The Price They Pay
During the subjugation of Arde in the Lava Zone, four of the five major guilds—excluding Ssangryong—had participated.
Beneath them, countless hunters from large, mid-sized, and small guilds had joined as well.
That meant there were plenty of targets for my revenge, but Jeong Soo-ah had expressed strong reservations about it.
It simply wasn't feasible to hunt them all down one by one, and if I exacted vengeance on every single guild and hunter involved, the fate of Korea's hunter world would be obvious as day.
But what does that have to do with me?
That's right. Whether Korea's hunter scene—which had been charging toward a new golden age with the emergence of Kwon Je-na—stumbled back into decline or not, it had nothing to do with me.
They needed to pay the price.
With that, I reviewed the report from Jeong Soo-ah and immediately set things in motion.
No need to wait. I'd start from the bottom and work my way up, nice and slow.
Hae Tae.
The guild that had skyrocketed to large-guild status overnight after the subjugation of the Lava Zone's area boss, the Magma Wyvern.
While 'North Star,' which had lost its expedition leader and guild master in that raid, and 'Dawn,' which had suffered devastating losses to most of its forces under the guild master, reeled in the aftermath, Hae Tae had smoothly filled the vacuum.
Kang Sung-jun, the guild master of Hae Tae and an SA-rank hunter who had slain countless layer-boss-level monsters during that expedition, was living the happiest days of his life.
His guild members grew day by day, and the guild expanded on its own without needing his direct oversight.
It might not match the meteoric rise of Galaxy, which had produced Korea's second-ever SS-rank hunter in history, but Hae Tae's growth was dazzling in its own right.
It was lacking for now, but given time, rising to represent Korea on the world stage wouldn't be a pipe dream.
Kang Sung-jun had no doubts about the rosy future awaiting him just around the corner.
He never even imagined the serpent's icy fangs closing in from the shadows.
In his office at Hae Tae's guild headquarters, Kang Sung-jun was, as always, buried in paperwork.
The workload had ballooned compared to before, and he spent far more time at his desk than delving into the labyrinths, but he didn't mind a bit.
More work was proof his guild was thriving.
Besides, handling backlog in the comfort of his office beat risking his life in the unpredictable labyrinths any day.
No need to toil away blindly in the depths anymore.
His guild and its members would handle everything without him lifting a finger.
Kang Sung-jun, who had once flaunted his sharp skills slaughtering hordes of monsters, had dulled considerably over the past year.
That's why it took him a while to notice.
The guild headquarters, usually buzzing even if not rowdy, had fallen eerily silent at some point.
Perhaps because he was still an SA-rank hunter who had once been on the front lines?
Kang Sung-jun belatedly sensed the change in his own guild HQ.
As he powered through his paperwork, he quietly narrowed his eyes at the creeping silence.
An unnaturally strange stillness.
It had been over a year since he'd stepped away from the field, but his hunter instincts—still sharp as ever—reacted more keenly than usual.
...This feels just like the first time I faced the Magma Wyvern.
In some ways, even more so.
He hadn't felt this chilling sensation even before that massive beast.
To experience it here, of all places—in his own office?
Frowning slightly, Kang Sung-jun reached for the receiver on his desk.
Just to check if something had gone wrong in the guild.
And then.
"No need for that. No one will pick up."
A voice rang out from nowhere, sending chills down his spine.
Whoosh—
With SA-rank speed, Kang Sung-jun drew his weapon.
He'd been out of the field for ages, but he'd kept up his training, so his grip felt natural.
Feeling the familiar weight steady his nerves, he finally turned to find the voice's owner.
There, on the guest sofa in one corner of his office, sat an unfamiliar man, quietly poised.
How—and when—had he slipped in?
Even past his prime, evading an SA-rank's senses like this?
Chills raced down Kang Sung-jun's back again.
"...Who the hell are you?"
Hiding his emotions as best he could, Kang Sung-jun asked cautiously.
The man, still lounging with legs crossed on the sofa, replied leisurely.
"Kang Sung-jun. Guild master of Hae Tae, SA-rank hunter. Officially credited with 63 monsters slain in the last expedition. Six of them layer bosses."
Kang Sung-jun's brows furrowed at the man's calm recitation.
He had no idea what the guy was on about.
Finishing his list, the man asked quietly.
"That you?"
"What nonsense is this? You came all the way here on your own two feet—don't tell me you don't know who I am."
"Nah. Just confirming. Can't go picking on the wrong guy."
The man stood smoothly, his tone flat.
Kang Sung-jun flinched despite himself.
He was trying to play it cool, but the man terrified him.
How could he not?
The intruder had infiltrated his office without him noticing a thing.
If the man had wanted, he could've ambushed him without a chance to react.
At least he hadn't attacked yet—a small mercy. It meant the man wanted something.
...What could it be? A spy from a rival guild we've clashed with? If so, what do they want? What do I offer?
