Chapter 288
Chapter 288
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: Styx (2)
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Ji Do-ik and Yang Jeong-ae had known each other for over thirty years.
There was some age difference between them, but weren't they what you'd call gal-pals or guy-pals? Something like that?
Anyway, Ji Do-ik always found Yang Jeong-ae frustrating.
"Sis! Why you always doin' business with a special talent like that? Join up with a good guild and take it easy for once."
"Aw, come on~ Why you gotta start naggin' again, ya old coot?"
And she had such a precious ability, too.
Always handlin' the dirty work, dealin' with people—it looked exhausting.
Even if she made good money, he knew she didn't keep much of it, which made it all the more heartbreaking.
"Naggin'? It's all for your sake, sis."
Yang Jeong-ae.
She looked out for the poor.
All the profits from the restaurant named after her, Jeongae House, went to local orphans and beggars.
Days, she hustled servin' customers.
Nights, she cooked for the hungry.
"Hoo, that's just how I roll. Heaven gave me this gift for a reason. I just live grateful for it."
She gave rooms to orphans without homes.
She tended to the disabled or sick who couldn't afford care—with her cooking.
She was satisfied with that life.
"...They're worse off than me. If I up and leave, who's gonna feed the neighbor kid or look after the blind beggar?"
Of course, Yang Jeong-ae had her standards.
Mostly, she helped minors or the disabled.
If some able-bodied adult came beggin' in rags,
"Hold on~ Lemme see, you just too lazy to work and wanna eat free, huh? Don't live like that—git!"
She'd chase 'em off with harsh words.
That was her way.
But Ji Do-ik knew.
It had worked up till now, but it wouldn't anymore.
She was a non-upgraded hunter.
Her registered rank with the Association was F.
But this time, Yang Jeong-ae had become the 940th ranker.
The Association automatically bumped her up to S-rank, and suddenly, she was in everyone's sights.
Famous as a hunter, not just the food grandma.
"Sis..."
Ji Do-ik let out a sigh.
The changed world was way scarier than she thought.
Human greed was scarier than any disaster, right?
That was why he'd swallowed his pride and gone looking for Joo Dong-hoon.
'As long as someone like that stays protected... my pride means nothing.'
* * *
A few days earlier.
Jeongae House had wrapped up for the day, and she was tidying up.
Creak.
That's when the front gate connected to the fence wall opened, and a shady-looking guy stepped out.
"...Hm?"
Yang Jeong-ae, finishing up the tables, came out to the yard.
"Who're you? Look like a young fella—didn't ya see the sign out front? We're closed... Gahk?"
The man grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up, glaring.
"You're the chef ranker, Yang Jeong-ae?"
"Gahk, guk! Kerhk!"
Yang Jeong-ae flailed weakly at his hand with her arms.
Tap tap tap!
She couldn't breathe.
"...Oh my, what in tarnation... is this?"
It was her first time facing something like this, and terror gripped her.
Not a shred of elder respect in his attitude.
Crazy bastard, plain as day!
"Hmm, ranker, huh? Not much strength to ya. Chokin' on a simple collar grab."
Fling!
The man casually swung his arm, tossing her aside.
"...Urk!"
She hit the ground, too flustered to speak.
She made her best call.
Don't provoke the psycho.
Foul-mouthed granny?
That was for normal customers—do that with this guy, and she might not die peacefully.
"Hey, granny."
The shady man murmured in a low tone.
"First off, lemme introduce myself. I'm not a bad guy or nothin'. Just a rotten one. Name's... eh, just call me Black Hound."
His face was like a predator who'd nailed the hunt.
He strolled leisurely around, toying with her.
He knew his own power well and how to break people mentally.
"I've got a guild I'm with? We handle info, and wouldn't ya know, we could use a chef right now. Well... strictly speakin', any high-rank lifestyle hunter, but. Heh."
At his words, Yang Jeong-ae felt her world crumbling from the feet up.
Ahh.
So this was it?
What that old coot Ji Do-ik had warned her about?
In front of malice like this, she was powerless.
"Heh heh, get it, granny? Better come quietly. That 'closed' sign can just say 'temp closed.' You're old, but not deaf, right? This ain't a request—it's a threat. What're you waitin' for? On your feet."
"......"
Yang Jeong-ae was speechless.
Or rather, too stunned to speak.
Kidnapped in broad daylight, smack in central Seoul.
Was this really 21st-century Korea?
"Don't take it too hard. You're not the first like this. So why flaunt your powers, huh? Huh? Wait, this old bat—why so quiet since earlier?"
"......"
"Gonna make me drag ya? Try it. Let's see..."
Black Hound hummed a tune and pulled files from his pocket.
"Hm, neighbor's Choi Tae-soo? That orphan kid—start with his neck...?"
"......I'm coming."
At those words, Yang Jeong-ae stood.
"What?"
"I'm comin'. You damn filthy scum!"
For the first time, Yang Jeong-ae regretted it.
Not listening to that old coot Ji Do-ik.
* * *
"Haa...?"
Kim Jin-ah, in a flowy dress and wide-brim sunhat, sighed.
"Temp closed? No way, we finally get a date and this...!"
