(6)
The fact that the part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant had awakened quickly spread through the regular customers' network, and among them, talk of J ceased. And it had long been forgotten that the magic stone seller EZ was suspected to be a resident of this neighborhood.
All their attention was focused on "Congratulations on your awakening, part-timer. But is the hangover soup restaurant closing?"
An awakened hunter should join a good guild, receive full insurance benefits, and get a steady salary. Even if the rank is low, working in the guild's office is better than getting a job in a regular company.
This was the common perception, and since most regulars belonged to guilds, this perception was even stronger. Besides, the diligent part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant would succeed in anything he did, so every guild would try to recruit him.
But if he joined a guild... who would make the hangover soup?
The owner was an old lady with bad legs who couldn't handle the rapid orders of the hunters alone. Moreover, even if they found a new part-timer, it was uncertain if they could work as well as Cha Eui-jae. After all, his hangover soup had the taste of a master who had been making it for 30 years!
Fortunately for Cha Eui-jae, who wanted to live quietly, he was an irreplaceable talent in the hangover soup world. Thus, the regulars, who held high positions in the Korean hunter society, miraculously reached a consensus among themselves.
They called it the secret meeting in the hangover soup restaurant's recycling alley.
Sitting precariously on a plastic box in front of the non-burnable trash, Bae Won-woo downed a protein powder stick in one gulp.
"Well, developing talent is good. Scouting is good too. But let's respect professional ethics and keep our feet on the ground, Team Leader Han. If he doesn't want to join a guild, do you think he'll change his mind just because we force him? It's his own will. That's what's important. We need to preserve our hangover soup tradition, don't we?"
Standing in front of the burnable trash, Team Leader Han also pushed his glasses up with his middle finger.
"It doesn't seem like something to hear from Pado Guild, who claims to be elite yet sweeps up all sorts of talents... but I'm glad to hear it, Vice-Guild Leader Bae Won-woo. Let's go in and have a bowl of hangover soup."
"Wow, I like this guy for the first time. Let's go! Let's order two bottles of soju too."
"Sure."
Vice-Guild Leader Bae Won-woo of Pado and HR Team Leader Han of HB Guild shook hands after completing some sort of deal at the recycling station near the hangover soup restaurant. After that, no hunter tried to persuade Cha Eui-jae to join a guild. It was a good thing for Cha Eui-jae.
Instead, there was a surge of secretive gifts.
Cha Eui-jae, wearing rubber gloves, held up a neatly wrapped gift for everyone to see.
[Special Limited Edition! Seclusion Training DIY Kit]
"Who dropped this in front of the kitchen?"
"..."
"Whoever is about to go into seclusion training, please confess."
Silence. The hunters started to avert their eyes. Cha Eui-jae let out a long sigh. This wasn't a martial arts novel, so what seclusion training? Moreover, the habit of slapping 'DIY' on everything was the same before and after the Day of the Rift. Cha Eui-jae issued a final warning.
