Chapter 6: I've Been in This Position Too Long
Kang Moo-hyuk swallowed the words he wanted to say. Meanwhile, Lee Cheol-jung pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Assemble an attack team as soon as dawn breaks and have them stand by. If you're short on manpower, pull a few from the expedition team."
"Even the expedition team, sir?"
It was a relief. At least the guild master was still viewing the situation objectively. That's why he'd approved pulling from the expedition team so readily.
Other guilds rarely touched their expedition teams. They handled only the most dangerous gates, so low-rank gate raids were usually off-limits for them.
"And as soon as you reach Vice Guild Master Ma Tae-soo, tell him to come straight to headquarters. We're grabbing Ma Tae-sik."
"Understood."
After leaving the guild master's office, Kang Moo-hyuk spent the next several hours glued to his phone, trying to reach Ma Tae-soo—but there was no connection. At this point, suspicion had hardened into certainty.
As dawn approached and commuting hours neared, a call came in first from Ma Tae-soo himself.
Ma Tae-soo's opening line already carried the nuance of protecting his brother.
This isn't good.
Not long after the call, Ma Tae-soo arrived at headquarters. The speed suggested he'd been waiting nearby.
Kang Moo-hyuk greeted him personally. Ma Tae-soo looked haggard. The sigh that escaped him seemed like resignation, but his eyes held a spark of resolve.
As a hunter praised as a flawless all-rounder, and with his proven skills as vice guild master, Kang Moo-hyuk could only trust he'd handle himself well.
Beside him stood Ma Tae-sik, thoroughly cowed. He glared at Kang Moo-hyuk with eyes full of resentment. He still hadn't come to his senses.
At this point, the man almost seemed pitiful. More so for Ma Tae-soo, stuck with such a wastrel brother. A 20-year career tainted by this.
Ignoring Ma Tae-sik, Kang Moo-hyuk led Ma Tae-soo to the guild master's office. He planned to mediate between them.
"This way."
As they stepped out of the elevator, unexpectedly, it wasn't the secretary who came to greet Ma Tae-soo—it was Lee Cheol-jung himself. His gaze pushed Kang Moo-hyuk away. Don't interfere.
Kang Moo-hyuk's feet froze under that firm, unyielding stare.
In that instant, fragments of information about the situation flashed through his mind.
The guild master and vice guild master's expressions clashed. Their faces held not just complex emotions, but unspoken words.
Kang Moo-hyuk's mind raced, arriving at a truth.
No way...
Lee Cheol-jung spoke to the stunned Kang Moo-hyuk.
"I'll take it from here. Team Leader Kang, get back to work."
Kang Moo-hyuk waited until the guild's two titans entered, then asked the secretary.
"Secretary Jeong, please let me know when they're done."
Back in the situation room, Kang Moo-hyuk paced restlessly. His eyes were on the Sinlim 17 Gate, but his mind was fixed on the guild master's office.
His stony expression kept the other staff from approaching.
Feeling like he was souring the mood, he headed to his office to tackle paperwork—but nothing stuck.
Less than an hour later, the secretary called.
Kang Moo-hyuk tilted his head at the guild master's summons.
The only thing he'd be needed for was the Ma Tae-sik issue. But the guild master himself, not the vice guild master?
Ominous.
Entering the office, Lee Cheol-jung stared out the window. Kang Moo-hyuk made his presence known. A hunter like Lee Cheol-jung would notice, but it signaled readiness to talk.
Without turning, Lee Cheol-jung said,
"No word from Min-su yet?"
"Just reports that the search is ongoing."
"Well, Min-su can handle himself."
"You didn't call me about the rescue team's report, did you?"
"How are you so sharp? I've never been able to hide anything from you since the old days."
Lee Cheol-jung spoke casually, dropping the guild master title—like a neighborhood older brother.
They'd worked together long enough that he'd occasionally go informal off the record. It was his style. The media called it "big brother leadership."
Guild members liked how he could switch from stiff to approachable.
But Kang Moo-hyuk's expression hardened further. After nearly ten years together, he knew Lee Cheol-jung's traits well. He smiled extra warmly when tough talks loomed—that habit put him on edge.
"You must have something to say. If I don't tell you, you'll dig through the vice guild master or other lines. It's stressing the others out. Better you hear it from me—or confirm your guesses. That's how you get satisfaction, right?"
"Just gathering info for risk management. Nothing major."
"Sure. I get you're the type who preps ahead and gets uneasy without certainty. But this is different. What good comes from knowing what you don't need to?"
"Even if I know, I'll keep it to myself like always."
"That's what makes it uncomfortable."
Lee Cheol-jung turned. Sparks flew from his eyes.
Facing that aura head-on, even resolute Kang Moo-hyuk struggled. Lee Cheol-jung was holding back, but as a non-hunter, the mere pressure made his limbs tremble.
Sweating coldly, Kang Moo-hyuk's mind whirred.
Knowing the top dog's flaws is dangerous. I've known that forever. I have to prove those flaws won't matter. Just like always.
It was a familiar bind.
Lee Cheol-jung constantly tested guild members' loyalty. The process was never smooth—conflicts arose, and someone always fell from power when resolved.
