A Life-Threatening Favor
“You’ve done a tremendous favor.”
Gu Jinmo, the chairman, looked in good spirits after their long reunion. His grandson had recovered from his hospital bed, and thanks to the Burning Red incident, several bureaucrats who owed him favors now had real power in their hands.
“That ledger. It really had an effect. Thanks to it, the atmosphere in the political world has shifted quite a bit.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
Yet those who had been quietly taken advantage of were not the types to stay silent. They kept making excuses, claiming it was a trap and a scheme because the ledger was still sitting there.
But no one could shift the atmosphere now.
“A few will become scapegoats. After sharpening their knives, they won’t come out easily.”
“Catching the mastermind with that might be difficult.”
“Just cutting off the limbs is enough. For the time being, they’ll be completely silent and their heads will be cracked open.” Gu Jinmo chuckled again, pouring another drink with obvious pleasure.
Standing beside him, Kim Gyeongtaek spoke up.
“Chairman, you’re drinking too much.”
“Huhu, I’m in a good mood, that’s why. All right, I’ll stop.” Gu Jinmo set the bottle down and looked at Dojin.
“So, what’s your next move?”
“I won’t be able to contact you for a while. They’re already preparing countermeasures on their side.”
Red Capital and Burning Red.
These two businesses had collapsed in a short time. Of course, with the police investigation intensified by Burning Red, they couldn’t move openly.
But…
‘I’ll release the hunting dogs.’
They were the perfect fit for this kind of work.
If they moved, he had to make sure they avoided contact with ordinary people as much as possible. One small lead could turn things into a nightmare.
Gu Jinmo understood Dojin’s words perfectly.
“You’re not asking for my help?”
“I need to raise Han Sohee. Are there any suitable places? Somewhere that can train hunters.”
Although it hadn’t been made public yet, Dojin knew SW Technology was preparing a hunter training program.
‘If I mention it first, it’ll look like I’m leaking internal information…’
He simply tested the waters.
At Dojin’s words, Gu Jinmo replied,
“We’re already preparing a hunter training program at our company. Perfect timing.”
“Really?”
Dojin pretended not to know.
Gu Jinmo laughed heartily.
“They say the student is an SR rank.”
“That’s right.”
A sixteen-year-old girl had achieved SR rank. It wasn’t just surviving; it meant she had even grazed a monster in the Awakening Room.
“I don’t know what triggered her entry into the Awakening Room, but she’s no ordinary child. I’ll give her a push. How far should I take it?”
“Raise her to level 50 within a month. And since she specializes in defense, make sure she masters that fighting style too.”
“…” Gu Jinmo stroked his chin and exhaled quietly.
“Eleven levels in a month.”
It wasn’t easy. The pace slowed dramatically after level 40.
But to stop the Yongin dungeon break in March, he needed Sohee’s power.
Gu Jinmo nodded.
“I’ll give it my best. There must be a reason you’re pressing me. Besides that, is there anything else I can support?”
“What you’re doing now is already more than enough.”
“Huhu, you young people are no fun.”
Yet a satisfied smile lingered on Gu Jinmo’s face. He admired Dojin’s calm, blade-sharp way of handling things.
Gu Jinmo turned slightly toward Gyeongtaek.
“Give him that.”
“Yes.”
Kim Gyeongtaek clapped once lightly, and the secretary waiting outside soon entered carrying a small box.
Dojin glanced at the box in front of him and looked back at Gu Jinmo.
“Open it.”
Inside was a single bracelet. It looked like a newly developed item.
“It’s fine.”
“Heh heh, this isn’t just for you. It’s like a sort of investment.”
Thanks to this deal, it was now confirmed that Dojin was targeting Red Circle.
Gu Jinmo stroked his chin.
“An incredibly ambitious guild. After some digging, I found they’re deeply connected to the upper echelons.”
His expression grew serious.
“They’re handling illegal businesses at an enormous scale… and such places are quite dangerous.”
They focused entirely on growing their size, without caring about means or methods. The sheer amount of money involved naturally meant powerful connections.
“If we just leave them alone, they’ll swallow up everything around them and monopolize the market. Nothing is scarier than a monopoly in business.”
Destroying the ecosystem was exactly what that meant. Every bottom had its own code of conduct, after all.
From Gu Jinmo’s perspective, who had lost his mind over his grandson and ignored the surroundings, it was a chilling situation.
“It’s for you, but also for me and for this underworld. Please use it well. Moreover… if it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be anyone else who could wield it.”
Gu Jinmo gave an enigmatic smile that was hard to interpret.
Dojin glanced at the box.
What kind of ability did it have?
“…Understood.”
Dojin picked up the box and stood.
“I’ll leave first. When the job is done, I’ll contact you again.”
“I’ll look forward to it with joy.”
As Dojin left, Gu Jinmo naturally refilled his glass.
“Oh, I told you not to drink, right?”
