Chapter 92: The Man Named Kim Ki-Rok (2)

"We have secured the evidence of the assassination requests held by the Awakened criminal Organization!" An employee wearing an earpiece shouted as he received the situation report from the field.

Hearing that, President Kang Man-Ki clenched his fists in satisfaction. "Finally!"

In the past, the Hunters Association staged multiple raids on Dagger's headquarters but failed each time. Leader Gu Seong-Cheol and most of his subordinates escaped through a hidden passage they couldn't locate, and the Association never secured solid evidence.

As soon as they began their assault, those within Dagger's hideout would always choose to flee instead of engaging in a defensive battle, and they would blow up the building behind them in order to destroy any evidence.

The first time it happened, it led to heavy casualties among the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team, enough to make some Hunters hesitate before charging in during later operations.

"What about Dagger's members?" President Kang Man-Ki asked.

"Most have been killed."

"Most?" he repeated with a frown.

His subordinate continued to read out the report, "The base was occupied by a total of thirty-two Awakened criminals. The team has managed to successfully capture or execute thirty of them."

"What about the remaining two?"

"We don't know what their names are yet, but some Hunters from our team remembers their faces, and we've also managed to capture the escapees on body cam footage."

"Identify them as quickly as possible. Request help from Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok if it's too difficult," President Kang Man-Ki ordered. "Speaking of which, what's the situation over at the DG Guild?"

The subordinate in charge of monitoring that situation spoke up, "The leader of Dagger, Gu Seong-Cheol, and his second-in-command, Min Seung-Hoo, are dead!"

Another subordinate added, "The leader of the lI-Sung gang, Yoo Il-Sung, is still alive. Since he is surrounded by Team Leader Min Gwang-Cheol and the members of DG Guild, it will be impossible for him to escape."

President Kang Man-Ki frowned thoughtfully. "Is there any chance that Min Gwang-Cheol might lose?"

His subordinate shook his head. "He has reported that there are no issues and that it is only a matter of time until they are able to subdue or kill Yoo Il-Sung."

"If possible, they should try to subdu—" President Kang Man-Ki stopped mid-sentence, the words slipping out on instinct before he caught himself and shook his head. "No, wait... has Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok said anything about whether he should be captured or killed?"

His subordinate replied, "Regarding the lI-Sung gang, the only thing that the Guildmaster has said is that we should just kill those that we have no chance of persuading to surrender."

President Kang Man-Ki nodded his head.

Kim Ki-Rok seemed to have more information on the Awakened criminals than even the Hunters Association did, thanks to the spies he had placed in the black market.

"And what's the situation like in terms of casualties?"

"A few injuries, but no deaths," his subordinate reported with a smile.

President Kang Man-Ki leaned back in his chair, feeling relieved inside. "Once again, he's pulled it off perfectly."

As with the first Gate defense in which Kim Ki-Rok had livestreamed their battle, there had been no deaths among the defenders. Even against Awakened criminals this time around, the operation had gone off without a hitch.

"Though come to think of it, it's not

that

strange," President Kang Man-Ki admitted.

Kim Ki-Rok had known about their attack and the exact date and time. He even had the complete personal records of each of the participants. Based on this knowledge, he had set out his traps and countered their ambush, eliminating all attackers effectively.

"Do you think he just predicted that criminals who followed Ma Ak-Soo would strike again?" He glanced at Jang Bo-Hyun, the Strategy Department employee typing nearby.

"Hmm... I don't think so, sir."

"No?"

"Yes. Although his intelligence network is indeed impressive, I think the reason why Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok was able to set up all those traps in preparation for an attack by the Awakened criminals is because of his Discernment Skill."

"Because of Discernment? Why would that be?"

"It allows you to obtain more detailed information than the regular Appraisal system used by other Hunters. Not only can it analyze various objects and Gates, it also works wonders on certain people as well," his subordinate said suggestively.

"Ah!" President Kang Man-Ki finally understood.

"That's right." His subordinate nodded. "He's able to find out anyone's name and their ability without needing to get their consent."

"That must be a real headache for Awakened criminals trying to keep a low profile."

"That is true. But as such, even if this attack hadn't gone off at this time, I'm sure that Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok would have been attacked by the Awakened criminals eventually."

