Chapter 49
Chapter 49
A few days had passed since the incident, and Park Sunghyung spoke.
“Hyunseok. They all committed suicide.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t know. Seems like they had some kind of martial arts novel-style poison for suicide. There are even rumors that the Americans killed them intentionally to monopolize information. Not that these people would have such lax surveillance to die so easily, but… anyway, figuring out the mastermind behind this might be difficult. How’s your body holding up?”
Sunghyung gave Hyunseok a sideways glance and spoke jokingly.
“No nightmares or anything, right?”
“Yes… not really. It’s a little unsettling, though.”
At least it was somewhat fortunate that the slain Slayers had died within the combat field, leaving no bodies behind. If their bones had been shattered by his fists or their heads smashed, it would have been horrifying, but that wasn’t the case. There was lingering unease from having killed people, but not enough to give him nightmares.
Something doesn’t sit right…
Although no concrete evidence was found, a subtle sense of unease remained.
Would they really let prisoners commit suicide so easily? Six of them?
Hyunseok shook his head. Thinking alone wouldn’t yield any answers. Sunghyung seemed a little uneasy too, but didn’t bring it up.
“It seems this incident will be quietly buried. If it leaks, it will raise concerns about Slayers and possibly cause chaos, that’s the surface reason. But the real reason is likely that the top-tier want to keep the auction details among themselves.”
“I see…”
Hyunseok nodded and asked,
“By the way, why did you call me here? It wasn’t just to tell me these facts, was it?”
“You noticed?”
“Yes. You don’t call me out without a reason. There must be something much more important.”
Sunghyung checked again to ensure no one else was around before speaking.
“I was watching the situation carefully in case it caused trouble. The real reason I called you is…”
Hyunseok, listening impassively, was taken aback.
“R-Really?”
Sunghyung handed him a new skillbook.
❋ ❋ ❋
Sunghyung spoke:
“I kept it just in case it became an issue.”
“What is this?”
He handed something over, it was a skillbook.
“Shield…?”
A Shield skillbook.
Hyunseok’s eyes widened. Shield. The reason the Slayers who invaded the auction were so formidable was precisely because of Shield, or more accurately, their resistance to modern weapons through Shield.
“Where did you get this?”
Sunghyung omitted most details and said,
“It dropped from an item.”
To be precise, it was “dropped by the Slayer you killed,” but even this much was enough to understand the meaning.
But is it really true?
Hyunseok had killed the Slayers. Even in a flustered state, he wouldn’t have failed to notice if the Slayer he killed had dropped the item.
Whatever the reason, I must learn the Shield skill.
Hyunseok said,
“Then… the mastermind behind this is considered nonexistent?”
“Officially, yes. The Americans said it was a solo act by them, but that’s not entirely trustworthy. I have a feeling something’s there, though no one is speaking up yet.”
In any case, Hyunseok had obtained the Shield skillbook from Sunghyung. He had originally wanted a high-level Martial Arts skillbook, but that was temporarily off the table. If it had been easy to obtain, he wouldn’t have needed to participate in the secret masked auction. He couldn’t locate the high-level Martial Arts skillbook.
“By the way, Hyunseok. Although this hasn’t made headlines, the Korean government seems to be taking this matter seriously. They plan to recruit Slayers to form a law enforcement unit, essentially helping police with manpower.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just recruit Slayers as police officers?”
“Which Slayer would be crazy enough to do that? Nowadays, they even avoid big corporations. The state won’t treat active-duty police properly anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“So they’ll lend people in a mercenary-like manner… I think you should participate too. Just register your name. As a Platinum Slayer, you won’t be required to act in the field. Your presence alone will make other Slayers cautious. Your reputation will increase.”
Sunghyung’s reasons for calling Hyunseok were twofold: to give him the illegally obtained Shield skillbook, and to have him lend the Platinum Slayer name. Simply listing his name would enhance law enforcement credibility.
As Hyunseok considered the offer, Sunghyung added:
“We’ll review contracts with professional lawyers and the government. We’ll make sure they can’t demand anything from you. If it becomes inconvenient, I’ll step down as Union head myself.”
