Ally or Enemy?
“Who would’ve thought Joo Se-ah would link up with him.”
Seong Seon-je, the strategic team leader of Slayer Guild, was reviewing the report with keen interest.
“What’re you doing? Hanging out at a café this time of day? Slacking off?”
Seong Seon-je glanced up at the guild member who’d suddenly poked his face between him and the report.
“What about you, Hunter Gam Woo-young? We’ve got a Red Gate expedition coming up. Not doing final checks?”
“Plenty of time. The expedition team’s always ready. Just stepped out for a coffee break. Huh? This guy……”
“Come take a look.”
Gam Woo-young, turning his gaze, recognized the man in the attached photo.
Seong Seon-je irritably pushed his head away, but Gam Woo-young shoved right back in, snatching the report to read it.
“This the guy you’ve been keeping tabs on, team leader? The one who just became expedition leader under Se-ah noona…… What’s his name again? Kang, Kang, Kang Moo-hyuk! Right?”
Seong Seon-je snatched the report back, furrowing his brow.
“You’re an expedition party leader now, Hunter Gam Woo-young. Act like one—show some charisma. How long you gonna play the promising rookie?”
“Can’t help my nature. I’m no good at putting on airs. Haha.”
Gam Woo-young scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin, reaching for the report again. When Seong Seon-je slyly pulled it away and hid it behind his back, he smacked his lips and asked,
“So why’s our team leader holding another guild’s expedition leader’s resume? You sneaking it out behind Se-ah noona’s back or something?”
“You want Joo Se-ah to throw a fit in the guild lobby again? You gonna stop her then?”
“You nuts? Me take on the Witch?”
“Avoiding headaches like that is part of my job.”
“So you’re not recruiting him? Then why this guy?”
“Because Kang Moo-hyuk’s someone I’ve had my eye on for a while.”
Gam Woo-young’s eyes widened at Seong Seon-je’s response.
Seong Seon-je was a strategic team leader with exacting standards for hunters.
For him to monitor a non-hunter—someone from another guild, no less—meant one of two things.
Enemy or recruitment target.
He’s not the type to memorize names out of mere curiosity.
In Gam Woo-young’s eyes, Seong Seon-je divided people into two categories.
Useful or not.
If useful, he remembered them. If not, even fellow guild members got no regard.
And those he remembered split into two more.
Enemy or ally.
Gam Woo-young’s curiosity piqued on that front.
“You’re not seriously trying to recruit him, right? Warn me ahead if you are. I’ll take vacation when Se-ah noona shows up.”
“I considered it before. Thought I’d hand him the reins if I was away or in an emergency.”
“Whoa~ The perfect perfectionist Se team leader’s successor? Hate that. Sounds like a hardass.”
Gam Woo-young recoiled, prompting Seong Seon-je to snap back in irritation.
“Not successor—stand-in. Think deputy team leader. In a top-tier guild, you need solid ‘spares’ for everything to run smoothly.”
“Whatever you call it, if you’re eyeing him as a potential stand-in, he must be something. And he’s not even a hunter.”
“Stand-in, not successor. Ahem. Anyway, he’s a solid asset. I held off recruiting to watch longer, but Titan started targeting Slayer Guild, and I missed the timing.”
Regret flickered in Seong Seon-je’s eyes as he glanced sideways at the report.
Gam Woo-young was genuinely shocked—this reaction was completely unexpected.
“No, seriously, how good is he for our strategic team leader to sing his praises?”
“Table Mountain raid.”
“Pardon?”
“Kang Moo-hyuk has some unique achievements, but this one alone settles any debate on his skills.”
“Table Mountain? What’s that?”
Gam Woo-young didn’t catch on right away.
The raid Seong Seon-je mentioned was from five years ago, right when he’d debuted as a rookie hunter.
Seong Seon-je was picky and cold, but fair and helpful to capable hunters. He explained Kang Moo-hyuk’s record to Gam Woo-young.
“The Table Mountain raid was what earned Titan Guild its A-rank status. And Kang Moo-hyuk was the mastermind behind the operation.”
Table Mountain was a formation found in South America.
A flat-topped mountain rising sharply from sheer cliffs, named for its table-like shape.
A similar terrain had appeared inside the gate back then, with the boss monster perched right on top.
The summit was small, surrounded by unclimbable cliffs—no detours possible.
The boss ambushed hunters before they could even form up after scaling the cliffs, sending them plummeting.
No hunter short of top-tier could survive a 1,000-meter fall.
The entire assault team was wiped out.
The guild that claimed the gate had no choice but to abandon the boss raid.
They were forced into gate destruction protocols.
That’s when Kang Moo-hyuk, spotting the public gate intel, partnered with that guild for a joint raid.
He realized the mountain’s base was sandstone laced with mana stones—and turned the whole thing into a massive mana bomb.
Exploding Table Mountain robbed the boss of its defensive advantage and dealt it massive fall damage, just like the hunters it killed. They finished the raid successfully after that.
“Whoa, insane. Blow up a mountain to get the boss?”
“Even crazier? The provisional value of those mana stones in Table Mountain was at least 3 trillion won.”
“Three…… trillion?!”
“I couldn’t have done it. Too wasteful.”
It was inefficient hunting—torching 3 trillion in one raid. Paradoxically, though, Kang Moo-hyuk’s bold strategy became a hot topic among elite hunters.
“Kinda like Se-ah noona’s style in that way?”
“You mean the brute force?”
