Episode 44
Avant Garde Guild Master Lee Chan-taek.
I am 52 years old this year.
His slicked-back hair, angular face with no hint of fat, and cold, sunken eyes stood out.
He is a man with a cold heart who strictly pursues the interests of the guild and ruthlessly discards anything that causes harm.
Even in my last life, even after reaching a great compromise, I was completely protective of the guild’s power. So we never met.
Lee Chan-taek, who greeted Cheon Myeong-guk first, looked at me and said.
“I came here because I wanted to hear information about Nuri.”
“Speak informally from the first meeting?”
“······.”
The atmosphere calmed down after a few words. But I also put up with a lot of treatment from people who gossiped behind my back. What did this guy say? Ae Songi’s beginner’s luck won’t last long? I said it was perfect for staying on the road.
If the Avant-Garde Guild wasn’t number one on the hunt, they would have taken care of it first.
If you get angry and attack me now, it’s fine for me. What choice will this man make?
“I was rude. I came here because I wanted to know information about Nuri. “Can you tell me?”
The attitude changed quickly. I smiled to hide my regret. I also treat you with respect.
“I wonder why you ask that of a child.”
“I think there may have been traces of Nuri left behind in Black Wyvern.”
He is a quick-witted person. He remembered that Black Wyvern was chased away by Nuri and guessed that it must have left a mark.
That is the correct answer.
“you’re right. There are traces of a black wyvern.”
“What is it?”
“There are scorch marks at the end of the tail.”
The leather is black, showing signs of disassembly.
“Is it a fire attribute?”
“And there are also knife cuts.”
“Isn’t this a trace left by the hunting team that resisted the Black Wyvern?”
“That may be true, but there are other possibilities as well.”
“What is it?”
“Nuri’s Gift.”
Lee Chan-taek’s expression crumpled at my words. Did it feel so absurd?
“···gibberish!”
“Think what you like. “I told you.”
“There is no useful information. “But now that I’ve got the information I need, I’m going to head back.”
It’s a return to informal language. Should we really be able to return? However, I decided to skip it because Cheon Myeong-guk was looking at me with a blood-filled expression. You’re going to have a lot of trouble while hunting anyway.
I didn’t catch Lee Chan-taek going out, but instead I spoke to Cheon Myeong-guk.
“Avant-garde won’t be easy.”
“Do you really think Nuri will have a gift?”
“Consider the case of Daon.”
Daon is the 7th level monster and is an 8th level monster that devastated the Yellow Sea by traveling between the sea and land in the form of a turtle.
The moment he breathed his last breath, Daon created a tsunami of enormous size, which sparked debate as to whether the monster was using the Gift.
Although it was concluded that it was a coincidence, it was an incident that left uneasy feelings in many ways.
“Monsters can use gifts.”
It’s just a difference in proficiency. The difference between accepting this or not is enormous.
The level of the monsters is getting higher and higher, and the difference between the level 8 evil that first appears and the level 8 that appears 10 years later is the difference between heaven and earth. This is because monsters survive in the age of infinite competition and reach level 8.
There was talk that it might be level 9 harmful, but I wasn’t in my right mind to know that much.
“I hope not. “I hope Choin-nim is wrong this time.”
“You will know when you watch.”
Even if my expectations were wrong and the avant-garde guild succeeded in hunting, there would be no loss to me.
But it won’t succeed.
*
“Master, it was a nice visit to the Blue House…”
Deputy Guild Master Ha Seong-hoon, who was greeting Lee Chan-taek, who had gone out to get information about Nuri, trailed off when he saw the master’s stiff expression.
“I don’t like that kid.”
“Are you talking about Choi Jun-ho?”
“He spoke informally to me right away.”
Ha Seong-hoon burst into laughter.
“It looks like the blacklist is true.”
“Director Cheon, you used your talents like that to become Choi Jun-ho’s dog. I’m very disappointed. “At the Reaper’s Guild, they did their work well and flawlessly.”
“It can’t be helped, right? Choi Jun-ho is a crazy dog. To appease them well, you have to coax them. “Anyway, what was the outcome of your visit to the Blue House?”
“······.”
Lee Chan-taek was lost in thought for a moment.
Monsters use gifts? The theory about the monster’s use of the gift was nothing more than a sophistry briefly mentioned during Daon.
There is nothing wrong with being prepared. However, if the hunting process is disrupted while paying attention to gifts that are unlikely to exist, you may miss out on all the game you have caught.
It is a hunt that requires the guild’s all efforts. If successful, you can earn an astronomical amount of money and the guild’s reputation will rise to the top in Korea.
