Chapter 361. No Way [3]
Click.
The person lying on the bed manipulated a wireless device. It was a remote control that allowed him to operate the tablet screen even while lying down. After scrolling through the post several tis and confirming he hadn't missed it, the man surfing the web suddenly froze, eyes wide with shock.
"Is it real?"
Hunter Kim Giryeo sold a [Surprise Box]... No, more than that, he had been in possession of such an artifact all this ti.
Tuk.
Jo Sangoh, leaning diagonally on his pillow—more precisely, the A-rank Awakener fad as the ace of the Hanshin Guild—rested one arm on his head as he continued his thoughts.
[Surprise Box]... of all things, [Surprise Box]—that hunter actually consigned it for on-site sale at the auction...
No matter how powerful their abilities, most people rested in similar ways. Jo Sang-oh had recently been spending a lot of ti on various community portal sites. This year, his workdays had decreased due to several circumstances, which in turn gave him more free ti.
After finishing at the latest posts on Site A, he would move on to Sites B and C. Once he felt he had seen all the new posts there, he'd return to Site A and refresh it again—living a life of idleness like that.
[Curtain | Guild Rating Comparison & Expert Answers on Hunting Allowances]
However, in the usual space he checked because he was a hunter, an interesting sighting broke out today.
[Legendary comnt from a troubleso teammate during last week's Han River bridge raid; < < ][Guys, how much do you usually spend on potions per month? (Poll)]
Usually, this board only has aningless chatter, so it's hard to say whether you can take that anonymous poster at face value.
'Hmm.'
Jo Sangoh clicked the remote repeatedly, his expression full of suspicion.
[Hey, are you sure that person actually listed the item?]
But when he refreshed the page, he found this post at the very top of the screen.
[Everyone, check the auction app—Hunter Kim's eye is selling the Screaming Stake!?]
[Comnt: Ah = = = = Does hiding the na even matter?]
[Comnt: = = = = =]
[Comnt: Crazy = = =]
[Comnt: A super-rare prized item imbued with an S-rank hunter's aura? I'd sell my family estate to get this, yup, if I'm offering money right away]
[Comnt: (Info) In our country's auction system, only the transaction record is shown; you can't buy an item by naming the specific person who listed it. So, to get that, you'd have to scoop up all the stakes available on the market...]
It was now confird that a specific hunter's artifact was up for sale. Most people focused on the appearance of Kim Giryeo himself. There was even talk that if the private trade of offensive artifacts were legal, such a famous person's weapon would carry an unimaginable premium.
However, the man nad Jo Sangoh alone viewed the situation from a different perspective.
'By the way, [Surprise Box] is that item famous for its stunning effect, isn't it?'
He tilted his head slightly to the right.
At that mont, what flashed through his mind was an edited clip of a certain video.
In fact, the hunter Jo Sangoh had a history of being humilitatingly overpowered by Kim Giryeo. He had long attributed his defeat to the imnse magical power of a certain S-rank hunter.
'Huh?'
However, as he examined the belongings of this newcor, Jo Sang-oh suddenly had a thought.
'So, was the reason I couldn't control my body back then because of that item?'
A witness on YTube. The public. And Jo Sangoh, who perhaps even realized that the person involved in the incident had been misunderstanding sothing all along.
But the feeling he had now was still too vague to call it certainty. In the past, he would have thought, 'Ah, Kim Giryeo cunningly leveraged his items. Even an S-rank hunter can't do much without tools,' and criticized him for it.
'Hmm.'
Recently, three Beasts had infiltrated South Korea, and the fourth S-rank hunter had even dealt with that chaotic situation personally...
'Ah, forget it. There's no point in thinking about old events now.'
Once again attempting an insubordinate move was nearly impossible. Therefore, even after acquiring the new information, he did not imdiately change his actions.
But...
About 40 minutes later. At a restaurant on the street.
"Hey, hey! Drink up, drink up. I'm treating today too!"
"Aweso!"
"Ah~ as expected, our Sangoh Hyung is the best! You know I've always respected you, right?"
To reiterate, Jo Sangoh hasn't had any work recently for certain reasons. So, with his ti free, he would have simple drinking gatherings with acquaintances each evening.
"Oh, by the way! Did you all hear the industry news? Hunter Kim Giryeo, who's been laying low all autumn, apparently showed up this morning at a local auction...?"
"Gasp!"
"Hey, shhh."
At that mont, one of the attendees made a slip of the tongue. In their drunken haze, they completely forgot themselves and ntioned a na that Jo Sangoh usually found uncomfortable.
'Ah! This clueless idiot. How could he bring that up when the patron clearly hates that topic?'
"Doesn't he even know what happened between Jo Sangoh and Kim Giryeo?"
When this topic was brought up, the man sitting at the head of the table spoke.
"That's right, I saw it on the forum too."
"..."
"Huh?"
