Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Daegang Construction
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"We've found the culprit. We're in a standoff."
Wang-sik, who was leaving the restroom with Min-jae, heard the voice on the other end of the line.
"I'm on my way. Just buy some time."
Wang-sik hung up and spoke to Min-jae.
"I have to step out for a bit, so pack your things. And don't worry about reading. I got you something you'll like."
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you when I get back. You can look forward to it."
Leaving Min-jae nodding behind him, Wang-sik departed.
The two Evildoers were, surprisingly, C-rank.
Most Evildoers in Korea were D-rank or F-rank unless they had a peculiar background.
A C-rank was considered skilled enough to join a guild.
As long as they hadn't committed murder, guilds would usually cover for them, so there weren't many Evildoers above C-rank. The reason the Hunter Management Bureau's security agents hadn't been able to subdue them yet was that most of the agents themselves were D-rank.
"These bastards! We should just kill them!"
"Yeah. There are always guys who get themselves killed by acting tough."
The two fugitives soon realized the agents' skill level. As the pair showed signs of fighting back, the only C-rank, the team leader, stepped forward.
Just as the standoff intensified everyone's tension.
*Clang!*
The sound of a chain slicing through the air came from the left.
The two Evildoers reacted quickly, but they couldn't escape the chain.
"If you commit a crime, isn't it polite to run away?"
Wang-sik ignored the two, now tightly bound and collapsed on the ground, and greeted the agents.
"Sorry I'm late."
The agents waved their hands dismissively at his apology.
"It's an honor to meet you."
Even though they were all part of the Hunter Management Bureau, security agents and gate defense agents rarely met.
Besides, Bae Wang-sik was practically a state secret, so little was known about him. But after he recently resolved the Hero Guild's Dungeon Break, the fact that he was a secret had become meaningless. On top of that, he had subdued two C-rank Evildoers in an instant, so they couldn't help but look upon him favorably.
"May I interrogate them?"
"Of course."
With the team leader's permission, Wang-sik laid one of the fallen men flat on his back.
"Who sent you?"
The sharp-faced man with slanted eyes didn't answer Wang-sik's question.
"You know that Evildoers can be killed during subjugation, right?"
"Wh-what are you trying to do...?"
Wang-sik grabbed the man's shoulder.
"Answer now, or it's going to break."
"Ugh, agh!"
The man writhed in pain from the sheer force of the grip on his shoulder.
"Who sent you?"
"N-nobody! No one sent us!"
*Crack!*
He instinctively delayed his answer, but Wang-sik didn't wait and crushed the man's shoulder. Then he moved his hand from the shoulder to the knee.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Who sent you?"
Bae Wang-sik bent the man's knee in the wrong direction. The man collapsed from the pain but kept his mouth shut.
"So you're not just some petty criminal?"
Wang-sik left the unconscious man and went to the one who was still lucid.
He was a man with chubby cheeks, fair skin, and an innocent face. Outwardly, it was hard to believe he was a C-rank Evildoer.
He trembled with fear just from Wang-sik's gaze.
"You only get one chance."
Wang-sik took a dagger from his inventory and placed its tip on the man's chest.
"Live or die. Simple, isn't it?"
While still standing, Wang-sik pressed his foot down on the dagger aimed at the man's heart.
The slightest tremor caused the dagger to dig into his flesh.
"Who sent you?"
The question landed with the weight of a judge's death sentence.
As the man hesitated for a brief moment, the dagger reached the rib cage protecting his heart. Feeling this, the man opened his mouth as if letting out a final scream.
"Chief Sa! It was on Chief Sa's orders!"
"Chief Sa?"
"He said it was a birthday present for the chairman..."
"A birthday present?"
At the absurd answer, Wang-sik took his foot off the dagger and looked at the Bureau agents.
This sort of thing was their specialty. But the team leader's expression soured as he heard the story.
"If he means Chief Sa, he's probably talking about Sa Yeong-jun."
