TL: Hayath
Chapter 24: The Inevitable battle (7)
“Hmm? What did you say?”
A high-ceilinged office with a luxurious interior.
A man lounging in his chair with his feet on the desk asked to hear what was just said again.
The man in a suit standing beside him began to sweat as he answered.
“He… he told you to get lost. If you want to see him, you have to come in person.”
“Heh…”
Was he so stunned that he needed to hear it again?
The man in his thirties, who had been lounging in his chair, chuckled as he put his feet down from the desk.
The nameplate on the desk wobbled slightly.
The guild leader of Asin Guild, one of the top five guilds in South Korea.
He, known for his handsome looks and cheerful personality that constantly made headlines, placed his phone on the desk and spoke.
“Let’s summarize again. Our two guild members attacked their team members? What’s the damage report?”
“Hunter Yoo Sangjun, a C-rank hunter, and two public officials from the Hunter Administration were poisoned and lost consciousness, but their lives are not in danger. The other public official hunter only suffered minor injuries. The mercenary who fought B-rank hunter Lee Kyujin left the gate without even going to the hospital.”
“What about the hunters who attacked their team members? Any results from the detailed mana inspection?”
“Yes. According to the report we just received, the mark of Luminous was found on C-rank hunter Kang Doosik’s back.”
“Whew, there were two Luminous members in our guild…”
Kang Cheolman, who usually handled everything with ease, recognized the gravity of the situation this time.
An unauthorized international hunter crime organization that reveres power and would do anything to get stronger, Luminous had infiltrated their guild and attempted to kill other hunters.
The motive for their actions was unknown, but judging by the revealed information, there were likely more hidden victims.
If this incident were to become public knowledge?
There could be a search and seizure of Asin Guild under the pretext of an investigation.
Kang Cheolman pressed his temples with his hand and gave an order to his assistant.
“Announce this incident through the media.”
“What? Not cover it up?”
“An incident this big can’t be hidden. If we try to cover it up and it gets exposed, the backlash will be severe. It’s better for us to disclose it quickly.”
“Hmm… Understood, Guild Leader.”
The assistant thought for a moment but then agreed with Kang Cheolman’s decision.
It was a timely and bold decision that matched Kang Cheolman’s personality.
But Kang Cheolman didn’t stop there.
“Additionally, pull out the raid records of all the guild members, not just the ones involving Lee Kyujin and Kang Doosik, and track the safety of the hunters who entered with them. Also, conduct a detailed mana inspection for all guild members.”
“A detailed mana inspection for all guild members? Isn’t that going too far? There are limits to what a detailed mana inspection can reveal.”
The mark of Luminous is known to be affected by mana.
Even with a detailed mana inspection, the mark can be concealed by controlling the flow of mana, leading to a detection rate of only about 50%.
As an SS-rank hunter, Kang Cheolman was aware of this.
But Kang Cheolman stood firm in his decision.
“No, we must do it. Otherwise, the public will associate Asin Guild with Luminous. The guild members will also feel uneasy. To address this, we need all guild members to undergo a detailed mana inspection. Those who refuse will be dismissed and investigated by the Hunter Administration.”
“Ah… I understand. I was short-sighted, Guild Leader.”
“Haha, it’s alright. It happens.”
Kang Cheolman’s assistant, Nam Heegun, was genuinely impressed.
It wasn’t easy to apply such a straightforward and bold approach to work despite having a cheerful and bold personality.
Kang Cheolman made a decision that might seem disadvantageous in the short term but beneficial in the long run.
The key point was that it could be beneficial.
Though not 100% guaranteed, Kang Cheolman acted with confidence. And Nam Heegun, having worked as his assistant for several years, knew this.
Kang Cheolman’s decisions had never been wrong.
Nam Heegun brought up the last remaining issue.
“Then, what about the mercenary? Originally, we planned to negotiate compensation and, if agreeable, pursue a contract…”
“The dispatched mercenary… Did you say their personal information was undisclosed? Even so, try to find out through the Hunter Administration. If you say you want to negotiate, they might provide contact information or a meeting place. Let me know if you succeed.”
“Are you planning to meet in person?”
Having the guild leader of a large guild, especially an SS-rank hunter, take action is no small matter.
His schedule was already booked through next year, and simply meeting someone could create various issues.
But some people don’t take such matters lightly.
“He asked me to come in person, so I should go.”
Kang Cheolman turned on the phone he had placed on the desk and accessed Hayer while continuing.
“Let’s see just how remarkable this person is.”
