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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Returning to Earth, Lee Seong-joon looked at the reporters surrounding the Treasure Gate with a calm expression. He didn’t say anything or exude any particular aura, but the inherent majesty of a ruler, ingrained in his soul and body, instantly captivated their attention.
Their eyes widened.
“Lee Seong-joon?!”
“Wh-What? He finished the raid already?”
Woong—!
The entrance to the Treasure Gate behind him, which had been emitting a red light, swirled like a vortex and vanished.
“Didn’t he enter around 1 PM?”
The reporters frantically checked their watches, their faces dumbfounded.
“N-No way… He cleared the Treasure Gate in three hours?”
Even parties of renowned hunters needed an average of six hours to clear a Treasure Gate.
‘Even the party of Archmage Sandra Bullock, known for holding the current world record, took 3 hours and 10 minutes.’
And Lee Seong-joon, despite soloing the raid, had cleared it in the same three-hour range. To be precise, 3 hours and 9 minutes, a minute faster than Sandra Bullock’s party’s world record.
‘That means…’
A spark ignited in the reporters’ eyes, and loud voices erupted.
“Hunter Lee Seong-joon was faster than Sandra Bullock’s party!”
“He broke the world record!”
It was a huge scoop, a sensational story that would capture not only Korea’s but the entire world’s attention. The atmosphere became charged with excitement, and the reporters, their eyes burning with zeal, bombarded Lee Seong-joon with questions.
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On the top floor of the Hwansung Guild headquarters, Kim Dong-hyun watched the TV screen, his eyes gleaming with madness. He didn’t seem to realize he had lost all sense of reason.
“Haha! As expected, as expected! He succeeded!”
Everyone, from ordinary citizens to so-called experts, had thought Lee Seong-joon would fail the Treasure Gate raid. It was the logical conclusion, based on the accumulated knowledge of mankind.
‘But that’s only if you don’t know Lee Seong-joon.’
Having observed, interacted with, and continuously investigated him, he could say with certainty:
‘Lee Seong-joon is a cunning man.’
He wouldn’t act recklessly without a plan or confidence.
‘…He must have had something up his sleeve.’
Of course, he didn’t know the specifics. He couldn’t figure it out just by thinking without any information or evidence. What mattered was that Lee Seong-joon had returned alive from the Treasure Gate and continued to succeed.
‘This is my chance to recover.’
The Hwansung Guild, which he had painstakingly built, was faltering due to the Association’s recent pressure. Naturally, large guilds like Kingdom and Pegasus, who had been waiting for an opportunity, wouldn’t miss this chance.
They were pressuring the Hwansung Guild in various ways. He had managed to hold them off with his accumulated wealth and power, but he was reaching his limit. It wouldn’t be surprising if they lost their place among the top five guilds.
No, it wasn’t just the Hwansung Guild that was in trouble. Due to his repeated failures and incompetence, he had fallen out of favor with his father, Kim Seok-hoon, and the succession race had been overturned.
The tower he had painstakingly built over the years was crumbling. But it wasn’t over yet.
‘Lee Seong-joon… I just need you dead, then everything can go back to normal.’
If he achieved a great feat, he could regain his father’s favor. With the backing of the Myungye Group, he could rectify his past mistakes.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Lee Seong-joon had not only captured the SS-rank villain Jo Se-hyuk but also solo cleared an S-rank Treasure Gate.
‘In terms of skill alone, he’s practically an SS+-rank hunter.’
He couldn’t touch him through conventional means. That’s why he had made thorough preparations, offering hundreds of billions of won in cash, a stake in the Hwansung Guild, and even his future backing.
‘Yang Joon-hyuk, the Shadow Walker.’
As his alias suggested, Yang Joon-hyuk was a villain specializing in assassination and an S+-rank hunter. While his rank seemed lower than Jo Se-hyuk’s, given the right circumstances, an assassin could instantly eliminate even an SS+-rank hunter.
‘Moreover, Lee Seong-joon just cleared a Treasure Gate.’
He would be exhausted. Even Lee Seong-joon couldn’t avoid Yang Joon-hyuk’s assassination in that state.
‘There’s no chance of failure.’
A sinister smile spread across Kim Dong-hyun’s face as he watched the TV screen.
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As expected, the reporters’ reaction was more than enthusiastic.
