Chapter 20

Chapter 20. Baeksu Guild (2)

The Association had reached a conclusion.

If things had already gone this far...

They might as well completely integrate Kim Si-hyeon into the Special Division.

And that meant more than simply giving him a new combat uniform.

“...We've detected illegal activity from the Baeksu Guild.”

They were going to let Kim Si-hyeon actually work as a Special Division Hunter.

“Transferring Gate clearing rights without Association approval is strictly prohibited.”

Park Min-ho continued.

“Today, we're investigating the Baeksu Guild.”

Normally, this would've been handled by the Association's Investigation Department.

They detected illegal Guild activity and determined the appropriate penalty.

If force was required, the Enforcement Department would move afterward.

But there were several cases where the Special Division skipped all of those procedures and moved directly.

One involved enormous Guilds belonging to South Korea's Top Ten.

Another involved S-Rank or higher Hunters.

And finally, anything involving an abnormal Gate was handled by the Special Division regardless of severity.

“Baeksu Guild?”

Kim Si-hyeon muttered.

The name sounded familiar.

Choi Ji-woong, standing beside him, explained.

“One of the Top Ten Guilds, Hunter Kim Si-hyeon. It's also the Guild Choi Yoon-seo used to belong to.”

“For now, this is technically only an investigation, so there's no need for everyone to go.”

Park Min-ho looked over the Special Division Hunters.

“Choi Ji-woong. Take Yoo Min-a and Oh Ha-seung.”

Special Division Team Three.

Choi Ji-woong's team.

And Team Three had one more new member.

“...Hunter Kim Si-hyeon as well.”

Kim Si-hyeon had officially been assigned to Team Three.

If they truly intended to have him work, he needed an actual position and rank.

Normally, a Hunter of Kim Si-hyeon's estimated level deserved either a newly created team of his own or a director-level position.

But Kim Si-hyeon was a Returnee.

He had no experience doing Association work.

“He's close to Ji-woong, right? Put him on that team and let Ji-woong teach him for now.”

That was why the Association President assigned Kim Si-hyeon to the team of someone he already seemed comfortable with.

Which technically meant...

Kim Si-hyeon was now Choi Ji-woong's subordinate.

But...

“H-Hunter Kim Si-hyeon. Is that all right with you?”

In practice, nobody could treat him like a normal subordinate.

Even when giving him work, they asked permission.

“It's fine.”

Kim Si-hyeon nodded.

“Whew.”

Only then did Park Min-ho breathe in relief.

Ever since the Yoo-seong twins incident, Kim Si-hyeon had been able to control his killing intent.

Thanks to that, simply standing near him no longer required Illusion of Death.

They no longer suffered hallucinations of their own heads being cut off.

But did that mean they could relax around Kim Si-hyeon?

Absolutely not.

If anything, he was scarier now.

How can he hide his killing intent that completely?

Hunters who possessed killing intent could usually control it somewhat.

But never this perfectly.

Most still leaked a faint trace.

Kim Si-hyeon gave off absolutely nothing.

Nothing at all.

This is terrifying.

Maybe because Park Min-ho had already experienced Kim Si-hyeon's raw killing intent at full force...

Feeling nothing now was even more unsettling.

And the only thing that had disappeared was the killing intent.

What is he thinking?

His appearance alone still carried overwhelming pressure.

“...Still, it'll probably be fine.”

After announcing the mission, Park Min-ho left the Special Division building and muttered to himself.

The Yoo-seong twins incident had been an unusual case even by Special Division standards.

This investigation into Baeksu Guild, however, was completely ordinary.

It's not like this is the first time a major Guild got caught transferring clearing rights.

They would go there.

Investigate.

Receive an apology.

Maybe impose a fine or minor disciplinary action.

That would be enough.

Surely nothing serious would happen.

“We've decided to officially adjust your rank to S-Rank.”

Choi Ji-woong spoke from the driver's seat.

“Since you're going to start operating seriously, we thought you needed a proper rank. However, we don't plan to publicly reveal it. Is that... acceptable?”

“I don't care.”

I meant it.

I wasn't even an awakened Hunter anyway.

More importantly...

Rub. Rub.

This clothing was fascinating.

A suit should have been uncomfortable.

But this was more comfortable than anything I'd ever worn.

It also seemed to regulate temperature, because my body remained at exactly the right warmth.

“Thank you! You're extremely important to South Korea, Hunter Kim Si-hyeon... so we're worried that openly announcing your rank might create unnecessary problems. We appreciate your understanding!”

“I said it's fine.”

What I liked most was the feeling of belonging somewhere.

I had completed military service, but after that, I never truly belonged anywhere.

After the zombie outbreak, various survivor groups had formed.

But I had never joined a single one.

“You probably won't need to reveal your rank very often anyway. As for the Baeksu Guild...”

Choi Ji-woong kept talking.

What kind of Guild Baeksu was.

What sort of person Guild Master Baek Hyeong-gyu was.

What we needed to do once we arrived.

And that I didn't need to do anything.

He repeatedly said I should simply observe and leave everything else to them.

I understood why.

He doesn't trust me yet.

I would've felt the same way.

I didn't realize there had been such a misunderstanding.

I'd started that mercenary job because I wanted to earn money.

But apparently, the Special Division Hunters had seriously misunderstood me.

They thought I was quitting the Special Division.

That would explain why all of them came running to find me.

