207. Something I Never Even Imagined
Namdaemun Braised Hairtail Alley.
This food street had been reduced to rubble during the monster riots of the Small War but was revived alongside the Namdaemun tourism restoration project, keeping its legacy alive to this day.
The key difference from before was that all the buildings were now modern constructions, transforming it into a far more comfortable space than in the old days.
The shops and office buildings, neatly lined up along the market's outskirts with modest floors, housed unique stores that had become another famous draw for Namdaemun.
One of Baekho Guild's outer checkpoints was nestled right among these shops.
"There are cafes and killer eats everywhere if you just step outside. But here I am, moping around playing Go-Stop with these fully geared-up old dudes. Sigh, how'd my youth end up like this? Aces high!"
Baekho Guild hunter Jin So-hee flipped her Hwatu cards with a triumphant yell. It was just a pastime gamble, but the stakes were high—over a hundred thousand won per point.
On top of that, it followed the so-called "Hunter Poker Rules," where cheating with hunter physical abilities was fair game, adding that thrilling edge-of-your-seat tension.
Get caught using skills, and you'd have to pay double the pot—but succeed, and the rush of making your opponents look like fools was addictive. That's why hunters loved it.
"You didn't palm the bottom card earlier, did you?"
"I did. What're you gonna do about it? If you're that pissed, arrest me on the spot."
"I've got suspicions, but no proof. Keep your hands clean, or you'll lose an arm."
A bystander hunter spun a kitchen knife lazily in his hand. Any civilian seeing that would think it was a grim joke, but under Hunter Poker Rules, getting caught cheating meant taking a real whack from the knife.
Of course, no mana or full-force swings. Still, it was enough to turn a regular person into a one-armer.
They were laughing through this brutal game when someone knocked on the office door.
"Hey, food's here probably. Get the door."
"You won the last round, so you go."
"Ugh, such a hassle. Just leave it outside!"
The pot-winning hunter yelled from his seat.
Knock knock knock!
"I said leave it outside!"
Knock!
"Fuck! Are you deaf?! I said leave it!"
The hunter irritably hauled his heavy frame up and flung the door open.
"You wanna die? I said leave it... who the hell are you?"
"Me? Gam Woo-young."
The hunter hadn't clocked him at all. No gear, simple clothes, smiling face—no way he seemed like an enemy.
"Nobody asked your na—Gam Woo-young? Rings a bell... wait, more importantly, who the hell are you and why are you—oh! Gam Woo-young! From Slayer?!"
"This hurts my pride. You didn't recognize me right away—kinda embarrassing."
"You bastard! Enemy—gurk!"
Gam Woo-young's fist slipped through the armor's gap. A drum-like thud echoed from the guy's gut as he crumpled. In that instant, the other four hunters moved.
A hidden blade flew at Gam Woo-young's face first. He tilted his head to dodge. Three blades embedded in the wall behind him, each etched with a bird.
"Go-Dori, huh? Sorry for flipping the table."
The Hwatu-thrower ignored the apology and slashed with a real knife instead.
"Drawing blades at a poker game? This is why gambling addiction's scary."
"What bullshit is that?!"
Offended by the curse, Gam Woo-young replied with his fist.
Crack!
A skull-splitting crunch, and the second hunter dropped. The rest were now infusing mana into their weapons.
Gam Woo-young scooped up the sword dropped by the fallen hunter.
"Drawing steel on me? Ballsy. But drop the weapons while I'm asking nicely. Once I swing, I can't be held responsible for what happens next."
Sword Demon Gam Woo-young.
The moment Slayer Guild's top swordsman—the one who'd fearlessly challenged Joo Se-ah even as a rookie—thrust his blade forward, the Baekho hunters' breaths caught.
He's not someone we can handle.
The thought flashed through their minds, but they couldn't run.
They were tier guild hunters too. At this point, pride demanded they see it through.
"Attack!"
"Kill him!"
Their coordinated assault swept over Gam Woo-young from all sides.
"Not bad for tier guilders."
The next instant, sword winds ravaged everything. Office windows shattered. Furniture splintered, shards embedding in concrete walls. Lights exploded, plunging the room into gloom. Only a flickering backup bulb in the kitchenette remained.
No one stood in the office except Gam Woo-young.
He tossed the borrowed sword aside and made a call.
"Braised Hairtail Alley side's handled. Heading to the assault point now."
Son Jung-beom was so stunned by Kang Moo-hyuk's threat that he couldn't even retort.
It was a first for him.
Someone threatening the mighty Baekho Guild master.
And a non-hunter at that—pure comedy. Something I never even imagined.
Even Eum Yeong-jin, eavesdropping from a distance, was baffled.
No matter how cocky he is backing Joo Se-ah, talking that big smack from arm's reach? Gotta admit it—this guy's the craziest bastard in the biz.
Snapping out of his shock, Son Jung-beom finally spoke.
"Fine, Raid Leader Kang Moo-hyuk. I get it—you're one rare lunatic. Let's see your cards. What's this grand demand that justifies all this buildup?"
"Disband Baekho Guild."
"What?!"
"Exile the guild leadership and key forces overseas."
"Not rare—you're history's biggest psycho. And you're bringing that as a negotiation term?"
Son Jung-beom decided he wouldn't hold back anymore.
Fine, just kill him. Rip out his tongue.
Rip the tongue, snap the neck, twist the limbs backward, fold the spine in reverse—he'd never spout crap again.
