The Price of Pride
Ohsung Group Headquarters. The air in the chairman’s office was heavy, thick with the scent of expensive cigars and cold ambition. Baek Giseong, a man with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, broke the silence. His voice cut through the room like a razor blade. As the chairman of the Ohsung Group, his presence alone commanded the space. He stared intently at the man appearing on the television screen through his spectacles, his gaze sharp, at times even menacing.
Nam Gitae, the chief of staff standing by his side, answered respectfully.
"Yes, Chairman. That is the hunter named Cheon Yooshin. He is one of the most talked-about hunters these days."
Baek Giseong’s eyes glinted.
"Cheon Yooshin? How does he compare to our Ohsung Guild?"
Nam Gitae hesitated for a moment.
"To be honest, it is difficult to judge. He has only recently revealed his presence, so there is not enough data."
"I’m not asking for data, I’m asking for your gut feeling. Your intuition."
A sharp edge crept into Chairman Baek Giseong’s voice. He despised the younger generation’s obsession with analyzing everything through numbers and text. It was his own keen intuition that had brought him to this position. People had laughed at him, asking why he would challenge things that were destined to fail, but he had walked his path with his head held high. Even when they mocked him for investing manpower and capital into semiconductors—a field where they claimed he could never catch up to the United States and failure was a foregone conclusion—he had not wavered. In the end, his choice was correct. By dominating the global semiconductor market, Ohsung Group had proudly secured its place as the number one conglomerate in the country.
But now, the world had changed. The era of dreams built on semiconductor chips had passed, and a world led by hunters and magic stones had arrived. Baek Giseong’s eyes deepened as he watched Cheon Yooshin’s face, which was still being broadcasted incessantly.
"His affiliation is the Hunter Management Department, correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Has the time come for the dying Hunter Management Department to soar once again?"
His sharp intuition had already sensed something. That the name Cheon Yooshin would become a wave that would shake not just the country, but the entire world. Baek Giseong wanted himself and the Ohsung Group to stand at the crest of that wave. Not as something to be tossed about by it.
"Find out everything about that guy immediately."
"Yes! I will get on it right away, Chairman!"
The skyscrapers of Seoul visible outside the window caught Baek Giseong’s eye. Even the towering, magnificent buildings looked infinitely small from the chairman’s office where he stood. It was as if they were subjects bowing their heads before the king that was Baek Giseong.
***
Yooshin arrived at the restaurant Park Haesu had mentioned for the team dinner. As soon as he opened the door, all eyes turned toward him.
"Oh! You’re here?!" Park Haesu stood up from his seat the moment he saw Yooshin.
"That guy is Cheon Yooshin?!"
"Whoa, he looks exactly like he does on TV."
A small commotion broke out among the Team 1 hunters. The hunters who had already encountered him at the pork belly restaurant bowed lightly to Cheon Yooshin. Others could not hide their excitement.
"You’re here! Please, sit over here. We’ve set a place for you."
There were also hunters from Team 2 who had cleared the D-class un-cleared dungeon with Cheon Yooshin. A look of confusion crossed Yooshin’s face. Wasn’t this supposed to be a Team 1 dinner?
As if reading his expression, Park Haesu approached and spoke.
"A large number of personnel from Team 2 have moved over to Team 1 this time."
"Yeah? Is that allowed?"
"It’s a privilege unique to the Hunter Raid Team."
"Well, anyway, where do I sit?"
There were plenty of empty seats scattered around.
"Sit next to me."
Park Haesu pulled on Cheon Yooshin’s arm and sat him in the seat located right in the center of the table. Everyone stopped talking and stared at Cheon Yooshin.
What is this? It’s embarrassing.
"Hahaha, they’re probably just fascinated by you, Cheon Yooshin."
"Fascinated?"
"Cheon Yooshin, you’re a hunter so famous now that there isn’t a single person in South Korea who doesn’t know your name."
Is that so? Well, I suppose the media has been making enough noise about it. But I still don’t really feel it myself.
That was when it happened.
"Wow, I thought you weren’t an ordinary person from the moment I first saw you, but I didn’t expect to meet you again like this. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Heewon."
A cheerful voice rang in Yooshin’s ears. When he turned his head, a woman was standing there with a friendly smile. Yooshin looked at her with a puzzled expression, as she spoke as if she knew him.
"But who are you again?"
At Yooshin’s honest question, the woman’s expression twisted slightly.
"Ha! You don’t remember me? The one whose shuriken you stole..."
At the word "shuriken," something flashed in Yooshin’s mind.
