81. To Save Someone, You Must Kill Someone.
"This is definitely unfair. A body that won't even take a knife."
Gam Woo-young spat out the bloody phlegm clogging his throat and readjusted his grip on his sword.
Joo Se-ah approached with a stumbling gait. Her armor coat was in tatters. She tossed the black coat off her back like it was a nuisance.
Revealed beneath was a custom armor of deep ink-black, darker than clouds on an overcast day but lighter than a moonless night.
"That uniform was one I actually liked for once. Damn expensive too."
"Shit! No wonder it felt like she was hitting harder than usual. She went all out just 'cause she got her clothes ripped? Ugh, my bones ache. Send the bill to Slayer. We made bank on this expedition—they can cover it."
Gam Woo-young glanced at one corner of the battlefield with a defeated whine. Joo Se-ah followed his gaze and turned her head.
The Orc Lord raid was reaching its climax.
Most of the orcs guarding the boss lay sprawled on the ground, and even the lord itself was burning through its remaining life force in a desperate resistance.
At the center of that hunt stood Seong Seon-je.
"That guy's supposed to stay out of the field."
"He jumps in sometimes these days. We had a bit of a power vacuum after you left, sis."
"Slayer doesn't grind to a halt without me. He's just a petty asshole venting his frustrations."
Joo Se-ah had kept tabs on the raid's progress between clashes with Gam Woo-young. She replayed it in her mind.
Lee Jin-joo's breakthrough, led by her Azure Flame trait, was overwhelmingly dominant—enough to make you wonder why she'd never gotten top-tier treatment before.
Of course, the orcs' weakness to magic played a part too.
Azure Flame was a trait, but it fundamentally wielded elemental power, which tied into magic.
In the chaotic melee of hunters and monsters, mages couldn't unleash area-of-effect spells, so a magic swordsman style that blended close combat with magic shone even brighter.
Lee Jin-joo had pierced straight to the lord in an instant like that—but that's where the trouble started.
"Still, dragging Titan into it was unexpected."
Slayer, the self-proclaimed number one in Korea, with that arrogant Seong Seon-je allying with an A-rank guild to interfere? Unheard of.
Ma Tae-soo, already sour on Joo Se-ah, Kang Moo-hyuk, and Lee Jin-joo, jumped at Slayer's offer and blocked the path of his fellow Yeouido rival, Taeguk Guild.
Meanwhile, Slayer went after the lord.
"Gotta be that desperate to check the unbeatable Joo Se-ah, right?"
"Looks like you haven't earned Seong's full trust yet. He's trying to wrap it up before dealing with you."
"Ugh, brutal truth. Yeah, I was just a tad short."
"Even with those guys piling on? Bold move. You did grab my ankle, I'll give you that."
At Joo Se-ah's jab, Gam Woo-young smacked his lips bitterly and scanned the surroundings.
Hunters lay scattered everywhere—unconscious or groaning in pain.
He'd even called in his own standby party members, swallowing his pride, to check Joo Se-ah, but this was the result.
At least she'd held back on lethal blows, so it was just injuries.
Our combat power's not that far off. I knew it, but her stamina and defense are beyond imagination. Short bursts of overwhelming firepower or a prolonged war of attrition with sheer numbers—those are the only ways to take her. No hunter at our rank could beat sis one-on-one.
Maybe an S-rank, if anyone?
Gam Woo-young fumed at the unfairness of outcomes hinging on a single trait, despite being the same A+ rank.
Joo Se-ah felt the same injustice.
Woo-young and the rest too. We all held back our final moves against each other. Natural when you're not betting your lives, but damn, it hits hard. If I'd gone for blood, even without the earthquake, showing off like that would've been tough. Tch! These guys with all they have—why chase after this?
Then came the Orc Lord's death cry echoing through the air.
Seong Seon-je stood calmly atop its corpse, having severed its head.
Lee Jin-joo, who had missed the lord by a hair, slammed the ground in frustration. She ground her teeth, glaring at Ma Tae-soo, who smirked back at her.
This raid was a microcosm of Korea's current guild landscape.
