novelburst-info
Chapter 84
Chapter 84
After the source of the capital was clarified,
Hae Eung-eung boldly decided to contribute 20 billion won.
[I'll pay the deposit with my own money.]
"Isn't that too much of a burden?"
[You said we could earn money by participating in guild activities, right?]
"By hunting monsters, gathering mana stones, or accepting contracted missions with fixed rewards."
[Are there any missions that involve teaching martial arts?]
"Teaching missions... Let me check on that."
Sokyeongseok quickly brought back the information.
"There are three main types of teaching missions: private tutoring, special instructor invitations for Awakener academies, and martial arts instruction for Awakener guild members in small and medium guilds."
"Ah, did you have the same thought as me, sister?"
Hae Eung-eung nodded in agreement.
An Awakener academy.
Having already worked as an adjunct instructor once, she had a sense of what the teaching job would be like. The treatment of special instructors would likely be better than that of adjunct instructors.
[I'm not interested in the Awakener academy in this area.]
The academy that trains reserve guild members for Myeongho Guild.
There was no reason for her to train their Awakener trainees.
"Understood. Then, I'll exclude the academy requests nearby and show you the private sector requests first."
Private sector requests varied greatly, from the cost of the mission to the conditions of the education.
"In the private sector, they want a martial arts instructor who will personally train a disciple over a long period of time. The pay is also high."
[This one looks good to me.]
Hae Eung-eung chose the request after considering just two things:
How little she could work and how much she would be paid.
"Hehe, it’s true that the best requests are those where you work little and get paid a lot. But these requests come with strict conditions, as the clients value their time as much as money."
[It’s rare to find a teacher stronger than me.]
"Of course, I believe our guild leader will never lose in a fight anywhere. But what these clients are looking for is a martial arts certification."
[Do they accept Awakener certifications as well?]
"Unfortunately, no. Let me check... The request you just chose is asking for a martial arts instructor with a level of 20 or higher in any martial art. They also want to review tournament records."
Hae Eung-eung looked disappointed.
Sokyeongseok found this surprising.
"Do you not have any tournament records?"
[No.]
"How about martial arts certification? What rank do you hold?"
[None.]
"...That’s even more frightening. To have such incredible skill without even learning martial arts."
Joo Ah-young proudly added,
"My sister trained alone in the mountains in seclusion!"
"Is that true?"
Hae Eung-eung nodded.
She had the skill, but it was difficult to meet the conditions required by private clients.
Sokyeongseok quickly excluded all private sector requests from the list.
"Then, the requests from Awakener guilds for martial arts instruction should be easier for you."
[Do they not require certifications or tournament records?]
"Of course not."
"Then why are you crossing out guilds from the Awakener guild list?"
"Hehe, don’t worry about those places. They’re insignificant."
[I think the guild with a star mark on the list has also been crossed out.]
"Hehe, it’s just a feeling."
Awakeners do look at certifications and tournament records.
But Sokyeongseok, not wanting to cause any tension by stating it frankly, laughed it off.
As a result, what remained were guilds that didn’t care about certifications or tournament records and could be confronted head-on.
“These guilds require Awakener-exclusive martial arts that are practical and applicable in real combat. They demand new martial arts that combine greater strength and technique than regular martial arts, so these are the toughest requests.”
[Should I also learn swordsmanship?]
"Of course. The reason is that in dungeons, swords are the most common equipment item, so Awakeners tend to use swords as their primary weapon."
Hae Eung-eung looked at the request form with an unsatisfied expression.
[There’s no payment mentioned.]
“Don’t worry. I’ve removed all the scammers from the list. This is just a show of confidence, saying that they’ll pay according to your skill level.”
[Is that so?]
According to her skill level.
A faint smile appeared on Hae Eung-eung’s lips.
‘That’s something only a true master would say—someone who can recognize talent.’
Would there be a master who could satisfy her in that guild?
Her curiosity was piqued.
[I'll go with this one.]
Although there was 20 billion for the deposit,
the expenses for establishing the guild were immense.
She would need to pay salaries to the employees,
purchase a guild office, and buy the necessary equipment.
There would also be expenses for operational vehicles and business-related costs.
So for the time being, she would need to make money.
“Sis, what about me? How can I help?”
With a kind expression, Hae Eung-eung placed the notebook page on her sister’s forehead.
[Joo Ah-young’s Daily Schedule]
Myo-si (5 AM) - Wake up
One hour of Mabo posture training
One hour of running
One hour of martial arts techniques
O-si (11 AM) - 1 hour lunch and rest
One hour of internal cultivation
One hour of academic study
One hour of specialized knowledge study
Yu-si (6 PM) - 30-minute dinner
One hour of free training
Joo Ah-young looked distressed as she saw the packed schedule on the page.
“Is this today too? I’m the only Awakener who doesn’t go hunting but only trains!”
[Trust me. You’ll be grateful one day.]
“Who doesn’t trust you, sis? I was just... a little nervous, that’s all.”
While doing this, it felt like her sister was getting stronger, and Hae Eung-eung understood those feelings well. She pointed out the parts of the training that were necessary.
