[7 Pieces of Evidence that Sa-yoon is the Leader of the Worst Criminal Guild, Night Rat]

This is an exposé.

I apologize for using a clickbait title to attract attention, but I hope many of you will read this. I am writing because I can no longer understand the recent state of the hunter industry, and I do not want good, innocent citizens to be played by the schemes of the Korean Hunter Association and the Night Rat guild.

The hunter from Noah, currently active under the name ‘Sa-yoon,’ is in fact Kwon Sa-yoon, the leader of the Night Rat guild, a man I believe you all know.

Among the many evil deeds committed by Night Rat under the guise of a criminal guild, one of them was the death of my colleague. I still remember my kind-hearted colleague, a hunter who sought to save people with a strong sense of duty and responsibility. My deceased colleague is Gu Hyo-jin, an A-Rank hunter who was killed in a terrorist attack by the Night Rat guild seven years ago, after rescuing countless people from a Gate Saturation incident.

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The reason I am revealing my deceased colleague’s name is to prove my own integrity and the credibility of the information I am providing. …….

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Contrary to the seemingly light, clickbait-style title, the body of the post was a long, humorless accusation. The author, who stated they could not reveal their identity for their own safety, explained that after their friend’s death, they had pursued Night Rat until they finally uncovered the leader’s identity.

They added that, in the process, they were shocked to discover that many of the world’s top hunters knew Sa-yoon’s identity but had kept silent. They claimed that the world’s innocent citizens and the victims of Night Rat were being played by a scheme orchestrated by the World Hunter Association, particularly the Korean branch.

Below the long and heartfelt story were the seven pieces of evidence, just as the title promised.

The first piece of evidence is Sa-yoon’s ability. The primary ability of the Night Rat’s leader is known to be Frost. This is credible information, as I learned it three years ago from the hunter Yi-han himself.

The second piece of evidence is the name of a guild member registered with the Swallow Guild. Currently, an executive named Han Gyeongjin is registered on the Swallow Guild’s official website. A hunter of that name was once famous among those who have been in the industry for a long time as an information broker. He disappeared one day, with rumors only stating that he had joined the Night Rat guild.

The third piece of evidence is the weapon ‘Heris’s Dagger,’ which Sa-yoon has shown in battle. Five years ago, the German hunter Dominique claimed that the leader of Night Rat had stolen his weapon. That weapon was Heris’s Dagger, which matches the one primarily used by Noah’s Sa-yoon.

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The fourth piece of evidence… …….

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All the evidence was based on clear sources and corresponded with the facts. While no single piece of evidence was a groundbreaking or top-secret revelation, they were like small puzzle pieces that, when assembled, allowed anyone to see the bigger picture.

At that point, Sa-yoon stopped scrolling and marveled.

“This guy is completely insane.”

He was someone who, once he held a grudge, held it deep. It was astonishing how the effort of tracking Night Rat for seven long years was so clearly evident in this single post.

They were surprisingly meticulous.

The information the author had gathered was all obtained quietly, from the periphery, in a roundabout way to avoid the notice of Sa-yoon or Night Rat. They had been patient, digging in gradually over a long period without making any noise. That was why they had never been caught.

As much as the Night Rat guild specialized in information, they had too much on their plate, and Gyeongjin, who was in charge of information, was especially overworked.

The consequences of him piling more and more work on Gyeongjin, telling him it wouldn’t kill him, were now coming back to bite him.

At the very end of the honest, conviction-filled post, a sentence in bold letters demanded that the Association and Noah explain to everyone why they had hidden Sa-yoon’s identity if they were aware of it. His identity had been exposed in a way that left no room for denial.

“…Is this going to be okay?”

Geon-joo, who had been reading the post over his shoulder, voiced his concern. Though it was Sa-yoon whose identity had been revealed, it was Geon-joo who was getting antsy. Sa-yoon patted his head reassuringly and quickly scanned through the over four thousand comments. At first, most of them dismissed it as simple clickbait, but the tide slowly began to turn when another person, who had also been a victim of Night Rat’s terrorism, appeared.

Because of the immense goodwill Sa-yoon had built since joining Noah, public opinion didn’t flip all at once. But as more and more victims and people from the hunter industry began to speak up, the impact grew. Finally, the moment a certain attention-loving foreign hunter confirmed that Sa-yoon was indeed Kwon Sa-yoon, all the community forums were shaken as if by a seismic shift.