Slayer always won, and the guilds below fought over their scraps. Refuse the crumbs? Starve. Or hunt where Slayer wasn't— no guild could claim every gate.
Joo Se-ah hated this Slayer-dominated world.
Slayer doesn't care about protecting anyone. Just profit. Power to toy with the world as they please. The bare minimum honor to keep up appearances. They pick sides on performative justice alone. That's why Korea's hunter scene can't grow—with guilds like this at the top.
That was why she'd rejected renewal and left.
Once, she'd believed Slayer was righteous. Even witnessing injustices, she'd rationalized it as necessary for the greater good.
But it was all hypocrisy. She realized she couldn't build her dreamed world in Slayer anymore.
So she left. It was tough, but no regrets.
Gam Woo-young sheathed his sword and spoke.
"Still, today it was a paper-thin difference, right? Watch your back next time. Dawdle, and I'll eat you up."
"Rush me again, same result."
"Won't be just me then? Got a few party leaders itching for a shot."
"Might as well sort the pecking order all at once. Save the hassle."
"Haha, classic. Thought you'd be scraping by in some small guild, but Joo Se-ah's still Joo Se-ah. You know what they say? Only sis can call Slayer's expedition rejects 'hot pants.'"
"Big whoop."
Gam Woo-young rolled on the ground, clutching his belly in laughter.
Only then did Joo Se-ah put away her weapon.
"Tell Seong I said congrats on snagging the mine. And wolf prices are going up big time."
"Whoa, straight savage. That's why monopolies scare me."
"Gotta cough up some of what you ate. Heard of trickle-down? Act big like a major guild."
"Not my money, so whatever. I'll play messenger—for the lesson today."
Joo Se-ah turned without a second glance. Gam Woo-young, staring intently, shouted after her.
"Sis! Guild master suits you great!"
Joo Se-ah waved without looking back and left the gate.
And so the orc tribe raid ended.
Jo Choong-hyeon walked south along the national highway.
They hadn't even given him a vehicle for his crimes, so he was a full-on pedestrian until the checkpoint.
"Phew. Should I count it lucky they didn't drag me to Ujungdo?"
He'd left the guild with a smug smile in front of the members. No way he'd show a pathetic sight, even facing death.
Officially dishonorable discharge, but he'd work by the chairman's side now—no risk of being branded a nobody like Do Kyung-hoon.
Problem was, after all his big talk, failing to deliver meant slim chances of real favor from the chairman.
Like standing half a step from a cliff's edge in life's game.
Will another chance like today come?
A shot to climb.
An absolute opportunity to rise, even forcing someone's sacrifice. Who knew if it'd return, but one thing was certain.
If it came again, he'd strike without hesitation.
That settled his mind.
This world was live and let live. As long as he thrived, others be damned.
Decide in advance, execute without waver when it counts.
As tension eased away from the guild, loneliness on the empty road drew out mutters.
"Kang Moo-hyuk... Letting me go 'cause you're scared of the chairman? Big mistake. I'll repay this debt."
That was when it happened.
"People really don't change."
"!!"
On the darkening mountain path, a massive silhouette rose slowly from the tree shadows lining both sides, blocking the road.
"Ja... Jang... Deok-gu..."
Jo Choong-hyeon shrank under the overwhelming presence of Jang Deok-gu, mounted on his rider wolf and looking down.
"I've seen tons like you. From my executor days—no, even before. And every one got their punishment."
"Dragging me to Ujungdo now?"
Jang Deok-gu dismounted. Ignoring the question, he fiddled with the wolf's fur like tearing it and continued.
"You know what? Not one who got punished ever truly repented. They all whined about their bad luck meeting me. Not a single one owned their crimes—just drew blades and rebelled."
Jo Choong-hyeon froze like ice at those words.
The reason Ujungdo alumni feared him.
No one alive had seen it, but the curse-laden graffiti on prison walls pointed to one man.
The worst misfortune a villain could face...
Jang Deok-gu turned from the wolf to face him. His eyes held no emotion. Chilling.
