Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Strategic Denial
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“My head feels like it’s really going to split open. And we have to watch out for the Blue Dragon Guild too.”
“To be blunt, it’s a shame, isn’t it? Plus, it’d be a problem if the idea spread that you could keep working as a Hunter even after going against the Association and the government. They didn’t create the Academia system for nothing, you know.”
“We should review that Academia system too. As you can see, Golden Dragon Knight Yoo Seongwon was a Staff member at that ‘Academia’ before awakening. Of course, I don’t know the exact details—whether he joined as Staff after awakening or awakened while already working there—but for an employee who served there for nine years to go down such a crooked path, doesn’t that suggest a problem with the system?”
“That’s a fair point, but right now, the priority is how we wrap up this Pastor Lee subjugation. We’ve got a powder keg right in front of us about to blow. Are we just going to let it?”
They were Association staffers who had barely managed to take down ‘Pastor Lee’ and end the war, terrified that a sloppy finish might force them to fight the Golden Demon Knight all over again.
That meant they had to handle this incident with extreme caution... The tangled front lines were every bit as complicated as they seemed, and any wrong choice could trigger irreversible consequences.
“He’s already pissed that we tied up his accounts with 500 billion won... We can’t poke the bear any more than that, can we?”
“But that was a legitimate judicial procedure. It’s a separate authority from us who paid the money, so it’s hard to interfere. He skipped the trial and defied the process, so that’s what happened. It’s not on us, right? It’s on those damn Seoul Guild bastards.”
“And to top it all off, that Oh Kyung-hoon Hunter who orchestrated the whole mess from behind the scenes is missing. Where the hell is that guy and what’s he doing? Haah~”
Things couldn’t have gotten this ridiculously tangled.
The existing Hunters’ sense of deprivation, emotions twisted by Seoul Guild’s schemes, and a faction with seven S-Rank or higher that was uncooperative yet untouchable. No matter what they chose, backlash was inevitable.
“Then there’s only one answer.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“We just don’t acknowledge Pastor Lee’s death. As long as there’s no body, evidence, or credible testimony, we can put off confirming it.”
“Oh......”
Right—if every choice meant an explosion, there was always the option of not choosing at all.
Pastor Lee’s death was only circumstantial so far, with no definitive proof, so they could still deny it.
It was no different from leaving a ticking time bomb alone, but for now, this was the safest play.
“At least it buys us time. Once Go Cheonsu’s SS-Rank certification is solid and we’ve sorted out the Hunter guild conflicts, we can let it blow then—much safer.”
“What about the lawsuits from Seoul Guild and their backers, plus the frozen accounts?”
“Well, we pin it on the ones who did it. It’s a bomb that’ll explode anyway—better to make it a small one, right? They’re insane for trying to take money from a place with seven S-Ranks and above in the first place.”
You had to pick your targets carefully for compensation to stick.
Just like how China ignored intellectual property lawsuits in the past—no, even now—you had to go after opponents who could actually pay for legal actions to mean anything.
Since they’d stirred up this mess without realizing that, making them pay the price while playing dumb was far safer.
“Good thing we’ve got a rough policy set... But there are still mountains to climb.”
“Haaaah~ This isn’t ending anytime soon.”
“This is just the beginning. If S-Rank Hunters are shaking things up, imagine the chaos below them.”
S-Rank Hunters were like massive pillars in the Hunter world.
When they stirred, the order among the guilds below naturally shifted.
Disputes had already broken out in Gwangju and Jeolla between guilds and Scavengers to establish a new order, and the Blue Dragon Guild was preparing to expand its influence the moment new SS-Rank Hunter Go Cheonsu fully updated his rank.
“Seoul Guild is in chaos without Oh Kyung-hoon, so Sin-Gangnam’s patrons are carving it up, scattering it into corporate guilds.”
“And the Ministry of National Defense is kicking up a fuss again, demanding Hunter unit formations and conscription rights. Even if we let them, it’d just spark fights instead of recruits—how could we approve? It’s their fault the Korean guild system and Scavengers ended up like this in the first place!”
Abroad, Hunter guilds were split due to Constellation quirks or corporate interests, but they cooperated closely with national militaries or ran joint ops. Awakeners without Constellations or corporate-friendly skills often joined domestic Hunter units.
So there were defectors like Scavengers, but not in huge numbers.
In Korea, back in the early Awakener days and when dungeons first appeared, the Ministry had tried rounding up Awakeners for national security and control.
But the military’s inherently coercive style, combined with bottom-tier understanding of Awakeners among officers and brass, led to disastrous command and management.
Add in long-standing conscription flaws, rigid military restrictions, resentment, and barely-better treatment than active-duty soldiers justified as a national emergency—and Awakeners rebelled hard. They’d become Scavengers before joining the Ministry, dead or not.
“If they’d sold off those golf courses or something and made improvements early, at least Academia’s lower-rank students might’ve enlisted! Or promoted more Awakener officers! Instead, they do nothing but demand we meet their requests...!”
“That’s got its own problems. Awakeners get hierarchy by strength, but military units don’t work that way—it’s a headache... Anyway, let’s table this. It won’t resolve quickly, and it’s too much of a pain. Where were we?”
“Up to the Awakeners’... disputes. Anyway, to fix it, we need to gather everyone and reestablish order. First step: summon all major domestic Hunters.”
The so-called Association general assembly.
The Association had authority to summon officially registered Hunters.
Originally for emergencies, but with guilds ignoring them outright, it now mostly distinguished Association Hunters from Scavengers, while checking status and attendance.
Once gathered, they’d naturally form alliances, sort hierarchies, and compete fiercely for talent—perfect for restoring order after Pastor Lee’s rebellion.
