Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Potion Preparations and Titan's Betrayal
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Kang Jin-hyuk burned with determination as if he would challenge it right away, but then he pulled a return scroll out of his inventory.
Lucia recognized the item and deflated.
"What the hell? Weren't you supposed to level up harder and then challenge it?"
"Right now, supplies are more important than upgrading my specs."
The gap with his opponent was so vast that he couldn't even track it with his eyes.
It was impossible to close that gap overnight.
Kang Jin-hyuk planned to bridge the level difference with items.
"What exactly are you planning to prepare?"
"The potions I have now are too low-grade. I need ones that fill my MP completely with just one sip."
In game terms, it was like upgrading from regular potions to high potions.
Since the money from hunting monsters had piled up in his bank account, splurging wouldn't cause any issues.
On top of that, with a dungeon in his attic, he couldn't move to a better place, and without a license, he couldn't even drive.
Kang Jin-hyuk rarely had chances to spend money otherwise.
"Then I'll be back."
As Lucia lightly waved goodbye, Kang Jin-hyuk tore the scroll and returned home.
He'd only been in the dungeon for about a day, but it somehow felt like ages since he'd been back.
Kang Jin-hyuk immediately pulled out his phone and looked up Lee Jun-cheol's number.
Buying potions through the Hunter Union was cheap, but there were strict limits per person.
Potions were like lifelines for hunters, so the Union's policy was to supply them equally.
"They turn a blind eye to guilds monopolizing things, but they nitpick stuff like this."
Grumbling, Kang Jin-hyuk pressed the call button.
Black market potions were made from monster corpses and materials not processed through the Union, so they cost over five times more.
But the advantage was that individuals could buy as many as they wanted.
For Kang Jin-hyuk, whose MP drained rapidly due to his aura, the black market was essential.
Even knowing it was illegal, he had no choice.
The Union didn't care about personal circumstances.
A thirsty man had to dig his own well.
"Hello? Are you busy right now?"
[No, no. It's fine.]
Lee Jun-cheol picked up the phone fawningly.
When a top client called, you had to drop everything, even mid-soul-stirring raid.
In the middle of a late meal, Lee Jun-cheol set down his chopsticks and focused on the call with Kang Jin-hyuk.
[What brings you to call directly?]
"I need some items."
[Yes, sir. Just say the word, and I'll prepare them right away. What do you need?]
"The MP Potions and Stamina Potions I've been buying through you. Prepare 50 each of ones two grades higher."
[Five... 50 each? Are you heading to war?]
"No, just for personal use."
Lee Jun-cheol pulled the phone away and let out a deep sigh.
He could procure them, but gathering that much would hurt if word got to rival organizations.
[By when do you need them?]
"As soon as possible. Today would be ideal."
Hearing Kang Jin-hyuk's response, Lee Jun-cheol set the receiver down again.
'50 high-grade potions in a short time...'
He couldn't supply them in batches slowly, and being rare items, he'd have to shop around discreetly.
Was this really the right move? Was money that important?
As Lee Jun-cheol agonized, Kang Jin-hyuk made an offer.
"If you deliver by today, I'll pay double."
[I'll get them and send them right now.]
It was too much money to worry about the organization's future.
Passing up a deal like this despite the risks would make him a fool.
After hanging up, Lee Jun-cheol immediately ordered his men to gather the potions.
"Alright. Potions secured. Now for the scrolls."
For scrolls, he had no choice but to go through the Hunter Union.
Scrolls imbued with skills for anyone to use could only be crafted by a select few certified hunters.
If anyone could make and sell them, they might be used for dangerous purposes, so the Union strictly forbade it.
Getting caught illegally meant a minimum 15-year sentence, up to the death penalty.
Even if South Korea had effectively abolished capital punishment, no one wanted to spend life trembling in prison.
Unlike black market potions, the risks were on another level, so no organization touched scrolls.
"I've already bought tons of explosion scrolls and probably got flagged. Buying more would be too suspicious."
No matter how he thought about it, it screamed red flags.
"No helping it. I'll look for alternatives besides explosion scrolls."
Since he had to go to Union-certified shops, Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly prepared to head out.
He changed out of his blood-soaked hunting clothes and opened the door to step outside.
Thud!
The moment he opened the door, a black mass dropped right in front of the entrance.
Lately, these sudden appearances were piling up, and irritation surged through Kang Jin-hyuk.
"What the hell now?"
Even after leaving the dungeon, this surprise.
Fed up, Kang Jin-hyuk grumbled as he checked the black mass at his doorstep, his eyes widening.
"Why the hell are you here?"
The black mass was none other than Titan's guild master, Seo Sang-ho.
He looked like he'd fought seventeen-to-one, his body covered in wounds.
Blood was gushing out at a rate that could lead to fatal hemorrhage without immediate staunching.
