Published at 4th of October 2020 7:13 am

Chapter 147: Removing Hives (4)

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“You’re Yoojin Han, right? You look much better in person.”

I smiled, saying thanks to the fussing words. Most of the people I encountered recognized who I was, which had been the case when I had gone out to buy a cell phone and glasses. It was inevitable since I had been on television for quite a while before the dungeon break occurred.

“Their gazes are too focused on me.”

There were many people in a supermarket near supper time, and all of them stared at me and whispered to each other. While their response was more positive than they had been before my return, I still remembered my memories.

I dropped the bag of pasta I had been holding as my hold on it loosened. Yoohyun, as Minyui Kim, picked it up, and a person nearby spoke to me in a worried voice.

“Are you alright? You seem unwell.”

“Actually, I still feel tense when there’s a crowd. I become a bit scared when a lot of people stare at me.”

I smiled as if to laugh away such an experience, and others looked upon me in sympathy. Being kidnapped was traumatic, but I had also gone to the auction house.

“Are you alright coming out like this?”

“I have to work on getting used to going outside, and that’s the reason I came out to shop for groceries. Thanks for your concern.”

Efforts to overcome an unfortunate experience looked and sounded good. I heard people cheer me on, and others made the crowd disperse and asked them to stop staring. I felt uncomfortable watching them.

“You’re acting, right? Are you all right?”

Yoohyun asked in a small voice as others went on their ways.

“I have no reason not to be, and it actually had been a vacation.”

I had rested amid friendly service. The kidnapping was acceptable if it meant I could relax without being it a burden on my conscience. It might be nice to be kidnapped every few months if the accommodations met previous standards, and the extra income had been sweet.

I went to the meat corner and chose the best beef available and the most expensive seafood the market had.

“It’s been a long time since we went shopping for groceries together.”

It had been ten years for me.

“What do you want to eat? Just say the word.”

“Whatever you choose.”

“You said the same thing when you were a child. There’s no limit on the budget anymore.”

It was not my money since I was using the credit card Hyunjae Sung had given me in Hong Kong at the checkout counter. I was going to spend as much as I could before he asked me to return it, but the problem was I had little use for the card.

We headed to one of Haeyeon’s vacation homes by car after we finished shopping, and of course, it was under another name. Noah entered soon after we lowered the luggage in the spacious kitchen of the luxurious house. Moonlight illuminated his golden hair when he came out of hiding, and it would have been difficult for Noah to go about inconspicuously day or night if he did not have the hiding skill.

“You did well, Mr. Noah.”

Noah smiled widely at seeing me greet him at the door. He seemed much younger than Yoohyun, although they were only a year apart. I thought he was cute because I saw his dragon form when seeing his face.

“Thank you for helping out. Please ask for anything at any time.”

I did not want to use him for free, and he always said that he was fine whenever I asked.

“I don’t have anything to ask for now…”

Noah mumbled and started to speak. Him saying ‘for now’ meant one thing.

“Is there something you need, in future?”

Finally, his light gray eyes looked around the house and spoke again.

“If my sister comes out, she will reside in Korea for a while. Can I stay at your house during that time?”

“Of course.”

There was no reason not to, and come to think of it, Riette was spending a longer time than I had expected for the dungeon conquest. Was it because she had gone with the Association hunters? Since she could transform into a dragon, going solo might have been faster.

“I will stop Riette from barging into your home.”

“Please don’t hurt yourself for me.”

“Don’t worry. Riette won’t touch me if she has a monster for me to raise.”

Even if the monster grows up, Riette had not threatened me before. She did try to have her way with me, so I just needed to avoid being alone with her.

Yoohyun and Noah prepared the dinner, and they made me sit despite me saying that I would finish what I started. They were sweet kids.

“My sister can’t cook.”

Noah spoke as he put the pasta in the boiling pot. I thought she was skillful with her hands, so that was a surprise. Did she not, at least, use a knife well?

“She tends to be excessively creative and puts weird things in her cooking.”

“Ah…”

She might be the kind of a person who would ruin a completed dish with a garnish.

“He has the same name and is a hunter belonging to a small guild in charge of transporting the honey in this country.”

“Let’s see.”

He was a D class and had no other noticeable characteristics, but it was probable that he was the guy Jisu Min had discerned. We had the justification of him involved in dungeon item trafficking even if he was irrelevant to the truck driver.

“Let’s go after these guys.”

“Should I quietly send some men?”

I shook my head at Simyeong Seok’s words.

“I’m planning to go loud and clear, and the Head of the Awakened Office needs to do some work.”

“Then, those involved would go into hiding.”

“They would run around like rats in a burning house, and we have Mr. Hamin Do with us.”

