Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Part 2 Chapter 9
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Open gates left abandoned after research often became spots for illicit gatherings.
Yeouhee mainly assembled her crew in places like this.
It was a spot she'd agonized over, chosen specifically to stay out of the sharp-eyed Lee Sa-byeol's line of sight.
Yeouhee sat on a large rock in the room where the boss had once been, pulling out a monster stone.
The open gate reacted to the monster stone, beginning to spawn low-level monsters one by one.
Since the boss monster wasn't reviving, not many appeared.
Yeouhee rounded up the spawned monsters and herded them into one corner.
"Line up from F-rank to C-rank."
A few people had gathered in the open gate here and there. At Yeouhee's command, they scurried about, hurriedly forming lines.
Yeouhee's lips curled up as she eyed the people ranked by her own standards.
'Why'd that girl change her mind halfway through.'
The Abyss Cartel, which had been planned but then scrapped.
'Abyss Cartel? Where'd she even hear that?'
Recalling Seol Doyun's feigned ignorance with that smile made her blood pressure rise.
She'd clearly heard rumors that Abyss had amassed a ton of money and infrastructure to rule at the top of the pyramid.
That girl had the personality to pull something like that off, so Yeouhee had believed it without a doubt and pinned her hopes on it. The disappointment had hit hard.
From Yeouhee's perspective, it had definitely been planned, but it seemed to fall apart because of Lee Yuhyeon.
'She's pissing me off in all sorts of ways....'
The whole world was using the boosters they'd filtered through and getting treatments and power-ups.
Yet all the rewards for that were going to the B- to D-Class kids that Lee Yuhyeon was protecting.
The minor cash and welfare perks for victims of the Abyss Project were chump change to A-Class kids.
The benefits of being strong hunters outweighed them anyway.
All the grueling ordeals and mental battles they'd won up to now had been thanks to A-Class.
'If the Abyss Cartel is just some fantasy Seol Doyun cooked up, then I'll make it real.'
What Yeouhee was setting in motion wasn't mere bullying.
She was gathering people, assigning ranks, and rigging the board so they'd follow her orders without question.
So far, the plan had been working pretty well. Power felt damn good.
It was this satisfying to make people submit. No wonder those overseers who'd tormented her back then made sense now.
'This is the least of what they deserve as payback.'
Yeouhee watched with interest as the people gathered before her clashed fiercely.
With no solid info on hunters, they were spineless and easily swayed. She needed to drill it into them properly while she could.
"Mun Serim, anything going on with Sa-byeol lately?"
"Uh, um? Why?"
"Just seems like she's been acting suspicious lately."
"She mentioned getting into a lot of arguments recently and being pretty stressed."
Oh no. Foot-in-mouth.
She'd spilled Lee Sa-byeol's worries that she'd meant to keep bottled up. Mun Serim clamped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
"Where'd you pick that up?"
Luckily, Yeouhee didn't fly into jealous rage and throttle her. Mun Serim opened up freely.
"Where do you think? Sa-byeol told me herself."
"Sa-byeol trusts you? Oh, right—goldfish brain, so she figures you'll forget quick."
It might've been better if Yeouhee had just choked her. Mun Serim's mood soured, her face twisting in a scowl.
"You think it's okay to mock me just because Sa-byeol teased you?"
"Anyway, Sa-byeol hasn't been running gates lately—where's she picking fights? Even more suspicious...."
Yeouhee smoothly steered the talk back to Lee Sa-byeol, and Mun Serim tilted her head.
"Huh, really?"
One of the things Yeouhee had been doing on the sly lately was hogging all the gate slots Sa-byeol might enter, handing them to the hunters she controlled.
She'd join F-rank gates occasionally if spots opened, but as far as Yeouhee remembered, none had popped up all week.
'Mun Serim's the type to swallow an obvious lie like that.'
If she wasn't catching flak in gates, it must've been at school.
"She's been keeping her head down lately—no way she'd get into scraps. What kind of beef is she dealing with?"
Yeouhee's life had been pretty cushy these days.
Thanks to everything she'd done, people's fear had grown, so no one dared mess with her.
She figured Lee Sa-byeol, being in the same group, would naturally dodge trouble too.
Plus, honestly, Sa-byeol seemed like the type to clap back hard if provoked. No way she'd stress over that.
'Maybe she's just worn out and on edge?'
Sa-byeol had been a bit whinier lately.
