Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Tyrant's Downfall
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Two days later, Tyrant Guild faced an unprecedented crisis.
Once the evidence of their human trafficking, murders, and assaults spread across every media outlet, Tyrant became public enemy number one.
Tyrant tried belatedly pressuring the broadcasters, but while they could suppress the news, they were powerless against the rampant online backlash.
“They fed living people to monsters?”
“Whoa... aren’t these bastards insane?”
“What the hell are the cops doing instead of arresting these guys?”
The Association and government tried to downplay it all as baseless rumors and contain the incident.
But with photos, videos, and countless other pieces of evidence circulating online, their efforts were futile.
If anything, rumors spread that the government and Association were in cahoots with Tyrant, igniting public outrage to the point of sparking protests.
Finally, the prosecutors had no choice but to issue an official statement announcing an investigation into Tyrant.
Of course, they had no intention of conducting a proper probe at first.
But with countless guilds hostile to Tyrant stepping up to cooperate with the investigation, staying neutral was no longer an option.
It might have been different with smaller guilds.
But with Altron taking the lead, turning a blind eye to Tyrant was impossible.
Tyrant couldn’t dare挑起 a fight against a coalition of major guilds either.
In the end, rather than confront them head-on and get crushed by the guild alliance, Tyrant chose to play it safe and protect what they could.
「Tyrant Guild Executives Mass Arrested.」
The headline that soon popped up online signaled the guild’s collapse.
Even their tail-cutting attempt barely saved the guild master, with half the executives still rounded up.
A significant number of regular members were arrested too, and the rest fled the guild on their own, terrified of being treated like traitors by the public.
“Damn it...!”
Most guilds had resented Tyrant’s heavy-handed policies, so they welcomed this turn of events.
But Han Young-seok, the Titan Guild executive who had actually uncovered the evidence of Tyrant’s atrocities, was deeply dissatisfied.
“Why the hell did you anonymously leak that precious intel?!”
Han Young-seok slammed his fists on the desk to vent his rage.
[After I even set up a video call for this? That’s all you have to say?]
Seo Sang-ho’s face filled the monitor on the desk.
His overseas commission apparently wasn’t over yet, with a hotel room visible behind him.
“Look at what’s happening now! Altron’s playing the hero!”
[So what?]
“If we’d released the evidence under Titan’s name, we would’ve been at the center of it all!”
It was the perfect chance to rally public support, topple Tyrant, and absorb their forces.
But because of Seo Sang-ho’s orders, Han Young-seok had to leak the evidence anonymously.
As a result, Altron—the ones who’d led the protests at the prosecutors’ office—claimed Tyrant’s territory.
[If we’d gone public with our name, Tyrant would’ve smashed us before the other guilds could unite.]
By submitting anonymously, Tyrant had no clear target and unwittingly gave the guilds time to band together.
That was Seo Sang-ho’s point.
But Han Young-seok still couldn’t accept it.
“Smashed us? Are we pushovers? We have more than enough power to stand up to Tyrant!”
[I’m stuck overseas right now?]
“If we’d just recruited that S-rank Hunter, we could’ve...!”
Seo Sang-ho let out an audible sigh, cutting him off.
[But we failed, didn’t we? You said Lee Kang-jun threw out ridiculous conditions.]
“Even without him, Titan has plenty of top hunters!”
[Strong enough to beat Jo Won-cheol?]
“...”
Han Young-seok fell silent.
He wanted to say yes, but Jo Won-cheol, Tyrant’s guild master, was on another level entirely.
Facing a man even Seo Sang-ho avoided in direct combat with mere A-rank hunters would be a novel form of suicide.
[Even if we somehow held out, what about the city that’d get wrecked in the war? The civilian casualties? You think you can handle that?]
Han Young-seok had no answer to that either.
He’d only thought about charging in, not the collateral damage.
“That stuff? It’d all be minor losses once we absorb Tyrant’s forces!”
[Casualties that could kill people are ‘minor’...? Impressive.]
Seo Sang-ho had made time for this personal video call despite urgent business.
Hearing this nonsense made his blood boil.
Not chewing him out directly was the last courtesy he could offer a subordinate.
[I don’t need to hear more. I’m hanging up.]
“W-Wait a second!”
Han Young-seok lunged forward desperately, but Seo Sang-ho’s face had already vanished from the monitor.
Only a “Call Ended” message remained.
“You son of a bitch!”
Han Young-seok roared like a lion and punched the monitor.
The thin screen, less than 10cm thick, tore apart like paper.
“Why the fuck does that guild master asshole keep acting like this?!”
A guild master should prioritize the guild’s interests, right?
Han Young-seok couldn’t fathom why Seo Sang-ho kept putting other things ahead of the guild’s gain.
