Chapter 139 – The Best Way to Win Someone’s Heart  

After Min Do-jun conquered the “Shadow of the Desert” dungeon, countless articles flooded the internet.  

[Second S-Rank Dungeon in the Country Sees Fatalities Soar! Only 8 Survivors Out of 20…]  

[12 Dead in the Shadow of the Desert Dungeon—More Than Italy’s 10 Casualties.]  

[Did You Know the Sub-Dungeon Had a Boss? Revisiting the Shadow of the Desert Dungeon!]  

[Immortality Under the Full Moon? The Hidden Secret of the Pyramid Sub-Dungeon.]  

[Survivors Reveal Secrets to Prevent Further Loss of Life…]  

[Survivors: “We Only Survived Thanks to Hunter Min Do-jun.”]  

[Who is Min Do-jun, the Man Every Survivor Praises?]  

[The Rookie Who Solo-Killed Past Bosses Makes History Again.]  

[This Time, He Claimed the Shadow of the Desert Dungeon Boss Alone…]  

Every corner of the internet was buzzing about the Shadow of the Desert dungeon.  

The revelations about the boss, immortality, and other hidden mechanics were unheard of—naturally, people were captivated.  

Amid the frenzy, Hunter Min Do-jun became a major talking point.  

Though he wasn’t exactly a rookie anymore, his flawless solo conquest of an S-rank dungeon and its boss made for a spectacular debut.  

While the internet burned with discussions about the dungeon and Min Do-jun, Go Doo-sik of the Daemun Daily couldn’t hide his excitement.  

His article had climbed to the top of the real-time view rankings.  

[Rank #1 Shin Kyung-min Offers Hunter Min Do-jun 200 Billion Won Signing Bonus—Only to Be Rejected…]  

The fact that the top-ranked hunter had personally recruited someone was shocking, but the 200 billion won offer was even more staggering.  

People flocked to the article, unable to resist the astronomical figure.  

Despite being published later than others, Go Doo-sik’s piece became the most-read article of the day—and the comments poured in.  

└200 billion… I’m speechless.  

└That’s the biggest signing bonus ever, no contest.  

└If I could get just 0.01% of that…  

└Shin Kyung-min is from the Emperor Guild, right?  

└Since when is the Emperor Guild that rich?  

└Wait, is this for real? Shin Kyung-min personally made the offer?  

└Who the hell rejects the #1 hunter’s invitation?  

└Look at this guy talking big online. He’d piss himself if he met the hunter in person.  

└Seriously, who is this Min Do-jun guy? Never heard of him.  

└He might seem like a nobody, but anyone in the industry knows him.  

└Isn’t he the “Magic Swordsman” from YouTube?  

└Magic Swordsman? Lmao, that’s the worst class for dungeons. Instant death.  

└You’re clueless. The article says he solo-killed an S-rank boss.  

└You actually believe that? Magic Swordsman is trash. He’s just lying for clout.  

└Delusional. If Shin Kyung-min recruited him, that’s proof enough.  

└Nah, he’s an idiot. Who turns down 200 billion?  

└Agreed. The arrogance is unreal.  

└Min Do-jun? More like a delusional fraud.  

└Say what you want, but you gotta respect his guts. Rejecting the #1 hunter?  

Kang Hyuk-soo slammed the table after reading the comments.  

CRACK!  

The table split in two, but he didn’t care, fuming with anger.  

Beside him, Shin Kyung-min’s expression was equally grim.  

“Kyung-min! What the hell happened? I thought you told the reporters to keep quiet!”  

“I did. I asked politely to avoid causing offense… but here we are.”  

He had trusted the reporters—some of whom he even considered acquaintances—so this betrayal stung.  

“Which bastard ignored your request? Who was it?”  

Kang Hyuk-soo checked the article.  

“Go Doo-sik from the Daemun Daily? This guy wrote it!”  

“I remember the reporters present, and Go Doo-sik wasn’t one of them. The Daemun Daily had Jung Si-yeon, though.”  

“So she passed the info to Go Doo-sik?”  

“Must have. Who knows what deal they made.”  

“Those damn—!”  

Kang Hyuk-soo shot up, ready to storm out, but Shin Kyung-min stopped him.  

“What are you planning to do?”  

“Demand an explanation!”  

“There’s no law against publishing articles. I only asked them to stay quiet—this guy chose to ignore it for his own gain.”  

“Tch!”  

Kang Hyuk-soo kicked the ground in frustration, but Shin Kyung-min remained calm.  

“The reporter isn’t the issue. The problem is that we’ve inconvenienced Hunter Min Do-jun.”  

Min Do-jun was now the talk of the nation, and the leaked information had painted a target on his back.  

“I shouldn’t have trusted the reporters. My apologies. I’ll be more careful next time.”  

