Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Unique (2)

"......"

A strange silence descended upon the hallway.

Even Lee Sung-yun, who had been openly mocking them, and his cronies, couldn't have imagined that Shin Ah-yeon would suddenly blurt out such an outrageous insult.

"Ah."

Only then did Ah-yeon seem to realize something from the strange reaction of those around her, and she hurriedly turned her gaze to me.

"Um, T-this is just something like a greeting between us..."

She offered a timid excuse, glancing at me, but apparently thought it unconvincing, because she soon closed her mouth.

"Y-you..."

Sung-yun seemed utterly baffled by Ah-yeon's total disregard toward him.

After all, in Unique, that guy had reigned like a king.

So, to Sung-yun, even Ah-yeon, who'd just hurled an insult at him, probably seemed insignificant.

For starters, her attire wasn't even proper, and the amount of magic power she exuded was so little that she honestly just looked like a rookie hunter to him.

So now, there was only one action left for him to take.

"You crazy bitch!!"

Regaining his senses belatedly, Sung-yun lunged violently.

The red magical power gathering around his arms and legs made it clear he intended to settle things for good.

To be fair, his momentum was pretty impressive for a B-rank, but... that was all.

Whoosh!!

"......!!"

His fist, swung toward Ah-yeon's head, cut through nothing but air.

He'd attacked recklessly, never expecting Ah-yeon would dodge, so Sung-yun's eyes opened wide in shock.

Thwack!!

"Gah?!"

At that moment, a small fist dug into Sung-yun's side.

Ah-yeon's fist, thrown so fast no one could see it.

Sung-yun's pupils shook with the shock of not even noticing the attack, but that was only the beginning.

Thwack thwack thwack thwack!!!

"Aaagh!"

Ah-yeon's two hands moved swiftly, pounding Sung-yun's body with precision.

'She's really skilled with her body, huh?'

No matter how weakened she may be now, Shin Ah-yeon used to be an S-rank hunter.

This wasn't a level a B-rank hunter could possibly handle.

Experience stacked up in the past, overwhelming talent, and miraculous magic power control.

That's why I hadn't worried at all about Ah-yeon, but I truly hadn't expected her to beat him up with her bare fists like this.

"Ow! My bones—! Cough!!"

She even had the tenacity to strike the same spots over and over again.

At first, Sung-yun's cronies had simply stared in horror, but as time passed, their expressions turned to terror.

Thinking those fists might soon be directed at them, they hesitated and backed away.

"Phew~."

Wiping the sweat from her brow with a cheerful smile, Ah-yeon lowered her hands, which had turned red from the assault. By the time she did, about 10 minutes had passed.

Sung-yun, moaning and bruised, squirmed on the floor like a bug, and his cronies couldn't even meet our eyes, fixing their gaze on the ground.

It was, in every sense, a dramatic reversal.

"What's all this noise?!"

Perhaps drawn by the ruckus, director Song came rushing down the hallway.

Striding over, he stopped short when he saw Sung-yun writhing on the floor.

"Wh-what happened here?!"

As Director Song examined the half-conscious Sung-yun, he finally noticed me and Ah-yeon, shooting us a look as if to ask whether we were responsible for this.

"We only acted in self-defense."

I spoke up before Ah-yeon could say anything.

Thinking of what had just happened, I decided it would be better for me to explain, rather than Ah-yeon.

"Self-defense? I know, but still, Sung-yun is..."

"Yes, I understand he's a key asset to Unique right now. But are you planning to just overlook this?"

"... That's..."

Director Song, who had seen Sung-yun for quite a while, surely figured out what had happened.

What Sung-yun must have done to a hunter who looked like a rookie.

That today's incident was the result of Sung-yun's own behavior.

But even so, Lee Sung-yun was a valuable B-rank hunter for Unique.

"No need to worry."

To ease his anxiety, I offered a soft smile.

Then I glanced over at Ah-yeon.

She looked terribly sorry, probably thinking she'd put me in a difficult position with her actions.

'Actually, this worked out well.'

This way, we wouldn't have to deal with any annoying internal conflicts—an optimal result.

Rotten branches must be cut away.

I'd had no intention of going along with Lee Sung-yun from the start.

"Shin Ah-yeon will become the hunter representing Unique from now on."

Money and fame, everything would be gained in far greater measure than anything Sung-yun had brought.

