Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Recruitment War （4）

They changed locations.

In a space where they could converse comfortably, Jeong Min-jun immediately got to the main point.

“I have made tireless efforts over the past few days to secure a deal with Master Craftsman Yu Jeong-yeong, but he said it would be impossible without Kang San-nim’s permission. That’s why I arranged this meeting.”

Suddenly, a memory surfaced.

Among the documents Yu Jeong-yeong had shown him, referred to as proposals, was Flare’s name, offering exceptional terms.

Jeong Min-jun.

An A-rank Mage, one of the representative figures of Flare.

He, a figure of considerable influence, continued to speak politely to Kang San.

“To be honest, Flare is currently preparing for an ‘S-rank Raid’ in secret. As you know, S-rank Raids have many variables and are extremely dangerous, so no domestic group has ever succeeded in a single raid. There are only a handful of successful cases even overseas, and the only success for a domestic group was a joint raid with an overseas group. As a result, Flare is staking everything on this raid. We are not sparing any means to increase the probability of success, even by 0.1%, and in doing so, we heard about Master Craftsman Yu Jeong-yeong, who opened up a new world of item enhancement.”

“An S-rank Raid, you say. You’re preparing for a difficult task.”

“It’s Flare, isn’t it? If not us, the No. 1 Guild in Korea, there would be no group in Korea that would dare to prepare for an S-rank Raid. To get to the point, the internal assessment is that Master Craftsman Yu Jeong-yeong’s skills can increase the probability of a successful raid. If you enhance the items of all the raid participants, we will pay you double the market value. If you are considering an exclusive contract, we will offer a signing bonus of 10 billion won, and even if it’s not exclusive, we will offer 2 billion won as a contract fee.”

It was a remarkable offer.

A contract fee of 2 billion won.

And double the market value meant that they could practically print money.

Flare judged that this matter was worth that much investment.

The items of the S-rank Raid participants were already in top condition, but even a 1% increase in the effectiveness of those items would be a tremendous gain. An S-rank Raid is a big event that can rake in hundreds of billions of won if successful. There was a reason why Flare, one of the top 1 or 2 guilds in Korea, was the first to reach out like this.

“There’s a saying, you know. Flare never forgets a favor or a grudge. If you help us this time, we will never forget your kindness.”

He pondered for a moment.

Kang San, who was assessing the benefits, spoke after sufficient consideration.

“I understand. I will give you a positive answer as soon as possible.”

“Thank you!”

“By the way, you said you had something to discuss with me about Woo-bin’s matter?”

The matter of Yu Jeong-yeong was expected.

But Yeon Woo-bin?

When he looked at him with a puzzled expression, Jeong Min-jun smiled and said,

“Actually, we approached Mage Yeon Woo-bin to recruit him, but he said this: that his whereabouts depend on Kang San-nim, and he would follow Kang San-nim’s decision. You seem to be a man of great character, Kang San-nim. Both Master Craftsman Yu Jeong-yeong and Mage Yeon Woo-bin prioritize your decision above all else.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The situation was like this.

Flare.

They are a guild primarily composed of ‘Mages.’

For them, Yeon Woo-bin, who recently passed the B-rank test, was considered an attractive recruitment target, and they attempted to recruit him using Flare’s reputation. In fact, Mages rarely refuse Flare’s offers. Joining Flare means receiving the best support in Korea for improving a Mage’s abilities, so everyone would accept without hesitation.

Yeon Woo-bin was different.

He didn’t show any sign of agreement.

Far from being swayed by Flare’s name, he added the audacious condition of obtaining Kang San’s permission to their continued offers.

For now, the meeting with Jeong Min-jun was concluded.

Since it was a matter that Kang San couldn’t decide on his own, he said he would talk to Yeon Woo-bin and contact him later.

So he made the call.

When he explained the situation he had just experienced, a bewildered response came from the other end of the phone.

『There’s no need to even consider the conditions. I’m not interested unless I transfer with you, hyung.』

“It’s Flare, though? There’s no better group in Korea.”

『Hyung, when I was designated D-rank through congenital Awakening, Flare and many other groups showed interest in recruiting me. It was more of a test, to be precise. Flare doesn’t seem to remember, but the people who tested me back then all backed off when they judged me to be an incorrigible coward. What meaning would Flare’s reputation have for me? To be honest, I can’t guarantee that I can fully demonstrate my abilities if you’re not protecting me. So, you don’t have to bother arranging a meeting for my sake. No, wait. Don’t tell me you’re interested in Flare? If you say you’re transferring to Flare, hyung, I’ll follow you, of course!』

It was blind faith.

In the end, Yeon Woo-bin’s transfer fell through.

Since Kang San had no reason to belong anywhere yet, Yeon Woo-bin also insisted on staying with him.

It was a truly exceptional situation.

Was the Mage’s refusal of Flare’s offer due to his blind faith in Kang San, or was it because Yeon Woo-bin came from a family that lacked nothing? Regardless, Yeon Woo-bin showed a firm stance. He was a Yeon Woo-bin whose faith in Kang San had become even stronger after undergoing his father’s test and experiencing other parties.

And then,

In a phone call with Yu Jeong-yeong, Kang San received a familiar sentiment.

『If Kang San-nim wishes, I have no problem signing a contract with Flare. But let’s make the detailed contract terms 50/50. You said 30% would be enough for you, Kang San-nim, but this excessive treatment I received wouldn’t have been possible without your help. I will refuse your refusal. Please accept my heart.』

Whether it was Yeon Woo-bin,

Or Yu Jeong-yeong,

They showed favor towards Kang San.

