The place that is committed to VIP marketing like this is rare. It strongly adheres to the Pareto Principle, where the top 20% accounts for 80% of sales.
Hunter Market, a subsidiary of a large corporation modeled after luxury department stores, such as D Market in Cheongdam, follows a similar approach. The area open to regular customers is only up to the third floor. Beyond that, on the ‘Exclusive Floor,’ guards restrict access, stating, “Entry is only allowed for those with a nationally certified hunter license and their companions. Please confirm your identity.”
“I did that earlier.” replied Geumhee curtly.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, they had already gone through the procedure once. However, there was no movement from the guard in front of the seventh floor. Geumhee exchanged glances with Jioh and irritably opened her bag again. “Miss, entry is difficult for you.”
“…Why?”
“From the 7th floor, it operates as a Royal Exclusive section. There are entry restrictions on each floor based on grades, and E-grade license holders can only use up to the 6th floor.”
It’s like the guards saying, ‘Don’t swagger around with your subpar qualifications that don’t meet our criteria. Go back without stirring up trouble.’
In short, they’re denied entry.
Ha, even the guard pronounced ‘E-rank’ forcefully and looked away arrogantly. Now he didn’t even glance in their direction. Geumhee silently picked up her rejected license. With a nonchalant face, she turned on her heels.
“I didn’t know that. Next time, I should bring Bambi or something. Let’s go, Jiojio.”
“What nonsense are these petty people talking about?”
“Don’t mind it. Hunters getting cut by rank happens once in a while. I get used to it.” But Jioh was looking at something else.
Contrary to her calm words, the youngest sister’s earlobe turned red through her long, wavy hair ‘Anyway, lying has always been your forte.’
It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, and Geumhee was right, it wasn’t worth making a scene for it.
But Jioh thought otherwise.
Jioh, pulling on the Geumhee’s arm, pretended to rummage through her pockets, opening her inventory.
Even with the world’s top-ranked, the representative of the planet’s monsters, standing next to her, Geumhee confidently turned away without any hesitation. She was confident that Jioh will not use her license here.
Because, like all ‘special’ beings in the world, S-rank caused a commotion even with their hunter license. Each S-rank had their own unique license, despite the increasing extravagance according to the awakening level.
Still, up to AAA-rank, they maintained a predetermined format, like a license card. But starting from S-rank, there was no such thing.
Only numbering.
Injecting magic into the individual code assigned by the country would display the unique statement of the registered S-rank awakener as a hologram. It was an arrangement made by the country to specially manage a tiny number of S-ranks, who were crucial assets.
So, S-ranks enjoyed playing with the shape of their licenses. As long as the code was engraved, it didn’t matter how the license look. In Jirok’s case, it was a piercing, while Choi David wore a bracelet.
In Jioh case… ‘What was it again? A ring, perhaps? I’ve lost it a few times and changed it, but… a phone case? Uh, AirPods…?’
‘…’
I don’t know. It must be somewhere…
If she looks carefully in some corner of her inventory, she’ll probably find it. Anyway, what’s needed right now isn’t that.
Using the license of the Magic King, covered with black dragon and all sorts of splendor, is certainly not something she can use in a place like this.
“Here.”
Fortunately, there was an item she received not long ago.
[HUNTER LICENSE / KR /]
Hunter Gyeon Jioh
—Level. B—
Combat Class (Magic Specialization)
[1st CLASS · Sword Master]
The (disguised) license belonged to Baldoje was provided by the country and Tiger, as a precaution. Compared to her main license, it was an undoubtedly inferior side character spec.
You can liken hunter ranks as a pyramid, it will be narrower towards the top. No, perhaps it was even worst with the hunter. Even in today’s world where hunters are widespread, those from B-rank onwards are commonly referred to as ‘people from another world.’ The majority of guilds also have their main forces starting from B-rank.
“A-a moment please,” said the guard, and his attitude immediately changed.
As soon as he confirmed, his complexion changed, and he carefully observed the situation. “You can use up to the 10th floor, The Trinity Hall, without restrictions. Shall I contact the floor staff in advance so they can welcome you?”
“It’s fine. We’ll handle it ourself.” Geumhee gave the answer.
These guards turned out to be quite kind. Passing through the guards who paved the way.
Following behind Geumhee’s confident steps, Jioh trailed along.
Two hours into the shopping spree. The windowless department store interior remained dazzlingly bright.
✧
Lim Sangin, 37 years old.
Occupation: VIP Personal Shopper at Cheongdam D Market Trinity Hall.
