The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 9

 

 

‘Huh? Why did he suddenly stop? Does he somehow know I used Clairvoyance on him… and saw that massive skill list?’

 

I swallowed hard.

 

Yeon Do-jin’s gaze, fixed on me, narrowed ever so slightly.

 

Then, without a word, he turned away and whispered something to the woman behind him before exiting the auction hall.

 

“Who does he think he is, walking around with all those S-rank Hunters like some kind of gangster?”

 

As expected, the Queen Ant’s Necklace had been the final item of the auction. Once Yeon Do-jin left, the crowd quickly began to disperse.

 

Hidden away in a corner, unnoticed by most, I quietly got up and headed to the second floor to settle my payout.

 

“I’m here to collect my payment.”

 

I handed over my Hunter license, and the staff member passed me a signboard with the number 3 on it.

 

He made a call somewhere, and before long, the same appraiser I’d met earlier came rushing over.

 

The auctioneer greeted me with a bright, excited smile.

 

“Did you see the auction result?”

 

“Yes, I watched it.”

 

“Your item just broke the all-time record for highest auction price!!”

 

He went on, bubbling with excitement, recounting how intense and competitive the bidding had been. I nodded along, trying not to look bored. I saw it all firsthand—no need for a recap.

 

After a while, he handed me a payment form.

 

“Just fill this out, and the money will be transferred to your account by this evening.”

 

I wrote in my bank details and personal info, then glanced at the final amount.

 

After deducting the auction and appraisal fees (7% total), the payout came to 558 billion won.

 

It was more than I had expected.

 

I pressed my lips together, trying not to burst into laughter.

 

‘No smiling. You’re going to be a guild master—you need to look dignified.’

 

After signing the form, I stood. The appraiser bowed to me at a perfect 90 degrees.

 

“Please use our auction house again!!!”

 

‘Don’t worry. I absolutely will.’

 

Maybe not with anything as absurdly valuable as the Queen Ant’s Necklace, but with the wave of new dungeons soon to appear, there’d be no shortage of treasures waiting to be claimed.

 

Like the B-rank Cardician’s Cloak that went for 10 billion, or the A-rank Giant’s Earrings, which sold for 200 billion—even if they didn’t match the value of the necklace.

 

And I couldn’t forget about the Mandragora herb, worth 100 million won per leaf—just one was enough to brew a potion that instantly restored all stamina.

 

Knowing the future meant all of that could be mine before anyone else even knew it existed.

 

‘Man… having future knowledge really is a cheat code.’

 

While I was at it, I dropped by the Mana Stone Support Department on the first floor—the same one that turned me away last time.

 

“I’m here to sell some mana stones.”

 

“You can just leave them over there.”

 

Without even glancing up from their monitor, the staff member lazily pointed to a desk stacked nearly as high as their head.

 

Did they seriously think I was only bringing one or two items?

 

“That’s not nearly enough space for what I brought.”

 

At my words, the staff member finally looked up—their shiny round glasses practically dripping with skepticism.

 

Seriously, is mocking people just standard behavior at the Hunter Association?

 

“How many are you trying to sell?”

 

“I’m planning to sell however many the Association is willing to buy. So… what’s the limit?”

 

The staffer gave a half-smirk, raising one corner of their mouth.

 

“The maximum we can purchase in a single transaction is 10,000 units.”

 

“How much per unit?”

 

“Current market price is 500,000 won.”

 

Huh. Looks like mana stones were becoming more scarce lately.

 

It used to go for around 100,000 won when prices were low, but it’s gone up quite a bit since then.

 

I opened my inventory to check the count.

 

Looks like I scared the gods enough when I collapsed—they’ve been dumping mana stones on me ever since. Some are even sending 1,000 at a time instead of just 100. The pop-ups keep coming, and my stash just keeps growing.

 

“I’ll sell the maximum—10,000 units. Where should I place them?”

 

☆ IGaveThat! donated 100 Mana Stones ☆

You’re selling what I gave you?! At least buy yourself a snack, Aether!

 

☆ WhatIGaveYouWasCash! donated 100 Mana Stones ☆

Aether, shouldn’t you be buying a house with all that money by now?

