Episode 6
6. I’ve Been in This Position Too Long.
While Kang Mu-hyeok swallowed the words he wanted to say, Lee Cheol-jung paused for a moment before speaking.
“Form an assault team at first light and have them on standby. If you’re short on personnel, you can borrow a few members from the expedition team.”
“Even the expedition team?”
That was a relief. At least the guild master still seemed to be looking at the situation objectively. That must be why he boldly approved even calling in support from the expedition team.
Other guilds generally avoid touching the expedition team. They focus only on the most dangerous gates, so low-tier gates are usually excluded from their operations.
“And contact the deputy guild master immediately. Have him come to headquarters. Get Ma Tae-sik.”
“Yes, sir.”
After leaving the guild master’s office, Kang Mu-hyeok spent dozens of calls trying to reach Ma Tae-su, but there was no answer. By now, suspicion had turned into certainty.
After dawn, just as the workday was about to begin, Ma Tae-su contacted him first.
*-Our youngest must have caused some trouble. I’ll be there now.*
From the very first words, Ma Tae-su gave off the impression that he intended to protect Ma Tae-sik.
‘This doesn’t look good.’
Not long after the call, Ma Tae-su arrived at headquarters. Judging by how quickly he came, he must have been waiting nearby.
Kang Mu-hyeok greeted Ma Tae-su in person. He looked exhausted. The sigh he let out seemed resigned, but his eyes still held a certain determination.
As an “all-rounder” hunter with an impeccable record, and an equally capable deputy guild master, there was no choice but to trust that he would handle himself properly.
Next to him was the clearly intimidated Ma Tae-sik. He glared at Kang Mu-hyeok, his eyes filled with resentment. He still seemed out of his mind.
At that moment, Kang Mu-hyeok felt a pang of pity for him. Even more, he felt sorry for Ma Tae-su, who had a younger brother like Ma Tae-sik. Twenty years of experience tarnished because of a reckless sibling.
Kang Mu-hyeok ignored Ma Tae-sik and escorted Ma Tae-su to the guild master’s office, intending to mediate between them.
“Please follow me.”
Unexpectedly, Lee Cheol-jung, not the secretary, came out to meet Ma Tae-su at the elevator. His gaze pushed Kang Mu-hyeok back—it was a silent “don’t interfere.”
Kang Mu-hyeok froze under that firm, unwavering stare.
For a moment, all the information surrounding the current situation flashed through his mind.
The expressions of the guild master and deputy guild master were at odds. Their faces were full of complex emotions, as well as things left unsaid.
Kang Mu-hyeok’s mind raced and he reached a certain realization.
‘No way…’
Lee Cheol-jung spoke to the dazed Kang Mu-hyeok.
“I’ll handle this from here. Team Leader Kang, go take care of your work.”
Kang Mu-hyeok waited a moment for the two guild giants to enter, then asked the secretary,
“Secretary Jung, please contact me when you’re done.”
After going down to the situation room, Kang Mu-hyeok couldn’t settle. His eyes were on the Sillim-dong Gate, but his mind was entirely on the guild master’s office.
His tense expression kept other staff from speaking to him.
Feeling like he was just disrupting the mood, he went down to the office to do paperwork—but couldn’t focus on it at all.
Before an hour had passed, Secretary Jung called.
*-You’ve finished talking with the deputy guild master. The guild master wants to see Team Leader.*
Kang Mu-hyeok tilted his head at the guild master’s summons.
Wasn’t the only issue he needed to intervene in the Ma Tae-sik case? And yet the guild master, not the deputy, was calling?
It felt ominous.
When he entered the guild master’s office, Lee Cheol-jung was staring out the window. Kang Mu-hyeok made his presence known. As a hunter, Lee Cheol-jung noticed, but it was also a signal to start the conversation.
Without turning around, Lee Cheol-jung spoke.
“Any news from Min-su?”
“All we’ve received is a report that he’s searching.”
