Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Those Who Aim (2)

【Heavenly Flame Sword(天炎劍) Lee Soo-ah Confirmed as 6th S-rank Hunter】

"Heavenly Flame Sword, huh."

Grand Nova's representative, Jin Su-hyuk, muttered that as he scrolled down an online article.

The emergence of a new S-rank Hunter was a huge benefit to the nation, but for management agencies, it was an article as shocking as a bolt from the blue.

The impact that an S-rank Hunter had on the market was tremendous, and it was an even bigger problem if that Hunter belonged to Unique, a management agency hostile to Grand Nova.

"So, that small company has two S-rank Hunters now."

If he had known it would turn out this way, he wouldn't have tried to suppress them. Internally, Jin Su-hyuk felt a sense of regret.

However, it was not a decision he regretted as a whole.

Unique's representative, Choi Sung-hwan, was a man who needed to be stepped on in advance.

He had quite keen judgment and ability.

He just had too much affection.

If he had been more ruthless about the contract issues, the Hunters wouldn't have left Unique so easily.

Most of the Hunters left in Unique now were just aspiring trainees who couldn't go anywhere, since he had let the others go, thinking of their futures.

"Park Jung-woo went there and turned everything upside down."

As he said this, Jin Su-hyuk looked at the young man seated opposite him.

Bleached blond hair and sunglasses perched carelessly on his nose.

The young man sitting across from him had a rather cocky look.

"Kang Min-gi, how did you see that fight between Baek Hojun and Lee Soo-ah this time?"

"Ah, me?"

The man called Kang Min-gi straightened his posture at Jin Su-hyuk's words.

"From my impression, watching live at the scene, it was definitely intense."

Kang Min-gi, one of Grand Nova's S-rank Hunters.

Representing the Hunters of Korea, he'd watched the finals of 'Super Hunter K' in person at the hall.

"First of all, Baek Hojun—that bastard. He's leveled up. Probably a tier above the Sword King now."

"... That's not good."

Baek Hojun, one of the chief Hunters of Moon Halo—one of the Big 3 management agencies—was, along with the Sword King from Grand Nova, a Hunter representing Korea's swordsmen. If he had become a better swordsman than the Sword King of Grand Nova, Grand Nova's reputation would inevitably take a hit.

"Knowing his personality, though, he's not the type to boast about it directly."

"Come to think of it, wasn't he three years your junior?"

"Yeah, well, he was always a boring guy back in the day. It's almost been twenty years since we first met."

"... Every time you say something like that, I really feel your age."

Jin Su-hyuk looked at Kang Min-gi's face as he said this.

With his dyed hair and sunglasses, his youthful face looked about late twenties.

In reality, though, he was in his late thirties—only a few years younger than Jin Su-hyuk, who was in his early forties.

It was known that Awakeners who manipulated magic power aged noticeably slower—and once someone reached S-rank, they practically stopped aging—but Jin Su-hyuk always felt a strange sense about it.

"Anyway, if that's what you say, then he's crossed the line?"

"Yes. He always was a remarkable guy, but I never thought he'd surpass the Sword King first. It's probably because of that kid, Lee Soo-ah."

"Lee Soo-ah..."

A genius who became S-rank at twenty-one.

With the phenomenon of mana differentiation wrecking her body, she'd been abandoned by the Hunters—but how did Park Jung-woo know she had such talent?

And what about that rapid surge in her abilities?

"Ah, that reminds me—what's the situation with Ji Yeon-hwa and Ju Ji-sang?"

"I was planning to report that, actually."

Lee Soo-ah wasn't the only one whose skills had suddenly soared.

Ji Yeon-hwa and Ju Ji-sang—especially Ji Yeon-hwa, who, in the recently leaked video, had drawn Jin Su-hyuk's keenest interest. Perhaps even more than Lee Soo-ah.

"To start, the reason Ji Yeon-hwa and Ju Ji-sang were able to show that explosive strength for a moment was because of something called the ultimate magic stone. Besides, there's another factor that seemed to have influenced it."

