Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Captives and the Raid Deal
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"What did you say?"
The face of Lee Young-su, the 2nd Team Leader of the Wind Forest Volcano Guild, twisted horribly.
Not only had ten people, including 1st Team Leader Lee Sang-beom and 3rd Team Leader Lee Kang-hoon, betrayed them, but they had also murdered their comrades.
Of course, Lee Young-su had planned to drag them back to the Wind Forest Volcano Guild.
Traitors had to pay the price.
And they intended to interrogate them first to check for any other betrayers.
But here was Shin Yu-hyun not only insisting on taking the traitors himself but also ignoring their circumstances entirely?
"I know exactly what happened to you all. But I have business with these guys too."
Shin Yu-hyun glanced down at the currently subdued Getia Worshippers.
There was a chance he could extract information about the Ashen Church through them.
So he couldn't just hand them over to the Wind Forest Volcano Guild that easily.
"You think we're just going to hand them over nicely?"
But Lee Young-su and the other Wind Forest Volcano Guild members felt the same way.
They glared at Shin Yu-hyun with sharp eyes.
Some were even subtly reaching for their weapons, radiating killing intent.
Their eyes were bloodshot from watching their comrades die right in front of them.
"Can you stop me?"
Shin Yu-hyun sneered at them.
At the same time, Shuv, who had been standing there with a cold expression, stepped forward, and the Iron Golem kneeling behind Shin Yu-hyun rose to its feet, asserting its massive presence.
"......!"
The Wind Forest Volcano Guild members flinched in surprise at the sight.
They had witnessed firsthand just how strong Shuv and the Iron Golem were.
On top of that, Shin Yu-hyun drove the point home.
"I'm taking these guys. If you don't like it, go complain to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan."
"The H-Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan... what does that have to do with this...?"
"You wouldn't be asking if you didn't know."
Shin Yu-hyun shot a glare at the Wind Forest Volcano Guild members.
They surely knew he was the third son of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan and the Hall Leader of Black Tortoise Hall.
And that wasn't all.
"You all must have heard the story from not long ago—how a group of superhuman terrorists attacked the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan and got repelled."
"We know. It's famous news."
Lee Young-su nodded in affirmation.
The media had extensively covered how the villain group Iron Blood Corps, which mainly operated in Asia, had brazenly attacked the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan and been thoroughly defeated.
"These guys are connected to them."
"What?"
Lee Young-su's face showed shock at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
The traitors who betrayed them were linked to the villains who attacked the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan?
"These are enemies of our clan. That clear enough for you?"
"......!"
At those words, Lee Young-su and the Wind Forest Volcano Guild members shuddered.
An enemy officially recognized by the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, one of Korea's Four Great Houses.
What if someone intercepted that enemy midway?
They'd end up in a hostile relationship with the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
No one wanted that.
Especially not hunters or guilds.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's influence loomed large in the hunter industry.
"Fine."
In the end, Lee Young-su could only squeeze out those words and nod.
"Then we'll be off."
Lee Young-su planned to withdraw from the 5-star raid dungeon Monolith.
They had intended to tackle it with 30 people, but now only 10 remained.
Clearing a raid dungeon with this few was too reckless.
"You're heading back just like that? Haven't grasped the situation yet?"
But Shin Yu-hyun had no intention of letting them go.
"What do you mean?"
Lee Young-su frowned and shot back.
"There might be more traitors in your guild."
"......"
Lee Young-su gritted his teeth at that.
Shin Yu-hyun had hit a sore spot.
That was exactly why he was rushing back to guild headquarters—to report to the Guild Master and handle the fallout.
"That's our problem. Not something for you to stick your nose into."
"You're right, of course. But if Getia Worshippers are involved, it's different."
Even the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan couldn't interfere in an individual guild's internal affairs.
But if it was connected to the Getia Worshippers who had attacked the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, that changed everything.
Now that he knew the Ashen Church— the Getia Worshippers' organization—was behind the Iron Blood Corps' assault, he needed to gather as much intel as possible.
If Getia Worshippers had infiltrated the Wind Forest Volcano Guild, there was ample reason to intervene.
"So you're saying you'll interfere?"
"More like I'll help you out."
Lee Young-su frowned at Shin Yu-hyun's nonchalant response.
It still amounted to meddling.
"How many more traitors do you think are left? Can you even trust the Guild Master?"
"Th-That's......"
Lee Young-su had no rebuttal.
After all, the 1st and 3rd Team Leaders he had trusted had betrayed them.
Fortunately, the 4th and 5th Team Leaders weren't traitors among the five teams of six that made up the raid party.
And there were about 20 guild members back at headquarters.
Who knew how many traitors were among them?
He couldn't even guarantee the Guild Master wasn't one.
