Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Basement Prison
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“Student Council President. Ah, well, this is my exclusive staff member, and I’m protecting him because he’s been threatened by unknown individuals.”
“But this is strictly the Heaven Class dormitory. It’s problematic for non-students—regular Hunters or other staff—to stay here long-term. Especially since a man has entered a room with a female student…”
“Then we’ll leave soon. He’s from our guild anyway, so I’ll take him with me.”
“Yes, please do.”
The Student Council President’s demand was reasonable, so Shin Ayoung had no choice but to send Yoo Seongwon away.
She had tested the waters beforehand by mentioning she’d personally escort him for his safety.
But Student Council President Seong Inwoo showed no agitation, simply nodded, and promptly closed the door as he left.
“We’ve gotten past it for now, but we can’t stay here long. We need to prepare thoroughly.”
“Buying some time is fortunate enough. Still, I have no idea who those guys are.”
“So, what trouble did you cause?”
“I didn’t cause any trouble! Well, there was an incident, but I handled it perfectly… Here’s what happened.”
Realizing his own knowledge couldn’t explain it, Yoo Seongwon quickly filled her in.
He told her about the clash with Scavengers and Scavenger Hunters in the dungeon, how he’d taken care of them all, and how he’d neatly resolved things with the Seoul Guild.
“I can’t figure out where the problem started.”
“Related to Gangnam Ace’s death? Haah~ Then it’s definitely his parents. Right… his name was Baek Young-hoon? Let me see. Baek family… Ah, just as I thought. A chaebol family sponsoring the Seoul Guild. Ughhh~”
“His parents? But why come after me? He died fighting Scavengers, and I returned all his belongings and even his body! They should be grateful I didn’t pocket those billions-worth of items!”
“You underestimated the elitist Shin Gangnam family. Even my mom gets furious and refuses to associate with the Seoul Guild because they’re such scum. They treat insiders and outsiders like different species.”
In the world, even the composed Guild Master Shin So-mi got angry?
Anyway, now he understood ‘Gangnam Ace,’ and with the masterminds behind it and the Student Council President being pure-blooded Shin Gangnam from the Seoul Guild, their collaboration was obvious.
“So, what now?”
“Well, we have to leave. No choice.”
“But those suit guys from earlier clearly came for me.”
“How about we just beat them?”
“That’d cause a mess. And it’d sour things with your guild. We can’t afford to make enemies of the top three guilds.”
That said, he couldn’t just let himself be dragged off to suffer humiliation. If Shin Gangnam folks didn’t see outsiders as human, they’d surely vent on him and plan to kill him.
Of course, he had no intention of dying quietly.
“No time, so it’s best if I go out alone.”
“W-what are you planning? I’ll go with you.”
“No. If you get involved, it escalates to a guild war. I’ll let them take me and handle it after. Don’t worry—I have a plan. Whew…”
With that, Yoo Seongwon brushed off Shin Ayoung’s protests and left the Heaven Class dorm alone.
His face hardened with resolve, wearing an expression like he’d bitten into something bitter, he walked out slowly and surrendered to the suited men.
“You bastard!”
“Why not surrender quietly instead of bothering Young Master Inwoo?”
“Looks like you learned your place once the young master showed up. Hmph! Right, in a guild clash, trash like you isn’t worth protecting.”
“Urk! Keuk!”
Thwack!
As expected, the moment they saw Yoo Seongwon—who’d made their lives hell—they swung fists first, unleashing merciless violence.
It didn’t hurt at all, but Yoo Seongwon pretended to writhe in pain, twisting his body.
Once they’d beaten him enough, the two suited men restrained him. Meanwhile, Kwak Chilseong approached Seong Inwoo, who’d watched it all, to express thanks.
“Thank you so much, Young Master.”
“No problem~ Anyway, see you at Young Master Young-hoon’s funeral later.”
‘As expected, they’re in cahoots.’
Yoo Seongwon clearly heard and memorized Student Council President Seong Inwoo’s friendly exchange as they dragged him away.
He was an ordinary guy who believed in paying back what he received, as long as he had the ability.
After about an hour’s drive following the abduction, Yoo Seongwon arrived in the basement of Chairman Baek’s residence deep in Shin Gangnam territory.
The basement held astonishing facilities: cells that looked like a professional prison.