"Ah! The 'Steal Girl'?"
At the crude term "Steal Girl," Kim Heewon’s eyes widened.
"Steal Girl?! Look here! My name is Kim Heewon. Kim Heewon!"
"Yes. Nice to meet you, Ms. Kim Heewon."
At Yooshin’s polite greeting, Kim Heewon seemed even more flustered, her mouth opening and closing before she shook her head.
"You really are an impossible person. Anyway, nice to meet you. We’re one family now."
"I suppose so? I look forward to working with you."
As Kim Heewon returned to her seat, Yooshin scanned the faces of the hunters sitting at the table. There were exactly 43 people. However, it felt as if an invisible line had been drawn between them. It looked as if two factions had been divided.
'What is this?'
If they were different teams, maybe, but they were the same team—why are they like this? Yooshin sensed a subtle tension in the way they were drinking while secretly watching each other. The atmosphere seemed friendly, but Yooshin did not miss the uncomfortable current flowing beneath it.
Yooshin whispered to Park Haesu.
"Why is the atmosphere like this? Isn’t this a team dinner?"
'This isn’t the kind of dinner I imagined. Wasn’t this supposed to be a time to shed all social pretenses and burdens, put our arms around each other, and listen to each other’s grievances?!'
Park Haesu spoke in a hushed voice.
"Actually, it hasn’t been long since the team expanded. While team transfers are frequent, we’ve never had this many people move at once, so this is a first for me too. Well, won’t time solve it?"
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Park Haesu, who I thought was meticulous, seemed a bit loosened up now. But Yooshin’s face was gradually hardening. The hunters here were all like soldiers who had to risk their lives on the battlefield.
'This isn’t some political arena, so why are there factions?'
They were getting full of themselves. It was time to wake up from the pretense of a team dinner.
"I have a question!"
One of the hunters, who was quite drunk, raised his hand high.
"Yes! Go ahead."
Park Haesu nodded and said in a refreshing voice.
"Doesn’t Cheon Yooshin need to take the position of Raid Leader now? It’s tradition for the strongest hunter to be the Raid Leader, isn’t it?"
Because of the hunter who didn’t even know what he was saying while drunk, the atmosphere froze as cold as ice in a freezer. Everyone’s eyes changed. In some eyes, surprise could be read; in others, agreement; and in some, clear hostility.
Park Haesu was the first to break the silence.
"Hahaha, you must have had too much to drink. It’s troublesome if you say things like that so carelessly."
Park Haesu spoke lightly, but there was displeasure mixed in his voice. However, the ripples created by the stone already thrown did not subside easily.
"No, isn’t that right?"
One of the hunters who had been on Team 2 spoke up.
"Hasn’t our Hunter Management Department done it that way until now? It’s only natural for the strongest to lead. We’re not going on a picnic, are we?"
A small murmur of agreement arose at those words. What? Are they doing this because of me? I don’t want the Raid Leader position even if you give it to me, you people.
But as if they didn’t know Yooshin’s inner thoughts, the people became increasingly serious.
"Wait a minute! What kind of nonsense is that? Does that mean it makes sense to suddenly serve Cheon Yooshin as the leader? A Raid Leader needs not only martial prowess but also excellent character!"
At someone’s aggressive remark, Yooshin’s eyebrows twitched. Huh? Wait a minute? Does that mean I don’t have excellent character? I feel like I just heard something very irritating.
Regardless of that, the dinner venue had already become a heated debate over who was more suited for the position of Raid Leader.
Meanwhile, Baek Woohyun, who currently held the position of Raid Leader, sat quietly sipping his drink amidst the commotion.
"Hehehe, Leader, don’t be too upset. Ah! Those guys should just go home quietly if they’re drunk, why are they creating trouble like that!"
Joo Jowoon said to Baek Woohyun with an awkward laugh.
Clack!
Baek Woohyun set his empty glass down on the table. His sharp gaze turned toward Joo Jowoon.
"Do you think I will lose?"
"Ah!"
At Baek Woohyun’s sudden question, Joo Jowoon was speechless for a moment.
"O-of course not."
But Joo Jowoon’s voice, unable to tell a lie, trembled. There was no way Baek Woohyun, who had watched him for a long time, wouldn’t notice that. A bitter smile hovered around his lips.
"I see..."
He muttered. Then, he stood up slowly from his seat. In an instant, the commotion around him stopped. The eyes of the people who had been arguing about who was right and who was wrong all turned toward Baek Woohyun at once. He walked toward Yooshin with slow, but disciplined steps.
