Black Forest Guild. Known for paying more than any other Guild, it was only natural that they were on hostile terms with many of the world's Guilds. - What's the reputation of the Black Forest Guild like? ㄴ You spend all your time, effort, and gacha rolls to raise a character, and then someone just takes it.
How would you feel? ㄴ Would you like it? ㄴ There's your answer. You think the Black Forest Guild's reputation would be any good? Most Guilds treated the Black Forest Guild as an enemy, as they not only poached Hunters but also bribed insiders to commit all sorts of atrocities.
Nevertheless, the reason the Black Forest Guild could maintain its position, its fame, and its presence was simple. - But at this rate, shouldn't the Black Forest Guild have collapsed by now? ㄴ It'll probably collapse if the current Chairman of China kicks the bucket. The one behind them was none other than the head of the Communist Party.
And, quite naturally, the Chinese Communist Party wasn't spending the crisp dollars they had gathered through every means possible on the Black Forest Guild for the sake of fostering sound, upright Hunters and conquering the Tower.
The primary objective the Chinese Communist Party demanded of the Black Forest Guild was to interfere with every other nation's conquest of the Tower, except for China's. To put it simply, it was terrorism. Because if you interfered with the Tower's conquest and the mission failed, the Tower would bring down a corresponding punishment upon that land.
"The Master Class can never be left alive."
To the Black Forest Guild, the sudden appearance of a floor conqueror in South Korea, a so-called Master Class Hunter, was utterly unacceptable. And so, they brought their full strength to bear. Xu Kaicheng, ranked 10th in Black Forest and delegated with full authority on this matter, exerted that strength.
He poured out immense funds and items.
"Mr. Xu Kaicheng, do not worry. Isn't the Minister of Justice already on our payroll?"
Not just Hunters, but the South Korean political sphere as well. In the end, they had achieved it.
"All but two of them are hunting dogs bought by us."
A situation where all thirteen members entering the Tower, excluding Lee Ji-soo and Park Jin-soo, had been bought by the Black Forest Guild! A situation where they could turn that place into a perfect tomb!
"We've received word that they have entered!"
Therefore, when Xu Kaicheng heard that the group had entered the Tower as planned, he was now certain.
"He will die soon."
"Well then, I'll start the hunt! I'm counting on all of you!"
The moment Park Jin-soo said this and set out to hunt Orcs, the Supervisors immediately began to move as well. First, the Supervisors split into two groups.
"Four will move with the Comet Guild, and the remaining four will now supervise the applicant."
They divided into a group to watch if the Comet Guild committed any foul play, and a group to do the grading. It was at that point that Lee Ji-soo stepped forward.
"Is there any guarantee that you won't pose a threat to our Hunter?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that if you were to backstab our Hunter and kill him, we would have no way of knowing."
At Lee Ji-soo's harsh words, the Supervisors' expressions soured, a fact that was clear even through their masks. However, Lee Ji-soo did not back down.
"The Hunter over there is our Comet Guild's greatest rising star, who must produce a historic result, and I have not the slightest intention of leaving him to a bunch of Hunters whose identities I don't even know."
At Lee Ji-soo's repeated remarks, one of the Supervisors spoke.
"Then forfeit the test."
If you're going to talk nonsense, then let's all just hold hands and leave. At the Supervisor's proposal, Lee Ji-soo replied as if she had been waiting for it.
"I will watch you."
"Watch us?"
"I'm going to see whether you will simply supervise our Hunter, or if you're planning to interfere."
At Lee Ji-soo's words, the Supervisors looked at each other. In a normal situation, they would have ignored her words. Nowhere in this world was there a supervisor who had to walk on eggshells around an examinee.
All the Supervisors had to do here was give him a failing grade. But the problem was that this situation was far too different from a normal one. 'Lee Ji-soo is the real power in the Comet Guild.'
