Chapter 182: The Association Like Family
Anyway, once it’s revealed that I’m a scoundrel with no conscience and no magic power, I wonder how that staff will treat me.
Huuu.
In that case, I’ve verified the enhancement effects of Blueshell. Now, let’s head back with a lighter heart.
Gi-ryeo crossed the crosswalk after ending his brief thoughts.
*
Meanwhile.
The news that Kim Gi-ryeo bought Blueshell reached Kang Chang-ho’s ears.
To be precise, he learned about it while hearing reports that the black market got smashed.
– No, Chang-ho. Even so, isn’t it too much to inform the police about the black market in just a day?
– I didn’t know either.
– Still, I’ve managed to ensure that the most important A-Class seller, who you introduced me to, was brought out somehow. They might ask why I sided with the police inside, but please don’t. Frankly, I did what I could. I had no choice if I wanted to avoid arrest.
Gi-ryeo reported on the actions he took in the black market, worried that Kang Chang-ho would feel uneasy. It could also be seen as a way to save his own skin.
However, Kang Chang-ho didn’t seem to react much.
After all, that black market was merely a place where their membership was barely kept alive. So he didn’t care what happened to it at all.
“Hmmm.”
What Kang Chang-ho cared about was solely Gi-ryeo’s purchase item.
He was secretly curious about what the contractor would choose from the black market. But when the identity of the purchased item was revealed, the situation became somewhat peculiar.
“Blueshell?”
Let’s reiterate, that’s a doping agent usable only by low-ranked Awakened individuals.
At this point, one problem arises.
In fact, the assertion made by Seonwoo-yeon that it was a substitute for painkillers was fundamentally incorrect.
That blue fruit was supposedly known to provide pain relief even to high-ranking Awakened.
However, clinical trials on the top-tier hunters, that is, the S-Class, would yield completely different results.
“This is…”
Kang Chang-ho had experience consuming Blueshell previously.
“It’s a useless item for us.”
And so he realized.
Top-ranking Awakened couldn’t benefit from pain relief even when using that blue fruit.
But why did Korea’s fourth S-Class buy that fruit?
Out of pure curiosity to analyze it? That couldn’t be the case. After all, this wasn’t the first time Kim Gi-ryeo had encountered Blueshell.
Hmph, if he was interested, he would have already checked the sample when he went to the gang’s warehouse.
Then, what does this mean?
Kang Chang-ho, a large figure who couldn’t help but look down on everything, thought while leaning back on the sofa.
“How interesting.”
The top-ranking hunter that appeared fourth couldn’t be grouped with him.
“This guy doesn’t really seem to be S-Class.”
To Gi-ryeo’s eyes, he was suspicious to the extreme.
Moreover, this individual was already a stalker who watched others closely, making the discomfort even more pronounced.
Korea’s third S-Class was now getting closer to the truth.
‘But then again, it’s not like they’re F-Class, so where exactly is the real rank?’
Of course, there were still many ambiguous aspects.
Ding!
At that moment.
Kang Chang-ho turned his head at the sound that rang next to the sofa. The 8-inch tablet he picked up had a new message.
[Sender: mbrooklyn@email…….]
It was a contact from Brooklyn Morgan.
She probably wanted to receive information about Kim Gi-ryeo as agreed upon last time.
Without hesitation, Kang Chang-ho began typing a reply upon seeing Brooklyn’s message.
Sorry, but the suggestion at the hotel was merely meant to control the situation there.
[Sorry, I don’t have any information to convey yet. When I have a clear…….]
He didn’t want to interact with the American hunter unnecessarily.
Thus, Kang Chang-ho roughly threw together a response saying he had nothing clear to say.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
He lived with the mindset that nothing was absolute in this world, yet paradoxically, he sought clarity more than anyone else.
Well, there’s still no evidence that he bought Blueshell to consume it…
Thud.
After finishing the reply, Kang Chang-ho threw the tablet back onto the sofa.
He carefully postponed his conclusions. He thought that he couldn’t affirm anything at this stage.
*
…But it seemed the people here had a quite different opinion.
“Hello.”
A few hours later.
Korean Hunter Association.
Shiny brown shoes reflected on the impeccably clean floor.
The one who just greeted was an envoy from America’s Spectrum Guild, and he soon sat face to face with President Go Byeong-do to initiate a friendly chat.
“No, wait a moment.”
However, the smiling foreign guests dropped a shocking statement just a few minutes in.
“What, what did you say?”
Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t an S-Class hunter?!
“More accurately, that means there’s a high likelihood he isn’t.”
Brooklyn Morgan wrapped up her previous Korean visit with regrets.
She hadn’t confirmed Kim Gi-ryeo’s strength directly, and moreover, a certain S-Class had broken a promise to share information.
Yet the Spectrum Guild to which Brooklyn belonged considered that this was already sufficient leverage to pressure Korea.
Because….
“By the way, filling in numbers with a fake S-Class; have you thought about how big a deal that would be if this got out in the international community?”
“What are you talking about?! He’s not S-Class. I have no idea what you’re on about! This is the first I’m hearing of it!”
“Are you claiming that the association president has no connection to the manipulation of this hunter’s rank?”
“Yes. That’s correct!”
In the meantime, they had somehow obtained certain information.
“From our internal investigation results, we’ve confirmed signs of dozens of billions worth of cash being funneled from your shell company account.”
“Huh?”
“And the money that vanished was delivered to a certain studio at your direction. Hmm.”
The Spectrum side tested their opponent with the information they had.
“To us, that dozens of billions looks like payment for the services of this fake S-Class.”
“Th-that’s. It’s not what you think…”
In response came a rough reaction from President Go Byeong-do.
Could it be that the S-Class hunter he struggled to register suddenly wasn’t even real? Moreover, he couldn’t carelessly explain the whereabouts of the 3 billion mentioned by the foreigner.
