Chapter 213

“Netizens have some serious firepower. Everyone’s going crazy over the press conference.”

Team Leader Choi’s relaxed voice came from behind me.

Ssshhhwing!

At the same time, razor-sharp claws slashed through the air. I simply leaned my head back to dodge them and muttered,

“Tell me about it. I thought I’d caused a broadcast disaster, but somehow it all worked out.”

“On top of that, everyone’s praising you for going straight to a Gate as soon as the press conference ended.”

“Isn’t it normal for a Hunter to go on a raid?”

“That’s why image is so important. You know the saying, don’t you? Take a shit, and you’ll become famous.”

“…I don’t think that’s quite it.”

Shhhk! Crack!

I knocked aside and shattered every claw aimed at my head, shoulders, and chest.

The creature staggered back with a pained howl. Just as I was about to close in, Team Leader Choi asked,

“Would you like to take one next time?”

“Take what?”

“A shit.”

“I’ll pass.”

I answered firmly and swung my spear shaft.

Wham!

Something crunched, and the creature charging in from the side slammed straight into the ground.

It stood two meters tall¹—a massive, gray-furred, bipedal wolf with nothing left above its shoulders. I had blown its head off through sheer strength alone.

A System notification rang out at the same time.

Ding.

System

• You have defeated Lv. 73 Lycanthrope!
• You have gained EXP!

The lycanthropes that had watched their fellow die let out a chorus of growls and howls.

• Grrrrr.

• Awooooo.

Their long, vertically slit yellow pupils trembled.

Seeing them hesitate, Team Leader Choi remarked as though he had just realized something.

“This is the first time I’ve seen lycanthropes look so docile.”

“They’re good at controlling their anger. Maybe being half-human means they picked up that trait too.”

Hotheads who claimed to have anger-management issues always followed the same pattern.

They acted like Lü Bu² around anyone weaker than them, but the moment they found themselves in front of some muscular tough guys, they became the politest people in the world.

And once they lose the momentum, it’s over.

Slash!

I flicked the sticky blood off my spearhead and beckoned to the creatures with one finger.

“Come on, you sons of bitches.”

• Whiiine.

Their ears had folded halfway back, and their tails were tucked between their legs.

The moment a wolf became a dog, the fight was as good as over.

“You little bastards are cute.”

As I walked toward them with a grin, Team Leader Choi said,

“If possible, please handle them cleanly.”

“Why?”

“So we can take some proof shots. We’re going to post them on the Peace Guild’s official social-media account.”

“…”

“Too much pixelation would be a shame. People prefer things uncensored.”

Ah. He had a point.

• Awooooooooo!

As expected, the boss was different from the rest.

Its roar was packed with ferocity and killing intent. Its body was far larger than those of the other lycanthropes, and silver fur covered it from head to toe.

Every inch of it radiated the presence of a boss monster.

“Wow. You’re impressive.”

As I admired it, I made a decision.

I would give this one special treatment.

“One Annihilation.”

Krrrunch. Thud.

The monster’s massive body, a gaping hole torn through its chest, toppled like a rotting old tree.

Ding.

System

• You have defeated Lv. 83 Silver-Mane Lycanthrope!
• You have perfectly cleared the B-Rank Gate, The Lycanthrope’s Black Forest!
• You have gained a substantial amount of EXP!
• The exit has opened because you defeated the boss monster.

Kiiiiing.

Once the conditions were met, a Gate exit appeared in the center of the clearing. But I still had something left to do.

“All right. Time for the fun part—cleanup.”

The sight of the corpses scattered everywhere filled me with satisfaction.

I was heading toward them with the heart of a farmer bringing in the harvest when Team Leader Choi spoke.

“About Won Myunghoon.”

“Yes?”

I turned at the sudden sound of his voice behind me.

He sat on a flat rock, his entire body protected by a shield spell, staring at a custom-built phone.

There was something odd about his expression.

“Myunghoon hyung³?”

“Yes. What happened to Mr. Won Myunghoon eight years ago?”

