The New Director's First Day
An old stone building in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The Director's Office of the Hunter Special Affairs Bureau.
On his first day in office, what was Hanul's first order?
To have the documents brought to him.
"Director, the documents for your approval."
A low-ranking agent set down a thick stack of papers, looking thoroughly flustered.
"No secretary? No Deputy Director?"
"Well… the Deputy Director is meeting with a National Assembly member over the budget cuts."
"And the secretary?"
"The secretarial staff… with the manpower shortage, I honestly can't even remember when we last had one. Haha!"
On paper, the position carried enormous authority.
In reality, it was a complete mess.
Worlds apart from the way Seo Jihun, office manager of the Veteran Guild, handled things.
Of course, Seo Jihun had offered to come help personally if needed.
But Hanul had refused.
If Eunha found out?
She would not take kindly to an outsider coming and going from a national intelligence agency.
"Master, this place is way too grubby, yong!"
Hatchery, clutching a black baby goat plush tightly to her chest, voiced her own complaint.
"And what's with that doll?"
"Eunha unnie gave it to me, yong! It's so soft and fluffy, yong!"
Hatchery rubbed her face against the plush, delighted.
Hanul sighed and waved the low-ranking agent out.
"Good work. Get back to your desk."
"Yes, sir! Director!"
The agent fled as if escaping.
Hanul began reviewing the documents on the desk.
Then his hand stopped on one of them.
Agenda: Illegal Collection of Byproducts from the Corrupted Thousand-Armed Guanyin along the West Sea Coast
The Corrupted Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
None other than the field boss monster Hanul himself had taken down.
And the contents of the report?
Utterly outrageous.
In short, Chinese bottom-trawling fishing boats had violated territorial waters and swept up every last byproduct.
"Unbelievable."
The aftershock of his own magic had probably flung the byproducts quite far out into the West Sea.
Even so!
For those Chinese bastards to swarm in with fishing boats and scoop the whole lot up…
They had stolen what was his.
And of all people, it had to be the Chinese.
As Hanul's mood turned dangerous, Hatchery carefully peeked at the document as well.
"Ah! That's ours!"
She flung the black goat plush aside and began fuming.
Hanul picked up the plush, dusted it off with a few firm pats, and handed it back to her.
"You said Eunha gave it to you. Treat it carefully."
"Oh, right, yong! But where are you going? To sink every last Chinese fishing boat, yong?"
"That's the plan. And I'll collect every byproduct while I'm at it."
Hanul started to rise from his seat.
Then his gaze caught on another document beside it.
"Hm?"
Agenda: Securing Custody of Fang Tian and Repatriation to China
The byproduct issue was serious enough.
But this was even more absurd.
Just look at the title—repatriation?
They were going to send a terrorist they had finally captured right back to China?
"This is nonsense."
Yet the document already bore the approval seals of higher-ups, stamped plain as day.
"Huh? That's that mister, yong? They're sending him back, yong?"
"This gets handled first."
Hanul pressed the intercom on the desk.
"The Fang Tian repatriation case. Tell the investigator who processed this document to report to the Director's office immediately."
A short while later, the door opened and a man walked in.
Investigator under the Special Affairs Bureau, Park Cheol-gwon.
"You called for me?"
For a national agent, his bearing was completely slack.
He had only come promptly because an SSS-class like Hanul was the Director.
Without that, how far he would have pushed his luck was written all over the attitude he wore like a second skin.
The way he stood, tilted and insolent without even realizing it, said everything.
Hanul tossed the document at him.
"The Fang Tian repatriation. Did you file this?"
"Ah, that? I was told the higher-ups already finished talking everything over with the Chinese side."
Park Cheol-gwon scratched the back of his head, slick and evasive.
He was carefully shifting the blame onto his superiors, carving out an escape route for himself.
There was clearly more behind him.
Abyss Spectrum.
The gaze of the abyss swept deep through Park Cheol-gwon's inner self.
The color of his soul was not merely murky—it was stained black.
Not even a turncoat. He was a plant from China from the start.
A fixed sleeper agent.
The recent secret conversations readable in his mind.
"The Korean government will catch on soon enough."
"Doesn't matter. Priority is recovering even the smallest lead this time so Korea can't open its mouth any further."
"Understood."
