I got my resident registration card or even my Hunter license. Shrugging, I thought, kids really do see things differently.

 

* * *

 

The drive back was smooth, despite a few reporters’ cars trailing us. The guild’s underground parking lot was off-limits to outsiders, so we returned without trouble.

 

I refused unnecessary interviews and only gave a written statement, ensuring no one could speak recklessly about Ji Yun-seo. I thought that would be the end of it, but…

 

『A new record has been set: the youngest S-rank Hunter in Korea has emerged. Reporter Kim Hee-seok has the details.』

 

『In Korea, where S-rank Hunters are scarce compared to other countries, the youngest Hunter has just been registered. She is seven-year-old Ji Yun-seo, whose ability is Tamer. Recently, she succeeded in taming Cerberus, the boss monster of the S-rank dungeon in Jamsil. Other countries have Tamers, but none of them are S-rank. This is the first.

 

In Korea—long considered barren ground for S-rank Hunters—the appearance of an S-rank Tamer has drawn enormous attention. Currently, Yeon Guild’s leader Ji Yeon-woo is registered as her guardian, but since the guild itself is unaffiliated, many guilds are already preparing to scout her….』

 

I sighed and switched the channel.

 

『If she enters a dungeon, couldn’t her rating rise from S-rank to SS-rank?』

 

『Yes. The consensus is that ranks can increase with accumulated experience, so it’s possible she could reach SS-rank. However, as she’s still a minor….』

 

『Minor or not, a Hunter is still a Hunter. Hunters are a nation’s strength. Saying a minor shouldn’t be allowed to work as one makes no sense.』

 

『But under the Minor Hunter Protection Law, the guardian has the final say. At present, Guildmaster Ji Yeon-woo is listed as her guardian, and through a written statement, he declared she will not be active as a Hunter until adulthood.』

 

『And that’s the issue. Isn’t he blocking a talent from reaching her full potential? On top of that, isn’t he monopolizing her?』

 

…

 

The day after her registration, our guild was once again in the spotlight because of Ji Yun-seo. Clicking my tongue, I shut off the TV.

 

The debate program titled “Is It Okay for Ji Yun-seo, the Youngest S-Rank Hunter, to Stay Like This?” was a total circus.

 

Neither she nor I had any complaints, yet strangers were making a fuss on our behalf.

 

Some demanded she be protected, others insisted she should already be working as a Hunter. The arguments were loud and absurd.

 

Meanwhile, Ji Yun-seo was happily stuffing her cheeks with the bread Gumiho had brought, munching away with Kero by her side.

 

“Guildmaster.”

 

At the sound of a knock, Gumiho entered holding a phone. Through the open door, I saw An Bom already answering another call, barely finished with the last one.

 

“…What should we do about the interview requests? They just keep coming.”

 

Before Ji Yun-seo’s Hunter registration, we’d only gotten the occasional inquiry after raiding the S-rank dungeon. But once her registration became official, the floodgates opened.

 

Reporters from newspapers and TV stations swarmed us with requests, leaving An Bom and Gumiho completely overwhelmed.

 

“Why all the fuss when Yun-seo isn’t even registered with our guild? We already said in the written interview she wouldn’t be working as a Hunter.”

 

“It’s not just about Yun-seo. It’s also because you’re that unusual F-rank, Guildmaster.”

 

That damn F-rank. I was sick of it. I wanted to find Shayna and have her bump me up to S-rank already.

 

“From now on, tell them I’m not doing interviews—written or otherwise.”

 

“Yes. But we’ve gotten requests about Yun-seo as well.”

 

“She’s a minor, so reject those as well. We also need to hurry and hire teams beyond just PR.”

 

“Understood. I’ll handle the interviews for now.”

 

“Good. Until the PR team’s ready, just take the calls, then unplug the phone line. Turn off the guild phone as well.”

 

Gumiho glanced down at the phone, which started ringing again the moment she hung up, then nodded and left the guildmaster’s office.

 

If Ji Yun-seo had been registered from the start, maybe things would’ve been different. But the first S-rank we recruited was Choi Tae-hyuk, and that’s why this chaos erupted. Not that I regretted it.

 

Having an S-rank was already reassuring, but since becoming vice guildmaster, Choi Tae-hyuk had handled every task like a seasoned veteran. That only made me trust him more.

 

Wondering what the Hunter Association thought of this mess, I logged in—only to see our guild name plastered across a trending post.

 

[Title: Has anyone been interviewed by Yeon Guild?] [+99]

 

Post: I applied before Ji Yun-seo registered, but I haven’t heard anything about an interview. Did anyone get one?

 

└ Yeon Guild is blowing up.

 

└ Salary, benefits, you name it. An F-rank guildmaster who clears S-rank dungeons, two S-ranks, and even a healer.

 

└ I applied too, no word yet.

 

└ What rank are you?

 

└ F-rank.

 

└ The requirements clearly said A-rank and above. Why would an F-rank apply?

 

└ The guildmaster’s F-rank though.

 

└ Still, that’s an F-rank who soloed an S-rank dungeon. Not the same thing.

 

└ I bet they’ll accept A-ranks easily. The guild’s still new.

 

└ Reading this makes me want to apply too.

 

└ What’s your ability?

 

└ Cooking Hunter.

 

└ Get lost. You think they’d hire a Cooking Hunter with those benefits?

 

└ I still can’t believe the guildmaster’s F-rank. How can an F-rank clear an S-rank?

 

└ Believe it or not, there were witnesses. Civilians don’t lie about that.

 

└ Bet Yeon Guild’s drowning in applicants now.

 

└ Yeah, applications skyrocketed. Feels like every Hunter in the country applied.

 

└ I applied just because of Ji Yun-seo. She’s so cute I want to pop her in my mouth.

 

└ Guildmaster, that guy’s a creep. Don’t hire him!

 

Just like the comments said, applications had exploded. It was better than getting negative reviews, but sorting through all the irrelevant résumés ate up the whole day. Luckily, we had already finalized tomorrow’s interviewees before the chaos hit.

 

‘Let’s hope tomorrow’s candidates are decent.’

 

* * *

 

“It’s time for the interviews.”

 

☆ New Guild Members Incoming! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Who will it be? I hope it’s someone good. May Aether only walk the flowery path.

 

☆ I’m Against It has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

I liked it better when Aether was suffering.

 

So my suffering is your entertainment, huh? Which god are you? Come here and I’ll show you the meaning of suffering.

 

Grinding my teeth in silence, I wiped the whipped cream off Ji Yun-seo’s face with a tissue, then left the house.

 

We decided to use an empty conference room for the interviews. Technically it was a 1:3 setup, with Gumiho and Choi Tae-hyuk sitting in, but only I would be asking the questions.

 

Out of the flood of applicants, only three had reached the final round: a veteran transferring from another guild, a newly awakened Potion Master, and a water-element Hunter who was also a non-human race.

 

“My race is Imoogi.”

T/N: Imoogi — a mythical Korean serpent, often depicted as a lesser dragon that can ascend into a true dragon after living a thousand years.

 

☆ Wow, I’ve Never Seen a Non-Human Race Before! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

A race that doesn’t even exist in our world—amazing!