Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Beyond the Shattered Door
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The figure visible beyond the shattered door was someone Han Young-seok knew very well.
Han Young-seok's twisted expression turned to one of shock once he spotted the person gripped in the other's hand.
"How the hell did you get Kang Jun-tae...!"
Kang Jin-hyuk tossed the dragged corpse toward the speechless Han Young-seok in astonishment.
The body of S-rank Hunter Kang Jun-tae crashed through a dust-covered table and hit the floor.
"Don't worry. You're not gonna end up like this guy."
Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of killing Han Young-seok.
The massive rebellion inside Titan.
Han Young-seok was the mastermind who planned and personally carried it out.
Kang Jin-hyuk judged that keeping him alive to take full responsibility was the best way to settle this incident.
"So you're saying... you killed Kang Jun-tae?"
"You can't tell from looking? I dragged him all the way here so you could check for yourself."
Kang Jun-tae lay on the floor, eyes rolled back white, not even breathing.
It was unmistakably the look of a dead man.
"You're insane! Killing an S-rank Hunter? You think the Hunter Union will just sit back after seeing this?"
"And what if they don't?"
Killing another hunter was originally a serious crime.
The Union hadn't stepped in much not because they were incompetent or lazy.
Conflicts between hunters happened all the time anyway.
Arresting them one by one would drastically reduce the number of active hunters.
Only a select few humans could become hunters with their granted stats, making it hard to replenish rookies.
Reducing active hunters wasn't what the Union wanted.
That's why they didn't sanction minor incidents unless it drew massive public backlash like with Tyrant.
However, that mercy only applied to A-rank hunters and above.
The Union showed no mercy whatsoever to powerless, talentless humans.
"A mere C-rank Hunter talking big won't help! The Union will nab you the second a report comes in..."
Kang Jin-hyuk sighed and grabbed Han Young-seok by the collar.
"Urk!"
Han Young-seok's feet lifted off the ground.
No matter how he struggled to break free, Kang Jin-hyuk's grip didn't budge.
"I've beaten two S-rank Hunters to death, and you're still yapping about C-rank?"
"Two? You don't mean Jo Won-cheol too?"
"Yeah, blew his head clean off."
"No way...!"
Kang Jin-hyuk's hunter rank was basically just for show now.
He was only C-rank because he hadn't taken the promotion exam.
If he took the official test, he'd jump straight to S-rank.
The Union wouldn't lock up talent like that for murder.
In this day and age, the number of S-rank Hunters was national power.
Losing two was painful, but if a better one existed, the Union wouldn't see it as a loss.
Having worked as an executive in a major guild for years, Han Young-seok knew the Union's policies well.
'Damn it!'
At this rate, Han Young-seok would bear responsibility for the attempted murder of Seo Sang-ho and this war.
Kang Jin-hyuk, who stood out, would be hailed a hero by the Union for ending the war.
Han Young-seok couldn't stomach that outcome even in death.
'Why does this bastard always come out on top!'
A nobody hunter who wasn't even favored by Seo Sang-ho.
Now he had the skills to beat down S-rank Hunters.
Results ordinary people couldn't dream of, yet Kang Jin-hyuk achieved them casually.
Jealousy welled up from deep inside Han Young-seok.
'What makes this fucker better than me!'
At 23, when he awakened as a hunter, Han Young-seok poured every penny he had into joining Titan.
After that, he built his specs through grueling effort.
He didn't mind waiting on shitty seniors.
In a situation where no one helped, he pushed the plan through to the end and got results.
His executive position in Titan was barely reached that way.
'Why does this guy succeed without even trying!'
Han Young-seok found Kang Jin-hyuk's existence utterly grating.
Every time he grew rapidly, it felt like Han Young-seok's efforts were being betrayed.
'Let's see how far your luck takes you...'
Han Young-seok subtly twisted his wrist without Kang Jin-hyuk noticing.
A needle popped out from the device hidden under his sleeve.
The syringe contained pure Basilisk venom.
Even diluted, the Basilisk's poison had driven Seo Sang-ho to the brink of death.
Injecting it undiluted meant survival by luck alone was impossible.
'Be grateful I'm using expensive poison to kill you.'
Han Young-seok grabbed Kang Jin-hyuk's hand gripping his collar with one arm.
He jammed the syringe into Kang Jin-hyuk's forearm.
"Hahaha! You're done, you fucker!"
Han Young-seok sneered triumphantly at the cocky bastard's comeuppance.
"Done? With what?"
But contrary to expectations, Kang Jin-hyuk showed no signs of being affected by the poison.
"Huh...?"
Normally, the poison should have spread through his body the instant the needle pierced, dropping him.
But no matter how much time passed, Kang Jin-hyuk didn't collapse—instead, he gripped Han Young-seok's collar even tighter.
