Chapter 104…
It was about an hour by car from Beijing Airport to the Cheonsun Guild.
Watching the scenery slide past the window, I整理ed the situation in my head.
“Red Gate raid in two days. Until then, we’re to study the operation plan and rest.”
The raid was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
It was a schedule made with consideration for Joo Geon-ryul, the most important member of the raid team, so he could recover from the flight.
“So this is the Cheonsun Guild…”
Vrrrrm—
The black luxury sedan came to a halt in front of an enormous iron gate.
The Cheonsun Guild headquarters was a blend of skyscraper and fortress.
“Impressive.”
But what I paid attention to wasn’t the grandeur of the building.
It was the movements of the guild members, the astonishingly meticulous security system powered by magic circles—
And most of all, the way they looked at me.
Eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
“The rumors must’ve spread…”
Rumors about the Korean tamer who had returned together with their beloved guild master.
At that moment, Joo Geon-ryul spoke quietly beside me.
“Our people are proud. They won’t accept you as you are, not right away.”
There was a subtle warning in his whisper.
After glancing around, he continued as if nothing was going on.
“If I step in, it’ll only provoke backlash. They’ll think I’m shielding you. So it’s better you handle this yourself. You understand, right? Whatever you do, I’ll turn a blind eye.”
“……”
I nodded slightly.
In other words—
I’d have to crush them once to establish my place.
I didn’t mind.
If we were going to fight together in the Red Gate, we’d need to understand each other’s abilities—and establish a hierarchy.
Without that, quick response in moments of crisis would be impossible.
“Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll do it properly.”
I smiled inwardly.
It had been a while since something interesting happened.
Teaching students every day had made my body feel stiff. This was a good chance to warm up before entering the Gate.
“Since you’ve had a long journey, you must be hungry. Please, follow me to the dining hall.”
The vice guild master, Jegal Sang, guided us in fluent Korean.
But there was something off about his tone and gait.
“…Hm. Something smells fishy.”
I recalled what Seo Gyeo-ul told me recently—
That the one who watched my Player Test in person and contacted Joo Geon-ryul afterwards…
was this very man, the vice guild master.
Then it was likely he’d heard of my recent Orange Gate clear as well.
If he knew my strength…
So he still chose to exert territorial pressure?
Then maybe…
I should let him experience for himself what the “monster” in the rumors really was.
Humans aren’t purely rational creatures.
They act like humans—petty, emotional, short-sighted.
So it was safer to assume they’d behave childishly.
Jegal Sang led me and Nam Woo-jin to the huge dining hall.
Joo Geon-ryul, acting like this was his own living room, walked in first.
— %&@#~!@……
— #&^!@……
The Cheonsun guild members were chatting around the circular tables.
I didn’t understand Chinese, of course.
But the atmosphere froze the moment we entered.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Cold gazes zeroed in on us.
A staff member whispered something into Jegal Sang’s ear and left.
Jegal Sang looked flustered as he turned to us.
“I’m terribly sorry. It seems our staff accidentally counted the usual number of seats… If you two could wait in another room, we’ll prepare your meals immediately.”
“……”
“……”
Joo Geon-ryul looked at me in silence.
There was a flicker of apology in his eyes.
But he sat down without saying anything.
As he’d said earlier, if he interfered, it would only worsen things.
“This way, please.”
Woo-jin and I were guided out of the main dining hall and into a small cramped room, clearly prepared as a way to exclude us.
Even young Nam Woo-jin understood what was happening.
His face twisted with anger.
“This—this is totally on purpose!”
Woo-jin snarled, sparks practically bursting from his eyes.
“Hyung! Shouldn’t you tell that big guy?! Why aren’t you saying anything?!”
“It doesn’t matter. Food tastes the same wherever you eat.”
I calmly focused on my meal.
Priority was filling my stomach.
You need energy to do anything later.
It’s a long day ahead.
Getting worked up over something so small was foolish.
If you’re going to make a move, pick the right moment—
or create one.
After we finished our meal in the little prison-like room, Jegal Sang reappeared with a straight face.
“Did the food suit your taste?”
“Thanks to your consideration, yes.”
“Then I’ll guide you to the strategy meeting room.”
Since the raid was the day after tomorrow, tomorrow had to be a full rest day.
So all the strategy planning had to be finished today.
Jegal Sang walked ahead, leading us into an elevator that ascended to a high floor.
Ding—
A long hallway opened up, ending at a large meeting room.
It looked like a typical conference room—
if typical ones were three times larger.
Inside, nameplates indicated seating.
Unsurprisingly, Joo Geon-ryul’s seat was the highest.
Mine, however, took forever to find.
And when I finally did—
“……”
“Hyung, this is way too much!!”
It was the most remote seat, right under the ventilation duct.
Snickers rose from around the room.
Crackle— crackle!
Woo-jin’s fingers sparked uncontrollably.
“These bastards…”
His voice trembled with restrained fury.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t rise to it. They’re provoking you on purpose.”
Gradually, the lightning subsided.
I quietly took out my notebook.
They’re even pettier than expected…
They were testing me.
What would I do? How far would they push before I got angry?
Soon the Red Gate briefing began.
I put on the “translation item” left only at my seat.
