Do You Like Gambling?
Jang Deok-gu, No Song-rin, Go Eul-ji.
Three hunters with completely opposite personalities had become Kang Moo-hyuk's LA team. When he named them, Joo Se-ah had only one thing to say.
"Not a great idea."
And she had good reason. For starters, the pairing of Jang Deok-gu and No Song-rin was shaky at best.
Jang Deok-gu was a former Hunter Investigation Agency operative known as the villain of villains. Even after retirement, he'd continued as a bounty hunter on contract, and he had a major hand in filling the deepest cells of Ujungdo prison.
No Song-rin, on the other hand, was a criminal who'd done time in Ujungdo.
His victims had been hunters rather than civilians, and they'd given him ample provocation, which allowed for some leniency. But as a high-rank hunter, he'd gone too far with his violence, earning him a stint in Ujungdo.
He'd paid his debt to society, but their origins put them on opposite sides from the start. Their relationship had been rocky even before Kang Moo-hyuk joined Iron Will. The fact that they now treated each other with cold indifference was a small mercy.
And then there was Go Eul-ji.
No Song-rin hated noisy kids. He couldn't stand pranks or pushiness, and disobedient brats were even worse.
If you sketched a composite of everything he disliked and threw in a few extras, anyone would recognize it as Go Eul-ji. She embodied every trait he avoided.
Jang Deok-gu also steered clear of her—or more precisely, the side of her that reminded him of Joo Se-ah.
When he heard Go Eul-ji had become Joo Se-ah's apprentice, he'd clapped and said,
"Guild master finally found a disciple just like her."
Joo Se-ah had shot him a glare.
It was his way of saying how much hell he'd gone through training Joo Se-ah.
Old memories must have flooded back, because Jang Deok-gu kept his distance from Go Eul-ji.
Putting these three on one team meant no synergy—just hoping they wouldn't cause an incident.
The biggest concern was that Kang Moo-hyuk was the one handling them.
He had a knack for fitting mismatched pieces together just right. The problem was they might all fall apart the moment he let go.
Joo Se-ah had tried to dissuade him from going to LA right up to departure, citing bad vibes. When she couldn't stop him, she'd pleaded repeatedly.
"No incidents in America. HCF—Hunter Crime Force—guys are sticklers. If they get involved, run first, ask questions later. Best to avoid them altogether."
All she could do was pray.
She hoped Kang Moo-hyuk could keep these three in line until the end.
Kang Moo-hyuk was set to meet Aila at the World Hunter Federation's LA branch.
The building was a 63-story tower on a massive plot, with two dedicated helipads on the roof.
The scale of a mere branch office spoke volumes about the Federation's prestige.
As the elevator displayed the floor number, Jang Deok-gu muttered,
"Didn't know America had a 63 Building like Korea's."
"63 Building? Korea has one? First I've heard."
"Something even the boss doesn't know?"
"Does Hunter No Song-rin know the 63 Building?"
"Nah. I... first time hearing about it too."
Kang Moo-hyuk and No Song-rin turned to Jang Deok-gu.
"The 63 Building. Back in the day, there was a 63-story tower in Yeouido. Right after the Great War, when I was ten? Guess the boss wasn't born yet."
"If Jang Deok-gu Hunter was ten, that's 2044. The year I was born."
"I must've just fled to Korea then. Still living in Sinuiju."
The timeframe Jang Deok-gu mentioned was from both Kang Moo-hyuk's and No Song-rin's hazy childhood memories.
"So neither of us would know the 63 Building. Anyway, that tower got folded in half by a monster and collapsed. Seoul city called it an eyesore and demolished the rest, built the current 88 Building in its place."
"Ah, the 88 Building site?"
When Kang Moo-hyuk was born, Seoul's landmarks changed overnight amid constant upheavals.
The decade of chaos after the Great War had rocked even the capital of South Korea.
'Come to think of it, it's been less than 30 years since we regained this stability. The hunter system? About 20. And it's a patched-together mess full of holes, tweaked reactively with every crisis. It got beefed up during the Small Wars, but unproven under real pressure.'
Was South Korea's top-tier monster defense ranking just empty hype?
Kang Moo-hyuk wondered if the system held only because it hadn't faced a true collapse yet.
He had reason to think that way.
From the Sinuiju incident early this year, to the Tumen River front collapse, the Northeast defense battles, and the Makyung War—everything had been perilous.
Any one alone would've been the event of the year.
And capping it all: the new continental-scale mission.
Zmei Gorynych, the three-headed evil dragon.
This dragonkin had obliterated Khabarovsk, claimed the ruins as its lair, and gone dormant. It was now the greatest threat testing South Korea's monster defenses.
'Dragons have short activity periods and long hibernations, but each awakening brings unimaginable devastation. It's only been asleep a short while, so time's on our side for now. But if it heads south toward Korea... can we stop it?'
He wasn't confident.
The four Northeast Asian nations were probably praying it'd go anywhere but their borders.
Kang Moo-hyuk had no sharp countermeasures yet. The most viable was uniting neighboring forces.