"Cheon Yooshin."
There was no anger or fear in his voice. Only cold, clear determination.
"Please, spar with me once."
At that proposal, the entire room held its breath. Meanwhile, Yooshin was flabbergasted. I came to a romantic team dinner, and now they want me to fight again?
Baek Woohyun continued.
"If you defeat me, I will hand over the position of Raid Leader. That is the tradition of our department."
Everyone’s gaze focused on Yooshin’s mouth.
"I don’t want to."
"...You don’t want to?"
"Yes. I. Don’t. Want. To!"
Listen, mister. I didn’t come here to fight. Why do you keep bothering someone who’s just sitting there? If you keep bothering me, you’re going to end up bleeding out of your ass.
At that moment, something unbelievable happened. Baek Woohyun bowed his waist at a right angle.
"Then, I ask for your guidance."
"...?"
"Whoa!"
"Daebak, is it true that Leader Baek Woohyun just bowed?"
The team members who had been with him for a long time in Hunter Team 1 stared with wide eyes, as if they couldn’t believe Baek Woohyun’s actions. Meanwhile, Cheon Yooshin’s eyes had sunk deep. If others were surprised by Baek Woohyun’s appearance, which they couldn’t easily see, Yooshin was peering into his inner thoughts.
'He’s that desperate, huh?'
Yooshin suddenly remembered himself in the Abyss. Specifically, the early days when he was summoned without knowing anything and suffered. For some reason, his old self was being projected onto this man, Baek Woohyun, whom he had met for the first time. But why? An inexplicable spite welled up from his dantian.
"It’s going to hurt quite a bit, you know?"
"It’s fine even if it hurts enough to die."
"...Enough to die?"
A cruel smile spread across Yooshin’s lips. Those who saw that smile felt goosebumps without realizing it. Yooshin clenched his fists tightly without realizing it. It was because the memories of himself wandering on the threshold of death suddenly came back to him. Especially the despair and fear immediately after being summoned to the Abyss. The pain of being on the verge of death is not something that can be spoken of easily. Because.
Those who couldn’t endure the pain of being on the verge of death are already dead.
And those who know that piercing pain too well wouldn’t easily put it into words.
Yet that man talks about that pain too easily. That confident expression, as if he has no hesitation at all. Like those bastards who have walked the silk road paved by their parents. Naturally, for Yooshin, who had lived a life diametrically opposed to such a life in a place called the Abyss, his gut couldn’t help but twist.
"You’ll regret it. Those words you just said?"
"I do not regret it. I."
"Puhahahaha! You’re a very cool person. Then, shall we go right now?"
"I am fine anytime."
"Then let’s proceed immediately."
The team dinner ended there. But not a single person went home. Everyone gathered back at the Hunter Management Department. Specifically, at a place called the sparring room. For them, they were curious about the true face of the hunter named Cheon Yooshin, who was famous in South Korea. Moreover, a sparring match with Baek Woohyun, the strongest in the Hunter Management Department and a B-class hunter. This was a big event that you couldn’t see even if you paid for it.
Before long, the two people, Cheon Yooshin and Baek Woohyun, stood facing each other. Yooshin grinned.
"Come on in. I’ll give you some guidance."
Clang!
Baek Woohyun, who had drawn his sword, spoke.
"I am Baek Woohyun, Raid Leader of Hunter Raid Team 1, Hunter Management Department. I will learn from you."
Yooshin waved his hand, saying he understood. As if telling him to come quickly. At that sight, Baek Woohyun gave a bitter smile for a moment. But that was only for a moment; Baek Woohyun rushed at Yooshin without delay. Like a leopard snatching its prey, his movements were swift.
Swoosh!
Baek Woohyun’s sword reached Yooshin in an instant, accompanied by the sound of the blade cutting through the air. Fast. Moreover, there was weight mixed in with the speed. It was to the point where most monsters, no, hunters, wouldn’t even be able to react and would have to offer up their necks. As he dodged the sword flying at high speed while drawing a graceful curve, the next attack followed quickly. It was a sword technique so fast it felt like it was crushing his whole body. But Yooshin’s expression was not good.
'Weak.'
The sword Baek Woohyun is swinging right now. Yes, it was similar to kendo. The atmosphere of kendo, meant for self-improvement rather than survival, was contained in Baek Woohyun’s sword.
'And he asked me to guide him?'
This was wrong from the start. Is this level of skill really the strongest in the Hunter Management Department? I think I need to let him know. Just how pathetic his skills are. And at that moment, Yooshin threw a punch.
Kwoooooooong!