A Despicable Proposal
‘Missing? An entire hunter team, even if they’re A-class?’
Chen Secretary’s pupils trembled.
A sense of déjà vu swept through his entire body. The recent disappearance of the Chinese Embassy counselor. It was a carbon copy of that incident. Chen Secretary swallowed dryly.
“Secretary, you don’t look well?”
Cho Taehyung asked. He gestured for his subordinate to clear out and added,
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not the old Veteran Guild anymore, is it?”
The Veteran Guild had been the last to scrape into the bottom ranks of the Top Ten Guilds. And behind that rise? Chinese backing and massive capital had been laid down like a foundation.
“They’re big shots thanks to China. And now they turn their backs?”
“True enough.”
“It’s suicide. The moment the support dries up, the other guilds will tear them apart. Am I wrong?”
Chen Secretary slowly nodded. He decided to set the foreboding aside. Without Chinese backing and the money pipeline, the Veteran Guild was nothing but a scarecrow.
“Of course. China does not tolerate traitors.”
Chen Secretary added,
“And from what I’ve learned, the acting guild master of that Veteran Guild… Kang Hanul, was it?”
“Oh? You’ve found something on him?”
“Apparently he’s the uncle of Kang Eunha, Minister of the Dungeon Management Department.”
Cho Taehyung’s eyes narrowed, then he slapped his knee.
“Ah, so that’s why Minister Kang Eunha was so defiant? Because she had her uncle as a backer?”
“Probably. He’s clearly got some power. That’s why she’s so cocky, relying solely on that uncle.”
Arrogance bloomed in their conversation. They acknowledged he was strong. But on the Chinese mainland? Hunters strong enough to crush someone like Kang Hanul came by the truckload—or so the two of them believed. A serious delusion, of course.
“If it really comes to it, we can request a Heaven-class hunter from the mainland.”
“No need to go that far. Even a skilled fighter from the Black Dragon Guild up in the northern part of the peninsula would make that bastard wet himself.”
While Cho Taehyung was busy flattering Chen Secretary and China—
“Guild Master, Minister Kang Eunha is requesting a meeting.”
A subordinate arrived with the message. Cho Taehyung’s eyebrows twitched.
“Hoh, so the bitch finally reached out.”
“What should we do, Secretary? They’re the ones in a hurry over the Magic Ingots.”
“Go meet her.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to play hard to get at least once?”
“No, no. We need to deliver a clear message. That we hold the Magic Ingot supply rights.”
Cho Taehyung bowed his head.
“As expected, your eye for the political situation is different! Truly the insight of the next counselor. Understood. I’ll go crush them thoroughly!”
The main screen of a portal site.
Breaking news about the Hwangryun Guild’s press conference flooded the page.
(Seoul = Hunter News) Hwangryun Guild Master Cho Taehyung announced in an emergency press conference today that Magic Ingot supply would be immediately reduced, citing lowered mana concentration inside the dungeon. This measure is expected to deal a severe blow across the domestic industrial sector, recalling the past Magic Ingot shortage crisis…
And beneath the article?
A waterfall of furious comments.
And in the Minister’s office of the Dungeon Management Department.
Eunha was reading the article on her tablet PC. The fingers scrolling the screen trembled faintly. Deep concern filled her eyes.
“Minister.”
Secretary Min Sehee approached quietly.
“The President is on the line.”
Eunha took a deep breath and lifted the receiver.
“Minister Kang, the industrial sector is in an uproar over the Magic Ingot supply reduction. Do you have any alternatives?”
Eunha bit her lip.
“I’m sorry. We still haven’t secured replacement volume. China is clearly behind this.”
—China, is it… The smell is definitely there.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with the Hwangryun Guild Master. I’ll confront him directly and settle this.”
—Do that. Have the Foreign Minister try negotiating with China as well. I’ll move on my end too. But you need to tie this up firmly on the ground. Understood?
“I will keep that in mind.”
Eunha set the receiver down on the desk. There was no time to delay.
Kang Eunha immediately buried herself in the piles of documents. On the tablet, report figures flashed nonstop.
The industrial shock is bigger than expected. The timing of this 30 percent cut is the absolute worst.
Metal was used everywhere. And Magic Ingots—the sole foundational material that inscribed magic circuits onto metal, the substance that made innovations beyond superconductors possible. In other words, they were the heart that dramatically raised energy efficiency.
If the supply of those Magic Ingots was cut off?
Everything stopped. Production of barrier maintenance devices for national security would halt. Prices of hunter-supplied weapons for public safety would skyrocket. It meant the entire nation’s security and livelihood would be shaken to the core.
The Magic Ingot cartel… It was always bad, but it’s gotten far worse these past few years. They’ve really formed a cabal.
Eunha drew lines across the materials with a red pen. The companies that had aligned with Hwangryun. Previously they had controlled around 40 percent. Now they held a full 68 percent of the market.
For now, we have no choice but to import.
But the United States and Japan were also scrambling to encroach on Korea somehow, making it difficult to lean on them freely. Europe? Russia? Give them even the slightest opening and they would act like thugs as well.
