Let's Go Smash Them
When Jeong-Hoon opened his eyes that morning, he quickly finished getting ready and left his suite.
He made his way to So-Hyeon's room on the top floor.
"So-Hyeon noona, did you sleep well?"
"Ah. Chairman Lee, good morning."
Already awake and staring blankly at the TV, So-Hyeon nodded when she saw him, her face twisting into a grimace.
Hunter's Disease was said to bring a level of agony no ordinary person could even imagine. That was why So-Hyeon was under a massive dose of painkillers.
Yet Jeong-Hoon sensed that the expression on her face right now had nothing to do with pain.
"Did something happen? You don't look well."
"Huh? Is it that obvious? I figured I'd just look like I was hurting."
"It's different from a pained expression."
It was the look of someone wrestling with a problem. Of course, anyone with only five days left to live would have things weighing on them. Even so, Jeong-Hoon's instincts told him this had nothing to do with her remaining lifespan.
"Well… Chairman Lee, you wouldn't happen to know any good lawyers, would you?"
"You need a lawyer? I doubt you got tangled up in a lawsuit overnight."
"I haven't set one foot outside this suite. How would that even happen?"
"May I ask what the problem is?"
He could summon lawyers by the truckload if he wanted. What really piqued his curiosity was why she needed one in the first place.
"It's because of the absolute nonsense my old guild is spouting."
"What? Wait—never mind that. Hunter Han Si-Eun, you didn't go home yesterday?"
Si-Eun walked into the suite's sitting room, and Jeong-Hoon's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected her to skip going home just to stay with So-Hyeon.
"I told my family and the guild I wouldn't be back for a while."
"Is that really all right? Aren't you busy as an S-class hunter?"
"Not really. Our guild's small. And besides…"
"What else?"
"When else am I going to get to stay in a Lumen top-tier suite?"
In other words, she had a personal motive mixed in. Jeong-Hoon nodded with a faint smile. There was some truth in the excuse, but it wasn't the real reason. Si-Eun was simply inventing a pretext so she could stay with So-Hyeon as long as possible. She was so bad at lying that her true feelings were plain to see.
"Ah. You did say one night here costs more than Si-Eun's monthly income."
"It's not just the money. The requirements are pretty strict too."
"Haa… Now my own problem feels pathetic. Here I am staying in a suite pricier than an S-class hunter's monthly pay, getting worked up over pocket change."
At So-Hyeon's sudden sigh, Jeong-Hoon realized the lawyer issue was about money.
"If it's a money problem, I can take care of it."
"Huh? It's not that I need money. It's about my severance pay."
The words "severance pay" made Jeong-Hoon's brow furrow. Something shady was clearly going on. The guild she had belonged to must have been a black company—no, a black guild.
Guilds abusing their hunters was nothing new. That abuse extended beyond the hunters themselves to their families—specifically, to the bereaved families of dead hunters. Jeong-Hoon himself had been a victim of that kind of guild tyranny. So when he heard what had been done to So-Hyeon, his expression turned grim.
"Donate the money you won't even get to spend? Whose brain did that bright idea crawl out of?"
Jeong-Hoon clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white. Killing intent began to seep out of him in a slow, curling haze. Butler Joo, watching, was quietly grateful that Jeong-Hoon had returned to his own suite to investigate the matter. The killing intent pouring off him right now was nothing a Non-Awakened should have been able to produce. Measured by the aura alone, it rivaled an A-class hunter. And this from someone who had only entered a dungeon once. Even if his opponent had been an orc lord, the intensity was abnormal. It was a blessing he hadn't unleashed it in front of So-Hyeon, who was only D-class and already a patient.
"Humans will sink to any ugliness for money, will they not?"
"……"
Butler Joo spoke to calm him. Jeong-Hoon stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
"So which guild did So-Hyeon noona belong to?"
"A small guild of twenty-eight members called Odyssey."
"Never even heard of them."
The dismissal in Jeong-Hoon's voice was not empty arrogance. He was a hunter otaku who had memorized the names of the top ten guilds and a great many more hunters and organizations besides. If even he had never heard of Odyssey, it truly was a nobody outfit.
"And even a nobody outfit like that is trying to swindle her severance under the name of 'customary practice'?"
So-Hyeon had contracted Hunter's Disease, retired, and been expelled from the guild. The contact she received afterward was a demand that she donate her severance pay back to them. They had even thrown in the line that she was terminal with less than a week left, so what was the point of taking money she would never spend?
"Is the investigation finished, then?"
He had ordered the inquiry while on his way back to the suite. Jeong-Hoon flicked his fingers and summoned Lumen's most capable lawyer. A lean man in his early forties appeared before him, his distinctive two-to-eight hair part immediately catching the eye.
"You called for me, Gaju?"
"How did the investigation I asked for go, Attorney Ko?"
"Completed in full."
Attorney Ko—Ko Yu-Yeon. One of the 12 Vassals and the head of Lumen's legal team. He offered a slight smile and held out a file. Jeong-Hoon scanned it and let out a long breath.
"I see someone here who absolutely cannot be allowed to live."
The moment he saw the Odyssey Guild Master's name and history, Jeong-Hoon exhaled heavily again.
Kim Gyeong-Hwan
B-class Hunter
Former Guild Master of Iliad
Iliad was a guild that had once been disbanded after its entire roster was wiped out. At the time, the guild master had even embezzled the compensation money meant for the bereaved families and vanished. Jeong-Hoon had never imagined the man would have the gall to found another guild and keep operating. Memories of his parents' deaths made his hands tremble.
