“You’ve arrived, Lord Cheon Mangju.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
The researchers from the Mountain Guild bowed their heads and formed a line to pay their respects to Cheon Danaa.
Cheon Danaa had personally invited them to the guild’s castle to commend their hard work.
However, the head researcher felt uneasy.
For him, Cheon Danaa was not just a benefactor providing funding; she was a life-and-death authority capable of burying everyone here underground in an instant if she so wished.
Of course, it was essential to cater to this woman during such gatherings to survive.
The welcome party had been going on for quite a while.
The food laid out and the luxurious gifts, along with the red envelopes containing cash, were all quite impressive.
All the researchers were delighted and bowed to the lord of Shanxi Province.
It was such a grand welcome that not only Cheon Danaa but also other branch leaders and high-ranking S-class officials from the Mountain Guild had gathered.
‘…Is that the Baek Wisin and Wang Soyoung who were reported missing…?’
I clearly heard they went missing in Korea, but when did they come back?
No, it’s not just missing.
I heard rumors that their bodies were found; how are the two of them still alive?
The head researcher was confused, but he needed to keep a calm expression.
As long as that cunning and sly fox of a woman, Cheon Danaa, was glaring at him, any opportunity would mean immediate death for him.
“By the way, director. I received some very sad news.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Unfortunately, it seems that the Knight of Radiance is set to completely sever ties with our Shanxi Province. While they haven’t touched the research institute sanctioned by the Party, all other institutes have been obliterated by unidentified attacks.”
“I-I see…”
At Cheon Danaa’s words, the head researcher bowed his head.
“By the way… how many were destroyed?”
“Yes! A total of 27 locations have been hit by the Knight of Radiance, completely destroying both the ground research institutes and the underground branches connected to them!”
When an officer beside Cheon Danaa reported like a bolt from the blue, Cheon Danaa nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer.
“Huhuhuhu, the satellite clearly shows they’ve visited every single research institute. The Korean government must have some ties to the Mountain Guild, so I wonder why I’m only hearing about this now.”
As the largest and richest guild in the world, it was rare to find a place untouched by the Mountain Guild’s influence.
Naturally, there had been informants and spies from the Mountain Guild embedded within the Korean government and some of the larger guilds. If Yeonseo had cooperated with the Korean government to bomb the Mountain Guild’s research institute, Cheon Danaa would have had the chance to prepare a bit before Yeonseo’s attack.
But if those massive research institutes were destroyed in an instant, that meant Yeonseo must have known the locations from the start.
“Pfft, the Knight of Radiance must really be angry.”
How furious must they be to continuously obliterate research institutes without a trace?
It was amusing that they were so meticulous about not harming civilians, but from Cheon Danaa’s perspective, losing not just one or two, but 27 research institutes was certainly a disappointment.
“Losing researchers or equipment isn’t the problem, but losing the fragments is quite troubling.”
It wasn’t true that all research institutes had fragments, but losing a significant number was indeed a fact.
“I’m sorry. It seems there’s someone secretly supporting the Knight of Radiance.”
“Oh? Major Oh Seong thinks so, huh? Director?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Director, what do you think?”
“…..How would I know? I’m not a hunter; I just conduct research under your grace…”
However, Cheon Danaa seemed displeased with the director’s answer as she lightly tapped her fingers as if playing the piano.
“Ugh!?”
In that instant, the director felt as if his chest might explode.
While there was nothing wrong with his heart, he felt as if his body was packed with an enormous fireball.
“Do you know what the heart does? I believe that you, having studied much more than I have and holding a doctorate, surely understand.”
*_thump thump thump!_
“..K-Cough…!”
“Oh dear, it seems you’re having difficulty answering.”
Cheon Danaa smirked, lightly nudging the director’s shoulder.
Despite her touch holding no force, the director fell to the ground, straining to catch his breath.
“The heart is fundamentally responsible for circulating blood throughout our body and pumping it to the lungs.”
Adding that she hadn’t finished school in over 20 years, Cheon Danaa laughed.
She might not be as funny as that old lady, but she felt that she had aged as well.
“Well, there are left and right atriums, and a delicate balance of atrium and ventricle systems, but unfortunately, I’m not well-versed in medicine.”
“H-How, can… you… forgive, me…?”
“But there’s one thing I know for certain.”