“Ah, forget it. I’m the one who sent you to recruit him.”  

The strong are drawn to the strong—that was Kang Hyuk-soo’s reasoning. But his plan had backfired spectacularly.  

“Still, I didn’t expect him to refuse. We offered 200 billion…”  

Kang Hyuk-soo had been confident.  

He’d never failed to recruit someone into the Emperor Guild before.  

But now, for the first time, his confidence had been shattered.  

“Well, now we know. Hunter Min Do-jun isn’t interested in money.”  

“Then why start a guild? Doesn’t make sense.”  

“If not money, then there’s only one other reason.”  

“Wait—is he planning to tackle overseas S-rank dungeons?”  

Only guild-affiliated hunters could apply for overseas missions, which explained why some created solo guilds.  

Maybe that was Min Do-jun’s goal all along.  

“He could’ve gone overseas with our guild. Why go solo…?”  

“Maybe he hates being tied down. Or he’s just antisocial. By the way, Guild Master.”  

“Yeah?”  

“Were you really going to give him 200 billion?”  

Even Shin Kyung-min, the #1 hunter, had only received 80 billion, so he couldn’t help but ask.  

“Of course. I don’t go back on my word.”  

“Disappointing. You only gave me 80 billion.”  

“If you’d solo-killed an S-rank boss at level 2,000, maybe I would’ve.”  

“Should I try now? I don’t know how strong the Shadow of the Desert boss was, but I could solo it.”  

“Enough, you brat.”  

Their banter lightened Kang Hyuk-soo’s mood slightly.  

“You always know how to handle me.”  

“Careful, Guild Master. People might misunderstand.”  

“Our ranks are close, but I know the truth. I’ll never catch up to your growth rate.”  

“You flatter me.”  

“I mean it. You awakened just six years ago, while I’ve been at this for eleven. Anyone with half a brain can see the gap between #1 and #2 isn’t just a number.”  

“Hunter Min Do-jun’s growth is nothing to scoff at either.”  

“That guy’s a straight-up monster. Hitting level 2,000 in a year?”  

“True. Even I, the so-called ‘prodigy,’ took three years.”  

“That’s why I offered 200 billion. I wanted to lock him down at any cost.”  

“But now it’s impossible. We’ve probably earned his dislike too.”  

“Yeah… damn it.”  

Kang Hyuk-soo sighed uncharacteristically.  

He was used to getting whatever—or whoever—he wanted. This frustration was new.  

“You really liked him, huh?”  

“Of course! I’ve never seen a hunter that strong before.”  

Knowing Kang Hyuk-soo’s obsession with powerful hunters, Shin Kyung-min proposed a plan.  

“How about this?”  

“You got a better idea?”  

“Since Hunter Min Do-jun was unintentionally harmed because of me…”  

“Right.”  

“I’ll invite him to a meal to apologize. You’ll join us.”  

“To persuade him again?”  

“No. I don’t think he’ll join no matter what we offer.”  

“Then what’s the point?”  

“Do you know the best way to win someone’s heart?”  

“Enlighten me.”  

“Understand them, give them what they want, and build empathy. First, we need to befriend Hunter Min Do-jun.”  

“So instead of rushing, we take it slow?”  

“Exactly. It’s hard to refuse a friend’s request. We can make the guild offer later.”  

“And if we don’t befriend him during this meal?”  

“Then we wait for the next opportunity.”  

“Next?”  

“Dungeons are limited. We’ll cross paths eventually. Or we can ‘coincidentally’ tail him until we get close. Once we do…”  

Shin Kyung-min smiled meaningfully.  

“Game over.”  

—  

Late Night Stalker  

In the dead of night, when everyone slept, Min Do-jun walked the streets, hooded and masked.  

Moving stealthily through alleys, his eyes occasionally flicked to a system window.  

[Distance to Target: 1.24 km]  

…  

[Distance to Target: 1.16 km]  

…  

[Distance to Target: 1.08 km]  

Watching the numbers decrease, he followed the spectral wolf leading the way.  

‘Didn’t expect Shin Kyung-min to live so close.’  

His new Han River-view apartment was less than 3 km away, making this easy.  

‘Once I locate Shin Kyung-min’s home…’  

Next, he’d find the hunter’s family and plant Parasites in them, turning them into hostages.  

Nothing was more effective for leverage than innocent lives.  

‘Unlike him, I won’t kill them. Only Shin Kyung-min is guilty.’  

His family was innocent—Min Do-jun had no intention of harming them.  

They were just insurance.  

‘Of course, the current Shin Kyung-min hasn’t committed any crimes yet.’  

But for the future version of him, hostages were a necessary precaution.  

Having leverage would make revenge much smoother.  

‘Once that’s done…’  

Beneath the mask, Min Do-jun smirked.  

‘Game over.’