They felt that the events so far had been acts of kindness without expecting anything in return, so they showed their unwillingness to compromise with Kang San.

It was a baffling situation.

With everyone’s unwavering stance, Kang San had no choice but to surrender.

“Alright.”

That day,

Yu Jeong-yeong signed a short-term contract with Flare.

And as per the contract, Kang San received half of the contract fee, 1 billion won, through a bank transfer.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Im Chan-yeong was in a meeting with Cheonsang.

The manager in charge of the contract was being very friendly the whole time.

“You don’t have to worry about the down payment. Cheonsang will take full responsibility for settling the remaining contract and make it easy for you to transfer.”

“Sounds good.”

Perhaps because he felt valued.

Im Chan-yeong’s expression softened considerably.

When he received the contract termination notice from Gu Jun-ho, his stomach had completely churned at the situation he had never experienced before.

And now.

Im Chan-yeong dreamed of a comeback.

As soon as he contacted Cheonsang, they naturally welcomed him with open arms.

‘If I move to Cheonsang and perform well, Daeyang, who considers Cheonsang a rival, will be furious. Then, naturally, Gu Jun-ho, who kicked me out, will be held accountable.’

It was a perfect plan.

A plan to kill two birds with one stone, taking revenge while settling into a new home at Cheonsang.

Bringing in Im Chan-yeong would require a cancellation fee of around 5 billion won, but Cheonsang’s stance was that they could easily handle it to recruit future talent. It was actually a profitable deal. A B-rank at the late teens is not common, so as soon as Im Chan-yeong contacted them, the situation progressed rapidly.

The manager said.

“As soon as the contract is completely settled, we’ll assign you a manager. And… please wait a moment. I have a call, so I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Sure.”

Someone called the manager from outside.

If it were the usual Im Chan-yeong, he would have been annoyed that they dared to leave him, but the current him showed a generous reaction no matter what the other person did. He needed Cheonsang’s help. It seemed that only a management company of Cheonsang’s scale could completely fill the void left by leaving Daeyang.

Left alone.

He briefly fell into a delusion.

A fantasy where Cheonsang completely dominates the number one spot because of him, and Gu Jun-ho comes crawling back to him.

The corners of his mouth twitched.

Gu Jun-ho was wrong.

Whether it was Kang San or whatever, they shouldn’t have let him go.

Creak.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Someone entered.

Checking the face, it wasn’t the manager.

As he looked at the other person with a puzzled face, Team Leader Jeong Hye-mi naturally sat down and spoke.

“I’m sorry to say this at our first meeting, but the contract we just talked about… we’ll have to cancel it.”

A blunt statement.

Im Chan-yeong’s face crumpled.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was absurd.

The contract had been proceeding smoothly until just a moment ago.

Faced with the situation of the contract being overturned as if flipping a hand, Im Chan-yeong showed an enraged expression.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly as you heard. Actually, your conditions are excellent, Im Chan-yeong-nim, but we are in a position where we cannot fulfill this contract.”

“What do you mean by ‘position’? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

“It’s more accurate to say it’s a matter of priority. By any chance, do you have a bad personal relationship with Kang San-nim?”

“No…”

His words were cut short.

Kang San?

Why was that name being mentioned now?

When he couldn’t answer with a flustered face, Jeong Hye-mi spoke in a firm tone.

“Cheonsang is currently doing its best to recruit Kang San-nim. As such, we cannot proceed with recruiting you, Im Chan-yeong-nim, as it could potentially hinder Kang San-nim’s recruitment. I should have mentioned this from the beginning, but I apologize for the inconvenience of your visit. So, do you have anything else to say?”

She drew a line.

It was a notification.

This is our stance, so just accept it.

In a situation where there was no room for rebuttal, Im Chan-yeong realized that Jeong Hye-mi’s reaction was a dismissal.

And as expected,

“Then I have a schedule, so I’ll excuse myself.”

As Jeong Hye-mi got up without any regret, Im Chan-yeong could only stare blankly at her back.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Leaving the Cheonsang building, Im Chan-yeong looked up at the clouds floating in the sky, wondering if this was a momentary reality.

“…Fuck, really.”

After his congenital Awakening,

Im Chan-yeong had always been the absolute top dog.

The fact that he was designated C-rank at the mere age of 13 had brought him sweet offers from all over, and even when he didn’t perform well, he received generous treatment because his age was a trump card. So, the reputation of Cheonsang and Daeyang wasn’t that significant to him. Even if they were the best, what could they do with their fame other than appeal to ‘true talents’ like himself?

That’s why he didn’t worry.

Even when he left Daeyang, he firmly believed there would be a place that would take him in, even if it meant paying billions of won in penalties.

But this situation?

It was surreal.

Rage welled up inside him.

“What the hell is Kang San that everyone’s going crazy over him?”

He acknowledged Kang San’s skills.

He had experienced them himself, and the intense memory was impossible to forget.

But he couldn’t understand why they would want him, even if it meant rejecting Im Chan-yeong, who was a golden opportunity. No matter how talented Kang San was, it was an undeniable fact that he was designated F-rank in the Acquired Awakening test. He wasn’t even on the same level as himself, who was designated C-rank at the age of 13, from the very root.

‘Alright. Cheonsang, Daeyang, just you wait. I’ll make you regret missing me.’

He picked up his phone.

He still had many options.

If the two giants of management rejected him, it wouldn’t be bad to turn to guilds and choose a new home.

Among them,

The place where Korea’s best Mages gathered.

Click━

『This is Jeong Min-jun.』

Im Chan-yeong immediately contacted Flare.