"I've never heard that name before."
"But you've probably heard of Ma Jong-chil."
Just as the team leader said, Wang-sik knew the name.
"You mean the president of Daegang Construction. The one they call Korea's top Evildoer."
Ma Jong-chil, the A-rank assassin.
That was the name of the president of Daegang Construction, which started as the Daegang Guild and had since become a respectable company.
Not only did they control Korea's underworld, but they also did the dirty work for influential politicians, giving them powerful backing.
"They're on par with most guilds in scale, and they run rampant, ignoring the law. There's nothing we can do."
"I hear they have more than a few politicians backing them, right?"
"That's right. That's why we can't even get a warrant for most charges. And even if we did, some small fry would just take the fall."
"What filthy bastards. And they're the ones who went after Min-jae..."
Wang-sik approached the team leader, whose expression had darkened.
"This Ma Jong-chil guy. Are there any crimes he's committed that you have clear evidence for?"
"Plenty."
"Excellent. Let's go get you a promotion."
"Pardon?"
"Gather your agents. All you'll need to do is clean up."
Wang-sik's face remained impassive.
Daegang Construction Headquarters, Seoul.
The 20-story building, located in a bustling downtown area, boasted a magnificent exterior that belied its nature as an Evildoer stronghold.
Wang-sik entered the lobby, but no one stopped him.
This wasn't a shell company; it was a real construction business, so there were far more regular employees than Awakened ones.
'From the 15th floor up.'
Aside from security personnel, most of the Evildoers stayed on the 15th floor or higher. That was why the public elevators only went up to the 14th floor.
Wang-sik confidently walked to the reception desk and asked for the location of the executive elevator.
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from the Hunter Management Bureau."
"Do you happen to have a warrant?"
Instead of the young receptionist, a middle-aged man who had been sitting in a chair asked, revealing strong hostility.
"I don't have a warrant."
"Then you should leave. Don't cause a scene."
Seeing the man's expression, which looked ready to pounce, Wang-sik let out a small laugh.
"Looks like I'll have to take the stairs."
Wang-sik spoke clearly, as if making sure he was heard, and walked toward the emergency exit.
At that, the man from the desk hurried over.
He grabbed Wang-sik's shoulder before he could reach the emergency exit, but he couldn't stop him.
No matter how much force he used, Wang-sik simply continued walking toward the exit.
"H-hey! Stop!"
Ignoring the man, Wang-sik entered the stairwell, confirmed no one else was around, and turned.
*Thud!*
The man's head was slammed into the floor.
"A receptionist should be polite. This company's training is terrible."
Leaving the unconscious man behind, Wang-sik started up the stairs.
There was a sign on the stairs leading to the 15th floor barring entry, but Wang-sik paid it no mind. However, Evildoers who had spotted Wang-sik on the CCTV blocked his path.
Six of them in total.
It was clear from their expressions alone that they were no ordinary office workers.
"Who are you?"
"A contract civil servant."
He stated his identity, but the men weren't the least bit flustered.
"Take one step on these stairs and you're dead."
They took a step back from the top of the 14th-floor landing, as if daring him to come up.
*Thump!*
Wang-sik deliberately stomped on the step, making a loud noise.
"Is Ma Jong-chil in his office?"
"This son of a bitch!"
The six of them charged at once.
"You must think the Hunter Management Bureau is a joke."
It was like a criminal thumbing their nose at the police.
Wang-sik grabbed the heads of the first two who rushed him. Then he slammed their heads together as if clapping.
Before the remaining four could even react, Wang-sik's chain wrapped around their necks.
"Hunter Management Act, Article 20, Clause 2. Or was it Article 21, Clause 2? Anyone who attacks a Hunter Management Bureau agent with intent to kill may be killed on the spot. Therefore, I'm allowed to kill you."
The chain tightened its grip on their necks.
"You don't just deserve to die; you *must* die. For the sake of all good citizens."
