#275. Seriously Coming at Me Like This, Guild Leader Kang?!
Unexpected place, unexpected encounter—one or the other.
Pleasure or displeasure.
Dolores Scott, master of Ithaca Guild, clearly fell into the latter category for the hunters.
Taylor and Camilla had already gotten over their initial shock, so the snide remarks were only natural.
They could guess why she'd shown up in this unlikely spot.
"Nothingburger didn't come here to protect the city and its people. She's obviously after a steel play."
"Unique items really are tempting little devils. Did she think this was a walk in the park? Tsk, all greed and no brains."
Camilla stared down at the unconscious Dolores, who lay collapsed without any resistance. The expedition member who'd first spotted and reported her spoke up cautiously.
"What should we do? Use a cardiac stimulant?"
"Hold on. Taylor, let's talk for a sec."
Camilla pulled Taylor aside from the group and whispered secretly.
"What do you think? Should we just finish her off while we have the upper hand?"
Her eyes had a chilling, sunken look. Taylor knew she wasn't joking. It was the exact face he made every time he eliminated an enemy—like staring into a mirror.
"Dumping an S-rank raid on us and running away, and now she has the nerve to pull this crap. Shameless."
"We gotta grab what we can. The unique item's gone across the river now. So at least eliminating future threats makes good business sense, right? Think about it—how many expedition members did they lose this raid? Honestly, we took a 30% hit. If Joo Se-ah hadn't shown up, we might not have made it out alive. They're probably in the same boat."
"So what's your point?"
"Ithaca didn't join this raid, so their elites are intact. Meanwhile, we're looking at weeks before our wounded can return to the field. Recruiting new members, training them, syncing as a team—we're talking mid-next year before we can deploy on another gate. Blue gates, sure, but red? No confidence there. We lost too many at once. And with Nothingburger's temper, you think she'll just sit quiet? I'm betting my neck she won't."
Taylor nodded at Camilla's damage assessment. In his view, Ithaca would exploit both guilds' weakened states to expand their influence.
Once momentum shifted in clashes between major guilds, recovery was no easy feat. Especially high-rank hunter gaps—they didn't fill overnight. Even with numbers, rebuilding an expedition team's cohesion demanded time and resources.
He glanced back at Dolores with a troubled expression before speaking.
"Perfect spot too—right in a monster den. Part of me wants to wipe 'em all out... But unlike you, I have a shred of conscience."
"Conscience my ass... You saying we should let these villains live? And it's not just about losing a guild fight. Everyone knows Ithaca's into illegal side hustles, even if they hush it up. Letting them vanish would be a public service."
"When did I say no? I said a shred of conscience. Hunters or civilians, they're harmful either way. Releasing them back into society goes against it. But straight-up killing them myself? That's uncomfortable."
"So what's the plan?"
"No extra hassle. Just dump 'em over there."
Taylor pointed to the battle's fringe, where combat effects barely reached. A pile of rocks blocked the view. Leaving the unconscious there was as good as a death sentence.
His eyes now mirrored Camilla's.
"Looks like a righteous hero, but he's a sly fox."
"So you're out?"
"Who said that? I hate their guts anyway. About time LA gets cleaned up."
"If they're lucky, a few might crawl out alive."
"What's the point? Ithaca's elite expedition is gutted—they won't last."
"So, we're allies from now on?"
"We're bound by this dirty little secret. Like it or not, gotta stick together."
As Camilla clasped Taylor's outstretched hand—
Boom! Crash!
"Ugh, sounds like they're hitting their peak over there. Linger too long, and we'll get dragged into that brute-force brawl."
"Move the Ithaca trash first. Disarm them."
The expedition moved per Camilla and Taylor's orders. No one questioned leaving Ithaca members in the combat zone. It wasn't blind obedience to commands. They were just used to this sort of thing.
Someone else raised the issue.
"You're just gonna leave them?"
Taylor and Camilla tensed at the sudden youthful voice.
'Same guild as Joo Se-ah...'
'That powerhouse telekinetic?'
It was Go Eul-ji.
"Asking again. You ditching these kids? Or saving them? Gotta know."
Taylor and Camilla exchanged glances.
'What now? Take her out or back off?'
'You wanna make an enemy of Joo Se-ah? And even if we attack, no guarantee we take her quick. Saw that barrier? Telekinetics that strong are rare even in North America.'
Camilla, reading Taylor's intent, spoke carefully.
"They're villains."
"So?"
