Chapter 236: Thirty Percent (2)

Kim Ki-Rok stepped out of the car and strode briskly through the automatic doors. He returned the greetings of those who bowed to him and made his way toward the elevator. An Association employee, who had been waiting for him, promptly opened the elevator doors.

"Thank you," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"It's nothing," the employee replied.

"How's the situation?"

"It seems they've determined that the Gate known as Hell is extremely dangerous."

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Oh? So the real representative has shown himself?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And what did he say?"

"When he asked who proposed this cooperation, I told him, as you instructed, that it was you. Then..."

"He agreed to meet and talk, just as I predicted," Kim Ki-Rok finished for him.

The employee nodded. "That's right."

Kim Ki-Rok only chuckled in response.

The employee glanced at him, then cautiously spoke, "Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?"

"Yes, Manager Lim Tae-Jin?"

Lim Tae-Jin paused, looking surprised. "Oh? You know my name?"

"Of course. We're working together, even if it's only for a short time."

A flicker of pride crossed Lim Tae-Jin's face, but he quickly remembered his original concern and turned serious again. "Um... wouldn't this be dangerous?"

Given his frequent involvement in operations to apprehend Awakened criminals at the government's or Association's request, Kim Ki-Rok had made many enemies among them.

"It would be under normal circumstances," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

"So you're saying it's not dangerous because this isn't normal?"

"Correct. The monsters we encountered in Hell, and even those at its entrance, are enemies that would challenge even high-ranking Hunters. We've sent the video of our battle with these monsters to the Awakened criminals."

Lim Tae-Jin nodded in response.

After much deliberation, Kim Ki-Rok had acted, and both the Association and the government had approved his plan. He had sent emails with the combat footage to certain recipients, contacted Uijeongbu Prison, and arranged meetings with captured Awakened criminals.

"I've also emailed nations considering deploying their own Awakened criminals after receiving my proposal, as well as those Awakened criminals in South Korea who haven't yet been captured," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

"Did those emails include the footage?"

"They did. Each email included the footage and either an email or a physical address."

From the way the conversation unfolded, there was only one possible owner of the addresses Kim Ki-Rok had provided.

"Were those the addresses of Awakened criminals?" Lim Tae-Jin inquired.

"That's right."

The elevator chimed. As they stepped out together, Kim Ki-Rok and Manager Lim Tae-Jin headed to the Hunters Association President's office. Inside, Association Hunters tensed and frowned, sensing murderous intent radiating from every direction.

Just as the Hunters moved to subdue the Awakened criminals, Kim Ki-Rok smiled brightly. "Oh my, it stings."

Even as the hostility in the room mounted, Kim Ki-Rok's smile never faltered. He walked forward at his usual pace and took a seat on a sofa, facing a heavily tattooed, muscular man in his mid-thirties.

Kim Ki-Rok snickered at the thought of such a sight, then turned to address a young man in a suit standing behind the sofa. "Please, take a seat."

The suited young man stared Kim Ki-Rok down in silence.

"You know my reputation. Go on, sit," he urged.

"Hoo..."

The young man sighed. "Get up."

The tattooed man rose and moved behind the sofa. The young man in the suit climbed over the backrest and sat, facing Kim Ki-Rok.

"It would be pointless to ask how you know all this, wouldn't it?" he said.

"That's right. Completely pointless."

"Then let's get to the point."

Kim Ki-Rok smiled as if the whole thing amused him. "Thank you. I'm pressed for time as well, so let's not waste it."

The young man loosened his tie roughly. "Are you insane?"

"That's a bit harsh."

"No. You're out of your mind, and you know it. We've even sent assassins after you."

"I'm aware. They all failed, and most of them are dead. And to be exact, it was Awakened criminals who sent them, not you personally, Mr. Yoo Ji-Han."

The boss of the Ji-Han Gang, the most powerful Awakened criminal group, scowled. "Right, they all failed. And it wasn't me, but the others. That doesn't change the fact that Awakened criminals tried to kill you. If someone reached out to the very people who targeted them, would you call them normal... or crazy?"

"Crazy," Kim Ki-Rok answered without hesitation.

He knows, and yet...

Yoo Ji-Han could only stare, dumbfounded. The Awakened criminals watched the exchange in disbelief, while the Association Hunters' hostility never wavered.

All eyes now settled on Kim Ki-Rok as he spoke. "Let me explain. It's been three years since I reduced my support for Awakened criminal suppression operations."

