The Guild Master's Treasure
Nam Gyuil headed to Kangcheol Guild. Han Ducheol had said it wasn't good to talk in crowded places, so he should come to his guild instead.
Just who is he planning to recommend?
He found it a bit odd. It was about selecting an administrative staff member, yet they were handling it so secretly.
I thought he'd just recommend one person and be done with it.
Still, he wasn't too worried. Han Ducheol wouldn't recommend just anyone unreliable.
With that, Nam Gyuil entered Kangcheol Guild. But it was eerily empty. The vast building had not a single soul inside. It was 7 p.m. now—quitting time, sure, but not a single employee pulling overtime? That was unusual.
Nam Gyuil stood blankly in the lobby.
"You've arrived."
Then Han Ducheol appeared and greeted him.
"Hello, Guild Master. I hope you've been well."
Nam Gyuil bowed politely. This was the man who had helped when the large guilds tried to steal credit for slaying the Orc Champion. He showed utmost respect.
Han Ducheol chuckled heartily and patted his shoulder.
"Hahaha, I'm doing fine, of course. We have much to discuss—let's go somewhere quiet."
Nam Gyuil followed him. But something felt off.
This isn't a meeting room—it's the training hall?
Why bring him here? Han Ducheol posed a question.
"What do you think of the current Hunter Association? Do you believe it's right?"
"……."
Nam Gyuil fell silent. He pondered endlessly why such a question. Then it hit him—this was to gauge his character. It meant the person Han Ducheol wanted to recommend for the administrative role was someone precious to him.
So he answered honestly.
"The Hunter Association is deeply flawed."
"What makes you say that? Speak freely."
Nam Gyuil's voice rang clear.
"The guilds chase only profit, heedless of people's lives."
"Is that so?"
"They trample the weak as if it's natural and mistake immorality for ability."
"Sounds like villains."
"Irredeemable villains."
Nam Gyuil affirmed it with blazing eyes, his expression unforgiving.
Seeing that, Han Ducheol gave a wry smile and clasped his hands behind his back. He too wasn't free of such sins. Blackmailed by Sim Jeongun, he'd hidden his training methods, and in the end, he'd built a large guild and profited from it—that fact remained unchanged.
Han Ducheol asked his final question.
"So, what do you plan to do about it?"
"Normalize the Hunter Association."
"That won't be easy."
"If I ignore injustice just because it's hard, why did I grow strong in the first place?"
Nam Gyuil replied. Han Ducheol tapped his forehead and burst into laughter. Among all the answers he'd heard, this pleased him most—and it was what he wished to tell his past self. That resolve appealed to him.
Suddenly, Han Ducheol tossed a wooden sword at him.
Thwack.
Nam Gyuil caught it. Han Ducheol smirked.
"Let's see if your skill matches that resolve."
"This is exciting. I wonder who you're introducing that requires all this."
"Hahaha, one of my treasures. Can't give it away easily."
Nam Gyuil smiled faintly.
"A treasure of Guild Master Han Ducheol... I can look forward to it, then?"
"Of course."
Han Ducheol activated sword aura. Nam Gyuil countered in kind. Their auras clashed, whipping up a gust of wind.
Han Ducheol was delighted.
"You've grown much stronger!"
Nam Gyuil's offense was ferocious. Han Ducheol was certain—his level now rivaled that of large guild masters.
Clang, thwack!
Han Ducheol tracked Nam Gyuil's swordsmanship with his eyes.
Sharpness hidden within the flashiness. Where did he learn such technique?
Han Ducheol stepped back, matching his opponent's movements with his wooden sword. Nam Gyuil thought of Han Kangsu.
Similar.
Han Kangsu keenly read his foe's swordplay and adapted. Han Ducheol showed the same insight. Father and son shared talent in swordsmanship, it seemed.
Nam Gyuil drew a deep breath, channeling the inner power honed by Yang's Heart Method. Strength surged from his dantian and heart, bolstering his sword aura. Then he unleashed Huashan sect swordsmanship.
In that instant, a floral scent wafted. The fragrance of plum blossoms blooming steadfast through storm and gale.
Han Ducheol's eyes widened. The sudden aroma and Nam Gyuil's dazzling swordplay captivated him. It felt like a dream. Was this ethereal sensation what they called "dreamlike"?
He lost himself in it. By the time he snapped back, Nam Gyuil's wooden sword was at his throat.
Thwack!
Han Ducheol swiftly raised his sword to block. Enhanced sword aura met plain wood. The shockwave spread, stirring another gale.
Whoosh.
Han Ducheol was pushed back. Nam Gyuil's strike was too powerful. But the sword didn't cut—the difference from the Unha Guild executive was stark. The guild master was a cut above.
Nam Gyuil released his sword aura and looked at him.
"Does this prove my skill?"
"Yes."
Han Ducheol smiled wryly. Nam Gyuil lowered his wooden sword.
"Do you wish to join us, by any chance?"
"What?"
"You know what I mean."
"True, I'd love to give those Hunter Association bastards a thrashing."
