Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: National Power-level Hunter (1)
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“Any demands at all?”
In response to Hwang Yu-kyung's declaration, I tilted my head.
“You’re handing out blank checks without knowing what I might ask for?”
What if I demanded the entire Seosung Group?
Hwang Yu-kyung replied with a faint smile.
“Exactly as I said. Anything within the power of the Seosung Vice President, I’ll grant.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I nod.
“Within what the Vice President can manage, huh. Pretty clever.”
Instead of answering, Hwang Yu-kyung just smiled.
Anything possible under the Seosung Vice President’s name.
On the surface, it sounded like she’d do just about anything.
After all, there didn’t seem to be much the heir to a massive conglomerate like Seosung couldn’t pull off.
But it was just a sleight of hand.
Those words were a preemptive line drawn in case I demanded something insane like the entire Seosung Group as compensation.
‘The Seosung Group belongs to Chairman Hwang Jae-yong.’
Hwang Yu-kyung, the Vice President, was merely someone slated to ‘inherit’ it—she couldn’t just hand it over to me.
What about demanding it after she inherits it later?
‘That’s just petty.’
The same went for any companies she already owned.
So, what now?
Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about taking anything.
I hadn’t considered demanding compensation in the first place.
I didn’t care whether Seosung’s Team 2 boycotted me or not. Did they do it openly because they saw me as a joke?
Whatever. Who cares?
Wouldn’t it be weirder to get mad at worthless bugs for looking down on me?
Of course, if they’d crossed the line even a little more, it would’ve been different.
“I don’t have anything in mind.”
“Then, if something comes to you later, please contact me at this number.”
With that, Hwang Yu-kyung handed me a minimalist business card with just a name and number.
“Sure, if I think of something.”
I shrugged and shoved it into my pocket. Then I turned to look behind me.
“Team Leader Lee, Agent Chae.”
Chae Seol-ah and Lee Min-hyuk quickly responded.
“Y-Yes!”
“Yes, Miss Kim Hyun.”
“Let’s go grab some ice cream.”
As I said that, I glanced at Hwang Yu-kyung’s expression.
She was still smiling, but...
Hmm. She didn’t look too happy.
“Looks like you two should give us some space.”
They say the scariest people are the ones who smile while angry.
What a terrifying Vice President.
The moment Kim Hyun’s group left,
Hwang Yu-kyung’s smile vanished.
She turned to glare at Team 2’s members.
They stood frozen, faces pale with fear of what was coming.
After staring them down, Hwang Yu-kyung spoke.
“I hate people who don’t listen. Are you just stupid, or pretending to be while sabotaging things? I can’t tell.”
“......”
“If you’d just followed orders, nothing would’ve gone wrong. But no, you had to defy them and make this mess?”
“V-Vice President...”
“Th-This was our...”
Some team members, finally grasping how dire things were, tried to stammer excuses.
But it was too late.
“I don’t need people who don’t listen.”
Hwang Yu-kyung issued her command in a voice cold as ice.
“Fire them all and sue for damages.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
“Audit their taxes too. Not just them— their families as well. Investigate for any violations and hand them to the prosecutors if found.”
“Yes. Understood.”
At those words, Team 2’s faces turned ashen white.
Not just themselves, but their families too?
“V-Vice President!”
“P-Please, forgive us just this once...!”
Realizing the gravity, the Team 2 members rushed forward, begging and clinging to her. Naturally, they were blocked by the wall of thick security guards.
The deputy team leader, who’d once hung out with Hwang Won-uk and thus committed serious crimes, collapsed to the floor, his face muddy gray.
‘...Fuck.’
The realization hit that his life was ruined in an instant.
The nearby Vera ice cream shop was closer than I’d thought.
I bought a cup of chocolate ice cream from the place.
“Looks delicious.”
Watching Chae Seol-ah act in her inhuman way, I plunged a spoon deep into the round, tempting scoop.
I scooped up a bite and popped it straight into my mouth.
“Mmm. Just the taste I wanted.”
Smooth vanilla blended with chocolate syrup, plus chocolate-covered almonds for that kick!
Worth its rank as number eight on my list of foods I craved in Hell—the chocolate ice cream was satisfying.