Passing the corridor, he saw around twenty such cells, each holding people of all ages and genders.
[…….]
[……!]
‘…Wow, what is this?’
As he passed with his captors, the people trapped in glass cells mouthed words frantically, pounding on the glass.
But with perfect soundproofing, no noise escaped. Their wounded, haggard appearances made it clear they weren’t treated well.
‘Holy shit…’
It was an unimaginable dark side for the home of Shin Gangnam’s powerhouse, a Seoul Guild sponsor with high social standing.
Seeing this, he wondered if humans had any right to criticize the SS-class Demon up north, ‘Human Breeder Pastor Lee.’
“Get in, you punk!”
“Don’t even think about escaping. These cells were crafted by artisans blessed by Hephaestus himself. Reinforced with rune magic—even A-rank Hunters can’t budge them. Hahaha!”
“Once the master arrives after the funeral, you’ll be dealt with, so leave a last will if you want!”
And so Yoo Seongwon was assigned a cell and shoved into the corner.
The guards turned with satisfied looks, as if their task was finally done, and walked off down the corridor.
Yoo Seongwon surveyed the interior, checking the structure and contents.
‘They think I’m powerless and lashing out, so no worries. Let’s see…’
Aside from the glass door, the cell was all stark white walls.
Across from him sat a disheveled, half-naked woman huddled in the corner—designed to torment by forcing them to view each other.
‘Anyway, this shows it’s practically a hobby for him, tormenting people… So dragging me here was just an excuse.’
Pondering Chairman Baek’s sadistic hobby, Yoo Seongwon realized the cell was empty.
As a work by Hephaestus-blessed artisans, no need for CCTV or electronics that could be tampered with or create vulnerabilities.
‘They mentioned rune magic earlier, so ordinary people can’t touch it.’
Installing machines for surveillance might aid escape or damage the expensive enchantments.
Realizing there was no monitoring inside—just periodic patrols—Yoo Seongwon nodded to himself.
‘Then I’ll wait and think it over?’
He needed to handle this short and sharp, in one go.
Chasing down Chairman Baek and his wife individually was less efficient than striking when they gathered.
Yoo Seongwon, eager to dump a massive load on Shin Gangnam and the Seoul Guild too, began racking his brains.
***
Shin Gangnam Upper Heaven Hospital.
While his men captured Yoo Seongwon, Chairman Baek Jeongsu was at the funeral hall, receiving condolences and encouragement from guests.
Everyone shed tears, truly mourning the death of Baek Young-hoon, the rising Gangnam Ace of Shin Gangnam, while whispers cursed the failure to protect him.
“Chairman Baek, this must be devastating. How’s your wife?”
“She collapsed and is in a room upstairs. Anyway, Chilseong grabbed that punk, so no worries.”
“You’re already stressed with company matters… Hmm?”
“Chairman Baek! Chairman Baek! Come out here! Isn’t this too much?”
“Hey! What are you doing? Drag him out!”
Amid the shared grief at the funeral, a commotion erupted at the entrance.
Black-suited guards struggled to block an elderly man causing a scene.
The man wailed desperately toward the seated Chairman Baek.
“Chairman Baek! Didn’t you promise full compensation for the factory explosion in Cheongsong? Why keep delaying? My son couldn’t get surgery and died today because of it! Chairman Baek! If you know the pain of losing family… Mmph!”
“Sorry, Chairman. We’ll remove him now. He posed as a guest and started this…”
“If you get it, drag that vermin out fast.”
As one guard apologized, they hauled away the old man grieving his son’s death.
Chairman Baek, unmoved by the sight, added coldly.
“On second thought, it pisses me off. Putting that geezer and his worthless spawn on the same level as my son… Disgusting. Grab him and lock him in the basement. Teach him the difference properly.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Tch! Talk about bad luck…”
Watching the guard leave, Chairman Baek refilled his glass.
With misfortunes piling up, his desire to vent grew stronger.
He wanted to go home briefly, torment and kill some ‘vermin,’ but held back.
‘No helping it. Duty calls…’
Downing a shot to ease his mood slightly, he rose to greet more mourners.
Once the funeral ended, he planned to return, torment the damned ‘vermin,’ kill them, reaffirm his status, and soothe his rage.
The longer he endured, the greater the pleasure of release.