“Minister, they’ve arrived. Hwangryun Guild Master Cho Taehyung, and Planning Director Cho Seung-hyun.”
“Send them in.”
What had to come had come. A moment later the door swung wide open. Cho Taehyung strode in with an arrogant gait, his son Cho Seung-hyun following behind.
Traitorous bastards. Not content with selling technology, they become front men and cut the supply too.
“It’s been a while, Minister.”
Cho Taehyung extended his hand first. When Eunha stood and accepted the handshake, he squeezed hard. As a woman, Kang Eunha was naturally overpowered in strength, but she showed no sign of pain.
“Thank you for coming.”
She answered briefly and gestured toward the sofa with her chin. The Cho Taehyung–Cho Seung-hyun father and son sat down, sinking deep into the cushions in arrogant postures.
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
“Not even offering tea? My throat’s a bit dry.”
Eunha pushed a water glass toward Cho Taehyung and sat on the opposite sofa.
“Cancel the Magic Ingot supply reduction immediately.”
“Cancel? Didn’t you see the press conference? The dungeon concentration is weak, so we have no choice either…”
“Guild Master Cho, don’t lie.”
Thud— Eunha tossed the prepared materials onto the table. Flutter-flutter— Cho Taehyung flipped through the pages.
“There has been no fluctuation in concentration. In fact, deep-core extraction volume increased 12 percent compared to last year. The justification Hwangryun put forward for the supply cut doesn’t match the data in a single place.”
“Data is just data. The field is different.”
Cho Seung-hyun beside him immediately chimed in.
“There’s also the problem of aging extraction equipment. Domestic technology is hitting its limits. Ah, if we had support from China’s latest extractors, we might be able to overcome the difficulties.”
Now they were openly mentioning China. Eunha snorted.
“China, is it. The same China you leaked technology to?”
The atmosphere in the reception room froze instantly. Cho Taehyung’s expression hardened in a flash, then smoothed out again.
“Now, now, ‘leaked’? Minister, those are not words a national executive should be saying. Framing us with baseless accusations is rather disappointing.”
“That’s right. What can we do if China is simply superior and caught up to the technology?”
“Haah, is that something a Korean should be saying?”
Eunha snapped back, unable to hold it in any longer. Cho Taehyung leaned back against the sofa, twisting words like a snake.
“You can’t do this without evidence. We are Korean citizens too. Moreover, we lead the Hwangryun Guild, which contributes to the national industry. Son, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Father. The Minister is being far too sharp. Perhaps it’s because she’s young and lacks experience?”
Eunha’s fist trembled. Fury surged, but exploding here would mean losing.
“In any case, are you going to keep pushing the Magic Ingot production cut?”
Cho Taehyung pretended to deliberate, then—
“Hmm, since you’re speaking so strongly, it’s not as if there’s no way to resolve the situation. In fact, China made a rather tempting proposal that could break through this crisis.”
Cho Taehyung drew out the pause.
“If Minister Kang steps down from that seat, everything will be resolved.”
“What did you just say?”
“Resign as Minister of your own accord. Then we can negotiate with the Chinese side as early as tomorrow and increase Magic Ingot supply.”
A vein stood out on Eunha’s forehead. Being disregarded? That angered her too. But more than that—telling her to quit while dangling some “tempting Chinese proposal”?
“Listen here, Guild Master Cho! Do you find a minister of this nation so laughable?”
“Of course not. We make this proposal precisely because we don’t find you laughable. Don’t you realize this country is tilting because you’re sitting in that seat?”
To hear such words from a traitor. Eunha was beyond incredulous.
“I’ll also take responsibility for pushing through technical cooperation with China. How about it?”
And on the surface, pretending to act for the country? The real intent was to remove her—the obstacle to their treason—and completely devour the Magic Ingot market.
“You should listen carefully. Lately I hear Minister Kang Eunha’s uncle, or whatever he is, who supposedly returned, has become the acting master of the Veteran Guild?”
They found out about that too? It wasn’t exactly a secret, but still.
“I hear that uncle is S-class, but you need to understand the board is too big to hold out relying on a mere S-class backer.”
“If you step down appropriately now, we’ll take care of you a little.”
Take care of her? Sparks flew in Eunha’s eyes from the unbearable humiliation. That was when it happened.
“A vulgar proposal.”
A cold voice drifted from the shadow cast to one side. The man who walked in without even waiting for the secretary’s announcement. It was none other than Kang Hanul.
“Uncle?”
Uncle? So that man is him.
The Cho Taehyung–Cho Seung-hyun father and son turned their heads toward Hanul.
“So you’re the head of the Hwangryun Guild. I heard you sent people after our Legal Team Leader Im Yunchan?”
“And you would be the Veteran—”
“Did you receive the message from the envoy I sent?”
The Cho Taehyung–Cho Seung-hyun father and son tensed.
“More than anything—you threatened my niece?”
“Kgh… kuh-hup!”
He did nothing. Merely being glared at by Hanul made the air itself freeze, turning murderous. The Cho Taehyung–Cho Seung-hyun father and son gasped as if the killing intent had induced respiratory failure.
“From now on, I’ll show you the height of absurdity.”