If we track down the significant suspects regarding the Hunter Association, we would be able to pick those who had been involved in honey trafficking. If they are flustered at a small guild without any ties with the Association, then it would be definite. That was when we send men quietly.

“There are more than twelve people.”

I tapped Hamin Do’s shoulder as he frowned and took out my phone.

“I have to treat Chief Song something.”

I wanted to give him an S class equipment through Myeongwoo even though he would refuse. Was there a way?

***

Dongju Lottery, the guild Junbae Kim belonged to, was located in a suburban area between Seoul and Incheon. Was the Guild leader’s name Dongju?

“There was no need to follow me.”

Taewon Song furrowed his brow after getting out of the car.

“We’re involved in this case, and don’t you cooperate with relevant guilds regarding hunter related crimes? Hunter Minyui Kim came from Haeyeon, and I came from the hunter related facility despite not being a guild because there was no one else.”

I deliberately sighed, saying that I had too little workforce. Actually, it was true since I had not employed most of the people in the building, and I was simply the landlord.

“There’s hunter Noah.”

“He’s busy with other things.”

Noah was waiting to catch those who would make a move right after hearing that we ambushed Donju Lottery. Noah could make himself disappear and was mobile enough to not perform chores like this. He was a supporter in dungeons, but one of the best hunters outside and with the addition of Hamin Do, he had information, stealth, and mobility.

He could get the target fast and in secret, and I was sorry because he was too useful.

“Don’t worry since Hunter Minyui Kim is reliable, and I’m only going to watch. Since you’re here, things will end in a second anyway.”

I spoke, holding Minyui Kim, or Yoohyun’s arm as he stood next to me. Taewon Song stared at Yoohyun and then nodded as if he gave in.

“Confirm the exit routes and block them.”

The hunters who came with Taewon Song moved at his sign. They belonged to the Awakened Office, and while there were only a few of them, since they were attacker hunters all above mid-class, they would be able to fend off a small guild.

Others waited in position, and only Taewon Song walked to the building entrance. The escapees would be a problem, and if they retaliated, he would be able to take care of them. Fighting alone would be easier for him as he would not have to think of hurting allies.

When he rang the bell, there was no answer. The light seeping through the window hastily turned dark, and they seemed to want to run away after checking who Taewon Song was.

Taewon Song ripped the door open, and I saw his back disappear into the dark.

“This is breaking and entering-“

The shouts did not last long, and I heard things break instead.

“How long would this take?”

“Under three minutes.”

Yoohyun looked up and down the building before answering.

“There are nine in total, and five of them are below, and four of them are hastily taking care of something up above.”

“How can you know all that?”

“I can estimate if the movements are large without much thought. The five that came down are now taken care of.”

I heard something like a thick door break and some shouts. Then, there was silence.

“Has it been about two minutes?”

I hoped there had been enough time for the four above to contact others, and they seemed to have managed it as I received a phone call.

[They started to move.]

It was Simyeong Seok’s voice, and the lights in the building came on again. The hunters who had been covering the exit routes went in and cuffed the criminals. I went to the second floor and saw Taewon Song stand in front of an opened safe. I saw blood on his gloved hands and no other signs of a fight.

“You’re not hurt?”

“…No.”

Of course, he would be fine since this was a light exercise against weaklings, but I was scared for him since a fight is a fight. I breathed in deeply and went to the safe.

“Don’t touch it.”

“Don’t worry. Actually, I have some equipment available if you’re interested-“

“I’m not.”

His answer was firm. I had given equipment from Hong Kong, including the Shawl of Magos to Yerim, and others to Yoohyun. There were limits to how much a person could be equipped, and the characteristics had to be considered. Those were stolen goods anyway.

“Would you buy items if I sold it to you at a reasonable price?”

“It’s against the law if the price is too low.”

Should I go into a dungeon with a recruit after saying that I will reward the individual who completed a dungeon conquest? I had to change the civil hunter contract conditions first. The rules had to change at least so they could receive individual items.

***

“Don’t worry! There’s no evidence that Donju Lottery has a connection to us!”

A middle-aged man spoke towards the cell phone he was holding in his hand, but his face was dark. The small guild that had been in charge of the honey transportation from the broken dungeon had been tracked down this fast. It meant that the opponent was capable of gathering information.

“However, erase all traces since it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

The man ended the call and rushed out of the house. He drove to a vacation home he had bought under another name, and he had stored the contract regarding the illegal dungeon with the items and magic stones he had gained in the safe here.

“It would be difficult for them to come here.”

However, he had to destroy them or store them in another price. Since he had visited this place often, it would be found soon. The man had opened the safe hidden in the living room wall without turning the lights on when he felt something.

“What?”

The living room windows opened with a loud bang, and an invisible hand blocked the astonished man’s mouth.

“Be quiet.”

