Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Guild, Afterlife (3)
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Right after confirming that the gate showed no anomalies and that orcs weren't as tough to handle as trolls.
Kang Sa-hu immediately rose from his throne of bones, summoned a Giant Hound, and switched to a direct approach of hunting the orcs himself.
Of course, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision—it was a plan he'd hashed out with his guildmates before entering the gate.
'Declaring a territory consumes spirits, so if I can avoid it, I should.'
Kang Sa-hu held his great scythe horizontally and hurled it forward, activating the skill Rotating Death's Return.
Rotating Death's Return
Rapid spin slices through foes, returns to user.
Shweeeeeek!
Splat!
The scythe whirled rapidly, slicing through the orcs like butter. Thanks to the special effect Rapid Blood Drain, the blood drained swiftly from the slashed orcs.
'I can't get complacent just because it's convenient. Territory Declaration is an option, but only for when it's truly needed.'
Great Scythe Thorns
Thorns erupt in a circular pattern around user.
As the blood-soaked great scythe returned to his hand after carving through the orcs, Kang Sa-hu leaped into their midst and slammed the handle's tip into the ground.
Pa-pa-pa-pow!
Kreeek!
Centering on Kang Sa-hu, razor-sharp great scythe blades erupted in a perfect circle.
The formation resembled a lotus flower, each petal forged from a scythe blade.
The orcs, engulfed like prey in its bloom, screamed as the blades tore them apart.
'Above all, I need to encourage the other hunters to get active.'
While other hunters cowered in fear and avoided hunting, Kang Sa-hu and his guildmates—along with a few brave souls who kept at it—grew stronger at a rapid pace.
Kang Sa-hu himself had cleared dozens of gates solo, ones so competitive that without strangers filling out parties, reservations were impossible.
The financial gains from that were massive.
If he only cared about himself, maintaining the status quo might've been fine. But Kang Sa-hu had no intention of leaving other hunters paralyzed by fear while maximizing only his own profits.
Of course, he wasn't about to abandon those profits either.
'Kim Ho-myeong's been a huge help.'
When they founded the guild, Kim Ho-myeong had laid bare his ambitions.
The mysterious resources from gates would shake up the global economy.
As the youngest son of the Geumho Group's chairman, he'd lived a privileged life and wanted to dominate that market for his own success.
Kang Sa-hu was intrigued, but instead of negotiating himself, he put Kim Ho-myeong—who had Geumho experience and their backing—at the forefront.
The result? Not just ownership of resources from gates they cleared themselves, but periodic priority hunting rights and a slew of other perks.
Shlick!
An orc's head tumbled from its shoulders under Kang Sa-hu's diagonal swing.
Normally, bone and muscle would dull the blade, but Hell Duke Demadr's Blood-Drinking Scythe retained its pristine edge thanks to the special effect Ubreakable Sharpness.
'Even if we could monopolize every gate, backlash would eventually hit. Worse, if hunters stop raiding gates, that power gets misused elsewhere.'
Even amid the chaos, Kang Sa-hu kept a sharp eye on world events and intel.
He knew how superhuman hunters were plunging the world into turmoil and agony.
Africa, where cartels exploited natives for blood diamonds to fatten their purses.
France, historic hotbed of revolutions, still carrying that torch with protests against government edicts.
Communist regimes strong-arming citizens to line their pockets.
Already, hunters had assassinated leaders multiple times, toppling regimes only for new ones to rise in opposition. Dozens of nations had become hellscapes.
And the biggest issue? Hunters using their power not against gates, but against people to shore up their own positions.
'We can't let that happen.'
The Philippines, for instance, had lost a third of its land to monsters after failing to stop a gate break. Kang Sa-hu understood just how vital hunters were.
To that end, he needed to demonstrate overwhelming power to earn trust—while instilling confidence that they too could hunt like him.
Shunk!
Kang Sa-hu drove the scythe blade into the last orc's heart and let out a long breath.
His physical abilities had risen with each hunt, but he'd never properly trained for this kind of close-quarters brawling—or any physical conditioning, for that matter. His government-issued combat suit was soaked with sweat inside.
"...Hmm."
The drenched clothes clung uncomfortably, but after swinging around a scythe weighing tens of kilos like it was nothing, he barely noticed the weight.
Still sticky and gross, so Kang Sa-hu stripped off the suit and scanned the area.
Nearly 40 orcs lay cold and sprawled across the ground.
"Guild Master, great work!"
Bae Deok-ho approached, having hunted orcs alongside him.
"You too, Bae Deok-ho."
After exchanging greetings, Kang Sa-hu extended his hand.
