Shadows of Baegbaekgyo
The morning after the guild's launch, the site of the haunted Goryeo Workshop in Guro District buzzed with crowds. Soldiers and police holding the containment line, reporters swarming for coverage, Hunter Association officials monitoring the situation—all eyes fixed on the workshop building shrouded in distorting heat haze. No one had dared enter since the rescue team that attempted it was carried out in a state of mental delirium.
"It's Silver Lining! Are they going in?"
Large buses pulled up from the opposite side of the road, their sides emblazoned with sharp silver clouds and sun motifs. Reporters surged forward, camera flashes exploding. The bus doors opened, and guild members disembarked. The crowd fell utterly silent.
Their attire was beyond bizarre. Instead of modern hunter suits, they wore classical armor. Dark crimson brigandines wrapped their torsos, helmets covered their heads. In their hands, they gripped three-bladed partisans; heavy iron maces hung at their waists. They looked like they'd stepped straight out of a historical drama set.
But the aura they exuded was no act. It was the chilling, heavy presence of true warriors.
"What the hell? Joseon-era army?"
"They're gonna take down a kaeyi haunt with that? Are they insane?"
Murmurs swelled. Then Park Cheolwoo, Lee Sujin, and Han Yura stepped off the bus. Their gear was even more distinctive. Unlike the standard brigandines, they donned scale armor covered in silver leather, densely studded with metal bosses—ornate yet intimidating. Park Cheolwoo's helmet had a wide brim and decorations evoking a general. He strode confidently to the containment line.
"Good morning. I'm Park Cheolwoo, guild master of Silver Lining."
His voice boomed without a megaphone.
"As of today, Silver Lining Guild embarks on our path as the Great Anti-Kaeyi Guild. We will rescue the innocent civilians and comrades trapped in the kaeyi haunt before us, destroy its core, and restore order."
Even the Hunter Association officials gawked in surprise. They'd been notified of the kaeyi raid, but not that the guild specialized in them.
"Can you really handle a kaeyi haunt with that outdated gear?!"
"This isn't outdated equipment. It's anti-kaeyi gear, specially crafted to combat kaeyi haunts and kaeyi."
"Anti-kaeyi gear!"
Sharp-eyed reporters smelled a scoop, snapping photos of the Silver Lining members furiously.
"Clear the way!"
Meanwhile, a barricaded path opened. Park Cheolwoo, Lee Sujin, and Han Yura led Silver Lining into the haunt. Clank, clank. The rhythmic clash of brigandines echoed. A bizarre silence settled over the scene.
At the same time, Seojun watched the scene on the news from his forge. After the entry footage, he switched off the TV. All that remained was to trust Silver Lining's capabilities and the gear he'd made.
"Hoo."
He leaned back in his workbench chair, closing his eyes for a brief rest. Tension released, fatigue crashed in. He'd pulled an all-nighter mass-producing brigandines and partisans, draining himself. Custom scale armor and helmets for the trio had taken extra time. But the results satisfied him. As reinforced anti-kaeyi gear, they should offset the haunt's curses and deliver solid physical damage.
"Hm?"
A sudden chill prickled from the front. He snapped his eyes open, turning his head. Outside the open shutter—in the empty alley—someone stood. As if they'd materialized there. A middle-aged man in a pristine modernized hanbok. Hair neatly combed back, face bearing a gentle smile. But his eyes were vacant. Like a husk drained of soul. His lips mumbled ceaselessly.
"Baegbaek... baegbaek of Baekbaek..."
A bizarre chant, like a spell or nonsense. One thing was clear: the man was a kaeyi.
Seojun rose cautiously. "Who are you?"
The kaeyi stopped chanting and met his gaze. The eerie smile deepened.
"Return to the divine."
Seojun frowned at the out-of-nowhere declaration. "Wrong place. This is a forge. If you're not buying, get out."
"Foolish mortal. Repent your sin of mocking the divine people."
