Chapter 198: Promotion Celebration Party (5)

“Perhaps it might change a little depending on what you, Taekyung, do.”

Right after asking Eunyoung Noona about the possibility of transferring, the answer I got back from her wasn’t a yes or no, but something rather meaningful.

Since the content seemed to imply a lot, making it difficult to understand immediately, I asked Eunyoung Noona again about what she had said.

“It changes depending on what I do?”

“First off, companies basically never recognize records of activity within the Guild. No matter how much you claim it was your activity, there’s no actual way to verify it.”

“What?”

“It’s only natural, isn’t it? Why would a company recognize experience built up in an organization like the Guild that doesn’t manage identities properly? Who knows what might happen later if they just accept it carelessly.”

Eunyoung Noona spoke as if stating the obvious, calmly, and then downed the soju glass in front of her.

“But aren’t there steady cases of people transferring from the Guild to companies? If you have a letter of recommendation, it’s usually possible to transfer while maintaining your rank.”

“I thought so too.”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s probably why you all thought you could transfer from an organization to a company while maintaining your career just with a letter of recommendation, but the reality is a bit different.”

“A bit different?”

Without a word, Eunyoung Noona emptied another glass and asked, mentioning Seo Ok-hee, the Guild Master of Eun & Ok Co., Ltd.

“Do you know what color background Seo Ok-hee, the current owner of the company, has, and what kind of power she wields?”

“It’s green. As for the powers the President wields, there’s telekinesis, and the ability to use electricity….”

“Area Expansion that severs internal and external interference, Akashic Records that store information on all monsters slain, and immortality… right?”

To questions any Hunter could likely answer, Hye-eun and I responded without much hesitation.

Eunyoung Noona wore an expression as if she had expected exactly this kind of answer.

“Yes. I suppose everyone knows because she’s so famous.”

After all, she’s the only Hunter in South Korea who can wield five types of awakened abilities.

In fact, before Seo Ok-hee, awakened abilities that weren’t melee or magic-oriented were often treated as traps. This was because they were difficult to use in direct combat.

Seo Ok-hee was a rising star, a newcomer who appeared to directly refute that notion.

Furthermore, she was someone who could still be active if she chose to, truly deserving of being called a living legend.

If Eunyoung Noona’s career hadn’t been interrupted, she would probably be evaluated similarly to Seo Ok-hee today.

“For your information, Ok-hee has a few more abilities she can wield besides the ones publicly known. However, I can’t answer about those, as they are Ok-hee’s private matters.”

“There are already five known ones, and there are a few more?”

“…I guess I should never cross the President from now on.”

“Still, since I have to explain it to you all, I’ll let you in on just one thing: Ok-hee also possesses an Insight ability that allows her to see the potential for development in Hunters.”

“Insight?”

“Yes, Insight.”

Having said that, Eunyoung Noona emptied the liquor glass before her once more and explained how Seo Ok-hee utilizes ‘Insight’.

“Of course, even though she has Insight, she doesn’t particularly use it when hiring company Hunters. When hiring company employees starting from D-class, she simply hires all Hunters who pass the established regulations.”

“That’s surprising, now that you mention it. Why doesn’t the President use her Insight for hiring employees? Does she want to hide her abilities?”

“It’s probably because it hinders the growth of the company’s overall size, rather than wanting to hide her abilities. If she were to selectively hire Hunters using Insight, who would train to become a Hunter aiming for the company?”

“Yes, Taekyung was right.”

Perhaps for small guilds that need to minimize their staff, but for large guilds, selectively hiring personnel using Insight would only lead to a reduction in the organization’s size.

It would be better to just hire everyone who meets the regulations to avoid any complaints later. Prospective Hunters aiming for the company wouldn’t need to be confused by unpredictable hiring rules either.

“So, Ok-hee rarely uses her awakened ability called Insight when hiring affiliated Hunters, but there is one specific case where she does use it to hire Hunters.”

“That would be when identifying Hunters transferring from other organizations to the company, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Unlike simple hiring, transfer evaluations don’t really matter if the criteria are a bit inconsistent.”

Once Eunyoung Noona finished speaking, her glass was emptied once more and immediately refilled.

Certainly, using the ability only for transfer evaluations, which are unlikely to leak externally, would be the most efficient way for a Guild Master to utilize Insight.

“Wait, if that’s the case, what exactly are letters of recommendation used for?”

“…So, does that mean the recommendation letters written by company-affiliated Hunters for transferring Hunters are meaningless?”

I asked cautiously, worried that the recommendation letter Han Min-ah had diligently written might be discarded meaninglessly, but thankfully, Eunyoung Noona shook her head and replied as if that weren’t the case.

