Chapter 182. Family-like Association

Anyway, the day it's discovered that he has neither conscience nor magic, I wonder what kind of treatment that emplo yee will give him.

"Whoo."

Having verified the enhancement effects of Blue Shell, it was time to return with a lighter heart. With that brief though t, Giryeo crossed the crosswalk.

***

Meanwhile, the news that Kim Giryeo had purchased Blueshell also reached Kang Changho's ears. To be precise, he l earned about it while hearing the report that the black market had been destroyed.

– No, Changho-ssi. Even so, telling the police about the black market that was going to be raided in just one day was t oo much, don't you think?

– I didn't know either.

– Still, I considered your reputation as the one who introduced me, so I made sure to save the most important A-rank s hop owner. Don't ask why I sided with the police inside. Honestly, I did what I could. I had no choice but to side with th em to avoid getting arrested.

Giryeo, concerned about upsetting Kang Changho's mood, had reported what he had done in the black market first. It could also be seen as a move to avoid any backlash for his own actions.

However, Kang Changho didn't react much to this. After all, that black market was a place where only the membership was barely kept alive. He didn't really care what happened to it.

"Hmm."

What Kang Changho was interested in was solely the item Giryeo had purchased. He had been secretly curious about what the contractor would choose from the black market. However, once the identity of the item was revealed, the sit uation became a bit complicated.

"Blueshell?"

To put it another way, it was a doping drug that could only be used by lower-level awakened individuals.

At this point, a problem arises. In fact, the painkiller substitute theory that the employee, Seonwoo Yeon, proposed wa s fundamentally incorrect. The blue fruit was originally known to provide pain-relieving effects even to higher-level aw akened individuals. However, when clinical trials are conducted on the highest-tier hunters, those who surpass the hu man standard—namely, S-rank hunters—different results are bound to emerge.

"This is..."

Kang Changho had previously experienced taking Blueshell.

"It's something useless to us."

And so it became clear. The highest-level awakened individuals couldn't even benefit from the pain relief effects of th e blue fruit.

Then why did Korea's fourth S-rank buy the fruit? Was it just out of curiosity to analyze the fruit? That couldn't be the case. After all, this wasn't the first time Kim Giryeo had encountered Blueshell.

"If he was interested, he would have already checked the sample back when he visited the thugs' warehouse."

So, what does this mean? Kang Changho, the large figure who always seemed to look down on others, leaned back on the sofa and pondered.

"Oh my."

The fourth-ranked top-tier hunter couldn't be grouped with someone like him.

"This guy really might not be S-rank after all."

Giryeo is truly a suspicious figure, even from the perspective of another S-rank. What's more, given that he tends to w atch others closely like a stalker, the sense of discomfort is even more pronounced.

The third S-rank of Korea had now come closer to the truth.

"That doesn't mean he's the F-rank I had been claiming, so then what exactly is his true rank?"

Of course, there were still many ambiguous parts.

– Ding!

It was at that moment. Kang Changho turned his head toward the sound coming from beside the sofa. Soon, he picked up the 8-inch tablet, which had a new message notification.

[From: mbrookly@email...]

It was a message from Brooklyn Morgan. It seemed that, as per their previous agreement, she wanted to receive infor mation about Kim Giryeo.

Without hesitation, Kang Changho began typing a reply to Brooklyn's message. Sorry, but the offer he made at the mot el was merely a ploy to keep the other party in check at that moment.

[Sorry, I don't have any information to convey yet. When I have a clear...]

He had no particular desire to interact with an American hunter. Thus, Kang Changho brushed off the message with a vague reply, saying he had nothing clear to share at the moment.

Of course, it wasn't a complete lie. For reference, he lived with the belief that nothing in this world was absolute, yet ir onically, he was someone who pursued certainty more than anyone else.

"Well, there's still no proof that he bought the Blueshell for his own use..."

Tuk.

After finishing his reply, Kang Changho tossed the tablet back onto the sofa. He cautiously postponed his conclusion, thinking that for now, there was nothing he could definitely confirm.

