Chapter 161

“Please calm down; there are many eyes watching.”

“Listen… you seem to be under the illusion that just because this woman is beside you, you’re in a position to dare speak with me?”

As he spoke, Juseok amplified the aura he had been subtly emitting, beginning to pressure Taewoon with a violent surge of Magical Power. A faint vibration rippled through the surroundings, and everyone’s attention focused on the two men.

However.

“With all due respect, I believe we did not gather here to cause such useless friction. If you have something to say, let us set a separate time for it later.”

“…….”

“Furthermore, as a key witness to the incident, I have personally faced Kalliedu, the Fifth Finger of the Gwangseong Church. Is there any reason why someone like me should not be present here?”

Since Taewoon’s words were logically sound, Juseok had no choice but to return to his seat in silence, leaving behind only a gaze filled with displeasure.

A Hunter known to be Level 4 did not yield to Juseok’s pressure, calmly brushing off that violent Aura.

Intrigued by the situation, people’s attention began to shift even more toward Taewoon.

“You didn’t really need to create a situation like this on purpose…”

“What does it matter? Thanks to that, I’ve definitely made an impression. Just think of it as experiencing the friction that was bound to happen anyway.”

As Hongyeon replied nonchalantly and shifted her gaze toward the podium in front, the doors finally opened, and a group of people who appeared to be dignitaries from various fields began to enter the hall.

The bald man standing at the very front bowed his head politely and spoke.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Shin Mincheol of the Association. Since you are all aware of the current situation, I will skip the formalities and get straight to the point.”

Shin Mincheol was known to be a Level 5-rank Hunter belonging to the Association, primarily responsible for managing high-ranking Hunters.

Perhaps because everyone recognized his face, they began to listen to Shin Mincheol’s words without any particular objection.

“To be more precise, three days from now, on Monday, Paragon and Sharliaete, Hunters belonging to the Gwangseong Church, are scheduled to enter South Korea through Incheon International Airport.”

“Hmph, so in the end, we’re still walking on eggshells and groveling to them? I can’t stand to watch this.”

“That is not incorrect. Currently, the government and the Association are pouring all their efforts into monitoring the movements of Saint Kyurihi and the interior of the Gwangseong Church. I believe you all know their danger even better than I do.”

Mincheol, who coolly acknowledged the man’s sarcasm, spoke again, and finally, the core information began to flow.

“However, it wasn’t entirely without gain. While their exact purpose is unknown, it is said that Paragon will be supervising the construction of the Gwangseong Church’s Central Holy Sanctuary in Seoul, and Sharliaete will be traveling across the country to carry out a different mission.”

“The Central Holy Sanctuary? You mean that grotesque building drenched in an absurd amount of gold?”

“Yes. It is impossible to determine at this moment, but it is presumed she has a role there assigned by Kyurihi. In other words, that will be one of the key locations you must keep a close eye on.”

Ultimately, this gathering was created for South Korea’s high-ranking Hunters to efficiently keep the two Fingers of the Gwangseong Church in check.

Now that the conversation had turned to matters concerning them, the Hunters in the hall began to listen with even greater focus, and Mincheol continued speaking rapidly.

“Unless Paragon begins separate actions, I would like to ask the Hunters of the Bichang, Gun-ung, and Taegeuk Guilds to handle the surveillance of the Central Holy Sanctuary.”

“Since we have bases nearby, it can’t be helped. We’ll accept.”

“However, the crucial point is the movement of the other Finger I mentioned, Sharliaete.”

Indeed, based on the description alone, she seemed more suspicious than Paragon.

The Central Holy Sanctuary under construction in Seoul was already drawing immense public attention due to its size and symbolism. Taewoon felt that if they intended to carry out something more secretive, they would focus on movements elsewhere rather than there.

‘Are they planning to use Paragon as a conspicuous decoy while plotting something through Sharliaete?’

This thought wasn’t unique to Taewoon; most of the Hunters present nodded and began adding their own opinions.

“Certainly, that Paragon… isn’t suited for secretive work. It seems more reasonable to concentrate manpower on Sharliaete.”

“But doesn’t that mean we can’t deduce her destination? If a Hunter of her caliber decides to act covertly, tracking her movements alone will be an immense struggle…”

The red-haired woman’s point was valid, and Mincheol nodded, explaining the Association’s direction of response.

