Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Teynen Guild (4)
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Kang-hyuk let out a small sigh, his face the picture of innocence.
“I’ve never met any of Teynen Guild’s S-rank Hunters. I only encountered Kim Min-chan once, and our conversation was nothing more than a scouting offer.”
“Then, while you were in the dungeon, did you ever come under attack from anyone other than magic beasts?”
“No, I didn’t. Aside from the magic beasts... Wait, there was that one time I sensed a human presence amid the beasts...”
“Pardon?”
“We used a megaphone siren to lure the magic beasts together for the subjugation. When A-rank ones showed up, I handled them with my slashes...”
Kang-hyuk furrowed his brow slightly.
“They wouldn’t have gotten caught up in my slashes, would they? Kim Min-chan is an S1-rank Hunter, after all. Anyway, I never left the dungeon after entering it that day. Feel free to check all the CCTV footage from the surrounding area. If you suspect I held some grudge against Kim Min-chan, I’ll hand over my smartphone too.”
The association executives couldn’t help but falter at Kang-hyuk’s confident demeanor.
“N-No, we don’t need to go that far...”
“We’re already investigating the CCTV. It’s possible Kim Min-chan really entered an unconfirmed dungeon...”
Kang-hyuk cooperated fully with the association’s investigation before heading straight home.
Did they hear the news somehow?
No sooner had he arrived than his parents called.
[We saw the news. Are you okay?]
“Yeah, I’m fine. Honestly, I only met Kim Min-chan for one day... and even then, we only talked about the scouting offer. There’s no way he followed us into that dungeon... Especially not with other S-rank Hunters in tow. Anyway, I really have no idea.”
[Goodness, what on earth is going on...?]
“I just got back from the association’s questioning. I might be the only one in Korea who could take down an S1-rank Hunter, so they’re probably suspicious. But even I couldn’t handle all of Teynen’s S-rank Hunters. Not even if my guild members pitched in.”
[Of course we believe you. Why would you attack Teynen’s S-rank Hunters in the first place? It’s just that SNS is blowing up with posts suspecting you.]
“Just ignore them. It’ll all come out in the wash soon enough.”
[Yeah, you’re right?]
Kang-hyuk reassured his mother before chatting with his father.
Then Yu-na called too.
[Oppa, you’re really okay, right?]
Kang-hyuk smiled faintly at Yu-na’s worried voice.
“Of course I am. Don’t worry. If the Korean public keeps harassing me with nonsense, I’ll just naturalize in Japan or somewhere else. What’s there to fret about when your oppa’s a national power-level Hunter? I made 100 million won just from that last dungeon.”
Of course, his pure profit had exceeded 800 million.
“Honestly, I only netted 100 million because I focused on training my guild members. If I really tried, I could rake in 1 billion in a single day. Don’t stress—you just focus on getting into college. Text me if you need more pocket money. Actually, I’ll send you another 10 million right now.”
[What?!]
“Treat your high school friends to something nice before college starts. Don’t skimp on it.”
[No thanks! I still have over 9 million in my account!]
“You need a laptop too. Upgrade your smartphone to the latest model. Look into a tablet PC as well.”
[What the...]
Kang-hyuk transferred 10 million won to Yu-na’s account.
“Listen to Mom and Dad, and don’t hang out with any bad influences. Got it?”
[I’m not a kid anymore!]
“You’re totally a kid. You’re just a wide-eyed freshman. Anyway, obey your parents.”
[...Fine. You come home sometimes too, oppa.]
“Will do.”
Kang-hyuk chuckled softly as he hung up.
In the time leading up to Yu-na’s entrance ceremony, GH Guild raided dungeons multiple times, subjugating magic beasts.
They also bought two more commercial buildings, illegally converting them into studio apartments.
Afterward, GH Guild’s official membership swelled to 500.
All of them were otherworlders who had acquired Korean citizenship.
A guild formed around Park Kang-hyuk by these otherworlders.
The media spotlighted GH Guild, running all sorts of articles.
The disappearance of Teynen’s S-rank Hunters remained a mystery.
With Kang-hyuk’s alibi confirmed, the rumors began to die down.
Bang!
“Fuck! Why... why do they keep defending that bastard?!”
The source of the rumors was none other than Teynen Guild’s S3-rank Hunter, Lee Sung-ho.
He scrolled through the comments, fuming.
Park Kang-hyuk definitely killed Kim Min-chan.
He’d been there himself.
But he couldn’t say that.