First of all, Lee Ji-soo held an important position in the Comet Guild, beyond what her level would suggest. Her abilities were good, but her personal connections were extraordinary. A considerable number of Hunters currently active as Frontier Class in the Comet Guild, as well as in other Guilds, had ties to Lee Ji-soo.
This meant her words carried unusual weight. 'He must be killed.' Above all, there was not a single person here who wished for the test to end and to go outside.
Everyone had come here to kill Park Jin-soo. Thus, the answer came quickly. The Supervisors looked at each other and nodded.
"Very well."
And so, the four Supervisors meant to oversee Park Jin-soo, and Lee Ji-soo, meant to watch them, a group of five, moved to find Park Jin-soo.
Quietly. Stealthily.
Just as the sound of breathing could no longer be heard. It was then.
"Everyone."
Lee Ji-soo opened her mouth.
"How much were you promised?"
At her sudden words, none of the Supervisors answered. Instead, they prepared themselves. 'If it comes to it.'
'We'll take care of her.' To them, Lee Ji-soo said, "I was guaranteed 300 million dollars by the Black Forest Guild." At the mention of that amount, the Supervisors' gazes instantly changed. '300 million dollars?
Not 100 million?' 'What is she talking about? 300 million dollars?'
Because an amount beyond common sense had just been mentioned, incomparable to what they had been guaranteed. Sensing this, Lee Ji-soo narrowed her eyes and said, "It seems the amounts we were each guaranteed are different.
I understand.
You all must have received Black Forest's offer through your own routes. In any case, the amount I was guaranteed is 300 million dollars."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Just in case, one of them played dumb, and to him, Lee Ji-soo said, "Forty percent."
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"If you help me, I will give the four of you forty percent of the amount I receive. The amount each of you gets won't be small."
At that, the one who had been playing dumb no longer answered. Everyone was running the numbers. In truth, it was a tempting offer without even needing to calculate.
If four people split forty percent, that's ten percent each, which meant 30 million dollars were guaranteed. Even for a specialist, for a Hunter of the 2nd floor, it was an enormous sum of money that they could never earn even if they tried for their entire lives.
Crucially, if none other than Lee Ji-soo helped them, dealing with Park Jin-soo would be easier than ever. Thus, the Supervisors exchanged glances and nodded.
"Looks like we have an answer."
Seeing their gesture, Lee Ji-soo said, "First of all, we don't have much time. He's very quick-witted. He might notice something and use a Return Ticket, then it's all over."
Urgently.
"We have to ambush him the moment we see him, so everyone, take out the weapons you've prepared. Don't hide them, all of them."
At her words, everyone nodded, tapped their left chest, and from their Inventory, each took out the hidden trump card they had concealed. There was no suspicion. If the opponent were an ordinary Hunter, the Black Forest Guild would never have put such a huge bounty on him in the first place.
"I will take the lead."
Crucially, Lee Ji-soo's proactive behavior left no room for suspicion. Instead, in that moment, everyone felt relieved. At the fact that none other than Comet Guild's Lee Ji-soo was helping them.
It was in that instant.
Thwack! Thwack!
Suddenly, a violent sound rang out. Two of them turned their heads at the noise, and they saw it. The other two, suddenly collapsing as fountains of blood erupted from their heads.
"Huh?"
Startled by this fact, the two turned their heads, and in that moment, they saw it.
Whoosh!
A single hammer, flying toward their heads.
"Excellent."
The moment she saw the corpses of the four Hunters bought by the Black Forest Guild, Lee Ji-soo let out a sound of admiration. That was all. He didn't offer any sympathy or concern for the dead Hunters.
Never mind selling out the country, Lee Ji-soo was not so soft-hearted or humane as to harbor any human feelings for those who, at the behest of the Black Forest Guild, were trying to kill them. On the contrary, as she'd said, Lee Ji-soo was genuinely impressed by Park Jin-soo's plan and its outcome. First, the plan was brilliant.
"I didn't think it would work this well."
