78. I Don't Want to See It on the 9 O'Clock News
“Gi-young, was that an explosion just now?”
“Yeah.”
“They'll be floating down any second now.”
No Song-rin opened his eyes from where he'd been leaning against the wolf's flank. He sat up and stroked its shaggy fur.
The wolf was the size of a bull, looking plenty intimidating, but true to the rider wolf's nature, it didn't shrug off the touch of the man it recognized as its master. If anything, it seemed to enjoy it, closing its eyes and pressing its head into his hand.
“These guys are gonna fetch a high price.”
“Pardon?”
“You saw 'em when the goblins were riding around on 'em. Pretty damn fierce, right? But look at 'em now, acting like big puppies. Loyal to their owners and brave as hell in a fight. They're gonna be a hit, no doubt.”
Lee Gi-young could only tilt his head in confusion at No Song-rin's out-of-left-field chatter right before the hunt.
“Plus, he took out Do Kyung-hoon and made a fool of Jo Choong-hyeon. Filled those spots with some solid replacements. That Lee Jin-joo woman? No idea how he reeled her in, but she looks no pushover. Guy's like a goddamn goblin with a magic club—swing it around, and boom, problems solved.”
Only then did Lee Gi-young catch on that he was talking about Kang Moo-hyuk.
It was all the leader's doing.
No Song-rin slowly got to his feet. The wolf rose too, stretching lazily.
“A thousand evolved orcs, organized like an army. That's a war-scale mission. Think we pull this off solo as a guild—what happens after?”
“Uh, well... I'm clueless about that stuff...”
“What happens is we blow up big-time.”
“Huh? Oh... yeah, probably.”
“But that's it. We don't jump straight to A-rank guild or anything. No real gains, right? Our hunters don't level up, and the HQ we just sank money into fixing? Washed away. Where's the cash to rebuild coming from? Selling wolves? Takes time to scale up the wolf biz proper. Not a ton of males ready to sell right now. Bottom line: this raid's all loss, no profit. Pyrrhic victory or whatever. One slip, and everything we've built crumbles overnight. Not that we've got much to lose yet—bare-bones operation. But even a shack hurts when it floods, yeah?”
“Y-yeah, makes sense. Haha...”
Lee Gi-young had no clue why his faction boss was beating around the bush like this.
The guy had a foul temper, sure, but he was straightforward. Didn't like something? Smash it. Even if he did, no slacking off. Total weirdo.
But after scouting North Pocheon with the leader before the guild move, he'd changed.
'Unpredictable now. Good that he's less hot-headed, but...'
Some deal with the leader? Suspicious how he'd backed the relocation.
And handling Byeon Jeong-cheol, who bailed without permission and went dark—totally out of character.
Normally, he'd chase the guy down and make him pay for betraying the crew. But this time? Felt bad for the kid since Kang Moo-hyuk got to him first, even called off revenge.
To Lee Gi-young, No Song-rin just seemed... weaker.
“What're you spacing out for?”
“Huh? N-nothing...”
“Heads up—hunt's starting. Don't zone out.”
No Song-rin glared, and Lee Gi-young nodded stiffly, body rigid.
'Fuck, weaker my ass. One look from him and my legs go jelly.'
No Song-rin clapped, drawing every hunter's eyes.
Clap clap!
“Listen up! Signal's in—get ready. Time to fish.”
“What about the orc centurion?”
One hunter asked while checking his gear.
“What about it? You gonna solo it?”
“No way solo. Party might handle it.”
“Forget it, idiot. Even looking like a drowned rat, a centurion's a centurion. Even if you could, it'd take time. We skip centurion-grade and up. Blitz the rest fast as possible. That's why we got the rider wolves—mobility's our edge. Make sure not a single orc makes it back to Cheorwon. Cut 'em all down. Got it?!”
““Yes sir!””
“Oh, and if it's general-grade, don't engage—radio me. That's mine.”
““Roger!””
“Good. Mount up. Move out!”
The ground rumbled like a buffalo stampede from afar.
No Song-rin vaulted onto the rider wolf that trotted up beside him.
The wolf's back had a saddle and stirrups like a horse's. Difference? No reins—just handgrips on the saddle.
Shaped like wolves but monsters at heart, rider wolves hated reins like poison.
Kang Moo-hyuk and An Ji-il had designed the custom gear for that.
Even in these details, No Song-rin felt the man's presence.
Started with blackmail, but watching him crush Kim Myeong-jun from Hanseong Enterprise shifted his thinking.
'It's not the strong who survive. Survivors are the strong. Power-wise, Kang Moo-hyuk's the weakest of the weak. But Kim Myeong-jun bent. Even that Ujungdo viper danced to the leader's tune—total curveball. This raid... guild's gonna shake. So what? Big deal?'
No Song-rin hooked his foot in the stirrup and nudged the wolf's belly. It shot forward like a bullet. The other hunters followed.
Wind swept his hair back, clearing the tangle in his head.
'But our leader? He'll swing that magic club and fix it. So I'll stick with the winner. That's how I win.'
The dry riverbed overflowed.
Weed-choked fields, fallow for years, filled with floodwater from the breached dike. Abandoned farmhouses and riverside buildings sank in an instant.
The guild HQ was no exception. Slightly higher than the valley but near Nakcheonji Waterfall and built along the water path, it flooded too.
Lucky no one was inside. The orcs swept up in it? Pure hell.
460,000 tons of water pressure was bad enough, but their armor was worse.
Evolved orcs wore crude mana-forged plate—heavy as sin.
Countless sank like stones, turning water ghost. Those who ditched armor and swam collided with armored ones, skulls cracking, bones shattering.
The torrent smashed them against valley rocks. Orcs became each other's killers in the chaos.
