It was not that the Hunter Association did not host a general guild meeting. Once every two months, officials from the major guilds would gather to exchange various opinions.
However, since they often met out of custom even when there was nothing special to discuss, most guilds would send a vice-representative or a working-level staffer below them instead of the representative. Ironically, the day when the most guild representatives appeared was not the general guild meeting. It was the Hunter Qualification Test.
Although no one had asked them to come, the representatives themselves would step forward to scout for outstanding talent. To put it another way, it meant that this was a day with no issues for making an ‘important announcement’. After all, most of the high-ranking guild officials were gathered here.
“I have an announcement for all Hunter officials present in this hall.”
At the words that flowed from between Baek Jeong-dae’s thick lips, the hall began to stir. If it was a matter for the Vice Chairman himself to announce, it surely wouldn't be a light one. Baek Jeong-dae made everyone who was about to leave after the event turn back around.
His gaze was directed toward one spot in the guild officials’ section.
“The Association has recently incurred a great debt to one Hunter. I am sure you all know who that is without me having to explain.”
At that, everyone's gaze turned toward Cheon Hae-seon. He silently endured the stinging gazes, merely staring at the podium.
‘He’s mentioning Cheon Hae-seon in a place like this?’
The eyes of Yoo Se-hyeok, the representative of the Orion Guild, narrowed. It was a joyous occasion to announce the birth of new Hunters. However, the matter concerning Cheon Hae-seon was as far from ‘joyous’ as Andromeda.
“There are a few things I began working on immediately after I was inaugurated as Vice Chairman. One of them was the records related to Hunter Cheon Hae-seon.”
Not only Yoo Se-hyeok, but all the high-ranking executives exchanged bewildered glances. The gazes that had been fixed on Cheon Hae-seon returned to Baek Jeong-dae, before finally converging on one man. The head of the Glory Guild, Gu Geon-yi.
His face was hardened to a degree that would put Pranium to shame.
“The Association engaged in a partial cover-up of the incident related to the late Hunter Yoo Ji-won. The hero who subdued the late Hunter Yoo Ji-won was Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, but the officials at the time remained silent on this.”
Once again, everyone's gaze shot toward the ‘officials’.
“Furthermore, the actions committed by the former Vice Chairman were traitorous acts that shook the very foundation of the Association.”
“……!!”
“However, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon was a far more considerate hero than we had thought. Even when he saw the incident he had resolved being covered up, and even after his life was threatened, he did not act rashly. On the contrary, he showed a willingness to wait until the Association provided an explanation.”
At Baek Jeong-dae’s words, the more righteous Hunters gasped.
“Ooh……!!”
“Goodness, if it were me, I would have turned the Association upside down.”
“I thought he was extraordinary when he was silently clearing the Poison Dungeons, but……!!”
“As expected, the nickname Noble Hunter wasn't given for nothing!!”
“His patience is incredible. At this rate, he’s on the level of a Buddha or a saint……!!”
And Cheon Hae-seon gently lowered his head. It was because he found it hard to suppress the laughter that was bursting out.
‘That toad-like man is better at spinning tales than I thought.’
Vice Chairman Baek Jeong-dae was trying hard to paint a pretty picture, but Cheon Hae-seon's actual behavior was the complete opposite. He had thrown a massive fit, threatening to ‘quit being a Hunter’ at a moment's notice.
Recalling the sight of Baek Jeong-dae sweating bullets and fidgeting restlessly at that time, it was impossible to control the corners of his mouth. On the other hand, Gu Geon-yi's facial muscles were so rigid it was pitiful to see. The matter related to Yoo Ji-won was also a Glory Guild affair.
In a place where numerous Hunter officials were gathered, the reputation of the Glory Guild was being tarnished. Instead of defending them, he was exposing their shame. Considering the friendly relationship the Glory Guild had built with the Association over the years, this was unbelievable treatment.
“The Association has agonized over this for no small amount of time. About how to mend the strained relationship between the Association and Hunter Cheon Hae-seon. Therefore, we have prepared a special system befitting the heroic path Hunter Cheon Hae-seon has shown us.”
At the word ‘system,’ all the representatives' ears perked up. A system for just one person. It was something they had never seen or heard of.
“We have decided to grant Hunter Cheon Hae-seon the qualification of ‘Irregular’.”
“Irregular?”
“What’s that?”
Sensing the stir around him, Baek Jeong-dae took a deep breath. It was a matter he had agonized over for several sleepless nights. Was this really the right thing to do?
But a decision had been made. Having accepted Cheon Hae-seon's proposal, there was no turning back anyway. Might as well go all in.
“The ‘Irregular’ is a systemic arrangement that allows Hunter Cheon Hae-seon and the Hunters he authorizes to operate without regard to area permits. From now on, the Irregular team will fight Monsters in all dungeons and Gates within the territory of the Republic of Korea.”
“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“What did you say??”
“This is crazy……!!”
Some widened their eyes, some let their jaws hang open, and some tapped their ears in disbelief.
‘Jurisdictional area’ was a concept that could be called a guild's identity and power.
Even at this very moment, the guilds of the Republic of Korea were engaged in a fierce struggle to expand their permitted areas. And yet, a team was being created that could freely eliminate Monsters without special permission. The Irregular could literally be called an extra-legal group.
“That… is too unfair.”
The protest came from Kim Seung-hwan, the representative of the Blue Sword Guild. Considering that he was someone who had made every effort to build a friendship with Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, this could be seen as somewhat surprising. On the other hand, it was also proof of just how immense the privilege being granted to Cheon Hae-seon was.
“Allowing a specific group access to all areas threatens the very foundation of the guilds. Guilds make profits through dungeons and Gates, but they also pay corresponding taxes and dues. Not to mention the salaries and various expenses for their affiliated Hunters. If the Irregulars were to operate throughout all of Korea's territory……”
“That is an excessive worry.”