Joo Se-ah?
Screw her now. Kill this guy first, deal with the rest later.
The moment Son Jung-beom moved to strike—
"Told you earlier. Touch our Raid Leader, and you're dead."
Son Jung-beom's hand halted inches from Kang Moo-hyuk's nose. His wrist bone screamed. He looked at the grip crushing it—Joo Se-ah glaring down at him.
When did she...!
Just moments ago, she'd been across the street. How had she crossed and entered the lobby without a sound? He hadn't sensed a thing. Only now did he truly grasp she was the real deal S-rank.
As Joo Se-ah and Son Jung-beom vied for strength, Kang Moo-hyuk calmly lifted his untouched coffee cup and took a leisurely sip.
The sheer gall of it made Son Jung-beom seethe with killing intent even as he was pushed back by Joo Se-ah.
Considering how a high-rank hunter's focused malice could induce heart attacks in civilians, it was a clear vow: he'd kill Kang Moo-hyuk no matter what.
But.
"You really don't listen."
Kang Moo-hyuk sipped his coffee nonchalantly, and Joo Se-ah snapped Son Jung-beom's wrist.
Bone pierced flesh, but he didn't scream. The pain was excruciating, but pride as a tier guild master held it in.
"Guild Master!"
Eum Yeong-jin rushed over. Baekho Guild's elite hunters waiting in the lobby surged forward too, skills at the ready against Joo Se-ah.
"All of you, stand down!"
Son Jung-beom blocked them. Thankfully, they obeyed.
It's a foregone loss. Fight over one wrist, and we're all dead. Good thing Beom-il isn't here.
Baekho Guild's top brawler, Park Beom-il, was still en route from the Tumen River. If he'd been here, he'd have ignored even the guild master's order and attacked Joo Se-ah.
Attacking meant war.
Son Jung-beom broke into a cold sweat.
Had he ever been this cornered in his life?
S-ranks live up to the hype. I'd only thought about it vaguely. No wonder they're called strategic weapons.
Joo Se-ah still gripped his wrist. Blood soaked her hand. The protruding bone scraped her palm, but she showed no discomfort.
Son Jung-beom couldn't meet her eyes. His survival instincts whispered:
Look away.
He turned to see Kang Moo-hyuk, blood splattered on his face too.
He sensed the same threat from Kang Moo-hyuk as from Joo Se-ah. No—even more unsettling in some ways.
If Joo Se-ah was an unavoidable disaster, Kang Moo-hyuk was a special delivery disaster.
The kind that'd track you down no matter where you hid.
Kang Moo-hyuk spoke without wiping the blood.
"Should be about time for that call."
As if on cue, the elevator dinged open, and the operator team leader stepped out.
He froze at the tense lobby atmosphere.
"What happened?"
Son Jung-beom, sensing something off, asked. Twisting triggered agony from his mangled wrist, but guild master pride gritted his teeth through it.
"Uh, well..."
"Spit it out."
"The outer checkpoint... got attacked..."
No need to hear the rest.
Kang Moo-hyuk finished for him, resolving the mystery.
"Slayer, Wanderer, Green Wing, Warrior, and more. Time for a tier guild summit after ages. How about right here in the lobby? It's spacious enough for everyone."
"Damn. No wonder you were so smug. You conspired against Baekho Guild... urk!"
Joo Se-ah squeezed his bellowing wrist harder.
"Push it more here, and even regen won't fix that hand. Watch your step."
"Makes it easier to talk, thanks. Appreciate it, Guild Master."
"No sweat. Happy to help."
At Joo Se-ah's infuriating nonchalance, Son Jung-beom could only curse inwardly and listen to Kang Moo-hyuk.
"Tonight, Baekho Guild's sins come to light. No running then. We'll handle sealing the HQ, so grab what you can and get out. Note: get caught with the safe, and those scary folks outside will hunt you down."
"So that's why the other tiers moved—they handed us over as bait. Clean justification to swallow a tier guild whole. Smart play."
"At the top of this game, it's all or nothing, right? I'm going soft letting you keep your lives, so take the deal."
"Hmph! You're scared of the fallout even if you win—urban warfare's messy aftermath. People get antsy. Hunters killing each other? They'll fret about turning into South America or Africa. Civilian casualties too. No justification beats a victim's family's tears. You know it—people are weak to tears, scared of blood. That's why you're pretending to worry and telling us to exile. Am I wrong?"
"You know it all, so why the long explanation? Wanna go to war then?"
Son Jung-beom let out a deep sigh.
Too fast, too aggressive. No prep time. Should've avoided fighting from the start. Underestimating Kang Moo-hyuk was a fatal mistake.
The enemy had come with a tight net ready. One that bound inescapably, strangling the life out. Best to slip out while there's slack—to save his skin.
"Promise. Can I trust it?"
"Which? Oh, letting you live? Just head out quietly. We won't touch you."
"Fine. I accept."
"By midnight tonight. No funny business."
"I'd love if you tried something."
Joo Se-ah said as she released his hand. She looked like she meant it.
Seeing her eyes, Son Jung-beom was convinced: bail clean to survive.
Our guild's teetered on the brink before. This is just a tactical retreat. Key assets are overseas anyway—we'll rebound when the time's right.
Son Jung-beom figured preserving forces without fighting was best.
Kang Moo-hyuk, however, thought differently.
Once you're out, you never come back. Rebounding? Tough luck.