Just Catch That Guy First
In the noisy classroom, someone had the video playing without earphones, but it was soon drowned out by the students' chatter.
— Today on Hot Topic Figure, it's the guild master of Iron Will Guild in North Pocheon. We'll be conducting an interview via video call with Guild Master Joo Se-ah. Hello, Guild Master Joo.
— Yes. Hello.
— First, our condolences to the hunters who lost their lives in this orc tribe raid.
— Yes. Thank you. Our guild members are also grateful for the warm support and interest from the public...
"Kyaa, as expected of Unnie Se-ah! Look at those eyes. Total charisma."
"Whoa, what doesn't Joo Se-ah have? Top-tier hunter, insane looks. Hunters are supposed to be fit, but check out those proportions. And her face is tiny."
"Pretty face and an even prettier heart. Did you see her holding back the orcs? Other guilds didn't even help, right? As expected of a Slayer Guild alum. She blew up her own guild HQ to protect North Pocheon so no one would get hurt."
The classroom buzzed entirely with praise for Joo Se-ah and Iron Will Guild.
To the public, hunters were basically heroes. Adults with real-world experience might see through the facade to some extent, but to naive teens, they just looked cool as hell.
And this orc tribe raid had been genuinely heroic, pushing Iron Will's popularity to its peak.
Even skeptics were taking a second look.
Exaggerating a bit, they were being called the National Guild or Korea's Guardian Guild.
The media and government were relentlessly pushing that narrative.
Guild insiders would scoff, but public perception was a scary thing—you couldn't buck the trend.
While everyone fixated on North Pocheon, some students couldn't care less.
Kim Nari carefully pulled a ticket from between her textbook pages, handling it like a sacred relic.
'Did she get tickets? It's only a few days away.'
The ticket featured animated characters modeled after BTA members.
She'd requested a physical copy by mail instead of mobile, wanting to cherish it.
Kim Nari gazed at it as if she couldn't believe she was its owner.
You could enter a drawing once per album purchase receipt, but with her meager allowance, she'd only bought one. Yet she'd beaten the odds and won.
Thud!
Three girls suddenly surrounded her. One snatched the ticket.
"This bitch grinning at her idol ticket again."
"What? BTA? Ooh, how'd you score these? They say even moneybags get screwed by bad luck sometimes. Should we sell 'em?"
"G-Give it back!"
As Kim Nari reached out, the girl held the ticket high, smirking. Another jabbed her forehead with an index finger, shoving her down. Crash—Kim Nari hit the floor. The girl with the ticket glared viciously.
Riiip!
The ticket tore into shreds. Kim Nari screamed.
"No!"
She scrambled for the scraps fluttering in the air, but the girl blew the last piece away and kicked her down.
"This girl's lost her damn mind lately? Acting tough 'cause of that Eul-ji bitch? Time for a good beating to set her straight."
Only then did Kim Nari realize her mistake. Bad memories flooded back—the terror of violence branded on her body and soul made her shoulders tremble.
"Dust her off real good?"
"E-Eul-ji!"
Kim Nari cried out in relief. The three girls flinched and turned.
Go Eul-ji was just entering the classroom.
She tossed her bag onto her desk, eyed the girls, then shifted to Kim Nari on the floor.
"This unnie's in a good mood right now. So scram nice and quiet. And don't touch Nari again. C'mon, Nari, up you go. Let's hit the canteen."
"Uh... yeah."
The girls didn't budge until Go Eul-ji started leading Kim Nari out.
Onlookers shot them sidelong glances, some with blatant sneers. Feeling humiliated, one girl blurted out.
"You orphan bitch showing up late for lunch and acting all high and mighty?!"
Kim Nari froze. Her one true friend at school—Go Eul-ji's face was terrifying.
But the next instant, seeing strands of Go Eul-ji's hair flutter as if in a breeze, she mustered courage.
"E-Eul-ji. Hold back. Not here."
Kim Nari gripped her forearm tight. Go Eul-ji exhaled sharply, closed her eyes, then opened them.
"Hey, Jin Sun-mi. Quit being childish. We're third-years soon—adulthood in no time. Don't be a dumbass and end up with embarrassing teen pics forever. I'm in a real good mood today, so I'll let it slide."
Go Eul-ji's mouth smiled, but her eyes were icy. Her gaze pinned Jin Sun-mi, the apparent ringleader.
Jin Sun-mi glared back fiercely but couldn't escalate.
"C'mon, Nari."
Go Eul-ji pulled Kim Nari into the hall.
"Phew~ Good save, Nari. Little later and I'd have wrecked 'em."
"Can't let on you're a hunter. Grandpa'd chew you out. And using powers on civilians gets you arrested."
"When the hell does this crap end? 'Behave till twenty' is torture. With this power, this face, this body—keeping it low-key as a teen is straight-up torment, right?"
"Dunno about face or body... but Grandpa's got his reasons."
"Look at you, feeding me lines."
"When did I..."
"Anyway! Grandpa worries too damn much. Calls me only when he needs something. And that stingy allowance."
Go Eul-ji grumbled. Knowing she always stirred trouble like this, Kim Nari switched topics fast.
"Speaking of allowance... Didja get tickets? Concert's soon."
"Oh yeah, tickets! The one you had shredded. BTA oppas, right? How'd you snag it?"
"Uh, yeah. But now it's... like that."
Recalling the torn ticket, Kim Nari deflated.
Paper with serial number—no reprints for anti-forgery.
All her life's luck poured into that ticket...
At least she wasn't crying, thanks to Go Eul-ji.
Go Eul-ji wagged her index finger.
"No worries. Got 'em. Two, even yours."
"R-Really?!"
"Not just any—VIP... Eep!"
"Goo~ Eul~ Jiii."
"Gah! S-Seon-saeng-nim..."
