Chapter 48: Into the Serpent's Jaws (1)

Even under the Bewitchment, I couldn’t tolerate being addressed informally.

I clenched my fist slightly and said, “Han Jongpil, no honorifics.”

Han Jongpil flinched.

Despite his clearly compromised state of mind, his body recoiled like a pillbug.

A conditioned reflex, it seems.

“What kind of scum are you?”

“We’re the Red Hound Team. Our primary operations include contract killings, kidnapping Awakened and ordinary people, and trading unauthorized Awakening drugs.”

As expected, they were villains who engaged in all sorts of despicable acts.

“Why were you targeting me?”

“We received a commission to eliminate you.”

The fact that they were commissioned meant they weren’t directly involved in manipulating the promotion exams.

“Is that all? Didn’t your client tell you why I needed to be eliminated?”

“We were only told that you were interfering with their plans. We don’t know any further details.”

The fact that they said I had interfered with their plan implied that whoever had commissioned them to eliminate me was directly involved in manipulating this promotion assessment.

“Do you know anything about the client?”

“Yes, we do.”

“What if the client was acting on behalf of someone else and commissioned you through an intermediary?”

“The person who contacted us was an intermediary. But we always consider the possibility of being double-crossed after completing a commission, so we trace the intermediary back to the true client and secure their identity as well.”

Clearly, these guys weren’t amateurs. They were thorough professionals.

The fact that their target was a seasoned villain in this world actually worked in my favor.

I nodded. “Tell me.”

Han Jongpil’s unfocused pupils flickered.

Then, with great effort, the Red Hound’s mouth creaked open.

I let my guard down.

Seo Yeon-hwa bit her lip as she led the Cheongyeon Guild Members up the mountain path.

Of course, it was understandable that she had been caught off guard. She never anticipated that the enemy would infiltrate a dungeon owned by the Shinwa Guild under false pretenses to carry out their scheme.

Yet, in a way, this was also the perfect opportunity for the enemy to evade Cheongyeon’s protection and approach Taejun directly.

If I had known things would turn out like this, I should have warned Shinwa about Taejun’s situation beforehand.

As Seo Yeon-hwa regretted her oversight, a voice echoed from above the mountain path.

“Guild Leader Cheongyeon!”

“Hunter Seona.”

“I’m so sorry. I never imagined anything like this would happen…” Lee Seonah greeted her hastily, bowing deeply in apology.

Her expression was as dark as Seo Yeon-hwa’s, if not even darker.

“Hunter Seona, you don’t need to apologize,” Seo Yeon-hwa said.

Lee Seonah knew nothing about the judging manipulation scandal. Naturally, she couldn’t have known about the mysterious forces targeting Taejun either. To be frank, this situation was exactly as Seo Yeon-hwa had initially suspected: the primary fault lay with her and Matthew for failing to share information about the judging manipulation with the Myth Guild Leader.

But now wasn’t the time for self-reproach.

“Lead me to the Dimensional Gate,” she ordered.

Soon, Seo Yeon-hwa stood before the Dimensional Gate leading to the dungeon. A faint green light framed its perimeter, indicating that the dungeon had been cleared and the entrance was open. Normally, in this state, one could freely enter and exit the dungeon through the Dimensional Gate until it reset or vanished.

Just as Seo Yeon-hwa reached into the rift, Crack! A spark shot out, jolting her hand back.

“Right, they installed a sealing device inside,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Guild Leader. I should have checked more thoroughly…” Lee Seonah bit her lip, her face contorted with self-reproach.

“It’s alright. You must have been exhausted after clearing the dungeon, Hunter Seonah,” Seo Yeon-hwa reassured her. “Besides, the cleaning crews from the subcontracted company often have high turnover due to the grueling workload. Even if you had meticulously verified their identities, there would have been limitations. Especially since you had just finished clearing the dungeon—as team leader, you must have been preoccupied with checking on your members’ well-being.”

“But if I hadn’t let Taejun go in alone in the first place…”

Despite this, Lee Seonah bit her lip, her face etched with self-reproach.

“It’s okay. Taejun will be safe,” Seo Yeon-hwa said with a reassuring smile.

Yet, she couldn’t suppress a flicker of anxiety in her heart.

The infiltrators were villains, mercenaries who made a living assassinating Hunters.

They were, in short, scum.

Seo Yeon-hwa trusted Taejun’s abilities.

But villains, like hyenas, were far more despicable and cunning than one could imagine.

Though rare, there had been cases of A-Rank Hunters falling to C-Rank villains.

Considering this, there was no time to waste.

“Then let’s begin immediately,” Seo Yeon-hwa said, enveloping her hand in a glow of yellow Mana.

By using Technique Nullification, she could break the forced seal on the Dimensional Gate and reopen the path.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Che Soohyun immediately contacted Seo Yeon-hwa.

But just as she was about to insert her Mana-infused hand into the Dimensional Gate,

Pop!

”?”

Someone burst through the emerald rift.

