Chapter 74: I will kill you one by one from now on.

“Today, I intend to make the Daepeld Guild disappear from the world. Could you help me?”

The Hunter Association President, Kang Seongho, did not know Choi Juwon’s identity.
All he knew was that the man called the Masked Instructor was incredibly strong, that he was the savior who had spared his life.
And that he was the benefactor who had saved his daughter in the Black Gate.

– Father… if it weren’t for the Masked Instructor, I definitely would have died.

Although Choi Juwon had initiated the training in the gate, no one there had been forced to enter, and Kang Eunbyul hadn’t blamed Choi Juwon either, as she had entered the dungeon out of her own stubbornness.
Therefore, Kang Eunbyul believed she owed her life entirely to Choi Juwon, and she had conveyed this to her father.

For reference, Kang Eunbyul had been knocked unconscious by the vampire-type monster Dertod that appeared in the Black Gate at the time, so she hadn’t heard the conversation between Choi Juwon and his disciples.
Furthermore, Park Hyeyeon, who had heard Choi Juwon’s name, was inherently not the type to talk much with others, so she hadn’t spread it around.
In other words, except for Park Hyeyeon, the other disciples and Kang Eunbyul were unaware of Choi Juwon’s true identity.

“Hmm….”

Hunter Association President Kang Seongho pondered for a moment before speaking to Choi Juwon.

“Masked Instructor, thanks to you, my life and my daughter’s life were saved.”
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that my daughter, trapped in the Black Gate, was able to return alive.”
“If you hadn’t been there, my daughter would surely have died.”
“Truthfully… I value my daughter’s life more than my own.”
“My personal value is to live as righteously as possible, but I am also a duplicitous person who would do any dirty deed if it meant saving my daughter’s life.”
“Regardless of my beliefs or values, you saved Eunbyul.”
“Therefore, the premise that I will naturally grant your request remains unchanged.”
“So, please listen without misunderstanding.”

Kang Seongho took a short breath before asking.

“What is your reason for deciding to eliminate the Daepeld Guild?”

Kang Seongho was inherently a righteous person.
Even if not someone who actively pursued justice, he was the type who couldn’t stand by and watch injustice happen before his eyes.
But he was also a father.
A man who would do anything for his daughter.
He was a father who loved his daughter incomparably more than his own beliefs, values, or anything like that.
Therefore, Kang Seongho’s question was simple curiosity.
What was the reason for deciding to eliminate a high-ranking guild?

Choi Juwon answered over the receiver.

“Just as Kang Eunbyul is precious to you, I have people precious to me.”
“They are people who work hard and live with what they are given.”
“The Daepeld Guild messed with those people.”
“I cannot give you the details, but not many people remain for me.”
“They have all left.”
“Therefore, I do not want to lose the ones who are left.”
“If the Daepeld Guild is dealt with ambiguously, those bastards will target the people around me again.”
“To prevent such a tragedy, I will kill them all.”
“I will annihilate that damn guild.”

Listening to Choi Juwon, Kang Seongho thought.
What would he have done to that monster if his daughter had died in the Black Gate?
If another guild had killed Eunbyul, how would he have dealt with that guild?
He could assert that he would have done the exact same thing.

“I understand the reason.”
“I will help you.”
“How can I assist you?”

Daepeld was a high-ranking guild.
Wiping out such a guild was by no means a simple act.
If they were caught after annihilating everyone, there was no telling what kind of backlash would occur.
Kang Seongho decided to help Choi Juwon after hearing just one answer to his question about such a massive issue.
This clearly showed how much he regarded the man called the Masked Instructor as a great benefactor.

“Association President, I need you to tell me the location of the Daepeld Guild’s headquarters and their secret hideout.”
“We are currently unable to find where those bastards are hiding.”
“My acquaintance has been kidnapped and is likely being tortured right now.”
“Given the situation where they could die at any moment, we need to track them down as quickly as possible.”

“Understood.”
“Do not worry.”
“I maintain connections with high-ranking guilds in various fields.”
“Especially, I have a good relationship with the information guilds.”
“Whether it’s artifacts or money, I will find out immediately by persuading them with whatever they desire.”

“Thank you.”

“Rather, I should be thanking you.”
“Thank you so much for saving my life and my daughter’s life.”
“I will immediately look for the Daepeld Guild’s headquarters and, if it exists, their secret hideout.”
“I will let you know as soon as I find it.”

– Click.

After hanging up, Kang Seongho started calling the surrounding guilds.

–

“This is Kang Seongho.”
“Retan Guild Leader, I hope you are well?”

The guild leader of the Retan Guild, Ho Jichan, spoke in a welcoming voice.

“Isn’t it the Hunter Association President?”
“I received the gift you sent last time.”
“Thanks to you, my body is overflowing with energy.”

Retan.
It wasn’t a guild famous for its combat power, but it was rumored to have excellent information gathering capabilities.
As a guild whose strength was information, they sold or exchanged collected intelligence.
However, because they maintained an extremely closed structure, they primarily did business with regular clients, and some information was never released no matter how much money was offered.

