Daejeon City.
Long tall buildings stretching toward the sky like steel fingers clawing upward.
People moved underneath the buildings like ants.
Thousands of them.
Flowing through streets, across crosswalks, in and out of doorways, all of them small and distant and insignificant from this height.
One of the buildings bore a red phoenix.
Painted across the glass exterior.
Wings spread wide.
Flames trailing behind it.
On the top floor, Gun-woo stood by the window.
Tall.
Lean.
Red hair catching the afternoon light like fire.
Power radiated from his face—confidence that came out like sunlight, warm and blinding and impossible to ignore.
He turned away from the window.
Made a small gesture with his hand.
Casual.
Like he was inviting someone to sit at a dinner table instead of a meeting that could decide the fate of the guild.
The person across from him was Ye-jun.
Shorter.
Broad shoulders that filled the chair he sat in next to Gun-woo's desk.
His expression was calm.
Unreadable.
Waiting.
Gun-woo smiled.
Not wide.
Just enough.
"Thank you for making this long journey here. I'm not going to waste your time. I'm going to go straight to it."
He picked up a brown folder from his desk.
Tossed it across to Ye-jun.
It landed with a soft thud.
"Beyond the orange zones, we have branches of our guild."
Ye-jun opened the folder.
Pictures.
Notes.
Documents.
And creatures.
Giant ant-like xenomorph monsters—black exoskeletons, mandibles wide enough to crush steel, bodies segmented and sharp and wrong.
Gun-woo's smile grew.
Slight.
Almost amused.
"I've already told the others—and by others, I mean other guilds—we sent some of our best to investigate."
A pause.
"They have not returned. Except one. Currently critically injured."
He leaned back against his desk.
Crossed his arms.
"These monsters are no joke. Extremely powerful. Far stronger than what we've seen before."
Ye-jun looked up from the folder.
His eyes narrowed.
"And why are you smiling? If this situation is as dire as you say it is, this should be no time to celebrate."
Gun-woo's smile didn't fade.
If anything, it grew warmer.
"Compose yourself, my friend."
He pushed off the desk.
Walked closer.
"I've also asked for assistance from Seung-hyun himself. South Korea's strongest hunter. The Living Blade."
He gestured broadly with one hand, like he was painting a picture in the air.
"As well as assistance from the USA. Don't you see? This is a new world order right here. And we stand at the precipice."
His voice rose slightly.
Not loud.
But filled with conviction.
"After we win, we'll have high-grade monster cores. The new world currency. South Korea could rise as the new powerhouse. This is hope. This could be a blessing in disguise."
He paused.
Let the words settle.
"As you know, not many parts of the world have been affected by rifts like we have. We've adapted. We've survived. We've learned."
Ye-jun stared at him.
Really looked at him.
At the red hair.
At the smile that never quite faded.
At the hope burning behind his eyes like embers that refused to die.
"You've always been a hopeful person," Ye-jun said quietly. "Trying to fix this broken world."
A pause.
"And I guess the real reason I followed you this far is because of that burning hope of yours."
He leaned back in his chair.
"You truly are like a phoenix. Trying everything to rise from the ashes."
Gun-woo's smile grew lighter.
Wider.
More genuine.
"Thank you for the compliment. But I don't need it."
Ye-jun nodded slowly.
Then:
"I've heard there's a new guild rising in the territory. I don't know the name, but it's making waves. Do your Orange Phoenix have everything under control? I could assist."
He paused.
"The Rising Beasts. The Forgotten Beasts. We'll have eyes anywhere we need."
Gun-woo shook his head.
"No. I don't need your assistance. If this new guild wants to play at recruitment, bringing them into the upcoming battle is more than sufficient. We need every hand we can get right now."
"Okay, Gun-woo."
Gun-woo turned back toward the window.
Looked out at the blue sky stretching endlessly above the city.
The red phoenix painted on the glass reflected faintly in the light.
He smiled.
Not at Ye-jun.
Not at the city.
At the sky itself.
At the future waiting beyond it.
"We'll rise," he said quietly.
Almost to himself.
"No matter how many times we fall."
The sunlight caught his red hair.
Made it glow like fire.
And for a moment, standing there in the light, he looked exactly like what his guild was named for.
A phoenix.
Burning.
Rising.
Refusing to die.