As I surrendered to that cold bliss, the watch on my wrist buzzed.
A quick glance showed a text from Seosung Vice President Hwang Yu-kyung.
[All hunters involved in this incident have been terminated, and legal action has been taken.]
“I see.”
Fired entirely and facing legal action. More thorough than expected.
She did look pretty pissed the last time I saw her. Guess this incident really set the Vice President off.
Well, whatever. It’s handled.
“Nom.”
I shoveled another bite of ice cream into my mouth.
Then Team Leader Lee Min-hyuk beside me asked a question.
“Uh, how was your first gate?”
“Kinda gross.”
“Pardon? R-Really...?”
Lee Min-hyuk stared at me in confusion. Like, how could it be gross after I’d butchered all the monsters inside like that?
But I meant it.
That space felt deeply repulsive to me.
‘Whoever made it really pulled off something ridiculous.’
And it had to be that way.
The space wasn’t formed from natural mana—it was built entirely from mana fully subjugated to someone else.
How to explain it? Like stepping into a house built from someone else’s skin?
With nothing but mana enslaved to a specific other person—no trace of mine or nature’s—it all felt alien. Especially to someone as acutely sensitive to mana as me.
‘Seems like they’re projecting their mana onto Earth by opening these gates.’
Unfortunately, I still didn’t know why.
As I smacked my lips, Lee Min-hyuk cautiously probed while watching my face.
“So... you won’t be entering any more gates?”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
I had to investigate whatever shady crap was disrupting my peace—gates were part of that.
“Pardon? But you just said it was gross...”
“Gross is gross. Whether I go in or not is separate. You don’t skip throwing out food waste just because it’s nasty, right?”
“W-Well, true. Haha.”
The team leader nodded enthusiastically, looking relieved.
He must’ve been worried I wouldn’t cooperate with Korea’s gate raids.
“I’ll close as many gates as needed, so don’t worry. By the way, I heard gates are bought and sold. That true?”
“Yes. Precisely, when the Meteorological Agency detects a gate, it’s ranked based on mana output and type.”
“What’s ‘type’?”
“It distinguishes between gates that just spawn monsters and those for otherworld invasions. More details like terrain or invading species can be gauged too, but Korea’s equipment isn’t precise enough for that.”
Lee Min-hyuk tossed his empty ice cream cup into the trash and continued.
“Anyway, classified gates are auctioned under the Superhuman Management Bureau—sold to corporations or raided by the Bureau itself.”
“So, to raid gates, I need to bid and win at auction too?”
“Pretty much.”
“But I’m broke.”
Dead broke, not a penny to my name.
“You’ll make a fortune from that A-rank gate. Byproducts, corpses, resources, even the raid fee. At least 200-300 billion won, I’d say.”
“Wow, hunting sure pays easy.”
An unimaginable sum before I got dragged to Hell.
Now? No excitement at all. Money’s just numbers.
“So, without cash, you can’t even start as a hunter?”
To earn as a hunter, you need a gate to raid first—and bidding requires money.
Scratching his neck, Lee Min-hyuk explained.
“That’s why most Awakeners and Returnees aim for guild jobs. Hunter teams pay insane salaries. Or you start your own guild and get investors.”
“Got it.”
“By the way, under Hunter Law, only guilds can raid gates unless it’s an emergency. Even someone as strong as you, Miss Kim Hyun, has to form a guild.”
“What kinda law is that?”
“Tell me about it.”
Hmm. Need a guild, huh.
“Guess I’ll make one then. Not like I’m short on cash.”
No real hassle, and it’s the law.
If I weren’t planning to live by the rules to some extent, maybe not. But showing compliance here seems smart.
But the moment I said that, Lee Min-hyuk made an awkward face and tried to stop me.
“Ah, you might wanna hold off on that.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well... The government’s about to decide how to treat you, Miss Kim Hyun. From what I hear, it’s leaning positive. Congratulations in advance. Haha.”
“What’re you even talking about?”
I tilted my head, completely lost, when Chae Seol-ah—still devouring her inhuman ice cream—shouted excitedly from the side.
“They’re designating you as a National Power-level Hunter!”
“......National Power-level Hunter?”
I frowned.
That name’s got some seriously tacky flair.