In a situation where they had to hunt the bastards secretly and swiftly, the plan Park Jin-soo came up with produced the best result.
"There was a harvest, too."
In particular, creating a crisis and then making them take out their hidden trump cards was a rather brilliant move. If a Hunter dies in the Tower, the items in their Inventory disappear along with the Hunter.
"It's because you did such a good job, Ms. Lee Ji-soo."
However, Park Jin-soo, who received the compliment, had an expression that was poor enough for even Lee Ji-soo to notice immediately.
"Is something wrong?"
At her immediate question, Park Jin-soo gave a bitter smile.
"It's just sad, this situation."
"Pardon?"
"The fact that we have to kill them right away like this. Isn't it sad?"
At those words, Lee Ji-soo's mind became dizzy for a moment. First of all, he wasn't wrong. Here they were, trying their best to save the country, but far from helping, the country was overflowing with motherfuckers trying to catch Park Jin-soo and sell him to China to make a profit.
It was indeed sad that they had to resort to this to kill those motherfuckers.
'Park Jin-soo?'
It was just strange in many ways to hear those words, that it was sad, coming from Park Jin-soo's mouth. At this point, Lee Ji-soo said, "I understand how you feel, Mr. Park Jin-soo. It's sad that we Koreans have to kill each other like this.
That's the reality of South Korea right now, too." She expressed her agreement.
"Ah, that's not it."
"What?"
"Killing these sons of bitches isn't particularly sad. They're not the only bastards who've sold out the country."
A misunderstanding.
"I just meant it's sad that we have to kill these sons of bitches right now. If we'd kept them alive, they would've been very useful as bait to lure Orcs."
And at the words that followed, Lee Ji-soo let out a dry laugh.
'Of course.'
In a way, she was relieved. Because if Park Jin-soo was being Park Jin-soo, at least one thing was certain. 'Well, in this state, getting out alive won't be a problem.'
That this absurd trap was no longer a threat. Of course, that didn't mean she could let her guard down just yet.
"So what's the next plan?"
There were still nine more left. Moreover, they were currently gathered in one place. If they sensed that something was off, they would quickly get a feel for the situation and side together.
"Do we need a plan?"
At Lee Ji-soo's question, Park Jin-soo immediately began to take off the clothes and mask worn by a fallen corpse and said, "They even dropped disguise items for us. I'll wear this, approach them, and spread a lie that you're helping me escape. That if they don't catch us, we'll all be exposed and die.
Then they'll all foam at the mouth and come after you. When you cause a bit of a commotion then." And at that point, Park Jin-soo lightly shook the hammer in his hand.
"I just need to plant this in the back of their heads."
Yoon Myeong-jin, a 2nd floor specialist from the Great Tiger Guild, was, to be frank, human trash. Before his awakening, he had been a gangster, committing all sorts of crimes as if it were a daily meal.
Before that, as a student, he was a truly despicable bastard who not only did everything defined as school violence but also committed rape. He was the kind of person who had lived his life as an outlaw. For such a man, the appearance of the Tower and his awakening was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The moment he became a Hunter, his past as a gangster simply became nothing. In particular, his disposition—that is, his unhesitating violence and savagery—became an excellent talent in the Tower. The Great Tiger Guild, having recognized his talent early on, nurtured and kept him as a 2nd floor specialist.
His life after that was perfect. Even if he started a fight in a bar and beat someone up, as long as it wasn't too severe, the police would let him go with a warning. Prosecutors, too, would not even indict him unless it was a major violent crime, if the opponent was a Hunter.
Lawyers, too, the ones with enough clout or fame to be accused of using their personal connections, would not take on crimes related to Hunters. And in South Korea, a victim who was ignored by prosecutors and lawyers was more miserable and helpless than one could imagine.
In any case, it was only natural that when such a man as Yoon Myeong-jin was asked to kill Park Jin-soo, he said okay without hesitation. He didn't think it was dangerous.
"Floor King? He was just lucky."
