Chapter 96
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Jang, Open the Door
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"Open the door, Jang."
"Do you all remember the Pitbull Guild?"
Jang Tae-won spoke up before his longtime comrades.
"Pitbull Guild?"
The old men, who had been chuckling away, turned their focus to the new topic.
"Isn't that the bastards who captured people and sold them off...?"
"Ah, right. They were real scum, tsk tsk..."
"I heard they peddled some drug that only works on Awakeners, hiding in layers of secrecy. And once addicted..."
"They had ways to rack up debts too, from what I heard."
A few months back, a mid-sized guild had suddenly collapsed.
They'd seemed like nobodies at first, but the deeper the investigation went, the more depraved acts came to light...
"Tsk. We should just lop off the heads of the ones we've caught."
"Why bring up those guys out of nowhere?"
The short, stout old man An Jung-bong spoke up.
"I've been mulling it over, and something feels off. The guild master was barely C-rank, and his underlings were all so-so at best. How the hell did they pull off all that?"
"Hmm... A drug tailored for Awakeners is a first for me."
"Maybe it messes with mana in the body. Could even be demonic energy..."
"C-rank isn't that low. Hell, the boss we haven't nabbed yet—by tenure alone, he could bump up to B-rank no problem."
"That one's got no brains to speak of, worse than his personality. Barely went to school. Back in the day, he was just a street punk."
"You know, now that you mention it, it does seem fishy..."
The other old men turned back to Jang Tae-won at An Jung-bong's words.
Jang Tae-won waited for their eyes to settle on him, stroked his chin once, then cut to the chase.
"Didn't I mention grabbing dinner with Lee Jung-woo? He slipped me some info on the sly."
"Hmm...?"
"But no matter how I slice it, Lee Jung-woo looks tied to the Pitbull Guild."
"You serious!?"
Jang Tae-won's claim hit like a bombshell.
Suspicious enough that a mid-tier outfit like Pitbull had been lording over Gwangmyeong City's gates. (Now in Camellia hands.)
Where'd those shipped-out Awakeners end up? China or Southeast Asia, obviously!
And Lee Jung-woo's chief of staff was overseas Chinese descent?
"Hmm..."
Something smelled off, but nothing nailed it down—every point felt frustratingly vague.
"It's a lock, no doubt!"
"That snake... Knew he'd slither like that...!"
But for folks without proper schooling or political chops, it was no issue.
Gut over theory mattered more.
On the battlefield, chasing proof or reasons often got you killed.
"Even so, pulling that crap smack in central Seoul? With all those big guilds around?"
The scrawny old man voiced doubt, and his comrades nodded along.
"Got it. So we're pinning blame on the local guilds too?"
If a neutral third party sat in, they'd scratch their heads at how it leaped there.
But decades together had synced their mindsets—no one to call it out.
"Tsk, hated that prick's mug from the start. Strutting like a peacock since he was a kid."
"How about we snag Hunter oversight rights this time?"
"Spot on. Time for us battle-hardened vets to band together."
As things bent his way, a pleased Jang Tae-won tossed out another hook.
"And get this—Camellia's been acting shady lately."
"Hmm...?"
"Word is they've scored something special. The kind of thing they'd hate going public."
"Aw, come on. Spit it out straight. What'd Goo Jun-hyuk snag now? Some rare material?"
One comrade finally griped at the roundabout talk.
Jang Tae-won let out a hearty guffaw.
But those who heard his next words couldn't muster a chuckle.
"A living creature."
"..."
Folks don't call people or animals "living creatures" like that.
A heavy pall settled over the round table.
"They're gonna milk massive profits off it."
"You mean..."
Play this right, and they could do more than just collar Camellia.
"So how do we pull this off? Can we win?"
Su-hyeon hustled up beside Seo Na-rin and asked.
Seo Na-rin barely cleared 160cm even in heels—a dainty frame—but next to Su-hyeon, she looked like a leggy model.
Her killer proportions helped, sure.
"Huh? Why the worry?"
Na-rin flashed a grin down at her.
