The Only Enhancer - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 55
Chapter 55 – Establishment, Reinforce Guild! (2)
3.
Isabella had returned to the United States and was preparing to depart for Korea.
All the necessary paperwork and arrangements had been completed.
All that remained was to pack her belongings.
Her hands trembled as they stilled mid-motion.
Was it because her residence was changing overnight?
No.
It hadn’t been quite that sudden before, but something similar had happened once.
Or perhaps it was because she had been effectively expelled from the Saint Guild?
No.
Her role was to serve as a bridge between the Saint Guild and the guild Min-jun would create.
Though her allegiance belonged to Min-jun, her loyalty to Franklin remained unchanged.
Of course, she would dedicate herself to Min-jun as well.
She wasn’t foolish enough to misunderstand her own purpose.
Then why did she feel this way?
‘Sigh.’
Isabella still couldn’t forget her first encounter with Min-jun.
And recalling that moment made her hands tremble once more.
When was the last time she had felt such a sense of crisis?
The oppressive aura she only felt from Calamity Level 5 threats.
She knew that by choosing to serve Min-jun, she would never stand against him.
But fear was not something that could be overcome by reason alone.
And so Isabella found herself helpless against it.
‘Of course, that’s precisely why he’s sending me.’
Franklin had said it.
That even at Level 3, Min-jun was a person capable of devouring the world itself.
That if he truly possessed the qualities of a Level 7 hunter, the hunter world would have to welcome a new era.
Isabella acknowledged this truth as well.
A hunter comparable to a Calamity Level 5.
An aura she had never sensed even from Level 6 hunters.
And for reasons she couldn’t explain.
‘If Ji-hwan had called me a villain at that moment….’
She felt as though all her weapons would vanish.
The reason was unknown.
She simply felt it.
Perhaps Min-jun possessed a skill capable of neutralizing items themselves.
It was an absurd imagination, but.
‘This much preparation should suffice.’
I need to hurry back to Korea now.
She, too, had been raised by Franklin without family, so she was ready to relocate to Korea immediately.
It wasn’t immigration yet, but that was only a matter of time.
With a Level 5 coming, no country would refuse.
Isabella settled into her seat on the plane heading to Korea and checked the arrival time.
Fortunately, it seemed she wouldn’t be late for the summons.
And she pulled out the documents Jung Ji-hwan had given her before coming to the United States.
‘Hmm, there’s mana embedded in this.’
Nine times out of ten, evidence that a skill had been used.
But it was certainly not a curse-type skill.
Since Jung Ji-hwan had given it to her, she’d wondered if perhaps he’d gone that far, but it seemed he hadn’t lost his mind to that extent.
Then what could it be that carries mana?
Curiosity piqued, she examined the documents more carefully.
She found nothing unusual at all.
It was what one might call a standard contract.
Even the percentages for when monsters were hunted were quite substantial.
Similar to the rates at the Saint Guild.
‘What is this?’
Since Isabella was essentially being sent as a hostage, there was no need to treat her this way.
Yet he had, which meant he didn’t want to discriminate based on such things.
But then why is there mana embedded in it?
Finding it strange, she examined it again and noticed the clauses emphasized at the end.
They weren’t particularly unusual clauses—they were obvious ones.
[All acts of disclosing anything about the guild, the guild master Kim Min-jun, or any matters related to him to outside parties are forbidden.]
[Items provided by the guild shall never be embezzled.]
[Violation of these terms results in permanent expulsion from the Reinforce Guild.]
[Furthermore, everything received from the Reinforce Guild will be recovered.]
The clauses themselves seemed unremarkable, yet she could feel mana embedded in those very words.
What on earth was this?
It wasn’t malicious mana or a skill type, and there was no reason to refuse, so Isabella signed.
As she did, the mana contained in the contract settled into her body, making it impossible to violate the two clauses, yet there was no sensation of harm whatsoever.
It felt like a geis had been placed on her.
She couldn’t speak of it, but even if she wanted to violate it, she felt no pain or anything like that.
It wasn’t a skill of the forbidden item category, so where on earth did he obtain such a skill?
Or rather, from the beginning….
‘…What exactly is he trying to do to prepare to this extent?’
What kind of guild was he trying to build?
Even she couldn’t know yet.
4.
