Suspicious Vans at the Gate
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Taejeong stepped out the front door with Park Se-ah.
"I'll be waiting downstairs."
"You don't have to come along. Today, let's just go have some fun somewhere."
"It's the boss's first hunt—I can't miss that. I have to go to save face for you."
"What face... Fine, whatever. A breath of fresh air might not be so bad anyway."
Having heard the inside story about secretaries from Lee Tae-ho, Taejeong didn't refuse twice. Even the smallest gestures could factor into evaluations, and his well-meaning consideration might backfire on him.
As the elevator reached the third floor, he got off and gave her a nod.
"See you later, then."
After sending Park Se-ah down, Taejeong headed to the community room that Seo Ju-ah had told him about.
'1-3. 1-3... Here it is.'
Stepping inside, he saw her along with some familiar faces.
"Fancy meeting like this again. Shin Ji-su, right?"
"That's me. You remember."
"It hasn't been that long. The others aren't here yet?"
"They'll be here soon. But it's great running into you as guildmates now. I thought we'd never see each other after that day. How'd you end up joining? Yong-seok oppa said he never heard from you."
"Eh... It just kinda happened."
As they exchanged greetings, Jo Yong-seok and Lee Seong-ho arrived at the same time.
"Good to see you. Meeting here again like this, Taejeong."
"See? I told you he'd come. I had a feeling. Great to see you, hero of the Recall—Park Taejeong."
"It's Yoo Taejeong."
"Oh, really? Sorry. There are just so many Parks around me..."
The boisterous greetings left him chuckling awkwardly for a moment. But soon enough, they gathered around the table and reviewed the materials Seo Ju-ah had prepared. He'd already gone over them once through Park Se-ah, but he meticulously checked for anything he might have missed.
How much time passed like that? Seo Ju-ah, who had been briefing them rote-style, looked around at the team.
"Alright. Everyone got the key points? Ready to head out?"
Everyone nodded at her words, but Taejeong—who'd been lost in thought—raised his hand.
"Something feels off, though."
"Yeah? What part?"
"It shows positions for everyone here, but nothing for us. Even from the formation, the center looks tough for fighting..."
"Oh, right—I forgot. We're just backups today, so unless something comes up, we won't be fighting. It's a fully formed team already, so rearranging was tricky."
"Ah, so we're just hitching a ride? Like that?"
"Yeah. I should've mentioned it earlier, but things got hectic. If you're upset..."
"Nah, why would I be? Hitching a ride is perfect—saves on potion costs. Haha."
Taejeong didn't mind being sidelined from the hunt. The moment another team had muscled in, his goal had shifted solely to the quest anyway. Whether carried piggyback or carted along didn't matter.
In fact, this worked out better—no medicine expenses, no unwanted attention. For him, it was ideal.
"Alright, shall we head out, everyone?"
After wrapping up the light briefing, they left the building. Park Se-ah, who had been waiting, approached Taejeong.
"How are we getting there?"
"Seven of us total. One car should do. What do you all think?"
As Seo Ju-ah started to decline Taejeong's offer, Lee Seong-ho jumped in.
"That'd be awesome for us. Hey, when else do we get to ride in something like this? Let's go!"
With Lee Seong-ho insisting, everyone reluctantly nodded, and soon their car pulled out of the guild grounds with the full group aboard.
The destination was Hongcheon in Gangwon Province—about two hours from the guild.
Not long after departure, Jo Yong-seok, admiring the interior, spoke up enviously.
"As expected from a hidden class. Way different from what we're used to. First time in a car like this. Doesn't seem like a standard civilian model."
"I'm just lucky to be getting this VIP treatment."
"You get a rank yet?"
"Nah, just courtesy rank. Still a regular guild member otherwise."
"Ah, same as Ju-ah then. Anyway, thanks for the nice ride."
As Taejeong and Jo Yong-seok chatted casually, Lee Seong-ho was hitting on Park Se-ah.
"Se-ah, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm Lee Seong-ho. Basically shared life-and-death with Taejeong here. Not one to say this lightly, but honestly, you're the prettiest I've ever seen. Got anyone special?"
"......"
"If not, how about..."
"Ow!"
Lee Seong-ho winced, clutching his arm, then glared at Shin Ji-su beside him.
"Why'd you pinch me!?"
"Just sit still and stop embarrassing us."
"What'd I do?"
"You wanna keep it up even here? Grow up already."
At Shin Ji-su's scolding, Lee Seong-ho narrowed his eyes.
"Oh-ho. Jealous, are we? Yeah, that's jealousy right there. Can't admit you hate it."
