The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

Oh, so this is what it means to have authority.

Watching Doby lower his head slightly, I couldn’t help but part my lips in mild surprise. Kang Hasu let out a small sigh before asking:

“So? What’s this urgent matter? If it’s not too pressing, I’d like to see off my guests before hearing it.”

“It is pressing,” Doby insisted.

Kang Hasu’s smile wavered slightly. Meanwhile, Do Hain and I stood on the sidelines, uncertain whether to intervene or just watch the scene unfold. This time, Kang Hasu let out a heavy sigh.

“Doby…”

“Representative! It’s really urgent!!”

Cutting him off mid-sentence, Doby raised his voice dramatically.

“Representative, are you seriously planning to keep me in that trashy drama?!”

“…”

The drama he was referring to was likely the wildly popular fusion historical series Two Suns Under the Sky. It followed the story of twin brothers vying for the throne.

But why call it trashy? There wasn’t anything remotely trashy about it.

“How is it that I cannot become emperor?!”

Ah, so it’s trashy because you don’t become emperor? What kind of logic is that?

For context, Doby played the elder of the two twin brothers in the show.

“…So the second prince ends up ascending the throne,” Do Hain murmured absently.

Come to think of it, we just got spoiled on the drama’s ending by one of its lead actors.

Kang Hasu, who had been standing in a daze, snapped back to reality at Do Hain’s words and turned to us with a hurried apology.

“Oh! Just a moment! Please wait here for a bit!!”

Spirit Master, couldn’t you just let us leave already?

But it seemed we were far from his priority at the moment.

“Mr. Kim, did Doby leave the set in the middle of filming?”

“Yes… yes, sir. My apologies,” replied the man called Mr. Kim. He was the same manager who had been with Doby during his infamous incident at the Hero’s shop. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him—what a tough celebrity to manage.

Kang Hasu sighed deeply before addressing Doby.

“Doby, how could you just walk off set because you didn’t like the script? How many times have I told you this? The only reason we allow you such freedom is because—”

“I know! It’s because it benefits both me and the company! But Representative, think about it! What is my image?”

Kang Hasu frowned slightly and gave a blunt reply.

“Self-centered arrogance.”

“Exactly! That’s me! And yet, I don’t become emperor…!!”

“…”

Oddly enough, he made a somewhat convincing argument.

Wait a second—if a self-centered egotist like you becomes emperor, wouldn’t you just end up being a tyrant?

Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one considering this angle.

Kang Hasu groaned, rubbing his temples before nodding.

“Alright, fine. I’ll talk to the director and the writer about it…”

A knock on the door interrupted his words.

“Representative, there’s a call from the director.”

“Oh… alright, understood.”

The Spirit Master sighed, the sound almost a lament. Rubbing his face, he seemed to remember something, turning back to us with an apologetic expression.

“Vice Guild Master Do Hain, Miss Do Haun, I’m truly sorry about this. Given the circumstances…”

Do Hain quickly understood what he meant—that it would be difficult for the Spirit Master to personally see us off.

“Not at all, Representative. We can find our way out on our own. I hope the situation resolves smoothly,” Do Hain replied.

I tugged my hood down low and gave a half-hearted bow, hoping to avoid catching Doby’s attention. As I hurried past him with quick, small steps, Doby’s voice rang out.

“Representative! For someone like me, the word ‘defeat’ is—huh?”

The idiot stopped mid-sentence, sharply turning his head. I could feel his piercing gaze burning into the back of my head, so I quickened my pace.

“Hey! You there! You’re—”

“Our dear Doby! Let’s go apologize to the director and have a chat, shall we?”

Nice save, Representative.

I shot a thumbs-up over my shoulder, and Kang Hasu’s expression didn’t change, but the Spirit Master noticed and signaled for me to hurry. In response, I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Do Haun, what are you doing? Let’s go!”

“Coming!”

Just as I started walking again, a message appeared in my vision.

[Constellation ‘The Fallen Celestial’ has sent you a request.]

I turned slightly, glancing around. The Spirit Master was still busy trying to rein in Doby.

Well, it’s not like there’s a shortage of people to handle requests these days. Especially with the Demon King working so diligently.

|Pr. Demon King|: My brother won’t let me leave.

“….”

So, he got captured by Guild Master Woo Mahan and is still locked up, huh?

