Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Hyunseok had secretly taken a photo of Cha Heeseon’s face with his phone.
That was after he’d confirmed there was no Slayer by that name.
Park Sunghyung said,
“Maybe she had a special purpose for approaching you. I mean, if she’s at least top-tier Slayer level or connected to an organization, she’d already know who you are. She could’ve had some objective in getting close to you.”
Hyunseok zoomed in on the picture.
“It’s a little blurry… but clear enough to recognize her face.”
“When did you even take that?”
“I had a strange feeling from the start. But that woman, she was sharp. I think she knew I was taking the picture. I didn’t really hide it either. I figured if I got caught, I could just joke that she was pretty. Funny thing is, when I tried taking a photo openly, she dodged, but when I did it secretly, she didn’t react at all. That was weird.”
Sunghyung let out a low whistle.
“You really notice all the little things. No wonder Jongwon said what he did.”
Hyunseok grinned faintly. “What did Jongwon say about me?”
If Jongwon had seen that grin, he might’ve flinched and stepped back out of instinct.
Either way, Korea’s Union had become far more powerful than before.
It wasn’t as enormous as the American Union, but after the Monster Wave, Slayers’ overall strength had skyrocketed, and so had the Union’s influence.
When the Union began investigating the woman’s identity, they uncovered something shocking.
Sunghyung’s face turned grim.
“She’s dead.”
“…What?”
“Her name wasn’t real either. Her real name was Eom Heesook. She apparently grew up in an orphanage.”
Hyunseok’s head went blank.
Dead?
Sunghyung continued,
“She died yesterday. Car accident. The same woman you asked about because you felt uneasy, her body was found just days later. That’s… strange, don’t you think?”
It was impossible to tell if it was coincidence or not, but the timing was odd.
Hyunseok muttered,
“A car accident, huh…”
“Yeah. Odd timing, right? Maybe I shouldn’t have investigated her so openly. Should’ve done it quietly.”
Sunghyung gave a bitter smile. He hadn’t thought much of it at first, just wanted to get the background check done quickly since it was a request from a Platinum-ranked Slayer.
But now, a creeping thought came to him: maybe the woman had died because of that.
Hyunseok shook his head.
“No, it’s not your fault, Sunghyung. You said it was a car accident? Then it’s probably just coincidence.”
“I think so too, but it’s weird. No next of kin, no follow-up investigation. Everything was wrapped up way too quickly. And she approached you. You’re a Platinum Slayer, Hyunseok. I might be overthinking it, but… just in case, listen to this.”
If it were an ordinary person, he might’ve ignored it. But Hyunseok wasn’t ordinary, he was the only Platinum Slayer in the entire world.
His value was immeasurable, and with great value came greater greed from those who coveted it.
“Imagine there’s an organization out there after your power. At the very least, they’d want to know how you got it. If they can’t get your strength through normal means, then they’d try to tempt or manipulate you into revealing your secret. Or worse…”
Korea’s Union was powerful, there was no doubt about that.
With fewer than ten thousand Slayers, it was a small but elite force, acknowledged as one of the strongest in the world.
But that didn’t mean they knew everything.
Even they had been completely unaware of the “Shield” skillbook used by the raiders who attacked the Auction House.
The world still hid more secrets than the Union could grasp.
“This might sound crazy,” Sunghyung said, “but imagine there’s some kind of skill that can control a person. If something like that existed, of course they’d want to use it on you.”
“Come on, Sunghyung, that’s a bit far-fetched.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Still… it wasn’t impossible.
Hyunseok had always been cautious by nature, a “safety first” type. Even if it sounded paranoid, there was no harm in being careful.
He might’ve been a superhuman in combat, but that only applied when he activated his Field.
Outside of that, he wasn’t immune to modern weapons. No matter how strong he was, no human could survive a missile strike.
Sunghyung sighed.
“You’re way too famous now, even if you don’t realize it. You’re strong, but not invincible. So there’s no harm in being cautious. Between that auction ambush and now this, there might be something we don’t see yet. Maybe it’s all just a conspiracy theory… but still.”
Even if it was just a theory, the mere awareness of that possibility changed how one acted, and how one reacted to the unexpected.
“Let Minseo and Pyeonghwa know too. Don’t scare them, but warn them just enough to stay alert.”
❋ ❋ ❋
Recently, the concept of a “Guild House” was becoming popular, a base of operations for guilds.
Starting with top-class Slayers who owned Trappers, most major guilds now had one.
Members would live or commute there, and whenever a dungeon or monster appeared, they could respond immediately.
The Inha Guild had also built its own Guild House.
