Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 127 : Between Celebrity and Hunter (3)

Between Celebrity and Hunter (3)

Originally, hunters in Korea, no matter how popular they were, had nowhere near the level of recognition that celebrities enjoyed.

That's because it hadn't been long since they had started to shed the image of mere monster-catching mercenaries who made money by hunting.

However, as hunters began to enter the entertainment industry one by one, perceptions gradually changed, and the image of the "Hunter Variety Show" began to make its way into mainstream broadcast.

"Even so, there were hardly any successful hunters among them..."

Na Byung-chul, the head of KDC's entertainment division, murmured as he pressed his throbbing temples.

Shin Ah-yeon.

Lee Soo-ah.

And now even Alencia.

If you asked who the hottest people were right now, everyone would name those three.

Shin Ah-yeon and Lee Soo-ah were lately making a splash in variety shows, and Alencia, who had just arrived in Korea, had been receiving tremendous attention since the moment she landed.

Of course, all three were still 'hunters'.

But their popularity and public recognition had already far exceeded that of ordinary hunters.

Until those three appeared on television, the most recognized hunter had been Baek Hojun of Moon Halo.

He was particularly popular with female fans due to his handsome looks and the fact that he was an S-rank hunter.

But even he had only been popular among hunters.

"Thinking about it, it all started with Shin Ah-yeon."

The first start had been on a cable variety show.

After a three-year hiatus, her variety show comeback was through a cable broadcast called "If I Turn It On, I'll Play King."

That too—

It caught attention as an S-rank hunter would be playing the game, and her prominent performance in Dungeon Expeditionary Team proved that the "great mage" had made a perfect return.

While she didn't have much of an impact or say much on "Super Hunter K", leading to people thinking she wasn't good at talking, the currently airing "Living Together" proved otherwise by showing an unexpected side to her.

And after Lee Soo-ah's shocking debut on 'Super Hunter K', she, along with Shin Ah-yeon, steadily grew her recognition through "Living Together" and had recently become a familiar presence even in public service advertisements.

Alencia... though she hadn't really appeared on a broadcast yet, considering the incident that blew up in the US, it was certain she would cause a major stir.

"She formed a fandom based on her looks alone, after all."

Things like being the daughter of a criminal were now meaningless.

She was the most shocking S-rank hunter and the only hunter to have single-handedly defeated an SS-rank over-monster.

"Has there still been no contact from Manager Park Jung-woo?"

"N-no, not at all..."

Na Byung-chul looked at PD Heo Seong-man, who sat with his head bowed.

The very person who ruined the ambitious variety show he'd planned.

Not only that, but someone who'd made enemies of some of the hottest personalities right now—a person who deserved even more scorn than he'd received.

"PD Heo, I don't usually want to say things like this. Are you even thinking? Because of what you did, what do you think Unique now thinks of KDC? I only told you to keep them in check—not destroy the relationship!"

'... Wasn't the real problem the fact that I started all this just to check them once in the first place?'

In his mind, he wanted to say so, but PD Heo couldn't speak up.

But what else could he do? The other party held the power, and he was, in the end, nothing more than a subordinate.

"Starting with Shin Ah-yeon and Lee Soo-ah, viewers have been showing positive responses towards other hunter or awakened cast members. And the basis for that is currently HSN."

The so-called 'hunter variety shows', which used to be considered minor, were gradually becoming more mainstream.

The hunter variety produced by HSN had recently shown a clear rise in viewership.

That was possible because of a superstar—

The very existence of Shin Ah-yeon was starting to disrupt the broadcast ecosystem.

That much was fine.

If that was the trend, KDC just had to get on board as well.

But the key issue was that the one who started that trend was now hostile toward KDC.

"Do whatever it takes, but make sure to resolve this."

If you can't, you'll take full responsibility.

So, whether you win them over or use another method—

Solve this problem no matter what.

Na Byung-chul's cold gaze said as much.

***

Meeting Superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo was, in truth, practically the first time since the Shim Chun-hoo incident.

It was rare for the Awakener Crime Investigation Division to contact me first, and most matters had been handled by Lieutenant Yang Ji-ho, who worked under Shim Hyuk-soo.

"Hey, long time no see, manager Park."

He joked with an air that brought back memories of our first meeting.

The last time I'd seen him, he'd been severely worn down, but he seemed much recovered now.

"You must be crazy busy, but I don't have anyone else to turn to."

"No problem. You texted, but could you explain in a bit more detail?"

"Yes, of course."

Among the texts I'd received recently, superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo's message stood out.

He'd asked if I could arrange for Soo-ah to provide security at 'Relic Fiesta'.

"As you know, this year the Relic Fiesta is being held in Korea. The items are already here, and the event is scheduled two weeks from now."

Relic Fiesta, put simply, was an event for countries to compete in artifact production, and also an auction where rare artifacts could be procured. Originally, it had begun about thirty years ago as an event organized by a British businessman, but it had since grown to the point that every country wanted to host it.

Last year, it was held in Japan and received much praise, so it seemed Korea had been sharpening its knives for this turn.

"Not that I personally cared much."

For hunters, Relic Fiesta was a highly important event.

Many of the newest hunter equipment items made their debut there, and they could be purchased cheaper at auction.

However, artifact production technology here was behind, and for someone like me with access to advanced artifact creation techniques, it was meaningless.

For example, the strongest magical metal, orichalcum, didn't even exist here, and even mithril—the next best—was almost impossible to obtain.

"I'm acting as the head of security for the event... but the problem is, we're short on security staff. Including the Awakener Crime Investigation Division, there aren't enough awakened officers available."

