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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Hunter Association Headquarters, Vice President’s Office.
Inside, Jo Kang-hyun, the head of the Returnee Management Team and the team leader of Lee Sung-joon’s dedicated management team, was giving Go Tae-hyun an important report.
“While you were attending the Hunter Security Council meeting hosted by the Blue House, Returnee Lee Sung-joon was ambushed inside the Gate by A-rank villains Kim Kijun and Kim Ki-yeol.”
Go Tae-hyun’s eyes widened at the report.
“A-rank villains, Kim Kijun and Kim Ki-yeol… Are you talking about the Shadow Brothers?!”
“Yes.”
As Jo Kang-hyun nodded, a shadow fell over Go Tae-hyun’s face.
‘Of all villains, the Shadow Brothers.’
Villains with a bounty of a whopping 5 billion won.
Naturally, such a high amount wasn’t offered as a bounty without reason.
‘…The villains who assassinated A+ rank Hunter Koo Min-kyu.’
As could be seen from the fact that they, as A-rank villains, assassinated a Hunter one rank higher, an A+, the Shadow Brothers were quite skilled villains in Hunter vs. Hunter combat, interpersonal battles.
In fact, the Shadow Brothers were vicious villains who mainly took on assassination requests targeting people, particularly Hunters.
Therefore, the Association was keeping a close watch on them and pursuing them.
Naturally, Go Tae-hyun’s eyes began to waver.
“What about the damage on our side? What injuries did Returnee Lee Sung-joon sustain? No, tell me which hospital Returnee Lee Sung-joon is in. We shouldn’t be wasting time like this.”
“Well, about that…”
At Jo Kang-hyun’s trailing words, Go Tae-hyun swallowed nervously.
‘Just how bad are the injuries…’
That he couldn’t even speak?
A deep shadow fell over Go Tae-hyun’s expression. It was then,
“None at all.”
“…?”
As Go Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion, Jo Kang-hyun hurriedly continued.
“I couldn’t believe it when I first heard the news from the members of the Enforcement Team, but after meeting Returnee Lee Sung-joon in person, I really couldn’t see any significant injuries.”
“Returnee Lee Sung-joon handled Kim Kijun and Kim Ki-yeol, the Shadow Brothers, alone?”
“Yes, without sustaining any injuries.”
Go Tae-hyun’s eyes widened at Jo Kang-hyun’s confident answer.
‘The Shadow Brothers were villains that even Koo Min-kyu, an A+ rank Hunter, couldn’t handle.’
Compared to that, Returnee Lee Sung-joon’s rank, determined just five days ago in the reassessment, was B.
Even displaying power exceeding his own rank by two levels was unprecedented in South Korea.
But Returnee Lee Sung-joon possessed the ability to surpass a rank difference of a whopping three levels.
‘Did he perhaps acquire some incredible skill through a second job change? Or does he possess a truly special ability, even among Returnees?’
Considering the one in a million possibility, there was one more hypothesis.
‘Or… could it be both?’
A chuckle escaped Go Tae-hyun’s lips.
‘Both? I must be too excited to be thinking such nonsense after so long.’
Actually, it didn’t matter which one it was.
What was important now was that Returnee Lee Sung-joon, a dependable talent, remained affiliated with the Association.
Go Tae-hyun, unable to contain his laughter, spoke in an excited voice.
“Haha! He’s a real treasure, a true gem!”
While he recognized Returnee Lee Sung-joon’s outstanding talent and potential, he thought time would be a constraint. Therefore, he had been investing in him with a long-term perspective, at least a year or more.
But he had become skilled enough to handle the troublesome A-rank villains, the Shadow Brothers.
This meant that he was now capable of pulling his weight, and even more than that.
‘Always exceeding my expectations, truly remarkable.’
As the Vice President, one of the leaders of the Association, which could be considered Returnee Lee Sung-joon’s affiliation, it was undoubtedly a joyous occasion.
However, it wasn’t a time to simply rejoice.
‘…This is the second time already.’
It hadn’t even been a week since the first mistake, the Frenzy Gate incident.
Yet, this time as well, they failed to properly manage the Gate and allowed the attack by the villains, the Shadow Brothers.
Although unintentional and unexpected, it was a situation where doubts about the Association’s competence could arise.
‘Therefore, I must at least handle the aftermath of this incident properly.’
With enthusiasm burning in his eyes, Go Tae-hyun looked at Jo Kang-hyun and spoke.
“Did you find out who’s behind the Shadow Brothers?”
There was no way the A-rank villains, the Shadow Brothers, would have attacked without reason.
There must be a force behind them.
To prove the Association’s competence, they had to find them and make them pay for their crimes.
“About that… Kim Ki-yeol remains silent.”
“So you’re saying you haven’t found out anything?”
“Well, as a personal guess, I think it’s probably… related to Hwanseong.”
Go Tae-hyun’s brow furrowed.
“Hwanseong…”
It was a name that was now all too familiar.
This was because the ‘Hwanseong’ Guild was mentioned in the majority of incidents that could be called heinous crimes.
‘They wear the guise of a guild, but their actions are no different from a villain group.’
Honestly, if he could, he wanted to lead the Enforcement Team and raid Hwanseong Guild’s headquarters right away.
