Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: A Tense Negotiation
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Traces of a fierce battle remained in the Decartes Mountains on the Azelan Continent.
“Hah. Hah.”
Having fought until his stamina was depleted, Wang-sik collected the mana stones from the fallen monsters, breathing heavily.
He had taken down fifty monsters and collected thirty-two mana stones. Not every monster possessed one.
“I need to get stronger.”
With fewer calls from the Hunter Management Bureau lately, Wang-sik focused on his growth.
He was strong enough on Earth, but even just in the Decartes Mountains, there were plenty of monsters Wang-sik had to avoid.
‘To be more efficient, I need a damage dealer.’
A damage dealer was an indispensable partner for a tanker, but Wang-sik had no such companion.
“Should I train Min Ha-na?”
Wang-sik soon shook his head.
“Let's watch her a little longer. Not yet.”
An incompetent ally could just cause more problems. Wang-sik decided to be more cautious.
“For now, let’s head back.”
When he returned to the deserted island on Earth through the lab, Oh Min-jae greeted him cheerfully.
“Hey! Quick, come here!”
It was a different reaction than usual.
“Is the analysis finished?”
“Yeah! I've pretty much figured it out!”
Wang-sik also walked quickly to the desk where Min-jae had laid out the books.
“First, the analysis of the gate research material is done.”
Oh Min-jae held out two books he had compiled himself.
It sounded easy, but it would have been impossible if not for Oh Min-jae.
He had to sift through over five hundred magic tomes to create just two volumes of records, and Wang-sik had watched the entire process. That was why he knew how difficult this result was to achieve.
“To get straight to the point, the gate research was a success. If we can just draw the magic circle to supply the mana, we can build one too.”
“A magic circle?”
“Yeah. That's actually the problem. A magic circle isn't just about drawing the same picture. There are even mages who specialize in them.”
“True, it would be a bigger problem if anyone could make one. Earth would be riddled with holes.”
“By the way, the gate we came through and the necromancer's gate were built differently.”
“The one we came through was built ten years ago. It's probably been improved since then.”
“Right. The materials are much simpler, and the conditions have been greatly relaxed. But there's a peculiar condition.”
This was the key point Oh Min-jae wanted to make.
“There's an accomplice. Someone is needed on the other side of the gate to draw in the mana.”
“The other side of the gate? You mean there was an accomplice in the Las Vegas desert?”
“Exactly. It means there's someone on Earth helping them.”
“So there are already guys who've come over and are active here.”
After waiting for Wang-sik to think for a moment, Oh Min-jae handed him a sheet of paper densely covered in text.
“What's this?”
“The materials for creating a two-way gate, excluding the magic circle. There are 132 in total. I've identified 92 of them, and for the other 40, I only know their names.”
As he said this, Oh Min-jae glanced at him cautiously. Wang-sik understood his intention.
“You want to keep researching it?”
“Yeah. I've actually been reading books on magic circles, and it's quite interesting.”
“If you want to, go ahead. It's something someone has to do anyway. I'd rather trust you with it than anyone else.”
“Hehe. Thanks.”
It was his fate to pursue knowledge in order to survive. Thanks to this, he possessed abilities an ordinary person couldn't even imagine, but in Wang-sik's eyes, it didn't seem entirely like a blessing.
‘I'll definitely find a cure for you.’
Wang-sik vowed to himself.
Early morning.
Wang-sik went to the Hunter Management Bureau.
“What brings you here?”
“The Chief Secretary contacted me. Asked if I could be a bodyguard.”
The Chief Secretary, who had entered the Bureau Director's office, nodded in greeting and placed tea on the table.
“Having you here is reassuring.”
“Don't go causing a scene just because you feel reassured.”
“A scene? Do I look like that kind of person?”
As Kang Il-seop bristled, the Chief Secretary looked at Wang-sik and said.
“I'm counting on you.”
“Hey. You. I think you're facing the wrong way. Why are you counting on him?”
“I'll be back to escort you in ten minutes. And one more person will be arriving.”