Kang Moo-hyuk's rise to strategic team leader fit that pattern. Talent played a part, but it was scraps from purging anti-guild-master factions in the guild's early growth days.
He'd seized the role by turning Lee Cheol-jung's paranoia into opportunity—sometimes slyly, other times playing the big shot.
As Kang Moo-hyuk organized his thoughts, Lee Cheol-jung spoke first.
"Recite what you know. You'd have figured it out even without me saying."
"A lot of it was coincidence—not worth reporting."
"Skip that. Just what you know."
The firm tone left no escape. Kang Moo-hyuk read the intent: testing through him. Had his scheme worked? Any gaps?
Taking a breath, Kang Moo-hyuk spoke.
"Today's incident was pure coincidence, clearly. But the vice guild master angle afterward... felt targeted."
"In what way?"
"Signs were there before. I brushed them off then. Hunter Lee Jin-joo's incident with Ma Tae-sik... suspicious enough."
"What suspicion? That I stirred trouble to chase Ma Tae-sik out?"
Kang Moo-hyuk flinched. He'd phrased it carefully, but it came blunt.
Steady, he continued.
"Who knows? Only you do. All I know is Hunter Lee Jin-joo expressed interest in strategic team after Ma Tae-sik joined. Not lying about wanting in, but the timing's off."
"And?"
"That you let the vice guild master slot Ma Tae-sik despite knowing? That's it. The gate rescue signal and Ma Tae-sik's screw-up... coincidences that were bound to happen eventually. You seized the moment well."
"Someone might misunderstand. Like I plotted to take down the vice guild master."
Isn't that exactly it?
The retort rose but sank.
Kang Moo-hyuk cursed his quick wits. Was it wit, or just a hyperactive brain? Embarrassing either way.
It'd been like this since childhood. He grasped and memorized faster than peers. Even skipping college for the guild despite good grades.
In Titan Guild's Raid Simulation Strategy Contest, his situational grasp and insight shone.
Lee Cheol-jung's whim got him special entry, but his record was pure skill.
Lee Cheol-jung used that talent well—not just for monsters, but "humans" challenging his authority.
"Interesting take. Your thoughts are always a thrill, Team Leader Kang. But wouldn't a fun story like that make you cling even more to secrets only you know?"
"Any other advice you need? Tasks for me?"
"Hmm... no, no. The vice guild master talk went well—no need to blow it up. Gotta ease our family's worries. You're dismissed."
At the dismissal, Kang Moo-hyuk bowed hastily and fled the office.
Reflecting, it seemed Lee Cheol-jung had called to rein him in.
Kang Moo-hyuk knew him well; Lee Cheol-jung knew him just as much.
He wanted no leaks.
Jang Yi-hyeon, the 6th party leader, is vice guild master's line. The rescue signal was an accident, but it synced perfectly with Ma Tae-sik's revenge play. Vice guild master had to weigh both sides. In the end, his brother screwed his own line.
Hands tied.
Next board meeting or shareholders' assembly would tell, but the vice guild master wouldn't strut. His backers would hush.
I've been in this position too long. Seeing all the ugly sides.
Not just strategic team leader.
Three years promoted, but scheming for Lee Cheol-jung longer. Under guild growth and unity banners, how many hunters had he gutted?
He'd thought team leader meant focusing on monster hunts. Naive now.
Increasingly swept into politics over raids, Kang Moo-hyuk felt dissatisfied.
Joo Se-ah's sneer flashed.
Is Titan Guild any different?
"No words for this."
Bad news never came alone. By evening, the situation room erupted.
"Again?! You're kidding!"
A rescue signal.
With Park Min-soo's party ID.
The guild buzzed as the team sent to rescue now signaled for rescue.
Better than Jang Yi-hyeon's case: a brief cause report.
"Transparent monster? Like a jungle chameleon?"
"No. Detecting doesn't work, they say. Report suspects Unknown."
Lee Cheol-jung sighed. Vice guild master issue half-solved, now an Unknown?
Trouble.
With vice guild master conceding, his line fell under Lee Cheol-jung's responsibility.
Couldn't save the fallen hunters, but survivors needed safe return.
"Unknown means no intel—risk assessment useless. Hmm, want to go myself..."
"No."
Kang Moo-hyuk opposed. Worried for guild members, but just a vanguard party for a yellow gate.
Guild master hunting personally?
Good intentions aside, it'd mark the guild as weak. Shattered their top-tier image.
Lee Cheol-jung understood. He offered another.
"Then the expedition leader..."
"No. Not a boss raid or deep clean—just vanguard on the outskirts. A few expedition members, maybe. But top hunter? Affects guild eval."
"Ace or expedition leader—same difference?"
"Of course save the aces too."
"If nothing works, how to catch an invisible Unknown? Detecting fails?"
"We have an alternative."
"Haha, classic Team Leader Kang."
Kang Moo-hyuk spoke confidently without hesitation. Lee Cheol-jung nodded, relieved.
But his face twisted at the proposal.
"Open C Warehouse."
"Did I hear wrong? C Warehouse?"
"Yes. C Warehouse."