But tangled national relations made even that impossible, despite the boss monster right on their doorstep.
47th floor.
Kang Moo-hyuk set aside his wandering worries and stepped out of the elevator.
A guide was waiting in the hall.
"Long time no see, Director Kang Moo-hyuk."
Kang Moo-hyuk shook hands with the smiling man.
"Mr. Wilkinson, how've you been?"
"Just call me Alex. Formal titles between us? I'm hurt."
"Appreciate it, but that's tough. Gets awkward negotiating with friends."
"Planning to squeeze us again? Wasn't the Poison Well enough?"
"That was a loan. Gotta return it someday."
"Semi-permanent long-term loan. Even renting a unique item isn't easy."
"That's why I'm here in America, right? You offset the Russia fiasco with the Poison Well. We're square now."
"Still stabbing with a smile, I see. Cocky as ever. Mind some advice?"
Alex treaded carefully, not wanting to offend. The power gap between US and Korean hunters was vast, and critiquing a guild leader face-to-face wasn't pleasant.
But Kang Moo-hyuk nodded without a hint of displeasure.
"Sure. Always welcome."
"Aila and I are used to your style, but this place is full of Federation brass. The branch chief alone is top-tier in the hierarchy. High loyalty means treading lightly avoids needless friction."
"Got it. I don't get aggressive unless provoked."
Alex sighed in relief at Kang Moo-hyuk's easy acceptance—then froze. He'd dealt with him enough, with ties second only to Seong Seon-je of Slayer.
He caught the subtext instantly.
"You're saying if they come at you hostile first, all bets are off?"
"Exactly. So you'll mediate properly, Wilkinson."
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled; Alex grimaced. Watching from behind, No Song-rin thought,
'Boss's silver tongue works in America too. Already pitying the poor bastards.'
Alex led them to a small meeting room—small enough for twenty comfortably.
It looked ordinary but was heavily fortified: full soundproofing, external shielding, mana skill blockers, assault alarms, sniper-proof barriers. Near-perfect against attacks and espionage.
No wonder US hunters called Federation meeting rooms the safest, most secure spots.
'Money pits, though. Even top guilds can't afford them outside main rooms, but branches have 'em everywhere. We could rob Baekho's vault a hundred times, but maintenance makes this luxury.'
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled the basics as he entered.
"Welcome to LA, Director Kang Moo-hyuk."
Aila greeted them warmly at the door.
He bowed lightly.
"Thanks for the invite."
"You seemed reluctant about the test. Now that it's an 'invitation,' I feel a bit guilty."
"Like Korea's college entrance exam."
"College entrance?"
"Korean SAT."
"Ah, university admissions test?"
"Yeah. Unappealing, but necessary for your goal."
"So you came to America with purpose."
"Reviewed the contract. Federation perks are too good to pass. Especially monster ranching know-how—hard to match the US. We've raised rider wolves diligently, but their output is double ours. Need help hitting targets."
Aila wrinkled her nose and peered into his eyes.
In her world, elf eyes were "truth gems." Staring into them made lying impossible—a folk myth with a kernel of truth.
She eyed him playfully, scrutinizing.
Kang Moo-hyuk didn't flinch. Intriguing—and disappointing—to Aila.
"No secrets even if you stare."
"Maybe. Smells like more, but I'll drop it. Point is, you're here for the test."
"Shall we discuss it, then?"
"What kinda out-of-the-blue test is this? Any hunches, boss?"
As No Song-rin said, the test was a puzzle.
Not hard—vague.
No clear scoring or pass/fail criteria.
'Expand influence in LA hunter scene? Pure pie-in-the-sky. I have guesses.'
Kang Moo-hyuk didn't know, but Aila's test was a real Federation commander evaluation.
Starting funds: one million dollars.
No using personal funds or external orgs' influence/money.
Negotiate or start businesses to grow it? Fine.
"Giving money means make more? In one month? With a million—what, bucks? Pathetic sum. Buy a made-to-order weapon from a blacksmith shop and it's gone."
No Song-rin griped, though it wasn't his test. Instinct told him Kang Moo-hyuk's failure meant his own doom.
"At least they allow hiring. Consideration since I'm no hunter."
"Even that's stingy. Three people? Should've allowed a hundred."
"What for? Local hires ok, but a million buys low-tier hunters. If it were you, No Song-rin Hunter, how'd you expand influence?"
"Uh... guild war?"
"Broaden influence, not turf wars. Guild fights are illegal most places—officially. Backdoors exist, but self-destructive squabbles violate international law."
"No fights. No money plays. Then what?"
"No fixed answer, I think. Federation's 'influence' doesn't care what—just capability."
Jang Deok-gu finally spoke amid No Song-rin's complaints.
Kang Moo-hyuk agreed.
"Same here. Focus too narrow on expansion. Key is finding and solving your own problem."
"Got ideas?"
"No full plan, but rough approach."
"Knew it! Boss wouldn't come empty-handed. Where do we start?"
No Song-rin clapped; Kang Moo-hyuk answered.
"Gather intel first."
"How?"
"By any chance, do you two like gambling?"