Despite the gentleman’s well-groomed appearance, his current state of mind was far from admirable. Having gained recognition at the Busan Marine branch and moved up to the Cheongdam main branch about half a year ago, he still hadn’t achieved noteworthy results.
Personal shoppers in regular department stores and those in Hunter Markets have slightly different personalities. The former operates under systematic management, being called upon by long-time customers through requests and reservations, while the latter is like a real-life lottery. It wasn’t uncommon for someone unfamiliar to come and spend tens of billions in a flash.
Therefore, personal shoppers are always waiting at the entrance, not being elegantly called upon by customer requests but rather trying to figure out who the big spender might be. ‘If you catch one big client, your life in Seoul would be guaranteed… But the territorial disputes among these Seoul folks are no joke.’ When there seemed like a potential client, they huddled together, tossed and pushed each other… it was troublesome.
Just now, he had just gone to check the inventory of a customer he was diligently assisting, and in the meantime, someone swiped everything. Lim Sangin nervously muttered at the entrance. It’s already the end of the month, and if this month goes wrong too… ‘Huh?’ Just then, a customer entered.
All the shoppers’ heads turned like a meerkat swarm at the sound of the footsteps that echoed on the floor. A precise 15 seconds of scanning from head to toe. For the seasoned veteran shoppers, that amount of time was more than enough to extract the customer’s estimate information.
Two women.
One of them is a high school student, seemingly younger, but definitely older in reality, estimated to be around twenty. Despite not looking alike, there’s a high probability that they are sisters.
Judging by their walking posture, body language, and eye level, the younger one seems to have the lead in their relationship. However, the economic control is undoubtedly in the hands of the elder sister. The younger sister’s shoe brand is mid-range, and oh, the bag is an authentic Italian product? She wear the school uniform of Saetbyeol High School, a prestigious school in Gangnam. Judging by their hair and nail condition, they are at least middle class. Hmmm. As for the older sister…
‘Ah, she’s… unique.’ What’s that?
Isn’t she a PC cafe bum?
The shoppers, impressed by the imposing aura of this student who just came out of the neighborhood bar, unanimously turned their heads. The focus shifted from the usual activities, such as skillfully scanning the customers, to these unusual events.
“…What’s this? It feels strangely unpleasant.”
“Why are you saying random things again?”
“No… it’s weird. What is this feeling, it feels like being insulted from all directions?”
“Do you have some kind of paranoia or something?”
‘Her instincts are at the level of a beast.’
Lim Sangin, who was listening attentively, was secretly impressed. ‘To feel the scan of veteran shoppers.’
Since the incident a few months ago, when the 8th-ranked Choi David threatened all of them to stop staring, it was the first time-
‘Wait, what?’
For a moment, his spine straightened.
He didn’t know how to describe this feeling.
It’s like a bright lantern being lit in a dark mind!
Lim Sangin shivered. The intuition of a 16-year ace in the Busan Marine branch, a legend, was calling out. ‘This is either a huge success or a big failure!’ The entrance was still quiet.
In Trinity Hall, where 1:1 personalized service is the rule, one shopper must stick with the customer.
Lim Sangin walked confidently.
“Hello, dear customer! Thank you for visiting Trinity Hall. I am Lim Sangin, the VVIP dedicated personal shopper at Trinity. Today, I will be your eyes and hands to serve you without any shortcomings. Nice to meet you.”
While bowing politely, the suppressed laughter of colleagues echoed in his ears. But Lim Sangin became even more certain.
‘On the sleeves of her sweatpants… There’s red beans on it!’ When you look at it up close, it’s even more of a mess! She had the boldness to walk through Korea’s best luxury store wearing sweats soaked in shaved ice and slippers with character socks!
‘I’m sure. I’m right. This is lady is either crazy or a big catch!’
Someone who pays no attention to others like this is rare in human history, except for the ancient Chinese emperor.
“Uh… Why are you looking at other people’s eyes when you’re not even volunteering?”
“Just hush! Be quiet. Oh, don’t mind her. Then, please. Shopper Lim… Sang in.”
“Haha. If the title is uncomfortable, you can call me comfortably, sir, or something like that.”
“Oh, okay. Uncle Lim. Do you have any good stuff today?”
“Gyeon Jioh!”
“…?”
Was the laughter of his colleagues a mere illusion? ‘No… I’m right.’ Lim Sangin, struggling to hold back his shaking heart, led the Gyeon sisters inside, maintaining a professional smile.