“Another one?”
“It seems they've just arrived.”
The person who entered after knocking was Min Ha-na.
“Well then, I'll be on my way.”
As the Chief Secretary left, Min Ha-na greeted them and took a seat on the sofa.
“Hmm. That man is more ruthless than I am. Still has his military habits.”
“What do you mean?”
At Wang-sik's question, Kang Il-seop looked at Min Ha-na.
“Do you know why you're here?”
“Yes. I was told.”
“If you're not up for it, you can still refuse.”
Only after hearing Kang Il-seop's words did Wang-sik realize what this was about for Min Ha-na.
‘So the Black River Guild Leader is coming too.’
The leaders of the other five guilds who had conspired with the Hero Guild were gathered in the conference room.
Normally, they would have ignored it, but they couldn't this time.
Not only was the matter significant, but it was also hard to predict the magnitude of the fallout if it were to be made public.
With the Daegang construction corruption scandal still in the spotlight, the revelation of the guilds' selfish collusion would undoubtedly trigger extreme public backlash.
“I don't mind. I want to see him soon.”
“Are you sure?”
“I'm looking forward to seeing how crumpled his face will be.”
“That's a relief, then. Having you two here is reassuring.”
The time soon came, and they moved to the conference room with the Chief Secretary.
Just before entering the conference room, the Chief Secretary opened the door and stepped aside, his eyes meeting Wang-sik's.
The Chief Secretary gave a slight bow, maintaining his usual neat appearance.
Why did he call Min Ha-na?
Two reasons came to Wang-sik's mind.
The first reason was to show the Hunter Management Bureau's current position.
It was a way to visually demonstrate that one of South Korea's most outstanding hunters was with the Bureau.
The second was a test for Min Ha-na.
For her to fully become an agent of the Hunter Management Bureau, she had to have no lingering attachments to her past.
The guilds and the Bureau, being rivals, were bound to clash eventually, and memories of the past would surely cause problems then. So, this was also meant for her to confront the Black River Guild Leader and overcome it.
“Please, go in.”
Wang-sik entered the conference room at the Chief Secretary's words.
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy.
Five guild leaders sat with grim, expressionless faces, rising to give a brief, silent bow as Kang Il-seop entered.
“Thank you for attending at such an early hour.”
Kang Il-seop also began speaking in a dry tone.
The atmosphere wasn't one for rambling, so Kang Il-seop immediately played the prepared video.
It was a video of the Hero Guild Leader, Kang Seong-chan, confessing everything.
When the video ended, the Chief Secretary placed documents he had prepared in front of the guild leaders.
“This is a summary of the laws that were violated in this incident and the corresponding punishments.”
True to his nature, Kang Il-seop didn't beat around the bush. But the people gathered there were no pushovers either.
“The death penalty... Guild dissolution would be a given, I suppose. Will we have time to say goodbye to our families?”
It was Man Seok-cheol, the leader of the Sun Guild, which was based in Busan.
Man Seok-cheol the Berserker.
A warrior who fought with an axe in each hand, he was a man in his mid-forties. With his rugged feel, thick eyebrows, and intense gaze, he was known as the most charismatic man in South Korea.
But when it came to being fiery, Kang Il-seop was just as formidable.
The years he had spent rolling on the battlefield, risking his life, were not just memories.
“None of you will be facing the death penalty. You didn't go through with it, so there's no way such a sentence would be passed. Disbanding the guilds is also impossible. You must know that it's not easy to punish all of you at once, given the country's current situation. However, it is possible to cut off your funding over this incident.”
Kang Il-seop got to the heart of the matter.
“You will never receive special support funds again. And we will put pressure on your sponsors. I'm sure it won't be long before they start pulling out one by one. I trust you know how important a company's image is. They can just move their sponsorship to a guild with a clean image. And once sponsors turn their backs on you, they won't come back.”
It was common for a guild with bad public opinion to have its funding cut off.
These days, a guild's operating costs surpassed that of a decent-sized company, so if the money dried up, there was no stopping the guild members from leaving.