*Crack!*
The four men's necks snapped.
It was then.
A loud siren blared, and the entire building erupted in chaos.
In response, Wang-sik also moved quickly.
'20th floor.'
He ignored everyone who tried to block his way and ran for the 20th floor.
The 20th-floor hallway was in an uproar.
"Die!"
"Go to hell!"
"What the hell is this guy!"
Curses flew as freely as the endless barrage of skills.
Wang-sik walked down the hallway as if taking a stroll.
Dozens of people surrounding him unleashed their most powerful attacks, as much as the space would allow.
But Wang-sik didn't even spare them a glance.
Wang-sik, now wearing his black helmet, walked toward the chairman's office like a robot following a single command.
Anyone blocking his path was overpowered and fell, and Wang-sik stepped over them to continue forward.
Standing before the chairman's office, Wang-sik spoke for the first time since reaching the 20th floor.
"Unholy Strike."
The special skill of the Peradora armor was unleashed for the first time.
The golden armor absorbed all the surrounding light.
Sudden darkness descended.
The light, which had condensed into a single point, exploded back to its original state.
There wasn't even a scream.
Those who had been clinging to Wang-sik were reduced to pools of blood on the floor.
Thankfully, the range wasn't wide, so the casualties were limited to about twenty people.
The survivors fell into a panic, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
In the meantime, Wang-sik opened the door to the chairman's office.
There were two men inside.
Having seen their photos through the Bureau, it was easy to identify them.
The man standing beside the chair was Chief Sa Yeong-jun.
The one with an arrogant expression, wearing a high-end suit with his hair slicked back, was Ma Jong-chil, the chairman of Daegang Construction.
Ma Jong-chil, in his late fifties, lived up to his reputation as a dangerous A-rank assassin, remaining completely composed even upon seeing Wang-sik.
"What brings the Bureau here?"
"I heard there was a mad dog that bites people, so I came to put it down."
"What did you say?"
"The son of a bitch can talk."
Ma Jong-chil was not a patient man. His body suddenly flickered and then vanished completely.
The man who had vanished like a magic trick suddenly appeared behind Wang-sik and struck the nape of his neck with a sharp hook.
*Clang!*
The Holy Shield activated automatically, blocking the hook. In that instant, Wang-sik's chain shot toward Ma Jong-chil.
*Swish!*
The chain wrapped around empty air as Ma Jong-chil's body disappeared once more.
He didn't hold the title of A-rank assassin for nothing.
*Clang!*
Two daggers once again targeted the back of Wang-sik's hand and the top of his foot. They were powerful attacks, but Wang-sik didn't dodge, enduring them with his body. In fact, he was waiting for this opportunity, as his opponent had to reveal himself precisely when attacking.
But just as Wang-sik was about to extend his chain again, a powerful energy erupted from behind him.
It was a powerful dark-element magic. However, despite the deafening roar, Wang-sik was unharmed.
"H-how..."
The attacker was the one who was flustered.
It was Chief Sa Yeong-jun, who had only been watching until now.
"So there are two sons of bitches."
The startled Sa Yeong-jun failed to block the approaching chain. The chain instantly wrapped around Sa Yeong-jun's neck and pulled him toward Wang-sik.
At that moment, a dangerous aura was detected above Wang-sik's head.
Unlike before, it was a chillingly dangerous aura.
Shadow Spear.
It was his signature skill.
Ma Jong-chil himself transformed into a sharp, black light, then split into dozens of spears that rained down on Wang-sik.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Along with a deafening noise that felt like it would shatter eardrums, a heavy burst of flame erupted once more.
Sa Yeong-jun sneered as he stared at the flames.
"Foolish bastard."
As the chain choking him lost its strength, he had found an opening and was able to add his flames to Ma Jong-chil's attack.
But when the flames dissipated, he could only stare in utter disbelief.
"How..."
Wang-sik had Ma Jong-chil by the throat.