Chapter 83
'If I end up contracting with foreign guilds, I've agreed to receive emergency mobilization rights from that country's Hunter Association.'
Emergency mobilization rights - the right to summon hunters affiliated with the country in emergency situations that threaten the nation's existence, such as war or invasion from other worlds.
It was meant to fill the gap in national security created by capable domestic hunters being recruited abroad.
From the perspective of the Korean Hunter Association, which aims to protect the country and increase national interests, they wouldn't lose much even if Lee Seong-jun worked for a foreign organization.
'Vice Chairman Go Tae-hyun. At this level... he's not just clever, but cunning.'
Being affiliated with a foreign guild doesn't mean changing citizenship to that country.
He would remain a Korean citizen. Moreover, since he'd be working under a triple affiliation, he likely wouldn't spend much time working for the newly contracted guild.
Lee Seong-jun would rarely leave Korea.
In simple terms, they had strengthened national security by catching both rabbits - the emergency mobilization rights and Lee Seong-jun.
'On the surface, White Tiger doesn't seem to be gaining any practical benefits, but...'
Looking deeper, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say White Tiger was gaining the most.
Although there was no direct contract exchanged, given the warrior's characteristic of not forgetting debts of gratitude, Lee Seong-jun would not be able to forget today's events.
It was as if they had erased one debt from their ledger.
Both White Tiger and the Association were clearly reaping benefits.
Their actions were undeniably cunning, but Lee Seong-jun didn't dislike this behavior from the Association and White Tiger.
Rather, he quite liked it.
'The more capable my followers are, the less work I have to do myself.'
That's why he had no intention of easily entering into this third contract either.
No, he would scrutinize it even more meticulously.
'I'll narrow it down and accept only the very best place.'
Whether foreign or Korean, the country didn't matter.
The criteria were clear.
A powerful force capable of safely protecting himself, Lee Seong-jun, and his family from those who would constantly cause trouble and threaten them.
'At the same time, a place that won't restrict my freedom.'
It could be considered quite a demanding condition.
But he didn't think such a place didn't exist.
'If I wait... surely one will come.'
Vice Chairman Go Tae-hyun had volunteered to act as manager and was filtering out unqualified places.
Although he wasn't without his inflexible aspects, he could be trusted and relied upon because his eye for talent wasn't bad.
There was no need to waste energy on uncomfortable and troublesome meetings.
All he had to do was wait.
* * *
Lee Seong-jun's wait wasn't long.
No, it could be said it was much shorter than he had expected.
Was it because he had single-handedly broken the record of Sandra Block's party, hailed as the Grand Sorcerer?
Guilds, associations, and unions from countries around the world were clamoring for a contract as if in a frenzy.
Of course, most could be considered below standard.
"As I reported a few days ago, the places Vice Chairman finally selected are Korea's top 5 guilds - Phoenix and Reaper, Japan's Aqua Guild, China's Dragon Roar City, and America's Neuro - a total of five places."
Lee Seong-jun nodded at Jo Gang-hyeon's report ongoing in the conference room of the Hunter Association headquarters.
"Good."
The number itself could be considered small.
But they were all places he had heard of at least once. They were all quite renowned.
There were no mediocre places among them.
It meant Go Tae-hyun had handled the job as excellently as expected.
Just as a satisfied smile was flowing across Lee Seong-jun's face as he leaned back in his chair, there was a knock.
Knock knock!
"As you instructed, I've brought the VIPs. We're coming in."
Since this had all been arranged in advance, the door opened simultaneously with the voice.
Creak!
Following the sound of hinges, the figures of five men and women appeared beyond the open door.
Among them, Lee Seong-jun's gaze fixed on the beautiful woman with red hair reaching down to her waist.
'Lee Ye-rin?'
Unlike other factions, the master herself had come to visit instead of scouts.
'What is she thinking?'
The leader of a faction that must lead many people, such as a guild master, basically needs to have charisma.
High self-esteem goes without saying, and they must also have considerable fame and dignity externally.
Yet, while holding the position of guild master, she personally came out for an official FA contract?
If successful, it's breaking even. If it fails, it damages the hard-earned reputation and dignity.
In the worst case, her qualifications as a leader could be questioned.
'Is she that confident?'
Or it could reflect a determination to stake everything on this.
At present, it wasn't possible to know exactly what direction this was, but it was clear that her resolve was extraordinary.
'Her spirit isn't bad.'
As if reading these emotions from Lee Seong-jun, Lee Ye-rin flashed a subtle smile and entered the conference room with confident steps, her heels clicking.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Seong-jun."
Lee Seong-jun, sitting at the head seat, stood up and greeted the scouts.