But unfortunately, they lacked any decisive evidence.
Everything they had obtained was merely circumstantial.
Although the Hunter Association held strong law enforcement powers, as a national organization, they couldn’t act recklessly without decisive evidence or a search warrant.
“In the end, for now, all we can do is interrogate Kim Ki-yeol and obtain information.”
Bitterness lingered in his mouth at his own incompetence.
But he couldn’t be caught up in such emotions.
‘First, I’ll do what I can.’
Go Tae-hyun nodded once, steadying his wavering heart.
“I’ll contact Hwanseong later.”
A call from Go Tae-hyun, the Vice President, who could be considered the power behind the Association.
Hwanseong, with much to hide, would inevitably shrink back even from just an inquiry.
‘That way, they won’t be able to make any rash moves for a while.’
In the meantime, he would use the Association’s power to find solid evidence.
Of course, what was important now wasn’t how to deal with or pressure Hwanseong.
Shaking his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts about Hwanseong that were filling it, Go Tae-hyun looked at Jo Kang-hyun and asked,
“Do you know where Returnee Lee Sung-joon is?”
It was truly fortunate that they got through it safely without any major damage, but that didn’t excuse the Association’s mistake.
‘I have to acknowledge the Association’s fault, bow my head, and apologize.’
And an apology is always better sooner rather than later.
If unnecessary bad blood developed, the relationship could become irreparable.
As if anticipating Go Tae-hyun’s actions, Jo Kang-hyun immediately nodded and spoke.
“I believe he’s waiting in the basement where the interrogation room is, to hear information related to the interrogation of Kim Ki-yeol.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, I’ll escort you.”
After nodding once, Go Tae-hyun started walking, following Jo Kang-hyun, who began to move.
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Jo Kang-hyun and Go Tae-hyun settled into a meeting room near the interrogation room.
Their heads were bowed, looking at the floor.
“It was my negligence, focusing solely on the attack on your family. I want to apologize again.”
“As the Vice President, I’m truly ashamed. I apologize.”
At the sight of the two repeatedly apologizing, Lee Sung-joon shook his head and spoke.
“It was unavoidable. I wasn’t at the Association to receive an apology from you two in the first place.”
They weren’t empty words.
It was an attack that even he, Lee Sung-joon, hadn’t anticipated.
From Jo Kang-hyun and Go Tae-hyun’s perspective, it was also a kind of accident.
It wasn’t a situation where anyone could be blamed.
Moreover, he had even received reasonable compensation.
The 5 billion won bounty on the Shadow Brothers had been deposited directly into his account immediately after Kim Kijun and Kim Ki-yeol’s identities were confirmed.
‘It was an unexpected gain.’
The more money, the better.
Especially now, Earth, South Korea was constantly under threat from monsters.
The closer one’s residence was to the center of Seoul, the better the security.
‘I haven’t faced any major threats in the house provided by the Association, but…’
As it was a matter related to his family’s safety, he intended to prepare for even the slightest possibility.
In fact, Lee Sung-joon was diligently saving money, planning to move to a safer and more spacious house.
Therefore, the 5 billion won he had gained this time could be considered quite a satisfactory reward from his perspective.
Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to simply overlook the villain attack.
“What happened with Kim Ki-yeol?”
The Shadow Brothers, he had tried to research them online, but aside from their notoriety as villains, he couldn’t find any useful information.
It couldn’t be helped.
As with most villains, since the Hunter Association was conducting the investigation, they couldn’t readily disclose information to the public.
If they did, it could end up providing information to the villains.
But that didn’t mean he intended to back down without any gains.
It was fortunate that it was he, Lee Sung-joon, who had been attacked by the A-rank villains. What if they had attacked his family?
Although Enforcement Team 2 was guarding them, there was no telling what kind of variables could arise.
Therefore, he had to confirm the client’s identity through Kim Ki-yeol.
To clearly identify the enemy who had pointed a knife at him, and to prepare accordingly, this was the right decision.
But even though three hours had already passed since he entered the interrogation room, no news had been delivered.
“…The Enforcement Team is continuing the interrogation, but they say he refuses to talk.”
Go Tae-hyun’s gaze dropped.
His expression was full of apology, but he hadn’t had high expectations in the first place.
‘There’s no way he’d talk.’
Having faced and dealt with numerous black market forces in the Thousand Continents, he had already guessed.
‘Even if he reveals the client, his past crimes won’t disappear.’
In other words, he wouldn’t be able to avoid prison.
‘His sentence might be reduced a little, but it wouldn’t even make a dent.’
From Kim Ki-yeol’s perspective, there wasn’t much to gain.
On the other hand, if he revealed the client, he could be assassinated.
Considering the actions of a client who would spend a large sum of money to hire a villain for an assassination, they would probably try to erase any trace of Kim Ki-yeol before he could take the witness stand.
Since Kim Ki-yeol, who had lived as a villain for many years, couldn’t possibly be unaware of this fact, it was only natural that he wouldn’t willingly open his mouth.
Therefore, Lee Sung-joon had been quietly biding his time until Go Tae-hyun appeared.
“If it’s alright with you, could I try interrogating Kim Ki-yeol?”
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