A loud clap resounded along the interior of a large bus.
"All right, the bus will arrive in ten minutes. Please wake up anyone sleeping next to you," Kim Ki-Rok announced.
Those who passed the time by fiddling with their smartphones or eating snacks they bought at the rest stop turned to wake up their sleeping colleagues. They had taken part in a Gate defense battle that began at midnight. In effect, they had pulled an all-nighter fighting a fierce battle, so most of them were slumped over, drooling in their sleep.
They opened their eyes, but their minds still seemed foggy. Seeing them yawn groggily, Kim Ki-Rok called out, "All right, everyone. What day is it today?"
"December 24th..." replied Yoo Seh-Eun, who was sitting beside Lee Ji-Ah.
"Yes, that's right. It's December 24th. And it's not even noon yet. Right now, it's 11:38 a.m."
No one could guess what this Crazy Bastard Guildmaster was trying to say.
"And so, once we get off the bus, you're done for the day. Everyone goes home."
"However, there's one extremely important bit of information first."
The guild members eyed Kim Ki-Rok intently, curiosity and tension mingling in their gazes.
After a moment, Kim Ki-Rok rephrased himself a bit more carefully, "Actually, it's less 'information' and more of a suggestion—a proposal, really. There's no pressure. It's purely voluntary."
"A proposal?" asked one of the members.
"Yes, exactly that. All right, once we make that right turn, we'll be at the guild... and yes, I can see the building now. Everyone, get ready to disembark."
Getting off work early was every worker's dream. Their fatigue was piled so high that a short nap on the bus could hardly scratch the surface. In truth, they had begun combat preparations yesterday evening. If you considered the elapsed time, they should have clocked out long ago. Still, no one felt upset about it.
The guild members retrieved their belongings from the overhead racks and prepared to get off.
The bus's doors slid open, and everyone poured out in a wave. Kim Ki-Rok held his place until everyone had gotten off and finally bowed his head toward the bus driver. "Thanks for your hard work."
"Oh, no problem," the driver replied.
"Though, haven't I been seeing you quite often lately?" Kim Ki-Rok remarked.
Choi Tae-Soo was a bus driver who worked under the DG Guild, having driven the members to various contaminated Gates during their raids. "The night shift pays well."
Kim Ki-Rok gave a thumbs-up. "Aha."
Choi Tae-Soo laughed and returned the gesture. After a brief farewell, Kim Ki-Rok was about to step off but paused, turning to face the driver again. "Driver Choi Tae-Soo. Are you in a hurry?"
In a hurry? At first, the driver didn't quite understand, but recalling what he said about night-pay, he shook his head. "No, not exactly. It's just a good way to save up while I can."
"Got it. But if you ever do find yourself in a pinch, don't hesitate to knock on the Guildmaster's office."
"Huh? I can go up there?"
"Of course. You're part of our guild."
"Heh... haha. All right. If I ever run into trouble, I'll come see you."
Choi Tae-Soo felt a subtle warmth at that. He had heard the Guildmaster was on the younger side, but he was unexpectedly thoughtful.
Kim Ki-Rok stepped off the bus and glanced around at the members waiting for him before leading the way into the guild building. "Since everyone must be eager to get off work, let's make this quick. First, let's move to the conference room."
Stepping through the guild building's doors, they were greeted by the reception staff. "Welcome back. Great work out there."
One person was quicker than Kim Ki-Rok to approach the reception.
Already leaning halfway across the counter, Nam Dong-Wook said, "Miss Yoo Min and Miss Ji-Na, I'm back."
"The Ice Trolls sure put up a tough fight." Nam Dong-Wook boasted.
"Good work," the two front desk employees replied dryly.
"Our Guildmaster recorded the Gate defense, so a video should be posted in a few days."
"I see," said one of them.
"On another note, Miss Ji-Na and Miss Yoo Min, do you have plans this evening?" Nam Dong-Wook asked.
"We do." The two women responded firmly.
Nam Dong-Wook's legs wobbled, and he clung to the counter with both arms, voice trembling. "Th-then... tomorrow?"
"We also have plans then."
Nam Dong-Wook stood speechless at the front desk. Desperate to salvage the conversation, he asked, "Have you seen that action movie expected to be the biggest hit of the second half of this year?"
The Hollywood movie being discussed was scheduled for worldwide release on December 25.
Nam Dong-Wook was crushed. The moment he collapsed in despair, Lee Ji-Yeon and the Mapogu Team hoisted him away. Finally, Kim Ki-Rok stepped in. "Phew, you've had a rough time."
"It's the Guildmaster who's had it rough. Hohoho." Yoo Min and Chae Ji-Na comfortably received his comment.
"Whaaa! The difference in how they treat him and me is like night and day," Nam Dong-Wook lamented.
Kim Ki-Rok ignored Nam Dong-Wook and asked for a situation report. "By any chance, did we have any visitors while I was away?"
"Ah, yes. Someone from the UK Group came to see you, Guildmaster."
The corners of Kim Ki-Rok's mouth rose. "Oh? And who was this visitor?"
"They identified themselves as the Honorary Chairman's secretary."
"I see. Okay. I will contact them myself. Anyone else that came by?"
Chae Ji-Na flipped through the visitor's log and responded, "We received a call from the Association. They asked to be contacted as soon as you arrive."
"I see. Since they asked to be contacted, please do so immediately. Anything else?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, glancing between Yoo Min and Chae Ji-Na.
