The Morning After the Feast
After downing booze like there was no tomorrow with the guild execs, Yoo Taejeong was seeing double. He'd paced himself as best he could with the heavy stuff, but he could barely stand straight. If Park Se-ah hadn't been there grunting and propping him up, he'd have been sprawled on the sidewalk like a bum by now.
"Get it together, sir. We're almost there."
"Ugh. My head's fine, seriously. It's my damn body that's not listening."
"I told you not to drink so much."
"You try sitting in a spot like that. They kept passing shots around—you can't exactly say no. Especially when it's my promotion bash."
"Fine, I get it. Just try to keep your balance. If you collapse here, you won't get back up."
She practically dragged him into the elevator and out to the front door of his lodging. Once inside, she hauled him straight to his room.
"Phew. We're here."
Without even wiping the sweat from her brow, Park Se-ah got him laid out on the bed and stretched her aching back. Right then, as she started to stand, Taejeong yanked her arm, pulling her down on top of him. Their faces inches apart, her eyes went wide like a startled rabbit.
He gazed at her and murmured low.
"You..."
Her heart pounded like it might burst, the thrum echoing in her ears. What was he about to say? No way... She squeezed her eyes shut for a second.
"Jeju Island..."
"Pardon?"
"Juh... Ju Island. We gotta... go."
With that, his eyes fluttered shut, and soon snores shattered the silence.
She stared at him, dumbfounded, while his rumbling filled the room. Park Se-ah blinked blankly for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh. She pulled the blanket over him tenderly, then let out a soft chuckle, pressing her warm cheek to the back of her hand.
"Idiot. What was I even thinking."
The next morning.
"Ugh."
Taejeong woke to a skull-splitting headache, wincing and shaking his head vigorously.
"How much did I knock back? Ugh. This is why booze should come in one flavor only."
Whiskey, champagne, beer, cocktails—he'd thrown back pretty much everything but soju last night. Back in his porter days, he could go toe-to-toe with the team uncles, but an onslaught from dozens of execs was a whole different beast. Park Se-ah had shot him pleading looks to ease up, but come on, this wasn't the place for that.
"Anyway, how'd I get home? I remember making it to the building, but..."
His throat parched, Taejeong shuffled to the living room. There was Park Se-ah, prepping breakfast. She set down what she was doing and handed him a cup from the table.
"Awake already? Honey water for you."
"Ah, thanks. So, how'd I get back last night? Total blackout."
"You were just a little tipsy. Walked in fine."
"Really? Did I screw up or anything...?"
"Not at all. Drink up and sit. I whipped up some hangover stew."
"Ooh, stew. Perfect timing."
After nursing his hangover with her sweet, soothing brew, Taejeong showered and headed back to his room. As he reached for lotion, he spotted stacks of new files on the desk.
He grabbed one and flipped it open.
"Jeju Island? Why's this here?"
Tilting his head, he went to turn the page—knock knock. Park Se-ah entered with coffee.
"Perfect timing. Did you put this here?"
"Yes. I sorted and brought them over at dawn."
"Did I ever mention this to you?"
"You did, in the car on the way home last night. Don't you remember?"
"Oh. Right? Damn, that was fast... Anyway, thanks. You must be beat—go rest."
Once she left, Taejeong summoned Gerard.
"Did I say anything to her about Jeju last night?"
Yes, you did.
"Huh? No memory at all."
Shaking his head, Taejeong dove into the files. By the time he'd finished the first one, he realized getting to Jeju wouldn't be easy.
"No guilds have made it in yet? I heard rumors of typhoons off the south coast, but this bad? Even Han San-do gave up because it didn't add up."
If the government-backed Han San-do bailed, Jeju was basically uncharted territory. Risky as hell, but that meant special rewards too. Two ways in, per the files: ship or submersible. Both dicey.
Sail through storms or dodge deep-sea monsters. Cost was another killer. Guild ships were cheapish normally, but Jeju rates would skyrocket—still doable for him. Subs? Whole other story.
Needed deep-dive capability and anti-monster weapons. In this era where modern guns flopped, only magic worked underwater. That meant massive mana stones and materials. Basically, name your price.
Sturdy ship ticket: 10 billion won. Sub one-way: 70 billion, plus 30 billion docking. Round trip: 200 billion.
Cheap ships wouldn't budge without full passenger loads, and no big raids meant slim odds. Especially for Jeju—no one wanted to go.
"Basic 200 billion? Insane."
He whistled at the prices, scoured the files for alternatives—nada.
"Gotta grind cash? Han Seol-ah's portal might work... Nah, even the Superhuman Club's number three won't touch it lightly. Can't beg for that. Fine. Level up slow, stack coin."
He thought long-term. Cloaking tempted, but reality bit. Closing the last file, he reached for cooling coffee—knock knock.
"Boss, can I come in?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"HR called. You're due at the regional branch today."
"Already?"
"Yes. Better head out soon. Shall I prep?"
"Damn, they move fast. Got it."
Like they'd planned it ages ago. Deep breath, he stood, changed into something sharp, and headed out with her.
Meanwhile, outside the building.
A massive crowd swarmed, impossible to count. Spotlight on one hunter—a survivor from the main base defense in the recent territory war.
"Man, we thought we were done. Over half our forces respawned and gone, under 500 left. Enemy pouring in from outside: thousands. The squad leader at the gate, Lee Tae-ho running overall ops—they didn't say it, but we all knew it was over."
He paused, eyes shut, reliving it. The crowd held its breath. Then he continued.
"That's when it happened—a hunter drops from the sky like thud. That's how it looked then. But when he transformed... I got it. Wasn't just a hunter. It was an avatar descending.
From battle start, his power rivaled a god's. Wiped thousands without budging—like a deity smiting mortals. We all gawked. Could anything top that? But nah, that was us puny humans failing to grasp divinity.
Victory in round one, then enemy round two hits like thunder. Guess what?"
Someone couldn't wait.
"What was it?"
"Don't freak. Meteor Strike."
"Whoa! That 700-level ultimate nuke spell?!"
The guy wagged a finger.
"No, no. 700-level, but devours 800-levels. Devil's skill."
"So what happened?"
"We despaired. Our god descends, theirs does too. Evac order drops. But he? Doesn't flinch. Like he's pondering the world. Then red fireballs launch from afar. Lee Tae-ho looked a decade older. 'It's over,' he thought. Then our guy mutters, heavy but unshakable: 'I'll block it.'
And?"
"Come on, spill! Don't tease."
"That world-eating meteor wave? Turns into lambs in a ewe's embrace—instant!"
"Ooooh!"
"Can't forget his towering back, like a mountain..."
Mid-climax, interruption.
"Sorry, folks, mind if I get through...?"
All eyes sharpened on him. Dare interrupt? But the storyteller startled.
"There! That's him! The battlefield avatar himself—Yoo Taejeong!"