###
The public began to criticize the top 10 guilds.
Except for Palan.
For some reason, no one in Palan encountered dungeon anomalies.
And the public clung to this point.
<The average number of dungeon anomaly encounters for the top 10 guilds is about three times a week…>
<Palan was unaffected. A result of superior preparation.>
<The complacency of the top 10 guilds is killing Awakened.>
Seonghwa, in particular, bore the brunt of the criticism.
Under a barrage of media attacks, Seonghwa’s members could do nothing but remain silent.
Who was paying the media?
Those in the know, knew.
But the masses are easily swayed, especially in times of fear.
<Seonghwa fails another dungeon attack. Small elite team annihilated.>
It wasn’t a small elite team but a training exercise for new recruits.
And it wasn’t a small team, either—eight members, double the usual size.
<Civilian casualties due to Seonghwa’s dungeon collapse: around 100? Estimated to be even higher…>
The actual number was 61.
Rounded up to create the sensationalized headline of “around 100”.
<Failure in an easy F-rank dungeon? A tragic disaster caused by the guild’s lack of capability…>
The F-rank dungeon had escalated to a C-rank anomaly.
It was an unfortunate natural disaster.
But civilians didn’t understand the nuances.
└F**k, Seonghwa again? This is the third time.
└ Why are they like this in a time when we need to be extra cautious?
└ A guild that fails even F-rank dungeons is ranked third? What a joke!
└ Didn’t you know? Our country’s always been about Perfect Clear.
└ Seonghwa’s been shady for ages. They probably bribed the ranking bureau to get third place.
└ Ban Seonghwa from dungeon attacks! Stop the murder machines!
An Seong-min, who had been crushed by Kang Hyun, was lying in a hospital bed reading these comments.
Frustrated, he grabbed his drink bottle and hurled it.
“Argh! Damn it!”
Crash!
The noise brought a nurse into the room.
Normally, she would have scolded him for causing a commotion.
But this time, she silently cleaned up the broken glass.
She understood An Seong-min’s frustration.
Her face, also belonging to a member of Seonghwa, was pale with despair.
“Please don’t do this. You’re not the only one who’s upset.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Just focus on resting. You need to recover quickly.”
The bad news made it even harder to stay calm.
This morning, he heard Mar had been hit with a raw egg on her way to work.
Mar, an agility-type Awakened, could have dodged it easily.
But the shock left her frozen for a moment.
It was understandable.
Who would expect a raw egg to come flying out of nowhere?
‘Why would anyone throw eggs at an Awakened, a victim like us, not even a guild executive?’
It was incomprehensible.
Perhaps it was the relative of a dungeon collapse victim.
Extreme sadness, fear, and anger often sought an outlet.
In such states, people were easily swayed by agitation.
But Seonghwa members were victims, too.
‘Damn it…’
Just then, commotion broke out outside the room.
“What kind of crap is this!”
“Please, calm down, senior!”
Hearing this, the nurse sighed and left the room.
What now?
Did they read the comments?
Or had someone else been egged?
Life was tough for anyone in Korea these days, especially for Seonghwa.
And then, a new headline emerged.
<Betrayer Guild Colluding with Demons: Exposing Palan.>
###
Mar sat in a café, resting her chin on the table, tapping her foot.
“…This is so annoying.”
Mar seemed incredibly frustrated.
From what she’d heard, this wasn’t the first time Palan had pulled such stunts.
“Argh! So annoying! I’m gonna eat sweets and get fat!”
“But harpies never seem to gain weight, no matter what.”
It was a trait of half-human, half-bird hybrids.
Their movements were as light and nimble as a bird’s.
With one-quarter harpy blood, Mar’s waist was slender, like that of a model.
“You know, you’re totally T—I mean immature.”
“Tiramisu? What? Cake?”
“I’m saying, show some empathy!”
Kids these days spoke in some alien language.
‘She does look like she’s having a hard time, though.’
Even though she spoke cheerfully, her eyes glistened.
She had seen the bodies of her guild members multiple times recently.
That was why she couldn’t tear herself away from the hateful comments directed at her guild online.
It wasn’t just the living members being criticized.
The guild members who had died were treated far worse.
Their deaths were blamed for dungeon collapses, with insults being hurled at the deceased.
The members of Seonghwa were on the verge of losing their minds.
Mar was no exception.
Even now, she was scrolling through her phone frantically.
“Look at this! The way they’re twisting the narrative!”
“It does feel off.”
“Right? It’s blatantly suspicious!”
Claims that dungeon anomalies were caused by negligence?
It was an absurd narrative.
“Ugh, these scheming bastards! Their intentions are so obvious!”
Mar’s voice quivered with anger.
The manipulation of public opinion was clear.
It was evident who stood to gain and who would suffer.
However, something else felt even stranger than the public sentiment.
‘Dungeon anomalies. Palan colluding with demons. Coincidence?’
At this point, it was clear the anomalies were the work of a legion commander.
In every anomalous dungeon they investigated, traces of the commander’s energy were found.
And yet, Palan was unaffected?
The same guild where Oh Hyuk-jun, the demon-affiliated executive, belonged?
‘It’s shady.’
She needed to investigate.
Just then, her phone rang.
“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”
She stepped away and answered.
“Yes, Chief Choi.”
<Did you see the article?>
“Another dungeon collapse?”
