Chapter 210 – Hired the Right Staff

During the two days spent in the dungeon, Min Do-jun hunted approximately 3,000 monsters. Thanks to his tireless stamina, he hunted without rest, achieving an almost unbelievable feat.

“Is it true you gained 100 levels?” Jeong Hye-won asked, her face still filled with disbelief.

“Yes. It’s listed in the rankings, isn’t it? Level 3,100,” Min Do-jun replied.

“I’ve never heard of anyone gaining 100 levels in a single dungeon run…” she murmured, still stunned, while Gilbert looked curious about what they were discussing that had her so shocked.

‘Well, it’s understandable to be surprised. Even I was shocked,’ Min Do-jun thought.

Normally, an S-rank dungeon run over two days would yield about 2 levels. With a decent characteristic, one might gain 5 levels, and with an exceptional one, up to 10 levels could be possible. But gaining 100 levels in just two days? No hunter in history had ever achieved such a thing. It was considered impossible.

‘It’s not just about being strong. My experience points are tripled, so of course, I level up quickly,’ Min Do-jun reflected. He could understand why Jeong Hye-won was looking at him as if he were a monster.

“Hunter Min Do-jun, why is that lady looking at you like that?” Gilbert asked.

“She must be surprised by the strength I showed,” Min Do-jun answered.

“Well, I was pretty shocked by your skills too. Haha!” Gilbert laughed.

“Then, I’ll see you next time, Gilbert.”

“Yes. May luck always be with you on your path, Hunter.”

After bidding farewell to Gilbert, Min Do-jun started to walk away, but Jeong Hye-won followed him.

“Are you heading straight back to Korea?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go together. If you haven’t booked your ticket yet, I can buy it for you…”

“I already booked a round trip.”

Most hunters don’t book return tickets in advance due to the uncertainty of surviving a dungeon. They usually buy tickets on the spot after emerging. So, booking a round trip meant he was confident he wouldn’t die in the dungeon.

Jeong Hye-won looked at Min Do-jun with awe once again. ‘He booked a round trip from the start,’ she thought, realizing the confidence that implied.

“Well, I’ll be going then,” Min Do-jun said.

Even as he walked away, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. It felt like she would be intruding on his personal time.

‘I was curious and thought about going together, but on second thought, it might be a nuisance…’ Though she felt a tinge of regret, she consoled herself. ‘We’ll have another chance to meet someday.’ As fellow S-rank hunters, they were bound to cross paths again.

* * *

With no schedule over the weekend, Min Do-jun took a rare break. Before he knew it, Monday arrived. He visited the guild office early in the morning since it was the day all the staff would gather.

“Good morning, Hunter!” The first to arrive was Park Dong-yun.

“You’re here early,” Min Do-jun noted.

“Of course. I have to come early to score some points with the boss,” Park Dong-yun replied with a grin.

“Congratulations. You’ve definitely scored some points.”

It was perfect timing since Min Do-jun had something to discuss with Park Dong-yun.

“Dong-yun, I went to an S-rank dungeon recently, as you know.”

“Yes. And you gained 100 levels there, right?”

“Hmm? When did you check? You can only view rankings from the office computer, can’t you?”

“It’s all over the internet in articles about you, Hunter. Didn’t you know?”

Checking online, Min Do-jun saw that articles had indeed been posted.

[Hongdae Hero Min Do-jun. First Dungeon as S-rank: City of the Dead.]

[Level 3,000 Min Do-jun. Clears City of the Dead, Recommended Level 3,800, Without Issue.]

[Breaking News! Twentieth S-rank Hunter Min Do-jun Gains 100 Levels in Two Days.]

[Hunter Industry in Uproar Over Unprecedented Record!]

‘Articles are already up,’ Min Do-jun thought. He had expected the news of gaining 100 levels in two days to spread, given that journalists always paid close attention to an S-rank hunter’s first moves, especially for someone known as the Hongdae Hero and a Magic Swordsman. ‘I just didn’t expect the articles to come out this quickly.’

Seeing the flood of articles, it was clear his popularity had indeed grown.

“Right now, the industry is buzzing about your leveling speed, Hunter. They say it’s only a matter of time before you hit rank 1,” Park Dong-yun remarked.

“Is that so?”

It was true. Among current S-rank hunters, no one showed a leveling speed comparable to Min Do-jun’s. ‘By simple calculation, just six more S-rank dungeons would get me to domestic rank 1,’ he thought. Perhaps even reaching world rank 1 within the year wasn’t impossible.

“After gaining 100 levels this time, I realized S-rank dungeons are too easy for me,” Min Do-jun said.

“…”

Saying an S-rank dungeon was easy was not something a newly minted S-rank hunter should say.

“So, I’d like you to find a dungeon I can solo, Dong-yun.”

“Soloing?”

“Yes. I need an S-rank dungeon above level 4,000 with no applicants-something ideal for soloing.”

In other words, he needed a powerful dungeon suited to his current strength.

“Hmm. Finding a place like that might not be easy… But since it’s the boss’s order, I’ll do my best to find one!”

“Thank you, staff member.”

Just then, the office door opened, and Han Sang-jun, the magic stone appraiser, walked in.

“You’re here?” Min Do-jun greeted.

“Hello, Guild Master! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work at such a great place. Thanks to you, I feel so relieved after submitting my resignation!” Han Sang-jun exclaimed.

“Seeing how happy you are, I should have brought you on sooner.”

“Haha! I’m just grateful you came for me, even if it was late.”

“But will you still think this is a great workplace after seeing this?”

Min Do-jun pulled items out of his inventory.

Clatter-

Han Sang-jun’s jaw dropped at the sight of what seemed like hundreds of items.

