Avante-Garde Guild Master Lee Chan-taek.
He’s 52 years old this year.
He has slicked-back hair, an angular face without a hint of fat, and cold, sunken eyes.
He was a man with a cold heart, who strictly pursued the interests of the guild and would ruthlessly discard anything that was detrimental.
Even in my last life, after Cheon Myeong-guk executed the ‘great compromise’, Lee Chan-taek protected his guild and did not participate. That’s why we had never met.
Lee Chan-taek, who had greeted Cheon Myeong-guk first, looked at me and said.
“I came here because I wanted to hear information about Nuri.”
“Speaking informally from the first meeting?”
“......”
The atmosphere cooled at my abrupt words. But I was already putting up with this elitist who talked behind my back. What did this snob say? That the kid’s beginner’s luck wouldn’t last long? That I was only good for fast transactions.
If the Avant-Garde Guild hadn’t been the first in the hunting order, I would have taken care of him first.
If he’s pissed off and wanted to pounce now, I would definitely welcome it. What choice would this snob make?
“Pardon my rudeness, I’m here for information on Nuri. Can you tell me?”
His attitude changed quickly. I smiled to hide my disappointment. He was being polite and even using honorifics.
“I’m curious why you’re asking a kid that question.”
“...I think there might still be traces left by Nuri on the Black Wyvern.”
He’s a quick-witted person. He had remembered that Black Wyvern was driven away by Nuri, and he had guessed that it might even have left a mark.
That’s the correct answer.
“Yes, there are traces in the Black Wyvern.”
“What kind of traces?”"
“There are scorched marks at the tip of the tail.”
I saw traces of it while dismantling because of the black marks on its skin.
“Is it of the fire attribute?”
“And there are also marks as if it was cut with a sword.”
“Could it be traces left by the hunting team that resisted the Black Wyvern?”
“That’s possible, but there is another possibility.”
“What is it?”
“Nuri’s Gift.”
Lee Chan-taek’s expression crumpled at my words. Did it sound so absurd?
“...Nonsense!”
“Think what you will. I’ve informed you.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any useful information. Still, I’ve obtained the information I needed, so I’ll be on my way.”
He’s back to informal speech now. Maybe I should completely make him use formal speech. But I decided to let it slide due to Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression, as if he’s about to poop or something. Besides this guy would have a hard time hunting, anyway.
Instead of stopping Lee Chan-taek from leaving, I said to Cheon Myeong-guk.
“The Avant-Garde won’t have it easy.”
“Do you really think Nuri has a Gift?”
“Consider Daon’s case.”
Daon was the seventh danger level 8 monster that traveled between sea and land in the form of a turtle, ravaging the Yellow Sea.
When Daon took its last breath, it created an enormous tidal wave, sparking debates about whether monsters could use Gifts.
It was concluded as a coincidence, but the incident left various lingering doubts.
“Monsters can use Gifts.”
It’s just a matter of proficiency. Accepting this or not would make a huge difference.
The level of monsters was gradually increasing, and the difference in level between the first danger level 8 monster and eight danger level 8 monster that appeared ten years later was like heaven and earth. Even monsters had to climb to level 8 to survive in the era of infinite competition.
There was talk in previous life that it might be a danger level 9 monster, but I was not in my right mind back then, so I wasn’t really sure.
“I hope not. I hope Transcendent-nim’s words are wrong this time.”
“We’ll see.”
Even if the prediction went wrong and the Avant-Garde Guild succeeded in the hunt, it wouldn’t be a loss for me.
But I knew they wouldn’t succeed.
***
“Guild Master, I hope your visit to the Blue House went well...”
Vice-Guild Master Ha Sung-hoon, who greeted Lee Chan-taek, who went out to get information about Nuri, blurred the end of his words as he saw the guild master’s stiff expression.
“That brat, I don’t like him.”
“Are you talking about Choi Jun-ho, sir?”
“He even used informal language with me.”
Ha Sung-hoon burst into laughter.
“It seems that the Blacklist is true.”
“Director Cheon, I’m disappointed that he’s using his talents to become Choi Jun-ho’s dog. He used to handle his work flawlessly in the Reapers Guild.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Choi Jun-ho is a crazy dog. Someone has to be there to gently coax him. By the way, how did your visit to the Blue House go?”
“......”
Lee Chan-taek pondered for a moment.
Monsters using Gifts? The idea of monsters using Gifts had only been briefly mentioned as a fallacy back in the day.
There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. But if the hunt was interrupted by worrying about a Gift that was unlikely to exist, they might miss the kill.
This was a hunt that requires the guild’s full effort. If successful, astronomical wealth could be earned, and the guild’s honor would stand at the pinnacle of South Korea.
