For Kyung Taeyoung, who was a hunter himself, it was realistically close to impossible to use force to control or restrain Nam Ki-seol, who had already surpassed him and risen to the level of a Rank S Hunter.
Even so, he could not simply cast out or punish a Rank S Hunter, an existence that served as the face and symbol of the guild.
Nam Ki-seol was the strongest spear and shield for the Taeseong Guild, but at the same time, he was its greatest headache and a constant source of trouble.
His greed grew larger by the day, seemingly knowing no bounds.
He had set his sights on the potions Sang-woong had begun supplying to the Taeseong Guild—potions whose efficacy was beyond comparison to conventional ones.
At first, he had only demanded a few of them.
However, as time passed, his demands became increasingly bold and shameless.
Now, he was forcefully demanding that 30% of the entire supply Sang-woong provided be handed over to him personally.
He was not using those precious potions for the development of the guild or to treat injured members. Instead, he was diverting them externally to secure massive personal gains or abusing them to expand his own private influence.
A few days ago, Kyung Taeyoung had firmly rejected his nonsensical and unreasonable demands for the sake of the guild’s collective interest.
In response, Nam Ki-seol had directly challenged the Guild Master’s authority. Unable to contain his rage, he had finally barged into the Guild Master’s Office today to throw a tantrum.
His face, distorted by greed, glistened menacingly with a mixture of displeasure, anger, and blatant contempt for the Guild Master.
“I’m talking about those potions, Guild Master!”
Nam Ki-seol did not hesitate to point his finger, barking at Kyung Taeyoung. His gaze was blatantly fixed on the safe.
“How could you ignore my request like this? If you’re going to be this way, it makes things difficult for me too, Guild Master. To think you’d mistreat me like this—the man who is practically everything to the Taeseong Guild.”
His voice was incredibly coarse and violent.
He was making a clear threat.
The arrogance that pierced the heavens, as if the Guild Master were beneath him, was laid bare in his every gesture.
In an instant, all expression vanished from Sang-woong’s face.
At the same time, an ice-cold chill began to circulate around him. While his gaze became as calm as an unfathomable abyss, a massive storm was already raging within.
‘How dare he. A rotten maggot like him is using my potions as a dirty tool, and to top it off, he tries to repay my kindness with hostility?’
The potions he had specifically supplied to the Taeseong Guild were more than just a way to strengthen the guild’s power; they were an act of pure goodwill.
They were intended to help the recovery of guild members suffering from injuries and high Contamination, and further, to express his personal gratitude and trust toward Kyung Yoon-seul and Guild Master Kyung Taeyoung.
Yet, this man—this so-called Rank S Hunter blinded by greed—regarded them merely as a means to satisfy his own filthy desires.
And he did so without Sang-woong’s permission.
Moreover, the Taeseong Guild had now become something special and precious to Sang-woong. It meant more to him than just a business partner or a cooperative guild.
This was thanks to his strong bond with Kyung Yoon-seul and the sincere goodwill and respect shown by Guild Master Kyung Taeyoung.
‘If I leave a cancerous existence like that, a poisonous mushroom eating away at the guild’s foundation, the entire Taeseong Guild will eventually be in danger.’
Just as one rotten apple makes every other apple in the box rot, the presence of a Rank S Hunter like Nam Ki-seol was already nothing more than a dark and sinister shadow cast over the bright future of the Taeseong Guild.
In the numerous memories of his past life, the arrogance and greed of powerful, uncontrollable hunters and the resulting power struggles had led to the hollow downfall of many promising guilds.
‘As the saying goes, two tigers cannot live on one mountain.’
Sang-woong absolutely did not want the Taeseong Guild, which he cherished, to follow such a foolish and tragic path.
Finally, his mind was made up.
The most certain and effective solution had already come to him. There was no need to weigh complicated and tangled interests, or to try to persuade or mediate with words.
There was only one fastest, surest, and most effective method.
It was to thoroughly engrave the overwhelming difference in power—a gap he could never hope to bridge or resist—into the depths of this arrogant hunter’s soul.
That was all.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sang-woong rose from his seat and strode toward Nam Ki-seol. His footsteps were quiet, but they carried a weight as heavy as a mountain.
“Did you say your name was Nam Ki-seol?”
His voice was extremely calm and low, but within it was a core harder than steel and a strange sense of intimidation that overwhelmed the listener.
“Who the hell is this nobody?”
Nam Ki-seol glanced at Sang-woong with a furrowed brow as if looking at a bug, murmuring in a voice full of annoyance and contempt. His eyes were filled with the kind of disgust one might have when seeing a worthless insect on the street.
“A brat like you dares to cut in between the Guild Master and me, a Rank 9 Hunter? I don’t know what ditch you crawled out of, but you must not value your life!”
“Mr. Nam Ki-seol!”
Kyung Taeyoung stood up abruptly, shouting firmly with a flushed face. His voice carried the anger of a Guild Master along with an apology toward Sang-woong.
“What kind of rude and disrespectful behavior is this in front of a precious guest from outside! Apologize this instant!”