Academic study and specialized knowledge may sound odd for a martial artist’s education, but they were surprisingly important.
To read secret manuals, one had to understand Chinese characters, and accumulating knowledge about muscle anatomy and the human body was helpful for both external and internal cultivation.
[The kids who learn outside will have to pay more for worse training.]
“Really?”
Her sister was always on her side.
Joo Ah-young, feeling happy, was full of determination.
‘I’ll train hard, and then I’ll enjoy Jumping Rabbit too!’
A total of 7 hours of training (14 hours) per day.
Min Woosung and Ujiwoo prayed that Joo Ah-young would get tired of training and not be able to hear the Jumping Rabbit sounds anymore, but Joo Ah-young had the stamina and mental strength from her five years of balancing Awakener training and part-time work at a convenience store, so she could enjoy the training schedule and still make time for Jumping Rabbit.
It was a futile prayer.
Daesan Guild.
Unlike guilds with administrative regions bearing their name,
Daesan Guild hadn’t yet grown strong enough to control a region.
However, Awakener members from Daesan Guild were known for their excellent physical training, and the guild was recognized within the industry.
"The problem is that these bastards use their recognition to scout away all the talent. We worked hard to raise them, but they all want to join better guilds, and they take them away with penalty fees, leaving us unable to do anything. We’re losing all our kids."
The Guild Master of Daesan Guild, Cheol Daesan, began complaining as soon as they met.
Though his words were long-winded, the main point was simple.
“You want to stop the talent drain and have martial arts skills that won’t make you inferior to other guilds, right?”
"Exactly!"
“And ideally, you'd want martial arts that are differentiated from existing styles.”
"Yes!"
“The training period is flexible, but we can offer top-tier compensation in the industry.”
"Of course!"
"In that case, we’ll need the help of our teacher."
The negotiation went smoothly.
But Cheol Daesan wasn’t a pushover.
“However, we’ll need to see the teacher’s skills first.”
"I think it's fine for you to come in."
At Sokyeongseok’s words, Hae Eung-eung stepped into the interview room.
Instead of the outfit Joo Ah-young had chosen for her, Hae Eung-eung was fully geared in combat attire.
Her imposing appearance made Cheol Daesan, who had failed to maintain his dignity as a B-class Awakener, jump up from his seat.
‘Heh. This Cheol Daesan was on guard? Against a young, small Awakener girl?’
Cheol Daesan couldn’t hide his surprise.
Small stature, young age, and a woman—conditions typically unfavorable for becoming a strong Awakener.
If they crossed paths on the street, most would smile warmly and think nothing of it, but Cheol Daesan felt intense caution.
“Are you a swordsman?”
Hae Eung-eung nodded.
"Even though you don’t have certifications or tournament records, I’m sure you can confidently claim to be the best swordsman in Korea, based on the unique swordsmanship you developed in the mountains, away from the world.”
Sokyeongseok eagerly praised her, but Cheol Daesan remained serious, his body tense, barely able to suppress a reaction.
‘This is as intriguing as the veteran masters from Myeongho Guild.’
With a sense of danger, Hae Eung-eung mentally traced the sword’s trajectory, and Cheol Daesan’s body subtly reacted.
The animal-like senses he displayed showed that he was talented enough to begin training in swordsmanship.
"Cheol Daesan? If you don’t like our teacher, just observe their skill once..."
“I’ve seen enough. If I can’t feel anything from this, I might as well quit being the guild master. But I’ll ask you one thing.”
With a serious expression, Cheol Daesan asked Hae Eung-eung.
“What martial art do you think we need the most?”
Sokyeongseok thought alone,
‘It’s probably something that will use all their muscles. With just a punch, these guys could crush any monster into a bloody mess.’
Maybe she would teach them greatsword techniques?
But as he considered Daesan Guild’s strengths, Sokyeongseok realized that Hae Eung-eung saw their weaknesses.
[What Daesan Guild needs is a martial art that tames the wildness.]
Cheol Daesan clapped.
“Excellent! Most people would teach us a martial art that focuses solely on brute strength, but we never struggled with power.”
[Because of their overly sensitive instincts, ordinary martial arts often cause problems during training.]
“Exactly. We have the money to afford it, but we couldn’t find the right martial art because of these sensitive instincts.”
[Do all the guild members have the same issue?]
“I’m embarrassed to say, but we have the same bloodline. It's the werewolf lineage.”
The werewolf lineage.
“It’s a trait where human and wolf blood mix, giving humans the wildness of monsters.”
It reminded Hae Eung-eung of the Half-Beast Tribe. Her curiosity grew.
[Could I see your guild members?]
“Of course.”
Cheol Daesan led her to the training room where the guild members gathered.
And something unexpected happened when they arrived.
“Huh? Silent Swordsman?”
“Holy crap, it's real!”
“Silent Swordsman is here!”
“What? For real?”
“Waaaaah!”
“I’m a fan! Please sign!”
“Can I shake your hand?”
“Can you show us your wind-cutting technique?”
An unintended fan meeting was about to unfold.