Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Duel Sealed and Corporate Strings
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The next day, I got a call from Seong Si-hoon. To sum it up, he was accepting my proposal.
"Of course he had no choice but to accept!"
Jeong No-hoon grinned as he shouted. He seemed awfully proud of himself for making it happen.
And he had every reason to be. He'd nailed Taebaek LLC's weak spot perfectly.
The law of the jungle was a damn useful tool for solidifying your position quickly while you were at your peak.
"The real problem comes after."
Maintaining it afterward was the hard part. That was the price of rushing to cement your spot. And in the end, that's what was holding Seong Si-hoon back right now.
"I'm strong. So all of Taebaek's hunters, obey my orders."
That was roughly how he justified wielding his influence. But what if that key condition—I'm strong—fell apart?
Everything crumbled. To keep his influence within Taebaek intact, Seong Si-hoon had no choice but to accept my proposal from yesterday.
"Exactly! I told you it'd work."
Jeong No-hoon shouted in a cheerful voice, thrilled at having pulled off the job successfully.
"He's the one who shot himself in the foot."
That was the succinct verdict. In any case, my showdown with Seong Si-hoon would take place in private, with no one watching.
And depending on the outcome, I'd either end up as his lackey... or he'd cooperate with me. One or the other.
"You confident you'll win?"
Han Sang-ah tossed out the question, then pulled out a massive water bottle filled with some bizarre liquid.
"You think I'd start something like this without being sure I'd win? But seriously, what's that?"
Han Sang-ah took a swig of the contents before answering.
"Chicken breast shake."
"That's not the chicken breast shake I know."
She held the bottle out to me. I took a sip and immediately turned my head away.
"Gonna puke."
"Right?"
Han Sang-ah nodded at my assessment and chugged the rest.
"What'd you put in it?"
"Chicken breast and water."
Is she insane? Nothing else—just those two ingredients? No wonder it tasted so revolting.
"Why eat it like that?"
"No chewing needed. Perfect for scarfing down a lot fast. Chewing through 600 grams of chicken breast takes forever."
After draining the bottle, she dry-heaved for a second before dumping a handful of vitamins into her mouth.
The retching made it clear she wasn't eating it because she liked it.
"No one's right in the head enough to do that. I freaked out this morning when I saw her chug olive oil straight from a beaker."
That was Jeong No-hoon's take. It was a sign that Han Sang-ah was putting in some seriously hardcore effort these days. She must be getting anxious about the gap widening between us.
To be fair, I'd used a bit of a cheap trick myself. Exploiting Banshee's Tear Shard like that to leap ahead in one go.
But that method wouldn't work well for Han Sang-ah or Jeong No-hoon.
"You're loaded. Why not snag some elixirs or something?"
I probed her lightly, and Han Sang-ah replied.
"I don't want to turn into a water tank stuffed full of mana. You're not beating other hunters just because you've got a ton of mana, right?"
"True enough."
She was on the right track. If she kept up the effort, it'd pay off big time eventually.
"Han Sang-ah's not the problem—it's you, Chan-seok. This duel is off the books. No rules. You could die or end up crippled."
"Aw, Jeong, getting attached to me now? Even worrying about little old me."
Jeong No-hoon shot back.
"If you turn into a vegetable, where am I supposed to make my money? Lately, the cash is rolling in so much that most gigs don't even catch my eye."
"Wow, such sweet talk. Put those worries to rest."
I wasn't about to end up a vegetable. Worst case, Seong Si-hoon might.
"Oh, almost forgot the important part. So where's this duel with Seong Si-hoon going down?"
I answered.
"Darakdae Training Ground's underground test facility. It's pretty far, so I'm planning to head out right after the crown ceremony tomorrow."
Jeong No-hoon widened his eyes and let out an "Oh, man."
"Heard rumors they're torturing aliens and Predators down there."
"Want me to snap a pic if I run into any?"
He shook his head at that.
"Anyway, Darakdae Training Ground. Even if your duel with Seong Si-hoon stays under wraps publicly..."
"The government will know."
They'd probably want to gauge exactly how much power I had, too.
"So, what's your plan? The government's gonna measure your strength."
I hadn't used Paradox Flame in my fight with Choi Yeo-reum. I grinned at Jeong No-hoon.
"Curious? I'll let you know."
I had no intention of hiding my power. In fact, flexing it fully could serve as a warning.
Here's what I've got. If you can't take me down perfectly and quickly, you'd better think twice before messing with me.
A classic water ghost tactic.
[Hello, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. Remember me? Amethyst from Embargo Tower.]
My phone buzzed. Checking it, I saw a familiar name.
[Yes, doing well? What's up?]