In the past, some might have needed interpreters due to language barriers, but thanks to the translator created by Sandra Block, the Grand Sorcerer, that inconvenience had been reduced.
Everyone immediately understood Lee Seong-jun's words and returned greetings.
"It's an honor to meet you. I'm Janet McCurdy, HR team leader of Neuro Guild."
"Thank you for this precious opportunity. I'm Hoshino Mayuki, Chief HR Officer of Aqua Guild."
"I am Jin Zayun, Wind Dragon Lord of Dragon Roar City."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jung Seong-baek, Vice Guild Master of Reaper Guild."
"It's the first time we're meeting face to face. Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Ye-rin, Master of Phoenix."
Except for Jung Seong-baek of Reaper and Lee Ye-rin of Phoenix, who had directly seen and experienced Lee Seong-jun's exploits in Korea, the foreign scouts glanced at Lee Seong-jun with curious eyes.
'So this man is Lee Seong-jun...'
'I wonder if it's true that he's Korea's hope.'
'...His bone structure is certainly excellent.'
Though Lee Seong-jun read the different thoughts in the eyes of these three people, he didn't make any particular restraint.
From the beginning, it didn't matter to Lee Seong-jun what judgments they made.
"Let's all sit down first."
At Lee Seong-jun's words, the scouts nodded once and sat down in the provided chairs.
"I assume you've all thoroughly checked the materials about me in advance, so I won't introduce myself separately."
The scouts nodded as if this was obvious at Lee Seong-jun's words.
After all, it was inconceivable that they would have come to make a contract without investigating the person named Lee Seong-jun.
"Beating around the bush doesn't suit my personality, so I'll get straight to the point. I'd like each of you to tell me about the contract conditions you're considering."
At Lee Seong-jun's following words, the scouts' expressions changed.
Some furrowed their brows, while others widened their eyes in surprise.
Although they showed various expressions, the emotion contained within was all the same.
Bewilderment.
Their eyes looking at Lee Seong-jun were full of confusion.
"Like this, with everyone gathered?"
The person who threw out the perplexed question was Lee Ye-rin of Phoenix.
But it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that all the scouts present were thinking the same thing.
This was inevitable because it was uncomfortable to disclose contract details in a place where potential competitors were gathered.
"Since contract details are basically confidential and cannot be disclosed... I'd like to have conversations in order if Hunter Lee Seong-jun would assign us numbers separately."
Lee Ye-rin was explaining the contract process and suggesting a solution to Lee Seong-jun in the most friendly tone possible.
But it was all futile.
No, it was impossible for Lee Seong-jun, who had already made two contracts, to be unaware of confidentiality clauses.
'...This is how to get the best conditions.'
The reason for gathering five scouts in one place was for this purpose from the beginning.
'According to market principles, it's natural that value and price increase as competition between parties intensifies.'
However, most hunters were forced to have one-on-one conversations due to the influence of guilds, who were the superiors and power holders, and even then, they couldn't disclose anything publicly because of confidentiality clauses.
This meant that the existing confidentiality clauses themselves could be seen as guilds' tricks to recruit hunters at the lowest possible price.
Naturally, Lee Seong-jun had no intention of being swayed by the guilds' intentions.
"I won't force you, but I have no intention of contracting with places unwilling to disclose their contract terms, so you can quietly leave your seat if that's the case."
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the conference room at Lee Seong-jun's firm attitude.
But no emotions like anger or displeasure were felt in the scouts' expressions.
From the beginning, the guilds gathered here were all personally selected by Go Tae-hyun.
It meant they were scouts sent from guilds that had passed Go Tae-hyun's strict screening, considering not only their relationship with Korea but also their previous attitudes.
Of course, that didn't mean they were entirely pleased with Lee Seong-jun's current attitude.
"I'm not sure if this is something to say after coming all the way here, but I'm sorry. I don't think I can proceed with the contract under these conditions."
After finishing his words in a cold tone, Jin Zayun immediately stood up from his seat.
A faint smile flowed across Lee Seong-jun's lips as he watched Jin Zayun's bold behavior.
'Jin Zayun of Dragon Roar City, was it... That side is familiar.'
He had encountered him a few times in the past, in the Thousand Continents.
'A good person.'
The deep and pure inner energy flowing unconsciously, the weighty speech and conduct, the polite attitude, even the disciplined appearance that clearly conveyed their intentions.
While their outward personalities could be said to be diverse, their inner selves were all similar.
'He has strong pride, but he's not the type to pick unnecessary fights or engage in fraud.'
Indeed, Jin Zayun, who had stood up from his seat, left the conference room immediately with just a short bow, without saying anything else.
Immediately after, Lee Seong-jun turned his head and threw a question to the scouts in front of him.
"What will the rest of you do?"