“W-what is all this?”

“Some are items I’ve collected over time, and others are items I bought for guild members. Use a few as rental gear and sell the rest to fund guild operations.”

“Goodness, so many items. You’re truly thorough in your preparations,” Han Sang-jun said in awe.

But in reality, there was no preparation involved. ‘I never had time to sell these items, so I ended up handling them like this,’ Min Do-jun thought. Most were items taken from hunters, not bought for guild members. ‘If they knew I still have this many more items in my inventory, how shocked would they be?’ He had only taken out half, thinking it might be too much, and judging by the reaction, it seemed like the right call.

‘Thanks to this, I’ve lightened my load.’

Having items pile up in his inventory wasn’t due to fear of being tracked; it was simply a lack of time to sell them. ‘There’s no serial number on items, so there’s no way to trace them.’

Even with a mountain of items before him, Han Sang-jun showed no sign of displeasure. On the contrary, he was delighted to have so much work, saying it meant he didn’t have to worry about being let go.

While Han Sang-jun sorted and registered the items into the system, the last staff member arrived. It was Chae So-hyun, hired as the manager.

“Hello, Guild Master.”

“Welcome. With this, all the staff are here.”

Min Do-jun also gave Chae So-hyun her work instructions.

“So-hyun, you’ll be managing two female hunters at levels 200 and 780. I’ve called them here, so you’ll meet them soon.”

As promised, the guild members arrived shortly after. It was Hwang Eui-cheol, Hwang Da-yeon, and Hyun Su-a.

“How did this happen? All three of you arriving together?” Min Do-jun asked.

“We ran into each other at the door by chance,” they replied.

“Do-jun, is this really the person I’m supposed to hunt with?” Hwang Da-yeon asked.

“Yes. You’ve met before, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Hwang Da-yeon trailed off. ‘This woman likes Do-jun,’ she thought. She had noticed it when Hyun Su-a insisted on joining the guild last time. ‘She likes Do-jun just like I do.’ Forming a party with a rival in affection felt awkward, to say the least.

Of course, Min Do-jun wasn’t unaware of their feelings. That’s why he was a bit worried. ‘I hope they don’t end up fighting over me,’ he thought, hoping that Chae So-hyun, as the manager, would mediate well between them.

“Well, to break the ice, how about we all have lunch together?” Min Do-jun suggested.

* * *

A week had passed since hiring staff and officially running the guild. Sitting in the guild master’s chair and observing how things were going, Min Do-jun couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

‘I hired the right staff.’

And why not? The staff were so passionate that they sought out tasks to do even without being asked. Moreover, being experienced, there was little need to teach them anything. They understood instructions instantly.

‘Honestly, I was worried since it’s my first time running a guild, but thankfully, it’s going well.’

Above all, being able to focus entirely on dungeon conquests without worrying about miscellaneous tasks was convenient and satisfying.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I should have hired people and started operating sooner.’

Sure, staff salaries would be an expense, but for Min Do-jun, who could easily earn billions in a day, it was hardly a burden.

“Ah, Guild Master. You’re here?” Park Dong-yun greeted.

“You’re early, Team Leader Park Dong-yun.”

Park Dong-yun had been given the title of Operations Team Leader, Han Sang-jun as Quality Team Leader, and Chae So-hyun as Hunter Management Team Leader.

‘They don’t have team members yet, but… they should at least have impressive titles.’

Whether the guild would grow large enough to have team members in the future was uncertain, though.

“Team Leader Park Dong-yun, have you still not found a dungeon suitable for soloing that I mentioned before?”

“No, not yet…”

“Hmm, then I guess I’ll have to run with party members again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Regular dungeons aren’t bad for leveling up either.”

Currently, Min Do-jun’s level was 3,240. Considering he had only been S-rank for two weeks, it was an incredible pace.

‘Still, compared to gaining 100 levels in two days last time, it’s slow.’

He wanted to level up faster, but no suitable solo dungeon had been found.

‘I can’t just sit idle, so I’ve been running various dungeons, but…’

Since the difficulty was low, the efficiency was inevitably lower compared to his strength.

‘By the way, Shin Kyung-min still hasn’t contacted me.’

He had said he would look into high-level dungeons, but there was no news yet.

‘He’ll contact me when the time comes.’

Deciding to wait patiently, Min Do-jun asked Park Dong-yun, “What about the guild members? Have they already headed to a dungeon?”

“Yes. They left with Team Leader Chae So-hyun about 20 minutes ago.”

“Which dungeon did they go to?”

“Little Snake Dungeon.”

“Oh, they went to a tougher place than I expected?”

Little Snake was a C-rank dungeon with a recommended level of around 350. For Hwang Da-yeon, who was level 210, it could be considered quite challenging.

‘Well, with Hyun Su-a there, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

What worried him more was something else.

‘I wonder if they’re getting along well?’

Knowing their feelings, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

“What do you think, Team Leader Park Dong-yun? How do they seem to you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Our two guild members. Do they seem to get along?”

“Well, I’m not sure… But since they’re together, wouldn’t they get along?”

“Hmm…”

Seeing that Park Dong-yun didn’t know much, Min Do-jun realized he might have been too inattentive.

‘She’s my teacher’s daughter, so I should pay more attention.’

Min Do-jun immediately called Chae So-hyun.

-Guild Master, hello!

“Hello, Team Leader. Are you driving right now?”

-Yes! I’m heading to Cheonggyesan Dungeon with the guild members.

“When you arrive, don’t go in right away. Wait for me.”

-Huh? Why?

Min Do-jun grinned.

“I want to observe how they’re hunting, so I’m going to join you.”