Chapter 64

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 64

Chapter Title: Future Seoul is Sucked into the Abyss of the S-Rank Gate

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Before that abyss of the S-rank Gate could swallow Future Seoul, a colossal dragon appeared and devoured the Blue House along with the 63 Building.

China's Hunter Association President.

Currently one of the 12 Martial Gods under that association.

And one of the five who brought South Korea to its knees.

The Dragon God, Xiao Ran.

There was no mistaking it.

'That voice... It's him.'

Kang Hyuk muttered to himself, curling the corner of his mouth upward.

'That dragon's voice... The same Xiao Ran who spewed dragon breath right at me.'

In that instant, rage surged within him.

Fueled by that fury, the giant's power ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he'd kept suppressed roared back to life, and bloodshot veins crawled across his eyes.

Kukukuku!

The air trembled, and the earth shook in response.

The sheer pressure from the giant's power surpassing a certain threshold disrupted the natural order itself.

In the midst of it all, just as he was about to bellow Xiao Ran's name, pouring out the pent-up resentment in his chest...

"......"

His mouth snapped shut.

At the same time, the boiling rage rising from the depths of his heart was devoured by his coldly sharpened reason.

"......Hoo."

The experience and savvy he'd accumulated in his previous life warned him against rash actions.

'Right. No getting heated. The more I do, the worse it gets for me.'

Meanwhile, a voice emanated from Yang Chen's corpse.

"Oh ho... So you know who I am?"

At those words, Kang Hyuk momentarily set aside his anger, his eyes flashing sharply.

"Impressive... Not only did you kill my loyal hound, but you even know my true identity."

He curled the corner of his mouth slightly as he thought.

'He still doesn't know the full situation, does he?'

If the bastard could see him now, he wouldn't be saying that.

'Though, to be fair... pretty much everyone in the world would recognize my face by now.'

Especially those in this line of work—they'd know it without fail.

Whether that was a good thing or bad.

His status as an S-rank talent had made him world-famous.

In that sense, Kang Hyuk gleaned one fact from Xiao Ran's reaction.

'Hunting that Minotaur completed the quest.'

As proof, unclaimed rewards and a message about the barrier dissolving popped up before his eyes.

'That's why his severed spell reconnected. He slipped through the gap when the system's judgment weakened.'

With that realization, Kang Hyuk twisted his lips into a smirk.

'In that case... I might just turn this situation to my advantage.'

He answered Xiao Ran's question with feigned innocence.

"Anyone in this business who doesn't recognize your voice? You're one of the world's most famous hunters."

Yang Chen's corpse spat blood as it burst into laughter.

"What a clever deflection... So, what's your name? I put a lot of effort into raising that dog of mine. Never imagined he'd go down like this."

Kang Hyuk tapped his finger at the laughter.

'Half of that's a lie. He must have received some info on me. So, half right, half wrong.'

If he were certain of Kang Hyuk's identity, he wouldn't have asked.

Instead, he'd have thrown his name around and started some twisted mind game.

'Considering that arrogant prick's personality.'

That's why Kang Hyuk smirked.

The more they talked, the more convinced he became that he could turn this crisis into an opportunity.

He played his role even more coolly and naturally.

"You're underestimating me. I killed your dog—why the hell would I give you my name? What idiot would commit suicide like that?"

Yang Chen's corpse fell silent for a moment.

Then it erupted in laughter.

"Kuhahaha!"

Its unfocused eyes rolled as it spoke again.

"An amusing... response. But think it over. Tell me now, and I might let you live. Refuse, and I'll hunt you down until you're dead. Still not gonna answer?"

"Slitting my own throat versus having you snap my neck... Which sounds better?"

"......Kuhk! Suicide versus murder... Fair enough, I misspoke. How about this?"

With that, Xiao Ran made his proposal.

"Join me?"

"......?"

"That dog of mine's dead, so I'm short a limb for a while... I need a new one. How about taking his spot?"

Kang Hyuk's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you trust me?"

"We'll figure that out in time. What do you say? We help each other out... You do my bidding, and you get your revenge. Not a bad deal, right?"

He twisted his lips.

"Pass. No matter how good the money, I don't hand my life to someone else."

The corpse went quiet at his reply.

In that silence, Kang Hyuk glanced at the message floating before him.

'Time's almost up. Gotta end this conversation to set the stage.'

For the first time, he spoke first to the silent corpse.

"But... if we find a fair compromise, it wouldn't be impossible."

The corpse jolted at the offer.

"Compromise?"

"If we each hold the other's weakness, your proposal isn't half bad. Hold on a sec."

With that, Kang Hyuk clenched his fist.

"I'll come to you first. Then we can have a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deeper talk."

He unleashed the giant's power toward Yang Chen's corpse.

At the same moment, in Beijing atop a skyscraper, Xiao ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ran's body twitched as the severed spell snapped back.

"......"

