166. Time to Use the Legacy
There was Nopsaebaram Guild Master Ma Parlam, who had just returned from dealing with a sudden swarm of deulbulso at the outskirts of Cheongjin City.
The deulbulso resembled oxen overall, but they spewed fire from breathing holes on their heads and flanks as they charged, turning everything in their path to ash. If they ever breached a city, they could ignite power lines and gas mains just by breathing—truly a disaster waiting to happen.
Of course, Nopsaebaram Guild's hunters, hardened by years rolling around in the Makyung, had no trouble handling the deulbulso. Thanks to them, the beasts were wiped out before they could reach the city.
As always, the mission had gone off without a hitch, but their faces weren't exactly beaming.
Nopsaebaram Guild had originally been based in Hoiryeong City, but after endless monster waves overwhelmed it, they'd retreated time and again until they reached Cheongjin.
Being a guild of elite few, they'd weathered nearly a hundred hunts with minimal casualties.
But then, in a single hunt, half the guild lost their lives.
Most of the hunters had been comrades since the guild's founding, so shaking off the grief wasn't easy.
"Damn it! That Abomination! Because of that hunk of meat bastard…."
"Youngjae died to that thing. We're gonna get revenge, no matter what."
They weren't the type to slump in sorrow. They'd even given up rest to hone their skills, plotting an Abomination raid—they were sharpening their blades.
Even the Tier Guild hunters from Seoul rated them highly, impressed by the murderous glint in their eyes as they hunted monsters.
And amid all that, they spotted lawmakers strolling through Cheongjin City like it was a picnic, "comforting" civilians.
"Do those politicians even grasp how dire things are here?"
"Fucking pricks. They won't send real support but show up snapping photos?"
"If those bastards had done their jobs right, Cheongjin wouldn't be in this state…."
"Hey, go chuck some eggs at 'em. Crack their thick skulls."
A few fetched a tray of eggs, but Ma Parlam talked them down before any lawmakers got pelted.
"You throw like that, and an egg could kill. You wanna end up in Ujungdo? Cool it."
Unable to vent at Ma Parlam's urging, the guild members turned their rage toward whoever had summoned the lawmakers to Cheongjin.
"But who the hell invited those clowns?"
"Who else? Locusts have their season—it's election time, so out they crawl."
"Doesn't look like they came on their own, though."
"What're you talking about?"
"Look over there. That guy."
The man the guild member pointed to was just taking off his sunglasses. The others didn't recognize him at first, but a few sharp-eyed ones clocked it immediately.
"That's Kang Moo-hyuk?"
"Kang Moo-hyuk? Iron Will's leader?"
"Ha? What's that guy doing hanging around there? I thought well of Iron Will for fighting hard. No way he called these idiots."
"All that trash-talk behind the scenes was fake. Look at him brown-nosing."
Kang Moo-hyuk's actions screamed "tour guide" for the lawmakers, plain as day.
Not groveling, but friendly leader vibe.
"Don't get swept up in that crap. He's not even a hunter. Politics is all he's got left. We do our job, they do theirs."
Ma Parlam reined in his guild. With comrades' deaths and a month of nonstop fighting, stress was sky-high. One slip, and trouble would erupt. A hunter causing a scene wouldn't end as some minor incident.
"Restock before the next hunt. Check your gear."
As Ma Parlam turned, the guild followed. They headed to Cheongjin's central supply depot, same as always.
But they had no idea Kang Moo-hyuk had set it up.
Kang Moo-hyuk had established a system where all non-Tier hunters could grab combat potions from the central supply depot anytime. Few knew about it.
Most hunters saw monster fights as their battle alone. Civilians? Just people to protect.
So anything remotely annoying hit a nerve.
Kang Moo-hyuk saw it differently: the war against monsters was everyone's fight. Civilians had their roles, hunters theirs.
For instance, post-hunt gathering, mess hall ops, depot cleanup, casualty evac—civilians handled what hunters ignored.
Not knowing that, hunters resented empty-talkers like Kang Moo-hyuk. Even if they knew, they'd still think their life-risking efforts made them superior.
Not even Nopsaebaram Guild, with its "save lives" motto, was fully immune to that hunter superiority complex.
Of course, Kang Moo-hyuk never showed it bothered him. He didn't even care.
To him, a hunter who killed monsters well was useful. That's it.
As long as they didn't hurt civilians and slaughtered beasts efficiently, any arrogance was kinda cute.
So spotting Nopsaebaram Guild wasn't coincidence while he smiled for photos with the lawmakers.
Those guys…? Nopsaebaram Guild.
The mid-tier guild racking up insane kills, even Tier Guilds acknowledged their skill.
Impossible for word not to reach Kang Moo-hyuk's ears.