“At least we can rewrite the guild roster... Let’s do it.”
“Yes. When?”
“Not everyone can come right away, and we need the most important figure, so let’s send the call once Yoo Seongwon emerges from the Goblin Empire Dungeon.”
And so, the Association’s future policy was set.
The Association and government decided to issue a summon order to all Korean Hunter guilds the moment Yoo Seongwon exited the dungeon.
They then moved straight to the next agenda, continuing the meeting.
***
Three days later, Goblin Empire Dungeon.
No matter how much you rest, just eating, sleeping, and rolling around won’t make you feel better.
Yoo Seongwon knew that, so whenever he got bored, he’d ride Eldraen to survey the Goblin Empire castle where they’d once waged war, taking leisurely strolls around.
“Being up in the sky is the best. No one nagging me. The only one who could follow is Seom-myeol on her flying bird, but she’s reasonable~ Anyway, peace really is great.”
[Not for me. We need to earn magic stones and money, not waste time idling like this.]
“They gave you a ton of jewels and magic stones as stipend.”
He didn’t know about the other knights, but Yoo Seongwon had calculated meticulously with her—she knew what happened if you pissed off a dragon.
His accounts were frozen, but thankfully, trading magic stones to the Slaughter King’s Voxy for precious metals and jewels kept payments on track. What a relief.
Anyway, the two were drifting through the skies, chatting idly.
[Not even close. To decorate a lair properly, I need enough gold to make mountains and gems to flow like rivers. So, when’s the next fight?]
“Well... when I feel motivated?”
[Great! Shall we head to a new job right now?]
“Nope. I’m resting more.”
[You, who won’t even live 100 years, wasting time?]
“That’s exactly why I only have 100 years—I need to enjoy it. I didn’t reincarnate to suffer.”
[Even after looking down there?]
Following Eldraen’s point, he looked below to see humans bustling away.
First up: Shin Ayoung and Shin Somi training in the Goblin Empire’s parade ground.
Yoo Seongwon had given the two he fully trusted as comrades new gear and skill books, and they were adapting through practice.
“Whew~ Biological detection’s fine, but animal vision sharing is tough—every animal sees differently. Nearly got dizzy using it on a dragonfly.”
“But they’re all good skills. The ones Uncle gave us~ What was the last one?”
“Magic bullet crafting. Perfect skill, no complaints. Your base class is mage anyway, so high mana stats make it ideal.”
Her gear and ammo were covered by Iron Fortress supplies, so to maximize her rear support potential, he’d bought three skill books.
Heroic Biological Detection, Heroic Animal Vision Sharing, Legendary Magic Bullet Crafting.
The first two did exactly as named, and Magic Bullet Crafting created ammo proportional to mana—perfect for an ex-mage turned gunner.
“By the way, that Legendary Magic Bullet Crafting book was pricey. One of the rarest skill books out there.”
“Thanks to it, shooting practice is just about the gun now—nice. How about you, Ayoung?”
“I’m flying high! Can finally use Phoenix Dance properly—total win!”
For Ayoung, he’d bought a qi-related skill book for Phoenix Dance and new gauntlets.
Since they were originally Leg Horn’s, scouting Leg Horn’s skills led to quick finds, and Voxy recommended fitting gauntlets.
“Huh? Dragon? Oh! Uncle! Uncleeee! Thanks for the gift! Using it great! Mom says thanks too. You bought it with S-Rank monster rewards, right?”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks~ I’ll use it well~”
Her shout was louder, but her thanks reached Yoo Seongwon’s ears clearly, smaller though it was.
Somehow embarrassed, he hid his face unconsciously and tapped Eldraen’s side to hurry on.
Moving again revealed Yoo Cheong and Jinseok training hordes of goblins.
“You lot are incredibly lucky! For goblins! You’ve been given a chance to join His Majesty Yoo Seongwon’s Heavenly Sword Army! In our Heavenly Sword Army, legendary across countless stars, there’s no place for weak, filthy, ugly goblins like you. But! Our merciful Emperor, His Majesty Yoo Seongwon, has granted you this opportunity.”
[Kihiek... Kiheek......]
[Gak... Gak......]
[Gobuk......]
Goblins in heavy plate, spears, shields, and packs as big as themselves groaned while climbing a mountain.
Yoo Cheong had proposed using Goblin Empire troops as mercenaries for magic stone supply, and tasked to him, he was now selecting elites via physicals and training.
“Hahaha! Come on, push! Break through this, and you’ll earn Heavenly Sword Army honor, plus huge rewards and pay for your empire and yourselves. Go, you goblin scum—run! Run! Only a thousand make it! To be His Majesty’s sword and shield! If you want the glory! If you serve our great Emperor! Hey, Mulblin! Translate quick!”
“Yes! Understood, Sir Jinseok!”
“Oh... that’s the golden dragon. Our liege’s dragon. His great Majesty has come personally to watch you vermin train! Rejoice, all of you!”
Mulblin translated for Yoo Cheong and Jinseok beside them, yelling at sweat-drenched goblins climbing the mountain.
Seeing it, Yoo Seongwon felt a different shame and embarrassment from before.
He was getting used to being called ‘Your Majesty’ and hyped up, but watching them preach to goblins like that... his mental resistance couldn’t hold.
“Uwaaaah! Why are those guys like that?! My limbs are cringing!”
[They’re exemplary loyal retainers. Why? Shall we go elsewhere?]
“Yeah. Can’t stay here... Huh? Emergency signal? What’s up?”
Whoosh—bang!
As his cringing limbs stretched, a flare shot skyward from afar and burst.
Baek Ga-yeon’s emergency signal—no doubt something urgent. Yoo Seongwon turned Eldraen’s reins toward it.