Chapter 31: Dangerous Invitation (1)

I walked down the hallway with Seol Ah-hyun, carrying the sleeping Shin Ahyeon in my arms.

“Teacher, it must be tough, right?” she asked.

Honestly, I’m practically raising these kids at the school.

I might end up on a TV show as a master childcare expert someday.

“I’ll give you a massage later,” she offered.

“Denied.”

Her shocked expression at my instant rejection was almost comical.

If she gave me a massage, I’d probably die.

My shoulder bones might actually shatter this time.

“By the way, why does the Guild Leader want to see you?” she asked.

“He has something I need.”

Whether he’d hand it over easily was another question.

I was already dreading what conditions he might impose.

But to resolve Kim Seogeon’s issue, I desperately needed his help.

Just then, Seol Ah-hyun’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

Checking the caller, she frowned and hit the decline button.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“Lee Chan-ho.”

She shuddered, as if the thought alone was repulsive.

A lovers’ quarrel, maybe?

Well, when you fight with someone you love, you probably don’t want to see them.

‘Wait… doesn’t Han Yuseong have a crush on Seol Ah-hyun?’

Lee Chan-ho and Han Yuseong.

Who should I root for in this love triangle?

I worried that once Han Yuseong matures, it might turn into a full-blown romantic rivalry.

“I should call Lee Chan-ho later,” I said.

Since he started his own guild, it’d be good to congratulate him.

He cleared an A-rank dungeon shortly after founding his independent guild—a feat worth celebrating.

“Absolutely do not contact Lee Chan-ho,” Seol Ah-hyun said firmly.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well… Lee Chan-ho’s been too busy to take calls lately.”

She vehemently opposed me calling him.

If he’s that busy, calling now would be rude.

I could always call later when he’s free.

“Let me know when you’re free to talk again,” I said.

Seol Ah-hyun took the sleeping Shin Ahyeon from my arms.

“Got it,” she replied.

With Seol Ah-hyun gone, it was time to get what I needed from the Guild Leader.

I really didn’t want to go in, but…

Steeling myself, I entered, and Yoon Kang-hyun’s smile greeted me first.

“I never imagined we’d meet again so soon,” he said.

“Me neither…” I replied.

Every time I stood before Yoon Kang-hyun, it felt like my blood was draining.

From his expression, it seemed he’d already known I’d come.

Well, nothing happens in this guild without Yoon Kang-hyun knowing.

“So, what brings a man with health issues to see me?” he asked.

“…I have a favor to ask.”

“You always come to me with favors. Am I just a convenient tool to you?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

Yoon Kang-hyun lowered his eyes, feigning a hurt expression.

But I caught the slight quiver at the corner of his mouth.

‘This guy… he’s messing with me.’

Realizing his intent, I shot him an incredulous look, and he let out a fake cough, looking embarrassed even to himself.

“So, what’s the favor?” he asked, getting to the point.

“You received an invitation to the Kangsan Group’s party, didn’t you?”

In two days, Kangsan Group’s 50th anniversary celebration would begin.

Only major corporate tycoons or large guild leaders were invited.

The world’s power was increasingly concentrating in the hands of hunters.

A cunning man like him wouldn’t miss the shifting global dynamics.

The event was called a party, but it was really about building ties with major guilds.

“I’m curious how you knew that,” he said.

“Haha…” I brushed it off with a laugh.

Without reading the book, someone like me would’ve never known.

I couldn’t confirm if Yoon Kang-hyun attended the Kangsan Group party.

The book only mentioned that major guild leaders were present.

“Kim Onyu, you’re like a treasure chest,” he said.

“Pardon?”

“A treasure chest that makes me curious about what’s inside.”

His smile was warm, but his gaze was not.

His cold, piercing stare was pressuring me.

I didn’t look away.

Showing any weakness here would give Yoon Kang-hyun an opening to exploit.

“Well, I wasn’t planning to go, so it’s just a useless piece of paper to me,” he said.

“…Let’s drop the act. You’re not planning to hand it over easily, are you?”

“Haha! As expected, only Kim Onyu truly understands me.”

Bursting into laughter, Yoon Kang-hyun pulled the invitation from his desk drawer.

“To me, it’s just a scrap of paper, but to you, it’s worth something different, isn’t it?”

‘This sly Guild Leader.’

Personal chit-chat was over.

Now it was time for a deal that benefited us both.

“What do you want in exchange for handing it over?” I asked.

“How about revising our original contract so you return to our guild? If you extend the contract by ten years, I’m even willing to throw in an elixir.”

So that was his goal.

To bring me back to the Hongyeom Guild.

To keep me within his sphere of control.

Yoon Kang-hyun watched me, waiting for an affirmative response.

“Guild Leader,” I said.

“Go ahead.”

“That’s not what you really want, is it? Stop joking and tell me what you actually want.”

Yoon Kang-hyun blinked in surprise.

If you listened closely, you could spot the contradiction in his words.

If he truly wanted me to stay permanently, he would’ve offered the elixir from the start.

But he didn’t.

He said he’d give it in exchange for me raising the kids.

What Yoon Kang-hyun wanted wasn’t my return.

I didn’t know his true intentions, but he wanted me to keep raising the kids.

That much was certain.

Yoon Kang-hyun, leaning forward, began chuckling, his shoulders shaking.

In all my time with the Hongyeom Guild, I’d never seen him laugh like that.

The sharpness I’d felt dulled quickly.

