17화
“Team Leader, isn’t that quite a lot?”
A man with a tall, well-muscled frame and a blue earring spoke up.
“The ones we discussed in the last meeting are still left, too.”
Ji Young-ho, who had been sitting slumped in his chair, said this with an air of annoyance.
“Five per team isn’t exactly a high number for our headcount.”
Yoo Sang-chan stared at Ji Young-ho and continued.
“Team A has been assigned five as well this time. Don’t complain.”
“Tch.”
At the team leader’s words, Ji Young-ho pursed his lips.
Team A—Risk Level A.
In other words, it was the internal designation for the team responsible for handling A-rank Demons.
While the number of assignments per team was similar, when looking at the individual workload, it wasn’t a matter of who had it easier or harder.
In the United States, where the Hunter Association headquarters was located, and in every country with a branch, Hunters were cultivated through unofficial training programs.
Just like Demons, the higher the level of artifacts a Hunter could wield, the fewer of them there were.
Therefore, the Association had secretly made deals with government agencies to scout talent. They identified Hunter potential through mana tests before children even turned ten, fostering them as assets.
Even so, the supply remained insufficient.
Seoul, which held the largest population in South Korea.
The reality of the branch was that there were only about a hundred B-team Hunters in such a place.
Team A consisted of fewer than thirty—less than half that number.
The gap grew even wider as one moved toward the provinces.
“You’ve all heard their names.”
Yoo Sang-chan pointed to two photos and continued his explanation.
“Two of these guys climbed up through growth.”
Hella and Egrit.
“To be upgraded from C-rank to B+ rank… they’re monsters.”
One of the Hunters who recognized the masks muttered.
“Isn’t Egrit the one who grew step-by-step starting from D-rank?”
A skinhead Hunter asked Yoo Sang-chan.
“Correct. After taking down Notorious in the Arena, he was upgraded to B+ rank. It would take at least two people from Team B to stand a chance against him.”
“Why wouldn’t I know that?”
Ji Young-ho interjected smoothly.
“I even got injured while investigating to catch that guy.”
As the owner of the artifact Alysia, he had boasted just a while ago that he would take down Egrit.
“I told you solo investigations are dangerous. No matter how confident you are, act as a team.”
Yoo Sang-chan scolded him.
It was because the recent movements of the Demons had been unusual.
“I know the regulations, too. The problem is that we’re short on personnel.”
“Next.”
Yoo Sang-chan ignored the comment about the personnel shortage and flipped the screen.
“The only information on Egrit is that he uses fire, an emission-type Special Technique, and that he wears a white mask when active.”
“Team Leader~ isn’t that too little information?”
“It can’t be helped. He’s just that elusive.”
“It feels like it was just a while ago that Team D was handling him….”
“In the end, his identity wasn’t uncovered even up to B-rank. He’s an incredible guy.”
The conference room became noisy with talk about Egrit.
“Quiet!”
When there was no sign of the noise dying down, Yoo Sang-chan struck the desk with his baton.
“Next is Hella.”
Confirming that all eyes were on him, he pointed to the other Demon next to Egrit.
Unlike Egrit, she was a female Demon whose face behind the mask was revealed.
“She killed four C-team Hunters a while ago and was upgraded to B+ rank.”
The atmosphere turned icy in an instant at the death of their colleagues.
“She’s in her early 30s, about 170cm tall, and has a slim build. Her Special Technique hasn’t been identified yet. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that we finally got a clear shot of her actual face, not her Human Skin.”
He added that it was a photo accidentally taken by a passing civilian while she was preying on a Hunter.
They could be sure it was her real face because the wounds on her face were shown in the process of regenerating.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Hunting Hunters without fear?”
The conference room grew loud again with curses and vitriol directed at Hella.
“Alright! Next one!”
Yoo Sang-chan calmed those who had started to get agitated and finished the explanations for the remaining Demons.
“We are scheduled to enter a large-scale subjugation mission soon.”
He mentioned the other purpose of today’s briefing.
“Large-scale? Are we going to war with one of the four major organizations?”
Yoo Sang-chan nodded.
“We’ve stepped on their tail and secured the justification. Authorization from the higher-ups will come down soon.”
Reactions mixed with confusion and awe erupted.
“This subjugation mission will be a large-scale operation involving Teams E, D, C, B, and A.”
Yoo Sang-chan emphasized that the scale and difficulty were on a different level from existing missions.
It was rare for all teams in the Seoul branch to move together for a subjugation mission.
“Before that, our Team B will be divided into twenty squads. Think of it as time to get in sync.”
Yoo Sang-chan pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
“Squad 1 is Han Jae-hee, Park Sung-heon, Yoon Mi-ra, Lee Jae-hyuk, and Kim Su-chan. The squad leader is Han Jae-hee.”
At the sudden announcement, the Hunters’ gazes turned to one spot.
Han Jae-hee accepted their stares with a stoic expression.
“As expected, the squad leader is Han Jae-hee.”
“I’m jealous of Squad 1.”
Reactions were a mix of various emotions.
Han Jae-hee, the person in question, remained expressionless.
“Squad 2 is Ji Young-ho, Choi Dae-gil, Lee Na-young, Choi Sung-jong, and Yang Mi-sun. The squad leader is Ji Young-ho.”
“It’s so predictable it’s not even exciting.”
“Because of Han Jae-hee, Ji Young-ho is stuck as the eternal second-in-command.”
Ji Young-ho’s expression crumpled at the whispered remarks.
Team B’s second-in-command.
It was a modifier that always followed him around.
‘How annoying.’
He vented curses internally while observing the reaction of the first-in-command who always stayed ahead of him.
Han Jae-hee.
