Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 64

Chapter 64: A Nail that Sticks Out （6）

Right after the last test finished.

Before Jeong Hye-mi barged in, the official contacted someone.

“Team Leader Gu Jun-ho. It’s nothing special, but…”

The other party was Daeyang’s Gu Jun-ho.

The official mentioned the overwhelming record of 40 minutes, emphasizing that the sixth party’s skill was extraordinary.

“It’s already been ten years since I started evaluating here. I’ve conducted countless tests during that time, but this is the first time I’ve seen a party respond so perfectly. The positioning of attack and defense, the party’s synergy, and the individual skills of each member. They are so good that it’s hard to believe this party is unknown. How about Daeyang takes a look at them?”

『…If you’re saying that much, I’ll check them out. Could you send me a separate video recording by any chance?』

“Alright.”

At that time, he didn’t think much of it.

Even though the official and Gu Jun-ho had built a good relationship, Daeyang Management wasn’t an organization that would proceed with recruitment based solely on the official’s words. Rather, they applied even stricter standards. If someone truly had the skills, Daeyang was the type of organization that would recruit them no matter what, disregarding personal flaws like a criminal record.

Still, he showed some interest.

Rejecting outright when the other party was going this far could potentially offend them.

Since he might need the official’s help in the future, Gu Jun-ho didn’t ignore their sincerity.

However, it didn’t mean he would accept them.

He intended to review them briefly, and if there was anything even slightly off, he would reject them with a valid reason.

Just C to D-rank.

It wasn’t a level that would excite Gu Jun-ho.

However, after receiving the video file from the official, he called the official before the video even finished.

『Those people. I need their contact information right away.』

It was the same as Jeong Hye-mi.

They, in the video.

They were individuals that people involved in management absolutely couldn’t let go of.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The call connected.

Gu Jun-ho, who introduced himself upon contacting Kang San, immediately got to the point.

『”I’m really sorry to contact you so suddenly. As you may know if you’ve heard of Daeyang, Daeyang is a company specializing in management. As such, we’re linked with the promotion test center and receive information about testers who achieve good results. I happened to hear from the administrator that your party, Kang San-nim, showed truly excellent results. It was truly amazing. To be honest, I couldn’t find any flaws to point out in the party’s synergy.”』

Jeong Hye-mi and Gu Jun-ho.

Their perspectives were different.

From the beginning, Jeong Hye-mi encountered a variable, and she couldn’t help but suspect that there might be some ‘intention’ behind this situation. So she looked at them with prejudice. Later, she recognized that Kang San’s party’s skills were real, but she still needed enough time to understand the unusual situation before accepting reality.

Gu Jun-ho was the opposite.

Since the variable was a trap he had set, he could fully assess Kang San’s skills as they were.

‘It’s just like the official said. Although they are D-rank now, this party’s skills cannot be evaluated solely based on that.’

People were all the same.

While watching the mage respond to the sudden variable, Gu Jun-ho, who was watching the video, adjusted his posture. From then on, it was a series of admiration. This party, regardless of what variables arose, didn’t waver at all, as if they had been working together for a long time. And from about the middle of the video, he realized that this party revolved around the tanker, Kang San, and no one else.

‘D-rank? No way. With this level of tanking ability, they can easily be promoted to C-rank right away.’

It was strange.

It wasn’t that his physical abilities were at C-rank, but his ability to skillfully withstand attacks surpassed C-rank.

Black Spider and Green Spider.

They were enemies that should have been difficult for an E-rank tanker during the test, but Kang San never showed any signs of wavering. And Gu Jun-ho also caught the details that the official had grasped. He blocked the line of sight with his body to prevent the rear dealers from being exposed, and he herded the monsters in time for the casting time. Even when many enemies suddenly swarmed in, he instantly focused their aggro and prevented any crisis.

Moreover, he even checked the time and coordinated their breathing.

It was a scene where one could see that Kang San was the core of the party and the leader who commanded them.

『”I’ll be blunt. I want to recruit ‘all’ members of your party, Kang San-nim. Usually, the standard management contract is based on a 6:4 ratio. Assuming that the contractor’s skills are not that outstanding, the management takes a 40% share and supports you in various ways. I promise your party a 7:3 ratio and a signing bonus of 100 million won each. This is truly an exceptional offer. Unless you’re a C-rank or higher Hunter who has proven your skills, there’s no adjustment of the ratio or signing bonus. However, Daeyang Management has acknowledged the skills of your party, Kang San-nim, and has decided to boldly accept them.”』

It was exceptional.

It was definitely a good offer.

Gu Jun-ho had the authority to immediately propose recruitment, and he liked Kang San’s party enough to immediately decide on a total signing bonus of 400 million won. It was definitely not a loss for Daeyang. If they could recruit skilled Hunters no matter what, it wouldn’t take even a year to recover the 400 million won signing bonus.

Kang San couldn’t make a hasty decision.

After a moment of silence, Kang San carefully replied.

“…I understand. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll discuss it with my party members and contact you again.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

He hung up the phone.

And after sharing the content, he asked.

“What do you all think?”

Gu Jun-ho wanted the entire party.

It was a matter that Kang San couldn’t decide on his own, so he decided to listen to his party members’ thoughts first.

Jo Han-byeol spoke.

“…I’m not sure. Daeyang Management is definitely a good option, but the problem is Chan-woo. If Chan-woo is affiliated with Cheonsang Management, wouldn’t this be impossible from the start?”

It was true.

Jeong Chan-woo didn’t have a normal contract; his father was a high-ranking executive at Cheonsang.

Transferring to Daeyang was unthinkable.

As everyone’s attention focused on him, Jeong Chan-woo scratched his head and said.