“Well, Min-su will handle it himself.”
“You’re not calling me because of the rescue report, right?”
“You’re too perceptive. I’ve never been able to hide anything, not even back in the day.”
Without his guild master title, Lee Cheol-jung spoke casually, like a local older brother. Having worked together for a long time, he sometimes spoke informally in private—a style of his own. The media even called it his “brotherly leadership.”
Guild members also liked how occasionally warm Lee Cheol-jung could be, despite usually being strict.
But Kang Mu-hyeok’s expression hardened further. Having worked closely with Lee Cheol-jung for almost ten years, he knew him well. He understood that when a difficult topic came up, Lee Cheol-jung’s habit was to smile even more warmly—a sign to brace oneself.
“You’ve got something to say, don’t you? If I don’t ask, the deputy guild master or others will dig it out. It’ll burden the others. I called you here to ask me directly. Or rather, to confirm your suspicions. That’s what satisfies him, isn’t it?”
“It’s merely information gathering for risk management. It has no particular meaning.”
“Right. I understand that someone like you, who prepares in advance, would be uneasy if not sure. But this case is a bit different. What good is knowing something you don’t need to?”
“Even if I know, it will stay with me, as always.”
“It’s uncomfortable for me that only you know.”
Lee Cheol-jung turned to face him, sparks in his eyes.
Kang Mu-hyeok, steadfast though he was, struggled under that intensity. Lee Cheol-jung was holding back, but as a non-hunter, even that pressure made him shake.
Cold sweat running, Kang Mu-hyeok furiously thought.
‘Knowing the flaws of the guild’s top is dangerous. I’ve known that for a long time. I must make sure those flaws never become exposed. Just as I’ve done until now.’
It was a familiar situation.
Lee Cheol-jung constantly tested the loyalty of his guild members. It never went smoothly. There were always conflicts, and when they resolved, someone would fall from their position.
Kang Mu-hyeok became strategy team leader as part of this dynamic. While he was capable, he had also benefited from the early guild conflicts against the anti-deputy faction.
He turned Lee Cheol-jung’s suspicious nature into an opportunity, sometimes cunningly, sometimes boldly, and claimed the position.
As Kang Mu-hyeok was organizing his thoughts, Lee Cheol-jung spoke first.
“Tell me how much you know. Even without me saying, you’d have figured it out, right?”
“Most of it is coincidental, not really worth reporting.”
“Exclude that. Just what you know.”
Saying it firmly left no room to dodge. Kang Mu-hyeok understood Lee Cheol-jung’s intent: to verify through him. Did his strategy work? Were there gaps?
He drew a deep breath and spoke.
“Today’s incident was clearly a coincidence. But afterward, it seems you may have aimed at the deputy guild master.”
“In what way?”
“There were signs beforehand. I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but the circumstances of Hunter Lee Jin-joo’s involvement with Ma Tae-sik… are suspicious enough.”
“What suspicion? That I caused trouble to get Ma Tae-sik expelled?”
Kang Mu-hyeok flinched. He had tried to speak carefully, yet Lee Cheol-jung came straight at him.
Remaining calm, he continued.
“Well… only you would know. What I know is that Hunter Lee Jin-joo expressed interest in joining the strategy team after Ma Tae-sik had already joined. It’s not that she lied about joining the strategy team, but the timing is questionable.”
“And?”
“That the guild master allowed the deputy to place Ma Tae-sik in the strategy team despite knowing it. That’s it. The rescue signal from the gate and Ma Tae-sik’s mishap were coincidences, but they would have happened eventually. You seized the opportunity well.”
“Someone might misunderstand. It might seem like I plotted to oust the deputy guild master.”
‘Then, isn’t that true?’
The counter-thought rose and fell in his throat.
Every time this happened, Kang Mu-hyeok resented his own sharp intuition. Was it intuition? Or just a naturally quick mind? Either way, it embarrassed him to admit it.