He recalled their info.
Guild Master Ma Parlam, Vice Master Park Jin-seon.
79 members, elite martial-focused guild.
34 dead in the Abomination fight, 5 crippled into forced retirement.
Forty left—barely a full raid team—but their skill (or revenge obsession?) covered a huge chunk of Cheongjin's defense line.
Kang Moo-hyuk rated them highly.
Not just combat prowess. Something even greater.
They hadn't pulled back from the front after facing the Abomination.
The Abomination— dubbed "Hunter Killer" in North America—was a named evolved ogre.
Even in hunter-advanced USA, survivors suffered trauma keeping them from hunts despite intact bodies. Countless retired from untreatable PTSD.
That spoke volumes about the Abomination's terror.
Yet Nopsaebaram hunters, after losing half their comrades, all stayed on the battlefield.
Makyung veterans might seem tough-minded, but anyone who truly grasped the Abomination's horror wouldn't chalk it up to "spirit."
Nopsaebaram Guild. Good card to play.
Kang Moo-hyuk reaffirmed the name, flashing a wide smile at the lawmakers.
"Honorable members. How about a frontline inspection next?"
The lawmakers hesitated at his suggestion. A three-term ruling party heavyweight spoke up.
"Leader Kang, no dangers, right?"
"No worries. You saw the reports. It's stabilized; we're pushing monsters north. All good."
"Still… monsters are so unpredictable…."
"Association hunters are there. And Chairman Han's here too—a Great War hero. What could go wrong with him protecting you? Right, Chairman?"
Kang Moo-hyuk winked. Han Byung-gu scowled like he'd seen something nasty.
Then Cha Gil-ju elbowed him, whispering.
"Decoy. Decoy."
"Ah?"
Finally getting the cue, Han Byung-gu cleared his throat and chimed in.
"No issue protecting you lawmakers. Security's airtight."
Reassured, the lawmakers relaxed. Reading the mood, Kang Moo-hyuk drove it home.
"And it's a shame, right? All these cameras, but showing you inspecting the front for citizens' safety? That'll reassure everyone. Boost votes too—'working hard.' Right, Representative Kim?"
He cozied up to a likely four-term opposition heavyweight.
Kim, a pro at vote-grabbing, clenched a fist for the cameras and played along.
"Of course! Our opposition will face any danger for citizens' safety and livelihoods. Yes! That's our party's universal value."
Strike a photo pose like campaign season, and the ruling party couldn't sit idle. Northern unrest already had communities and groups hounding them. They couldn't block media forever over "monster security."
"Ah, yes. Rep. Kim said it well. Our party too—leading to let citizens focus on daily life without worry. Our duty."
As lawmakers traded compliments and smiled for cameras, Han Byung-gu sidled up to Kang Moo-hyuk, muttering.
"You gunning for a nomination? Why do their bidding?"
"If I wanted politics, I'd be in Yeouido, not Cheongjin."
"Not buying the good-guy act. Makes me uneasy."
"I'm what they call someone who lives without laws. Tell 'em to find a nicer leader than me."
"You're the only leader type."
"…Among this world's folks, then."
"Comparing to hunters' tempers? Useless. To claim civilians are nicer than hunters, baseline's gotta be a total scumbag."
"Not all hunters are bad."
"You look more villainous than the bad ones. That's the problem."
"…."
Just then, lawmakers praised the chairman, and cameras swung briefly to Kang Moo-hyuk. Han Byung-gu waved perfunctorily.
Kang Moo-hyuk's blank face curved into a smile. Cameras away, expression gone.
Han Byung-gu continued.
"So, the plan?"
"Nothing grand. Just show the real situation here."
"How?"
"Monsters pour down several times a day. Not a gate, special zone, or Makyung—no filming issues. Need lawmakers pissing themselves for the shot to sell."
"Humiliate them for what?"
"Piss 'em off. Show people what happens if lines break—deaths, horrors."
"Why stir a quiet forest? Upset them for fun? Panic, airport shutdowns, hoarding, chaos—why?"
"How long let politics sacrifice lives? Show the truth. Danger grows daily; shatter their safety illusion."
Kang Moo-hyuk's voice was ice-cold.
Han Byung-gu sensed a bigger wave than expected. Had to ask.
"And after?"
"They pulled a fun stunt recently. Summoning busy folks."
"The hearing?"
"Yeah. Thinking of joining publicly."
"Publicly?"
"They'll promote me."
Han Byung-gu blinked at the curveball.
"Promote how?"
"Say I'm the one to end this war."
"??"
"Give me full authority to end it."
Han Byung-gu caught the implication.
"You don't mean… that?!"
"Yes. From the Great War. Time to use that legacy a bit."