Despite the Guild Master’s frosty roar, Nam Ki-seol didn’t even blink. Instead, he openly displayed an even more displeased and arrogant expression, as if to say, ‘A Rank 4 like you dares to order me, a Rank S?’
His mood soured further at the Guild Master’s attitude of protecting a complete stranger over him. His pride would not allow it.
As if to demonstrate his power, Nam Ki-seol clenched his fists, flaunting the veins bulging on his forearms like massive rocks. A powerful and savage Rank S aura exploded from his entire body like a storm.
The air in the Guild Master’s Office felt as if it were instantly being crushed by a weight as heavy as lead. It was an overwhelming pressure that would make it difficult for a weak being to even breathe properly.
“Guild Master, what exactly is the reason you’re going this far with me? Have you truly forgotten how much I’ve sacrificed and worked for this Taeseong Guild? If it weren’t for me, the only Rank S in this guild, do you think Taeseong could have maintained its current reputation!”
“Mr. Nam Ki-seol, that’s enough!”
Kyung Taeyoung’s voice became even more stern and resolute. His eyes shone coldly with disappointment and anger.
“Sang-woong is not just some guest! He is a benefactor who has provided immense help to our Taeseong Guild! Do you still not realize that he is not someone you can treat lightly or insult!”
Sensing the worsening Atmosphere and the touch-and-go tension, Sang-woong spoke up. He stared directly at Nam Ki-seol with cold eyes, his low voice carrying a power that silenced all other sounds.
“Mr. Nam Ki-seol, it seems there’s no need for us to get emotional and raise our voices. Your confidence in your strength as a great Rank S Hunter seems to be skyrocketing. Why don’t we settle everything cleanly and clearly by proving our skills to each other, just once?”
His gaze pierced straight through Nam Ki-seol’s greedy eyes without a single tremor. It was deep and cold, as if he had already seen through everything.
At Sang-woong’s absurd and even bewildering provocation, Nam Ki-seol let out a scoff that made his cheekbones twitch, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Puhaha! You, what did you just say? A nobody like you dares to challenge me head-on? Are you out of your mind? Or are you bored with living and want to commit suicide by using my hands?”
His distorted face was full of blatant mockery and a sneer intended to thoroughly crush his opponent.
To Nam Ki-seol, the only threats were other Rank S Hunters. Since Rank S Hunters in the Republic of Korea already had their names and faces widely known, there was no way this mysterious nobody was one of them. He was likely just a mad dog who didn’t know his place.
He had already dismissed Sang-woong as a reckless puppy or a crazy person, and he intentionally prodded his nerves with even more insulting and arrogant words.
“Fine, give it a try! A mad dog should be handled with a club, after all! Today, I’ll turn that arrogant mouth of yours into a rag!”
Nam Ki-seol was already annoyed by Kyung Taeyoung’s actions of protecting Sang-woong even while standing right in front of him. He planned to use this opportunity to completely trample the person the Guild Master considered so important.
“Good, I accept the challenge.”
Sang-woong spoke as if Nam Ki-seol had been the one to challenge him first, further provoking the man.
“Shin-woo. Go wait in my car. Have a cup of coffee and wait comfortably.”
Sang-woong said as he handed the car keys to Ho Shin-woo. When Ho Shin-woo hesitated out of worry, Sang-woong gently patted his shoulder to reassure him.
“Brother, you have to be careful.”
Ho Shin-woo said, looking straight into Sang-woong’s eyes. His voice held sincere worry, but also an inexplicable faith in his brother. He didn’t feel like Sang-woong would lose.
Even though it was a battle against a Rank S Hunter.
To Ho Shin-woo, Sang-woong was a miracle. He vaguely felt that such a miracle would not be easily extinguished.
***
The group headed to the Training Center located deep in the guild’s basement. A powerful energy seemed to leak even from beyond the thick iron doors.
Kyung Taeyoung and Kyung Yoon-seul followed behind Sang-woong and Nam Ki-seol with tense expressions.
Kyung Taeyoung paced restlessly, looking at Sang-woong’s broad and dependable back with eyes full of extreme worry and anxiety.
Although he had never seen him fight directly, he could vaguely guess Sang-woong’s skills after seeing how he had handled Lee Dojin’s gang at the nightclub in an instant.
Nevertheless, he believed that achieving a direct victory against an active Rank S Hunter—one of the few in the Republic of Korea, whom the Taeseong Guild had poured everything into raising—was nothing short of a miracle that only existed in one’s imagination.
Unable to hide his concern, he stepped forward to block Sang-woong’s path. His voice was filled with genuine anxiety.
“Sang-woong, no matter how arrogant and rude Nam Ki-seol is, a Rank S Hunter is… on a different level. I will take responsibility as the Guild Master and mediate this somehow!”
Beside him, Kyung Yoon-seul was also staring at Sang-woong with a hardened face. She also had a faint inkling of Sang-woong’s strength, but she could not hide her tension at the gravity of the situation.
The presence of a Rank S Hunter was just that overwhelming.
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