 

☆ HolyMoly donated 100 Mana Stones ☆

Get rich, Aether! I’ll keep sending more!

 

“…Excuse me? Did you just say 10,000 units?”

 

“Yeah. Obviously I can’t stack them on that desk, so I’ll place them over there.”

 

Fortunately, the inventory system grouped 1,000 mana stones into a single pouch for convenience.

 

I reached in and grabbed one of the fully packed pouches.

 

Unlike the first time—when grabbing a hundred triggered a pop-up asking how many I wanted to withdraw—this time, I simply felt the rough texture of the pouch in my hand.

 

I grabbed it and pulled it out.

 

-Thud!

 

“Ugh, damn, that’s heavy.”

 

Turns out 1,000 mana stones are heavier than you’d think. The thud echoed through the room, and now all eyes were on me.

 

Everyone was staring, frozen in disbelief. I simply pointed to the pouch I had just pulled out and said:

 

“That’s one thousand. Go ahead and appraise it.”

“T-This can’t be real…!”

 

Reaching back into my inventory, I carefully pulled out the second and third pouches in quick succession.

 

By the time I’d placed down a total of ten, my arm was trembling.

 

“Are you not going to appraise them?”

 

“I… I am!”

 

The staff member, who’d been flustered just moments ago, quickly regained their professional demeanor and began dumping the mana stones into the appraisal machine.

 

As the indicator light blinked rapidly, confirming each pouch’s authenticity, I dragged a chair over and sat calmly at the desk.

 

Finally, when the lights stopped flashing, the machine displayed the total count: 10,000.

 

“…It really is ten thousand.”

 

“Where the hell did all those mana stones come from?”

 

“Is it even possible to collect that many?”

 

“Maybe he bought them all in advance and waited for the price to rise?”

 

“But the current price isn’t even that high…”

 

Hearing the murmurs, I smirked and turned back to the staff. Unlike earlier, they now politely handed me a pen and form.

 

“If you could write your bank account number here, we’ll process your payment.”

 

I filled in the basic information and account number on the form titled [Mana Stone Payment Request], and the staff member gave a small bow as they accepted it.

 

“When will the payment be made?”

 

“It should be processed by this evening.”

 

So the Hunter Association can really move ₩5 billion in one go, huh?

 

Well, I guess it makes sense—just from today’s commission alone, they probably made a fortune.

 

Satisfied, I nodded and stood up.

 

As I turned toward the crowd that had gathered around me, they instinctively parted like the Red Sea.

 

Ignoring their murmurs, I walked out of the building.

 

“Oh? It’s that guy!”

 

I turned my head and saw Lee So-mi pointing at me.

 

The auction ended a while ago—what’s she still doing outside the Hunter Association?

 

Realizing she was pointing, she awkwardly lowered her hand and walked over.

 

“You were the one who auctioned off the Queen Ant’s Necklace, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Did you really take down the Queen Ant by yourself?”

 

Even after seeing the necklace go up for auction, she still doesn’t believe it?

 

“It’s true. You’ve been inside the nest, haven’t you?”

 

“Yeah. The third floor was completely empty.”

 

“Because I cleared it.”

 

Seeing the doubt still lingering in her eyes, I let out a sigh and began walking away.

 

“Wait!!”

 

I ignored her.

 

No point explaining anything to someone who refuses to believe you.

 

‘They’ll just brush it off as a lie. I was trying to be nice, but now it’s just annoying.’

 

I pushed myself to come outside even though I wasn’t feeling great. I flagged down a taxi and got in.

 

Tomorrow, I need to awaken An Bom, register my guild, and find a building to house it. I should sleep early tonight.

 

Most importantly—

 

‘Hopefully, An Bom shows up tomorrow…’

 

* * *

 

When I woke up, I felt much better. Maybe sleeping right after confirming the deposit helped me recover.

 

Today’s plan: awaken An Bom, purchase a building for the guild, and get everything set up.

 

“Please take me to the Awakening Center next to City Hall.”

 

Since it was a weekday afternoon, the roads were clear, and we arrived at City Hall in no time.

 

Though An Bom seemed convinced yesterday, I still wasn’t entirely sure she’d show up.

 

‘But what if she really doesn’t come…?’

