Feeding Them False Info to Snag the Gates We Want?
Nam Gyuil muttered under his breath.
“Giving false information to get the gates we want?”
Han Suyeong, seated on the sofa opposite him, nodded. She had hooked a massive fish on her very first day. This could secure not just the gates they desired but also sow chaos in the Hunter Association through planted misinformation.
“You’ve accomplished something truly remarkable.”
Nam Gyuil praised Han Suyeong for her unexpected brilliance. She tossed her hair back with pride, flashing a smile as if it were only natural.
“This is just the basics.”
Of course, deceiving them with false info would require some acting on her part. Han Suyeong crossed her arms.
“Expect even more from here on out. I’ll bring you any gate you want. Isn’t that what you’re after?”
“How did you know that without me even mentioning it?”
Nam Gyuil asked, genuinely impressed. He had planned to request it once she settled into Public Guild life—pushing too hard right away might overwhelm her. Yet she had pierced straight to his intentions and delivered stellar results effortlessly.
Han Suyeong took a sip of coffee from the table.
“The documents made Public Guild’s policy crystal clear. You focus on training and growth, right?”
“Yes, exactly. That’s why we skip some gates and clear them all at once when we can.”
As Han Suyeong predicted, their plan prioritized training over constant gate-closing. They spent more days honing skills than diving into gates each week.
“But we didn’t schedule it this way just to carve out training time.”
“Pardon?”
Han Suyeong looked at him curiously at Nam Gyuil’s words.
“On gate days, we deliberately fight hordes of monsters to rack up real combat experience.”
“You mean you engineered it to push real-world experience to the extreme?”
“That’s right.”
Han Suyeong rested her chin on her hand. She hadn’t realized it carried that deeper meaning. Naturally so—she was an admin buried in paperwork, with no firsthand experience wielding blade or spear. The gap in battle-hardened insight was inevitable.
Han Suyeong smiled faintly.
“You’re incredible. I never even thought that far....”
“You’re the one battling documents from a desk. It’s just a difference in perspective between sword-fighters and strategists. We each focus on our strengths.”
Nam Gyuil explained. Han Suyeong nodded, convinced. He gazed at her steadily.
No matter how I look at her, Han Suyeong seems like prime talent. She grasped my entire policy just from the files. That’s no ordinary smarts.
Han Ducheol had downplayed his daughter’s abilities as average. But today proved otherwise. She was exceptional—exactly what Public Guild needed.
Maybe Han Ducheol’s standards are sky-high, so even this level seems ordinary to him?
Or the opposite.
Perhaps she saw joining Public Guild as her last shot and came ultra-prepared.
Either way, it benefited Public Guild. Nam Gyuil extended his hand.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
They shook on it.
Nam Gyuil felt a surge of reassurance. New gates. Ones teeming with powerful monsters. Those were prime spots for rare items or martial world elixir ingredients.
Everything’s dancing to my tune now.
He relished the control. Public Guild would grow stronger by the day. And he would crush Sim Jeongun to claim Korea’s top hunter spot.
To do that, I’ll need to eye the Hunter Association presidency too.
Sim Jeongun held it now. The title’s symbolic weight was immense. Victory in the election meant majority hunter support—raw power to bend even the government.
Hunters playing politics... what a fascinating mess.
Nam Gyuil mused.
When the time comes, I’ll build my own faction in the Association.
But his goal was ousting Sim Jeongun and restoring order, not claiming the seat himself.
That job comes with too much paperwork—it’d hinder my real work.
He’d install a reliable ally instead. Power was prerequisite, though. Time for training. Nam Gyuil headed to Public Guild’s training grounds. His comrades were deep in it, oblivious to all else. Empty vials littered the floor—they’d downed mid-grade elixirs and were cycling mana. Next up: internal energy cultivation.
Nam Gyuil sat cross-legged.
“Huuu.”
He refined his inner power with Yang’s Heart Method. Mastery here unlocked Parcheon Divine Sword. And he was nearing great completion.
Inner power surged from his dantian, flooding every meridian like a storm-lashed wave.
“Huu.”
Nam Gyuil caught his breath. No pain. Power flooded his flesh intensely. But he flinched.
That’s enough for today.
He steadied his breathing and halted the method. Sweat poured like rain; his shoulders sagged, hair matted. He checked his body: organs intact, vessels and muscles unruptured, bones painless.
Inner power coursed every path without injury.