“With a guy like this as guild master, Titan’ll stay stuck here forever...! Hell, we might even fall lower!”
He’d tolerated Seo Sang-ho’s decisions so far because he was the guild’s only S-rank hunter and founder.
But no more.
Han Young-seok pulled out his phone and dialed Lee Kang-jun’s number—the one he’d considered deleting.
Outdated hold music played, and before the chorus ended, an irritated voice answered.
[Ugh, what now? I said I won’t join Titan without the guild master spot.]
“I’ll give it to you.”
[What?]
“I’ll make you guild master.”
* * *
Kang Jin-hyuk met Jeong Dae-yoon again only after the public uproar had somewhat died down.
Worried about tails, he hid his face with a mask and cap, looking every bit the criminal.
Noticing people whispering as they glanced at him, Kang Jin-hyuk finally got an objective look at himself.
He freaked out at his reflection in a shop window and tossed the cap and mask into a nearby trash can.
“I must’ve lost my mind. Who do I think I am, wrapping up like this?”
Running a hand through his hat-flattened hair, he headed to the meeting spot nearby.
After five more minutes of walking, he spotted the café name in the middle of the street, just as described.
“He said to meet secretly, but picks a place this out in the open?”
Agreeing to meet at a café with full visibility felt like he had no intention of hiding.
It wasn’t even in a secluded spot.
Close to the station, crowds passed by constantly, and the place was packed, making it hard to find an empty seat.
“...Guess he has his reasons.”
Too lazy to think more, Kang Jin-hyuk shrugged it off and entered.
Jeong Dae-yoon, already seated, spotted him and waved enthusiastically.
“Over here.”
He said it loud, but not a single customer turned to look.
Everyone kept doing their own thing like nothing happened.
Feeling the oddity of their behavior, Kang Jin-hyuk sat across from him.
“Your face looks brighter than last time. Living the good life?”
“Hahaha, just the fact I didn’t go to jail says it all. I was an innocent victim, rightfully cleared of all charges.”
“So you stuck with Tyrant, sucking up the extra honey now that there are fewer people?”
“Fewer mouths mean bigger shares, sure. But it won’t last.”
Jeong Dae-yoon’s smile faded as he sipped his coffee.
“They say even a rich household takes three years to collapse, but reality’s harsher. Tyrant’ll properly crumble soon enough.”
Despite their inhumane acts, he’d been part of the guild, so a sense of belonging lingered. His expression wasn’t bright.
But Kang Jin-hyuk had no interest in his sob story.
He’d come to dig into the real situation.
“No one in your guild pushing the Reversion Pill angle?”
“Nope.”
Jeong Dae-yoon gave a firm answer, then elaborated.
“The assassin who stole the Reversion Pill got spotted by guild members, fought them, and took it himself for mutual destruction.”
“Exactly the scenario we scripted.”
“Yeah. Tyrant bought it hook, line, and sinker.”
“Can’t blame them when we went to such lengths rebuilding the scene.”
Jeong Dae-yoon nodded and slid a pre-ordered drink to the relieved Kang Jin-hyuk.
“With no time or manpower for a deep dive, they had no choice but to believe it.”
Over half the guild was implicated in the Alraune incident and rounded up.
Tyrant was too busy holding onto their remaining turf to spare anyone for extra investigations.
“But things aren’t going exactly as planned.”
“What do you mean?”
“‘Someone leaked to the press, so the assassin had backers.’ That’s what the remaining executives think.”
“Expected that much.”
A lone assassin couldn’t leak intel outside.
Kang Jin-hyuk had braced for scenario hiccups ever since Titan fed the press.
“We know there’s a backer, but they won’t have time to chase it.”
“They spared two guys for it.”
“...You know the details, huh?”
“I’m the sole survivor, getting dragged everywhere for statements.”
From disposable scapegoat to key figure overnight—Jeong Dae-yoon gave a wry smile.
Pocket change aside, the treatment didn’t sit right.
“Anyway, thanks to that, I snagged this intel too. Not all bad.”
He pulled two sheets from his bag and placed them on the table.
Each had a photo and basic profile of someone.
“Info on the two investigating the backers.”
“You sure it’s safe handing this out in a crowded place like this?”
“No worries. Everyone here is an illusion I made.”
“What?”
To prove it, Jeong Dae-yoon grabbed a straw and flung it like a dagger at the woman next to them.
Kang Jin-hyuk clearly saw it pass right through her and hit the floor.
He’d aimed straight at her head, yet it phased through.
Unless she was a ghost or illusion, impossible.
“I got the owner’s permission and rented the place for the day.”
“More thorough than I thought.”
“It’s life or death.”
They were fooling everyone for now, but one slip-up meant agony worse than death.
In that light, Jeong Dae-yoon’s caution wasn’t excessive.