Eunseong bit down hard on his lower lip, a wave of dizziness washing over him. Recovery-type Hunters were rare in this world to begin with, but Han Jia also possessed buff skills. That made her an indispensable asset to Kang Mujin.
The one silver lining was that if Black Thorn Valley’s clearance rights still belonged to Zenith Guild — just as Chief Choi had said — then the opportunity wasn’t gone yet.
Lost in thought, Eunseong looked up at the sound of Chief Choi’s voice.
“Sir. I apologize for interrupting your thoughts. It’s an urgent matter.”
“……”
“An emergency summons has been issued by the Hunter Association.”
The smart pad Chief Choi held out displayed an official notice from the Association, rendered in red.
“Given that an S-rank Dungeon has appeared on the outskirts of Seoul, they’re calling for all major guild leaders to convene. It’s an emergency meeting chaired directly by the Association president.”
Eunseong’s heart plummeted.
The Association president… that means…
The president of the Hunter Association — Seo Taehwan.
To the public, he was regarded as a saint — a father figure to all Hunters. But his true nature was that of a hidden mastermind who would bring the world to ruin.
…They want me to meet the final boss already?
He wanted to refuse. He wanted to make some excuse about being ill — but an even more terrifying scenario flashed through his mind.
Within Baek Eunseong’s memories, there existed a personal acquaintance with the man. Not exactly close, but close enough that family dinners had been arranged between them. Probably because Baek Eunseong’s family had ties to political circles.
On top of that, Seo Taehwan might pick up on the slightest discrepancy — a turn of phrase, a glance, a reaction that the real Baek Eunseong never would have had. And if he noticed something off, it was obvious he’d start digging.
If he were to get caught…
He’d try to find out how I ended up in Baek Eunseong’s body. And if I say even one wrong thing?
He’d be marked as an unidentified existence with knowledge of the future. For someone like Seo Taehwan, who sought to place the entire world beneath his feet, was there any card more tempting than that?
He might use a Hunter with psychic-type skills to pick through every last corner of my mind…
Against his will, no less.
Eunseong briefly imagined that scenario and shuddered violently.
There was nothing more dangerous than having his true identity exposed — and to Seo Taehwan of all people. Eunseong tucked his trembling fists behind his back and rose from his seat. If he couldn’t escape this, he had to become a version of Baek Eunseong ten times more arrogant and insufferable than usual.
“When?”
“You can head there now.”
Chief Choi had already arranged the car before even delivering the report. Emergency summons or not, the fact that it had been issued in the dead of night meant they had to move immediately.
Eunseong rose from the sofa and changed into the crisp white suit he always wore. Slipping into a suit with not a single wrinkle, its lines perfectly pressed, he felt a strange surge of resolve wash over him for no particular reason.
“Let’s go.”
The cool, emotionally stripped voice made Chief Choi bow his head briefly before taking the lead.
Inside the car heading to the Association headquarters.
The suffocating silence in the back seat was broken by Chief Choi’s dry report from the passenger seat.
“The post that went up on Hunters Blind last night was immediately taken down — we applied pressure to the platform’s administrators. The Hunter responsible for the initial leak, a member of the trainee unit, has been identified, put on standby suspension, and referred to the legal team for violation of the security oath.”
“……”
“Additionally, the author of the post has been tracked down as well. That Hunter is being referred to the disciplinary committee, and the legal team is currently reviewing the filing of formal charges.”
“……”
“We’ve also identified the Hunter who exposed internal asset information — specifically that the guild warehouse has no Elixir stock — through the comments. They turned out to be a Hunter in the supply team. Charges of leaking guild confidential information are being applied, and the legal team is preparing to file formal charges alongside the earlier leakers.”
“……”
“As for the rumor that made it out to the press, we’re managing it by distributing an official press release framed as ‘Zenith Guild’s Strategic Talent Development and S-Rank Gate Preparedness.'”
“……Good work.”
Eunseong propped his chin in his hand, keeping his gaze fixed on the window as he gave a short reply. He hadn’t expected such a swift response after seeing that post — but Chief Choi’s competence, at least, was worth acknowledging.
Outside the main conference room at the Hunter Association headquarters.
When Eunseong stepped into the corridor dressed in his white suit, the gazes of the other guild executives and Association officials gathered there snapped to him all at once.
“It’s Baek Eunseong.”
“Did you see Hunters Blind yesterday? The rumor about him feeding an S-rank Elixir to a C-rank — that secret weapon thing.”
“They’re saying he pulled the advance unit out because he already knew it’d be upgraded to S-rank, right? How did he know?”
The hushed whispers reached him through his sharp hearing. Eunseong inwardly swallowed tears of injustice.
That’s not it. That’s not what happened at all!
But outwardly, he maintained the flawless mask of the number-one-ranked guild leader — utterly unshakeable. Eunseong swept a dispassionate gaze over the murmuring crowd and placed his hand on the conference room door.
The solid door swung open, and the moment Eunseong appeared, every eye inside turned to him in an instant.
Han Seyeon of Valhalla Guild, ranked second — concealing a razor-sharp shrewdness behind an elegant smile.
Yoo Cheolmin of Aegis Guild, ranked third — radiating a heavy, oppressive aura befitting a defense-specialized guild.
Gwak Taesan of Titan Guild, ranked fourth — boasting a sheer physical size that seemed to overwhelm even the air in the room.