He had been like this since childhood. Quick to understand and memorize, even giving up college despite good grades to join the guild.
His insight shone even in the Titan Guild’s “Raid Simulation Contest.”
Although Lee Cheol-jung’s whim granted him a special entry for winning the contest, his later achievements were entirely his own.
Lee Cheol-jung often made good use of him—not just for killing monsters, but for controlling people who challenged his authority.
“That was an interesting perspective. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. But don’t you think such interesting insights are more cherished if only I know them?”
“Do you need any other advice? Something I should do?”
“Hmm… no, no. Things went smoothly with the deputy, so no need to make a big deal. Let’s ease the worries of our people. You can go now.”
Kang Mu-hyeok hurriedly left the guild master’s office, barely giving a proper farewell.
Reflecting on the recent events, he realized they had likely summoned him to keep him in check.
As much as Kang Mu-hyeok knew Lee Cheol-jung, the guild master knew him just as well.
Lee Cheol-jung simply didn’t want anything to leak.
‘Party Leader Jang Ihyun is on the deputy’s line. The rescue signal was an accident, but Ma Tae-sik’s revenge just happened to coincide. The deputy couldn’t ignore either side. As a result, the deputy’s brother inadvertently messed up his line.’
There was nothing he could do.
Depending on the next board meeting or shareholder assembly, the deputy would probably find it hard to assert himself. Even his supporting faction would stay quiet.
‘I’ve been in this position too long. I’ve seen too much.’
He wasn’t referring to the strategy team leader position.
Although promoted three years ago, he had spent even longer scheming for Lee Cheol-jung. How many hunters had been sacrificed under the guise of guild growth and integration?
He had thought that becoming strategy team leader would let him focus solely on monster hunting—but that was naive.
Increasingly, he felt dissatisfied with being drawn into politics rather than hunting.
He suddenly recalled Joo Se-a’s sarcastic remark:
‘Titan Guild is no different, is it?’
“I really have nothing to say.”
—
Bad news never comes alone. By evening, the situation room was in chaos.
“Again?! You’re kidding, right?”
A rescue signal had appeared.
Tagged to Park Min-su’s party.
Even the party that went in for the rescue sent a signal, causing the guild to stir.
The only slight relief compared to the Jang Ihyun incident was that the cause of the signal had been briefly reported.
“A transparent monster? Like a jungle chameleon?”
“That’s unlikely. Detecting doesn’t work. They suspect it’s an Unknown.”
Lee Cheol-jung sighed. He thought he had handled the deputy issue well—yet it had to be an Unknown?
Troubling.
Since the deputy had surrendered, his line was now Lee Cheol-jung’s responsibility.
Surviving hunters had to return safely, even if the ones already harmed couldn’t be helped.
“Without information on the Unknown, risk assessment is useless. I’d like to go myself, but…”
“No.”
Kang Mu-hyeok opposed it. He worried for the guild members’ safety, but it was just the vanguard party of a Yellow Gate.
The guild master hunting at this level? Aside from good intentions, it would make the guild seem incompetent. A guild aiming for Tier 1 would lose credibility.
Lee Cheol-jung understood and offered an alternative.
“Then, the expedition leader…”
“Not possible either. This is no boss raid, no deep clean—just a vanguard party handling the periphery. Sending a few expedition members is one thing, but sending a top hunter would affect the guild’s evaluation.”
“Isn’t sending the ace or the expedition leader the same?”
“Of course, we must preserve the ace too.”
“If nothing works, how do we handle an invisible Unknown? Detecting doesn’t work, right?”
“Of course, there’s a solution.”
“Ha! As expected of Team Leader Kang.”
Kang Mu-hyeok spoke confidently, and Lee Cheol-jung nodded in relief.
But the next proposal made his expression sour.
“Open Warehouse C.”
“Did I hear that right? Warehouse C?”
“Yes. Warehouse C.”
