#325. What Happens If I Move Alone?
Kang Moo-hyuk personally visited the Slayer Guild headquarters in Seoul. It was at Seong Seon-je's request—or more accurately, the guy with all the skeletons in his closet had come running to him on his own two feet.
As Kang Moo-hyuk had anticipated, Seong Seon-je's face was lit up with a genuine smile. It wasn't some forced expression to show off his bravado or pressure the other man. He was truly enjoying this.
"Have a seat. Coffee? Green tea?"
"This isn't a café. Skip the menu."
"Our guild's drinks are top-notch. We hired a famous barista and a tea sommelier."
"Not really my thing. Let's get straight to it."
Seong Seon-je shrugged and sat down across from him. He dove right in with a sly tone.
"You're always in a rush, but today you seem extra urgent. Got a prior engagement? Or a packed schedule? Something with China, maybe?"
"Let me get to my point."
Kang Moo-hyuk ignored the probing questions and stuck to his script.
But Seong Seon-je wasn't one to back down. Knowing he held the upper hand, he pressed even more cheekily.
"You've talked to Gwan Hong, right? I know you two chat occasionally. Kicked out of Hwangryong Guild, enemies on all sides—he's got no foothold left in China. So what? Coming to Korea? Iron Will?"
Kang Moo-hyuk knew Seong Seon-je would keep firing questions until he got the answers he wanted.
I can't dodge Team Leader Seong's suspicions. He's not the type to fall for lies. The moment I showed up here—no, the second he mentioned Gwan Hong—I've been on the defensive. Fine. I can't explain Gwan Hong's situation without revealing everything so far. If I'm going down, might as well lean into it aggressively.
Kang Moo-hyuk let out a long sigh and slumped his shoulders. To an outsider, it would look like total resignation before spilling the beans.
But Seong Seon-je didn't buy the visible act. Especially not against Kang Moo-hyuk—he never let his guard down.
Kang Moo-hyuk spoke cautiously.
"Since I came here to talk about that anyway, I'll lay it all out plainly."
"It won't just clear things up for you, Director Kang."
"Is that the priority right now?"
"Just my paranoia kicking in. You're opening up too easily—I can't even trust that. Occupational hazard, maybe. You know you're responsible for most of my trust issues, right?"
"I take pride in my work. No one approaches it with more sincerity than me."
"Sounds familiar. I'm sincere too."
If Joo Se-ah, who knew both men well, had heard this exchange, she'd have dismissed it as a bullshit title match.
Kang Moo-hyuk decided to cut the banter.
"Gwan Hong contacted me. Requested asylum. I accepted, and we're launching an operation at dawn tomorrow."
"Asylum. Ah, so that's it? But why? There must be a reason."
"Seems he stepped on a landmine while investigating impure elements inside Hwangryong Guild."
"Wouldn't asking Bi Won-jun for help be better? An S-rank could sort it out in one go."
"Bi Won-jun's tied up conquering a gate in Inner Mongolia right now. He couldn't hold out until then."
"Fair enough. But what's this impure faction? Messing with Hwangryong Guild? That's not something you'd try unless you've taken a sword to the head, had an ogre brain transplant, or you're just plain crazy. Or backed by a mega-force on par with them. Nah, big guilds like that don't bleed each other dry. Has to be some lunatic or stone-headed idiot."
"All three."
"Which one? Sword to the head? Ogre brain? Lunatic?"
"A lunatic who's also stone-headed and pretty damn big."
For a split second, Seong Seon-je mentally scanned massive forces inside and outside China that could rival Hwangryong Guild. He narrowed it down to those with grudges and a crazy streak.
"Tyrun? Russia's Tyrun Guild could pull something like that..."
"They stop at crazy. Think a bit more deranged—no, someone whose head is even more fucked up."
A bad premonition hit Seong Seon-je. He knew from experience that Kang Moo-hyuk didn't play riddle games for nothing.
Something big's coming.
Kang Moo-hyuk was the type who knew how to navigate tough situations by looping others in. Guiding the other party to the answer himself was a way to drag them deeper into the mess.
Nothing felt as satisfying as solving your own puzzle, and that pride turned into a sense of accomplishment. Accomplishment bred joy, and joy pushed situations forward positively.
