I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

Being dogmatic always comes with risks.

Since every human has a limited perspective, it’s easy to make mistakes when one refuses to look beyond their narrow viewpoint. 

If the mistake only affects the individual who made it, the consequences are generally easier to handle. 

When it’s a personal issue, the fallout is confined to that person. 

However, when the decision impacts more than just the individual, such as the operation of an organization or a larger entity, the consequences can be much more significant.

That same dogmatic mistake has the potential to backfire in ways that are far too cruel.

For this reason, leaders who manage organizations must always seek out and consider the opinions of others before making any important decisions.

While it’s important to have the resolve to make the final call, it’s just as crucial to be cautious and to look at the situation from multiple perspectives.

Why? Because a decision born from one person’s limited and impulsive thoughts can lead to unforeseen consequences, and in the worst-case scenario, harm not only the decision-maker but countless others as well.

And in that regard…

Isena, the guild master of the 28th Hunter Guild,

had a fatal flaw as a leader.

She was someone who never listened to others, someone who made decisions hastily, based only on her own ideas.

As a result, her self-righteousness…

The very thing that had once been the best gift to a certain man,

had instead become a catastrophic disaster for countless others.

***

“Finally Gone”

“Haa… I think I’ll finally be able to breathe now that the interrupter is gone for good.”

“Seriously, dragging that dead weight around all this time has been such a pain.”

Two women lounged comfortably on a sofa, wine glasses in hand, their conversation flowing with self-satisfaction.

Guild Master Isena and her closest friend, Choi Yujin, were reveling in their joy.

From their perspective, the adjutant, who constantly interfered in their decisions, criticized their choices and nagged them with phrases like “you shouldn’t do this” or “that’s a bad idea,” was finally gone.

Yesterday afternoon, Isena had successfully demobilized Lee Jinhyun, the adjutant who had been, to her, nothing but a thorn in her side.

Now, from her point of view, there was no one left to argue with her, no one to insist on inconvenient training schedules, and no one to demand tedious administrative work. 

Gone were the endless stacks of “homework-like” payment approvals the adjutant used to prepare for her.

At this moment, Isena felt like she had grown wings of freedom. She poured herself another glass of wine and continued her conversation with Yujin, her tone filled with exhilaration.

“In the first place, that guy was never a good fit for us. He was so obsessed with being principled and focused on all the wrong things. Honestly, I should’ve gotten rid of him ages ago,” Isena said with a scoff.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Yujin chimed in, rolling her eyes. “Men who come from military backgrounds and wear rank insignias are always so useless. At the end of the day, aren’t we hunters who keep this world safe?”

Yujin emptied her wine glass, refilled it, and added with a smirk:

“What kind of leader is someone who’s never even killed an Abyss monster with his own hands? If he at least had a handsome face and knew how to stay quiet, we wouldn’t have had to go this far.”

“Right? We were kind enough to tolerate him all this time, even letting him earn his salary while contributing next to nothing. But then, to top it off, he leaves with that weird video as if he’s the victim. Ugh, that pissed me off so much.”

“Well, what can you do? He’s a civilian now, so we’ll just have to put up with it. Let’s say we showed mercy, yeah?” Yujin said with a laugh.

“Hahaha, that’s true. Fired from the Hunter Guild, left wandering around like a beggar with no prospects… who’s going to hire a guy like that?”

The two women burst into laughter, mockery spilling from their lips.

As time passed and the wine loosened their tongues further, their conversation continued to center around Jinhyun.

“Honestly, why does he make such a big deal about the Abyss? You just have to rush in and kill them. What’s the point of making it complicated?” Isena said dismissively.

“Exactly. Those things don’t have intelligence, they just act on instinct. What’s so scary about them? People like him, who’ve never seen real combat, are always overthinking everything and slowing us down,” Yujin replied.

“If I went all out, I could kill 100 or even 1,000 Abyss creatures right now,” Isena boasted, swirling her wine.

To their credit, the 28th Hunter Guild had never once been defeated in battle.

They were renowned for taking on missions other guilds wouldn’t touch, and Isena and Yujin, as S-class hunters, had always been at the center of their victories.

With their overwhelming strength, they had slain countless Abyss creatures, their severed heads marking the guild’s many triumphs.

From their perspective, Lee Jinhyun, who always stayed safely in the rear and criticized their methods, had been a useless burden.

“We’ve come this far thanks to our hard work. All his nagging was just dead weight we had to carry,” Isena declared confidently.

