Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Chapter 150: Public Opinion (2)
Translation: godtl
South Korea was boiling over like the peak of midsummer August.
"Oppa, look at this."
A graceful beauty with sparkling eyes was monitoring the situation in real time.
"Just one day after the article was published, the national petition has already surpassed a million signatures."
"Huh."
"A million?"
A man lounging lazily on the sofa, sipping cider, looked up at Lee Yu-jeong with genuine surprise.
"Yes! At this rate, even the government won't be able to ignore it, right?"
"With a million signatures, they'd have to take notice."
While national petitions didn't inherently carry overwhelming influence, crossing the million mark changed the game entirely.
'This shows where public sentiment lies.'
Even major incidents usually cap out at several hundred thousand signatures—surpassing a million?
'Not just the government—no guild could afford to turn a blind eye now.'
Especially considering this happened overnight.
Given how the numbers would continue rising, there was no way this could be dismissed.
Most importantly—
'The tide of public opinion has turned.'
The media manipulation by guilds ousted from the national team.
With public sentiment shifting this decisively, their narratives would no longer gain traction.
In fact—
'The more they try to spin it, the more backlash they'll face.'
They'd only be tightening the noose around their own necks.
Si-mun pulled out his phone and skimmed through the articles.
Then—
"Wow... Uncle's really going all out, huh?"
He let out an amused chuckle at the photo of a middle-aged man in a black suit bowing his head.
"The game's already over. Why bother bowing so deeply now?"
"I was surprised by that too. The Association President must be absolutely fuming."
"More like he's enjoying himself. Look at that expression."
A man who embodied the word "blade" more than anyone else.
Yet in the article's photo, he looked unusually pale and subdued.
"He could've made it big as an actor too."
"Pfft. The Iron Wood King as an actor? Now that's something I'd pay to see."
"Hah! There could even be a novel about it. Something like: 'As the Awakened Association President, I Reincarnated as an Actor in a Parallel World?'"
Lee Yu-jeong and Park Jin-uk burst into laughter.
Si-mun smiled at Jin-uk.
"Come to think of it, I haven't properly thanked you yet. Jin-uk-ssi, I appreciate your help."
Si-mun gave a slight nod.
"Oh, please! Don't mention it! If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me this opportunity!"
Jin-uk waved his hands dismissively.
"Just thinking about what those bastards did to me in the Arena still makes my blood boil. A few interviews? I'd do them a hundred times over!"
"That's right. Oppa, thanks to you, Si-hyeok's having the time of his life right now."
"Yu-jeong's right. That kid's been walking on air lately."
Kim Si-hyeok was notably absent despite the national tournament being over.
And for good reason.
"I saw that too. He's not even touching the Arena—just doing interview after interview."
He was accepting every single interview request that came his way.
"Ugh! Don't even get me started. He's even giving interviews to media outlets he'd normally ignore."
"After what happened at the national tournament, he must be absolutely seething. But... Oppa?"
Yu-jeong, who had been chiming in, cautiously broached a question.
"If it's alright with you... I'd like to lend a hand too."
"Huh? You too, Yu-jeong?"
Si-mun tilted his head at the unexpected request.
Then—
"Are you sure you just want to help? Not join in on beating them up?"
He teased with a playful grin.
"Pfft. I can't fool you, can I? You're right. I've got... quite a few grievances against those guilds myself."
Yu-jeong matched his playful tone with a smirk of her own.
Si-mun rested his chin on his hand for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. It already feels like overkill, but having your help won't hurt."
"Thank you! Can I write the articles however I want?"
"Of course. Go wild."
"Yes!"
She looked positively giddy as she immediately started typing away on her phone, drawing a soft laugh from Si-mun.
Then—
"Oh, right. Jin-uk-ssi."
He turned his attention back to Park Jin-uk.
"Yes, Si-mun-nim?"
"I have a favor to ask. Could you help me out?"
"Just say the word! If you want, I'll even bring you Kim Jong-jun's head!"
Jin-uk clenched his fist with fiery determination, his murderous intent palpable.
"Haha! I'll just take the sentiment for now."
Kim Jong-jun was also a Diamond-ranked assassin.
Even for the Night Hunter, assassinating him would be no easy feat.
Si-mun declined with a hearty laugh before getting to the point.
"More importantly—would you spar with me?"
CRASH!
Along with the sound of shattering glass, various pieces of furniture were demolished.
The perpetrator of this destruction—
"Fucking hell!"
A gaunt-faced middle-aged man exhaled roughly, unable to suppress his rage.
"Seongsam! Again! Why! Did they have to! Stick their noses in! Goddamn it!!"
With every syllable—
BAM! BAM!
He pounded the already wrecked furniture even harder.
