Disaster
“What are you doing, Uncle?”
Minho wore a puzzled look.
Until just a moment ago, Kang Juhyuk had been lying around drunk, but now he was up from the sofa, staring out the window.
“They’re here.”
“Who is?”
“The villain.”
“The villain?”
Was this another joke?
Who had come this time?
Minho peeked through the narrow gap in the window and saw Gu Jinwoo facing off against Choi Junhyuk.
“Huh? That Hahoe mask guy! He’s the one we saw at the bathhouse earlier.”
Juhyuk gave a short nod and casually pulled out the bottle of makgeolli he had hidden under the sofa.
“Yeah. Should’ve killed him, honestly. I let him live, and now he’s come back for revenge.”
“How did you even find that?”
“I knew everything from the start. I just turned a blind eye because I saw how earnest you were being for Junhyuk.”
“Then why were you rummaging through the fridge?”
“...I just hadn’t had a drink in a while, and I got overheated. I cracked it open for a bit to cool off and let some cold air hit me.”
Minho shrugged.
“Anyway, that guy. Did he chase us here because Uncle told Junhyuk Hunter-ssi what to do earlier?”
“That’s right. Wait, why do you keep adding ‘-ssi’ when you talk about that guy?”
“Because he’s someone worthy of respect.”
“That bastard?”
“Of course! To an aspiring hunter like me, he’s basically a superstar. In soccer terms, he’s like a player who’s killing it in the EPL.”
How good was that, exactly?
Juhyuk, who had no interest in soccer, didn’t know.
His head was full of games and nothing else.
“Well, Max Kaiser was insanely popular with the weak too.”
“Are you calling me weak?”
“Obviously. If you got picked as a hunter in Militar with your current skills and were sent to the barracks, you’d spend 365 days doing nothing but cleaning.”
“Cleaning the barracks?”
“Yeah. A weak guy like you wouldn’t even be allowed to train there. The only thing you’d be allowed to hold would be a broom, not a sword.”
“If you’re weak, shouldn’t you train to get stronger?”
“I mean so weak you can’t even get training in the first place. Weaklings there are treated worse than low-ranking monsters.”
He didn’t know where Militar was, but wasn’t that way too inhumane?
I heard even the military doesn’t make people scrub toilets alone these days.
So the other world really was a merciless place.
“Forget it. That’s over there. Things are different here.”
“Right. Which is why a slug who can’t even handle a single goblin can act like the boss of this house.”
“Hey, Uncle! Quit making fun of me.”
When Minho grumbled in annoyance, Juhyuk looked thoroughly pleased.
“Whatever. Let’s just listen to what those two are saying.”
“Ha. Seriously...”
The two of them perked up their ears and looked toward Junhyuk and Jinwoo.
Maybe because they were too far away, or maybe because of the rain, but no sound reached them.
“Uncle, I can’t hear a thing.”
“Yeah. Junhyuk said he’d handle it himself, though.”
Could that guy really take on that many hunters alone?
Even the White Tiger Guild members in sight alone numbered more than thirty by a rough count.
“He’s from the National Intelligence Service, so he’ll probably try to talk it out. No matter how White Tiger is, they won’t dare act carelessly against the state.”
“I guess.”
“Obviously!”
And the moment Minho finished speaking.
Kwaaaaak!
A giant crow swooped toward Choi Junhyuk.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Gu Jinwoo ran toward the entrance of the villa.
“U, Uncle!”
But then.
Shrraaaak!
Black chains burst from Choi Junhyuk’s body.
Clang.
Binding the surrounding hunters.
Everyone’s faces hardened, and as if time had stopped, no one moved.
No one could mistake it for anything but the moments just before battle.
Kang Juhyuk shoved the window open wide and shouted, “Have these bastards lost their minds? They’re causing a scene outside someone else’s house!”
He hurled the makgeolli bottle he’d been holding at Gu Jinwoo.
Smack!
The bottle Juhyuk had thrown was definitely plastic.
But still.
Fwoooosh!
The sound of it cutting through the rain was like a rocket launcher.
Did he fill it with mana or something?
The sharp crack of the plastic bottle and the vibration of the air were so intense that every hunter gathered in front of the villa turned their eyes toward the makgeolli bottle.
“Duck, Gu Jinwoo!”
Miyeon’s shout rang out loudly.
Jinwoo, still bound by the chain, widened his eyes and drew mana into his mouth.
“Hup!”
Then he blasted it out at the bottle.
“Poooooooo!”
Bang!
The shattered plastic bottle scattered the makgeolli all over the place.
Shaaaa.
At the same time, the sour smell of alcohol spread through the air, and Choi Junhyuk looked up at Kang Juhyuk before relaxing his own chain ability with a grin.
“Gu Jinwoo, I think there’s a misunderstanding between Juhyuk-ssi and the White Tiger Guild. Wouldn’t you like to try resolving this through conversation?”
“Conversation?”
“Yes. I’ll set up the meeting.”
Jinwoo’s brows twitched.
“And if this goes wrong, who takes responsibility?”
“That’s something both sides will have to sort out. You’ve already failed the ambush anyway, and now you’ve got no choice but to break through head-on, right?”
“...”
“Whether you settle this by force or try to talk, I’m simply giving you more options.”
Was this a trap?
Jinwoo’s mind turned over rapidly.
Miyeon, who had come along on this operation, was in the same situation.
This is getting bigger by the second.
If the National Intelligence Service got involved in this too, the White Tiger Guild would take a huge hit without question.
We’re the ones who broke the agreement first and crossed the border.
Gu Jinwoo closed his eyes and wrestled with the decision for a moment, then drew a deep breath from the makgeolli-scented air soaking the ground and made up his mind.
“Fine. We’ll meet him. But he has to come down here.”
