The Otherworldly Magic Swordsman Who Disciplines the Hunter World Chapter 12

Yeollak was a name that never failed to appear when discussing large-scale domestic guilds, but in truth, they were latecomers.

They followed a different trajectory from guilds like ‘Myeongja Circle’ or ‘Moran’, which had established their positions during the height of the chaos caused by the gate waves.

Gong Sijin founded Yeollak around the time the situation had settled to some extent and people began to accept the existence of Hunters.

In the beginning, Yeollak consisted of only two Hunters: Gong Siyoung and Gong Sijin.

Because the two were brothers and both were S-rank Hunters, many judged their success as a matter of course. However, without Gong Sijin’s desperate efforts, the Yeollak of today would not exist.

In recruiting talented Hunters, he actively appealed to aspects other than money, and that strategy worked better than expected.

When choosing a guild, the top priority for Hunters was, no matter what anyone said, money—specifically, the signing bonus and annual salary.

However, back when Gong Sijin was running the early stages of Yeollak, the internal situation was not favorable enough to readily hand out salaries in the hundreds of millions.

Therefore, he actively appealed to a part that a Hunter could not overlook. The catchphrase Gong Sijin put forward at that time was as follows:

[Our guild will not abandon you under any circumstances.]

A Hunter belonging to Yeollak would receive the guild’s protection no matter what.

Even when their lives were threatened inside a dungeon, or even if they ended up with their limbs torn apart by monsters during a raid, Yeollak always found them.

Yeollak would risk their lives to return even a corpse intact to the arms of their family.

Gong Sijin called this familialism. The Hunters of Yeollak were his family, and he never abandoned his family.

It was the same outside the dungeons. Under any circumstances, even if it was a social problem or issue, Yeollak unconditionally protected its affiliated Hunters.

Amidst the blame and criticism of public opinion, and the excessive interest and curiosity of the public, they consistently stood on the side of the Hunter.

Even amidst criticism that it was excessive favoritism and looking out for one’s own, Gong Sijin did not bend his will until the end.

In the end, thanks to that, Yeollak earned its reputation. They established themselves as a guild that any Hunter would want to join at least once.

Gong Sijin felt proud as he watched the guild grow smoothly, but Gong Siyoung did not. His thoughts were consistent from the beginning until now.

‘What a load of crap.’

What was the point of pretending to be family? In the end, they weren’t family.

No matter how it was packaged, it was just a symbiotic relationship for each other’s benefit. To him, the act of meddling with emotions and giving it meaning by calling it family or whatever was pathetic.

Above all, what was difficult to endure was when psychos who were impressed by that assigned meaning began joining the guild in droves.

A business relationship was enough, yet he was sick of the guys who stubbornly gathered together saying, “We are family through thick and thin.”

Those kinds of guys always approached as they pleased and demanded as much interest as they had given. They expected Gong Siyoung to do the same in return for the interest they had forced upon him.

When that expectation crumbled, without fail, rumors would go around saying things like, “He has no manners because he’s an S-rank Hunter,” or “He’s acting out because he trusts his hyung.”

To Gong Siyoung, who couldn’t even express himself that affectionately to his biological hyung, Gong Sijin, that itself was nothing short of violence.

After being burned by people like that several times, Gong Siyoung had become completely fed up.

He treated the guys who called him ill-mannered with even less manners, and in front of the guys who said he was acting out because of his hyung, he really did act out like crazy while trusting his hyung.

After cutting off people who bothered him like that as if he were defeating monsters, things became much easier afterward.

However, life is always a series of hardships, and there was a saying that it is difficult to predict even an inch ahead.

Even for Gong Siyoung, who was an expert at chasing people away as if exorcising evil spirits, a natural enemy existed. Persistent and tiresome guys who simply could not be exterminated no matter what he did.

That is, just like those guys over there.

“Hunter Siyoung! No, really, how long has it been? Your face seems to have brightened up while I haven’t seen you! I was really going to tell you once we met, but during our briefing the other day, I met a reporter then!”

The words continued endlessly like rapid fire. The name of the man who couldn’t stop his chattering mouth was Woo Yujin.

An A-rank Hunter, he was a six-year veteran who was considered a founding member at Yeollak. During those six years, he was also a person of interest whom Gong Siyoung consistently loathed.

“No, so I really kept saying it wasn’t like that? Then do you know what they said? They said they send out articles like that all the time these days! I didn’t even know that and made a fool of myself alone, you know?”

The woman next to him nodded at Woo Yujin’s words. Every time she moved, the studs densely embedded in her leather jacket reflected the light and sparkled.

The woman, Gu Jayoung, spat out words as if in admiration.

