Initiation (1)

The South Korean hunter world was turned upside down.

Due to the fall of So Daecheol, one of the Ten Venerables and Sword Emperor.

The guild masters of three of the top 10 guilds were gathered to talk. Baekgyeong, Train, and Aion. The three had an unofficial alliance and were in a symbiotic relationship cooperating with each other.

Yoo Taeseok, the master of Baekgyeong Guild, opened his mouth.

“I never imagined Guild Master So Daecheol would lose his martial arts overnight.”

“Who could have predicted that?”

Han Jicheol, the master of Train Guild, clicked his tongue. Yu Seona, the master of Aion Guild sitting next to Han Jicheol, said,

“And to think he lost his martial arts to an academy freshman who just turned 20, no less.”

Yu Seona looked at Han Jicheol.

“The one who had Changheon’s dungeon byproduct corruption turned into a formal investigation was you, Mr. Han Jicheol, right?”

“And the one who passed on the eldest son’s entertainment incident was?”

The two looked at each other and smiled faintly. Yoo Taeseok fiddled with his gold-rimmed glasses.

“Now Changheon has essentially collapsed. All that’s left are the second son and youngest daughter. They probably can’t do anything.”

Yu Seona sighed.

“So a spot in the top 5 guilds has opened up.”

At Yu Seona’s words, Han Jicheol burst into laughter.

“Why, are you tempted?”

Yu Seona shook her head.

“It’ll be vacant for a while anyway. The top 10 guilds will just fight amongst themselves.”

Ding-!

At that moment, the three’s phones rang out in succession.

“Looks like something else has happened.”

Yu Seona slightly furrowed her brow and checked her KakaoTalk.

A news article popped up.

Changheon Guild Master So Daecheol, 3 years ago during a dungeon raid, abandoned the body of a guild member from another guild who died due to a Changheon guild member’s mistake in the dungeon, silenced fellow guild members present at the scene with money. Conscience confessions from guild members who received money at the time….

“It’s over.”

Han Jicheol clicked his tongue.

“One of the other top 10 guild guys must have leaked this. This is news that’s too good for delivering the final blow.”

Covering up someone’s death.

That was an unacceptable serious crime in South Korean society. Using the uniqueness of being a hunter to abandon a corpse in a dungeon would be a very big factor in court.

---

So Yueun, a woman with sky blue hair, sat blankly in the chair in So Daecheol’s study at So Daecheol’s mansion, looking around the study.

She just wanted to achieve success.

Ambition.

She had just rushed forward for that ambition. There, she saw the gold that was Lee Dojin. She picked it up.

And then discarded it.

Because the gold had lost its luster.

The discarded gold eventually shone again. And she was in the process of trying to pick it up again.

That’s all it should have been.

“Why…”

How did Changheon end up like this?

Was it because her father, So Daecheol of the Ten Venerables, was incompetent?

No.

The title of Sword Emperor (劍帝) was not an empty name.

The martial arts of the Namgung family were all peerless martial arts, and it was true that the <Changheon> Guild had inherited them as they were.

But it was just that he was bigger than that.

The existence called Lee Dojin.

“Ha.”

So Yueun let out a deep sigh. How did it get so tangled up like this?

Her hands and feet trembled.

Changheon.

She acknowledged that it was now a place she could no longer have. But the reason was that she hadn’t received recognition from her father, not that the guild itself would fall into such an endless abyss like this. She couldn’t even imagine it.

The neat voice of a reporter flowed from the news live channel playing on the computer screen.

-Changheon Guild Master So Daecheol has been booked by the police. Mr. So is suspected of murder and abandoning a corpse…

The world sank darkly.

---

“Hmm.”

Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah made a nasal sound as she looked again at the text message she had received from Lee Dojin three days ago.

-I destroyed So Daecheol’s dantian.

How could he send such a simple message about destroying So Daecheol’s dantian without any additional explanation?

It was both admirable and vexing.

“I knew he could do it, but.”

Lee Dojin defeating Sword Emperor So Daecheol.

She was confident in that thought. But even with that confidence, it was surprising when the result actually materialized.

Now the upper echelons of the hunter world all know. And soon everyone will know. Because even the upper echelons aren’t that tight-lipped.

Baek Hwayeon was swinging her sword.

When shown the text message, she made a “Hue-ee-eek!” sound in surprise, and then started swinging her sword very diligently afterward.

Sswa-ae-aek!

Plum blossom-colored sword energy fired off plum blossom petals in the training ground.

As expected, the driving force promoting a disciple’s growth was admiration for an unrequited love.

