You'll Settle Accounts with Me Separately
It was a derelict factory straight out of the movies—one of those cliché spots mobsters loved to use.
"Picking a place like this... I guess you could call it predictable."
The factory, once buzzing with fervent production, had long ceased operations after the gate incident. As I pushed open the rusted iron door, the first thing that hit me was the stench. A man with slicked-back hair greased to perfection, dressed in a sharp suit, greeted me while fussing over his oily strands.
His outfit was surprisingly neat. But those fox-like, slitted eyes made it clear he wasn't running a legit business. Excluding the boss-looking guy, the rest were your typical thugs—fierce-faced, tattooed, and muscled up.
'E-grade hunters.'
Awakened but too weak for dungeons. Stronger than civilians, they often ended up as street punks.
'Guys like these used to band together as villains.'
Eight E-grades and one D-grade. Terrifying for Yoo Ara, a first-year cadet still green in real combat.
But not for me.
The problem? I had a hostage. My eyes landed on Yoo Ara, bound to a chair.
"Mmph! Mmmph!!"
She thrashed and screamed the moment she saw me, her desperate plea for rescue obvious. Ignoring it, I approached the loan shark.
"What's your name?"
"Gu Jeong-mu. I run an honest finance business around Pyeongtaek."
He pulled a business card from his pocket.
Maeil Finance
Gu Jeong-mu
Sure enough, a loan shark outfit.
"How's business?"
"Let's just say I make enough to keep my employees fed." He smirked at me. "But seriously, you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"About selling this girl to another guild."
"Testing me again? I even called Geom-seong right in front of you. No need to repeat myself."
"Ahem, sorry about that. Just building trust. Anyway, business talk. What's the exact plan?"
His fox eyes gleamed.
"Simple. Train up kids who can't go legit, sell 'em to big guilds, take a cut. Higher scores mean bigger payouts."
"Hm, sounds solo. Why tell me?"
"'Cause your crew took my merchandise. I hate scratches on my goods."
"Product quality matters."
"You didn't do anything stupid to her, right?"
I glanced at Yoo Ara. Tears welled in her eyes—betrayal, rage, despair, emptiness swirling in those bright pupils.
"Mmmph!!!"
Gu Jeong-mu beamed at her venomous glare. It looked genuine, not acted.
"Of course not. We know our limits. No harm to valuable stock—we got our payout coming."
"I see."
"Yeah."
"Mind if I check?"
"Go ahead."
Appeased by her reaction, he stepped aside.
"She's got some spirit. That kind of response means she really trusted you."
I ignored him, kneading Yoo Ara's body.
"Hnnngh!!!"
She recoiled in disgust—a far cry from before. A voice choked with betrayal.
No special curses or poisons. But bruises bloomed blue across her body—probably from the abduction.
'Fucking bastards.'
Yoo Ara was my prized student. No teacher enjoys seeing that.
Staying calm, I checked for curses.
'Good.'
Her body was clean, against my fears.
"Definitely untouched."
"Obviously. Credit's everything in finance. We don't touch the goods."
"Thanks."
"Haha, skip the thanks. Buy me a drink later... What the hell are you doing?"
With her safety confirmed, I dropped the two bruisers beside Gu Jeong-mu.
Nine opponents total. Hostage secure—now, crush them.
"Gahk!"
"Urk!"
One hit per E-grade. No mana needed.
Leave no traces. That was the rescue's key.
A quick combo took down five more.
"Ughhh."
The guy in front of me got a fractured jaw from one punch. He'd never eat alone again.
"Gaaah!"
Another's shoulders shattered, bones and all. No more of this shit for him.
I pulverized a pelvis too.
"Kuhk, kuuuh! S-stop!!!"
Smashed ankles, wrists, severed Achilles tendons. Turned them to pulp, one by one.
Thorough enough they'd never show their faces in this line of work.
"Y-you bastard! Think you'll get away with touching us?"
Gu Jeong-mu stumbled back in shock. Cliché threat—pathetic.
"You're the one who picked the wrong fight."
I crushed the wrists of the terrified E-grades. The party's lone D-grade bolted.
"Where you going?"
"Hiiik!"
"A hunter scrapping in alleys? Shame on you."
Extra for you. I smashed his jaw, snapped his ankle, tore his muscles.
"Uwaaaah!"
Pain so bad he screamed after passing out from the jaw hit.
All hunters down. I approached the last one: Gu Jeong-mu.
"Hiiik! M-monster...!"
Legs gave out; he crawled back as I neared. The stench hit—piss.
He'd wet himself.
"Grown man pissing his pants outdoors. No shame?"
"Y-you... You said we'd do business..."
"Yeah. Business. Changed my mind."
"What?"
"Geom-seong prefers dealing with me solo."
Sorry, Geom-seong old man. Borrowing your name.
"Y-you son of a—!"