Watching him grin cheekily, Kim Gyeongtaek asked,
“Will Dojin handle it alone?”
The Red Circle guild they had investigated this time was far more dangerous than he thought. Even with full support from SW Technology, it wasn’t an easy target.
Especially the cruelty hidden behind the scenes…
Gu Jinmo remained silent to Gyeongtaek’s question.
But soon he nodded.
“It doesn’t seem like someone who rushes into uncertain things without certainty, so I’ll keep watching.”
“Understood.”
“In that sense, one last drink won’t hurt, right?”
“No.”
“…” Gu Jinmo grumbled, rising. “Inflexible person.”
His face was now set with concern for Dojin.
* * *
Redbite.
Named for being a snake that once it bit, never let go. Also called the hunting dogs in short.
A team of seven B-rank hunters. Each one a B-rank with levels 150 to 160, but when combined, their combined power was enough to easily take out almost any A-rank hunter.
They excelled more in teamwork than individual skill.
And their leader, Moon Seokmin.
At 42 years old, Seokmin had exceptional pursuit and evasion abilities. His experience as a private detective before he awakened had shone in situations like this.
Seokmin looked at his teammate Ahn Sangwon in front of him.
“What do you have?”
“First, based on survivors from that time, a new VIP registered a few days before the incident.”
“A new VIP?”
Sangwon nodded at Seokmin’s question.
“And the moment they entered, they single-handedly supported the product—Han Sohee. That same evening, Sohee’s mother disappeared from a hospital in Uijeongbu.”
The pieces clicked perfectly.
Seokmin nodded.
“Han Sohee?”
“She was at the scene at the time. No body, and she vanished somewhere.”
“The photo of the guy captured by the entrance CCTV back then.”
One of Redbite’s members, Seo Ira, handed over a tablet. The photo was clear and high-definition.
A man with white hair.
Seokmin frowned. He had never seen the face before. As someone who knew every hunter’s face among those with exceptional skill, he was annoyed.
“If he’s that skilled… he must be at least A-rank. Jin-hu couldn’t do that much.”
The wounds on the bodies at the scene. And the meticulous plan.
Just from that, Seokmin could gauge the level. The problem was he still couldn’t identify the face.
Moreover…
“Leader, here’s the movement route of that guy.”
“He moved east?”
The guy who had slipped out with Han Sohee under the cover of confusion had immediately headed east.
“But he vanished as if by magic near Jamsil. I searched every other camera—no trace left.”
“Someone was helping him.”
Someone who could erase traces like a ghost right in the middle of Seoul.
‘…Could it be someone from the political world?’
A hunter trained by a political figure on the opposing side of Red Circle.
‘No, those kinds of people aren’t that stupid. They know that committing such an act would make them the first target for assassination.’
Then who was it? Everything pointed to someone from the shadows.
Seokmin frowned. But soon he spoke to his teammates.
“First, find Han Sohee. We need to locate her mother’s condition. She could be in a hospital or somewhere with comparable facilities. Start there.”
Finding Sohee’s mother would lead to finding Sohee. Connecting the dots…
“We should be able to step on that guy’s shadow.”
One small lead was all it took.
They were Redbite, after all.
“Move out.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Soon, as he watched the scattered team members, Seokmin moved somewhere.
* * *
Yongin.
Dojin sat in the living room with the lights off, in the house where his parents used to live.
Redbite.
He knew these guys extremely well. A tenacious, cruel group. But more than anything, their skill was so high that even within the guild, tongues were clucked in admiration.
Just seven B-rank members, yet they could instantly eliminate almost any A-rank hunter.
Even within Red Circle, only two or three people—strongho among them—could handle them alone.
With the items Gu Jinmo had provided, facing Redbite with his current strength was impossible.
That’s why…
‘They’re definitely coming here.’
With their intelligence network, they would have found leads on his face and on Han Sohee and her mother.
‘Then…’
He would find Sohee’s mother’s location first.
He already knew her condition was poor.
He would also connect Red Capital and Ha Soowon.
‘As for Sohee’s side…’
He had asked Gu Jinmo to completely erase any trace.
They would feel something was off and dig elsewhere, but one thing was certain.
“They’re definitely coming here.”
While pulling the hunting dogs out, he had to attack first from this side.
Because of Redbite’s nature, they dispersed and collected information individually until the target was clearly identified.
‘Hong Woo-min or Yang Jin-hu would be the best…’
Excluding their leader Moon Seokmin, the two most difficult opponents were exactly these two.
Hong Woo-min was a strong defensive tank, and Yang Jin-hu was a killer with superb swordsmanship.
Eliminating even one of them would sharply weaken Redbite’s strength.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Only the sound of the wall clock in the living room remained.
Considering the opponents’ skill, tonight or at latest tomorrow night.
Dojin sat on the sofa and focused all his senses.
And…
“…” They’re here.
Dojin stood up.