"Get him out before the government notices. One of our Chinese freighters is docked at Incheon Port."
"It's not just an ordinary freighter, is it?"
"Of course not. Hunters are standing by. If anything goes wrong, they can fight their way out. Hand the prisoner over to them."
From Park Cheol-gwon's memories, Hanul pulled the coordinates of Incheon Port and the freighter's name.
A faint smile touched the corner of Hanul's mouth.
"Higher-ups, was it? You meant the Chinese government?"
Park Cheol-gwon's pupils shook in an instant.
In that same moment, Hanul seized him by the scruff of the neck.
"Ghk! Wh-what is this…! L-let go, Director!"
Park Cheol-gwon kicked his legs uselessly in midair.
Hanul's grip did not budge.
Beside them, Hatchery, who had been toying with the black goat plush, stepped forward.
"Master! Should we send this mister to the farm, yong? Or to the Demon Realm, yong?"
"Send him to the Demon Realm."
"Yes, yong!"
The moment Hanul gave permission, Hatchery unleashed violet demonic energy.
Crackling—
A dimensional gate opened.
"No, please, save me!"
Goat Demons dragged Park Cheol-gwon into the Demon Realm.
His screams faded into the distance.
Hatchery hugged the black goat plush to her chest and grinned.
"Heheh, Master! I did good, right?"
Eyes full of expectation.
In the Demon Realm, it would have been a perfectly fine decision.
As expected, putting Hatchery in charge of reorganizing the Special Affairs Bureau would be a terrible fit for her temperament.
If he left it to Hatchery?
The Special Affairs Bureau turning into Goat Demon Farm Season 2 would only be a matter of time.
Mindless charges and purges she could handle. Precise organizational management and administration were beyond her.
The right ones would be Lilith and Lucifer.
Succubus Queen Lilith.
And the fallen angel and mental-type powerhouse Lucifer.
Since he already had the Demon Realm open, Hanul sent a message across the dimensions.
—I've taken charge of one of the humans' organizations on Earth. Who wants to try reorganizing it?
In an instant, vast demonic energy surged beyond the gate.
—Ohh, you've finally called for me! I shall go!
—Master, leave it to me!
As both beings tried to force their way through at once, Hanul waved a hand.
"Don't cross over yet. Stay there."
If both came through, the dimensional rift would swell beyond what could be managed.
One of them he could minimize the backlash for by crafting a new vessel, but two was impossible.
—I shall go and serve at your side!
—What are you talking about? Internal affairs are obviously my domain!
Beyond the gate, the two Demon Kings' gazes locked with a sharp crackle.
Hanul spoke as if the whole thing were a nuisance.
"Fine. Rock-paper-scissors."
Silence held for a brief moment.
Lilith unfurled her power of illusion, forcing Lucifer to throw scissors while she prepared to throw rock.
Lucifer, in turn, began chanting a Dominating Word spell, feigning scissors himself while trying to manipulate Lilith's mind into throwing paper.
KRAAAAAA—
The Demon Realm trembled.
The waves of demonic energy the two Demon Kings unleashed swept away the surrounding demonic beasts before they could even scream.
Hanul sealed off every last aftershock headed for Earth with perfect control.
At last, a winner emerged.
"Hoho, I won."
The victor was Lilith.
Lucifer was strong.
Not only in mental abilities but in combat power as well.
Yet as a man, when it came to pure mental-type matchups, he seemed to have been at a disadvantage against Lilith.
—Kh… to think I cannot go to Master's side!
—Hoho, I'll go first. Lucifer, your turn will come someday too.
Lilith crossed the dimensions.
—Master! Please make sure that next time I can serve at your—
The dimensional gate closed before Lucifer's desperate voice could fully spill through.
In the center of the Director's office instead stood Lilith—in the form of a captivating blonde woman in a tailored suit—kneeling on one knee.
"Lilith, I have come here in obedience to your command."
"Good. Stay there a moment."
Hanul made a call.
Soon a familiar voice answered.
Seo Jihun, office manager of the Veteran Guild.
—Hello, Acting Guildmaster. Or rather, Board Member now. How is the Special Affairs Bureau Directorship treating you?
"It's a mess."
At Hanul's short reply, Seo Jihun gave a low laugh.
—I am ready to assist at any time. Is there something I can help with?