I was confident of that.

***

"It was nice of you to say that, but..."

After leaving Unique, we went straight back to Ah-yeon's mansion.

I needed to teach her the magic I'd used earlier and discuss a few things.

"Honestly, in my current state, I doubt I can do much, you know?"

True to her status as a former S-rank hunter, Ah-yeon was able to assess her abilities objectively.

At best, her current stats were between D- and E-rank.

"And yet you beat up a B-rank hunter like a dog, didn't you?"

"Well, he did let his guard down..."

The overwhelming difference in experience must have made it possible.

Still, Ah-yeon was once an S-rank hunter—comparing her to a B-rank wasn't fair.

'The problem is, I can't prove that with numbers.'

If there ever came a day someone recalculated her stats, she'd probably receive a poor evaluation.

Maybe they'd even tell her to update her rank.

With her current stats so low, some would surely say she ought to give up her S-rank hunter license.

'But that's only if Ah-yeon works as a 'hunter'.'

For now, she needed time to regain her abilities and, more importantly, refresh the public's image of Shin Ah-yeon, which had been stuck in the past.

Her return to hunter activities could wait until all that was complete.

"There's no need for you to jump back into hunter work right away, is there?"

"Huh?"

"These days, there are far more ways to make money... Someone like you has plenty of options."

My words seemed to puzzle her. She cocked her head quizzically.

Then, as if something occurred to her, she leaned forward and gave my sleeve a gentle tug.

"Um, Jung-woo?"

"Yes?"

"This is kind of sudden, but it's something I've wanted to say for a while..."

Ah-yeon moved her lips a few times, then slowly blushed.

'What's this?'

Puzzled by the strange tension, I watched her curiously as Ah-yeon glanced upward with a faintly coy look and parted her lips.

"Are you going to keep talking to me so formally?"

"Formally?"

"Well, I was just thinking maybe we could use more casual speech now..."

"Why?"

My reply probably sounded a bit confrontational, but that wasn't my intent.

I was just honestly curious. I never expected Ah-yeon to bring it up like this.

Flustered by my response, Ah-yeon started to ramble.

"W-why? We're going to keep seeing each other, aren't we? I've always preferred to speak informally. Besides, Jung-woo-ssi, you're older than me, right?"

"That's true, but... Wouldn't it look bad for a manager to talk down to a hunter under his care?"

"I'm only uncomfortable because of that. I always spoke informally with my previous manager, Mi-yeon-unni. She did, too."

Mi-yeon had been Shin Ah-yeon's manager in the past.

I heard she'd moved on to Grand Nova after her qualifications were recognized.

"Then you start speaking casually first."

"I'll keep using polite speech, though."

"... Pardon?"

Seeing my confusion, Ah-yeon looked a little embarrassed.

"I feel like I'll mess up if I use informal speech..."

"Oh."

Suddenly, I recalled the kind of slang she used in games.

The insult she'd hurled at Lee Sung-yun was definitely unforgettable.

Her worry made immediate sense.

"Well, it's not a big deal either way..."

"Right, so instead of calling you 'manager', I'll call you 'Jung-woo oppa.' Isn't that more friendly?"

"......"

"... You don't like it?"

Turning her head halfway as if she'd overstepped, Ah-yeon sneaked a glance at me.

There was something curious about the way she sometimes drew close like this.

She didn't seem one to grow attached to others easily, but for some reason she behaved more comfortably around me.

'Well, listening to the wishes of an affiliated hunter is one of a manager's virtues.'

Manager-hunter relationships being friendly weren't exactly unheard of, so I just accepted it.

"Well, if that's what Ah-yeon-ssi want. No—if Ah-yeon is okay with it, that's fine."

As I stumbled over my words a bit, Ah-yeon gave me a strange look.

"... Now that I'm only being called by my name, it does feel a bit awkward."

"Should I go back to using formal speech? I don't mind."

"Ah, no. I'll get used to it soon enough."

With that, she nodded slowly.

'But now that only I speak informally, it feels odd again.'

Good thing I'm older—if we were the same age or if I were younger, this would be even more awkward.

"Ahem... Anyway, you said earlier I had lots of ways to make money, right?"

"That's right."

"What are they?"

She honestly looked clueless.

To her, a retired hunter, money-making opportunities seemed hard to come by.