It translated both speech and hearing.
Well… at least they gave me this much.
It wasn’t cheap in the achievement shop.
“This raid hinges on speed. The longer we stay inside, the higher the mana density—and the greater the danger.”
Jegal Sang projected a holographic map and gave detailed explanations.
Gate structure, monster behavior, likely boss type.
Everything was systematic.
As expected of China’s top guild.
“The monster this time is the Eungnyong. A top-tier beast—”
Listening to his explanation, I整理ed the missing elements in my head.
My past-life experience showed several gaps that needed fixing.
But speaking up now was pointless.
Not yet.
Only after the hierarchy is properly reestablished…
When the briefing ended, executives left one by one.
Their glances at me were filled with wariness and scorn.
It made me wonder what made them so closed-off.
Their headquarters was built like a fortress…
I’d heard rumors, but the true severity of their paranoia could only be understood in person.
Jegal Sang approached with a smile.
Now I understood—
That smile was fake.
“I’ll guide you to your accommodations.”
Walking through the halls, I memorized the layout of the headquarters.
The simple map by the elevator helped.
The lodging area alone spanned five floors, with hundreds of rooms.
And the room assigned to us was—
“……”
“……”
The smallest one, right beside the elevator.
We’d be hearing elevator noise all night.
Even while sleeping.
“That’s it! Hyung, don’t stop me now!”
Woo-jin exploded, his voice rising.
I held his shoulder.
“Don’t stop me—!”
“I won’t.”
“…Huh?”
“But I was about to go do something fun. Why don’t you watch first, then decide?”
“…Fun?”
Woo-jin inhaled slowly.
The lightning began to fade.
I loosened my shoulders lightly.
It was time to move.
“Come. Let’s go have some fun.”
Woo-jin’s eyes gleamed.
I took the fired-up Woo-jin out of the room and rode the elevator down.
To the basement.
Where the training hall was.
Ding—
Following the map I’d memorized, we arrived.
This should be it.
Two guild members were guarding the entrance.
When I tried to enter, they blocked me coldly.
“This facility is for Cheonsun members only. Outsiders are not permitted.”
There was clear hostility in their tone.
Likely an order from Jegal Sang.
“Oh, is that so? In that case, the guild master said to show this.”
I smiled and pulled out the bronze token Joo Geon-ryul had given me.
A blue shield emblem was engraved on it.
The guild members’ faces stiffened instantly.
They exchanged nervous glances.
They clearly hadn’t expected this.
“…Yes, the token… understood.”
One of them contacted someone via radio, then returned.
The entrance opened.
“You may enter, but training is prohibited. Observation only.”
“Understood.”
Woo-jin and I stepped inside—
And a massive sight unfolded.
A space the size of a football stadium, filled with hundreds of guild members training with various weapons.
Swordsmanship, spear techniques, spells—
a dozen martial arts all practiced simultaneously.
“……”
I stood quietly in a corner and observed.
But the more I watched, the more flaws I saw.
Their basics were solid.
But their application was lacking.
They weren’t trained as complete individual fighters—
but as parts of one giant machine.
At this rate…
I analyzed them carefully.
Good fundamentals.
Strong in group combat.
But when faced with unpredictable threats…
they would struggle.
The disciple of Gobell Merlin was a huge wildcard.
They’d be too rigid to respond flexibly.
“That’s not how you hold it. You should tilt your wrist thirty degrees to the right…”
I muttered at first.
But my voice gradually grew louder.
“Your footwork is too clumsy. You’ll lose momentum on your next strike and get pushed into defense…”
“You’re swinging with too much tension in your shoulder. Use your wrist and forearm for a faster, sharper strike…”
“Spear work is all about distance control. You got way too close. You threw away the spear’s advantage—”
My ‘muttered advice’ made the guild members’ faces twist.
Their pride must’ve been bruised.
Finally, one couldn’t endure anymore and stopped training.
“Hey! You sitting over there! Stop yapping and shut up!”
“Yeah, who the hell are you?! You’re not even part of our guild! Who let you in?!”
Another joined in.
I answered with a calm smile.
“Does who I am matter? Or does the fact that your posture is wrong matter?”
“And who are you to judge our posture?!”
“Yeah! You don’t even look like a combat class!”
At that moment, the gate guards whispered something to them.
Probably telling them who I was.
But it didn’t change their attitude.
“…”
“…So you’re the tamer the guild master brought?”
“Right, I’ve heard. The ‘strong Korean tamer’. And a tamer thinks he can lecture us on martial arts?”
One of them finally stepped forward.
Tall, muscular, and holding a sword emanating unusual force.
A perfect target.
I approached him slowly.
“Then why don’t we prove whose method is correct?”
“…What are you saying?”
“A spar. To see whose technique is right.”
“You realize what you’re asking for?”
I smiled lightly.
Then picked up a long staff lying nearby.
I swung it casually.
Fwoosh—
FWOOOSH—
The hall fell silent at the sound of air being sliced.
“……”
“……”
“Of course I know. What weapon would you prefer? Spear? Blade? Or just a standard sword? Name it.”
I looked at them with a provoking smile.
Their faces contorted with shock and anger.
Finally—
It was time to show them
who’s above and who’s below.