And at the far end, presiding over the assembled rankers with relaxed ease — the Association president, Seo Taehwan.
…What is this place. I’m scared.
Eunseong felt the weight of all those gazes pressing down on him, but he walked into the conference room as though none of it bothered him. Chief Choi, who had followed him in, quietly closed the door behind them.
Gwak Taesan, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and a lopsided slouch, let out a scoffing laugh in a voice as deep and rough as a beast’s.
“Well, well. What brings the noble leader of Zenith all the way out here on his own two feet? I half expected him to show up hiding behind his chief of staff.”
Eunseong was startled by the rumbling voice, but he kept his face cold and expressionless as he walked to the empty seat across from Seo Taehwan.
“Isn’t it only natural that I come in person for matters concerning my own guild? Keep your unnecessary meddling to yourself.”
Eunseong’s brazen retort made Gwak Taesan’s brow twitch with menace. As the tension stretched to a breaking point, a man interjected in a warm, gentle voice.
“Baek Eunseong. You’ve arrived.”
Silver-streaked hair styled in a distinguished pomade, paired with a benevolent smile. It was the Association president, Seo Taehwan — the man called the saint of Hunters.
“I heard you suddenly cancelled your schedule yesterday. And then an S-rank upgrade happens… what a remarkably fortunate coincidence.”
Seo Taehwan’s voice was endlessly soft, but the gaze hidden behind that smile was no different from a predator’s.
“Let’s just call it good luck.”
Eunseong answered briefly and crossed his legs. Knowing the man’s true nature, he kept his gaze directed elsewhere as naturally as he could manage.
Just then, Han Seyeon of Valhalla, who had been tapping lightly on the table, cut in with a faint smile.
“Good luck? Has Zenith’s intelligence ever been something that could be written off as mere luck? For a coincidence, the timing is far too perfectly timed to be anything but uncanny.”
Eunseong was breaking into a cold sweat on the inside at Han Seyeon’s probing, but answered only by lifting his chin and letting out a dismissive scoff. Han Seyeon opened his mouth to say more, but fell silent when Seo Taehwan’s hand came to rest gently on the table.
“Pleasantries aside — let’s get to the point.”
The moment Seo Taehwan began speaking, the man at his side placed a single sheet of paper in front of each guild leader. It was an agreement.
“Now that Black Thorn Valley has been upgraded to S-rank, a single-guild raid is no longer viable. By the authority of the Hunter Association, I am directing a joint operation between Zenith, Valhalla, and Aegis. Titan Guild will handle perimeter defense on the outside to ensure no civilians are harmed in the event of an emergency.”
“Tch. So we’re stuck clearing out the small fry on the outside.”
Gwak Taesan of Titan clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction but nodded his head nonetheless.
Seo Taehwan fixed his gaze on Eunseong.
“The initial entry into an S-rank Dungeon comes with enormous casualties. Word has it that Zenith has been quietly developing exceptional combat assets. For the sake of humanity’s peace, how about placing those Hunters at the front line of the joint forces?”
It was a calculated move — cleverly leveraging the rumor that had spread on Blind. Wrapped in pleasant-sounding words, it amounted to nothing more than a directive to push Zenith’s Hunters into the most dangerous position on the front line.
Yoo Cheolmin of Aegis, who had been listening in silence, crossed his thick arms and weighed in.
“Normally, our Aegis would take the vanguard — but if Zenith is hiding forces that formidable… this time, I’d like the chance to learn from them a bit.”
It was a blatant provocation from Yoo Cheolmin, who had always dismissed Eunseong as a weakling with no fighting ability of his own.
In that moment, two images flashed through Eunseong’s mind — Han Jia, devastated as her mana circuit shattered, and Kang Mujin’s dark eyes, the unmistakable hostility in them directed squarely at him.
These people… why do they keep trying to throw us into the jaws of death?
A surge of anger instinctively crushed the primal fear, and a sharp-edged voice burst out of him. Perhaps it was because he carried Baek Eunseong’s original memories — the words that came out were entirely natural, as if they’d always been his own.
“Association president. It seems you’ve been putting stock in idle rumors.”
Eunseong slowly rose from his seat. The collective pressure of the rankers packed into the conference room bore down on his shoulders, but Eunseong didn’t avert his gaze. He looked down at Seo Taehwan across the table and drove his words home like a stake.
“As the number-one guild in the Republic of Korea, Zenith takes its responsibilities seriously — and we will stand at the vanguard. But let one thing be absolutely clear.”
Han Seyeon’s eyes narrowed with what looked like interest. A strange mixture of curiosity and contempt played at the corners of Yoo Cheolmin’s and Gwak Taesan’s mouths. It was unexpected — the Eunseong who would normally throw a fit or refuse to attend meetings at all was now holding his ground without an inch of retreat, his cold composure fully on display.
Eunseong’s icy gaze struck Seo Taehwan’s benign mask head-on.
“I have not the slightest intention of offering Zenith’s guild members as disposable pawns for the safety of other guilds. The initial entry and full operational command will remain entirely and independently in Zenith’s hands.”
The conference room went ice-cold in an instant.
The gentle smile that had rested on Seo Taehwan’s lips deepened — and simultaneously, the air in the room grew heavier. A faint vein rose across the back of his hand, and yet Eunseong stood straight and tall, screaming internally.
AAAAH! What did I just say?!
