Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 358

Someone once said that March was when new beginnings bloomed. The fresh spring of March felt especially meaningful to students. New first-years were entering, and with that, current first- and second-year students moved up a grade. At the very beginning of a new semester, students arrived at the Academy with nervous, fluttering hearts.

***

The 2021 Guild Invitational Information Session was scheduled for the Monday following Friday’s entrance ceremony. However, this year’s session was a little different. What had previously been held only for third-years was now expanded to all grades.

The first day of the Spring Information Session in March was filled with excitement and anticipation, and the seats at Hunter Academy were packed. Not only students, but also their parents were attending, and one of the three major television stations had come to broadcast the session as well.

Producers, writers, and reporters all busily prepared for the broadcast.

“Camera three, get ready!”

“Today is the first guild information session of the year, held at the National Hunter Academy for its students. The annex building is packed with students and parents alike. In about thirty minutes, the Fissure Management Division of Seoul City Hall will—” A reporter who had been rehearsing her script took a sip of water and cleared her throat during a short break.

She glanced at the producer, who looked dissatisfied.

“It would’ve looked a lot better if one of the Four Great Guilds was here,” the producer grumbled.

“Isn’t Seoul City Hall doing pretty well? People say it’s practically the fifth Great Guild,” reminded the reporter.

“They say that, but no one’s really serious about it. They’re still nowhere near the actual four Great Guilds.”

“I heard the number of S- and A-rank Hunters is about the same, though...”

“Sure, in terms of numbers. But that’s it.” The producer somewhat acknowledged the reporter’s point, but numbers alone didn’t tell the whole story.

The infrastructure the Great Guilds had built was something Seoul City Hall couldn’t dream of matching. Each of the four Great Guilds had its own private smithy, well-established training systems between junior and senior Hunters, and refined hunting techniques passed down through the ranks. On top of that, every Hunter had a personal manager.

Within the guilds were dozens of dedicated support teams across various fields—something a municipal government body simply couldn’t compete with. It was like comparing a conglomerate to a small business.

“Min-Jung, if you were an A-rank Hunter and could choose who to work for, would you choose the Icarus Guild or Seoul City Hall?” the producer asked.

“Hmm... Now that you put it that way, I get it. I’d go with Icarus, of course.”

“Exactly. No matter how impressive Seoul City Hall might be, there’s just no comparison with the Great Guilds. I bet even the students and parents here today are thinking, ‘Too bad it’s not one of the Four Great Guilds.’”

It was the obvious conclusion if one thought about it rationally. But Reporter Cho Min-Jung felt a lingering doubt, and the reason was the guild preference survey conducted among the third-years. Most had chosen one of the Great Guilds, except for one class. Class A, the top-performing class in the entire Academy, had gone for a different option.

***

Backstage, behind the auditorium.

As the presentation time approached, Cheol-Soo’s face only grew paler. The auditorium was packed with people, easily exceeding a thousand, even at a quick glance. He tried to think about how things had come to this, but that wasn’t the important part anymore.

“No one said a broadcasting station would be here!” Cheol-Soo, practically shouting in panic, collapsed into a chair as his legs gave way.

Hyuk-Soo was just as nervous. Sure, he didn’t have stage fright like Cheol-Soo, but even so, this kind of crowd was extremely overwhelming.

“Chief, I think all the parents came too...” he observed.

“It was just for third-years last year. Why change it now?” Cheol-Soo ranted.

“Right, and they could’ve at least given us a heads up...”

[The information session will begin in ten minutes. Please take your seats.]

The announcement over the speaker only raised the tension in the room.

“When’s Do-Jun getting here?” Cheol-Soo asked, shaking his legs as if he were trying to drill a hole into the floor.

They hadn’t heard from Do-Jun since he told them to go ahead first, saying he needed to make some final edits to the presentation file. Just as Cheol-Soo was about to succumb to overwhelming anxiety, Do-Jun walked up to them with his laptop in hand. As they say, speak of the devil.

“Sorry. I’m a bit late. The revisions took longer than expected,” he said.

“Y-you almost gave me a heart attack! Have you seen how many people are out there? It’s over a thousand! A broadcast station is here! Do-Jun, are you seriously okay with presenting today?” Cheol-Soo asked nervously.

Unlike last year, this year’s session was broadcast nationwide. Any mistake, no matter how small, would be seen by everyone, which made Cheol-Soo’s heart pound even more violently.

However, Do-Jun remained completely calm and replied, “That’s great news.”

“W-what? D-do you not see all these cameras? You’re okay with this?”

“They’re going to let the whole country know about our work and progress. I see that as a win, Chief.” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

As Do-Jun said, this was a golden opportunity to promote the Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Division nationwide. Their work and contributions were well known among Hunters, but to the general public, “Hunter-related work” and “City Hall” hadn’t been strongly associated. Now that the media was offering to highlight the division’s achievements, this was nothing but a good thing.

