Chapter 14: Cracks Among Giants
The conference room's tall doors closed with a bang. Even though technically the conference was officially concluded, the storm wasn't over either.
If anything, it had scarcely even begun.
Most of the guildmasters stayed inside, clustering together in small groups or walking back and forth in silence. The air was thicker, Warm and Anxious.
From one side of the room, a voice cut through the silence.
"The most powerful man in Asia didn't even bother to show up."
The words were spoken by Baek Joon-sang, the Guild Master of Black Haze, South Korea's second-ranked guild. He was a tall, sharp-eyed man with slick black hair and a long, flowing cloak that seemed to shimmer with shadows. An SSS-rank Shadow Mage, feared even among other top-tier hunters.
His tone was cold. Purposefully loud.
Everyone knew who he meant.
He was talking about Ryu Tae-jin, the elusive Guild Master of The Fallen Sword, the number one guild in Korea—and all of Asia. An EX-rank sword master, whose power was so overwhelming that even the Hunter Association walked on eggshells around him.
The room tensed immediately.
Across the table was Fallen Sword's Vice Guild Master, Han Soo-min. Refined, confident—and lethal. A SS-ranked Elemental Duelist, and generally believed by most humans and non humans alike to be the strongest female hunter in the continent.
She slowly raised her eyes to meet Joon-sang's, a small, amused smile on her lips.
"The Guild Master was busy," she said coolly, "and frankly, he doesn't attend children's tea parties."
The room froze.
It wasn't just a clapback—it was a clear insult.
Joon-sang's expression twisted.
But before he could speak, another voice snapped out—sharp as glass.
"Who are you calling children?"
Yoon Ha-ri responded in anger, the Ice Queen of sixth-ranked Frost Veil guild. SS-rank Ice Mage, long-silver hair and cold ice-colored eyes shining like iced ponds.
As she stood up, the temperature in the room dropped almost instantly.
Frost crackled on the windows. The table chilled.
"Do you want to see what this child can really do?" she said.
Han Soo-min didn't even flinch. Her hand hovered near the hilt of the short sword at her side, her mana simmering just beneath the surface.
Joon-sang scoffed and turned toward Ha-ri.
"Enough," he said. "She's just trying to provoke you. Don't lower yourself."
"Says the man who started it," Ha-ri muttered, ice magic still licking around her fingertips.
Tension peaked.
Mana filled the air.
Some of the other guildmasters were slowly drawing back, thinking perhaps they should intervene between them or perhaps they should let the sparks fly.
That's when the voice of Kim Seok-jin, the Hunter Association President, finally broke through—loud and clear.
"Enough!"
Everyone turned.
"You're all high-ranking hunters. Some of the best this country has to offer," he said, glaring around the room. "And yet you act like children squabbling over toys."
The magic in the air faded. Slowly. Reluctantly.
"I understand that pride matters," Kim continued, his tone softer now, "but right now, South Korea stands on the edge of disaster. If we can't work together, then we might as well hand this country over to the monsters now."
With that, he nodded once and turned to leave.
One by one, the guild leaders began filing out, some muttering under their breath, others avoiding eye contact entirely.
It wasn't a victory.
It was just a pause.
Later, Outside the Meeting Hall
The grand marble halls were quiet now.
A man in gray suit—a newly awakened A-ranked Hunter, and new member in the Hunter Association—stood alongside the Academy Principal, old man with long hair and kind but keen-eyed glance. He had maintained his calmness throughout the long session, like how the old mountains look down upon breezes assembling beneath.
The man looked at him, curiosity prickling in behind his glasses.
"Excuse me, sir," he said. "Why don't we just take the S-rank and SS-rank hunters through the gate now? Would they not be enough in dealing with it before it becomes dangerous?"
The principal smiled faintly, as though he had heard that question a hundred times before.
"It's not that simple," he said gently. "Your idea is logical—but the gates aren't."
He gestured up to a large projection screen in the hallway, which still showed a frozen image of the gate pulsing in red and black.
"There are gates which react based on the mana levels of incoming individuals. Very advanced gates in specific. If someone like an SS-rank hunter enters an S-rank gate, it can bring about an evolution. The gate can suddenly go into some but still deadly rank."
The young man's eyes widened. "So… it would make things worse just by sending strong people in?"
"Exactly," the principal nodded. "That's why there are restrictions. S-rank gates can only be cleared by hunters at or below that rank. Any stronger, and you risk turning the whole thing into a catastrophe."
The young man paused, then frowned again.
"Then… why not just let it break open? After all, can't we send the top hunters in after that?"
The principal chuckled—softly, but with a sadness in his voice.
"When an S-rank gate breaks," he said, "it's not just about sending people in. It's about surviving the blast."
"Blast?" the man repeated, confused.
"Yes. A dungeon break at that level is like a mana nuke. It explodes so hard that buildings can be blown in seconds. Thousands die before the first monster makes its first step out."
The principal's expression grew serious.
"And when they do step out… it's not just orcs or goblins. It's behemoths. Soul Eaters. Dread-class demons. Creatures that feed on fear itself."
The young man swallowed hard.
"We can't afford to let it break. Not this time," the principal finished. "If it does, not even our best might be able to stop it."
To be continued...