"One more curse, and you'll communicate by sign language from now on."
"......"
"Yoo Ara owes 100 million 1.55 million won, right?"
"......"
"Thought about it. There's separate accounts to settle between you and me."
"What...?"
"Phone call just now: 15 million won. Geom-seong's number: 30 million. Effort to beat these guys: 2 million. Mental damages to my student: 40 million."
Geom-seong's number for a measly 30 mil? Bargain. Almost charged more for the call, but 15 was fair.
"Wh-what kind of math is—"
"Problem?"
I pointed at the downed hunters, some twitching unconscious, unable to even scream.
"Want the same?"
"Ughhh..."
I remembered his mosquito-like bullshit—insane interest, fake fees to squeeze cash.
"Plus-minus, it's exactly 500,000 won."
"You fu—"
"Didn't I warn you?"
"Gasp!"
I pulled out ten 50,000-won bills. 15 million became 500k in a flash.
"Take it. And the IOU."
"Th-this..."
"You started it."
Trembling, he took the cash and produced the IOU.
"Original, right? Fake it, and your business, home, family—gone."
Defeated, he nodded, face ashen.
Principal: 15 million won. Compound interest: 120%.
"120% is crooked enough, and you jacked it to 45 million in under a year?"
"S-sorry!"
Whoosh!
I burned the IOU for the 15 million loan.
"Nothing left between you and Ara now?"
"N-no..."
"Don't try revenge—you'll be under Geom-seong's protection soon."
"......"
He clenched his fist. Geom-seong—master of mid-tier Hwanghon Guild. Top-five pure combat power in Korea. No small-time shark dares touch him.
"Oh, and take this."
"Huh?"
"Medical bills."
I slapped a 10,000-won bill in his hand.
"Gotta pay for turning my student into that."
He stared blankly. I twisted his wrist.
Crack!
"Gaaaaah!!!"
"Won't heal right. Every look reminds you of today. Got it?"
"Huff, huff, gaaaaah!!!"
He passed out from the pain.
I placed a 10,000-won bill on each hunter's chest, then went to Yoo Ara.
She stared, uncomprehending.
Riiip!
"Kyaa!"
"Letting slobs like these catch you? Sloppy."
I freed her from the ropes.
"I-is it true?"
"What?"
"That you'd sell me to a guild."
I glanced at the fainted Gu Jeong-mu and shook my head.
"Sell you? Nah."
"Th-then?"
"You're a valuable asset to our guild. No selling unless your contract ends."
"But Geom-seong..."
"Yeah, the old man's watching out for you. Not 'cause you're joining his guild, but 'cause you're my student."
"That's... what it was?"
"Yeah. Sorry. Had to bluff to check for curses."
I stroked her head.
"Huaaaang!"
She burst into tears.
"Hey, why cry?"
"I-I thought you were really selling me, sob, I misunderstood, heek, I was so scared, kuhk. You're the only one I trust, hnggg, waaaah!!!"
Forgot amid her exam rollercoaster—she was just a 21-year-old newbie.
Must've been terrifying.
"Th-they said they'd take Mom and Dad hostage if I didn't come, sob, threatened to hurt them, kuhuk, so I came instead, but even you, teacher... huaaaang."
She wailed like the world ended.
I'd considered her feelings, but...
"Sorry."
"No, thank you. I lived thanks to you... You paid it all. I'll repay every won from my scholarship."
Snot-nosed and teary, she sniffled.
"Later for that. Wipe your face."
I handed her a neatly folded handkerchief.
"Th-thanks. Hng!"
"Parents okay?"
"Yeah, they promised not to touch them if I came."
"Good. Let's go. Details later."
"C-can we hurry?"
"Why?"
Squirming, legs squeezed, she bit her lip.
"I-I gotta pee."
Tension release hit her bladder.
"Just go here."
"Y-you said grown-ups peeing outside is shameful."
"You've done it in front of me once alr—"
"G-go! Hurry! I'm gonna burst."
"Alright. Let's move."
We left the corpse-like loan shark crew and headed to Yoo Ara's house.
"Thank you so much. Aigoo... really, thank you."
I told her parents I'd negotiated smoothly with the outfit, paid just principal, and dropped Hwanghon Guild's name—no more trouble.
"Pay back from her scholarship whenever."
"We're so grateful. We thought something awful..."
"Mom, stop crying. I'm fine, see?"
Yoo Ara comforted them, eyes puffy. Heartwarming family scene.
"Stay for dinner?"
"No thanks. Ate plenty. Here for a quick lesson. Can I use Ara's room?"
"Sure, but..."
"Ara, you okay? After all that..."
Her parents looked worried—fresh off a kidnapping.
"I'm good. Ready for teacher's lesson anytime. Thanks to Si-woo teacher, I got first place!"
"Really?"
Bowing to their thanks, we went to her room. I locked the door.
"Strip. Gotta check your wounds."