“Thanks to you, Kim Onyu, I’ve laughed more in a year than I ever have,” he said.

‘Is this guy seriously teasing me?’

“What you’re saying is half right, half wrong. First, I genuinely want you to return. But what I truly want is something else.”

Yoon Kang-hyun’s smiling face gradually grew serious.

Now we were getting to the real talk.

“On the contrary, I want to ask you: what bargaining chip did you bring here today?”

His words felt like they were tightening around me.

The pressure was greater than when I faced the Kangsan Group chairman.

As Yoon Kang-hyun said, I hadn’t come here empty-handed.

I’d brought a bargaining chip of my own.

Whether this would work on Yoon Kang-hyun was completely uncertain.

“The E-rank dungeon entrance closure incident. Would the truth about what happened then suffice?”

My savings? Or an artifact?

To Yoon Kang-hyun, those were like drops in the ocean.

Since he could acquire money or artifacts anytime, they weren’t important to him.

The one thing I had more of than Yoon Kang-hyun was information.

“…Why would I need to hear it from you when I could just ask someone else who was in the dungeon?” he asked.

“Of course there’s a reason.”

“What?”

“Because I know things others don’t.”

This dungeon closure was practically caused by me, after all.

For the first time, I saw hesitation in Yoon Kang-hyun’s demeanor.

I had to press forward now.

“Other major guilds are desperately searching for this information. I could use it to get an invitation elsewhere. I don’t necessarily need to get it from you, Guild Leader.”

I threw his own words back at him.

‘Come on, just agree already!’

The world’s first dungeon closure incident was already drawing attention from foreign media.

It was undoubtedly tantalizing information for Yoon Kang-hyun.

“You really go out of your way to entertain me, don’t you?” he said.

With a snap of his fingers, the invitation flew toward me.

“Let’s do this: I’ll give you the invitation in exchange for your information and a promise to fulfill one favor for me in the future.”

“…A favor?” I asked.

“Yes, in place of the debt you owe me from before.”

Because of Shin Ahyeon’s kidnapping incident, I was already indebted to Yoon Kang-hyun.

And now he was offering to wipe that slate clean.

It was undeniably the best deal for me—except for the unease about what favor he’d ask.

“It won’t be anything difficult or dangerous. I wouldn’t entrust such tasks to someone with mana overload like you,” he said.

“Can you tell me what the favor is?”

“Telling you now would spoil the fun. I’ll pass it along through the principal of Lava Elementary in a few weeks.”

‘This cunning man.’

Clearly, Yoon Kang-hyun was thoroughly enjoying this situation.

I suppressed the urge to use a skill to smack his shin.

“I accept,” I said.

It was the best choice I had at the moment.

Whatever Yoon Kang-hyun wanted likely wouldn’t be too hard.

And I desperately needed this invitation right now.

“Kim Onyu, one piece of advice before you go,” he said.

“What is it?”

Why was he setting such a serious tone?

Yoon Kang-hyun’s smile vanished, his expression colder than ever.

“Don’t blindly trust the disciples you’ve raised. Be cautious.”

“What do you mean by that?”

My brow furrowed.

He was telling me to suspect the kids I’d raised from childhood.

To me, that was more offensive than any insult or curse.

“It’s not confirmed yet, so I’m just offering it as advice.”

★★★

The party hosted by Kangsan Group was massive.

It drew top corporate tycoons from around the world.

I even spotted a few people from major guilds.

“Look over there! It’s Cha Kang-in, the S-rank hunter from Chakho Guild!” someone exclaimed.

Cha Kang-in, with his celebrity-like charisma, strode into the venue.

Chakho Guild.

Alongside Hongyeom, it was one of Korea’s top four guilds.

People trailed after him, eager to exchange even a few words.

‘Of all people, it had to be someone I’d rather avoid.’

Chakho Guild had been at odds with Hongyeom Guild since the beginning.

The rivalry intensified after Yoon Kang-hyun snatched all the A-rank dungeon raid rights from them.

It was so bad that guild members would growl at each other on sight.

‘But that’s a separate issue for me.’

I discreetly covered my face and moved forward.

I’d met Cha Kang-in once before.

He’d offered me a huge sum to join his guild, but I’d refused.

The venom in his eyes was still vivid in my memory.

‘He couldn’t imagine someone rejecting him.’

Who would turn down an offer from one of the top four guild leaders?

I’d completely bruised his ego.

Since then, I’d avoided him to prevent any complications.

“Teacher, let’s go inside already,” Kim Seogeon said, grabbing my hand, looking puzzled.

With his slicked-back hair and sharp suit, he resembled a wealthy young heir.

Oh, right—he is a wealthy heir.

“You too, come over here,” I called.

Han Yuseong approached with a reluctant expression.

I’d sent the other kids back to the countryside.

Thankfully, Seol Ah-yun had offered to escort them, so I was at ease.

I’d planned to send Han Yuseong back too.

But for some reason, he’d volunteered to stay.

I wanted to send him off, but this was Han Yuseong we’re talking about.

I didn’t believe he’d stay without a reason.

“Let’s go in,” I said.

When a celebrity arrived at the entrance, the crowd swarmed toward them.

Taking advantage of the distraction, we slipped into the venue unnoticed.

Polished marble floors and lavish delicacies filled the tables.

Each table had a sign.

We took seats at the one labeled “Hongyeom Guild.”

“Hongyeom Guild people?”

“First time seeing them. Are they high-ranking?”

‘I can hear you, you know.’