Mir Guild's Collapse Begins

Whoa.

The mighty Mir Guild getting shaken down like this.

"Because they laid a hand on Hunter Park."

"Am I really that big a deal?"

"You're the next SS-class hunter personally designated by Director Jeong Seungil, are you not?"

"Don't you ever get tired of that line?"

"I'll keep saying it until you actually reach SS-class."

Ugh.

Anyway.

Just as CEO Baek had boldly promised, the situation resolved itself.

A gale of verification slammed into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mir Guild.

Even to an outsider like me, the savage winds looked brutal, howling every hour.

Even the guilds bundled into the domestic top five either joined the media chorus or stayed silent.

"Didn't they used to cover for each other whenever something came up?"

"They did, originally. The top five wanted the current balance left undisturbed."

"You moved things along, didn't you, sir?"

"I merely gave them a light push on the back."

In political circles the Rift Bureau stepped up and applied pressure. In the hunter industry, the CEO himself had pounded the pavement.

Phoenix was one thing—we had an alliance. That made sense.

"How did you manage Chilseong?"

"They owe me an intangible debt, do they not?"

He had taken the fall for Jung Shinho's defection.

I was surprised Chilseong Guild actually considered that a debt.

"If they were going to help like this, why kick you out in the first place?"

"It's the opposite. Because they kicked me out, this kind of deal became possible."

Since CEO Baek was looking after me now, he could bill them for the responsibility they had once forced on him.

"We're not doing this for free, so don't worry."

"Do we have something to give them?"

"We'll hand over the interests Mir Guild currently holds."

"So everything's already been arranged with the Rift Bureau."

"Yes. There will be no faction left anywhere that shields Mir Guild."

Politics, business, and the hunter industry alike.

A guild that had vied for the top among the domestic five had, in a matter of days, lost every foothold it possessed.

"A lot of hunters are going to feel ashamed just for belonging to Mir."

"Even so, it won't collapse overnight."

Even a rotten herring still has its uses.

Mir Guild's underlying strength wouldn't vanish in an instant.

Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo was still called one of the absolute top among S-class hunters, and the members under him couldn't simply switch affiliations right away.

They might transfer en masse once their contracts expired, but for the moment Mir's power wouldn't be cut clean in half.

"We cannot leave a hostile force as it is. Grand Steward."

Dame Isra's expression turned stern.

"Ease up on the face a little."

"I am not angry."

"It's written all over your face."

She wasn't even trying to hide the look that said she wanted to fillet someone right then and there.

"I told you not to cause trouble."

A voice squeezed out between clenched teeth.

When the Director had shown us the CCTV footage, I still couldn't forget how close I'd come to a heart attack.

"Mir Guild's downfall is only beginning."

"Beginning?"

"Yes. I hope Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo enjoys the show."

You're scary, CEO.

Extracting Yeondo from Mir Guild also proceeded with lightning speed.

"I'm truly grateful. Thanks to Representative Baek Seonghyeon, my daughter is safe now."

Learning that CEO Baek had arrived, Yeondo's mother came over and bowed at a full ninety degrees.

"There are no remaining legal issues, so please don't concern yourself."

"How did Mir let her go so cleanly?"

"They're getting hammered from every direction, aren't they? They'll be grateful we simply didn't sue."

The hunters who had been thrown onto the uninhabited island had filed a class-action suit against Mir Guild as a group.

Apparently Mir was thankful just that Yeondo's name wasn't on the list of plaintiffs.

"Um, well, sir…"

"Please go ahead."

"I'd like to be managed by Seungcheon Agency. Would that be all right?"

Yeondo twisted her body bashfully as she spoke.

Ugh.

That kid. Putting on a shy act that didn't suit her at all.

Whether the family had already talked it over, her mother simply stayed put without a word of objection.

Looking after the contract termination with Mir Guild must have scored major points.

Dame Isra whispered,

"The fruit of the Grand Steward's warm heart, I see."

"Dame, you need to work on your social awareness."

It was obviously the CEO's setup.

He wasn't the type to hand out free favors for no reason.

Last time he'd casually mentioned my goodwill and slipped in a sales pitch too.

"Is… that so?"

"Sheesh. You really don't know anything."

I agreed with the CEO's thinking and let it slide with a joke, pretending not to notice.

I wondered if he realized I'd been considerate on purpose.

Anyway.

Thanks to this incident, Yeondo and I were now eating from the same pot.

"Having the fan club president right next to you—does it make your heart race?"

"Don't even think about leaking my schedule."

"Caught me."

Had she actually planned to?

"CEO."

"I will keep Hunter Park's schedule confidential from Miss Yeondo."

"Aw, whyyyy?"

"Because far too many people are targeting the hunter."

At CEO Baek's words, Yeondo shut her mouth.

