Cha Seohu glared at the phone in the man’s hand as if he could burn a hole through it. A drop of blood fell from his tightly clenched fist.

That was definitely Sunghyun-hyung’s voice...

More precisely, it was the voices of Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun.

Kwon Taehyuk had asked someone if there was a way, and Ryu Sunghyun had answered that it wouldn’t be easy.

If it had just been an ordinary recorded conversation, Seohu wouldn’t have been so shaken. But Ryu Sunghyun had explicitly mentioned the C-281 district—there was no way Seohu could ignore it.

I shouldn’t have reacted even if I was surprised...

Cursing his own stupidity, Seohu quickly ran through possible explanations.

What if that recording is fake?

He wished it were—but unfortunately, the man wasn’t the type to fabricate something like that.

The odds were high that the recording was genuine.

...Don’t let yourself get rattled so easily.

There wasn’t much concrete information in that short exchange.

With nothing confirmed, there was no reason to back down yet.

Taking a steadying breath, Seohu replied coolly.

“That’s all you’ve got? I can just contact them myself after I leave. It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh? So you want to hear more?”

The man chuckled shortly and pressed the play button again.

“If you insist.”

He complied surprisingly easily. It was the attitude of someone who had expected Seohu to ask.

As the playback resumed, a new voice echoed through the room.

“First, our Association...”

Seohu blinked.

It was Park Minhyuk’s voice. So he was there too.

Where was this recorded?

“We can offer cooperation, but mobilizing a large team immediately is difficult. Officially, Hunter Cha Seohu is not yet recognized as having been kidnapped...”

Park cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.

“Still, my team members share my stance, so they’ll move with me. And under the Vice President’s discretion, we can assign support from on-site staff. If we take more time to pressure the Association President, we may be able to get full Association support... but I assume the three of you don’t want to wait that long.”

“Of course not.”

Kwon Taehyuk responded coldly.

“If it’s that ambiguous, the Association should stay out of it. We have enough manpower in our guild. C-281 is an illegal organization, so we won’t need to worry about procedures.”

“Uh, wait. Even so, you still need to report your—”

“Hold on a moment.”

Another familiar voice cut off the flustered Park Minhyuk.

Listening to the recording with growing dread, Seohu almost let out a groan.

The Guildmaster’s there too...

He immediately recognized Song Jiwoon’s voice and swallowed dryly.

Then Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, Song Jiwoon, and Park Minhyuk... Those are the four in that room?

Since Park had referred to “you three,” there probably wasn’t anyone else. But how on earth had those four ended up together?

“If we go in with a full frontal assault, it might just escalate things further.”

Song Jiwoon spoke cautiously but firmly.

“Our goal is to safely extract Hunter Cha Seohu. If we march in with a large group, it’ll only blow things up even more. There’s no telling what the district might do to him if they’re provoked.”

“Hmm...”

“Wouldn’t a small team be better? Honestly, even the government’s never dared interfere there. Even if we gather forces and storm the place, it won’t be resolved so easily. The more people, the more unpredictable things get. I think it would be better for a small, elite team to move in quickly and focus solely on rescuing Cha Seohu.”

The longer Song Jiwoon spoke, the more appalled Seohu became.

Wait, what the hell did he just say?

They were planning... to rescue him? From the district?

“I agree with this plan.”

When even Ryu Sunghyun—whom Seohu had expected to freak out and reject it—voiced his agreement, Seohu couldn’t help but bury his forehead in his hand.

Then Kwon Taehyuk spoke up.

“The four of us are all S-rank, so a small operation shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, Park Minhyuk, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”

“No, I’ll go.”

And that was where the recording ended.

Whether it had been cut intentionally or that was the end of the meeting was unclear. But either way, the content was undeniably shocking.

Cold sweat ran down Cha Seohu’s back.

I need to get out of here and contact those four immediately!

Thank god he’d left his phone and inventory with Cha Sahyeon.

With Sahyeon’s shadow skill, it wouldn’t take long to get out of the district.

All he had to do was get away from the man, grab his phone, and call them to let them know he was safe. That would settle everything.

“Thanks for letting me hear that. I’ll be going now.”

Seohu made a show of tossing out a shameless thank-you, trying to hide his unease.

The man didn’t even blink. Tilting his head, he asked as if testing him,

“Cha Seohu, when do you think that recording was made?”

“......”

“Why do you think I played it now, of all times?”

Don’t react. Don’t give him what he wants.

Seohu repeated the mantra in his head, but his emotions wouldn’t settle. He wanted to plug his ears and run, but his body wouldn’t move.

Then—

Bzzzzt.

A low vibration filled the room’s brief silence.

The massive man who had been silently standing behind the other—the one called Mook Jeongho—pulled out his phone.

As soon as he answered, the voice on the other end rang loud and clear on speaker.

“Team Leader Mook, as previously reported, we’ve confirmed an external approach.”

“...!”

Seohu’s eyes widened in shock, pupils trembling.

Never taking his gaze off Seohu’s face, the man took the phone from Mook Jeongho.

“Report.”

