Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 21
The headquarters of the Sun-Moon Divine Sect was a 40-story building in the heart of Seoul.
In the lobby stood tall sculptures of the sun and moon, crafted with gold and silver leaf, and high-ranking Hunters with colorful halos above their heads gathered in groups of three or five, walking through the corridors.
Wolha waved to his brother from the coffee shop on the first floor.
"Be careful what you say. The atmosphere isn't great, so don't cause any trouble, okay?"
"Okay."
He felt a lump in his throat, his worry making it difficult to speak.
Wolha also knew about the recent tension in the Hunter industry through community sites like 'Star Chatter.'
Since Baekya's death, the Hunter industry had been on high alert.
Rankers had stopped climbing the Tower and clearing Gates, holing up in their own buildings.
Naturally, this created a huge gap in the defense against high-ranking monsters.
The government issued orders to resume operations, and the media constantly criticized the Rankers' immorality in their headlines, but the Rankers remained unmoved.
'Those measly fines? We'll just pay them.'
'Forced execution? Try it.'
'You want us to go out there when you haven't even told us why Baekya died?'
'Don't tell me you guys killed him because he got too strong.'
Even the Sun-Moon Divine Sect Hunters in the lobby were fully armed.
The light armor artifacts they wore under their robes clicked, and several long swords hung from their waists.
Even though they had been invited, they were still subjected to multiple security checks from the entrance.
Wolha made eye contact with Ilha, who had stood up from his seat.
"Even if they act arrogantly, just endure it. You know, hyung, You know, hyung, this is the Sun-Moon Divine Sect."
Wolha clearly remembered how Ilha had beaten up the Hunter from 'Uri Mining' who had bragged about his brother being in the Sun-Moon Divine Sect.
Hunters who risked their lives had sky-high pride.
'He didn't stop even after my brother mentioned me? I'll teach him a lesson! Does he think my name is so insignificant?'
'Eek!'
In Wolha's mind, he could already picture a high-ranking Hunter from the Sun-Moon Divine Sect pointing their sword at Ilha.
Ilha grinned and nodded.
"That's my specialty. Leave it to me."
Ilha waved to Wolha and left the coffee shop.
He showed no signs of nervousness, even though he was entering a building swarming with high-ranking Hunters all by himself.
'It seems you still see me as your hyung, huh.'
Ilha, no, Baekya, was the top expert in the Hunter industry.
And Baekya, with his expertise, estimated that this matter had a 90% chance of being resolved within 30 minutes.
'Don't worry. Whether it's a reward or compensation, it's nothing to a large guild like this.'
This wasn't some insignificant local guild.
It was the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, one of the five major guilds forming the Murim Alliance in South Korea, the most advanced country in the Aitel era.
And among those guilds, the Sun-Moon Divine Sect was at the top in terms of scale.
This matter might even be resolved by the PR team, not the Hunters on the field.
Yesterday's phone call was enough to show how the Sun-Moon Divine Sect viewed this incident.
'Hello, this is the Sun-Moon Divine Sect's PR team. We're calling regarding your great contribution at the Gate outbreak on Highway 100...'
They didn't even care about the incident involving a guild member's younger brother.
From the perspective of such a large guild, mining companies were just consumables anyway.
They were free to make the mining company indebted to them by taking their side once, or they could even switch to a different company altogether.
'For that cause, giving me 100 million won wouldn't be a difficult task, would it?'
Also, even if a fight did break out, he was confident he could handle it to some extent.
He had consumed the Gate's core and the demon's spirit core yesterday.
【Mana increased by 10, 20, 30... drastically.】
He hadn't reached C+ Rank yet, but just looking at his mana stat, he was closer to B- than C+.
Baekya headed towards the elevator, thinking about inflating the reward they offered several times over.
'Once I launder this money, I can take taxis as much as I want without Wolha nagging me.'
And as soon as he entered the office on the 15th floor of the building, he was met with the cold stares of the Sun-Moon Divine Sect Hunters.
