Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Unbelievable Clears
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"No way..."
"It's true, sir. The Gate that Sareung Guild abandoned has been cleared. Not only that—all the Gates on Bukhansan Mountain have been cleared. The Hunter Association is in an uproar trying to find out who did it."
The Unwoo Guild Master clutched his head.
The guild members stared blankly at the man lounging on the sofa, dumbfounded.
"I didn't know which ones they were, so I just cleared them all."
Yong-un spoke casually as he sipped his Dungle Drink, like it was no big deal.
The guild master, propping his forehead in shock, spoke in a voice laced with a sigh.
"How many Gates did you clear?"
"Four."
The guild master glanced at his staff member.
The staffer nodded.
"Y-yes, it's true. Four of them."
"Haa... Among those four Gates, were any claimed by other guilds with clearance orders?"
"Fortunately not. They were all classified as troublesome Gates, untouched for two months straight."
The guild master looked up at the staffer in surprise.
"All four?"
"Yes... It's utterly unbelievable. But what do we do now? You cleared them without even a subjugation order..."
Yong-un raised his hand at the staffer's words.
"Don't worry. The guards at the Gates let me in."
"That's ridiculous. Those Hunter Association guards are notoriously picky."
Even with a proper subjugation order, the guards' endless demands gave the guild constant headaches.
And he got through without one?
"Unless they'd lost their minds..."
"Sorry to interrupt, but... it's all confirmed. The guards did permit entry. They're now awaiting heavy disciplinary action..."
"...!?"
The guild master's entire worldview felt like it was crumbling.
What the hell was going on?
His mind spun in chaos.
"Ah!"
But the shocks were far from over.
Yong-un pointed toward the entrance, as if remembering something.
"Just in case no one believes it was me, I brought some trophies."
"Trophies...?"
"You'll be satisfied."
"I'll check."
The nearest guild member jumped up and rushed to the entrance.
A scream soon followed.
"Kyaaack!"
"What happened!?"
The startled guild members all bolted toward the entrance.
"What did you bring?"
The guild master, wincing from his headache, eyed Yong-un.
Yong-un shrugged.
"Heads. Where I'm from, that's customary. They call them spoils of war."
"H-heads?!"
The guild master finally shot to his feet and ran to the entrance.
He staggered, pressing his forehead again.
"G-Guild Master?"
"Haa..."
With a heavy sigh, the scene at the entrance came into view.
Four massive monster heads lay neatly arranged.
Freshly killed, green blood still oozing out.
The cuts varied wildly—some crudely torn off, others sliced clean with something razor-sharp.
The guild master grabbed the wall to steady himself.
Then he stared at Yong-un, casually sipping Dungle Drink in the office like nothing happened.
= = =
Silence hung over the office.
Silence long enough to down four Dungle Drinks.
Finally, unable to bear the endless quiet, Yong-un broke it.
"I don't know the reason, but prolonged deliberation usually leads to bad decisions."
"No, the answer came long ago."
"Then why wait?"
"I'm in shock. And I never saw this coming."
The guild master sighed deeply and stood.
He sat across from Yong-un on the sofa.
"The answer?"
"Join us."
"Knew it."
As Yong-un nodded, the guild master slapped the sofa armrest.
"Of course, if you answer my questions honestly."
"Bold."
Yong-un tilted his head slightly, looking down at the guild master.
The guild master's lips twitched.
"You know that? That guilds far superior to this one have courted me with offers?"
"Of course. With incomparable terms. Like, say, bringing Myung-un along if you join us?"
He'd already anticipated that far.
Smart guy.
The guild master might have predicted this ever since the news broke about Yong-un joining Unwoo Guild.
'That's why smart ones are such a pain.'
Yong-un disliked clever types.
War was a clash of strength against strength.
But so-called brilliant 'strategists' wove traps and schemes into the fray, tilting the battlefield in their favor.
Dragging out what should end in a single clash into days of maneuvering.
But the guild master didn't know one thing.
Yong-un had faced countless such strategists—and knew exactly how to crush them.
"You say that knowing this?"
Memories of those schemers twisted Yong-un's lips.
At the same time, an irresistible aura of absolute dominance emanated from him.
Not the black demonic energy with visible wisps.
An intangible, imperceptible pressure from the supreme.
"Urk..."
Like facing a tiger with jaws agape.
As if confronting the apex predator, every guild member's body froze stiff.
As Yong-un rose from the sofa, nearby guild members let out short groans.
The heaviest pressure fell on the guild master, facing him directly.
"......"
His face contorted as he gripped the sofa armrests.
Or rather, he was desperately resisting gravity that felt multiplied several times over.
But while his exterior remained composed, inside he reeled in horror.
'W-what is this...'
The guild master looked up at Yong-un.
Yong-un wasn't doing anything.
Just gazing down at them with lowered eyes...
"Answer."
"W-what did you do?"
"Speak plainly. No more games."
Thud.
"...Urk."
One word, and the air vibrated, intensifying the pressure.
The amplified gravity made it hard to stay seated.
One by one, guild members tumbled to the floor.
"Ugh..."
"P-please..."
Guild members writhed on the ground, whimpering in agony.
Finally, the guild master shouted.
"I-I'll answer!"
Whoosh.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
The oppressive aura vanished from the office.