"There is."
—What is it? Shall I come there right away?
"No need to come. I've just hired a new secretary, but she doesn't have a Korean ID."
Seo Jihun caught on at once.
—Understood. If you give me her identity details, I will immediately secure support from Secretary Min Se-hee of the Dungeon Management Bureau and process it under the Hunter special provisions.
"Her name is Lilith. I'll send her over shortly. While you're at it, process one for Hatchery as well. She'll need a Korean identity if she's going to operate from now on."
—Yes. Please do not hesitate to call on me whenever something like this comes up again.
Just as Hanul was about to end the call, Seo Jihun added a report.
—We have formally promoted Vice Guild Leader Baek Hayan to Guild Leader, and registered you as an outside board member. In practice, however, you remain the true head of our guild. Please command us as you will.
"Good. Keep it up."
Hanul hung up and looked at Lilith.
"Lilith, you heard that? In this organization—the Hunter Special Affairs Bureau—you are my secretary."
"Yes, Master!"
"Go with Hatchery, get your IDs made, then come back and clean out everyone with impure loyalties. Recruit useful people to replace them."
"I receive your command."
Hatchery, who had been listening from the side, pouted and cut in.
"You're only leaving it to this big-chested auntie, yong?"
The two of them had never gotten along even back in the Demon Realm.
And hearing "auntie" after so long made a vein stand out on Lilith's forehead.
"Such a crude mouth for a little brat."
"This auntie is way too soft, yong! I'd be much faster, yong!"
"You're the violent one. That's why Master called for me."
"Anyway, I'll help too, yong!"
Leaving things to Hatchery would create a mess of a different kind.
There was a separate place that needed Hatchery's heavy hand.
"Hatchery, I'm entrusting you with Eunha's protection."
"Eunha unnie's protection, yong?"
"Yes. You know how much I cherish Eunha, don't you?"
"Of course, yong! Me too, yong! This black goat plush is from Eunha unnie too, yong! She said it was the one she loved most since she was little, yong!"
Hatchery hugged the plush carefully.
"If anyone tries to attack Eunha, finish them. The Demon Realm way."
"Yes, yong! Leave it to me!"
Hanul jerked his chin toward the door.
"Then both of you go to Seo Jihun right now."
"Understood."
"Yes, yong! Be right back!"
Once the two beings vanished, silence settled over the Director's office.
Hanul gazed out the window, toward the west where Incheon Port lay.
"And you, Master?"
The question Lilith had left before departing.
Hanul gave a short snort of laughter.
"I've got somewhere to be."
Incheon Port, Pier 3.
Through the night fog, a massive Chinese freighter—the Changlong—lay at anchor.
Outwardly, an ordinary cargo ship.
But inside?
It was packed with covert magical technology.
If needed, armor plating could deploy at once.
It would transform into a heavily armed combat vessel.
The crew disguised as sailors were trained Hunters as well.
Enough force to wipe out an entire minor Hunter nation if it came to it.
And that force was sitting brazenly in Korean territorial waters.
"Still no word on Fang Tian's transfer?"
"Ah, there they are."
In the middle of the night, a van approached the ship.
The people who climbed out wore the uniforms of Hunter Correctional Facility agents.
In truth, they were already-bought traitors and spies planted by China.
"Why isn't Park Cheol-gwon here?"
"No idea. No contact. Doesn't matter—this guy is the important one."
"True enough."
As if hauling cargo, the men dragged the bound Fang Tian roughly out of the van.
The once-hero of China looked utterly wretched.
"This traitor bastard. He really lost his powers."
"Nothing but an empty shell. What do they even want with a guy like this?"
"Guh… kkh!"
They did not simply move him. The beating continued.
Fang Tian could not even manage a proper groan as he was dragged toward the gangway connecting to the Changlong's deck.
In that instant—
THUD! CRACK! CRUNCH!
It was over in a blink.
The guards' heads burst like watermelons.
Bodies that never even got to scream collapsed to the deck.
"……!"
The remaining Hunters hastily drew their weapons—
But their bodies would not move.
A crushing pressure as if the space itself had turned into a vast swamp.
Then a man strolled leisurely out through the fog.
"So this is the ship."
Splash—
He stepped through the pooling blood on the deck and surveyed his surroundings.
It was Hanul.