“Smash first, monsters or whatever.”
“……”
“Haven’t seen anyone as monster-obsessed as Se-ah noona. She’d burn more than 3 trillion if it meant killing one.”
Seong Seon-je had said Titan’s rapid growth cost him the recruitment chance, but the real reason was different.
The unspoken truth: between monsters and money, he unhesitatingly prioritized kills. He chased profits when possible, but if hunting success clashed with guild gains, cash came second.
Not a fit for a behemoth like Slayer Guild.
Seong Seon-je had once crunched the data on major raids led by Kang Moo-hyuk, from Slayer’s perspective.
Projected revenue.
Using Slayer’s methods instead, the conservative estimate was nearly double.
If Titan had prioritized profits over raid opportunities, they might’ve been top-tier by now.
“Money aside, his ideas are wild. Se-ah noona and Kang Moo-hyuk expedition leader teaming up? Kinda wanna see what raids they’d pull off.”
“And now those two are in the same guild. Worth watching, for all sorts of reasons.”
Seong Seon-je nodded at Gam Woo-young’s words, his gaze drifting toward North Pocheon.
I’d rather not tangle with the guild master if possible, but North Pocheon’s a blessing. Keeps her out of our guild master’s sight. Clashing with her always ends in losses, win or lose.
Just keeping Joo Se-ah away from Seoul made Kang Moo-hyuk useful in Seong Seon-je’s eyes, for now.
Fed up with the squad’s floundering, Kang Moo-hyuk issued a few directives.
“Seal the shelter first—no letting them through the windows!”
The elementary school main building had open windows on both north and south exterior walls.
The south faced the playground—hunters would have to punch through to reach it, so it was secure. North was the weak point.
Kang Moo-hyuk had flagged this when designating the school as base camp.
It housed non-hunters, so it needed a safety net.
Money and time-intensive, but he’d sourced deployable shelters—like those from Yalu River defenses against monster incursions—and sealed the north windows completely.
Once they reclaimed Sanjeong Lake Resort, they’d relocate them—no sense skimping now.
“Rooftop for ranged dealers. Don’t worry about hits—just herd them to the playground, make ‘em uncomfortable.”
These orders alone clarified everyone’s roles.
Fewer choices sped up decisions.
Motley crew or short training—experienced hunters could form up fast.
“Get pierced by field rats here? Quit hunting, damn it. Won’t? I’ll make you. Swear it.”
Joo Se-ah’s threats worked—the hunters hustled.
“Gwi-nam hyung! I’ve got your support—push hard! Party 1’s on aggro, not defense. Pin their feet with aggressive skills.”
Min Dae-hyun, a first-year Iron Will hunter, had suddenly become party leader.
Main force: rookies and low-ranks like Shin-jin.
High-ranks backing them up felt reassuring, but knowing every party play fed into the guild master and expedition leader’s evaluations had him on edge.
Ugh, why me as party leader?
Joo Se-ah had tested the rookies herself, then dumped leadership on him—strained things with the friendly hyungs and noonas.
Min Dae-hyun figured he couldn’t command properly, but combat erased such doubts.
He was shocked at his own calm orders to seniors.
Stay cool. Just like training. What’d the expedition leader say?
‘Hunting boils down to three things: info, accurate info, more info. Know the monster type, habits, strategies upfront—you’ve won half the fight.’
Min Dae-hyun recalled field rat traits.
Two meters long, teeth and claws weapons. Tail tentacles drain blood and fluids. Fur like armor. Top speed……
Traits standard for beast monsters, but speed was the killer.
Agile on walls or trees, quick on flat ground with sharp turns.
Stand and hold against those? Front line crumbles. Better meet ‘em head-on.
Aggro was easier offensively than defensively.
Hunting 101.
But most hunters rarely charged first in party play.
Counters on incoming attacks saved stamina for bigger damage.
Tanky hunters thrived, but the American meta shifted to multi-tankers—faster, more aggressive.
Even domestically, pure-defense tanks were fading.
Our guild master’s the outlier. Top tank durability with dealer speed. Total cheat character. Partying with her must be a breeze.
Min Dae-hyun pinned a field rat lunging at Kim Gwi-nam with a skill—daydreaming mid-fight.
Tension melted away unnoticed.
Letting him issue cool, sharp orders.
“Good call, Hunter Min Dae-hyun.”
Kang Moo-hyuk, monitoring parties, noted Min Dae-hyun’s movements.
“That rookie you flagged last time?”
“Yes.”
“Phew, at least he’s not screwing up. Movements are decent enough.”
Joo Se-ah nodded approvingly at the solid plays, her tone proud—one success story amid the mess.
“Better than feared. They’re holding somehow.”
“Means second and third lines won’t even need to step up.”
Kang Moo-hyuk eyed the second and third lines Joo Se-ah indicated.
Second: Experienced C+ to B-rank below—Iron Will’s core parties, few but tactically sharp.
Third.
B+ and above……
Iron Will’s strongest—and most problematic—force.
Guild’s three faction bosses gathered, ticking time bombs.
Especially those neutrals holding the balance between lines. Good they’re stabilizing things now, but……
Baek Dong-gyu and Na Dong-pa.
Nine hunters led by two powerhouses oddly loyal to the ‘old Taeseong Guild.’
Taeseong survived as a guild thanks to their neutrality.
Hunting records say little about leanings. Hard to read.
Ally or enemy?
Kang Moo-hyuk focused more on the rear than the front lines.