21. One Good Hit
“Jang… Deok-gu……”
“It’s the senior.”
Jang Deok-gu pinned Lee Gi-young’s shoulder down without mercy. Lee Gi-young let out a groan. His legs buckled, sending him staggering down almost a full head’s height.
Sweat poured off him as he struggled to stay upright in that awkward stance.
His face flushed beet red from the effort, but the longer he held out, the more it just highlighted the gap between him and Jang Deok-gu.
“Urgh! S-stop……”
Finally unable to endure the pain, Lee Gi-young surrendered, and Jang Deok-gu released his grip.
Lee Gi-young sprang back like a coiled spring, putting distance between them. He clutched his throbbing shoulder, grimacing.
But he didn’t dare charge again. He knew better than anyone what kind of man Jang Deok-gu was.
One of the three people Lee Gi-young feared most in the guild.
His own superior, Guild Master Joo Se-ah, and Jang Deok-gu.
If he had to pick one, it was Jang Deok-gu without a doubt.
‘He plays the nice-guy uncle, but that’s just a facade……’
Others wouldn’t know. The cruelty hidden behind that smiling mask.
“You’ve still got a long way to go, Gi-young. I had high hopes since you came from Ujungdo. But you can’t even handle a simple shoulder massage.”
Jang Deok-gu ignored Lee Gi-young’s pallid face and flexed his hand, glancing sideways.
“You two need a massage too?”
“No, sir!”
Choi Mi-ran waved her hands frantically and backed away. Her instincts screamed to keep her distance from Jang Deok-gu.
Honestly, aside from Joo Se-ah, no one in the guild could stand up to him. Hell, there wasn’t even anyone who could share a meal at the same table. That’s how much the guild members dreaded him.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
Kang Moo-hyuk rose as if nothing had happened and left. Jang Deok-gu stared at his retreating back in disbelief.
‘He knew I was nearby? How?’
And even knowing that, he’d met with Tae Su-man, who could be considered an enemy of Joo Se-ah.
What was even more shocking was that Kang Moo-hyuk had no intention of explaining himself.
Jang Deok-gu felt tempted to chase after him and demand answers, but decided to let it slide for now.
‘The guild master said only to step in if he’s in danger or if he specifically asks.’
Thinking back, that second condition felt a bit off.
Asking for help meant he’d have to know Jang Deok-gu was there in the first place.
If Joo Se-ah had emphasized it that much, she must have talked something over with Kang Moo-hyuk.
‘Damn. This wasn’t surveillance—it was bodyguard duty.’
Only then did Jang Deok-gu realize Joo Se-ah’s twisted prank. She could’ve just said so outright. He’d been on edge for nothing.
“Um, Senior?”
“What? He’s still not gone?”
Choi Mi-ran flinched under Jang Deok-gu’s glare but pressed on. She had a mission from the boss to wrap up.
“I need to talk to the Captain……”
“Tch! Tell your boss I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
“W-would you like to see him?”
“Yeah. Or he’ll have a meeting with the guild master. With fists.”
“I’ll call right away.”
The next day.
Kang Moo-hyuk went straight to Joo Se-ah as soon as he arrived.
“What’s up so early?”
“I’ve decided on the guild relocation site.”
“Already?”
“No need to drag it out.”
On his first day in office? She figured he must have planned it ahead.
Joo Se-ah stared at the bulldozer of a man in utter amazement.
‘And he didn’t even mention the deal with Tae Su-man, the important part.’
She recalled what Kang Moo-hyuk had told her.
‘They’ll come sniffing around from all sides. Once I join the strategy team, those lines will move first. Just stick one person by my side discreetly. Since I’m not a hunter. I need some scissors to cut ties at the right timing.’
That’s why she’d sent Jang Deok-gu under the guise of surveillance—really as protection.
As Kang Moo-hyuk predicted, Tae Su-man from the strategy team bit first. The other two lines had followed, albeit a step behind.
Fine up to there. She’d been forewarned.
‘But then he jumps to guild relocation? The topic’s bouncing all over the place.’
It made her suspicious.
“Ahem, it’s not that I don’t trust you, Captain Kang. But we haven’t built that trust yet, right? So……”
“What’s on your mind?”
“I need to know the gist to cover for you. What’d you talk about with Tae Su-man?”
“Nothing special. Just as I mentioned before—asked for understanding on the guild name change and relocation.”
“What?! You already spilled that?”
It was beyond ridiculous; it clogged her nose too.
Both were meant to be handled in secret. Speed was key before the group could intervene.
And he’d blabbed to Tae Su-man? Was he always this reckless?
Before Joo Se-ah could recover from her shock, Kang Moo-hyuk spoke first.
“I got a promise of tacit approval too.”
“What?! He agreed just like that? On his word?”
“Yes. I just asked, and he said okay. Easier to talk to than expected.”
Joo Se-ah’s head spun.
‘God help us. Tae Su-man’s reasonable? Did he meet a doppelganger or something?’
It defied everything she knew.
“Did you have some dirt on him? Blackmail?”
“If I had leverage, it wouldn’t have ended at just this.”
“‘Just’ this?”
He was her guy, but changing the Taeseong Group’s flagship guild name was huge. Plus relocating from Seoul—the symbol of a thriving guild—to some backwater.
Normally, group pride alone would make it unthinkable.
This wasn’t something to call “just.”