***

Do-Jun adjusted his tie and stepped up to the podium. At the same time, the camera focused on him, and everyone attending the presentation fixed their attention on the stage. Most people would’ve been nervous in such a moment, but Do-Jun calmly took the microphone and spoke at a measured pace.

“First, I’d like to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend. I am Supervisor Lee Do-Jun of the Fissure Management Division at Seoul City Hall, and I’ll be presenting today’s information session. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Light applause rippled through the room. Do-Jun waited for the hall to settle, then pointed the projector remote at the screen and pressed the “Present” button. The Seoul City Hall logo appeared, followed by the title: “2021 Guild Invitational Information Session.” Another click, and the slide changed.

“I’ll begin with a brief overview of the Fissure Management Division’s organization. The division was established six years ago and currently consists of three units. Altogether, we have twenty-seven staff members, and next year, we expect to expand by three more. Here is a breakdown of the work handled by each unit.”

It was a number that felt almost underwhelming. By guild standards, twenty-seven people was the size of a small or mid-tier organization. With only three teams in total, the division seemed even more modest. The work was divided among three units and consisted of Fissure management operations, Hunter recruitment and supervision, byproduct accounting, and the development of Fissure-safe tourism zones.

The audience didn’t seem particularly interested in these details. However, thanks to the well-organized charts and clearly presented slides, it didn’t come across as boring.

Do-Jun continued presenting in a calm, fluent rhythm.

Normally, a guild would use an information session to sell itself and explain why students should join it. But there was none of that in Do-Jun’s presentation. His delivery was more like a simple report.

The producer watching from the back shook his head. He’s a good speaker, but... Who’d even want to apply here?

Forget the four Great Guilds; even a mid-tier one would seem more attractive by comparison. From a student’s perspective, based on what had been said so far, the division didn’t have much pull. Especially given the public sector’s notoriously low salaries, it was insultingly modest.

The producer clicked his tongue. He had a feeling this broadcast was going to flop.

Do-Jun continued, “Next, let me show you our current Hunter contract status. We have one S-rank Hunter, ten A-ranks, and twenty-one B-ranks. Including the lower-ranking Hunters, our total comes to fifty Hunters.”

The mood in the room shifted with the next slide. That was when the real surprise came. People leaned in, paying closer attention to the slide displaying a graph showing the growth trends of their Hunters. Students, parents, and even the broadcasting staff all let out stunned breaths. They had heard bits and pieces before, but seeing the actual numbers was a completely different experience.

Every year, the ranks of the contracted Hunters had risen dramatically. The most dramatic example was clearly Ye-Ji. She had gone from F-rank all the way to S-rank—an incredible feat that had drawn major attention. There had been news articles about several rank-ups after the most recent evaluation exams, but seeing it laid out this clearly made the rapid growth look almost absurd.

Murmured voices could be heard in the crowd.

“Is that even possible?”

“This has to be fake, right? How could that even work?”

“Now, I’ll introduce the partner organizations we’ve established agreements with,” Do-Jun proceeded to the next slide.

The producer was floored. Wait... he’s just... moving on?

That slide on Hunters’ growth was the perfect selling point. Anyone in their right mind would’ve capitalized on it, highlighting it to appeal to the students. However, Do-Jun brushed past it without hesitation.

He just skipped over the strongest point... What kind of rep is this guy—? The producer abruptly stopped his train of thought when he saw the next slide on the screen, his eyes widening.

Quickly, he turned to the cameraman beside him and ordered, “Zoom in. Now!”

The cameraman obeyed, tightening the focus.

Displayed on screen was what looked like a mind map or a cluster diagram. Seoul City Hall’s Fissure Management Division was at the center, with lines branching out to several affiliated organizations. There weren’t many, fewer than ten in total. Still, the issue wasn’t the quantity; it was the quality.

Murmurs spread through the room again, this time a bit louder.

“There’s no way!”

“They’ve partnered with all of them?”

“Is this a scam? Are they lying?”

What was even more shocking was the nature of the partnerships. The screen showed that all these institutions were essentially providing handouts to Seoul City Hall. Budgets that the national or city government couldn't cover? Funded by SG Group. Artifacts required by contracted Hunters? Supplied by the National Smithy. Most startling of all, the Central Research Center was offering unconditional research support.

The students couldn’t stop themselves from muttering in awe, “Holy crap...”

Their mouths hung open, and their eyes were wide.

The next slide showed contracted Hunters receiving support from those institutions. Another slide showed S-rank Hunters sitting in the Fissure Management Division’s meeting room, holding a strategy session with staff members.

The students gulped hard.

For the next thirty minutes, Do-Jun continued to present calmly about the Fissure Management Division. He never once boasted or made a hard pitch. He didn’t try to solicit reactions or push a sales point. And yet, the response from the students was more enthusiastic than any info session so far.

The incoming first-years were wide-eyed, chatting excitedly among themselves.

“Seoul City Hall is actually... amazing?

“They have ongoing exchanges with the Great Guilds, too.”

In the heated buzz that refused to settle, Do-Jun concluded his session. “Thank you for your attention. That concludes the presentation.”

He set down the microphone with a small smile.