The White Tiger Guild office was filled with a suffocating pressure unlike its usual atmosphere. Across from the worn sofa sat men in sleek tailored suits, their postures dripping with arrogance. The man seated at their center toyed with a golden tie pin and wore a greasy smile.
He was Choi Seongguk, Chief Scouting Director of the Blue Dragon Guild, one of the largest guilds in the country. Behind him, three bodyguard hunters with visibly solid builds stood with arms crossed, radiating intimidation.
"Hunter Kang Jina, I won't waste words. This is not a mere proposal—it is a courtesy."
Choi Seongguk dropped a thick document envelope onto the table as if throwing it down. The contract that slid out of the envelope was packed with clauses so unfair they bordered on vicious.
"A ten-year exclusive contract with a nine-to-one profit split. On top of that, we will assume and repay the two billion won in debt the White Tiger Guild is carrying. Generous, wouldn't you say?"
Jina skimmed the contract's contents and clenched her fists. The words 'debt repayment' sounded sweet, but in substance, this was nothing short of a slave contract. The nine-to-one split was a problem in itself, but the ten-year term meant mortgaging the entire prime of her career as a hunter.
"Director, I am satisfied with the White Tiger Guild as I am. And I refuse this kind of coercive contract."
Jina answered firmly and rose from her seat. In an instant, Choi Seongguk's smile vanished, replaced by a cold gleam in his eyes.
"Refuse? You don't seem to grasp the situation, Hunter Kang. The White Tiger Guild is already at its limit. If we so choose, we can put this entire building up for auction tomorrow. Should the person responsible for her guildmates' livelihoods really be acting so selfishly?"
At a signal from Choi Seongguk's fingers, the bodyguard hunters behind him began to advance slowly toward Jina. Every one of them was B-rank or above. Jina's shoulders flinched under the pressure of the magical energy filling the cramped office.
"Sign while we're still being polite. We came here to observe courtesy, not to run a charity."
The tension reached its peak—a collision seemed seconds away.
Clatter, clatter.
From beyond the door came a sound both cheerful and somehow deflating. The door swung open, and Somyeong appeared in a porter's fluorescent vest, carrying a large tray. A few crude teacups wobbled precariously on top of it.
"Oh my, we have guests and the refreshments are this late! I'm so sorry, so sorry!"
Somyeong spoke in a bright voice completely unsuited to the situation and pushed his way into the office. Choi Seongguk frowned and clicked his tongue.
"What's this leech? Can't you read the room? Get out!"
Despite Choi Seongguk's shout, Somyeong kept bowing and worming his way inside. One of the bodyguard hunters who had been pressuring Jina reached out in irritation to shove Somyeong's shoulder.
"I said get lost."
The burly hunter swung his thick arm. But at that moment, Somyeong's foot seemed to catch on a bundle of cables on the floor, and he stumbled.
"Whoops!"
Somyeong's body lurched heavily forward. To all appearances, he was simply losing his balance and falling—but his shoulder traced a precise arc, grazing into the vital point beneath the hunter's armpit.
THWACK—!
A scream erupted alongside the dull sound of impact.
"GAAAH!"
The hunter who had swung his fist was suddenly unable to control his own momentum and went flying toward the wall. As if caught in some massive invisible revolving door, he spun once through the air and crashed into the office cabinet, smashing it to pieces.
"Wh-what?! What did you just—!"
The other two bodyguard hunters scrambled to grab Somyeong. But Somyeong flailed about in bizarre contortions, as if trying to dodge the hot tea spilling from his tray.
"Oh goodness, hot, hot! Watch out!"
Somyeong's palms patted lightly against the flustered hunters' chests and wrists. The movements were soft, almost like a dance—but loaded within them was the force of a seismic pulse striking pressure points with flawless precision.
CRACK—!
"AAAAARGH!"
"My arm! My arm!"
The hunters' arms bent at grotesque angles and dangled limp. They rolled across the floor, screaming at the agony of their own magical energy flowing in reverse. In mere seconds, three B-rank hunters lay sprawled across the wreckage of the office floor.
