Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Spectacular Comeback (3)

The first time Ki-sung got a strange feeling was when Dong-hwan, the raid leader, introduced Shin Ah-yeon.

Shin Ah-yeon's outfit, which appeared belatedly, was extremely flashy, yet it suited her so well that it was almost uncanny.

It looked as if she had put on a mage's costume straight out of a game.

'Wait, a game?'

Something came to Ki-sung's mind, and as he watched the broadcast, he quickly searched the internet.

Ah-yeon, who appeared on 'To the King Once You Log In', was said to be a serious gamer, a good AOS gamer in 'LON', but mainly focused on the RPG game 'World of Acrather'.

"You've got to be kidding me. It's real?"

Just to make sure, Ki-sung searched the internet and found that, in the World of Acrather info tab under the mage job avatar section, there was an avatar almost identical to Shin Ah-yeon's outfit.

'Did she just come as simple cosplay? But then, she wouldn't have been able to even enter the dungeon in the first place...'

In other words, the gear Shin Ah-yeon was wearing—modeled after that game avatar—was the real deal. Setting aside why she wore it, Ki-sung couldn't help but wonder who on earth made such equipment.

Sure enough, Shin Ah-yeon's shocking outfit began showing up in trending Naver search terms like "World of Acrather Avatar".

'So the thing the Dungeon Exploration crew was hiding was this bold outfit of Shin Ah-yeon?'

Honestly, it was a rather bland twist.

It did stand out, but it wasn't something that required such secretive control of information.

'Well, still, if I write an article with a title like "Shin Ah-yeon's Misdeed? A Cosplay Show That Underestimated the Dungeon!" the views won't be bad.'

It was more disappointing than expected, but it seemed he'd still be able to get decent traffic.

Putting the rough draft forming in his mind into his laptop, Ki-sung kept an eye on the broadcast with a sidelong glance.

Because he thought he'd already seen everything worth seeing.

And as if to validate his thoughts, the rest of the broadcast unfolded as usual for the Dungeon Exploration team.

In fact, Shin Ah-yeon didn't even make a proper appearance.

She just showed her face now and then, occasionally because of her unique outfit.

'Jeez, what a waste of time.'

He felt like he'd lost out after having expected something more.

He even thought he should have watched Hunter Duel instead, that thought flashing through his mind because this week's Hunter Duel had a star-studded lineup—perhaps conscious of Shin Ah-yeon's appearance on the Dungeon Exploration.

Since he thought he'd seen all there was, he was about to switch to the Hunter Duel channel, which was airing.

【"At first, I was really shocked by Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim's outfit. Another hunter standing next to me said it was a game costume?"】

An interview with a C-rank hunter was inserted.

As that hunter spoke, laughter from the guests was added, and the game avatar identical to the costume Ki-sung had just looked up appeared onscreen.

Thanks to that, Ki-sung couldn't help but feel confused.

'What is this?'

Dungeon Exploration often included interviews with participating hunters to relay their feelings during the hunt, inserted between scenes of monster hunting. That was routine.

But what was important was that Shin Ah-yeon's name was suddenly being mentioned.

'Is there still a part with her left to air?'

Otherwise, there's no reason to insert an interview mentioning Shin Ah-yeon, right?

【"If that incident hadn't happened, I probably would have just laughed it off at Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim and that would've been it."】

Just as the odd hunter's words finished, the screen changed.

The hunters were still shown fighting monsters, but the atmosphere was completely different.

For what was supposedly a C-rank dungeon, there was an odd number of monsters.

Originally, it should have been an easy clear.

That's because most of the participants were hunters above C-rank, and there was even a B-rank hunter included.

"What's with this dungeon? Why are there so many monsters in a C-rank dungeon?"

Having watched several hunter broadcasts before, Ki-sung immediately realized this was an abnormal situation.

Other viewers probably felt the same way.

Even the peaceful background music gradually changed to something more tense and dramatic.

As if to signal that something big was about to happen.

And then—

"Uwaaaah!!"

With the sound "Uwaaah!!", a scene was shown where a hunter, with their face blurred, suffered serious injuries in a close-up.

The giant troll in front of the injured hunter looked off.

Twice the size of a normal troll, its muscles were far thicker, and its fur had turned pitch-black.

The subtitles identified it as an "Empowered Troll with an A-rank magic power reaction," and Ki-sung could not help but be shocked.

"A, an A-rank monster appeared?!"

An A-rank monster appeared, yet everyone was said to have returned alive? Unbelievable.

Although it was mentioned that one hunter was gravely wounded, in this situation, getting off with just that was actually lucky.

'But wasn't there only one seriously injured hunter? Does that mean this was the only hunter who suffered major wounds?'