If he fails, Choi Jun-ho will be next. Lee Chan-taek, who staked the guild’s fate on this hunt, thought it was a deception to confuse him.
You can prepare on your own.
“There was no result. “It goes according to plan.”
“yes!
Three days later, Nuri appeared in Goesan-gun, North Chungcheong Province.
*
The name of the 8th monster, Nuri, began when the member countries of the Typhoon Committee named it in their own language.
We named the monster in our own language and did not take into account the monster’s attributes and characteristics.
Most of the names given had positive connotations in order to avoid creating an atmosphere of fear when they appeared on the news, and were mixed with elements of the hunters’ morale and safe hunting.
There was criticism that it was actually ineffective, but even that disappeared as it took the form of an all-out war to deal with monsters.
From the time Nuri’s appearance was announced, the Awakened Security Office and the National Guild Federation selected three locations where Nuri would appear.
Cheongju-si, Eumseong-gun, and Goesan-gun are located in Chungcheongbuk-do.
At a countermeasures meeting held at the Blue House, Cheon Myeong-guk explained the situation.
“The appearance of the Nuri is almost identical to that of a goshawk. Its size is about 12 meters, and its characteristic feature is that its entire body is red and radiates high temperature heat. “This means that it is correct that the traces left on the black wyvern’s tail were made by Nuri.”
Nuri will emit high-temperature fire, high enough to burn the black wyvern’s hide. It was the moment when information that was a hypothesis turned out to be fact.
“Nuri attacked a private house in Eumseong-gun.”
“What is the damage?”
The President’s voice was low.
“Even though evacuation occurred, significant damage occurred to civilians and the monster response team.”
Monsters are instinctively hostile to humanity.
This tendency becomes more noticeable as the level increases, and Nuri, who appeared in Goesan-gun, attacked Eumseong-gun located just above it.
The government has encouraged evacuation as much as possible, but wherever you go, there are people who do not listen. The damage to private homes that occurred this time is of the same type.
The President sighed.
“How is the avant-garde guild moving?”
“We are preparing to enter Eumseong-gun from Icheon City. “We plan to deal with it in an open area where there is no interference.”
“Is there enough power?”
“The entire avant-garde core force has been mobilized.”
“If you catch it, you will receive great honor, but if you fail, the entire axis of the large guild will be shaken.”
No matter how much large guilds covet state power, the profits they gain cannot be ignored. It is important not to fall behind the large guilds, but it is also the president’s job to maintain and develop the power of the Awakened.
“What do you think Choi Jun-ho’s hunting will be like?”
“You will fail.”
“······.”
Why are you asking me what I think?
“Can you tell me why?”
“The most important thing in hunting monsters is understanding the monster’s capabilities. Mr. President, when looking at the strength of monsters, which part do you think is the most important?”
“Isn’t it the size?”
Absolutely not. If that’s the case, Nuri should have had Black Wyvern as his older brother.
“The strength of monsters lies in their purity.”
“Purity?”
“It refers to the original form of birth. Nuri has a shape almost similar to that of a goshawk, which means that it is a monster born with great strength.”
As the monster eats the monster and undergoes more complex transformations, the output becomes unstable and force use becomes unnatural.
“I guess that means it’s dangerous to have reached level 8 with that purity. But why do you think it will fail?”
“There is a power shortage. And the hunting team includes too many unnecessary people.”
From my point of view, to deal with Nuri, two level 8s, five or more level 7s, and 20 level 6s are enough to support him.
If the level 8 gift is a ranged attack, it will be easier. However, the power of the avant-garde did not reach that level, and Lee Chan-taek is a typical maverick type who only believes in his own abilities.
If he succeeds, he’s a charismatic boss, but if he fails, he’s a stubborn idiot.
In this case, it was likely to be the latter.
Of course, it’s a different story when I’m hunting.
“······.”
The atmosphere is cold.
“Don’t worry. “He is a man who thinks terribly of his guild members, so he will not recklessly throw away his life.”
“The problem is dealing with monsters.”
“Why are you worried about that? “I will go.”
I’m speaking with confidence, but why are your eyes looking like that? Let’s first remember the people with irreverent eyes.
I caught a glimpse of the people around me and asked the president.
“But if I catch it alone, will it all be mine?”
I understand that the price of a level 8 harmful monster is at least 1.5 trillion won.
If I take care of the heart processing here, the value will be higher.
One soybean paste stew costs 6,000 won, which is 250,000 bowls.
“As long as you can hunt, it’s all yours.”