A skill that lets you learn someone's name and ability without their consent...

"It truly is a scary ability," President Kang Man-Ki muttered.

***

A man was gasping for air. "

Haaaah! Haaaah!

W-why is this wall so strong?"

Letting out a dismissive snort, the short-haired beauty, Yoo Seh-Eun, stared at the scene in front of her.

Yoo Il-Sung stood in the fourth floor conference room, panting harshly as he tried to catch his breath. One of the walls had collapsed and revealed the room next to it, but even with such damage, the building still seemed as structurally sound as ever.

"I had no idea that

all

the walls were constructed out of mana-infused stone," Yoo Seh-Eun muttered.

The entire headquarters of the DG Guild had been constructed using bricks that were made by processing rocks containing mana. Such rocks—also known as magic stones—could only be mined from a Gate.

Thanks to that, all of the Awakened criminals who had tried to break through the walls in order to escape had found themselves cornered like rats in a trap.

Ding.

As this unexpected noise rang out from behind her, Yoo Seh-Eun carefully checked what was going on behind her back without letting her guard down against Yoo Il-Sung.

The elevator had arrived on the fourth floor, and as its doors slid open, a voice emerged from inside. "Well now."

Everyone present was familiar with the owner of this voice.

Yoo Seh-Eun, Lee Ji-Yeon, Nam Dong-Wook, and the others who had been working together to put down Yoo Il-Sung all relaxed upon hearing it. On the other hand, Yoo Il-Sung, the only Awakened criminal present, glared at the person who had just arrived, grinding his teeth in rage.

"The repair costs for all of this is nothing to laugh at," the voice said with a sigh.

Yoo Seh-Eun was instantly put off balance. Was that really what was important right now?

"Magic stones are quite expensive," Nam Dong-Wook bluntly agreed.

Considering the money that had gone into the construction of the guild headquarters, it wasn't unreasonable to feel pained upon seeing all this damage.

"And I just so happen to be out of cash right now.

Haaaah...

" Without any discernible trace of emotion in his eyes, Kim Ki-Rok turned to look at the blood-soaked Yoo Il-Sung who was riddled with wounds. "So you're Yoo Il-Sung, the Awakened criminal in charge of the lI-Sung gang. It's nice to meet you. I am Kim Ki-Rok of DG Guild."

With a mad gleam in his eyes, Yoo Il-Sung swung his fist toward Kim Ki-Rok.

Baaaang!

Team Leader Min Gwang-Cheol had stepped forward and intercepted the blow, and although he had blocked the blow with a groan, he was still thrown backward from the force.

Yoo Il-Sung then kicked off the ground and continued charging at Kim Ki-Rok.

However, Agent Lim Tae-Hyun, who had been standing guard next to Kim Ki-Rok, stepped forward to block the charge and swung his sword at the attacker.

Sword and fist clashed in midair, both clad in an aura of mana.

With a huge explosion, Yoo Il-Sung was thrown backward. Meanwhile, Agent Lim Tae-Hyun was only forced to take two steps back.

"How weak," Agent Lim Tae-Hyun said bluntly. "I expected more."

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "That's because he's been fighting against the aces of our DG Guild and Team Leader Min Gwang-Cheol from the Hunters Association, all at the same time. Not only that, it's only natural for him to be weak after he was sprayed with needles from all sides and was forced to fight in a drugged and weakened state, even as his body screams in pain from the slightest movement."

This outcome was inevitable given how thorough Kim Ki-Rok's preparations had been. The intruders were so completely overwhelmed by the traps that a few even considered biting their tongues to end it all. Consequently, the defense team didn't suffer any casualties, though there were a few injuries.

"Fuck!" Yoo Il-Sung jumped back onto his feet and glared at Kim Ki-Rok. "So you're Kim Ki-Rok?"

"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok admitted. "I am Kim Ki-Rok. And you are the Awakened criminal, Yoo Il-Sung."

"How did you know we were coming?"

Kim Ki-Rok sighed. "Let's just skip that explanation."

"What?"

"I've already explained it all to another Awakened criminal, Gu Seong-Cheol."

