106. Aah, So This Is A Declaration Of War (1)

“One martini, as ordered.”

A small glass settled onto the table, the Galaxy Pub’s signature martini. Across the rippling clear liquid, the two Hunters, both in the smuggling trade, traded talk.

“You hear about it? Word is the Rakshasa went after Ground Zero.”
“They should mind their own Busan turf. What’d they come crawling up here to mooch off of?”
“Heard they were eyeing the opening left when the Red Spider got wiped out.”
“And how’d that turn out?”

The Rakshasa Guild ranked second only to Ground Zero in influence over the Korean peninsula’s underworld. Where Ground Zero was a three-way alliance of the black market, the Red Spider (now replaced by Yujin), and the Galaxy Pub, together forming the Three Powers, Rakshasa held an iron grip on the Pacific smuggling routes through Japan, America, and everything between.

“How’d it turn out? Word is they went to the borderlands and got turned into monster dung.”
“Why’s the borderlands coming up now?”
“You don’t know a thing. They say the guy who took out the Red Spider’s set up shop in that cursed land.”
“You mean that Black Company outfit, or whatever it’s called?”

The Black Company was a force that had sprung up out of nowhere, swallowed the Red Spider’s territory, and climbed into Ground Zero’s new Three Powers.

And yet.

On the outside, the organization remained a near-total blank, with strangely little information to be had about it.

“You don’t think the Rakshasa Guild just half-assed the prep?”
“A hundred and fifty Hunters. And they say they let the mad dog off the leash, too.”
“The, the mad dog — surely you don’t mean Kim Mijeong.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“That’s insane….”

Even the Mad Dog, Kim Mijeong, a mercenary infamous across East Asia, had taken part? That the Mad Dog was in the Rakshasa Guild’s keeping was startling enough on its own. But for Rakshasa to mobilize Hunters all the way up to the 6th-Rank peak and still lose was simply unbelievable.

“That’s a level that’d do real damage even if the Red Spider had been at full strength.”
“That’s exactly why it’s astonishing.”
“The Black Company. Just what the hell is that organization?”

The man drained his martini in one go, the thick scent of alcohol lingering on his tongue.

And yet.

The shock of what he’d just heard refused to wash away.

“Will you be all right?”

Old Jeong, the bartender who had handed over the drink, said it quietly, and the Madam swept her hair back, casting a sidelong glance at the men still talking.

“I took a bit of a loss, but I’m fine.”
“That’s not like you, my lady.”
“And why’s that?”
“‘We don’t take losses.’ Wasn’t that the Galaxy Pub’s iron rule?”

Old Jeong let out a low heheh.

The Rakshasa Guild’s defeat was a piece of news with ripple enough to shake the entire Korean underworld. If she wanted to, the Madam could silence the mercenaries who had fled the borderlands, or the Rakshasa-affiliated Hunters.

“You’re right. I could’ve blocked the spread of the news and rattled the Busan underworld a little while I was at it.”

A hundred and fifty combatants annihilated. The blow could shake the Rakshasa Guild’s influence to its core, and the parties involved would hardly want the affair made public. Just how much this information was worth, no one understood better than the Madam herself.

“Could it be you’ve taken a liking to that young man?”
“Should I go fetch some dementia medicine for you?”
“I’ll pass. I’m still perfectly sharp.”

Squeak — squeak —.

The sound of a glass being wiped carried through the bar.

“Cheon Yujin — no. Director Cheon, you know him.”
“Yes.”
“Just how far will he fly, I wonder. Aren’t you curious?”

Never before had she taken this much interest in a single man. It wasn’t romantic attraction; she had work she had to do, and no room to spare for keeping anyone in her heart.

“Two months ago he was a man who walked into the crimson camouflage.”
“He was, indeed.”
“And now he’s brought down the Mad Dog Kim Mijeong.”
“His rate of growth is astonishing, I’ll grant.”
“Director Cheon isn’t just strong. He’s got resourcefulness, an eye for things, decisiveness — all of it.”

A shiver ran across her skin. Without realizing it, the Madam gripped both her arms tight.

‘This information. There’s got to be a reason he asked me to spread it far and wide.’

The Madam was certain. The loss she stood to take by failing to use this information? As if Yujin wouldn’t grasp even that much.

‘I’m so curious what he’s going to pull.’

The Madam’s lips curved into an arc, a smile so unconscious she never noticed she had made it.

“You really have fallen for him, haven’t you?”
“I’m actually going to get angry now.”
“Heheh. If you put it that strongly, I’ll believe you that it isn’t so.”

Old Jeong went on wiping the glass at his leisure, the laughter never leaving his face.

News of the Rakshasa Guild’s defeat spread quickly. Rumor travels fast and far, and the one the Madam had kindled soon slipped out of the shadows into the light, reaching even the ears of the Hunter guilds.