Soul Core Creation
Converts corpses into soul cores under user's control.
It started with heavy restrictions and awkwardness toward this convenient ability called a skill.
Now, he wielded it as naturally as breathing, like an extension of his limbs.
Shrrrk.
As Kang Sa-hu invoked the skill, the orcs transformed into soul cores and swarmed to him.
Before, whether a soul submitted or not affected its potential and durability.
But since the skill evolved into an innate one where the user dictated capabilities, that hassle was gone.
Woooong!
Some souls thrashed, resisting subjugation.
"...?"
Just Kang Sa-hu's bemused glance quelled the struggle, and it meekly became his soul core.
"Alright, so far it's gone according to your plan, Guild Master. We sticking to the rest?"
Bae Deok-ho slung his bow over his shoulder and asked.
Kang Sa-hu didn't answer right away. Instead, he met Bae Deok-ho's eyes and fired back.
"What do you think, Bae Deok-ho? Safe to proceed as is?"
"Yeah, should be fine."
Bae Deok-ho glanced at the battlefield.
"Dunno about the boss, but these guys? Basic attacks did the job. No need for skills, so I'd peg 'em at a bit above D-rank, or way below trolls."
Having faced the outlier trolls already, maybe?
Kang Sa-hu nodded in agreement at the assessment.
"If anything goes south, we back them up. Plus, with Ji-ye there, no worries."
"Hahaha, exactly. We hang with her so much we forget—Ji-ye's healing is insane."
Back when he'd taken heavy damage from a troll in a B-rank gate.
Bae Deok-ho, who'd been healed by another guild's A-rank healer, vouched for it confidently.
"Ji-ye's only B-rank in awakening grade, but her healing's surpassed A-rankers ages ago. She can fix severed limbs with Body Restoration. That says it all."
Kang Ji-ye had gained her second skill, Body Restoration, alongside Hand of Healing from her initial awakening, through F-rank gate runs with Bae Deok-ho.
The Afterlife guild hadn't needed it much—no serious injuries—but she'd fully restored another hunter's lost limbs in a B-rank gate.
"With Ji-ye backing them up and Ho-myeong tanking up front, I can't imagine anyone dying to orcs. Oh, oh! Yu-rim's amazing too!"
As if sensing Lee Yu-rim's chilling glare for the omission, Bae Deok-ho hastily added.
Woof! Woof!
The Giant Hound, silent till now, barked at his words.
Like it was demanding credit. Bae Deok-ho flustered.
"R-Right, you guys too... Wait, are your summons joining in too, Guild Master?"
"If needed. But deploying Giant Hounds or apes from the start would dilute the point."
The reason Kang Sa-hu handed off gates his guild could clear—to boost the other hunters' confidence.
But if summons outhunted the hunters? That undermined the whole effort.
Bae Deok-ho shared the concern, so they saw eye-to-eye and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, no way our Guild Master would slip up like that."
......
The Giant Hound, oblivious to the details, glared daggers at Bae Deok-ho's satisfied chuckles for stealing its spotlight.
When Kang Sa-hu and Bae Deok-ho returned to the hunters, cheers and applause erupted.
"As expected of Kang Sa-hu!"
"Damn, I knew you had it!"
Clap clap clap clap clap!
The hunters celebrated like they'd cleared the gate themselves.
Guild leaders flushed with secondhand embarrassment watching their members, but honestly, they felt the same thrill.
No deaths.
Not even injuries.
A C-rank gate cleared clean.
It thrilled the leaders, but left them feeling pathetic too.
'We were just extras to fill the headcount for entry.'
One great guild leader, who'd agonized endlessly—alternating between signing up and backing out before hearing Kang Sa-hu was in—chuckled wryly.
Popping antipsychotics like candy during awakening, weighing 'certain death terror' against 'responsibility for mass casualties.' It all felt silly now.
'Good is good, though.'
He tried to shake it off and join the victory shouts.
But Kang Sa-hu's next words shattered the festive mood instantly.
"Now it's your turn."
"...Huh?"
"Pardon? Guild Master Kang Sa-hu, think I misheard?"
Caught completely off-guard, the hunters blinked in confusion at him.
Kang Sa-hu tilted his head back at them instead.
"You're hunters too, aren't you?"
"W-Well, yeah, but..."
"Honestly... don't you think you could clear this gate yourself now, Guild Master?"
Kang Sa-hu, having anticipated the murmurs, added smoothly.
"Plus, I got pretty worn out from the intense fighting."
"......?"
"......??"
The hunters stared in unified bewilderment at his utterly unbelievable claim.