Spilling her woes to Mun Serim said it all.
She'd handle something that trivial on her own.
Yeouhee had planned to console her later, but knowing she'd vented to Mun Serim twisted her a bit.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
"I got the girl who was gonna snitch on you guys—I brought her!"
"Another insolent one popped up?"
Perfect timing for a mood booster. Yeouhee leaped off the large rock, landing lightly.
Some kids she barely recognized dragged one person along by force.
Their head was covered with a sack-like cloth, so Yeouhee couldn't tell who it was.
"Ooh, what's this? You guys know about this classic game?"
"You said last time it was your favorite."
"Right. Full of memories."
Yeouhee smiled.
The so-called "Who Is That Guy?" game.
Thugs from the same overseer background would often cover an enemy's face before beating them.
That way, the victim couldn't ID their attackers, which was handy—and if cops with lie detectors got involved, there was wiggle room.
'Did I hit that guy? I couldn't even see his face—what are you talking about~'
In front of a lie detector, that kind of denial usually passed as truth.
It gave plenty of psychological outs.
Even if they knew who it was, covering the face added a layer of plausible deniability, making it "true" that they hadn't directly harmed "that person."
Of course, any real scrutiny revealed the lie quick, so it wasn't super common anymore.
These days, it was just shitty tradition.
Like birthday beatings, for example.
An excuse to pummel someone you hated under the guise of celebration, with the added cover of "I don't even know who it was."
"So, what makes you think you can snitch?"
"......"
No answer, so she kicked their legs, forcing them to their knees.
Yeouhee smiled down at the shrouded figure.
"Quiet, huh? They must've gagged you too."
"Yeah. She's feisty—thought she might call the cops midway. You said to keep mouths shut."
"Cut off all her outside help?"
"Total loner. You'll sleep easier once you know who she is. Used that item you gave us too, so no voice recognition."
If word of this got back to Lee Sa-byeol or Lee Yuhyeon ears again, it'd get messy. They were extra careful with loose lips.
After grinding them in monster packs until they memorized every rule, the results were satisfying.
"Nice work. Park Min-gi, was it? I'll remember you."
Yeouhee circulated mana through her body, entering her awakened state. She reached out, grasping the captive's shrouded face.
"I really hate tattletales."
"......"
"Don't know who you are, but bad choice."
"......"
Yeouhee lifted her foot and stomped down on the kneeling person's head.
* * *
A harsh punishment for tattletales.
Mun Serim grabbed the back of the battered person's neck with her bloodied hands, hoisting them up.
"This one's no fun? Why's she so docile?"
Mun Serim scowled. Something felt off and creepy, plus her interest waned right then, so she stepped back.
"......Yeah, she's kinda giving me the creeps."
Yeouhee agreed.
The way they instinctively twisted to soften blows, or faked passing out midway—it all felt way too familiar.
She kicked them over to flip them face-up, checking if it was someone she knew.
Suddenly, black-painted nails entered Yeouhee's view.
Her ring finger.
"......"
Her heart plummeted.
Yeouhee reached for the sack over the person's head and yanked it off.
"......"
It was a familiar face.
Mangled by their fists, lying there. Eyes and mouth bound, unable to call for help.
Every Abyss kid there stared in horror at their fallen weakling hero, sprawled pathetically on the ground.
"Fuck...."
Mun Serim, who'd been watching wide-eyed from behind, rushed over and carefully peeled the tape from the person's mouth.
The adhesive had weakened from sweat and blood.
As soon as the tape came off, they spat blood-mixed saliva to the side.
"Haa.... *cough, cough!*"
A long, weary exhale.
"Who...."
A raspy, familiar voice.
As Lee Sa-byeol's voice came through, a few Abyss kids collapsed to the floor.
The identity of their giggling victim hit them, bringing a wave of disgust and nausea.
"Ughhh!"
Someone couldn't hold it and retched.
Even Abyss kids not close to Sa-byeol had been saved by her at least once.
Back when they first awakened, she'd always tagged along on gates, sticking by them until they got the hang of it.
And just now, they'd trampled that same Sa-byeol and felt good about it.
"Please.... haa, just send me home...."
The voice that had always been their lifeline in near-death moments.
"You mad 'cause our kids messed up? We won't snitch on them...."
Moisture seeped from under the cloth over her eyes.
"Look at me.... What did I even do...."
Her voice, crumbling in pain, echoed helplessly alone in the open gate.