Baek Jeong-dae cut into Kim Seung-hwan’s words.
“Of course, we have no intention of expanding the scope of the Irregulars. The team's roster will be ten members or fewer, a point Hunter Cheon Hae-seon has also agreed to.”
“But……!”
“Surely, you don't think a competent guild like Blue Sword is inferior to a group of ten or fewer people?” ……We might be, you crazy bastard.
Cheon Hae-seon is a monster!! The words rose to Kim Seung-hwan’s throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them. How could he say that the Blue Sword Guild, which had over a hundred members, was inferior to Cheon Hae-seon and his lackeys (…)?
Especially in a place like this, where so many guild representatives were gathered……!!
“If it's just that many…… shouldn't it be fine? No matter how strong Cheon Hae-seon is, what can 10 people do?”
“My back is already breaking from not being able to finish on time……. I wish they'd do some part-time work in our sector.”
At the mention of a personnel limit for the Irregular, the representatives' harsh expressions gradually softened. It even reached a point where a consensus was forming that they would welcome the help in their own territories. The murmuring died down, and some even began to nod.
Vice Chairman Baek Jeong-dae sensed that there would be no more objections.
‘Everything is going just as that punk planned…….’
Baek Jeong-dae looked at the motionless Cheon Hae-seon with a new light in his eyes. When he was rampaging about quitting being a Hunter, he seemed like a reckless brat. Even when he first heard his third condition, the Irregular, he thought he was a naive kid who didn't know how the world worked.
But when he laid out the conditions and reasons one by one, he seemed more profound than any guild representative.
[Will that really be acceptable? For the guilds, jurisdictional area is a more sensitive issue than anything else.]
[I'm telling you, it's fine. Those old fogeys won't be able to object because of their pride. How many underlings do they have? Are they going to be scared of just 10 people? The ones who oppose it will be ridiculed.]
Hadn’t it turned out exactly as in that conversation? Starting with Kim Seung-hwan, who had grumbled but then shut his mouth, no one else raised any more issues about the Irregular system.
Pride.
Why would they give up a piece of their bread for something like that? Baek Jeong-dae wanted to laugh scornfully at them but couldn't bring himself to do it. Because it was something that even he, the Vice Chairman of the Association, had done as routinely as eating a meal.
The unreasonable things he had done to protect that ‘pride’. And above all, the public image of Cheon Hae-seon was overwhelmingly positive. A warrior who silently cleared the dungeons others avoided, who walked his own path unyielding to unfair treatment.
Anyone who opposed Cheon Hae-seon's path here would become the laughingstock of the world that very day.
Behold.
Even the man who should be throwing the biggest tantrum right now was sitting still, wasn't he?
“…….”
An aura of rage emanated from Gu Geon-yi's entire body, so much so that people around him discreetly shifted away. Rage had long since bloomed in his eyes. He was already about to faint just from Maria going around saying she'd transfer to another guild.
But now, in a place full of people, the Glory Guild was being disgraced, and to top it all off, the Association stepped up to give Cheon Hae-seon a ‘free pass’. Even for Gu Geon-yi, who had been through thick and thin, this feeling was a first.
The Association must have known full well what the Glory Guild, no, what he himself, thought of Cheon Hae-seon. To grant Cheon Hae-seon such a favor despite that meant they were no longer walking on eggshells around the Glory Guild.
Of course, Baek Jeong-dae did not represent the entire Association's opinion, but compared to when former Vice Chairman Yoo In-won was in office, it was truly a world of difference.
‘I want to grind them all to dust…….’
Gu Geon-yi felt like his chest would explode, but he barely maintained his composure. If he had always acted on his whims, he wouldn't hold his current position as representative, nor would the Glory Guild exist.
By bringing up its past mistakes first, the Association gave Cheon Hae-seon the moral high ground, and the current atmosphere was such that no one could raise an objection. Moreover, he was the representative of the Glory Guild, the main culprit in the incident. To raise his hand here would be an incredibly embarrassing act.
It would be better to plot for a later day with someone else from the Association. Gu Geon-yi relentlessly suppressed himself.
However.
Until that moment, Gu Geon-yi did not know. That when anger rises to the top of your head and finally bursts through even the Baihui point, the body moves on its own. And that that time was not far off.
“Speaking of which.”
Cheon Hae-seon casually stood up from his seat and looked around. At a glance, he seemed to be speaking softly, but for some reason, his voice was heard clearly everywhere.
‘This is……?’
The ability to imbue one's voice with Ether. It was usually used to overwhelm an opponent, but it was also an effective skill for captivating a crowd like this.
‘Lion’s Roar’.
Cheon Hae-seon had infused his voice with the ‘Lion's Roar’ skill, and for some Hunters, this was a startling development.
‘His ability to control Ether has developed to that extent……!’
A skilled Hunter, regardless of being a Knight or an Esper, could mix the power of Ether into their voice. However, it was a skill that required not only power but also masterful control. For Cheon Hae-seon, who was still only a minor by age, to be able to use such an advanced skill.
The fact that it was a skill favored by guild leaders like Gu Geon-yi made the implication feel even greater.
“If there's anyone who wishes to join me right now, you may come forward.”
“??”
“!!”
It was a truly out-of-the-blue proposal. Joining the ‘Irregular’ that Cheon Hae-seon would lead. No one had expected him to make a recruitment offer right here and now.
‘What is he thinking?’
It was a very impulsive and eccentric remark. All eyes flew to Cheon Hae-seon, but he merely smiled calmly.
“I'll give you five minutes.”
“……!”
Indeed, who would respond to his offer?