"If you can't punish villains, what's an executor for? That's why I quit."
"Gonna kill me? Think the chairman will let that slide? It'll screw Joo Se-ah and Kang Moo-hyuk too. Guild could shatter. You think the chairman forgives defiance?"
"No one'll know. They'll think you fled to dodge fallout. Even if they suspect, are you worth it? To Tae Jin-seong?"
"How wouldn't they? I talked to the chairman him—"
Jo Choong-hyeon didn't even register Jang Deok-gu drawing his blade. Kang Moo-hyuk flashed in his mind.
Letting me talk to the chairman... No vehicle... Letting guildmates see me...
Deliberate?
To leave evidence of following orders?
"Sure, suspicion. So what? Like I said, you're not worth it."
Jang Deok-gu approached slowly.
"The leader said: Can't release a villain who treats comrades' lives and citizens' safety like dirt."
"Ki-kill me and you'll face scandals! Rumors'll spread. Murderer. Kang Moo-hyuk can't handle th—"
"Special zone here. No eyes, no body to find."
Jang Deok-gu's steps quickened; the blade reached his throat in the next instant.
Jo Choong-hyeon couldn't block. Couldn't dodge. Just stared at the sword plunging toward his chest.
"Fuck..."
Stab!
"Gahhh..."
Jang Deok-gu twisted the blade, shattering the sternum entirely, then shoved Jo Choong-hyeon's face to withdraw it.
Thud.
Like a felled log, a meaningless death hit the ground.
"Don't worry about the leader. He's prepared."
Darkening skies unleashed rain from gathering storm clouds.
Perhaps heaven wept for the fallen members.
Kang Moo-hyuk gazed out the office window, pondering.
Lake had plenty of water. Dumping what evaporated, huh? ...Or was rain forecast anyway?
He shed useless emotions. Ordering an assassination brought no room for melancholy or self-loathing—that was the leader's seat. If mourning, shed tears for the dead. Even that a luxury...
His eyes fell on the tablet on his desk.
Guild Reconstruction Plan
The framework for guild recovery, turned from thoughts after sending Jang Deok-gu into text.
He got Joo Se-ah's call. All clear. Minor injuries, no deaths—returning.
Only then did it feel truly over.
Relief brought reality crashing in. No rest—he dove into work, finishing the plan.
Knew the guild master would eye the Orc Lord. Failed, but within expectations—no regrets. Stick to the plan.
Turn crisis to opportunity.
Bad situation, not worst.
This war would elevate Iron Will another step.
If the guild can sell it, I'll hawk anything.
He chuckled wryly at himself.
Just ordered a death here, now calmly plotting next steps. Emotions numbing. The illness? Or my nature?
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled his talk with Jang Deok-gu.
Don't know much about Hunter Jang Deok-gu, but I know Ujungdo folk fear you. Not the type to scare easy from violence. Rumors, but some truth—like brutally killing villains.
So what're you getting at?
Eliminate Jo Choong-hyeon. He'll kill again anywhere. Can't release a villain.
Order?
You can refuse. Your call, Hunter Jang.
Hmph, funny. Not saying it direct, but you're betting the guild and master on this. Table leader said: Releasing 'cause of Chairman Tae. Backlash'll be fierce.
I stake my life. Tae Jin-seong doesn't for this. That's our difference—why my head's still attached. Though Jo's not worth it.
Staking your life...
Expected when I became leader.
Fine. Both betting the master—let's end it. One thing we agree: To save someone, kill someone. Times demand it. Jo earned death.
Bitter, but no happy endings for all. Keep secret from guild master.
Think I'm dumb? Anyway, guild master's clueless.
No worry it'd go wrong. Jang went—Jo's fate sealed.
Just shocking he'd issued the orders he once despised.
The command grated like sand in his mouth.
Knew leading meant this, steeled himself—but too easy now felt off.
Enough. Wasted energy.
Kang Moo-hyuk snapped from reverie, picking up the receiver.
Strike while the iron's hot.
"Pass to Team Leader An Ji-il: Hand it to Team Leader Gong."