Jeong Min-Ah no longer showed up after that final day.

Whatever the reason, she was past the point of no return. There was no use in Bae Seung-Woo crying over someone who had once betrayed him.

Getting revenge against her left him feeling more bitter than he’d expected, but he didn't stop his overall quest for revenge.

In fact, he was remarkably motivated.

“What’s the plan?” he eagerly asked Willow. “Just tell me what to do.”

Their focus shifted to Park Ji-Hoon, the true mastermind behind the entire mess.

“I could forgive anyone but that bastard.”

“The groundwork’s still being laid, so just be patient,” Willow replied.

As the self-proclaimed Primary Operation Strategist, it seemed that she clearly had a plan in motion.

“Why overthink it?” Evangeline asked. “As long as we report him to the association right now, he’ll face a massive fine or worse.”

Willow shook her head. “You want them to actually give him a punishment? It won’t be that simple.”

“But... he stole other people’s partners... and even blacklisted their partners from the industry.”

“Hmmm. Pulling off the plan probably won’t be easy.”

“Don’t we have other information we can use as well?” Super Ribbon chimed in with a suggestion, “As long as we use the intel from the Gourmet Research Society...”

However, Marky shook her head, arms already crossed. “That kid’s connections run deep. It’ll probably be hard to pull off a severe punishment on him. Unfortunately, the information Rinne brought is about corruption in the Silla Guild—our target is Park Ji-Hoon, not the Silla Guild.”

If anything, they could at least use the information against the Silla Guild, turning them into an ally that could open a negotiating table.

“From what I could find out, the guild master of the Silla Guild, Park Ji-Hoon’s father, puts the guild first no matter what. If someone becomes a problem, he cuts them off without hesitation. We even know that he did so with his own son. So, the smartest way to use this information would be to wait until Park Ji-Hoon gets cornered, then use it to drag him straight down to the hellish depths of despair.”

“That’s brutal hehe.”

“And it’d also help Miss Hyeon-Ah gain some influence!”

Evangeline shook her head. “If Dad finds out we’re doing this, won’t he get mad?”

Davey was busy dealing with matters in Tionis. No matter how much of a grand duke and extraterritorial figure he was, he still ran around trying to make the world they lived in a better place.

“Though helping Uncle Baris is part of it too.”

“Dad won’t interfere in this.”

The Davey that Willow knew wasn’t someone who would casually block his children from chances for growth.

“He’ll probably want us to first judge for ourselves, then take our own responsibility for our decisions.”

There was a reason the three sisters never acted arrogant despite having someone as powerful as Davey behind them.

“When it comes to that kind of thing, Dad really is strict.”

“More accurately, Mother is...”

Even if he didn’t do anything, their three mothers definitely wouldn’t stay quiet.

Super Ribbon giggled, thinking of the three.

“Alright. We got off track, so let’s focus again. The goal is to have no killing. We’re not going to kill him.”

Their side couldn’t allow any mistakes.

“So we’re going to tear him down by making him reveal what he did and what he’s hiding. Anyone against it?”

“I’m in favor.”

“Agreed, POS.”

Everyone sided with Willow.

“I believe there are two possible paths he’ll take. First, he might lie low...”

After what happened with Seung-Woo, his standing in the guild had weakened, so there was a chance he would lie low until it all blew over.

“Or,” Willow continued, “he might try to recruit him again.”

He might approach Bae Seung-Woo again while pretending to regret what had happened.

No matter what, as long as he succeeded in bringing Bae Seung-Woo into the guild, he could secure his position again.

“Either way, we’ll have to play it by ear and adapt to the situation, but I think it’ll be the second one.”

Willow expected something along those lines was likely, but Park Ji-Hoon turned out to be even crazier than she had imagined.

* * *

“Will you come to the Silla Guild? I won’t spare any support for you. If you need elixirs, I’ll provide them. If you need money, I’ll give you as much as you want.”

Despite the circumstances, Park Ji-Hoon didn’t drop his overbearing attitude.

Bae Seung-Woo looked at him, internally marveling at how shitty of a person he was.

Maybe because he had already been marked as a future S-rank, Ji-Hoon seemed to feel he didn’t need to back down before another newly risen S-rank like Seung-Woo.

“Think about it. It’s true we had issues in the past, but if you think about the future, there aren’t many guilds that can give you as much as we can.”

“That’s the best you can think of?” Seung-Woo was, frankly, disappointed.

“At least I have a superficial reason to say I wronged you, don’t I? I can use that to get you even more. I know you resent me. So use that. I’ll also give you the best support I can.”