We moved locations, finished the contract at the main house, and then—

"Shall we have a cup of tea at a nearby café?"

"Yes. That sounds good."

Leaving the main house and heading toward a café nearby.

A cold wind scraped across my skin.

"The weather's gotten quite chilly."

"Still going for an iced Americano, though."

"……"

You can build it up all you want—my order isn't changing.

This time you aren't even brewing it yourself, so why the greed?

It was early enough that the café interior was quiet.

No need for the eccentric move of renting the whole place out.

After ordering coffee we sat toward the back.

"Ingrid. Can you keep our voices from leaking out?"

"Of course."

A faint membrane formed around the table where we sat.

Unless you stared hard, you wouldn't even notice the defensive barrier existed.

"Impressive. Spreading the air currents thinly so that only sound is blocked from escaping."

Pure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠admiration slipped from Dame Isra's lips.

"Hoho. It greatly reduces mana consumption compared to a full sonic-blocking ward."

I shrugged.

"So she says."

"Being free of concern for our surroundings is excellent."

"You have something to discuss, don't you?"

"Yes. There is one matter I wish to consult with you about, Hunter."

A man who carted coffee around for a living suggesting we go drink tea—I caught on immediately.

It wasn't something to say in front of Yeondo.

"Did you not feel a sense of dissonance while reading the articles?"

"The Superhuman Bureau was left out of the story."

"As expected of Hunter Park."

"You deliberately left it out, I take it."

"Correct. I held it in reserve because I believed it should be detonated according to your wishes."

So he had evidence.

"Haha! Is it not all thanks to my bold decision?"

"What did I say I'd do if you kept that up?"

"Ahem. Ahem."

"I was the one who secured the materials, I'll have you know."

Fine.

Well done. Really well done.

"The Rift Bureau's position is that it would be best to proceed with a safety-guarantee agreement for you, Hunter."

"In exchange for handing over the evidence?"

"That is correct."

"What do you think, CEO?"

"I also believe that is the best course."

Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as he answered, CEO Baek's expression was far from clear.

Most likely.

He was thinking the same thing I was.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't think the Superhuman Bureau will keep its promises."

"The lack of alternatives is the problem."

CEO Baek let out a thin sigh.

"We'll be fine for a while, but there's no telling when the situation might change again."

"What if we open the evidence and apply pressure?"

"They've already been pressured once over the Tourang incident, so even that won't be easy, I'm told."

Playing along with the Superhuman Bureau didn't sit well with me.

I was tired of being on the receiving end of their schemes.

Being dragged around one-sidedly was not for me.

"Let's demand compensation."

"If we demand material payment, they might use it as a pretext for further attacks."

"Even better."

"Pardon?"

"I plan to hit them back hard."

The Cross Gate was said to connect to many places around the world.

There would be an entrance on the Chinese continent as well.

If I followed the blacksmith team, the odds of running into Chinese hunters were extremely high.

"I'll pay them back exactly for what they did."

"Are you certain?"

"They started it first."

If you try to stab someone else,

you have to be ready to get stabbed yourself.

That's just human nature.

"I'm going to smash them to pieces."

"Understood."

"If the undead I craft from the compensation I wring out of them go on to perform, the satisfaction will be even greater."

"Is there any particular byproduct you desire?"

"Hold on a second."

I'd been so focused on screwing over the Superhuman Bureau that when he actually asked for a needed byproduct, the answer didn't come right away.

"Jung Shinho received a Drake's Heart, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll ask for one of those too."

A Drake's Heart.

An extremely rare and precious byproduct that could be obtained from a Drake at a very low probability.

An item that almost certainly contained the essence of the dragon race.

It was as hard to obtain as stars in the sky, so securing one now would definitely prove useful.

"It should be more than sufficient to deliver our message."

"Huh?"

"Demanding the same byproduct they handed over while recruiting Jung Shinho—there could be no clearer message than that."

Ack.

I just casually named something valuable without thinking.

This must be what they mean by a cow stepping backward and catching a mouse.

Slurp.

CEO Baek downed his steaming coffee in almost one go and rose from his seat.

"I will convey your intentions to the Rift Bureau."

"Ah. Yes. Please take care of it."

CEO Baek left in a hurry.

I wondered if he wasn't overworked.

I wanted to lighten his load, but issues kept cropping up, so I still needed his help desperately.

"Master. I have something to tell you."

"Hm?"

"That booklet we obtained from a gate a few months ago."

Which gate was she talking about?

"The place where you discovered this humble one, is it not?"

"Ah. Right."

I'd left the translation to Ingrid and a fair amount of time had passed.

With so much going on, I'd naturally forgotten about it.

"The translation is finished."

"Oh. You finally finished translating it."

"Shall we check it together in the Death Blacksmith?"

"Yeah. Let's go right now."

I likewise tossed back the rest of my drink and stood up.