By Zephyria 
The guild headquarters, revealed in the center of the warning light that blurred and smeared according to the host’s perception, possessed a distinct sense of volume that captured the eye at a glance. It was as if a 3D sticker had been placed on a thin piece of paper.
“Doesn’t it seem like the outer core is in there?”
“Hmm.”
If they discovered the core, it would take longer for the party—specifically Kim Si-baek—to return. Tae-un seemed quite displeased. The measuring device was also pointing toward the building.
The situation was already suspicious, as the host was suspected to be someone with a grudge, and now the outer core existed inside the headquarters. The swelling hypothesis regarding the related person left Seo Gae-un feeling a bit unsettled.
“Let’s go in for now. Lead the way.”
Cracking her neck from side to side, Seo Gae-un loosened her grip on the battle axe and shield and climbed the stairs first. She pushed open the manifested revolving door and stepped inside cautiously. There were no magical beasts inside the building.
If Pi Min-hyeong had been here, he would have whistled at the sight, but the two of them simply scanned their surroundings in silence.
“It looks just like reality up to this point.”
The sight of the first floor and lobby, equipped with rest facilities such as a cafe and movie room, was nearly identical to the real thing. Even the interior details, like the wall paneling and potted plants, were accurate.
“Is it really a related person?”
“I wonder…”
Tae-un rubbed his chin and lightly tapped the floor with his shoe. There was a slight echoing sound. Unlike the real building, which had marble flooring.
“This area is open to outsiders. Especially the cafe.”
At those words, Seo Gae-un re-examined the exterior of the cafe located inside. Upon closer observation, the cafe did indeed feel slightly wider than in reality. This meant that the cafe was the most strongly perceived part of this location.
The two passed through the entrance and moved further inside. Sure enough, from the security gate that required an employee ID, the scenery changed. It was as if someone without a pass had peeked inside from the lobby and imagined, ‘It probably looks like this.’
Seo Gae-un summarized it in one sentence.
“It has a clean feel, almost like a drama set.”
At the very least, it was revealed that the host was not a guild member or someone with authorized access.
With a slightly lighter heart, she surveyed the surroundings. In the clean, dust-free lounge, an out-of-place wall appeared. Seo Gae-un chuckled and pointed toward it. It was a place where models carved from the bones of S-class magical beasts hunted by the 7777 Guild were displayed.
“I don’t know about other things, but I can tell they’re a follower of our guild’s Instagram.”
“Why.”
“Last week, a photo was posted on Instagram where the positions of the Tiger-Leopard and the Human-Tongued Snake were swapped.”
“To think the host is someone who remembers such minute details.”
“I wonder if they researched you or the guild from the beginning?”
Tae-un’s handsome brow furrowed.
“Then cleaning up after conquering the Id Portal will be a nuisance.”
“Since so many people were swept up in this, it’s obvious what kind of articles the reporters will write.”
Starting from ‘Civilian casualties caused by an Id Portal targeting the Guild Master and raid leaders,’ they would likely invent non-existent incidents and chew them over, claiming they were investigating what happened with the host.
A few malicious lines of text wouldn’t shake Tae-un’s status or bring down the 7777 Guild, but it would certainly be an unnecessary commotion.
‘Besides, if the reporters provoke Tae-un oppa and make him annoyed…’
There had been one reporter who, regardless of the risk to their own life, went as far as stalking to uncover Tae-un’s secrets. Eventually, that reporter got on Tae-un’s nerves, and Tae-un had grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into a quiet room.
The two had stayed in that space for only two minutes. The reporter who crawled out after two minutes with a soul-less expression was said to tremble and have seizures just at the mention of Tae-un or the 7777 Guild.
Seo Gae-un, who still hadn’t been able to ask what on earth had happened, shivered.
‘I wonder if there even exists a person who can make Tae-un oppa behave and control him.’
At that moment, for some reason, the face of ‘someone’ smiling gently flashed before her eyes.
Regardless, to prevent tedious trouble, they had to conquer the Id Portal with minimal damage.
“Since there’s only one basement level, how about we look around the basement first and then search the upper floors as we go up?”
“Is it public knowledge that there’s a training center in the basement of the headquarters?”
“Yes. Even if it’s not public, training centers are usually in the basement.”
“The host probably wouldn’t know the way to the basement.”
“Well… that is true.”
The structure beyond the security gate differed from reality. As they looked for a hallway with stairs or an elevator leading down, Tae-un gestured.
“Step back.”
“…?”
