38. The More Friends, the Better.
Joo Se-ah strode into the training grounds, each hand gripping a massive horn.
Her body was drenched in bluish bodily fluids, her gait grotesque and chilling.
Yet some found the sight beautiful.
Like a goddess of war.
Carrying the spoils of victory, Joo Se-ah walked with such regal authority that witch felt inadequate—queen suited her far better.
The horns dragged across the exercise yard, carving two straight trails in the dirt.
The hunters watching her tensed up. Awe mingled with shock, fear, and reverence.
She had faced dozens of Watusi Snakes and returned without a single scratch. She no longer seemed human to them.
Kang Moo-hyuk, spotting her from the situation room window, stepped out to greet her.
"Good work."
Joo Se-ah flung the horns aside left and right.
Thud. The sheer weight was palpable from the sound alone.
"Seventeen down. Four or five got away scattering everywhere. Send the dismantling team for the horns and hides. Oh, and tell them not to touch these horns bare-handed. They're fresh off living beasts—still toxic. Box 'em up with heavy gear and seal 'em tight."
"I'll pass it on."
Joo Se-ah peeled a strand of hair from her face and added,
"So. What do you make of all this? King cobra was the only thing that came to mind from my experience."
"Let's talk after you wash up."
"Hm, not king cobra then. It did feel off. Fine. I'll clean up—get the briefing ready."
Kang Moo-hyuk commandeered a classroom and summoned all A-rank hunters and above, plus the strategy team chief and his staff. This was the guild's true core strength.
As Joo Se-ah entered fresh from the shower, Kang Moo-hyuk picked up the chalk and stood before the blackboard.
He wrote Goblin.
Then, with arrows, he rapidly filled in the rest.
Goblin → Goblin Soldier → Goblin Warrior → Goblin General → Hobgoblin → Goblin Chieftain → Goblin Warhead
"You all know this. The goblin evolution chain."
"So what?"
Expedition leader Do Kyung-hoon spat the words with a sneer.
He was bitter—his young hunters in his line had fallen for Kang Moo-hyuk's smooth talk.
Kang Moo-hyuk ignored the attitude and pressed on.
"Goblins are fundamentally a patrilineal society."
"Patrilineal? Monsters have that kinda thing?"
"In North America, they call it monsterology—studying their ecology and habits. It's still fringe here in Korea, but in advanced hunter nations, it's booming. According to the research, most humanoid monsters form patrilineal societies."
Back in his Titan days, Kang Moo-hyuk had absorbed global hunter theory faster than anyone in Korea.
Seeing monsters not as mere prey but as a field of study had piqued his interest, and he'd pushed to adopt it.
If he hadn't frequented foreign research forums, he might not have caught the subtle currents swirling around them now.
"Back to the point. There are times when patrilineal goblins suddenly shift to a matrilineal society."
Kang Moo-hyuk erased Goblin Warhead—great chieftain—and wrote Matriarch in its place.
"When a female seizes the great chieftain position."
"A female?"
"In monsterology, it's called Godmother or Mother Guardian. In our terms, Matriarch.
Matriarch.
Discovered in Brazil seven years ago. The A-rank guild that went in lost half its forces and retreated.
The guild members paled at Kang Moo-hyuk's brief explanation.
If an A-rank guild had retreated, Iron Will couldn't handle it.
"Of course, Brazil's case benefited from the Amazon rainforest—endless space to grow unchecked. North Pocheon is far smaller by comparison."
Monsters thriving in the vast Amazon jungle reached levels and numbers beyond imagination.
The wilds of the Amazon and Africa were thought to hide countless undiscovered species and tribes.
"So what's this Matriarch got to do with our situation?"
Joo Se-ah's question hung in the air. Kang Moo-hyuk pointed to one species on the board without answering right away.
"Among goblins, the only known caster line was the hobgoblin. But the Matriarch uses magic too. The difference? She wields wide-area mental magic, not attack spells."
"Meaning the goblins controlled the Watusi Snakes?"
"Not just Watusi—flying squirrels too."
"Could be coincidence."
Do Kyung-hoon chimed in snidely again.
Kang Moo-hyuk sketched North Pocheon's rough terrain on the board instead of replying.
"Sanjeong Lake at the center. North to Myeongseong Mountain, then Cheorwon. East to Mangbong Mountain, south to Sahyang and Gwaneum Mountains, west to the Yeongbuk-myeon plains. Freelancers' old testimonies put goblin territory around Sanjeong Lake's outskirts only. Watusi Snakes and flying squirrels were spread across this whole wide area. Guild Cooperation Office confirmed some Watusi sightings as far south as Cheorwon."
"No Watusi in Cheorwon now?"
"Correct. None since two years ago."
Joo Se-ah's lips pressed thin at his firm answer.
Too many Watusi Snakes crammed into this small zone defied the food chain. And burrow-dwellers emerging in swarms? Unnatural.
Then this once-in-the-records monster shows up.
Seasoned hunter that she was, she hated variables like this.
"Knew something was off from the start. Watusi Snakes and flying squirrels pushed out by puny goblins? Doesn't add up."
Baek Hyeong-gyu—the sole neutral-line hunter at the meeting—muttered.
Kang Moo-hyuk picked up the thread.
"Illandria too. No way a goblin predator avoids them. Should've suspected from there. This is entirely my fault as the planner."
"Hmph! Exactly why rush the plan like—"
Do Kyung-hoon started to snipe but shut up under Jang Deok-gu's glare.
Joo Se-ah asked,
"You have a plan?"
