“So that's what... happened.”
Seeing Do I-su's genuine surprise, I let out a sigh of relief inwardly. What a relief. He didn't know either.
If it was information he already knew, I would have had to offer something else in exchange for the helicopter. I provided 'information' to Do I-su in return for sending the helicopter, and thankfully, that information was useful. The news of Yoo Ji-won's death had been made public, but the details were quite different from the truth.
His body, which was closer to a Monster's than a human's, his cannibalism, and even the details of the battle. Well, I never expected them to report it truthfully from the start. No parent would want to announce that their child had become a man-eating monster.
Also, from the Glory Guild's perspective, their reputation would be in tatters if it became known that I was the one who took him down, even after they deployed their best elites. Groups that turn a blind eye to the truth, blinded by their public image. The more I learn, the more the Association and the Guilds disgust me.
“It's disgusting.”
This man.
Is he a mind reader? Do I-su voiced the exact emotion I was feeling.
“This isn't just a matter of saving face. If Yoo Ji-won was transformed for some reason other than a Rampage... the cause would need to be thoroughly investigated.”
“They'll probably handle it however they see fit.”
“... Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, it seems you don't trust the Association.”
“You didn't know?”
At my subtle glance, Do I-su let out a faint smile.
“No. I suspected as much. I was just waiting to see when you would show me your true thoughts.”
Do I-su didn't ask anything about Dr. Jin, who had come with me. Strangely, the same was true for Dr. Jin. They only exchanged cautious glances, never speaking directly to each other.
So I came to a conclusion. Those two already know each other. Since Dr. Jin was formerly with the Hunter Association, and Do I-su's company also worked with the Association, they must have had some contact.
Do I-su pretending not to know Dr. Jin is a kind of consideration. Because Dr. Jin is currently in hiding. After hearing the story about those who tailed me, Do I-su offered his opinion in a careful tone.
“At first, I thought it was strange, but now I think I understand. The person who hired the assassins must be Yoo In-won.”
“I also thought it was a possibility, but... Yoo In-won is the Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association. I thought he was a rather calculating person. Would he really attempt a deal where he could lose everything if caught?”
“He would have.”
Do I-su answered with considerable certainty.
“That's how a parent's heart is when it comes to their child. Even things that seem irrational and reckless, they will go through fire and water if it's for their child.”
“...”
“Ah, of course, I'm not saying it was the right thing to do. I just mean I can understand the sentiment. Rumor has it he did all sorts of things to make his child a capable Hunter. I think it's just desserts.”
“I guess the reason you were so good to me from the beginning was for a similar reason.”
“Haha. That's right.”
From the very first time we met, Do I-su had been consistently friendly toward me. There must have been some calculation involved, but even considering that, I could feel a one-sided favor. I thought it was excessive for just stopping his children from being scammed, but I guess it's different from a parent's perspective.
“As it happens, we've been analyzing the data from the Haenam District area since the research lab explosion. If any meaningful information comes up, I will share it with you, Hunter.”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, and...”
“?”
“Businessmen like us sometimes get all sorts of proposals. Among them are offers to carry out illegal activities on our behalf.”
“Like contract killing?”
Do I-su flinched for a moment but then gave a bitter smile.
“Yes. Of course, I never accepted any deals, but I was able to dig up some information on them by pretending to be interested.”
It was something that could have gotten him into serious trouble with them. But Do I-su was the kind of man who could handle himself in such situations.
“If the people who targeted you, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, were former S-rankers, then there's only one criminal organization of that caliber.”
“And where is that?”
“Tenebra. It's an organization led by Kang Hyeon, who was once called the greatest Hunter in the Republic of Korea.”
“Tenebra...”
I'd heard the name Kang Hyeon before. It was a long time ago, but he was a man of such outstanding combat ability that there's a story about him beating Gu Geon-yi to a pulp during a duel. I'll have to look into it more, but if the people I took care of today were really members of Tenebra...
“I'll have to be on my guard for a while.”
“Please be careful. Although he's retired from active duty, Kang Hyeon was once a man called the strongest.”
I could only nod at his words. I realized in today's battle that fighting a Hunter of a similar level is much more difficult than fighting a Monster. I can't be sure, but Kang Hyeon, the head of Tenebra, is probably a stronger opponent than Oh Jin-ah.
It's fortunate that the members of Tenebra don't know about the abilities I possess. If even one of the two had made it back alive, the situation would have turned against me. For now, I had the advantage in terms of information.
“Since things have come to this, how about joining a Guild? If you belong to a major guild, it will be difficult for those Tenebra bastards to get their hands on you.”
“But then I wouldn't be able to make the Poison Dungeon deal I promised you, Representative.”
“No matter how important the deal is, it can't be more important than your safety, Hunter.”
He's a man skilled at lip service, but this time, I could feel Do I-su's sincerity. I raised the corners of my mouth slightly towards Do I-su.
“Don't worry. I have my own ideas.”
“I have an urgent report.”
At the secretary's words upon entering the Vice Chairman’s office, Yoo In-won shot up from his seat. His excessive movement was enough to startle the secretary.