What finally stopped his violent outburst wasn't the hulking, muscle-bound figure fidgeting nervously at the entrance.
Nor was it the shards of furniture embedded in his fists, dripping blood.
It was—
Ring-ring.
The chime of his cellphone.
"......Haah."
Was it an attempt to calm his fury?
Or was it fear of the caller?
After taking a moment to steady his breath, he glared at the incessantly ringing phone with reluctant eyes before—
"......Yes, boss."
He finally picked it up.
As expected—
—You fucking bastard! How the hell did you mess things up this badly?!
An earth-shaking roar erupted from the other end of the line.
Kim Jong-jun momentarily pulled the phone away from his ear, bit his lower lip hard, and replied,
"I... have nothing to say in my defense. Who would've thought Kim Mu-yeol would make a move like that...?"
The Iron Wood King, infamous for his sky-high pride.
Who would've imagined that Kim Mu-yeol would bow his head and put on such a goddamn show?
But the person on the other end clearly didn't share that sentiment—
—You brain-dead moron! You think Kim Mu-yeol is the problem right now?!
The voice grew even more incensed.
—Have you still not figured it out, huh?! What the hell has that bastard even done in this game for you to bring up Kim Mu-yeol?!
"......My apologies."
Kim Jong-jun could only mutter an apology.
Yet his face was twisted beyond recognition.
The reason was simple.
'Goddammit! If it's not Kim Mu-yeol, then what the hell is it?!'
As the vice-Guild Master of the Scorpion Guild, he couldn't for the life of him understand why Kang Deok-man, the Guild Master and the man on the other end of the call, was foaming at the mouth like this.
Could Kang Deok-man see right through him?
—Pathetic little shit. Just listening to you, I can tell you haven't got a fucking clue.
Kang Deok-man tore into Kim Jong-jun mercilessly.
—Listen up. This wasn't Kim Mu-yeol's doing—it was the American Dream pulling the strings.
"American Dream?"
Kim Jong-jun blinked in surprise.
Then—
"Ah......"
A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
'So that's how it is? No wonder the rumors about emigrating to America weren't part of our original plan!'
From tarnishing reputations to weaving scandals and corruption allegations—
Though they had plotted the core elements of the smear campaign alongside the leadership of other guilds,
the rumor about emigrating to America had never been part of the discussion, had it?
Still, if Kim Si-mun were to flee to America in this climate,
Kim Mu-yeol would be absolutely finished at this point.
So he had assumed some sharp mind from another guild had added that detail.
'They were the ones behind it all from the start! That's why that bastard Kim Mu-yeol was willing to grovel and put on that goddamn show!'
The pieces of the puzzle rapidly clicked into place.
Perhaps hearing his sigh, Kang Deok-man's voice—
—Tch! Why the hell did I ever make this idiot my vice-Guild Master?
—came through slightly calmer, though still laced with curses.
—Jong-jun. You're supposed to be First Generation, yet you still can't use that damn brain of yours? Didn't I tell you? You won't survive these days just swinging your fists around!
"......My apologies."
—Apologizing now is fucking useless! You think smashing your head into this problem is gonna fix anything?!
"My apologies. I'll devise a solution immediately—"
—Devise my ass! What the hell are you gonna 'devise' with that empty skull of yours?!
The momentarily subdued anger flared up again.
Under Kang Deok-man's withering tone, Kim Jong-jun fell silent, not daring to speak.
—Huu...... Jong-jun.
"Yes, boss."
—Listen carefully.
Kang Deok-man steadied his breathing and continued.
—You must've seen the news by now. Seongsam's gotten involved in this mess too.
At that—
"Boss, I truly apologize for interrupting, but I can't understand that part at all."
Kim Jong-jun braced himself and asked.
"Why the hell would Seongsam get involved in this? Weren't they the ones backing this operation from the start?"
Fortunately, his question didn't provoke further rage—
—Brat. Finally using that brain of yours, huh?
Instead of the expected outburst, a composed voice answered.
—Since you're using it, think harder. Why would Seongsam step in now?
"That's......"
Kim Jong-jun fell silent for a moment.
Kang Deok-man finally gave his first affirmation.
—That's right. Lee Yeong-hui—that damned bitch—must have pulled some strings.
"But hyung-nim, isn't the chairman of Seongsam Guild Lee Sun-cheol? Are you saying he can't stop Do-hu, a man with no teeth left?"
—Was Lee Sun-cheol even chairman back when that bitch still had her fangs? Who was the one leading Seongsam then?
"That would be......"
No explicit answer was given.
But both Kang Deok-man and Kim Jong-jun already knew.
"It was Lee Yeong-hui."