Go Eul-ji side-eyed the pincher on her cheek.
Her homeroom teacher.
"What time is it? Skipping lunch to show up late? Fresh off detention for ditching. If not for your grandpa's tearful plea, you'd be suspended. Suspended."
"Th-That's not... gah..."
"Time for a talk."
"Gr-Grandpa... don't tell!"
Suddenly dragged off by the teacher, Go Eul-ji left Kim Nari alone in the hall.
'Even school's gotta stay secret. Always bailing on stuff—Eul-ji's the one suffering.'
Kim Nari watched her back with affection.
Kang Moo-hyuk was in a meeting with Hongik Workshop, makers of the mid-tier brand 'Hanul' famous for item crafting.
Representative artisan Lee Se-chung pored over the proposal, then removed his glasses, rubbing his tired eyes before speaking.
"You're entrusting us with rider wolf harness production?"
"Yes. Your workshop guarantees quality."
"No, I mean why us? Big corps are salivating over this. And Taeseong's right there."
"You might not know, but we're the black sheep Taeseong kicked out."
"That was before. Things changed. You're the hottest guild after Slayer now. Massive brand value and PR for the group—they won't ignore you anymore."
As Lee Se-chung said, Iron Will was now a household name.
Not just popular, but heroes risking lives for the nation against monsters.
Youth hooked on flashy combat footage; elders recalled 'Great War' and 'Gate Collapse' sacrifices.
This was Kang Moo-hyuk and Guild Cooperation Office's deliberate push for 'national guild' image.
'That's just the facade. No matter the fame, we're hollow inside. Chairman Tae Jin-seong sees right through it.'
He couldn't say the chairman wanted the guild gone, so he spun another reason.
"It's fleeting hype. For sustainable business, we need solid ventures."
"By partnering with us?"
"Wolf harnesses max out at around a hundred sets per batch. Big corps can't match the unit cost. No incentive for parent companies. Guilds like us relying on them get easy gigs but no growth. We need proven scalability to make corps see it's not a worthless investment."
Lee Se-chung snorted, readjusted his glasses, and scanned the proposal again.
"We can't match costs either. Custom designs need handcrafting, low volume—so small-batch only."
"Price it high. We'll bundle it mandatory with wolf purchases."
"Then big corps could just invest the cash to make it."
"Next chapter explains: North Pocheon HQ site's a market for mid/small brands. Government-subsidized, excluding big corps to maximize promo for others. We'll take big corp stuff, but prioritize mid/small in key areas."
Lee Se-chung skimmed the appendix. Tempting indeed.
Not just harnesses—a store for Hongik's signature items and gear.
'Looks sweet, but tooth-rotting.'
He had to probe.
"Fine. Say the massive hunter outlet booms. Needs hunters flocking there. Even with special zone hunts, who's buying enough to fill such a huge site? No one's trekking to North Pocheon just to shop. Better in the capital."
Lee Se-chung nailed it, but Kang Moo-hyuk had the answer ready.
"Saw the orc raid video?"
"Yeah, saw it."
"Sanjeong Lake's gone now."
"Obviously. Drained it all."
"Not on the map in the proposal, but the outlet goes there. Southward, tons of abandoned lodging. We'll refurbish into budget inns. Luxury hotel too. Revenue streams: food street, big mart for essentials, training grounds, monster byproduct proxy buyers, exchange, repairs, hunters-only casino..."
"Hold up. What're you saying?"
"Simply: a hunter theme park inside the hunting zone?"
"Pardon?"
"No need to leave for gear maintenance, hunt prep, byproduct handling, food/shelter/entertainment. One-stop hunter village."
Lee Se-chung's eyes widened. Business instinct screamed.
'This works.'
Veteran of the industry, he knew hunters' pains.
Why experienced mid-ranks shun special zones: inconvenience.
'Eliminate that?'
Hunters flock. Hunters mean money. They whine about gear costs but always budget for good eats and fun.
Stress of imminent death made gluttony and revelry their joy.
"Genius. Planned this since declaring North Pocheon home base?"
"Orcs delayed it. Cash too. Still short. Seeking investors."
Kang Moo-hyuk said slyly.
Lee Se-chung grinned, catching on.
"This meeting's got a real pitch coming."
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled, pulling another proposal.
"If interested, this one too."
"Ugh, hate dealing with these guys. Seem sloppy but thorough—no openings."
Mr. Jo, disguised as a fish-shaped bun vendor, hawked wares across from a building.
Bad rep for awful taste? Whatever. Not here to profit—camouflage. Fewer customers, better.
He glanced opposite.
[Korean Hunter Association]
"Why's Kang Moo-hyuk want dirt on this place? Don't wanna tangle."
Learning of Go Eul-ji, Kang Moo-hyuk tasked Mr. Jo: probe Hunter Association. Any more hidden powerhouses like her? Han Byung-gu's game?
But next, an unforeseen twist.
"Street vendor's a hunter? Korea's quirky."
Sweet voice laced with unknowable power tickled his ear.
Mr. Jo stayed cool.
"Aigoo, what're you... Pretty miss saying?"
"Seeing my true form? It's magic disguise."
"Ah, no, that's not..."
Hooded woman. Mr. Jo tensed at the pointed ears peeking from the robe.
She wasn't human.
'Too damn perceptive. Sees what she shouldn't... Monster? What the hell?'
Then two men approached behind her.
Both hunters.
'Foreigners?!'
Way above his level.
'These at Hunter Association? Suspicious as fuck, Kang Moo-hyuk?!'
Mr. Jo inwardly cursed Kang Moo-hyuk, then offered a bun.
"Here, have a fish bun?"
"Oh, thanks. Sorry to the kind sir offering this."
She smiled prettily, then ordered the men.
"Just catch that guy first."