Chapter 239 - We’ll Start From There

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The thousands of people who remained in the concert hall after the monster attack were escorted to the Gunpowder Guild's headquarters under the protection of their hunters.

"Don't worry about me, just stay there. It's the place Captain Kang mentioned, so it should be safe."

Go Eul-ji made sure to get Kim Nari into the evacuation line. She needed to make sure her friend was in a safe place for her to move freely. Kim Nari didn’t resist as she didn’t want to add to Go Eul-ji’s burdens, especially since she might be heading into a big battle.

"Don’t get hurt. Get rid of those monsters quickly. After this concert, BTA’s new song is coming out. We should watch their performance together when they do domestic promotions."

"Of course."

Once the civilians were evacuated and the Gunpowder Guild hunters withdrew, the only ones left at the scene were Kang Moo-hyuk and his group and Gunpowder's general manager, Fischer. Fischer tried to confirm the details of the deal one last time.

"As per the conditions set by the Guild Master, we will protect the people here at our guild's headquarters until the situation is resolved. Let me confirm this once again. After the situation is settled, the deal will proceed as promised by the Guild Master. Do you agree?"

"Also, the mobile defense units. You've stationed hunters around the gates and hunting grounds, right? Once you lift the activity restrictions and proceed with the extermination of the carnivorous hornets in each area, I will fulfill my end of the promise."

"Yes. The operation is already underway. The key is to restore the city first. Once things calm down on the ground, we can proceed with the next steps. However, we can't handle all of LA on our own."

"First, seek cooperation from small to medium guilds that are associated with or can be persuaded by Gunpowder. I'll take care of the rest."

"A few large guilds, like Call My Name, can be brought in as part of Captain Kang's terms. The problem is the eastern district of LA. It will require Ithaca to step in to resolve it."

"I'll take care of that too."

"Do you have a plan? They’re such scumbags…”

"I'll figure something out. Since we need to go through the city to get there, it’ll take some time. I'll think of something in the meantime."

"Good luck."

As Fischer was about to turn away, he paused for a moment, then turned back and spoke again.

"Oh, by the way, just in case. If your safety is at risk, please make sure to escape. Don’t step forward trying to save people unnecessarily."

"Are you telling me to give up on the rescue?"

“I’m telling you to look at the bigger picture. Without the deal with you, we would have already considered retreating. Our guild’s assets are spread across various locations, so there’s no need to risk a dangerous raid to protect the city without any benefit. In other words, if you’re not safe, this deal will be off, and we’ll pull out. So, don’t get hurt and make sure you come back safely."

"I know the value of my own life. I plan to live long enough to see all the monsters disappear. So, don’t worry."

"Haha, you’ll live a long life. You really are an interesting person, Captain Kang. I’ll buy you a drink when this is all over. See you later."

Fischer took Kang Moo-hyuk’s words as a joke. All the monsters disappearing? He couldn’t imagine such a day ever coming. After Fischer left, Kang Moo-hyuk turned to Noh Song-rin with a serious expression and said.

"Did I say something funny just now?"

“No.”

“Then why did you laugh?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Could it be that my joke was in an American style?”

"I’m not very good with English."

“Ah? Maybe the translation doesn’t quite capture the nuance, so that could be it.”

Watching the two of them talk, Go Eul-ji let out a sigh, her face showing signs of exhaustion.

"Seriously, I have to trust these people and hunt with them? There’s zero tension. Am I the only one doing all the work here? Ugh, I miss Guildmaster."

“If Guildmaster Joo Se-ah were here, things would be a lot easier, but let's not dwell on what we don’t have right now.”

“Don’t start acting all serious now.”

"I’m never not-serious."

"So that wasn’t a joke just now?"

"I just found out that I might actually do well in America."

"What's the basis for that?"

"Just now. The Gunpowder representative, Cairon Fischer, the general manager. He’s a fairly influential hunter, someone who should be acting all serious, yet he vouched for me, calling me entertaining."

Go Eul-ji said with a look of disbelief.

“So, Captain. Are you being serious right now, or are you trying to be funny? Pick one.”

“As you know, Hunter Go Eul-ji, this really isn’t a time for jokes.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Hey, rookie. It’s the American style, you know?”

“Seriously, not you too, Mr. Noh. Don’t join in with Captain Kang.”