If the military was mobilized, it would be a different story, but having soldiers guard an auction wasn't a good look for the country.

Also, the fact that Shim Hyuk-soo was security chief showed that his abilities, as a state-affiliated awakened, were among the best.

"Superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo is A-rank, though almost S-rank, but..."

There was no need to explain the caliber of those below him.

"I heard Grand Nova and the top three guilds have promised support?"

"Yes. We have plenty of support from hunters below A-rank."

Which is to say, they'd gotten no S-rank hunters.

The only times the state can compel S-rank hunters are in cases of natural disaster or likely mass casualties.

No matter how important the Relic Fiesta, S-rank hunters can't be forced to show up.

"There must've been additional demands."

"Yes, that's right."

According to Shim Hyuk-soo, in return for lending S-rank hunters, Grand Nova and Moon Halo demanded three priority entries to A-rank dungeons each.

For management agencies, A-rank dungeons were some of the most lucrative income opportunities, and vital for acquiring special resources.

That's why there had been disputes and competition, and until regulations were made, the higher guilds had monopolized the dungeons.

"In fact, the act to fairly distribute A-rank dungeons helped accelerate the guilds' collapse."

When the state began directly managing A-rank dungeons and allocating them fairly to all managements and guilds capable of clearing, guilds that survived by focusing solely on dungeon raids disappeared.

"But, as you know, I can't just promise something like that, which is why I'm reaching out, manager Park."

"I understand. You must have gone through a lot."

I nodded and considered for a moment.

"If those priority entries are distributed accordingly, it'll be hard to get A-rank dungeons for a while."

What a bunch of scumbags.

"It would be too difficult, right? If Unique steps up, neither the Big 3 managements nor Grand Nova will be happy about it..."

"No, it's fine."

"Pardon?"

Shim Hyuk-soo looked startled.

He probably didn't expect much, just tried asking on the off chance.

"Surely, before, I would've refused."

If Unique were to antagonize Grand Nova or the three top guilds, it would have been complicated.

But things were different now.

Unique had three S-rank hunters.

Even if the middle tier was thin, at this level, nobody could ignore us.

"Good timing, too."

Owing a favor to the government through this would only be an advantage.

Especially because there was something I wanted to ask of Shim Hyuk-soo.

"I'll provide two S-rank hunters for Relic Fiesta."

"T-two, not just one?"

"In return, there are a few things I'd like to ask in exchange."

Shim Hyuk-soo, astonished at my offer, gave me a face as if to say, "Of course, that's more like it."

He must have expected an outrageous demand, as other organizations had made.

"Sorry, but if it's something like A-rank dungeon priority, I can't..."

"No need to worry. That's not what I want."

What I was going to ask was something already connected to Shim Hyuk-soo.

No, it was information he himself had been doggedly chasing.

"It concerns those who drove Shim Chun-hoo to his death."

***

"Is this information accurate?"

"Yes, it's confirmed. Unique has committed to providing two S-rank hunters to this Relic Fiesta."

Kang Gi-hun, representative and guildmaster of the Javelin Guild, ground his teeth.

In the past, he would have written them off as lunatics.

Snatching this opportunity from not just the Big 3 managements, but even Grand Nova.

"How can a tiny management agency like that have three S-rank hunters?!"

It had made sense when they only had Shin Ah-yeon and Lee Soo-ah.

But after a trip to America, they'd brought back another S-rank, Alencia.

And Alencia wasn't even a typical S-rank hunter.

She was an awakened who had single-handedly defeated Titan, an SS-rank over-monster.

The US government claimed a special condition was necessary, but since the condition hadn't been revealed, nobody dared to move against her.

"If she wasn't registered as SS-rank, there must be a reason."

In any case, the important thing was that Unique now had a total of two more S-rank hunters including Alencia.

And wasn't the genius who might soon become an S-rank hunter, Hwang Yeon-ji, also with Unique?

"All of this started since Park Jung-woo, that bastard, joined Unique."

To Kang Gi-hun, he was a man who deserved far worse.

Just how much damage had that guy inflicted on the Javelin Guild?

Because of him, even the demons' attitudes toward Javelin were growing colder.

If things went on, they'd definitely be abandoned.

He had to recover from the drop in credibility caused by Shim Chun-hoo's affair.

Fortunately, Kang Gi-hun knew exactly how.

"At Relic Fiesta... I'll kill him."

"A-at Relic Fiesta? But, there will be a lot of other hunters there... and two S-rank hunters too."

"We'll need collaborators. Doesn't matter how much money it costs. If we don't succeed in this, nothing else will matter anyway."

There were plenty of criminals targeting Relic Fiesta.

If they made use of that, killing Park Jung-woo—and even S-rank hunters—was not impossible.

After all, even S-rank hunters were still flesh and blood.

"Tell Sebin-nim. No matter what, we're taking him down—please lend a little help."

"U-understood."

Han Byung-ho, who had taken over after Shim Hyuk-soo as the Javelin Guild's vice-guildmaster, nodded reluctantly.

Kang Gi-hun's order was reckless, but for Javelin's survival, there was no other way.

Ever since Damien, the leader of the demons, returned to Korea, the behavior of the demons had become increasingly strange.

"Park Jung-woo, you idiot. Bringing death on yourself."

People ought to live within their limits.

With Kang Gi-hun, who was connected to so many in the hunter world, moving directly, Park Jung-woo was as good as dead.

At least, that's what Han Byung-ho thought.

At that time.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Again, stupid is what stupid does.

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】