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, a sharp beast’s claw slashed through the air like a blade. I simply leaned my head back to dodge it and muttered,

“Tell me about it. I thought I’d caused a broadcast disaster, but things worked out like this.”

“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 away and crushed every claw that came flying toward my head, shoulders, and chest.

The creature staggered backward with a painful howl. Just as I was about to approach it, 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!

With the sound of something being crushed, the creature that had rushed in from the side slammed straight into the ground.

It was two meters tall—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 howls.

• Grrrrr.

• Awooooo.

Their long, vertically slit yellow pupils trembled.

Seeing them hesitate, Team Leader Choi remarked as if 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 things like this, too.”

Whenever I saw hotheads who claimed to have anger-management issues, the pattern was always the same.

They acted like Lü Bu without hesitation in front of the weak, but the moment they faced a muscular older brother, they became the most polite 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 had curled 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 upload them to the Peace Guild’s official social-media account.”

“……”

“Too much pixelation would be a shame. People like it 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 much larger than the other lycanthropes’, and silver fur covered it from head to toe.

It had the kind of presence that showed with every inch of its body that it was 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 huge body, a gaping hole torn through its chest, collapsed like a rotting 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.”

Looking at the corpses scattered everywhere filled me with a deep sense of happiness.

I was approaching the bodies with the heart of a farmer harvesting grain when Team Leader Choi spoke.

“About Won Myunghoon.”

“Yes?”

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

He was sitting on a flat rock with his entire body covered in a shield spell, staring at a specially made phone.

But his expression looked strange.

“Myunghoon hyung?”

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

I had no idea why he was suddenly curious about that.

I had been a student back then, and I was such a huge fan that I knew everything by heart. But explaining it all would make my mouth hurt.

“Look it up. Everything comes up if you search Sonamu Wiki.¹”

“People say you should stay off Sonamu Wiki.”

“……They have a point.”

“Just give me a simple explanation. Of all the people around me, I believe Jin Taekyung knows the most about Mr. Won Myunghoon.”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

I started talking as I skinned the lycanthrope with a dagger.

“Eight years ago, Myunghoon hyung was on a downward slide. He bombed every movie, drama, and album, and then allegations of tax evasion were piled on top of that.”

“That isn’t particularly unusual.”

“No. There are so many incidents in that industry.”

“I skimmed through the articles. It seems the tax-evasion charges were dropped.”

“Yes. It ended without any significant problems.”

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, who had already passed his prime and was going through a difficult period, decided to take some time away from the public eye.

“He said he’d spent too much time 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.”

It had been a massive incident, sensational enough to make the front pages of every newspaper at the time.

“Who is Do Minsu?”

“An A-rank star Hunter who was extremely close to Myunghoon hyung. He was rapidly gaining popularity, but he died while on a joint raid with Myunghoon hyung for a get-together.”

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

And it had been a catastrophe that occurred despite two A-rank Hunters taking part.

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

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

After a long legal battle, all that remained was an image covered in filth and the indifference of the public.

He appeared on television a few times after that, 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 abandoned all his lingering attachments, he wouldn’t have offered to recruit me and turn me into a star Hunter.

In any case, after listening to everything I had to say, 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 tied for first place with him.”

“What?”

What was going on? Had there been a tie for first place 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, was displayed on the screen.

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

A New Star Hunter Is About to Be Born.

A brief silence passed.

After I pulled my eyes away from the phone screen, Team Leader Choi asked,

“Are you transferring?”

No, what the hell was he talking about?

Hyung, 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 room but the Peace Guild House.

“I’m sorry.”

Won Myunghoon had read the article while handling some business 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 spread a speculative article, but I’ve already lodged 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 it 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 against the phone screen.

“But it isn’t exactly baseless, is it? I heard from Jin Taekyung that you offered to recruit him. And you did it in a café with other people around.”

“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 exactly 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. It all happened because of my own selfishness, so I sincerely apologize.”

“Hmm.”

Who was Won Myunghoon, anyway?

His career as a Hunter aside, he had once been a celebrity who enjoyed immense popularity at the very top.

When someone like that admitted his mistake cleanly, bowed politely, and took responsibility, there wasn’t much anyone could say.

It wasn’t as though he had violated professional courtesy in any serious way.

Hunters were professionals, plain and simple. As long as they stayed within the boundaries allowed by the regulations, they could transfer to or leave a Guild whenever they wanted.

The dozens of recruitment offers I had received before Won Myunghoon’s had been the same.

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

And the later articles about me transferring had already been proven baseless.

Thanks to the swift action taken by 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 here.”

Won Myunghoon’s face brightened.

“I’m relieved you see it that way. 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. You two look good together. That’s how people live—understanding each other.”

Butler Kim and Song Song nodded as if they agreed.

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

It’s a relief that things worked out better than expected.

Won Myunghoon was soon being served coffee as well. With a genial smile, he brought up one topic after another.

“Taekyung is incredibly devoted to the Peace Guild. I wanted him so badly that I tried to entice him, but he didn’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. After meeting you in person today, I understand why Taekyung turned me down so decisively.”

“Wow. Mr. Won, you really know how to say things people like hearing. When I watched you on television, I thought it was all scripted.”

“I got called an obnoxious bastard because of that.”

In the middle of the friendly conversation, Won Myunghoon naturally 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 the surface, Butler Kim was the Guild Master. But Won Myunghoon had realized that Team Leader Choi was the real power behind the Guild, too.

“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 gotten used to Team Leader Choi by now.

There was something subtly uneasy about 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 whatever 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.