"Yes, Hunter An Su-ho."
Prosecutor Kim Seung-hwan answered the phone promptly.
“Are you busy?”
"Haha, with soone like you backing , I should always be busy. But I'm never too busy to take your call, Hunter An."
“Haha, your tone has gotten much softer since the last ti we spoke. By the way, did you see the news?”
“Yes, I was actually about to call and check in on you, but it seems you beat to it. Though, I doubt this call is just a friendly chat. What’s the reason for it?”
As expected, Kim Seung-hwan’s instincts were sharp.
Su-ho chuckled. “It’s ti to remove Pi Seong-yeol.”
“Already?”
“With public sentint tilting in our favor, now is the perfect ti to tie things together and make an impactful move.”
“Well, that does make sense, but… You do know I’m still stationed at the Suwon Prosecutor’s Office, right? And we haven’t captured everyone tied to the evidence you gave .”
“I didn’t expect you to handle everything in just a few days. But you’ve certainly made a na for yourself at Suwon, haven’t you?”
Su-ho had already done his howork. Kim Seung-hwan, once politically sidelined to Suwon, was now wielding his authority like a sword, tirelessly prosecuting cases with impressive precision. Despite his sudden resurgence, no one viewed him negatively—it wasn’t infighting but simply a man doing his job diligently.
“Well, that’s true, but… wasn’t the plan to proceed once I returned to Seoul?”
“No.”
“What?”
“If we proceed like that, how long do you think it’ll take to deal with Pi Seong-yeol? What I need from you isn’t just handling Pi Seong-yeol—it’s to continue removing any obstacles to the eradication of Gates. That work doesn’t stop until I’ve achieved that goal.”
A brief silence fell over the line as Kim Seung-hwan processed Su-ho’s words. It seed he had misunderstood the full extent of his role in Su-ho’s plans.
After a pause, he asked, “So, what’s the real reason for this call? It doesn’t seem like you’d call just to announce your plans for Pi Seong-yeol.”
“That’s exactly why I called. To deal with Pi Seong-yeol, we’re about to release a major scandal. Once it’s out, the Special Prosecution Act will be initiated, and you’ll be part of the investigative team. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Wait… what?”
Kim Seung-hwan sounded utterly baffled, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Yes, you heard right. Like I said before, we each do what we can from our respective positions. As far as the prosecution is concerned, you’re the only one I trust, which is why I’m calling you."
“…Do you even know how the process for the Special Prosecution Act works?”
“Of course.”
“Then you must know how impossible this sounds. I don’t have enough seniority to lead a special prosecution team or even serve as a deputy prosecutor.”
“You don’t need to. You’ll participate as a dispatched prosecutor for this case. Once you’re done, your contributions will earn you a transfer back to Seoul.”
“Wait, wait—what?”
“You’ll understand everything soon enough. Until then, continue doing what you do best—working hard and catching the bad guys. I’ll contact you again when the ti cos.”
Without waiting for a reply, Su-ho ended the call.
That was the sole reason he had reached out—to prepare Kim Seung-hwan for what was coming.
Still, the call served another purpose: to subtly showcase Su-ho’s power.
While Su-ho trusted Kim Seung-hwan as the sole prosecutor he could rely on, people were unpredictable. By demonstrating his influence, Su-ho could keep him in check.
"The most effective way to handle people is through fear."
As Su-ho nodded to himself, his mind drifted to the “major scandal” he had ntioned.
The Redevelopnt Gate.
It would be an event so monuntal that it would etch itself into South Korea’s history.
This wasn’t a minor case. It was a deliberate catastrophe, orchestrated to maximize profits for a select few while sacrificing countless innocent lives. In his past life, Su-ho had lost everything—his ho, his family—due to the Gate Shock that stemd from this event.
At the ti, he had believed it was an unavoidable disaster. But after rising through the ranks of the Grand Hunter Association, he had uncovered the horrifying truth.
It was man-made.
The Detection Division had identified the Gate long before the incident. But they had chosen to ignore it, allowing the disaster to happen for the sake of reaping massive real estate profits.
The scale of the sche was staggering, spanning years and involving countless properties. It was a systematic massacre, orchestrated for financial gain.
"This ti, I’ll take them all down in one fell swoop."
The Redevelopnt Gate had continued to expose culprits long after the special prosecution team was ford in his previous life. The sheer number of individuals involved in the conspiracy had made it an unprecedented case.
Pi Seong-yeol would be one of the many swept up in the fallout. There was no need to deal with him separately—he was just another piece of trash to dispose of.
"Why should he get any special treatnt?"
Su-ho’s lips curled into a cold smile as he imagined Pi Seong-yeol being sent to Cheongok Prison, a place already teeming with dangerous individuals like Jo Gwang-ho, the Mad Dragon, and Yoon Hyun-chul, the Hidden Dragon.
"It’s going to be a busy ti ahead."
With that thought, Su-ho headed toward the Gate Bureau, where his team awaited him.
Upon arriving, he was greeted by an unexpected figure: Go Seong-rok, the head of the Gate Division and one of the individuals tied to the Redevelopnt Gate.
“Su-ho!”
Before Su-ho could react, Go Seong-rok pulled him into a tight hug, his face brimming with emotion.
“What’s this about?” Su-ho thought, baffled by the sudden display.