As Kang Sung-jun pondered briefly, the man spoke again.
"Guess that's you, alright. Time to get to business."
"Who sent you? What do you want?"
"Arde."
"...'Arde'? Sorry, doesn't ring a bell."
Frowning as if searching his memory, Kang Sung-jun watched the man nod slowly.
"Yeah, figured. It's not a person."
"...What?"
"Sorry, questions over. Got a lot of places to hit."
Kang Sung-jun hurriedly put distance between them.
The man hadn't done anything, but he radiated an unsettling aura.
The man let out a low whistle.
"Thought you'd gone completely soft sitting at that desk, but your instincts are still sharp enough."
"...Whatever you're planning, you won't leave here in one piece. I'll make you spill who you're with before I hand you to the Association."
Kang Sung-jun was still afraid, but he had faith in one thing.
This was the heart of Hae Tae Guild.
Not just him—talented hunters overflowed here.
There were two more SA-rank hunters besides himself.
The intruder's skills were formidable, but unless he was SS-rank, he couldn't do much now.
The emergency bell he'd hit early had surely summoned the others, ready for action.
As Kang Sung-jun shook off his fear with that thought—
The man chuckled softly.
"Forgot what I said first, huh."
"...What?"
"No one to pick up your call."
"...What the—"
Shock lasted only a moment before Kang Sung-jun scowled.
He figured it was a bluff to mess with him.
"Ridiculous."
"Don't believe me? Wait and see. I'm busy, but I can spare that as a parting gift."
The man crossed his arms leisurely, as if he really meant to wait.
That casual confidence reignited Kang Sung-jun's unease.
Absurd as it was, what if the man was telling the truth?
He shook his head fiercely.
"Lies. We've got too many guild members here—all subdued without a peep? Laughable!"
His shout was more to convince himself than the man.
Like affirming his own words as truth.
The man just smiled quietly.
"So wait and see. Will your proud guildmates show up, or not?"
"...No need to listen to your bullshit. I'll handle you myself—no waiting for backup!"
Suppressing his rising dread, Kang Sung-jun charged.
The man sighed in disappointment.
"Told you to wait, but no patience. Patience is a hunter's virtue."
"Shut up!"
Whoosh— As the blade whipped through the air with a harsh whistle, the man gazed at it calmly and murmured.
"Well, works for me. Saves time."
Then he caught Kang Sung-jun's sword—blue sword aura and all—with two fingers.
Index and middle.
Kang Sung-jun’s eyes widened in stunned shock, forgetting his next move.
His mind couldn't process the impossibility.
"Th-this... what the hell... impossible...?"
"Nothing's impossible. Like how that mighty Arde fell to the likes of you."
Kang Sung-jun couldn't focus on the man's quiet words.
His brain was still stuck on the scene before him.
The man scoffed.
"Dulled from the field or not, this is pathetic. If you wanna live, counter or run—something. Shouldn't have expected more."
With that, he tightened his grip on the blade.
Crack— The high-end gear, unbreakable by normal hunters, snapped like a twig.
Kang Sung-jun stared blankly at his sword, now in two clean pieces.
Still frozen, he didn't even reinforce his body.
The man reached out without another word.
Slow, yet utterly unavoidable.
Before Kang Sung-jun could react, his throat was seized.
"Gahk...!"
"SA-ranks this weak? Or just you? The other two guarding the guild too—maybe your whole outfit's trash."
"Gahk... guh...!"
Kang Sung-jun thrashed wildly against the merciless grip.
Desperate to break free, but the man didn't budge.
"Guh... why... why do this... guh...?"
Through fading consciousness, he rasped desperately.
Gazing at him, the man answered his final question.
"Revenge."
"...R-revenge...? For... what? What did... we do...?"
"You messed with a kindly old man and his family."
"Guh... we... I... didn't... do... that..."
"Didn't say humans."
The man met his eyes evenly.
In an instant, the man's ordinary gaze turned into long, reptilian slits.
Trembling at those pupils, Kang Sung-jun realized the unacceptable truth.
"Gahk... you... no way...!"
"Fair payback. You've killed plenty. Your turn now. You knew death could come for you too, right?"
"Gahk... guh...!"
Throat crushed in the man's grip, Kang Sung-jun flailed violently.
Watching impassively, the man squeezed.
Snap—
Kang Sung-jun's body went limp, lifeless.
The man tossed the still-warm corpse aside carelessly and turned away.
Crash— Amid the clatter, silence soon blanketed the office.
Not just the office—the entire Hae Tae headquarters.
No one left alive.
An empty building filled with chilling quiet.
Moments later, flames quietly engulfed the structure.
Similar tragedies struck several more times over the next few days.
Scale didn't matter—no survivors. The world erupted in chaos.
Yet for the man—Nix—the revenge was only just beginning.