Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Those Who Aim (1)

Super Hunter K's final live broadcast.

It was not simply a routine episode marking the end of a show—it turned into an unprecedented event.

The showdown between S-rank Hunter and Blade Master Baek Hojun, and C-rank Hunter Lee Soo-ah, who had recently begun to garner attention.

When the finals ended, most people were hugely disappointed.

Ju Ji-sang, known as the Sword King's disciple, had lost without even putting up a proper fight against Lee Soo-ah.

【Must Read: Why Ju Ji-sang's Skills Are Overblown】

【Sword King's Disciple, lol, just a water rocket!!】

【When does the real final start? Was that so-called final really over in 10 minutes???】

Reactions on online communities were the worst.

So many posts mocking Ju Ji-sang's supposed skill filled the boards, practically taking them over.

However, public opinion on Ju Ji-sang flipped entirely after the subsequent exhibition match with Baek Hojun.

【So it was because he went up against an S-rank Hunter. If anything, didn't he hold out well?】

【How could an C-rank beat a hidden S-rank Hunter?】

【This season's Super Hunter K masquerade is legendary.】

【The other hunters who trashed Lee Soo-ah for being overrated all looked stupid, lol.】

For Ju Ji-sang, an A-rank Hunter, most now believed he had done well just to withstand the fight—meanwhile, stories about Lee Soo-ah began flooding in.

Naturally so.

Lee Soo-ah was in fact the first S-rank Hunter to appear since Shin Ah-yeon.

She was only twenty-one.

Though Shin Ah-yeon became S-rank at nineteen—two years earlier—Lee Soo-ah was still the second-youngest to ever reach S-rank. When this news first broke, most people couldn't believe it.

Especially in the online communities of other countries.

Many claimed it was fabricated by Korea.

Korea already had a relatively high number of S-rank Hunters for its population, so skepticism about their level was rampant.

But once footage of Baek Hojun's fight with Lee Soo-ah spread online, those claims vanished. Every clip aired on Super Hunter K was broadcast live, leaving no room for tampering, and their battle held up when compared to S-rank Hunters from other countries.

It was even better.

【Why did Lee Soo-ah awaken like that halfway through?】

【That impact is crazy. Wow, I have never seen a sword-using Hunter fight with such flash!】

【Why'd her burn scars disappear? Why is Lee Soo-ah so pretty?】

【I always knew Lee Soo-ah was pretty, though.】

【That thing called magic power fission isn't it totally OP? Maybe people just didn't know about it before!】

When it became known that Soo-ah had struggled through a Hunter's bottom rung because of the magic power fission phenomenon, the impact was even greater.

The blue flames that Soo-ah unleashed in her fight with Hojun surpassed those of any other Hunter, and the way they enveloped her entire body, including her burning hair, delivered a tremendous visual.

Thanks to her, not only was the magic power fission being re-evaluated, but intense debate spread across online communities about what that flame really was.

That discussion wasn't limited to the internet; it spread to places where ordinary information didn't reach.

Even to a prison in the United States.

"James Walker, mealtime."

In a prison located in LA, a man was watching video footage on a TV in the dining hall.

The news from a small Asian country, Korea—a new S-rank Hunter had appeared.

There were only 52 S-rank Hunters in the world.

How many S-rank Hunters a country possessed largely determined its standing in the modern era.

And since Korea already had five S-rank Hunters and now a sixth had emerged, it was only natural that this became a hot topic.

"Oh, I wonder if the food suits the taste of a man who's been to another world."

Many people snickered at the man carrying his meal tray.

James Walker, an idiot who lied about being a survivor returned from the rift.

"......"

But despite the mockery, he kept staring at the news on TV while holding his tray.

The American Blade Master, Baek Hojun, and the newly crowned S-rank Hunter—the 'Heavenly Flame Sword' Lee Soo-ah—were appearing onscreen.

"How can this be..."

The other men smirked at James Walker's murmurs.

He looked like a country bumpkin seeing an S-rank Hunter for the first time.

"Hey, you that fascinated by S-rank Hunters? Don't they have those in the other world?"

"S-rank Hunter...? No, I guess. That's right."

James Walker shook his head and kept watching.

The fight between S-rank Hunters was, indeed, impressive.

But he didn't keep watching because of them.

It was because, when the camera panned over the audience, he caught a brief glimpse of a man's face.

"... Park Jung-woo."

He never imagined he would see him here.

***

"Hunter Lee Soo-ah, please, just one interview!!"

"President Choi Sung-hwan, have you been hiding Lee Soo-ah's talents all along?"

"Please tell us why she never showed her real skills until the end of the broadcast!!"

A huge crowd had gathered in front of the Unique building.

Most were reporters, but there were also citizens hoping to catch a glimpse of the new S-rank Hunter.

Never before in Unique's history had so many people come.

"This is insane."

Sung-hwan couldn't even think of going outside—he just pulled down the office blinds.

If his face even showed for a moment, it would be snapped and on the news in no time.

"Jung-woo, what is this. Is this a dream?"

"Would you prefer if it were a dream?"

"Obviously not, but..."

Watching Sung-hwan mutter in a daze, I gave a slight laugh.

It was practically unheard of for a mid-sized management agency to have even one S-rank Hunter.

But Unique now had two.

Shin Ah-yeon and Lee Soo-ah.

Even better, their positions didn't overlap—one mage and one swordswoman.

Even among the "Big 3" management agencies, only two at most each had a single S-rank Hunter.

Upstream had none, and the other three S-rank Hunters in Korea were all with Grand Nova, so in reality, Unique was now the second-ranking agency in the country by S-rank Hunter count.

'I wonder how he'll react if I tell him there's likely to be one more.'