 

Even with Clairvoyance, finding a C-rank healer was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

 

Sighing—half anxious, half hopeful—I headed toward the Awakening Center next to City Hall.

 

Thankfully, I spotted her right away.

 

“Hello.”

 

“Oh, hi.”

 

“Ah, hello.”

 

Standing beside An Bom was a woman with cat-like ears and a fluffy tail.

 

‘A tail? Ears? Is she… a different race?’

 

☆ It’saDifferentRace has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Wow. First time seeing one in person. So that’s what a beastkin looks like!

 

“I’m a Gumiho. A nine-tailed fox,” she said casually.

 

Several soft tails swayed behind her.

 

‘Wait, she brought a foxkin?’

 

“Are those… real tails?”

 

“Yes. Technically, I’m a gumiho, but you can just call me Miho.”

 

In this world, beastkin weren’t exactly rare—catkin, foxkin, bearkin, and all sorts of other races lived among humans.

 

But because of their special traits, very few beastkin ever awakened as hunters.

 

Out of a million, maybe one or two would awaken. That’s how rare it was.

 

Smaller beastkin typically found work in offices that made use of their unique abilities, while larger ones—like tigerkin or bearkin—were valued for their strength and often joined guilds.

 

A foxkin like her would usually be working in a corporate job…

 

‘But with nine tails like that, I can’t jump to conclusions.’

 

First things first: I’d have An Bom go through the Awakening process. Then I could figure out more about this Miho.

 

With both of them in tow, I entered the Awakening Center.

 

“Welcome! Is this your first visit to our center?”

 

A massive chandelier overhead, plush sofas, and polished marble floors screamed one thing: This place has money.

 

I nodded to the man by the door. “Yeah, first time.”

 

I’d heard about this place before, but this was my first time actually stepping inside. Upon hearing we were new, the man guided us to a nearby sofa and handed me a document labeled [Awakening Center Fee Chart].

 

“Standard Awakening is 2 million won, Advanced is 3 million, and Premium is 5 million. VAT not included.”

 

‘A tiered system…? Even awakening’s a gacha now?’

 

Damn it, Corne. You crazy bastard. Why would you turn this into a gacha game?

 

At least it wasn’t randomized. If there had been a probability factor involved, I might’ve flipped the whole system out of pure rage.

 

Clicking my tongue, I checked the box for the Premium Awakening. The man’s face instantly lit up.

 

“Payment is up front~”

 

I handed over the check card I’d been using all day.

 

Its limit was ₩10 billion. Dropping 5 million was barely a blip.

 

The man accepted the card with a cheerful smile.

 

An Bom glanced at me, her face full of worry.

 

“Um… what if I don’t awaken?”

 

“Don’t worry. You will awaken, Ms. An Bom. Just trust me.”

 

“Payment confirmed. We’ll now escort the awakener to the room.”

 

An Bom stood hesitantly, then followed the staff upstairs to the second floor, where the Awakening Room was located.

 

I leaned back on the sofa and glanced at Miho, who was gently swishing her tails.

 

‘I wonder… does Clairvoyance work on beastkin too?’

 

‘Clairvoyance.’

 

[Gumiho | Age: 225]

Race: Foxkin – Job Seeker

 

Skills: 

 

• Computer Proficiency (Level 1)
• Accounting (Level 2)
• Office Automation Specialist (Level 3)

…

 

What the heck is this?

 

Accounting, computer proficiency, secretarial certifications… Is there anything she doesn’t have?

 

The list of qualifications was so long it gave me a headache. I just turned Clairvoyance off.

 

What kind of life do you have to live to end up with all those certs?

 

“I heard from Bom—you’re starting a guild?”

 

“Yeah. That’s the plan.”

 

“How many members?”

 

Miho’s sharp gaze locked onto me.

 

“I haven’t recruited anyone yet. I’m registering it today, so for now… it’s just me.”

 

“And the location?”

 

“Still undecided.”

 

“What about employee benefits?”

 

“…Also undecided.”

 

Miho’s bright smile vanished, her expression turning cold as her gaze sharpened.

 

☆ HowDareYou has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

She’s staring at a god like he’s a shady scammer?!