158. I'll Fold Him Up and Come Back.
Joo Se-ah, annoyed by her hair whipping in the biting wind, tied it back tightly using the whiskers from the small flood dragon she'd caught long ago as a makeshift hair tie.
"Should've brought a hat. The wind off the river's no joke."
Her ponytail dangled in the gusts, but it beat having strands plastering her face, so she grudgingly made do.
Lately, strolling the Yalu River banks morning and evening had become her routine.
The midwinter winds cut like knives along the river, but to a hunter, they were nothing.
Gam Woo-young, watching her pace the barren landscape—nothing but flowing water to see—tilted his head in confusion.
Having kept Joo Se-ah as his squire for years back in Slayer days, he knew her hobbies inside out.
"Wasn't walking for you like monster-hunting after meals, sis? I'd get it if you were admiring views in a red gate or something. You depressed 'cause you can't hunt? Why pick up a habit outta nowhere?"
Everyone who knew Joo Se-ah nodded at Gam Woo-young's words. Some shrugged it off, figuring she'd just mellowed since becoming guild master.
But the real reason she headed to the riverbank daily was a man strolling across the way, over a kilometer off, matching her pace while eyeing their side.
Fei Wen-jun. Finally, the big fish shows up?
Fei Wen-jun in Korean pronunciation; Pei Yuanjun in Chinese.
Vice master of Huanglong Guild.
And an S-Rank.
With him taking daily jaunts arms folded behind his back on the far Yalu shore, Joo Se-ah—hardly the strolling type—had no choice but to play along.
"What's his game? Testing if we'll cross if he pushes?"
That was her biggest worry. As an S-Rank herself, she knew just how dangerous they were.
Monsters beyond what people imagined, casually pulling off feats that dwarfed even hunters' wildest guesses.
S-Rank hunters were the kind where even monsters might call them the real monsters without argument.
And Pei Yuanjun was China's premier magic swordsman.
Magic doesn't scare me, but gotta admit it's efficient.
Magic enabled mass destruction and slaughter. Joo Se-ah handled mages with ease, but she had to concede that edge.
If an S-Rank mage projected power into Sinuiju, the city would vanish—better brace for it.
He's been skulking under that cloak, stinking up the place, keeping us guessing. But today he shows his face, mana signature blazing without a care. Gotta tip off Commander Kang when he gets here. No telling what wildcard this guy's gonna be.
As she kept watch across the river—
Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt.
Her smartphone buzzed.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Guild Master."
"Why call? You're sending the scout team and heading over soon. Hurry up. Got a real nasty piece of work here."
"Nasty?"
"Black Dragon's in Dandong."
"Black Dragon? Pei Yuanjun?"
"Yeah. Total wuxia novel reject with that corny moniker. My anti-magic makes me wanna puke every time he flaunts it—second emperor, five sovereigns, four heavenly kings, blah blah. Chinese love that crap."
"Witch or Calamity ain't much better..."
"Tsk! Wanna die?"
"..."
Kang Moo-hyuk fell silent on the other end—not from the threat, but because Pei Yuanjun's presence tangled his thoughts.
Joo Se-ah waited patiently.
Bet he's cooking up a plan already.
Pei Yuanjun didn't scare her. She countered magic; he should fear her. No need to fight, though.
S-Ranks were strategic weapons, as Igor the Tyrant proved. Nuke vs. nuke left ruins. No point spilling hunter blood over monsters.
That said, if he comes at us, I ain't backing down.
She figured Kang Moo-hyuk would devise a counter, but his response veered off-script.
"The Tumen River line's a war-level—no, national-level mission right now."
"National...? That's full-scale war territory. Why there? Guild app hasn't even posted it."
"Government's probably locking info till they finalize countermeasures. App's down for 'maintenance.'"
Joo Se-ah pulled up the Guild App. Just as he said.
"So, status?"
"Musan's fallen. Hoiryeong's hanging by a thread. Da Hong Dan County's raiding soon."
"Raiding? Boss mob show up?"
"Not gate boss-tier, but the bomb-spore flowers hit final phase."
"Ugh! Those jellyfish flower bastards? They were the worst in the little war..."
"Even clearing the spores won't secure Da Hong Dan's front. I've put the guild on prep alert under my authority. Warm-up's underway."
"Good call. So I head north too?"
"Was gonna pull you for Agora Magos in Musan."
"Agora Magos is candy to me."
"After hearing about Black Dragon, even that's dicey."