"That is everything."
"Understood. Please notify the staff that we finish work at 2 p.m. today. Everyone is permitted to leave after their morning shifts today," Kim Ki-Rok said.
When the announcement was posted, the entire building rang with cheers loud enough to shake the rafters. Meanwhile, Kim Ki-Rok led the expedition team upstairs to the large conference room on the fifth floor.
"Everyone, please take a seat. You must be tired, so we'll wrap this up quickly."
At Kim Ki-Rok's words, the Guild members reluctantly opened their eyes and put their smartphones in their pockets.
"On December 26th, at 4 a.m., Awakened criminals will launch an assault on the DG Guild," Kim Ki-Rok said.
Some faces in the audience went pale.
"They plotted to strike the Hunter Department Store on the twenty-fourth, but the Association got wind of it early and thwarted the plan, capturing or killing a number of them. The key figure who foiled that plan was DG Guild. That's why the criminals want revenge. They'll be coming for us at 4 a.m. on December 26th."
The members were at a loss for words.
"I'm not forcing you to fight. You can join in or sit out, entirely up to you. On my authority as Guildmaster, there'll be no consequences for those who opt out. Would those who choose not to participate please stand up now?"
A handful stood, most of them crafters and noncombat specialists. Everyone understood why.
Among the combat Hunters, not a single person got up.
"Hmm... Awakened criminals are still human. Killing them means taking human lives. If you hesitate or slip up, you or a comrade by your side might die. There will be no penalty for abstaining, so final call."
After a brief pause, Kim Ki-Rok looked around at the combat Hunters seated in the conference room and asked, "Participation—no, no." Slightly lowering his head, he continued with an unusually serious expression. "Those who are not yet mentally prepared to kill a human, please stand up."
Still, no one rose. As soon as they awakened and started working as Hunters, they had accepted that a day might come. They had already done nighttime patrols and taken out criminals for practice.
Now that the place they called home faced an onslaught, no one was willing to back down. They were prepared to fight for their fellow guild members, who were more family than friends at this point.
Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Understood. Let's see, it's 12 o'clock right now, so you can spend the next thirty-four hours doing whatever you want."
Dong Sung-Min raised his hand. "Uh... So, we should return to the Guild at 10 p.m. on the twenty-fifth? Wouldn't the Awakened criminals already be watching us?"
Kim Ki-Rok clapped his hands. "Good point. When you return, you can use the secret passage we built underground."
Down in the basement's training area was a door labeled "Real Emergency Exit." Nobody had known why it was built, until now. The guild members eyed Kim Ki-Rok in astonishment.
"You mean... you expected an Awakened criminal raid even before putting up the guild building?"
"No, not 'expected.'"
"I was certain of it."
Their jaws hung open. On the one hand, it sounded outrageous, but everything they had seen from him thus far backed it up. Some of them thought this was what it must have felt like to work with Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms [1].
"Because of my abilities, my information network, and my contacts, I knew a clash with Awakened criminals was inevitable. So I decided we needed a secret passage for evacuation and tactical maneuvering."
With a quick clap to snap them back to reality, Kim Ki-Rok carried on. "All right, I'll gather more details as new intel comes in, and we'll do a proper briefing before the operation. For now, just be aware that an attack is coming."
"Uh..." one of the Hunters mumbled as they were all dumbfounded.
"We only finished the Gate defense a few hours ago. Diving into such heavy talk so soon would be too much."
"But these are criminals we're talking about—"
"There's plenty of time. About forty hours left, give or take."
The Guild members were rather taken aback by his nonchalant behavior.
"Ah, Guildmaster," said Cha Min-Ji, raising her hand.
"Yes, representative high schooler Min-Ji."
"Is the message you received from the Association related to this attack?"
"Oooh!" Kim Ki-Rok exaggeratedly made a show of admiration, putting up two thumbs. "They're enforcing a strict gag order because secrecy is crucial for a counterattack, but yes, the Association is aware of the plan. Or to be precise, I was the one who provided them with the intel and asked for backup."
Having said that, Kim Ki-Rok snapped his fingers. "Thanks to our resident high schooler for bringing this up. I mentioned how you're free until tomorrow at 10 p.m., but for those who haven't made plans—tonight!"
Tonight? Some looked uneasy, suspecting more wild antics.
Kim Ki-Rok made a grand gesture with his arms spread and declared, "Tonight, December 24th, starting at 8 p.m... We're having a party!"
A party, out of nowhere? He had just brought up the criminals' attack. Whether the guild members looked perplexed, rattled, or both, Kim Ki-Rok only beamed proudly.
[We invite you to our Christmas Party, HFS!]
In the center of the invitation were the letters "HFS" written in bold letters.
Summoned by a call from Guildmaster Lee Yeon-Hwa of Shine Guild, Kang Ho paused his training and headed to her office, where he was handed the party invitation. Kang Ho tilted his head as he read. "What does HFS mean?"
"It stands for holiday, fellowship, and salvation," Lee Yeon-Hwa answered.
"Yes. Salvation. There's a note about some 'secret story' as well. Outwardly, they're labeling it rest and relaxation, but it seems like there's more to it."
Kang Ho studied the invitation carefully. "Huh?"
His gaze rested upon the lower right corner, where the organizer's name was printed in small text.
Realizing who it was, Kang Ho immediately grasped the reason for the quirky party name. "So it's Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok who's hosting."
1. One of the brightest masterminds of the Three Kingdoms. ☜