Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Seo Sang-ho Awakens
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The first thing that entered Seo Sang-ho's field of view as he regained consciousness was an unfamiliar landscape.
"A strange ceiling..."
Muttering the line he'd always wanted to say at least once, Seo Sang-ho slowly sat up.
His whole body felt drained of strength, and his stiffened muscles suggested he hadn't just been lying down for a day or two.
"Just how long was I out?"
Seo Sang-ho's last memory was collapsing in front of Kang Jin-hyuk's house.
He couldn't even explain to himself why he'd gone specifically to Kang Jin-hyuk of all places.
In hindsight now, it had been a truly reckless move.
In a situation where more than half of Titan had chosen betrayal, heading to Kang Jin-hyuk instead of the Association had not been a wise judgment.
Even though Kang Jin-hyuk had recently shown remarkable prowess, he was still just an outstanding C-rank Hunter at best.
It was hard to imagine him being capable of single-handedly resolving such a massive incident.
"Well, the fact that I'm still alive means things must have turned out okay after that."
The mere fact that he was still breathing was proof that his gamble-like decision had paid off.
Rather than lying in bed like this, Seo Sang-ho wanted to see the situation for himself with his own eyes.
Grabbing the IV stand, he planted his feet on the ground, and as if on cue, the door slid open automatically.
Lee Hye-na, who had been entering the hospital room, jumped in alarm and rushed over.
"What are you doing right now! Don't do anything foolish—lie back down!"
"Uh...?"
Blocked by Lee Hye-na, Seo Sang-ho had no choice but to lie back down.
Only after tucking the blanket over him did Lee Hye-na sit on the chair beside the bed, finally relaxing with a sigh of relief.
"It's good that you're awake."
"Sorry. Must've been tough on you because of me."
"Don't even say it. You have no idea how hard it was."
Tears welled up slightly in Lee Hye-na's eyes.
But a bright smile graced her lips.
For Lee Hye-na, Seo Sang-ho regaining consciousness safely outweighed all the hardships she'd endured.
"What happened to Han Young-seok?"
Seo Sang-ho asked the question weighing most heavily on his mind.
Having dragged even S-rank Hunter Kang Jun-tae into the plot, Han Young-seok's whereabouts were his greatest concern.
"He's at Association headquarters right now."
"So that means..."
"Yes, all charges have been acknowledged."
Thanks to the Association pulling strings, Han Young-seok's trial had proceeded swiftly.
What would normally take three or four months wrapped up in just a few weeks, with even the appeal dismissed.
With the government clamping down and stripping him of all foundations, there was nothing Han Young-seok could do.
All that was left for him was to rot behind the Hunter-exclusive bars in the Association headquarters basement, watching time pass.
"What was his sentence?"
"Death."
"That's harsh..."
"He was saddled with full responsibility for starting a war, so it's only natural."
"A war? Between who and who?"
"Tyrant and Titan."
Seo Sang-ho gasped in shock, his face paling.
The one scenario he'd dreaded most had unfolded while he was unconscious, and the impact lingered.
"...Must've been chaos."
"It was contained early, so it didn't spread too far."
"Contained early? With Jo Won-cheol in Tyrant?"
The Jo Won-cheol that Seo Sang-ho knew was a madman who enjoyed beating people more than hunting monsters.
Despite being someone everyone avoided, the sole reason he held the position of Tyrant guild master was one thing.
His exceptional skill.
"Did Cheon Sang-hoon step in?"
If that deceptively overwhelming Hunter had taken the field personally, it would make sense for Jo Won-cheol to be overwhelmed without a chance to fight back.
But Lee Hye-na lightly shook her head, denying Seo Sang-ho's guess.
"Kang Jin-hyuk handled it."
"Handled it? What?"
"Both Kang Jun-tae and Jo Won-cheol."
Rather than surprise, disbelief etched across Seo Sang-ho's face.
April Fool's Day was long past.
And Lee Hye-na wasn't the type to joke in a situation like this.
Yet accepting this as truth felt like the collapse of every bit of common sense Seo Sang-ho possessed.
"I want to believe everything you say, Hye-na, but... this one's a bit much."
"I figured you'd say that, so I came prepared."
Lee Hye-na showed him the tablet she'd brought along.
The screen displayed footage captured directly by a camera attached to Kang Jin-hyuk's clothing.
The figures in the video numbered three: Jo Won-cheol, Kang Jun-tae, and Kang Jin-hyuk.
"What is this?!"
Seo Sang-ho unwittingly shouted as he watched.
Despite the sudden outburst, Lee Hye-na remained composed, as if she'd anticipated it.
"He took them on one by one? No, simultaneously?! And won?!"
Moreover, the footage showed nothing less than a one-sided beatdown.
Jo Won-cheol and Kang Jun-tae weren't even proper opponents—they collapsed without mounting any real resistance.
"This has to be edited. Tech these days is something else~"
"Stop denying reality and accept it."
