The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 38

 

 

The non-human seated before me had antler-like horns, long gray hair neatly braided, and matching gray lashes and eyes. I glanced down at the résumé again. 

 

The photo showed no horns at all—just an ordinary person with black hair and black eyes. I looked back up at the imoogi.

 

Why did a different race show up?

 

“Ah! The résumé photo was taken while I was in human form.”

 

“So you’re not transformed right now?”

 

“If being human feels like wearing a suit that’s just a bit too tight, then this form feels more like a tracksuit.”

 

I see. So this was their natural state.

 

I couldn’t help but nod.

 

Well, that’s fine. Our guild doesn’t discriminate against non-humans.

 

“Your stamina is rated S-rank, and you’re a water-type hunter.”

 

“Yes. I think it’s because I started as a water snake that I awakened as a water hunter.”

 

“…I see.”

 

I glanced at Gumiho, who sat beside me, and mouthed silently:

 

‘How many years does it take for a water snake to become an imoogi?’

 

‘A thousand years, at minimum.’

 

The age gap is way too big… Will a young guildmaster like me really be able to handle this?

 

Gumiho patted my shoulder.

 

‘Don’t worry. I’m even older.’

 

I-I see. I knew she was older than me, but I didn’t expect her to have already passed a thousand years so easily.

 

“Your residence is listed as Jirisan.”

 

“Yes. There are many spirits in that area.”

 

“So if you join our guild, you’d like to live in the dorms?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“But if you’re an imoogi, doesn’t that mean someday you’ll become a dra—”

 

Gumiho poked my side.

 

What? Am I wrong? Snakes become imoogi, imoogi become dragons—that’s how the legend goes.

 

With a sigh, Gumiho whispered in my ear, “If that were true, I’d be eating your liver by now, Guildmaster.”

 

Ah. Right.

 

Just like Gumiho doesn’t eat livers, an imoogi doesn’t necessarily become a dragon either. 

 

…Haha. My mistake.

 

“The interview is over, Imoogi-ssi.”

 

Another poke from Gumiho.

 

“Seo-ho-ssi,” she murmured.

 

“Ah, Seo-ho-ssi. Thank you for your time today. We’ll be in touch.”

 

When I extended my hand, Seo-ho-ssi jumped up and shook it with both hands.

 

“…Ugh.”

 

So it was true. Even though they were only an A-rank hunter, with S-rank stamina their strength was no joke. I hid my throbbing hand and sent Seo-ho-ssi off to An Bom.

 

Since I hadn’t shaken hands with Choi Tae-hyuk, I hadn’t realized—

but from now on, I should probably avoid handshakes with hunters who have S-rank stamina.

 

The moment Seo-ho-ssi left, Gumiho slid another résumé across the table.

 

“You really need to study up on non-humans.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so. Is the next one non-human too?”

 

“No, she’s human. Come in!”

 

At her cue, the next applicant entered.

 

A woman with long hair loosely tied back, secured with a hairpin, took a seat. Unlike the imoogi before her, she leaned back casually, crossed her legs, and extended her hand.

 

“Nice to meet you, Guildmaster. I’m Jeon Ha-eun, an A-rank Smoke Sorcerer.”

 

☆Storm God has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

So cool. She’s got charisma. And her face? Absolutely gorgeous! I want to start a fan club for her!

 

Excuse me, Storm God. You really shouldn’t be doing that here.

 

“Hello, I’m Guildmaster Ji Yeon-woo. But… Smoke Sorcerer, that is…?”

 

Jeon Ha-eun smirked and pulled the long hairpin from her hair. Her black hair tumbled down, captivating for a moment, but my attention snapped to the object in her hand. It wasn’t a hairpin.

 

The mouthpiece and bowl were fashioned from gold, and the long stem was engraved with an intricate floral design—a golden pipe.

 

“May I show you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She took out a handkerchief filled with finely shredded tobacco leaves. She packed them into the pipe, lit it with a match, and soon smoke began to rise.

 

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. The white smoke, instead of vanishing, gathered into the shape of a hand.

 

The smoke-hand picked up the phone from my desk, tossed it playfully, caught it again, and handed it back to Jeon Ha-eun before dispersing.

 

“This is what a Smoke Sorcerer does.”

 

Still holding the phone, she waved. The smoke she exhaled didn’t dissipate—it circled her protectively, like a bodyguard. At her gesture, the smoke gently set my phone back on the desk and vanished.

 

“It doesn’t smell.”

 

“You shouldn’t compare it to that.”

 

“I see. And why do you want to transfer to our guild?”

 

“Because you pay well.”

 

☆GirlCrush has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

So blunt! I love it! Go, girl!

 

Her honesty made me nod. Work is for earning money, after all. No lofty ideals, just survival. Honestly, I run this guild because it’s convenient for me too.

 

“Would you be staying in the dorms?”

 

“Yes. At home, they nag me too much about smoking.”

 

“Even though there’s no smell?”

 

“Well, parents will be parents.”

 

She tapped the ash from her pipe onto another handkerchief, then waved her hand. The smoke that had lingered scattered and disappeared.

 

“Thank you for your time today. We’ll be in touch.”

 

“Please contact me in a positive direction.”

 

She hastily tied her hair back, slipped the pipe in as a makeshift hairpin, and left the office.

 

Still dazed, I turned to Gumiho. Her eyes were wide with the same amazement I felt.

 

“Gumiho.”

 

“Ah, yes. Over here, please! Come in!”

 

The last candidate was human too.

 

The final interviewee. Turns out interviewing is more exhausting than I thought.

 

“Hello!”

 

When I gestured for him to sit, a man with his face hidden behind his hair shuffled in timidly and perched on the chair.

