Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Temple Key
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Kang Jin-hyuk parted ways with the dwarf and came back down, where he spotted Lucia waiting at the entrance.
Leaning against the wall and savoring the taste of her candy, she fired off a question the moment she saw him.
“Did you get what I told you about?”
Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out the key he’d received from the dwarf in response.
Seeing the key sparkle in the light, Lucia grinned.
“How about that? Just like I said, right? Do what I told you, and he hands it over without a fuss.”
To get a dwarf who hated elves to willingly hand it over, all you had to do was stoke his pride.
That had been Lucia’s solution, and it had worked perfectly.
Even if the dwarf realized it was all deliberate, his ego wouldn’t have let him ignore her provocation.
“Did we really have to trick him into giving it up? Couldn’t we have just asked nicely?”
“Like that runt would hand the key over to me.”
“I could’ve been the one asking.”
“What would you say if the runt asked how he even knew about the temple key?”
Kang Jin-hyuk shut his mouth at Lucia’s point.
A dwarf would instantly figure out she’d tipped him off. And he wouldn’t have given up the key easily.
“Besides, trick? Please. It’s just things going according to the script.”
“The number above your head doesn’t seem to think so.”
“...How much did it go up?”
“1.”
Lucia snorted at Kang Jin-hyuk’s raised index finger.
“That’s not even worth calling an increase.”
“Every little bit adds up.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Dust is still just dust, even piled up.”
Lucia chided him to focus on steeling himself for the temple instead of fussing over such trivial gains.
“You’re the one who insisted on tagging along because you want to get stronger fast. If you don’t want to die, behave yourself.”
Lucia’s serious demeanor as she checked her sword and bow was a far cry from her usual carefree self.
Seeing her grave expression—her, who seemed capable of handling anything with ease—suddenly put Kang Jin-hyuk on edge.
“Is it that dangerous?”
“Yeah. I nearly died because I let my guard down.”
“When did you go?”
“The mage who warped this dungeon to this dimension. Once, on his request.”
Back then, the dwarf wouldn’t hand over the key, so she’d only made it to the entrance.
But even that had been enough to experience the place’s horrors in full.
“If it’s that bad, won’t I be useless?”
“No, it’s not quite like that.”
Kang Jin-hyuk tilted his head at Lucia’s vague answer.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That dungeon’s unique. The difficulty scales with the visitor’s power.”
She’d gone with an 8th-class grand mage, and witnessed insane monsters on the level of dragons.
Recalling it sent chills down Lucia’s spine unbidden.
“So I’ll get you as far as that floor. After that, you’re on your own.”
“You’re saying I have to go in alone?”
“If I went in with you, you wouldn’t last a second.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
He’d leveled up and gained plenty of experience so far, but the gap with Lucia showed no signs of closing.
Head-on, his odds of victory were zero percent.
The outcome was clear as day—no miracles needed.
Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk’s darkening expression, Lucia slapped his back with a loud smack.
“Don’t chicken out. Keep your head on straight, and you won’t die.”
“That just means I’m toast the second I slip up.”
“Isn’t that how fights work? If you want to get stronger, that’s the risk you take.”
Kang Jin-hyuk let out a small sigh.
She was right—he was the one who’d pushed to come along to get stronger.
Backing out now with complaints would just make him look pathetic.
“Fine. Worst case, I die.”
Lucia swallowed the words she’d been about to say as Kang Jin-hyuk steeled himself with flashing eyes.
‘No need to mention that even death might trap your soul in torment there.’
As long as he didn’t die, it’d be fine.
She figured mentioning it would just stir up trouble.
* * *
Stepping off the plane and finally setting foot on Korean soil after so long, Seo Sang-ho stretched with a sense of relief.
Freed from that endless commission, he felt like he could float away.
“Manage your expression in front of the cameras.”
His secretary, who’d come to greet him at the airport, had hollow, exhausted eyes like someone who hadn’t slept properly in days.
With Seo Sang-ho’s sudden return, she’d been swamped with guild matters.
“Officially, you’re back because the other guild hurled excessive criticism at Korean hunters. Act angry.”
“Piece of cake.”
“Good. The next part’s a bit trickier.”
The secretary dumped a massive stack of papers from her briefcase onto Seo Sang-ho.
His face paled at the novel-thick pile.
“I briefed you on the flight, so you can memorize this quick, right?”
“Isn’t this a bit much right off the bat?”
“What can we do? Times are tense.”
A ton had changed while Seo Sang-ho was away.
To think the untouchable top guild, Tyrant, had cooked up something so reckless.
Thanks to that, Altron Guild was basking in a golden age with its sole rival gone.