“Our Yujin was acting out again.”

“No! I wasn’t trying to act out, I’m saying I was trying to help!”

“That’s why you acted out again.”

At her words, Woo Yujin stomped his feet. Watching the two’s comedy routine, Gong Siyoung pressed his throbbing forehead.

Gu Jayoung was also a person with whom communication was impossible, just like Woo Yujin. Since the two people he wanted to avoid if possible were clumped together as a pair, his stress level rose twofold.

His hand, holding the cell phone after the call had ended, tightened. A murderous intent bloomed toward Gong Sijin, who had gathered these crazy people and hadn’t breathed a word about it.

Knowing full well that I hate it, you stubbornly put together a team like that?

‘No, let’s stay calm. At least that bastard isn’t here.’

Gong Siyoung rubbed his forehead. Right, he could at least handle Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung even if they were annoying. Because ‘that bastard’ whom Gong Siyoung truly hated wasn’t here.

Thinking that he had avoided the worst of the worst, his heart settled a bit.

“No, so I went to the market the day before yesterday and they were selling really tiny watermelons, you know? Isn’t it not yet time for watermelons to come out? But I’m telling you, it was really a mini watermelon! I wonder if it was small because it couldn’t grow well, or if the breed is mini? Anyway, seeing them selling cider and kimchi containers right next to it, wow, I really thought that was a sales tactic. No, but what should I do. Suddenly I’m craving watermelon punch.”

Next to Woo Yujin, who was blabbering without a moment’s rest, Gu Jayoung stretched her neck.

Her attitude of replying half-heartedly while tightening her shoelaces made her look accustomed to Woo Yujin’s stream-of-consciousness conversation.

“You want to eat punch? Should I buy you one?”

“Yeah. Want to eat together after the raid?”

“Call.”

Listening to the two’s comedy routine with one ear, Gong Siyoung repeatedly recited the character for patience. Fortunately, before his string of reason could snap, a waiting Hunter Management Bureau employee called the people.

The atmosphere was different from the last time he saw it. As he had heard in passing from Gong Sijin, it seemed a problem had occurred with the dungeon itself.

“We are conducting a briefing regarding the A-rank dungeon that occurred around 4:00 AM on April 6th. The initial clear time was around 4:30 AM on April 6th, and at that time, Hunter Gong Siyoung of the Yeollak guild entered. Is that correct?”

Gong Siyoung, who had his arms crossed, nodded. Checking the contents on a pad, the man continued the explanation again.

“A regeneration phenomenon has been observed since the initial clear. The dungeon in question appears to have been reactivated, and it is confirmed to be 17 hours until dungeon overflow.”

At those words, murmurs broke out here and there. Gong Siyoung had never heard of an A-rank dungeon regenerating so quickly.

‘It’s too short.’

There wasn’t a set time for every dungeon, but usually, it was at least a month even if it was short. He had seen resets every 7 days, but this was the first time it was on a daily basis.

If it was an A-rank dungeon, it took quite a long time just to clear it. Having to do that every day already made his head throb.

“If the dungeon in question is confirmed to have a new pattern, we plan to seek future solutions under the presence of the Hunter Management Bureau. At that time, it will proceed in alliance regardless of existing dungeon ownership…”

A long, useless explanation followed after that. In the front, the Hunter Management Bureau employee, and in the back, Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung did not stop talking.

He shouldn’t have left his noise-canceling earphones in the car. With a slightly gloomy face, Gong Siyoung glanced at the car parked far away.

“April 7th, 1:30 PM, proceeding with entry into the A-rank dungeon. Hunter Gong Siyoung, Hunter Woo Yujin, Hunter Gu Jayoung of the Yeollak guild. Please enter.”

the names of the three people were called in order. Woo Yujin, who had finally stopped talking, scurried toward the back. After confirming that Gu Jayoung followed, Gong Siyoung took the lead first.

It was a first for even Gong Siyoung to enter the exact same dungeon after just one day. After a familiar sensation passed, a system notification message appeared stating that he had entered the dungeon.

[ System Notification ]

▶ You have entered a 『B-rank Dungeon』.

▶ Attribute: Freezing / Ice Zone

▶ 234 hours until overflow

▶ Current personnel: 3

“Huh? Didn’t they say this was A-rank?”

Woo Yujin tilted his head. According to what they were told in the briefing, it should be the fire attribute, but the place they were in was a cold snowy mountain.

Gu Jayoung used a skill to float a fire in the air. Looking at the brightened surroundings, Gong Siyoung’s lips twisted.

“This is really ridiculous, isn’t it?”

Inside the dungeon he had visited again after just one day, everything had changed.

From the rank to the environment, all of it.