 

“Mr. Park Young-jun?”

 

“Y-yes, th-that’s me.”

 

“You’re an A-rank Potion Master, correct?”

 

“…Y-yes.”

 

Right. Why hadn’t I thought of potions earlier? Basic health could always be restored with them.

 

“Can you also make health potions?”

 

“If… if I have the i-ingredients, then for health potions only, I can make up to S-rank….”

 

Oh my god. What a find! I wanted to clap and drag him into our guild on the spot.

 

“Do you have any potions prepared?”

 

“Y-yes! R-right here.”

 

From his shabby bag, he pulled out a red potion and a blue one—the same health and defense potions I’d known before my regression. Even at a glance, they looked highly refined. Using clairvoyance, I checked: the health potion was A-rank, the defense potion B-rank.

 

When Choi Tae-hyuk rose, Park Young-jun flinched, his hands trembling at the sight of the man’s tall, muscular frame. I motioned Choi Tae-hyuk back into his seat and stepped forward to take the potions myself.

 

Opening the red potion, I caught a crisp apple scent.

 

“Hm? Apple?”

 

“J-just drinking it plain doesn’t taste good, so I added some fragrance.”

 

Normally, health potions are tasteless but reek like cat urine. Cheap ones barely mask the stench, and expensive ones only cover it with overpowering perfumes—never fully erasing it. But this one had no trace of that foul smell.

 

“There’s no cat-urine smell at all.”

 

“T-that’s because the m-method is different. Instead of the usual extraction, I use steam compression during refinement, and—”

 

His stutter vanished as soon as he spoke about potion-making. I nodded along and took a sip. Like drinking apple juice, the crisp liquid slid down my throat, warmth spreading through my body. The aches I still felt despite An Bom’s healing melted away instantly.

 

‘This isn’t just effective—it’s perfect.’

 

If his health potion was this good, I didn’t even need to check the defense potion.

 

When I looked back, Park Young-jun had fallen silent again, fidgeting nervously. I gave him a bright smile. Letting him slip away would be plain stupid.

 

“You wanted a dorm, right?”

 

I remembered from his resume that he preferred living in a dormitory.

 

He nodded.

 

“Anything else you’d like?”

 

“Uh… It said everything is covered financially, so that’s why I applied.”

 

“Do you need money?”

 

“No, I’d just like plenty of ingredients. A-and… I’d prefer to avoid interacting with people.”

 

That was easy. I could convert one of the second-floor storage rooms into a lab. Only Choi Tae-hyuk, Gumiho, and I had access anyway.

 

“If you need materials, we’ll provide them without limit. And instead of a dorm, I’ll attach a private room to your lab so you don’t have to run into anyone.”

 

“…W-would it be alright if I just delivered the results once a week?”

 

“Yes, exactly.”

 

Most crafters had to be pushed to produce, but this man wanted to research on his own and report weekly. Such a good-natured person—and I could keep him endlessly stocked with ingredients.

 

“I’ll have a potion lab built for you upstairs. Tell Gumiho if you need special equipment or interior design. It’ll be ready within two days, and you can move in then. Please start with health potions as soon as possible.”

 

“Th-that sounds good.”

 

After he left, I brought the potion to Choi Tae-hyuk and Gumiho.

 

“How’s the effect?”

 

“Incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

 

When Choi Tae-hyuk sniffed the red potion, his brows shot up.

 

“A health potion can smell like this?”

 

I nodded and uncorked the defense potion. A crisp grape scent rose from the blue liquid. Natural, refreshing—not artificial at all.

 

“Can normal people drink these?”

 

“Yes. People in tough jobs sometimes use defense potions. But the taste is—”

 

“The worst.”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk nodded at my words. Unlike health potions, defense potions tasted like vomit. There was even a saying: “Would you rather drink a defense potion that tastes like vomit, or sweet-tasting vomit?”

 

Still, the effect was so good people forced it down.

 

“But if the flavor of health potions has changed, maybe this one too?”

 

Curiosity killed the cat—but after tasting the health potion, I couldn’t resist trying the defense potion too. I’d never drunk one before my regression, which only made me more curious.

 

…Did something that “tastes like vomit” really exist?

 

I inhaled the crisp grape scent and took a small sip.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Don’t throw up in here!!” Gumiho cried, horrified.

 

I smacked my lips. Instead of vomit, the flavor was like an old grape soda with little jelly bits inside.

 

“This is good.”

 

“Really?”

 

I nodded and handed the potion to Gumiho. She accepted it with a suspicious look.

 

“You’re not tricking me, right?”

 

“No. Go on, try it.”

 

Still doubtful, she stared at me for a moment, then cautiously took a sip. Her eyes widened almost instantly.

 

“Tasty, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes… it’s a delicious grape flavor.”

 

“See? Told you.”

 

When Gumiho passed the potion to Choi Tae-hyuk, he too looked startled by the taste.

 

“But if I only drink a little, will it still boost my defense?”

 

“No,” Choi Tae-hyuk said. “You need to finish the whole bottle for it to take effect.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Gumiho nodded at his explanation.

 

Closing the lid on the rare potion, I set it aside and picked up the stack of resumes again. Besides Park Young-jun, the other two candidates were excellent as well.

 

Jeon Ha-eun, the Smoke Sorcerer, had plenty of hunter experience already. And Seo-ho, though only recently awakened, was a water-element hunter—perfectly suited to counterbalance me, with the power to suppress fire.

 

“All three candidates today seem good to me. What do you two think?”

 

“They all seem great,” Gumiho said.

 

“I agree,” Choi Tae-hyuk added.

 

“Then let’s proceed with the practical test.”