I had no idea why he was suddenly curious.

I had been a student back then, but I was such a huge fan that I knew the whole story by heart. Explaining all of it would take forever, though.

“Look it up. Everything comes up if you search Sonamu Wiki.⁴”

“People say you should stay off Sonamu Wiki.⁴”

“…They have a point.”

“Just give me a brief explanation. Of all the people around me, you seem to know the most about Mr. Won Myunghoon.”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

I began talking as I skinned a lycanthrope with my dagger.

“Eight years ago, Myunghoon hyung’s³ career was on the decline. Every movie, drama, and album he released bombed, and then allegations of tax evasion were piled on top of that.”

“That isn’t particularly unusual.”

“No. That industry is always full of scandals.”

“I skimmed through the articles. It seems he was cleared of the tax-evasion allegations.”

“Yes. That ended without any real trouble.”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Once mud had been splashed onto his clean image, all kinds of speculative articles and rumor sheets about Won Myunghoon began circulating online.

In the end, Won Myunghoon—already past his prime and going through a difficult time—decided to step away from the public eye.

“He said he’d spent too long looking elsewhere and would devote himself to his duties as a Hunter for a while.”

“And then that incident happened?”

“Oh, you read that article?”

“I just did.”

Team Leader Choi held out his phone. The screen, about the size of an adult’s palm, displayed a headline from eight years ago in bold type.

Myeongdong Station Mutated Gate Catastrophe, Around 30 Dead Including A-Rank Hunter Do Minsu… Surviving Won Myunghoon: “Minsu, I’m Sorry.”

The incident had caused a massive uproar and dominated the news at the time.

“Who is Do Minsu?”

“An A-rank star Hunter who was extremely close to Myunghoon hyung.³ His popularity was soaring, but he died after joining him on a cooperative raid as a social outing.”

No one had expected anything like that to happen when they set out for a B-rank Gate in such a lighthearted mood, as though they were going on a picnic.

Especially not with two A-rank Hunters participating.

The domestic media boiled over like a cauldron on hot coals, then quickly went cold.

“It took several years for him to stand trial over that incident and be cleared of the charges.”

After the long legal fight, all that remained was a reputation covered in filth and the public’s indifference.

He appeared on television a few times afterward, but that was all. Unable to make a comeback, he quietly retired from the entertainment industry.

Though I don’t think he’s given up yet.

If he had let go of all his lingering attachments, he wouldn’t have offered to recruit me and promised to turn me into a star Hunter.

In any case, after listening to the whole story, Team Leader Choi gave a small nod.

“I see.”

“But why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Won Myunghoon’s name is number one in the real-time search rankings. There are already dozens of related articles.”

“Oh, really?”

“And Jin Taekyung is right alongside him at number one.”

“What?”

What was going on? Could two people be tied for first in the real-time search rankings?

As I tilted my head, Team Leader Choi held out his phone again.

A fresh article posted ten minutes earlier filled the screen.

Jin Taekyung & Won Myunghoon: Successful Fanboy Transferring to Star Guild?

A New Star Hunter Is About to Be Born

After a brief silence, I tore my eyes away from the screen.

Team Leader Choi asked,

“Are you transferring?”

No, what the hell was he talking about?

Hyung,³ I’ll see you again soon.

I hadn’t expected those words, spoken only a few hours ago when I parted ways with Won Myunghoon, to come true so quickly.

Of course, the place where we met again wasn’t a coin karaoke room⁵ but the Peace Guild House.

“I’m sorry.”

Won Myunghoon had read the article in the middle of work and rushed over immediately. He bowed politely to every Guild member, including me, then explained in a flustered voice,

“I was surprised too. Someone must have seen us meeting and put out a speculative article… I’ve already filed a complaint with the media outlet and arranged for an immediate statement to be released.”

Team Leader Choi, who had been staring at Won Myunghoon, spoke.

“I saw the article saying the story was baseless a few minutes ago. You work quickly.”

“False information needs to be corrected as soon as possible.”

“False information?”