After seeing out the final interviewee, Min-jun rubbed his chin with a troubled expression.
“Hmm.”
“That was the last interview candidate for today.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Not at all—you’ve worked far harder, Min-jun.”
I had seen many candidates during the interviews, but few had truly captured my attention.
A significant number had been filtered out in the first round.
After all, only those who passed Jung Ji-hwan’s rigorous document screening could advance to the interview stage.
The document review examined only one thing.
Character and integrity.
Only those whom Jung Ji-hwan deemed suitable after assessing their personality could proceed to the interview.
‘It’s frustrating that we still couldn’t fill all the positions.’
I wanted to build the strongest guild, after all.
By insisting on recruiting only those with a minimum ability stat of 10, finding enough members proved extraordinarily difficult.
Perhaps it was because dealers had the highest proportion among hunters?
“At least we managed to fill all the dealer positions.”
Though some Level 3 hunters were mixed in, we could fill every dealer slot.
All twenty-five of them.
We barely managed to complete the roster.
Who would have thought the collapse of Changgong Guild would prove so beneficial here.
It was somewhat surprising that Level 3 hunters could also reach an ability stat of 10, but it worked in our favor.
Thanks to that, we could recruit everyone we needed.
Moreover, we could now clearly understand what ability stats represented.
‘It seems to refer to things like combat sense and the feel when using skills.’
While talent certainly played a significant role, it was an area that could be developed through sufficient effort.
The real problem was that we still lacked enough tanks and healers.
‘I have a healer myself, and I’m told I can recruit mercenaries from the Hunter Association.’
But tanks were critically short.
We absolutely needed regular tanks on the roster.
A Disaster Level 4 raid required a total of five tanks.
Since Isabella was Level 5, even accounting for some reduction in numbers, we still needed three more Level 4 tanks.
We couldn’t recruit Level 3 hunters as tanks.
They couldn’t withstand attacks from Disaster Level 4 monsters, so they were naturally disqualified.
These conditions made recruitment even more challenging.
‘At least I managed to secure one thanks to an unexpected candidate.’
Park Min-ho, who had served as commander during the Emperor Raid training with me, had reached Level 4 and applied.
His ability stat was 9, which was disappointing, but everyone else besides Park Min-ho had stats below 6.
The highest among them was only 7.
Park Min-ho was like rain in a drought.
Thanks to Park Min-ho, I filled one more position, but the shortage remained real.
I still needed to recruit two more Level 4 tanks.
‘Should I just recruit a Level 4 tank, even if it’s not ideal?’
I had recruited Park Min-ho because he was at least a 9, but honestly, I was reluctant about anyone below that.
Since I wanted to build the strongest guild and had only recruited dealers with ability stats of 10, how could my tank lineup be at 6 or 7 instead of 9?
‘That won’t do.’
Wouldn’t it be better to wait, even if it takes more time?
While I was lost in thought like this, my brow furrowed.
Then a sudden idea struck me.
‘What if I just fill out more dealers and settle this with firepower instead?’
That wasn’t a bad approach either.
Since I had Isabella, a Level 5 tank, I could manage to draw aggro and hold the line somehow.
And if I unleashed overwhelming firepower on top of that?
A raid might just be possible?
While I was absorbed in these thoughts.
Jung Ji-hwan approached cautiously and opened his mouth.
“Min-jun, I know a quite capable Level 5 hunter. I think they might come if I propose it.”
“A Level 5 hunter?”
A person immediately came to mind!
After all, they displayed such firepower in the last raid!
If we’re going for a firepower battle, there’s no one better than them.
I was about to respond enthusiastically.
“Won….”
“Cha Hae-yeon would be more than sufficient.”
“Ah!”
That’s right, Cha Hae-yeon!
I had completely forgotten about her.
“By the way, wasn’t there something you were about to say?”
“Ah. No, it’s nothing.”
Ah, I was relieved that Jung Ji-hwan spoke before I could say Won Eun-seong.
That would have been embarrassing.
5.
Hunters who had become villains were typically placed in detention.
Wearing items that blocked all skills and mana.
The former Changgong Guild master Han Mu-gyeol was no exception.
No matter how precious a Level 5 tank might be, there were no exceptions.
A villain was a villain.
