#82. Gotta Call Him an S-Rank Con Artist.
“I heard about it. What Jo Choong-hyeon did. And that he went to headquarters.”
Joo Se-ah’s eyes burned somewhere between rage and frustration.
She’d lumped it all under “went to headquarters,” but she’d already pieced together that Tae Jin-seong was behind the betrayal.
She held back from saying it outright as a bare minimum of restraint—to keep her emotions from making her do something rash.
Good thing she didn’t charge over there right away. Looks like she’s finally getting a sense of her role as guild master. If she’d gone to grill the chairman about Jo Choong-hyeon, that would’ve been a mess.
Since Jo Choong-hyeon’s fate still hadn’t leaked, Kang Moo-hyuk shifted the topic to distract her.
“Infuriating as it is, we don’t have the luxury to worry about some guy who’s already out of the guild.”
“Cold as ever, Deputy. Even after all that. You holding up okay?”
“Thanks to the potions. Bones aren’t fully set yet, but the rest’s mostly healed.”
To Joo Se-ah’s eyes, he looked pretty much fine except for the right arm in a half-cast. His pale complexion worried her a bit, but for a regular human, potions rapidly drained stamina—that wasn’t unusual.
“So, what’s next?”
“Rebuild the guild, obviously.”
“Duh, we all know that.”
“Not just rebuild. We need to level up—beyond that.”
“Level up? Not a restart?”
“Evolved goblins and orcs. Two war-scale raids no C-rank guild could handle. Stagnate here, and it’s all downhill. A bit premature, sure, but we’re riding the tiger now. Time to take a bold step forward.”
Joo Se-ah sighed deeply, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands.
“Money’s the issue, right? Not enough even with that bank loan you pulled off last time?”
“Prep for upcoming business eats it all up. Pawn the future just to patch the present? Level-up’s dead in the water.”
“Sucks we didn’t snag that mine. Could’ve sold shares for quick cash. Rush the wolf shipments?”
“Rider wolves aren’t ready. Only adult males so far—numbers are low. Need to scale up first.”
“Which means fixing the breeding pens too, huh? No money coming in, just pouring out everywhere. Sigh~!”
“That’s why I’ve got a few ideas lined up.”
Kang Moo-hyuk hit the remote on the table. The beam screen folded into the office wall unrolled downward. He tapped his laptop, queuing up a video.
“Th-this is……”
Joo Se-ah couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen. Scenes she’d missed while in Cheorwon flashed by breathlessly.
When it finally ended, Kang Moo-hyuk continued.
“Shot with Team Leader An Ji-il’s upgraded gate cameras. No pro editor—Team Leader Gong just did basic cuts on the raw footage.”
“Why show me this……?”
Joo Se-ah tilted her head, utterly baffled.
Major guilds sometimes posted raid videos—for PR, to show they protected citizens. Or tied to political deals with governments.
Those were flashy, movie-level edits for hype.
This one? Raw, brutal, desperate—just like he’d said.
“We’re ditching the C-rank guild image from here on. Replacing it with ‘justice guild’—guardians for the people.”
“Huh?!”
From funding woes to image overhaul? Joo Se-ah’s confusion deepened.
Didn’t guilds worry about branding only after they were rolling in cash? Hunters weren’t consumer brands. PR barely boosted revenue—if at all. It just cost money.
Catching what her Slayer days had taught her, Kang Moo-hyuk quickly elaborated.
“Most guilds see PR as a waste. Big leagues, mega-corps—they do it on schedule because image demands it. Guilds are unique that way. ‘Hunt well, that’s enough’ mindset.”
“Not wrong, really. I don’t see how this fixes our mess. Worried it’ll just reopen the team’s trauma. Civilians are already jittery about staying in North Pocheon after this. Even some hunters are shaken.”
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded in agreement.
“North Pocheon’s got that image too. Dangerous. Impoverished. Like us. So we flip it this time.”
“How?”
“Make it a holy site.”
“Holy site?”
“Told you—Iron Will is what? Justice guild. Fought an orc army. Saved South Pocheon citizens. Not dangerous anymore. A pilgrimage spot everyone visits. Grand words, but it’s just image-making. And that image changes everything.”
Joo Se-ah gaped at him, half in disbelief.
What the hell’s in this guy’s head?
An idea she’d never have dreamed of. Non-hunter brain? Partly, but he just rejected the ordinary.