"Why? Scared he'll cross into Sinuiju? That's why I'm patrolling. He really gonna?"
"I suspect China's behind this Tumen mess."
Kang Moo-hyuk stated it flatly. Joo Se-ah's face hardened.
"Why think that?"
"Makyung gates, Chinese guilds, Sinuiju—these aren't one-off plots. Big schemes need precise gears meshing. Huanglong's obsessive about that. Sinuiju's jammed, so spin another cog till fixed. I think this is it."
"Evidence?"
"None. Circumstantial, gut feeling. But monster hordes hit Tumen andBlack Dragon shows in Dandong same time? Too blatant for coincidence. Like he doesn't care getting caught."
"Fair. S-Ranks don't budge easy. No way he'd hit this backwater without reason."
"Black Dragon's known for deep schemes. Keep him pinned in Sinuiju, Guild Master. If needed, tell Seong Seon-je your rank—secret-keeping as collateral."
"For real? Seong Seon-je? He seems riskier."
"Government'll soon call tier guilds for aid. Slayer can't move from Sinuiju. If Black Dragon leaks, they'll bail on 'government request' excuse. Even Slayer takes heavy losses vs. S-Rank."
Joo Se-ah pictured Seong Seon-je. Ruthless calculator. Hated losses.
Slayer's expedition team was world-class, no doubt.
But S-Rank changed everything. Unfair, but one S-Rank outweighed a top expedition.
Seong Seon-je would ditch Sinuiju in a heartbeat.
She knew her role now.
"Then what Commander Kang needs is full guild authority."
"Command's in the contract."
"No—authority to empty the guild entirely. No splitting forces when we should all-in north. Bet you've thought it."
"Can't deny. Worst case, yeah."
"Don't hedge. Do it. Move all hunters but admin north. Delegate full command to you. I'll operate solo."
Beep!
"You just recorded that?"
"Better safe."
"Think I'd back out?"
"In this biz, 'think' kills. Can't even trust family."
"True enough."
"North Pocheon's yours then. Oh—one thing. What 'solo' mean?"
"Pinning."
"Pardon?"
"Said pin Black Dragon, right? But I'm not patient. Prefer aggressive."
"No way... Guild Master. Whatever you're thinking, just drop it—"
"Yeah. I'll fold him up and come back. Black Dragon."
"Guild Master?!"
Joo Se-ah hung up and kicked off the ground. She leaped hundreds of meters, landed mid-river on a sediment bar, then vaulted the Yalu.
Pei Yuanjun eyed Joo Se-ah as she dropped before him.
His murky gray eyes—dull, sleepy at first glance, transcendent worldly when factoring his Black Dragon rep—scanned her from beneath hair layered black four times over.
Metallic gleam flashed between the dark blue panels of his armored coat.
Joo Se-ah approached slowly, stopping three paces out.
"Battle-ready vibe? Full kit for a stroll."
"You speak Chinese?"
"Duh, artifact boost. Why learn ching-chong when Korean's fine? Only ching-chong I know's jjajangmyeon."
"Jjajangmyeon's not Chinese."
"That's why it's ching-chong. Only for takeout orders."
"Your words baffle. Bad Chinese? Artifact glitch?"
"Dunno, but this you'll get."
"..."
"Hey, Tumen takedown—your doing?"
Pei Yuanjun's lips curved slowly.
Then—
The fading sunset split.
Gale erupted around them, shoving river sands aside. Water reversed, surging upstream. A belated sonic boom tore the air.
Joo Se-ah glanced at the crimson blade wailing on her left forearm, then back to Pei Yuanjun.
"S-Rank confirmed. Joo Se-ah."
"Fancy answer. Yes or no?"
"You first. Yes? No?"
"My fist'll tell you."
"Simple. Winner's truth rules the world."
Her fist met his sword again, sparks flying everywhere.
"What? Guild Master hung up?"
No Song-rin cautiously asked, eyeing Kang Moo-hyuk's scowl at the receiver.
Kang Moo-hyuk sighed, slamming it down like shaking off regrets.
"She'll handle it."
"Dunno what, but sounded more hopeful than convinced."
"She'll manage. We focus on ours."
He brushed off No Song-rin's jab, shifting gears.
"Prep done?"
"What prep? Evac civvies near ambush sites, smash obstructing buildings for clear sightlines—done. Hunters suck at building, ace at breaking. Positions set."
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded, issuing the next order.
"Round two raid. Launch."