Misunderstandings Keep Piling Up 1
“What? It was definitely the White Night Clan?”
The rare exclamation of shock burst from Gokubo's mouth upon receiving Shota's call.
“Yes, I saw it clearly with my own eyes. The opponent's sword and clothes bore the White Night mark, and the sword on his waist was coated with poison used by the White Night Clan.”
“Understood. Stand by at the safehouse until the next orders come down.”
With that, the call ended, and Shota poured an antidote potion over his shoulder. Black smoke rose from his shoulder where the antidote soaked in, and his flesh bubbled and boiled. One bottle, two bottles—he kept pouring them until the black smoke finally began to thin out a little. But even after using every last antidote potion, the poison wasn't fully neutralized, leaving only empty bottles in Shota's hands.
“Damn those White Night Clan bastards!”
Crash.
Shota hurled the empty bottle roughly to the ground, spitting curses. It wasn't the pain of the poison that drove him mad—it was the fact that he'd been tricked by the White Night Clan's scheme and taken a wound. And to top it off, he'd only managed a draw against a single member of the clan.
“I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!”
Rage exploded from Shota's lips.
“China? You sure about that?”
Shigeru's voice rose slightly upon hearing Gokubo's report—a telltale sign of how shocked he was, given his usual composure.
“Yes. They were handling Kim Suho's protection. Even though we assigned Otomo Shota from the Koga clan, it looks like it failed, so it must've been one of their top hands from the White Night Clan.”
“If they sent someone who could force a mutual destruction against Koga's Shota, that's solid confirmation. Heh, to think we'd fall for tricks from those filthy Jina scum. Unbelievable.”
Shigeru's hollow laugh and words prompted Gokubo to slam his forehead to the ground and shout. To outsiders, it might seem trivial, but Gokubo knew better—this was Shigeru at the peak of fury. To survive, he had to make that thud echo loudly as he begged forgiveness.
“I'm sorry. It's my fault for not properly grasping Kim Suho's background.”
Even as Gokubo apologized, Shigeru didn't open his mouth easily. Gokubo kept slamming his forehead until Shigeru finally spoke again.
“Gokubo. What's your assessment?”
Gokubo, who had been anxiously awaiting those words, immediately gave his prepared answer.
“I believe it's retaliation combined with an attempt to get their hands on Korea's hunters.”
“Hm... go on.”
With Shigeru's positive response, Gokubo inwardly sighed in relief and continued.
“After the Miracle appeared in Korea, several countries were excluded from the benefits of the miracle potions. China took the biggest hit among them. This seems like an operation including retaliatory measures.”
Japan had suffered even more, but Gokubo didn't mention it—Shigeru's head had nearly rolled last time that came up.
“The timing of Kim Suho rising to prominence lines up perfectly after the miracle potion incident, making it even clearer. That said, given his perfected abilities, it looks like he was prepared in advance and targeted Korea once the potion event happened.”
Shigeru grew intrigued by the explanation.
“Elaborate.”
“China plans to use Kim Suho to seize and manipulate Korea's hunters. The raid team recruitment at his Support Guild seems part of that. The problem is that Kim Suho's blade is pointed at Japan. You can tell just from how he absorbed the Enchanter Workshop and turned Japan into an enemy. They're probably aiming to mutually destroy Korea and Japan and reap the benefits—like they did with Laos and Myanmar.”
As Gokubo finished, Shigeru nodded.
“Your judgment matches mine. Those Jina scum are petty as expected. The issue is we know it's petty, yet we can't avoid falling for it.”
Shigeru's tone returned to normal. But Gokubo knew this was the calm before the storm and bowed even lower.
“Exactly. Those insolent Jina dared to target the Great Japanese Empire—they must pay the price. Just give the order, and I'll wipe the White Night Clan off the map.”
Shigeru liked flattery, but only realistic flattery. That's why Gokubo limited the target to the White Night Clan without boldly claiming to take on all of China.
“Right, we can't just take this lying down. Revenge is a must. Absolutely. But you know, Kim Suho still catches my eye.”
A stronger gleam of greed poured from Shigeru's face.
“Japan's behind Kim Suho?”
“Yes, Zhong Lichu from the White Night Clan went to kidnap him and came back badly wounded. Spreading mana like mist and using a sword typical of Koga ninjas—it's certain.”
Heo Jinhyuk knew Zhong Lichu's skills better than anyone, so he'd never dreamed the mission would fail. When the man he'd trusted returned with a major shoulder injury, he was startled. Naturally curious about the reason, he was shocked by an answer he'd never considered: Japan backing Kim Suho.
Judging it beyond his paygrade, Heo Jinhyuk contacted headquarters right away. Fortunately, he skipped that damnable Liu Chen and connected straight to the higher-ups.
The contact was Ga Gyeonglim, head of overseas operations at the Hunter Management Bureau, who had ordered the Kim Suho affair. Upon hearing the report, Ga Gyeonglim erupted in fury.
“Those damn Shaorben scum daring to scheme against the great nation?”
“Kim Suho absorbing the Enchanter Workshop and excluding Japan from white ink sales seems like a show to lower our guard. Japan probably plans to use him to seize and control Korea's hunters. The foolish Korean hunters are lining up for that raid team without a clue.”
Ga Gyeonglim clicked his tongue at the report.