Somyeong, flat on the ground, made a tearful show of gathering the shattered teacup fragments.
"Oh dear, what a disaster. Tea splashed all over our honored guests' clothes. I'm so terribly sorry. Let me wipe that for you."
Somyeong crawled toward Choi Seongguk on all fours. Choi Seongguk, white as a corpse, shrank back behind his chair. The swaggering confidence from moments ago had vanished without a trace, and his pupils quaked with terror.
'What is he? What in god's name is this man?!'
Choi Seongguk had seen it clearly. The fact that his bodyguards had not fallen on their own. And yet the man before him was, without question, a talentless porter with an F-rank assessment.
Somyeong stopped before Choi Seongguk's shoes and raised his head. And for the briefest instant, Somyeong's eyes transformed into a deep, black abyss.
'Shove this garbage paper in front of my sister one more time.'
Somyeong's unspoken will struck Choi Seongguk's mind directly. The killing intent of the Heavenly Demon—who had driven tens of thousands to their deaths at the summit of the martial world—bound Choi Seongguk's entire body.
Choi Seongguk felt his breath cut off. His heart pounded as if it would rupture, and cold sweat poured from every pore like rain. Before his eyes unfolded a hallucination of a vast sea of blood.
"Kh, hrgh...... ugh!"
Choi Seongguk toppled backward, frothing at the mouth, without managing even a scream. He had fainted.
In the silence that settled over the office, only Jina stood blankly watching the scene. To her eyes, it had looked like nothing more than an absurd accident caused by her brother stumbling. But for an accident, the results were far too gruesome.
"Oppa...... what just happened here?"
Somyeong returned to his guileless expression as if nothing had occurred, scratching his head.
"Beats me. I guess my body's been off lately. My legs keep getting tangled. But why did that mister suddenly faint and make such a fuss? Was the tea that hot?"
Somyeong casually picked up the contract from the floor and crumpled it. Then he tossed it into the wastebasket in the corner.
"Jina, it's a mess in here, so go wait outside. I'll clean up quick and follow you out."
"No, but people are hurt—shouldn't we call an ambulance first?"
As Jina fumbled for her phone in a fluster, Somyeong gently pushed her shoulder, guiding her out the door.
"Don't worry. I'll contact the Association and sort everything out. You must be exhausted from today's raid, so head home first. Mom said she made something delicious."
Jina wore a look of half-belief, but pushed along by her brother's serene smile, she finally nodded and stepped into the hallway.
The moment the door closed, every trace of laughter vanished from Somyeong's face. He looked down with frigid eyes at the hunters groaning in pain on the floor.
'The Blue Dragon Guild, was it?'
Somyeong drew an old smartphone from his jacket and sent a message to someone.
- The vermin have come to my doorstep. Dig them out by the roots.
A moment later, a short reply arrived.
[Confirmed. It will be handled before the night is out.]
Somyeong pulled a business card from Choi Seongguk's pocket and set it alight. Watching it burn, he murmured under his breath.
"The price for disturbing my family's peace will be steep."
Leaving the card to scatter as ash, Somyeong walked out of the office with the clumsy, shuffling gait of an inept porter once more. Toward his sister waiting at the end of the corridor, he flashed the gentlest big-brother smile in the world.
***
Deep in the heart of the city as night wore on, the headquarters of the great Blue Dragon Guild still blazed with light. But beneath that brilliant glow, black shadows—imperceptible to anyone—began to seep in, one by one.
The hour of the hunt was approaching. Somyeong leaned his head against the window of the bus carrying him home, taking in the night scenery rushing past. His eyes were tranquil, but deep within them, crimson flames flickered quietly.
"Excuse me, sir. We've arrived. Last stop."
At the driver's call, Somyeong opened his eyes as if startled.
"Oh, yes! Thank you. Have a good night!"
Somyeong adjusted his backpack and bounced down the bus steps. At the mouth of the alley leading home, he sniffed at the savory aroma of soybean paste stew drifting on the air.
"Tonight's dinner comes with a meat side dish, she said."
As he walked into the darkness with a light step, the night wind blew cool against his back.
"I'm home."