“...Sir? Is this the Representative? This is Park Jongseok, East Gate detail. Our aura-detection cameras have identified four Hunters. Judging by their levels, all four are S-rank.”

“Go on.”

“As instructed, we haven’t responded yet... but they’re already close. Given their ranks, if we engage now, there’s a high probability they’ll break through the gate.”

“Hyung.”

Sahyeon, standing at his side, called out to him with a worried look.

But Seohu couldn’t reply. All his attention was locked on the voice coming from the phone.

“If you give the order, we’ll take action immediately. Based on positioning, one can be neutralized instantly. The other three will be dealt with upon entry.”

After the report ended, the man raised an eyebrow at Seohu.

He didn’t need to say anything. His expression made it clear.

“So? What’s your move?” — that’s what he was asking.

“......”

Seohu’s lips parted and closed several times.

Wind rushed through the shattered window, tossing his hair. The sweat that had soaked his neck turned cold.

He stood there for a long moment, face pale, before finally lowering his head.

“...What do you want?”

It was the perfect defeat of someone whose weakness had been fully exposed.

The man, having sunk his teeth deep into Seohu’s vulnerability, grinned with satisfaction.

“Open the gate.”

“Y–Yes, sir?”

“Open the gate. They’re guests. Don’t be rude.”

“...Understood.”

The call ended.

Handing the phone back to Mook Jeongho, the man shifted his gaze.

“Hyun Dowoon, Kwon Seoyul. Go to the East Gate and escort our guests here.”

“Huh? U-Us?”

“Agh, no thanks!”

Beside the startled Hyun Dowoon, Kwon Seoyul scowled and shouted in protest.

Not reading the room at all, Kwon Seoyul threw a tantrum—only for Hyun Dowoon to urgently tug at his arm.

“R-Right, we’ll be back.”

“Agh! Why me? Who the hell are they that I have to go? Seohu-hyung!”

Kwon Seoyul screamed in genuine frustration. But even he had enough sense not to resist outright. Grumbling with a contorted expression, he let himself be dragged off.

Having sent the guides to greet their late-night guests, the man turned to scan the room.

“You really wrecked the place. While the guests are on their way, head to another room. I’ll have the recovery team clean this up.”

As he turned to leave, the man glanced briefly at Seohu’s blood-dripping hand.

Then he and Mook Jeongho walked out without a second glance, and the attendants waiting in the hall filed in.

“We’ll escort you to a new room.”

They bowed politely before Seohu.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“...Ha. I’m sorry.”

His head pounded with regret and guilt.

Covering his face with a hand, Cha Seohu murmured weakly,

“Let’s... just move rooms first. We’ll talk after that.”

***

Crunch. In the darkness, a branch cracked softly.

Song Jiwoon, hidden in dense undergrowth, raised his head as they approached their destination.

“It’s tall.”

The wall was so high he had to crane his neck until it ached just to see the top.

Keeping ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) his voice low, Park Minhyuk responded beside him.

“According to our intel, this is the least monitored entrance.”

Because the C-281 district was under government surveillance, the Hunter Association had extensive files on it.

The East Gate was less watched mainly thanks to the cliff they had just descended.

A past dungeon break in the mountains had altered the terrain, creating a deep gorge.

Combined with the unmanaged forest, thick with vegetation, one wrong step could send someone tumbling down.

“Let’s approach with caution.”

Kwon Taehyuk whispered from behind.

The four erased their presence and crept toward the fortress-like wall.

As they got closer, a faint vertical line became visible on one section. Though it looked solid, that line was the seam of a hidden door.

“I’m attaching it.”

Park Minhyuk pulled a small black object from his coat.

Inspired by a jammer, the palm-sized device would disable nearby detection or surveillance items for five minutes once attached.

To cross the wall, they had no choice but to inflict some damage. Since the wall itself was likely an item, they planned to disable its defenses before scaling it.

Just as Park was about to place the device—

CLANG! RUMBLE—!

“...!”

A deafening metallic roar shook the wall.

SCREEEEECH...!

The heavy steel door began to open, groaning as it split down the middle. The mountain trembled, sending startled birds into the night sky.

Lamps atop the wall blinked on simultaneously, illuminating the four intruders.

Realizing they’d been discovered, Kwon Taehyuk instantly stepped forward and reached for his weapon—

“Don’t draw your weapons!”

A voice he vaguely recognized urgently called out.

Kwon Taehyuk froze, narrowing his eyes and staring straight ahead.

Two figures stepped through the white light.

“Aw, you should’ve let him draw it. I’d have killed him on the spot.”

“It was an order.”

One of them pouted while the other sighed heavily, dark circles under his eyes.

Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon all recognized the two.

Instead of the sullen Kwon Seoyul, it was Hyun Dowoon who stepped forward and addressed them in a weary tone.

“Don’t stick anything to the wall, don’t draw your weapons, just come in.”

“......”

“We’ll treat you as guests, so there’s no need to be on edge. The Representative formally invited you.”

Hyun Dowoon stepped aside to let them through.

“Let’s go in.”