#326. A Precedent the Guild Master Has Already Shown
On the way back to the guild, Kang Moo-hyuk pondered Baek Gwi.
'Display name. Descendant of the former North Korean hunter faction that staged a coup. Fled to China and awakened as a hunter. No hunter activity records. Founder of Yeokcheon Guild. Sold out Huanglong Guild's weaknesses to defect to Korea amid the Makyung incident. No notable activities in Korea since then.'
With Slayer watching closely, even breathing required caution—but even accounting for that, he was being overly cautious.
'If not for Korea, he'd still be active in China.'
From what Kang Moo-hyuk had uncovered, Yeokcheon Guild had passed to Heuk-su, who had jointly served as guild master with Baek Gwi.
Yet his movements from China implied other connections at play.
Kang Moo-hyuk could guess why Baek Gwi, who had been so quiet until now, was suddenly stirring.
'As soon as Gwan Hong moves, Baek Gwi follows. It's natural he'd take interest in Gwan Hong. Yeokcheon was founded as Huanglong's rival, and Gwan Hong was Huanglong's brain trust. Keeping Yeokcheon in check was Gwan Hong's role.'
Based on the information about Baek Gwi he'd gleaned while allying with Gwan Hong, Kang Moo-hyuk predicted his next moves.
"I should just kill him. Cleanly, without loose ends."
The sudden mutter made No Song-rin, gripping the wheel, flinch.
"Pardon?! Wh-what's that all of a—"
"No need to worry, Hunter No Song-rin. That wasn't about you."
"Am I in the category that needs to worry about getting killed? Haha..."
"In my classification, you're on the edge."
No Song-rin's joke, meant to lighten the mood, was met with Kang Moo-hyuk's deadpan seriousness, sending the car swerving briefly.
Screeech!
"S-sorry."
"No, my joke must've been too much. Enough to make you yank the wheel off course."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"I know. You weren't planning to kill me, were you? Ah, that was a joke too."
Kang Moo-hyuk emphasized the word "joke," but it only made it sound less like one to No Song-rin.
'His jokes are brutally savage. Is he testing me? Come on. What the hell secret is in Table Mountain that he's still hounding me over it?'
No Song-rin assumed Kang Moo-hyuk was still warning him about Table Mountain. The man himself had long forgotten.
Kang Moo-hyuk fell silent again, devising countermeasures against Baek Gwi.
'If Baek Gwi moves from China to eliminate Gwan Hong, how should I respond?'
Dozens of options flashed through his mind in an instant.
But he couldn't settle on any plan. The situation in Shandong Province alone was too tangled.
'Major factions tied to Gwan Hong: Huanglong Guild, Gu Dong-jon Alliance, Cheonmyeong Guild. Add Baek Gwi. Maybe even Yeokcheon.'
It was a lineup that could spark war without surprise. The top antagonistic powers of China's east mobilizing en masse.
Kang Moo-hyuk, absent from the scene, had limits to his intervention.
Moreover, meddling sloppily on Chinese soil could escalate to international incidents.
He decided to take measures ensuring the Gwan Hong extraction team's identities stayed airtight.
'What a remarkable man, Hunter Gwan Hong. Just shifting provinces, and he ignites the eve of war.'
Kang Moo-hyuk felt he'd been right to prepare Thomas Lee.
'Still, the best is escaping before the fight. But if blood must be spilled...'
Without hesitation. Overwhelmingly.
Thomas could manage it.
"Found it."
Mr. Jo closed his bloodshot, rabbit-red eyes and thrust both arms skyward.
"Finally found it!"
His shout roused the team members, who staggered up from their desks like zombies.
"Wh-where...? Where'd you... Voice won't come out..."
"F-for real?"
"Ughblargh..."
Seeing their near-corpse states, Mr. Jo recoiled in shock.
"Undead? What the hell?"
"We've been pulling all-nighters for days, filtering foreigners from footage for tracking. So, what'd you find?"
Deputy Team Leader Man-su-ro asked, his face equally haggard.
Mr. Jo spun the monitor for all to see and pointed at the screen.
"Here, here. Got lucky. Caught on a nearby delivery bike's dashcam. Puahaha! They overlooked it 'cause he's foreign? Take that—proud delivery nation, don't underestimate Koreans!"
Man-su-ro shoved aside the hopping Mr. Jo and scrutinized the paused footage.
"He's foreign, sure, but not confirmed as the perp. Could be unrelated."
"Two hours before the incident. Near Drimer Guild HQ where Hunter Baek Hyeong-gyu was killed. Not a tourist spot, residential area, hotel district, or nightlife zone. Why would a foreigner wander there aimlessly?"
"Fair point on relevance. No other leads anyway. Start from here?"
"Footage is grainy. Can you clean it up?"
"Got a vendor for that. Sending it over."
"Who?"
"Yong-pal-i Guild."
"Those Yongsan Electronics Market awakeners who banded together?"
"Yeah."
"They're cheapskates. Hunters who do more odd jobs than hunting—hard to trust."
"We're hunters who do more odd jobs than hunting too."
Mr. Jo bristled at Man-su-ro's remark.
