The Weight of a Hero (4)
“So everyone’s here.”
A team had been assembled for the speedboat.
I looked over the four people lined up in front of me.
The roster was as follows.
1. S-class healer Park Yu-tae, the Geumwi Daejang.
2. B-class Dio team leader Mun Dal-su.
3. A-class Dio support dealer Lee Ji-jun.
And lastly.
“...Hoo.”
There was one person drenched in cold sweat, letting out rough, ragged breaths.
It was Jang Na-ik, the youngest member of the Dio Guild Busan branch.
Lee Ji-jun pointed at Jang Na-ik.
“I get the Geumwi Daejang. I get Mun Team Leader too, since he’s got the experience. But why the hell did you bring this kid?”
It wasn’t even a whisper. He said it right out loud.
That was Lee Ji-jun for you.
Jang Na-ik swallowed hard and looked around nervously.
Honestly, he probably didn’t know either.
Why he was standing here with us.
Jang Na-ik was an E-class hunter.
He had done admirable work recently in taking down the stone scorpions in a desert-type Gate, but still...
He’s lacking in a lot of ways.
Jang Na-ik spoke up.
“That’s right. I think so too. Hunter Choi. Maybe you should replace me with someone else, even now—”
“Nope.”
I patted his shoulder.
“Our youngest is going to pull another one off this time too. A trump card, that’s what you are.”
I hadn’t brought him along out of sentiment.
Fighting the Dirty Kraken was a life-or-death brawl, so I’d made a thorough plan and picked the people to match it.
Jang Na-ik was absolutely necessary for this operation.
Only...
It better go according to plan.
Life never flowed the way you planned it.
No matter how prepared you were, there were variables that changed by the second, impossible to calculate in advance.
I looked at Jang Na-ik.
“You can do it, right, kid?”
“...!”
Jang Na-ik trembled all over, then nodded hard.
“Yes! Hunter Choi!”
Lee Ji-jun let out a sigh.
“Well, damn.”
Heo Da-yeong arrived in an old six-seater SUV.
“Hunters! Get in!”
Heo Da-yeong took the wheel and climbed into the passenger seat.
The rest of us got in the back.
As always, Heo Da-yeong kept her bright, high-energy vibe.
“A small elite team heading out to sea. This feels like a special operations squad. So cool!”
Through the rearview mirror, Heo Da-yeong kept sneaking glances behind her.
“Wow. That’s Zelos from headquarters, right? The one who rose to A-class faster than anyone in Dio history! It’s an honor to meet you.”
Zelos was Lee Ji-jun’s call sign.
In Greek mythology, he was the god of jealousy, and the word itself also meant envy.
“Ah, yes.”
Lee Ji-jun answered halfheartedly, like he couldn’t be bothered.
Contrary to public perception, Zelos wasn’t someone who represented envy alone.
He was depicted as a man who fought fiercely to win, dug in obsessively, and enjoyed competition.
He was also a god who warned of the importance of making wise choices.
Lee Ji-jun was an unexpected addition to the lineup.
He’d definitely be able to do his share.
But whether he’d mesh with the team was another matter.
Park Yu-tae stared out the window with his mouth shut tight.
Mun Dal-su, worn out from the week-long tentacle battle, had his eyes closed and was dozing off in short bursts.
Jang Na-ik was still tense, fidgeting with his hands for no reason at all.
In the quiet car, only Heo Da-yeong kept chattering away.
“I’m glad the roads aren’t clogged. Looks like we’ll arrive early...! Kyah!!”
Heo Da-yeong screamed as the car slammed to a sudden stop.
“Whoa.”
The abrupt braking sent Mun Dal-su’s forehead into the seat in front of him.
“Miss Heo. What’s wrong? Did you doze off at the wheel?”
“N-no. It just suddenly—”
Heo Da-yeong pointed ahead.
It wasn’t her driving.
A black car had cut in front of us and blocked the road.
That car is...
The shape was familiar.
A large van used by Gate response teams.
An emblem with a temple insignia drawn on it.
Dio Guild?
The black van blocking our way opened its doors.
Several Dio Guild agents stepped out.
They surrounded the vehicle we were in.
“Everyone, get out!”
