**‘A hospital? Why so suddenly?’**

I was about to ask what was going on, but the call abruptly ended amidst the sound of hurried footsteps. I tried calling back two, three times, but it was no use.

– “The number you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the beep…”

The automated message repeated as I disconnected the call. A sense of unease began to creep into my chest.

This was the first time I had seen Team Leader Choi, usually so composed, sounding this urgent.

**‘Could it be…?’**

No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Now isn’t the time to think; it’s time to move.

**‘Ilsan Hospital. He said Ilsan Hospital.’**

I quickly gathered my belongings and left the changing room.

As I emerged, the rookies who had been waiting outside turned to look at me.

Kim Jin-soo, who had been chatting enthusiastically in the center, stood up abruptly.

“Are we leaving now, sir?”

“No, something urgent has come up.”

It worked out well. There were two hours until the next raid, and thankfully, the gate was nearby, so it wouldn’t take long to get there.

“Kim Jin-soo.”

“Yes?”

“You’re the temporary team leader for the next two hours.”

“What?”

“Take the others and head to the next gate. Don’t start the raid until I get there.”

I patted the bewildered Kim Jin-soo on the shoulder and hurried out of the building.

After hopping into a waiting taxi and giving the driver the destination, I started dialing again.

**‘Please pick up. Please.’**

The longer the ringing continued, the more anxious I became.

Just as I was about to hang up and redial, the call connected with a click.

– “Hello, son.”

– “What is it, bro?”

– “Be quiet. Don’t mess with your phone while eating.”

– “Seriously, Mom, are you holding a phone or a brick?”

– “You little brat!”

**”Phew…”**

Thank goodness. It wasn’t what I feared.

Hearing my family’s voices on the other end of the line allowed the tension to drain from me.

I quickly gave my mom a vague answer about why I was calling and hung up.

**‘So it’s a guild matter, then.’**

But who could be involved?

Since Team Leader Choi wasn’t answering, the person who would have the most accurate information was Butler Kim.

But then, a face flashed in my mind. His recent silence, the weight in his expression…

**‘Jeok-jung ahjussi (Uncle Jeok-jung).’**

My hunch was right.

The number I called returned not Jeok-jung’s rough voice, but a cold, mechanical tone.

– “The phone is turned off. Please leave a message after the beep.”

When I arrived at the hospital, practically flying there, Song-yi was waiting for me with an anxious face.

“You’re here?”

“Explain as we walk.”

As we passed through the revolving doors, the hospital’s distinct scent filled my nose.

We weaved through the crowd—civilians, hunters, and hospital staff—while people who recognized me started pulling out their phones to snap photos.

“Hey, hey, look over there.”

“It’s Jin Taekyung.”

“Jin Taekyung? Is that the ‘sibal-ja’ (the unstoppable guy)?” [1]

“Wow, he’s even more impressive in person.”

Suppressing the rising stress, I quietly asked Song-yi as we passed through the parting crowd.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details, but…”

“Just tell me what you do know.”

She bit her lip.

“I think he’s been really troubled lately.”

“Troubled?”

“You know the situation. The guild is growing rapidly, and talented, younger recruits are joining…”

“Enough. I get it.”

Jeok-jung was one of the founding members of Peace Guild, but he was also the only D-rank hunter among us.

As Peace Guild started gaining media attention, rumors about him began to circulate.

People called him the guild’s only weak link, telling him to stop mooching and just leave.

Jeok-jung would laugh it off, even as we got angry reading the hate comments.

But…

**”Sigh…”**

My chest felt tight. I had vowed to take care of my people, yet I hadn’t paid enough attention to someone so close.

“So? What happened after the raid yesterday?”

“He drank alone, got into a scuffle…”

“And?”

“I heard he fought while drunk… He’s badly hurt.”

My heart sank.

To strangers, he might be just another low-rank hunter, but Jeok-jung had 20 years of experience as a D-rank hunter. It would take more than ten strong men to take him down.

**”So it was other hunters.”**

Song-yi nodded slightly.

“How badly is he hurt? Is it serious?”

“They finished treating him, but…”

She hesitated before leading me to a stop. The sign above her head read [Special Treatment Ward].

This was where non-medical practitioners, often called healers, treated patients. It meant his injuries were severe.

“It’s better if you see for yourself.”

With a sigh, Song-yi pushed open the door to the hospital room.

The sharp smell of antiseptics hit me as I spotted three people hovering around a bed.

Team Leader Choi, Butler Kim, and a middle-aged woman who I assumed was Jeok-jung’s wife.

My heart pounded as I approached the bed.

“…Ahjussi?”

The only response was the faint sound of breathing.

Jeok-jung lay in the bed, a white sheet covering him, an oxygen mask over his face.

And…

The arm that had always pulled me into a bear hug was gone, severed just below the elbow.

The silence was heavy.

Even after stepping out to the rooftop, I couldn’t find the right words to say.

I just listened quietly as Team Leader Choi and Butler Kim recounted what had happened.

Finally, I spoke.

“Where are those bastards right now?”

Everyone knew who I meant.

Team Leader Choi opened his mouth, then closed it without a word.