***

...However, it seemed that the people here had quite a different opinion from him.

"Hello."

A few hours later. Korea Hunter Association.

A pair of polished brown shoes was reflected on the spotless floor. The greeting just now came from the representativ e of the Spectrum Guild from the U.S., who soon took a seat across from Chairman Go Byeongdo, engaging in a friend ly conversation.

"No, wait."

However, the foreign guests, who had arrived with smiling faces, made a shocking statement within just a few minute s.

"W, what did you say?"

Kim Giryeo isn't an S-rank hunter?!

"To be precise, it means there's a high possibility of that."

Brooklyn Morgan's previous visit to Korea had ended as a disappointing memory.

Brooklyn had been unable to verify Kim Giryeo's strength firsthand, and on top of that, even an S-rank hunter had bro ken their promise to share information. However, the Spectrum Guild to which Brooklyn belonged believed that they al ready had enough leverage to pressure Korea.

Because...

"By the way, filling the ranks with a fake S-rank... Have you thought about how big of a deal this could become if it get s out to the international community?"

"What are you talking about? Saying that he's not an S-rank—I've never heard such a thing! This is the first time I'm h earing this!"

"Are you saying that the association president has no involvement in the manipulation of that hunter's rank?"

"Yes. That's right!"

They had obtained some information in the meantime.

"We've conducted our own investigation and found evidence of hundreds of millions worth of cash being transferred f rom your secret accounts, Go Byeongdo."

"Huh?"

"And the money that was transferred ended up being delivered to a certain studio apartment, under your instructions. Hmm."

The Spectrum side tried to find out the other party with the information they had.

"From our perspective, that tens of billions seems like payment for pretending to be a fake S-rank."

"Th, that's not it. It's not like that..."

What returned was a harsh reaction from Chairman Go Byeongdo. The S-class hunter he had painstakingly registered was suddenly being called a fake. Moreover, the whereabouts of the 3 billion won mentioned by the foreigner couldn't be explained easily.

"Damn it!"

The agreement he signed during the Inevitable Malice incident contained a clause stating that the contract details sho uldn't be disclosed.

"No, why the hell are those bastards snooping around someone else's bank transaction records without permission!"

Doing something so unethical! He wanted to snap at them, but if he lost his temper here, he would only end up confir ming their suspicions.

So chairman held back his anger and managed to speak.

"I, I swear to the heavens, I have nothing to do with such things. No matter what you think, Kim Giryeo's rank has nothi ng to do with me..."

However, the response he received was far from the atmosphere he had hoped for.

"Even if you truly didn't know."

The middle-aged woman in a silk shirt straightened her posture and spoke. The interpreter standing beside her promp tly conveyed her words in Korean.

"Then the only conclusion to be drawn is that you lacked the qualifications to lead this institution."

"Qualifications, you say?! It must have been a malfunction in the awakening detector. Everyone uses the same PIXY m achines! How is this solely an issue of my competence?"

"If you suspected an error in the examination, you should have attempted alternative verification methods. From what we've found, that hunter hasn't even undergone a separate assessment for offensive-type skills, has he?"

"Th, that's something you're saying because you don't understand! At the time, such procedures weren't necessary at all!"

The argument continued for a while.

"Kim Giryeo is the hunter who took down the Inevitable Malice. How could I have possibly doubted him?"

The association head complained out of frustration, but the Spectrum Guild from the United States remained cold and indifferent.

"Anyway, based on the information we've gathered so far, we plan to submit a request to the international organizatio n for a re-evaluation of Hunter Kim Giryeo."

"W, what?!"

"This time, it will be done without any possibility of manipulation—right before [Justitia]."

"–..."

"But if you really don't want to pursue this accusation... perhaps, with a little sincerity, we might consider canceling it."

"Sincerity?"

"For example, the transfer of ownership for a few Gates."

"This country may have a small land area, but the dungeon resources it holds aren't bad at all.

