I Was Betrayed But It's Okay haha

Chapter 34

“Hmm...? Is that really true?”

Lee Sooah had a somewhat skeptical expression.

Maybe she sensed the strange atmosphere.

“Haha. No, I really mean it! Why do you ask?”

The manager was trying hard to calm her down and send her back.

“No. You’re saying someone can quickly rise from E-rank to D-rank? Didn’t you prepare beforehand?”

“Haha. Yes. I was originally closer to D-rank than E-rank, you see.”

I was just trying to fit in with the mood.

It wasn’t entirely my intention, but the atmosphere made it inevitable.

Everyone was looking only at me.

I couldn’t help it.

I had to keep an eye on things and navigate social interactions.

After all, I had decided to bury my roots in this guild instead of being tied to Chae Suhyeon.

It wouldn’t do me any good to sour relationships with these people.

“Hmm... I see. Well, it’s good news for sure. Everyone was so cheerful that I couldn’t help but come out and see what was going on. Hunter Baek Jihoon, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Lee Sooah shot a sharp look at the manager, then spoke to me in a very friendly manner.

“Haha... Yes, yes.”

Clack, clack.

Lee Sooah seemed to be in a good mood as she hummed while entering her office.

Clack.

As soon as the door to Lee Sooah’s office closed, sighs of relief were heard from various corners.

“Wait. But suddenly becoming D-rank?”

Anyone with knowledge in the hunter field would understand how absurd this situation was.

Typically, it takes almost a year to rise a single rank, even for those incredibly talented.

Of course, Chae Suhyeon became famous after reducing that time to less than six months with my help.

“Phew. Thank you! I might have gotten into big trouble if I hadn’t been careful. She gets really angry over trivial matters. As long as it involves some profit for the guild, it’s fine. Phew...”

“Hey, manager. How can you say something like that so suddenly? I’m not ready yet.”

“Ah... Well, if I fall, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll just get scolded then. Hehe.”

Seems like they were living in the moment.

“But Baek Jihoon, is it true that you’re closer to D-rank than E-rank?”

“No.”

“Oh dear...”

Of course, that’s not true.

I’ve been stuck with Chae Suhyeon all this time.

It doesn’t really matter.

Even though this situation turned out like this, I had no worries because.

It was clear that I had recovered points.

Adjusting my plans just a moment ago didn’t change things at all.

I could quickly grow by taking the hunter assessment test every month.

Since it turned out like this, I planned to grow as rapidly as possible.

“Oh dear. What should I do about this?”

“Exactly, manager. How can you just say anything? You can’t take responsibility for that. You really need to fix that habit of yours.”

“Hey, what else was I supposed to say in that situation?”

“I guess you’re right.”

Everyone appeared to be in a teasing mood towards the manager.

Of course, it looked like they all felt there was nothing they could do about it.

“It’s alright, Jihoon. Let’s make the most of the time we have and put in our best effort.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll give it a try. I can elevate my rank.”

To be precise, it’s not that I can elevate it; I just need to elevate it.

I just have to distribute my accumulated points appropriately.@@@@

“Hmm, there shouldn’t be any limitations on that.”

I thought it would be a good idea to max everything out to S-rank first, then raise my rank by one level monthly.

Of course, it would take time to study the whole tech tree.

*Phew. It seems like I can finally study properly now.*

There was a recommended tech tree provided by the Blue Guild.

If I simply followed that path, I was sure to reach S-rank without issue.

In about six months, I could likely reach the S-rank assessment.

And then Chae Suhyeon would be left speechless.

“By the way~”

While I was deep in concentration, the manager came over to talk to me again.

“Yes?”

“Baek Jihoon, do you perhaps know our Guild Master?”

The Guild Master of the Blue Guild.

Of course, I didn’t know.

Neither did most people.

He was known for not engaging in external relations.

A hidden person.

“No? Why do you ask?”

“Well, Jihoon, although you might not know it, there’s actually a movement within the guild to push for your recognition.”

This seemed unrelated to Lee Sooah.

It probably had to do with what Hyungseok mentioned not long ago.

*They’re trying to promote me? Why? I’m just an E-rank.*

A latecomer in life, I had just entered as a rookie E-rank hunter.

Yet now, the Guild Master of the Blue Guild was supposedly paying attention to me.

*What’s up with that? Why?*

When I heard this from Hyungseok, I didn’t think much of it.

No, I felt that it couldn’t possibly be true.

So I didn’t pursue the matter further.

Yet here was the manager, bringing it up again.

“Why? Why me specifically...?”

“Well, I don’t know~”

The manager shrugged his shoulders.

He genuinely seemed to have no idea.

“So I asked. Do you happen to have a close relationship with the Guild Master?”

“No. I don’t know who they are at all.”

*Hmm~ So it’s my potential that’s outstanding?*

I could only nod and look at the manager.

“Ah. Our Guild Master has a remarkable ability to discern a hunter’s potential, like someone who knows how stock prices will rise. A true fortune teller. He’s had a 100% accuracy rate so far.”

“Hmm...”

I began to think that maybe he had a knack for recognizing other people’s potential.

*Could he have noticed that I have a lot of points?*

It wasn’t strange, considering I could also see other people’s status windows.

Yet, how could he assess potential?

“Well, in any case! From that, it seems that Baek Jihoon is a valuable asset. You might even become an S-rank!”

“Haha... That would be great. I’ll have to work hard.”

Well, it was indeed true that I had to work hard.

Given the situation, I wanted to become an S-rank and make Chae Suhyeon lament and regret her past actions.

And then there was Lee Sooah.

I wasn’t so sure if it meant she’d genuinely come to like me, but if I were to end up dating her, that wouldn’t be so bad at all.

Slowly, expectations for the future began to build up.

*First, I’ll aim for D-rank at the assessment test in three days...*

*Then Chae Suhyeon will be shocked and faint from the surprise.*

*I bet Lee Sooah will also look at me differently.*

*Alright! Let’s go!*

I tightened my grip on the pen in my hand.

To be continued...