“Birds of a feather, huh? Idiots doing every stupid thing possible. But it's outrageous. Those Shaorben scum scheming against the great nation like this.”
“Exactly. And we need to be cautious of Japan's schemes—”
“That's not your concern. Just follow the orders from above properly. Stand by until instructions come.”
Ga Gyeonglim cut Heo Jinhyuk off mid-sentence, said his piece, and hung up.
Crack.
Heo Jinhyuk stared blankly at the disconnected phone before crushing it in rage with a curse.
“Fuck.”
He'd half-expected it, but it happened anyway. Liu Chen was an old grudge, so that was par for the course—no forgiveness there. Liu Chen would pay later.
But Ga Gyeonglim? He'd hoped differently. After all, Heo Jinhyuk and the White Night Clan had contributed greatly to Ga Gyeonglim's rise. They'd fought countless battles on his orders, spilling plenty of blood, always completing missions. That let Ga Gyeonglim climb steadily, earning favor in the party until reaching his current position.
Yet Ga Gyeonglim still treated them—and the White Night Clan—like stray dogs.
He and the clan hated being called stray pups, so they'd named themselves the White Night Clan. White Night—a desire to escape the darkness and live eternally in the light, like a night that never darkened.
They'd fought countless battles just for that name. Blood-bought, yet to the higher-ups, they were still strays.
As his boiling anger cooled, Heo Jinhyuk went to where Zhong Lichu was resting.
“How's the body?”
The wounds were healed with healing potions, but the tangled mana meant more rest was needed.
“Getting better now. Sorry, bro. My mistake.”
Zhong Lichu bowed his head apologetically toward Heo Jinhyuk.
“It's fine. Figuring out it was Koga guys is enough. You did great. Don't worry about the aftermath—just rest. Orders will come soon. Gotta be healthy for revenge.”
“Don't worry. I marked the bastard, so next time, I'll finish him myself.”
After telling Zhong Lichu to rest, Heo Jinhyuk stepped out and suddenly smelled blood in the air.
This was the scent that always clung to him back when he roamed the world on Ga Gyeonglim's orders, assassinating and fighting.
And now, it assaulted his nose strongly.
'A bloodstorm's coming?'
Sure enough, orders from Ga Gyeonglim arrived shortly after.
“Sir, is this really okay?”
Ga Gyeonglim lightly swirled the glass of liquor with a wrist snap, sniffed it, then downed it.
“Mmm... good aroma. You always know my taste. Ah, what'd you say just now?”
Rather than anger at being ignored, Liu Chen felt relief that Ga Gyeonglim liked the liquor he'd brought.
“Glad it suits you. I'll bring more good stuff next time. I was asking if you're not sorry about the White Night Clan.”
Ga Gyeonglim snorted at the question.
“Stray pups? Sorry? I should've cleaned them up sooner, but damn sentimentality muddled my head and delayed it.”
“Still, no pawns as useful as them, right?”
Liu Chen sounded regretful, but Ga Gyeonglim shook his head.
“Your problem is too much sentiment. To embrace the continent in your chest, you gotta know when to discard it.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
Liu Chen replied with a moved expression, and Ga Gyeonglim continued.
“They're useful, sure. But we worked together too long. They know too much about me. Should've swapped them out early, but they're so damn handy I dragged it here. Not like me. Remember that—sentiment can trip you up.”
“Yes. I'll remember.”
Ga Gyeonglim poured another glass, savored the aroma, drank, and smirked sinisterly.
“May the stray pups who've served hard rest in peace.”
Was I imagining it? I definitely sensed faint mana in the air. It vanished quickly, but I felt it clearly.
I rushed out of the room and checked on my guildmates—no issues.
“For now, it wasn't a direct attack on me.”
I explained last night's incident to the guild, and Choi Deokhui looked worried.
“With white ink public now, our fears came true. They'll probably keep surveilling to uncover its secrets.”
From Choi Deokhui's perspective, not knowing how white ink was made, it was natural concern.
“No worries there. They can't figure it out, and anyway, no one but me can make it.”
Her expression eased at my reply, but Taehee raised a more fundamental issue.
“Before that, we need to solve the root problem. It's time to consider relocating guild HQ, like I mentioned before.”
I agreed with Taehee. For our comrades' safety, relocation was overdue.
“Yeah. I'll check with Bureau Chief Lee Musin on that. And I need help again today, like yesterday.”
I pulled out the 400-plus raid applications, and the guildmates' faces twisted at the even larger stack.
“Guildmaster, looks like more than yesterday?”
I laughed it off and picked up the top one.
“Haha, yeah. Cheonmang Guild's tank. Kim Suwon or something...”
* * *
After finishing the applications, I contacted Lee Musin about the relocation. To my surprise, he made an unexpected proposal.
“Perfect timing. The Hunter Management Bureau is moving to Yongsan. How about joining us? Plenty of reserved land—building a couple structures is no big deal. With your fame from leather armor, magic patterns, and especially white ink, no one will bat an eye. It's a smart move to come inside the Bureau now.”
Honestly, hearing it, I thought, This is it! Future changes unknown, but perfect for now.
I accepted immediately.
“Thanks. We'll do that.”
I told the guild, and they welcomed the decision.
Thus, guild HQ relocation gained momentum, set for just two days away.
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC