Guild Master, Shall We Enter?
Cha Gil-ju pondered deeply before opening his mouth.
"Once they see the report, there'll be no backing out... But why open the wallet first for something we can't even eat? A civil servant's wallet is sealed tight. We can't just swipe the card recklessly. Especially someone in my ambiguous position. The final approval always comes from above anyway."
Kang Moo-hyuk followed Cha Gil-ju's lead, raising his index finger toward the ceiling before lowering his gaze and speaking.
"So, something safe enough for the department head to enjoy, yet flashy enough to impress the higher-ups?"
"Not sure if such a thing exists."
"You already seem intrigued. I'll take just one question—the most pressing one."
Cha Gil-ju was caught off guard.
Typically, those pitching government projects or proposals fabricated non-existent features, wrapping them in flowery rhetoric.
And guilds? They talked humbly but acted like the bosses, pressuring the government with veiled threats disguised as persuasion or outright tantrums. Of course, only major guilds could pull that off.
Yet here was the Taeseong Guild's leader, casually offering a question—just one.
In a situation that should have irked him, Cha Gil-ju found himself carefully selecting his query.
It surprised him.
They operate in such an unusual way.
The attitude was arrogant, but the demeanor polite. A conversational style that sparked curiosity first. It felt oddly enjoyable— a first in this line of work.
Suddenly, it hit him: the reason Kang Moo-hyuk could be so bold despite his mild first impression.
I shouldn't have brought up the minister.
Mentioning the minister was meant to make the other side wary, but it backfired into a weakness. If the higher-ups rejected it now, Cha Gil-ju would be the one in an awkward spot.
Complaining to the minister at this stage would only damage his own reputation.
I let my guard down because he's not a hunter. He's landing a polite gut punch. Makes sense—no ordinary person takes the expedition leader role.
A thought flashed through his mind.
With this guy, maybe we can actually pull something off.
The Guild Cooperation Department was, in name only, a coordinator—it really just catered to guilds' whims, handling complaints like an errand boy. Or rather, a punching bag getting squeezed from all sides.
They couldn't dream of independent projects or equal negotiations, constantly kowtowing to guilds.
And when they upset a guild? Monster-related incidents and accidents would subtly spike.
That subtlety was key.
Not enough evidence for negligence charges, but too much to ignore the casualties.
That kind of subtle.
Calculations swirled in his head in an instant.
"Ha, I've gone full civil servant."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Just some random thoughts. Alright, one question then. Putting everything else aside, the most critical issue... North Pocheon is vast."
"It is. Extremely so."
"Can Taeseong Guild's current forces handle it?"
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled brightly and admitted it.
"No, we cannot."
"Expedition Leader Kang, saying it like that... Tsk. Leaves me speechless. I can't cover everything alone. But that's the truth."
Joo Se-ah shot to her feet indignantly before nodding and sitting back down.
"As expected... So, how do you plan to resolve it? Promoting it as the first special activity zone only to have issues crop up would put the department in hot water. And it'd be a raw deal for South Pocheon citizens too."
"Once the guild relocation is announced, quite a few existing hunters will likely defect. The guild's scale will shrink even more."
"What are you..."
"No funds or prestige to recruit top talent. Supporters, managers, facilities—all will be thoroughly downgraded."
"..."
Cha Gil-ju stared blankly at Kang Moo-hyuk, who rattled off problems instead of solutions.
"Even so, the anxiety plaguing South Pocheon citizens must be firmly addressed. I can't guarantee 100 percent. No such thing as a perfect defense plan exists. But we're heading there to create a far safer situation than before. And to do that, I propose this approach."
Kang Moo-hyuk pulled out a prepared document and slid it forward.
"This is..."
Taeseong Guild Manpower Supply Project
"The title's grandiose, as you can see. But it'll make for a nice menu to show the bosses."
On the way back to the guild, Joo Se-ah grumbled from behind the wheel.
"Jeez, what a load of crap. 'It'll make for a nice menu to show the bosses'? Feels like we're filming a damn movie."
"I didn't say it that funny."
"Funny my ass! You sure it's okay to show them the plan so easily?"
"I made it to be shown."
"No, but how'd you know they'd ask about that and prep it in advance? How?"
Kang Moo-hyuk opened his briefcase instead of answering.
It was stuffed with document folders.
"You think I'm a rookie? Of course I came prepared for everything."
"Ha? Total con artist. Here I thought you were just winging it."
Well, I did anticipate that question coming first.
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled Cha Gil-ju's profile.
Since his Titan days, he'd kept a close eye on the Guild Cooperation Department.
No chances to work together due to Titan's stingy policy on government quests, but he'd always viewed Cha Gil-ju favorably.
A civil servant who volunteered for the dreaded Guild Cooperation Department. Climbed from the bottom, exposing corruption and sweeping out superiors.
Righteous deeds that still earned him enemies in the bureaucracy.
Whistleblowers were tricky everywhere.
Blacklisted and stuck there, yet he rose to department head.
Kang Moo-hyuk even suspected the scandal was Cha Gil-ju's own ploy.
Opportunist? Or goal-driven? His past actions show he follows his own blueprints. And all those plans always prioritized...
People first.
That's why Kang Moo-hyuk had pegged him as someone worth working with.
"If that's the case, why not show everything? Why make him pick one?"
Pulled from his thoughts by Joo Se-ah's question, Kang Moo-hyuk replied.
"To gauge what he'd prioritize first. Even without knowing everything, it reveals his work style, his perspective."
"And?"
As Joo Se-ah pressed, Kang Moo-hyuk glanced at her.
"I didn't show the full plan. No one's that reckless to do all this for just that insight."
"No gambler shows their full hand. Especially not in the hunter biz, where lives are the stakes. Spill everything at once, and who knows where the knife comes from."
"Sounds like you don't trust Department Head Cha."
"Guild work isn't about trusting people."
"Then what?"
"Look at the system. He's the head, but no final say. Reports go up, approvals come down. And at the top of that system? People."
"So you don't trust the system either."
"Exactly. Trust nothing."
Joo Se-ah shook her head, still not used to Kang Moo-hyuk's— no, his whole approach.
"Anyway, the inauguration article drops tonight. Tomorrow, the nagging starts. Tch! Annoying contacts incoming too. Thinking about the noise already gives me a headache. Feels like it's just beginning."
"You'll handle it fine, Guild Master."
"Sudden praise?"
"It's your specialty."
"Specialty?"
"Tanking."
"That's telling me to take hits."
"Words, not fists. What's the difference?"
"Honestly, fists are easier for me."
"Your physical and magic resistance are top-tier. Time to build up some tongue resistance too."
"Damn, your verbal DPS rivals any dealer. Makes me wanna raid with you sometime."
"Opportunity will come."
As Joo Se-ah fumed at Kang Moo-hyuk's banter—
Ding!
He checked the smartphone buzzing in his pocket.
Reading the message with a meaningful look, he said,
"Not a raid. But one thing you can help with, Guild Master."
"What? Suddenly calling me 'Guild Master'—it's creepy. Stick to the old style, 'Guild Leader.' Doesn't suit you. So, what do you need?"
"Training."
"Training? Out of nowhere?"
"The hunters are gathered at the training grounds. Might as well assist with training the guild's rising stars."
"Why the sudden training we never did before?"
"Right? New expedition leader does something special, and boom—training? Ha, this leader's doomed too."
"B-but skipping training means we stay C-Rank forever."
"Dae-hyeon, training's just training. We need real raids. We're stuck at perennial C-Rank because the guild can't secure gates properly."
"What's with all this heavy gear? It's just training—why full regulation kit?"
Kang Moo-hyuk watched the recruits—3rd year and below—from the underground training room lounge with Joo Se-ah.
"17 total under 3rd year. Those five are the core newbies."
"Newbies my ass. Told 'em to warm up, and they're just bullshitting. Ha, these kids have zero potential. Should just fire 'em all."
Watching the newbies on the monitor, Kang Moo-hyuk tilted his head.
"Not sure. Do they really have no room for improvement?"
"Basics are shot. Their hunting footage wouldn't differ much."
"Then let's watch them hunt."
"Where? Got a nearby gate rented?"
"Right here."
"No monsters prepped?"
"They're ready."
Kang Moo-hyuk grinned and flipped the controller, killing the training room lights.
Sudden darkness sent the newbies into panicked murmurs.
Switching to infrared on the camera, Kang Moo-hyuk grabbed the mic.
"Situation update: Pitch-black forest. Ogre sighted. Form up and hold the ogre until the main force arrives. 5 minutes till backup. Good luck surviving."
As the flustered hunters flailed on-screen, Joo Se-ah asked Kang Moo-hyuk,
"When'd you prep an ogre? Live capture must've cost a fortune. C-Ranks holding an ogre? Risky."
"Budget's tight this month. Where's ogre money coming from?"
"Then how's the ogre..."
"Guild Master. Shall we enter?"
"...Me? Why me... Wait, the ogre?"
"Short leash, so grab a flail or something. Rough it up like an ogre, wear 'em down."
Joo Se-ah exploded in disbelief.
"How can you ask a woman to play ogre? What, I look like one? I'm a beauty queen—five-time Hunter Beauty Award winner despite being a hunter..."
"You bragged about barehanding ogres back in the day. Got the footage too. Stronger than a real ogre, no? Perfect stand-in. Don't tell me you forgot contract Article 3, Clause 2?"
"Article 3, Clause 2? What's that..."
"On training requests: Guild leader can be mobilized as instructor at expedition leader's demand anytime. Refusal without special schedule or reason results in..."
"Stop. Okay, got it."
Speechless, Joo Se-ah meekly grabbed a chained flail in each hand from the entrance rack.
"Yeah. Woman stronger than ogre. Entering. Crunch!"