X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerThe first thing to greet Dokyeom was sunlight that felt like it was stabbing his eyes. Only after he frowned to shield himself from the light did the figures of the people crowded into the representative office come into view.
Everyone was seated, all looking at Dokyeom. On one side sat Geon Ita and Ju Uiryeong of the Uwha Guild, along with someone who looked like a secretary. Across from them sat two foreign-looking men.
They were a study in contrasts. One was a blond with blue eyes, the other an Easterner with green eyes. From his attire, he seemed to be of Chinese descent.
The blond was none other than ‘Ellen Brown,’ who had sent the fax directly to Taeseongyeon.
“You’ve seen the snow mountain video, so you know who he is,” Taeseongyeon said. He was seated in the middle, checking something on his tablet, clearly the focal point of both sides. “For the gate that Mr. Ellen proposed, the Sahyeon Guild recommends our own hunter, Han Dokyeom. He seemed quite willing to go.”
But before he finished, someone interrupted.
“Wait a moment.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Ju Uiryeong, who was sitting with his hands neatly folded. Ju Uiryeong, who had arrived in bright clothes, had a glowing face, perhaps from some product. His delicate features were quite likable to others. At least, if he kept his mouth shut.
“We cannot agree to Han Dokyeom going.”
Ju Uiryeong sat firmly, facing Taeseongyeon. His attitude was decisive, his neck straight.
“We know that Han Dokyeom has made many achievements here and there. But still, he’s E-rank, isn’t he? If Mr. Ellen’s proposed gate really holds a ‘Power,’ it must be a dangerous place. Why would you risk sending Han Dokyeom? You’re not unaware that if something goes wrong, we could be in danger too, right? I think it’s safer to send a higher-ranked hunter.”
His words had some truth. If Dokyeom were a normal E-rank, that might be worth considering.
“From my perspective, this isn’t a matter of cooperation,” Taeseongyeon said. “But it seems the Uwha Guild sees it differently.”
At Taeseongyeon’s words, Ju Uiryeong hesitated and averted his gaze. He seemed flustered by the familiar disrespect, closing his mouth before finally speaking after a pause.
“Well, Representative Taeseongyeon might be right. After all, both our guilds are after the ‘Power,’ so this isn’t a cooperative situation. Still, how can you be so sure nothing will happen inside the gate? If something uncontrollable occurs, I’ll roll up my sleeves and help the Sahyeon Guild, of course. So it’s only right to send hunters who can actually be useful.”
“Why does the Uwha Guild get to decide who’s useful? And are you in a position to preside over that, Hunter Ju?”
“Why can’t I judge? We’ve already agreed that only A-rank and above hunters will go. So it’s only right for the Sahyeon Guild to respect that and do the same. I’m A-rank. Han Dokyeom is E-rank. Anyone can see these ranks don’t match.”
From behind Dokyeom came the sound of a fist clenching. It must be Beom Yeonhu. The representative office had become so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Taeseongyeon rested his arm on the armrest and propped his chin. He stared expressionlessly at Ju Uiryeong, their gaze chilling. And then he spoke.
“What if we send Hunter Yisaein?”
“…Excuse me?”
“It seems the Uwha Guild wants to check our ranks with a preemptive strike. Since you’ve played that card, I suppose we should act childish too.”
“What… do you mean? Even if you send Yisaein, what can we….”
In that moment, Ju Uiryeong finally grasped the intent and fell silent. Yisaein’s rank flashed through his mind.
Yisaein is Korea’s only AA-rank hunter. Ju had just threatened that the team would consist of A-rank and above, and demanded they send hunters of equal rank. So this meant… Sahyeon would put forward an AA-rank hunter, and Uwha would have to match that.
He had only asked to exclude one E-rank, but the meaning had been twisted too far.
“No… what are you saying? Yisaein is Korea’s only AA-rank hunter. If you put it that way, we’d have no choice but to send Geon Ita alone. And you can only send Yisaein, so why…!”
“Hunter Ju, don’t you watch the news?”
“…”.