It wasn’t cheap. They’d even added a helipad for emergencies, along with a swimming pool, gym, and other amenities.
“I’ll chip in too!” Yeonsu insisted stubbornly, clutching her wallet.
But Minseo calmed her down with a laugh. The two had grown quite close lately.
“Hey, Uncle! If you spend too much again, your wife’s going to kick you out!”
Yeonsu’s expression darkened immediately, apparently, his wife was scary.
Still, he muttered under his breath, “I’m not even an uncle, though…”
Knowing his situation, Jongwon pulled Hyunseok aside for a quiet chat.
“Hey, aren’t you going a little overboard with all this?”
“Everyone’s doing it now anyway.”
“Sure, but this isn’t just about following a trend, is it? You want Minseo and Pyeonghwa close by where you can protect them, right? What about Minseo’s school? You transferring her?”
Hyunseok frowned. “Not sure yet.”
Jongwon clicked his tongue. “Tch. Still, the government’s got heavy surveillance around here now.”
Hyunseok knew that.
Whether it was pressure from the Union or direct government involvement, he wasn’t sure. But the area around the Inha Guild House now had more high-definition CCTV cameras and more frequent patrols.
He hadn’t asked for it, but it wasn’t a bad thing, so he didn’t complain.
“Did you hear?” Jongwon added. “Since Inha Guild built their house here, other top-tier Slayers are moving nearby too.”
That could actually be a good thing.
From a public safety standpoint, having powerful Slayers around made the area practically crime-proof.
Think about it, who would dare commit a crime in a neighborhood full of superhumans?
If you messed with the wrong person, you wouldn’t live long enough to regret it.
So Hyunseok settled in Bundang New City.
The Inha Guild’s house became the starting point of what people soon called Slayer Town.
Then, a sudden message arrived from the Union, urgent enough to call “critical.”
“What? …Ah, I see. Understood.”
❋ ❋ ❋
A bug-tier monster, one exceeding even the standards of Normal Mode, had appeared.
First in Korea, then America, then Japan.
And now, it had shown up in China.
Before Hyunseok could even process the report, headlines started flooding in—
Japan’s tragedy looked small in comparison to what was happening now.
[Reckless Challenge by Slayers — Over 800 Dead]
The number kept rising.
China had an enormous Slayer population, but their average combat level was considered low.
Still, their enthusiasm outmatched anyone else’s.
[Over 1,000 Slayers Killed by Cyclops!]
More than a thousand deaths.
Hyunseok grimaced. The news saddened him, but a flicker of defiance stirred in his chest.
Let’s see how long they keep their pride.
China’s Union had even sent a message to Korea beforehand—
“The Cyclops that appeared in our territory is ours. Don’t interfere.”
Even though no one from Korea had offered to go.
So many Slayers… Hyunseok thought grimly.
The death toll had already surpassed 1,300. Yet there was no sign of retreat, more Slayers were gathering to challenge the Cyclops.
Is the Red Stone really that valuable?
No matter how precious it was, it didn’t justify throwing away so many lives.
At first, he’d assumed they were acting on their own initiative, but soon, he realized there was more to it.
❋ ❋ ❋
With over 1,300 Slayer deaths, it was an unprecedented catastrophe.
The previous record had been Japan’s 140 casualties, barely a tenth of this.
China’s population and Slayer count were abnormally high, but their system was also different.
Where Korea focused on a small elite, China overwhelmed with sheer numbers.
Sunghyung explained,
“The Chinese Union is… different from the American one.”
The American Union was a federation of guilds, managed like a massive corporation.
The Chinese version was something else entirely, closer to a military organization.
“The U.S. Union operates democratically,” he said. “The Union Leader’s like a CEO, the Guild Masters are department heads, and guild members are employees. But in China, it’s basically an army.”
Most Chinese Slayers were weak by international standards, but when you had a million of them, even the top 1% was terrifyingly strong.
Among that elite was one Slayer who stood above them all, Zhang Yiping,
Union Leader of the China Union.
He had moved swiftly after the Awakening events, establishing the China Union and developing it into a paramilitary organization.
Later, he rose within the Chinese government, solidifying a system of militarized control.
Over time, the China Union had effectively become another branch of the Chinese military.
Hyunseok frowned.
“Most of the Union executives there aren’t even Slayers, right?”
“Yeah,” Sunghyung nodded. “That’s not publicly known, but before the structure stabilized, there were massive purges, executions, even.”
Normally, a Union was made up of guilds, a coalition of Slayers.
So a Union run without Slayers at the top made no sense.
And yet Zhang Yiping had achieved that impossible structure, using brute strength and government power to make it reality.
(End of Chapter 55)
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— Translated by Prime Works —