The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 45

 

 

“How did the contract go?”

 

“I came straight here after washing up, so I’m not sure either. Let’s head down together.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Saphi, still dazed in Choi Tae-hyuk’s arms, hadn’t come to their senses yet, while Bia purred happily in mine.

 

‘Guess I’ll need to sort out their ranking sooner or later.’

 

Apostles are ranked according to the order of their creation. If I’d made Saphi myself, that ranking would’ve been automatically decided—but since I hadn’t, a proper hierarchy check was still necessary.

 

When we arrived at the meeting room where the contracts were being finalized, the documents were already signed. Only An Bom, Gumiho, and Ji Yun-seo remained inside.

 

As I opened the door, both turned toward me with wide eyes.

 

“Guildmaster?!”

 

“Uncle!”

 

Ji Yun-seo, who had been in Gumiho’s arms, ran straight toward me.

 

Just as I was about to set Bia down to lift her up, Choi Tae-hyuk gently put Saphi down and picked up Ji Yun-seo into his arms instead.

 

“Uncle, you’re still hurt.”

 

“I told you, I’m all better now.”

 

“Still, it’s better not to push yourself,” Choi Tae-hyuk said softly, soothing Ji Yun-seo as she let out a worried whimper.

 

☆ Overprotective has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆
Aether’s fine now, isn’t he being a little overprotective?

 

Yeah, maybe just a bit too overprotective.

 

I sighed and patted Ji Yun-seo’s head.

 

“Uncle’s fine now. I didn’t get to greet you properly earlier. Have you been eating well and doing okay, Yun-seo?”

 

“Mhm. Are you really okay now, Uncle?”

 

“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

 

I smiled reassuringly and took a seat at the table. Choi Tae-hyuk sat beside me, still holding Ji Yun-seo.

 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” An Bom asked.

 

“Yes, I’m fine now. Is the contract all settled?”

 

“Yes. Both of them signed and went to gather their belongings before moving into the dorm.”

 

Satisfied—feeling like our guild was finally coming together—I nodded.

 

“Now that we have new guild members, let’s have a welcome dinner tomorrow night.”

 

“Sounds great. But, um… what’s that thing?”

 

Gumiho pointed at Bia, who was nibbling on their tail in my lap.

 

Realizing they’d become the center of attention, Bia gracefully leapt onto the desk. Their tail swayed contentedly as I reached out to pat their head.

 

“It was originally my pet. Their name’s Bia—a snow leopard.”

 

Bia meowed softly and padded over to Gumiho, who blinked in surprise.

 

“They’re so cute!”

 

“Right? My Bia’s adorable.”

 

With their snowy fur sprinkled with black spots, fluffy tail, and round little paws, they were the very picture of cuteness. Even among gods, Bia was famous for it.

 

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Honestly, Bia’s cuter than my own apostle.

 

☆ Me Too has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

I want to make an apostle like Bia… but I already have too many to manage…

 

“Bia, come here.”

 

At my call, Bia stopped fawning over Gumiho and returned to me with elegant steps.

 

“Wow.”

 

A quiet exclamation escaped Ji Yun-seo’s lips. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at Bia, clearly wanting to touch them. But before I could give permission, Bia walked right up to her.

 

“Meow.”

 

When Ji Yun-seo didn’t immediately reach out, Bia simply leapt straight into her arms.

 

“Huh?!”

 

“Woof! Woof!!”

 

Startled, Kero barked loudly, but Bia only meowed a few times and calmly nestled into Ji Yun-seo’s embrace.

 

“It’s okay, you can pet them.”

 

Bia seemed to understand the situation—probably realizing that Ji Yun-seo was someone precious to me. When she hesitantly placed her hand on Bia’s head, Bia purred in contentment.

 

As Ji Yun-seo quietly stroked Bia’s soft fur, Kero soon relaxed, realizing nothing was wrong. He sat back down and simply watched.

 

“Bia likes you, Yun-seo.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course. See? They’re staying still.”

 

“I like Bia too!”

 

“Good. Be nice to each other, okay?”

 

“Mmhm!”

 

Watching Ji Yun-seo rub her face against Bia’s soft fur made me smile unconsciously. Then I turned to Saphi, who still seemed dazed.

 

“Saphi, you okay?”

 

“Kyuu…”

 

Saphi whimpered faintly and buried their head in my chest, so I gently patted their back.

 

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Poor thing—acting so tough before, and now completely deflated…

 

☆ Thought They Were an Only Child has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Well, getting an older sibling out of nowhere and immediately losing to them—yeah, that’s rough.

 

While Ji Yun-seo continued cuddling Bia, the snow leopard turned to stare at Saphi with narrowed eyes.

 

“No.”

 

At my warning, Bia meowed in protest, clearly unhappy, and bit the tip of their own tail.

 

“So cute!”

 

An Bom and Gumiho exclaimed together.

 

As Gumiho started snapping photos on her phone—muttering about how “nothing beats a kid with a cute animal” and how “this combo could destroy the world”—I called out to her.

 

“Gumiho.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Without looking up from her screen, she turned slightly toward me.

 

“How are the other staff members doing?”

 

She finally lowered her phone and replied properly.

 

“All the staff interviews are finished. They’ll start next week, and twenty will be moving into the dorms. We’ve hired security and kitchen personnel too, and we’re renovating several offices. Oh—and we’re removing the bell from the Guildmaster’s office, since the security team will handle that from now on.”