People saw what they wanted to see. Positivity lowered the perceived height of obstacles, blinding them to the real dangers.
They don't actually get shorter—just look that way. That's why people tumble when they climb blindly, unaware of the true height.
Of course, Seong Seon-je wasn't one to fall for such tricks.
But he was the keyholder of Slayer Guild. Slayer propped up Korea's hunter world, and to keep that foundation from crumbling, he had to prop it up diligently.
If the storm Kang Moo-hyuk brought could shake Korea's hunter scene, Seong Seon-je had no choice but to ride it out. And endure through the shaking.
That's why he'd cooperated with Kang Moo-hyuk so far. And Kang Moo-hyuk had exploited that knowledge masterfully.
In a way, their aligned interests had allowed seamless collaboration without conflict until now.
Seong Seon-je finally realized that poking at Kang Moo-hyuk had backfired, chaining him instead.
I was naive thinking Gwan Hong being Chinese meant no blowback. Who'd have thought he'd go for asylum?
Truth be told, it wasn't so much naivety on Seong Seon-je's part as the sheer unfamiliarity of asylum into Korea for its hunter world. It was unprecedented.
Exile had always flowed out of Korea. After decades of hunter brain drain, it was everyday life.
But now, with Joo Se-ah hitting S-rank and the world shifting, a core figure from a Chinese mega-guild was requesting asylum.
That's when Seong Seon-je's calculations went off the rails. Wrong starting point, wrong trajectory.
He sensed he shouldn't dig deeper, but backing off now would only make Slayer's next advance longer and harder after this awkward retreat.
"Show me the answer key first. I've always sucked at puzzles handed to me by others since I was a kid."
"One more hint: China, Japan, and Russia have them, but Korea doesn't."
"Wait, what kind of hint is 'only Korea lacks crazy bastards'...?!"
Something flashed in Seong Seon-je's mind unbidden. He stared at Kang Moo-hyuk, unable to speak. Catching on, Kang Moo-hyuk voiced it for him.
"Mirage is tied to Hwangryong Guild. And they're already in Korea."
"I suspected as much, but Mirage...? And not content with Hwangryong, now Korea too?!"
No panic or fear in Seong Seon-je's eyes. Just fury and steely resolve.
The word "Mirage" had flipped him into combat mode instantly.
Should've said it sooner.
Reading Seong Seon-je's gaze, Kang Moo-hyuk regretted holding back and began sharing everything he'd uncovered.
Jinan City, capital of Shandong Province, also served as the headquarters for the Gudongzon Alliance under Gu Dongzon.
The alliance HQ differed from typical guilds.
Instead of a single building, low-rise structures dotted a vast estate-like compound.
Situated on the outskirts of Jinan, its Yeouido-sized plot was a point of pride for Shandong's people.
They hailed Gu Dongzon's guild as the future fortress of their funds.
Of course, the Chinese Communist Party government disliked it as a potential seed of rebellion, but brute suppression of guilds was a bygone era.
All the government could do was control them in the people's name, sowing discord to maintain balance.
Fortunately, Chinese guilds confined themselves within the grand framework of "Zhonghua."
That kept China from fracturing and allowed stable national control.
Gu Dongzon's alliance pursued profits within that Chinese boundary too.
The ten guild leaders gathered today brought new agendas to chart the alliance's path.
Yan Ziyou, leader of the Ten Dragons Council—the alliance's top decision body—and representative of Taeguk Jincheon-dan Guild, opened the discussion.
"Is it confirmed that Gwan Hong left that message?"
"Voice analysis by experts confirms it was him."
Li Xian of Ma Ryong-bang Guild—one of the Ten Dragons—replied.
Yan Ziyou pressed with suspicious eyes.
"Voices can be mimicked with skills. Expert opinions aren't foolproof, are they?"
"Skills can alter voices, sure. But they're not omnipotent. During the Great War you endured headaches from agitators faking voices, right? Tech's advanced now—we can detect skill-modulated ones. It's definitely Gwan Hong."
Only then did Yan Ziyou nod. He wasn't ignorant of tech progress; he was just dragging Li Xian in to share blame if issues arose.
Li Xian saw through it.
Hmph! Think I don't know your game?
Li Xian played along anyway. Taeguk Jincheon-dan and Ma Ryong-bang guild masters were in-laws. Blood ties demanded face-saving and burden-sharing.
Then a voice shattered the cozy vibe.
"Family all taken care of? Time to get to real work."
Wei Xiao-guang of Kirin Guild.
He too was a Ten Dragons member, serving as Kirin Guild's vice master.
Yan Ziyou and Li Xian shot him annoyed glares.
Wei Xiao-guang ignored them and pressed on.
"We didn't gather to play guanxi games, did we? Opponent's Gwan Hong from Hwangryong. Who knows what sorcery he'll pull? Could be a trap. Instead of exit strategies, shouldn't we plan how to nab him first?"
Yan Ziyou and Li Xian couldn't counter. Wei Xiao-guang was spot-on.
No matter Yan Ziyou's council head status or Li Xian repping the alliance's top guild, Wei Xiao-guang's influence from martial-focused Kirin Guild matched theirs. Can't nitpick when you're losing on merits.
But we can't just roll over.
Li Xian masked his scheming with a measured tone.
"Policy first, before countermeasures, Brother Wei Xiao-guang."
"Policy?"
"Capture Gwan Hong alive or kill him."
"Ha? Easy call. Kill him, obviously."
"That's why I wanted a proper meeting. How can we call you a Ten Dragons member acting so rashly?"
"What? You picking a fight?"
"You're the one who started!"
Li Xian bellowed at Wei Xiao-guang. Wei shot up in retaliation.
Yan Ziyou intervened perfectly timed.
"What is this during a Ten Dragons meeting?! Both of you, enough!"
Li Xian bowed with clasped fists at Yan Ziyou's anger.
"I got heated. My apologies to the brothers."
"Tch! Birds of a feather."
"Hey! How rude, Brother Wei Xiao-guang? If you keep disrupting, even this council head won't tolerate it."
With the council head title invoked, Wei Xiao-guang backed off, slumping into his seat grudgingly.
"So what? You wanna keep him alive?"
Li Xian nodded affirmatively.
"Gwan Hong's known as Hwangryong's strategist. He holds their secrets. Securing him is as good as grabbing their throat."
"What about him targeting Shandong?"
"He didn't actually strike. We stopped it pre-war."
"Doesn't change that he was gunning for us."
"Then we turn it around—hit Hwangryong with him. A blade swings where its wielder points."
"Cold as ever. Think the other brothers agree?"
With lines deadlocked, Yan Ziyou stepped in again.
"Disagreement? Poll the others. Prepare your tiles. Red for Li Xian's side, blue for Wei Xiao-guang's."
As he finished, Yan Ziyou tossed a red tile. Red and blue tiles clattered onto the table.
Yan Ziyou tallied and declared.
"Seven red, three blue. Li Xian's opinion carries."
Li Xian rose, clasped fists in thanks to the Ten Dragons. Wei Xiao-guang scowled.
"Alright then. Let's discuss the operation to capture Gwan Hong alive."
After briefing Seong Seon-je on all Mirage-related events, Kang Moo-hyuk warned him earnestly before leaving Slayer Guild.
"Slayer must not move. We don't know how far Mirage's tentacles reach. A big guild like yours stirring would tip them off immediately."
"I get what you're saying, Director Kang. The only way to corner Mirage is to keep them clueless we've spotted them."
"Strike to decapitate in one blow, or take out the head cleanly. We haven't located their leader, Illusion, yet. Slayer moves when we pinpoint him."
"We'll prep for that... but really okay? Like finding a needle in a sandstorm."
"No spy agency or guild from any country has caught him. Even if we find the needle, we tread carefully."
He wanted to unleash Slayer's intel resources on Mirage, but conceded Kang Moo-hyuk was right.
Mirage might be more dangerous than even Japan. Caution upon caution.
"What's with all this feast on our little turf? Once this wraps, let's grab a guild dinner—you and us."
"Our guild master would hate that."
"Yeah, fair. Nail tonight's op then. Update me tomorrow on progress. Got questions for Gwan Hong myself."
"I'll ask first and relay."
Kang Moo-hyuk decisively cut off Seong Seon-je's interest in Gwan Hong and headed back to North Pocheon.
Alone now, Seong Seon-je pondered briefly, then grabbed an armor coat from the rack.
"Slayer moving would get us caught. But what if I move alone?"