CHAPTER 45: [CRAZY]

"Caelen, I already turned a blind eye when you wanted to have the son of Noah Ahn kidnapped."

This was crazy.

This was so fucking crazy.

"But demanding for a gate just after the announcement? There are things even I can’t do."

’KIDNAPPING SOMEONE IS OKAY BUT YOU CROSS THE LINE AT DEMANDING FOR A GATE?’ Eli wanted to yell—wanted to throw it right in the man’s face.

But he couldn’t.

Because the one speaking wasn’t just anyone. It was one of the most powerful and influential guild masters in all of Korenea.

The one and only Zacharias Kim.

Guild Master. Founder of Lion’s Fang.

Right after Caelen had ordered Arman to request a gate, the reply hadn’t come from an underling—it had been a direct summon from Zacharias himself.

And, of course, Caelen didn’t go alone. He’d had Punzo and Arman flank Eli like armed escorts, practically dragging him up to the topmost floor of Lion’s Fang headquarters.

The air here was colder, sharper. The walls glowed faintly with enchantments for soundproofing, and the massive glass windows framed the sprawling city far below.

At the center of it all sat a desk so pristine and expensive-looking that Eli was almost afraid to breathe near it.

"But you can get us a gate, right?" Caelen asked, leaning forward with one palm braced against that immaculate desk.

Zacharias pinched the bridge of his nose with the weary patience of a man who had dealt with Caelen too many times. "Why are you suddenly requesting for a gate? Isn’t the simulation room enough for whatever you’re trying to test?"

Caelen simply lifted his hand and pointed at Eli.

Eli froze as Zacharias’s gaze locked onto him—a sharp, assessing look that felt like it could strip skin from bone.

Instinctively, he flinched.

"His abilities don’t work with simulations," Caelen said, voice crisp. "So, I need to test him inside a dungeon."

"And you don’t think that’s too sudden and too extreme?" Zacharias asked flatly.

’YES!’ Eli screamed in his head.

"No. Why would it be?" Caelen replied without hesitation. "He’s a freelance hunter. He’s gone on raids."

The casual way he said it, like it was some kind of fact, made Eli’s jaw tighten.

"I meant, you already have the best team. Do you really need to go through such lengths just to test a support hunter?"

But Caelen didn’t answer him, he just stared down Zacharias.

Making the guild master let out a low, aggravated groan. "You’re not going to stop bothering me unless I say yes, are you?"

From behind, Punzo let out a snort. "It’s like you don’t even know him, Guild Master."

Eli flicked his eyes toward Caelen, who was smirking like he had already won.

That smirk only deepened when Zacharias exhaled in resignation.

"There are no active S-Class gates right now," Zacharias said at last. "And if there were..." His eyes slid back to Eli, deliberate and cutting. "...it would be going to Twilight Guild, as per the agreement."

’The agreement? Also why Twilight Guild?’

Eli remembered overhearing Caelen and his team talk about something similar earlier, but this was the first time he was hearing it from someone in authority.

He knew the basics of how gates worked—how, the moment an S-Class gate appeared, guilds would scramble to bid for it.

The process wasn’t just chaotic; it was strategic, political, and brutal.

At least two to three S-Class gates would typically surface around the same period. The moment one was spotted, hunters knew more were coming.

Bidding wasn’t random; it was a calculated fight for the most advantageous gates—location and size being the deciding factors.

A gate too far was a gamble against its time limit. A massive one promised more monsters, more resources... and more risk.

The bidding system existed for two main reasons:

First—money was proof.

Being able to afford the steep price of a gate meant your guild had the resources and experience to clear it.

The richer and more battle-proven the guild, the higher their odds of success.

Second—to prevent monopolization.

Even the biggest, richest guilds like Twilight and Lion’s Fang couldn’t buy every gate.

Budgets existed for a reason—they still had to pay hunters, keep up equipment, cover taxes, and manage the endless costs that came with running a guild.

A guild wasn’t just an organization.

It was a business.

And right now, it seemed the Hunter’s Association and Guild Association had changed something—or an agreement had been made.

Eli wanted to ask. The curiosity gnawed at him like an itch he couldn’t scratch. But Caelen’s wariness had only dropped by 2%, and Eli wasn’t about to risk ruining that fragile gain over one question.

Still, he had to wonder if the tears had something to do with it.

Most likely.

"That’s why I said I can accept an A-Class gate," Caelen continued, tone clipped and unwavering. "Are you telling me we don’t have any active A-Class gates right now?"

A-Class gates were far more common than S-Class—appearing at least ten to fifteen times a day across Korenea. If you wanted one, you could usually get one... assuming you had the pull.

Zacharias, looking like this conversation had already drained several hours of his life, replied, "We have one active right now. However, I’ve already deployed a team to ta—"

"Call them off then."

The command was so casual it was almost insulting.

Zacharias’ eyebrow twitched. The air between them shifted—he didn’t raise his voice, didn’t slam the desk, but there was a subtle tightening in the room.

’I know Caelen’s his best hunter, and Caelen might even be stronger than him in terms of skill, but...’ Eli swallowed hard. ’...is he really just going to let Caelen talk to him like this?’

Then again... judging by the lack of outrage on Zacharias’s face, he was used to it.

The Guild Master stared at Caelen for a moment longer, then reached for an old but sleek-looking landline phone on his desk. He pressed a single button.

Beep.

"Yes, sir?" a male voice answered.

"Whose team did we deploy for the A-Class gate in Seucho Avenue?" Zacharias asked.

"I believe it was Jack Hoffman’s team, sir."

"Call them off. I’m sending a new team."

A pause crackled over the speaker. "Sir? But they already—"

"Just do as I say." Zacharias’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp and final.

Silence. Then, a clipped, "As you wish, sir."

The line went dead with a click.

Zacharias turned back to Caelen, the weight of his gaze heavy but his tone dry. "Are you satisfied now? If you are, get the hell out of my office. I’m busy."

That was it?

It was just like that?

No pushback, no further negotiation—just immediate compliance.

Caelen didn’t even bother replying. He turned on his heel and walked toward the door, the confidence in his stride almost smug.

Naturally, the three following him moved in sync, bowing slightly toward Zacharias as they passed.

Arman. Punzo. Jabby.

"Thanks, Guild Master," Punzo said with a crooked grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Zacharias muttered, already looking back at his desk.

"See you next time, Guild Master!" Jabby chimed cheerfully, giving a little wave.

Arman didn’t speak—he just clamped a firm, unyielding hand around Eli’s arm and yanked him forward.

The grip was strong enough that Eli could feel the tendons in the man’s fingers tighten through his sleeve.

"Looks like you’re going on an unexpected raid, Elione," Arman said, his tone light, almost teasing—as if this were just another casual outing.

His lips curled in mild amusement, the kind that said he wasn’t the one about to be thrown into something dangerous.

Eli didn’t reply. He couldn’t.

His throat felt tight, every step making his stomach sink further, the muffled echo of their footsteps down the polished hall somehow louder than the beating of his own heart.

Because Eli was filled with dread.