The person who emerged with such unnerving ease met their gazes, and Seo Yeon-hwa and Lee Seonah could only freeze in stunned silence, their mouths agape.

“Oh, Guild Leader.”

It was Taejun.

”…Hey, Lee Taejun!” Lee Seonah rushed forward. “Those subcontractors… the ones who were after you?! No, wait—are you hurt anywhere? Let me see!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just back off a bit.”

“Fine? Look at you! You’re a mess…”

“It’s just my T-shirt and pants that are ruined. I spent good money on them, so it’s a shame, but oh well.”

Despite Taejun’s words, Lee Seonah continued to examine his body, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“It’s true.”

“Told you.”

“No, but look at this! It’s clearly a tear from ripped clothing and a deep blade cut. There’s even bloodstains. How can you not have a single wound?”

“Alright, you’ve checked enough. It’s getting hot, so step back.”

Taejun smoothly pushed the flustered Lee Seonah aside and turned to Seo Yeon-hwa. “Looks like you’ve pieced together what happened.”

“Yeah, though I’m quite late,” Seo Yeon-hwa replied bitterly. “I’m sorry. I should have been more thorough in watching over you, Taejun.”

“It’s alright. It’s partly my fault for re-entering a cleared dungeon alone.”

“That’s not entirely wrong,” Lee Seonah chimed in, glaring at Taejun with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

“Tell me, what exactly did you forget that made you go back in?”

“Well, I didn’t actually forget anything. I just wanted to check how many essence stones I was getting.”

”…”

Lee Seonah wore an utterly dumbfounded expression.

Seo Yeon-hwa, seeing Seonah’s speechless reaction, stepped in to ask, “So, have all those who targeted Taejun been taken care of?”

“Hmm, you could say that,” Taejun replied with a vague expression, pausing briefly before answering.

Seo Yeon-hwa misinterpreted his hesitation and said with a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, Taejun. Those who attacked you were already listed as Villains wanted by the Alliance Headquarters. You won’t face any penalties for taking their lives.”

”?”

“Guild Leader Cheongyeon is right. I know this must be difficult for you, Taejun, but villains are barely human—they’re more like beasts.”

Even Lee Seonah offered words of comfort, her face serious.

Taejun blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about? I didn’t kill them.”

“Huh?”

“I said I didn’t kill them. Then…?”

“I only neutralized them.”

Seo Yeon-hwa, Lee Seonah, and even the Cheongyeon Guild members who had been silently waiting froze in stunned silence.

The trio who had targeted Taejun were the Red Hound Team, a notorious group of assassins specializing in contract killings. They had a history of eliminating numerous C-Rank Hunters and three B-Rank Hunters.

He faced that trio of villains alone.

Not only did he emerge unscathed, but he also neutralized them without taking a single life?

Yet Taejun’s next words were even more unexpected.

“And right now, they’re diligently carrying out the tasks I assigned them.”

”…Tasks you assigned them?”

It would be quicker to show her than explain. Taejun grinned, pointing toward the Dimensional Gate leading to Dua’s Territory.

“President, why don’t you come with me and see for yourself?”

A moment later…

”…What in the world is going on here?” Seo Yeon-hwa, having teleported to Dua’s Territory through the Dimensional Gate, peered down from the fortress wall, her voice laced with disbelief.

Her eyes reflected the sight of the Villains diligently at work.

Scuffling noises.

Bent over like the gleaners in Millet’s famous painting, the Red Hound trio looked utterly wretched as they collected essence stones.

“They’re simply fulfilling the roles they were masquerading as,” Taejun replied. “We can’t risk the dungeon collapsing before they’ve gathered all the essence stones.”

Of course, Seo Yeon-hwa wasn’t blind. She clearly understood what they were doing.

The real question was why.

What had happened to make these Villains, for whom Alliance Headquarters had issued special arrest warrants, now meekly pick up essence stones like ordinary scavengers?

Taejun simply shrugged in response to Seo Yeon-hwa’s questioning gaze.

“I just asked them to handle it, and they’re doing a surprisingly good job,” Taejun said. “Of course, we’ll hand them over to the Hunters Federation as soon as the situation is resolved and their personnel arrive. But before that, Guild Leader, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Seo Yeon-hwa asked.

“I’ve identified their employer.”

Seo Yeon-hwa’s eyes widened. The implication was clear: if someone had hired villains to deal with Taejun, there could only be one person behind it.

“You mean you’ve uncovered the mastermind behind the recent promotion manipulation scandal?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you certain?” Seo Yeon-hwa asked. She didn’t know how Taejun had interrogated them, but there was a strong possibility they were feeding him false information.

Yet Taejun nodded firmly, his eyes filled with unwavering conviction. “Absolutely certain.”

“Can you tell me who it is?”

Taejun quietly spoke the words, “Bae Hyeon-su, representative of the Shadow Guild.”

Seo Yeon-hwa’s eyes narrowed.

The Shadow Guild.

Ranked 7th in the Guild Power Rankings, they had languished in the 30s just two years prior. In a mere two years, they had surpassed established top-tier guilds, rising to challenge the dominance of the major guilds.

