“Kwon Sa-yoon of the Swallow Guild is entering.”

Even though he had brazenly brought the remaining members of Night Rats with him, the guild was, for all official purposes, disbanded. Thus, when Sa-yoon entered under the Swallow name, every eye in the room swiveled to him.

He bypassed any formal greetings, walking in silence toward the seat Lee Han had prepared for him. Dozens of pairs of eyes tracked his every move. Sa-yoon absorbed their gazes, settling into the Swallow-designated chair. It was directly opposite Lee Han.

So, they’re at least affording me this level of courtesy. He supposed they would, at least, allow him to face the acting Association President, even if the man was only a temporary placeholder.

Their eyes met. Lee Han gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Whether it was a ‘thank you for coming’ or a simple greeting, Sa-yoon didn’t care.

‘What the hell are you nodding for? You’re an S-Rank, and you’re still kowtowing to these Association fossils?’

Sa-yoon shot the thought at him like a venomous dart. Lee Han stealthily averted his gaze.

Without bothering to hide his utter bewilderment, Sa-yoon scanned the Association executives seated around the long table.

This Association is doomed.

Their faces, ravaged by time, were caked in a thick veneer of greed and stubbornness. Even Sa-yoon, who had no skill in reading fortunes, could easily see the rot—they would all be consumed by that same avarice before their end.

Who could have possibly imagined that a day would come when he would actually miss the Association that Bae Min-cheol had led? He figured if you’d asked his self from ten years ago, he would have scoffed before you even finished the sentence. He crossed his legs, his foot hovering over the edge of the desk before he thought better of it—his last, lingering shred of courtesy for the old men who had rotted in this building for so long.

A heavy silence settled. From behind Lee Han, Min-cheol, seated in his capacity as the former Association President, cleared his throat with a loud, disgruntled ‘Ahem.’

It was the signal. The “conversation” began.

“You were nowhere to be found when people were looking for you. This time, no one called for you. So why are you here?”

Or, perhaps, it wasn’t a conversation, but a provocation. A middle-aged man with a bushy beard didn’t bother to hide the open animosity in his eyes.

Sa-yoon tapped his foot once on the floor.

“Cut the useless posturing and hand this Gate over to Swallow.”

His abrupt, no-nonsense demand was met with snorts of derisive laughter from the executives. They reacted as if he’d just spouted the most absurd, fantastical nonsense. Sa-yoon’s eyebrow twitched upward. Lee Han squeezed his eyes shut, his face a mask of pained resignation. He had already foreseen the bloody end to this meeting.

However, there were still those in the room who remained blissfully ignorant of their own survival instincts. The executive now facing Sa-yoon was a prime example.

“That is absolutely out of the question. I’m sure you are aware, Sa-yoon-ssi, of how anxious the public has become with the appearance of these sequential SSS-Rank Gates. In times like these, the Association must act as a steadfast shield, protecting the people from external threats. But the Swallow Guild has repeatedly monopolized these Gate clears, causing the public’s anxiety and concern to be directed at Swallow. This is the Association’s responsibility, so you no longer need to overexert yourself, Sa-yoon-ssi.”

In short, Sa-yoon’s success had drawn all the public’s faith and power toward Swallow, leaving the Association’s reputation in the gutter.

When Sa-yoon didn’t immediately respond, the bearded executive, clearly thinking he’d won the point, pressed on.

“Besides, you aren’t even a member of Noah anymore, are you? Is there really any reason for you to run yourself ragged?”

“Director Yongjin.”

Lee Han’s low, quiet voice was a clear warning. The executive merely made a face, as if he’d only just realized he’d gone too far, but he offered no apology. Of course he wouldn’t, not with that high-and-mighty attitude.

‘Not Noah anymore.’ Sa-yoon savored the impact of those words, a sneer twisting his lips. So, when they needed me, it was, ‘We’ll launder your criminal record, just crawl back to Noah.’ And now, it’s this kind of treatment. When he was useful and on their side, it was all flattery and compliance. Now that his crimes were public and they could no longer recruit him, they were determined to ostracize him as a complete outsider. What a wonderfully single-minded philosophy.

Sa-yoon fixed his gaze on Lee Han. The acting president, receiving another “fix this” glare, started to look away again, but caught himself and let out a long sigh instead. It was a silent, desperate signal. I’ll clean up the mess. Do whatever you want.

Sa-yoon accepted. He uncrossed his legs, planted his hands on the table, and pushed himself to his feet.

KWANG!

He slammed his palms down with such force that the table, and by extension the very floor beneath it, shuddered from the impact.

Heup! Someone’s sharp, terrified gasp for air was nakedly audible.

Lee Han wore an expression that said, “It’s finally here.” The Night Rats executives and guild members, who had been ready to tear the place apart on Sa-yoon’s behalf, all looked utterly refreshed.

And then Sa-yoon spoke.

“Hey.”

The sudden, unforeseen, and utterly disrespectful informal tone made the eyes of the more prudish members widen in shock.

“Are you confident?”

“Pardon me?”

“Clearing an SSS-Rank Gate. Are you confident you can do it yourselves?” he drawled, his voice a low sneer.

Director Yongjin’s face flushed crimson, clearly enraged at being so blatantly mocked. “…We will be deploying thirty of our most elite, hand-picked hunters to proceed.”

It was the exact answer he’d expected. Do these Association heads ever do anything besides squeeze their subordinates?

“And those thirty ‘hand-picked’ hunters… did they consent to this?”