Team Leader Choi’s long fingers tapped the phone screen.

“But it isn’t entirely baseless, is it? Jin Taekyung told me that you offered to recruit him. In a café with other people around, no less.”

“That…”

“Team Leader Choi, let me explain it again.”

I stepped in for the hesitant Won Myunghoon.

Considering the situation, I had no choice but to reveal the conversation we’d had at the café, and I was already feeling a little guilty about it.

“What happened was—”

But before I could continue, Won Myunghoon’s firm voice cut me off.

“It’s true. I offered to recruit him, and Taekyung turned me down. This all happened because of my own selfishness, so I sincerely apologize.”

“Hmm.”

Who was Won Myunghoon, anyway?

Won Myunghoon wasn’t just an accomplished Hunter. He was a celebrity who had once stood at the very height of popularity.

When someone like him frankly admitted his mistake, accepted responsibility, and bowed with perfect courtesy, there wasn’t much left for anyone to say.

It wasn’t as though he had seriously violated professional courtesy.

Hunters were professionals, plain and simple. As long as the regulations allowed it, they were free to transfer to another Guild or leave one whenever they wanted.

The dozens of recruitment offers I had received before Won Myunghoon’s were no different.

The only difference was that I had arranged a separate meeting with him because I was a fan.

And the subsequent articles about my transfer had already been proven baseless.

Thanks to the swift action from both sides, the situation was already dying down.

Team Leader Choi, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke.

“All right. Let’s put this matter to rest.”

Won Myunghoon’s face brightened.

“I’m relieved to hear you say that. Thank you.”

“Not at all. I have no intention of turning a minor incident into something bigger than it is. Besides, our side shares some of the blame.”

Im Kkeokjeong, who had been watching the situation carefully, cut in with a good-natured grin.

“Yeah, yeah. Now that’s good to see. That’s how people should live—understanding each other.”

Butler Kim and Song Song nodded in agreement.

The atmosphere inside the Guild House, which had been strangely uncomfortable only ten minutes earlier, had turned warm and friendly.

I’m glad this worked out better than expected.

Soon, Won Myunghoon had a cup of coffee in front of him. Wearing an amiable smile, he chatted about one thing after another.

“Taekyung is incredibly devoted to the Peace Guild. I wanted him so badly that I tried to lure him away, but he wouldn’t budge.”

“Haha! This guy’s always been unbeatable when it comes to loyalty.”

“You’re all such wonderful people that I suppose he didn’t want to leave. Now that I’ve met you in person, I understand why Taekyung turned me down without a second thought.”

“Wow. Mr. Won, you really know how to tell people what they want to hear. When I watched you on television, I thought it was all scripted.”

“That earned me plenty of accusations that I was an obnoxious bastard.”

It was in the middle of this friendly conversation that Won Myunghoon casually made another proposal.

“What are your schedules like tomorrow? I was wondering if we could go on a raid together.”

“Tomorrow?”

“A raid?”

Everyone reacted differently, but their eyes all turned toward one person.

Team Leader Choi.

On paper, Butler Kim was the Guild Master. But Won Myunghoon had also realized that Team Leader Choi was the real power in the Guild.

“What do you think, Team Leader? This would be a good opportunity to clear up the suspicions raised by the rumor sheets, and it could also be a valuable experience for the Guild members.”

“I’m not sure.”

Maybe it was because I’d grown used to Team Leader Choi by now.

I could sense something subtly uneasy in his expression.

But his hesitation vanished at Won Myunghoon’s next words.

“It’s an A-rank Gate. Fortunately, our Guild obtained permission to raid it this week. It seems like a shame to let the opportunity go to waste.”

“An A-rank Gate?”

“Yes. We’ll also guarantee you the rights to anything that comes out of the Gate.”

Gate qualification reviews were strict.

As a Guild that had only just begun recruiting members, the Peace Guild would need a considerable amount of time before it could enter an A-rank Gate.

“An A-rank Gate…”

Team Leader Choi murmured under his breath, then finally nodded.