That means, from this point on, no one else would be critically injured by that A-rank monster.

'How?'

It was unthinkable.

Even other hunters on the broadcast had panicked, not knowing what to do, and the strategy leader Dong-hwan had even frozen up. The monster horde, led by the A-rank monster, looked about to overrun the hunters at any moment.

【"What are you all standing around for!"】

With a loud explosion—KWANG!—the troll's body lurched violently, and a woman stepped forward.

The very hunter who, at the start of the Dungeon Exploration, was met with ridicule from other hunters—Shin Ah-yeon.

She alone stood up to face the A-rank monster, protecting the fallen hunter.

At that moment—

【Please look forward to next week.】

"... What is this."

They cut it at a scene like this, seriously?

"Are you kidding me?!"

Ki-sung unconsciously grabbed the TV and shouted.

So that's why they made it a 2-parter? Was that what this was all about?

"... The cosplay show didn't matter at all."

He hurriedly deleted the "Shin Ah-yeon's Cosplay Show" article draft he was writing.

Anyone who'd watched this broadcast would know that none of that mattered at all.

***

【Great Mage Shin Ah-yeon's Resurrection】

【Miraculous Return! Dungeon Exploration Faces an A-rank Monster, All Survive】

【Is It Really Okay for Dungeon Exploration to Continue with Such Risk?】

Normally, after a Dungeon Exploration broadcast, just one or two articles would appear and that would be it, but within a day, dozens of articles sprang up. Most were about anticipation for next week's episode, but some focused on highlighting the risks of Dungeon Exploration.

"What do you think, chief manager Yu?"

"I—I'm sorry. I had no idea things had gotten out of hand like this—Sung-yun didn't mention a thing..."

"You bastard, are you calling that an excuse?!"

At the raised voice of JM's President, Bong Joonsik, managing Chief Manager Yu Dong-suk trembled.

"We went through all that trouble to screw over a B-rank hunter! And yet you couldn't take down some washed-up has-been? And you call yourself a chief manager?!"

"But even with the A-rank monster, she wasn't beaten..."

"Oh, so now you're saying the bracelet I gave you didn't work? It's my fault?"

"N-Never! Not at all!"

Chief Manager Yu bowed so low his face nearly touched the floor.

'Damn it, how did she kill an A-rank monster?'

What's more, aside from Sung-yun, no one else was seriously hurt.

This would have been impossible unless Shin Ah-yeon had fully regained her abilities as an S-rank hunter.

Honestly, he doubted even other S-rank hunters could have pulled it off.

After all, there wasn't just an A-rank monster—there were packs of monsters C-rank and above.

"Hah, whatever. What's done is done. I'll talk to the Javelin Guild, so don't worry too much."

"Th-thank you, sir."

"But Chief Manager Yu, did it really seem like Shin Ah-yeon had no intention of transferring to us?"

"Y-yes, sir. Especially with that manager next to her—she listens to his every word."

"Manager?"

Seeing Bong Joonsik cool down a bit, Yu quickly continued.

"Yes, yes. From what I heard from Sung-yun, she's been working with that manager ever since she joined Unique. Most likely, that manager is the one who brought Shin Ah-yeon out after her three-year disappearance."

"What, is that manager her boyfriend or something?"

"I don't think it's that kind of relationship..."

Bong Joonsik pondered at Yu Dong-suk's words.

'Should I try to create a scandal?'

If Shin Ah-yeon were a regular celebrity, a scandal could be quite effective, but as a hunter, it wouldn't cause much of an uproar. What's wrong with two adults dating, anyway?

Since hunters don't live off their image, a scandal was meaningless to them.

"Guess I'll look for an opportunity."

"... Sir?"

"What? I just meant I'm thinking of ways to recruit Shin Ah-yeon since she seems more promising than expected."

As Bong Joonsik spoke as if it were nothing, Yu Dong-suk broke out in a cold sweat.

'Is he planning to kill Shin Ah-yeon's manager and make her join us?'

The manager wasn't even a hunter—a civilian—so if he set his mind to it, taking care of him wouldn't be hard.

But seeing how lightly Bong Joonsik talked about killing someone, Yu Dong-suk trembled.

If he ever upset the boss, he'd no doubt end up like Shin Ah-yeon's manager.

***

"Oh, my lucky stars, my precious ones!"

As soon as he arrived at the office, Sung-hwan rushed out and gave each of us a tight hug.

He kept chuckling and patting my shoulder enthusiastically.

"Boss, you seem to like this even more than 'To the King Once You Log In', huh?"

"Of course! Cable and major network aren't even comparable. Did you see the articles? Over twenty just today."

Indeed, the impact of cable couldn't compare to major network.

But that didn't mean cable was meaningless.

