Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Great Fortune Guild's Ambition
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No matter how many times it's said, it can never be overstated just how crucial S-Rank hunters are to national security.
As a result, the intelligence wars and conspiracies revolving around S-Ranks in each country surpass imagination, even if they never surface publicly.
There are even times when a nation fails to detect another country's covert attempts to poach its own S-Rank hunters and ends up suffering a devastating blow.
But that doesn't mean a country can seal its borders completely just to prevent S-Rank leaks.
If they did, not only the hunters but civilians across the board would revolt immediately.
On top of that, it's also a declaration that they won't share information on gates—which dwindle exponentially at higher levels—with other countries anymore.
You can't burn down the whole house just to kill the bedbugs, after all.
That was the biggest reason they couldn't drive out foreign guilds that were thorns in their side operating within their borders.
"Is that true?"
"Yes, Guild Master."
The Great Fortune Guild, a Chinese outfit with branches not just in Korea but worldwide.
Jang Seo-yung, the head of its Korean branch, raised an eyebrow.
He'd been annoyed at being summoned to the guild building in the dead of night by an intelligence agent, but it had been worth it.
No, "worth it" didn't even begin to cover it.
"An S-Rank going out in a public party..."
It was intelligence that an S-Rank hunter, under the Korean Association's strict protection, would be hunting in a public party this time.
"Trustworthiness?"
"It's from the Association Operations Division. You can take it as over 90% reliable."
Jang Seo-yung nodded, lost in thought.
It had been three years since he'd come to Korea when the Great Fortune Guild—essentially run by the Chinese government—was established.
Officially, it symbolized friendly ties and close cooperation on gate security between the two nations, but everyone knew that was a sham.
'China's always been a superpower, before or after the Great Cataclysm.'
Even before gates appeared, China had been a bona fide great power nipping at America's heels as the world's strongest.
And it stayed that way afterward.
Its overwhelming population guaranteed a proportionally massive pool of powerful hunters.
Plus, its vast territory produced numerous gates with rare monsters and mines that other countries rarely saw.
Right after the Great Cataclysm, it suffered even worse damage than others because of that, but once things stabilized, those very assets became the foundation of its immense national power.
And that power nurtured in turn became unchecked authority to wield over other nations.
China had been poaching Korea's S-Rank hunters even before the stable era, so there was noise when the Great Fortune Guild entered, but they'd managed to set up shop three years ago anyway.
Jang Seo-yung still clearly remembered what the national chairman had said to him directly at the guild's launch ceremony.
"Those with ability belong on a fitting stage. I expect great results."
"I won't let you down, Chairman Comrade."
The meaning was obvious: lure Korea's S-Ranks to defect to China.
'The problem is, around that time, the Korean Association finally wised up.'
The messy internal politics in Korea had unified rapidly amid the forceful entry of the Great Fortune Guild.
Thanks to that, the Association succeeded in tightening security on high-rank hunters.
They managed every B-Rank and above without fail, and S-Ranks were wrapped up tight and never let out.
'It was simple, but damn annoying.'
As a result, Jang Seo-yung hadn't gotten anywhere near an S-Rank for three years.
Instead, he'd focused on steadily building a covert intelligence network within the Association, and now the fruits of that labor were ripening.
"Magic type at level 4? And they're entering a level 4 gate?"
But as he read the intelligence report, Jang Seo-yung tilted his head.
An S-Rank at level 4 should be operating in at least level 6 gates.
So why go out in a public party only to hit a level 4 gate?
The intelligence agent bowed apologetically at Jang Seo-yung's question.
"I'm sorry. I found it odd too, but the source says they don't know the reason either."
"It's fine. Suspicious or not, getting any intel at all is something."
Could it be a trap from the Korean Association?
Maybe they were leaking info on purpose to weed out hostile nations.
'They must think we're idiots.'
Jang Seo-yung smirked.
Even if it was, there was no reason to hesitate.
If an S-Rank really showed, they'd snag them somehow. And if it was a trap, Korea wouldn't dare attack China outright.
Worst case, if their attempt to nab the S-Rank got exposed, they could just swap the guild's signboard and call it done.
"No matter what, an S-Rank won't come alone. No one from the Association joining them?"
"The source says there's one. But..."
Unlike before, the agent trailed off.
Jang Seo-yung frowned.
"But?"
"They're saying it's an unregistered hunter, so we're verifying authenticity."
"What? Unregistered? Hahaha!"
Jang Seo-yung burst out laughing, as if he'd never frowned.
No matter their ulterior motives coming in, he'd been planting agents in the Korean hunter scene for three years now.
He knew exactly how "unregistered" was treated in Korea.
"The Korean Association must've lost its mind."
After savoring the moment, Jang Seo-yung straightened his expression.
"No, it could be a hunting dog they're grooming, so no slacking."
"We'll dig deeper."
"Good. Even so, they won't send two S-Ranks at once. Assume max A-Rank."
Jang Seo-yung rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking,
"How many hunting dogs do we have ready to infiltrate right now?"
"If we go all out, two A-Rank level 4s are on standby."
"Hmm... Disguise them as C or D and send them in."
"Won't higher ranks be better for selection?"
Jang Seo-yung clicked his tongue and shook his head at the agent's question.
"You'd think that, but if they have any brains, they'd want to minimize risks from their side."
"My apologies for overstepping."
"Enough. Deploy a support team around them too. How far can the support go?"
"Up to A6."
"Send them all. Just in case. And once this is done, prepare to head back home."
"Yes, sir!"
"Dismissed—wait."
Jang Seo-yung paused, as if something had just occurred to him.
He soon flashed a sinister smile and added one more order.
