Chapter 560: Rebellion (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 560: Rebellion (8)
Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
The ancestral home of the Im clan, the leaders of the Mirae Group.
Ever since the group's founder, Chairman Im Cheol-ho, established his residence here, they have lived on this land.
No one knows why.
When reporters occasionally asked, the only answer they ever gave was that they were simply protecting the home their founding chairman had left them.
From the several massive mansions to all the auxiliary facilities needed for daily life.
It was said that on their estate, which spanned over one hundred thousand pyeong, there was nothing they lacked.
And that was true.
“…They really do have everything.”
A sprawling swimming pool, a privately-run restaurant, a well-manicured park, a playground, and more.
Everything a person of any age could possibly need was here.
“With all this, living here should be comfortable… or maybe not.”
Even after seeing it all with my own eyes, I still didn’t understand.
Why did they choose to live in Namyangju instead of the heart of Seoul?
“…And they’re spending an absurd amount of money to do it.”
All sorts of security equipment had been installed to protect this massive estate of over one hundred thousand pyeong.
Iron bars that would blare an alarm if an intruder came within a 10-meter radius.
Behind them, guard posts were packed tightly at 50-meter intervals.
And beneath it all, countless magical landmines were buried.
An enormous amount of human resources and capital was being used just to maintain security.
I estimated that, converted to cash, it would be at least tens of billions of won.
And that wasn't a one-time cost, but an annual expense.
“Does this make any sense?”
That’s what I couldn’t figure out.
Starting with the founder, Im Cheol-ho, the Im clan had resided here for at least fifty years.
If they just moved to the middle of Seoul, they could save far more money. What on earth was the reason for staying here, even if it meant losing tens of billions every year?
As my thoughts reached this point, another possibility emerged.
“…Could it be that they can't leave?”
What if it wasn’t that they wouldn’t leave, but that they couldn’t?
Thinking of it that way made it easier to find an answer.
Perhaps there was something they could only do here.
Or perhaps a secret known only to them was hidden in this land.
“If that’s the case…”
My plan changed.
At first, I had intended to just sneak in and have a calm conversation with Na-eun.
If she wanted, I was prepared to kidnap her, but it seemed I might not have to.
“I just have to find it.”
The reason they had to live on this estate.
Their secret, hidden from everyone else.
If I could pinpoint that, I felt I could get Na-eun out of here without much trouble.
“Alright.”
I leaped over the iron bars—a masterpiece of magic engineering—in a single bound.
The alarm that should have sounded remained silent.
Click!
The same went for the landmine that was supposed to activate its magic circle and explode the moment I stepped on it.
“Haaah…”
“Hey, even if you’re yawning, don’t close your eyes.”
“Ah, sorry. Staring into the darkness is making me antsy.”
“Just remember how much they’re paying us.”
“Heh heh, right.”
Five men per guard post.
Evading the gazes of dozens of A-rank Hunters, I stepped onto the vast grounds.
“The air is nice.”
Having effortlessly dismantled a security system that cost tens of billions a year, I began to walk leisurely.
*
He gulped down the expensive, harsh liquor, trying to soothe his burning insides.
But the word seared into his mind wouldn’t fade so easily.
Vermin.
The utterly contemptuous treatment tore at his gut relentlessly.
But he couldn’t protest, nor could he vent his anger.
Ironically, it was because he was treated as vermin that he had been able to survive.
“Hehehe, should I be grateful for its picky taste?”
Dantalion.
Borrowing knowledge from that unknown entity came at a price.
He, a mere vermin, was not worth that price.
And so, he survived.
Paradoxically, his younger sister, Im Na-eun, had met the price.
No, she had more than met it; Dantalion had even promised a greater amount of knowledge in return for her.
Thanks to her, the Mirae Group would lead the world of magic engineering for the next ten, no, fifteen years.
“Khehehehe.”
He was happy.
And he felt disgusted with himself for feeling that way.
Just as he was about to tilt the half-empty bottle again to soothe his filthy insides, a hand shot out from the darkness and stopped him.
“Any more and you’ll be drunk, sir.”
The one who stopped him was his driver and bodyguard.
“Get your hand off me.”
“If you disobey the order, you will face dire consequences.”
“Ha, an order.”
He remembered.
The command Dantalion had given him.
Was it to kill the intruder who would soon arrive?
“Heh heh…!”
Even for that being, he thought this was asking too much.
He wondered if it knew.
How much effort they put into security to hide the rift where it existed.
How much of a loss they incurred every year because of it.
“It probably doesn’t know. If it did, it wouldn’t have given such an order, right? Hmm?”
His gaze shifted to his driver.
“What do you think?”
“……”
The man couldn’t easily open his mouth.
The person he was sworn to serve was Im Ji-hoon.
And he could feel that his master’s mood was twisted, severely so.
He stood there, unable to do anything, trying to choose his words.
Just then, his sharply honed senses detected an unfamiliar presence.
Having found a suitable pretext, he snatched the glass from Im Ji-hoon and spoke, his eyes piercing the darkness.
“…They’re here.”
“Ha?”
Im Ji-hoon scoffed.
He turned his head in the direction his driver was staring so intently.
And he saw it.
In the deep, settled darkness.
The silhouette of a man, standing stock-still.
“……”
Step, step.
He was approaching.
The face that had been hidden by the darkness was slowly revealed.
“You’re…?”
It was a familiar face.
Kim Do-jin.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
“So it was you.”
A product of a mistake, or something else entirely.
Yes.
In a way, it was to be expected.
Only a man who had achieved worldwide fame in his early twenties would be worthy of such a response.
Clink!
Picking up the glass once more, he even had the composure to swirl the ice inside as he asked, “What brings you to such a remote place, Hunter Kim Do-jin?”
