Ch.162162. S+ Rank Debuffer

Kelin had said we’d meet again at the auction, but the next evening, I had no choice but to go out myself to meet her when she visited Gwangjin Distribution.

“Suhyun!”

As soon as she saw me, Kelin ran over with a bright smile and hugged me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Once again feeling that warm sensation against my chest, I slightly pulled my hips back while patting her back.

You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but it’s not that easy.

“I signed up for VVIP!”

“Good job.”

The reason I rushed over here is because Kelin registered as a VVIP member.

Originally, Kelin’s SAINT guild was already a corporate VVIP member, and Kelin herself had a separate VIP membership, but with the recent restructuring, she was among the first to sign up for VVIP while others were still hesitating.

“You’ll create an auction just for VVIPs, right?”

“Of course. But not yet.”

“I need to buy this fan anyway. Is there any way to extend the period with additional payment?”

“No, there isn’t.”

“That’s too bad. Farming Company seems like such a good idea. I want to get into Suhyun’s farming pocket too.”

The way she moistened her lips with her tongue and gave me that suggestive look wasn’t something a man could easily resist.

It was just explicit enough and just bold enough that it wasn’t easy to push away.

I need to keep my wits about me, or she might end up in my dimensional rift.

“Since you’re here, stay for dinner.”

“Should I?”

“Yes.”

There aren’t any special benefits for VVIP members right now.

At most, it’s just the flashy VVIP mark displayed in front of your username on the Farmings community site?

VIP members naturally have VIP marks, and there’s quite a difference in how fancy they look depending on the tier.

When you post something, it stands out among the 20 posts that fit on a page.

VIP posts have emphasis effects that intrude on the space above and below, while VVIP posts are so prominent that you almost have to click on 2-3 posts above and below to read them properly.

Spending tens or hundreds of billions for just that seems ridiculous, but once Farmings becomes more active, these things could become quite enticing.

Anyway, I could at least share a meal with a customer who signed up for VVIP despite the current lack of benefits.

I had some questions too.

“Do you have money to buy this fan?”

“I have lots of money, Suhyun. The SAINT guild absolutely must get this fan.”

“The options are good, right?”

“Yes. I’m completely smitten with it. It was as sexy as you, Suhyun. How did you get a fan with such abilities?”

“Well now, that’s a secret.”

“That’s a shame. I’m so curious. What if I pay an additional 50 billion? Would you tell me then?”

“Just give me 50 billion, and I’ll tell you.”

For a conversation taking place in a five-star hotel restaurant, it was quite childish yet intense.

I couldn’t underestimate her—if I got caught up in Kelin’s pace as she skillfully utilized her pretty face and sensual figure, I felt like I might end up spilling everything.

No wonder she maintained the number one ranking in America, where half of the world’s SS-rank hunters are said to be.

But since she wasn’t being hostile toward me, I didn’t respond too sensitively either.

“We have a debuffer in our party. That debuffer desperately wants Suhyun’s fan. They’re willing to give up their entire year’s share of profits for it.”

“How much is a year’s share?”

“Suhyun. Shh! That’s a secret.”

“Hmph.”

Kelin was quite clever.

She returned my own words to me with a playful smile, covering my lips with her finger.

“Can’t you just tell me a little bit about the options?”

“No, no.”

The options for this Five Senses Fan were strictly confidential.

When the auction starts, they’ll only be revealed to VIPs participating in the auction, and even then, the special option that consumes additional mana will only be visible to the buyer.

Some might complain that this is like a blind auction, gambling on options, but we can do this because the fan’s effectiveness has already been clearly demonstrated.

“What if the options are garbage?”

“The fan we saw was perfect enough to subdue S-rank monsters at once. We estimate its value to be at least S+ rank or higher.”

This time, Clay answered for her.

Clay, who had been focusing only on his meal until now, stepped in to help Kelin, whose Korean was still awkward, as the conversation became more technical.

“It’s good that you value it highly. But what rank is your debuffer? Is Kelin’s party in SAINT all SS-rank?”

“Kelin is the only publicly known SS-rank member. The ranks of other party members are confidential. Even the existence of a debuffer is a secret.”