"First, my apologies on that front."
"Too tough to take down?"
"Tough, sure. Easy hunts don't exist. But what I regret is scrapping the original plan."
"The plan meaning…"
"Full force hunting from now on. And Guild Master."
"Yes?"
She perked up at his call.
"Full gear up. Deploying all top-rank guild hunters into combat."
While prepping for full combat, Kang Moo-hyuk left the base camp to Joo Se-ah and headed down to Nampocheon.
With Pocheon City Hall's permission, he borrowed the large conference room to meet his guest.
"Iron Will Guild Leader, Kang Moo-hyuk."
"Hanju Hotel & Resort, Director Oh Jeong-su."
No matter how you sliced it, mid-30s tops.
Far too young for a major corp director title.
Kang Moo-hyuk noted the Oh surname and mentally reviewed Hanju Group's key figures he'd researched.
"Your father, perhaps…"
"Yes. The group chairman is my dad."
"Didn't expect the heir to come personally."
"Resort development chief was set to come. But I volunteered for the resort division posting. Was in chemicals until recently."
Kang Moo-hyuk tilted his head.
Oh Jeong-su, Hanju heir's second son.
Why ditch thriving chemicals for declining hotels? Sneaking here alone without escorts piqued his curiosity.
'Succession fight fallout? Hard to say without internals. Or staking claim on Sanjeong Lake resort rights?'
Reading Kang Moo-hyuk's suspicion, Oh Jeong-su spoke up to preempt misunderstanding.
"Not here to claim Hanju Resort as ours now. Already gave that up. Besides, it hasn't fallen into Iron Will's hands yet."
"Sounds like you might change your mind once we do."
"Hunters call snatching items chow time, right? We're not shameless enough to chow down on spoils won with blood. Truth is, I'm here personally—big fan of yours."
"Of me?"
"Been one since your Titan days."
Oh Jeong-su blushed awkwardly and continued.
"Embarrassing, but as a kid, I dreamed of being a hunter. Lucky or not, no awakening, so business it was. But you—non-hunter—became strategy chief. Led raids, elevated your guild to A-rank."
Even hunters misunderstood Kang Moo-hyuk, let alone civilians.
Most thought him strategy chief of an A-rank guild. Truth: he'd made Titan A-rank as chief.
The gap was night and day.
It let him play the lucky upstart, lulling foes. Easier to exploit complacency.
That's why he downplayed his record.
Oh Jeong-su knew the real story.
"Now you're the first non-hunter guild leader. As your biggest fan, how could I sit idle? Nagged Dad till he let me come."
Kang Moo-hyuk peered into Oh Jeong-su's eyes.
'No lies… but not the full truth.'
Mana addiction had sharpened his senses; he read the ambition flickering in those pupils.
He tested the waters.
"Heard Hanju disbanded its guild. Planning a restart?"
"…"
"With you as guild master—or leader."
"Haha, yeah… that obvious?"
Oh Jeong-su's clean admission clicked it for Kang Moo-hyuk.
"Want our guild ops know-how?"
"Can't hide from you. Yes. Propose an MOU between Iron Will and future Hanju Group Guild for setup and management."
"Why us? Hanju could sponsor a solid guild easy."
"Not just 'cause I'm your…"
"Big fan."
"…Guilds are wary now. They all balk. Didn't realize leader system threatened them so much. Hard for equal partnerships."
His wry smile suggested multiple rejections.
Big corp guilds faced scorn and bullying beyond his imagining.
Heir or not, when had he endured that?
Even Titan—prep-tier—demanded top-3 chaebol status for respect.
"Strategic alliance. Not impossible. But why carry Hanju?"
"Not carrying—triangle setup."
"Where?"
"Not Nampocheon border. Sanjeong Lake. Resort as guild HQ."
Kang Moo-hyuk ground his cheek against his molars.
No eternal secrets—but this leaked fast.
Officially, just monster extermination. They'd hidden resort HQ plans, stacking construction materials at a shuttered Nampocheon golf course with city hall cover.
Word out already?
'Guild Cooperation Office?'
Gov involvement meant leaks across departments. If corps knew, tier guilds did too.
As Kang Moo-hyuk mulled the web, Oh Jeong-su pressed on.
"Resort HQ means massive supplies and gear later. Hanju excels in life sciences, chems—potions, ampoules. Gate biz ties in too. Room for collaboration?"
"Taeseong Group too."
"Hate to say it, but Taeseong chairman doesn't fancy Iron Will. Guild master's ties are open secrets in our world."
Elites had elite networks, whispers too taboo for outsiders.
Open secrets fenced in tight circles.
Oh Jeong-su—as one—knew Joo Se-ah and Tae Jin-seong's link.
Time to drop pretenses.
'Taeseong cooperation possible, but no need amplifying their sway. Hanju a solid alt?'
Weighing pros-cons, Kang Moo-hyuk said,
"Guilds eye us cold. They hate corp leader systems muscling in. More cons than pros."
"Not rushing guild setup. Build know-how first. Start as guild-corp partners with Iron Will, build trust."
Kang Moo-hyuk caught the nuance shift.
Started personal fanboy dream. Now corp fronting.
'Last line sounded like he's not the driver.'
Higher up, then.
Above heir second son? Obvious.
'Chairman or firstborn. If succession open, chairman. Unless firstborn's rival.'
Chairman sending second son?
Guild setup tough; non-hunter leader system? Group-level project.
'Power with cracks? Harmless to Iron Will.'
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled faintly.
"On second thought, the more friends, the better."