"And that is...?"

"They called it demonic energy."

"... Demonic energy?"

Jin Su-hyuk's eyes narrowed at a name that sounded straight out of a fantasy novel.

"You know Ju Ji-sang contacted the Javelin guild... After that, I met with some people from their side and had a fairly deep conversation. They said that the power Ji Yeon-hwa and Ju Ji-sang gained was thanks to the magic power and demonic energy contained in the ultimate magic stone. I tried to question them further about what demonic energy actually is, but..."

"It didn't go well?"

"Pop! It exploded, basically."

Gesturing with both hands as if a balloon was popping, Kang Min-gi made Jin Su-hyuk frown. The Javelin guild, the case of the missing Ji Yeon-hwa, and the suspicious Ju Ji-sang.

Something was definitely off.

Jin Su-hyuk came to that conclusion.

"Kang Min-gi, where's Ju Ji-sang now?"

"He's with Upstream. Looks like he'll be working with them from now on..."

"Bring him in."

He didn't bother explaining how.

Kang Min-gi would take care of it himself.

'I need to have a thorough talk with him.'

Maybe he could find the answer he'd been searching for so desperately.

***

After Soo-ah became S-rank, the calls started coming in—not only from politicians or TV stations.

Other management agencies began to go all out to try and recruit Soo-ah.

Just counting the offers that Soo-ah herself had received, they numbered in the dozens.

It was as if every management agency in Korea had contacted her.

Of course, most outstanding among them were the offers from the Big Three.

And especially, the deal proposed by Grand Nova.

"A blank check, huh..."

Not only offering massive sums of money, but also promising to let her do whatever she wanted—those were the terms from Grand Nova.

Frankly, it was incomparable to what Unique could offer, and yet, it was still an arrogantly ambitious proposal.

"This is why I hate gifted kids."

Whether she heard me muttering, or not, Ji Yeon-hwa—or rather, Hwang Yeon-ji—grumbled beside me.

Sucking on a lollipop of uncertain origin, she frowned fiercely.

She must have understood what I meant right away.

"I never got an offer from Grand Nova, not even once."

"That's probably just because your personality is nasty."

"Hmph. Well, you're not wrong."

Yeon-ji didn't bother to deny it, turning her gaze to the window.

Then, after a moment's pause, she muttered softly.

"Apparently Grand Nova's after you as well as Lee Soo-ah, so why turn them down? Lee Soo-ah will just go wherever you want her to go."

"I just don't have good memories there. That, and their President rubs me the wrong way."

"My, that's new. Jin Su-hyuk is someone everyone in the industry admires, isn't he?"

Grand Nova hadn't just reached out to Soo-ah.

If it was simply about making an offer, they could have done that through Soo-ah, yet they had gone out of their way to send the offer to my email.

Naturally, their deal for me was also a blank check.

They wanted me to come to Grand Nova together with Soo-ah.

"It just gives me a bad feeling. He doesn't strike me as someone who got into management simply out of enthusiasm."

When I first started out in this industry, I looked up to Jin Su-hyuk, too.

But after actually meeting him and working at Grand Nova for some years, that sentiment gradually changed.

He was an extraordinary man, but not the kind of person I'd imagined him to be.

"Really? Well, either way, I hate hassle so I'm not interested. I was just a little curious. Anyway..."

Yeon-ji didn't press me further and changed the subject.

"Why did you insist on me coming along today? It's a bit sudden for a first job."

"Someone keeps snooping around me lately."

When I answered that, Yeon-ji's gaze shifted to the car's rearview mirror.

"That person following us from behind?"

"You're sharp as usual."

"You need to have some instinct just to survive."

As expected, Yeon-ji was quick on the uptake.

Considering she used to be Ji Yeon-hwa, that was only natural.

"When did they start?"

"Since the 'Super Hunter K' broadcast began."

"So right from the start... It hasn't always been like this up till now, has it?"

Of course not.

At first, all they did was express their interest by phone or email.