The agents were all wearing protective gear.
They even had long batons clipped at their waists.
They could be used like clubs, and the front end contained a high-voltage stun device.
The grim atmosphere left Mun Dal-su and Jang Na-ik rattled.
“W-what the hell? Who are those guys?”
“Huh? Aren’t they headquarters people?”
The Geumwi Daejang gave a snort and said something strange.
“This is a mess right from the start.”
I frowned.
I had expected headquarters to send someone.
I just didn’t expect them to arrive this fast.
With departure looming, I wanted to avoid an unnecessary fight.
“Hunter. If you don’t cooperate—”
“So what are you gonna do about it?”
Lee Ji-jun kicked the agent in the gut.
The stun baton spun through the air.
Lee Ji-jun moved fast and snatched it out of the air.
“Cooperate, my ass. You think I’m a prisoner? I’ll go when I’m done, on my own two feet, so piss off.”
Despite the threat, the agents didn’t back down and charged Lee Ji-jun all at once.
Blue sparks burst as one of the stun devices jabbed into his abdomen.
“Kh!”
It was like throwing oil on a fire.
Lee Ji-jun was an A-class hunter.
These guys didn’t stand a chance.
“Fuck! You piss me off! Bring it, all of you!”
Lee Ji-jun threw himself into the melee with the agents.
Mun Dal-su and Jang Na-ik broke into a sweat trying to stop him.
“Hup!”
The Geumwi Daejang brought down the side of his hand and knocked one Dio agent cold.
In an instant, the road turned into complete chaos.
This is a damn mess.
We didn’t have time for this.
Internal division was exactly the sort of thing the Dirty Kraken would want, wasn’t it?
Still, there was at least one fortunate point: the difference in firepower.
With Lee Ji-jun and the Geumwi Daejang here...
the Dio agents couldn’t just drag Lee Ji-jun away so easily.
At this rate, they’d have to go home empty-handed.
That was when it happened.
“Stand down!”
A sudden shout thundered through the air.
It was a voice so loud it sounded like a lion’s roar.
The voice had come from inside the black van.
The door opened.
For a split second, I clenched my teeth before I even realized it.
Shit...
The worst possible person had shown up.
I forced myself to stay calm and tossed out a joke.
“Hunter Na, why are you coming out of there?”
The Dio Guild’s mad dog.
S-class hunter Na Sang-min.
“Pathetic. All of you, back off.”
At Na Sang-min’s single order, the agents quickly stepped away.
Their disciplined movement showed absolute trust in him.
“Why else? I came to clean up the mess Choi Yongki made.”
Na Sang-min scratched his hair hard.
“Hah. How long has it been since I got back from Japan? And the second I’m home, I’m stuck handling a bunch of snot-nosed brats. Why don’t you just transfer to another guild or something?”
I pieced the situation together.
Lee Ji-jun was a rising star in Dio Guild, a powerful rookie.
The agents alone were, of course, nowhere near enough.
Na Sang-min was the perfect person to suppress an A-class hunter in one stroke.
Lee Ji-jun bit his lip.
He knew better than anyone that the man standing in front of us was no ordinary person.
“Hey, Lee Ji-jun. Hanging around with someone like Choi Yongki’s got you infected too, huh? Enough talk. Move.”
Na Sang-min strode forward.
“Hunter Na... I—”
“Shut up.”
Na Sang-min grabbed Lee Ji-jun by the head and smashed him into the pavement.
“Ghk!”
The asphalt shattered and Lee Ji-jun groaned.
Na Sang-min pressed a palm to his temple.
Then he looked around.
“Well? If the rest of you want to try, come on.”
Mun Dal-su and Jang Na-ik had already lost the will to fight.
They raised both hands and shook their heads.
“We surrender.”
“Me too.”
Na Sang-min’s gaze shifted to the Geumwi Daejang.
“Oh. There was actually a decent hunter in Busan too.”
Strong hunters recognized each other.
The S-class gazes collided in midair.
The Geumwi Daejang didn’t back down.
“What’re you staring at?”
Na Sang-min, with his combative personality, didn’t hold back.
“Ha. A real Busan tough guy, huh? Wanna go?”
The Geumwi Daejang was just as fiery.
