To be more precise, it was when Seon Woo-yeon urgently helped him get in touch with a specialist.

The alien had found an unexpected ray of hope in the very place he'd come to for tax issues.

"Ah, so I don't have to pay the full forty billion?"

"Yes, yes. It's quite rare, but in your case, it applies. Hunters have many job-related expenses, so the actual tax due will be much less."

"Oh."

It turned out that Earth had advanced to the point where even its taxation system was sophisticated and reasonable.

The more money you spend while working, the less tax you pay, huh.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Kim Gi-ryeo sat on the sofa in the tax office, mentally adding up the amount he'd spent on potions over the past year.

But even as that flicker of hope appeared, there was still one unresolved problem.

"Ah, sorry, but... sir."

"Yes?"

"I just reviewed the transaction history for the bank account you brought. There's a single withdrawal of 100 billion won. What exactly was this spent on?"

"......"

"If you could clearly explain this expense, then honestly, you wouldn't need to worry about paying income tax on foreign-sourced funds."

But the alien had a secret he could never reveal.

"Sir? Why aren't you answering? I'm asking what you bought with that 100 billion won."

"......"

"Don't tell me you bought hunting gear?"

The air instantly turned awkward.

And this was exactly why the saying "Guessing recklessly is an incurable disease" existed.

Damn it. All this trouble just because I bought a [Fragment of Midnight]...

Back when he was weak, he'd been thrilled to be able to buy such a precious artifact.

But now things were different—he was so strong that he no longer needed to absorb another's magic to grow more powerful.

Which meant that, to him now, the fully completed [Midnight Gloves] were little more than a troublesome accessory.

Even losing it carelessly could cause a major uproar. I can't even take it off in public...

No matter how he thought about it, revealing this information for some financial benefit was—

Hmph.

A certain magic scholar fought to keep his brow from furrowing in tension.

If Earthlings learned that the [Fragment of Midnight] had been completed into the [Gloves of Darkness], they would undoubtedly be fascinated.

It was easy to foresee that this would accelerate research into the ancient relic.

In this era, magic-storage technology is far too valuable industrially.

The man—who crossed his arms instead of curling his tentacles—made a quick decision.

He absolutely could not reveal the whereabouts of the [Fragment of Midnight].

And so, his only remaining choice was—

"Is there... any other legal way to reduce taxes?"

The man's voice was expressionless.

On the surface, he seemed calm, but in truth, he was desperate.

"Ah... I see. So this 100 billion is an unexplainable transaction, correct?"

The tax expert offered a rather interesting suggestion.

"In that case, I have only one piece of advice for you, sir—form a Guild."

A Guild.

More specifically, a legal entity that generated profit through hunter activities.

"Form... a Guild?"

"That's right. You can either establish your own company or simply join an existing Guild as a member."

"Hmm."

"But I recommend creating your own legal entity. Doing so comes with a great many tax benefits!"

Not to mention, in just the first year alone, starting his own Guild could save him at least 20 billion won.

So I can avoid clashing with monsters like Jung Ha-sung or Seo Esther... and still cut my debt in half?

Kim Gi-ryeo decided to follow the specialist's advice.

In truth, he had no reason to refuse.

"Alright!"

But that casual agreement ended up causing a massive ripple in society...

【Hunter News 24】

[Exclusive Breaking News] S-rank Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo spotted consulting officials about forming a Guild

On a weekday afternoon, 3 PM.

An article appeared on an online news site accessible to every South Korean citizen.

And it was this article that had thrown the hunter industry into chaos in recent days.

【Hunter News 24】

[Exclusive Breaking News] S-rank Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo spotted consulting officials about forming a Guild

The fourth S-rank forming a Guild?

[Live Chat]

♜: "Hey, isn't this like Garion Season 2?"

♝: "Totally lol ㅋㅋ"

♟: "Wow~~ This Guild even has the rep coming in for a direct interview? Awesome~! Ugh... why do I suddenly have a headache..."

♙: "Bet you two or three truckloads of hunters will apply and then regret it."

In reality, it had all started from the simplest of motives.

But to those in the industry who didn't know the truth, the article was nothing short of an earthquake.

[Mi-pil-yeon-han the Malicious], [Black Dragon Kagoshima], and more—

A powerhouse whose achievements could humble even legends was now creating a Guild.

And there was even the chance they might be recruited into his ranks.

Who could possibly ignore such news?

Of course, until there was an official recruitment announcement, it was all speculation.

Still, many hunters kept the possibility in mind and began preparing for every scenario.

Large Guilds with many members were especially hard-hit by this storm.

"...Hey."

And eventually, the topic came up within their own walls.

"Captain..."

A quiet afternoon.

Inside the Neo Sisters headquarters, a cautious voice spoke up.