—Jong-jun-ah. You've climbed all the way to Diamond—you should know this by now. Whether by force or influence, Lee Sun-cheol can't overpower his own daughter.
Kim Jong-jun nodded slowly.
"Even if she's lost her fangs, a tiger is still a tiger. Her standing within Seongsam must still be formidable."
—And the moment Lee Yeong-hui made her move, the game was already decided. This board's already collapsed.
Still the same scheming old bastard.
Kang Deok-man muttered before issuing his command.
—Jong-jun-ah. Even by my standards, the time for thinking your way out of this is long past.
"Then you mean......"
—Aren't you a Diamond-rank Assassin? Violence is for moments like this. You know what I'm saying, don't you?
Kang Deok-man's tone had suddenly shifted to admonishment.
And Kim Jong-jun knew exactly what that meant.
It was the tone he used right before discarding someone—when giving them one last chance.
"Hyung-nim, I swear I won't disappoint you!"
Kim Jong-jun answered with all the force he could muster.
—Good. Take a bowl of that medicine the Chinese bastards gave you too. That's how you managed to stab that Sword Saint brat during the national team selection, wasn't it?
"Yes, hyung-nim."
—Contact me as soon as it's done. I'll handle the cleanup.
"Understood."
The call ended.
Kim Jong-jun lowered his phone and stared at the sunset beyond the window for a long moment.
His eyes—
"Du-sik."
"Yes, hyung-nim."
"Gather all my men."
—were filled with a chilling, murderous intent.
Ranker Palace Training Grounds.
The absurdly vast space housed a sparring arena where two men and one woman stood.
Among them, the woman—
"Hey! Are you serious right now?"
—glared at the strikingly handsome man with fox-like eyes, her own blazing with indignation.
The reason was simple.
"Why the hell are you making me sit out while you fight some muscle-bound ahjussi?"
Her frustration stemmed from the fact that her sparring partner wasn't her, but the brawny man instead.
And the brawny man—despite his gangster-like appearance—
"M-muscle-bound ahjussi...?"
—seemed genuinely shocked by the description, his mouth hanging open.
Regardless—
"Fight me instead! I've gotten fucking strong lately!"
—the woman kept her glare locked solely on the fox-eyed pretty boy.
But—
"Then, Jin-uk-ssi. Let's begin. I'll handle the settings."
—Si-mun didn't even spare Go Mal-suk a glance as he turned toward Park Jin-uk.
Naturally—
"You son of a bitch! You're ignoring me?! I said I'm strong now!"
—sparks of fury flew from Go Mal-suk's eyes.
Si-mun glanced at her and said,
"Mal-suk-ah. I'm not ignoring you. It's just that you're not suited for this test."
He meant it as a placating explanation, but—
"Bullshit! That is ignoring me!!"
—it clearly didn't land.
Go Mal-suk clenched her fists and shouted.
Then—
"Hah. Fine."
—she swept her bangs back, her gaze cooling as she stared at Si-mun.
"I didn't cancel my Arena session and come all the way here for nothing. Since I'm already here, I might as well watch. Let's see what this 'experiment' of yours is all about."
"Mal-suk-ah. There are Arena access devices everywhere over there."
"Ugh, shut up! I'll watch the spar first! If it turns out to be nothing special, I'm jumping in right after, so be ready!"
Even Si-yeon doesn't throw tantrums like this.
Crossing her arms, she sharply turned her head away and stuck out her lower lip in a pout.
Si-mun chuckled and shook his head as he activated the sparring arena.
Of course—
"But try to keep your lips in check. You're making me want to use Tyrant Emperor Break on them."
"...Fucking bastard."
—he couldn't resist slipping in that petty jab.
Leaving a growling Go Mal-suk behind, Si-mun turned back to the arena.
"Then, Jin-uk-ssi, let's begin."
"Yes, Si-mun-nim."
The sparring arena's system hummed to life.
Vwoom.
A faint ripple of mana swept through the space.
As the signal—
"I'll avoid vital points, but still—be careful."
Shhhk.
—Park Jin-uk vanished into a shroud of black darkness.
Conversely—
Kiiing.
—Si-mun's left eye awakened with a sharp metallic resonance, glowing gold.
Vwoong!
In the empty expanse of the sparring arena's visual field, crisp and razor-sharp afterimages flickered into existence.
"The strike was aimed at the left shoulder."
As Si-mun swiftly twisted his shoulder to evade the inky afterimage—
Shhk.
A dagger—appearing as if measured with a ruler—
Sliced through empty air precisely along the trajectory of the black afterimage.
Then,
Park Jin-uk's stealth dissolved as the dagger completed its arc.
His rugged face
"How... how?"
was filled with astonishment.