“Why wouldn’t there be a use for recommendation letters? That’s precisely the most essential element for you, Taekyung, to transfer while maintaining your rank.”

“What?”

“Ok-hee doesn’t even meet Hunters who try to transfer without a letter of recommendation. She simply hires them anew as D-class Hunters. Conversely, if there’s a letter of recommendation, you get a chance to have an interview with Ok-hee at least once, where you can get your abilities recognized through Ok-hee’s Insight.”

“…I see.”

“Of course, even so, it’s best to assume that you’ll never be evaluated higher than your previous rank before transferring. Especially for a transfer from the Guild to a company, you should be grateful just to maintain the B-class rank you received, Taekyung.”

“That’s fine. I’m fully aware of that.”

Since my goal was to transfer while maintaining at least B-class, I wasn’t foolish enough to complain about it.

“The problem is that all your activity records from the Guild are under a pseudonym, Taekyung…”

“……”

“……”

“I’ll figure something out on this end… Auntie will try her best, so just think of it that way for now.”

“Are you perhaps saying…”

“That Auntie will vouch for Hunter Sung Taekyung, who is going through the transfer process to the company, being the B-class Hunter Kim Sungchul who was active in the Guild.”

The vouch of S-class Hunter Kang Eunyoung.

Although she hasn’t been back in active duty for long, that doesn’t diminish the significance of her vouch.

Furthermore, Eunyoung Noona has a close personal relationship with Seo Ok-hee, the company’s President, so her influence would naturally be much higher compared to other S-class Hunters.

I immediately understood the implication and bowed my head to her in gratitude.

“Thank you, Noona!”

“…It’s not officially confirmed yet, so don’t get ahead of yourself. Even if Auntie insists you’re the Guild Hunter Kim Sungchul, it’ll be meaningless if Ok-hee refuses to meet you.”

“Just having Eunyoung Noona say she’ll vouch for my identity is more than enough reason to be thankful.”

“…It’s not like I’m doing this just because I particularly like you, Taekyung. I liked the ability and grit you showed during training the other day, and Auntie became curious about how far you could grow.”

“But you said you’d believe me without even directly verifying my activities in the Guild? That’s all I need.”

“…Fine, whatever. Think of it that way if you want.”

Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed by my words, Eunyoung Noona averted her gaze slightly and emptied the contents of the glass before her.

“…Come to think of it, how many glasses has she downed by herself since earlier?”

When I came to my senses, Eunyoung Noona had already finished a whole bottle by herself and was opening the next one, making it somewhat predictable that she’d get quite drunk soon.

“Hey, Mom! How many drinks are you sneakily having by yourself?!”

“…What’s the big deal~? Are you going to leave this precious stuff behind?”

“It’s because you’ve been drinking way too much by yourself since earlier. We’ve only had one drink each, Taekyung and I, and you’re already on your second bottle, does that make any sense?!”

“…I can’t help it if my throat’s dry from talking so much after a long time, can I?”

“Then just drink water! Hand over that glass!”

“No way~! It’s been a while, I should be allowed to drink this much~!”

Hye-eun, worried about Eunyoung Noona potentially acting out again due to her alcoholism, and Eunyoung Noona, unwilling to miss the chance to drink after so long.

Watching the two, who were so alike, argue about their alcohol tolerance, a sudden question popped into my head.

“…You know, Eunyoung Noona.”

“Wait, hold on, Hye-eun! Taekyung has something to ask!”

“……”

At Eunyoung Noona’s words, Hye-eun glanced at me and paused the struggle for the glass.

Taking advantage of the moment when the two women calmed down, I relayed the question that suddenly came to mind to Eunyoung Noona.

“Speaking of which, earlier you clearly said it would change a little depending on ‘what I do’.”

“Yes, I did.”

“But after hearing everything, it seems like there’s surprisingly little for me to do?”

I’ve already achieved B-class Hunter status based on Guild standards.

Han Min-ah would provide the recommendation letter for the transfer interview with Seo Ok-hee, and Eunyoung Noona would vouch for my identity as Kim Sungchul.

It was a question born from the feeling that there was nothing specific for me to do in this situation, but judging by Eunyoung Noona’s reply, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“What are you talking about? Didn’t I clearly explain that you’d have an interview with Ok-hee when you transfer?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Surely you don’t think that just because Ok-hee can use Insight, the interview will simply be a face-to-face chat and nothing more, do you?”

“……”

Seeing my expression as I pondered how to answer, Eunyoung Noona gave a faint smile and briefly explained the transfer interview.

“You should prepare thoroughly, son.”

“……”

“Ok-hee, you see, tends to be even more ruthless with promising talents who show signs of development~.”

It was only yesterday that I had become a B-class Hunter after half a year.

Truly, it was a night that made me think of the saying, ‘after one mountain, another looms’.