The online fandom for Shin Ah-yeon built up through "To the King Once You Log In" helped spread this incident even further, flooding online communities with discussions.

==

Title: This Week's Dungeon Exploration Was Insane, fr...

Who taught them to pull the plug at such a bullsh*t moment?

Like we're not going to watch again next week?

Sure~ We'll watch again~~

Replies

dd: So what did Shin Ah-yeon actually do~~!!!

Ah-yeonLove: Any attack on Shin Ah-yeon is now an attack on me.

ㅇㅇ: But seriously, Shin Ah-yeon's nuts. Who enters a dungeon dressed like a game avatar?

⌎ㅇㅇ: Well, you know what to do if you don't like it—carry the team yourself.

⌎DungeonExpeditionStan: But returning with everyone alive against an A-rank monster, that's just insane;

ByulByul: All Alive-dol ㅋㅋ. Come on, if you're S-rank you can do anything.

==

Countless posts like this went up, and there were opinions that Shin Ah-yeon was being overhyped and that other S-rank hunters could have done it too.

Whenever Shin Ah-yeon's name got too much hype, backlash naturally followed.

"......"

While Sung-Hwan and I talked, Shin Ah-yeon kept staring at her smartphone, looking at something.

Probably checking how the online community was reacting to her.

Judging from her thoroughly crumpled-up expression, she seemed pretty upset.

'Well, there's plenty in there to put her in a bad mood.'

Things like "Any S-rank hunter could have done it," or "She's being way too hyped."

"Ah-yeon."

Worried, I quietly spoke up.

A manager's duty included caring for a hunter's mental state.

"If the online comments are bothering you, try not to take them too seriously. Even for other S-rank hunters, that wouldn't have been easy to pull off."

"Huh?"

At that, Ah-yeon blinked as if she had no idea what I was talking about.

"... Aren't you upset because of the community posts?"

"I was checking the World of Acrather patch notes."

"Then why do you look so glum?"

"They nerfed my main class. Ugh, why is it always the mage getting nerfed? It's already hard enough to get a raid invite as it is."

Muttering, Ah-yeon started furiously posting on the community as if she suddenly remembered something.

It seemed to be a game site she visited often. The post barely had any words, just a ton of emoticons looking like someone sprawled out on the ground.

'Guess I don't have to worry about hate comments...'

If her mental state didn't break even when she thought she'd never be able to use magic again, she certainly won't be bothered by hateful comments.

Looks like I won't have to worry about Ah-yeon's mental health in the future.

As I gazed at her with a look of mild exasperation, Sung-hwan seemed to remember something.

"Oh, Jung-woo. Didn't you say you were trying to recruit some new S-rank? Raising one from scratch?"

"Yes, I'm working on that."

Upon my reply, Sung-hwan gave a knowing smirk.

"See? Like I said, actually making an S-rank is not easy, is it? Just focus on covering for Shin Ah-yeon-ssi. She's on the rise now, so you'll get tons of show offers."

"I already turned them all down."

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Yes, I won't have the time to be running around with her for a while."

Like I told him before, right now, Shin Ah-yeon needed time.

Booking her for shows right away would be a poor move, and there was no rush to promote her until her skills had improved a bit.

Even without doing shows, she could still clear dungeons, so if she needed money, she could earn it that way.

"So are you just going to leave Shin Ah-yeon-ssi on standby? Surely, she wants to work more right now, doesn't she?"

"Huh? Me?"

"... I guess not."

No way someone who was just checking out patch notes would be eager to work.

From the start, Shin Ah-yeon never really cared as long as she made enough to get by.

'She probably just needed money quickly, but now we don't really have to worry about income.'

From the beginning, it was never about making money as a hunter; it was about regaining "her magic" and returning as an S-rank hunter.

Sung-Hwan seemed to realize that, sighing and shaking his head.

"Haaah, then what are you going to do now? Still planning to make your own S-rank? Didn't that supposedly talented hunter reject you?"

"That's why I'm going to entice them on a stage they can't refuse."

Sung-Hwan looked puzzled at my answer.

"A stage they can't refuse?"

"Producer Jung Jun-su from the last Dungeon Exploration put in a word for me. This will be a great opportunity for Unique too."

"Oh, come on. What are you talking about now..."

Muttering suspiciously, Sung-hwan fell speechless when I pulled out my phone and showed him the screen.

"This... is this for real?"

"You see the sender, producer Jung Jun-su's email address?"

"Hah."

With a look of utter disbelief, Sung-hwan stared at the text on my phone's screen once again.

Displayed on the screen was a recent email from Producer Jung Jun-su.

An invitation for Unique to participate in the hunter audition program, 'Super Hunter K'.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I like where Ah-yeon's priorities are.
Truly a gamer.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】