“But Kelin already mentioned it?”

“…I’d appreciate if only you knew about that.”

“Tell me the rank, and I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Sigh…”

Clay glared slightly at Kelin.

Kelin avoided his gaze with an innocent expression.

Clay maintained his silence.

Kelin casually cut her steak and said:

“SS-.”

“Wow. Where does America find such talented people? Do they collect party members by race or something?”

“Kelin’s party is all American. Only white people.”

“That’s even more surprising in its own way. A party that practices racial discrimination.”

“…”

Anyway, it was a dinner time well spent.

Knowing who was in Kelin’s party didn’t really benefit me, but just learning about the ranks of people trying to buy my fan or information about Kelin’s party that nobody else knew.

Even if I couldn’t use that information, it felt good to be someone “in the know.”

There’s a certain pleasure in knowing secrets that others don’t.

“Then please buy it at a high price at the auction.”

After dinner, as we parted ways, I wagged my tail at our VVIP customer.

As I was about to wave goodbye, Kelin approached lightly, hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek.

Then she whispered in my ear:

“Want to come upstairs?”

“…”

“Suhyun, are you gay?”

“This is what Korean men are like. It’s not easy.”

Her casual provocations were so powerful that even I almost hesitated.

Walking toward Kim Sujeong’s car waiting outside, I almost turned around without realizing it.

But I need to separate business from personal matters.

Let’s sell the fan at a high price.

That’s what I thought as I returned.

The auction day approached quickly.

——————-

On the day of the auction.

While heading to the auction house, I received a call from Team Leader Kim Jinhyeop.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Hunter, are you going to watch the auction today?”

“Yes. Why? Are you interested?”

“Haha… I’m interested, but I gave up since purchasing seems difficult.”

I had confirmed that the Hunter Association had purchased a VIP membership, but it wasn’t Kim Jinhyeop.

“So what’s the matter…”

“There’s a hunter terrorist group called Dark Site that mainly operates in conflict zones. We’ve confirmed that several of them have illegally entered the country.”

“I see.”

“So far, we’ve confirmed two of them—S-rank and SS- rank assassins—making them difficult to track.”

“Yes.”

I didn’t need to ask “So what?” His intention for calling was obvious.

“Are they targeting me?”

“We’re not certain. But according to our information, Kang Seongjun recently liquidated a large sum of money. Given the friction between you and him, we couldn’t help but be suspicious, which is why I’m calling.”

“Come on. No matter how angry he is… I’m not the one who cut off his limbs. Wouldn’t that kind of contract cost a lot of money?”

“…That’s true, but Dark Site is a threatening terrorist group, so we’ll need to protect you for the time being.”

“With SS- and S-rank assassins, can you really protect me?”

“It won’t be easy, but they won’t act recklessly.”

“Hmm…”

It’s not necessarily that they came to assassinate me, but if Team Leader Kim’s words are true, it’s a reasonable deduction.

“Alright. Is there anything I need to do?”

“Yes. Try not to go anywhere alone, and it would be best not to enter dungeons. They probably won’t act in a crowded place like the auction house.”

Assassination, huh.

The SS-rank part made me a bit nervous.

Would I be able to react in time?

I decided to just keep it in mind for now.

There’s no point in worrying about when and where they might be hiding.

And the auction time was approaching.

“Ah!”

Just as I was about to hang up, I asked a question that suddenly came to mind.

“If these assassins attack and I end up killing them out of necessity, what happens?”

“…”

If Team Leader Kim’s words are true.

If the assassins are targeting me, they won’t just come to say hello and make acquaintances—they’ll be coming for my life, and I can’t just respond passively.

“If the assassins target you, we’ll try to find and eliminate them first. Any incidents that occur while defending yourself will be entirely the assassins’ responsibility, so always prioritize your safety.”

“Yes. If they come, I’ll kill them all.”

I was angry too.

I’d thought this kind of thing only happened in novels.

Despite publicly demonstrating my abilities on YouTube, they dare to…

Both the one who ordered the assassination and those who accepted it.

“If these bastards come, I’ll really have to kill them properly.”

I thought I should make sure they never even think of trying again.