"Sorry, but to be precise, it's not a date—I'm here to meet Yang Jeong-ae the chef..."
"Huh?!"
My words made Kim Jin-ah's eyes go wide, all cute-like.
Seriously.
Her cheeks were flushed—she must've gone in for the cheek pinch.
"The words aren't the point right now! It's temp closed! Temp closed!"
"...Can't a place close sometimes?"
"Yeah, sure, but... somethin' smells off."
Kim Jin-ah propped her chin, face serious now.
Her eyes sharp—like she sensed something fishy.
"Jeongae House is open 365. Hasn't taken a single day off in nearly ten years—that diligent lady, why suddenly...?"
Creak.
Kim Jin-ah moved the sign and opened the gate.
"Come on in for a sec."
Like she owned the place, she led me inside.
Up till then, I figured she was just overreacting.
Until I spotted something on the ground.
"Blood?"
Yeah.
The blood smeared on the stone marks wasn't the kind from a normal restaurant.
Pretty old, too—dark and clotted.
Kim Jin-ah's first reaction? A scoff.
"Hmph, look at these punks?"
Like a cat spotting a fun toy.
"How long since the ranker list dropped, and they're already movin' on her?"
"Movin'?"
Not the wholesome kind of 'moving' I knew.
"Guildmaster."
"Yeah?"
"Looks like sortin' this out'll take time. Mind leavin' it to me?"
"......?"
"Guildmaster, you've got training, right?"
Grin.
Kim Jin-ah smiled.
"Sure."
I nodded.
Whatever it was.
Kim Jin-ah handled things 'well.'
She was reliable like that.
* * *
Otherworld's vice guildmaster.
Kim Jin-ah had recently expanded into the info business.
'To become the strongest guild, we need intel.'
Having intel didn't make a guild the strongest, but it was necessary to become one.
The so-called Big 3—Demon King's Army, Heavenly Demon Cult, Magic Tower—all had their own intel networks.
Demon King's Army had world rank 11, Vampire Korbin, with bats all over the globe.
Heavenly Demon Cult had world rank 12, Shadowless Yong-wol handling intel.
She led the cult's internal Shadow Platoon, for reference.
Magic Tower managed info with magic.
Reading memories through nature or scanning distant areas via orbs.
One thing was sure.
All three were hypersensitive to 'information.'
Kim Jin-ah was prepping slowly, too.
She was the boss of that intel org, of course.
Three agents.
1. Dark Emperor Gi So-yul.
2. Guide Kapu.
3. Shadow Secret Ninomae Noah.
All rankers with real skills.
Dark Emperor and Shadow Secret leveraged their assassin jobs for high-end intel.
Misc stuff fell to the Guide.
Plus, she'd hired and trained tons of staff.
They gathered and sorted the intel.
She'd even asked Demir to dig under the city.
A secret intel network, hidden from all.
"From now on, our org's called Styx."
Styx.
No deep meaning.
Kim Jin-ah just came up with it on the spot from Gi So-yul and Kapu's titles.
'The river that guides through darkness, Styx.'
Steps proceeded in order.
Gi So-yul minimized personal training to help Kim Jin-ah.
Their goal was simple.
- Build the world's top intel org.
It'd be rough at first, full of roadblocks, but dream big, and impossible becomes possible.
Look at Otherworld—even who could've predicted it'd blow up like this?
"Kapu!"
After sending Joo Dong-hoon off, Kim Jin-ah hurried underground.
She'd changed—neat slacks and blouse.
"You here?"
Obvious, but they had a chat window.
They'd already shared intel.
"Checked what I mentioned?"
"Yeah."
Kapu's vast room.
Hundreds of holograms flickered everywhere.
Cops or intel agents would've been floored.
Each screen showed real-time footage from across Korea.
All CCTVs.
No—better than CCTV.
More covert.
Even forests and rivers.
No blind spots.
And perfect quality.
Near-real.
That was the Guide's power at SS-rank.
"Look here."
Kapu pointed to a zoomed holo.
A man threatening Yang Jeong-ae, then dragging her off.
"Whoa, that trash? No elder respect—straight elder assault?"
"Black Hound. Took the grandma toward Paju. Entered a building near Worong Mountain—underground, looks like. Can't see past with holo."
Holo's limit: tough for interiors.
Possible, but it'd flood with data.
Inefficient, and stamina drain.
"Good enough."
Kim Jin-ah nodded, relieved.
Then called the rankers.
[Kim Jin-ah: Dark Emperor, Shadow Secret. Ready?]
Shadow Secret was Mio's friend, FYI.
[Dark Emperor: Yes.]
[Shadow Secret: Yup! Let's go go go! Time to take down the baddies!]
Difference from Mio? Way higher energy.
* * *
Paju, Worong Mountain.
At the building Kapu indicated, Kim Jin-ah had to whistle.
"Whoa, these bastards?"
Her playful face vanished, expression hardening.
Dark Emperor and Shadow Secret beside her crouched low, tense.
"Bigger deal than I thought, huh?"
The underground was empty.
A clean table held one simple note.
- Otherworld 🖕
Pure, insulting simplicity.