And in the next moment, blood began to ooze from the director’s eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
“If a person had roughly six hearts, they’d be spraying internal fluids from every hole in their body like a dim sum served by our castle’s chef every Thursday.”
“W-Why, why… do… I…?”
No matter how insane Cheon Danaa might be, she wouldn’t suddenly kill an innocent person for annoying her.
Her personality was strange, but she wasn’t someone who would recklessly kill a talented person and create chaos within the administrative system or research lines.
“What did I do wrong…?”
“Why? Why would you ask? Hehehe, you know very well, don’t you?”
“…C-cough… what?”
Cheon Danaa looked down at the director with pity as if watching an ant crushed beneath her shoe.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you sold information to the Knight of Radiance?”
“…..!!”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Then let me tell you. I knew you were a rat from the beginning. Was it the vice minister of the Korean Hunter Association I heard about? You had a very close relationship with that man. It seems that the vice minister had no connections with the Mountain Guild but was very close to the Knight of Radiance, something I only recently learned.”
How did she find out…?
“There’s a saying that rats live in the walls of Shanxi Province. It’s a warning to be wary of unseen rats that gnaw at the invisible pillars of one’s home, signifying to be careful of words spoken day and night.”
Damn it, where could this leak have come from…? A contact? No way, could it be from Korea? Or have I been monitored from the very beginning…?
And I really dislike rats.
Cheon Danaa smiled sweetly, petting the director’s head before presenting a white envelope.
While the other researchers were all given red envelopes containing cash, the fact that a white envelope was prepared solely for the director meant that Cheon Danaa had never intended to let this man live.
In China, there was a custom of using white envelopes to hold money offered to the deceased.
The hand extending the envelope was remarkably casual.
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell your family you died while valiantly protecting the Mountain Guild’s research institute from the Knight of Radiance, caught in a spatial bombing. Your son is a hunter too, right? I’m sure he’ll seek revenge for his father at the Mountain Guild.”
“Y-You crazy b…!”
Thwomp!
With that final word, the director collapsed, bleeding from all his orifices without getting back up.
The other researchers cast a glance at the fallen director, but no one showed any reaction despite witnessing their superior’s gruesome death.
And it was understandable.
The whistleblower had been the researchers closest to the director.
Cheon Danaa then encouraged the vice director, who was holding papers behind the fallen director.
“Now, you will be the next lead researcher. Please work hard.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
After cleaning up the internal rats, Cheon Danaa comfortably took the highest seat.
The body, which had been gruesomely dismembered by Yeonseo earlier, was now fully intact, and the supposedly missing Baek Wisin and Wang Soyoung were also fittingly occupying their executive positions.
“By the way, I’ve received orders from the Party.”
At Cheon Danaa’s words, all the executives turned their eyes toward her.
The Party.
The Chinese government.
They could be pitiful fools, but nominally, the Mountain Guild had ties to the Party.
Of course, since they were the world’s top guild, unreasonable demands were usually brushed aside or ignored, but if Cheon Danaa mentioned the Party’s orders, it was certainly a significant matter.
“They’ve ordered us to strike the elves.”
“Are they referring to the elves that appeared in the Gobi Desert?”
“It seems they’ve already gained a nickname called ‘Kanpu’.”
“Is it a request?”
“It’s a command. A command without any compensation.”
“How arrogant! Even if they’re the Party, isn’t this a blatant disrespect to our Mountain Guild and our lord!”
“They’re requesting a guild to do a job and offering no compensation at all. Do they really want to die?”
As each executive chimed in, Cheon Danaa smiled lightly.
“Well, judge for yourselves.”
When Cheon Danaa snapped her fingers, holographic drones waiting in the air flew up, projecting a video.
In the hologram played the image of a gentle-looking elf with blonde hair and a curvaceous body.
[We know of your wicked intentions hidden within the Great Forest.]
[Thus, we will not grant access to the doors of the Great Forest, which was once our home to riff-raff like you.]
[Lastly, I shall warn you.]
[Do not open the doors to the Great Forest, which was our home, sanctuary, and filled with memories.]
[But if you still choose to… then…]
[You shall pay the price in the name of the World Tree and in the name of the elves.]
[As our lovely Small Olga would say…]
In a split second, the once gentle demeanor of the elf twisted violently.
