221. Guild Leader, Behave Yourself Too.
Thomas Lee. Korean name: Lee Do.
This C-rank mage, who shared a name with the sage king Sejong the Great from the Joseon Dynasty, had been adopted at age seven into a wealthy Korean-American family of third-generation immigrants.
He'd lived comfortably without incident until age twelve in that affluent home—bad luck with his birth parents, but good fortune with his adoptive ones. But then a Red Gate appeared near his neighborhood and triggered an outbreaking, turning his life upside down in an instant.
His adoptive parents' deaths. And once again, an orphan.
After that, Thomas bounced between foster homes until he awakened as a hunter.
As if fate itself was telling him to fight, he'd seized the opportunity everyone else craved.
Brilliant from a young age, he picked up hunting faster than anyone. Leveraging traits suited to a mage, he rose as a promising talent.
'But unfortunately, C-rank was his limit. Because of the illness.'
Mana Addiction.
The mysterious power that spread across the world after gates appeared triggered an allergic reaction in Thomas, holding him back.
It struck not long after he reached C-rank.
Kang Moo-hyuk imagined what life must be like for a hunter with mana addiction.
Potions were hard to use even for injuries, and every time he cast a spell, his body would reject the mana it absorbed, putting immense strain on him.
'He's a hunter in name only. If he can't even use his own power freely, ranking up is out of the question—hunting itself must be torture.'
This was part of the email Thomas had sent to Kang Chang-su.
Revealing a potential weakness to a total stranger was like creating another vulnerability.
But Thomas had laid it all out without hesitation. He seemed to instinctively sense that this paper on mana addiction was his one shot. So he'd held nothing back about himself.
Out of consideration, Kang Moo-hyuk had cleared the room for a one-on-one meeting.
With just the two of them, the conversation flowed freely.
"It must have been agonizing during outbreaks after onset. How did you manage all this time?"
"I suppressed it with mana."
"With mana?"
"Strange as it sounds, this illness caused by mana can be controlled with mana."
Kang Moo-hyuk was genuinely stunned by Thomas's words. It was a perspective he'd never considered.
'Does Father know about this?'
He pondered the alternative Thomas proposed, then shook his head.
'Even if he does, he couldn't use it. I'm not a hunter. There's no way for a regular person to manipulate mana inside their body.'
As if answering his thoughts, Thomas continued.
"Of course, the controllable range isn't large. It strains the heart. I've researched this illness extensively. If I hadn't become a hunter, I'd probably be dead by now."
"How long since onset?"
"Since I was twenty... so four years."
"Can you still hunt?"
"Yes. It's possible. Limited by spell type and number of casts, though."
"I hear your position is mage. What guild are you with now, and what line do you run?"
"Frontline."
"Frontline?"
Frontline guild forces meant the elite raid team.
In other words, a gate diver.
Kang Moo-hyuk found Thomas's answer puzzling. Even for hunters, mana addiction symptoms were hard to evade.
As he'd detailed in the email, the pain from using power burdened the body severely.
Going out to hunt was grueling—pure torment.
"The email mentioned vision loss, hearing issues, severe chest pain, vomiting, hemoptysis, fainting, and more. Symptoms that sound unbearable. And you say hunting's possible?"
"I'm a one-shot mage."
"Judging by your hair, that's not a hairstyle. You mean you fire one spell and done? Is that my guess?"
"I slipped up. Korean's tricky, so these mistakes happen. Yes. In Korean terms... one-use? That's the closest. Regardless of rank, I can always cast any spell once. That's why I'm with Ithaca Guild."
"Could you elaborate?"
At Kang Moo-hyuk's request, Thomas proceeded cautiously.
"I should start with my trait."
"Is that okay? A hunter's trait is top-secret, not even fully disclosed to their own guild."
"You'll need to know to understand my situation."
Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't hide his surprise from the outset. It was the weight of a hunter's trait.
A trait wasn't just some ability granted at awakening. It was inherited knowledge, embodied power.
A natural extension of habits, manifesting effortlessly.
This created vast gaps even among same-rank hunters, making it the ultimate secret.
That's why Kang Moo-hyuk knew nothing about Joo Se-ah's trait beyond public knowledge. She had no intention of sharing, and he hadn't pried.
Pretending ignorance was the unwritten rule.
Thomas hadn't fully disclosed his trait to Ithaca Guild either. He'd cleverly altered key parts to mimic effects while revealing only necessities.
Basic trait info was unavoidable for guild raid tactics.
Kang Moo-hyuk, well aware, straightened up.
