People Tend to Watch Their Mouths Outside the House
Detective Kim Bu-yong gripped his throbbing head from the hangover as he drove.
His mind was sharp, but his stomach churned. He wanted to down a bowl of haejangguk hangover stew and sweat it out in a sauna, but an unexpected call about a case forced him to rush to the scene.
The car's tires slipped several times on the muddy ground slick from yesterday's rain.
Nampocheon had plenty of these unpaved roads. It dated back to the chaos when North Pocheon had turned into a special activity zone.
With Pocheon's population plummeting, tax revenue dried up, so they hadn't bothered paving roads in sparsely populated areas. Infrastructure wrecked during the upheaval still lay untouched everywhere.
As a quasi-disaster zone, they got national subsidies, but those went straight into job-creation projects to fill the employment gap.
At least lately, with Iron Will Guild adopting the special zone as their home base, whispers of economic revival were starting to spread.
In fact, Iron Will prioritized local Pocheon businesses for everything from headquarters construction to food supplies.
Thanks to that, outsiders were trickling in, and police work had picked up accordingly.
Not that he minded. A dying city was finally coming back to life.
"And with it, more cases. Ugh! Aigoo, damn it. Huh? What the hell is this? The scene's a total mess?"
The site visible through the car window was swarming with villagers. The outnumbered cops struggled just to hold the police line. Fortunately, the crowd was orderly, content to gawk from outside the tape.
As Kim Bu-yong stepped out, a junior detective managing the onlookers spotted him and hurried over.
"Detective Kim, why didn't you pick up? We've been calling nonstop."
"Passed out after chugging booze at the station's group dinner last night."
"You gotta cut back. Every time you swear you're gonna die from it, then drink like you're trying to make it true."
"How do you refuse the chief's glass? Wait'll you're my age. To make team leader, you gotta tough out seats like that."
"So you do wanna climb the ranks?"
"Got three kids. Gotta advance just enough to feed 'em."
The two detectives flashed their badges at the cop guarding the line and stepped inside.
"Heard the basics. Murder?"
"Murder, yeah... but it's kinda..."
"Kinda what? Spit it out—"
Kim Bu-yong couldn't finish.
A stench assaulted his nose.
Before even seeing the scene, the metallic tang of blood and rot vibrated at the tip of his nose.
Stepping into the barn revealed a sight too grotesque for "gruesome"—it was downright bizarre.
"Wh-what the hell is this? Urp—"
"Even you with your iron stomach?"
"Bl-blame the booze. Bleeech!"
"I get it. Rookies on their first scene hurled too. I nearly did. Seen a few murders before, but nothing like this."
Kim Bu-yong was seeing it for the first time too.
A human head impaled on a barn pillar in the center.
Intestines—or something like them—were wrapped tight around the pillar. Imagining which part was nauseating.
The surroundings were splattered in blood, floor littered with flesh chunks and guts.
No spot safe to step.
"Humans did this?"
"You think so too, right? No person's capable. And check this out."
"This a cow head?"
"Yeah. Looks a few days rotten."
"Skewered on a stake?"
"Seen something like it in books. Totem or whatever. Looks just like some shaman ritual."
"Monster work, then?"
"Raw tearing and eating marks too. If monsters, not a lone one. Probably a pack."
Kim Bu-yong grasped the gravity.
Not one or two? How'd they slip past the electrified fence undetected?
Breaches had happened before, but alarms always sounded for quick response. This time, silent infiltration.
No, that's not the point. Pocheon could collapse entirely.
Packs were bad enough, but scattering everywhere would be worse.
Casualties aside, the real fear was terrorizing Nampocheon residents.
A fragilely stabilizing community could shatter completely.
"Report up the chain. Beyond our paygrade."
Kang Moo-hyuk was swamped assessing the new recruits' capabilities.
Paperwork and reps only revealed so much; Lee Jin-joo's hands-on evaluations filled the gaps.
Lee Jin-joo sank deep into the conference room sofa, adding to her report.
"Baek Seong-bin the hunter's solid. Tough, holds up well. But not main tank material. Sub-tank maybe. Patience is zilch."
"Fine. Wasn't planning to train him as tank anyway."
"Huh? A healing factor tank who's sturdy to boot—not for tanking? Then what?"
"Not tank, then DPS. What else?"
"Outta left field. He's not even fast."
"Not all DPS need speed. He's quicker than he looks. Loves charging ahead—let him."
"Figures. You pushed magic swordsman on me outta nowhere too. Thought it was nonsense at first. Even the guild master tried stopping you. But boom, huge success. Precedent set, can't argue."
"You were a win. Doesn't mean all are."
"Batting .300's elite in baseball. You were way higher. Rare success rate in the biz."
"Hunter coordinating ain't baseball. One hunter's future on the line—focus on failure points. Key's nailing the recoverable limit."
Lee Jin-joo shrugged. She'd tossed it casual chit-chat; he went rigid. Fix that stubborn streak, and no beef with Titan's vice master.
Not that I can talk there.
Next hunter eval was underway.
A knock, and Joo Se-ah entered. Lee Jin-joo straightened.
"Relax. Not that kinda guild."
"Nah. Makes you comfy, looks bad on you to others. You know from Slayer—every move reflects on the guild master. Basic decorum's a must."
Kang Moo-hyuk hadn't coached her, but Lee Jin-joo self-policed fine.
Expedition core experience was more than hunting skill; aspiring leaders handled intangibles.
A bit distant, but Joo Se-ah got it, nodded past it.
"You were out. Where to?"
"Patrol."
"Patrol?"
