General Assembly.
Since the Day of Change, it was an event that was established by Ham Seok-jeong to deal with rapidly changing situations. Each eting's location, ti, and attendees vary. Most of the ti, it's hosted by the Awakened Managent Bureau, inviting hunters, but sotis it's hosted by individuals or guilds.
In the Pado Guild's conference room, only three people were present in the large space; Cha Eui-jae, Lee Sa-young, and Bae Won-woo. Cha Eui-jae was sitting stiffly in the middle seat, holding a tablet. Bae Won-woo was standing at the podium, explaining the assembly. Cha Eui-jae was sure he had heard it before, but Bae Won-woo insisted on going over it again in more detail.
Lee Sa-young was sitting a little further away from Cha Eui-jae, half-listening, busy dealing with so remaining tasks. In the end, this was basically a one-person lecture for Cha Eui-jae alone.
'Ugh, this is too much pressure.'
Cha Eui-jae scribbled on his tablet, pretending to take notes. Thanks to the mask, at least no one could see he was distracted. Bae Won-woo pointed at the screen with a pointer.
"I attended while Sa-young was unconscious, right? It's been four or five etings in the last three months."
Bae Won-woo said, counting on his thick fingers.
"From my experience, it feels like instead of the leader, their direct decision-maker attends. Usually, it's the vice-guild leader who shows up. The Director doesn't seem to expect much either."
"Are all the hunters attending rankers?"
"Yes. Only rankers related to the agenda are invited each ti. Influential hunters are invited repeatedly. There are a few fixed mbers from the Seowon Guild, Pado Guild, Samra Guild, HB Guild, and so on."
"They seem to mainly invite large guilds."
"But it's surprisingly secretive and persistent. They send official docunts with different content and then follow up with personal contacts. Many ignore the initial contact, so they follow up persistently."
"What do they talk about at these etings?"
"Ah... There's always so much to talk about. Last ti, the General Assembly was heated over the eroded dungeon. That was one of the main topics."
Bae Won-woo scratched his head with a frown.
"Researchers from the Rift Managent Bureau requested to investigate the eroded dungeon. Well, it's not like they wanted to investigate for free; they even offered to pay a usage fee, so we said okay."
"Yes."
"But the Samra Guild flatly refused to allow them access to their dungeon. I an, we weren't asking for ownership! Just to conduct research."
Suddenly, Song Jo-heon's smiling face ca to Cha Eui-jae's mind. Long ago, he thought Song Jo-heon was soone trustworthy. As a forr soldier, he had the face of a veteran who had seen it all. To a high school student, there wasn't a more reliable adult. However, when Cha Eui-jae saw him again...
"..."
A thick black line was drawn across the tablet screen. Bae Won-woo sighed heavily.
"Anyway, that made the eting drag on for another hour. I was so bored, I almost died."
"So in the end, it's just a place where people gather and talk."
"Yep, exactly. A place where people play power gas to avoid losing out. Well, J, you probably don't have to worry about that!"
Bae Won-woo gave a thumbs-up. That made sense. After all, he had nothing to lose. It's easy when you don't have much to protect. Cha Eui-jae put his tablet pen down with a tap. As Bae Won-woo flipped through files, he mumbled.
"The next General Assembly seems to be about dealing with Doomsayers. They're the ones who are damaging the image of hunters, spreading distrust and discord... It seems like their influence has grown."
"..."
"They'll probably also discuss the hunter abductions... Seems like this one's going to be crowded."
"Are there many hunters being abducted?"
"Yeah, quite a few. Mostly hunters who are unaffiliated or from small- to mid-sized guilds have been kidnapped. Once they disappear... well."
Bae Won-woo trailed off, clearing his throat with a loud cough. Cha Eui-jae's grip tightened.
The Russian bear hunter.
Appearing with spikes all over his face and body, hideous and deford, the Russian bear. He must have ended up like that. Cha Eui-jae glanced over at Lee Sa-young. His black hair fell naturally, and his skin was pale. If Lee Sa-young ended up like that too, unable to endure the grueso experints, if his body and mind were shattered—
If there was no way left but to kill him.
"..."
As if feeling Cha Eui-jae's gaze, Lee Sa-young looked up. He blinked and mouthed, Why? Cha Eui-jae shook his head as if it were nothing, and picked up his pen again.
The roots of both groups are the sa; Protheus. People who advocate for stopping the apocalypse without relying on the system's power, but using human strength instead.
To prevent the apocalypse, the apocalypse must first arrive.
"..."
What is this unsettling feeling? Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes tightly as the sound of thunder echoed in the distance.
