The decision to attack—or rather, to retake Jeju Island—had been quietly in the works for a while.
Though initially pushed hard by Choi Jong-in, the Hunter Association's attitude had been one of going with the flow, half-reluctantly giving their approval.
It wasn't a decision made lightly.
The Hunter Association wasn't a place where the Chairman alone called all the shots, but during Go Gunhee's tenure, he had nearly turned it into exactly that—without, notably, making any major missteps along the way.
That very skill and decisiveness was part of why Choi Jong-in respected Go Gunhee so much.
Just a couple of days after Choi Jong-in had privately sounded out Castorice's stance, Castorice received transfer orders from the Association as she emerged from a dungeon with Han Song-Yi.
Though labeled as "orders," a single line—'not to be refused without significant cause'—somehow drained them of authority, leaving them feeling almost feeble.
It couldn't be helped. While the Hunter Association was nominally above the guilds, acting as Korea's official authority, the reality was they lacked high-level combat power strong enough to deter others.
Their position against the guilds was passive at best.
The Association's top fighter was its Chairman, Go Gunhee, an S‑Rank Hunter.
But his advanced age had greatly diminished his strength; every time he fought, it brought death significantly closer. A trump card like that couldn't be played lightly.
The current balance between the Association and the guilds existed solely because Go Gunhee was still alive. The guilds kept each other in check knowing he was there. Once he was gone, all bets were off.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Association then became a hollow shell, a mere formality.
But that had nothing to do with Castorice.
Looking at the orders in her hand, she didn't hesitate to give her reply.
The next morning, Go Gunhee held a press conference announcing the fourth operation to retake Jeju Island.
He emphasized that Korea would not be acting alone this time, but jointly with hunters from DFN (Japan). The number of S‑Ranks in this operation would reach sixteen.
Truthfully, Go Gunhee wasn't all that keen on launching the Jeju Island recapture right now.
Having just absorbed the Fang Monarch, he felt a pressing urgency to extract more intel from it—to learn about the Monarchs' movements.
But… while their side could wait, DFN couldn't.
For reasons unknown, DFN was unusually invested in this operation, which Korea had originally proposed. Their eagerness seemed less like helping and more like rushing in to assist.
True, after the ants grew wings, DFN had also fallen within their attack range, but… something just felt off.
Go Gunhee wanted to refuse, but he couldn't.
DFN's Draw Sword Guild alone had eleven S‑Ranks, while all of Korea could only muster seven combat-ready S‑Ranks.
The gap was too large. Go Gunhee couldn't delay for long, and even if he did, it might not mean much.
In the end, he decided it was better to cut the knot quickly: resolve the Jeju Island matter first, then figure out how to deal with the Monarchs.
A day after the press conference, Castorice was invited by Go Gunhee to the Hunter Association headquarters.
This was her second time entering Go Gunhee's office.
"Apologies for only now having the chance to brief you on this operation."
Go Gunhee had prepared tea in advance this time. After pouring two cups himself, he placed one before Castorice.
"It's fine," Castorice shook her head.
"To be honest, I hadn't initially planned to invite you to join this mission."
They both understood his meaning. Go Gunhee had kept an eye on Castorice from the start.
While he was willing to trust her, until she laid her cards on the table, he couldn't place her in critical positions based solely on personal trust.
Keeping her within the Association was one thing; Jeju Island was beyond his immediate reach.
But now that a certain level of mutual trust had been established, Go Gunhee saw no need for such caution.
After taking a sip of tea, he continued, "We've already discussed the operation plan with DFN. Simply put, the more numerous DFN hunters will release their magical power to act as bait, drawing the island's ants."
"Meanwhile, Korea's hunters will seize that chance to penetrate deep into the ant nest and eliminate the queen producing them."
Castorice's eyelids flickered slightly. 'Brave and selfless.'
To a suspicious degree.
Her observation echoed the very doubt nagging at Go Gunhee.
While he hadn't paid it much mind at first, DFN's vehement insistence when he suggested delaying the Jeju operation had forced him to grow wary.
"Magic Beasts are humanity's greatest enemy, but Hunter Castorice, you might not know this: the number of people killed by Magic Beasts each day, each year, is less than one percent of those killed by other humans."
A complex light gleamed in Go Gunhee's eyes.
So, calling her here wasn't just about increased trust. He wanted a babysitter, didn't he?
Castorice mused inwardly, but her expression remained resolute. "Sir, rest assured. I will not allow the shadow of death to fall upon our comrades on the battlefield."
But the definition of 'comrade' was ultimately hers to interpret.
Go Gunhee understood that perfectly, and it was enough. From what he knew of Castorice, he was confident she was a person of kind character and common morals.
Anyone she excluded from her definition of comrade probably wasn't worth his concern if they died anyway.
With the serious matters concluded, there wasn't much left to discuss. Go Gunhee simply invited Castorice to join him in observing the training grounds.
The S‑Rank hunters were currently conducting pre‑mission training there.
Though Castorice had been active as a hunter for a while, she had only really met and knew two S‑Ranks: Cha Hae‑in and Choi Jong‑in. Largely thanks to the latter's efforts.
Lately, Choi Jong‑in had been like an octopus, spending most of his time fending others off from Castorice.
His underlying motive, of course, was hoping Cha Hae‑in could recruit her.
But now they were gearing up for a joint operation. Even Choi Jong‑in couldn't very well prevent her from meeting the other S‑Ranks under these circumstances.
Castorice wasn't overly interested in meeting other hunters, but hearing Cha Hae‑in was also there, she didn't refuse. Besides, she had a gift she'd been meaning to give Cha Hae‑in these past couple of days.
With the Chairman's private elevator, they quickly reached the training floor. Castorice had been here once before for a power test, so the place wasn't unfamiliar.
The thrum of magical power vibrated constantly in the air.
Upon entering the S‑Ranks' training room, Castorice and Go Gunhee saw a burly man with wild hair and beast‑like eyes locked in a grapple with another man sporting an afro and wearing a karate gi.
"That's Baek Yoon‑ho, Guild Master of the White Tiger Guild, and Ma Dongwook, Guild Master of the Fame Guild."
Though he assumed Castorice would recognize these famous faces, Go Gunhee provided the introductions anyway.
Choi Jong‑in, who had been watching the sparring early on, greeted them upon their arrival. Just as he started to walk over, the sound of the main door opening echoed from below.
Observing the neat formation—one person leading, nine following in orderly ranks—Go Gunhee stated, "They are the hunters from DFN's support contingent, affiliated with the Draw Sword Guild."
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.