Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Justice Sword
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President Yang bowed his head to me half-jokingly, half-seriously, proposing that I take on the role of Regen’s president as well.
“Don’t do that. What do you mean chairman? Just keep calling me like you always have.”
I grabbed President Yang’s shoulder and pulled him up.
From that day on, everyone at the factory started calling me Chairman.
Ogre hides were needed in large quantities as materials for Regen’s items, so as soon as an ogre gate opened, I rushed in and hunted nonstop. This caused a shortage of ogre hides on the market. Other hunters showed up too, but they couldn’t keep up with my hunting speed. A B-Rank hunter or higher might catch them faster than me, but they had no reason to enter a D-Rank gate.
Because of this, material-buying companies, desperate as if their feet were on fire, sent sales reps. They needed to deliver supplies immediately but had none.
“Lee Ji-seok Hunter, sir. Could you sell just a little to us? We’ll pay the market’s highest price.”
They used to be so arrogant before, but now they brought gifts and bowed deeply just to get the materials.
“You treated me like dirt at the door before, and now this?”
“We did?”
They looked like rabbits with wide eyes, as if they had no idea.
“Go back and ask Manager Park from your procurement department.”
“No, I...”
“Go on.”
I sent the sales rep back to the factory. The rep himself might be innocent, but the company’s bullying had led to this. You reap what you sow.
That said, a company that size wouldn’t be greatly shaken by me or Regen.
However, Regen and Hwagok Collection had nothing but growth ahead. Once they expanded, we planned to buy magic stones and byproducts from other hunters too, growing even larger. Then, companies like that wouldn’t dare look down on us.
“President, the new hires’ training is done, right?”
“Yes, everyone’s settled in now.”
“Then let Manager Kim and the Hwagok Collection staff return to collection duties. Things are stable, so we need to hit the gates harder.”
“Got it.”
I’d been so focused on materials that I’d neglected my own growth. Now it was time to focus on leveling up again.
Two months had passed since founding and running Regen. But while gathering materials, I’d reached level 30, and considering the long-term profits from Regen, it wasn’t a loss—it was a huge gain.
* * *
Regen had stabilized, so I was hunting with peace of mind when I spotted a villain from my past life inside a gate, then he vanished.
When I first saw him, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I hadn’t known he was active as a hunter this early.
In my past life, he was a hunter who wielded a sword that glowed like Sang-hun’s Light Sword. An A-Rank hunter in silver full plate armor, highly skilled and known for good deeds—a model hunter. Until his crimes came to light.
This psychopath kidnapped civilians, kept them imprisoned, toyed with them like playthings, and killed them.
His crimes were exposed over seven years from now. It was a chaotic time, and the incident brought even more despair. Everyone admired this A-Rank hunter, only to learn he was a serial killer.
They never even caught him. With the world overrun by monsters anyway, he probably died when Earth fell a few years later.
The problem now was not knowing if this guy started out normal like Na Young and turned villain due to some trigger, or if he was a born psychopath like Choi Mi-ran.
“Hello. Want to party up? I’m C-Rank.”
To confirm, I approached him first. Like with Choi Mi-ran, I might catch him in the act, and with my lie detection now, figuring out what kind of person he was wouldn’t be hard.
He couldn’t afford flashy armor yet, so he wore light armor fitting for a D-Rank.
“Really? We’d be grateful, but are you sure? We’re all D-Rank...”
“No problem. I get anxious solo too. We’ll split rewards by party size.”
A D-Rank party found an ogre gate appropriate, but unexpected threats like twin heads could appear. A C-Rank joining guaranteed safety with no pay cut, so no reason to refuse. His appearance suggested he’d been in gates for a while.
“We’d love that!”
No malice or deception in the conversation so far.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I’m Lee Ji-seok. Brawler. What are your names?”
“I’m warrior Seo Kyung-hyun.”
“Yoon Hye-eun. Mage.”
“An Hye-ju. Melee DPS.”
An Hye-ju said it curtly without looking.
“Haha... Hye-ju’s shy around strangers.”
Seo Kyung-hyun covered for An Hye-ju instead.
In combat, he wielded his glowing sword with expert skill. Even setting aside his humanity, his technique was something to show Sang-hun. The light was bigger and stronger than Sang-hun’s. Among D-Ranks, he was strong, so he’d likely rank up to C soon.
“What skill is that?”
After the fight, I asked Seo Kyung-hyun.
“Justice Sword.”
“Justice Sword?”
“Embarrassing, but yeah. Secret though—this skill grows stronger when doing righteous deeds and weakens when committing injustice.”
No lies there.
