Tae-oh's first target for recruitment was based on a minor footnote in the original novel: Ryu Min-jae, known only as The Fixer. Min-jae was a disgraced A-Rank engineer who now specialized in bypassing the digital security of Hunter Gates.
Tae-oh found Min-jae in a run-down electronics shop, nursing a cheap beer and tinkering with a broken A-Rank mana tablet.
Tae-oh walked in, using his most commanding corporate tone. "Ryu Min-jae. You are inefficient. You are wasting A-Rank talent on D-Rank tasks."
Min-jae looked up, startled by the strange man covered in fine dust and radiating dark power. "Who the hell are you?"
"I am the Shadow-Rank. I offer you a contract. I need you to bypass Guild security systems, create untraceable supply lines, and manage a new organization. In return, I will pay you in Aetheric Scars."
Tae-oh pointed to the broken tablet. "That tablet failed because the manufacturer used a low-grade quantum stabilizer. The flaw is precisely 0.003% deviation from standard. I can replicate that perfect stabilization frequency onto your system, permanently boosting its efficiency."
Min-jae stared. Only a true Architect or a Celestial could diagnose flaws at that micro-level.
"Why me?" Min-jae asked, dropping his beer.
"Because you need resources to become an Architect (SS Rank) yourself, and I need a Chief Operating Officer. Your knowledge is A-Rank. Your salary starts now."
Min-jae smiled—a slow, dangerous grin that mirrored Tae-oh's own cynical ambition. "A salaryman villain and an engineer. The perfect crime. I accept the contract, boss."
With Min-jae providing the funds through expertly laundered Gate cores, Tae-oh was able to buy his next critical skill.
[Skill: A-Rank Teleportation Strike (170 VP)]: Allows the Host to execute a short-range, mana-burst teleportation directly onto a target's weakness. Ideal for immediate offense.
[Purchase Complete! Teleportation Strike Acquired!]
[Host Status: Combat Rank: B+ (Core Stability: 85% of A-Rank)]