Chapter 64

"What's this 'Bae Banggu' thing?"

Handonhee hit the orc again with her cane, telling it to check the group chat.

Gangsang: It's Chahaya's recent update.

Gangsang: (Link)

Seo-eun touched the address that Gangsang had sent.

[Title: Look at our top predator at home.]

Photo, photo, photo, photo, photo......

A series of photos of a mixed-breed puppy with a white body and slightly brown front legs followed one after another. Although it was cute, Seo-eun wondered what kind of update this was and kept scrolling down.

[While walking in a nearby park, someone ran up to our dog out of breath. At first, I didn't recognize who it was because they had a cap pulled down over their face. Don't be surprised, it was Chahaya from Tacheon. He farted and ran away with our dog...]

Seo-eun, finding the story ridiculous, pressed the back button.

There were a few more posts claiming to have seen Chahaya, and Bae Banggu was relatively decent. Stories included staring intently while eating lip jelly, or releasing fish caught by a sea angler, and the updates Gangsang sent were all bizarre.

The guild leader's disappearance was shocking, and the group chat was focused on finding Chahaya.

Most of it seemed like false information, but the legal team didn't seem to be cracking down on it. The legal team usually acted quickly to handle defamation or the spread of false information about Tacheon guild members, especially the uncle, who was very sensitive to such matters.

Perhaps it was due to Handonhee's actions after Seonghee's death.

"Yina, when is Gwan-ung coming?"

"We're meeting at 2, so soon?"

Handonhee, seeing her character killed by the orc, found it boring and quit the game.

"Are you really not going to recruit Jigeun?"

"He suggested we live like an alliance."

"Why not just recruit him? You're just not doing it because you're fighting with Chahaya, right?"

"You don't even know why you're fighting. At least you should hear Chahaya's side before Jigeun's, right?"

"Jigeun has already apologized."

"Does an apology mean you have to accept it?"

Handonhee narrowed her eyes.

"Would you still be on my side if I fought with Jigeun?"

"Of course."

Seo-eun answered without hesitation.

"Okay, you pass."

Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the closed door.

There was a meeting room on every even floor, but when meeting with other guilds, the first floor was usually used. From the second floor onwards, it was for confidentiality, but there wasn't really any major secret to hide.

The person who appeared in the first-floor meeting room was a middle-aged woman responsible for the lobby. She was the manager of a hotel near Mapo, but lost her job when the hotel was destroyed by a mutant near the Han River. Tacheon was looking for a chief manager to manage their office at the time, so they connected.

"The Oseong guild members have just arrived."

There were no uniform regulations, but she maintained her business attire as if she were still working at the hotel.

"Manager, are you really going to personally welcome them?"

"They are guests, after all."

"Mr. Handonhee, please be polite." She smiled deeply. "Ugh, what a hassle." Handonhee shook her head and stood up.

Seo-eun, who had intended to greet them from the beginning, walked down the corridor first.

In the lobby, Lee Gwan-ung was seen looking around with his hands behind his back. Kim Seo-kyung, a searcher, was also with him.

"You've arrived?"

Seo-eun approached Lee Gwan-ung with a smile, extending her hand for a handshake. Lee Gwan-ung, with his large, pot-lid-like hand, grabbed it firmly.

"Deputy Guild Leader Seo-eun! It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"I've been well. I've heard a lot about Searcher Kim Seo-kyung."

"Likewise, nice to meet you."

Kim Seo-kyung extended her hand for a handshake, but Lee Gwan-ung didn't let go of Seo-eun's. Seo-eun shook Kim Seo-kyung's hand with her other hand. With both hands occupied, Handonhee laughed from behind.

"Donhee, you're still as frivolous as ever."

If it were any other time, Handonhee would have retorted, but she closed her mouth, seemingly not wanting to deal with Lee Gwan-ung. Lee Gwan-ung, in his mid-40s, was originally a former military officer. This was one of the reasons Seo-eun was wary of Oseong, whose founders were all from the military, maintaining strict discipline within the guild. He often made pointed comments about the free-spirited nature of Tacheon.

"Shall we go inside?"

Seo-eun, still smiling, pulled her hand free. Handonhee, with her arms crossed, led the way, followed by the rest of the group.

Upon arriving at the meeting room and sitting at the round table, the manager and other staff moved efficiently. With drinks and snacks tailored to each person's preferences, the meeting room looked like a proper meeting place.

"Is the guild leader still not here?"

"I heard he will be here soon."

It was a known fact that Tacheon's guild leader had left for overseas due to the death of his parents. Seo-eun didn't mention the funeral arrangements. Even if they were civilians, it wasn't good to announce that the guild leader was absent for a long time.