The kaeyi stepped forward—but the rules repelled him, keeping him in place.
"If you do not repent, divine punishment shall fall."
"Divine punishment, huh. What's this 'divine people' you keep yapping about?"
Seojun probed for identity. The kaeyi's eyes gleamed fanatically.
"Those who dwell in the hidden world. The ones the living god, Lord Baekmyeon, deigns to watch over."
"Baekmyeon?"
Nothing specific came to mind. But it felt off.
"An outsider dares utter the name—blasphemy. Yet ignorance may be embraced by the divine. We of Baegbaekgyo suffered persecution and oppression in the mortal world, but Lord Baekmyeon became the living god and led us to the blessed hidden lands."
Seojun racked his brain at the familiar name. A notorious cult from the Japanese colonial era. Thought erased from history after massacring hundreds of followers. Had they revived as a kaeyi cult in the hidden world? Fanatics worshiping Baekmyeon as god, calling kaeyi "divine people." Now even cult kaeyi crawling out of the woodwork. This was some rotten luck.
"Not long ago, the ignorant dared turn new divine people into savage tools, and the divine meted out punishment."
The cult kaeyi spoke gravely, like a warning. And what he described was unmistakably...
'Goryeo Workshop?'
Seojun clamped his mouth shut as the thought struck. "Divine people" and "new divine people" meant native and foreign kaeyi. "Things of the divine people" and "new divine people"...
'No way.'
His guess solidified into certainty. Goryeo Workshop had pulled kaeyi from kaeyi-haunt dungeons to make gear. Plenty of evidence from various sources. But the real issue was elsewhere.
'The cult caused the haunt?'
If Baegbaekgyo was truly behind it, this was grave. Couldn't dismiss the cult kaeyi lightly. Yet doubt lingered.
"Kaeyi—er, esteemed divine person—your workshop fee materials were used."
"...Even so, they unauthorizedly used the new divine people's things."
The cult kaeyi pointed to the tool rack. Among them, refurbished items like the ox-gold hammer.
Before Seojun could retort and lose ground—
"That's—"
"Where do you get off, you damn cultist?!"
A thunderous roar shook the forge. The air split, unleashing a frigid sword aura. The cult kaeyi's face twisted in horror. No time to scream—he reeled back. An invisible blade grazed his shoulder.
"Graaagh!"
Spitting blood, the cult kaeyi rolled on the ground. He glared at the empty air in terror, then fled like a rat.
It happened in a blink.
A familiar figure now stood at the forge entrance. Baek Dongsu, the half-human half-kaeyi in his black horsetail hat. Still in his tattered robe, but wielding the ring sword Seojun had sharpened.
"Fucking pests crawling around. Baegbaekgyo scum still haven't learned."
Baek Dongsu clicked his tongue, sheathing the sword. Sensing Seojun's gaze, he continued.
"Lady Hahoe tasked me with watching the area while Haran pays her dues. But not with the excessive favoritism she shows you—I'll rule fairly, no conveniences."
"Dues...?"
"Nothing you need to know."
Baek Dongsu grumbled, flicking his robe. A massive tiger pelt and bones thudded to the floor. The savage aura evoked the mountain lord from days ago.
"Too much for just passing on regards. Brought payment besides."
Drawing a firm line, Baek Dongsu turned to leave. As he seemed about to vanish, Seojun called urgently.
"I have a question!"
"Tch. One only."
"Can Baegbaekgyo cause kaeyi haunts?"
"They're kaeyi too, so obviously."
"Then..."
"The haunt in the city the other day? Different story."
Baek Dongsu glanced toward the haunted direction.
"Even rootless scum like them overstepped, playing with kaeyi for wicked ends. Self-inflicted doom. If Baegbaekgyo pulled strings, they just sped up the timer."
Seojun nodded to thank him—but Baek Dongsu was gone.
"...?"
Bewildered by the inexplicable actions, but eyeing the tiger pelt and bones on the floor, he let it go.