<I’m sending you the link now.>
She checked immediately.
It was a hot-off-the-press article.
“Palan responsible for dungeon anomalies through collusion with demons? Did you write this? Did you already expose their shady dealings?”
<No, this is an insider leak from within Palan.>
“That’s good news.”
<But strangely, it’s not gaining traction.>
This wasn’t a minor issue.
Everyone was suffering because of dungeon anomalies.
This kind of revelation should have turned the country upside down.
“Wait, the article just got deleted.”
<It’s being buried quickly.>
She had skimmed the article before it disappeared.
It was an anonymous whistleblower’s claim, but there was no solid evidence.
That made it easier to suppress.
“Is this Palan’s doing? Wow, their media control skills are impressive.”
All major guilds had some influence like this.
But Seonghwa? They just kept taking the hits.
And Seonghwa was ranked higher, too.
<Palan’s guild master is an exceptionally skilled individual.>
“Oh, that S-rank?”
<And this is just my opinion, but… it seems certain figures in the National Assembly are involved in this situation.>
“Tsk.”
<Palan must have made significant deals with the demons. Convincing a few politicians wouldn’t have been hard for them.>
Even after a hundred years, those at the top never seemed to change.
<Dirty traitors…>
Choi’s anger was palpable, even over the phone.
No, this wasn’t just treachery.
They had effectively sold out humanity.
“Send me a list of those involved.”
<…Looks like we’ll have an A-rank villain in action soon.>
“You seem oddly excited.”
<Hahaha!>
Choi was something of an extremist himself.
<Anyway, back to the main point.>
“You want to expose the evidence now?”
<I’m ready.>
“Do it.”
The whistleblower’s claims had been buried because there was no evidence.
But what if there was evidence?
The ledger obtained from the contractor contained detailed records of transactions between Palan and the demons.
It even included Oh Hyuk-jun’s full name.
It would be game over once the evidence was made public.
“I’ll be waiting.”
<Leave it to me.>
Kang Hyun hung up and returned to the café.
However, Aden and Mar’s expressions as they looked at their phones were anything but normal.
“M-Master! Check the guild chat right now! Hurry!”
“Huh? Oh… The article got deleted!”
It seemed they had just read the same whistleblower article.
Screenshots and links were now circulating in the guild’s group chat.
Across the café, a guild member abruptly stood up.
“Those… Those worthless scumbags!”
He stormed out of the building.
“Hey! He’s going to cause trouble! Stop him!”
“Let go! I’ll kill those bastards myself!”
“You idiot, that’s a crime!”
“The real criminals are those Palan scum!”
Chaos erupted throughout the building.
It felt like something catastrophic could happen at any moment.
Kang Hyun lowered his mask and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem. Testing, testing.”
He expanded the resonance of his voice, letting it carry throughout the building.
“【Silence】. 【Forget】.”
The sound of his voice rippled through the building.
Instantly, the commotion ceased.
Even Mar, who had been trembling with anger, looked momentarily dazed.
The Words of Power silenced the fury, halting the madness, and erased the memory of those few heated moments.
“Cough, Cough! Ugh, my throat hurts.”
His mana was completely drained.
He’d pushed himself too hard.
Looks like he wouldn’t be heading into a dungeon today.
It was only possible to use this spell because all the B-rank and above guild members were away.
Except for Aden.
“W-What did you just do, Master?”
“Your mana tank is impressive.”
“W-What? Is this harassment? No, wait, that was so cool—what did you just do!?”
“Shut up.”
Fortunately, no one else was trying to charge at Palan anymore.
Mar calmed down but was still visibly upset.
“Those jerks, those horrible jerks… Our guild members keep getting hurt!”
“Hang in there. No one else will get hurt from now on.”
Though it would take some time for the truth about Palan to come to light and for the situation to be resolved, Seonghwa would remain safe in the meantime.
“Huh? What do you mean, Master?”
Kang Hyun had already passed the evidence list to Yoo Chae-young.
Was it taking time to act on it?
Right on cue, his phone rang.
It was Yoo Chae-young.
“Yeah, what?”
<What do you mean, ‘what’? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?!>
He checked his phone.
Missed calls from yesterday.
Several unread messages, too.
“I don’t check my phone much. If it’s urgent, keep calling.”
<I didn’t want to bother you. It was after working hours.>
“You don’t have to be that cautious. Just reach out when you need to.”
<Thank you for saying that.>
Kang Hyun wasn’t one to stand on formality, especially with someone he regularly worked with.
<But more importantly, what’s this? A list of dungeon anomalies?!>
“It’s a rough overview of which dungeons have issues. I sent it over since the damage has been bad lately. Use it to keep your guild members safe.”
<You always say such extraordinary things so casually.>
Still, Yoo Chae-young was moved by his consideration for the guild members.
<Thank you so much… I’ve been so worried lately.>
“Yeah. Anyway… Hmm?”
Mar tugged on his sleeve, her face a mix of shock and curiosity.
“U-Uh, wait, what? You’re investigating dungeon anomalies? Is that Chae-young’s voice? What’s going on? Huh?!”
“I told you. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Sister! Are you listening? Tell me too!”
“What’s wrong with you? Let me finish this call.”
“Sister! Is it true? Are the dungeon anomalies resolved? Does this mean no one will die anymore? Sister!”