"Shut it nicely while I'm asking? Hmm?"
"Women, always... Ow! Quit pinching! It's bleeding!"
"That's the point."
As they bickered, the car sped on toward Hongcheon.
"We'll arrive at the destination soon."
At Kim Hyung-sik's words, Taejeong nodded, and the others prepared to disembark.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled into a quiet clearing. Several vehicles and dozens of hunters came into view.
"Looks like we're a bit late."
Seo Ju-ah checked the time and shook her head.
"Still thirty minutes before the official gathering."
"Let's get out."
One by one, they exited, and Taejeong—the last to leave—turned to Park Se-ah.
"Might be late, so take the driver and wait somewhere."
She shook her head at his consideration.
"Come back safe, no injuries. And I packed this quick—don't starve. It's lunch."
"When'd you even prepare this?"
"It got late, so it's nothing fancy. No high expectations."
"I'll enjoy it anyway."
Grabbing the lunchbox too, he bid her farewell and stepped out. Dozens of eyes turned toward them at once.
A man who seemed to be the leader approached Taejeong's group.
"You made it? New ride again?"
Seo Ju-ah stepped forward.
"Thanks for letting us tag along."
"Aw, come on—why say that? I owe you guys. Happy to help anytime. You all been sticking together long? Matching levels and all?"
Jo Yong-seok and the others chimed in with greetings.
"Hey, hyung."
"Feels like just yesterday we partied together, and look how much you've grown."
"Oppa, long time."
They clearly knew each other from before.
The man then approached Taejeong.
"First time today, right? Nice to meet you. Woo Kyung-ho."
"Yoo Taejeong."
"Heard a lot about you. They say you helped the kids out big time."
"Just a little..."
"This time, I'll properly pay that debt. Those kids are like family to me. Relax and enjoy today."
As the man returned to the group, Seo Ju-ah whispered to Taejeong.
"Since we're hitching, I didn't mention you're a hidden class. If it's uncomfortable, I can introduce you properly now..."
"Nah, it's no big deal. Let's keep it like this. You all close?"
"Fellow recruits when I joined Jenix. Level gaps kept us apart after, but thanks to you, we're reuniting."
"They seem pretty high-level..."
"Not sure exactly, but early to mid-300s, I think."
"Early to mid-300s."
That put them around his current level range. A good chance to gauge the gap firsthand.
Moments later, Woo Kyung-ho beckoned them over. Joining the group, Taejeong and the others blended in amid welcoming greetings.
"Something bugs me, though. What are those vans over there?"
Woo Kyung-ho eyed the six vans parked side by side to the left.
Jo Yong-seok glanced around cautiously before speaking.
"Your team's cars?"
"They were here when we arrived. Ours are over there."
"So someone's already...?"
"That's the mystery. The reporter confirmed up to yesterday it was our turn."
The raid leader felt an uneasy twinge. In all his hunts, nothing like this had ever happened. And this remote clearing saw hardly any foot traffic.
While they murmured, a hunter who had radioed HQ approached Woo Kyung-ho.
"They say nothing's on record. Plates aren't registered to any guild."
"All of them?"
"Yeah."
"Weird. Never had this before. What's going on?"
"Maybe a hiking club? Whole area's mountains."
He shook his head.
"Hikers hit named spots. Scout around—everything's crumbled, no clear paths. And parking right by the gate? Normally you'd avoid it."
"So another guild?"
"High chance."
"Nah, guild gates are all in the integrated system. No one's stepping on toes unless they want a fight."
The man had a point. Guild gates gained legal ownership through Hansan-do procedures. Violations drew sanctions from the top authority—even top guilds weren't exempt.
The issue was disputes. Same-tier guilds' conflicts went unregulated, thanks to the recently passed Free Competition Act—riddled with loopholes and heavy criticism.
"Probably nothing. Let's go—the kids are waiting. Worst case, we shoo 'em off. It's our guild gate."
"It's not that. If they don't know the rules and mess up the moon cycle... we could all be in danger."
Woo Kyung-ho wasn't worried about intruders. It was the dungeon's hidden rules. Break them, and it stopped being Blue Grade 3. Plans could derail.
The man clapped his shoulder.
"Dude, no one's dumb enough to miss that. And with our skills, we can handle it even if. We're the grads."
"Still feels off."
"Dragging this out just kills morale. Turn back after coming this far? What about the vacation days? Come on."
After persistent convincing, departure was set. Turning back on a hunch was too risky.
"First squad, enter in sequence. Deploy."