"Generously pack that thing that came from HQ this time and sneak it in."
"Confirmed."
With a nod from Jang Seo-yung, the agent bowed and left the office.
Left alone, Jang Seo-yung laughed heartily.
Finally, he could repay the chairman's trust in giving him this heavy responsibility.
If this went off without a hitch, he'd be recalled home.
Sure, the official reason would be a reprimand summons.
The party and chairman had to remain uninvolved; it all had to look like Jang Seo-yung's "independent" and "impulsive" action.
But that was just the surface.
After a few months—or years at most—of laying low, he'd make a glorious return as a hero to the central committee.
'And from there, it's a smooth road ahead.'
***
"Hoo, hoo... This is nerve-wracking."
Jeong-hyeon couldn't quite catch his breath.
He'd thought he'd done plenty of raids, but being party leader was a first.
Sure, he'd never exactly followed party leader orders before, but now that he was in the hot seat, the position was making the man—tension and all.
As a result, he'd arrived two whole hours early and waited.
Ji-hee and Nam-sik were coming an hour early for Association delivery items, but even accounting for that, he was still way ahead.
Anyway, it was about time for the two to arrive.
A plain sedan pulled into the parking lot from afar and stopped.
Sure enough, out stepped Ji-hee and Nam-sik.
"Hello, Hunter."
"You two as well."
"......"
Nam-sik and Jeong-hyeon greeted brightly.
Ji-hee just bowed silently.
She was even wearing a black robe with the hood pulled low.
Her small frame swamped in the loose robe made her look less like a magic hunter and more like a girl wizard from comics or games.
Glancing around to confirm no one was nearby, Nam-sik handed each a small button.
"What's this?"
"Emergency call bells."
The Association had insisted on public parties for activity, but they seemed awfully worried.
Fair enough—with her as the de facto bodyguard, an S-Rank, but knowing it was Ji-hee made it unsettling.
It was unavoidable for hunter activity, so they'd chosen public parties, but once she got used to it, they'd switch to private without a second thought.
"We reviewed it, but just in case. Press the button outside the gate, and S-Rank hunters on standby will deploy immediately."
"That far?"
Jeong-hyeon blinked in surprise, not having expected S-Ranks on standby.
Makes sense, though—if someone targeted an S-Rank anywhere, assuming the attackers had S-Ranks was reasonable.
Nam-sik then pulled something else from his bag.
"These are the masks you two need to wear this time."
"Got it."
It was pre-arranged camouflage.
Jeong-hyeon, who'd been active in public parties, naturally needed face concealment.
He'd even gotten somewhat famous around here lately.
Ji-hee's face wasn't known, but no need to expose it.
When Jeong-hyeon put on the mask, it adhered naturally to his skin, whatever material it was.
'Not uncomfortable at all.'
Without a mirror, he might not even notice the change.
Confirming Jeong-hyeon and Ji-hee looked like completely different people, Nam-sik spoke.
"You two memorized the profiles we prepared, right?"
"Uh... We’re siblings, yeah?"
"Correct."
Nam-sik nodded.
From the outside, Jeong-hyeon and Ji-hee made a suspicious pair in many ways.
A D-Rank throwing hunter leading over a B-Rank mage was odd enough, and acting too familiar as strangers would raise flags.
So the Association profiles had them as siblings.
"I'm Lee Jun-young, 25. Ji-hee-ssi is Lee A-young, 22."
"Spot on. Ji-hee-ssi knows too, right?"
Ji-hee gave a tiny nod at Nam-sik's question.
As long as she stayed quiet, her personality made it harder to blow her cover.
Jeong-hyeon just needed to call "A-young" occasionally for proper reactions.
'Anyway, no more public parties after this.'
He'd ended up as leader gathering people, but this felt less like a simple raid and more like a classified op.
He couldn't keep dealing with new profiles and full disguises every time.
Satisfied with the checks, Nam-sik bowed.
"Then I'll head out."
"We'll contact you after."
"Please do."
Nam-sik left without looking back.
Soon after, the rest of the party members started arriving one by one.
"I'm healer Kim Seung-yeon."
"Jeon Woo-sik here. Magic imbuement trait."
C-Rank level 4 and D-Rank level 3 hunters, respectively.
'Magic imbuement at D-Rank might feel sluggish.'
Jeong-hyeon's own was C-Rank level 2.
He couldn't go around imbuing himself, so a specialist was essential.
As Jeong-hyeon thought that, Seung-yeon struck up friendly chat.
"But, are you two siblings by any chance?"
"Ah, yes."
"I knew it. Similar names, and up close, you even look alike."
Pleased her guess was right, Seung-yeon clapped delightedly.
"You're siblings? Explains the overlapping careers."
"Yeah. Well... Now it's just up to my little sis to climb higher."
Jeong-hyeon tossed out lines fitting a big brother in this setup.
The more natural the disguise, the better.
Seung-yeon and Woo-sik's faces turned a bit awkward at his words.
B-Rank little sister, D-Rank big brother.
They could raid level 4 gates together, but anything higher would be tough.
"Still, hunting as siblings must boost morale."
"For me, as long as I coast on her success, I'm good."
"Hahaha, you're a fun one."
Jeong-hyeon kept it light with jokes to avoid heavy vibes.
Seung-yeon seemed to wish Ji-hee—another woman—would open up, but soon lost interest.
She'd clocked Ji-hee's extreme passivity.
As they chatted around Jeong-hyeon, a tank and spear trait hunter joined, keeping a slight distance.
"Tank Bae Yun-ho."
"Spear trait, Lee Jeong-jun."
That completed the six-person party Jeong-hyeon had assembled.