Chapter 27 #11 I'm Wronged (1)
Huff, huff. Jeong Hosan smacked away the iron ball hurtling toward him.
This training—deflecting a massive iron ball using only raw muscle power, without drawing on the mana embedded in his body—had been personally taught to him by Kim Myeong-cheol.
'If you rely only on mana, you'll eventually hit a wall. Just like a tree with shallow roots gets uprooted in a storm, strengthening your foundation is always the top priority.'
Recalling Kim Myeong-cheol's words, Jeong Hosan focused on the enormous iron ball flying at him.
Whoooosh. The ball, hovering in midair, began plummeting back to earth, pulled by gravity. Its potential energy converted instantly into kinetic force, barreling toward Jeong Hosan at terrifying speed.
Squeeze every muscle fiber in his body, channeling all that power into a single point.
Bam! The iron ball struck Jeong Hosan's fist and shot back into the air. Without a moment to catch his breath, he repeated the process.
Overloading his muscle fibers and tendons, tearing them down and rebuilding. Shattering his bones and muscles into pieces, then reassembling them—this was brutal training that no ordinary person could endure.
But for Jeong Hosan, who could recover from torn muscles or pulverized bones in moments, there was no better method.
Today, though, he hadn't come here just to train his body.
As he punched away the iron ball crushing down on him like it wanted to flatten his entire frame, Jeong Hosan lost himself in thought.
Did Kang Ishin really do all those things?
Even though he'd seen Kang Ishin with his own eyes right there at the scene, Jeong Hosan still couldn't believe it.
The Kang Ishin he knew wasn't the type to do something like that.
If it had just been getting tangled up in illegal gate mining, he could've brushed it off. But murder? Killing someone?
Kang Ishin had a reputation at the academy for being ruthless in a fight, but actually committing murder was a whole different story.
The Kang Ishin who'd appeared before him that day had seemed utterly calm. Not like someone who'd just done something as grave as murder.
'What if it's all a misunderstanding?'
There was a body, sure, but no concrete proof that Kang Ishin had killed them.
What if someone else committed the murder, and Kang Ishin just happened to rescue people from the site?
Master Kim Myeong-cheol had said he owed Kang Ishin a huge debt. And sure enough, records showed a loan of 130 million won from a shady third-tier lender.
These were the kind of outfits that could ruin your life if you crossed them—places no one with half a brain would touch.
Borrowing 130 million from them? What the hell for?
If he needed money that badly, why not come to me?
Jeong Hosan wasn't exactly swimming in cash himself. Even as a 5-star hunter, he was still in his probation period with the guild, and he hadn't finished paying off the artifacts he'd bought when he joined.
But he was a 5-star. He could've scraped together 130 million if it was urgent. If Kang Ishin had just asked, he would've made it happen somehow.
Instead, not a word to me, and he goes to loan sharks.
If Kang Ishin were standing in front of him right now, Jeong Hosan would've smacked him upside the head.
Why the hell did you do something so stupid? If he could just grab him by the scruff, smack some sense into him, and drag him back...
How nice would it be to face his friend again?
Jeong Hosan gritted his teeth and threw a punch.
Thud.
The iron ball rocketed back into the sky.
It was right before graduation from the academy.
"Hey, congrats. Red Dog Guild scouted you, right? Your top choice."
Jeong Hosan couldn't even meet Kang Ishin's eyes properly as he said it.
"Dude, what's with that look? You act like you're the criminal here."
No guild had scouted Kang Ishin by graduation. Of course not—he'd never managed to kill a single monster to the end. He might've made it as a porter, but no guild would hire him as a hunter.
Not like Jeong Hosan, who had guilds lining up to take him on even before graduation.
"Should I turn it down?"
Kang Ishin chuckled at Jeong Hosan's words.
"How much of a loser do you plan on making me?"
"Sorry."
Still avoiding his gaze, Jeong Hosan mumbled. Kang Ishin looked at him and spoke.
"You said you wouldn't let there be more people like us. That you'd stop gate breaks from ever happening again."
That had been Jeong Hosan's goal ever since awakening his talent—and learning it was A-grade potential.
"What kinda lame-ass dream is that? You think anyone's gonna appreciate you playing hero? You know how it is. Everyone loves flashy types like Yuseonje or Bingmari. Lightning mage and ice sorceress—how cool is that? They sparkle just standing there. And those CF deals."
Kang Ishin shot him a sidelong glance, then continued with a pitying tone.
"You? You've got jack shit. Physical enhancement? Even with A-grade potential, zero flair. Nobody notices you, but you're out there doing the dirty work anyway."
His words sounded harsh, but there wasn't a drop of malice in them. If anything, there was pride shining through.
"So how could I not cheer you on?"
"Ishina."
"If you're really sorry, you should've taken that fat signing bonus and shoved it my way. That guild master offered a fortune, didn't he? Turning it all down."
"It was too much money for me."
"Yeah, yeah, knew you'd say that. Sigh, can't even spoon-feed you."
Kang Ishin clapped him on the back.
"Since you're going, do it right. You're an idiot and a bonehead, but it's your choice. I'll support you anywhere, anytime."
And then... you said you'd support my dreams anywhere, anytime. So why'd you go and do something like this?
The iron ball in front of Jeong Hosan crumpled flat.
"Ah."
He'd unconsciously used his ability. Jeong Hosan yanked his hand back, face flushing in embarrassment. No one was there to scold him, but it still felt awkward.
Like it was his fault somehow.
Maybe that's enough for today.
