Returning to his room, Kang-hoo drew a rough map of Korea on an A4 sheet of paper.


    He wanted to get a more intuitive feel of the current domestdscape.


    First.


    He wrote the name of the Jeonghwa Guild over Seoul and shaded it in red. Red signifies potential enemies.


    ‘Seoul belongs to Jeonghwa Guild and the Public Safety Bureau. From the moment I go up against Jang Si-hwan, they’re myplete enemies.’


    For now, Seoul is Jang Si-hwan’s stronghold, the grand fortress he’s built.


    It’s not the fault of the Seoul residents. It’s Jang Si-hwan’s calcted efforts to build trust.


    Next, Kang-hoo marked the northern and northeastern parts of Gyeonggi Province with blue, indicating potential allies.


    ‘The Abyss’s territory. Their hold there provides good ess to North Korea.’In terms of area, the Abyss upies a farrger region.


    However, battles between hunters aren’t about capturing territory.@@novelbin@@


    It’s about size and quality, and in that respect, the Abyss is at a clear disadvantage.


    Then, Kangwon Province.


    Aside from the cities near the East Sea, many satellite guilds under Jeonghwa Guild are based here.


    Although there are fewer active hunters in this area, it can broadly be considered part of Jeonghwa Guild’s domain.


    ‘The Abyss is effectively surrounded. That’s why even Lee Hyun-seok can’t focus solely on Seoul.’


    Like a sandwich, the Abyss is squeezed between Jeonghwa Guild and its satellite guilds on both sides, restricting their activities.


    Moreover, to Kang-hoo’s eyes, many of these satellite guilds seem like mere “pretenders” that are not actually affiliated with Jeonghwa Guild.


    This means that if the Abyss wrongly targets a satellite guild, it could backfire badly.


    They might end up used of ughtering guilds unrted to Jeonghwa Guild.


    And Lee Hyun-seok doesn’t have enough force to make a move on Seoul.


    The structure makes it difficult to escape this encirclement.


    Without outside intervention, this stalemate is unlikely to change.


    Although a bit further away, there’s the Haeyeong Guild in Busan, a guild that has agreed to cooperate with the Jeonghwa Guild.


    The Haeyeong Guild’s base is in Busan, but its influence subtly extends over the Gyeongsang region.


    This makes the southeastern part of the country an area lightly influenced by the Jeonghwa Guild.


    ‘This is the focal point.’


    Kang-hoo drew two lines.


    Two straight lines epassing the central region, including southern Gyeonggi and Daejeon.


    Currently, this area is in a state reminiscent of the Warring States Period, with numerous guilds vying for control.


    Even in Daejeon, three groups are entangled, paradoxically keeping Seoul’s influence at bay.


    ‘To break the deadlock, the central region, including southern Gyeonggi and Daejeon, needs to form an anti-Jeonghwa line.’


    If this area shifts to oppose the Jeonghwa Guild, Seoul could end up encircled.


    “Phew.”


    Feeling a dull ache in his head, hey down on the bed.


    Drawing maps doesn’t change anything in reality.


    However, it can provide direction for his future strategies. For now, Daejeon appears to be the focal point.


    Coincidentally, Lee Ye-rin’s Cheong-an Mercenary Corps is stationed there. But so are potential adversaries like ck Lion and Eclipse.


    “Daejeon, Daejeon…”


    The name lingered on his lips.


    It felt as though Daejeon would y a crucial role in shaping the country’s power dynamics.<hr>


    He had a dream.


    In his dream, Kang-hoo saw himself living the life of the original author.


    He thought much of it had merged with Shin Kang-hoo and nearly faded from memory…


    But the dream brought forgotten memories and unconscious thoughts to the surface, vividly presenting them as reality.


    His dream self posted the final chapter with satisfaction, only to wake up and check the tform’sment board, which had turned into a war zone.


    The final chapter’sments were flooded with criticisms and usations, and the rating had dropped by nearly two points overnight.


    Feeling a shudder in his hand, his mind went nk, a mix of fear and dread churning within.


    In that moment, he realized.


    He hadn’t just ended it poorly; he’d ended it terribly wrong.


    What he thought would be a unique finale, an attempt at differentiation, had be nothing but a failure.


    He regretted it toote, chastised himself, and cried out, but there was no way to undo it.


    The readers’ fury only grew when he announced revisions to the final episode.


    They demanded to know why he had chosen an aplice’s ending… an undeniable critique for the original author.


    So he screamed.


    That he wanted to make things right.


    That he wanted to go back.


    If he could turn back time, he’d fix the ending of his novel, the one he’d ruined!<hr>


    And now.


    “What a filthy dream.”


    Kang-hoo woke up, drenched in cold sweat, and ruffled his hair. It was a dream he wished he hadn’t had.


    Whether or not he could ever return, he didn’t want to recall the life he had before possessing this body.


    What matters now is the present.


    Looking back changes nothing.


    “Phew.”


    He chugged the water in the ss beside him and turned on the TV.


    The news reported a breaking story about an explosion at the Fourth Research Institute’s main gate.


    Apparently, it wasn’t a conflict with an external hunter but an internal explosion.


    “An inside job?”


    A highly usible deduction.


    If he back-calctes in alignment with the “aplice ending,”


    there’s a strong chance that Jeonghwa Guild nted an insider within Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals.


    In the original story, the distribution timeline for Gakshinhwan was about a year from now.