It was Jo Sangoh's comnt.
"The news has been so quiet that I wondered what was going on. Did any money co in during that ti? Anyway, after checking, it really was just to sell the items."
Moreover, Jo Sangoh maintained a notably relaxed and confident deanor, unlike his usual self.
"But I don't know if you've all heard this. That Kim Giryeo, when he appeared at the auction this ti, the item he sold was none other than the [Surprise Box]!—the one with the insanely strong luck effect. And of all people, he's the guy who actually handles that item."
Although he had been pretending not to care at all this ti, Jo Sangoh had actually been sowhat embarrassed by the suspicion that he had been completely overpowered by the S-rank purely through magical power, and he had secretly been waiting a long ti for an opportunity to clarify it.
"Ugh, I've been so frustrated I thought I'd die. Honestly, all this trouble is because of that Han Jeheon or whatever—what a pain."
"That's right, that's right~"
"I clearly said it before, didn't I? That Kim Giryeo definitely used items behind the scenes too."
Jo Sangoh continued speaking, chewing on the fried dish spread out on the table.
"Hey, and besides, if you actually see Kim Giryeo in action, his mana levels are really just about the sa as everyone else."
"Whoa. So if that's the case, the eyewitness accounts were completely exaggerated?"
"So then, how much did you actually trust soone like Han Jeheon, an F-rank?"
Since the blind is an S-rank hunter, he must have obtained far more unusual items than others. That's why he could endure the side effects of [Surprise Box] and keep using it, and yet, even though nothing has been properly confird, people are laying out these claims as if they were undeniable facts.
"On the contrary, I'm the one who held out with sheer willpower even though Kim Giryeo used an item. Do you think any of those other A-ranks could've even put up a fight?"
At first, they were just things he spat out because he didn't want to hurt his pride. But as the drinking went on, Jo Sangoh gradually began to feel as if all those excuses were the truth.
"Seriously though, Kim Giryeo is at best on the sa level as Kang Changho or Seo Esther. And yet these days, the internet crazies are actually comparing him to Jung Haisong?"
To escape the sting of humiliation, a little reality distortion was necessary. Thus, Jo Sangoh kept insisting to his acquaintances at the gathering that he had only been slowed down because of the unexpected luck called [Surprise Box], that if not for that, there was no way he would have been crushed in the middle of the street, and so on, and so forth.
'Heh~ unbelievable. What a petty, despicable b*stard...'
As the backbiting went on, the anger he had long forgotten began to resurface from within.
'Co to think of it, he only managed to knock so down with item power himself. And yet, he's been keeping his mouth shut all this ti!'
According to Lacol's words, revenge isn't sothing you carry out yourself, but rather sothing you wait for—until your enemy's corpse floats down the river on its own. But was it because that fourth S-rank had water affinity, making it unlikely for him to drown in any stream? Either way, no matter how long he waited, with no sign of his opponent ever sinking, Jo Sangoh eventually burst out with fierce dissatisfaction. When he let it out over his drunken haze, that hunter Kim Giryeo only seed to stand out because he had plenty of close S-rank allies. In truth, his himself didn't appear all that exceptional.
"Ah, that bastard's rotten personality is so obvious. I hope sothing happens that makes everyone curse him out big ti!"
Jo Sangoh disliked the way most citizens seed to overestimate Kim Giryeo. Because of that, he began wishing for so kind of scandal that could overturn everything—sothing like a tax evasion case involving an S-rank, which would easily make his wish co true if it ever broke out.
But even to himself, the chances of that happening seed slim. So once again, he drowned the evening in liquor, was the idea of having to protect the Guild's money to impress his friends, and whenever he heard news of new recruits joining the guild, he would hand out expensive gifts, showing off once more in his own way.
[Tring]
[Web ssage] [Verified Sender Number]
[Sender: Korea Hunter Association]
It was much later when a ssage finally arrived for the man who had been living such a dissipated life.
"Ah. What's going on?"
For an Awakened, to be suffering from a hangover caused by dungeon-brewed liquor—and on that very morning, to receive a notice from the Hunter Association.
***
Then what could be the reason a ssage had been sent to the son of the Hanshin Guild?
"You're already bringing this up for consultation?"
"Yeah, exactly. Christmas is still a long way off."
"For real, this country runs on sheer dedication. Just a few days ago they even called in hunters and caused a whole commotion over the college entrance exam."
"Co to think of it, I thought this year would be different. But in the end, was the list of top hunters in charge of exam security the sa as always?"
"Ah, I don't know. I don't care about that stuff. Anyway, I just can't believe sothing like this is happening at such a golden ti of the year~"
Murmuring.
The Korea Hunter Association. The vast auditorium, large enough to seat many, was abuzz with constant commotion. The Hanshin Guild experienced a nightmare when all hunters had gathered there. And in an age like this, advanced they're in full, Korea had fallen into a crisis—one severe enough to replace the usual heavy snow warnings.