Flushed-faced guild members collapsed, drenched in cold sweat.
Even the guild master, exhausted, wiped his brow with his sleeve.
'How? No mana even moved.'
As a mage-type Hunter, he could faintly see mana flows.
He would've noticed a skill activation and warned everyone.
But this was impossible.
'Skill without mana.'
It shattered every Hunter convention worldwide.
"I can hear your brain grinding from here."
As he pondered a way out, Yong-un's voice rang right in his ear.
Startled, the guild master tried to lean back—only to float into the air.
"I've faced many like you. Naturally, I learned how to deal with them."
"...Wha?"
The guild master's eyes bulged.
His sharp mind ground to a halt.
His dazed gaze darted around, trying to process.
Yong-un set him back down and returned to the sofa.
"......"
What just happened?
A dream?
Their positions matched exactly as when they first spoke.
As the scene replayed, the guild master's focus blurred.
Snap.
A finger flick drew his eyes to Yong-un.
"Irresistible power."
Crash.
"Just shatter it."
Yong-un glanced at the glass before him; it shattered on its own, shards scattering across the floor.
Dungle Drink spilled out, sharpening the guild master's gaze from the glass to Yong-un.
As if entranced, he nodded toward Yong-un.
"...Join us."
"Granted."
Yong-un gave a small nod and walked out, leaving the stunned guild members behind.
"W-what just happened?"
It felt like a storm with thunder had swept through the office and vanished.
With Yong-un—the typhoon—gone, guild members crowded the guild master.
"What the hell was that?"
"Never heard of a skill like this. Is it even possible?"
Amid the barrage of shocked questions, the dazed guild master rose from the sofa.
He walked to the window and smirked.
The guild members frowned at his smile, despite the ordeal.
"Guild Master? What's wrong? Did that mess you up?"
"No, I'm happy. Heh."
"He attacked our guild members with a skill and ignored your questions. What's good about that lone wolf? He's a thug!"
One guild member spat in frustration.
The others nodded, furrowing brows in agreement.
But the guild master, ignoring them, gazed out the window and murmured.
"I already got my answer... the perfect one."
Smirk.
Yong-un's upheaval had piled mountains of work on the guild master.
Possibly overtime for weeks.
Yet he burst into laughter that shook the office, unconcerned.
"Hahahahaha!"
= = =
The house with Father's return rang with nonstop laughter all day.
The invisible shadows that once haunted the family were gone, replaced by the warm, harmonious joy of old.
But Father and the family couldn't shake their bewilderment.
'Can't blame them.'
Modern medicine had failed him; he'd lain bedridden for three years.
Yet Jung-hwan suddenly improved dramatically in just two days, fully cured?
The family seemed more worried about losing him again than believing it.
Myung-un said the hospital ran extra tests due to the rarity, but Sis and Mom didn't buy it—planning to take Father to another hospital tomorrow morning.
Only when Father agreed did the family finally relax and enjoy a happy dinner.
The next morning.
Myung-un burst into Yong-un's room mid-commute.
"Hyung, what's this mean?"
As Yong-un emerged, dressed to leave, Myung-un looked puzzled.
He nodded at the phone news headline.
"Right. I'm joining your Unwoo Guild."
"Hyung? No, look at the text next to it."
"Sareung Guild's abandoned worst four Bukhansan Gates cleared solo? Yeah, that was me too. Said it'd resolve the situation."
"......"
Myung-un was speechless.
His hand dropped limply.
"For real? You solo-cleared those?"
"Wasn't hard. Made me wonder why they couldn't."
Yong-un threw on casual home clothes that fit and brushed past Myung-un.
Slipping on shoes, he said,
"Not heading to work?"
= = =
To put it simply, all hell had broken loose.
The emergence of a new A-Rank Hunter in Korea was big news, but his flashy debut stole the show.
It was comparable to the S-Rank Sword Tiger, Korea's top Hunter.
Even without that, calling him top A-Rank wasn't exaggeration—Yong-un had turned the nation upside down.
The Unwoo Guild office buzzed louder than before as Yong-un and Myung-un entered.
Phones rang nonstop; reporters swarmed the space.
Sharp-eyed journalists spotted Yong-un heading in and charged.
"Are you Yong-un?"
"Looks like him! No photo yet!"
"Over there!"
That shout ignited the frenzy.
Reporters mobbed like zombies driven solely by combat instinct.
"ABM News!"
"TV Baekje Daily!"
"Yong-un-ssi!"
They shoved without restraint, jostling his body.
He didn't budge, but the skin-crawling crowd irritated him.
"No manners."
"Don't push! Back off!"
"Ow! My foot—who stepped on it?!"
"Move it!"
Ignoring his words, the reporters pressed on—until Yong-un acted.
His foot slid back powerfully; demonic energy surged from his body.
He launched the oncoming reporters airborne.
"Wha—whoa?"
"What the—?!"
"Don't pull!"
Their heads nearly hit the ceiling.
All floated uniformly.
"A month ago, I'd have beheaded you all and hung them outside. Be grateful."
Yong-un scanned them, then hurled the reporters out the entrance.
He sealed the door with demonic energy and approached the guild master.
"Why all this noise?"
Guild master and members thought the same, eyeing his scowl.
'Because of you, asshole.'