Chapter 137 - Chapter 137 (1/2)

"HUH?"

The answer sounded the same but its 'nuance' was rather a lot different than the one that came before. If she was kidding around just now, then she was dead serious this time.

"What's wrong? You think it's weird?"

".....Oppa, why are you naming your Guild like that?"

"Because I like moving around solo."

"It does sound like you, but still, isn't it a bit strange to name your Guild like that?"

"Why?"

"Isn't your ability summoning out those black-armoured soldiers?"

"Yeah."

"So, if you get technical about it, you aren't fighting alone, right?"

Now that he heard her opinion, that made some sense. Jin-Woo nodded his head.

'I may think of it as just another one of my skills but it won't look that way to other people, is that it?'

Indeed, she had a point there.

This Guild might end up accompanying him for the rest of his life, so he wanted to give it a name that best represented who he was. And that's why he went with 'Solo Play', but now....

'If the true meaning doesn't come across all that well, it'll be useless.'

What could be another term that could describe him the best?

Jin-Woo asked his sister's opinion again.

"How about 'Ah-Jin' Guild?"

"Ahjin?"

Jin-Ah mouthed the name for a bit, before asking him back with a smile.

"I kinda like it, cuz it sounds like my name but flipped around. But, what does it even mean?"

"Ah (我) means 'myself' and Jin (進) means 'moving forward'."

Meaning, only he could tread on this road. And it was a name he wanted to give to the Guild that would grow alongside him.

"Combine them together, and you get the meaning of 'I shall progress forward'. That's Ah-Jin (我進)."

"Ohh..."

Jin-Ah came up with the best praise she could think of.

"You know, that doesn't sound bad at all."

***

Next day.

Jin-Woo went to the office armed with the new Guild name.

"Hey. It's about the Guild's name...."

Yu Jin-Ho had been in the office since early morning, working. When he heard the new name from Jin-Woo, a brilliant smile formed on his face.

"That is an excellent name, hyung-nim!!"

Didn't they say that a swan floating elegantly on water was kicking furiously under the surface? Yu Jin-Ho had been feeling as desperate as that old saying.

'Whatever it is, everything will be fine as long as it's not Solo Play.'

He imagined 'it' so, so many times already. And that would be him introducing himself as 'Hello, I'm Yu Jin-Ho, Vice-Chairman of the Solo Play Guild'.

That seriously tormented him.

He couldn't be sure of why, but a corner of his heart ached every time he imagined himself saying those words. However, how could he dare to rebel against a name that hyung-nim had worked so hard to come up with?

He resigned himself to that fate but then, a heaven-sent opportunity came knocking in his way!

"Hyung-nim, let's go with that as our Guild's name!"

Jin-Woo made his decision after receiving his partner's genuine consent this time.

"Okay, so we decided on the Guild's name, finally."

Yu Jin-Ho began crying out in elation inwardly after hearing Jin-Woo make that declaration. Meanwhile, the latter rubbed his chin and muttered out.

"The remaining issue is the last founding member slot, isn't it?"

"Oh, that. Hyung-nim?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim yesterday?"

"I don't think it'll work out with Hunter Cha. She's not exactly who I've been looking for."

'Keok?!'

Yu Jin-Ho hastily swallowed a shocked gasp. He expected his hyung-nim to hold a high standard, but to think that he'd not be satisfied with a Hunter on Cha Hae-In's level!

Hunter Cha Hae-In was a rank S, she was still very young, her records were excellent, and to top them all off, she was beautiful as well. No matter from which angle, she was pretty much perfect. At least, from the perspective of an 'average' joe, that was.

However, would the word 'average' even apply to his hyung-nim?

'I mean, he almost swept away all the rank S monsters by himself in the first public raid he participated in as a rank S, after all.'

It'd be oh-so-obvious that 'regular' rank S Hunters wouldn't even be able to catch his attention. But, if that was the case then just what kind of a Hunter would satisfy hyung-nim's strict judging criteria?

It felt as if the hundreds of applications this yet-to-be-named Guild had received recently all due to the name of 'Seong Jin-Woo' were about to be thrown into a trash heap now.

'But, I don't think anyone will be better than Hunter Cha Hae-In among the rest of the applicants, though....'

Yu Jin-Ho was suddenly beset with worry that the Guild might never get to open its door at this rate, and he cautiously asked Jin-Woo.

"Excuse me, hyung-nim. What kind of a person are you looking for, anyway?"

"Someone with a Hunter licence who doesn't care much about the Guild's activity but we can still place our trust in."

"Uh....?"

Yu Jin-Ho thought up of a person meeting that criteria perfectly right away.

'Isn't that.....'

It was then.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the office's entrance.

"Who is it?"

Yu Jin-Ho stood up from his seat and opened the door. And he found two unfamiliar men standing there looking somewhat awkward and all.

They were none other than Chairman Park Jong-Su and his deputy, Jeong Yun-Tae of the Knight Order Guild, who rushed up to Seoul to have a chat with Jin-Woo.

Park Jong-Su recognised Jin-Woo first and formed a bright smile.

"Oh! You're here."

Jin-Woo got up from his seat and asked them.

"Who are you?"

"Ah, where are my manners?"

Park Jong-Su hurriedly walked up closer and extended his hand out for a gentlemanly handshake.

"I'm Park Jong-Su, the Master of the Knight Order."

Jin-Woo nodded his head in acceptance. Indeed, he thought he had seen this man's face from somewhere before. Even if he wasn't all that interested, he'd still recognise a Master of one of the five major Guilds in South Korea. Such a guy would constantly pop up in news and in television shows, after all.

However, the Knight Order was a major Guild based in the city of Busan, so....

After that brief introduction, Jin-Woo could only tilt his head in confusion.

"By the way, what brings the representatives from the Knight Order to Seoul like this, if I may ask?"

"Ahh, the thing is...."

Park Jong-Su hesitated slightly before exchanging a couple of glances with Jeong Yun-Tae. With some difficulty, he opened his mouth.

"We got assigned a pretty big fish among the rank A Gates, and...."

Hesitation disappeared from his eyes almost immediately as he carried on.

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you won't regret it from hearing us out, that much I assure you. Would you mind taking some time out of your day and listen to what I have to say?"

***

[Citizens cowering in fear at the super-large Gate appearing before the Gwang-An-ri's coastline....]

[The Hunter's Association, still deliberating on the raid permit.]

[Will the Knight Order Guild give up on the raid of Gwang-An-ri's Gate?]

[Will the nightmare of Jeju Island repeat itself?]

Park Jong-Su picked one out of the many online news articles and then, played the video clip embedded in it.

- Hey, look at that. Over there. Are you filming this?

- Uh, uh.