Alright, if not the Demon King, then maybe…

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: The Archmage is with Hajun, so taking requests is tough right now!!

“….”

What’s with this casual tone when referring to my brother? What did Hajun give to you, you annoying Archmage brat?

Clicking my tongue, I decided to check the details of the request. Not to accept it, of course—just to see what it was.

With the Hero and the Grand Duke still around, they’d surely take care of it. I had plans to go out and get some fresh air with Do Hain.

[Constellation ‘The Fallen Celestial’ has requested Guild Return to recover the S-rank artifact ‘The Score of the Wraith Caller’ from H-Entertainment.]

“….”

I shouldn’t have looked.

No, I must be seeing things. I’ve been so mentally exhausted dealing with Doby and the Demon King that my brain is playing tricks on me.

Pressing my fingers firmly to my temples, I convinced myself I had read it wrong.

But then—

Beep!

“What now?”

“Why is the power out all of a sudden…?”

“Representative? Are you still here?”

The lights that had brightly illuminated H-Entertainment’s building suddenly went out.

Do Hain clicked his tongue, pulling out his phone to light the way. The glow from his phone illuminated his furrowed face as he grabbed my arm and started walking briskly.

“A power outage in the middle of the day?”

“Yeah, it’s… weird.”

Why does it feel this dark?

Do Hain must have caught the hesitation in my voice, as he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned his head toward the expansive windows.

“…Do Haun.”

“Yeah?”

I could feel his grip on my arm tighten. Suppressing a nervous laugh, I turned my eyes to the message that had appeared in the air.

[Sudden Test of Aptitude will begin shortly.]

What a load of crap.

I frowned deeply, but before I could even vent my rising irritation, Do Hain grabbed my shoulder with a desperate grip.

“Do Haun!!”

“…?!”

“Hold this! And this! And this too!!”

“Wait, what? Uh, okay?”

In the blink of an eye, my arms were piled high with random items. Do Hain looked like he was on the verge of tears as he gripped my shoulders and shouted.

“Do Haun! Stay still! Just! Just stay calm…!! I’ll save you! I promise…!!”

Before the weight of his final words could hit me, Do Hain vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind. And it wasn’t just him.

All the people scattered throughout the H-Entertainment building disappeared rapidly. They weren’t kidding when they said every celebrity here was a Hunter. I never thought I’d see proof of it this way.

When the selection process finished, the only ones left were…

“Uh… Guild Master?”

It was just me and my guild members.

Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Kang Hasu asked, “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, but… what exactly just happened to us?”

“What happened? Well…”

We’re screwed. That’s what.

[SUDDEN TEST OF APTITUDE: ― Siren’s Requiem Recital ― Begins.]

Red text floated ominously in the air, and I scowled. Kang Hasu, noticing it too, shouted in alarm.

“What is this?! Why is a test happening in my agency’s building?!”

His voice was thick with confusion and panic. I let out a long sigh.

“The Sudden Test of Aptitude has taken place at the Blue House and the National Assembly before. There’s no rule that says it can’t happen in your agency building.”

The tests were unpredictable—nobody knew when, where, or how they would occur. Still, this was the second one in less than a month.

“…They don’t usually happen this often,” I muttered.

“Pardon?”

“Ah, nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

I placed the items Do Hain had shoved at me on the floor and glanced around the now-empty building.

“Seriously, though, what’s with your agency?!”

I knew every celebrity here was a Hunter, but it was baffling that everyone except Kang Hasu had been excluded from the test.

Kang Hasu shrugged nonchalantly in response to my incredulous tone.

“Everyone here, except me, is an Awakened. Since all our celebrities are Hunters, we’ve had to deal with all kinds of issues. So we set things up this way.”

He sounded almost proud as he explained, leaving me momentarily speechless.

“…Wait, so even Doby’s manager?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim has also passed a test before. Have you met him?”

What? I’d pitied him for being stuck with a problematic celebrity, but he was actually a tested and qualified Awakened?

Shaking my head at how appearances could be deceiving, I was brought back to the present by Kang Hasu’s question.

“By the way… do we have to do this?”

He gestured toward the system window outlining the details of the test.

[Siren, who has come ashore, wishes to hold a recital to soothe restless souls. Eliminate the Siren before the recital draws in wandering spirits.]
▷ Die entranced, or survive and escape.