[Briefing on the Predicted Red Gate Rush in Mid-December]
Up on the stage, a slide with those words was displayed. A warning that multiple Red Gates would surge forth as if charging in—what a thought.
"But if what they're saying is true, isn't that basically the sa as a series of dungeon breaks?"
"They say the sa thing already happened in the UK. But during that period, the number of Blue Gates drops drastically, so it should work out sohow."
A year may not seem long, but for mammal-type humans who have relatively short lives, it was quite a stretch of ti. And during that year, their gate observation technology advanced significantly once more, leading to this very prediction.
To be precise, what lay dormant beneath the ground of South Korea was a mass of magical energy expected to expand during December—potential Red Gate generation points, in large numbers. The mont the Association learned of it, they imdiately summoned hunters by rank and began preparations. It was one of those cases where the saying about Koreans being a hasty people ended up working out in a good way.
"Ah, what a nuisance."
Of course, the ones who were actually bound by duty couldn't all be expected to view the situation in a positive light.
'I can't just ignore a disaster preparedness call like this and pay a fine. And faking illness to skip out? I've already used up all the legally allowed tis, so that's out of the question too.'
Thud.
Jo Sangoh slouched sideways in the fabric-covered auditorium chair.
Ha~ seriously annoying. I had so many drinking plans lined up this month.'
As an A-rank hunter, Jo Sangoh grumbled endlessly about being assigned to this disaster-prevention unit. He disliked the idea of having to protect the country just because he was awakened. And in an age this advanced, couldn't they just handle briefings over video calls? Why did the Association always insist on dragging people all the way on-site?
'Honestly, it's not like there are that many awakened who are so old they can't even log in with a digital certificate. So then, what possible reason is there to not handle this over the internet?'
But it was right around the ti he was swallowing his irritation.
"Sangoh Hyung."
Soone nearby struck up a conversation. After a few of Hanshin's lower-rank hunters had also been summoned into this place along with him.
"Once this briefing's over, you're heading to a soju place tonight, right?"
"Of course. You guys are all done with the raid today, right?"
But as their conversation made clear, Jo Sangoh, despite being a hunter, always acted indifferent whenever dungeon raids ca up, as if they were soone else's business. The reason was simple: earlier that winter, he had actually been disciplined.
"We have to get to the second round today. No one is leaving!"
Once the ace of his guild, Jo Sang-oh had suddenly been suspended, reduced to sothing like a semi-freeter. He had been infamous enough to be anonymously reported more than once, yet thanks to powerful backing, he had never faced real punishnt. But picking a fight with an S-rank hunter had backfired badly—becoming an unexpected source of trouble. From the start of this year, even his own company's attitude toward him had noticeably shifted.
The biggest problem was that information about Jo Sangoh had spread too widely outside the company. Not long ago, the Hanshin Guild experienced a nightmare when applications from new hunters abruptly stopped due to the influence of a creator nad Han Jeheon TV. As a result, they belatedly put all their might into revitalizing the company's image. However, soone, unable to shed their old habits, continued to cause problems in the workplace, unfortunately.
'Haa. Well, taking a break from work isn't for , but I've got plenty of money anyway.'
To put it simply, soone who once lived like an untouchable emperor ended up facing an unexpected butterfly effect—being crushed by an S-rank—and that's how he wound up in his current state.
However, the status of being the guild master's son wasn't sothing that could be overturned by a single storm. For now, he was rely on break for the sake of public image. Jo Sangoh was still, without a doubt, one of the most powerful figures within the company...
"Hyung, I made the reservation under my na for now. But we'll be paying with your card again later, right?"
"Ah, of course. Do you think an A-rank hunter like would be going around getting als from you e-ranks?"
"Haha."
There were always many people around him. Since sycophants flocked to grab even the tiniest scraps, his actual influence within the company had, in fact, grown compared to before.
"Hmm."
So even after receiving disciplinary action, Jo Sangoh didn't really lose his confidence, and sotis he even made statents that were a bit boastful.
"By the way, I don't see any S-rank hunters this ti. Maybe they overexerted themselves during the security duty for the last college entrance exam?"
Swish.
As the remark implied, there were no famous superhumans like Jung Haisong present in the auditorium.
"Moreover, that guy Kim Giryeo went completely off the grid for two months, and when he finally showed up, all he did was sell items."
"Oh, really?"
"Ugh. Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore if it's right to blindly give rank adjustnts just because soone's high-level. As for —"
Jo Sangoh expressed his various personal opinions for a while. The incident in which he had been defeated by a famous hunter had already occurred several months ago, so he had mostly forgotten the feelings he had at the ti, making it easier for him to bring up such remarks.
'Hmm?'
At that very mont, as the A-rank Awakener was boasting among the mbers of the Hanshin Guild.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Where..."
"Isn't this a dungeon?"
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