Noh Song-rin winked at Kang Moo-hyuk secretly.

“What’s this? Did something get in my eye… Ah? Oh, I see. American style. I didn’t know, since I’m not really familiar with American culture.”

Go Eul-ji took a step back, and the conversation about Kang Moo-hyuk’s humor ended. She quickly changed the subject, no longer wanting to focus on that topic.

"So, what's the plan? Since you didn’t team up with Gunpowder members, it seems like you’ve got something else in mind."

"Gunpowder will handle the west side of LA, Call My Name will cover the center, and we'll work with the local small and medium guilds to take down the carnivorous hornets. That leaves the east side."

"The east side? Who’s covering that?"

"The Ithaca Guild."

"Ithaca? Ithaca, Ithaca, Ithaca... I feel like I’ve heard that name before."

"It’s the guild Hunter Thomas belongs to."

"Ah, Thomas?! But didn’t you say their quality is really bad? Do you think they’ll help us?"

“They’re not hunters who would listen if you just ask them to.”

“If talking doesn't work, are you going to sideline them again?”

"How could we possibly go up against a large guild by ourselves? And when did I ever sideline a guild?"

"The White Tiger Guild."

"That wasn’t me. The Guildmaster did that."

"Wow, passing the blame to the Guildmaster? Everyone knows you're the mastermind behind it, Captain Kang."

"Also, that's confidential information. I completely deny it."

"What’s all this about?"

"If, by any chance, you're summoned to the Hunter Investigation Agency later, I was demonstrating to you how to deny it like this."

"What? Are you saying there's a chance I might get dragged to the Hunter Investigation Agency?"

"It's just a 'what if.' It's always good to be prepared for any situation."

“If we really want to prepare properly, shouldn’t we be getting tips from Mr. Noh?”

“Now that you say it…”

Kang Moo-hyuk and Go Eul-ji both turned to look at Noh Song-rin. Startled, Noh Song-rin quickly waved his hands.

“Why are you looking at me? I’m not that close with them.”

“If you were close with them, you could at least pull some strings. The only real skill you’ve got is acting clueless after getting caught. Come on, share some of that know-how. I’ve never even lied before.”

“Pfft! Hey, rookie… Hahaha. That was actually a pretty decent lie just now.”

“If you can just keep that up, you’ll be fine.”

When Kang Moo-hyuk nodded in agreement with Noh Song-rin, Go Eul-ji frowned.

“Do you know who made me this corrupt? I used to be so innocent.”

“Yup. Just keep that up, and you’ll be flawless.”

“Puhaha! Rookie, you don’t even need to do the American-style here—you’d fit right in.”

“…”

It wasn’t until Go Eul-ji floated them into the air and set them back down that Kang Moo-hyuk and Noh Song-rin returned to the topic.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We’ll try talking to them. Of course, we’ll have to be a bit rough.”

“Exactly, they’re the kind of people you can’t reason with.”

“I do have a way to make them listen… but I can’t promise it’ll work.”

“This is making me nervous… but I’m too curious not to ask. What’s the plan?”

“Do you know which guild has the most legal disputes with the Ithaca Guild?”

Go Eul-ji shot Kang Moo-hyuk a weary look as he dodged the question and randomly started talking about lawsuits.

"There you go again. So, which is it this time?"

“It’s Gunpowder—the ones we just saw.”

“You’re planning to threaten them using those guys? Won’t it backfire if they see you siding with someone they constantly fight with?”

“But legal stuff only happens out in the open. Do you know who they clash with the most behind the scenes, unofficially?”

“Haa, who?”

“O.C., or Ort Cloud. It’s a freelance hunter organization.”

“Ort Cloud?”

“If they’re constantly at odds, they probably each have dirt on the other.”

Kang Moo-hyuk said as he climbed into the Hunter Investigation Agency vehicle.

“Let’s go. That’s where we begin tightening the noose around Ithaca.”

“So if we go this way, we’ll run into Captain Kang—and not the Hunter Investigation Agency?”

Thomas muttered something to himself for a moment, thinking it through, before answering Jang Deuk-gu’s question.

“Yes. If the information you provided is accurate, then Captain Kang’s next move is already set.”

“Explain.”