Jeong Hosan wiped the sweat from his face.
Someone approached him then. Sensing the presence from behind, he whipped his head around.
A woman in her early to mid-twenties, dressed in a police uniform, was walking toward him.
Why would a cop be looking for me?
She stopped in front of Jeong Hosan and spoke calmly.
"Hello, Mr. Jeong Hosan. I'm Lieutenant Do Chae-hee from the Awakener Crime Task Force."
At her greeting, wariness flashed in Jeong Hosan's eyes. Awakener Crime Task Force. He had a pretty good idea why she was here.
"If this is about that gate incident, I believe the guild already submitted all the relevant reports."
Do Chae-hee nodded silently at his words.
"Yes. But we need your help, Mr. Jeong."
"My help?"
"Yes. The situation has changed."
Changed? What did that mean?
Reading Do Chae-hee's expression, Jeong Hosan guessed it wasn't good news.
"Han Jo-hee, the miner rescued from the illegal gate site, was found dead in the hospital this morning."
Jeong Hosan knew Han Jo-hee. He'd heard she was the only one there with any prior acquaintance to Kang Ishin, so she'd been specially questioned.
Dead? He was shocked for a moment, but then it made sense.
"I heard she had terminal mana poisoning..."
Do Chae-hee shook her head at his words.
"It wasn't mana poisoning that killed her. She was murdered. Her body showed signs of torture. And carved into her stomach: 'Punishment for running your mouth.'"
As Do Chae-hee's explanation dragged on, Jeong Hosan's eyes began to tremble.
"Most damningly, she gave a dying declaration. She said Kang Ishin was the one who did this to her."
Jeong Hosan's jaw dropped.
No way. The words slipped out instinctively, but he couldn't say them in front of a cop.
"Kang Ishin is wanted nationwide right now. He's been branded a criminal. As you know, if a wanted awakener resists arrest..."
"Immediate execution."
Jeong Hosan cut her off. He loomed over her, twice her size, glaring with terrifying intensity, but Do Chae-hee continued without flinching.
"Yes. And given that he's already on the run and committing another crime like this, we'll have to respond even more aggressively."
Jeong Hosan scowled. The verdict was already in.
"The reason I'm here is to give your friend a chance to survive."
Jeong Hosan clenched his fist tight.
What the hell have you done, Ishin?
Do Chae-hee said,
"Not many people know much about Kang Ishin. But everyone who does mentioned you. Said you were his closest friend?"
"Yes."
His mouth tasted bitter. His closest friend, and he knew nothing about any of this.
"Same orphanage, same academy. And that academy was Babel... I was surprised, honestly. Didn't expect him to have graduated from Babel."
Babel's disgrace—that phrase always tagged along whenever Kang Ishin was mentioned. He'd scraped by without repeating a year or dropping out, but no one thought well of him.
"They said he had a particularly violent streak since school days."
"No, that's not true."
"Even though over five students ended up in the infirmary from sparring with him?"
A few excuses bubbled up in his mind, then faded. At a loss for words, Jeong Hosan fell silent. Do Chae-hee continued, almost consolingly.
"That's what I think. Kang Ishin fooled you completely. Pretended to be a good friend while doing all that behind your back."
"Why?"
"Because your connection was useful to him."
Do Chae-hee pressed on coldly.
"You're a hunter with A-grade potential, Mr. Jeong. You're only 5-star now, but you could reach 6-star, maybe even 7-star soon. Just knowing you was a benefit. I heard he teamed up with you multiple times at Babel, despite everyone avoiding him. Kept him from failing."
"Even without my help, Ishin would've made it. He didn't stay friends with me for that reason."
"You really believe that?"
"Yes."
Jeong Hosan nodded. Do Chae-hee looked at him with pity and clicked her tongue.
"Fine, believe what you want. But I don't think Kang Ishin is a first-time offender. Your friend has done this before—at least murdered before."
There had been plenty of times when contact with Kang Ishin went dark. Gate raids lasted anywhere from 2-3 days to entire months, so Jeong Hosan had no idea what he got up to during those stretches.
Was he really out there doing stuff like that?
And then coming back to laugh and hang out with me like nothing?
"I'm here to ask if anything ever struck you as suspicious during your time with him. Even the smallest thing."
Do Chae-hee said. Jeong Hosan clenched his fist. It wasn't about protecting his friend by staying silent.
He truly knew nothing.
Reading his face, Do Chae-hee sighed.
"I wondered if you knew everything and were hiding him. But you really don't know. That's a relief, at least. Just tell yourself he was never your friend."
Could he really shake it off that easily? With a few words? Their closest bond, from snot-nosed kids to now?
No. He couldn't.
"How's the investigation going?"
Do Chae-hee narrowed her eyes at his question. She normally couldn't share details. But seeing his face crumple like he'd lost everything, the words slipped out.
"We're at a dead end. As you know, we're always short-staffed, and there's barely any info. Your friend is slippery."
"Can I help?"
"Pardon?"
Do Chae-hee's eyes widened.
"If you're short on manpower, I'll assist."
As she started shaking her head—that's ridiculous—Jeong Hosan quickly added,
"With a victim turning up, saying my friend couldn't have done it won't fly. But I need to hear it. Since when he's been thinking like this. If we were really friends."
Jeong Hosan bit his lip.
"I'll come running anytime, anywhere."
For a split second, she wondered if he was scheming to help his friend escape. But it was an A-grade hunter offering help.
Do Chae-hee had no reason to refuse.
"Alright."
The two shook hands.