"Sa... save m..."
"Hey, old man! Why come here begging for your life? Wrong address!"
An S-rank Hunter crawling to a C-rank Hunter's home for help didn't make sense no matter how you sliced it.
Kang Jin-hyuk was so flabbergasted he couldn't even force a laugh.
"Go to a hospital. Don't do this here!"
"No hospital... Titan... executives... betrayed..."
Seo Sang-ho stammered fragments before dropping his head and losing consciousness.
"What is this, a quiz show? If you've got something to say, spit it out properly!"
Spouting keywords and collapsing—did he have any idea how much of a nuisance that was?
Suddenly, Kang Jin-hyuk had to play detective with the situation.
"Fuck this shit."
Whatever was going on, he couldn't just ignore a dying man.
Kang Jin-hyuk opened his inventory, pulled out every stamina potion he had, and poured them over Seo Sang-ho's head.
After the red liquid shower, Seo Sang-ho's wounds gradually healed.
But he showed no signs of regaining consciousness.
"Isn't this something I should hand off somewhere instead of dealing with here?"
With Titan's guild master critically injured, the obvious call was Titan's number.
But with phone in hand, Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated to hit call.
Seo Sang-ho's last words before passing out.
One of them was "betrayed."
"Internal strife, huh."
It defied logic for Titan to betray their S-rank Hunter guild master.
But if it was true by some chance, broadcasting his location would be dangerous.
"Screw it."
Kang Jin-hyuk needed time to think.
With no other choice, he dragged Seo Sang-ho inside and opened the attic door.
Pulling him into the dungeon, Kang Jin-hyuk took a deep breath and bellowed at full volume.
"Dwarf uncle! Take care of this guy for me!"
His voice echoed through the entire labyrinth, and distant dwarven cursing drifted back.
Trusting the dwarf would grumble but help, Kang Jin-hyuk exited the attic.
Perfectly timed, as he closed the attic door and stepped into the living room, Titan hunters swarmed the front entrance.
Seeing them, Kang Jin-hyuk backpedaled, feigning surprise.
"Whoa, you scared me... What are you doing here?"
"Don't play dumb. We know Seo Sang-ho came here."
They bore Titan's insignia on their shoulders but called him by name, not guild master.
That alone let Kang Jin-hyuk grasp Seo Sang-ho's predicament.
Recalling how Seo Sang-ho had looked out for him in various ways, Kang Jin-hyuk decided to help.
"He did come, but he bolted to somewhere else right away."
With bloodstains on the doorstep, denying it was impossible.
So Kang Jin-hyuk mixed in some truth to fool the Titan hunters.
"Then what about those scattered potions?"
"A hurt guy asked for some. What else could I do?"
"You don't strike me as that nice..."
"Bursting into someone's home and talking shit is really grating."
As Kang Jin-hyuk shot back without backing down, the Titan hunter furrowed his brow.
"That confident, huh? Mind if we search the place then?"
"Why's it jumping to that? You cops or something?"
Kang Jin-hyuk didn't flinch against the three hunters.
The Titan hunters found it laughable that he was blocking their path.
"Step aside nicely if you don't wanna get hurt."
"That's my line."
"You cocky little shit!"
Dropping even formal speech, the hunter on the right lunged with a fist.
But the one whose face got smashed was the attacker.
"Keuk!"
The Titan hunter hadn't even seen when Kang Jin-hyuk threw his punch.
Neither had his comrades beside him.
Six eyes combined, yet they couldn't capture that split-second moment.
What the other Titan hunters saw was their comrade suddenly punching, then clutching his broken nose and collapsing.
All they glimpsed was a red aura shimmering like heat haze.
They had no clue when or how the counterattack happened.
"What the hell was that!? You trying to make an enemy of Titan!?"
"Not friends with thugs barging into homes and causing chaos."
"You little punk, you really...!"
The remaining two drew weapons, threatening Kang Jin-hyuk.
He'd hoped to end it peacefully, but with them like this, he had no choice.
Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out a baseball bat, glaring fiercely at the Titan hunters.
"Think carefully before rushing in. The second you scratch my house, you're all dead."
The Titan hunters spotted the red aura faintly swirling around Kang Jin-hyuk's bat.
"What is that? A skill?"
"Skill or whatever, who cares!"
The more hot-tempered of the two charged first, swinging his sword.
"Don't know what it is, but eat this!"
His sword met Kang Jin-hyuk's swinging bat and snapped pathetically.
As the Titan hunter's eyes followed the blade flying into the air, Kang Jin-hyuk's bat smashed his forearm.
"Kuaaaah!!"
The Titan hunter collapsed, feeling his bones shatter in agony.
Kang Jin-hyuk looked pitifully at the hunter whose face was a mess of tears and snot.
"Don't act tough if you don't know what it is, you dumbass."