The elf’s green eyes contorted into a blood-red hue, transforming into the fierce gaze of a hunter.
[‘If you enter, you’ll die, you filthy bastards.’ That’s the meaning, you know.]
[So, I believe you wouldn’t fail to understand even this simple warning.]
And the video playing from the drone came to an end.
“Huh, I heard the Party was utterly wrecked by the elves, but I thought it was a lie at first. Seems like it might be true.”
“There was a reason for the entry ban to the Gobi Desert.”
“That elf looks quite attractive, but surprisingly has an awful temper.”
Listening to the executives’ opinions, Cheon Danaa took a sip of her tea.
They were indifferent to whether the Chinese government suffered humiliation or was defeated.
What was most important to Cheon Danaa and the executives was the safety and benefit of Shanxi Province and the Mountain Guild.
“Normally, I would have ignored this, but it seems these elves have greatly offended the Party.”
“So what will the lord do?”
“Of course, I won’t bother with commands or anything. While dominating the elves could yield benefits, I care more about taking a tea break. However…”
Cheon Danaa placed the white envelope she had given to the director earlier onto the candle on the table and continued.
“I’ve heard there are fragments within the elves’ Great Forest.”
“….!”
At the mention of fragments, the executives drew in their breath.
New fragments, beyond those they already possessed.
“Though it may not be the original, I intend to go check it out myself. Coincidentally, we’ve also collected a lot of data on the Knight of Radiance.”
While 27 surface research institutes were being destroyed, Cheon Danaa and her forces weren’t idle.
Although numerous restrictions and conditions applied, they had reached a stage where experimental attempts at spatial movement, disregarding distances, used by Yeonseo had become possible.
Of course, Yeonseo could instantly travel to the opposite end of the Earth with just a snap of her fingers, but imitating that spatial travel would require immense budgets and equipment for the Mountain Guild, and that too, would have to be sacrificed as a one-time use.
“I will determine the participants immediately. Those without schedules should follow.”
“”””Yes!!””””
“Lord, my Hunter Baek Wisin and I also want a chance…!”
“You two will stay back.”
“W-Why….?!”
Baek Wisin and Wang Soyoung had already disappointed Cheon Danaa.
Even so, to receive another chance while unable to repay that grace cast their expressions into despair.
“To truly settle into that body, you’ll need at least another fifteen days. Following along would only be a hindrance. First, stabilize your bodies.”
“…Understood.”
“Got it.”
“Now, rise immediately.”
As Cheon Danaa stood up, the other executives followed her with serious expressions.
The executives gathered here were all individuals with exceptional strength.
Cheon Danaa hadn’t appointed just any random person as an executive; the executives of the world’s number one Hunter Guild were naturally highly skilled.
If this strength were to reach the elves’ Great Forest, no matter what the elves did, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Considering the Party’s position was unnecessary; the fragments of the Demon King must be recovered.
As they entered through the green-tinged gate, they were met yet again by another massive forest.
“Shall we just burn the whole thing down?”
“That wouldn’t be bad… Wait a moment.”
Just before they made the decision to burn down the forest that was persistently obstructing their path, Cheon Danaa turned her gaze to a wide clearing visible beyond the trees.
It had been a dense forest until now, but the suddenly revealed open space was incredibly vast.
“Corn…?”
For some reason, a cornfield filled with plump ears caught her eye.
Cheon Danaa tilted her head at the sudden sight of cornfields.
Why would there be a cornfield in a place like this…?
●●●●●
“Oh, I told you not to come in, but you actually did…”
“Eh? What are you talking about, Olga?”
“Sia, wait a moment.”
Duk, duk, piieee!
Suddenly, Olga, with a small leaf in her mouth, blew the leaf pipe.
For a very brief moment, the sound produced from the leaf pipe echoed as if in a reverberation.
“All done. It’s triggered.”
“What’s triggered??”
Olga gave a beaming smile to Sia, who was tilting her head.
“It’s nothing! Just a trade-off between peace and corn!”
“Really? If it’s nothing… then let’s sprinkle some pepper and garlic powder on Shiplani’s meat.”
“Yes, yes! Garlic powder sounds good!”
“Menelapie! Hand me one more skewer of the hero!”
“Just a moment, please.”
Crack!
Kweeeek!
That day, as Shiplani’s screams rang out, the Mountain Guild received three beautiful green mountains.