Sung-hwan didn't know, but there was yet another S-rank Hunter within Unique.

Granted, she hadn't had her rank assigned yet, nor had she fully mastered her power, but the strength she possessed was enough to qualify as an S-rank Hunter.

"Shouldn't we be worried that Yeon-ji gets anxious from so many people?"

"By the way, is it okay for Yeon-ji not to go to school and be here?"

And that S-rank Hunter was currently being doted on by the Hunter trainees at Unique.

She had nowhere else to stay, so she had been placed in the trainee dormitory.

Not that it was much of a dormitory—just a rented villa.

"......"

Yeon-ji, or more accurately Ji Yeon-hwa, was currently belonging to Unique as 'Hwang Yeon-ji'.

Jo Chang-woo had quickly handled all her identification and paperwork, so things went smoothly.

"Unni, see? You shouldn't keep talking to someone already anxious like that."

"S-sorry, I've never taken care of a child before..."

The more the trainees chatted, the more Yeon-ji's cheeks began to quiver.

They probably thought it was because she was anxious, but at least I knew better.

"... Manager-nim, do you think she's about to blow up?"

"She might lack manners, but she's not the type to snap like that. Probably."

"Ugh, isn't Ah-yeon-unni coming to Unique? I feel like things would be better if she did."

"She said she's not coming because of all the people."

For some reason, Soo-ah nervously whispered to me.

One of the subtle changes after Super Hunter K ended was that Soo-ah had begun to speak to me far more comfortably.

Not quite as relaxed as back at the baseball stadium, but her attitude had become a lot more casual.

Though, she was still different from Ah-yeon.

Even with the same polite language, Soo-ah felt more dignified.

'This proves attitude is everything.'

Ah-yeon's actions were freewheeling despite her polite words, but Soo-ah always treated me as her elder and manager.

"If you're that worried, maybe Soo-ah-ssi can take her and hang out somewhere?"

"Even if I tried, there's not much we have in common... Our interests are totally different."

After all, swordsman Soo-ah and mage Ji Yeon-hwa—well, Yeon-ji—had nothing to talk about.

And despite appearances, Soo-ah was more of an outgoing, active type.

Whereas Yeon-ji much preferred lazing around at home like Ah-yeon.

The fact that she avoided Ah-yeon, who was just like her, was especially funny.

'Maybe that's just how mages are.'

I felt myself growing irrationally prejudiced against mages.

"Manager Park!"

At that moment, director Song burst into the office, panting.

After catching his breath, he spoke, his face pale.

"We've received a call from a National Assembly member."

"What, a National Assembly member? Why would they contact us?"

"Well, it wasn't the member directly, it was the chief secretary."

"So who was it?"

Sung-hwan narrowed his eyes, instantly alert—calls from politicians were never a good sign.

"I-I'm not sure. But they wanted to arrange a meeting with Hunter Lee Soo-ah..."

"Tell me you didn't say yes."

"Y-yes. I said I'd have to discuss with the President first."

Baffled by the strange call, a heavy silence fell over the office.

The once-noisy trainees peeked at us and quietly slipped out.

"What's there to discuss? Just turn them down. We don't even know if this is legit."

As soon as everyone left, Yeon-ji spoke up, completely unfazed.

All eyes turned to her.

"Turn them down? What if it's real and we miss out?"

"That's on them for not even giving their name. If they didn't, that's probably because there's something fishy going on."

Yeon-ji made some good points, but Sung-hwan sighed and shook his head.

"That won't do. You're probably too young to know this, Yeon-ji, but ignoring a politician can backfire badly. If they're actually important, they can make your life hell even if they're shady."

"That's only if you don't have an S-rank Hunter... Ugh, can't you say something, ajussi?"

Frustrated, Yeon-ji tugged my sleeve instead of arguing further.

Maybe she was worried Sung-hwan or Director Song would get suspicious if she acted like she knew too much.

'Why is she calling me ajussi, though?'

I never expected to be called "ajussi" by a woman about five years older than me in her thirties.

"... Well, just like Yeon-ji said, it's probably fine to ignore them."

That was the fate of S-rank Hunters.

Unlike ordinary Hunters, the status of an S-rank was on another level.

The nation's greatest force.

It meant not even a president, let alone an Assembly member, could order them around.

"With a regular management agency, things might be different, but once you have an S-rank Hunter, even a National Assembly member can't easily touch you. The perfect example is Grand Nova—do you really think Grand Nova is so powerful just because it's the biggest?"

"Well..."

"They tried to crush Unique just for competing with Grand Nova. In theory, their unfair actions could be punished through both industry rules and the law, but in reality, that's impossible."

Sung-hwan nodded in bitter agreement, recalling those days.

"So what you're saying is they didn't ignore us just because Grand Nova is number one?"

"It's partly that—but mainly because Grand Nova has three S-rank Hunters."

One of whom, along with Baek Hojun, was none other than the 'Sword King', the top swordsman in Korea.

The other two S-rank Hunters at Grand Nova were top-tier in their own right.

"Anyway, now that Soo-ah is an S-rank Hunter, calls like this will happen all the time. Don't worry too much."

Sung-hwan and Director Song looked visibly relieved at my words.

Soo-ah too seemed less worried, thinking at least she hadn't caused us any trouble.

'Of course, some might stubbornly try to get involved.'

They might see her as an easy target—she'd just become S-rank and was at a small agency, so maybe they thought they could pull strings.

A few safeguards wouldn't hurt.

"... What is it, why are you all looking at me?"

Ji Yeon-hwa, now a half-demon.

Thinking about it, we were lucky she'd come over to our side.

We'd be able to benefit from her in many ways going forward.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I feel like Jo Chang-woo will move to Unique and he will manage Yeon-ji.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】