[Hate to ask like this, but could you spare some time? The Planning Director wants to meet you.]
Embargo Tower's Planning Director? I replied that I knew, said goodbye to Han Sang-ah and Jeong No-hoon, and headed straight to the address she'd sent.
It was a swanky, spacious hanok. From the outside, you'd never guess it was a restaurant. Following the guide, I slid open the door to the room and greeted Amethyst and the man sitting beside her.
After the pleasantries, I sat across from them and glanced around.
"Korean set meal place, huh. I was personally hoping for Italian."
Bradley Piazza, the Planning Director, was Italian-American, as far as I knew. He chuckled and replied.
"For meetings like this, the menu doesn't matter. It's who you're meeting and what you discuss that counts."
"Fair point."
If you're just hungry, scarfing rice and kimchi at home is way more comfortable than this.
Bradley gave a subtle glance to Amethyst beside him. She stood, bowed, and left the room.
Now it was just me and Bradley.
"Straight to business, then? Why'd you call me here?"
He answered.
"We've got intel that Headhunter's next target is Samhyeoldong. Pretty reliable stuff."
I spooned some pine nut porridge and replied.
"That's correct."
No point hiding something that obvious. Bradley continued.
"Samhyeoldong is in what used to be called Pyeongseong City."
"And?"
He smiled as he spoke.
"Nothing major, but it's an interesting spot. That was where North Korea's National Academy of Sciences was."
"Hard to believe scraps from a failed state's research institute pique Embargo Tower's interest."
Bradley shook his head.
"It's not the data we're after. It's the facility itself. North Korea loved doing shady stuff in secret down there, right?"
Well, sure—calling it a national academy was polite. The Kim trio's hobby was tinkering with nukes underground.
"The Korean government will probably refurbish it somewhat and put it to use."
"So?"
"From what I've seen of your moves, Yoo Chan-seok, you don't seem particularly cozy with the Korean government."
He finished with a smile, eyeing me.
"While you're handling Samhyeoldong, how about a simple favor? In return, we can do a lot for Headhunter."
A simple favor. Simple enough to discuss over a private meal like this?
"You want me to install a few of Embargo Tower's 'observation devices' there ahead of time?"
"Exactly. Even if that's not our intent, the Korean government could easily misunderstand."
So, basically, sneak in observation gear to a facility Korea might use, without their knowledge.
Intent? This is intent. And it's not a misunderstanding—it's fact.
I smiled back.
"Bradley, Planning Director. Looks like Embargo Tower's under some misconceptions."
"Is that so?"
I took a sip of water before replying, eyes on him.
"My relationship with the Korean government isn't good or bad—it's nonexistent. I'm just a guy going around purging Erosion Cores."
I've never cut any deals with them, never even had a serious talk.
"But the Korean government sure seems thrilled about what you've done."
"So?"
Is he playing dumb, or does he really not get it?
"I'm not a businessman or a politician. There's an Erosion Core, so I remove it. I don't care what benefits or losses it brings to any specific country."
I'm not suffering through this for one nation's gain. A janitor just cleans the filth quietly, without worrying who profits.
"I'll clear Samhyeoldong. What happens to the land after? Not my problem. If you've got the chops, send your own people and try it yourselves."
Whether Embargo Tower succeeds or fails there isn't my concern.
"But in the Daema Island case before..."
"We didn't do anything."
All I did was purge the Erosion Core there. Okay, I dropped a hint like, "How about something like this?" for what came after.
But executing that suggestion? Not us.
Jaun Valley was the same.
We handled the purge, end of story. We negotiated with companies for funds because we needed money for the purge and gathered hunters for the same reason.
"Isn't that what we're offering? Funding support for the Samhyeoldong purge."
"Hey, I'd welcome that anytime. Gladly accept any funds for clearing Samhyeoldong."
But that's not it. They're dangling funding only if we promise to install observation gear in the abandoned facility afterward.
Don't they see how massive the difference is?
Paying a janitor for cleaning versus paying for handing over personal data found during the job—worlds apart.
"Bottom line: no. Bradley Piazza. If you want extras beyond the purge, find other hunters."
Headhunter—the three of us—didn't band together for that.
"So... you do the praiseworthy work and duck out clean?"
"Yep. If that's not to your liking, hire someone else to clear Samhyeoldong."
If you can't, don't whine about us doing our thing and bailing. Makes me want to stab a chopstick in your skull, chopstick bastard.
"I've noted Headhunter's stance clearly."
"Good to hear. Oh, but you'll at least let me finish the meal, right?"
He nodded. After that, we enjoyed a silent, pleasant meal.
See? Way more comfortable scarfing rice and kimchi at home.