Chapter 225

The S-rank hunters, when they were suddenly contacted by the association, had similar reactions.

“A new S-rank? Who could it be?”

They were all curious.

They were told that the only way to find out more was to come to the association in person, as the hunter’s information was still confidential. A simple description of the new S-rank, however, was enough to draw them in.

“What? He reawakened?”

“He was a C-rank hunter before? How is that even possible? What incredible luck!”

But as they read further, their excitement soon soured.

“Huh? He demanded permission to go to North Korea?”

“Tsk. The power’s clearly gone to his head.”

The S-rank hunters had responded with scoffs and dismissive murmurs.

It was a very curious thing for a low-ranked hunter to reawaken as an S-rank. But while reawakenings were rare, they did happen from time to time. His sudden request to head to North Korea was another matter entirely.

“Ha! How can he be so immature?”

“Who does he think he is?”

“It’s always people who won the hunter lottery that ask for things like this.”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand how he feels. It must feel incredible to jump ranks so dramatically.”

“He probably feels like he’s the chosen one or something.”

It wasn’t necessary for someone to become an S-rank for this to happen. The sensation of awakening, regardless of rank, was euphoric. It was like being touched by a higher power, leaving hunters with an overwhelming sense of duty to protect the world. That feeling often led to overconfidence.

“Good times, huh? Too bad it never lasts.”

“It’s like teenage delusion.”

Reality, of course, was much harsher.

“North Korea, my ass. We’re already stretched thin protecting our own country,” one of the gathered S-rank hunters scoffed.

The nature of all hunters’ work was fundamentally the same, though the stakes and pay varied. S-rank hunters faced greater dangers, and their responsibilities were far heavier. Even now, dangerous dungeons were cropping up everywhere, and there just weren’t enough S-ranks to cover them all.

Mining and hunting small fry monsters could be left to lower-ranked hunters, but it was up to the S-rank hunters to handle boss monsters. Without them, it would put the lives of other guild members in unnecessary danger, and the number of useful guild members would dwindle. Even without considering the value of life, the high cost of hiring hunters made it clear how significant such a loss would be for a guild.

In the end, the S-rank hunters—only nine of which existed in South Korea—were the ones running around the country, dealing with the dangerous monsters that mid-tier hunters struggled with.

“He’ll stop fantasizing about North Korea once he sees how busy we are.”

“Rookies. How adorably naive.”

“This is why there’s a procedure that requires five of us to approve before someone goes to North Korea. Say what you will, but Woo Jinchul was a genius for implementing that law.”

There was a reason that people praised Jinchul as much as they did. His regulations weren’t just practical—they were essential for maintaining stability and peace in the nation.

“Well, shall we go see this new recruit?”

“Let’s see who this fool is, with all his big talk.”

The S-rank hunters thus made room in their busy schedules and began making their way to the association.

Among them were two people who immediately recognized the description of the new S-rank hunter—Baek Miho and Lim Taegyu.

Miho wasn’t an S-rank herself, but she happened to be with her father, Yoonho, when the notification came in. Her eyes widened at the information.

“F-Father! I think this is describing Sung Suho!”

Miho and Taegyu had seen Suho in action through the live footage during the Loktak Field broadcast.

It was amazing enough that Suho, who had been in Korea until just recently, had suddenly shown up in India. But they were most stunned by the true extent of his power as displayed in the video.

While others marveled at the way he obliterated a massive magic beast with a single punch, Miho and Taegyu had noticed something even more extraordinary.

That final scene had caused nothing but astonishment and awe as countless shadow “magic beasts” filled the screen. The world believed that was a dungeon break, but anyone who had fought with Suho at least once could recognize his summons.

My god.

Since when could he summon so many?

Has he been capable of it all along

and just hiding it?

But why would he do that?

It took quite some time for Miho and Taegyu to recover from their amazement. As far as they knew, Suho had been capable of summoning maybe ten shadow soldiers at most. But now it appeared he could call up at least a hundred times that many.

“W-well, I suppose it makes sense if he reawakened!” Miho said.

None of them knew when Suho had returned to South Korea and undergone reassessment, but he had always been difficult to track.

“Father! I can come with you, right?” she asked Yoonho.

“Why?”

“I need to see for myself if it’s really him.”

Yoonho hesitated, suspecting his daughter’s interest might run deeper.

“Miho, don’t tell me you...”

As a father, he was tormented by a vague sense of anxiety. At the same time, he was aware that Suho was the one and only grandson of Ilhwan, a man whom Yoonho deeply respected.

Repressing his conflicted feelings, he spoke as calmly as he could to his daughter.

“Do you prefer... younger men?”

“Father! What are you even saying? Let’s go!” Miho snapped, already striding ahead.

Yoonho ran after his daughter. “W-wait! What’s the rush?”

“Don’t you get it? The association must have contacted the Black Tortoise Guild as well. Hyun Mukang has been waiting for a chance to get back at Suho!”

At this, Yoonho’s expression hardened. “You’re right. There’s no time to waste.”