But as time went by, it started to take on a more threatening tone.

"By the way, I did think this recently, but you're really gutsy, you know? Most people would at least pretend to cower when politicians get involved."

"No good ever comes from getting entangled with them. And also, why do you keep calling me 'ajussi'?"

"..."

"Is it because you still remember how Ah-yeon called you 'ajumma' back in the day?"

"N-no! Wha—seriously, do I look that immature?"

Yeah, that's it.

She was probably building up to call me 'ajussi' step by step and then call Shin Ah-yeon 'ajumma' when she met her. I had no idea if she'd actually pull it off, though.

"Anyway, I'm meeting with PD Do today, so I need you to cover things for me."

"PD Do? Why with the Super Hunter K PD?"

"There's a reason."

Thanks to PD Do, Soo-ah blew up, but a bet is a bet.

It was my principle to collect on everything I could.

***

"Park Jung-woo has entered the HSN broadcast station."

Seated in a large van parked near where Park Jung-woo's car was, one of the men reported to someone over the phone.

"He never lets his guard down, huh? Is there a Hunter with him?"

"No. It seems he only has a pale-haired kid next to him. Besides, he went into the station alone—the kid's by herself."

"Really? Is that kid not an Awakener?"

"She could be, but at that age, there's not much to worry about. No matter how talented, they can't have a properly developed mana hall at that age."

The man kept rambling while watching the girl, who was yawning in the car.

Finally, the client working with him seemed reassured and continued.

"Alright, then check if there's anything useful in his car—bring back what you find."

"The kid's inside, though?"

"That's for you to handle. Actually, bringing the kid along as a hostage might be useful."

Isn't that blowing this way out of proportion? The man was about to say something when—

"Isn't that blowing this way out of proportion?"

A strange voice came from beside him.

When he turned his head, a girl was staring in through the half-open car window.

White hair, a slightly tanned adorable face, a black gem embedded in her forehead, and pointed ears unlike a human.

'Is she... even human?'

That's the impression the girl gave.

As the man failed to continue, a sharp voice came from his phone.

"What was that voice just now? Sounded like a girl?"

"Ooh, I should answer that."

"Shit!"

With the girl's remark, the man was startled and quickly hung up the phone.

No good would come from leaking more information.

"You crazy bitch...!"

He hurriedly tried to open the door and get out.

If only the van hadn't suddenly been hit with tremendous force and sent flying.

Boom! Bam! Bam!

As a tremendous impact was felt, the large van bounced once, then rolled over twice on the ground.

Thanks to that, the men inside found it impossible to collect themselves.

'What the— Why is the car...?'

Fortunately, being Awakeners, they weren't seriously injured, so he picked himself up and reached for the door again.

Crack!!

Of course, the door was torn off a moment faster, so his hand grasped only air.

"I just can't get used to this body."

The girl muttered something incomprehensible as she casually tossed aside the crushed door with her tiny hand.

It was an utterly surreal scene.

Only then did the men realize that the girl before them was no ordinary child, but an Awakener.

One that was leagues beyond your usual Awakener.

'Is this even possible?'

At most, she looked to be in her early to mid-teens.

Even giving her the benefit of the doubt, she couldn't be more than middle-school-aged.

Even if she'd Awakener in the womb, this kind of power wouldn't be possible.

"You're lost in thought."

The girl smiled sweetly at the man.

"I like people who think a lot."

"Wh-what...?"

"It means you must know a lot."

"!!"

Seeing the man turn pale, the girl—Yeon-ji—smiled.

This certainly wasn't something a 'good kid' would do.

She wondered if maybe this was a bit much, but shook her head.

After all, she was the one who let the leash go slack.

Besides, "trivial" incidents like this meant nothing to her.

As long as she could regain her magic, there was nothing she wouldn't do.

'Suddenly, I'm reminded of my old title.'

Witch.

Thinking back, it was a title quite fitting for her.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
This Jin Su-hyuk guy is definitely an asshole.
Also, Yeon-ji is a unit.
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