Since Seung-Woo resented him, he was telling him to use that resentment to squeeze even more out of the guild. He was offering him a key no other guild could provide.

In a way, it was a shameless strategy.

Bae Seung-Woo looked at him coldly. “I’m not interested.”

“I know other guilds want you too, but they won’t try to give you as much as the Silla Guild is willing to.”

Seung-Woo let out a mocking laugh. “So you just have to be able to say that you recruited me, then I’ll be granted access to all of that stuff you mentioned?”

“Yeah, that'll be enough. If you are willing to do so, I’ll do everything in my power to help your future.”

Still wearing that mocking expression, Seung-Woo raised his middle finger. “Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit. Do you even know how many lives your little games have destroyed?”

Ji-Hoon solemnly asked him once more, “...Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

“That’s something I should say. Just wait. From here on out, I’m going to bury you completely.”

Park Ji-Hoon stood up in irritation, not having expected such a direct and barbaric response.

“You stupid bastard. Just because you obtained one exceptional ability, you’re puffing yourself up like a kid who doesn’t know jack shit.”

“That’s funny, coming from you.”

“Let’s just see whether you can hold onto that power.”

After Park Ji-Hoon left, Bae Seung-Woo leaned back in his chair. He then spoke to Willow, who had been sitting behind him, and asked, “Which option do you think he’ll go with now?”

“He’s more random and stupid than I expected, but I can more or less see what he’ll do next. Good work.” Even she hadn’t expected him to come at it like this.

To think he still believed he had the upper hand.

“Why would Neltarid even give that kind of power to someone like him?”

She didn’t know what conditions Neltarid used to create Awakened individuals. However, at the very least, she knew Seung-Woo’s ability couldn’t be right.

She pondered on whether she should take the power away. That urge rose up several times, but she ultimately decided to sit and watch what happened.

* * *

“So you’re saying we should go find the hot cake and take him down?”

“Not just take him down. You have to meet every condition I mentioned.”

After that day, Park Ji-Hoon secretly contacted a group of shady criminals. They were people who had committed all kinds of crimes or operated in the underworld.

“But don’t leave any trace that we were involved! One of the people he’s close to is the child of the Saint of Tionis. You must avoid clashing with them at all costs. If you get caught, I’m finished, but so are you.”

No matter how arrogant the mercenary was, he couldn’t ignore the weight behind the name Saint of Tionis. If anything, those in the underworld understood that danger even better than others.

That was why Park Ji-Hoon was cautious.

After the thugs left, he turned to his secretary beside him, Yoo Na.

Or more accurately, Yuria.

“What about what I told you before?”

“It’s all prepared, just as you instructed. We can procure it immediately if you want.”

“Good. Bring it right away.”

“But... what are you planning to use it for?”

Park Ji-Hoon smirked and glared at her. “Do I need to explain that to you? Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“My apologies.”

“Well, still, it’s not like I can’t tell you. If you become mine, maybe I will.”

As he stood and placed a hand on her cheek, she smiled brightly and shook her head.

“My apologies.”

Her short refusal was firm.

* * *

“That’s everything he’s done so far.”

“Injuries on certain parts... and unusual materials...”

Evangeline tilted her head.

“What’s he trying to do?”

There was something off about his actions.

Since they couldn’t figure it out, Willow decided to set a trap. It was obvious that Park Ji-Hoon had already made a covert plan to attack Bae Seung-Woo.

“But he’ll be extremely thorough. If we leave even a hint of suspicion, he won’t make a move.”

So they made it seem like a normal situation.

“Form a standard party, then enter a suitable open-type gate. We’ll make sure it’s isolated.”

Seung-Woo nodded.

After that, he used an Awakened party matching app to team up with some suitable people.

Despite being S-rank, he didn’t have much experience, so it wasn’t strange for him seek the gains of experience step by step.

Of course, for his teammates, it was basically hitting the jackpot.

“Looking forward to working with you!”

Teaming up with a mixed group of three, Seung-Woo gave a friendly smile.

“I’m Bae Seung-Woo! Nice to meet you.”

“You’re that Awakened everyone has been talking about lately! Do you know how excited I was to join today? Looking forward to it!”

A woman with a warm expression showed him goodwill.

Their average ranks ranged from C to B. Nothing exceptional, but not weak either.

“The gate we’re exploring today is an open gate at Mt. Songni. Most of the monsters are small types, so you don’t need to worry too much about magic.”