It would expose that they’d tried to kill Kang-hyuk.
That dungeon gate had been reserved by GH Guild.
Admitting they were there would put him in the hot seat 100%.
“...Should I spin the story differently?”
Make himself a witness claiming Kang-hyuk murdered Kim Min-chan’s group.
The problem was evidence.
Kang-hyuk had been in an A-rank dungeon.
Proof that he’d exited and killed Kim Min-chan...
No, would anyone even believe his testimony?
It wasn’t just Kim Min-chan who vanished.
The other S-rank Hunters too.
He’d need a story explaining why they were all together.
“Fuck!”
Sung-ho gritted his teeth, cursing as his head throbbed.
While Sung-ho holed up at home, Teynen Guild descended into chaos.
The guild members panicked with Kim Min-chan gone for two months.
S2-rank Hunter Lee Soo-jin, now acting as master proxy, sighed while contacting clients.
“Haa...”
Teynen, once hailed as one of Korea’s top three guilds, was crumbling.
“Meanwhile, GH Guild’s rising fast.”
Short on numbers, but GH could stand toe-to-toe with giants now.
Every Hunter in it held an S-rank license.
Meaning they’d all reached Sword Master realm.
“GH might even snatch Teynen’s spot as one of the top three.”
Soo-jin recalled Park Kang-hyuk’s face from the Gwanggyo Mountain dungeon gate.
He was pretty handsome, in a clean-cut way.
Over 180 cm tall too.
With his abilities, women would flock to him.
Shaking off idle thoughts, Soo-jin adjusted the guild’s schedules.
The S-rank vanishings tanked their income.
How to minimize the damage?
‘...No way.’
There wasn’t one.
No matter how hard she tried, they couldn’t match last year’s figures.
“Unless we absorbed GH Guild.”
Soo-jin sighed, resting her hands on the keyboard.
Meanwhile, Kang-hyuk cleared his schedule to attend Yu-na’s entrance ceremony with his parents.
“They’d flip if they knew GH Guild’s master was here.”
Kang-hyuk snorted at Yu-na’s mutter.
“Quiet.”
“More importantly, oppa, your guild’s stacked. All otherworlders?”
“Made some connections down in Jeolla Province.”
“They’re trustworthy, right?”
“Yeah, I vetted them all. Don’t worry. Hit the books at college. Good grades, and I’ll hire you at GH.”
“I’m not even a Hunter...”
“Guilds need more than Hunters. We’re short on office staff anyway. We’ll recruit more otherworlders soon. By graduation, GH’ll be huge—you could pull a fat salary.”
“Ooh...”
That eased Yu-na’s worries big time.
Job hunting terrified college kids.
Tons graduated without jobs.
But grades guaranteeing employment?
“Wanna date? Tell oppa. I’ll hook you up with a good guild member.”
Way better than randos.
They’d even lay down their lives for family.
His parents eyed Kang-hyuk approvingly.
“That sounds good.”
“GH’s all S-rank Hunters, right?”
“Yep. They’re all so talented, plenty could aim for S2. Great personalities too. Handsome bunch. Super responsible, especially about family...”
His parents were sold.
But not Yu-na.
“I’ll handle my own love life.”
Kang-hyuk nodded.
“Fair enough. If you ever want an intro, just say. We’ve got some early-20s guys.”
She could meet someone at college too.
More options never hurt.
As Yu-na dove into college life, Kang-hyuk and the guild rotated through A- and B-rank dungeons, selling mana stones and byproducts.
The members grew rapidly, and guild revenue soared.
With numbers exploding, Kang-hyuk relocated GH headquarters to Gwanak-gu.
GH bought a 13-story building and over 100 officetel units there.
Members lived rent-free in the officetels.
Now at 1,000 members, the HQ buzzed with office staff.
Kang-hyuk managed all member salaries as master.
Teynen, hit by financial woes, downsized—driving their veterans to GH.
“Who saw Teynen crashing like this?”
“Lee Soo-jin’s keeping it afloat at minimum scale.”
“Heard all Teynen’s clients jumped to GH...”
“No way that rumor’s true...”
“Why would the master off Teynen’s S-ranks? He’d just reawakened to S1. Still adapting—attacking them? Ridiculous.”
“True...”
Despite Lee Sung-ho’s troll armies, suspicions against Kang-hyuk faded fast.
The Hunter Association officially debunked the rumors.
Blind haters got slapped with group lawsuits, dragging trolls to the police station.