Xiao Ran, opening his closed eyes, muttered.

"Come to me first, huh...'"

His tail slithered out from under his dragon robe, swishing as he pondered.

'What an interesting guy... Bold enough to mess with me and still talk like that.'

He tilted his head.

There weren't many in the world who could kill his subordinate and say something like that.

'Especially while handling a wyvern... an A-rank beast, the Black Wyvern, no less.'

The Three Generals.

Or "Mad Dog," as he was called—his subordinate Yang Chen had entered Korea, gathered intel, and reported back.

One piece was the Black Wyvern scale found in that "test site" in Gangwon Province.

'Report cut off right there... Considering Yang Chen's personality, not surprising.'

His now-cold corpse had always completed missions and delivered results before reporting.

That's how he'd trained him.

'Not like I'm bored enough to hear every trivial detail.'

So, he'd gotten just two updates on this incident.

One: Black Wyvern scales found in a Gangwon dungeon.

And that he'd found traces and would retrieve the results soon.

'In hindsight... I messed up. Should've demanded more details, thinking about that coffin... Tch.'

A misjudgment from overtrusting the Third General, the Mad Dog.

But it was unavoidable—he was a B-rank hunter.

One forcibly awakened and physically modified by Xiao Ran's spells into a half-beast.

Considering that, his trust wasn't excessive.

'Even a non-combat A-rank would struggle against him. Factoring that in, this wasn't my mistake—it means the one who pulled it off is that exceptional.'

With that thought, Xiao Ran smirked.

'Who the hell is it?'

Circumstances and coincidences had tangled things up perfectly.

'Who starts something this big?'

But from their recent conversation, Xiao Ran suspected this mess might be that person's "masterpiece."

It had left quite an impression.

'No way... Did the Pope's saintess make a move? Or that American gunslinger?'

Various figures came to mind.

Narrowing them down, he shook his head.

'Can't be sure either way. In that case...'

With things this messy, he'd have to step in personally.

'He says he'll contact me first, but I can't wait. Those four won't overlook a screw-up like this.'

Turning, Xiao Ran addressed his waiting secretaries.

"Prepare a private jet."

The secretaries' eyes widened in surprise.

Xiao Ran's yellow eyes gleamed.

"I need to meet the Association President. Set it up now."

Kang Hyuk thought to himself.

In this life, he would stop their plans.

And exact revenge.

But it wasn't easy, so he agonized over it daily.

'They're world rulers, past or present. Move too soon against them, and I'll be the one crushed.'

That's why he wouldn't strike first without perfect preparation.

One failure would squander his sole chance.

'Not certain yet, but they're probably still exchanging info and conspiring. Fail the first ambush, and what comes next is obvious.'

Their power and backing.

They'd use it to crush him.

'I've grown insanely fast since returning, but I'm still lacking compared to them. If I tried to kill Million Summoner... Raymon Kim, the world's superpower America would turn hostile.'

In this era, hunter talents were national assets.

No excuse would make losing one acceptable.

That's why he needed solid prep.

'A position and power to weather it all... Or setup for a perfect ambush or assassination. But.'

His chat with Xiao Ran painted a new picture.

'Xiao Ran... What if he comes to Korea on his own?'

Assassinating him in China's fortress was near impossible.

Breaching the association's defenses and his spells.

But if he stepped out voluntarily, Kang Hyuk could take him now.

'Right now, Xiao Ran's B-rank. Even with variables, full power should suffice.'

His lips curved up.

If Xiao Ran left China as planned, it'd be the golden opportunity he'd dreamed of.

'Coldly speaking, no guarantee he'll come.'

Despite his sly nature, Xiao Ran was meticulously cautious.

'But flip it—his arrogance could shatter that caution.'

The haughty evil dragon would be curious.

Who killed his dog? Was it one of his suspects?

'He has some info on me by now... So high chance he'll come confirm with his own eyes.'

Kang Hyuk nodded.

'Risky, but worth the gamble.'

Erasing Xiao Ran without a trace now would be perfect for future plans.

'So, lay the perfect trap. One he can't resist.'

With that, Kang Hyuk smirked and started walking.

The labyrinth's disassembly accelerated.

Injured people flashed through his mind.

'......In the end, this labyrinth raid was half a failure.'

He'd gained unexpected benefits.

Killed Xiao Ran's assassin, Yang Chen, and lured Xiao Ran to Korea.

But proportional devastation had struck.

'People hurt by Yang Chen... Couldn't stop that disaster.'

Not too late yet.

Yang Chen had spared them to provoke him.

Injured, but prompt treatment could save them.

'Aftereffects will linger, though... Unavoidable.'

He swallowed a sigh and turned to tend to the citizens' wounds when...

Sudden messages appeared before his eyes.

"......?"

Kang Hyuk's eyes widened.

"What?"

He gaped at the brilliantly glowing box in front of him.

"Th-this is...!"