A genius who was officially granted A-rank but was assigned to Team B according to her own wishes.
It wouldn’t be strange if her ability and skill led to her being assigned to Team A immediately.
Yet, it was her own will to remain active in Team B for several years.
Down grade.
Some Hunters who were jealous of her would often belittle her, claiming she just wanted to show off by acting alongside Hunters lower-ranked than herself.
‘Foolish idiots.’
The reality was completely different.
Thanks to her active role with skills that wouldn’t be out of place in Team A, countless Hunters had been saved until now.
‘Though it seems there are still many who don’t want to admit it.’
Even after slaughtering Demons with a blank expression, she never showed greed for personal credit.
While Ji Young-ho led in the number of individuals hunted, she led in the number of high-level Demons of B-rank or higher hunted.
Furthermore, she had recently been temporarily drafted into Team A and contributed to hunting the A-rank Demon ‘Muramasa’.
Her standing within the branch was growing even larger.
A Hunter with mana affinity capable of using A-rank artifacts and outstanding combat sense.
To Ji Young-ho, she was both an immediate rival and a goal he had to surpass.
“…….”
Feeling the gaze, Han Jae-hee glanced at Ji Young-ho.
Her white skin, without a single scratch, caught his eye.
‘To think she cuts down Demons so well with such a pretty face.’
His Alysia was an artifact rated B-rank.
Just as his Hunter rank had become B+ after a long period of training and adaptation, the artifact’s rank had also been upgraded.
He was someone who had been hailed as a genius since birth and had walked the elite path.
‘I can still grow.’
For Hunters, raising one’s rank was a task that required effort beyond mere talent.
‘I will definitely become A-rank.’
Ji Young-ho, conscious of her, gritted his teeth.
*Clench.*
His fist, balled up without him realizing it, trembled slightly.
“…….”
Han Jae-hee, who had been watching him indifferently, turned her head away.
“Squad 3 is….”
The squad leaders and members of Team B, divided into twenty squads.
With the roles and zones for each squad, Yoo Sang-chan’s briefing concluded.
“I want everyone to familiarize themselves with their roles once more.”
Yoo Sang-chan mentioned the Demons of interest one last time and dismissed them.
“Han Jae-hee.”
As the Hunters began to leave the conference room, he called out to the leader of Squad 1.
“Since you don’t have an offensive artifact, go to the artifact storage and choose a decent one.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
She nodded and answered quietly.
* * *
3:00 AM.
A Taekwondo dojo located in Gwangjin-gu.
Seung-chan was dripping with sweat in the old gymnasium set up in the basement of the building.
Given the hour, there was no one else in the dojo besides him.
Seung-chan was immersed in his own training.
“Hoo.”
He moved his feet lightly and performed a weave.
“Hoo.”
He also threw a punch, putting his weight behind it.
Evasive maneuvers and counterattacks based on flexibility.
Simple yet difficult movements were repeated.
The movements of offense and defense as one continued endlessly, and his breathing gradually grew rough.
“Is this too monotonous?”
Seung-chan, having exhausted a significant amount of magic power, sat down on the floor.
Since he had risen to B-rank, today’s goal was to master movements that maintained a constant state of reinforcement.
Perhaps because it had been a while since he trained, his body felt stiff.
“I should finish up soon.”
The dojo was run by a relative of Sang-hyuk.
The reason he was training alone at this late hour was because of the summons from the Arena.
‘Kim Se-jeong.’
He recalled his meeting with Se-jeong, who had come to deliver the summons.
She had been smiling as she sat in a chair at Burgeria.
“The Hunters have been caught on the tail. A large-scale subjugation mission will be carried out soon.”
She said it with a smile, but it was certainly not something to be laughed off.
‘Was this what Kyle was talking about?’
It was something Kyle had let slip at Burgeria.
It wasn’t the first time for a large-scale subjugation mission by the Hunter Association.
The Arena, Venom, the Church, the Company.
All four major organizations had experienced such a situation at least once before.
‘The goal wasn’t total annihilation, but to dampen the momentum of the increasing Demons.’
When a subjugation mission began, it usually ended with large-scale damage on the side of the Demons.
‘Is it to reduce their numbers this time, too?’
Seung-chan was also active in the Church and the Company, making a decent living. Because of that, he had received summons from the ‘Church’ and the ‘Company’ as well, not just the ‘Arena’.
‘If I refuse the summons, I can no longer participate in activities related to that organization.’
In that sense, for Seung-chan, who earns a significant income from the Arena, refusing this summons would lead to a devastating financial loss.
‘My biggest source of income would be cut off.’
Knowing this, Se-jeong smiled and waited for Seung-chan’s answer.
“Tell them I’ll participate.”
At the expected answer, she let out a nasal hum.
“Hmm~ Aren’t you excited?”
“Not really.”
“A grand festival of blood where Hunters and Demons come together—just thinking about it gets me excited.”
“It’s not a matter to be taken so lightly. More importantly.”
Seung-chan glared at Se-jeong.
“I told you not to just show up here without warning.”
“Are you worried about being tracked by other Hunters?”
“…….”
A few people at Burgeria were glancing at Se-jeong’s face.
It was because she was undeniably a beauty.
“Burgeria. I like this place.”
She was one of the few people who knew that Seung-chan often grabbed his meals here.
“You’re more timid than I thought. Or is it because you’re worried about your cute little sister?”
“Do I have to tell you to watch your mouth?”
Seung-chan’s voice turned icy.
“I told you my sister has nothing to do with this world.”
“Ahahaha.”
She let out her characteristic, vapid laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows about you.”
*Slide.*
Her smiling eyes turned crimson.
“Mr. Ruler of the Neutral Zone.”
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