"No, how am I supposed to accept this? It doesn't make any sense!"
"The Association executives said the same."
This evidence footage had been met with skepticism by all who viewed it.
Even after experts confirmed zero percent compositing or manipulation, most still refused to believe it.
"It's been examined multiple times and fully certified."
"...For real?"
"Yes, absolutely."
Seo Sang-ho leaned back against the pillow, letting out a deflating sigh.
"Good lord."
Not even the moment of betrayal by Han Young-seok had shocked him this much.
If it weren't Lee Hye-na showing him this, Seo Sang-ho never would have believed it.
"I knew that guy would make waves someday. But this level? No idea."
The result far exceeded expectations—so much so that only a hollow laugh escaped him.
"You showed this to the Association?"
"Yes."
"Then it must've turned their world upside down."
"It was quite the spectacle."
Lee Hye-na recalled the Association executives tumbling over in shock.
Seeing those always-arrogant figures pale and trembling was as refreshing as clearing ten years of pent-up frustration.
"So, is Kang Jin-hyuk an S-rank Hunter now?"
"No. A-rank."
"...Those Association fossils must be losing it."
"They don't want to reveal Kang Jin-hyuk's existence to the outside."
An overwhelming Hunter who could overpower even an S-rank.
The Korean Association planned to keep this as their secret trump card.
"'We'll keep your official rank at A, but treat you better than S-rank.' That's what they said."
"Did Kang Jin-hyuk accept?"
"Not without conditions."
Kang Jin-hyuk had proposed two to the Association.
The first: no interference in his affairs.
No surveillance devices, no periodic stat checks—everything exempted.
For the Association, which monitored all top Hunters, this was unwelcome.
But to secure Kang Jin-hyuk, they had no choice but to accept.
"The other condition was official recognition of the territories held by Titan and Tyrant under the guild."
"What's that about? Did Kang Jin-hyuk join another guild?"
"Not join—he created one."
Sliding the tablet screen, Lee Hye-na revealed a guild creation permit alongside an emblem resembling a Greek temple.
"This is the new guild Kang Jin-hyuk founded."
"Pantheon? The name alone makes it sound like our successor guild."
"All of Titan's members who opposed Han Young-seok joined, along with their territory—so it's not that different."
"Aside from me not being guild master."
Hearing Seo Sang-ho's words, Lee Hye-na's expression darkened slightly.
As he said, Seo Sang-ho was now just a regular Hunter, no longer guild master.
"Regretting it?"
"No way. It was never the right fit for me from the start."
Just look at how many executives and members had sided with Han Young-seok's rebellion.
If he'd managed the guild well, it never would have come to that.
With that in mind, Seo Sang-ho harbored no lingering attachments.
"Now I can live freely."
"I'm not so sure about that."
Lee Hye-na pulled a sheet of paper from the document bag beside the bed.
Seo Sang-ho took it and checked the contents.
"...This is a guild application? Lifetime membership?"
"'The life I saved is yours, so pay it back until you die.' That's what the guild master said to pass on."
No need to ask who the guild master was.
"..."
Seo Sang-ho groaned, clutching his face.
He couldn't say this development was entirely unexpected.
But lifetime?
He wasn't Prime Minister Hwang Hui—expecting him to work until he dropped dead was too much.
"Sure, there's no law saying I have to. These contracts aren't binding anyway."
"True. But for someone who always stressed loyalty, running away here would look ugly."
"Ugh."
Struck right in the conscience by the facts, Seo Sang-ho felt a pang of guilt.
"You wouldn't barge into some stranger's house, make him suffer needlessly, and then wash your hands of it, right?"
Each of Lee Hye-na's words stabbed at Seo Sang-ho's conscience.
As she said, Kang Jin-hyuk had endured undue hardship because Seo Sang-ho had shown up out of nowhere.
Seo Sang-ho bore responsibility for that.
"You're right, but... Hye-na, aren't you being too harsh on me?"
Even when stabbed in the back by Han Young-seok and the guild members, leaving him distrustful of everyone, Seo Sang-ho had trusted Lee Hye-na alone.
For her, whom he'd believed to be on his side without doubt, to act this coldly felt like betrayal.
"I'm being harsh?"
"Yeah. Acting like you'll never speak to me again if I don't sign."
Lee Hye-na sighed deeply, calling him oblivious.
This dense man wouldn't get it unless spelled out.
"Where do you think I work now?"
"No clue. With your skills, anywhere would welcome you."
Lee Hye-na pulled out another document and showed it to Seo Sang-ho.
It was identical to the first contract she'd shown him, but already signed.
The signature belonged to Lee Hye-na herself.
"I'm working under Kang Jin-hyuk."
"Oh..."
"You're not thinking of going somewhere else without me, right?"
Even with his oblivious nature, he couldn't ignore this.
"Of course not."
Without hesitation, Seo Sang-ho signed the first contract.