“Why is that?”
“If he’s already noticed that we’re here, then we can’t know what he’s preparing.”
Junhyuk gave a short nod.
“Fair enough. Then I’ll go in and relay the message.”
“And one more condition before we meet.”
“A condition?”
“Only Kang Juhyuk comes here. You and that little brother of his are not to come out of the villa.”
“...I’ll relay that as well. If Juhyuk-ssi says okay, we’ll proceed right away. Wait just a moment.”
“I’ll give you three minutes. I won’t wait any longer, so hurry up.”
* * *
Kang Juhyuk came out dragging his slippers, snapped open the long umbrella he had borrowed from Choi Junhyuk with a sharp crack, and asked, “You wanted to see me?”
Gu Jinwoo walked slowly through the rain.
“Yeah.”
“Why.”
“To negotiate.”
What kind of insane nonsense was that now?
He’d clearly refused the guild membership offer.
So what exactly was this for?
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Then it’s war.”
“Sure, let’s do it.”
“...What?”
“War. If you want it, let’s have one.”
At Juhyuk’s reply, Jinwoo tilted his head.
“Are you crazy?”
Rumble!
Lightning flashed overhead.
Shaaaa.
The pouring rain muffled the whispers of the other hunters, leaving the two of them isolated in the center of everyone’s attention.
And with every eye fixed on them, Juhyuk gave the same answer without hesitation.
“Let’s go to war, you White Tiger bastards.”
He meant it.
Just a moment ago, Kang Juhyuk’s face had still carried a smile. Now it had changed into that of an enraged tiger.
He’s serious?
Gu Jinwoo flinched, but he didn’t show it.
Instead, he asked again, “Aren’t you curious about the terms of the negotiation?”
“Even if I heard it, it’d just be the same as last time. You’re just going to tell me to join your guild.”
No.
Was there really a misunderstanding, just as Choi Junhyuk had said?
“No. I came to see you for a different reason.”
“What is it.”
“I heard your guild is planning to attack our White Tiger tonight. Is that true?”
Juhyuk’s eyes sharpened.
Was this guy not only part of the White Tiger Guild here on Earth, but also a member of White Tiger in Chronos Gate?
Sensing the shift in Juhyuk’s mood, Jinwoo continued cautiously, “I want to use this conversation to find a way to end that matter on good terms.”
“So you came to apologize?”
“Conditionally.”
“Conditionally?”
“Yes. If you don’t attack us tonight, then we’ll drop the matter of recruiting you.”
Juhyuk lifted his brows.
“Hey. Do you have any idea how angry our master is? You can’t settle this with some personal business of mine.”
“I heard a guild member died. I offer my sincere condolences. We can compensate the victim’s family financially, and restore the guild’s damaged honor through an official apology.”
Gu Jinwoo’s conditions were extreme.
To anyone looking at it, this was a better choice than war.
For Showking’s side, it was a deal that could only produce gains.
And yet Juhyuk’s attitude was firm.
“Not necessary. A guild member who was like family is already dead. What good does an apology do now? And sincere condolences? Someone died, and that’s your idea of sincerity?”
“No, I mean ‘sincere’ as in—”
“And think about it the other way around! If I killed your family, would you negotiate on those terms?”
Gu Jinwoo stood there in a daze, staring at Juhyuk.
This isn’t someone I can talk to.
Then, with a quiet snort, he shifted into a combat stance.
“In that case, there’s no helping it. I’ll have to kill you as originally planned.”
Shaaaa!
Rainwater soaked into the ground and began gathering around Jinwoo.
In just a few seconds, the amount of water filling the alley in front of the villa had reached ton after ton.
The limits of where his power began and ended couldn’t be seen, but the water level had already risen to thigh height.
Huh? This isn’t that guy’s ability, is it?
Juhyuk smiled.
He knew Jinwoo’s power.
The true owner of this ability was one of the members of the other world’s crown prince Max Kaiser’s party.
And one of the men who had left scars on his body.
The Great Sage, Gregory.
Why the hell is that bastard’s ability here?
Juhyuk’s mouth twisted.
He already knew how to deal with this ability before the fight had even begun.
How do I know?
I didn’t want to know either.
But
that damned Gregory bastard had come at him day and night, so he had no choice but to learn how to fight back.
So I’m seeing that bastard’s ability again here.
Shaaaa—
Kang Juhyuk caught the falling rain in his palm and smiled.
“Hey. Luminis Aqua isn’t used like that.”
Jinwoo’s eyes flew wide open.
How does he know the name of my ability?
He’d never revealed it.
“No matter how hard it’s raining, you can’t beat me with that ability in a wide-open place like this.”
“Quit bragging.”
“I’m not bragging. If you’re using that ability too, you should know this already. The limits of powers that draw on natural forces are crystal clear.”
“The limits of my ability?”
“Yeah. What you just said to Choi Junhyuk a second ago. That’s your weakness.”
Kang Juhyuk formed his hand into the shape of a gun and aimed it at Gu Jinwoo.
“The drawback of elemental techniques. It’s the insane level of concentration needed to control them.”
“...”
“Just like you told Choi Junhyuk, using an area-wide ability burns through mana way faster.”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
“Right? Then you must know this too. An elemental user without mana is basically useless.”
Gu Jinwoo raised his brows in annoyance.
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“Oh! If not, then you should’ve been controlling your output and reducing your mana consumption. If you use your ability like that, you won’t last long in a fight.”
“I have no intention of fighting you for long. I’ll end this quickly with full power.”
“Interesting. I’m rooting for you.”
“...Enough of the games. Let’s see this through.”
As Jinwoo gathered mana into both hands with a meaningful expression, Juhyuk gave a short nod and folded the umbrella he had been holding open.
Snap.
“You made the first move.”