Ju Uiryeong was struck dumb again. His eyes blinked nervously, unable to guess why the news was suddenly brought up. Taeseongyeon tapped the armrest with his fingers and tilted his head.
“Why would it be alone? We have an additional S-rank hunter here.”
Ju Uiryeong’s gaze quickly turned toward the door. Beyond Han Dokyeom’s shoulder, he finally noticed the man he had forgotten. The glittering golden eyes were eerie. Those eyes, filled with murderous intent, scanned Ju thoroughly. They felt like they would bite his nape.
He had forgotten. That Sahyeon Guild had two S-ranks.
‘What should I do?’
Ju Uiryeong bit his lip, forgetting his composure. Geon Ita and the secretary beside him were silent, seemingly stepping back to watch. Here, the calm voice rang out again.
“If you have more to say, go ahead. You were the one to bring up ranks with confidence. I’m just matching the standard so there are no complaints later.”
He looked at Geon Ita for help, but Geon Ita’s gaze had been fixed on Han Dokyeom since earlier and didn’t budge.
“…Geon Ita.”
Unable to bear it, he called out, but Geon Ita just sat arrogantly and smiled.
“Keep watching. Why, it’s entertaining, isn’t it?”
His tone suggested he didn’t care at all about the guild’s reputation. After glaring at him for a moment, Ju Uiryeong clenched his fists and steadied his breath.
His hands trembled with anger. He couldn’t stand being cowed in front of so many eyes. But still, his tone remained gentle and kind.
“Fine. If that’s the case, we’ll back down this time. We won’t say anything more about Han Dokyeom. But if our guild suffers damage because of him, we won’t stay quiet.”
He spoke solemnly, but he couldn’t help his trembling voice. As Taeseongyeon watched silently, he shifted his gaze to Geon Ita.
“Looks like things are settled? If I had known this would be such a fierce meeting, I would have prepared myself mentally, haha.”
A light laugh dispelled the heavy air. The one who laughed cheerfully was the blond man who had been watching the situation with keen interest. It was ‘Ellen Brown,’ the one who had arranged this meeting.
He narrowed his eyes and gave Dokyeom a big smile. Dokyeom thought his white teeth were very straight.
“You’re Hunter Han Dokyeom, right? I’ve been wanting to meet you. Should I say I’m lucky? Haha. Ah, of course. I saw your exploits in the snow mountain video. I was very curious how Korea would overcome that crisis, but I saw something completely unexpected, and it left a strong impression on me. I’m Ellen Brown. Please call me Ellen.”
“Ah… yes.”
Compared to the others in the room whose true intentions were unclear, Ellen Brown was someone whose outside matched his inside. His easy smile was genuine, at least.
His grandfather was from the Udege people of Russia, and his family had a long history with shamanism. The culture of communicating with spirits and living in harmony with nature had permeated Ellen Brown.
His constellation was an angel that supported shamanism, and its rank was extremely high. Through what he called ‘divine reception,’ he could obtain many things from nature: directions to proceed, misfortune and fortune, and even calamities that would befall this land. People called it ‘divination.’
That was exactly why he was gathering those who possessed ‘Powers.’
“It seems the participants are roughly decided, so shall we move on to the next topic? As for when Representative Taeseongyeon will hand over the ‘Power’ to me… Ah, it’s better to do it after you enter the gate and obtain the ‘Power.’ In local terms, that’s called ‘eating and running,’ isn’t it? I don’t want to be misunderstood.”
Even though he seemed fluent in Korean, that was largely thanks to the interpretation skill used by the Easterner sitting next to him.
“When will you set the date? I’d like to align everyone’s schedules and move. It seems we have to travel quite a distance.”
“Far? How far do we need to go?”
Ju Uiryeong quickly added at Ellen Brown’s words. He had many questions: whether they needed to leave Korea, how long it would take, and how much time to set for completing the gate conquest.
“Ah, it’s far, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll guide you. The process will be easy. It should take about… 10 minutes.”
“By any chance… is the Power in Korea?”
“What? No? It was specified in the contract? It’s a canyon in Arizona, USA.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace
