Ch. 218 - Don't You Wanna Find Out What It Is?

Go Eul-ji quickly realised the hunter's rank was far below his own, so she tried to mess with him a little.

'If I make him unable to move, he'll totally panic, right?'

Inability to resist. Fear grips people when an invisible force restricts their freedom. This understanding formed the basis of many of Go Eul-ji's skills, most revolved around immobilisation, honed through personal practice and experience at the gate. She extended her hand, and formed a light fist, loose enough to cradle an egg. As an invisible force tightened around Thomas, it confirmed his suspicions.

'I knew it---a psychokinesist!"

Psychokinesis was a difficult ability to deal with. With proper training, it could unleash destructive power like magic without any delay or activation time. Hunters with such traits, when creative, could become an incredibly great all-rounder.

"Now, how should I grill this guy?"

Go Eul-ji threatened him with the most menacing expression---She took inspiration from her role model, Kang Mu-hyuk. To others, however, his face betrayed no trace of emotion.

Ordinary hunters would have crumbled under the pressure of its synergy with her power. Unfortunately, his opponent was Thomas, a mana-addicted individual numb even to fear.

Thomas studied Go Eul-ji with an unreadable expression.

"Are you a Korean?"

"What's your deal? Why does that matter?"

"Looks like you're Korean after all."

"No, I'm not."

"There aren't any known Korean hunters with high-ranking telekinesis like yours. Judging by your age, you're probably still a student. If someone of your rank hasn't entered the public eye, even if you're a new hunter, then someone must have raised you in secret."

"What? Are you conducting a census now? You're in the tiger's paws now. I'm going to kill you."

Despite the threat, Thomas pressed on.

"In Korea, the fiscal year ends on December 31. October is the time for year-end sales, not for high-ranking hunters to attend concerts. It must be off-season for your guild, or they wouldn't let you go."

"You're a strange one. You're right in front of me, but I can't sense any life force in you. What are you?"

"There's only one organization in Korea that could secretly train a high-ranking underage telekinetic hunter. Are you with the Hunter's Association?"

Go Eul-ji's playful demeanour evaporated, replaced by a cold, murderous tone.

"What the hell? Are you a Japanese spy? I thought you'd lost interest in me after Guild Master, but you followed me all the way to America?"

"Guild Master, you say... There's only one person in Korea influential enough to distract Japan from a promising prospect---Ju Se-ah. You're with Iron Will, aren't you? Ju Se-ah's mentor is Jang Deuk-goo, the disciple of Hunter Association President Han Byung-gu. That explains the connection."

Go Eul-ji gave up the intention of punishing her opponent. Her fighting spirit was gone. Now she was flustered.

'I didn't even say a thing!'

Still, her identity was out. While a slip of her tongue gave Thomas a clue about Ju Se-ah, she said nothing about her own identity in the process. She tightened her grip on him, glaring fiercely into Thomas's eyes. After a tense standoff, clarity struck her as to why he annoyed her.

'It's like having... the guild leader in front of me."

The realization shocked her.

'Could there really be someone else like me?'

Her thoughts went awry.

'Ayy, no way. Are they brothers? No, I heard Guild Leader Kang's an only child. Maybe he's really a spy or an assassin targeting me. Otherwise, how could he know this much about me?'

Thoughts raced through her mind.

"Hey!"

Thomas's voice jolted her back to reality. Go Eul-ji instinctively jumped back.

"You... H-how did you get free? Did I let you go?"

Thomas, who had been restrained by Go eulji's power moments ago, now stood before her, as if that never even happened.

"You restricted me lightly on purpose, didn't you? Just strong enough that I could get out of it in time. Thank you for being considerate of me with the strength of your grasp too."

"No, it's not an issue of holding you hard or lightly! The rank difference between us is huge! Wait---did you say you broke free using your own strength and not your powers? Is that even possible?"

"It's a trade secret, so I can't tell you much. But yes, it's possible."

Go Eul-ji was more shocked than when her affiliation was uncovered or when she realized someone else like Kang Mu-hyuk existed.

'Others can disrupt the caster's mana since that's not mana spread in nature. Isn't that common sense?'

It was one of the first lessons of the basic mana physics theory taught in the introductory curriculum for newly awakened hunters. Simply put, a skill once cast, couldn't be undone by external interference unless the caster made a mistake. If that were possible...

'Wouldn't a hunter who could use that method be invincible in PvP?'

Go Eul-ji sighed in relief without realizing it, thankful that her opponent was only a C-rank. 

If their ranks had been closer, she instinctively felt that she might have been the one in danger.

In her amazement at the phenomenon, Go Eul-ji overlooked one crucial fact: if he could threaten a high-ranking hunter like herself despite being lower-ranked, it was a secret too dangerous to reveal. Yet Thomas displayed his abilities openly, without any intention of hiding them---skills he hadn't even shown to his guild.

'The recipient of the email I sent to Korea was Kang Changsoo. He has one son, Kang Mu-hyuk, the Guild Leader of Iron Will. If this high-ranking girl is here in the U.S., maybe Kang Mu-hyuk is here too. That would mean Kang Changsoo might have sent him here.'

Just as Kang Changsoo had conducted background checks on Thomas, Thomas had also investigated Kang Changsoo. He wasn't aware of Kang Muhyuk's struggles with mana addiction. But if Kang Changsoo's son, who understood the disease, had come to the United States during this time, it must have been connected to him.

Thomas, attempting to impress Kang Muhyuk before meeting him, spoke cautiously to Go Eul-ji, who still looked bewildered.

"I know how to do something even more impressive. Don't you wanna find out what it is?"

***

"Why did you bother making me a stand by if we were just going to back down so quietly?"

No Songrin grumbled, clearly frustrated as they left the casino without taking any action. He had been excited to relieve some stress for the first time in a long while and couldn't understand Kang Mu-hyuk's behaviour at all.

Sure, tripling their seed money was a positive outcome, but it was clear Kang Mu-hyuk wasn't the type to gamble recklessly just to make a little profit.

"I'd like to know too, Guild Leader. Don't just keep giving each other signals between the two of you."

"I explained it on the plane."

"When?"

"When you were asleep."

"Wait a minute, what's the point of explaining something while I'm sleeping?"

"You're the one who said my stories were boring and then fell asleep."

"So, what's the plan? I need to know something if I'm going to coordinate the timing," No Songrin pressed.

Kang Mu-hyuk finally responded.

"Nothing much. I just used the Rider Wolf."

"You're selling the wolf? When? From what I know, it hasn't even been released yet. If you've taken the one meant for the Slayers before anyone else, this could cause big trouble, Guild Leader."

"I didn't sell the actual wolf. I merely used its name."

Jang Deuk-goo clicked his tongue, his expression reflecting his thoughts of Songrin being pathetic.

"Oh, I see. So that's what you meant. Wait a second---did we really need to go to the casino when we were gonna use Rider Wolf?"

"That's a good question. You've hit the mark. I think you can guess the reason without me explaining further."

"Haha, I may not have had much schooling while I was a refugee, but I was always told I was smart when I was young... No, stop beating around the bush. Tell me why did we go there?"

For a brief moment, fatigue flickered across Kang Mu-hyuk's face before disappearing.

It wasn't because No Songrin was slacking off---far from it. He had been working tirelessly to meet the one-month deadline for their plan. Still, just thinking about that plan was exhausting.

"There are three major power structures dividing LA and its surrounding areas: the guilds, freelance hunters, and gambling cartels. Las Vegas is where all three forces intersect."

In particular, the city was under the control of gambling cartels---criminal organizations with deep roots in the industry. And at the heart of these interests were hunters. Kang Mu-hyuk's trump card-- the Rider Wolf.  Well, one could say it was a supercar any hunter would want to own.

"So, what you're saying is, you're going to lure them in with the Rider Wolf, reform the criminal organizations, and make them your own, expanding your influence? Then, once you take control of the underworld..."

"Are you directing a movie right now? And do you really think villains are going to reform just because you reform them? Have you reformed? Be sensible."

Stunned by Jang Deuk-goo's blunt remark, No Songrin fell silent. Kang Mu-hyuk stepped in his defence.

"But you got the part about us using Rider Wolf to lure them in.  So that's a huge step forward..."

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment..."

"Of course, it's a compliment. But controlling the underworld through criminal organizations is a bit too much. I have a different approach in mind."

"What is it?"

"Firstly, I chose the casino. My main target is the freelance hunters, not  the cartel."

"Freelancers? What can they possibly do?"

"The freelance hunter market in the U.S. is vastly different from Korea. In  South Korea, individual freelancers are often looked down upon. But as an industry, even the largest guilds can't ignore them."

"Why? Are they organized somehow?"

"I knew it. See, you've improved. You get the idea right away, don't you? Freelancers in the U.S. work together under a structure called a clan. It's similar to private attack squads in Korea."

No Songrin asked again, even more confused by Kang Muhyuk's explanation.

"How much power could these private attack squads really have?"

"If there were only one or two clans, it wouldn't be a big deal. But when you have hundreds, even thousands of such clans, their combined existence creates a power imbalance. Naturally, when so many small groups band together, representatives emerge to speak for their collective interests. That's what I'm aiming for---an organization that represents those clans."

"What's the name of this group?"

"They're called the Oort Cloud. Or, as most people call them, the 'O.C.'"

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