"How's Yong-pal-i the same as spies?!"
"Both end in 'i'."
Thwack.
One team member, who'd blurted it out, crumpled.
Mr. Jo clenched his fist in warning.
"Anyone else spotting similarities?"
The team glanced at their foaming colleague on the floor, then shook their heads vigorously at Mr. Jo.
"None."
"What a disgrace, having a colleague without professional pride. I'm embarrassed for you, Team Leader."
"He's disqualified as a pro spy. Needs more whipping into shape."
Mr. Jo nodded, satisfied.
"Good. No more traitors, then. Deputy Man-su-ro."
"Yes."
"No other experts besides Yong-pal-i? Plenty out there."
"They keep mouths shut, unlike others. And we're being tailed plenty. Any dark web route gets followed."
"No choice, huh? Damn, gotta tell Commander Kang to spin up a video analysis team. This hassle every time."
"Would make our lives easier."
"It's urgent. Send it, ask 'em to revive the footage. Especially sharpen the face—eyes, nose, all features. Got it?"
"Money makes 'em grovel to monsters. They'll sketch a composite if needed. Don't worry."
Mr. Jo sneered back.
"See? Our professional attitude differs from the start. We're not like those who'd fawn over monsters for cash."
"Money's our leash too."
"Team Leader bought by big bucks to become the commander's dog?"
Thwack! Thwack!
The floor patients tripled.
Mr. Jo gripped his fist again.
"Traitors everywhere today? Anyone else with itchy mouths or hands."
The team zipped their lips in unison, mimicking zippers.
"Good. No more. Send footage to Yong-pal-i, dig more around Drimer Guild. Report any matches immediately."
Joo Se-ah said with a dissatisfied frown.
"In the end, Seong Seon-je knew about Mirage too?"
"I wanted to keep Mirage's true nature hidden as long as possible, but this time it was unavoidable. Seong Seon-je Team Leader already pieced it together via Baek Gwi's movements and his intel lines in China."
Kang Moo-hyuk scratched his head awkwardly, and she waved it off, clearing the misunderstanding.
"Not blaming you, Commander. Just irks me that Seong Seon-je knows. Who knows what scheme he'll cook up."
"That's why I warned him firmly. He agreed. Slayer moving big-time would draw eyes anyway."
Suddenly, Joo Se-ah smacked her forehead hard.
"Lord help us, our commander."
"What's wrong?"
"You're a sly fox usually, but so innocently naive in unexpected spots."
"Me? Did I mess up?"
"Heard the rumors about Seong Seon-je lately?"
"What rumors?"
"He's started raiding again."
Joo Se-ah whispered like sharing a secret, but Kang Moo-hyuk still tilted his head.
"Heard he's going on hunts. But how's that make me naive? No connection to that whatsoever."
"No, huge connection."
"I'd like to hear the Guild Master's view on that perspective."
With the floor set, Joo Se-ah dove into her tale.
"I was in Slayer ten years, since middle school. Early days, I raided with Seong Seon-je a few times. He was shifting to desk work then, drifting from fieldwork, but his skills were top-tier."
"And?"
"Now he plays the refined strategist, but he was an extreme solo player in hunts. Why? He was good enough no one could complain even flying solo."
"So?"
"You get it by now. He's not in strategist mode anymore. Trapped in Slayer over a decade—body must've itched like crazy."
She didn't articulate perfectly, but Kang Moo-hyuk grasped it instantly.
"So, Guild Master means: 'Seong Seon-je's back to his old ways. Solo play's his norm. Even if Slayer stays put, he'll move.' Something like that?"
"Exactly. That's what I meant."
Joo Se-ah beamed, frustration eased.
But Kang Moo-hyuk didn't nod easily. He sought solid grounds for agreement.
"What's your basis?"
"Basis? My exp—experience...? And Gam Woo-young?"
"Slayer's Gam Woo-young?"
"Yeah. He checks in sometimes. Heard about Seong Seon-je from him. Hmm, saying it out loud, not much basis. Just my past and hearsay."
"No. Subordinates' views on bosses often stem more from data than emotion. Affects their work. Gam Woo-young's take holds water that way. Same for your experience."
"Right? Not baseless?"
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded firmly, brightening her face.
His own stayed grim. She probed why.
"The Seong Seon-je I know is highly capable. Sounds like top hunter skills too. Hard to predict outcomes if he moves personally. If he scores too big, uncovers Illusion even..."
"Dangerous."
"Low odds, sure. But if he pokes Mirage-related spots, word reaches Illusion. They might even come first..."
Kang Moo-hyuk trailed off, pausing. Joo Se-ah sensed the unease and whispered.
"Commander, what's up?"
His face grew graver as he spoke.
"Hope it's just my suspicion... but maybe Seong Seon-je wants them to find him first."
"Nah, no way. Against an S-rank? Unless suicidal."
"No. There's one scenario where you'd lure an S-rank 'enemy' deliberately."
"Intentionally meet a so-called enemy S-rank?"
She furrowed her brow, pondering, but drew blanks.
Kang Moo-hyuk pointed at her.
"There's already a precedent the Guild Master has shown once."