“I don’t mind transferring to Daeyang. Of course, I’ll get an earful from my father, but Cheonsang should have made the offer first if they didn’t want this to happen. Actually, I contacted Cheonsang separately before. Back then, the company’s response wasn’t very welcoming, so I thought I lacked skills, but if Daeyang is making this offer, it means Cheonsang’s judgment was wrong, right? How can you trust people like that? No matter how close we are by blood, business and personal matters are different. I’ll completely follow Kang San-hyung’s opinion.”

To be honest, he didn’t want to transfer.

However.

Jeong Chan-woo didn’t want to lose Kang San, and if he had to choose between Kang San and Cheonsang, Kang San had the upper hand right now.

The benefits he had received from Cheonsang so far?

He believed his father would understand.

He might scold his unfilial son severely, but he didn’t want to leave the party on his own. He liked the fact that he was improving his skills by being with them, and most of all, he liked the people.

When Jeong Chan-woo spoke,

“Me too.”

“I don’t mind either way.”

Yeon Woo-bin and Jo Han-byeol also agreed.

As always, the choice was Kang San’s.

Kang San thought for a moment and then said.

“Objectively speaking, it’s a considerable advantage to be affiliated with a management company. You can receive systematic management and various forms of support. However, I think all the benefits they offer are meaningless to us. We refused Woo-bin’s father’s favor because we wanted to be independent. That was a benefit no less than the support of a management company, and I don’t think there will be a dramatic change if we receive Daeyang’s support now. Of course, things might change later. We might need the help of a large group in large-scale raids or special situations, but I don’t think it’s something to decide on right now. Our skills are rapidly improving, and if the time comes to decide on affiliation, we can be reevaluated for our worth at that time.”

“So you mean you’re going to refuse?”

“That’s what I think. There’s no need to be restricted by a contract with a management company. We’ve proven through this test that we can do it on our own.”

The conclusion was reached.

Refusal.

Unlike Cheonsang, whose offer was rejected internally from the start, Kang San and his party decided to refuse Daeyang’s offer.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San expressed his intention to refuse over the phone.

Generally, it was an unexpected outcome, but while waiting for the call, Gu Jun-ho had anticipated the current situation.

‘There was someone affiliated with Cheonsang in the party.’

As a result of investigating their profiles.

He learned about Jeong Chan-woo.

It wasn’t a typical affiliation; his father was a high-ranking executive at Cheonsang.

Knowing that, he thought they wouldn’t accept the offer, but there was a point he couldn’t understand.

‘But why didn’t Jeong Hye-mi know about this party’s existence? If there was such an excellent party, Cheonsang should have recruited them, and they wouldn’t have scheduled the Project B team’s test to overlap. Even if Project B team showed good results, their achievements would have been overshadowed by this party. That means, except for Jeong Chan-woo, they’re not affiliated with Cheonsang yet. It’s too early to give up.’

His judgment was quick.

The fisherman didn’t hesitate when casting his bait.

“…I understand your intention, Kang San-nim. However, I won’t consider our connection to be over just like this. Daeyang’s doors are always open, and if you need help from management, please contact this number.”

A brilliant gemstone.

A talent whose future development was unknown.

They were worth the effort of three visits to the thatched cottage .

One of the reasons why an ordinary manager who was nothing special rose to the position of team leader was because of Gu Jun-ho’s attitude.

“And if, by any chance, you want to join Daeyang ‘alone’, even if it’s just you, we would welcome that as well.”

『”I understand.”』

That was all for today.

Gu Jun-ho ended the call so as not to make Kang San feel pressured.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Cheonsang Management headquarters.

On the rooftop lounge area called the Sky Garden, Jeong Min-hyeok, the manager of Cheonsang Team 5, lit a cigarette.

“Phew, haa━.”

He exhaled smoke.

The billowing smoke made his complicated mind feel a little clearer.

“Where did it all go wrong?”

After the merger with Castle Management.

Jeong Min-hyeok dreamed of a bright future as part of a large corporation.

But once he came to Cheonsang, he hadn’t achieved any results, and most of all, from the moment Kang San’s name was mentioned in the internal meeting, he felt that something was wrong. He was clearly a nobody. He was only E-rank, so he had lied to get out of the situation, but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“…Well, nothing will happen.”

Kang San.

He erased that name from his mind.

Now was not the time to worry about spilled water, but the time to do something for his survival at Cheonsang. He couldn’t even finish his cigarette because his mind was getting complicated. Now was not the time to spend time like this, but to diligently make calls and get meaningful results.

He started walking.

As he was about to go down to the office, he saw his senior rushing up to the Sky Garden.

“Jeong Min-hyeok! What are you doing here?”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean ‘yes’? Did I tell you to answer the phone properly or not!?”

“It’s not that, I just came up for a smoke…”

“Shut up and follow me.”

It was a situation he didn’t understand.

At his senior’s harsh reaction, he followed him in a flustered state.

Judging from the way they were heading towards the elevator, it seemed like they were going to the conference room.

“…What’s going on?”

He asked cautiously.

Then, his senior looked down at Jeong Min-hyeok and answered irritably.

“There’s an emergency call. All of Team 5, and they specifically said to bring you no matter what. The person who called the emergency is Team Leader Jeong Hye-mi. Did you do something wrong? I heard she has a really tough personality. Anyway, let’s go down quickly.”

‘Jeong Hye-mi?’

He blinked.

He had only heard of Jeong Hye-mi’s name; he didn’t have any particular relationship with her.

What could it be?

Nothing specific came to mind.

Jeong Min-hyeok, with a somewhat tense face, could only watch the floor numbers as the elevator went down one floor at a time.