They weren't ordinary office workers, but Hunters with white halos above their heads and swords at their waists.
"Hong Ilha?"
"...?"
"Are you Hong Ilha?"
"Ah! Yes, I am Hong Ilha."
"Speaking informally?"
"You did it first, didn't you?"
"Wow, this kid's got balls. Well, someone who pulled off something like that needs to have this much guts."
"Something?"
"You dared to touch my younger brother?"
Baekya let out a deep sigh.
His expectations were off.
* * *
I was reminded of a common understanding in the Hunter industry.
Magic-users and Espers were more likely to have contracts with Constellations and receive more from them.
On the other hand, physical types, especially those related to martial arts, had fewer contracts and received less from their contracted Constellations.
This wasn't a difference in talent, but a difference in choice.
The path of martial arts is ultimately a solitary one.
Relying on a Constellation leads to dependence.
How can one who doesn't rely on oneself attain enlightenment?
That was the shared belief of most martial arts Awakened.
In fact, among A-Rank Swordsmen or martial artists, there were more with plain white ring-shaped halos than those with colorful, geometric ones.
The point was that many martial arts Awakened had the willpower to give up contracts for the sake of achieving mastery in their craft.
In a positive light, it was unwavering determination; in a negative light, it was stubbornness.
There were good and evil among them, but they all shared a lawful tendency.
And a lawful tendency meant they were willing to draw their swords to enforce their will.
The team leader, wearing a red bandana, opened his wallet and grabbed a few checks.
"Here. Take this as payment for the trouble, a reward for your help, and let's just forget this whole thing ever happened."
Flutter!
He tossed the checks at my face.
"..."
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even get angry.
It felt like I had stepped into a sitcom or a drama.
No one in power in this world would dare to treat me like this.
The Tsar of Russia, the Pope of the Vatican, the President of the United States, they all acted respectfully in my presence.
How dare a mere team leader, not even the leader of the Murim Alliance or the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, act this way!
The team members, wearing black bandanas, snickered quietly
"Take it."
"Take the damn money! What's the problem? Isn't this why you came here?"
"A lowly porter got lucky and beat up the team leader's brother, and now he thinks he can walk in here and act all high and mighty?"
"You've got some guts."
I suddenly recalled how the Sun-Moon Divine Sect was portrayed in the media.
All that came to mind were their infamous reputation, like being the predecessor of the Heavenly Demon Cult or an alias for the Demonic Cult.
That's right.
These guys were fundamentally evil-aligned.
When I lived as 'The Sun' Baekya, they always followed my lead, so I didn't realize it.
But there was something these guys didn't know about me.
One was that I'm Baekya.
The other was that I'm an extreme pragmatist.
[TL/N: Pragmatist — someone who is practical and focused on achieving a goal, and who deals with problems in a sensible way that suits the circumstances]
I have a strong sense of pride, but I don't let it ruin things.
For the sake of laundering the money in my inventory, I could endure a lot, even if not everything.
I meticulously gathered the checks scattered on the floor and counted them one by one.
1,000, 2,000, 3,000... 7,000?
OK.
Ah, this one's only 100.
A guy who's clearly at least B-Rank, trying to save face with this...
If he's going to give me something, he should at least give me all 1000 won bills.
I stuffed them all into my wallet and asked—
"Is that all?"
The team leader with the red bandana gaped at me in disbelief.
"You have no pride?"
"Did I come here to boost my pride? I came for the money."
"Anyone would think I'm the one who borrowed money from you."
"In Murim, aren't debts and grudges settled through blood ties and master-disciple relationships? If your younger brother did wrong, you should pay the price."
Swish.
The team leader reached for his waist.
I knew it.
After provoking him this much, there had to be a reaction.
Hunters live and die by their reputation.
A B-Rank like him must think it's ridiculous that I'm just sitting here taking this crap, looking like a mere C-Rank.