The voice was soft and easy on the ears, but it was powerful enough to stop a man in his tracks. The person he could not see spoke again.

“I caught him.”

[I sent a car nearby. The next place is-]

The man’s body floated with a faint noise of fluttering wings.

“We do not want much, and just want to have MKC’s shares.”

Simyeong Seok spoke as if he had been waiting for the chance.

“You know that the Association is covering for MKC, whose reputation has fallen for a series of mistakes under the justification of balancing large-sized guilds. We want to fix that.”

“Are you saying that you want us to endorse Haeyeon in exchange for getting into the Association again?”

“There’s no need for that.”

Simyeong Seok slowly smiled, and his gaze flickered to Yoohyun, who was sitting next to me.

“We have three S class hunters and a deep connection to the monster breeding facility. We have already overshadowed MKC regarding growth possibilities, and just want fair treatment.”

He confidently spoke, that would be enough.

“It’s astoundingly unfair that the number of dungeons we manage, and the quota of item prioritization rights are the same as when we only had one S class hunter. Since Sesung also has more S class hunters, adjustments should be made extensively.

Simyeong Seok clucked his tongue that the higher up in the Association did not listen. He then fluently explained the potential Haeyeon had and how much they would help manage the dungeons safely in detail. He was planning to raise Haeyeon right below Sesung. While Haeyeon could be the top if you only consider the number of S class hunters, Sesung’s second S class hunter had an exclusive team right after coming to Korea. On the other hand, Haeyeon S class hunters still did not have their own teams, which meant that they were still behind.

While there were differences in other fields, Haeyeon should be evaluated above MKC and Breaker regarding the strength of its hunters.

“We agree with your statement that the Association has been unfair in some parts. However, we will forget the fact we had the conversation here.”

Eunyoung Choi cut off the conversation, and others had similar expressions. It would be better for us, but there would still be traces of what had been spoken here. Memories cannot be erased, and since they knew that there was a discriminatory problem, it would be prioritized over other issues. At the same time, they would think that Haeyeon’s sudden growth was inevitable. While it was a simple truth, they would be more lenient with Haeyeon’s shares on dungeons and item ownership.

“Then, let’s talk about how we would take care of these men.”

The six men who had been picking at the food now grew rigid, and the six individuals across the table glared at them.

The nation erupted again from the early morning.

[An intentional dungeon break!]

It had been only three years from the dungeon shock, and most people remembered the hurt that had come with it. Simultaneously, dungeon breaks were ongoing disasters. The fact that someone had deliberately triggered one angered the entire nation.

[The Director of Dungeon Management Headquarters acknowledges being involved in illegal dungeon transactions!]

[Did the Vice President of the Hunter Association know about the trafficking of the rewards of an A class dungeon, nicknamed The Hive?!]

[The board members of the Hunter Association resign to take responsibility for the ‘Hive Situation.’]

[Who would take the place of the previous Director of Dungeon Management Headquarters, who has been taken into emergency custody?]

[The past and the present of the Hunter Association. Why had the members been replaced?]

[The corruption of the Hunter Association continues to emerge! Sweet honey had allured pests.]

Newspapers and television spoke about this issue for days. People who had made a deal with me resigned with a written apology for responsibility. While they had avoided harsh criticism, the six who had been caught and others involved were taken into custody.

While there were no relevant laws since nothing like this had happened before, I heard that it was highly probable that they would be charged with crimes on the level of overthrowing the state. It was only luck that the casualties had been just a few, so a death row sentence would not be farfetched.

‘I hope the new personnel does not cause problems.’

It would be easy to remove them just in case since I had the contracts, but I hoped I would not have to use them. Please do not rot for about five years.

Since I replaced the basics, I wanted to mediate the misaligned relationship between the Awakened Office and the Association. Should I do something? Can’t things work out on their own? However, Taewon Song should not be relegated to cleaning up messes.

I felt this all the more firmly after briefly experiencing his powers. His looting skill would be fantastic if nurtured, and he would not lose one-on-one fights if the range expanded a bit. If only he had an environment where he could get the proper equipment and train himself. Of course, Taewon Song would refuse all this. Should I try to apply a keyword?

“Comet! You took my glasses again!”

Comet was awake during the day recently, and it grabbed my glasses and flew up. I quickly reached out but only felt air. Where did it go? I could not see it.

-Peep!

“Hey, don’t come near my feet! The table!”

“Be careful, big brother.”

Yoohyun came to give my glasses back to me. Comet indignantly fluttered as Yoohyun held it in his hand. The glasses were proving to be inconvenient, and maybe lenses would be a better choice.

“When will your eyesight return to normal?”

“Maybe soon if I rest.”

Yoohyun furrowed his brow at my words. I rested without doing anything yesterday but needed to go out today. I received information that Riette had come out after finishing the dungeon conquest.

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