    However, the distributor wasn’t Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals but Raimer Pharmaceuticals…


    “Why did this just ur to me now? My mind must have been elsewhere.”


    A sudden realization altered Kang-hoo’s expression.


    The fact that the distributor for the same drug changed in a year indicates internal or external issues within Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals.


    Thest incident with the First Research Institute confirmed that the Jeonghwa Guild has a twisted greed toward Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals.


    They didn’t try to control the multinational mercenary forces nor make any statements denouncing them.


    That means…


    There’s also a chance that Raimer Pharmaceuticals, Jeongmun’s future new name, wille under foreign influence.


    For instance, it could fall under the influence of the Fortuna Guild led by Casey Rex.


    In the original story,


    all it says is that Jang Si-hwan instructed Chae Gwanhyeong to secure a stable supply of Gakshinhwan from Raimer Pharmaceuticals.


    There were no subsequent issues rted to the supply or the pharmaceuticalpany, so it wasn’t further explored.


    ‘The reason Jang Si-hwan and Jeonghwa Guild aren’t stepping forward directly is simple. It keeps them clear of monopoly allegations.’


    A well-nned setup.


    “If that’s the case…”


    The fall of Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals no longer feels like someone else’s problem.


    The overwhelming efficacy of Gakshinhwan was something Kang-hoo experienced firsthand.


    If it flows freely to the public?


    It would be yet another advantage for Jang Si-hwan, who currently holds the upper hand in level and growth.


    ‘In the end, I can’t avoid getting involved.’


    Kang-hoo bit his lip tightly.


    Should he let Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals run its course for a year, or prevent the tragedy awaiting a year from now?


    He needs to calcte carefully.<hr>


    At that time.


    A special guest had arrived at K’s Yuri Land.


    He was someone who hade immediately upon receiving K’s call, while quietly traveling in Korea.


    He was extracting bile from the preserved corpse of the Queen of the Swarm, kept in pristine condition.


    K assisted him nearby, and he skillfully carried on with the work, even cracking a joke.


    “Am I still doing grunt work like this, even at my age?”


    “You know as well as I do. Nobody can manage perfect extraction and refinement like you, hyungnim.”


    “I’m seventy, you know. The cold pierces my bones. And I really can’t stand the chill unique to this ce.”


    “That’s why I prepared plenty of high-quality medicinal ingredients for you. Lots of them.”


    “And this guy you’re giving it to—he’s an assassin, you said? It can’t have been easy to capture the Queen of the Swarm.”


    “He’s quite a skilled assassin, hyungnim. Shows promise in many ways.”


    “What do you know about assassins? Don’t talk nonsense. Nine out of ten are just showoffs.”


    “And what about you, hyungnim?”


    “Me? I’m one of the real ones. A true saekak (assassin) through and through.”


    “Hyungnim.”


    “What now? Why do you keep calling me?”


    “Instead of raising your infamy as the Thousand Killing Elder, isn’t it time you focused on training future generations?”


    “It’s not like I went after anyone. I only killed those who insisted oning after me.”


    “That’s hardly any different.”


    “Don’t impose your weak X-like personality on me. Just leave it at that. I live the way I want.”


    “Hmm…”


    K gazed sympathetically at the elderly man with white hair.


    His real name was Wei Zhongyang.


    A Chinese assassin better known by his alias “Thousand Killing Elder.”


    People who could wlessly refine the Queen of the Swarm’s bile into a safe, liquid form were rare.


    That’s why K personally summoned him to Yuri Land.


    The two had known each other for a long time, having worked together in the Beijing Martial Arts Group during their younger years.


    “Everyone has their own way of living. I don’t criticize you for living under your wife’s thumb.”


    “That’s different, hyungnim.”


    “Enough. Let’s skip the headache-inducing talk and finish this refinement so we can have some good gaoliang liquor.”


    “Yes, hyungnim. I overstepped.”


    “You’re still full of energy, huh? Wait until you’re my age. Just taking care of yourself is hard…”


    The Thousand Killing Elder let out a groan.


    But from K’s perspective, his body looked as muscr and toned as someone in their twenties—smooth and solid.


    A sudden thought crossed his mind.


    If Kang-hoo could learn under the Thousand Killing Elder, just how much more could he grow?


    There was indeed potential and anticipation. But the elder had never taken on a disciple.<hr>


    The meeting with the three Groo Guild executives took ce early in the morning.


    Somehow, he ended up meeting the top three in the guild hierarchy at once.


    With all the guild’s pirs present, Kang-hoo felt slightly more tense than when he met the two from Jeonghwa Guild.


    For about a minute, he couldn’t focus on the conversation.


    It was an inevitable rite of passage, but he wasn’t interested in obvious ttery.


    Seeing Kang-hoo’s unchanging expression, Master Oh Yoo-jin cut to the chase, sensing the awkwardness.


    “I once received an offer to join a major guild. But I turned it down and created my own. I imagine you feel the same. If we invited you to ‘join the guild,’ you’d refuse, right?” ??Ｎ?????


    “It feels like you’ve read my mind, so I don’t have much to add.”


    Kang-hoo nodded.


    It wasn’t about whether the Groo Guild was good or bad. It was about whether it was necessary.


    He doubted they came all this way to say something so obvious. There must be another reason.


    And indeed—


    “We need a skilled assassin. And you, Kang-hoo, need enticing dungeons, right?”


    “That’s correct.”


    “So, I’m proposing a partnership. What do you think of a partnership contract?”


    Oh Yoo-jin threw a curveball.