Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Ki So-young and...
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I open my eyes. The familiar ceiling comes into view, one I've grown used to seeing by now.
I let out a sigh of relief, and the tension drains from my body. Looks like someone picked me up after that last phone call I made.
"They must've been shocked."
Three corpses and two guys passed out—plenty to freak anyone out. No way they could've missed the signs of what went down there.
Just then, someone opens the door and steps into the hospital room. I sit up and see it's Ki So-young, the guild master. Her face is grim as she approaches me.
"You're awake. We panicked when the call connected but you didn't say a word."
"For people who panicked, you found me quick and patched me up nice."
I glance at my wounds, now completely gone. They'd cleanly lifted the curse from the magic item and healed me up.
"It'll cost you big time. I treated you myself."
"Worth every penny. So, what's on your mind? Cleanup's a nightmare, huh?"
She nods in agreement. No surprise there. This was the third-generation heir of Cheongsung Group—a hunter once hailed as a saint—dead. And one of the bodies was a demon, still in full demonic form, like it was screaming its identity.
The world was bound to lose its mind.
"Moon Kang-un—the one you left unconscious—was taken into custody by the Association. The rest of the bodies were shipped off to them too. Was it all you, Shin Juha?"
Her tone carried a hint of headache. Fair enough. Getting tangled with demons was never good, no matter the reason.
Especially with Cheongsung's heir involved—it was a powder keg.
"Cheongsung's pushing back hard. Claiming you teamed up with demons to kill Hunter Lee Ji-yong. They're even yelling about the butler who was with him getting murdered too. Already doing interviews and live broadcasts. Chairman Lee Seo-yong himself."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"This isn't funny. It's serious. You could end up labeled a demon collaborator and executed! They have the power to make it happen!"
"Puhahaha! Ah... it's been ages since I laughed like this. He really said that? Chairman Lee Seo-yong himself?"
"Yes! He's pressuring the Association to hand over his grandson's and butler's bodies, and threatening us to turn you over! No idea why the Association isn't caving yet, but they won't hold out long."
"This is getting fun. I didn't even do anything, and they've walked right into the trap."
I opened my inventory and pulled out a pair of glasses.
Crack!
Snapping the frames revealed a tiny SD card and a camera inside. I asked Ki So-young to grab a laptop, and she brought one right away. I checked the contents.
It was packed with evidence of every crime imaginable. The killer blow: footage of Lee Ji-yong sacrificing over forty people alongside demons.
Ironclad proof. No escaping it.
"Perfect. This'll screw Cheongsung over big time. Hell, it'll make them stagger."
A chaebol heir colluding with demons. A group chairman defending him. Their image was in freefall, and whispers about the chairman's own demon ties were inevitable.
Those bastards will cut him loose too.
They were hypersensitive to power and influence. They wouldn't tolerate anyone outshining them, and they sure as hell wouldn't pass up prey like this.
Hell, they might tear Cheongsung apart and devour it.
Revenge served cold. Just finish off Lee Seo-yong once he'd lost everything.
"This should shut them down, right?"
"Obviously! Ah... I was shaking so bad, thought I'd die. Ji-hyeok even said he had to meet you... Oops!"
"Dangun Ji-hyeok? Me?"
Made sense. He despised demons more than anyone. The hero representing the generation after my parents, Korea's strongest.
His family had been brutally slaughtered by demons. His hatred and extermination drive were natural.
I'd like to meet him sometime.
He was different from my parents. Unlike them—selflessly heroic and purely good—he was moderately righteous, moderately wicked, with a healthy dose of greed.
A man who believed overwhelming power demanded overwhelming authority.
That's why he founded Dangun Guild and ruled Korea's power cartel from the top.
Anyway, priorities first.
"Leak all this online. Mosaic version and uncensored. Don't confront Cheongsung directly with it—you'll regret the fallout."
"Hmph, as if Cheongsung's a big deal. We only held back for optics! Miracle Guild's no slouch!"
True enough. Low on guild rankings, but influence-wise, we matched Dangun Guild.
Ki So-young grabbed the laptop, muttering about getting started, and left the room. I changed clothes and headed straight to the Association.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Thick cigarette smoke filled the room. At its center, puffing away, was Park Seo-ha. Spotting me, her eyes flashed as she lunged.
"You! You...!"
"Ugh, the stench. How many packs did you smoke? Back off. What's with the clingy act?"
"Shit! You're alive! Thought you were dead."