Survivors fared no better. Hunters waited like grim reapers.
Jang Deok-gu, receiving the report, ordered parties to hunt autonomously.
Dozens of hunters and wolves raced along low-water banks where the flood hadn't surged, harvesting floating orcs.
Hundreds, sure—but exhausted, injured, scattered. No match for organized hunters.
Occasional centurions ignored per orders; only sub-centurions targeted. Worn-out centurions couldn't catch wolf speed.
“Scram.”
“Kwek—!”
Jang Deok-gu's centurion was the exception. Could withstand a group, not solo.
Reports rolled in—no general.
Most dangerous missing. Jang Deok-gu felt uneasy.
'Can't let it escape. Evolves to lord, headaches galore... Huh? What's that?'
He spotted a familiar figure sprawled on the bank, eyes widening.
“His party's been MIA. Doesn't look orc-killed... Leader, got Jo Choong-hyeon here. Soaked and passed out—not by orcs. Know anything?”
A pause on the line.
Jang Deok-gu sensed trouble.
“What happened?”
Shocked yells erupted across the net. Kang Moo-hyuk had left it open on purpose.
Jang Deok-gu read the play.
'Air the guild's dirty laundry clean. Needs a common enemy in tough times? Already tightening the reins, Leader.'
Best to play dumb. Or back him up.
“We'll beat him just short of death and present him to the leader.”
“Wh-who...?”
Pyo Beom-hee just gawked at the woman who plummeted from the sky into the orc formation's heart.
Impact so fierce, allied hunters—and charging orcs baring monster fangs—froze.
Even Yeom Soo-hyung, mind fraying at his limit, halted. Her feat was legendary.
Boom!
“Mage?”
Crack! Crunch!
“Uprooting trees whole and hurling 'em—what spell's that?”
Kaboom!
“No delay—hardly magic.”
Rumblecrash!
“Still, flipping earth like that? Earthquake spell?”
Who she was didn't matter—orcs were fleeing.
Hunters cheered; Pyo Beom-hee clocked her.
'Telekinesis. A-rank level? Strategic nuke in mass war, mage-tier. Leader's backup.'
As Pyo zoned on the mystery telekinetic, a groan came from above.
“Ugh... uuu...”
“Poor guy's tapped out. Close call—good timing on support. Hang tight.”
Pyo leaped, slung her basket on Yeom Soo-hyung's shoulder, grabbed his hair. Pulled ampoules from her pouch, chugged 'em.
Liquids dark, murky. Some reeked.
Poison essence.
Her body flasked them, mixing into new toxins.
“Ugh. Whew, the breath. Trait's great otherwise, but morning breath killer.”
Pyo exhaled the brewed poison at gigant Yeom's nose.
Mana-packed to counter gigant's poison resist.
It worked—he staggered, knelt.
Body shrank to normal. Power drain knocked him out cold on the ground.
“Idol babysitter before; now bearded uncle duty. What a cursed fate.”
Pyo sat on his back like a chair. Breathing to gauge drained mana, battle—slaughter—wound down.
The woman stomped fleeing orcs, approached stretching lazily.
“Ahh~ Refreshing. Exams pissed me off. Stress gone. Orcs perfect punching bags. Evolving and causing shit where?”
Laughing amid orc corpses, Pyo knew one thing sure.
'She's nuts too. Definitely Leader's call.'
Better steer clear.
Jo Choong-hyeon, dragged by Jang Deok-gu, was a mess. Flood damage minor; mostly Deok-gu's thrashing.
Mana flow wrecked—rest needed, recovery slow.
Kang Moo-hyuk strode up, drew revolver with his un-splinted left.
Bang!
“Gahk!”
Hunter toughness plus special terrain dulled mana rounds, but his state amplified pain.
“Hurts? Dead don't hurt. Five hunters died 'cause of you. Faster blast, they'd live.”
“Kkuk! Leader Kang. Overkill? This is Korea. Rule of law—vigilante punishment? Not your style. No Song-rin, maybe.”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Kahk! Guk! Kahk! Fuck! Stop! You bastard, what the hell...”
“Revolver—five shots left. Lucky. Machine gun? Mana stones bankrupt us.”
Choi Mi-ran flinched like it was her, watching Kang fire freely.
Flashback to first meet: parking spat. Swallowed dry, whispered.
“Seong-hyeon, parking lot thing? Think he'd have shot me then?”
“Random... Oh, that? Nah, not over that.”
“Do Kyung-hoon's crew wrecked brutal. Orc wipe. And earlier? Jo's goons all dead. One chest-holed.”
“That was Do's underling—with us?”
“Fuck, worse!”
“How to say it then?”
“Anyway, watch ourselves. Piss him off, bullet's bullshit.”
“Jeez, lame joke... Wait, not joking?”
Kim Seong-hyeon shook his head at her stone face.
'Doesn't seem trigger-happy, but... Better she fears him? Total my-way-or-highway.'
While they fretted, Kang decided Jo's fate.
Jang KO'd him—no need for aftermath chatter.
“Leader. Him?”
“Wanna kill him... But plenty saw the drag. Even scum can't just vanish. And...”
“And?”
“Gotta expose his backer.”
“Tae Su-man Director?”
“He wanted the guild, not gone.”
“Wants it destroyed...”
Tae Jin-seong Chairman.
Industry's wrinkled dragon flashed in Jang's mind.
“You know who too? Probably him. No proof.”
“Then what?”
“Hand to investigators before Guild Master returns. Ujungdo bound.”
“Before her? Serious crime—her say?”
“She'd ice him. Maybe confront Tae Jin-seong. Taeseong HQ crumbles?”
“Her temper... Can't deny.”
“Don't wanna see her on the 9 o'clock news.”