He was confident.
"I'm Yoon Myeong-jin. Yoon Myeong-jin. A specialist from the Great Tiger Guild."
Confident in his own talent.
"Just you wait. I'll show you how I smash the head of that so-called rising star of the Comet Guild."
That confidence was the same even as he entered the Tower. He didn't waver in the slightest. However, it truly didn't take long for him to realize that he was wrong.
It was an instant. A true instant.
"That bastard is trying to escape with Lee Ji-soo!"
The moment the suddenly appeared Supervisor spoke, and the rest of the Hunters moved at once as if they had agreed beforehand.
Thwack!
In that moment, he heard the sound of heads being successively crushed by some kind of blunt weapon, and when Yoon Myeong-jin came to his senses, what he felt was none other than the sound of his own knee shattering.
Crack!
"Kuaaack!"
At the sudden situation, Yoon Myeong-jin let out a scream filled with pain. After that, his memory wasn't clear. It was just a blur of things whizzing by as he writhed in agony.
Soon, Yoon Myeong-jin's mask was removed, and in that moment, Yoon Myeong-jin could see it.
"Yoon Myeong-jin of the Great Tiger Guild?"
Lee Ji-soo's face.
"Oh? Ms. Lee Ji-soo, you know him?"
"Yes, I do. Of course I do. He's a complete piece of trash who brings shame to all Hunters."
"A piece of trash?"
"The media has reported on at least three victims he's raped. There are probably more hidden ones."
At that point, Yoon Myeong-jin came to his senses and opened his mouth to survive.
"Y-you bastards, I-I'm, I'm from the Great, Great Tiger Guild. If, if you kill me, you, you won't die a peaceful death either."
Of course, from the mouth of Yoon Myeong-jin, who had lived his whole life as he pleased, there was no way a request filled with politeness and respect, in a lowered posture, would come out. To be precise, even the words he just spat out were the result of Yoon Myeong-jin trying his best to control his anger.
If his usual personality had let the words fly, only curses filled with rage would have come out. 'You sons of bitches, if I just get out of here alive, just alive, I'll kill you all.' It was around then.
Park Jin-soo took off his mask and then met Yoon Myeong-jin's eyes.
Very intensely.
Yoon Myeong-jin was startled by Park Jin-soo's sudden action.
"Seeing as you're not pissing your pants looking at my face, I guess you just came to kill me because you were told to, without knowing who I am."
Seeing Yoon Myeong-jin's state, Park Jin-soo said with a smile, "Do you happen to know about the serial murder case of 17 criminals? I'm that serial killer."
"Wh-wh-what are you?"
"I told you, I'm a serial killer. A serial killer who can't control his anger when he sees bastards like you. The serial killer, Park Jin-soo. It was a long time ago, but even so, bastards like you might not know the President's name, but you should know mine, right? Huh?"
"Uh, uh, uh? Uh!"
And soon, Yoon Myeong-jin was able to remember, and the moment he saw the panicking Yoon Myeong-jin, Park Jin-soo smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."
Craaack!
Simultaneously, Park Jin-soo brought down the Skull Breaker’s Hammer in his hand onto Yoon Myeong-jin's other knee.
"Kuaaaack!"
Yoon Myeong-jin, who had lost the use of both legs in an instant, let out a scream, and to him, Park Jin-soo said, "From now on, I'm going to give you a chance. From now on, you're the bait. Bait to call the Orcs.
Bait to lure the Orcs by screaming. If you just help me kill a thousand Orcs like that, then I'll take responsibility and make sure you get out of the Tower alive." Of course, Yoon Myeong-jin couldn't answer properly to those words.
"Kuaaaack! My, my, my knee! Kuaaaack! You son of a bitch! Kuaaaack!"
He only spat out screams of pain and curses of rage toward Park Jin-soo, who had given him this pain. At that sound, Park Jin-soo gave a smile deeper than ever before and said, "Yes. Keep barking like that."