Of course, Seo Yeon-hwa, well-versed in the industry’s intricacies, and Che Yerim of the Shinwa Guild knew exactly how the Shadow Guild had achieved such rapid growth.

Two years prior, the Shadow Guild had stumbled upon a small dungeon in a remote mountain village in Gangwon-do and acquired a Unique-grade Artifact. Bae Hyeon-su sold the Artifact for an enormous sum and reinvested every penny into the guild’s expansion.

“The problem, of course, is that the ‘investment’ took a different turn.”

Instead of using the funds to scout talented Hunters, Bae Hyeon-su bribed high-ranking officials at Alliance Headquarters to forge connections. He bought off Freelance Hunters, fraudulently claiming their high-level dungeon and Gate expedition records as the achievements of Shadow Guild members, thus earning Guild Power Ranking points.

By artificially inflating the Guild’s size, he secured further investment.

Then, he embezzled those funds, repeated the scheme, and lived lavishly—this was the true nature of Bae Hyeon-su, the Shadow Guild Leader.

“I always knew he was a scoundrel, but I never imagined he’d cross the line this far. Or perhaps, because he’s that kind of person, he dared to pull off something so brazen.”

The top five guilds in the Power Ranking receive massive government subsidies known as “contribution funds.” Naturally, this was a coveted prize for Bae Hyeon-su.

However, no matter how much he poured into bribing connections at Alliance Headquarters or fabricating achievements, the Shadow Guild, a mere shell of its former self, stood no chance of cracking the top five in the Guild Power Ranking—unless some catastrophe befell the established guilds.

Therefore, with his close ties to Alliance Headquarters, Bae Hyeon-su cleverly devised a scheme to manipulate the evaluation process.

In reality, Bae Hyeon-su wasn’t targeting Serine or Goonie at all. His real goal was to provoke me, the Hwarang Leader, or someone else suspicious of his manipulation to publicly storm the dungeon and halt the evaluation.

If that had happened, it would have undoubtedly sparked conflict between Alliance Headquarters and Hwarang-Cheongyeon.

The public, watching the evaluation live, would have erupted in outrage.

To the world, their interference would have looked like a powerful guild abusing its influence to protect its rookies from failing.

The sudden addition of streaming points as bonus points in this evaluation must have been the result of officials bribed by Bae Hyeon-su.

This was likely intended to draw even more public attention and amplify the repercussions.

Indeed, immediately after the streaming point bonus system was announced, the guilds sponsoring the evaluation participants hastily shared additional updates on various social media platforms, eager to attract more viewers.

Hwarang and Cheongyeon were no exception.

“If we had stormed in during the evaluation as that bastard planned, we would have been completely outmaneuvered.”

That would have been the case if she hadn’t hesitated, uncertain about Taejun’s involvement, and decided to wait and see.

Matthew had clearly intended to disrupt the Demon Sealing Cave raid before the Lich appeared, while the livestream was still running smoothly.

If that had happened, not only would Kang Gun and Yoo Se-rin have been humiliated in defeat, but Cheongyeon and Hwarang would have suffered irreparable damage to their reputation, branded as “abusive mega-guilds.”

The Alliance Headquarters would likely have severely demoted Cheongyeon and Hwarang in the Power Rankings as punishment.

“It was a bold move, but entirely plausible.”

Of course, that still leaves the question of why the Lich, the very evidence of the manipulation, chose to reveal itself at the end.

If their original plan had succeeded as intended, Sayoung would undoubtedly have achieved a significant victory.

If only Hunter Taejun hadn’t interfered.

The grand scheme they had meticulously prepared for a year had completely fallen apart.

In the end, they seemed to have redirected their fury toward Taejun, the perceived cause of their failure.

Little did they know that this desperate gamble would be their undoing.

Red Hound consisted of seasoned villains with years of experience in this underworld.

Taejun, on the other hand, was a novice hunter who had been a D-Rank porter just months ago.

They could never have anticipated such an outcome.

“The Shadow Guild,” Seo Yeon-hwa muttered, organizing her thoughts before turning toward the Dimensional Gate. “I need to contact the Hwarang Leader immediately and then move out.”

Now that she had identified the mastermind, there was no time to waste.

They had to strike before Shadow Guild Leader Bae Hyeon-su realized his plan had failed and took action.

Just then, Taejun spoke up.

“Guild Leader, would you mind if I came along?”

He added with a grin, “I’m curious to see the face of the bastard who tried to kill me.”

Seo Yeon-hwa hesitated, wanting to warn Taejun that it was too dangerous for him to accompany them, but she stopped herself.

Clang! Clang!

Below the fortress walls, they spotted a group of men diligently swinging pickaxes. Villains with swollen faces were collecting essence stones.

It was then that Seo Yeon-hwa realized Taejun wouldn’t be in any danger. In fact, his presence might put Bae Hyeon-su, the Shadow Guild Leader, at greater risk.

“Alright, then,” she agreed. “Let’s do that.”

Seo Yeon-hwa nodded with a bright smile.