“Once they have joined the Association, it is only natural that they follow the will of their superiors.”

“Really? Then you should go in, too.”

“What did you say?”

“If you’re so confident you’ll clear it, then you go in, too. You’re shoving those hunters into the Gate, so shouldn’t you at least take responsibility and sacrifice yourselves alongside them?”

The executives’ faces hardened. They began to exchange nervous, shifty-eyed glances, suddenly terrified that one wrong word would get them thrown into the Gate. Sa-yoon, looking at their pathetic display, twisted his lips into a smirk.

“You don’t want to do that, do you?”

“Kwon Sa-yoon.”

“Why not? It’s because you all know it, don’t you? You have absolutely no idea if you can clear it or not.”

“Kwon Sa-yoon!”

“Have I only known you for a year or two? You think I don’t know you? You’ll take hunters who didn’t even volunteer, shove them in with a command, and the second it looks dangerous, you’ll come crawling to me or some other Noah hunter for a handout. Why the hell should I hand over the clear rights to you? Just so you can pull that same bullshit, and when I or Noah finally clear it, you can lie to the press and say the Association did it? You have to pull your tricks where they’ll actually work. Whose Gate do you think you’re trying to steal?”

His voice was murderous, promising blood. Sa-yoon strode from his seat and grabbed Director Yongjin by the collar.

“Kwon Sa-yoon!” An angry shout echoed in his ear. Jeez, can they do anything but say my name? If you’re scared, just admit you’re scared. Such a two-faced bastard.

He stared at the man struggling in his grip, then cast a frigid gaze around the room. Every single person at that long, rectangular table was pointedly avoiding his eyes, either staring at their laps or feigning interest in the ceiling. So impressive. They band together for their little schemes, but the moment things get personal, they scatter and it’s every man for himself.

This is exactly why I have to come down here and raise hell every once in a while. I’ve been living too quietly. The same cowards who used to bow and scrape, terrified I’d kill them, are now acting all high and mighty, forgetting their place.

Tak.

He roughly released his grip, shoving Yongjin back toward the table. He looked down at the coughing, sputtering executive and spoke.

“I won’t say it twice. Hand over the Gate to Swallow.”

“This is a time to raise the Association’s prestige!”

“Then raise it. Who said not to?”

“What?”

“Is your head just for decoration? While Swallow is clearing this SSS-Rank Gate, you idiots can handle the other Gates—the S-Ranks and SS-Ranks of the End that are still opening, and all the lower-grade ones.”

“…”

“Why? You don’t want to do that, either?”

Of course they don’t. The old-timers at the Association were so lazy and selfish, they’d be offended to be called second-best at it. Clearing one SSS-Rank Gate would send their prestige soaring to the heavens; they would naturally think that doing the shidabari work a hundred times over to actually raise the Association’s standing was “inefficient.”

But they were forgetting one thing.

“Get your heads straight, you bastards. What is the Association’s job? It’s to protect and care for hunters, and, at its core, to protect the citizens, isn’t it?”

The Association was founded to do that minion work. That was the entire justification Min-cheol—who, at this point, could no longer control his furious expression—had presented to everyone when he established it. And Min-cheol hadn’t just used it as a founding slogan; he had made it the Association’s iron-clad operational principle. That’s why he’d been so ruthless in laundering Night Rats and pulling it into Swallow—because it was the path to saving more citizens.

And here these idiots are, flaunting their rotten, self-serving minds right in front of the founder. It’s truly something.

Sa-yoon glanced at Min-cheol, who looked like he was about to flip the entire table and throttle someone, and then kicked the table himself. He was here to be the mad dog anyway. Lee Han had already given him the signal that he’d clean up the mess. Why should he be careful?

“Hand over the SSS-Rank Gate. You can’t clear it anyway. If it was a Gate you could clear just by shoving bodies at it, why would people be so terrified? But, if you still can’t concede, let’s compromise.”

“A compromise?”

“The Association and Swallow will conduct a joint clear. But—and this is non-negotiable—I am recording everything inside with a video stone. The moment we are successful, I am uploading that footage to the Association’s main homepage for all the citizens to see. If you can’t handle that, back out while I’m being nice.”

A nervous murmur rippled through the high-ranking officials. Sa-yoon aimed his final look at Lee Han, tilting his head slightly.

“What’s it going to be?”

“…We will let you know after a meeting.”

Lee Han glanced at the other executives, deferring the answer. The result was obvious anyway, so Sa-yoon just shrugged. As they huddled together in small groups, he listened in.

“…I mean, does Sa-yoon have no intention of returning? Didn’t the Vice President say he’d come back to Noah, bowing his head…”

The voice was easily loud enough for an S-Rank to hear. A smile curled on Sa-yoon’s lips.

“I told you, didn’t I? If I snap, I’ll just kill myself, so act right. A guy who’s about to die has nothing left to lose. How can you people, who are supposed to manage people, be so stupid as to not know that?”

The whispering officials flinched at his interjection. Sa-yoon watched their pathetic, cowardly forms with a mixture of amusement and contempt, idly patting Geon-joo’s head as the man leaned in, as if to calm him.

Presently, the result of their “meeting” was announced. It was exactly as Sa-yoon had predicted.

A joint clear between Swallow and the Association.

Satisfied that everything was proceeding according to plan, Sa-yoon gripped his video stone and left the Association building.

“They must have already selected the hunters they’ll be sending. Let’s go immediately.”

They had wasted more than enough time on this useless, posturing argument. If they wanted to clear the Gate before it reached saturation, they had to hurry.