***
Shhhh... Rain poured down. Plop, plop— raindrops hit the leaves and slid off. Deep in the forest, where no human footsteps reached, soone suddenly appeared on the thick grass. It was a middle-aged man in a suit, accompanied by a young man holding an umbrella. The young man grumbled.
"Huh, geez... where are we?"
"According to the GPS... we're at Inwangsan, Guild Leader."
The young man put away the device and shook his head.
"Inwangsan is a place lots of people visit, though... how did they find such a remote spot? I know it's raining, but it's way too quiet."
"It's probably the handiwork of the artisan."
"Pardon?"
"People who've been to the Artisan Exhibition say they were given personal waiting rooms. Even in a subspace. I think it was ant to prevent fights."
"...Then this place must be the artisan's subspace too?"
"Most likely. In terms of security, there's no place more perfect than this."
"That's a bit scary..."
"Scary, you say?"
The young man hunched his shoulders, but the middle-aged man scoffed and started walking. The younger man hurried after him, covering him with the umbrella.
"Do you even know where you're going?"
"Can't you see that light up ahead? That's probably it."
"Oh."
As he said, a house emitting a faint green light appeared in the dark forest, far in the distance. The hunter ID hanging around the neck of the young man, who peeked out and looked ahead, slipped out. The na that briefly flashed was...
"Ryu Han-baek."
"Yes, Guild Leader."
A strong hand suddenly grabbed Ryu Han-baek by the collar, pulling him close. Startled, Ryu Han-baek's eyes widened. The Guild Leader whispered, almost spitting his words.
"I brought you because the most recently disappeared person was your closest friend... but do not act up. Got it?"
"..."
"You're attending as a witness at a eting where top hunters gather. Normally, you wouldn't even know this eting exists... You're only here as a witness. So don't think about interfering— just stay still."
"...Understood."
"Good, that's the right answer..."
Ryu Han-baek slowly nodded. The Guild Leader let go of the collar he had gripped and, after straightening Ryu Han-baek's wrinkled shirt, patted his shoulder.
"Let's do well, okay?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
The distance that had seed far was closer than expected. Was it so kind of optical illusion? Ryu Han-baek folded the umbrella as he looked around, shaking the raindrops off. The Guild Leader opened the door to the worn wooden house. Creeeeak... With the sound of creaking wood, the scene that unfolded was...
"..."
"Well, this is..."
It was a massive round table eting room. It was far too large, spacious, and ornate to be the inside of an old wooden house. The candle flas flickering from the walls cast an unsteady light. At that mont, soone extended a hand toward the Guild Leader.
"You're here, Magok Guild Leader."
"Oh, ah, Hunter Jung Bin. Nice to see you."
Jung Bin, impeccably dressed as always, smiled warmly. After a light handshake, he gestured to a spot at the round table.
"Your seat is over there, Guild Leader. Let guide you."
"Oh, yes, please do."
The sensation and sound of stepping on creaking wooden floorboards were vivid, making the place feel real. Ryu Han-baek, mouth slightly agape, looked around. The Guild Leader cautiously asked.
"Is this... a space created by the artisan?"
"Oh, yes. That's right. Who knows what kind of fantasy movie the artisan watched this ti... I wish they'd make things a bit simpler."
Jung Bin's voice trailed off. Sohow, there was a trace of concern on his otherwise gentle face. The Guild Leader, puzzled, asked again.
"Excuse ?"
"Haha, nothing. Please have a seat. The eting will start soon."
After guiding them, Jung Bin left to greet other guests. The Guild Leader sat down and glanced around. Ryu Han-baek stood behind him. As Jung Bin had ntioned, most seats were already filled with rankers. Blowing bubbles into the air was Hong Ye-seong, Honeybee sat with her hat pulled low, Gyu-Gyu was sprawled across a chair yawning, and Nam Woo-jin pressed his brows together, looking tired.
Even the Director was seated, but curiously, the seats on either side of her were empty.
'Do they always leave those seats vacant?'
As Ryu Han-baek wondered, the door creaked open.
The atmosphere shifted.
"..."
"The scandalous duo has arrived."
The Guild Leader muttered disapprovingly. Everyone's attention was drawn to one spot. Thud. Heavy boots stepped onto the floor. Lee Sa-young, as usual, was in a gas mask and a long coat. His presence alone was imposing, but the aura radiating from the person behind him was almost suffocating. Ryu Han-baek, ignoring the cold sweat trickling down, fixed his gaze on the door. After briefly exchanging words with Jung Bin, Lee Sa-young stepped aside.
And then,
From the darkness, a black mask erged.
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