“Exactly! Thanks to you, guild leader, even with him dragging us down, the government decided to increase our support, right? And in the process, we got what we wanted, getting rid of him!” Yujin said with a grin.

Although the position of adjutant, responsible for planning tactics, was now vacant, neither of them saw this as a problem.

After all, a replacement, a more “competent” one, supposedly, was expected to arrive soon, courtesy of the government.

“Honestly, though, skill doesn’t matter much. I just want the next adjutant to be a handsome man,” Isena said, leaning back with a sly smile.

“Exactly! Unlike Lee Jinhyun, if he’s good-looking, we might like having him around,” Yujin replied, her voice filled with laughter.

While chatting about their personal lives and imagining a rosy future, the two S-class hunters were completely at ease.

But then

–BANG!

“What the…”

The loud crash of the door bursting open interrupted their carefree conversation.

At the sound, both women turned toward the commotion, their expressions more annoyed than startled.

They didn’t even flinch. After all, it was obvious to them who might barge into this space reserved only for executives.

“Na Jiseon, are you here to vent because you lost another game?” Isena remarked with a dry tone. “I’m sorry, but could you at least try to keep yourself in check for a bit? You know there’s no one here to clean up after you until the new adjutant arrives…”

“Is it true?”

“…What?”

Standing in the doorway, just as they expected, was Na Jiseon, another S-class hunter.

But contrary to their expectations, the usual fiery rage on Jiseon’s face was absent.

Instead, her expression was filled with something else entirely, something neither Isena nor Yujin had anticipated.

It was fear.

And beneath that, deep anxiety.

“S… is it true?” Jiseon stammered, her voice trembling. “This… this message. Did he really… Did he really go out?”

“‘Go out’…? Oh, you mean Lee Jinhyun?” Yujin replied casually, waving her hand dismissively. “Yeah, it’s true. He’s gone. The government approved additional support, so we used the opportunity to get rid of him. Didn’t you hate him too? I thought you’d be happy about it.”

Na Jiseon, who had always been the most vocal critic of Lee Jinhyun among the executives, wasn’t reacting the way they had expected.

Instead of satisfaction or relief, Jiseon’s face twisted further with unease.

“No…”

“What?”

“I… I didn’t…” Jiseon hesitated, her voice faltering. “I didn’t hate him… Lee Jinhyun… no… Jinhyun oppa… I…”

“Jiseon?” Isena asked, her brow furrowing.

But before she could finish her thought, Jiseon swore under her breath.

“Damn it!”

Abruptly, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving the two women staring after her, stunned.

“What the hell was that about?” Yujin muttered, breaking the silence.

“I don’t know,” Isena replied, her tone irritated. “Maybe her anger management issues are flaring up again? Who knows.”

Neither of them could make sense of Jiseon’s reaction, so they simply shrugged it off, continuing their conversation as though nothing had happened.

But less than a minute after Jiseon left, someone else rushed into the room.

“Seo Jiyoon?!” Yujin exclaimed, spotting the newcomer. “What’s with that face? Did you see something horrifying or something?”

Seo Jiyoon, another S-class hunter, was pale and visibly shaken. She was gasping for breath, as though she had sprinted all the way there.

Without saying a word, Jiyoon shoved her phone toward them, the screen displaying a familiar video.

It was the farewell message that Lee Jinhyun had uploaded before leaving.

“This…” Jiyoon began, her voice trembling. “Is this for real? Did Lee Jinhyun really leave? He… he actually left?”

“He left,” Isena replied flatly, her tone betraying how little she cared.

“W-what…?” Jiyoon stuttered, her voice filled with shock. “You… you kicked him out? Him? Are you serious? You actually kicked him out?!”

“What’s with the drama?” Isena asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re acting like you didn’t notice. The government approved additional support, so we didn’t need him anymore. He was redundant in this situation, what’s the big deal?”

Jiyoon’s face twisted in disbelief, her breathing uneven. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

Finally, she turned sharply and rushed out of the room, heading somewhere in a hurry.

The two women exchanged confused glances, still not understanding what was going on.

“What’s wrong with her now?” Yujin asked, frowning.

“I don’t know,” Isena said with a scoff. “She’s probably just being dramatic, like always. Maybe she’s still processing or whatever.”

But Jiyoon’s pale face, Jiseon’s unusual reaction, and their hurried departures left something lingering in the air.

As the two women dismissed it and returned to their conversation, Jiyoon’s parting thought echoed in her head like a curse

‘These assholes…’