"You really are a Crazy Bastar—"

Kim Ki-Rok interrupted him, "I happen to have many nicknames. Some of my guild members also call me the Sadist."

Having suffered all sorts of hardships and adversities under Kim Ki-Rok's training, it was natural for his guild members to have secretly given him this nickname.

"Of course, it's only right that I subject my guild members to such trials," Kim Ki-Rok said, looking genuinely aggrieved. "And if they're ever assigned to a Gate that isn't challenging enough, I restrict their weapons and forbid them from using skills. But because of that hardship, they've gained immense rewards—"

"Shut up!" Yoo Il-Sung shouted as he threw a stone brick at Kim Ki-Rok. The stone brick came flying in at frightening speeds only to collide with Agent Lim Tae-Hyun's fist and shatter into a cloud of dust.

"What did you do to Gu Seong-Cheol?!" Yoo Il-Sung demanded.

"He's dead. His head has been separated from his body. Actually, the cut was so clean, it looked like he'd been decapitated by a guillotine."

"Bullshit." Yoo Il-Sung reacted with disbelief.

Kim Ki-Rok raised an eyebrow. "Really? Judging by all the killing intent that you're letting off, it seems like you've already sensed the truth?"

In response, Yoo Il-Sung just resumed grinding his teeth.

"

Hahaha.

Since you don't believe me, then it can't be helped. Now then, see for yourself," Kim Ki-Rok said as he pulled a human head out from the subspace pocket and threw it down in front of his accuser.

Thump, thump, thump.

The decapitated head, roughly the size of a ball, rolled across the floor and came to a stop at Yoo Il-Sung's feet. On it was Gu Seong-Cheol's face, frozen in a furious grimace with every detail still clearly visible.

Yoo Il-Sung felt a chill crawl up his spine. Criminal or not, even as the leader of Dagger, this felt like a line no one should have crossed. It wasn't like they were living in the Middle Ages anymore.

Kim Ki-Rok continued speaking as if nothing were amiss, "And regular people, well they

do

call me 'that Crazy Bastard.' Well, I understand why they would call me that. Other people might not understand me, but..."

Something about the way Kim Ki-Rok stared off into the distance as he spoke made it clear that he had no real interest in Yoo Il-Sung. The blatant disregard lit a fire in his chest.

And just to drive the point home, Kim Ki-Rok didn't even glance at his reddening face as he finished, "If they had lived the life I have, they'd understand. I didn't have a choice but to go crazy."

Bang!

Yoo Il-Sung kicked off the ground once more and charged at Kim Ki-Rok.

Boooom!

Once again, someone came forward to block him. This time, it wasn't just Agent Lim Tae-Hyun, even Min Gwang-Cheol had joined in the defense.

Yoo Il-Sung hadn't even been able to overcome Agent Lim Tae-Hyun when the latter was on his own. With Min Gwang-Cheol who specialized in defense, providing support and allowing him to go all-in on offense, Yoo Il-Sung was completely overwhelmed.

He was sent flying, smashing through the chairs and tables in the conference room before finally becoming embedded in a wall. With his broken left arm dangling down from his shoulder, Yoo Il-Sung gritted his teeth as he pulled himself out of the crater he was in.

Kim Ki-Rok ignored all the chaos as he continued speaking, "Well, that's the reason why I like the nickname, Crazy Bastard. Because if you had to choose the word that best describes the current me, it would definitely be crazy. Finally, the Awakened criminals have also gotten around to giving me another nickname."

Bang!

Yoo Il-Sung charged forward once more. This time, he had not bothered putting up any defenses against the two defenders. Pushing his way forward with minimal effort at evasion, he managed to get within arm's reach of Kim Ki-Rok.

Since he was already trapped in a situation where it would be difficult to escape with his life, Yoo Il-Sung intended to drag Kim Ki-Rok with him into the afterlife. But the moment that Yoo Il-Sung's hand was about to touch the face of his intended target, a fist clad in a pure white glow struck his forearm.

Baaaaang!

"

Gagh!

" Yoo Il-Sung cried out in pain. "Where did this bastard come from?!"

Kang Ho from the Shine Guild had arrived on the scene at some point during all the commotion. With a single blow, he broke Yoo Il-Sung's one remaining good arm.

