The White Tiger's Trap
The White Tiger Guild was truly foolish. Seoul, the most critical strategic point in South Korea. Among its districts, they held control over the western region of Gangseo, guarding the gates there as one of the nation's four major guilds. If the Geumseong Guild in Gangnam pushed forward with dazzling capital and overwhelming firepower, the Baekho Guild operated in an entirely different manner. In terms of pure combat strength alone, they fell short of Geumseong—a fact the Baekho Guild itself did not deny. But in the hunter world, victory wasn't always decided by blades and magic.
What dungeon would open and when. Which guild had pulled forces from which sector. Which hunter was hiding an injury. Which party was fracturing from internal conflict. And which piece of information, once released to the world, could tighten the noose around whose neck. Baekho knew all of that. If Geumseong was the guild that crushed enemies after the fight began, Baekho was the one that set snares around their ankles long before the battle even started. It wasn't flashy. But it was quiet, persistent, and precise. An information network that ranked among the best not just in Korea but across Asia—that was Baekho Guild's true weapon.
In the past, several mid-tier hunter organizations that had tried to challenge Baekho had collapsed without ever properly crossing blades. Tax audits, internal whistleblowing, suspicions of illegal equipment trading, hidden injury records, dungeon allocation corruption. Information with no clear origin erupted one after another. Once public opinion flipped, business partners withdrew and sponsors turned their backs. What remained afterward was always the same. The Baekho Guild said nothing. They simply moved on quietly to conquer the next gate.
Within that very Baekho Guild, there was one person frequently mentioned as a candidate for the next guild master: Han Sora. From a young age, she had studied abroad in Europe, a place said to be centuries ahead of Asia in hunter systems. She had made her name overseas before ever doing so in Korea. She excelled in European-style gate response tactics, information warfare, covert operations, and the deployment of small elite teams. After returning home, she quickly established herself as a core asset of the Baekho Guild. Her rank was A-class. But no one saw her merely as an A-class combatant. Han Sora wasn't the type of hunter who stood at the front with a blade. She was the one who erased the escape routes before the prey even realized it was being hunted.
Such a woman had suddenly appeared at Daehan Central University Hospital. Not for a scheduled consultation or injury treatment, but to personally meet Na Hayeong of the Hunter Trauma Center. It couldn't possibly be an ordinary matter. Na Hayeong knew that much. Yet she couldn't exactly refuse the meeting. A figure who was essentially the second-in-command of the Baekho Guild had specifically requested her. The moment she refused, even that refusal would become information.
'If it's the Baekho Guild… there's nothing good about getting on their bad side.'
Modern information warfare could sometimes be crueler than a blade. Wounds from a sword could be sutured. But suspicions scattered across the internet, manipulated public opinion, or a single cleverly edited video could destroy a person's entire life. Especially for a profession like hunter work, which operated on public support, national approval, and trust between guilds.
That was why Na Hayeong had no choice but to return to her office. And there, the guest was already seated. Han Sora. She wore a modified hanbok trimmed with white fur. Her hair was curled upward with the precision of a Western doll. A thin smile played on her lips. She sat on the sofa as naturally as if she had been the owner of this room for years. Holding a teacup of unknown origin, she leisurely sipped her tea.
“...I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“It's quite all right. Hospitals are always busy places, aren't they?”
Han Sora laughed. A soft, polite laugh. Which made it all the more unsettling. Na Hayeong sat down across from her.
“I heard that Hunter Han Sora specifically requested to see me. What brings you here?”
The teacup settled quietly onto its saucer. Clink. It was a small sound, yet it somehow rang loudly. Han Sora gazed at Na Hayeong for a moment. Not as if choosing her words, but as if confirming an answer she already knew. Then she spoke.
“Who is it?”
“...Pardon?”
“The person who treated that B-class hunter from Geumseong last time.”
Na Hayeong's expression stiffened ever so slightly.
“It wasn't you, Doctor Na Hayeong, was it? The one who actually saved that B-class hunter.”
“...I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about. No, before that, I'd like to ask—how did you even learn that I treated a B-class hunter from the Geumseong Guild?”
Every single hunter represented a guild's military strength. Especially information about injuries to hunters of B-class or higher was never treated as simple medical records. Which body parts were injured, how long recovery would take, who the lead surgeon was—every detail directly impacted the guild's combat readiness. Naturally, access was extremely restricted. Even within the same guild, only a handful of authorized executives could view such confidential data. That was why Jang Songhui had been able to confirm the surgical lead that day. She was the vice president of the injured hunter's guild, Geumseong. From the medical staff's perspective, they had no choice but to provide her with the minimum explanation.
Yet here was Han Sora of the Baekho Guild, aware of that fact. And less than a week later.
“Hehe.”
Han Sora laughed as if it were nothing.
“With our Baekho Guild's intelligence network, we could roughly figure out which male entertainer the President of South Korea is currently seeing.”
“...That's going a bit too far as a joke.”
“It's fortunate if it sounds like one.”
Cold sweat beaded on Na Hayeong's forehead. The Baekho Guild. Masters of information warfare. She was reminded once again, right here in this room, that those words were no empty boast. But the problem didn't end there. Han Sora lifted her teacup again and casually dropped the next remark.