“Heh, well now.”

Kim Yeongsu, head of the Phoenix Guild, clicked his tongue several times over and shook his head.

“This rumor. Is it true?”
“The odds are high. I’ve finished cross-verifying it several times, but….”
“I’m not reproaching you.”
“I’ll have the secretarial office request a further investigation.”
“Yes. Do put in the effort.”

Left alone in his office, Kim Yeongsu pressed the bridge of his nose with his right hand to shake off the fatigue.

BANG—!

“Guild Master! That rumor, is it true?!”
“Miseon. I told you, if you’re going to break the door, put more strength into it.”
“Ah. Sorry.”

Jang Miseon, the Hunter people called the next Sword Saint, came rushing in, her long black hair streaming behind her.

“They say that old guy went a round with the Rakshasa Guild!”
“So you’ve heard the story.”

That the Black Company’s director was Yujin had not yet become common knowledge. Who would ever guess that one of Ground Zero’s Three Powers and the rising star who had made his name during the double-gate incident were the same man? The Phoenix Guild had only barely uncovered it themselves, digging from every angle after they stumbled onto the affair at the borderlands.

“I came to say hello before I head off for a bit.”
“You mean to go help Cheon Yujin?”
“I can’t just leave it alone. I haven’t even paid back the debt from last time.”
“Miseon. Calm down and hear me out.”

Kim Yeongsu’s composed words pressed down heavily on the office. His voice carried a grand, profound mana, and though it held no killing intent, a force that gripped the spirit dwelt within it.

“Ah, uh, yes.”

Jang Miseon clearly still had plenty she wanted to say, her lips mumbling on, but she waited for Kim Yeongsu’s answer.

“Miseon. There’s no real need to go help him.”
“I’ve heard of the Rakshasa Guild’s notoriety too. Even Cheon Yujin can’t win against them head-on.”
“A hundred and fifty combatants were taken down. With even a 6th-Rank Hunter gone missing, not even the Rakshasa will be able to make a careless move.”
“Even so….”
“And besides, I’ll be taking measures myself.”
“As expected of you, Guild Master!”

Under Jang Miseon’s admiring gaze, a corner of his heart ached for no good reason.

‘I can’t very well tell her this part.’

Swallowing a bitter smile, Kim Yeongsu turned his gaze to the corner of the table, to a piece of intelligence he had just obtained.

Suspected collusion between Arahan and the Rakshasa.

‘If this information is true, then by keeping Arahan in check I can gain two things at once.’

The Phoenix Guild’s goal was the number-one spot in the nation. The case was still only circumstantial, but if the two guilds were truly close, then Arahan would have taken damage from this affair as well.

And if he moved to check the Arahan Guild at just this moment?

‘I could solidify that circumstantial case for certain.’

And even if the intelligence proved wrong, it made no difference. Yujin and the Arahan Guild had been at odds ever since the double-gate clear. He had no idea what reason Yujin had for building up a force in the borderlands, but keeping Arahan boxed out so it couldn’t step in would settle the debt from the double-gate incident.

‘Clearing the debt and buying Cheon Yujin’s goodwill, both at once.’

His calculation done, the corner of Kim Yeongsu’s mouth twitched upward.

Rrring — rrring —.

A classic ringtone shattered the silence of the office.

“It’s a busy day today, isn’t it.”
“You’ve always lived like a man of leisure. You’re due for a day like this.”
“Honestly, there’s no winning with you.”

With a short grumble, Kim Yeongsu pressed the receive button.

“What is it?”
“They say the official seller for the mass-produced mid-grade potion has been decided — it’s Daehan Pharmaceutical.”
“Isn’t that a matter to report to the business division?”
“Well, the thing is, Hunter Cheon Yujin says he’s going to hold a press conference at the mid-grade potion demonstration….”

Kim Yeongsu shot to his feet, his jaw dropping straight down.

“Master. What’s wrong?”
“Honestly. To think he’d blow the whole thing up this big.”
“Everyone holds a press conference at a demonstration, don’t they?”
“Holding a press conference right after going a round with the Rakshasa Guild — that’s no coincidence.”

Yujin’s resourcefulness went well beyond the ordinary; that much he had already grasped. The man had a talent for setting the board that made it hard to believe he was barely into his twenties. That instinct for bending a situation toward his own advantage was like watching a seasoned business magnate or a veteran Hunter at work.

“Where on earth did a fellow like this spring up from?”

What had Yujin prepared for the press conference? At the curiosity welling up in him, Kim Yeongsu let out a booming laugh.