No cockiness or bravado—just rock-solid confidence in victory.
"Well... our Hunter numbers are way short. And Mystic's all about rear support."
True enough.
A guild stacked with rare supporters naturally skimped on top-tier fighters and sheer manpower.
"Heh, supports charging the frontliners got you spooked?"
Na-rin smiled like she got it.
"Supports need a knack for reading the whole battlefield. Do that, and you spot all sorts of openings."
Seo Na-rin gave Su-hyeon's crown a couple gentle taps.
Su-hyeon blinked, and the sprout atop her head did a little happy wiggle.
Click-clack—click-clack—
The council lobby rang with a chorus of heels.
Out front: poised Seo Na-rin and...
'A kid?'
But no one could gawk forever.
The greenest rookie Hunter got shoved up front.
"Wh-what's this about, Hunter Seo Na-rin?"
"Heard there's a criminal holed up here. Gotta tip off my seniors as the dutiful junior, right?"
"Pardon? A criminal? In the council building...?"
"Hmph."
Seo Na-rin let out a displeased grunt.
"Since when do greenhorns speak for the elders?"
"No, that's not—"
"Don't bully her, Seo Na-rin."
Another Hunter strode up, fed up.
Unlike the guard, this was legit A-rank stock.
Like Na-rin—and packing real combat chops.
"That remark could be seen as smearing the council's rep."
"You gonna enforce that? Or who?"
"The elders decide."
"......"
"......"
Tinderbox tension.
Su-hyeon watched half worried, half thrilled, clutching Da-hye's hem.
"No nail-biting."
Da-hye softly swatted Su-hyeon's hand away from her mouth.
Just then, a faint, fragrant haze from Na-rin's pipe filled the air.
"...Fine, whatever."
The backdown came surprisingly from Na-rin's side.
She flicked up one hand like a retreat signal.
Clap-clap—
The female Hunter who'd been fussing Na-rin's hair clapped twice to pass the order.
"Hmph. What a pain."
"Eh?"
Su-hyeon blinked at the twist.
The rival Hunter snorted and turned to go—
"Huh?"
A puzzled yelp from the desk.
"What?"
"The cameras just... suddenly..."
"Wha—gasp..."
The Hunter whipped around to check; Na-rin clamped his nape.
"Guhhh..."
The burly Hunter shuddered and thudded sideways.
"Half-assed 'you' from when? Stinky old perv."
Seo Na-rin spat curses at the downed man and headed for the flustered desk.
The desk Hunter was rigid, hand jammed under the counter.
Emergency button, no doubt.
"Urk...!"
"Why make it messy?"
"We didn't do anyth—"
Su-hyeon glanced over; another goon had his hands out front.
She'd frozen his moves.
"You look beat. Swamped with work?"
"Y-yes...?"
Na-rin asked oh-so-casually; the staffer floundered.
"Everyone, grab a nap?"
From there, council lobby Hunters started dropping like flies.
"Whoa..."
"This okay...?"
Da-hye scooped up Su-hyeon, voice laced with worry.
In Su-hyeon's memory, Da-hye had been pretty ballsy herself.
Now she was the relative voice of reason.
"Totally fine. It volatilizes clean—no traces, no memories. Cameras are paused. Mana residue at worst, but no proof it was me. Hunters crawling all over anyway."
"Ah, got it..."
Na-rin crouched to meet eyes with lap-held Su-hyeon.
"See that? D- and C-ranks taking down way tougher Hunters. Time crunch, so I mopped up."
"Awesome."
Su-hyeon clapped her tiny palms.
Na-rin's eyes went wide and sparkly at the adorableness.
Visibly chuffed.
"Hehe. Combat Hunters can be beasts, but balance wins the day."
"Ooh... Makes sense."
Su-hyeon pictured her games.
Raids: all tanks or all DPS? Nah. DPS-tank-heal combos were stable.
Handed Brüel the healer account for that reason.
And 5-player AOS? All bruisers or nukers, and it'd crumble in five flat.
Buildings included.
"Alright, everyone—this way."
The group hustled after Na-rin once more.