The team leader gave a chilling smile.
"Alright. You'll pay."
His longsword was drawn like a flash of light.
Swish.
* * *
The stronger an Awakened became, the wider the gap within their rank grew.
Moreover, the difference between a C+ Rank and a B- Rank was even greater than that between a civilian and a C+ Rank.
It wasn't without reason that they became arrogant.
Furthermore, the government reacted sensitively to conflicts between Awakened and civilians, but they turned a blind eye to conflicts between Awakened, like the principle of non-interference in martial arts affairs in Murim.
Therefore, Team Leader Park, a B-Rank Hunter of the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, had no reason to spare this insolent Awakened who had offended him.
So what if he might be the Hunter who cleared the Gate at the highway overpass the other day?
Team Leader Park didn't care.
Swish!
The team leader drew his sword like a flash of light and struck at Baekya's neck.
Clang! Slash!
The long sword sliced down, aiming for his shoulder and thigh in succession.
Slash!
The four team members also drew their swords simultaneously, slashing and stabbing at Baekya.
The moment the team leader drew his sword, they all became accomplices.
That was the culture of the Sun-Moon Divine Sect.
But Baekya still stood there.
From the wounds where he had been cut and stabbed, instead of blood, a chilling white light flowed out.
The team leader's eyes wavered.
'He's not dying?'
Baekya sneered at his hesitation.
The eyes are the windows to the soul.
Eyes wavering after drawing a weapon meant a wavering heart, a wavering sword.
What could a swordsman with a wavering sword cut?
"Now even guys like you are pointing swords at me."
【Play of Fire】
This skill, which Baekya had been able to use since yesterday, allowed him to transform his insides into flames while maintaining his human form.
It did consume quite a bit of mana, but thanks to the two spirit cores he had absorbed, it wasn't too much of a strain.
"It's like I'm living in a horror story."
【Explosive Recovery】
A violent explosion erupted from the wounds all over his body.
Boom!
The four team members, Team Leader Park, and various office equipment were sent flying in all directions.
Team Leader Park's vision blurred as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
'The damage... is unbelievable. My defense is over 160%. How much armor penetration did he have?'
He vaguely recalled the PR team mentioning something similar.
'Judging from various circumstances, the porter who quit Uri Mining seems to be a Re-awakened. Or maybe even the same Awakened who closed the Gate on Highway 100. And...'
'And?'
'When that Gate was closed, the injuries of the people caught in it disappeared. It was "Nullification."'
'Nullification...'
'Yes. There's a possibility that it's a similar ability to Law of Light.'
They said the Awakened who appeared this time might have a similar ability to Baekya.
That he might have inherited a fragment of the legendary Hunter's power.
'I misjudged him.'
Team Leader Park squeezed his eyes shut.
In the Hunter society, a mistake meant death.
Step.
"Get up. Stop whining. I didn't hit you that hard."
But instead of finishing him off, Ilha approached and extended a hand.
'Is he... sparing me?'
Team Leader Park lowered his head and took his hand.
Slap.
Ilha swatted Team Leader Park's hand away.
"Hand over the money. You had more checks in your wallet!"
"What?"
Feeling awkward, Team Leader Park took out his wallet from his inner pocket and handed it over entirely.
Ilha took out all the checks and cash and tossed the wallet back.
"Here. I didn't touch your Hunter license."
Team Leader Park's hand trembled as he took back his now empty wallet.
The deflated wallet looked pathetic.
'He took everything.'
Swish.
At that moment, someone gracefully entered the office.
"What's all the commotion?"
The scent of orchids permeated the air.
"D-Deputy Sect Leader?"
"Greetings, Deputy Sect Leader!"
The team members stumbled to their feet and bowed.
Team Leader Park saw Ilha's expression at that moment.
'What's this?'
The guy who had been so confident looked as if he had seen the Grim Reaper.
It wasn't just a figure of speech; he really looked like he was seeing someone who had killed him once.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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