When Lee Gwan-ung picked up his teacup, it looked like a miniature version of a regular cup. Sipping the tea, he had a complicated look on his face. Seo-eun, sensing this, spoke first.

"General Manager Lee, I've heard some rumors, perhaps because I have good ears."

She didn't want to waste time probing her opponent. Finding Chahaya was the top priority.

The absence of Chahaya, who used to be a constant presence, was now glaringly obvious.

"What kind of rumors?"

"Yeon Gaesomun."

Handonhee snickered from the side. Seo-eun clenched her teeth and said,

'If you do that again, you're dead.'

Kim Seo-kyung, finding something amusing, pressed her lips together and gripped her thigh tightly.

"We plan to use Nam-dong as a region to manage lower-level mutants."

"It's not a rumor. It's the truth."

Seo-eun's expression hardened at his confident tone.

"I may not know all the rules set by the alliance, but I do know that guilds are not supposed to encroach on each other's territories. If that's the case, you're declaring war."

"Do you even know how you've been managing Nam-dong?"

Seo-eun quickly glanced at Handonhee. "I don't know?" Handonhee shrugged and avoided eye contact.

"Nam-dong was originally left unclaimed by any of us. There were some unruly mutants that couldn't be managed, so we planned to gather them there. But while you were away, Tacheon caught all the mutants in the narakga. Chahaya and this Handonhee caught so many mutants in a day that we couldn't even count the number of U-gwangseok. So, we had no choice but to hand over Nam-dong to Tacheon."

Lee Gwan-ung, seemingly well-prepared, left Seo-eun speechless.

"Regardless of the reason, Nam-dong is currently Tacheon's territory, isn't it?"

"Look at this."

Lee Gwan-ung pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket. Unfolding it, a joint agreement signed by each guild was revealed. He pointed to the last clause with his rough hand.

[Guilds with fewer than 10 members cannot own any region in the narakga.]

"Was this rule always in place?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was?"

"I wouldn't."

<'Master of Suspicion, Elephant Shrew Seo-eun,' I'm sorry, but that's the truth.>

"Of course, from Deputy Guild Leader Seo-eun's perspective, you might think that."

Seo-eun, feeling her face turn red, cooled it down by drinking cold juice.

"I'll believe what you say, General Manager. Then why did you hand over Nam-dong to Tacheon, breaking this rule?"

"Hand over? It was a seizure, a seizure. If we didn't give them a region, they would have caused chaos. We had no choice."

Lee Gwan-ung was indignant.

"Since Deputy Guild Leader is back, I thought it was time to restore order and return things to normal."

Seeing that Handonhee couldn't say a word, it seemed that most of what Lee Gwan-ung said was true.

"Actually... we planned to leave Nam-dong to Tacheon. It was convenient for both of us. But as you know, reawakeners are starting to appear among the lower-level mutants. Even searchers are emerging. I believe what Seo-kyung said about mutants appearing overseas soon."

Messenger, what are you doing? Is this real? Why aren't you showing up?

Even chanting didn't make the messenger budge.

"Shouldn't we be able to persuade any new searchers that emerge among the lower-level mutants? I suggest managing them by region. We plan to prevent aggressive mid-level mutants from entering Nam-dong and gather and protect only the lower-level mutants."

In short, Lee Gwan-ung was saying that the alliance planned to recruit all future searchers.

Kim Seo-kyung, who said that mutants would appear overseas, could only estimate the general location and timing. The more searchers there were, the more accurate the information would be, which made sense, but wasn't it too greedy? Monopolizing searchers meant monopolizing information.

"You're planning to domesticate them?"

Handonhee, who had been silent, sneered.

"Better than leaving them. At least they won't starve."

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, and everyone jumped to their feet. Seo-eun, who was facing the door, turned around last, but saw Lee Gwan-ung and Kim Seo-kyung's faces first, clearly shocked.

Seo-eun, seeing the gruesome sight, finally opened her mouth.

Chahaya was drenched in red blood.

"Damn!"

Seo-eun quickly ran to Chahaya and grabbed his arm. Touching it, she found the fluid sticky, not from an animal or human.

"Hey! You! Why did you go missing and make us worry? Are you hurt?!"

Chahaya weakly leaned his forehead against Seo-eun's shoulder. Seo-eun stood firm to support his weight but was pushed back a few steps.

Shit...

Chahaya's mutterings heated her shoulder.

You just looked like someone I really wanted to suck.

As Chahaya was about to fall, Seo-eun was about to fall backward, but the others rushed to help.