No way…

“You didn’t catch them?”

“All three fled the scene.”

“What about the CCTV? They drank at a bar, so their faces should have been caught on camera.”

“The authorities have already checked. The results are in.”

With today’s technology, CCTV cameras are as clear as high-definition cameras. If their faces were captured, it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.

With so few hunters and awakened beings, tracking them down should be easy.

“Then we can get them soon…”

“They’re unidentified.”

“What?”

Did I just hear that wrong? I stared at Team Leader Choi in disbelief, and he sighed as he continued.

“They’re unidentified. They don’t exist in any registry of awakened or hunters in the country.”

“…Could they be Joseonjok (Korean-Chinese)? Or Chinese or Japanese nationals?”

“No. According to witnesses, the perpetrators were definitely Korean. They started the fight.”

“Then what the hell…”

Butler Kim, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, suddenly spoke up.

“They might be **Black Hunters**.”

Black Hunters?

Even the term itself sounded filthy. Butler Kim spoke in a low voice.

“Not all awakened individuals are registered with the authorities or the association.”

At first, I didn’t understand where he was going with this. I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

“Isn’t that just what we call unregistered awakened?”

In modern society, awakened individuals are both a powerful shield against gates and a double-edged sword that must be handled carefully. Even the lowest-ranked hunter possesses strength far beyond the average human.

That’s why awakened individuals are always strictly monitored.

Even if they don’t want to become hunters, their names are still added to the registry of the awakened.

They only get removed after they die.

The term “unregistered” refers to awakened individuals who fail to register with the association within the designated period.

Or, as they’re sometimes called…

**‘Madmen.’**

There’s a reason unregistered awakened are treated like lunatics.

If they don’t voluntarily report their awakening within a month, they’re not treated as awakened—they’re treated as criminals.

No parole, no exceptions—they’re thrown into an awakened prison, and when they get out, they receive a complimentary ankle monitor.

No one in their right mind would gamble with their life like that.

“Are there really still crazy people like that around?”

“They’ve always existed, and they still do. Otherwise, why do you think crimes continue to happen?”

“So, you’re saying the guys who attacked Jeok-jung were unregistered. Then how do we find them…?”

Butler Kim gently interrupted.

“They’re **Black Hunters**.”

“Yeah, unregistered.”

“They’re different.”

Butler Kim stroked his well-groomed beard and continued.

“Hunter Jin Taekyung, what do you think is the biggest difference between an awakened individual and a hunter?”

It was an unexpected question. I felt like we were going in circles. If anyone else had asked, I might have snapped at them.

Suppressing my frustration, I answered.

“Training. Just because you have a gun doesn’t make you a hunter.”

“The same goes for unregistered individuals and Black Hunters.”

“So, what you’re saying is…”

Butler Kim nodded.

“That’s right. They’re unregistered individuals who have undergone systematic training, just like hunters. That’s what a Black Hunter is.”

For a moment, I was stunned. It was such a simple concept, yet I had never considered it.

And for good reason.

“How is that even possible?”

Unregistered individuals are serious criminals. Where would they get weapons, and who would train them?

“Are these Black Hunters raised by crime organizations or something?”

“Crime organizations… You’re half right, half wrong.”

“Then what?”

Team Leader Choi suddenly interjected with a short answer.

“Guilds.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Where people gather, money follows. When money accumulates, conflict is inevitable. Do you think today’s guilds exist purely to protect the world from the monsters in gates?”

I couldn’t answer.

Even I didn’t become a hunter to protect the world.

The Great Upheaval is already in the past. When people talk about hunters now, they don’t think of noble duty or self-sacrifice.

They envy their wealth and fame, and those who grow up seeing that become hunters.

And those hunters form guilds.

“Do you know the rankings of the top ten companies in the country? On the surface, they’re all private enterprises, but in reality, they’re little more than puppets of massive guilds. It’s not much different overseas.”

Team Leader Choi let out a cold laugh.

I finally managed to speak, still reeling from the shock.

“Is that… all true?”

“You once asked me why I left Ares Guild.”

Team Leader Choi didn’t elaborate, but his meaning was clear.

**They’re all in the same cesspool.**

To them, Black Hunters are like hidden daggers up their sleeves. No one knows they exist.

Or maybe they do, but they choose to turn a blind eye.

Even as my mind reeled, one unresolved question lingered.

“Okay, let’s say that’s true.”

I took a deep breath, forcing my thoughts to clear.

“But why? Why would those Black Hunters target Jeok-jung? Are they trying to pressure us, a small guild…?”

“Taekyung.”

Team Leader Choi interrupted me, licking his dry lips.

His gaze was peculiar. It was like he was looking at a naïve rookie.

I felt like I was back on my first day as a hunter.

“You’re too innocent.”

Before I could respond, he continued.

“This world is full of monsters. They can erase a person or a guild with ease. Let go of your naïve beliefs.”

His cold words struck me to the core.

—

***

Footnotes:

[1] Sibal-ja (Unstoppable guy): A nickname derived from a Korean slang term for someone who is relentless and unyielding.

Murim Login — Chapter 5

Murim Login Chapter 5 — Chapter 274

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