"All right!"
Yohan checked the message that had arrived on his device.
'Everything's fine, except their taste in names really is awful.'
He hummed to himself as he got ready to leave at once.
Out of habit, he slipped two daggers into the inside of his coat and shoved concealed weapons into his pockets.
From the outside, he looked as if he was wearing ordinary clothes, but the inside was packed with lethal weapons.
"Oops, almost forgot."
Before going out the door, Yohan went to where his mother's photograph was.
"I will be back. I will be able to see you soon."
After greeting his mother's photograph, Yohan headed for the Hangeom Family's guild.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's pointlessly huge."
Even when he tilted his head up toward the sky, he could not tell where the building ended, and Yohan shook his head.
"This is the last time, though."
When he entered the guild lobby, many people were gathered around the information desk.
They were all Hunters.
Yohan looked for a woman among the murmuring Hunters.
Then he saw a familiar face approaching from far off with a sharp click-clack.
"Mi-suk!"
At Yohan's loud shout, people's gazes focused on Mi-suk and Yohan.
"Mi-suk?"
"Did he just call Jennifer Mi-suk?"
"I don't think there's anyone by that name...."
The woman called Mi-suk grimaced and hurried over.
"Good to see you, Mi-suk...."
Without warning, Mi-suk covered Yohan's mouth, grabbed his hand, and dragged him away.
Beep, beep, beep.
On the way, the metal detector in front of the security guard blared noisily.
Because of that, attention focused on them once more.
"I told you not to call me by that name! I believe I told you to call me Miss Kim or Jennifer!"
"How could I call you that when Mi-suk is such a friendly name?"
In front of the employee elevator, Mi-suk clutched her head.
Yohan looked back at Mi-suk boldly, as if asking what the problem was.
"Mi-suk, there are a lot more Hunters these days."
"Not Mi-suk.... Never mind. Well, more than ten years have passed since the Gates opened, to the point that a Hunter Academy has been established. Naturally, their numbers must have increased that much."
"Is it okay for there to be that many?"
"For the sake of humanity, would it not be better to have more? Though not from your perspective, I suppose."
"So that's how it is."
Yohan sighed and wondered how he ought to view the increased number of Hunters.
"By the way, why did you come here? I doubt you came just to infuriate me."
"Come on, of course not. What reason would I have to come all the way to this filthy place?"
"As expected, you came because of a mission again."
"That's right. Still, there's one piece of good news. They say this is the last one."
"The last one.... What is the codename?"
Yohan checked the contents written on his device once more.
"Zero."
Mi-suk also searched the codename Yohan had given on her device.
For a moment, he saw her expression twist.
"Confirmed. Codename Zero. Please go to Lord Hangeom Shin on the top floor of the guild."
"Byeong-yun, huh. It's been a while."
"Personally, I wish the two of you did not have to meet."
"Same here. That bastard and I just don't get along."
"That is not what I meant...."
When the elevator she had called arrived, Yohan pressed the button for the top floor.
"I'm going."
"Yes. May fortune favor you in battle."
The elevator doors closed, and Mi-suk sighed again as she clutched her head.
"A storm of blood is going to blow through this place. How am I supposed to clean this up again?"
When the elevator reached the top floor and the doors opened, a secretary was sitting at a desk.
"It's been a while, Yohan."
"Yeah, good to see you."
Yohan, who was acquainted with the secretary, gave a light wave.
"I will show you to the Guildmaster."
"What? Wasn't he the Vice Guildmaster?"
"He is the Guildmaster now."
The secretary rose from her seat and knocked on the office door.
"What is it?"
"Yohan has arrived, sir."
"Already? He's fast. Send him in."
When the door opened, Yohan saw Hangeom Shin, dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back.
Behind the desk where he sat, a sword was displayed.
He was reviewing the documents piled on his desk.
"Good to see you, dumbass."
"I told you not to call me that."
"A so-called Sword God who doesn't wield a sword is a dumbass. What else would you call him?"
In the Hangeom Family, the name 'Shin' was like a title handed down to one worthy of being called the Sword God.
Hangeom Shin, formerly Hangeom Byeong-yun, had proven himself worthy of the position of Sword God the moment he graduated from the Academy and inherited the name Shin.
"If you had run your mouth like that in front of the Family Head, you'd have been dead in no time."
"Hey, hey. I know how to separate business and personal matters. I don't pick fights with someone who could take my head off, that's what I'm saying."
"Are you trying to say I can't take your head off?"
"Exactly! So there was a reason you only picked up a pen instead of a sword!"
The war of nerves between Hangeom Shin and Yohan continued.
Yohan realized what they were doing was a waste of time and went to sit on the sofa.
Hangeom Shin also sat back down and began clearing away the piled documents.
"Codename Zero. Explain."
"The mission is simple. All you have to do is retrieve an artifact."
"Something that minor is the final mission?"
"Yes. Think of it that way."
"Location?"
"The First Gate."
"What?"
'The First Gate.'
It was the first Gate to appear in South Korea, and an impregnable Gate.
The heads of the Twelve Families had quite a hard time closing it.
"Didn't they say the current Family Heads closed that?"
"It's opening again."
