Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Fugitives (1)
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It was a gunshot wound. Beside the spot where the deer had fallen lay the corpse of another deer.
“…?”
Suhyun’s face hardened. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize a gunshot wound.
‘Why is this here?’
Suhyun had been dealing with monsters in this area using only his superpowers. He hadn’t felt the need to use firearms to hunt them. The same went for Louiril and Sha.
‘Outsider poison.’
The deer’s innards showed no signs of poison spread. Creatures living in this poison zone generally had toxins coursing through their bodies. That meant this one had clearly been shot from outside and fled here.
No time to dawdle, then. Suhyun slit open the belly of the deer he’d caught, extracting the liver and collecting the blood. Just in case, he also took the liver with the highest concentration of poison to fulfill the conditions.
“Ugh…….”
A bitter taste flooded his mouth. It felt like chewing gravel. Suhyun forced down the raw liver as he walked.
Another condition fulfilled. Fortunately, he didn’t need to drink the blood, but Suhyun felt no joy.
‘Damn it, why did that Great Mage make the conditions so finicky? Couldn’t he just let absorption happen by touching the ingredients?’
Coming here seemed to have only increased his swearing. He’d brought a few to mask the taste, but the original flavor was so vile they were useless.
Even bugs dipped in sugar were still bugs.
Thanks to that, the conditions for mastering the poison technique were filling up quickly with each passing day……
Even as he grumbled, Suhyun’s eyes remained steady. Tracking monster traces was his specialty. It wasn’t long before he reversed faint footprints and dashed after them.
* * *
He had to exit the poison zone he’d just entered, but Suhyun paid it no mind. He had plenty of time to gather poison anyway. What mattered now was something else.
Someone else was in this Poshukan.
‘Who the hell is it?’
Of course, others could be here. Expedition teams, mercenary bands on commission… But Poshukan had already been roughly surveyed by several expeditions. Humanity hadn’t abandoned it for no reason.
Even in crowded areas, humans gained nothing from chance encounters. Let alone in remote spots. Besides, Suhyun was in no position to show his face right now.
‘A trap.’
Suhyun halted his swift steps. He’d pierced the poison zone’s outskirts and ventured deeper into the opposite direction from his original camp. Deeper into Poshukan.
‘Not aimed at people… A monster trap.’
Too crude for catching intruders. People roaming this area wouldn’t fall for such a thing.
Suhyun triggered it lightly with telekinesis. The snare tightened and snapped upward.
‘But isn’t it too weak? It could barely catch a deer.’
Poshukan had monsters too. Weaker ones maybe, but anything with decent defenses would break free easily.
“Catch anything?”
“Nah, I’m dying. Aren’t these deer all skin and bones? Haven’t seen meat in a week. Tired of fish.”
“At least we’ve got food. That’s lucky.”
“Yeah. True, but…….”
Suhyun hid. Two men pushed through the brush, checking the trap.
“Trap went off?”
“Damn, another bust?”
Their gear was too shoddy for mercenaries, too heavy for explorers. Suhyun felt a twinge of confusion.
“Deer around here are getting smarter, huh.”
“Shut it.”
“I want meat…….”
“I said shut it. Unless you want to meet a tiger instead of deer.”
Suhyun tailed them. Following these careless two was as easy as breathing. After about an hour, they vanished into the ground.
“?!”
Not shocked by the vanishing act. They’d likely dug a camp below. Suhyun had done the same, so no surprise there. What startled him was doing it in Poshukan. No reason unless planning a long stay.
‘Well-made.’
Better constructed than expected. Not a day-or-two setup. Lights, supplies, furniture, even an escape route. Only seasoned mercenaries could pull this off.
Suhyun began to guess their identity.
‘Rogue mercenaries?’
Rogue mercenaries, fugitive mercs, renegade mercenaries… Different names, same meaning. Mercenaries who’d fled human society.
Mercenaries didn’t live above the law. Lower chance of getting caught, sure, but they faced punishment if crimes surfaced. Even China and Russia prosecuted publicly exposed ones.
Massacring异種, eliminating rivals for resource monopolies… The list of mercenary crimes was too long to catalog.
Fugitives had two choices: prison or fleeing into Cameron’s depths.
Cameron was a haven for fugitives by nature. Most chose prison over monster death, but gamblers appeared often enough.
With luck, they could burrow deep enough to escape pursuit.
‘Great, more annoying neighbors…….’
Suhyun clicked his tongue. Didn’t bother him much. He planned to gather poison inside the zone anyway. But Sha or Louiril might cross paths if unlucky. They were on the opposite side, but wandering made it possible.
Rogues were hyper-vigilant about exposure. Bounty hunters might follow. Most had bounties on their heads.