If they failed, Choi Jun-ho would be next in line to hunt. Lee Chan-taek, who had staked his guild’s fate on this hunt, believed that what Choi Jun-ho said was a trick to distract him.
They had to prepare on their own.
“I got nothing. So, we’ll go as planned.”
“Yes!”
Three days later, in Gosan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Nuri emerged.
***
The name of the eighth danger level 8 monster became Nuri, because member countries of the Typhoon Committee assigned names in the language of the country where the monster would appear.
They named the monster in the native language, without considering its attributes and characteristics.
The names given were mostly positive in meaning. This was to avoid creating a sense of fear when mentioned in the news. It was also to boost the morale of hunters and to include elements of safe hunting.
There was criticism that it had no real effect, but that was quickly dispelled when the hunt took the form of an all-out war against a monster.
From the moment Nuri’s appearance was announced, the Awakened Security Office and the National Guild Union selected three places where Nuri might appear.
They were Cheongju City, Eumseong County, and Gosan County in North Chungcheong Province.
Cheon Myeong-guk explained the situation at a meeting held at the Blue House.
“Nuri’s appearance was very similar to a falcon. It is about 12 meters in size, and its characteristic feature is that its entire body is reddish in color and it is emitting high heat. This means that the traces left on Black Wyvern’s tail are indeed caused by Nuri.”
Nuri would breathe fire high enough to scorch the Black Wyvern’s hide. It was the moment when the hypothesis turned into a fact.
“Nuri attacked the civilians in Eumseong County.”
“What about the casualties?”
The President’s voice was lowered.
“Evacuation took place, but there were significant casualties among civilians and the monster response team.”
Monsters instinctively antagonize humanity.
This tendency became more pronounced as their level increased, and the Nuri that emerged from Gosan County had attacked Eumseong County, which was located directly above it.
The government tried to evacuate as much as possible, but there were always people who didn’t listen. The damage to civilian homes this time was also because of that stubbornness.
The President sighed.
“How is the Avant-Garde Guild moving?”
“They are preparing to enter Eumseong County from Ichon City. They plan to confront the enemy in an undeveloped area with no interference.”
“Do they have sufficient manpower?”
“All the core forces of the Avant-Garde Guild are mobilized.”
“If they succeed, they’ll gain great honor, but if they fail, it could shake one of the major guilds.”
No matter how much the major guilds covet national power, the benefits the government obtain through them could not be ignored. It’s important not to be overshadowed by the major guilds, but it’s also the President’s duty to maintain and develop the Awakened’s power.
“Ho do you think their hunt will go, Transcendent Choi Jun-ho?”
“They will fail.”
“......”
Why was he asking for my opinion and then reacting like this?
“Can you tell me why?”
“The most important thing in monster hunting is to understand the monster’s capabilities. Mr. President, when you see the strength of a monster, what do you think is the most important?”
“Isn’t it the size?”
Absolutely not. If that was the case, Nuri should have made Black Wyvern its master.
“The strength of a monster lies in its purity.”
“Pureness?”
“It refers to their original form at birth. Nuri has a form almost exactly like a peregrine falcon. This signifies that it was born with powerful abilities.”
The more complex the transformation, the more unstable the power output and the more unnatural the Force manipulation would be.
“I suppose that means it’s dangerous for it to have reached the level 8 with that kind of purity, but why do you think the hunt will fail?”
“They lack power. And there are too many members in their hunting team who are not needed.”
In my opinion, to face Nuri, it would take two Level 8s and support from at least five Level 7s, along with the backing of twenty Level 6s to have a chance at catching it.
If the Level 8’s Gift was a long-range attack, it would be easier. However, Avant-Garde’s forces didn’t quite match that, and Lee Chan-taek was a typical self-centered general who believed only in his own abilities.
If he succeeded, he would be a charismatic boss, but if he failsed, then he’d only be branded as a stubborn fool.
In this case, the latter was more likely.
Of course, if I was the one hunting, it would be a different story.
“......”
The atmosphere was chilly.
“Don’t worry, he cares a lot for his guild members, so he won’t recklessly throw away their lives.”
“The problem is dealing with the monster.”
“Why are you worried about that? I’ll go.”
I was speaking with confidence, so why were they looking at me like that? It’s kind of disrespectful, let’s remember than for now.
I turned to the President, breaking the surrounding silence.
“But if I catch that thing alone, would the byproducts be all mine?”
I know that the price for capturing a danger level 8 monster was at least 1.5 trillion.
And if I handled the core processing, it would become even more valuable.
If one miso stew costs 6,000 won, that’s 250,000 bowls.