When Hangeom Shin operated the remote control, an image appeared in the air.
It was a map of South Korea.
The flow of mana was concentrating and gathering in one place.
It was the place where the First Gate had been.
"Do you believe now that the Gate is opening?"
"Yeah. Even a newborn would believe it after seeing that."
When Hangeom Shin operated the remote control again, a photograph of the artifact appeared on the screen.
The goblet, larger than a wineglass, was made of gold, and twelve jewels were embedded around its circumference.
"An EX-grade artifact said to grant people's wishes. We call it the 'Wish Vessel.'"
"No matter how I think about it, you people have terrible taste in names."
"Shut up and listen. This is important. The mission this time is for our Family to secure that artifact."
"Judging from the way you're talking, it doesn't sound like we're the only ones going in."
"Right. The other eleven Families will be going in as well. All of them are after the Wish Vessel."
"So you want us to beat those morons to it and take it first?"
Hangeom Shin propped his chin on both hands and looked at Yohan.
"Yes. By any means necessary."
"Bastard, acting all serious over swiping one little toy."
Hangeom Shin cleared his throat and continued.
"You know a Gate is an entire world unfolded, right?"
"That's just what scientists who don't know anything concluded."
"Yes, and the scientists are still right. In fact, whenever we reentered a Gate we had cleared, there were no living creatures there."
"So?"
"The First Gate is a place where the heads of the Twelve Families closed the door and came out. They said there were no surviving magic beasts."
Only then did Yohan understand why they had given him the final mission.
If magic beasts had appeared, they themselves, the experts at dealing with magic beasts, would have joined the expedition to the First Gate.
But if the opponents were not magic beasts but people, it was only natural to call in the Shadow Unit, which specialized in dealing with people.
"But our Family will not be going in."
"Of course not. You have us."
"Right. The Hangeom Family has the Shadow Unit."
"Hey, even so, making enemies of the eleven Families...."
"You're suddenly sounding weak."
"What bullshit are you talking about? Listen to the end before you run your mouth. I mean you people are going to be in trouble, not me."
"I suppose so. No one survives in a place where you are."
"You handle the aftermath yourselves."
The Shadow Unit belonged to the Hangeom Family, but only a tiny few within the Family knew that.
They were unknown to the public, and even the other eleven Families thought of them only as a violent band of petty thieves.
But this time, when every Family headed for the First Gate after the artifact, if the Shadow Unit appeared instead of the Hangeom Family....
"By the way, do you know that? What you're about to do is the same as announcing to the world that the Shadow Unit is under the Hangeom Family."
Hangeom Shin clicked his tongue and struck the desk.
"I know."
"Did the old man really approve this?"
"Yes. He said to proceed that way if it was for the Wish Vessel."
"Fuck, then shouldn't you people be stepping in too? You want to minimize the damage, but sacrifices still have to be made. So we're the discard card, is that it?"
"You are not a discard card. You are doing what we cannot. Even the Hangeom Family cannot survive against the eleven Families."
"Those are all excuses."
"...."
Yohan hooked both arms over the sofa and leaned back.
"I don't care whether the Shadow Unit becomes known to the public or not. The Wish Vessel? Tell the old man to play with that piece of crap himself. You know what I want, don't you?"
"Of course. We need to discuss that as well."
"Good. Then let's talk about the reward. Not about that damned Wish Vessel, Weed Cutter, or whatever."
"If you complete the final mission, the Hangeom Family intends to give freedom to you and the Shadow Unit. Live your own life, no longer as the Shadow Unit or as part of the Hangeom Family."
"And?"
"You need more?"
"Of course I do. My mother is the reason I've kept doing this shit until now!"
At the word 'mother,' Hangeom Shin let out a brief laugh.
"You bastard, did you just laugh?"
"Do not worry. Your mother is receiving proper treatment. We will take measures so that you can live with her on the day you return after completing the mission."
"Why are you answering so obediently for once?"
"For the sake of a poor little puppy."
"Dumbass. Listen to the way you talk."
Yohan rose from his seat and grabbed the doorknob to leave.
"My people will be free too, right?"
"Yes. If they survive."
"Keep that in mind. Otherwise, I'll kill you first."
When the door closed, Hangeom Shin stroked his own neck.
'He'll kill me first, huh.... It shakes me more because he can actually do it. Thank goodness the Family Head is holding his leash.'
Hangeom Shin stood before the window and watched Yohan leave leisurely.
"A monster of a bastard."
***
"Yeah, Mi-suk."
"The eleven Families are heading for the First Gate now. Keep that in mind."
"Thanks. We'll head out soon too."
Before Yohan stood dozens of people wearing black masks.
All of them were combat agents raised by the Hangeom Family, and they were people from branch lines, just like Yohan.
"Brothers who have shared both hardship and happiness with me! The hour of our freedom will soon arrive!"
The masked members of the Shadow Unit listened silently to Yohan without raising their heads.
"This is the final mission. It isn't that difficult. We only need to bring back one artifact."
Yohan paced before them.
"When this mission is over, you will be given freedom. So survive."
Yohan drew the sword at his waist.
"Let's go."
At that single word from him, dozens of Shadow Unit members leaped up and hid themselves in the darkness.