Though puzzled, Seo Gae-un didn’t ask why and pressed herself against the wall. Once she was far enough to be safe, Tae-un lightly clenched his fist. As darkness flowed from his coat and gathered in his fist, he slammed it into the floor.
Boom!
A heavy roar, unbelievable for a body made of flesh and bone, echoed as the floor collapsed in a single strike. Rumble, boom! Crash! Dust billowed up, and the loud sound of shattered debris falling below echoed repeatedly.
Seo Gae-un waved away the dust with her hand and looked down into the gaping hole toward the basement. The typical image of a ‘guild training center’ as depicted in movies or dramas unfolded there. The host’s imagination was limited to mass media experiences.
“I don’t see anything obvious with the naked eye… how about the measuring device?”
“It’s like looking at Pi Min-hyeong.”
“You mean it’s gone haywire?”
The two of them casually spoke words that would have infuriated Pi Min-hyeong if he had heard them, while staring at the measuring device. The needle of the device was spinning frantically in all directions. Since it was a device with only a 30 percent accuracy rate to begin with, they weren’t particularly discouraged.
Then they had no choice but to go up. Fortunately, they found the stairs after walking a short distance down the hallway. The second floor was no different. The interior of a generic guild headquarters, unfolding cleanly like a set. Not a single magical beast in sight. The measuring device was still wavering. The third floor was the same.
“Should we keep going up?”
Without answering, Tae-un stopped at the landing of the stairs leading to the fourth floor. He stomped his foot once, and as expected, it made an echoing sound just like the first floor. He clenched his fist and smashed the floor on the opposite side of where Seo Gae-un was standing.
Rumble! The floor collapsed instantly, revealing the area below. Scanning the inside of the hole, Seo Gae-un clicked her tongue softly. Directly below the third floor, the guild’s basement training center was visible.
“It seems to be repeating infinitely.”
“If that’s the case…”
“Yes, I know where the core is. Come closer and stay by me.”
Since she could guess what Tae-un was about to do, Seo Gae-un tightened her grip on the shield’s handle and stood behind him as if to defend him.
Magical beasts were nowhere to be seen, and the measuring device had been spinning aimlessly since they entered. Then there was the unchanging, repeating interior scenery. No matter how poor a person’s imagination was, there should be differences based on the movement through space.
Thus, the conclusion was not difficult. This building itself was the magical beast—the Portal Keeper of the outer core.
Tae-un reached for the shoulder of his coat. From the point his hand touched, the coat began to melt, the material transforming into darkness with a tangible texture.
The darkness wavered and took form. And when the darkness completely enveloped Tae-un and Seo Gae-un behind him, it suddenly burst outward in all directions, sharp and piercing.
K-k-k-k-shhh!
The blades of darkness surging in all directions pierced through everything—ceilings, walls, floors, and furniture alike. If one were to witness this building from the outside, it would look like a hedgehog with countless thick black thorns protruding in every direction.
The sound of walls breaking, ceilings collapsing, and floors sinking—various roars played a cacophony from all sides.
Finally, a distortion like a scream shook the ceiling, walls, and floor, and the building shuddered violently.
“It’s starting!”
Seo Gae-un raised her shield high. It wasn’t falling from the ceiling; rather, structural beams were launched like bombs. The impact of them hitting the shield made her arms tremble. An attack that would have sent an ordinary hunter flying while coughing up blood was easily withstood by Seo Gae-un. It was a good thing they had come alone without bringing other hunters weaker than them.
As if this attack were the signal, the building openly revealed its malice toward its prey. Clang! Bang! Crash! Every fragment that made up the building lunged at the two, only to be blocked by Seo Gae-un’s shield or shattered by her battle axe.
The floor collapsed in sequence, opening a black mouth like an abyss to swallow its prey, while the ceiling surged upward to block their path.
Boom! Tae-un swung his fist, smashing through a wall that suddenly popped up, and dashed forward. Following behind, Seo Gae-un shouted while blocking the debris.
“Where would the core be? What about the measuring device!”
“Up!”
The needle of the measuring device, which had been wavering, was now pointing upward as the building—no, the magical beast—began to act in earnest.
“If it’s upward, damn it!”
Seo Gae-un leaped over a hole in the floor that suddenly split open before her feet. The stairs and elevators had long since collapsed. Even now, something that looked like an elevator door flew toward them, only to be split in half by Tae-un’s hand.
Furthermore, the top of the building, which soared far higher than the original height of the headquarters, was not even visible to the naked eye. How were they supposed to go up from here?
Tae-un provided the answer.