Han Ducheol extended his hand for a shake. Nam Gyuil grasped it. A sturdy ally was officially gained that day.
"So, who exactly are you recommending for the administrative role?"
Nam Gyuil couldn't hold back his curiosity. Then—
Gurgle.
A rumble from Han Ducheol's stomach.
"Well, let's eat first and talk."
He laughed heartily and slapped Nam Gyuil's back. What a my-pace guy.
"Kaaah. Nothing beats pork soup for this."
Han Ducheol ordered delivery pork soup. Nam Gyuil ate alongside. He marveled at the portion. With that build, he expected a big appetite, but three bowls already? Insane.
"Ah, belly full now... Time for the real talk."
Han Ducheol patted his stomach. Nam Gyuil set down his spoon and nodded.
"So, who is this recommended administrator?"
"Eh, her work is average..."
"Pardon?"
Nam Gyuil stared at Han Ducheol, who'd sparred him yet recommended an average person. A touch disappointed.
Han Ducheol scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Take my daughter."
"Pardon?"
"She's handled guild admin before, so she'll be useful."
Nam Gyuil paused. Han Ducheol's own daughter? Unexpected.
"Your daughter—Han Suyeong?"
"Yes. You met before, right? She came to scout you for our guild."
"Yes."
He remembered her as quite haughty. Han Ducheol smirked.
"Still, she's my blood—loyal to a fault. If you want a loyal administrator who keeps secrets, no one beats her. At least she'll guard confidentiality."
"True enough."
Nam Gyuil nodded vigorously. A sharp admin would be ideal, but loyalty and secrecy were priority now. Who knew what the Hunter Association might pull.
Upon reflection, Han Suyeong was perfect for Public Guild.
Han Ducheol downed a glass of water and continued.
"Do you know Sim Jeongun's goal?"
"Raising his value for excessive personal gain?"
"That's just the process."
"Pardon?"
Nam Gyuil blinked—what did that mean? Han Ducheol dropped a bombshell.
"His goal is to become king of Korea. He wants to rule this country."
"……."
Nam Gyuil felt like he'd been clubbed in the back of the head, speechless. King of Korea? He couldn't even comprehend.
Is he insane?
He couldn't read Sim Jeongun's mind. Han Ducheol explained gravely what was unfolding.
"Recall the Orc incident."
"The Orc incident?"
"Yes. It proved one thing: individual might can surpass national power."
Nam Gyuil pondered. Soldiers with guns, even tanks—shattered by Orcs. Only sword aura hunters could stop them. Perhaps individual power had long surpassed the state.
Come to think of it, the President said something similar.
"Now the era of hunters unfolds. Power comes from strength. The age of hunters begins."
The President had declared it. What happens when personal might eclipses national force?
A dictator's prerequisite is military control. Oppress the people with overwhelming power.
Nam Gyuil's expression hardened. When one person's power outstrips the masses, none can stop them. Crimes go unpunished—police can't catch them, law holds no sway. The strong seize by violence, pursuing profit.
Even kingship becomes possible.
Nam Gyuil clenched his fist. Absurd, yet with law-transcending individuals, entirely plausible. Feudalism might revive in the 21st century. Non-awakeners as serfs or slaves. A horrific world.
Imagining sociopaths with such power made him nauseous.
Han Ducheol sighed.
"The silver lining: he's still in preparation."
"Preparation?"
"If he rebels and the President calls foreign hunters, it'd be trouble. There are sword aura users abroad too."
"So he's not ready?"
"Yes. Thus, they want influence over politics. Then they'll seize control."
Nam Gyuil's stomach churned. Monsters ravaging, yet hunters plot to topple the government for power. Civil war.
And traitorous awakeners colluding with monsters existed.
Worst-case scenario.
Unknown identities, one misstep and civil war leads to doom.
Nam Gyuil asked about Sim Jeongun.
"Is he strong?"
"Far stronger than you now. No comparison."
Nam Gyuil shivered. Stronger than his current self? Impossible.
He'd grown via Akashic Records' second floor, mastered martial arts. Why was Sim Jeongun incomparable?
"Guild Master, how strong is he?"
"Fought him once. Utter defeat. His sword aura was extraordinary."
"The sword aura?"
"Not mana-coated... like light enveloping the blade."
Nam Gyuil's eyes widened. What Han Ducheol saw wasn't sword aura—it was sword gang.
Han Ducheol sighed again.
"And during the fight, I noticed something odd."
"What?"
"The longer it went, the more he seemed to lose his mind."
"Lose his mind...?"
"Can't explain, but he gradually shed his humanity."
Nam Gyuil's mouth dried. Immense power, but madness-inducing martial art. Like the Demonic Heaven Demon.
Did Sim Jeongun master Cheonma Divine Art? How?
His mind raced. But one thing was clear: like his Akashic Records, Sim Jeongun had something special.
Still, Nam Gyuil calmed himself.
It's fine. The Akashic Records hold records of those who felled the Heaven Demon.