"Not worth saving. The kind of scum who—"
"What does that have to do with me? If they were worth saving, you'd do it even if I protested. That's not what I'm asking."
"Then what are you asking?"
Taylor asked.
"Whether you're taking them out or not."
"What does that mean?"
"Don't run through the passage. Go up there."
Go Eul-ji pointed at the ceiling. Sky was visible. Thomas's hole. She continued.
"Some hunters can't be healed with potions alone. Need to get them to a hospital ASAP. I'm drained right now, so headcount limits apply. Just confirming if you're over or under."
Only then did they grasp her meaning.
In short:
'Kill 'em?'
'Save 'em?'
That's what she'd been asking.
'This girl's a hunter through and through.'
Go Eul-ji knew ordinary human morals were useless on-site. She also wanted to avoid meddling in foreign affairs. Headaches were the last thing she needed.
'Thomas said Ithaca's got bad vibes, and these guys are willing to cut losses. Says it all.'
Camilla answered.
"Leaving them."
"Cool. Tell your subordinates. No resisting my power—it just tires me out more. Stay still if they wanna live."
"Got it."
5th Generation Queen.
The lone queen beyond generations felt an indescribable dread from the moment the entity with haughty, sinister light pierced the ceiling.
Hostility surged. It felt like she had to eliminate it or be eliminated herself.
Even with a formidable foe before her, she couldn't help diverting her gaze.
"Where you looking?!"
Joo Se-ah's swung Angervadil pressed the queen fiercely. A simple strike, but infused with S-rank mana, more threatening than any skill.
The queen didn't counter—instead twisting to spread her twin pairs of wings wide. Transparent wings gleamed. An invisible barrier formed, resisting Joo Se-ah's force.
Another explosion, dust thick in the air.
Joo Se-ah bared her irritation at the queen, who'd barely succeeded in repeated defenses.
"Picking her over me?"
Her irritation soon turned ominous. She wanted to turn her blade that way too.
'That feeling—definitely like North Pocheon.'
Thomas Lee, the mage Kang Moo-hyuk recruited.
When he smashed through the ceiling into the basement, it was like a demon lord descending.
Dangerous enough to halt both her and the queen mid-battle.
Hunters collapsing, 5th-gen carnivorous wasps wiped out—it was surreal.
And such a being appeared with Kang Moo-hyuk.
Joo Se-ah debated rushing to rescue him.
'Lucky? Not quite that vibe anymore. Leader Kang seems protected. Treat as ally for now?'
Simple ally/foe split since he helped, but no relaxing—could turn anytime.
Joo Se-ah aimed to finish the queen before Thomas intervened.
Problem: Unlike earlier head-on clashes, the queen now dodged her to charge Thomas.
Thomas taking hits? Fine. But Kang Moo-hyuk with him? Risky. Non-hunter—couldn't guarantee safety forever.
'Why's she so fixated? Not like Thomas is blood feud material.'
Joo Se-ah couldn't know. Naturally. Monster thoughts? Irrelevant. Monsters existed to be exterminated. Dust was their fitting end.
Thomas shared her view.
'Pain's excruciating. Holding sanity through this is unnatural. Something's changed in me.'
Thomas calmly countered the queen's attacks, but the agony was beyond any hunter's endurance.
Yet fighting on? Far from normal.
'Can't go all-out though. So remaining option...'
"Link up with Guild Master Joo Se-ah."
Kang Moo-hyuk's voice. He'd crawled behind Thomas unnoticed.
Thomas focused on defense while briefing him.
"Best play, but... limits on usable spells right now."
"Any attack magic available?"
"Yes."
"Destructive power?"
"Saw the firebird? That level."
"Insufficient."
"What would suffice?"
"Enough to fully bind the queen's movements."
"Have one, but it'd drop defense. Single shot max. In this state..."
"I'm the issue."
Thomas said no more.
He'd sensed from Kang Moo-hyuk's words and actions how obsessed he was with monster hunts.
Non-hunter, yet led extermination more than anyone. Even Go Eul-ji said Kang Moo-hyuk was most frustrated she wasn't a full hunter.
Such a man hindered now—might feel self-loathing.
"We'll handle that differently."
"Differently?"
"Hunter Go Eul-ji. Issuing order."
Kang Moo-hyuk addressed thin air. Thomas thought him mad, then spotted the earpiece.
'Ah! Comms gear from the Federation?!'
Response came soon.
"You'll need to block the queen's attacks briefly."
Comms resumed after a pause.
"What are you..."