“Try me.”
In the standoff between S-class hunters, no one dared interfere.
If those two actually fought...
The Dirty Kraken wouldn’t even matter. We’d all be wiped out.
Lee Ji-jun sprang upright.
“I’ll go! I said I’d go, didn’t I?”
“Shut it. Too late, punk.”
Na Sang-min gripped his spear and charged Park Yu-tae.
The Geumwi Daejang also drew mana into a wand held in one hand.
In that instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through my head.
If Na Sang-min lost his temper, nobody would stop him.
I had to stop this.
...How?
Should I counter him with the Heoksikdo?
Should I use my hero powers?
If I joined in too, things would only spiral further out of control.
I didn’t have time to keep thinking.
The only solution was...
I slipped a hand inside my jacket.
“Wait!”
In that knife-edge moment...
I stepped between Na Sang-min and the Geumwi Daejang.
“Look at this.”
I held out a single sheet of paper to the man who had frozen in place.
“Don’t block me. What the hell is this...?”
“You’ll know if you read it.”
It was a letter.
The recipient was none other than...
Na Sang-min rustled it open.
To Hunter Na Sang-min.
Hello. My name is Lee Chun-bae, and I live in Suyeong-gu, Busan.
Several years ago, after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, my wife told me through tears...
...
It was a letter Lee Chun-bae had sent to Na Sang-min.
Reading it, you could tell.
How much earnest care had gone into every single line.
How desperately he had asked for help.
Please, for the sake of our Geon-woo, make sure that thing is taken out.
It’s not much, but please accept this small token of my sincerity.
I know it isn’t much for someone doing such important work, but I’d be grateful if you’d accept it and think of this old man’s seventy-two years.
Thank you. Take care.
“...”
When he reached the end, Na Sang-min fell silent.
Now.
I stood straight in front of him.
“I came to Busan on a monster extermination commission. I brought my teammates here for this job.”
There was no helping it.
To calm a mad dog...
you had to use a tranquilizer dart.
The most effective tranquilizer of all aimed straight at conscience.
“This commission should originally have gone to Hunter Na. But as you know, you turned it down, so I had no choice but to—”
“Choi Yongki, you son of a—!”
Na Sang-min’s lip twitched.
He knew I had just twisted the knife in his guilt.
But still.
From watching him all this time...
I knew that despite his rough mouth, Na Sang-min was surprisingly soft-hearted inside.
Without a doubt, Lee Chun-bae’s letter had moved him.
The fight had stopped, but that wasn’t enough.
Since we’ve come this far.
I lowered my head to Na Sang-min.
“Hunter Na. Please let me handle this one. I’m asking you.”
The road went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“...You fox-faced bastard.”
Na Sang-min ground his teeth.
At that point, I was certain.
It was working the way I wanted.
“Choi Yongki.”
There was a metallic clank.
Na Sang-min lowered his spear.
“How much did you get paid?”
I raised my head.
“Three big bills.”
“What? Three hundred million?”
“No.”
“Then what, thirty?”
“Nope.”
I smiled thinly.
I had no intention of getting away with this on the strength of one letter alone.
The real goal is...
I held out a hand to Na Sang-min.
“Hunter Na, come with us too. The target is a sea monster on the level of a catastrophe-class threat. This would definitely help with your reputation.”
Public opinion of Na Sang-min in Korea wasn’t exactly good.
Trash personality, broken temperament, a guild-hopping bat who moved wherever the transfer fee was highest.
“I’ll handle your image cleanup properly this time.”
My offer was tempting enough for Na Sang-min to bite.
“Oh, and the fee? We split it fifty-fifty.”
After a few seconds of consideration, Na Sang-min brushed right past me.
“Like hell.”
So much for the handshake.
Instead, Na Sang-min headed toward the vehicle I’d arrived in, not the big van.
“It’s not like I’m listening to Choi Yongki because I’m obedient. I’m just pissed at headquarters and want to screw them over.”
Grumbling the whole way, Na Sang-min climbed into our Dio Guild car and sat down.
He motioned to the agents.
“Hey. You lot go back first. I’ll come after I’m done.”
Not a single person dared object to Dio Guild’s strongest hunter.
The agents quietly withdrew.