During the lull after the customers had left, Igyeol sat at the counter and accessed Huntranet on his phone. He needed to check how yesterday’s commotion had been sorted out.
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[Huntranet Real-time Best]
[Breaking News] Sanctum Guild registers Dumang Mountain boss drop ‘Abyss Black Pearl’ for auction (Views: 58,920)
[Photo: Hunter Auction capture screen. A photo of a brilliantly black-glowing orb with [Starting Bid: 1,000,000,000 KRW] displayed]
What the fuck, are they crazy? lololol Went into a C-rank dungeon but it mutated to B-rank, and then an S-rank material item drops? Sung Yohan is really destined for success… I heard that thing has a 40% magic amplification rate, if processed it’ll easily exceed 3 billion. I was gonna go to Dumang Mountain yesterday but didn’t go because my stomach hurt, if I’d gone that would’ve been mine fuck my life…
[Comments]
└ If you’d gone you would’ve become not a black pearl but a black cow and died lolol A demon appeared
└ For real, it’s because it was Sung Yohan that they caught it, a normal party would’ve been wiped out But 1 billion is a bit much… My stomach hurts
└ Yo but didn’t you see Sung Yohan’s expression? That wasn’t the face of someone who picked up something worth 1 billion Looked like he was chewing shit?
└ No no, wasn’t it not about the money but his pride was hurt? That beggar-looking guy next to him drew aggro lolol
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[Free Board] But has that ‘mysterious companion’s’ identity been revealed? lololol (Views: 49,201)
[GIF: News screen capture. Behind Sung Yohan wearing a bucket hat, a black back of a head pops out and disappears at the speed of light in an infinite loop]
No but even watching it again it’s so fucking funny lololol What’s with that audacity using Sung Yohan as a human shield and running? lololol Drawing all the aggro to the Sanctum Guild Leader and running, that’s novel I’m going crazy lolol With that level of shamelessness, isn’t that at least S-rank mentality? But looking at the running speed, doesn’t seem like a civilian, does anyone know who it is?
[Comments]
└ My guild hyung was at the scene, he said that person seemed like they were using shrinking earth technique, disappeared in an instant?
└ How dare they put that filthy hat on our Yohan-nim’s head… We need to dig up their identity and bury them shaking shaking
└ Isn’t it just a scammer? Seems like an attention seeker trying to get their spoon on Sung Yohan’s name taking advantage of the chaos
└ But looking at the uniform of the kid being carried, that’s Myeongil Middle School uniform? A parent maybe?
└ Seems like a porter ahjussi who luckily got on Sung Yohan’s bus and saved his life, now trying to extort money tsk tsk
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[Analysis] Why this Dumang Mountain incident is not simple.txt (Views: 32,110)
C-rank dungeons upgrading to B-rank is common. But a ‘demon’ appearing is the first time since the Jupiter Guild incident.
- Sung Yohan personally went all the way there. (Either information leaked, or he knew something and went)
- The clear time was absurdly short. Cut off in 20 minutes after entry.
- But Sung Yohan’s condition was like he had ‘rebound’, staggering.
Conclusion: Sung Yohan might not have caught it alone. That ‘mysterious helper’ who ran away might be a real helper, or Sung Yohan might have some weakness that was caught.
[Comments]
└ Writing a novel lolol Why would Sung Yohan who’s SS-rank need a helper? He was probably just in bad condition
└ No no but there’s a witness account that the mysterious man looked at Sung Yohan and smiled at the end, they might know each other?
└ Making up all kinds of stories over Sung Yohan being nice and saving a civilian
└ So how much is the black pearl selling for!!
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[Buying] Buying ‘that bucket hat’ that Sung Yohan-nim was wearing (Views: 12,005)
Saw on the news that Yohan-nim threw it away and left, did anyone pick it up? That hat imbued with Yohan-nim’s sweat and anguish… Brand and condition don’t matter. Name your price. Please contact me ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Comments]
└ Go to the hospital
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“Huh.”
Igyeol let out a hollow breath.
[Abyss Black Pearl] It seemed to be the item that spider demon bastard had spat out yesterday. An S-rank artifact that amplifies magic power with a starting bid of a whopping 1 billion…!
“1 billion….”
His stomach began to ache. If only he’d had the presence of mind to grab it yesterday, that would’ve been whose…? Sung Yohan, that bastard is rich and even has good item luck.
“Tsk. With 1 billion I could completely remodel the health clinic and still have money left over.”
Igyeol smacked his lips, but soon shook his head.
‘No. Don’t be greedy. Think of it as the price for my life.’
