Guild scouts were more formidable than one might think. Many went as far as entering restricted examination halls undercover as examinees to scout potential recruits.

    Park Pyung-sik was one such scout.

    This way, he could get ahead and secure genuine talents before anyone else. While this approach wasn’t mainstream yet, it would soon become the standard in the future.

    In that sense, Park was an early adopter.

    Suho nodded, then asked, “There’s no way my exam results have been leaked yet. Did you enter as a candidate yourself, Mr. Scout?”

    “Yes, I did. I’ve been observing you since your spar with Park Yong.”

    That would make things much quicker.

    This was a great opportunity for Suho.

    “Good, then we can skip any lengthy explanations. What kind of terms do you have in mind?”

    Park’s face brightened at the mention of terms. Candidates who asked directly were often easier to recruit.

    “You’ve just become a Hunter, so we can’t offer anything extreme. But we promise the best conditions among new recruits.”

    “Best conditions for a rookie, huh... but it’s still rookie-level, right?”

    “True, but since you don’t have a record as a Hunter yet, even Hexagon would offer a similar contract.”

    “Do you really think so?”

    “Excuse me?”

    “You heard about the Gate at Sindorim Station yesterday, didn’t you?”

    “Yes, I’m aware. But why bring that up now...”

    “Being from Prime, it seems your information is a bit slow. Maybe because it just happened? Anyway, I was the solo conqueror of that Gate.”

    “...What?”

    “If you don’t believe me, check the news later. We can revisit the terms once that’s confirmed, right?”

    “W-Wait! Hold on a moment!”

    “Oh, come on. You’ll have to discuss it internally anyway, right? Take your time and reach out. By the way, here’s my number.”

    With that, Suho shared his number with Park, then took his leave.

    Holding Suho’s number, Park stared blankly for a moment before hurriedly dialing his guild. This was an emergency.

    ***

    The next day.

    No surprises awaited.

    In this digital era, results were released within a day, and Suho received word of his passing directly from Jung Chul-min.

    - “Congratulations on passing, Suho.”

    “Thank you, Team Leader.”

    - “Thanks to you, we managed to catch a lot of cheaters using skill-doping. Just as you said, all of them were juicing up with skills. This is going to be reported in the media, and the exam regulations will be tightened moving forward.”

    That was good news.@@@@

    If unworthy Hunters filled the ranks, not only would it tarnish the profession’s reputation, but it would also lead to a decline in Gate success rates and more innocent casualties.

    “I’m glad. Fair exams are always better.”

    - “Exactly. Also... it’s about to be announced, but you’re the top scorer in this exam. Congratulations once again.”

    Suho smiled.

    Of course. After all the fuss, they couldn’t not award him the top spot.

    Still, he replied modestly.

    “Thank you. I guess I’ve done well, thanks to you.”

    - “Haha, it’s not like I did anything... The full list will be on the Association’s website this afternoon. Your name will be at the top as the number one candidate.”

    “Got it. Thank you.”

    Just as Suho was about to hang up, Jung hesitated before continuing.

    - “It feels awkward to ask this right after you’ve passed, but... do you still want to join the Association?”

    Suho chuckled at that.

    “Absolutely. We went through a lot to bring him in as an Olympic hopeful. This time, Hexagon will come out on top.”

    Hexagon and Prime Guild were neck-and-neck, competing for the industry’s top spot. They had rivalries across various areas, including the Hunter exams.

    Hexagon had been losing to Prime for several cycles, so they had recruited Kim Gi-hyun, an Olympic hopeful, as their trump card this time.

    “Good afternoon, everyone.”

    At that moment, the deputy guild leader, Han Tae-hyun, entered the room.

    Given the importance of this project, he was there to review the results before reporting to the guild leader.

    Han took the seat at the head of the table and asked, “So, we’ll finally beat Prime this time, right?”

    “No question, Deputy Leader. Gi-hyun will show them what we’re made of.”

    “Looking forward to it.”

    One of the staff members, who had been refreshing the Association’s website, suddenly spoke up.

    “It’s up!”

    All eyes turned to the screen at the front of the room, where the Association’s website displayed the list of successful candidates.

    They were prepared to celebrate their victory.

    Everyone expected Kim Gi-hyun’s name to top the list.

    But as soon as the results appeared, frowns spread across their faces.

    “Huh...?”

    “What...?”

    “What is this?”

    When the Association released results, the top three names—first, second, and third place—appeared at the top of the list.

    In other words, the name at the far left should have been Kim Gi-hyun’s.

    Yet his name was nowhere to be seen.

    Instead...

    **Top Candidates**

    1. Ahn Suho

    2. Park Yong

    3. Kang Dae-han

    ...and so on.

    Familiar but unexpected names filled the list.

    Everyone at Hexagon was momentarily speechless.

    ***

    Dongdaemun Market.

    This bustling, eclectic market was one of Korea’s iconic open markets, filled with both mainstream and niche items.

    Suho strolled through the aisles, picking up the essentials he needed.

    He had plenty of funds.

    Shortly after his call with Kim Soo-ae, his scholarship funds were deposited into his account.

    Finally, after purchasing most of what he needed, Suho made his way to his last destination.

    **[Do-Young Hardware]**

    The worn sign read exactly that.

    Tucked away in a quiet corner, this old hardware

    shop was Suho’s final stop.

    As he entered, the elderly shopkeeper, clad in nothing but a tank top, didn’t look up from his TV.

    “Welcome,” he said in a flat tone.

    It was a routine greeting.

    Dongdaemun’s merchants generally didn’t engage in active salesmanship, especially those in quiet back alleys like Do-Young Hardware, where only regulars knew to come.

    Suho responded just as plainly.

    “I’m looking for some light spears. I recently became a Hunter.”

    Finally taking a look at him, the shopkeeper gestured to a pile of spears in the corner.

    There, a heap of cheap-looking spears awaited him.