“Yes. There will be limits to individuals tracking her movements on their own. Therefore, we plan to assign specific sectors to the Hunters gathered here and focus all efforts on surveillance within those sectors under the strategic Support of the Association.”

“I see… instead of wasting effort in vain, they intend to pressure them to minimize their range of movement?”

“Exactly. Unlike some other countries with vast territories, there are definitely limits to escaping the field of surveillance here.”

Given the appropriateness of the judgment, the Hunters were generally positive about the Association’s plan, and they soon spent their time coordinating assigned sectors and establishing detailed policies.

And then, all eyes in the room converged on a single point for a question that could be considered the most important in the current situation.

“If an irreconcilable problem arises regarding them later, what is the Association’s established course of action?”

“…….”

In simple terms, it was a question of how much friction would be permitted with the Gwangseong Church forces already rooted in the country.

Mincheol, who had fallen silent, gave a small nod and notified them of the Association’s final decision.

“As you all know, the situation is not very favorable. Therefore, we encourage a peaceful resolution as much as possible… however, should a situation arise where there is no room for compromise, the government and the Association have decided to provide you with full Support.”

“What? Surely that doesn’t mean…”

“Yes. Both the government and the Association observe that peace between South Korea and the Gwangseong Church can no longer exist. Therefore, should the situation reach a breaking point, we have decided on a position to thoroughly ‘exclude’ the Gwangseong Church from this land of South Korea.”

At this declaration, which was practically a declaration of war, the gathered Hunters suddenly fell silent and began exchanging glances.

Finally, the moment had come.

Feeling it in their skin, the Hunters began to scatter refined Magical Power in all directions, their expressions reflecting their respective resolutions and thoughts.

“Ha, now that’s a phrase I like. Does this mean we can finally teach those arrogant bastards a lesson?”

“…I say this out of caution, but we still need time. Please remember that the previous statement was made with the worst-case scenario in mind.”

“Hmph! That’s enough for me. It looks like there’s a lot to prepare, so I’ll be heading back now.”

Leaving behind a voice that boomed loud enough to shake the entire hall, a giant of a man stood up and vanished in an instant, and the remaining personnel also left the conference room one by one after chatting.

With only a few people left, Taewoon let out a hollow laugh as if surprised and spoke to Hongyeon.

“I didn’t expect the Association, which has been so passive, to take such an aggressive stance.”

“…They must have been in a pretty frustrating position too. It just means the situation is that bad.”

Certainly, regardless of personal preference, it was not easy to view such a situation positively.

The Association was already preparing for the worst.

And judging by the atmosphere… it seemed they believed that the worst-case scenario would not be a distant event.

‘Did they capture some core movement within the Gwangseong Church other than the facts made public?’

Considering the recent moves of the government and the Association, it was only natural to have such suspicions.

And Taewoon, too, now had to seriously prepare for the fight against them.

“The Haerang Guild’s assigned sector is the Mokpo area. Will you be going down there personally this time?”

“Of course. One must do the work they’re paid for, right? I’ll take a few Level 4s, but I can’t let the kids do such dangerous work, so I’ll have to move more busily.”

In fact, since exchange between Guilds was active, the metropolitan area and major cities—where internal surveillance could be carried out—were not a great concern.

Rather, the dangerous places were provincial cities or sparsely populated villages.

Even if a problem was detected in time, there was a great fear that the response or support would be delayed.

“Since I have many entangled affairs with the Gwangseong Church… I will go along as well.”

“I don’t know. Personally, I think it would be better to focus on growth rather than pouring strength into something uncertain. Wouldn’t it be enough to just call you when needed?”

“It’s not as if I’m affected by the location, and can’t I do my training there as well?”

“That’s true. Well, fine. I welcome any increase in combat power.”

With the move to the Mokpo sector confirmed, Taewoon returned home and contacted Yerin and Seoyoon to convey the current situation and ask for their opinions.

The Association had naturally requested secrecy, but he didn’t think it would be very meaningful, and given Taewoon’s situation, moving alone would be highly inefficient.

And the opinions of the two women were very simple.

“If they are people we’re bound to clash with anyway… there’s no point in staying quiet.”

“I agree. I’ve even been targeted once, so you never know what might happen.”

Thus, Taewoon’s group also decided to lend their strength to the matter of the Gwangseong Church during the time they did not enter the Theater.

As countless hours passed, finally, the prelude to a massive war that might remain in the history of this land of South Korea was about to begin.