I Was Betrayed But It's Okay haha

Chapter 103

"Keke, Lee Soo-ah Hunter."

"Yes..."

Lee Soo-ah seemed to have calmed down a bit. After pouring out her thoughts, she appeared to be sorting through a mix of conflicting emotions.

"Don’t be like that~"@@@@

"Yes."

"Try this approach instead. That way of acting won’t get you anywhere. It’s too childish."

"Hah... Then what should I do...?"

"You should be more compliant with Ji-hoon’s wishes~ Show him that you care about him and support him. Acting out like this won’t help at all~"

Section Chief Cha sipped his coffee as he calmly advised Lee Soo-ah.

"Hmm... so then..."

"Here’s what you should try."

Section Chief Cha began to offer various suggestions to Lee Soo-ah.

Knock, knock.

It was Cha I-seul.

"Ji-hoon, I was thinking..."

She entered with a serious expression, indicating she had something important to discuss.

"What do you think about us tackling high-level dungeons?"

"Hmm? High-level dungeons?"

"Yeah, not just A-rank dungeons, but at least S-rank or higher."

"Hmm..."

Her suggestion was bold. Typically, large guilds focused on A and B-rank dungeons to make money, but she was proposing that we aim higher.

"Isn’t that too dangerous? There’s probably a reason why others don’t attempt it."

"True, but we have four S-rank Hunters. I think we might be able to handle it. We don’t need to do the same as other guilds. We’re in a unique position."

"Hmm."

It wasn’t a bad idea, though it did seem a bit risky.

"Besides..."

Cha I-seul frowned slightly.

"The Hunter Association has been putting a lot of pressure on us."

"Pressure?"

"Yeah. You might not know this since you’ve only recently become an S-rank Hunter, but the association has been pushing S-rank Hunters to take on more dangerous dungeons."

She looked rather troubled.

"Why?"

"It seems that the higher-level dungeons are slowly expanding because no one’s clearing them. If left unchecked, they might start encroaching on civilian areas."

It made sense, but it wasn’t an easy task.

"And the current S-rank Hunters aren’t able to handle it?"

"Exactly. They’re all spread out across different guilds, so it’s been difficult to coordinate. But now that we have four S-rank Hunters in our guild, I think we might be able to take on the challenge."

Knock, knock.

"Uh, Ji-hoon hyung. The Hunter Association president is on the line... It seems like you should go see him."

Just as we were discussing, I received my first call from the Hunter Association president.

"I’ll go."

I had to move quickly.

‘The Hunter Association president... This is a bit nerve-wracking.’

After all, he was the most powerful figure in the Hunter industry.

"Baek Ji-hoon?"

"Yes."

His voice was sharp from the start.

"How did you become an S-rank Hunter?"

"Yes."

Squeak.

"Um... Ji-hoon..."

Her demeanor had completely changed. Where she had once been whiny, she now seemed more composed and demure.

‘What’s going on? Lee Soo-ah? What happened to her? Did she take some kind of medication?’

"Ji-hoon... Is there anything you need?"

"Not at the moment."

"If you ever need anything, please call me. I’ll do my best to help."

"You?"

"Yes..."

Her behavior was completely different, as if she were a whole new person—kind, gentle, and polite.

The demanding, clingy side of her was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm... Okay. I’ll keep that in mind."

Though it felt odd and suspicious, I decided to see where this would lead.

"Phew... At least I’ve taken the first step..."

Lee Soo-ah took a deep breath as she left Baek Ji-hoon’s office.

‘Soo-ah, pull yourself together. S-rank Hunters might keep flooding in, and you could end up being left out in the cold. You can’t let that happen. Stay calm and approach this slowly.’

With a determined expression, she headed towards Hunter Section 1.

"Um... Section Chief?"

"Yes?"

"How’s the preparation going for what I asked earlier?"

"Oh... Yes, yes."

The Section Chief looked a bit startled, clearly not expecting such a change in Lee Soo-ah’s behavior.

"Um... Deputy Chief Lee Soo-ah...?"

"Yes?"

"Did you take some medicine?"

"No? Why?"

"You seem... different."

"Oh, come on, Chief."

Lee Soo-ah smiled slightly.

‘What’s going on with Soo-ah...? This is so unlike her.’

This was the most unrecognizable version of Lee Soo-ah he had ever seen. When she had led A-Team alone, she had exuded the aura of a general. But now, she seemed almost feminine.

‘Hah... I can’t get used to this...’

He couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

"Hmm. Independent dungeon expeditions for each department are fine, but I’m thinking of organizing a team of S-rank Hunters to tackle an S-rank dungeon. What do you think?"

I was discussing this with Hyung-seok.

"Uh... just S-rank Hunters...?"

"Yeah."

"That’s never been done before."

"It’s not that it hasn’t been done—it’s that no one could do it. S-rank Hunters used to fight among themselves. But I don’t think that’ll be an issue for us."

"Well... that’s true."

"So, I’m planning to give it a try."

"Hmm. If it works out, it could be huge. S-rank dungeon items are incredibly rare, and they sell for ten times the price of A-rank items."

"What? Really?"

It meant that, unlike A-rank dungeons, where large guilds had driven the market price down due to competition, S-rank dungeon items were still extremely valuable due to their rarity.

‘Then it’s obvious—we should focus on S-rank dungeons.’

I felt a surge of excitement.