The place that is committed to VIP marketing like this is rare. It strongly adheres to the Pareto Principle, where the top 20% accounts for 80% of sales.
Hunter Market, a subsidiary of a large corporation modeled after luxury department stores, such as D Market in Cheongdam, follows a similar approach. The area open to regular customers is only up to the third floor. Beyond that, on the ‘Exclusive Floor,’ guards restrict access, stating, “Entry is only allowed for those with a nationally certified hunter license and their companions. Please confirm your identity.”
“I did that earlier.” replied Geumhee curtly.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, they had already gone through the procedure once. However, there was no movement from the guard in front of the seventh floor. Geumhee exchanged glances with Jioh and irritably opened her bag again. “Miss, entry is difficult for you.”
“…Why?”
“From the 7th floor, it operates as a Royal Exclusive section. There are entry restrictions on each floor based on grades, and E-grade license holders can only use up to the 6th floor.”
It’s like the guards saying, ‘Don’t swagger around with your subpar qualifications that don’t meet our criteria. Go back without stirring up trouble.’
In short, they’re denied entry.
Ha, even the guard pronounced ‘E-rank’ forcefully and looked away arrogantly. Now he didn’t even glance in their direction. Geumhee silently picked up her rejected license. With a nonchalant face, she turned on her heels.
“I didn’t know that. Next time, I should bring Bambi or something. Let’s go, Jiojio.”
“What nonsense are these petty people talking about?”
“Don’t mind it. Hunters getting cut by rank happens once in a while. I get used to it.” But Jioh was looking at something else.
Contrary to her calm words, the youngest sister’s earlobe turned red through her long, wavy hair ‘Anyway, lying has always been your forte.’
It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, and Geumhee was right, it wasn’t worth making a scene for it.
But Jioh thought otherwise.
Jioh, pulling on the Geumhee’s arm, pretended to rummage through her pockets, opening her inventory.
Even with the world’s top-ranked, the representative of the planet’s monsters, standing next to her, Geumhee confidently turned away without any hesitation. She was confident that Jioh will not use her license here.
Because, like all ‘special’ beings in the world, S-rank caused a commotion even with their hunter license. Each S-rank had their own unique license, despite the increasing extravagance according to the awakening level.
Still, up to AAA-rank, they maintained a predetermined format, like a license card. But starting from S-rank, there was no such thing.
Only numbering.
Injecting magic into the individual code assigned by the country would display the unique statement of the registered S-rank awakener as a hologram. It was an arrangement made by the country to specially manage a tiny number of S-ranks, who were crucial assets.
So, S-ranks enjoyed playing with the shape of their licenses. As long as the code was engraved, it didn’t matter how the license look. In Jirok’s case, it was a piercing, while Choi David wore a bracelet.
In Jioh case… ‘What was it again? A ring, perhaps? I’ve lost it a few times and changed it, but… a phone case? Uh, AirPods…?’
‘…’
I don’t know. It must be somewhere…
If she looks carefully in some corner of her inventory, she’ll probably find it. Anyway, what’s needed right now isn’t that.
Using the license of the Magic King, covered with black dragon and all sorts of splendor, is certainly not something she can use in a place like this.
“Here.”
Fortunately, there was an item she received not long ago.
[HUNTER LICENSE / KR /]
Hunter Gyeon Jioh
—Level. B—
Combat Class (Magic Specialization)
[1st CLASS · Sword Master]
The (disguised) license belonged to Baldoje was provided by the country and Tiger, as a precaution. Compared to her main license, it was an undoubtedly inferior side character spec.
You can liken hunter ranks as a pyramid, it will be narrower towards the top. No, perhaps it was even worst with the hunter. Even in today’s world where hunters are widespread, those from B-rank onwards are commonly referred to as ‘people from another world.’ The majority of guilds also have their main forces starting from B-rank.
“A-a moment please,” said the guard, and his attitude immediately changed.
As soon as he confirmed, his complexion changed, and he carefully observed the situation. “You can use up to the 10th floor, The Trinity Hall, without restrictions. Shall I contact the floor staff in advance so they can welcome you?”
“It’s fine. We’ll handle it ourself.” Geumhee gave the answer.
These guards turned out to be quite kind. Passing through the guards who paved the way.
Following behind Geumhee’s confident steps, Jioh trailed along.
Two hours into the shopping spree. The windowless department store interior remained dazzlingly bright.
✧
Lim Sangin, 37 years old.
Occupation: VIP Personal Shopper at Cheongdam D Market Trinity Hall.