Yet even so, Yoo Il-Sung didn't give up. Since he couldn't use his hands, he seemed determined to try and rip Kim Ki-Rok's throat out with his very teeth.

However, Team Leader Min Gwang-Cheol and Agent Lim Tae-Hyun quickly caught up to him before he could do anything, subduing and knocking him to the ground.

"Fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck!" Yoo Il-Sung roared in anger.

"No,

we're

the ones getting attacked here. Why are

you

the one acting resentful?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, genuinely confused.

His eyes bloodshot from rage, Yoo Il-Sung cursed, "I'll kill you... I will definitely kill you!"

Kim Ki-Rok smirked. "Criminals like you are the reason they call me 'That Fucking Crazy Bastard.' And honestly? It's my favorite nickname out of all of them."

Yoo Il-Sung thrashed around on the ground, screaming through gritted teeth, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

"Do you want to know why?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, still smiling. "Because it's a warning. You know the saying—never mess with a mad dog. I want every Awakened criminal out there to understand the same goes for me. Since this assault has been a complete failure, resulting in the total annihilation of the attacking forces, that should be enough to deter anyone else from messing with the DG Guild."

"Kim Ki-Rooooook!" Yoo Il-Sung roared as he struggled back onto his feet.

After striking the rising Yoo Il-Sung in his shins and knocking him back onto the floor, Agent Lim Tae-Hyun stepped on his back and made sure he couldn't get back up. With both of his arms broken, Yoo Il-Sung was left with no other choice but to writhe helplessly on the floor.

"Ah, sure, someone might come for revenge," Kim Ki-Rok said as he crouched, bringing himself eye level with the growling Yoo Il-Sung. "But it'll probably take another five years before anyone works up the guts to try."

Yoo Il-Sung grunted repeatedly, the air having been driven out of his lungs by the foot pinning him down.

"Two of the Awakened criminal organizations that once controlled the black market will be collapsing today. In the first place, you Awakened criminals created the black market out of self-preservation and self-interest. Do you think that such Awakened criminals would give up the chance to take over everything that you've built and come looking for revenge instead?" Kim Ki-Rok asked rhetorically.

Yoo Il-Sung's body trembled in rage, but Kim Ki-Rok ignored it and continued. "I'm pretty sure the only reason you people crawl out of bed is to wring the world like a dishcloth and pocket whatever drips out."

Losing consciousness from the lack of air, Yoo Il-Sung couldn't even open his mouth. All he could do was glare contemptuously at Kim Ki-Rok.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Kim Ki-Rok suddenly said, clapping his hands.

He pulled a glass bottle containing a red liquid out from his subspace pocket, opened the lid, and poured the contents over Yoo Il-Sung's head.

"What... is that?" Min Gwang-Cheol asked, swallowing hard as he watched Kim Ki-Rok drag his opponent into utter despair.

"It's a potion," Kim Ki-Rok replied simply.

Min Gwang-Cheol blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Yoo Il-Sung, who had been slowly closing his eyes in resignation, opened them once more to stare up at Kim Ki-Rok in confusion.

"I said, it's a potion," Kim Ki-Rok repeated himself.

"Do you intend to arrest him?" Team Leader Min Gwang-Cheol cautiously asked.

"Not at all." Kim Ki-Rok shook his head with a soft smile and said, "Agent Lim Tae-Hyun. Please contact the mayor of Daejeon."

It was Lim Tae-Hyun's turn to blink in surprise. "Hm?"

Kim Ki-Rok quickly elaborated, "Tell the mayor that I've caught the culprit who killed his daughter."

"Ah!" Agent Lim Tae-Hyun gasped, his eyes opening wide.

Yoo Il-Sung lifted his head and stared at Kim Ki-Rok in disbelief. He hadn't thought it was possible to fall any deeper into despair... until now. Only then did he realize just what kind of madman he had been up against.

"K-kill... me... ple-ease..." Yoo Il-Sung begged with tears in his eyes.

Being handed over to an enemy, especially one who had probably dreamed of taking revenge on him, was a fate far worse than what Yoo Il-Sung could have imagined.

"Hm?" Kim Ki-Rok tilted his head once more, asking with complete incomprehension, "Why should I?"