Jang Deuk-gu wasn’t pressing him to hold him responsible if he was wrong. What took utmost priority right now was joining up with Kang Moo-hyuk. If Thomas’s guess was wrong, they needed the right intel to get back on track. Thomas began his explanation by reciting the information Jang Deuk-gu had told him about Kang Moo-hyuk.

“I heard Captain Kang is obsessed with monster hunts. He prioritizes protecting people above all else. Right now, the number of combatants he can count on in LA is three. Four, if you include me. That’s not enough to defend the city.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to stay with the Hunter Investigation Agency? Don’t we need more support from their side?”

“The Hunter Investigation Agency is made up of hunters specialized in dealing with villains. Their monster defense plans are basically just paperwork. The U.S. mostly relies on private guilds to deal with monsters.”

Jang Deuk-gu didn’t need any further explanation—he understood the system. Korea wasn’t much different. Only a handful of hunters with a strong sense of duty chose to serve the government. Life as a hunter in the private sector promised wealth, so there was no need to join a government agency and suffer under civilian superiors.

“If Captain Kang knows the Hunter Investigation Agency’s power isn’t enough, there’s only one option—to bring the LA guilds together. Just getting a few of the big ones on board would make things much easier.”

“Then why’s he heading to the concert venue where Go Eul-ji is, instead of one of the major guilds?”

“It’s simple. Those guilds aren’t under Captain Kang. Even if he manages to persuade them, that’s just the beginning. American hunters have a reputation for ignoring the federal government. He’ll be moving all over the city, and he’ll need at least a small, reliable team for that. If Hunter Go Eul-ji is a telekinetic, she’d be incredibly versatile—great for area control, close combat, and mobility. That makes her the first person he needs on his team.”

It wasn’t a far-fetched idea. Jang Deuk-gu found himself agreeing with Thomas, though he still had plenty of questions.

“Alright, fair enough. But do you really think Captain Kang can convince the guilds? Wouldn’t it be better to ask for help through the Hunter Investigation Agency instead? I mean, of course our captain’s good at what he does, but this isn’t Korea—it’s the U.S.”

“I don’t know exactly how he plans to do it. But I have a few guesses in mind.”

“Like what?”

“According to what you told me, Captain Kang went to the Hunter Investigation Agency to meet someone, right?”

“Yeah. According to the Captain, he’s probably a messenger from the East Coast.”

“There aren’t many people who’d use the Hunter Investigation Agency as a meeting place and show up claiming to be a messenger from the East Coast. It’s probably someone from the White House. Most likely, the head of the Hunter Policy Department—someone high enough to represent the East Coast guilds. Only someone in that kind of position could exert such influence over the Hunter Investigation Agency."

“Then?”

“If I were Captain Kang Moo-hyuk, I’d exaggerate the current threat if I had to, just to make sure the other side takes it seriously. That would give me the upper hand in talks with the guilds. After all, he has a powerful bargaining chip: the Rider Wolf.”

“He’s going to negotiate using the wolf?”

"Of course, the wolves alone won’t be enough. If the carnivorous hornets have evolved past third-gen, even a proper raid team would struggle to take them down. He’ll need another bait, something risky enough to draw them out. I’m guessing he plans to use that bait to mobilize the LA guilds. But first, he’ll need to get the green light from the East Coast messenger. If he can back it up with a strong justification, even better."

“Then he could be in another guild right now. But why the concert hall?”

“If things went well, he would’ve left the Hunter Investigation Agency by now and headed for the concert hall. He should’ve had time to stop by one guild on the way. Gunpowder and Call My Name are both along the way from the Hunter Investigation Agency to the stadium. Since Gunpowder was the most likely candidate, chances are he stopped there."

Thomas had gotten some of the details and connections wrong, but overall, his guesses lined up pretty well with what Kang Moo-hyuk did. Jang Deuk-gu had no way of knowing that, but Thomas’s deductions sounded pretty solid.

‘I’ve been steadily sending out messages using my skill as I move. Once they're in range, the message should get through. There’s nothing I can do by staying at the hotel anyway, so it’s better to keep in contact while heading to the concert hall.’

With that thought, Jang Deuk-gu decided to go along with what Thomas suggested. That was when—

「Yahoo! Mr. Jang? Can you hear me?」

The long-awaited message had finally arrived.