Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Sword Tiger's Defeat
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That single fact alone put the entire Garosu Guild on high alert.
Who was Sword Tiger?
The strongest Hunter in Korea and the first S-Rank Hunter in the nation's history.
He had transformed the unremarkable Garosu Guild into one of Korea's top four guilds and put the country on the world map despite it having no S-Rank Hunters before.
That was Sword Tiger.
He was an indispensable presence in Korea, like molten lava that could never be extinguished.
But astonishingly, that lava had gone out.
And completely so, to the point where he admitted defeat himself.
The word "defeat" slipping from Sword Tiger's mouth.
To Garosu Guild, where he was a sanctuary and a god, it must have felt like the heavens themselves had collapsed, beyond mere shock.
Trrrring—
Even now, as if proving it, the cellphone in Sword Tiger's pocket kept ringing nonstop.
Unable to bear the incessant bell tones, Sword Tiger finally reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.
"What a fuss... tsk tsk."
With just the phone going quiet, the dark alleyway where Sword Tiger stood turned from quiet to downright chilling.
"Hmph."
Sensing the sudden hush, Sword Tiger snorted.
Then, he abruptly gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Raising his head high with a thick smile and an excited tone.
Toward the rooftops touching the sky.
Creak—
"Even the sturdiest tree can't hold its leaves forever. Isn't that right?"
"I warned you, but you still haven't come to your senses."
A massive figure entered the thrilled eyes of Sword Tiger, blending with the dark night sky.
A being standing with arms crossed, gazing down at the world with emotionless eyes.
The one who had made Sword Tiger truly feel defeat.
The one who had suddenly appeared from hiding to teach him the meaning of the lofty heavens.
Sword Tiger's heart began pounding uncontrollably at the sight.
"This feeling is a first. It's like I'm back in my early twenties."
Back to those vigorous days when he'd revel in defeat and battle, as long as he could grow stronger.
"Kuhahaha!"
Sword Tiger, who had been grinning at Yong-un, suddenly changed his expression and lowered his stance like a coiled spring before shooting into the sky.
Surging up at tremendous speed, Sword Tiger drew his sword without hesitation and swung it.
Clang!
The blade of Sword Tiger, who had kicked off the ground and leaped, glowed blue as it cleaved through the air toward Yong-un, aiming to bisect him.
He already knew Yong-un's power.
Unlike before, Sword Tiger unleashed his sword aura in earnest, determined to win.
But.
Crack! Crumble crumble.
The sword aura that passed by Yong-un lost its glow.
"......"
The sword aura that had protected the blade like a blue pillar shattered into fragments, falling to the alley below like broken glass.
It had been tougher and sharper than the sword itself, yet Sword Tiger's sword aura broke in an instant.
Sword Tiger sheathed his sword and stared at Yong-un's hand, which gleamed black.
"What is that?"
To Sword Tiger's question, Yong-un withdrew the black demonic energy covering his hand as if it were nothing and replied.
"Hand Strength."
"Hand Strength... I get it now. There's a sky above the sky. Hmph, how delightful..."
Sword Tiger slowly turned his body after sheathing his sword.
Then, his body tilted sideways and plummeted from the rooftop.
Thud!
"Already passed out? His willpower is at least commendable."
Yong-un looked down at Sword Tiger who had fallen into the alley, chuckling as if he'd found an amusing toy, then landed there himself.
Afterward, he hoisted Sword Tiger over his shoulder and vanished somewhere for a moment before returning.
Just like when he'd dumped Sword Tiger somewhere else before.
A week passed since then.
Yong-un, who had been standing on the rooftop with arms crossed every day, finally uncrossed them.
Naturally, Sword Tiger beside him asked.
"Where are you off to?"
"The marquis won't show, and this weird baggage won't leave me alone."
Yong-un scanned Sword Tiger up and down.
What an incredible guy.
To stick around so obediently after just a week.
"Tsk tsk."
It was a disdainful look, but Sword Tiger just chuckled familiarly.
"Heh heh heh. This kind of treatment is a first. Really."
"This kind of baggage is a first for me too. Really."
"Heh heh heh heh."
Yong-un shook his head at Sword Tiger's laughter.
'Should've killed him back then.'
No baggage was as persistent as this.
A week ago, to warn the guy who kept showing up morning and night, he'd knocked him out and dumped him in the nearby mountains.
But that had been a mistake.
Ever since, Sword Tiger would regain consciousness and come charging back, and Yong-un's annoyance had turned to regret.
Regret for not killing him then.
"This time, I'll kill you."
Yong-un glared at Sword Tiger as he drew up his demonic energy.
Sword Tiger backpedaled, waving his hands frantically.
"J-Just kidding... We've known each other a week already. No more knockouts, please."
"Good. This won't be a knockout."
"And definitely not death."
As Yong-un took a step forward, Sword Tiger retreated two.
Killing him by charging would be as easy as breathing.
But Yong-un didn't.
"Forget it."
Even a black-haired beast forms some attachment after a week together.
Knocking him out was nothing, but actually killing him didn't sit right.
Especially since spraying blood on the rooftop where his family lived was the biggest issue.
"Stay here and guard it."
Yong-un turned away from Sword Tiger.
Then he stepped toward the edge of the rooftop.
Sword Tiger followed, asking.
"Where to? I'll come with."
"If you can."