“As long as you can hunt them, they’re all yours.”
“All right.”
***
Sitting alone with Cheon Myeong-guk, the president recalled the earlier conversation and asked, “What do you think of Choi Jun-ho’s analysis?”
“I think it’s vague.”
“I felt the same way. But he was surprisingly persuasive.”
Choi Jun-ho’s words had a strange charm. A strong self-confidence despite it just being unconfirmed facts. It strongly resonated enough to shake the trust in the accumulated data.
“Choi Jun-ho’s words have mainly consisted of content that has never been analyzed before. We shouldn’t believe it, and we shouldn’t act on it. But...”
Cheon Myeong-guk, who met the president’s gaze, continued, “There has never been a time when his words were wrong.”
“That’s the problem.”
“Yes.”
“So, do you think it will go as he says this time, too?”
“The probability is high.”
If they had to choose between data and Choi Jun-ho’s words, they would choose the former.
The problem was if his words became reality.
“If the monster break through Avant-Garde’s defenses, we will try to stop it in Gwangju or Yongin, and if we can’t stop it there, Seoul would be next. Contact the Reapers Guild. Tell them to be fully prepared, just in case.”
Cheon Myeong-guk was a former Vice-Guild Master of the Reapers Guild. Even if he ordered preparations a bit early, he could get sufficient understanding from the other side.
“Understood.”
“I hope our worries won’t come true.”
But what they were worried about became a reality.
***
At the first encounter with Nuri, he thought they had enough firepower to hunt it down easily.
It wasn’t very big for a danger level 8 monster, and it didn’t exude much momentum.
But the moment the battle began, everything changed. Nuri possessed a strength unlike any level 8 monster he had seen before.
Less than five minutes into the battle, hell broke loose. The acrid smoke from the winter’s dry trees and grasses obscured their vision.
“It’s my fault.”
Lee Chan-taek tightly clenched his fists while looking up at the sky. The one who created this hell was looking down on the world as if it didn’t care.
Nuri was agile and fierce, unleashing a fire breath powerful enough to melt away the armors that the hunters wore.
Above all, what Choi Jun-ho had warned about, the ‘Gift,’ was conclusive. The Blade Storm it triggered with its wing flaps was an unavoidable disaster.
When the Gift Blade Storm was activated, it swept within a radius of 50 meters, and each blade was powerful enough to rival a Force blade of a Level 7.
Over a dozen Hunters were torn to shreds by the first Blade Storm. They were reduced to chopped flesh, no trace of their former selves.
Attempting to confront Nuri in a clear space turned out to be a mistake. There was no escape from its fire breath and Blade Storm.
Nuri was beyond the reach of their Gifts, while taunting the guild members who had worked tirelessly their whole lives.
If they continued like this, it would be annihilation.
Lee Chan-taek acknowledged that his choice was the worst.
“Everyone, retreat! I’ll take care of the rear.”
“Guild Master!”
“Nobody but me can catch his attention. Listen to me! Ha Seong-hoon! Take the kids and get out of here!”
“...You must stay safe.”
With those words, Ha Seong-hoon managed to regroup the remaining forces and retreated.
Left alone, Lee Chan-taek faced Nuri, but he knew he wouldn’t be enough.
To deal with a flying monster, it had to be brought down, but with the guild’s full force sent back, his attacks wouldn’t be able to reach.
“Is this the end?”
Nuri appeared above, looking down at Lee Chan-taek. He had thought it would be an easy opponent, but at this moment, it seemed like a monster that could destroy the world.
Kieh!
That cry seemed to mock him.
Such a futile end for such a proud man. The world would laugh at him.
His guild’s status would fall, and it wouldn’t be able to rise again to its current position.
“......”
Lee Chan-taek felt like everything he had worked for his whole life was crumbling in real-time.
That’s when it happened.
There was someone approaching from behind at a breakneck speed. Soaring into the sky as if stepping on air, they dashed straight and struck Nuri’s head.
Kieeek!
Nuri, who screamed in agony, breathed out fire, but the person easily avoided it and struck its head once more.
“Step back.”
“Choi Jun-ho...!”
Lee Chan-taek’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a reinforcement, but quickly stepped back. Meanwhile, Choi Jun-ho, who had approached and bypassed Nuri’s Blade Storm, struck Nuri’s head.
Crash!
A tremendous explosion resounded.
Nuri staggered and, with a sinister aura, released heat from its entire body, flying higher to escape Choi Jun-ho’s attack range.
“It’s not breaking.”
If Choi Jun-ho marveled at the strength of Nuri’s head, Lee Chan-taek did not miss the other’s strange fixation on the head.
“Head Breaker.”
