Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Office Opening Ceremony (1)
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Resolver Alley 3, located on the outskirts of the Company.
It was called 3 because it was the farthest out among the resolver streets, where the least renowned hunters gathered.
Flanking a brothel district and black market that matched its reputation, thugs loitered around, robbing passersby under the pretext of providing escort services.
In an alley soaked with the stench of urine, atop a shabby building of red brick sat a rusted container.
Inside were the heads of eight offices.
“You guys, can we really trust you?”
The director of Attack Office scowled.
Three were sitting while five stood—there simply weren’t enough chairs, just ones they’d scavenged.
The directors sighed upon seeing the current address of the ‘Ju Gonghyeok & Sanchez’ office.
“This place is actually rented with money, right?”
“Sanchez, the man I knew wasn’t like this. Why are you holed up in a dump like this?”
“Sanchez, if rent’s an issue, I can introduce you to an office in Alley 2. And you’re not exactly broke, are you?”
The office directors chattered noisily.
All of them were skilled resolvers from Resolver Alleys 1 and 2.
They were the ones Ju Gonghyeok had scouted while working in Special Task Force 0.
They had joined because of Ju Gonghyeok’s terrifying massacre capabilities and Sanchez’s fame.
But they were disappointed by the shoddier-than-expected interior.
“Does the location matter?”
Sanchez said as he fed meat to Hellmare.
“A hunter just needs to kill monsters well. A resolver just needs to kill people well. And...”
He recalled a few days ago.
Isaac Jerolbane, the top necromancer executive and lord of ten thousand undead.
Trapped in an inescapable underground sector amid Isaac’s army of ten thousand, awaiting only death.
That was when Ju Gonghyeok appeared.
The army of ten thousand was swept away powerlessly by his giant hammer.
Hell’s demonic beasts cowered before his holy water, slamming their doors shut and fleeing.
He sealed off curses and magic alike, then casually crushed the high-rank lich.
Immense power, skillful use, unbreakable mentality.
Not a single flaw anywhere.
“Ju Gonghyeok, he kills really well.
Talent, personality—everything’s innate. For a resolver or devil hunter who makes killing people a living, he’s the absolute best.”
The directors fell silent at Sanchez’s words.
In the hunter world, what mattered was the substance.
There was no doubting Ju Gonghyeok’s skills.
As the mood settled, Sanchez quietly spoke.
“And our real base isn’t here.”
“Then?”
Clang.
Before an answer came, the container’s iron door swung open.
It was Ju Gonghyeok’s face.
“The star of the show finally arrives.”
“We’ve been waiting a while.”
The directors grumbled.
“Sorry. Got delayed because I’m the protagonist.”
He brazenly spouted nonsense as he entered.
“What’s the reason for dragging us all the way out here?”
“Yeah, with the necromancers lately and that serial killing spree, we’ve been swamped.”
“Right? And there’s a huge bounty on top of that...”
Ju Gonghyeok ignored them and raised a finger.
Screeech—screeech—
He scratched the container’s steel wall with his nails, using it like a chalkboard.
“First, the good news. The External Affairs Director has decided to fully support our office on the spot.”
“What?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Why would HQ support a private office?”
Ju Gonghyeok picked his ear as he explained.
“There’s a reason for everything. Just trust me and follow along. The office isn’t here—we’re moving right now.”
“Then what kind of cooperation do you want from us exactly?”
Boris, the eldest among the directors, asked.
“Business cooperation usually means borrowing manpower for large requests or when you need someone with a specific avatar.
What do you expect from us?”
“Plenty of expectations.”
Ju Gonghyeok wrote something on the steel plate.
“First. Our goal is to replace the Escort Division.”
“Replace them?”
“Yes. We’ll become a whole new Escort Division. Mercenary Division, Resolver Division—whatever.
We’ll be the Company’s new proxy force.”
Silence fell among the directors for a moment.
“Is that even possible?”
The Escort Division had existed for over ten years now.
It was like armed gangsters ousting a nation’s army to become the new military.
More precisely, like a private military company.
It was just as ridiculous as a handful of mercenaries shoving aside the national army to fight the wars.
“It’s possible. Honestly, there’s not much difference between them and you guys. They just have more numbers, and all the work funnels to them.”
Gonghyeok wrote the names of the four major resolver alliances on the steel plate.
“If we gather the four major resolver alliances here plus the solo special resolvers, our combat power won’t lag far behind.
The Escort Division started as a resolver alliance anyway. It’s just the corrupt old guard getting replaced by the new.”
The directors eyed each other.
“We’ve heard you out. The issue is, even if we replace them, how do you plan to do it?”
Gonghyeok answered flatly.
“I said it already. Work funnels to them. We’ll handle more than twice their caseload first. Thirty cases a day for ten days straight. Two months, over three thousand arrests. That’s the goal.”
“Outrageous. No basis for it.”
“Three thousand in two months? You planning a massacre in the middle of the city?”
“How do you catch that many when it takes days to find even one or two?”
Ju Gonghyeok pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
“In the last three months, I’ve caught ten thousand criminals.”
“Ten thousand?”
Gonghyeok smirked.
“Kidding. Eight thousand of them were undead from the Isaac Jerolbane incident, cleared in one go.”
“But this time, it’s no fluke. We’ll nab three thousand real contractors, real necromancers. Including their collaborators.”
Ju Gonghyeok scribbled a simple equation.
Target: 3,000.
Period: 60 days.
Math – 50 per day = OK★
“......Fifty a day?”
Hopper from Bill Hopper Office recalled his routine.
Incident occurs, or cursed item circulation confirmed.
Check CCTV, testimonies, or use tracking avatars to trace the path.
A day or two spent following the trail from there.
If the target’s dumb, raid the base and arrest them.
