The rain that had started during the raid on the Iron Crown Guild had turned into a torrential downpour, drumming against the reinforced glass of Chairman Go Gunhee's office. Inside, the atmosphere was even more turbulent.
On the Chairman's desk lay the physical ledger Taeshik had recovered, its leather cover stained with the grit of a basement safe. Beside it, a tablet displayed a scrolling list of decrypted bank transfers and intercepted communications.
Chairman Go Gunhee stood with his back to the room, staring out at the blurred lights of Seoul. His shoulders, usually broad and confident since Jinchul's specialized mana-treatments, were tense. The silence lasted for several minutes, broken only by the hum of the office's air filtration system.
"Japan," Gunhee finally whispered. The word sounded like a curse.
"Specifically, the Draw Sword Guild," Jinchul corrected, standing at a respectful distance. "But their Association is providing the diplomatic cover. The funds were routed through three separate shell companies in the Cayman Islands before landing in Park Joonsung's private accounts. In exchange, the Iron Crown was providing detailed maps of our mana-distribution grids and the exact response times of our S-Rank Hunters."
Go Gunhee turned around. His eyes, usually warm when looking at Jinchul, were blazing with a golden, incandescent fury. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy—the weight of a 'Ruler's Authority' that was barely being held in check.
"They are paying our own citizens to sabotage our infrastructure?" Gunhee's voice grew louder, a low rumble like an approaching storm. "Do they think Korea is a playground for their ambitions?"
"They see us as a failing state, Chairman," Jinchul said calmly. "To the world, we are the country that lost its capital once and is struggling to hold onto its pride. They are waiting for the right time to strike us."
Gunhee slammed his fist onto the desk. The obsidian surface didn't crack—Jinchul had reinforced it with a subtle layer of mana—but the sound echoed like a gunshot.
"The Board of Directors called me an hour ago," Gunhee said, his breathing heavy. "They are 'dissatisfied' with your recent actions, Jinchul. They claim that dismantling the Iron Crown without a six-month inquiry is a violation of 'Guild Autonomy.' They are worried about their investments. They are worried about the stock market."
Jinchul's expression remained a mask of iron. "The Board is composed of men who measure the world in won and cents. They didn't see the bodies in the 'Ghost Mines.' They didn't see the encrypted files I just showed you."
"They don't want to see them!" Gunhee retorted. "They want the status quo. They want the Association to stay in its lane—filing paperwork and counting crystals while the Guilds do as they please. They are threatening to freeze the funding for 'Project Dawn' and your new 'Association Academy'."
Jinchul stepped forward, his eyes glowing with a faint, steady orange light. "Let them try. Chairman, you and I both know about their behaviours but they dont know about our strength. It comes from the ability to close a Gate. Yesterday, we cleared an A-Rank dungeon in twenty-four minutes with four people. Today, I've neutralized a domestic terror cell."
He reached out and tapped the ledger. "If the Board wants to play politics, give them this. Show them the evidence of foreign involvement. Remind them that if the Draw Sword Guild succeeds in their plan, those same Directors will be the first ones the Japanese Association replaces when they take over our industry. Appeal to their fear, Chairman. It's the only language other than violence because even some of the board members may be part of it."
Gunhee sighed, the golden light in his eyes fading into a weary spark. He sat down in his heavy chair, looking at Jinchul "You've become quite the strategist, Jinchul. Sometimes I forget you were ever 'just' an Inspector."
"I had a very good teacher," Jinchul replied with a slight bow.
"And Jinhee?" Gunhee asked, shifting the subject. "How is she holding up with the discovery about her father?"
"She is a Yoo," Jinchul said, his voice softening slightly. "She is channeling her grief into the research. The 'Mana Cradle' prototype is nearly complete. We should be able to begin the first stage of the Chairman's treatment by tomorrow night. But we need to keep it quiet, as it is still in researching stage."
Gunhee nodded. "I will handle the Board. I will tell them that the Iron Crown was a matter of national security—which it is. I will force the funding through. But you... you need to be prepared. The moment we start the treatment on Yoo Myunghan, you are going to have a target on your back that even an S-Rank might find heavy."
"I've had a target on my back since the day I woke up as Hunter ," Jinchul said, looking out at the rain. "The Draw Sword Guild, the Board of Directors, the monsters... they are all just obstacles."
Jinchul turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "One more thing, Chairman. I've finalized the first list for the Association Academy. I've included several 'E-Rank' and 'D-Rank' hunters who the Guilds have labeled as useless"
Gunhee looked up, a brow raised. "You think we can get something out from them."
"The system is broken, President" Jinchul said, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "We need Soldiers, Captains, & Generals. In the future, we will have every rank in there"
As the door clicked shut, Go Gunhee looked back at the ledger. He felt a strange sense of relief. For years, he had felt like he was a king without an heir, watching his kingdom slowly burn. But now, looking at the Jinchul, he knew he wasn't alone anymore.
He picked up the phone to call the Board. His voice was no longer that of a tired administrator, but of the Gilded Lion who had once been the strongest hunter in Korea.
"This is Chairman Go," he said into the receiver. "Cancel the morning briefing. Tell the Directors to meet me in the war room. And tell them to bring their resignations... just in case they find my next decree 'unsatisfactory'."
Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan.
A man sat in a room traditional room, his eyes fixed on a news report from Korea. The screen showed Woo Jinchul walking out of the Iron Crown headquarters.
"The Chief of the Monitoring Division," the man murmured in Japanese. "He's moving too fast. He's disrupted the Iron Crown before they could finish the grid mapping."
"Should we send someone?" a voice asked near him
"No," the man said, standing up. He adjusted the katana at his waist. "The Jeju Island raid, we will have to move it forward. Let him feel like he's winning. The higher he builds his little fortress, the more spectacular the collapse will be. But keep an eye on him."
"Understood, Master Matsumoto."
The darkness of the room swallowed the conversation, but the wheels of the international conspiracy were already turning faster, fueled by the very light Jinchul had brought into the world.