Damn it!
During the incident of ‘Unavoidable Malice,’ the Knight’s Pact he signed included a clause about not disclosing the contract’s contents.
No! Why were those bastards rummaging through bank transactions in another country without permission?!
This was such an unethical act!
While he wanted to shout in frustration, if he acted out here, that would only affirm suspicions against him.
So, the association president gritted his teeth and spoke.
“I swear to the heavens, I have nothing to do with that! No matter what you think, my connection to Kim Gi-ryeo’s rank is….”
But the reaction that came back was far different from the atmosphere he expected.
“Even if you didn’t know…”
A middle-aged woman in a silk shirt straightened her posture and began to speak. The interpreter next to her quickly translated this into Korean.
“Then it would only conclude that you lacked the qualifications to lead the organization.”
“What qualifications?! It must be that the Awakening Test machine malfunctioned. Everyone uses the same PIXY device. How can this be just my incompetence?”
“If you believe the test to be incorrect, you should have tried another method of investigation. It turns out that the hunter in question hadn’t even been subjected to verification of their attack-type skills.”
“That’s just because you don’t know what you’re talking about! At that time, there was no need for such procedures!”
The argument continued for a while.
“Kim Gi-ryeo is a hunter who caught ‘Unavoidable Malice.’ How could I possibly have suspected him?”
The president lamented his innocence, but the American Spectrum Guild remained cold.
“Regardless, we are planning to resubmit our request for re-evaluation of hunter Kim Gi-ryeo to international organizations based on the information we’ve gathered so far.”
“W-What?!”
“This time, we’ll ensure no manipulation is involved. In front of [Justitia].”
“…!”
“However, if you don’t wish for this accusation to proceed… perhaps, seeing some goodwill might allow us to cancel it.”
“Goodwill?”
“For example, transferring ownership of a few gates.”
This country has a small landmass, but the dungeon resources it has aren’t bad.
“If that hunter were to be declared a fake in court, no matter how much you feign ignorance, you wouldn’t escape criticism. Of course, Korea would also bear the costs of using Justitia—”
“Hey! What do you mean by a mere guild talking to me…?”
“A mere guild?”
The negotiator dispatched from the Spectrum side scoffed at President Go Byeong-do’s words.
“We are a guild that holds not just Brooklyn Morgan but three S-Class hunters, and thus, we have strong ties with our nation’s gate management agency.”
Click. She placed the coffee cup she was holding down on the saucer.
“Consequently, your position could easily become precarious based on the words of a mere guild.”
Goodness.
Threatening to completely oust him from the position of association president on the grounds of the passing of a fake S-Class!
How could he possibly lose this title due to such ridiculous reasoning?
“Regrettably, we are not family or friends. We simply operate in similar businesses.”
“……”
“Therefore, if you wish for our cordiality, there’s no other option but to display adequate goodwill.”
Swish.
As they said that, the Spectrum Guild placed the prepared documents on the table.
Within them were several dungeons, suspected to occur only in Korea.
“I hope this transaction will strengthen our relationship.”
With that, they threatened a foreign authority and left the scene.
Whether Kim Gi-ryeo was real or fake remained uncertain even to them, but seeing the association president’s reaction made it clear he had something to hide, and they aimed to profit from it.
Left alone, Go Byeong-do trembled as he sipped his cold coffee.
Huh.
Soon, his face turned as red as fire.
“T-this… damn kid…”
Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t an S-Class?
So does that mean I’ve been fooled?!
In that moment, the president internally branded a certain hunter as a con man.
That a foreign power would come here to cause such a ruckus likely meant they had concrete proof against him.
So they must have grasped Kim Gi-ryeo’s secret and came here to intimidate him.
The misinterpretation arose due to the powerful image the Americans had of their FBI, CIA, and the like.
Haa, what is this…
Taking a breath, the president hurriedly unfolded the copy of the Knight’s Pact he had stored in the secure files.
——————=
1. Kim Gi-ryeo will not intentionally harm Go Byeong-do and his family in the future.
——————=
Originally, it was a solemn promise to consider only Go Byeong-do alone, which he had fervently begged to amend.
It was on the strength of this clause that he had paid such large sums.
I thought it was a good deal, as I wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked by a dangerous S-Class. No, I even thought I had gained from it.
But if Kim Gi-ryeo was a fraud, then he had just squandered 3 billion in slush funds, didn’t he?
If he wasn’t S-Class, then of course he wouldn’t harm him.
I have at least two A-Class Awakened among my guards.
Thud.
Sinking deeply into the sofa, he took a moment to catch his breath. But his face soon flushed again.
“How could a kid like him dare to deceive the leader of the association!”
Go Byeong-do groaned in pain, realizing he alone was in dire straits due to the other party’s deception.
He was innocent in this. No, in fact, he was the victim of a 3 billion loss, yet if it came to this, he would be blamed for incompetence regardless of whether he knew or not. If this continued, he wouldn’t even complete his term.
But if I open the gates to another country, I’d definitely face backlash later.
Sigh.
The frustration wouldn’t subside like this. He needed to give Kim Gi-ryeo a significant lesson.
But Go Byeong-do couldn’t figure out what to do right then.
When they shared the Knight’s Pact,
The association had promised not to exercise absolute power over Gi-ryeo, and because of that, he couldn’t administratively retaliate by suspending his hunter qualifications…
“Huh?”
But at that moment.
The president’s eyes caught the previously mentioned clause again.
——————=
1. Kim Gi-ryeo will not intentionally harm Go Byeong-do and his family in the future.
——————=
Unlike lower contract items, there was no way to解除 it, and breaching the promise would lead to death by payment— the Knight’s Pact.
Wait a minute, if I use this clause well…?