If prepared, they’ve already relocated or laid false trails to waste resolvers’ time.
Even on sudden raids, powerful contractors could escape.
Somehow resolving a minor case nets one to five.
Catching contractors was part of the job, not the focus.
“This doesn’t add up.”
One director shook his head.
“No, it’s not impossible.”
But Boris didn’t seem to think so.
All eyes turned to him.
“I’ve watched Team Leader Ju Gonghyeok closely. Unless he’s dungeon diving, he’s always out hunting mafia or contractor gangs. Over a hundred a day.”
“You mean when the team leader first showed up in April?”
“Yeah. The April Miracle.”
When Ju Gonghyeok first became team leader.
The Justice Chief had bet: one new team member per ten cases closed.
Ju Gonghyeok processed nearly three hundred in a month, shocking the other resolvers.
“Watching that legendary thirty days, I thought: with angel powers, maybe he has detection for devil contractors, or insider info.
So, what’s your secret for finding them?”
Boris prodded sharply, casually.
It wasn’t wrong.
The Company’s GM database logged all contractors.
Ju Gonghyeok tapped his nose.
“Well, my nose is good at sniffing them out. I’ll show you while we bag today’s fifty.”
“Today’s?”
Bang! Creeeak—
Ju Gonghyeok kicked, and the container wall tore off.
“To hit three thousand in two months, gotta do fifty a day. Perfect for the office opening celebration.”
“Hmm.”
Sanchez stood, grabbing his weapons.
“Sanchez. Don’t forget the banner.”
“Got it.”
The representatives of Ju Gonghyeok & Sanchez Office exited through the hole in the wall.
The directors exchanged awkward glances.
What was the point of staying?
They followed.
Toward the famed Resolver Alley 1, where top offices gathered.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Knock knock knock.
Gigante Assault Squad.
Ranked 14th in resolver earnings, they rented out an entire three-story building.
Someone rapped on their door.
“Gigante Assault Squad—neighbor disputes settled in one shot, hated targets taken care of for sure. What brings you here?”
Ju Gonghyeok smiled at the doorman.
“Hello. From Ju Gonghyeok Office. Here for business cooperation with your office.”
“Ju Gonghyeok? Oh, that Special Task Force 0?”
The doorman alerted his superior, and the door opened easily.
Ju Gonghyeok and Sanchez climbed to the director’s office on the third floor.
The chief of staff brought slime herb tea, and the assault squad leader beamed.
“Heard you want to cooperate with us?”
“Yes. As a new office, we’ll need help from our seniors.”
With the opposition coming in low, the director’s nose rose high.
“Hahaha, even big names from Special Task Force 0 or personal escort teams start as rookies when opening an office. This biz ain’t easy on any front.”
“Indeed. We feel it deeply.”
“So, what help do you need? Info sharing’s five indigo coins per case, manpower support twelve per head...
The director sipped his slime herb tea, glancing sideways.
“Special rate of eighty percent if you contract under our office. And for a guy like Gonghyeok from 0 who made team leader, depending on the intel you provide, diamond tier...
Stab.
“Haha. You sure talk a lot.”
“Agreed, Director Ju.”
Herb tea splattered across the floor.
Ju Gonghyeok’s sword flowed out like water, piercing the teacup and the director’s left chest simultaneously.
“Huh?”
Blood trickled from the deep stab wound.
The director stared blankly down at it, while the surrounding hunters’ eyes bulged.
Thud!
Ju Gonghyeok kicked the director’s face with his shoe, yanking the blade free.
“First, we’ll relocate the office here.”
“This crazy bastard!”
“Director!”
Sanchez’s shotgun and saber moved faster than they could draw.
Boom!
The 10-gauge shotgun roared, turning the face into shredded rags with ten lead pellets.
The saber’s blade jammed above the collarbone, then slashed diagonally.
Muscles and thyroid cartilage tore; esophagus and vessels trailed out like rubber hoses.
“W-what the hell!”
“FUCK!! What are you doing? Call the guys! Hold them off!”
The assault squad members panicked at the sudden chaos.
The hunters in the director’s office fumbled for weapons.
Strike first to win.
‘Crescent Moon Blade of the Moon Warden (A++)’, taken from the Escort Captain two hours ago.
It drew a pretty arc from the killer’s hand.
Divine Technique: Fierce Bird Wind Wing Flash.
In the cramped director’s office, nowhere the sword didn’t reach.
Bookshelves toppled amid the sound of ripping wind, upper torsos of trisected hunters thudding down.
“What was that noise?”
“From the director’s room?”
The office grew rowdy at the ominous sounds.
The director lay with a hole in his chest.
Ju Gonghyeok’s foot planted on his head.
“Director. We’ll talk later? Gotta handle your crew first.”
Crunch.
Teeth ground.
“You... son of a...”
Bubbles boiled from the chest wound.
One of the contractor’s devil powers: regeneration manifesting.
Without Ju Gonghyeok’s holy power stirring the wound, he’d have risen instantly to fight.
Ju Gonghyeok snapped his fingers.
“Sanchez? Recite it.”
“Company Code Article 2 Section 8. Primary collaborators of devil contractors may be killed without liability, depending on circumstances.”
He whistled, prodding the director’s crown with his toe.
“So, your 82 primary collaborators will fill today’s quota. Bonus: we’ll take this shiny three-story building. This rent-free, right?”
The director’s eyes rolled back.
“You damned punk... barging in without proof...”
“Just search after we barge in. Like this.”
Stab.
“Guh!”
The scimitar stabbed the director’s nape.
The spine pierced, blade bursting through the soft palate.
“Recovering nicely. Be back soon.”
Ju Gonghyeok and Sanchez turned and left the director’s office.