Great news. Yang’s Heart Method was designed for unleashing all arts backlash-free. This meant true Parcheon Divine Sword practice. One issue, though: success in circulation, but insufficient quantity to sustain it. Far short.
Need to boost inner power reserves fast.
Nam Gyuil wiped sweat with his sleeve. Yang’s Heart Method built power, but for rapid growth, martial elixirs were key—top-tier ones.
Those won’t be easy to procure.
He shook off regret, rose, and shifted to martial drills. He gripped a wooden sword, swinging lightly. Parcheon Divine Sword wove intricacies from every sect. Master the majors first.
Nangong’s Je-wang Sword. Huashan’s Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword. Wudang’s Taeguk Sword. Moyong’s Yeonhwang Sword.
He didn’t stop at blades. For unarmed scenarios: Shaolin’s Dragon Claw Hands, Beggar Clan’s Jade Dragon Eight Palms, Wudang’s Taeguk Fist. Diverse techniques, yet his body handled them effortlessly—thanks to Yang’s Heart Method.
Exhausted from the frenzy, he leaned against the wall for a break.
Tough stuff.
Mastering so many at once was brutal. Without Yang’s Heart Method, impossible.
To ramp up training volume, inner power growth needs to accelerate soon. Any shortcuts?
His musing shattered as his smartphone blared.
Brring, brring.
Nam Gyuil pulled it out. Disaster alert.
Internationally wanted hunter 'Sakaki Seito' sighted in Busan.
All Korean hunters: Exercise extreme caution.
Nam Gyuil narrowed his eyes. He searched news on Sakaki Seito.
• Sakaki Seito slaughtered over 100 Japanese hunters before fleeing.
• In an era where awakeners are precious, this is utterly heinous.
• Japan coordinated with the International Hunter Organization to list him as a global fugitive.
Nam Gyuil furrowed his brow. A hunter-killer targeting awakeners? Unbelievable.
And his last crime was recent.
Just a month ago. One nagging detail.
Killing that many means Sakaki Seito’s no pushover.
At minimum, sword aura user. So why flee to Korea?
No clue.
He’d evaded Japan effortlessly.
A sword aura master could’ve built a crime syndicate there easily.
Yet he bolted to Korea abruptly.
Some agenda?
Nam Gyuil snorted. None of his business—no ties to Sakaki. Then his phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Is this Public Guild hunter Nam Gyuil?”
“Yes, speaking.”
“This is the Hunter Agency. We’re contacting you for protection from Sakaki Seito.”
“Protection?”
Nam Gyuil scratched his head. Sakaki was a hunter-slaying monster, but unrelated to him. Why protect him?
“Could you explain in more detail?”
“Sakaki seems to have come to Korea for a specific purpose.”
“A purpose?”
“We found photos in his hideout under a false identity.”
“No way...”
“Your photo was among them.”
Nam Gyuil was speechless. Somehow, he’d become an international assassin’s target.
Sakaki Seito. Four men shadowed him loyally.
In a dingy warehouse, Sakaki spoke into a burner phone, his Korean halting.
“The orc op failed? How do you screw up like that?”
The recipient retorted unheard—volume minimized, no leakage. Sakaki raised his voice.
“What? That’s your excuse...?”
Another response. He tsked.
“Tch, so?”
He scowled, displeased. Long exhale.
“Fine, so I just assassinate that one guy?”
Sakaki twirled a finger in the air, recalling the target.
“Right, Nam Gyuil.”
The name slipped from his lips.
“Kill him, and the op succeeds? Don’t sweat our group getting exposed. We’re ghosts.”
Sakaki dismissed concerns lightly. He chuckled.
“No worries on Japan’s end. I’ve culled their elite hunters—summoning orcs will topple them easy. Korea’s different.”
His words dripped menace. A tattoo peeked on his wrist: a circle enclosing a bleeding goat. Grotesque. And a peculiar blade: blood-dark blade ominous, hilt like stitched fingers, exuding foul aura.
Whiiing.
The sword hummed, thirsting for blood. Sakaki ended the call hastily.
“Talk later. I’ll kill Nam Gyuil myself—don’t worry.”
He gripped his sword, muttering.
“My blood sword hungers. Wasn’t planned, but time for another kill today.”
With that, sword in hand, he vanished into the shadows.
Ten minutes later, a mysterious murder struck a small rural village in Daegu’s Naengcheong-ri.