If he’d tried to grab the item on the spot and gotten caught by Sung Yohan, by now he might be drinking seolleongtang through his nose instead of honey water. As long as his identity wasn’t exposed, that was enough. Remaining an anonymous C-rank Hunter. That was Igyeol’s goal.
Just then, rustling sounds came from the inner room.
“Oh? He must be awake.”
Igyeol turned off Huntranet and got up from his seat.
A small room entered through a sliding door. Kang Yeongwon, who had been lying on the old blanket, was just raising his body. His dazed eyes wandered through the air before landing on Igyeol entering through the door.
***
The Guild Leader’s office on the top floor of Sanctum Guild headquarters, overlooking Seoul’s cityscape. In that place enveloped in silence, Sung Yohan sat in the middle of the wide sofa facing the floor-to-ceiling windows.
On the table in front of the sofa lay a filthily crumpled hat. Sung Yohan sat with his legs crossed, quietly looking down at it, then bit down hard on his teeth and soon let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha……”
No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd. Not only did that person readily throw him at the boss monster to avoid crisis, this time he threw him in front of the cameras and escaped alone. Without revealing any identity. Alone.
Just then, a gentle voice came from behind him.
“What’s this, Yohan-ah. What are you doing without even turning on the lights?”
The only man who could enter without a knock. The Vice Guild Leader of Sanctum Guild and one of the top five S-rank mages in the country, Cha Taeju.
Hair nicely styled upward and a neat suit with meticulously arranged appearance. He was also one of the few neat friends permitted by Sung Yohan, who was pathologically obsessed with cleanliness.
“I saw the report. That Dumang Mountain dungeon, did you go on purpose, or did you go not knowing?”
Cha Taeju asked as he naturally sat on the sofa.
“You personally going to a C-rank dungeon. Thanks to that, the PR team kids’ phones were on fire. Making clarification materials.”
“……I didn’t go on purpose.”
“Then?”
“I went looking for someone.”
Sung Yohan retorted while tightly gripping the hat. Cha Taeju rested his chin with an interested expression.
“So you went, and there really was a demon. The boss was caught by you. But….”
Cha Taeju’s eyes narrowed.
“What about Yeongwon? You said you went looking for Yeongwon. Why did you come back alone?”
Sung Yohan’s shoulders flinched. Cha Taeju clicked his tongue.
“See. Leaving out what’s unfavorable again. Didn’t I tell you I know everything even if you don’t say it? I secured all the CCTV and on-site testimony. That ‘mysterious companion’ took Yeongwon and ran, right?”
“……”
“Who is it? A kidnapper? Should I attach a tracking team and bring him? Yeongwon is Kang Yeongeum’s younger brother. He’s a kid we can’t treat carelessly.”
Worry colored Cha Taeju’s voice. But Sung Yohan shook his head.
“No. I’ll go.”
“You?”
“I have to go myself… There’s something I need to confirm.”
Sung Yohan ground his teeth.
It wasn’t simply because of Yeongwon. That man, Moon Igyeol. That strange body that received his Holy Power without any side effects. And that detestable attitude of throwing him around like luggage.
“I feel like I’ve been had.”
“Haha, it’s been a while since someone left such a strong impression on our Yohan? That’s interesting.”
Cha Taeju laughed out loud. Sung Yohan glared at him.
“Are you mocking me? Speak properly.”
“No, it’s really interesting. It’s the first time you’re taking such interest in someone else, especially someone you’re seeing for the first time. You usually just avoid people saying they’re dirty.”
Cha Taeju stood up and approached Sung Yohan’s side.
“So, what are you going to do when you find him? Kill him or something?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Sung Yohan stared out the window. The scenery of Seoul bathed in midday light. Somewhere out there, that man would be hiding.
“Absolutely.”
Sung Yohan’s eyes sank coldly.
“I won’t let him escape. I’ll tie him up right before my eyes, within arm’s reach.”
At that obsessive voice, Cha Taeju looked at Sung Yohan with a “huh?” expression.
“That sounds… like a dangerous statement. Well, you’ll handle it yourself.”
Cha Taeju shrugged and placed a document envelope on the desk.
“Oh, and this is what you requested. The records from the Gate of Reversed Heaven incident and the re-investigation of the Apostles’ list. It’s also material needed for ‘that thing’ we’re preparing.”
“……Leave it.”
“Don’t overdo it too much. You don’t look well right now. Did you get rebound?”
Cha Taeju sent one more worried glance before leaving the room.
Left alone in the office, Sung Yohan looked once more at the hat in his hand. A small embroidery inside the hat.
[Moon Igyeol]
“Moon Igyeol.”
Muttering the name as if chewing and spitting it out, he gazed once again at the blindingly bright window.