“Why else?”
Kim Do-jin’s lips curled into a smirk as he continued.
“I came to take back what was stolen.”
“Hah… quite the romanticist, aren’t you.”
“No, not at all.”
Kim Do-jin shook his head firmly.
To be a romanticist in this situation, wouldn’t he have to be a man challenging the impossible for the woman he loves?
But that wasn’t him.
“I only came because it’s perfectly possible.”
It was a sincere answer, and a provocation.
Aimed at the enemies positioned all around them.
And Im Ji-hoon realized it had hit its mark.
“The young man is a bit overconfident.”
Look.
His driver, who rarely batted an eye at anything, was now burning with fighting spirit.
If he was like this, everyone else waiting nearby must feel the same.
He was curious.
How long could this bastard last against the Im clan’s greatest fighting force?
He gave the order.
“Take care of him.”
Rumble…!
With a shock that shook the entire mansion, auras surged from all directions, rushing toward Kim Do-jin.
*
Many different kinds of people exist in this world.
And if I had to pick the most shameless among them, it would be the bastards who cum inside and have no intention of taking responsibility.
In other words, the type who wants to enjoy the pleasure but shirk the responsibility.
The Hunter industry has people like that too.
Those who have reached S-rank but deliberately choose not to rank up.
Why don’t they?
Because being an S-rank isn’t a position where you can only enjoy the pleasures.
Technically, there are more pleasures, but they come with just as much responsibility.
Like the unconditional summons during a crisis.
Or the obligation to clear a certain number of dungeons each year without a special reason.
The immense attention showered upon S-rank Hunters can also feel like a heavy responsibility at times.
For these reasons, quite a few of them hide their true abilities.
So, do they just get treated as A-ranks forever?
Not quite.
Like I said, they’re the type who wants to enjoy the pleasure but shirk the responsibility.
They secure their privileges by attaching themselves to wealthy individuals or groups, who promise them enormous compensation.
Just like these bastards aiming their killing intent at me right now.
And I hate guys like this.
“Sigh… you’re just morons who aren’t good enough to rank up, aren’t you?”
Quite a lot of them, at that.
“You guys are the funniest of all.”
I’m certain of it.
These bastards are one of the main reasons comedy shows have disappeared from public television.
“You people always live in a delusion. You think you chose not to rank up, not that you couldn’t. That the existing S-ranks are all talk while you’re the real powerhouses. Right?”
“Oh my, look at this one.”
A woman emerged from the darkness.
She was dressed in a maid’s uniform, her face caked in makeup, a venomous look in her eyes.
“Did you take a trip inside my head? How do you know my thoughts so well? You could be a shaman, kid.”
Trying so hard to sound cheerful.
“I wouldn’t enter your mind even for ten billion won, ma’am.”
“Wh-What?! You…!”
The woman’s face flushed red and purple.
Just as she lowered her stance, ready to pounce, a large hand reached out in front of her.
“What are you doing, falling for the enemy’s provocation?”
“Ugh…”
A massive man, easily over two meters tall.
Judging by his white chef’s uniform, he usually worked as a cook in the mansion.
“That’s right. If you had charged in just now, you would have been killed or seriously injured.”
Another man’s voice came from behind.
It was a flippant tone, far from serious.
I glanced over and saw a scrawny man in a guard’s uniform.
“What the hell are you talking about?!” the maid snapped, clearly stung by the guard’s words.
The massive chef answered for him.
“He’s not wrong. That man was waiting for you to come to him. If you had naively walked into his trap… you wouldn’t have escaped serious injury.”
“Eek… you too…!”
The maid’s face reddened, her pride wounded.
I focused my attack on her.
“If your pride is hurt, why don’t you give it a try, ma’am?”
“You little…!”
Oh, is she taking the bait?
My anticipation was short-lived.
“Enough!”
The driver, who had been watching from a step behind, shouted, extinguishing all emotion.
Damn, so close.
“Do not forget what That Person said.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the air grew heavy.
As if it had never been otherwise, the auras of the enemies surrounding me turned sharp.
It seemed they had fully composed themselves.
I became curious.
Who was this ‘That Person’ who could change their attitudes so completely in an instant?
I’d probably find out if I went down into the basement.
They exchanged tense glances.
Then, as if on cue, they rushed me from all sides.
“Haaah!”
“Hup…!”
“Die—!”
“Kilkilkil!”
It was a spectacular sight.
Four S-rank Hunters attacking with their full power simultaneously.
From the context, it seemed this ‘That Person’ had told them to face me with everything they had.
“Well, isn’t that strange.”
For that to be possible, they would have had to know I was coming in advance.
Can they see the future or something?
No.
I might not know about other things, but I was sure of that.
If they had seen the future, they would never have given an order to stop me with just four people.
“Remember this, all of you.”
I drew my sword.
I was ready to swing.
I had activated the Domain of the Ruler on my way here and filled it with spell formulas.
All that was left was to unleash it.
Whoosh…!
A faint wind began to stir around the blade.
For a swordsman, manifesting Sword Aura was proof of being S-rank.
And by learning to project that Sword Aura for long-range attacks, one reached mastery.
But there was one more thing.
To infuse a single line of Sword Aura with a biting, razor-sharp wind.
It was truly like a god of the wind.
「Dance of the Wind God.」
I swung several times.
Hundreds, thousands of tangible and intangible blades shot forth.
Slice!
Shlick!
Thwack!
SQUELCH!
A series of sharp, flesh-tearing sounds echoed.
Amidst the thick scent of blood, I offered them one last lesson.
“If you’re going to enjoy the pleasure of finishing inside, you damn well better take responsibility.”
Don’t go making children without parents.