“And from what I hear… a 'male medical student' entered the operating room as well.”
Hayeong's breath caught for the briefest moment.
“Seo Jihoo, was it? A male student by that name.”
...She found out even that much?!
The fact that Jihoo had entered the operating room couldn't be completely hidden. There were many medical staff, security personnel, and the scene at the time had been pure chaos. But the fact that he had performed the actual surgery was different. Only an extremely small number of people knew that. Na Hayeong, who had been in the surgery with him. Jang Songhui of the Geumseong Guild. And a tiny handful of hospital personnel who had observed the situation up close. Even then, the post-surgery press conference had credited everything to Na Hayeong's leadership. In official records, Seo Jihoo would have been listed in a position closer to observer or assistant. At least, that was what the world was supposed to believe.
'No way… she even figured that out?'
Hayeong studied Han Sora's eyes. She couldn't let her guard down. The opponent was Baekho, after all. But the next words from Han Sora's mouth were slightly different from what she expected.
“You really set up quite the 'beginner's trap,' didn't you?”
“...Excuse me?”
“You deliberately sent that noticeable male medical student into the operating room, correct?”
Han Sora smiled sweetly.
“That precious male medical student entered the OR. During an emergency where a B-class hunter was dying, no less. Naturally, everyone's attention would be drawn there.”
“......”
“In that gap, you hid the identity of the real lead surgeon. Am I wrong?”
Na Hayeong nearly went blank for a moment. She saw Seo Jihoo as the trap? Interpreting the man who had been the true protagonist of that surgery as nothing more than a smokescreen to conceal the actual lead surgeon? She had overthought it so much that she had veered completely away from the truth. The saying that genius and fool are separated by a single sheet of paper must have been coined for moments like this. This was exactly it.
“...Ha.”
Hayeong barely managed to swallow the sigh of relief that had nearly escaped her. She quickly composed her expression.
“As expected of the Baekho Guild.”
“May I take that as a compliment?”
“I didn't realize you would uncover that much.”
“Ohohoho. Of course! When it comes to information power, our Baekho ranks among the top ten guilds in the entire world.”
Han Sora laughed elegantly. Her face showed not the slightest doubt that she might be mistaken. And this was actually an opportunity. Since the opponent hadn't pinpointed Seo Jihoo as the correct answer, Hayeong could now amplify that misunderstanding as much as possible. With that thought, she carefully chose her next words.
“But there's something strange.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you rule out the possibility of me from the very beginning?”
Han Sora's eyebrows rose slightly. Hayeong continued in a composed tone.
“It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but I am one of the top hunter specialists in South Korea. Even the reporters didn't raise any questions when they announced that it was my surgery.”
That was true. Na Hayeong's reputation carried enough weight. The Golden Scalpel of the Hunter Trauma Center. That nickname hadn't been given lightly. Even if she had saved a B-class hunter on the brink of death, people could accept it if it was Na Hayeong.
Yet Han Sora had erased her from consideration right from the start. As if she were absolutely certain.
At that question, Han Sora glanced down at her teacup for a moment. Then she spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because I was the one who discovered that B-class hunter that day.”
“...Pardon?”
“Oh, please don't misunderstand.”
Han Sora drew the line in advance.
“No matter how much Geumseong and Baekho are rivals, we aren't crazy enough to attack Geumseong hunters inside a monster-infested dungeon. We're not criminal hunters, after all.”
“Then why were you there…”
“I went to verify information.”
Her smile thinned.
“Information regarding the Dungeon Chaos Phenomenon.”
At the words Dungeon Chaos Phenomenon, Na Hayeong's expression grew heavy. Dungeons were normally ranked from the moment they appeared. Their grade was determined by risk level, mana density, monster types, and internal structure, and guilds and parties suited to that grade were deployed. But on very rare occasions, those standards themselves collapsed. That was the Dungeon Chaos Phenomenon. A dungeon judged as D-class on the outside would suddenly transform inside into C-class—or sometimes even higher. Monsters grew drastically stronger, terrain warped, and mana density skyrocketed. In exchange, the clear rewards rose abnormally. Several times over. With luck, dozens of times. In extreme cases, hundreds of times!
So if there was information about it, everyone would covet it. The problem arose when that information appeared in someone else's managed territory.
“That day, we obtained information that signs of chaos had appeared in a D-class dungeon managed by the Geumseong Guild.”
“So you sneaked in?”
“Sneaked? That's a rather unpleasant way to put it.”
Han Sora smiled.
“It was reconnaissance. Unofficial reconnaissance.”
“That's usually called illegal trespassing.”
“Only if you get caught.”
Na Hayeong was at a loss for words. But the other woman continued as if it were nothing.
“In any case, by the time we arrived, it was already too late. A rookie party from Geumseong had already gone inside, and the B-class hunter who seemed to be their leader had already been attacked by monsters.”
“Hunter Jang Mihyeon…”
“Yes. That person.”
The teacup settled once more. Clink.
“The moment I checked her condition, I knew.”
A confident smile curved Han Sora's lips.
“That was a state that not even you, Doctor Na Hayeong, nor every hunter specialist in the world combined, could have saved.”