“great.”
*
With only Cheon Myeong-guk left alone, the President asked, recalling what had happened a little while ago.
“What do you think of Choi Jun-ho’s analysis?”
“I think it’s nonsense.”
“I heard that too. But it was surprisingly persuasive.”
Choi Jun-ho’s words have a strange charm. A strong sense of self-confidence even though it is an unconfirmed fact. It struck me so strongly that it shook my trust in existing data.
“Choi Jun-ho’s words mainly consist of content that has never been analyzed before. It should not be believed or put into action. but······.”
Cheon Myeong-guk said as he made eye contact with the President.
“That has never been wrong.”
“That’s the problem.”
“yes.”
“Then do you think it will go as he said this time?”
“···There is a high probability of that happening.”
There are only Choi Jun-ho’s words, but if you had to choose between the data and Choi Jun-ho’s words, it was the former.
The problem is when those words become reality.
“If the avant-garde breaks through, it will be stopped in Gwangju or Yongin. If we can’t stop it here, Seoul is just around the corner. Contact the Reaper Guild. “Be prepared with power just in case.”
Cheon Myeong-guk is a former assistant master of the Shinigami Guild. Even if I ordered somewhat early preparations, I was able to ask for your understanding.
“All right.”
“I don’t want anything to worry about happening.”
But what I was worried about turned out to be a reality.
*
When I first encountered Nuri, I thought I could hunt well enough.
For an 8th level poison, it was not large and the force it gave off was not great.
But the moment we entered battle, everything changed. Nuri had a strength that was on a different level from the level 8 monsters I had seen so far.
Less than 5 minutes after the battle began, hell unfolded. The acrid smoke created by dry winter trees and grass obscured the view.
“It’s my fault.”
Lee Chan-taek looked up into the air and clenched his teeth. The guy who created this hell was looking down at the world as if he didn’t even care about himself.
Nuri was agile and fierce, and his breath was strong enough to melt even the armor worn by hunters.
Above all, the ‘gift’ that Choi Jun-ho warned about was decisive. The storm of blades caused by the flapping of wings was an unavoidable disaster.
When the Gift Blade Storm was activated, force blades swirled around a 50 meter radius. Each one was powerful enough to be comparable to a level 7 force blade.
More than ten hunters were torn apart by the first storm of blades. It had become a piece of meat so finely chopped that there was no trace of its original appearance.
It was actually a mistake to try to deal with him in an open area. There was nowhere to escape from the storm of breath and blades.
This guy was making fun of the guild members who had worked hard all their lives at a distance that his gift couldn’t reach.
If we continue like this, we will be annihilated.
Lee Chan-taek admitted that his choice was the worst.
“Everyone retreat! “I will take care of it.”
“master!”
“I’m the only one who can get his attention. Listen to me! Ha Seong-hoon! “Take the kids and get out quickly!”
“…You must be safe.”
Ha Seong-hoon, who left those words, gathered his remaining forces and retreated.
Lee Chan-taek, who was left alone, tried to deal with Nuri’s aggro, but it was not enough.
To deal with a flying monster, you have to pull it down, but because the guild sent all its power, the attack couldn’t reach it.
“Is this the end?”
He saw Nuri looking down at him from the sky. I thought it would be an easy opponent because it wasn’t that big, but at this moment, it looked like a monster that would destroy the world.
Kieee!
It felt like the crying was laughing at me.
What a vain ending after showing off so proudly. The world will laugh at you.
The status of the avant-garde will fall and it will not be able to reach its current position.
“······.”
Lee Chan-taek clenched his teeth as he felt like everything he had built his entire life was being shattered in real time.
It was then.
There was a figure approaching at breakneck speed from behind. The figure quickly headed up into the sky, as if stepping on empty air, and rushed in a straight line, hitting Nuri on the head.
Kieeeeek!
Nuri screamed and released his breath, but he easily dodged it and hit his head again.
“Step back.”
“Choi Jun-ho…!”
Lee Chan-taek, seeing the sudden appearance of the relief force, widened his eyes and then hurriedly retreated. Meanwhile, Choi Jun-ho approached Nuri through the storm of blades spread by Nuri’s wings and hit Nuri on the head.
bang!
A huge explosion rang out.
Nuri stumbled and flew higher, radiating heat from his whole body with an eerie killing force. It was a move to escape Choi Jun-ho’s attack range.
“It doesn’t break.”
If Choi Jun-ho admired the strength of Nuri’s head.
Lee Chan-taek did not miss his strange obsession with hair.
“Headbreaker.”