“As you asked, I’ve arranged the demonstration for tomorrow at the D Convention Center in Seoul.”
“Thank you, Chairwoman of Daehan Pharmaceutical.”
“Think nothing of it. I haven’t even finished repaying you for curing him.”
“Didn’t you set me up with the Saint’s Tears distribution manager and a bridge to America?”
“The potion distribution was something Daehan wanted to ask of you. The debt still remains.”

Jeong Sunim, the chairwoman of Daehan Pharmaceutical, had granted his request and set the Saint’s Tears demonstration schedule without any prior coordination.

“My benefactor. Are you well?”
“News travels pretty fast.”
“Though the fact that the new Three Powers of Ground Zero is you is still top-secret information.”
“Not so much as a hair on me was hurt.”
“Should I take the demonstration to be an extension of what happened at the borderlands?”
“Well, I suppose you could put it that way.”

Spoiling it ruins the fun, doesn’t it?

Yujin answered her noncommittally.

“Partner. Aren’t you rushing into this too recklessly?”
“The potion’s performance is rock-solid, isn’t it.”
“That much is true, but.”
“From here on out, we rake in the cash.”

Don’t be so tense.
The potion you made was wildly popular even before regression.
There’s no way it won’t go well, so trust me on it.

Yujin gave the stiffened Shin Junseok a light pat on the shoulder.

Potions.

Potions were the most heavily consumed item when hunting monsters inside a gate. Taking injuries mid-battle was unavoidable, and with Priest-class Hunters so few in number, potions were an absolute necessity.

“Low-grade potions can’t heal serious wounds.”
“But use a mid-grade potion and it’s a thousand a bottle.”
“Save it for emergencies.”

The one who needs it most is the one who pays. Hunters lugged the expensive mid-grade potions around with them, grudgingly swallowing the bitter pill.

There had been no shortage of attempts to develop a restorative with a mid-grade potion’s potency but without troll’s blood or a blessing. Yet not a single company anywhere had produced a notable result. Not until Shin Junseok appeared.

“A medicine that reproduces the effect of a mid-grade potion without troll’s blood. It’s a world first.”
“They say the alchemist Shin Junseok used to be a researcher at Daeseong.”
“And what about Cheon Yujin? Did he lend a hand in making the potion with holy spells?”
“Let’s just go and hear them out.”

The Hunter industry buzzed. The country’s leading conglomerates took interest at the news of the Saint’s Tears official sale, the major guilds that burned through potions signed on for the demonstration, and the press was never going to miss news this big. The venue rented out for the event was, quite literally, a sea of people.

“Ugh. Look at the sheer number of people.”
“I brought some cheongsimhwan. Want one?¹”
“Damn it! Give me that.”

Shin Junseok picked up a small pill with a trembling hand and tossed it into his mouth.

“Was cheongsimhwan always this sweet?”
“There’s an old saying — what’s good for the body is sweet, isn’t there.”
“It’s ‘what’s good for the body is bitter on the tongue,’ surely. Anyway, I feel a little better now.”

Yeah.
My partner’s right.
It’s actually a coffee biscuit I cut up to look like a pill.

‘Would you mind not disparaging another person’s mouth as you please?’

‘See? He’s calmed down. As long as the result’s good, that’s all that matters.’

The cheongsimhwan(?) worked wonders. As if he had never been nervous at all, Shin Junseok stepped up to the podium and ran through the Saint’s Tears demonstration with complete composure.

Hissssss—!

“Oh. The wound’s recovery speed rivals a mid-grade potion!”
“Around 92 percent. At this level it’d serve perfectly well as a substitute.”

The reporters, watching the potion take effect, hammered away at their keyboards, while the guild representatives buried themselves in working out what spare funds they would need to secure a supply of Saint’s Tears.

“Can it be used for fractures and internal injuries too?”
“Yes. Drink it and the recovery speed drops by 50 percent, but as long as it isn’t completely shattered, regeneration is possible.”

Shin Junseok fielded even the difficult questions without a hitch. The Saint’s Tears demonstration was, quite literally, a roaring success. An innovative product, one that would carve a fresh milestone into the history of the Hunter market, had officially arrived.

“If the Saint’s Tears supply is sufficient, gate-clearing speed will pick up too.”
“With mid-grade potions, the price aside, the stock itself was never released in any quantity.”
“You wouldn’t have to rely solely on Priests’ spells for healing.”
“The paradigm’s going to shift.”

Just as the people seated in the hall were beginning to settle their excitement a little, Shin Junseok glanced behind him.

‘Are you really sure I should read this introduction line?’

When he looked over imploringly, the question plain in his eyes, Yujin gave a nod.

Whew.
To hell with it, here goes nothing.

“Next, we have a press conference from the director of the Black Company, Mr. Cheon Yujin, who lent his strength to creating the Saint’s Tears.”

The moment Shin Junseok introduced Yujin, the hall went as silent as if it had been doused with ice water.