“This one seems like it’ll last a long time.”

Sweat was beading on Baek Hwayeon’s forehead, her plum blossom-colored hair tied up with a headband, including her bangs.

Bu-woong-!

And there was another woman swinging her fists in her own training ground.

It was Yeon Simun, the fist artist with noticeable silver hair.

Yeon Simun was pressing down the air with her heavy fists.

“You don’t seem very surprised, Simun.”

And a dignified voice was heard from behind her. Yeon Simun nodded while looking at the sharp-featured old man who was the owner of that voice.

“Well, it didn’t seem like an impossible gap.”

“Oh ho… for you to be able to assert that so confidently, I’m curious about this child with such skill.”

At Yeon Simun’s words, the old man, Iron Fist (鐵拳) Baek Seong-woo, one of the Four Superhumans, let out a low exclamation.

Baek Seong-woo.

A martial artist who possessed the Shaolin martial arts, the martial art (武) that Yeon Simun used.

He was the most revered martial artist in South Korea. Because he is said to have traversed the most dungeons as a martial artist.

And he was also a martial artist rumored to have retired now.

Because he hadn’t shown himself for nearly 5 years. And only a very few knew the reason for his seclusion.

Right arm.

Baek Seong-woo’s right arm was not in the place where it should exist.

Only a very few people knew about Iron Fist Baek Seong-woo’s current condition.

“Simun.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Do you intend to take revenge for your senior brother this time?”

Baek Seong-woo was asking Yeon Simun if she would carry out her revenge during this vacation.

“I have to. I’ve achieved half of it.”

“Your senior brother would say that half is enough. Risking your life is…”

Silence flowed.

“The reason senior brother and I respected you, Master, was because you risked your life going into dungeons.”

“That and an act of revenge are different. I shouldered a forced cause, but you don’t have a forced cause.”

At her master’s words, Yeon Simun shook her head.

“Something more forceful than a cause is at stake.”

Pausing for a moment, Yeon Simun slowly opened her mouth.

“I don’t want to hate myself anymore.”

The disciple’s words that reached Baek Seong-woo’s ears were,

“Not by you, Master, not by anyone else. I have to end it with my own hands.”

Heavy.

“For myself.”

Very much so.

---

Lee Dojin stared at the Eradication Squad leader walking in front of him.

“Will the members accept me rising to captain in one go?”

The leader chuckled.

“Those guys like strength. It’s very simple and clear. If complaints burst out, you just need to show your strength.”

The leader flung open a huge door.

Numerous masks were hanging on that huge door.

An oni mask with horns protruding from both ends of the forehead, and the yangban mask commonly called Hahoe mask. And a clown-shaped jester mask, and so on. Various masks were displayed on the wall.

“All five captain-level members wear masks. Covering the face is just the most basic part. It’s to instill fear in the villains who are eradication targets, and it’s a mark that can clearly distinguish the executives.”

At the end of the leader’s words,

The small girl with short brown hair, Bae Juha, added,

“Leader, leader. There’s one more reason, right?”

At Bae Juha’s words, the leader let out a small sigh.

“It’s marketing. The President himself said it. The Eradication Squad is destined to become heroes like the heroes of the old movie Marvel Universe.”

“…I’ve never heard of that.”

I had never once heard anyone say that someone from the Eradication Squad was famous or anything like that.

“It’s been three years. Since the mask play was implemented. In those three years, there have been citizens who run away scared after seeing the masks, but not a single citizen who treats us like heroes.”

Lee Dojin didn’t think it was because these masks all looked ferocious. Even the masks of heroes in movies didn’t exude that much righteousness.

It probably means that reality and movies are different. They all probably didn’t have a moment to express gratitude, terrified by the situation and villains they were directly facing.

“So, what mask do you want to wear?”

Lee Dojin thought for a moment.

What kind of mask would be good? After pondering for a while, Lee Dojin stared at the leader.

“What mask did the 3rd unit captain who passed away wear?”

“Yangban mask.”

The leader picked up the yangban mask.

“So we called him Yangban. During missions.”

“…There’s no need to call me that. I’ll wear this.”

The leader tilted her head.

“But why did you specifically choose this one?”

“Well, even if ordinary citizens don’t, villains will know about the existence of the Eradication Squad captain who wears this yangban mask, right? Wouldn’t it be scary if someone who was dead came back to life and started cutting them up?”

The leader’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t thought of that. But hearing it, it sounded very plausible.

“And. If I gain the recognition of the original 3rd unit members while wearing this, that would have its own meaning.”

Lee Dojin muttered that as he put the yangban mask to his face.