‘Eliminate them here?’
No need to live with troublesome neighbors.
Boom!
“?!”
The lounging mercenaries against the wall jolted up at the sudden noise.
“Monster?!”
“No.”
Suhyun confirmed the visible ones and snapped his fingers. They flew back in one strike. Could be superpowered among them—no room for carelessness.
‘Always strike first.’
In superpower fights, first strike’s importance couldn’t be overstated. Even the strongest died if hit first.
“Who the hell are you…?!”
“That’s my question.”
Suhyun gathered the fallen into a pile for easier telekinesis aiming. His power was strong but imprecise. High consumption and versatility demanded extra focus on aim.
“Subdued. No one fled the escape route. You the team leader?”
He’d left only the leader-looking man untouched.
“You…….”
“Don’t try moving. I’m on edge holding all of you. Pull anything stupid, and I snap your neck first.”
The one inching his hand froze at the words. Utterly suppressed. Opponent at least A-rank telekinetic. Starting suppressed left no options.
“…After the bounty?”
“Rogue mercs, confirmed.”
“Confirmed? What…? You weren’t tracking us?”
“No. Just stumbled on you.”
“Th-then why?”
“Why? You know the answer. What happens when rogues meet others. Can’t just smile and part ways.”
“…….”
Suhyun spoke truth. Lee Do-Jeon shut his mouth. They’d have silenced outsiders here to keep secrets.
“But we haven’t done anything yet……. Ack!”
“Did I say you could speak?”
Pressure crushed him mid-sentence, drawing a groan.
“So, what now? Dragging us in for handover?”
“Not bad. Bounties are chump change, but…….”
The mercs looked incredulous. Their bounties chump change? They were in the hundreds of millions.
“You know how much our bounties…….”
“Shut up, idiot! Why tell him?!”
Unfortunately, Suhyun heard it all.
“How much? Hundreds of millions tops. Humans don’t get mega-bounties like monsters.”
“Hundreds of millions is chump change?”
“To the rich, yeah. Now, state your identities.”
“Why? Ack!”
“Die here or talk?”
“W-we’ll talk, stop……. We’re Gaon-gil Team 2.”
“What? Bull. Gaon-gil 2 is someone else.”
“Former Team 2. Others now, probably.”
Gaon-gil. The major merc firm with Joo Won-jun and Seo Gang-seok. Suhyun frowned at the unexpected name.
‘Impersonators?’
“Know Seo Gang-seok?”
“…Who?”
“You bastards…….”
“Gack, ack! Why?!”
“Gaon-gil vets don’t know Seo Gang-seok?”
“Don’t! First I’ve heard!”
Didn’t seem like lies. Suhyun eased the choke. Seo might’ve entered later, timeline-wise.
“Joo Won-jun?”
“That bastard? Of course!”
“That son of a bitch!”
People bond faster over shared hate than love. Suhyun grew interested in these ex-Gaon-gil hating Joo Won-jun.
“Why hate Joo Won-jun so much?”
“How do you know him?”
“Not personally. Just heard the name. Gaon-gil Team 2 leader.”
“What?! That bastard?!”
“Answer.”
“He backstabbed us and framed us!”
* * *
Back when they were Gaon-gil Team 2, Joo Won-jun was Team 3 leader. He’d steadily committed crimes, then framed Gaon-gil 2 and another firm when heat came. So thorough they couldn’t refute.
Prison or flee. Prison meant Joo erasing them via planted evidence, so they fled.
“Others involved?”
“Contact, Daesung, Samduryong—all tangled. Fled together. Split here. Just contact if trouble.”
“Hmm…….”
Lee Do-Jeon spoke with doubt. Pointless? Couldn’t sway the guy.
Opponent seemed to know Joo Won-jun. Hard to trust rogue tales.
“Tough break.”
“?!”
“You believe us…?”
“Liar after all?”
Suhyun reached out; Lee Do-Jeon shook his head frantically. Only his head movable under suppression. Suhyun’s hand felt like the reaper’s.
“Joo’s shady in many ways. Suspected, but this too?”
“…!”
The rogues lit up momentarily. Unbelieved for years, clinging to each other—now a stranger bought their story.
“Sit.”
“Y-yes.”
Unconsciously polite. Suhyun released telekinesis, beckoning. Lee Do-Jeon cautiously sat.
“What crime?異種 massacre?”
“H-how?”
“Easiest to frame. Was it異種?”
“Yes, six orc villages…….”
Suhyun drummed armrest, pondering. Time left, but post-Dragon Slayer plans needed thought. Massive project—failure would reshape everything.
‘And new rivals emerge.’
Prime example: Joo Won-jun.