“That ‘Jo Won-cheol’ staying quiet bothers me, though...”
“Intel says he’s focused on defending his territory.”
“Defending territory when all his guildmates and executives have been shredded?”
Facing down countless major guilds like that proved he was an S-rank Hunter worthy of the name.
“Looks like even that mad dog can’t rampage—the situation’s that dire.”
“One slip, and hyenas will swarm from everywhere.”
“Tsk tsk. Should’ve played nicer.”
Seo Sang-ho had long known Jo Won-cheol harbored an inferiority complex after narrowly losing top spot to Altron.
But he’d figured as long as Jo stuck to being a ‘Hunter,’ he wouldn’t cross the line.
What a joke.
He hadn’t just crossed it—he’d trashed the place like it was his living room.
“Alraune, of all things. Ruthless idea.”
Until now, only human rights black holes like Somalia had tried artificially creating such items.
The UN had stepped in and obliterated them the moment it came out.
No way Jo Won-cheol had forgotten Somalia’s fate.
“‘Excessive greed brings disaster.’ He’s demonstrating it perfectly.”
“Be careful yourself, Guild Master.”
“Why? Who else works for the public good like me?”
If he’d released the info under Titan’s name, he could’ve claimed the Tyrant territories with justification.
But fearing it might spark war, Seo Sang-ho had gone anonymous.
Other guilds never would’ve done that.
City turning into a battlefield? Didn’t matter.
As long as it profited the guild, major guilds did anything without hesitation.
That’s why his secretary deeply respected Seo Sang-ho in her heart.
“When’s the press conference?”
“Tomorrow—I’ve told you a dozen times.”
“Schedule’s too packed. Can’t we skip the welcome event today?”
“With public sentiment already sour, you want to cancel that too?”
If he’d said so days ago, fine—but springing it last minute inconvenienced everyone.
Seo Sang-ho knew that in his head, so he groaned.
“You said you’re too busy to attend, so why can’t I?”
“I’m just the secretary. You’re the star of the welcome event. Different positions.”
“Sigh. Fine, you win.”
Welcome event, press prep, backlog approvals.
The moment he returned, a wall of work loomed before Seo Sang-ho.
But it beat fending off endless monster waves abroad.
At least here his body got a break, so he accepted his duties without complaint.
He sent off his secretary to meet a trading partner, then climbed into the waiting car.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Seo Sang-ho smiled lightly at the driver’s warm greeting.
“Me? Hardly. You guys held the line without sparking war—that’s the real work.”
While other major guilds saw opportunity and geared up for conflict.
Seo Sang-ho’s orders had been firm: ‘No clashes with other guilds.’
Many guild members grumbled at the defensive stance, but they’d all complied. He was grateful.
“We’re here.”
Seo Sang-ho gazed at the hotel from the stopped car.
“You rented out a place that fancy whole? Isn’t that overkill?”
“It’s the Guild Master’s return. Gotta do it right to boost morale, no?”
“Boost it twice, and the guild goes bankrupt.”
Titan Guild’s treasurer was Han Young-seok.
The guy who always whined about declining revenue pulling this off big?
Feeling the disconnect, Seo Sang-ho headed into the hotel.
Riding the elevator to the event hall, he spotted a familiar face at the entrance and let out a hollow chuckle.
“Some people just can’t be trusted.”
Han Young-seok approached first and bowed.
“Welcome. The welcome event prep just wrapped up.”
“What’s this? You usually take over an hour after I arrive.”
“Everything improves with time.”
Han Young-seok grinned cheekily and led Seo Sang-ho to his seat.
He even poured a glass of the Anges from Seo Sang-ho’s favorite brand.
“The event starts soon, so please wait just a moment.”
“Yeah, take it slow—no rush.”
Seo Sang-ho couldn’t get used to this unusually compliant version of the complainer.
‘Did he have a change of heart in the meantime?’
Maybe realized protecting people beat squabbling for scraps.
Reassured, Seo Sang-ho sipped his drink and glanced around—then felt a sudden wrongness.
‘Hold on...’
Everyone in sight was from Han Young-seok’s faction.
Deliberate seating?
Suspicion sprouted just as a strange pain bloomed from his throat.
“Son of a bitch!”
Too late by the time he realized and flung the glass.
The drink Han had prepared was already down his throat, and its effects were spreading through his body—vomiting wouldn’t help.
Seo Sang-ho gritted his teeth at his trembling limbs, defying his will.
“You fucking bastards... Do you even know what you’re doing?!”
“Oh, we know.”
Han Young-seok returned with another group of guild members, claiming the event was about to start.
And beside him stood someone familiar—not a guild member, but recognizable.
“You...”