"No matter how much power you've lost, the name 'Shin Ah-yeon' hasn't lost its value."

Though Shin Ah-yeon had lost her magic and could no longer be active as a hunter, not all her achievements disappeared. Even after three years, she still had a powerful weapon left.

'Recognition.'

That was Shin Ah-yeon's greatest asset at the moment.

***

"The ratings keep dropping... What am I going to do..."

PD Oh Jung-jin sighed as he scanned the ratings for his show, 'To the King Once You Log In'.

The ratings had been declining smoothly but steadily, making him wonder if the show's run was finally coming to an end.

"It's a long-running show, so maybe everyone's just gotten used to it by now."

No matter how fun something is, people get bored of repetition.

It had to be old patterns, repeated over and over, that drove viewers away.

PD Oh knew as much, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He'd inherited the show, but it was the first program he'd managed as main PD, so he'd grown attached to it in his own way.

'At this rate, it'll be off the air in a few months at best.'

"To the King Once You Log In" was a straightforward TV show.

Bring in a guest, have them and the MC play a game, and don't leave the designated room until it's over.

The problem now was that the supply of sensational guests for "To the King Once You Log In" was all but exhausted.

'Every celebrity who plays games or has any interest in gaming has already been invited.'

GGN, the channel airing 'To the King Once You Log In', was a gaming network.

It wasn't even one of the main cable broadcasters, so top-tier celebrities had no interest in it.

And with celebrities so concerned about their image and branding, it further limited who the GGN staff could call as a guest.

"Do they have to be celebrities? What about... hunters?"

"Hunters?"

At the assistant PD's words, PD Oh nodded.

"Sure, hunters would be great. These days some even do entertainment and cable dramas, right?"

"Yes, yes! That's why we..."

Thinking he'd struck a nerve, the rookie PD rambled on cheerfully, but PD Oh cut him off.

"How long have you worked at GGN, PD Kim?"

"A... About three years. Or so..."

"Do you not even know how much we can pay for guests?"

"... Excuse me?"

Sifting through the stack of hopefuls who'd applied to appear on the show, PD Oh continued.

"Any hunter famous enough for TV is at least B-rank. Naturally, if you want to invite them, you have to pay enough to satisfy a B-rank hunter."

"Y-yes, of course."

"Do you know how much a B-rank hunter earns from a single dungeon run? It's in the thousands. So, tell me—how much would we have to pay one as a guest?"

"T-then... what about inviting hunters with lower ranks?"

"Come on, PD Kim."

"... Yes?"

PD Kim flinched at PD Oh's icy words.

"List five C-rank hunters you know off the top of your head."

"...."

"If you, someone who works at this network, can't name any, how could the general public recognize them? It's no different from inviting a random civilian."

That was the problem.

Sure, those with a keen interest in hunters might know some C-ranks, or up-and-coming rookies.

But the general public only recognized hunters of at least B-rank.

Even that was generous—anyone with real TV fame was at least A-rank.

So, bringing in C-rank or lower hunters for cheap fees was even less effective than inviting no-name idol groups.

PD Oh had seen more than one program get wrecked pulling similar stunts.

"That's why inviting hunters is just a pipe dream..."

While flipping through the stack of application forms, PD Oh suddenly stopped.

Among the "To the King Once You Log In" applicants was a person who shouldn't, under any circumstances, be there.

Rubbing his tired eyes and looking again, the words printed on the form didn't change.

"PD Kim."

"Y-yes?"

"Is your family shamanistic or the like?"

"No, nothing like that... Why do you ask...?"

Instead of answering, PD Oh scrutinized the paperwork again.

The applicant was a woman, just turned 24.

Her hair was a bit unkempt, making her impression softer, but her looks were decent.

So far, so ordinary—but the achievements listed below were anything but.

【Former S-rank Hunter】

【One of the Former Seven Great Mages.】

【A key member of the team that conquered one of the world's five Great Demon Realms.】

【One of only eleven S-rank hunters worldwide to have taken down five or more S-rank monsters.】

Her title: Great Mage of Stars.

The great mage who returned to the world after three years had chosen nothing grander than a small cable TV show.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
There's a reason why even when it's a saturated genre, dungeons, gates, hunters, and the like are popular.
It's because there's a lot of ways to tell the story to make it feel fresh and fun.
I already like this novel.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】