Swoooosh—
Under the shower, warm water flowed from my head to my toes.
The soothing touch of the water melting away the day’s fatigue.
After running my fingers through my hair, I directed the stream of water toward my body.
At that moment.
Sharp pain—!
“Ugh…”
Pain shot up from my side.
It was where Lee Kyujin’s dagger had cut me.
There was no wound.
Drinking a health potion completely healed minor injuries without leaving scars.
However, deep nerve damage took time to heal, causing occasional pain.
Especially on days like today, when the fight was intense, and I was poisoned as well.
To think I had a life-and-death duel with another hunter, not a monster.
Given the inherently dangerous nature of hunter work, I knew such a day would come eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be today.
Still, it was fortunate.
Minimizing the damage and saving the three public official hunters and Yoo Sangjun was the best possible outcome.
Looking back on the day, a better result couldn’t have been achieved.
“Whew, that feels refreshing.”
After the shower, I dried my hair with a towel and checked my phone.
No contact from Asin Guild yet.
They must be feeling awkward.
A mercenary with an unknown identity had made a bold move against the guild leader of a large guild.
But that was intentional.
Judging by the growth rate, I would eventually have to face Kang Cheolman, so I preemptively asserted dominance.
It might seem like a meaningless power struggle, but in most human relationships, the first impression solidifies and forms the lasting image.
If the relationship starts as a superior and subordinate, that dynamic often lingers even if they meet again outside the company.
From that perspective, it’s better to secure a position of slight superiority over Kang Cheolman through this incident.
After all, the compensation would likely just be some cash. Whether he comes or not doesn’t matter much.
Either way, I can create a situation where I benefit.
‘He’ll contact me again. I hold the cards.’
After organizing my thoughts, I dried my hair and picked up my phone again.
There was actually something else that required my attention.
‘With Asin Guild and the Hunter Administration hunters having seen me, it’s safe to say my quiet growth phase is over.’
Growth.
Since acquiring the unique skill [Character Summon], I had been leveling up cautiously.
If the fact that I could summon max-level characters that surpass even SS-rank hunters became known, it would only be a matter of time before it became a hassle.
While my information was kept private during mercenary work, given the magnitude of the incident, it was only a matter of time before my personal details were revealed.
But the speed was too fast.
“Already an article?”
[Urgent] Two Asin Guild hunters killed during a dangerous dungeon raid.
[Breaking] Marks of Luminous found on the deceased Asin Guild hunters…
[Breaking] Rescued Hunter Administration hunters are not in life-threatening condition.
Several articles had surfaced on portal sites.
Of course, the hunters’ real names were not disclosed, and my information was being well-managed by Shin Daehun, but it couldn’t be kept hidden forever.
‘I need to speed up my growth.’
I had personally thought that Asin Guild would block or delay the news, but since they didn’t, there was no choice.
Hiding my identity like this was only necessary while I still needed to grow.
Once I reached a level where revealing my identity wouldn’t matter, I could move freely, and the growth rate would accelerate even more.
To act more freely, I needed to become stronger quickly.
I had to make the most of the remaining time.
I first claimed the pending rewards.
In the upper right corner of my vision.
[Hidden Quest: Lord’s Achievement]
[Fourth Achievement – Clear a C-rank dungeon (1/1)]
[You have successfully completed the fourth achievement.]
[Touch the message to receive the reward.]
A reward message had appeared when I escaped the Ice Fortress.
I touched the reward message.
The reward was granted immediately.
[You have received the reward for the fourth achievement.]
[The skill level of Character Summon has increased from 3 to 4.]
[The number of characters that can be summoned simultaneously increases with the skill level.]
[Unique Skill: Lv 4. Character Summon]
[Current Summon Characters: (0/2)]
[Owned Characters: 2]
[Selection Opportunities: 0]
“Now I can summon both at once.”
I smiled as I looked at the message.
The display of the current summon characters changed from (0/1) to (0/2).
Until now, even if I had two selected characters, I could only summon one at a time. Now, I could summon both.
Mana consumption would increase, but so would my explosive power.
But it felt a bit lacking.
Although the increase in the number of characters that could be summoned simultaneously was good, Jejangyi still wasn’t much help beyond providing buffs, so summoning both wouldn’t yield significant benefits.
And given today’s struggles, it felt insufficient.
But it was too early to be disappointed.
On the opposite side of the achievement reward message.
[Emergency Quest]
[Defeat the monsterized Lee Kyujin (1/1)]
[Emergency Quest Complete]
[Touch the message to receive the reward.]
One more unclaimed reward remained.