At least so far, no crimes.
“Hye-eun, Hye-ju, eat this.”
“I’ll gather, so you three rest.”
Throughout the gate run, Seo Kyung-hyun showed top-tier combat skills, plus kindness and leadership in caring for the party despite his own fatigue.
He seemed like a good person no matter how I looked. With Choi Mi-ran, my senses weren’t as sharp, so I missed it, but now they were. This guy didn’t seem evil at all. Like Na Young?
But something nagged. Unlike Na Young, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t fade.
I’d watch him more, so after clearing the gate, I asked for his number.
“I’d love to. Call me if we party again. Today felt like a free ride on the bus.”
Seo Kyung-hyun grinned affably.
“Yeah. Looking forward to it.”
“Don’t you want numbers from the others?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
No need with those women.
“Then let’s call it here and link up next time.”
I pulled out my phone, ignoring the two women’s baffled stares, and left.
“President Yoo, doing well?”
Back at the car from the gate, I called Hyeonseong Private Investigators.
“Yes. Thanks to you, we’re good.”
“No bad stuff?”
“Nope. Just finding missing family for tough clients or debt collectors.”
“Good. Short on cash? Mug someone for me.”
The unease lingered.
“What’s the name?”
“Seo Kyung-hyun, D-Rank hunter, about 180 cm, slim build. Phone...”
“Got it. Shouldn’t be hard to find.”
“Dig for any dirty secrets. Don’t get caught, don’t approach first, no funny business. Just gather info.”
“We do this daily. Leave it to us.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
A few weeks after assigning the investigation.
“Lee Ji-seok Hunter. Calling about Seo Kyung-hyun.”
President Yoo from the agency rang.
“Anything?”
“First so clean in my experience. Great rep among fellow hunters, volunteers on days off, big donor. No drugs, not even smokes or booze from what we’ve seen.”
“Yeah?”
“Last time, he took a homeless guy home, fed him. Hasn’t come out since, so probably let him stay.”
“...Hasn’t come out? He went in days ago?”
“Four days ago, no sighting yet.”
“24/7 watch?”
“Cameras all around his standalone house. We’d know if anyone left.”
“Inside surveillance?”
“Peeking windows from afar. Too risky installing cameras in a hunter’s well-secured home.”
“Heading over now. Meet at your office.”
“Huh? What’s up? Hello?”
I hung up and rushed to the agency office. The homeless guy not leaving bugged me.
“Hello, sir!”
As I entered, the agency staff jumped up and bowed deeply.
“Yeah, hi.”
I waved off the polite Five Musketeers of the agency to sit.
“President Yoo, we need to enter that house. How without getting caught?”
“Wall has sensors. Cameras around it too. Sloppy approach triggers private security.”
“Just hop the wall?”
“No. Motion cams in the yard. Takes time mapping safe spots. Only way now is dropping from the sky.”
“Works for me. I’ll drop from above.”
“You have flight magic?”
“Something like it. Then what?”
“If you land on the roof undetected, our maknae Min-woo can pick the lock.”
“Good at locks?”
“My skill’s transformation.”
Min-woo shaped his finger into a key.
“Cool. Can’t do weapons?”
“I can, but only bone-hard. Shatters on real weapons.”
Yeah, or he wouldn’t be at the agency.
“Got it. Just handle the door. His schedule?”
“Volunteering at homeless soup kitchen tonight, back late. But is this really needed?”
“Do as I say.”
After sunset, we climbed to a rooftop near Seo Kyung-hyun’s house.
“Pinned the homeless guy’s location?”
“No. Hasn’t neared windows lately. You think he’s dead?”
President Yoo, up on the roof with me, asked.
“Maybe. Bad vibes. Min-woo, here.”
I scooped up Min-woo, suited head-to-toe in black like me, in a princess carry.
“Bro... this okay?”
“Not thrilled to hold you. Shut up. You’ll bite your tongue.”
I crouched, powering my legs. Thighs bulged, and as I kicked off, I channeled mana into the suit for float magic.
“Eek!!”
We shot dozens of meters into the night sky.
“Jumped too hard. Hold tight.”
“Y-Yes...”
Min-woo clung to my neck.
At peak, descent began. I adjusted float to parachute speed.
“Down.”
Landed on the roof, dropped clinging Min-woo.
“Now, can we enter?”
“Yes, that door. No security there.”
Obviously hadn’t prepped for sky drops.
“Let’s go.”
Jeong Min-woo transformed his finger into the agency office. keyhole, and the door clicked open fast.
We eased the door open, headed downstairs. Nice interior, spotless, but an eerie aura hung in the air.