“Vice Chairman...?”
“Ah, it's nothing. Please, report.”
The fact that the secretary bypassed the formal reporting procedure and came straight to the Vice Chairman's office meant the matter was that serious. Did those bastards finally succeed? It was news he had been waiting for day and night for several days, so it wasn't surprising he overreacted.
The enemy who killed his son. For Yoo In-won, there was nothing more important than the news of Cheon Hae-seon's death.
“There was an explosion incident involving Ether in Busan... There were two fatalities.”
“Two of them?”
“Pardon?”
At his repeated strange reactions, the secretary tilted his head. His mind must be elsewhere because he lost his son. That's what he vaguely thought.
But Yoo In-won had a good reason. 'I only asked for one person to be killed in the first place...' Did casualties occur in the process of getting rid of Cheon Hae-seon?
How could Cheon Hae-seon, a healer, have killed someone? Without even thinking of sitting back down, Yoo In-won asked urgently.
“Have the identities of the deceased been confirmed?”
“Yes. One of them only had a right hand left, but their identity was confirmed immediately because their DNA information was on file with the Association.”
Yoo In-won's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. Hunters are basically required to register their DNA information with the Association. Because there are cases like this where only part of a body remains, making identification difficult.
In other words, the confirmed deceased was a 'Hunter'.
But unfortunately.
The name he wanted was not among the fatalities the secretary reported.
“The deceased are Oh Jin-ah and Na Ji-hwan. Two expelled Hunters whose whereabouts were unknown.”
“What...”
Yoo In-won stared blankly at the secretary, unable to even respond properly. Did I hear him wrong? But even when he heard the names again, Cheon Hae-seon's was not among them.
Why.
Cheon Hae-seon, who was supposed to die, is fine. And only the wrong people ended up dead?
“These damned idiots...”
Yoo In-won spat out in a barely audible voice, then quickly changed his expression.
“I understand. Organize the details and send them to me by email.”
“Yes.”
As soon as he confirmed the secretary had left, Yoo In-won took out the device he had received from the yellow-haired man. He pressed so hard with each letter that his fingers felt like they would break, completing the message.
[What kind of job is this? You failed!]
Contrary to his urgent feelings, the reply didn't come quickly, and Yoo In-won felt like his blood was drying up. Oh Jin-ah and Na Ji-hwan were figures who didn't even need a background check. Both were high-rank Hunters branded as Level 1 fugitives.
If he had known in advance that the two had joined forces, Yoo In-won would have clapped his hands in welcome. How could a single healer withstand a joint attack from an S-rank Esper and an A-rank Knight? However, the news of death was for those two instead.
'Why was the location Busan, of all places?' As far as Yoo In-won knew, Cheon Hae-seon had no special connection to Busan. He had lived in the Gaebang District rental area from birth until now.
Yoo In-won rechecked the details of the incident scene, but he couldn't find any particular clues. All that was confirmed at the scene was a huge, bottomless pit and countless electronic machines smashed to pieces. A mechanical facility based underground.
Any Association official should have felt that something was off. Indeed, the usual Yoo In-won might have thought of someone specific. But for Yoo In-won, who was not in his right mind due to the grief of losing his son and his hatred for Cheon Hae-seon, such reasoning was beyond him.
Voom. In reality, an hour. But for Yoo In-won, it felt like an eternity before a message was received.
[I'll be there to see you soon.]
I focus my entire mind and walk. One step, then another. It's been like this for two hours.
Unable to bear it any longer, a sharp voice bursts out of her.
“Damn it! How much longer do I have to do this!”
There is no 'how much longer'. I planned to keep going until she threw a fit from the start.
“Ah, it just ended.”
“Ugh. Look at all this sweat.”
Bi-soo, who had been in Stealth the whole time, deactivates her ability and reveals herself. Indeed, the nape of her neck is drenched in sweat. Her thin t-shirt is soaked through, revealing the curves of her upper body.
Is it because they both have red hair? Suddenly, the image of a scantily clad Oh Jin-ah overlaps with Bi-soo's. “Why is your face red? I'm the one who's having a hard time.”
“Well... I was concentrating in my own way, too.”
I gave a vague answer, but it wasn't a lie either. I had focused all my senses on detecting Bi-soo's presence the entire time she was walking. But I failed completely.
Even now, with my Poison-type Hunter level at 2, and my psychic power at S-rank, I couldn't sense Bi-soo's Stealth.
“It was perfect. Seems like your Stealth skill has gotten even better.”
“It's all because of that damn lizard. The trauma from being bitten before made me practice more desperately.”
Kkuwang. “That wasn't a compliment!” Bi-soo snaps at Ppori, who is puffing out its belly proudly. I let out a laugh before gathering my thoughts.
Bi-soo's Stealth is perfect. If even I can't detect it, it's on par with Oh Jin-ah's. All that's left is the deal.
“Hey, let's do a job together.”
“A job? What kind of job?”
“Hmm... How should I put this.”
A counterattack, perhaps. I never planned to just sit back and take their punches. Tenebra, or whatever they're called.
If I have to fight them anyway, I'll be the one to crush them first.