"I'll hear it with one ear and let it pass. I won't tell a soul about Hunter Thomas Lee's trait."
"No need for oaths. If you didn't trust me, you wouldn't have come."
"Trust and having no alternatives are different choices. Trusting me because there's no other option is just gambling. It's not too late—keep your trait hidden if you want."
"Thanks for the advice. But hearing that makes me want to share more. My trait is called Mana Companion. It lets me sense, see, touch, and directly influence mana."
At first glance, it was hard to grasp.
But Kang Moo-hyuk got the "seeing mana" part.
"When you see mana, does it rise like heat haze? Sometimes wind-like, sometimes colored?"
"You know it. Do you see mana too, Leader?"
"Yes. And I think I get the 'touching' part."
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled Aila. At their first meeting, he'd seen her toy with mana in the air like it was playdough.
Thomas perked up at his words.
"You can touch it too?"
"No. But I know someone who can."
"Is it Guild Master Joo Se-ah...?"
"No. Someone else, unrelated to mana addiction. Promised secrecy, so no names."
"I see. I got too nosy. First time meeting someone else who sees and touches mana—got excited."
"I understand. Mana's... fascinating."
Kang Moo-hyuk had no better word. He could see it, but not use it—fascinating was all he could say.
"It's more than fascinating. Sensing mana opens up possibilities."
"Possibilities like...?"
"You know mana has properties?"
"Yes. Commonly divided into elements."
"Beyond that, there's tough mana, light mana, forceful mana—nuances, really. I call them mana's personalities."
"Knowing personalities—what changes?"
"Combinations become possible."
"Combinations?"
"For example."
Thomas held out his palm. A small flame flickered above it.
The most common elemental magic: fire. Top destruction, broadest applications.
"Mix in tough mana like this."
The flame stretched long, writhing in midair like a rope.
"Flame Wire?"
The moment Kang Moo-hyuk recognized the spell, the hotel door burst open with a bang.
"Leader!"
Jang Deok-gu, No Song-rin, and Go Eul-ji rushed in one after another.
Jang Deok-gu and No Song-rin had weapons drawn. Go Eul-ji's telekinesis bound Thomas.
Kang Moo-hyuk quickly waved them off.
"It's fine. Hunter Thomas was just demonstrating a skill."
"Ah, got it. We overreacted. We'll head back out."
Jang Deok-gu exited. No Song-rin glared at Thomas, rolling his karambit on his palm in warning. Go Eul-ji fixed the half-broken door with telekinesis as a caution.
"Hey, Tomato. Don't do anything misleading—behave. Pull any crap on our leader, and your head's coming off."
"Hunter Go Eul-ji worrying about me? Touching, as a leader."
"You behave too, Leader. If you die, Guild Master kills me. I don't wanna die before my bros retire, minimum."
Only after Go Eul-ji warned Kang Moo-hyuk too and left did the talk resume.
"That spell wasn't Flame Wire."
"Then... Fire Ring?"
"No. My fire spells are just Fire Stick and Fire Wall."
"How did you...?"
"Using mana's properties. I can cast some magic without learning the skills."
"!!"
* * *
Washington D.C.
Washington, the political heart matching New York's economic and hunter hub.
The White House came to mind first, but the original was destroyed in the Great War—no trace left.
In its place stood PWH—the so-called Pure White House, a pun on the "complete" White House governing body.
People still called it the White House. Same shell, different core.
The biggest difference from the old one: the Hunter Policy Division.
It researched and predicted hunters' impacts on state and society, handling outcomes across politics, economy, religion, etc. Unknown to the public, it was the shadow hub overseeing the hunter world.
Its head, Hamilton, was nursing a headache over a fresh report from the West.
"Rider Wolves? Wasn't that a Federation venture?"
"Yes. Mount monsters secured by Korea's Iron Will. They're reaching out to West Coast guilds."
"Trouble brewing in the West, but the East'll make noise."
"They won't sit idle. To hold gate raid hegemony, North America's mount supply must stay East monopolies."
"Phone from someone about to hassle me soon..."
Before Hamilton finished, the phone rang.
"Right on cue."
"Shall I step out?"
"No boss wants subordinates seeing him grovel to a political donor. Talk later."
Hamilton took deep breaths and picked up.
"Hamilton speaking. Knew you'd call. Yes, I know why. West Coast matter? Rider Wolves. Right. Haven't reported to the President yet. Meet first? Sure. White House might not suit—I'll come to you. Have some fine whiskey ready."