Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Shocking Truth
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Dark Sovereign.
She didn't appear on any official hunter rankings, but she was one of the seven overlords who ruled the underworld.
They said she could infiltrate anywhere, so there was no place she couldn't reach and no information she couldn't extract.
The mere fact that she hadn't been detected by his mana sense was enough to gauge her skill.
Yi Yuri stared at the dangerous figure who had appeared before her, sweat beading on her brow.
"Dark Sovereign..."
"Yes. I plan to hire her to dig up info on those two."
At Shin Ji-yeon's words, Yi Yuri tilted her head.
"...But why tell me about it?"
Shin Ji-yeon scratched her head awkwardly.
"Well, the budget for hiring the Dark Sovereign is a bit short..."
"..."
In other words, chip in some cash. Yi Yuri narrowed her eyes at Shin Ji-yeon.
She looked like a stunning international model, but groveling over money kinda ruined the image.
Still, it made sense. Running a clan meant money got tight sometimes. Unlike corrupt guild masters who hoarded wealth for themselves, Shin Ji-yeon had a reputation for caring for her guild members.
She probably didn't have much personal fortune. And the Dark Sovereign's fees were no doubt sky-high.
Yi Yuri thought it over for a moment, then nodded.
Money was overflowing anyway. If she could get revenge on that bastard Lee Yeon—if she could just smash her fist into that smug face—she'd do anything.
Yi Yuri imagined Lee Yeon wriggling beneath her and swallowed hard.
Shin Ji-yeon was probably feeling the same. She'd suffered plenty at his hands too.
A victims' alliance, basically.
"Fine, whatever. I've got plenty of cash. Let's do it."
Yi Yuri extended her hand, and Shin Ji-yeon grabbed it, shaking firmly.
"Great."
And so, the pact between the two hunters was sealed.
"But... couldn't we round up more girls who've been screwed over by him?"
There were plenty in the Association alone who held grudges against Lee Yeon—mostly female hunters.
Most had fallen for his handsome face and fame, only to get hurt emotionally or worse by his dogshit personality and aggressive attitude.
If they gathered them all, they'd fill this conference room. It'd lighten the financial burden too.
But Shin Ji-yeon shook her head.
"Too many people, and the secret could leak. Let's watch how things play out first. Information's only valuable as a weapon when few know it."
Knock knock.
Having wrapped up a grueling schedule, I returned to the Association President's office.
It was late at night, so the Association was mostly empty, and Joo-young's secretary had tampered with the CCTV just right—no one knew I'd headed to the President's office.
"Come in."
After knocking and waiting by the door, Joo-young's command came through.
Before opening it, I stood tall in the hallway, glancing around.
'...'
I felt a faint gaze from somewhere, but my mana scan confirmed no one was there, so I stepped inside.
Joo-young, lounging on the sofa, turned her head.
"All done?"
"Yeah. Everything's handled."
"Ah, craning my neck up hurts. Hurry and change back."
"...."
Change back to normal, huh.
I didn't want to, but points were precious, so I pulled out my phone anyway.
With a few taps, I reverted to my shota form.
Fwoosh—
Since I'd been wearing a suit tailored to my adult body, it hung loose now that I was small.
"Wh-what if someone sees me like this?"
I flapped the oversized sleeves at Joo-young.
No matter how deserted it was at night, transforming here of all places?
Joo-young eyed my shrunken self with satisfaction and shrugged.
"Pfft, how? This is the 101st floor."
The President's office sat on the 101st floor—so high external surveillance was impossible, and security was ironclad. No one could just waltz in.
She had a point; the odds of getting caught here were low.
Still, why not do it in the bunker?
Arguing more wouldn't change anything, so I urged her on.
"Fine... let's head in now."
There was a portal to my underground bunker right in the office.
"Yeah. Let's crash."
Joo-young sprang from the sofa and headed to the small adjoining room.
I toddled after her.
'...Brings back memories.'
Entering Joo-young's bedroom next to the office, old times flooded back.
This was where she'd first jumped me—tied to the bed, forced to suck and fuck like crazy...
A weird sense of déjà vu hit me, and I swallowed.
No way parallel-world stuff was becoming reality...
Lost in thought, I followed her inside.
Creeeak—
Joo-young opened the wardrobe door, and brilliant blue light poured out.
A swirling blue vortex gate. The portal to the bunker.
