Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Human Hunter Subjugation (2)
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“Slave supply has plummeted!”
“It’s because of those Zhonghua Guild bastards.”
“The Zhonghua Guild is only throwing its weight around in Luzabenu. The real problem is that trio party. Because of them, slave supply has become an issue across the entire Mightier Kingdom.”
“That’s right. The Zhonghua Guild can’t operate outside Luzabenu anyway due to their power struggles with other major guilds. But that trio party is different.”
Even though Luzabenu was Mightier Kingdom’s major metropolis.
They could easily afford to give up on something like that.
Occasionally, grand lords or major guilds would order the extermination of human hunters, after all.
The problem was the trio of unknown identity.
“We have to eliminate those guys. Otherwise, we can’t continue our business.”
“But aren’t those guys exceptionally skilled? All our hunting dogs got wiped out.”
The slave traders had mobilized mid-sized guilds that managed the human hunters in an attempt to capture the trio.
But.
They failed spectacularly.
“They’re definitely high-level players.”
“Why would high-level players, who have plenty of better things to hunt, mess around in a beginner hunting ground?”
“Aren’t they just overflowing with pointless justice?”
“If these bastards keep rampaging, we’re in serious trouble.”
“Isn’t there some way to resolve this?”
The slave traders put their heads together to restart their business.
“How about mobilizing the authorities?”
“Ah, that’s an option.”
“It’ll cost a bit of money, but that seems like the best approach.”
The slave hunters chose the easy path.
If they used the authorities to frame them with fabricated crimes and throw them in prison?
That would solve the problem effortlessly.
“I’ll make the contact.”
For illegal operators like slave traders, nothing was more terrifying than the authorities.
That was why they regularly offered bribes and slaves to nobles to establish a symbiotic relationship.
If they used those authorities?
It would cost a hefty sum.
But they could easily sanction a small party of just three people.
“It’d be cleaner to just eliminate them outright.”
“If we pay enough, it’s entirely possible.”
“They’re high-level players, sure, but at the end of the day, they’re just commoners who hunt monsters for a living, right? It’s doable.”
“If they resist, they’ll just become criminals who defied public authority.”
“That would actually make it even easier to eliminate them.”
“Hahaha! Those arrogant bastards will pay with their lives for ruining our business.”
* * *
‘Too bad.’
They had massacred a large number of mid-sized guild members, the higher-ups of the human hunters.
But Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na’s titles hadn’t changed.
On the other hand, the Fist Emperor’s titles had grown significantly.
Guardian of the Beginner Hunting Grounds had reached SS-Rank, and Guardian of Freedom had hit A-Rank.
‘Well, can’t be helped.’
The Fist Emperor had started from zero base, while Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na had begun at SSS-Rank and A-Rank respectively.
They couldn’t be the same, could they?
‘They’ve probably accumulated plenty anyway.’
Guardian of the Beginner Hunting Grounds was likely just shy of EX-Rank.
Guardian of Freedom had also amassed a ton of experience toward SS-Rank.
If they kept moving diligently?
They could certainly push both titles to EX-Rank.
“Let’s go.”
Kang Hyun-soo’s group headed back to the beginner hunting grounds.
Not long after, they spotted slave hunters.
“Eek!”
“They’re here!”
The slave hunters fled with all their might.
But.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Boom!
They couldn’t escape Kang Hyun-soo’s group’s attacks.
It wasn’t even a fight.
It was just a one-sided hunt.
Kang Hyun-soo’s group easily rescued the beginner players captured by the slave hunters.
“These bastards keep crawling out no matter how many we kill. Is there even an end to them?”
The Fist Emperor muttered with a look of disgust.
“If we keep at it diligently, we’ll root them out eventually.”
Thanks to Kang Hyun-soo’s group’s efforts, the slave hunters operating in Mightier Kingdom had shrunk back considerably.
“But will those guys just sit still?”
Song Ha-na asked in a worried tone.
“What?”
“They sent those mid-sized guild players last time. What if a major guild steps in?”
Kang Hyun-soo scoffed at Song Ha-na’s question.
“That won’t happen. Major guilds care a lot about face. They might turn a blind eye for a price, but they won’t step up directly for slave traders. And even if they did, we’d just smash them.”
Kang Hyun-soo had grown strong enough to triumph even in a full-on battle against a major guild.
There was just no need, so he was staying put.
But if that major guild was something that preyed on humanity like human hunters?
Eliminating them quickly would benefit humanity as a whole.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
Song Ha-na’s face brightened at Kang Hyun-soo’s confident words.
Kang Hyun-soo’s group calmly continued exterminating the human hunters.
Then.
“There they are!”
“Seize them!”
Mightier Kingdom soldiers in uniform surrounded Kang Hyun-soo’s group.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Kang Hyun-soo glared at the Mightier Kingdom army’s commander with a puzzled expression.
“We know you’re murderer players who massacred innocent players! Surrender peacefully and be bound!”
“Ha!”
Kang Hyun-soo was dumbfounded.
‘So it’s the slave traders’ scheme.’
Having failed with mid-sized guilds as mid-level muscle, they’d turned to the authorities.
‘Smart move.’
This was practically a checkmate.
If they surrendered meekly?
They’d be framed.
If they resisted?
They’d become criminals defying national authority anyway.
‘In general, situations like this are hard to resolve.’
In the Atlantis dimension, where human rights were scarce, the presumption of innocence didn’t exist, and class systems ruled, public authority held immense power.
“You’re calling me a murderer who slaughtered innocent players? Seems like you’ve got the wrong idea. I only exterminated human hunters trying to enslave innocent players.”
“We’ll uncover the truth through investigation! Surrender peacefully first!”
“And if I refuse?”
