BRDM 44

chapter 44

In just a single day, the disaster that struck the prestigious guild quickly hit the domestic media.

“…What, the prestigious guild, or whatever?”

Camilla, her face drenched in fatigue, looked at her subordinate.

“Look at this article.”

She took the phone carefully handed to her.

<The Collapsed State of the Prestigious Guild?>
<Suddenly Missing Guild Master of the Prestigious Guild – Where Did He Go?>
<Hunters’ Clash, Practically Mob Logic – Is This Okay?>

└ Saw the short clip – was this real, not staged? No lie.
└ Beyond imagination… terrifying.
└ Thought you’d only see something like this in the Middle Eastern front… in Korea?
└ The world’s too scary to live in. Hunters causing chaos.
└ Hunters need to be locked up and monitored. Look at their usual antics – drinking, drugs, accidents. Potential criminals.
└ I don’t agree with the extreme opinions above, but the prestigious guild bastards deserved it.
└ True lol, they were the biggest problem lol.
└ I heard the South American cartel got involved too? My uncle’s friend’s wife’s third aunt’s in-laws work in that field. They got double-crossed by the cartel and went crazy?
└ Isn’t that someone else??

Creak.

Camilla clenched her fist tightly. The phone screen cracked.

“This crazy bastard… wreaked havoc here and even attacked the prestigious guild?”

Contrary to Lee Hyun’s concern, the reason the South Korean branch of the cartel couldn’t immediately move to the guild’s headquarters was the unexpected aftermath of Lee Hyun’s incident.

Camilla had done everything to prevent the Black Market dungeon from closing. She had tried to persuade the inhuman merchants to gather again, and came close to succeeding.

If the merchants didn’t leave, the market could somehow sustain itself.

But…

‘To think those bastards would interfere there…!’

The market’s other key component, the customers, didn’t return.

Impatient, they moved to Black Markets managed by other organizations. By then, the rumor had already spread widely.

• The city cartel’s South Korean branch discriminates among merchants when collecting tribute.

• The cartel fails to manage sub-organizations, so the Black Market is always noisy.

• They don’t properly compensate the merchants affected this time.

Previously suppressed rival organizations immediately seized the opportunity.

As if waiting…

This movement could never have happened without someone leaking information.

‘Really, Chairman Peng? Was this the work of that cunning old fox, or a third party trying to exploit our conflict…?’

In the end, the <Goblin Market> closed. One of the 11 Black Markets operated by the city cartel was wiped out.

Though crucial documents could be salvaged, the invested assets and external credibility tied to the market facilities were destroyed. The damage was at least in the billions of won.

Even for the city cartel, hailed as the king of the underworld, the loss was staggering.

‘Also, Han Hyun-soo of Bluedog? The sole witness suddenly died. This whole scenario was meticulously planned.’

“Some comments seem related to us. Contact the hacker team and organize it. Make sure the media stays quiet. Rumors spreading would only make things worse.”

If the cartel showed weakness to the public, it would collapse. They could not afford to reveal any vulnerability.

“Also…”

“What else?”

“The boss’s side contacted us just now… what should we do?”

Her subordinate glanced nervously at Camilla, who had grown tense. Unsurprisingly, the crease in her brow deepened.

After trying to manage the situation as best as possible, it seemed the suspicious movements of other organizations had reached the boss’s ears.

“Phew…”

Camilla exhaled deeply. As she reopened her eyes, she returned to her usual cold composure.

“Give it to me. I’ll report to the boss personally.”

Camilla didn’t believe the masked man acted alone. Didn’t the article mention he said this after demolishing the guild’s headquarters?

• If anything like this happens again, whoever it is, I’ll crush them without leaving a single root.

Clearly, those words were directed at them. A declaration of war.

‘Fine. Come at me, whoever you are, whatever you bring. I’ll snap every neck in my way.’

Once the cleanup was complete, she planned to head straight to Seoul.

Click. Beep.

“Yes, boss.”

Camilla’s eyes blazed as she answered the phone.

After the disciplinary period ended, Lee Hyun returned to work.

‘Maybe because I just took off the Dokgaksi set I’d been wearing, my body feels heavy again. Different, but heavy.’

Back then, he could confidently take on rankers head-on, but not anymore. Yet, the old battle instincts remained, filling his body with energy.

He felt like he could reach his goal soon. Only a short stretch remained.

As he pondered, a conversation nearby caught his attention:

“Hey, did you hear?”
“The prestigious guild master went missing? Still can’t find him?”
“Apparently, the entire leadership vanished even before the building collapsed. Something must be up.”
“Seriously, this is insane.”
“I’m more scared of the bomber. Weird mask, demolishing buildings…”

Much of it concerned the recent ‘prestigious guild headquarters explosion.’

“I heard over ten mafia-related members were also captured.”
“Even the demon appeared and was killed on the spot.”
“Is this really Korea? Why is it so grim?”
“No, idiot. Korea’s why they’re all getting caught. They’re weeding out. Some underworld organizations even got wiped out. Guess they’re fighting among themselves.”
“Oh, that’s a relief then.”

The underground war, meant to be secret, had grown so big that civilians were aware.

‘What a genius, Major Jung.’

Lee Hyun smirked while leaving the subway. Once he decided to expand the stage, Major Jung told him to push relentlessly to the end.