Reporters quickly churned out low-quality articles with breaking news headlines, and the Swallow Guild and the Association were inundated with demands for a statement. Sa-yoon’s name trended on every social media platform, and the names ‘Night Rat’ and ‘Sa-yoon’ were on everyone’s lips. By then, Sa-yoon had quietly slipped out of the Swallow Guild building and arrived at the Night Rat headquarters, where he was now staring intently at his phone, surrounded by his executives.

“How should we screw this guy over?”

He was muttering darkly, staring at the account of the foreign hunter who had played a significant role in blowing up the situation, when Yen raised his hand.

“Should I go take care of it?”

Sa-yoon shook his head at the cheerful offer.

“Later. Too many eyes on us right now.”

Countless people were watching Night Rat and the Swallow Guild, trying to verify if the news was true. There was no need to move first and give them something to chew on. Sa-yoon looked at the increasingly haggard Gyeongjin and the grim-faced Jongsik and Chan-hee, his gaze finally resting on Yen, who looked as carefree as ever.

With Geon-joo clinging to his side—the boy having whined that he was too anxious to be left alone—Sa-yoon tapped the table and finally spoke.

“I guess the laundering was a bit too sloppy.”

“You think? If you were serious about hiding, you would have changed your alias and wouldn’t have brought Night Rat members into the Swallow Guild,” Yen remarked.

“At the time, I didn’t think things would get this big.”

He had never expected the scale of Swallow, or Noah, to grow so large. To be honest, part of it was that he had managed it carelessly, with the intention of screwing over the cunning Association. They had an agreement that the Association would cover for him no matter what happened.

But things had gotten too big.

Noah had become not just the representative of Korea, but a central pillar for the world’s hunters, and with it, the status of the Swallow Guild had risen too high. It was too late to fix it now. Cleanly admitting his complacency, Sa-yoon met the gazes that were all asking what he was going to do next and took a breath.

“We need to set a new direction. I’ve already warned the members not to commit any crimes for the time being, right?”

“You’re planning to use Night Rat as a sacrificial pawn?”

Yen, as always, was quick on the uptake. Sa-yoon nodded in agreement. The expressions on Gyeongjin, Chan-hee, and Jongsik’s faces turned complicated. Their feelings were likely a mix of things. None of them—well, none except Yen—had committed crimes because they enjoyed it.

While this outcome might be welcome, the disbandment of the guild they had been a part of for so long could be bittersweet.

But what could be done?

The moment they had stopped committing crimes, the Night Rat guild, a collection of criminals, had to be considered for disbandment. The members, seeing Sa-yoon’s recent actions, had probably anticipated this moment. He had to do it quickly.

“Spread the word to the press. The disbandment of the Night Rat guild and the establishment of the Swallow Guild is a sign of our repentance and reformation. Disband the members. For those who insist on staying, tell them to be prepared to show their faces and become public figures. They’ll have to give interviews saying they’re joining the Swallow Guild to atone and focus on good deeds.”

“I think a lot of them will want to stay.”

“You think so many of the bastards who joined screaming about the end of the world will stay? I won’t stop them, so tell them to run if they want. The moment they leave Night Rat, they’ll be publicly wanted criminals.”

“That’s why I think many will stay. Though that might not be the only reason they’d want to.”

Yen said, as if frustrated. Sa-yoon, doubting that every single member would stay, casually brushed it off and gave his executives their subsequent orders.

“Except for Yen, the three of you should probably show your faces with me for the press. If we’re going to make a scene, we need some hype men.”

If the Night Rat executives themselves came forward to declare their reformation, the impact would be huge. It was something he had anticipated when he activated ‘The Resistor,’ so as he laid out the plan he had prepared in advance, Yen narrowed his eyes.

“Why am I excluded?”

“You’re an assassin. Do you really want to reveal your face?”

“You said you need hype men.”

“I did.”

“Then you have to use me.”

“……?”

There was a hidden meaning in his words. When Sa-yoon gave him a look to elaborate, Yen’s eyes curved slyly as he spoke.

“Let’s leak one more story to the press, hyung-nim. That the Hermit is joining the Swallow Guild.”

At his words, the eyes of Sa-yoon and the other Night Rat executives widened into circles. Only Geon-joo, who didn’t understand the significance of the Hermit, blinked his eyes slowly, in confusion.