With the circumstantial evidence of his crimes and the possession of forbidden items—specifically, the worst-quality hypnosis-type forbidden items—he had no choice but to be classified as a villain.
Thus, Han Mu-gyeol was sent to a detention facility.
But Cha Hae-yeon was not.
Though she had committed crimes, the fact that she had turned herself in and hadn’t been heavily involved was heavily considered.
Of course, she received considerable leniency.
Thanks to that, it all ended with item confiscation and five years of unpaid servitude under the Hunter Association.
‘Sigh.’
At least I wasn’t branded a villain, and the treatment was decent.
But falling from the peak to the depths was no different from ruin.
‘How did things come to this?’
I had devoted myself entirely to Han Mu-gyeol simply because he had taken me in.
And this was the result.
The saying that one must choose their allies wisely wasn’t just empty words.
Pfft.
I let out a self-deprecating laugh and surveyed my room—essentially a prison cell.
It was barely better than a Gosiwon.
Five years in this place.
When my sentence was complete, I’d be thirty-seven.
They said I could start a second life then.
But honestly, the future looked bleak.
It was then that someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“…?”
Who could that be?
Cha Hae-yeon’s assignment hadn’t been finalized yet.
As a valuable Level 5 tank, various guilds were competing to recruit her?
Had a decision been made?
As Cha Hae-yeon opened the door.
There stood Jung Ji-hwan with a cold expression, adjusting his glasses slightly as he looked at her.
“Jung Ji-hwan?”
If Jung Ji-hwan was here, did that mean she’d been assigned to the Villain Subjugation Team?
That’s what I thought, but something felt off.
I could have sworn I heard that Jung Ji-hwan left the Hunter Association?
And the rumor was that he joined Min-jun’s guild.
So what was he doing here?
Cha Hae-yeon looked at Jung Ji-hwan with a puzzled expression.
Jung Ji-hwan spoke to Cha Hae-yeon.
“Cha Hae-yeon, I’ve obtained permission. If you’re willing, sign here.”
“…?”
What was he talking about?
Cha Hae-yeon took the papers Jung Ji-hwan handed to her.
It was nothing complicated.
It was a document transferring her servitude from the Hunter Association to Min-jun’s guild, along with a guild membership application form.
Why on earth would he offer this?
“I, I….”
“Are you coming?”
Jung Ji-hwan asked, and Cha Hae-yeon’s eyes trembled violently.
Cha Hae-yeon had also tried to harm Min-jun alongside Han Mu-gyeol.
Though she claimed to have turned herself in, she had done so only after everything was already finished—one could arguably resent her even more for it.
Yet he was inviting such a person to join his guild?
What on earth was he thinking?
One might have believed he had forgiven her, but because it was Cha Hae-yeon, she couldn’t comprehend it.
As she stood there bewildered.
Jung Ji-hwan spoke with an expressionless face.
“Hmm, it seems you don’t like it. Let’s forget about it then.”
As he said this and reached to take back the contract.
Cha Hae-yeon pulled the paper toward herself and spoke.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Good. Sign it.”
As he said this, Jung Ji-hwan watched Cha Hae-yeon sign and thought to himself.
‘I was worried she wouldn’t.’
The bluff had made him a bit nervous, but as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.
In any case, Jung Ji-hwan accepted the contract with a satisfied smile, however slight.
Two Level 5 tanks and one Level 4 tank.
This was more than sufficient for Disaster Level 4 raids.
Jung Ji-hwan thought with satisfaction.
‘The guild founding ceremony can proceed as planned.’
Thus the founding ceremony drew near.
Of course, before that, I would need to gather the guild members and distribute the items.
When Jung Ji-hwan saw the items Min-jun would provide, he trembled involuntarily.
‘The strongest guild is about to launch.’
6.
Numerous hunters had gathered at the Building Banquet Hall, which had become the headquarters of Reinforce Guild.
Some were hunters whose names were quite well-known, while others were not, but they all shared one thing in common.
‘Phew, I’m not the only one who’s nervous.’
Without exception, everyone was tense.
Yu Ji-min, a Level 3 dealer, felt considerable relief at this.
Honestly, she had been trembling thinking she was the only Level 3, but among the dealers, quite a few were Level 3.
Out of twenty-five, about ten were Level 3.
It was fortunate for her, but she didn’t quite understand why they had been selected this way.