They gave him a brief rundown, having been there before.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Oh my, someone with your ability, yet you’re still so humble!”

“Haha...”

“Can we expect that S-rank amplification?”

“Haha. I’ll try my best.”

“Then we’ll count on you!”

Because of his naturally kind personality, he easily earned people’s trust.

The four of them soon entered the gate. Yet, he was still uncertain if Park Ji-Hoon would take the bait.

However, one thing was clear. The criminals Park Ji-Hoon hired had entered the same gate.

“What should we do?”

“Wait until they move, then we’ll take them down.”

If they were able to make the criminals admit Park Ji-Hoon was behind it, that alone would be strong evidence.

Though, of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough.

After Willow awakened his ability, Seung-Woo’s amplification spread in strength like a fish in water.

“This is insane... it died in one hit?”

His teammates were captivated by how much stronger they had become. They had no issues raiding the gate. In fact, everything went too smoothly.

“This place was never this easy. I guess an S-rank really is different...”

Excited, they kept defeating monsters and collecting mana stones.

The gate being quite empty was a bit strange, but they didn’t pay too much attention to that.

After some time, despite their enhancements, they grew tired and decided to take a break.

Then, a group suddenly appeared and started moving toward them.

Following Park Ji-Hoon’s orders, they aimed to injure specific members of the group.

Even though Bae Seung-Woo was S-rank, he was more of a buffer, so his direct combat ability wasn’t on the same level. As such, their plan was to target his teammates first.

Without warning, they launched magic attacks.

Boom!!

Caught off guard, the members flinched.

Their eyes widened as they saw around ten Awakened individuals surrounding them.

“W-What is this supposed to be?!” one of them shouted angrily.

However, the attackers simply continued their assault.

“Shit!! What the hell is going on?!”

They ran in anger, realizing they had no chance in a direct fight since they were exhausted from the raid.

Also, they had been outnumbered from the start.

After running for a while, they were cornered with nowhere left to go.

“Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. So why fight back, huh?” one of the attackers taunted.

“What are you even talking about?!”

“I’ll just get to the point. That fancy S-rank over there pissed someone off. This is just him paying the price. Tsk. I’ll let the rest of you leave if you can run away.”

At that, the three others exchanged glances.

If they stayed, they’d die for nothing.

Seung-Woo abruptly spoke up, saying, “Go. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.”

“But—”

“Just go!!”

In response, they clenched their teeth.

“...I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry!”

And they ran.

Left alone, Seung-Woo looked at the criminals.

“They’ll report this once they get out. You’re fine with that?”

“What does it matter? We’re already wanted criminals.” One of them spun a small knife and smirked. “Don’t bother resisting. We know your combat ability.”

“You fucking bastards...” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“Relax, it won’t hurt that much. We’re not trying to kill you. If you died, that’d be a problem for us too.”

It seemed killing him would escalate things too much.

Tap. Tap.

As he raised his weapon to resist, Super Ribbon stepped out from hiding, as if she had been waiting for that moment.

“Huh? Boss, someone’s coming.”

“What? There shouldn’t be anyone—”

They froze in shock.

They recognized her face. Realizing something was wrong, they tried to scatter and run.

However...

“W-What the hell is this?!”

White muscular rabbits had already surrounded them, arms crossed, blocking every path.

Their appearance alone was terrifying.

Some tried to run another way. Yet more rabbits were waiting there as well.

Some of the massive rabbits even wagged their fingers, telling them to give up.

“What in the fucking hell are these mon—ugh!!”

In the blink of an eye, one of the rabbits had delivered a gut punch to the man speaking.

“Take them all down. They’re important evidence and sources of information,” Willow said casually as she stepped in.

“For something we planned carefully, they sure went with a pretty dumb method. This might be easier than expected.”

It didn’t take them long to subdue the criminals.

“W-Why is the daughter of the Saint of Tionis here...?”

“Good question. I’ve been going around with Seung-Woo several times lately. Why’d you think I wouldn’t be here?”

They trembled, realizing how dumb they were to not think it through.

She smiled brightly. “If you want to live, just tell us what we need to know.”

Terrified, they broke immediately.

“P-Please spare us! We just did what we were told!”

“What were you told to do?”

“T-that... not to kill him, but to seriously injure his liver,” one of them answered.

“His liver?”

“Y-Yes! They’re planning to use a poison that weakens an Awakened individual’s power!”

They spilled everything to survive.

“Wait, that’s pretty interesting. Keep going, tell me more.” Willow stepped in, asking lazily, “What exactly is he planning to make him take?”