Once the S-rank hunter Mukang met Suho, there was no telling what would happen.

***

The Black Tortoise Guild’s grudge against Suho traced back to a man named Lee Yeongho, the late manager of their Second Management Department. He had tried to recruit Suho into the guild, and in the attempt, had ended up on the wrong side of Suho’s uncle.

As it happened, that uncle was Yoo Jinho, the CEO of Ahjinsoft, the greatest game development company in South Korea.

What followed was a spiral of events that devastated the Black Tortoise Guild. Their project and possible partnership with Ahjinsoft was scrapped, and in retaliation, Yeongho attempted to eliminate Suho in a dungeon—only to fail miserably.

The biggest problem was that the culprit had died in a dungeon, thereby evading all responsibility for his actions. In the end, it was Hyun Mukang, the guild master, who had been left to clean up Yeongho’s mess.

That Jinho... What a terrible man...

Mukang thought, shuddering at the memory.

Back when Suho went missing in the Pyeongtaek Dungeon due to Yeongho’s schemes, Jinho had been so furious that he called the Black Tortoise Guild without hesitation, demanding to speak directly with the guild master.

S-rank hunters were formidable, unmatched in both strength and physical ability, but Jinho had been too angry to care.

No matter how strong Mukang was as an S-rank Hunter, that power only mattered against monsters. The moment he used his powers against a civilian outside the bounds of a dungeon, he would be branded a villain. Unless he wanted to be stuck with the label of “S-rank villain” in a nation ruled by law, using force to pressure Jinho was impossible.

In this battle, the only weapon that mattered was money. And as it happened, Jinho was the CEO of South Korea’s most prominent gaming company and the super-wealthy pioneer behind the world’s first VR game.

In contrast, the Black Tortoise Guild was a fledgling organization, barely two years old, with its sole claim to fame being its guild master’s exceptional strength. To someone like Jinho, they were little more than a glorified small business with extra manpower.

Outside the dungeon, mana meant nothing. In the real world, power belonged to the corporations with the deepest pockets.

“Put the guild master on the line now.”

“Sorry?

O-okay, I’ll connect you with the guild master right away.”

Fortunately, before Jinho could escalate things further, he received the news that Suho had returned safely.

From then on, everything fell neatly into place. Yeongho’s misdeeds were brought to light, and as compensation, the Black Tortoise Guild was forced to hand over ten of its dungeons. Though the dungeons weren’t that impressive individually, the collective loss was devastating for the guild.

What no one realized was that this was only the beginning. Jinho was not a man who forgave—or forgot.

Mukang squeezed his eyes shut, reliving the torment he had endured at the CEO’s hands. Suho had since moved on, preoccupied with the Church of the Outer Gods, but Jinho’s vengeance remained unstoppable.

“How dare you try to harm Suho?!”

For Jinho, the fact that Mukang was an S-rank hunter and his guild was considered prominent didn’t matter. From his perspective, the Black Tortoise Guild was just a company with an overcompensated leader, nothing more. In modern terms, it was like a business founded by an internet streamer with a massive following—successful, but ultimately limited.

In ten years, hunter guilds might become genuine forces to be reckoned with, but for now, they were no match for a corporate behemoth like Ahjinsoft. Jinho had an arsenal of entirely legal methods to exert pressure on the guild, and he employed them all.

As a result, the Black Tortoise Guild was now teetering on the brink of ruin.

Everything Jinho had done, every consequence the Black Tortoise Guild had suffered, was both fair and within the boundaries of the law. After all, no organization—hunter guild or otherwise—was free of dirty secrets.

“Haha! So you’re an S-rank hunter now, just like me. I think we can let the past go, don’t you? How much do you want?”

At that moment, Mukang was more desperate than ever. When he learned that the new S-rank hunter he had come to recruit was none other than Sung Suho, the very man at the center of all his misery, he had made a decision.

Fine.

An S-rank? That might actually work to my advantage.

There’s only one way for my guild to escape the clutches of Jinho, that demon of a man, and get back on its feet.

I’ll need Suho under my control!

He had resolved to recruit him into the Black Tortoise Guild.

Neither the Woojin Guild nor Ahjinsoft would be a problem. None of it mattered if Suho willingly joined him. If that happened, even Jinho wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Mukang also had a trump card: a rune capable of summoning two additional entities. It was a treasure so rare that even the wealthiest hunters couldn’t easily acquire it.

No S-rank summoner would turn this down,

Mukang thought with a triumphant grin as he shook Suho’s hand.

Then the other S-rank hunters began to arrive. Lim Taegyu from the Fiend Guild, Baek Yoonho from the White Tiger Guild, Seo Jiwoo from the Blue Dragon Guild, and Ma Dongwook from the Fame Guild walked in.

Finally, Miho appeared, accompanying her father.

“Mukang! Step away from Suho!” she shouted. Without hesitation, she marched forward and placed herself between them, her expression firm.

Mukang scowled. “Baek Miho...?”