Despite the gentleman’s well-groomed appearance, his current state of mind was far from admirable. Having gained recognition at the Busan Marine branch and moved up to the Cheongdam main branch about half a year ago, he still hadn’t achieved noteworthy results.
Personal shoppers in regular department stores and those in Hunter Markets have slightly different personalities. The former operates under systematic management, being called upon by long-time customers through requests and reservations, while the latter is like a real-life lottery. It wasn’t uncommon for someone unfamiliar to come and spend tens of billions in a flash.
Therefore, personal shoppers are always waiting at the entrance, not being elegantly called upon by customer requests but rather trying to figure out who the big spender might be. ‘If you catch one big client, your life in Seoul would be guaranteed… But the territorial disputes among these Seoul folks are no joke.’ When there seemed like a potential client, they huddled together, tossed and pushed each other… it was troublesome.
Just now, he had just gone to check the inventory of a customer he was diligently assisting, and in the meantime, someone swiped everything. Lim Sangin nervously muttered at the entrance. It’s already the end of the month, and if this month goes wrong too… ‘Huh?’ Just then, a customer entered.
All the shoppers’ heads turned like a meerkat swarm at the sound of the footsteps that echoed on the floor. A precise 15 seconds of scanning from head to toe. For the seasoned veteran shoppers, that amount of time was more than enough to extract the customer’s estimate information.
Two women.
One of them is a high school student, seemingly younger, but definitely older in reality, estimated to be around twenty. Despite not looking alike, there’s a high probability that they are sisters.
Judging by their walking posture, body language, and eye level, the younger one seems to have the lead in their relationship. However, the economic control is undoubtedly in the hands of the elder sister. The younger sister’s shoe brand is mid-range, and oh, the bag is an authentic Italian product? She wear the school uniform of Saetbyeol High School, a prestigious school in Gangnam. Judging by their hair and nail condition, they are at least middle class. Hmmm. As for the older sister…
‘Ah, she’s… unique.’ What’s that?
Isn’t she a PC cafe bum?
The shoppers, impressed by the imposing aura of this student who just came out of the neighborhood bar, unanimously turned their heads. The focus shifted from the usual activities, such as skillfully scanning the customers, to these unusual events.
“…What’s this? It feels strangely unpleasant.”
“Why are you saying random things again?”
“No… it’s weird. What is this feeling, it feels like being insulted from all directions?”
“Do you have some kind of paranoia or something?”
‘Her instincts are at the level of a beast.’
Lim Sangin, who was listening attentively, was secretly impressed. ‘To feel the scan of veteran shoppers.’
Since the incident a few months ago, when the 8th-ranked Choi David threatened all of them to stop staring, it was the first time-
‘Wait, what?’
For a moment, his spine straightened.
He didn’t know how to describe this feeling.
It’s like a bright lantern being lit in a dark mind!
Lim Sangin shivered. The intuition of a 16-year ace in the Busan Marine branch, a legend, was calling out. ‘This is either a huge success or a big failure!’ The entrance was still quiet.
In Trinity Hall, where 1:1 personalized service is the rule, one shopper must stick with the customer.
Lim Sangin walked confidently.
“Hello, dear customer! Thank you for visiting Trinity Hall. I am Lim Sangin, the VVIP dedicated personal shopper at Trinity. Today, I will be your eyes and hands to serve you without any shortcomings. Nice to meet you.”
While bowing politely, the suppressed laughter of colleagues echoed in his ears. But Lim Sangin became even more certain.
‘On the sleeves of her sweatpants… There’s red beans on it!’ When you look at it up close, it’s even more of a mess! She had the boldness to walk through Korea’s best luxury store wearing sweats soaked in shaved ice and slippers with character socks!
‘I’m sure. I’m right. This is lady is either crazy or a big catch!’
Someone who pays no attention to others like this is rare in human history, except for the ancient Chinese emperor.
“Uh… Why are you looking at other people’s eyes when you’re not even volunteering?”
“Just hush! Be quiet. Oh, don’t mind her. Then, please. Shopper Lim… Sang in.”
“Haha. If the title is uncomfortable, you can call me comfortably, sir, or something like that.”
“Oh, okay. Uncle Lim. Do you have any good stuff today?”
“Gyeon Jioh!”
“…?”
Was the laughter of his colleagues a mere illusion? ‘No… I’m right.’ Lim Sangin, struggling to hold back his shaking heart, led the Gyeon sisters inside, maintaining a professional smile.