“How the hell did you pull it off?”
“How isn’t what matters now. Where is.”
“You’re dodging, huh?”
Kang Moo-hyuk had clear priorities, but Joo Se-ah took it differently.
A warning not to dig too deep.
She’d given him full authority—no guild master could hound him over it. Yelling might squeeze something out, but crushing his momentum would be shooting herself in the foot.
Time wasn’t on her side anyway.
“You really make everything a headache, Captain. Fine, where to?”
“North Pocheon.”
“North Pocheon……”
“Yes. Myeongseong City.”
“That’s a special activity zone!”
Joo Se-ah yelped in horror.
“You’re basically telling the guild to fold!”
“Exactly. It has to look that way.”
“Are you messing with me? What the hell?”
“That was the condition I gave Tae Su-man.”
Only then did it click for Joo Se-ah why Tae Su-man had approved so easily.
Even she’d welcome it with open arms if they volunteered to self-destruct by moving there.
Her siblings? They’d practically hold a ritual to celebrate the guild’s doom.
They’d roll out the red carpet.
‘This bastard—is he a spy?’
Special Activity Zone.
Or “special ops” zones for short.
The world map had changed drastically since the Great War era.
Countries fell to monsters, regions turned to wastelands, refugees of all races mingled in survival camps.
The chaos lingered even after thirty years, still shaking global order.
The Korean Peninsula hadn’t escaped unscathed.
North Korea collapsed, Gaema Plateau became monster habitat, and every year they fought defensive battles along the Yalu and Tumen Rivers against hordes from Manchuria.
Such upheavals dotted South Korea too.
Special activity zones were one result.
Areas thick with mana, as if gates had ruptured permanently.
Basins of mountains and forests—perfect monster breeding grounds.
Myeongseong County had once been part of Pocheon City, but after the northern half became monster paradise, they’d split it off for separate administration.
Pocheon was already Gyeonggi’s third-largest district; even half of it rivaled Incheon’s size. Too vast to fully control.
Of course, Joo Se-ah wasn’t shocked just by the monster density or the sprawl.
The “special” in special activity wasn’t for show.
“You know gates don’t even spawn there, right?”
“I do. But the natural environment morphs like inside a gate, generating all sorts of resources.”
“With all those resources overflowing, why don’t guilds move in?”
“No profit. No gates means no raids. Harvesting resources without your own processing line? Taxes eat the margins. Smuggle and get caught? One-year suspension. And the terrain’s too vast—chasing monsters burns time with crap efficiency.”
“You know all that and still want to go? Other guilds barely set up branches in South Pocheon for rookie training.”
Kang Moo-hyuk’s expression turned deadly serious.
“That’s why Pocheon’s stationed hunters are underpowered. They ship anyone with experience back to HQ. Sloppy defenses let monsters slip from South Pocheon, causing casualties. What do you think a hunter’s duty is, Guild Master?”
“Sigh— I get what you’re driving at. But maintaining a guild in a special zone is impossible.”
“Because of your promise to the Chairman?”
“Haha… You heard? Sorry I didn’t mention it. Didn’t think you’d sign on for a six-month death-row guild.”
He’d probably heard about the whole “Ser Girl” thing too. He was playing it cool.
Joo Se-ah let that slide.
“No worries. I was on death row myself not long ago. I get how desperate this is.”
She felt like she’d poked a sore spot. As she hesitated to press, Kang Moo-hyuk soothed her gently.
“Not going there to fail. I have three reasons for making North Pocheon our base.”
“Three?”
“First: the 45,721 citizens stuck in South Pocheon. Land’s worthless thanks to the zone; they can’t sell and won’t abandon their homes. Monsters breaching surveillance hit them hard every year. They deserve stability.”
“I feel for them too. But us moving in won’t fix much. They’ll all quit once we head north. We can’t pay ’em anyway, so we’d cut ’em loose… Point is, even at full strength, we can’t cover that sprawl.”
“That’s the second reason. We’ll filter out the dead weight and freeloaders during the move.”
Joo Se-ah let out an involuntary snort.
“Pfft! Downsizing like that?”
“Tough place, no money. We’ve got plenty of young hunters. How many’ll follow to a party desert? Even vets watching their resumes will balk.”
“Whoa, you’re insane. Didn’t see that coming.”
“Just a shift in thinking.”
“Shift once more and it’ll be you, me, and one guild member left. Who’d go to a place with no raids, no cash, no fun?”
“Hunters who would.”
“They exist?”
“You said it yourself: rookie training ground. Raids teach plenty. That’s the third reason. We’ll raise proper hunters—skilled and mentally tough. I’ll submit a full report later.”
Joo Se-ah sighed heavily.
Good intentions, sound logic. But too idealistic. Even she, still green as guild master, knew you couldn’t run a guild on romance alone.
“Easy for you to say. I know your skills, but this is overkill… Fine, whatever. Say it all works. Where’s the cash for training? Loans? FYI, we’re broke. I’m one bad month from credit ruin.”
“Funds are handled. Got a plan for that too.”
“You’re not telling me to moonlight? Merc at other gates?”
“Huh? That’s not bad……”
“Wanna eat a fist?”
“……but as guild master, you deserve some dignity.”
Joo Se-ah shot him a wary glare.
“Not buying it, but… what’s the plan?”
“Taking over the territory business.”
“Hey, you’re really asking for a punch!”