He had participated so often in these government and Association raids that people assumed he must have lost family to Awakened criminals. But three years ago, he began taking part less frequently. Since he now had a beloved daughter, Kim Ji-Hee, and a new family in the DG Guild, criminals thought his fury over Awakened crimes had faded.

"Do you know why?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"What's the reason?" Yoo Ji-Han replied.

Kim Ki-Rok offered a gentle smile. "Because I accomplished my goal: eliminating Awakened criminals who don't see people as people."

Yoo Ji-Han's brow furrowed.

"I differentiated the quality and quantity of information I provided during those operations," he explained.

Yoo Ji-Han was silent for a moment, then came to the conclusion. "You gave more intel on those who lacked basic humanity, and less on those who still had some?"

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Exactly."

"So you let certain Awakened criminals escape, even when you knew where they'd go."

"Correct. I knew their escape routes, secret passages, and hideouts, but for those who still showed a human side, I kept silent."

"Just who do you think you are?"

Kim Ki-Rok had just admitted to acting as judge, jury, and executioner.

"I'm someone with extraordinary information-gathering skills. For reference, before I started my 'cleanup' of Awakened criminals, I spoke with officials from the government and Association, and held provisional trials to determine who should live and who should die."

Back when he was unknown or short on time, he'd conducted daily trials. As he gained fame and influence, he held these temporary trials just before major operations.

"Let me give an example of someone I spared," Kim Ki-Rok said.

He turned to the bald young man glaring at him with intense hostility.

"Gang Chi, age thirty-three," he announced, causing the man in question to flinch. "You grew up in the Black Market. Though you worked for the Tae-Ho Gang, you never harmed ordinary civilians."

Just because Kim Ki-Rok knew so much didn't excuse his decisions, so Yoo Ji-Han started to object. "That's not enou—"

"Your alias is Gam Seok-Tae," Kim Ki-Rok spoke over him.

"How did you..." Gang Chi blurted, instinctively lowering his killing intent. He shut his mouth and glanced around, but now everyone knew his secret.

Some criminals eyed him with suspicion.

Was he an informant for the Association or government?

"You also made anonymous donations to Starlight Orphanage in Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang Province."

"This all began when you discovered that your rival, the Lee-Soo Gang, was abducting and selling children. You rescued those kids."

Some criminals looked at Gang Chi in shock.

Kim Ki-Rok then faced the young man in the suit. "Here's a hint: you can't choose your parents. So let me ask, what do you all have in common?"

Yoo Ji-Han stared with a hard expression, but when Kim Ki-Rok remained silent, he was forced to reply. "We were all abandoned or born in the Black Market."

"And?"

"Unless it was unavoidable, we never harmed ordinary people."

"Exactly. Gang Chi is a special case, but most active Awakened criminals who haven't been caught share that trait," Kim Ki-Rok said. "That's why I gave more information on some, less on others, reported some escape routes precisely, and withheld others. Now, let me make a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"Yes. I'll give you a reward. In exchange, I ask you to participate in the Gate clear."

"A reward?" Yoo Ji-Han echoed.

"I'll provide new identities, clean records, honest jobs, and homes. I've already handed this information to the government and the Association. In essence, I provided details about Awakened criminals who were capable of repentance, and got their approval."

Yoo Ji-Han fell silent, eyes trembling. After a moment, he steadied himself.

"You only get those things if you survive," he said.

"That's right." Kim Ki-Rok nodded, smiling gently. "As you said, survival is the condition for receiving them. If you refuse, that's your choice. But listen carefully: everyone will die."

Yoo Ji-Han was stunned. "What?"

"I'm talking about the Hell Gate. With the forces we have now, Earth cannot clear it," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"So?"

"At this rate, everyone is doomed."

"If we're all going to die, why would it matter if we join?"

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "It does matter."

"And why is that?" Yoo Ji-Han asked.

"Because Hunters are the natural enemies of the monsters from Hell."

***

"Here's how we'll tackle Hell," Kim Ki-Rok explained. "Yuashiel and the Elementals will defend Earth. Hunters will enter the Gate and, with help from higher-ranked Hunters, grow stronger. Then, they'll immediately join the clear teams. Those who still can't grow or who lack resolve will exit and help protect Earth by clearing other Gates."

"Will that be enough to clear this Gate, though?" Yoo Ji-Han asked.

"Well... it's still going to be extremely difficult." Kim Ki-Rok smiled as he described the coming all-out war.

"Right now, our chances are about thirteen percent."

"Damn it!"

"Well, after learning about Hell, we prepared as much as possible, and managed to raise the odds significantly."

All eyes were on Kim Ki-Rok, hanging on his next words.

"It's now at thirty percent."