“Are you going to ignore everything we've done to maintain the security of South Korea?”
Another guild leader said.
It was the leader of the Wind Guild, based in Daejeon.
“Of course not.”
Kang Il-seop paused for a moment before adding.
“That's why I intend to give you a chance.”
“What do you want?”
“Just one consent form. It's for the soon-to-be-revised Gate-related bill. Your agreement would be a great help.”
Another document was placed before them. As they read its contents, their expressions simultaneously soured.
“This is the law you all changed five years ago with backroom deals. We're just returning it to the original, so it won't be a loss for you.”
Kang Il-seop said calmly.
“When clearing a gate, a Hunter Management Bureau agent may request to accompany the team. The clearing guild must comply, and at the agent's discretion, a camera provided by the Hunter Management Bureau may be installed instead of an agent accompanying them.”
This was a law that had disappeared five years ago. Since then, it had been impossible to know what happened inside the gates.
The law had been passed under the pretext of facilitating smooth gate clears for the guilds, but in reality, it was to hide everything that happened inside.
The acquisition of mana stones and items, hunter injuries and deaths, and the monopolization of dungeon information were prime examples.
This monopolization of information, in particular, became an obstacle to the Hunter Management Bureau's greatest duty and authority: information gathering.
Besides that, the inside of a gate was a completely isolated space where numerous incidents occurred, but without evidence, the Bureau had no grounds to intervene.
“This is too much.”
Maeng Do-sik, the leader of the Black River Guild, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Wang-sik glanced at Min Ha-na's expression. He could clearly see her gaze wavering.
“Who has been protecting South Korea all this time? Is the Hunter Management Bureau, which has only been watching from the sidelines, suddenly trying to play the hero just because they got one A-rank hunter?”
Maeng Do-sik stared intently at Kang Il-seop as he spoke.
“It's not the Hunter Management Bureau that protects South Korea; it's us, the guilds. The Bureau's job is simply to support our activities, just as it has always done.”
His low, resonant voice carried a clear power.
As the cornered guild leaders sent him looks of agreement, Maeng Do-sik continued.
“The Hunter Management Bureau didn't know its place and tried to stand above us, so we simply made the best choice to eliminate that absurdity. If that's a crime, then I suppose the Bureau can handle all gate clears from now on. Then the guilds will have nothing to do and will disband on their own, won't they?”
Just as Kang Il-seop, who had been listening to his arrogant words, was about to counter, another voice cut in.
“I can't listen to this filth.”
All eyes turned to the source of the rough tone, so out of place in this setting.
At the center of their gazes was Min Ha-na.
“Protect South Korea? Are you trying to attach a sense of duty to things you did for your own profit? Or do you think you can cover up your greed with a sense of duty? Was there ever a single thing you did that didn't benefit you?”
“You still haven't learned any manners.”
“I used to be a damn polite bitch. Before I served a dog-like guild leader.”
Her words had crossed a line, and the Black River Guild Leader's eyes sharpened, but Min Ha-na didn't stop.
“Thirty guild members died because of the politician's son you appointed as team leader. And you were the one who told me to read a eulogy praising that bastard! A person like you talking about doing things for South Korea? Eliminating absurdity?”
The reason for Min Ha-na's departure from the guild was revealed for the first time.
“This is a warning. Shut that mouth.”
A gray aura gathered around the Black River Guild Leader. At that moment, a deafening roar echoed through the entire conference room.
*CRACK!*
What had split the table in half was a chain.
“Power down. Unless you want to die.”
At Wang-sik's words, a taut tension filled the conference room.
Amidst that tension, two people met each other's eyes.
It was Kang Il-seop and the Chief Secretary.
They couldn't speak, but the Chief Secretary could read the look in Kang Il-seop's eyes and his expression.
‘You're the one who set this up, aren't you? This isn't my fault.’
Kang Il-seop shrugged, and the Chief Secretary let out a long sigh.
‘What have I done?’
The Chief Secretary was filled with deep regret.