For days, the media had been nonstop reporting the explosion and its ripple events.

Even unverified rumors about the masked monster circulated endlessly.

<Apostle of Zeus, ‘Gui-Rae (Ghost Thunder)’ – Who is he?>

He even earned a nickname. ‘Gui-Rae,’ meaning someone who wields white lightning like a ghost.

‘My first nickname ever… should I laugh or not?’

The codename “Jet” was just a start; this was his first real nickname.

“Feels good to wake up and find you’re a superstar now?” Son Goku wagged his tail teasingly.

‘Not sure if it’s good or bad. At least Jinwoo’s incident is buried, so that’s lucky.’

“Enjoy this moment, Apostle. Infamy is still fame, after all.”

Even so, Lee Hyun scratched his cheek awkwardly. Unlike the time during Cheongrae, when fame was irrelevant due to his ruined body and secret identity, now he could see it live.

‘Lucky I’m moving with the mask on.’

He exhaled in relief but also marveled at how Jung had manipulated the media.

‘He didn’t just retire quietly after all.’

Though Jung treated it like a hobby, Lee Hyun noticed during his bunker stay that Jung had been preparing something.

If the basement held weapons and ammo, the 2nd and 3rd floors had his alchemist labs and secret files.

Lee Hyun had asked, only to get a laugh in reply. He stopped asking.

‘Truly an unpredictable man.’

Still, it had been helpful. Ko Jin-woo recovered mentally.

‘I got this too.’

White frost floated over Lee Hyun’s palm.

[The narrative of <Snow Queen> manifests!]

Thanks to Jung’s help, he could actively wield the Snow Queen’s power awakened by the ice jade heart. He also had the mysterious fossil egg research entrusted.

‘Once the Snow Queen and egg research progress, I’ll leave it to Major Jung…’

Lee Hyun looked at the White Burn headquarters in his sight.

‘Time to hit this vacant guild house.’

Though ranked among the top 5 domestic guilds, White Burn was no match for the prestigious guild in size or hunter quality.

‘Makes sense – a small shop versus an international hub.’

Combining a few White Burn strategy teams might reach the prestigious guild’s level, though if the Mountain Spirit dog intervened, it would be incomparable.

“Welcome, senior?”

Kim Min-jung waved lightly as Lee Hyun arrived.

“Yeah, long time no see.”
“Feels like months, though it’s only been a week…”

Kim Min-jung sighed.

“You look exhausted.”
“Heard about the prestigious guild?”
“Only from the news. Does it concern us?”
“Small compared to us, but still, top 5 guilds are top 5 guilds. When one disbands overnight, we can’t be idle.”

Apparently, guild board members and six assault captains fought amongst themselves. With the guild gone, their claims floated, attracting domestic and international guilds.

Even corporations like White Burn didn’t seem immune.

“Team leader Im struggled most. Barely home. They even called our team for extra hands. You, on disciplinary leave, were the winner.”

Lee Hyun scratched his cheek sheepishly.

‘…Absolutely not telling anyone it was me behind the incident.’

He had no intention of revealing his status as Zeus’ Apostle anymore.

“What about the others? Where are they?”

Looking around, Lee Hyun noticed the Z team members absent, despite the break ending.

“Oh, that…”

“Team Leader Jang.”

Before Kim Min-jung could answer, Im Won-young’s voice came from behind.

Lee Hyun turned reflexively. Fatigue marked his face.

“Ah, still not officially assigned… forget it. I haven’t slept properly for over three days, can’t think straight.”

Im tapped his cheeks lightly, speaking:

“Anyway, Manager Jang, follow me for a moment.”

Lee Hyun figured it related to the team’s collective absence and followed him into an empty conference room.

Click.

“You look tired.”
“Yes, due to the prestigious guild. Our company took over dungeons they managed.”

Lee Hyun nodded.

“Why did you ask me separately…? Manager Jang, did you run a dungeon during leave?”

Im surveyed Lee Hyun from head to toe. Despite controlling her energy, it differed from five days ago.

[Legacy ‘When Tigers Smoked’ shows strong competitiveness!]

Even the legacy within stirred.

“No, it’s just a growth spurt, I guess.”
“…I wish I could experience that growth spurt too…”

Im chuckled, knowing Lee Hyun wouldn’t answer properly. Undoubtedly, he had been training relentlessly somewhere.

Even without fully using his magic, he never neglected conditioning.

“Anyway, skipping chit-chat. Soon, a new personnel announcement will appear. Manager Jang, you’ll be appointed as interim Z team leader.”

Lee Hyun’s eyes lit up.

“Really…?”
“Yes. Though temporary, you’ll assume the Z team leader position.”

For someone hired less than a month ago, it was an unreal promotion speed. Im must have pushed hard.

Lee Hyun bowed in gratitude.

“But this may not be entirely good news.”
“Conditions?”
“Yes. Skill recognized, but considering the incident, plus Executive Jeong’s scrutiny.”

Im explained cautiously, then hardened his expression.

“As interim Z team leader, your first official mission in three days will be… tricky.”

Three days. Lee Hyun realized he had much to prepare.

“What is it?”
“There’s an SS-grade item with extreme curses… your mission is to deal with it.”

Unlike the slightly gloomy Im, Lee Hyun still smiled, his expression unreadable.