#296. These People in This Country Still Don't Know
The negotiations were over.
A few more words were exchanged, but they were meaningless. The tide had already turned.
"Remember this day."
Chairman Jin Gi-ju ground his teeth and stormed out of the conference room. The door he kicked on his way out slammed with a bang that shook the entire hall.
"Was that a negotiation? Or just a threat?"
Tae Jin-seong finally reined in the smile he'd been wearing throughout and spoke up.
Kang Moo-hyuk gave a wry smile.
"If I'd treated him like a gentleman, it would have been a negotiation. Act like a villain, and it sounds like a threat. It all depends on their mindset."
"You're ruthless in action but play the gentleman in words. You know that just pisses people off more?"
"I know. It's better when they're pissed. Makes them easier to manipulate."
"Damn, even knowing that, it still makes me mad."
Suddenly, Tae Jin-seong recalled all the times he'd been on the receiving end from Kang Moo-hyuk. The amusement he'd felt watching Jin Gi-ju get crushed evaporated.
He changed the subject to cool his anger.
"But would that stingy old Hanju bastard cave to a threat like that? Once he digs in, he doesn't listen or look."
"I didn't meet him directly. I have a connection with Director Oh Jeong-su, so I went through him."
"Oh Jeong-su... Oh Dae-ho's second son. Knowing his old man's temper, he still took your call?"
Kang Moo-hyuk dredged up memories from the guild's backdoor listing.
When he and Tae Jin-seong agreed on independence without going public, Oh Dae-ho had raged and dumped Taeseong Machinery shares without consultation, putting Kang Moo-hyuk in a bind.
The incident reached Tae Jin-seong's ears afterward. He was well aware of the strained relations between Iron Will and Hanju.
Kang Moo-hyuk shrugged it off casually.
"When Iron Will's business with Hanju soured, Director Oh Jeong-su told me not to be so sure. No eternal enemies or allies. Always keep the door open."
"Much better than old man Oh."
It didn't matter who said it first—Oh Jeong-su had echoed Kang Moo-hyuk's own words. The point was that the other side had taken the advice. That's what made today go smoothly.
Tae Jin-seong admired Kang Moo-hyuk's approach. Publicly, he was someone worth deep-frying in oil, but privately, Tae Jin-seong wanted him close.
Surrounded by sycophants and yes-men, he missed a close aide who could deliver sharp, painful truths.
'Too risky to keep him close. Better at arm's length.'
Tae Jin-seong knew he couldn't control Kang Moo-hyuk. No room for complacency, even as an ally.
Some people should never be touched from the start. But he already had. At least he wouldn't make an enemy.
Pushing aside his regrets, he shifted to a lighter topic.
"Still, potion quality dropping? That's a pretty childish threat, isn't it?"
"Do you know what happens if an S-rank calls an orc a dragon?"
Tae Jin-seong furrowed his brow at the seemingly random question—not quite a non-sequitur, but odd.
"What the hell kind of nonsense is that? I get it, though. S-ranks have that much influence."
"That orc becomes a wyvern."
"Not a dragon?"
Intrigued by the unexpected twist, Tae Jin-seong leaned in.
"It's still an orc. But when an S-rank calls it a dragon, people know it's an orc yet start doubting—what if there's more to it? They compromise: not a dragon, but maybe a wyvern. Power makes common sense suspect. That's why hunters lead with fists, not words."
Tae Jin-seong nodded naturally. Plenty of people bent reality for money, too.
Kang Moo-hyuk continued.
"Same logic: if an S-rank says Hanju potions suck, even a proven megacorp's product gets doubted. Potions are spare lives—slap that stigma on, and unease spreads. Eventually, no one wants them. Repeat it, and they become cheap energy drinks in no time. After all..."
He paused for breath, then finished.
"These people in this country still don't know that S-ranks threaten common sense itself."
Tae Jin-seong realized Kang Moo-hyuk had rigged an unwinnable game.
'No, it was never winnable to begin with. Se-ah... an S-rank... no corporation can handle that. They're just too stubborn to see it.'
He sensed the end of an era for greedy old-timers like himself.
They'd thought money ruled the world, but without hunters, even civilization teetered.
He'd known it intellectually but believed cash could buy hunters.
'The clash with Jin was just an extension of guild-corp relations. Just hit harder.'
And they shattered spectacularly.
The blow wasn't financial, but it cracked their pride. No room for industry forecasts when ego's bruised.
'When he snaps out of it, he'll see why he lost today.'
Tae Jin-seong recalled Kang Moo-hyuk's final exchange with Jin Gi-ju.
Long talk, simple gist.
Kang Moo-hyuk forced Hanju to back off, flipping the 3-to-1 disadvantage (with Artisan Community and Taeseong) into 1-to-2.
Even at 3-to-1, Jindo had chased Joo Se-ah. Needed her for a bloodless win.