There were too many Level 4s for a guild aimed at Disaster Level 3 raids, yet there were too many Level 3s for a Disaster Level 4 raid.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Would this guild be alright?
Such thoughts were not unique to Yu Ji-min alone.
Many people were thinking similar things.
‘Is this really going to work?’
‘I wish they’d unified everyone at Level 4….’
‘Still, looking at the Level 3s, they all seem to be skilled people.’
‘I’ve coordinated with them a few times before. Thinking back to their abilities then, it’s not incomprehensible, but the level difference is unavoidable.’
‘And when they signed the contract, some kind of skill activated?’
‘There’s no harm in it, but when I tried to speak, something blocked my words—it was a bit frightening.’
The Level 4 hunters were anxious about the abundance of Level 3s, while conversely, the Level 3s couldn’t help but feel intimidated by those gazes.
This was the gathering day before the guild’s founding ceremony, meant for everyone to become acquainted and build camaraderie for the sake of unity.
Because of this, no one complained or gave any pointed looks, but the atmosphere was inevitable.
Then, at that moment.
“What, what is it?! Isn’t that Cha Hae-yeon?!”
“What?!”
“I was thinking we didn’t have enough tanks, but Cha Hae-yeon?!”
“Ah, that explains it!”
The moment Cha Hae-yeon arrived at the banquet hall, the atmosphere began to stir.
Since quite a few of them were former members of Changgong Guild, everyone was delighted to see Cha Hae-yeon.
If there’s a Level 5 tank, that changes things.
“Is that why they recruited so many Level 3s—because there’s a Level 5 tank?”
“It makes sense, but if the item enhancement values are low, there’ll ultimately be a damage shortage.”
“Exactly. No matter how much the guild master has Level 6 potential, items are something they can’t overcome.”
Though Cha Hae-yeon had arrived, the negative sentiment didn’t entirely dissipate.
But the person who appeared next stirred up the commotion anew.
A beautiful white woman with jet-black hair like ebony, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Anyone involved in the hunter industry couldn’t possibly not know of her.
“Is, isn’t that Evan Isabella over there?”
“What, what did you say?!”
“Is, is that Isabella? The Valkyrie Isabella from Saint Guild?!”
“It, it’s real!”
“Ah, but why is Isabella here?!”
“!?!?!!?”
Many people were bewildered.
Even Cha Hae-yeon herself was so startled that she stared at Isabella.
Given Isabella’s fame, it was only natural.
Two Level 5 tanks—one being Cha Hae-yeon and the other being the Valkyrie Isabella from Saint Guild?
If you told this to anyone, you’d be lucky not to get slapped for being a pathological liar.
It was absurd.
What kind of guild was Saint Guild?
Wasn’t it a world-class guild that possessed a Level 6 hunter?
She was leaving such a place to transfer here?
It made no sense from a rational standpoint.
While everyone stood bewildered, Min-jun climbed onto the podium.
Min-jun climbed onto the podium.
“Ah. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
A single greeting was enough to capture everyone’s attention.
After all, it was this man who had assembled them all here.
Curiosity burned in their minds—how had he managed this? What would he say? And what kind of guild was he building that he’d stake his reputation on it?
As all eyes fixed on Min-jun, he opened his mouth.
“First, I’ve prepared items tailored to each of you, so I’ll distribute them now. These are assets of our Reinforce Guild, so please note that you’re only borrowing them as specified in the contract.”
Min-jun spoke with remarkable casualness.
He delivered it as though it were nothing special, as if he were simply handing out trifles.
No one harbored great expectations.
Not until the items actually appeared.
“…?”
“…???”
“…????”
Countless items gleamed with the deep crimson radiance of rubies.
And interspersed among them were a considerable number of items bearing a lighter crimson hue.
No one in this hall was ignorant of what this signified.
Even Isabella and Cha Hae-yeon, upon witnessing it, covered their mouths as they gazed at the items.
Min-jun, observing their reactions, spoke as though it were trivial.
“The weapons are all +5 enhancement, and the remaining equipment pieces are all +4 enhancement.”
“….”
Min-jun had anticipated thunderous cheers and applause.
Instead, he found himself confronted with the silence that had engulfed the banquet hall.
‘Huh? This isn’t the reaction I expected.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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