“Transferring clearing rights happens fairly often, but an abnormal Gate appeared there, so we need to investigate. Though it's probably just coincidence.”

I thought carefully about Choi Ji-woong's words.

Investigation of an abnormal Gate.

Now I even had an official combat uniform.

I was a genuine member of the team.

Then I should do my best.

“What kind of person is Guild Master Baek Hyeong-gyu?”

I'd already heard a general explanation.

An S-Rank Hunter.

A survivor of the abnormal Aeso Gate.

Apparently, part of his humanity had been damaged by what he experienced there.

“But that doesn't make him a bad person.”

This time, Yoo Min-a answered.

“His social skills are a bit of a problem, but he's never caused any major incidents.”

...Why did I suddenly feel some strange kinship with Baek Hyeong-gyu?

“If anything, he's actually pretty straightforward.”

I silently nodded for a while.

Then Oh Ha-seung spoke enthusiastically.

“Hunter Kim Si-hyeon! It's an honor to participate in a mission with you!”

“...”

I appreciated the welcome.

But wasn't that supposed to be my line as the junior member?

Both of them look young.

Yoo Min-a was a young woman with a youthful face and a long horizontal scar across the bridge of her nose.

Oh Ha-seung was an energetic young man who looked as though he might start wagging a tail at any moment.

Maybe because Team Leader Choi Ji-woong wasn't that old, his team members were also fairly young.

That made them even harder for me to deal with.

My appearance might have become younger, but internally I was still over fifty.

“Anyway.”

Perhaps sensing the awkward mood, Choi Ji-woong quickly wrapped up the conversation.

“Hunter Kim Si-hyeon, all you need to do today is observe. It'll probably end with a simple fine. There will be absolutely no problem at all.”

That sounded fine.

Surely nothing unusual would happen again.

One S-Rank Hunter.

Ten A-Rank Hunters.

Thirty B-Rank Hunters.

Fifty Hunters ranked C or below.

The number of Hunters alone was enough to call Baeksu a major Guild.

And if you included ordinary employees who handled administrative work, there were even more.

The Guild's annual revenue exceeded one trillion won.

Gate clearing.

Mana-stone sales.

Item sales.

Mercenary work.

Guilds were licensed to operate numerous businesses related to Hunters.

Baeksu Guild occupied an entire high-rise building in Cheonho-dong as its Guild House.

And now...

Guests had arrived.

Ding.

They passed through the automatic doors.

Rustle.

Everyone on the first floor stopped and stared at the unfamiliar visitors.

Not every Guild was the same, but most preferred a relatively casual culture.

Ordinary office workers naturally came to work every day.

Hunters were different.

They usually came in only when they had a Gate raid, training, or other specific work.

Their clothing reflected that freedom.

T-shirts that made it easy to equip items.

Training pants.

Unless they had an important meeting, Hunters rarely wore suits.

But the visitors who had just entered Baeksu Guild were all wearing formal suits.

And not ordinary ones.

“...Aren't those combat suits?”

Combat suits.

The pinnacle of modern mana technology.

Each one cost billions of won.

But the price wasn't the main issue.

Even a B-Rank Hunter could earn more than a billion won per year.

A-Rank Hunters could easily earn more than three billion.

There was a reason becoming a Hunter was the number-one dream among teenagers despite the enormous danger.

Adults dreamed of it too.

Every year, ordinary people illegally entered Gates hoping to awaken, chasing a dream worth far more than a lottery ticket whose jackpot rarely exceeded two billion won.

“Yeah. Combat suits. Damn... Isn't Gold Moon the only organization in Korea that outfits people with those?”

“That's not Gold Moon. There's no Guild emblem.”

That was why everyone was shocked despite the money involved.

Combat suits weren't something you could simply buy.

They weren't truly commercial products.

They were demonstrations of technology.

Symbols of honor given only to select Hunters from a small number of recognized Guilds.

“...That emblem!”

“The Association!”

“The Special Division?”

Attention poured toward them.

“Are you from the Association Special Division?”

A Baeksu Guild employee approached after recognizing them.

“Yes.”

Choi Ji-woong slightly raised his shoulders.

He had experienced plenty of moments where people were intimidated by the Special Division.

But this was the first time a major Guild treated them this politely.

This is the life.

Just changing clothes had completely changed how people looked at them.

Of course...

“Who's that guy? I've never seen him in the Special Division before.”

“...He's handsome.”

“He feels kind of scary.”

Most of that attention was actually directed toward the expressionless Kim Si-hyeon.

“Your identities are confirmed. I'll escort you to the Guild Master.”

After checking their Association identification, the employee led them to an elevator.

Glance. Glance.

Even then, people kept sneaking looks at Kim Si-hyeon.

...It'd be funny if he lost control of his killing intent for just a second.

Choi Ji-woong briefly had that terrible thought.

Unfortunately for him, the group reached the underground training facility where Baek Hyeong-gyu waited without incident.

Ding.

The elevator doors slowly opened.

Then...

SWIIIIISH!

A crimson sword aura flew straight toward the Special Division.

CLAAAANG!

Choi Ji-woong hurriedly raised his sword.

The sword aura smashed into it, sending sparks flying as it continued pushing forward.

“What the hell...?!”

Choi Ji-woong was about to be forced backward by the completely unexpected attack.

Then Kim Si-hyeon's halberd cut through the air.