Now it was 1-to-2 with her opposing them—effectively 1-to-3.
Only then did Tae Jin-seong vaguely grasp his daughter's power. Knowing and experiencing were worlds apart, and it was stronger than he'd imagined.
One person overwhelming a megacorp with hundreds of thousands of employees.
Great changes ahead.
Tae Jin-seong felt regret at his short time left.
The titan who'd built his empire amid great and small wars now had his heart racing like in his youth.
But his broken heart would stop soon, and a new era would fill with new faces. Being left out felt poignant.
'Is there... something I can still do?'
Regret sparked ideas.
Tae Jin-seong pondered his final act fiercely. He wanted no shame in his life, no fading glory after death.
Handing the empire to his kids suddenly felt trivial.
'Today will stick with me.'
He mulled over Jin Gi-ju's parting words.
In a hunter-only bar in Samseong-dong, Baek Hyeong-gyu sat alone in the corner, drinking despite the Dreamer Guild's welcome party for recent recruits.
Another day immune to heavy drinking, thanks to being a hunter. Hunter-grade booze existed, but most sipped lightly to stay raid-ready.
But he craved oblivion and called the waiter.
"Got Red Dragon?"
"We do, but... hunter-grade okay? It's not off-season yet..."
The experienced waiter double-checked.
"Doesn't matter. Bring it."
The waiter glanced at the guild's head table without answering. No guild master, so the raid leader held sway. He nodded approval.
"Right away, sir."
Amid lively music and hunters play-acting drunk dances, the waiter brought the bottle.
Baek Hyeong-gyu snapped the tamper-proof seal like it offended him.
Red Dragon's hunter-only design resisted normals—zero convenience, but that exclusivity stroked egos, fueling sales.
For him, it just annoyed him on bad days.
As he poured and slammed shots irritably, guildmates whispered.
"He's at it again."
"Bad vibes. Raid today showed skills, though. Who's Baek senior?"
"Newbie, huh? He's ex-Iron Will."
That explained everything.
Korea's sole S-rank-led guild.
Recently validated raiding infamous U.S. 5th-gen carnivorous wasps.
Veiled forces—only Jang Deok-gu (Joo Se-ah's master) and Go Eul-ji (Association chair's granddaughter, high-rank telekinesist) known—made it mythical to freelancers and greenhorns.
Plus a non-hunter guild leader.
The new Dreamer recruit eyed Baek Hyeong-gyu differently.
"Whoa, Iron Will? No wonder dismantling that gray troll looked pro. Why join us?"
"What's wrong with Dreamer?"
"Be real—Dreamer's B-grade, Iron Will's..."
"Hey, Iron Will's still C-grade. We're B. Ranks matter."
"Huh? C-grade? With an S-rank? Why?"
Senior snapped irritably.
"How should I know? Joo Se-ah's busy, no upgrade app."
"Guild leader handles that. Hired for it, right? Non-hunter, plenty free."
Senior sneered.
"You really out of the loop? He's the busiest. Joo Se-ah dumps all guild ops on him. Even hires need his sign-off."
"Nah, just for grunt work. She's no puppet master. Wouldn't trust a civvie."
"Missed the unification hearing? Shut down politicians cold. Not ordinary."
"Yeah, I thought he was badass then."
Senior beckoned conspiratorially. Newbie leaned in.
"Not widely known, but rumor: he spars direct with Seong Seon-je. Not just heading unification team."
"Seong Seon-je? Slayer's?"
Newbie yelped. Eyes turned; he whispered.
"For real?"
"Yeah. Saw him once helping a local gate. Aura kept me away. Guy who chats with that? Our GM clams up around him."
Newbie's curiosity peaked.
"So why leave such a powerhouse? He's high-rank A-floor."
"Pissed the leader? Or rejected confessing to Joo Se-ah. Heh."
"Didn't confess."
A clear voice cut through the alcohol-free laughter—his joke backfiring.
Hunters gossiping about Baek turned toward it.
Nearby eavesdroppers followed.
Casual drinkers sidelined glances.
"Pfft!"
One mid-sip spat booze. Others felt the same shock.
Dozens of eyes locked on the woman before them.
"J-Joo Se-ah... why here..."
Baek's "snack" senior stammered.
"Meant to slip in and out unnoticed. Overheard some stuff."
Joo Se-ah tilted her head, frowning.
Hunters' eyes sparkled—not S-rank intimidation, but idol adoration.
"S-sit here! Round on me, Guild Master Joo Se-ah!"
Clueless newbie moved first, vacating his seat politely.
"Thanks, but business tonight."
Joo Se-ah glanced back.
Baek Hyeong-gyu stared.
"Hunter Baek Hyeong-gyu. Was gonna call you out privately—didn't want misunderstandings about poaching. Risked the crowd. Got time to talk?"