It came from one of the youngest hunters in the Guild—she had just returned from clearing a dungeon and was reporting in before heading home.

"By the way, did you all hear? S-rank Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo is starting a Guild."

"Ah, that thing blowing up on the intranet?"

For most of them, someone forming a Guild wasn't that important.

But Park Seung-hye, leader of Neo's 3rd Regular Team, couldn't hide her concern.

"Well... from what people are saying, it doesn't sound like just a rumor..."

There was only one reason she seemed tense. (By the way, she's female—uses a crossbow. It was mistakenly noted as male before.)

Ahn Yoon-seung.

After all, her team had an incredibly talented defensive-type superhuman.

If Kim Gi-ryeo really became the head of a Guild, the first one he might try to poach would likely be that young man.

Hmm...

Regular Team No. 3 had spent a long time building smooth coordination.
On top of that, every member had a fine personality, making it a team that could stay together for the long run.

But if they suddenly lost one person, what would they do?

The question lingered.

Since the person at the center of the matter was walking right beside her, the team leader decided to just ask directly instead of stressing over it alone.

"Hey, Ahn Yoon-seung!"

"Yes?"

After all, if he really was thinking of transferring to a new Guild, it was better to let the team know so they could prepare in advance.

"What? Are you asking me if I'd join Kim Gi-ryeo's Guild if he started one?"

But at that moment—

The moment he heard the team leader's question, Ahn Yoon-seung looked genuinely surprised.

He was close enough to a rare S-rank hunter to have his direct contact information.

So when rumors about a new Guild began to spread, he had gone straight to the source to confirm.

"Ah, that. I asked him directly. But it's not going to be a real, operational Guild like Hunter Esther's—it's just going to be a one-man Guild."

"Really? Oh, thank goodness. Then there's nothing to worry about. So it's basically just another Garrion."

Ahn Yoon-seung had no intention of transferring to the newly founded organization.

"Haha. But I kept worrying anyway—guess it's a bad habit. You know, I was even afraid I might blurt out, 'Even if it's just as your errand boy, I'll follow you!'"

As the conversation went on, it became clear he wasn't considering changing Guilds at all.

"Don't worry. That would be going too far."

"True."

"Honestly, I used to have some silly fantasies, but I've gotten a lot more grounded now."

"Huh?"

"I still respect him just as much as before, but if I had to compare... It's like getting the chance to bow to the Buddha. Stand too close, though, and it gets a little overwhelming."

At any rate, they were on their way home from work.

After speaking, Ahn Yoon-seung gave an awkward smile and walked on like nothing had happened.

"Simply put, I wouldn't be comfortable working while staying tense all the time. And besides, he's already declared it's going to be a one-man Guild. So there's no chance of me transferring."

"Mm."

"Of course, if he suddenly needed someone to carry bags, I'd apply in a heartbeat. But there are plenty of people more qualified than me—don't even know if I'd make the cut."

"...Ahn Yoon-seung, you quit smoking but started drinking instead, huh?"

"Senior Ahn Yoon-seung, if life's gotten so hard that you're spacing out like this, why not start smoking again?"

"...What did you just say? Don't tell me you're suggesting I take up something he himself warned about the dangers of?"

"Uh... um..."

"Did you really just say that?"

"...My bad."

"Forget it. Hopeless. This is worse than those Jung Ha-sung fanatics in his glory days."

"They say if there's no weirdo around you, you're the weirdo. But seeing Ahn Yoon-seung makes me feel better—guess I'm still normal."

Their lighthearted banter continued without pause.

The Neo Sisters Guild had been worried that one of their main combat powerhouses might get poached.

But as it turned out, that wasn't the case.

"Wait a second."

Even so, they couldn't completely relax.

"Now that I think about it... I heard recently that Garrion might be disbanding."

Another member brought up a new topic.

"Isn't that just a dumb rumor?"

"Mm... maybe. Without any official statement, it could just be fake news—or maybe the government stepped in to shut it down."

Their main concern remained the same.

"Still, the timing of that rumor was pretty coincidental, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"The timing when the rumor spread."

"Ah, I see."

"According to the news, S-rank hunters stay in frequent contact with each other. And in the middle of that, suddenly there's talk about Garrion disbanding."

An S-rank awakened founding a Guild—

That was the kind of information that could shake the entire industry.

"Yeah, now that you mention it... Maybe Hunter Ha-sung knew about it and was already planning to disband his company?"

"If that's the case, it would explain why Garrion has stayed around until now."

"Right. He's not aiming to expand the corporate entity."

Not just the Neo Sisters, but hunters all over the world were keeping a close eye on the situation.

Even though Kim Gi-ryeo had publicly stated he would run a one-man Guild—

Life was unpredictable.

This new wave was strong enough to overturn long-standing traditions in the industry at any moment.

And so, many Guilds had already begun preparing for an uncertain future.