"Is this accurate?"
"Lumen's intelligence gathering—no, my intelligence gathering—has no flaws."
A man who had dissolved his guild and gone into hiding, a criminal by any measure, was openly serving as a guild master again. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. Ko Yu-Yeon apparently took the gesture as doubt of his information, and his expression soured.
"Gaju? I may be an undefeated lawyer, but I am also an SS-class vassal with the family's finest intelligence capabilities. That information is correct without question."
Pride flooded Attorney Ko's voice. Killing intent surged from Jeong-Hoon again—and this time it was aimed straight at him. Butler Joo immediately stepped between them. Ko Yu-Yeon was an SS-class Awakened; Jeong-Hoon's aura could not harm him. The butler was simply trying to soothe his master's rage.
"Gaju, with the intelligence gathered by Vassal Ko Yu-Yeon, all that remains is for you to decide."
"Ha? Ah—yes? Decide what?"
The anger had made his speech slip. Jeong-Hoon hurriedly returned to his usual tone. On second thought, there was no reason to be angry at Ko Yu-Yeon. He was simply irritated.
"The severity of Odyssey's punishment."
"Ah. Right. Attorney Ko, based on this information, how far can we take the punishment?"
"If I step in, I can turn white into black. Even a death sentence is possible."
At Ko Yu-Yeon's confident declaration, Jeong-Hoon nodded and waved him out. His anger had cooled for now, but he was not sure he could keep from flaring up again at the man's overconfident, tactless attitude.
"In that case, I shall go meet Hunter Lee So-Hyeon. She did say she needed a lawyer, did she not?"
Jeong-Hoon nodded. Shortly after Ko Yu-Yeon left, he flicked his fingers again. Woo Do-Il, director of Myeongil Hospital, appeared before him.
"What is your business, Gaju?"
"Doctor, this is a rather absurd request, but is it possible?"
"What is your command?"
At Jeong-Hoon's cautious tone, Woo Do-Il's eyes flashed. That intense gaze made Jeong-Hoon's anger—and everything else—subside into meekness; he averted his eyes and looked toward Butler Joo instead.
"The Gaju is the absolute ruler of the family. Whatever the request, the vassals must see it through."
"Still, I haven't fully taken control of Myeongil Hospital yet. Giving orders that mobilize the hospital feels… off."
"That is no issue. You have already more than passed the task."
There was a fixed deadline for the formal declaration of passage, but he had already cleared it with room to spare. Reassured, Jeong-Hoon nodded without further hesitation.
"Then does Myeongil have beds available for about seventeen admissions?"
Seventeen. That was the number of people in Odyssey Guild who, along with So-Hyeon, had taken part in the backstabbing of other hunters. Jeong-Hoon intended to have every last one of them admitted to Myeongil. Woo Do-Il nodded readily.
"Even one hundred seventy would be fine."
"Ah—and one more thing! Myeongil needs tighter internal security. How did people who aren't even family know a terminal patient's remaining lifespan?"
Even after the guild had cast her out, Odyssey still knew exactly how long she had left. By any measure the information had leaked from Myeongil, and Jeong-Hoon stressed the point with a smile. No one present mistook that smile for anything friendly.
Accompanied by Butler Joo and Woo Do-Il, Jeong-Hoon returned to So-Hyeon's suite and opened the door.
"Hahaha. Is that so? Aaah, if I had more time left, I'd want to date you, Attorney."
"Haha. I'm flattered. But wouldn't a young lady like you be a bit too young to date a man past forty?"
Jeong-Hoon had expected a heavy atmosphere of despair or fury over Odyssey's abuse. Instead he found a cheerfully lively scene, and the hand still on the doorknob slipped.
"Hmm. Butler Joo, what did I just witness?"
"Attorney Ko Yu-Yeon's unexpected social skills."
"Was that Attorney Ko's social skills… or So-Hyeon noona's?"
Jeong-Hoon muttered while staring blankly at the door he had accidentally closed. From behind him came Woo Do-Il's muttered verdict: "Definitely So-Hyeon's social skills." The two of them seemed oddly at odds, and Jeong-Hoon wanted to ask more, but the door opened again from inside.
"Chairman, what are you doing standing out there?"
"…Ah. My hand slipped."
Si-Eun had seen the door open briefly and come out to check. Jeong-Hoon answered awkwardly and stepped inside.
"Oh! Chairman Lee! Attorney Ko is seriously good."
"He is Lumen's finest lawyer, after all."
So-Hyeon lightly patted Attorney Ko's shoulder with a smile, and Jeong-Hoon answered with full confidence. The reply clearly pleased Ko Yu-Yeon, who wore a satisfied smile—though from behind him came the sound of Woo Do-Il clicking his tongue.
"So what's on the schedule today? You're dressed differently than usual."
So-Hyeon had noticed at a glance that Jeong-Hoon's outfit was not his everyday wear. He nodded. Normally he wore solid dark suits—partly on Butler Joo's recommendation, partly because even the most expensive dark suit never drew attention. Today's suit was different. It was still in the dark range, but threaded with blue, red, and gold lines that made it both lavish and weighty. He had even put on a pair of fashion glasses, completely changing his usual impression.
"Ah, this? Want to come with me?"
"Where to?"
"Odyssey Guild. Let's go smash them."
He could pressure the Hunter Association into forcing Odyssey to vomit up every last one of its crimes and leave Kim Gyeong-Hwan unable to ever recover. But that method would take far too long. So Jeong-Hoon had made up his mind. He would smash Odyssey physically.
That was why the smile on his face was unusually cold.