“Even if pilgrims flock and the image flips—problems still unsolved, right?”
Joo Se-ah zeroed in, unswayed.
“Solved.”
“Where? Still broke-ass guild. Fix the rich image first? Justice is cool, but loaded pulls more.”
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled faintly, unflappable.
“Sometimes image is money.”
A college kid stretching from finals prep at a café spotted his friend glued to NewTube instead of studying. He scolded him.
“You flunk again, your folks kick you out, right? Study, dude.”
“Yeah, yeah—just this one more.”
“What’s got you hooked? Hot chick streamer?”
His friend shoved the phone over.
“Seen this?”
“What?”
“NewTube vid. Orcs vs. hunters.”
“Pfft, lowbies probably. Dude, NewTube’s got foreign big-guild boss raids. Why this crap?”
“Not just fighting. It’s war. War.”
“War?”
“North Pocheon? That guild that went in. Orc army.”
“Sheesh. That big a deal? Play it.”
The two watched the phone screen. No sound, but epic.
Orc horde stretching down the road overwhelmed from the start. These weren’t photo orcs—bigger, darker-skinned, tougher-looking.
A massive tattooed orc stood out, terrifying enough to question if it was real.
Hunters baiting them? Tense as hell—any second, necks snapped.
Exploding ground mid-fight? Straight war movie.
Peak: Bridge collapse, lone hunter facing orcs.
Spear-and-sword rush, slicing them down—pure thrill.
Comments already nicknamed him “Bridge-Laying Gear.” Chaos.
Climax: Waterfall burst, massive flood.
Orcs swept away—gasps escaped.
Ended with rider wolves charging in.
“Dude! What is this? Movie?!”
“Says it’s real. Channel: Iron Will official. Description calls it war-scale mission. Profile pic’s the deputy from news and Joo Se-ah.”
“Could be fake.”
“Who sinks billions into a fake channel? No CG.”
“Holy shit, speechless.”
The war raid didn’t just shock two students. Hours after upload, internet exploded.
North Pocheon’s war didn’t end with online buzz. Broadcasters ran breaking news.
Government followed media with official presser. Guild Cooperation Head Cha Gil-ju read statement at ministry press center.
This incident stemmed from an undetected gate in Cheorwon. Thankfully, Iron Will sensed the danger and mobilized urgently. By preventing citizen casualties……
Gov statement lit up the nation. Guilds and hunters reacted strongest.
Guilds sensed Iron Will’s status flip overnight.
Even Slayer at the top caught the vibe.
“Well, shit. Can’t even brag about the mine now.”
Seong Seon-je chuckled dryly at the TV. Curious, Gam Woo-young beside him asked.
“Why?”
“They announced Joo Se-ah raided the gate while main force defended. Slayer took that mine? Folks’ll think: send that power to North Pocheon, no casualties, easy block.”
“Deaths happen in hunts. Guilds prioritize gains. Why post gate info on guild app if not?”
“Hunters think that way. Public? Might feel betrayed. ‘Chose profit over citizens.’ Easy to spin even if not. Stay quiet now. Iron Will won’t pick a fight.”
Gam Woo-young nodded understanding, then piped up.
“Who thought of flooding orcs with lake water? Gave me chills. First raid like that.”
“……”
Unlike Gam Woo-young, Seong Seon-je had seen it—read it, anyway.
Table Mountain Raid.
Mana stone mine on cliffs—blew the whole thing, dropped the summit boss.
Boss crashed, no resistance, hunters finished it.
Kang Moo-hyuk. Not just guild ops. Field beast too.
If not for that monster-slay-first obsession, would’ve recruited to Slayer.
Seong Seon-je pictured Slayer holding Kang Moo-hyuk and Joo Se-ah.
Thrilling thought. With him, I’d return to field. Slayer tops Asia, not just Korea. Shame.
He eyed Gam Woo-young.
Old board shattered, but new one forming.
Not ripe yet.
Once complete, world stage beckoned.
“Anyway, we won this round.”
“Win-win results.”
“Maybe. If this counts as win-win…… gotta call Kang Moo-hyuk an S-rank con artist.”
“That rumored Korean rider wolf?”
The dark gray wolf charging in the paused video oozed irresistible charm.
Man stared long, then spoke to shadow-like secretary.
“Can’t tolerate such a beauty on this peninsula. Tell Kim Myeong-jun: Joo Se-ah’s got wings now. Can’t let it slide.”