"If that hunter is declared a fraud in court, no matter how much you feign ignorance, you won't escape criticism. Of co urse, the cost of using Justitia will also be Korea's—"

"Listen here! A mere guild dares to speak to me like this...?"

"A mere guild?"

The negotiator dispatched from Spectrum scoffed at Chairman Go Byeongdo's words.

"We are a guild that possesses no less than three S-rank hunters, including Brooklyn Morgan, and as a result, we have a close relationship with our homeland's Gate Management Agency."

Clink

. She placed the coffee cup onto the saucer.

"Therefore, your position could be jeopardized by a single word from this so-called guild."

"My goodness. To threaten to pull him down from his position as the association president over the fake S-rank being passed? How could something so ridiculous be the reason for losing such a prestigious role, a position he worked so hard to obtain?"

"Unfortunately, we are neither family nor friends. We are merely business associates operating in the same industry."

"–..."

"So if you expect our consideration, there will be no other way but to show the appropriate sincerity."

Ssak.

The Spectrum Guild said that as they placed the documents they had prepared on the table. Listed on them were seve ral dungeons believed to occur only in Korea.

"I hope this deal will serve as an opportunity to strengthen our relationship."

Thus, they thoroughly intimidated the authority figure from overseas before leaving. Whether Kim Giryeo was real or f alse, they still didn't know. However, judging by the association president's reaction, it was clear he had something to hide—so they intended to exploit it for their gain.

Left alone, Go Byeongdo nervously gulped down the cold coffee, trembling...

"Whoo."

Soon, his face turned red as if it had been scorched by fire.

"T, those... those damn b*stards...?"

Kim Giryeo isn't an S-rank? Does that mean I was deceived by him?

At this moment, the association president internally concluded that a certain hunter was a fraud.

If foreign authorities had come all this way to cause such a commotion, they must already have solid evidence. So, the y must have uncovered all of Kim Giryeo's secrets and come here specifically to threaten him. Due to the powerful ima ge of U.S. intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA, a misunderstanding had taken root.

"Ha, what is this..."

The association chairman took a deep breath and hurriedly unfolded a copy of the article's agreement, which had bee n saved in a secure file.

####################

1. Kim Giryeo shall not intentionally harm Go Byeongdo or his family in the future.

####################

Originally, this clause was meant to only consider Go Byeongdo, but after pleading desperately, it was modified. This clause alone was what had made them pay such a large sum of money.

'I thought it wasn't a bad deal since I would be completely safe from a dangerous S-rank hunter. No, I even believed I had gained the upper hand.'

But if Kim Giryeo had deceived him, then he hadn't just wasted 3 billion won in slush funds for nothing? If Giryeo was n't actually an S-rank, then naturally, there would have been no real threat to his safety in the first place.

'I already have two A-rank Awakeners among my bodyguards.'

Thud.

Chairman Go sank deeply into the sofa, taking a moment to catch his breath. However, his face quickly turned red and blue again.

"How dare that young brat think of deceiving the head of the Association!"

Go Byeongdo groaned in frustration as he thought. Because of the other party's deception, he was the one left in a dif ficult position. He had done nothing wrong—no, he was actually the victim here, having lost 3 billion won. And yet, no w he was about to be condemned for incompetence, even if he truly hadn't known. At this rate, he wouldn't even last his full term before being dismissed.

'But if I hand over the gates to another country, there will definitely be backlash later.'

Sssak.

This isn't enough to calm his anger. He can't stand it unless he gives that bastard, Kim Giryeo, a proper scolding. How ever, Go Byeongdo had no idea what to do at the moment.

At the time of the knight's oath, the Association had promised Giryeo that they would not wield absolute power over hi m. Because of that, they couldn't impose administrative punishments like suspending his hunter qualification...

"Huh?"

But at that moment, the Association President's eyes suddenly caught sight of the phrase from earlier once again.

####################

1. Kim Giryeo shall not intentionally harm Go Byeongdo or his family in the future.

####################

A magical artifact with no method of nullification, unlike lower-grade contract items,

where breaking the promise must unconditionally be repaid with death. The Knight's Oath.