“Your speech was incredible, Su-ho! I was truly moved. How can anyone be that inspiring?”
“…Haha, thank you,” Su-ho replied, masking his discomfort.
“I’m so proud to have soone like you in our departnt. Keep up the great work—I’ll support you fully.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
“Alright! Go get ‘em, Sword Saint An Su-ho!”
Go Seong-rok clapped him on the shoulder with overwhelming enthusiasm before stepping back.
Su-ho barely managed to suppress a sigh. How ironic that soone so deeply involved in the Redevelopnt Gate was showering him with praise.
Still, the speech had evidently struck a chord with many. As Su-ho entered the bureau, his colleagues greeted him with applause and words of gratitude.
“Su-ho, that was amazing!”
“Thank you for speaking up for us!”
“You really said everything we’ve been wanting to say!”
Their reactions were genuine, and Su-ho responded with a polite smile and nods before finally reaching the Special Managent Team 2 office.
There, his own team greeted him with wide smiles, their excitent palpable.
“Why’s everyone standing around?” Su-ho asked, a bit embarrassed.
“Su-ho, let us hug you just once!”
“Co on, don’t be weird!”
“Deputy Team Leader! No, Team Leader! Hug us too!”
“Absolutely not!”
"Long live the Sword Saint!"
Led by Team Leader Jeong Cheol-min, the mbers of Special Managent Team 2 sward around Su-ho with cheers and congratulations.
While many people congratulated Su-ho and expressed their gratitude, it was the mbers of Team 2 who were the most enthusiastic.
And perhaps because of that, Su-ho felt their congratulations were the most genuine.
Jeong Cheol-min, seizing the mont, spoke up.
"Su-ho, how about so yulmu tea in the backyard?"
"Sounds good. But you're buying, right?"
"Of course! I’ve got plenty of coins. Let’s go, everyone—to the backyard!"
"To the backyard!"
The mbers of Team 2 erupted into a chorus and began heading toward the backyard together.
"Tsk…"
Watching them leave, Team Leader Oh Bong-sik from Special Managent Team 1 sighed with a wistful expression.
***
The backyard was as peaceful as ever.
Even with reporters swarming the association’s building, not a single one seed to have ventured here.
Jeong Cheol-min distributed steaming cups of yulmu tea, purchased with his stash of coins, and declared proudly:
"Here it is, my special yulmu tea. A local specialty you can only get here, so don’t be shy—dig in!"
"Yes, sir! Thank you for the treat!"
"By the way, I didn’t even know our association building had a place like this."
"Well, it used to be my secret hideout, but now it’s beco my and Su-ho’s shared spot."
"So, does that an we’re officially part of the club now?"
"We’re on the sa team—why wouldn’t you be?"
"Haha! That’s true."
As the team bantered back and forth, Su-ho chuckled quietly.
Seeing his reaction, Jeong Cheol-min smirked and leaned in with a teasing tone.
"You looked so serious earlier. How do you feel now? You were already a star, but now you’re basically a legend."
"I don’t think there’s much to express. I just spoke from the heart."
"But seriously, a special feature article? When did you even have ti to plan that?"
"Well… it was sothing I knew would be necessary eventually, so I prepared for it quietly."
At that mont, one of the team mbers nearly choked on their tea and exclaid, "Wait, hold on! Are you saying you planned that special feature article, Deputy Team Leader?"
Su-ho responded with a cryptic smile.
The revelation left everyone, except Jeong Cheol-min, in stunned silence. They exchanged wide-eyed glances before letting out collective gasps of amazent.
"Wow…"
"This is insane…"
"Incredible…"
No one had imagined that Su-ho, who had promised to eliminate unfairness as team leader, would tackle it in such a bold and effective way.
At that mont, a thought crossed the minds of the team mbers: Perhaps Sword Saint An Su-ho was an even greater figure than they had realized.
Su-ho broke the silence.
"Anyway, changes to our policies and treatnt will take so ti, so let’s be patient. For now… let’s talk about work."
Work.
This was the first ti Su-ho had brought up serious business since becoming team leader of the exploration unit.
Naturally, the entire team, led by Jeong Cheol-min, perked up and focused on him with anticipation.
Jeong Cheol-min asked, "Do you have a plan in mind?"
"I do. To start, everyone on this team, aside from Section Chief Lee Won-an, the team leader, and myself, is in the warrior class, correct?"
"That’s right."
"And your primary weapon is the sword."
"Correct."
In response to Su-ho’s question, the team mbers pulled their swords out of their inventories to show him.
The reason there were no other classes on the team was simple: archers, mages, and healers were highly sought after by private guilds. Warriors, being less in demand, were left for teams like this one.
This lack of variety was a significant obstacle. Without even a single healer, survival rates plumted, limiting the team’s ability to explore and clear gates.
Nodding in understanding, Su-ho spoke.
"While our treatnt may improve after recent events, I doubt we’ll see a sudden influx of new mbers. Even if recruitnt happens, it will take ti to go through the necessary processes. That’s why I believe one realistic way to improve the team is to focus on training our existing mbers."
"Training?"
"Have you heard of Infinity?"
"Infinity?"
"Yes, it’s the na of a virtual reality device."
As Su-ho began to explain Infinity with a sly grin, his team leaned in, eager to hear more.
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