Standing at the roof's edge, Yong-un lightly stomped his foot.
Whoosh.
Power gathered at his toes, and Sword Tiger tried to kick off the roof too.
But the power in Sword Tiger's legs suddenly slackened.
"Heh, heh heh heh. A monster among monsters."
Sword Tiger blinked.
Because Yong-un, who had been at the roof's edge moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
Just one blink.
In that split second, he'd disappeared so fast even the direction was impossible to track.
"No idea. He'll come back if I wait."
Having seen Yong-un's prowess more than once, Sword Tiger lay down on the roof.
Then he yawned widely at the sky.
Yong-un arrived at the Unwoo Guild office.
As he appeared, a staff member guarding the office approached him.
"What brings you here? Didn't you say you were staying to protect home?"
"I snagged a decent dog. Where are the others?"
"Busy handling the gates they've been assigned lately."
Yong-un nodded.
It had been a week since his last visit, but he'd gotten updates through Myung-un, so it wasn't surprising that Unwoo Guild had resumed gate operations.
"Call the guild master."
"He's probably busy."
"I know. But he'll take my call."
"He should. Especially from you, Yong-un. Wait just a sec."
The staff member smiled brightly and dialed immediately.
She was thrilled watching the guild grow day by day.
As someone who knew exactly whose credit her raise was, she couldn't ignore Yong-un.
"Guild Master? I know you're busy, but Yong-un came to the office looking for you... Got it. Putting you through."
The staff member stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled.
Yong-un chuckled back and took the phone.
"It's me."
[Yes, what's up...]
"Any word on that marquis? He hasn't shown his face at all."
[Even the Hunter Association finds it odd. They say there's zero activity, and this morning they even lifted the standby order.]
"What?"
Yong-un's eyebrow twitched.
[Yong-un, rather than that, won't you resume activities now?]
"Why?"
[Do you know Sword Tiger?]
"The S-Rank Hunter, right?"
[Yes. He's been missing for a week now.]
"What's that got to do with anything?"
[It's a huge deal. Do you know how many gates an S-Rank like him clears a day?]
Yong-un thought for a moment.
But the guild master didn't wait for an answer and continued.
[Four. That means 28 gates that should've been cleared are now at risk of gate overflow.]
"What happens in a gate overflow?"
[When mana maxes out, the sealed door opens.]
"The door opens?"
[In simple terms, all the monsters inside come pouring out.]
More perceptive than anyone about his surroundings, Yong-un had noticed gates weren't decreasing—they were increasing.
'And if monsters pour out from all of them...'
It could turn into quite the hassle.
So Yong-un asked the guild master.
"Is the marquis definitely quiet?"
[Confirmed. No reactions from the weapon at all.]
"Then I'll clear them all."
[All of them...?]
"Two days, generously. I've got a guard dog for home anyway. Starting now."
He didn't listen to the guild master's response after that.
Handing the phone back to the staff, Yong-un stood from the sofa.
And vanished on the spot.
The staff jolted in surprise, shaking her head.
"I still can't get used to it... He's human, right? Wait, what if Yong-un's actually that marquis demon? Nah, no way."
The mega-guilds' greed for top-tier Hunters knew no bounds.
With the standby order lifted, guilds sprang back into action simultaneously.
Thinking the big guilds had stayed put just because of Unwoo Guild's guild master's words was nonsense.
To the mega-guilds, Unwoo was an ant before an elephant.
Proving it, mere minutes after the order was lifted, a black sedan pulled up in front of Yong-un's villa.
Two men stepping out bowed deeply to the man in the back seat.
"We arrived first!"
"Slip Kim from Operations more cash. Thanks to him, we're the fastest."
"Yes!"
"Word is, he's not someone we can drag in with our skills."
"Yes!"
"If not, use that method to bring him."
"Yes, sir! We even brought our quickest guy on purpose."
The burly man in the passenger seat smacked the lanky man's back beside him.
It should've hurt, but the lanky man showed no sign and bowed deeply.
"I'll snag him in one go."
"Go."
"Yes!"
The two bowed to their boss in the back and turned.
Just as they headed toward Yong-un's villa.
Thud!
A person dropped from the sky at the villa entrance.
"Wh-What the—?"
The burly man frowned in shock.
"Came down from the roof."
"Shouldn't falling from there hurt bad?"
"Looks like a Hunter."
The man blocking the entrance slowly raised his head.
"Get lost. This isn't a place for shit-stained mutts like you."
The burly and lanky men scowled at the venomous words.
"You talking to us?"
"I'll handle him."
The lanky man began drawing mana to move.
At that moment, the man at the entrance drew the sword from his waist and slammed it into the ground.
"Time flies. Don't the grunts know who took Sareung Squadron Guild Master's arm?"
Flinch.
The lanky man's body froze mid-motion.
What he'd just said was Sareung Guild's deepest secret.
The lanky and burly men's faces twisted in horror as they stared intently at the blade embedded in the ground.
Only then did the forbidden inscription catch their eyes.
"S-S-Sword... Tiger!?"
Sword Tiger, whose whereabouts had been unknown for a week.
He had appeared before Yong-un's villa.
Shunk.
Sword Tiger pulled the sword from the ground and pointed the tip downward.
Gazing at the flustered men, he said lowly.
"Come if you dare. But you'll leave an arm behind."
"Eek!"