 

Bringing in Gumiho had really been a stroke of luck. With all her certifications and experience, she handled everything so smoothly. If I’d tried to do it alone, I probably wouldn’t even have known where to start—let alone hired anyone. I’d have just been running around in circles.

 

“Then let’s recruit a few more Hunters, too.”

 

“Hunters?”

 

“We’re going to keep purchasing dungeons. If the same people keep entering, their fatigue will build up fast. Plus, we’ll need additional Hunters to gather by-products and materials.”

 

Gumiho nodded.

 

“Since we haven’t put out a public notice yet, we already have a lot of resumes. Let’s start interviews from at least C-rank up to A-rank or higher. Gumiho, Choi Tae-hyuk, and An Bom should all take part in the Hunter interviews.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I don’t know anything about that…”

 

An Bom waved her hands, looking uneasy.

 

“Healers need to have a close connection with the Hunters they work with. So it should be someone you’re comfortable with, An Bom.”

 

“That’s true,” Choi Tae-hyuk added, backing me up.

 

After hesitating for a while, An Bom finally nodded.

 

I reassured her not to feel too pressured, then pulled a guild business card from my pocket and handed it to Gumiho.

 

“First, Gumiho—stock the warehouse. Make sure it’s filled with the equipment and potions our Hunters need.”

 

“But isn’t Mr. Park Young-jun already making potions?”

 

“His potions are top-grade, and since he can only produce a limited amount on his own, we can’t exactly use them like water.”

 

Gumiho nodded and accepted the card.

 

“Once the PR team is established, handle all interviews and related paperwork through them.”

 

“Understood. Also, there are two lawyers interested in joining the guild—I’ll send you their resumes.”

 

“No, I’m not really sure about those things. Please handle that as you see fit, Gumiho.”

 

“But still—”

 

“I trust you. You wouldn’t do anything that could harm the guild, right?”

 

“Of course not! I plan to dedicate my life to this place!”

 

“Same here!”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at Gumiho and An Bom’s enthusiasm as I got up from my seat.

 

“Then, I’ll head up and rest for now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’ll go with you.”

 

“It’s fine. You should rest too, Choi Tae-hyuk. Yun-seo, come here.”

 

As soon as Bia jumped down from Ji Yun-seo’s arms to the floor, Ji Yun-seo got off Choi Tae-hyuk’s lap and came to take my hand. Kero, who had been lying belly-down with his eyes closed, got up and came over to me.

 

“Oh, right. Gumiho, please reserve a place for tomorrow’s dinner.”

 

“What kind of food would you like?”

 

“We’ll have a meat dinner! But… does Imoogi eat meat?”

 

“…Snakes are carnivores.”

 

Ah… right. Imoogis are serpents, after all.

 

The look on Gumiho’s face practically screamed, Are you serious right now? I quickly made my escape. Preconceptions really are strange—I’d somehow thought Imoogi only ate herbs. Maybe that’s why Seo-ho always felt so sacred and divine to me.

 

* * *

 

When I returned home, I settled in the living room with Ji Yun-seo, who refused to leave my side. After setting Saphi down on the sofa, Ji Yun-seo nestled in my arms for a while before growing bored and starting to draw on the wooden floor.

 

Kero lay next to her, belly flat, resting three of his heads on his forelegs with eyes half-closed. Bia, perfectly content as long as they were near me, sat in a loaf position by my side, purring softly, while Saphi had already fallen asleep where I’d placed them.

 

The scene in the living room was peaceful. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the quiet warmth of the moment made it feel like I was back in my own temple.

 

I missed my temple. I missed it so much. I wanted to roll around there and just relax. The mere thought of it was enough to make me feel stressed again. Suddenly, I had the urge to splurge on something.

 

Now I understood why people talked about “small but certain happiness,” or why some turned to shopping to relieve stress. Except in my case, what I wanted wasn’t small happiness—it was big happiness.

 

‘How long until the Shimmering Hunter Market opens?’

 

Even in the Hunter world, there was an underground market—a place where rare, nearly impossible-to-find items were traded in secret. Naturally, not just anyone could access it; only those who received an invitation could log in.

 

The problem was that the invitation criteria were notoriously strict and shrouded in mystery. It was said the Hunter Market itself personally selected invitees through its own internal review. So far, only two requirements were known:

 

First, having personal cash assets exceeding 200 billion won.

Second, being a top-class guildmaster.

 

Beyond that, nothing about the process was public.

 

Money wasn’t an issue—200 billion was basically pocket change—but maybe I wasn’t passing the “top-class” requirement. Honestly, that phrase was pretty vague.

 

Still, our guild was treated as VVIP by the Hunter Association. So why hadn’t I received an invitation yet?

 

‘If I could splurge freely without worrying about anyone watching, the Shimmering Hunter Market would be perfect.’

 

And then—

 

Just as I clicked my tongue in regret and turned my head, a golden envelope appeared on the table that had been empty a moment ago.

 

☆ Suddenly has sponsored 100 Mana Stones. ☆

An envelope? It just appeared! I was watching the whole time!

 

☆ Is It Magic? has sponsored 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Wait—there’s magic here too? Teleportation?!

 

“Wow.”

 

I really wasn’t cut out for calm reactions. I reached out and picked up the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of black paper.

 

http://shimmeringinvitationjiyeonwoo.net

Password: anfaksenwhdkdy

 

I burst out laughing at the message—just a one-time URL and password.

 

It was the long-awaited invitation.