“Are you defying Mightier Kingdom’s laws right now?!”
Clang!
The Mightier Kingdom soldiers drew their weapons in unison, aiming at Kang Hyun-soo’s group.
“Bind them! Execute on the spot if they resist!”
The soldiers narrowed their encirclement at the commander’s order.
In cases like this, any reaction generally led to losses.
But.
“I am Baron Sirius of Muran Kingdom. My companions are all barons as well.”
“What?”
The commander leading the Mightier Kingdom soldiers was thrown off.
He’d just followed orders from above.
High chance they were high-level players, but still commoners.
If they resisted and fled, it’d be even better for him.
But nobles?
“N-No, I can’t believe it!”
At the Mightier Kingdom army commander’s shout.
“See for yourself.”
Kang Hyun-soo infused mana into his seal.
A radiant emblem glowed on the back of his left hand.
It was the seal proving noble status.
“Huh?”
The previously bold Mightier Kingdom army commander fell into panic.
If they were commoners?
He could pressure even high-level players easily.
But nobles?
Everything changed 180 degrees.
If they were his own kingdom’s nobles, superiors could crush them with authority.
But foreign nobles?
Arresting them without evidence?
It would spark a serious diplomatic conflict.
‘This is insane.’
He stared piercingly, suspecting a fake.
But no matter how he looked, it was undoubtedly a real noble seal.
Forging a commoner’s seal was hard enough.
Forging a noble’s was impossible.
“You just threatened to arrest a foreign noble without evidence. And ordered their immediate execution if they resisted? I’ll go straight to your foreign affairs department and lodge a formal protest.”
The Mightier Kingdom army commander’s face paled at Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
He’d only moved on orders from superiors connected to slave traders.
He wasn’t entirely unlinked.
‘All I got was pocket money.’
If this went public and escalated to a diplomatic issue?
‘They won’t protect me.’
His superiors would abandon him.
‘Die for guys who gave me just pocket change?’
No way.
“There must have been a misunderstanding, Baron Sirius.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes.”
“From what I saw, it didn’t look like a misunderstanding at all. Are you taking backhanders from the slave traders?”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
“State your exact unit and position in the kingdom army. I’m filing a formal complaint. Isn’t colluding with criminals a grave offense for an army commander?”
“Spare me! I was just following orders from above!”
“Who’s this ‘above’?”
Under Kang Hyun-soo’s questioning, the Mightier Kingdom commander spilled whose orders he’d followed.
“You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Withdraw.”
“Yes, Baron! Thank you for your mercy!”
The Mightier Kingdom army commander bowed 90 degrees and retreated.
‘Noble status really is the best.’
This was exactly why Kang Hyun-soo hadn’t refused the honorary barony offered by Duke Kalmus, Muran’s Guardian Star, who had become his summoned beast.
‘In a class-based society, having noble status is a free pass for most things.’
No territory, no obligations—just an honorary title.
But holders of honorary titles were still nobles.
“Let’s keep moving.”
With the obstacle gone, Kang Hyun-soo declared the continuation of human hunter extermination.
“But are we just letting them off?”
Song Ha-na asked Kang Hyun-soo curiously.
“For now.”
“So not later?”
“I’ll investigate more, then expose the full list of nobles colluding with the slave traders.”
“Why not now?”
The Fist Emperor asked with a dissatisfied expression.
“Acting now would only catch tails. To get the heads, we need to wait a bit.”
“Got it. But can we handle that kind of investigation?”
The Fist Emperor was a warrior.
He knew nothing of intelligence gathering or spying.
“No need to worry. Leave it to the experts.”
Shadow Queen Cecilia.
With her?
Even this much info would be enough to uproot Mightier Kingdom’s slave trader network entirely.
* * *
“Damn it all!”
“Who’d have thought the bastard was a noble!”
The slave traders unleashed a torrent of abuse on the nobles they’d bribed with huge sums.
A few examples:
How dare you order the death of a foreign noble? Are you plotting to bring me down?
How lightly do you view nobles to issue a hit?
Want your head for noblesse outrage?
And more ear-splitting vitriol.
“We just wasted money for nothing!”
“Why the hell would a noble stoop to this crap!”
The slave traders had to forfeit the fees paid to the nobles under the guise of “consolation money.”
“What the hell do we do now?”
“How about paying even more to move the nobles?”
“You think that’ll work? They’re all about self-preservation. If they were Mightier nobles, we could crush them with titles, but foreign nobles?”
“Then what? Let those bastards run free?”
They’d already half-ruined a goldmine business.
And it wasn’t over.
Now the trio was targeting not just human hunters but the slave markets too.
“At this rate, we’re done for.”
“Exactly. We have to eliminate them somehow.”
The slave traders were desperate.
Let the trio be?
They had enough saved not to go bankrupt.
But they’d have to shut down the slave trade for a while.
“But how? We can’t mobilize players.”
Suspected high-level, so even connected players would likely get crushed.
And now known as nobles?
No one would touch it.
“How about contacting the Mantis Guild?”
“Those psycho murderers?”
“They’re still valuable trade partners.”
“True, but.”
“They’d probably love it if the targets are nobles.”
“And they’ve got the skills.”
“I’d rather not deal with those freaks.”
“No other options!”
“Crazy fights crazy.”
“Fine. Let’s contact the Mantis Guild.”
Mantis Guild.
A mega-guild operating in the Rokto Empire and its vassal states.
But not a legitimate guild registered with any nation.
The Mantis Guild was made of murderers.
A guild of psychopaths addicted to slaughter and human hunting.
That was why even slave traders preferred not to get deeply involved.
Who’d want deep ties with lunatics lost to bloodlust?
But.
In this desperate bind.
The Mantis Guild was their only alternative.