Before stepping in, I asked,
"Did you grab the ingredients?"
I'd wanted to shop, but time hadn't allowed it. So I'd asked her to pick up tomorrow's breakfast stuff.
She nodded.
"Yeah. Had Ga-hee deliver to the office. I moved them to the bunker myself."
"Got it."
Should be a hearty breakfast before work tomorrow.
With that, Joo-young and I stepped through the portal.
"..."
AKA Dark Sovereign. Choi Seol-ah.
She dropped her stealth mode and lightly touched down on the floor.
Then she blankly stared at the wardrobe where Lee Yeon and Yoon Joo-young had vanished.
'Wh-what the hell is this.'
An unbelievable sight, even with her own eyes.
She removed her eyepatch, rubbed her eyes, and looked again.
'Is what I saw... real?'
She'd been skeptical when those two airheads first hired her.
Investigate the Association President and Lee Yeon's relationship? Everyone knew they were sworn enemies.
Still, she'd tailed Lee Yeon after taking the job, but found nothing special.
Just the Lee Yeon everyone knew: meticulous, calm, efficient. His good looks amplified it, enough to sway women's hearts.
No wonder girls trailed him. Up close, his personality was kinda shitty, but fans wouldn't know.
Anyway, nothing out of the ordinary.
Then, around evening, it happened. He drove to his mansion, switched to an unregistered car, and headed back to the Association.
Straight to the President's office.
Suspicious as hell. Sneaking there late at night? They had to be connected somehow.
Choi Seol-ah went full stealth and followed him in.
She worried about tripping his mana sense or sharp gaze midway.
But he never fully pierced her stealth, so she slipped into the office undetected.
And witnessed the shocking scene.
'He suddenly... shrank.'
Lee Yeon had turned into a shota!
Slurp—
Choi Seol-ah hastily wiped the drool trickling from her mouth and replayed what she'd seen.
From their chat as the kid-Lee Yeon fretted about getting caught and asked about groceries, they seemed close.
Hard to believe they were enemies. Though it looked like Joo-young had some leverage over him.
Shin Ji-yeon's suspicions about their shady ties were spot on.
"Huff... huff..."
Breathing hard, Choi Seol-ah racked her brain.
Leverage, leverage. For shota-Lee Yeon, it was obviously the shrinking itself.
Joo-young was using that to control him, probably for all sorts of fun.
Couldn't follow through the portal, but...
'Maybe she's pounding him right now!'
She glared at the wardrobe, eyes blazing.
God, she wanted to dive through...
'...No, can't.'
Choi Seol-ah swallowed and calmed herself. Even as a total shota-con, she had some sense.
Couldn't ditch the job and risk exposure just for that.
'Handle the mission first.'
Whoosh—
She slipped out of the bedroom toward the office.
A fancy desk with the President's nameplate. Her personal PC underneath.
Shick—
Choi Seol-ah pulled something from her pocket and plugged it into the PC.
Zzzzt—
A hacking USB connected with a mana pulse.
A hologram of the PC screen popped up in midair.
'Esther lives up to the hype.'
Even the President's PC security breached effortlessly. Worth the fortune for the latest tool.
Association secrets were triple-locked, tough to crack, but that wasn't her goal.
She wanted Joo-young's personal drive.
Photos or videos there might reveal their relationship crystal clear.
Waiting for the hack, she tapped her mask thoughtfully.
'But... should I tell Shin Ji-yeon?'
The client deserved a report, but this intel was huge—way bigger than expected.
Lee Yeon could turn into a shota, and he had some tie with the President.
Instead of reporting straight, hiding it and exploiting it herself could pay off more.
'I'll decide once I know everything.'
She'd choose how much to share with Shin Ji-yeon and Yi Yuri.
Not because she wanted to blackmail Joo-young for shota-Lee Yeon, nope.
As Choi Seol-ah indulged in lewd fantasies, the USB finally glowed.
Twinkle—
Mana light signaled success. Data extracted.
'Let's see what we've got...'
She yanked the USB and expanded the hologram.
The drive held various photos and videos, but one flesh-toned thumbnail screamed for attention.
"...!"
Couldn't make out details zoomed out, but it looked hella sus.
Mostly because of the title.
'Lee Yeon Video Log.'
Fuck. No way she could resist.
Finally, with trembling fingers, Choi Seol-ah hit play.