"I'll help you root out the traitors."
He didn't know how deeply the Getia Worshippers had infiltrated the Wind Forest Volcano Guild, but he had a few ways to find out.
'If we inspect their mouths, some will slip up.'
All the Getia Worshippers he'd encountered so far had hidden suicide poisons or self-destruct bombs in their mouths.
'Or I could ask Shuv to check.'
Shuv's abilities might be able to identify Getia Worshippers.
'Worst case, I badmouth Getia in front of them.'
It was simple but effective. Testing it in front of captured worshippers had always provoked extreme reactions.
Neither he nor Shuv would miss that moment.
"And you're not thinking of abandoning the raid dungeon clear just like this, are you?"
Shin Yu-hyun fixed his gaze on Lee Young-su, the 2nd Team Leader of the Wind Forest Volcano Guild.
There was a reason he was coaxing him.
Securing his cooperation would help track down Getia Worshippers, and more importantly, he'd need Lee Young-su and the remaining guild members' help to clear the 5-star Monolith raid dungeon.
"You're not seriously thinking of attempting the raid dungeon......?"
Lee Young-su looked shocked as he countered.
He had already given up on clearing it.
The betrayal had left them shorthanded.
Shin Yu-hyun tackling the raid dungeon alone?
"That's why I came here in the first place."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded affirmatively.
"What kind of nonsense is that......?"
Lee Young-su stared at him in disbelief.
And Shuv, whom Shin Yu-hyun had brought, was undeniably powerful.
He had easily subdued 1st Team Leader Lee Sang-beom, a 5-star superhuman.
The slightly over ten skeletons, the Iron Golem that faced the 5-star boss Death Stalker, and even the little girl who danced to buff them—they were all strong assets.
But,
"Clearing a raid dungeon isn't easy. Especially a 5-star one."
In his view, the forces Shin Yu-hyun had shown weren't enough for a 5-star raid.
"Even if we helped, we'd still be short."
The only real combatants were Shuv and the Iron Golem.
Lee Young-su didn't count the ten skeletons as proper forces.
He shared the common prejudice that necromancers' undead were weak.
If he knew Shuv, Dia, and the Iron Golem were Shin Yu-hyun's summons, he'd think differently.
But Shin Yu-hyun saw it otherwise.
"You guys won't even need to fight directly. Just......"
Shin Yu-hyun glanced at the subdued Getia Worshippers.
While he and his summons tackled the raid dungeon, someone needed to guard the worshippers.
"Don't tell me you want us to watch these guys?"
Only then did Lee Young-su catch on to his intent.
"I'd appreciate it if you did."
Shin Yu-hyun didn't deny it.
And he made an enticing offer to Lee Young-su and the guild members.
"In exchange, I'll hand over all the magic stones from the raid dungeon and let you put your names on the clear record as co-clearers."
"......!"
Lee Young-su and the others looked stunned.
The proposal was outrageously generous.
Rewards and honor, both.
They hesitated, weighing it.
"You're awfully confident. How can we trust you'll succeed?"
Lee Young-su asked skeptically.
The offer hinged on successfully clearing the dungeon.
If they failed, the blame—and worst-case, a dungeon stampede—would fall on him and the guild.
Their lives wouldn't be guaranteed.
"Did you become a hunter without that kind of resolve?"
Shin Yu-hyun smirked, prodding their pride and honor as hunters.
Hunters like them cleared dungeons and slew magic beasts.
It naturally involved risking their lives.
Yet here he was, questioning if they lacked even that resolve.
"I just don't want to bet on an uncertain future."
"Then let's set a time limit. One hour from now. If I don't return by then, take these guys and go."
"What?"
Another bold proposal left Lee Young-su stunned again.
Everything Shin Yu-hyun offered favored them heavily.
Even with the time limit.
Too advantageous to refuse. Lee Young-su exchanged glances with the others and decided.
"Fine. Can't turn that down."
Either way, they lost nothing.
That was when Shin Yu-hyun spoke up.
"In exchange, if I succeed, I'd like to take one person with me......"
"What do you mean?"
Lee Young-su looked puzzled.
Take one person?
"I've got a bit of a talent scout streak. Want to recruit someone."
With that, Shin Yu-hyun turned his head.
There stood Choi Jin-seong, the one person from his previous life who had looked out for him.
'I didn't know in my past life......'
Shin Yu-hyun smiled bitterly to himself.
After regressing and reaching 4-star, he gained new skills in Spirit Arts.
Among them, the first skill, Spirit Eye, let him see others' info.
Unique skills, status, traits, and more.
Thanks to that, he now knew.
A hidden trait that even Choi Jin-seong himself was unaware of, visible through Spirit Eye.
That trait was......