"Short-handed bad. New blood helps, but gotta fill gaps myself awhile."
Kang Moo-hyuk scratched his head. Guilty. Other guilds, guild masters don't pull shifts.
And Joo Se-ah was top-tier hunter. Not patrol fodder.
This time, even he couldn't advise preserving dignity. Her absence spiked others' fatigue.
"Newbies boost quality huge, but numbers matter. Can't fill, it'll hobble us forever."
"Handling soon."
"How?"
"Backup for transfer shortfalls. Mentioned to guild master before."
"Before? Draft? Winter season's coming."
"Draft's rigged like go-stop."
Lee Jin-joo tilted her head, chiming in. Kang Moo-hyuk explained.
"Schools, top grads get scooped by big guilds. Freelancers? Fame chasers aside, most off HR radars."
"Freelancers lack data, hence draft over scout. Rumors only. Rare vid goes viral, every scout nationwide swarms. Mid-small guilds compete? Transfers worked 'cause we hit personal angles."
As Joo Se-ah noted, skilled freelancers eyed big guilds. Mid-tier at best piqued interest.
Filler freelancers got no love even from small-mid. Guild support beat solo, but not enough to ditch freedom.
Long freelance hardened against rules. Needed mid-tier perks to consider.
"Rookies trainable from scratch. Freelancers? Bad habits baked in. Hard to vet pre-recruit."
"So hunt raw gems with short freelance time. School's year-long misses some. Top scorers plateau and drop. Small guilds reject potentials who go freelance and boom later."
"Those invest, form parties, even guilds."
"Guild master'd have too, sans Taeseong."
"I got name value. Confidence too. Lee Jin-joo here? Quit tomorrow, investors line up."
"Pass, even with fat funding. Seen seniors crash. Outside's cold and hungry."
Lee Jin-joo shuddered like she'd lived wild.
"Anyway, manpower fix exists? Cool, trust you and draft training curriculum."
"Easy. No Slayer standards last time—don't wreck 'em."
"Th-that was... Fine. Tch! Thought they couldn't hack basic low-rank? How else they toughen?"
As Joo Se-ah grumbled, the door cracked open.
"Busy?"
"Team Leader Pyo. What's up?"
"Hotline call. Few monsters slipped into Nampocheon."
"This make any sense? Iron Will's guarding Nampocheon, right? Made it home base for that. Monsters hopping the fence? What were they doing to let it get this bad?"
"Councilor Kim, calm down first..."
"Calm? Where's the mayor? In this mess? Tch! Anyway, party aside—we councilors lead the condemnation."
The Nampocheon city staffer handling Iron Will comms sweated bullets soothing the rampaging councilors.
Councilors saw themselves as top dogs.
Side benefits from home base status shone clear via Iron Will; they itched for kickbacks.
Staffer knew Iron Will was boss. Had to defuse before councilors botched it.
"Bit unfair blaming Iron Will. Fence management hasn't transferred yet. They're just settling; we handle till systems firm."
"Think we don't know? Home base ages ago—still not handed over? That's the issue."
"Declaration was while back, but actual reclaim recent..."
"Hey! You get it or not? Hits evening news. National embarrassment. We're exposed as incompetent. How douse citizens' rage and fear?"
"Media how..."
Staffer finally clocked it.
Media sniffed before a day passed?
Suspicious.
Gate/monster intel was top-secret gov/local. Legally suppressible.
Cops zipped lips post-scene; residents bar first reporter unseen.
Someone leaked deliberate.
Pressure Iron Will via public opinion, then squeeze? Even to guild reviving Pocheon?
Frustrating.
Stumped on swaying councilors, door opened.
"Huh? You...?"
Kang Moo-hyuk entered.
He acknowledged the familiar staffer.
"Section Chief, met before?"
"Ah, yeah. What brings you."
"Hotline. Monsters crossed to Nampocheon. Tough break. I take over now."
Late-recognizing councilors surged out.
"You Kang Moo-hyuk, raid leader?"
"Handle this first."
Kang Moo-hyuk whispered to staffer, faced councilors.
"As of now, city council hall operates as command center for monster extermination. Non-personnel, evacuate."
"Wh-what? You can't..."
Before protests, burly men entered. Obvious hunters, ripped builds.
They flexed, shoving councilors. Councilors resisted futile; no match for hunter strength.
Protests all they mustered.
"You're screwing up big!"
"Outrage! Who do you think we are?!"
"We won't stand for this?!"
Kang Moo-hyuk ignored bellowing evictees, directed incoming guild ops team.
"Team Leader Gong Du-ri, system setup time?"
"Internet's instant. Gear's the hitch. Link to HQ cables for data share. Done in three hours."
"Units deploying now. Smooth ops need info flow. Half it—one and a half."
"Ugh, spooky sense. Yes sir, pronto."
Gong Du-ri's team settled, hustled.
Dazed staffer ventured.
"Um, Raid Leader Kang."
"Yes? Questions?"
"How's this... Councilors too. Kicking 'em risks backlash."
Kang Moo-hyuk silently drew a paper.
Staffer recognized.
"City-Iron Will contract copy."
"Article 3 copy. Check."
"...Allows seizing council hall as ops HQ."
"Put it there on purpose."
"On... purpose?"
"Experienced home base at old job. Politics biggest hassle."
Staffer nodded instinctively.
Civil servant unspoken gripe: meddling pols chasing perks.
Kang Moo-hyuk commiserated.
"Urgent work, pol mouths endless block. Emergencies? Convincing's slow. Hence clause. Easier shut 'em up evicting from home turf. People tend to watch their mouths outside the house."