“You solo cleared a Treasure Gate that’s considered difficult even for parties. What’s your secret?”
“How did you deal with the monster wave?”
“Can you tell us what kind of boss monster appeared?”
“Please tell us how you feel about breaking the world record!”
They swarmed him like bees, bombarding him with questions. Normally, it wouldn’t be a pleasant situation. But now, with a clear purpose, it was exactly what he wanted.
Lee Seong-joon looked at the reporters with a relaxed expression. According to his original plan, he would have exuded an overwhelming presence, showcasing his majesty as a ruler. But he remained passive, merely scanning the reporters with narrowed eyes.
‘What is it?’
Amidst the heated excitement of the reporters, he sensed a chilling killing intent. It was well concealed, but it couldn’t fool his sharp senses. His gaze stopped on a man – Yang Joon-hyuk.
Whoosh—!
With the sound of wind, a black shadow, stretching like a snake, slithered through the reporters and instantly arrived before Lee Seong-joon. Yang Joon-hyuk unleashed his suppressed killing intent and thrust a sharp dagger at Lee Seong-joon’s neck.
“Die.”
Yang Joon-hyuk, sentencing Lee Seong-joon to death in a low voice, was filled with certainty. There was no reason to consider failure. Endless monster waves, a powerful boss monster—Lee Seong-joon, having fought non-stop in the Treasure Gate, would be exhausted.
‘…Though it was unexpected that he sensed my presence.’
But the outcome wouldn’t change. It wasn’t baseless arrogance or confidence.
‘Contract of Swiftness.’
An S-rank skill of the Shadow Dancer, it increased Agility by 30, drastically boosting his speed.
‘There’s no way he can react to my attack in his exhausted state.’
Even if he reacted, he couldn’t dodge. Lee Seong-joon was surrounded by reporters; there was no space to escape. It was a situation where death was practically guaranteed.
‘But, why…?’
Lee Seong-joon, enveloped in a golden aura, looked completely relaxed.
‘Why?’
As confusion arose in Yang Joon-hyuk’s mind…
Woong—!
With a sudden resonating sound, a red figure appeared before him, instantly taking human form. It forcefully twisted the trajectory of his dagger.
‘What?!’
A summon. It wasn’t among the abilities he had researched about Lee Seong-joon. An unexpected variable.
‘Damn it…’
It was the worst possible scenario, but he didn’t even have time to panic. He quickly regained his composure and swung the dagger, aiming to decapitate Lee Seong-joon. But it was a futile struggle.
Whoosh—!
Lee Seong-joon’s hand, imbued with the principles of grappling, shot out like flowing water, wrapping around Yang Joon-hyuk’s wrist. The trajectory of the dagger twisted.
With his attack failing again, he knew the assassination had failed.
‘I have to escape…’
It was the wisest decision, but unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong opponent.
“Too late.”
A cold voice echoed in his ears, his vision blurred, and the world turned upside down.
Thump—!
A dull pain shot through his back.
“Kuh…”
Yang Joon-hyuk suppressed a groan and desperately tried to regain his composure. But Lee Seong-joon wouldn’t allow it.
Closing the distance instantly, Lee Seong-joon’s fist, imbued with the power of Diamond Dragon Strike, shot towards Yang Joon-hyuk’s chest.
Crash—!
He barely managed to deploy his Aura Shield in time, saving his life. But he couldn’t absorb the full impact.
“Gah—!”
Yang Joon-hyuk coughed up blood and collapsed like a rag doll.
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Everyone has probably experienced this at some point in their lives. The state of being so shocked that your mind goes blank. That’s what the reporters staring at Lee Seong-joon were experiencing.
“Wh-What…?”
“What just happened?”
Their confusion was brief. As most of the people present were reporters, they quickly grasped the situation.
“Was that an assassination attempt?”
“In a crowded place like this?”
It was astonishing. Public assassination attempts were rare, even globally. But what surprised them even more was…
“Isn’t that Yang Joon-hyuk?”
“Yang Joon-hyuk, the Shadow Walker?”
“The S+-rank villain.”
The reporters, finally understanding the situation, couldn’t close their mouths.
“Oh my god, he took down Yang Joon-hyuk in one hit?”
“He still had energy left after solo clearing a Treasure Gate?”
The reporters looked at Lee Seong-joon not with admiration but with shock and awe.
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