“Don’t go that far… But if just listing my name earns me honor, it’s not a loss.”
Currently, the Korean Union maintained a premium image. Most Slayers were high-level, and the Platinum Slayer was irreplaceable. Numbers didn’t even reach 10,000, so the Union leveraged its elite image, even disclosing normal dungeon info promptly, ‘firsts’ carry significance.
Sunghyung asked:
“So… what happens if you learn Shield?”
“I’m not sure.”
Hyunseok didn’t know when Sunghyung had acquired it. Simply hearing it dropped was news to him. If Sunghyung hadn’t said anything, no one would have known. And Shield skillbooks hadn’t circulated widely yet. Probably, the previous seven key figures controlled access to it.
Ah, maybe the Americans arranged the suicides to monopolize this info.
As Hyunseok pondered this, Sunghyung asked:
“What are you thinking?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m not planning to learn Shield yet.”
“Why? If you do, the skill level will increase due to your stats, and it’ll be incredible.”
Hyunseok smiled faintly:
“If I’m going to learn it, I’ll maximize efficiency.”
❋ ❋ ❋
With Normal Mode active and classes and skills more specialized, Hyunseok had heard that there were classes related to item enhancement. If skill level increases were tied to stats, using a higher-grade skillbook would benefit him.
I can upgrade it now and learn it later.
Normal Mode didn’t require Shield yet. If a higher-grade skillbook drops in upper modes, learning it then would be more beneficial.
Finding Slayers with the Item Enhancement class wasn’t difficult, they even had shops. Searching, he found them immediately. The only problem was the long waiting line.
They upgrade items using Monster Stones… Have Monster Stones become this common?
They were still rare. Daily Greenstone drops were just a few dozen, mostly claimed by the government. Clearing a dungeon might yield about 100, but only two dungeons per day were discovered. Yellowstones were even rarer, only obtainable from Trapper-discovered normal dungeons. Through careful dungeon clearing with the Inha Guild, Hyunseok had about 300. Considering Korea had under 200 Yellowstones total, it highlighted the Inha Guild’s capability.
So White Stones are mostly used then.
Upgrading with Greenstone was expensive, each cost over 100 million.
Maybe using Greenstone or Yellowstone could accelerate the process.
Hyunseok believed there was little humans couldn’t manipulate. If the proper method didn’t work, he could use shortcuts. Life wasn’t always just or fair, and he wasn’t strictly righteous either.
Just as he thought about contacting them, someone arrived, a police officer, without prior notice.
Police…?
Even as a Platinum Slayer, Hyunseok couldn’t escape legal bounds. He had committed murder and possessed an illegal Shield skillbook. The visit was slightly embarrassing.
“Is there something I can help with?” he asked.
It wasn’t about PK or illegal items. Surprisingly, it was the Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Without warning, he requested secrecy and began discussing the matter.
The Commissioner’s message aligned with Sunghyung’s: Slayers, especially armed ones, were significant threats, and he hoped the Platinum Slayer could assist the police.
The difference was that the Commissioner proposed working directly with the police rather than through the Korean Union.
Political maneuvering…
It was a political calculation. The Platinum Slayer had public support. If the police could leverage him, the public would strongly support and praise their actions.
Besides, the Platinum Slayer’s unrivaled combat ability, including field and recovery control, would intimidate criminals. Sunghyung agreed with the plan.
“Just being affiliated with the Korean Union boosts its status. Whether dispatched through us or directly to the police, it doesn’t matter much. If you help directly, they might offer favorable terms to you.”
“They even promised tax reductions and absolute secrecy regarding my identity.”
Hyunseok would lend his name, not act directly.
“And unless you want to act yourself, you won’t. You retain full freedom. You’re the primary party. Perhaps once, you can act directly to suppress criminal Slayers. It will increase your reputation and help in the long term.”
“Actually, they mentioned that too, about my reputation…”
(End of Chapter 49)
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— Translated by Prime Works —