As the chokehold tightened, Han Young-seok coughed dryly.
"Kek! What the hell is going on!"
Suspicious of the syringe, Han Young-seok checked the device.
Only after seeing the mangled needle tip did he realize it hadn't even pierced the skin.
"That thing... poison, huh?"
Kang Jin-hyuk reached out and tore Han Young-seok's sleeve.
Hidden devices were fully exposed through the ripped fabric.
"What is this, some spy movie? When did you even prep this crap?"
Kang Jin-hyuk ripped apart the devices barehanded.
The Basilisk venom was too valuable to smash, so he yanked the whole syringe free.
Whirr.
As the syringe detached, a meaningful noise sounded, and a red light started blinking at the device's core.
"What now? Self-destruct?"
"Heh..."
Han Young-seok didn't answer, just let out a sinister chuckle.
"This is..."
Countless pillars of light shot up, surrounding Kang Jin-hyuk.
He knew these pillars appeared when someone used a Return Scroll.
So many meant a large number of people were coming here.
"A warning device, huh."
Kang Jin-hyuk flung Han Young-seok into the corner like a trash bag.
"Urk!"
Han Young-seok slammed his back against the wall and crumpled.
While Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out a baseball bat, a dozen Titan hunters filled the room.
With over a dozen crammed into the tiny space, it felt like rush-hour subway.
"Kill that bastard right now!"
At Han Young-seok's order from the floor, the Titan hunters instantly drew their weapons.
"I'm suffocating here. Can't we take this outside?"
The Titan hunters ignored Kang Jin-hyuk's request.
Their weapons were mostly daggers and gauntlets—perfect for tight spaces.
In contrast, Kang Jin-hyuk's baseball bat was awkward to swing amid the crowd and clutter.
With no choice, he stored the bat and the Basilisk venom in his inventory.
Replacing it, his weapons were the fists he'd been born with.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Gonna fight us barehanded?"
"What a crazy fuck."
The Titan hunters laughed mockingly before charging ferociously all at once.
The distance between them was less than a meter—arms outstretched would hit instantly.
Thanks to that, their daggers and fists struck Kang Jin-hyuk's body without issue.
But landing attacks didn't guarantee they'd work.
"What...!"
"What is this?!"
The Titan hunters thrusting daggers saw their blades stop in midair, not piercing clothing.
Looking closer, a faint golden aura blocked the daggers.
While they gawked, Kang Jin-hyuk powered his fists, aura cloaking them like his clothes.
He thrust straight at the hunter in front.
"Grk!"
The hunter sprayed blood from his face and toppled backward.
From there, Kang Jin-hyuk systematically beat down the Titan hunters one by one.
"Argh!"
"Guh!"
In the cramped space with nowhere to dodge, they collapsed helplessly every time his fists swung.
It took just two minutes to wipe out over a dozen hunters.
Shorter than waiting for instant ramen.
"Y-you motherfuc...!"
Han Young-seok watched it all from the floor.
He'd known the guy was unusually strong, but this was on another level entirely.
Not a single Titan attack landed—only Kang Jin-hyuk's fists did damage.
What just happened wasn't a fight; it was a one-sided beating.
"Any more tricks up your sleeve?"
Kang Jin-hyuk dusted off his hands lightly and glanced at Han Young-seok.
"Kuh...!"
"No answer means that's it, huh."
Kang Jin-hyuk grabbed Han Young-seok's collar again.
He yanked him upright, then clenched his free fist.
"Dragging you off without a beating feels wrong. Your turn."
Kang Jin-hyuk's fist smashed into Han Young-seok's left shoulder.
Han Young-seok felt the strength drain from his arm amid excruciating pain.
"Aaahhh!!"
Kang Jin-hyuk released the collar.
With no chance for a proper fall, Han Young-seok clutched his broken arm and face-planted.
Kang Jin-hyuk walked over and stomped his knee.
"Graaaah!!"
Having lost an arm and leg in an instant, Han Young-seok spewed fluids from eyes, nose, and mouth in screams.
"What the hell did I ever do to you to make you so desperate to eat me alive?"
Han Young-seok had no chance to answer Kang Jin-hyuk's question.
The overwhelming pain blocked everything from his ears.
"You threw the first punch every time. From nitpicking that new monster to storming my house— all of it."
Kang Jin-hyuk reviewed his history with Han Young-seok objectively, emotions aside.
No matter how many times he replayed it, nothing felt like his fault.
"The more I think about it, the madder I get."
Han Young-seok's actions made zero sense.
No understanding—just rising irritation.
"I was gonna let it slide, but no way. Time for more."
Unable to hold back, Kang Jin-hyuk crushed Han Young-seok's remaining knee with his foot.
For a long while after, Han Young-seok's screams echoed through the tiny room.