What nonsense was this woman spouting? I shook my head and took the main seat.
Grimacing, Park Seo-ha plopped onto the sofa.
"Moon Kang-un. I caught him in the end, huh? Even shanked me with a magic item. That curse hurt like hell."
She fell silent. The Association's incompetence was blatant. They'd begged for a few days to nab him, wasted a month, and let secondary damage happen.
And I'd done the catching—as the victim. Grateful for her defense with the council stone, but that's separate.
As she rolled her eyes without a word, the Association chairman burst in. He stared at me, lips twitching, silent for a long beat before speaking.
"Situation's dire. We can't protect you. If it hits rock bottom, I'll cut you loose. All we can do is endure."
No surprise there. Impressive they'd held out against Cheongsung's pressure this long.
"Honestly, if it weren't so clear-cut, I'd have handed you over already. Don't hate me. We're allies, but going all-in for each other looks weird, right? Got a reversal card?"
I gave a hollow laugh, eyeing the chairman. Still didn't like him. Once I avenged against those things, this guy's next.
"I'll handle it. Thanks to the Association's incompetence."
I stood. Thought about seeing Moon Kang-un again, but lost the urge.
This place just doesn't suit me.
"Judge wisely. Our alliance feels a bit thinner now."
With that, I left the Association and returned to Miracle Guild. Right on cue, all the evidence dropped.
One day. Exactly one day after the evidence his secretary leaked hit the world, public opinion flipped.
Inevitable. Too precise, too irrefutable—not one or two pieces, impossible to deny.
Lee Ji-yong, once a celebrated hero, became a demon-colluding murderer overnight. The scandal snowballed.
Cheongsung took a massive hit. Lee Seo-yong's tearful pleas painting his grandson as a hero backfired; suspected of demon ties, he was forcibly arrested by the Association. Boycotts were the least of it—Cheongsung stock plummeted through the floor.
Cheongsung Guild couldn't escape the fallout. No dungeon assignments, fellow hunters shunning them. Plenty openly asked if they were demon pals, picking fights.
A meteoric fall. Post-Cataclysm, over half humanity's major incidents tied to demons— this backlash was par for the course.
Demons: humanity's betrayers, Earth's too. They treated life as cheap, turning the planet into a playground for their demon lords and devils.
Dangun Guild and Dangun Cheonje hit Cheongsung hardest. His vendetta against demons was legendary; the pressure was unreal. The public cheered him wildly.
Three days later, a haggard Lee Seo-yong slipped out of the Association and hurried somewhere.
Bang.
He entered a room where seven people awaited. They greeted Chairman Lee Seo-yong with icy stares.
"You're here."
"Took you long enough."
"Pathetic. What a mess. Tsk tsk."
Each was at Korea's pinnacle—power, strength, wealth, they had it all.
And they shared one thing: they were the masterminds behind murdering Shin Juha's parents, the so-called heroes.
Lee Seo-yong swallowed hard at their coldness and sat. Silence fell.
Normally, he'd have sway here, clout to throw around. Not today.
"Chairman Lee Seo-yong. You overplayed your hand."
"Yeah, grandson or not—covering up demon ties?"
"Should've admitted and repented quick. Now look."
They jabbed one by one, sneers laced in. He'd usually snap back, pride wounded—but not today.
"Heh heh. My mistake. The boy crossed a line; couldn't help it. But blood's blood. Our house's only Awakener."
Agreeing smoothly, he finally said his piece.
"My fault, so lend a hand. The one's at the center is that kid. Shin Juha! Offspring of those bastards! Time to nip it in the bud!! He'll grow fast and slit our throats! Don't need much—just keep me standing!"
He begged, groveling pathetically. But their eyes stayed cold. Silence. Panicking, Lee Seo-yong scanned them, landing on the one who'd stayed mute.
Locking eyes, the man sipped tea and spoke.
"Told you last time, didn't I? Hands off. Leave him be, he'll know his place. Why poke the bear?"
Korea's No. 2 hunter, Ha Il-seok, clicked his tongue.
"Lee Ji-yong was a soft spot I spared briefly—pains me. But this crossed the line. Demons? No covering that. World Association's watching. Sorry, but step down. Retire to the countryside, enjoy your golden years. I'll hook you up with a nice villa."
He stood.
"Done eating? Let's go. Looks like you need time to think alone."
Thus, Chairman Lee Seo-yong and Cheongsung were cast out of the cartel. Ruin.