The message was short, but clear. Byung Jin’s face stiffened.
“I guess words won’t work on you,” Byung Jin said.
“What’re you going to do if words won’t work? Why, are you going to kill me?” jeered Sung Joon.
“We don’t use those violent methods on talented individuals like you,” Byung Jin replied. He took his phone out and checked the time.
“The guild will send someone soon.”
It was an obvious development, even if he hadn’t explained it. They would probably send someone to threaten him.
Sung Joon smiled coldly.
“I don’t care whether you send someone or not. However, I’ll tell you this in advance… if they attack me, I’ll kill them.”
“Ugh!”
Thud.
When he had finished talking, Sung Joon secretly leaked out his killing intent, and Byung Jin mindlessly fell to the ground.
It was as if there was a cold storm behind Sung Joon’s calm eyes.
When Byung Jin saw those eyes, he couldn’t muster any strength in his legs to stand up.
“I definitely said that I’d kill them,” Sung Joon stressed.
After he warned him for the second time, he left, departing from Byung Jin’s sight.
On the way home from the park, Rishubalt said, “How dare they threaten my lord! It is only right that they be executed!”
It looked as if Byung Jin’s arrogance had angered Rishubalt.
“I explained those three things to you last time. You can’t kill people easily unless it’s in self-defense.”
“I said it because I was so angry. If I was able to materialize, I would’ve cut his neck.”
“Thanks. It looks like you were able to release some of that anger.”
Since Rishubalt had gotten angry in his stead, conversely, Sung Joon was able to smile.
“This doesn’t look like the way back home,” Rishubalt said.
Sung Joon nodded.
“I’m going to the Hunter Bureau.”
He took a taxi and travelled to the Hunter Bureau. Sung Joon went to Team Leader Kim Hyun Sung’s office. He had already contacted Hyun Sung on the taxi ride there so no one stopped him.
“Ah, Mr. Kang Sung Joon!”
He opened the door, went in, and Hyun Sung greeted him. Sung Joon examined his surroundings. There were a lot of eyes watching.
“Should we go somewhere a little quieter?” Sung Joon whispered after walking up to Hyun Sung.
Hyun Sung assumed that he had something serious to say, so he led Sung Joon to the rooftop.
The rooftop was wide and if they excluded the two smoking, there was no one else up there besides them. They went to a secluded area and began to talk.
“The Great Demon guild came to my house,” began Sung Joon.
It was a short phrase but there were many things that one could infer from it.
“The Great Demon guild would easily be able to find out where you live. There are many insiders who give the high-ranking guilds information in order to get a connection with them,” Hyun Sung said honestly.
Since everyone knew by now, it wasn’t really a secret anymore.
“It won’t end there. Since the Great Demon guild is ill-natured, they may send skilled Hunters to threaten you. Also, in the worst case…”
“Please, keep going.”
Hyun Sung briefly stopped but Sung Joon pressed him to continue.
“They may send a Combat Hunter who has a stealth ability to attack you.”
“Are you saying they’ll kill me?” asked Sung Joon.
“Yes, with whatever means they have at their disposal. The only thing I can say with complete certainty is that we have a strong suspicion that high-ranking guilds are involved in the suspicious deaths that have been occurring. We simply cannot catch them since we don’t have any conclusive evidence,” Hyun Sung replied.
They needed conclusive evidence to act, but Hunters with a stealth skill wouldn’t leave any such evidence behind.
“The Bureau is much more incompetent than I thought,” Sung Joon said.
Hyun Sung simply smiled bitterly.
“I can’t deny that. Even if we have conclusive evidence, there have been many cases where the Bureau hasn’t acted, simply because they were high-ranking guilds.”
Sung Joon asked, “Is it because they have so many Hunters?”
“That’s right. After the dungeons were formed, energy was mostly replaced with magic stones and Hunters gained tremendous influence,” said Hyun Sung.
“I’ll get going.”
Sung Joon went over to the stairs. Since he had figured out that the Great Demon’s guild might send an assassin, he had collected plenty of information.
“If you need it, we’ll send you some men to protect you,” Hyun Sung reassured.
“No, that won’t be necessary. If the hidden Hunter acts, they won’t be of any help,” Sung Joon said firmly.
If they were there, they would only get in the way when the fighting started. After he left behind Hyun Sung, Sung Joon left the Hunter Bureau and went home.
While he was walking home, a light bulb went off in his head suddenly.
‘This isn’t the inside of a dungeon.’
Sung Joon already knew that the Great Demon guild would send someone and since this was outside of a dungeon, he could use an electronic imaging device.
Sung Joon bought a miniature camera that looked like a button from a store in the neighborhood and put it on his clothes.
“The store owner seemed quite concerned, my lord,” Rishubalt said.
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Sung Joon.
He arrived home and that night, there were no unwelcome guests.
They didn’t come the next day either but Sung Joon decided to take a break from dungeon solo playing anyway. In any case, he had already planned to rest but it was also because he didn’t want to get backstabbed while fighting monsters.
On the night of the fourth day, he finished his simple training in the mountains and was on his way back.
Rishubalt followed carefully by his side and said, “My lord, it seems we have an uninvited guest.”
Sung Joon nodded. A few minutes ago, he had sensed a suspicious presence, even before Rishubalt had said anything.
Sung Joon stopped his descent and instead lured his opponent deep into the mountain.
“Come out,” Sung Joon demanded.
“You don’t seem weak but you’re a bit too sure of yourself.”
A dagger-wielding Hunter appeared from the darkness. He was an A-rank Hunter, called Yoo Sang Kyu, sent by the Great Demon guild.
In order to gain the advantage, Sang Kyu leaked his killing power but Sung Joon maintained a calm expression.
“Oh… Chief Kang Byung Jin was right.”
Sang Kyu took out another dagger. It looked like he was provoking him, so Rishubalt’s face stiffened. Sung Joon remained silent, in order to not break his concentration.
“Should we renegotiate? Do you want to join our guild?” asked Sang Kyu.
Sung Joon wordlessly drew the sword at his waist. Sang Kyu furrowed his eyebrows.
“That’s a shame,” Sang Kyu said.
“Don’t act like you know everything.”
“I know that you bought a miniature camera. But don’t you know… that if I take that, the evidence disappears.”
Sang Kyu laughed nefariously.
“If you die here, nobody will know.”
Sang Kyu melded with the darkness. It seemed as if he would use his stealth skill to move undetected, but he couldn’t hide his killing intent completely.
He was restraining it but Sung Joon definitely felt it.
Sung Joon quickly turned around. He could see the gleaming light of a blade in the darkness and stepped back, evading the attack.
“You evaded it?” Sang Kyu said, shocked.
“I also have something to say…” Sung Joon spoke calmly.