Kang Seongho had maintained a good cooperative relationship with the Retan Guild Leader for a long time.
For hunters, information was akin to a lifeline.

Kang Seongho spoke.

“I’m glad you liked the gift I sent.”
“The reason I’m calling is because I have a favor to ask.”
“Do you happen to have information on the Daepeld Guild’s headquarters?”

“Hmm… the Daepeld Guild, you say?”

– Tatatatatak.

“Yes, we do.”
“What price range are you considering?”
“How would you like to make the payment?”

“Before discussing the payment amount and method, what I want is not the official Daepeld Guild hideout, but a secret hideout or a place like a torture chamber.”

“A secret hideout, you say?… Hmmm….”

Ho Jichan seemed troubled, as if something was bothering him.
Not missing the opportunity, Kang Seongho made an offer to Ho Jichan.

“If you tell me, as payment for the information, I will give you any S-rank artifact you desire.”

“… Are you serious?”
“Are you saying I can choose anything among the S-rank artifacts the Hunter Association President possesses?”

“Yes.”
“I guarantee it on my honor.”

Not all S-rank artifacts possessed the same level of performance.
While some had ridiculously overpowered abilities, others were somewhat disappointing to be called S-rank.
The Hunter Association President was famous for possessing a wide spectrum of S-rank artifacts.
For such a person to offer any single S-rank artifact was akin to offering a blank check.

“Hah….”

– Tap.
– Tap.
– Tap.

Ho Jichan tapped his desk, deep in thought for a long while, then spoke quietly.

“Actually, information about the Daepeld Guild’s hideout is reported only to the upper echelons of that guild, so if I provide the information, there’s a very high risk that the informant’s identity will be exposed.”
“Since this is information we also paid dearly for, the offer to choose an S-rank artifact is quite tempting, but I’m rather concerned about the trust with our clients….”

Kang Seongho smirked inwardly.

Bringing up such concerns already meant Ho Jichan’s mind was leaning towards accepting.

Ho Jichan was skillfully beating around the bush.
He was asking how Kang Seongho would handle the potential issue of their credibility dropping if the informant’s identity was exposed due to revealing the secret hideout.

“You said the informant is a Daepeld Guild member, correct?”

“Ahem… well, I didn’t specifically say that.”

“Do not worry.”
“The Daepeld Guild will be annihilated.”

“Wh-what are you saying?”

Ho Jichan asked back, flustered.

‘This isn’t something that can be hidden anyway. Asking about the secret hideout was suspicious from the start.’

What if the Daepeld Guild is wiped out or disappears entirely on the same day or the day after someone inquired about their secret hideout?
It would be obvious who did it anyway.
Thinking this, Kang Seongho answered calmly without hiding anything.

“An issue arose with the Daepeld Guild.”
“I intend to annihilate them.”
“I don’t know who the informant is, but since that person will die along with them, as long as I keep my mouth shut, there won’t be any talk about trust.”
“Naturally, I will not divulge anything.”

“…Why are you telling me this?”
“What if I take money from Daepeld and tell them first?”

“Because I trust your judgment.”
“And I don’t think a merchant like you would make such a foolish decision.”
“You’re not someone who doesn’t know what would happen if you leaked the information to the Daepeld Guild.”

Kang Seongho showed immense confidence.
Although not stated outright, it was clear that if the information were leaked, the Retan Guild would also be included in the targets for annihilation.

“…It seems it was an offer I couldn’t refuse anyway.”
“I will provide the information.”
“Instead, you must strictly keep the secret you promised, and you absolutely must give me the right to choose an S-rank artifact.”
“I will come to collect the artifact in a week.”

“Thank you.”
“I trust you will keep today’s events secret as well.”
“I don’t intend to spread this around everywhere.”
“If possible, we will handle it so that no one knows we did it.”

“Of course.”
“The moment I give you the information, I become an accomplice.”
“I must take this to my grave.”

– Ding.

A text message arrived for Kang Seongho.

[The message sent will be automatically deleted in 3 minutes. Please check it before it’s deleted.]

“Understood.”

– Click.

The message sent by Ho Jichan contained information not only about the Daepeld Guild’s official residence but also about their secret hideout.
If torture was being conducted, it would be happening at the secret hideout.

Kang Seongho quickly forwarded the location information he received to Choi Juwon.

Choi Juwon’s house.
The phone rings.

– Ring ring.

– Click.

“Masked Instructor, did you check the message I sent?”

“Yes, I’m about to leave now.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I will be sure to repay this favor later.”

“Repay?”
“Please don’t say such disappointing words.”
“Thanks to you, my daughter and I were able to live.”
“However, if possible, please continue to look after my daughter.”
“If you could help her grow as much as possible, it would ease my worries a great deal.”

“I promise.”
“I will make Kang Eunbyul capable enough to at least save her own life, even if she encounters the person who caused the Hunter Association President’s mana addiction.”
“Well then, I’m busy, so I’ll head out immediately.”

“Yes, just in case, we will also assemble our elite members and head that way.”

Choi Juwon hesitated for a moment, but soon replied affirmatively.
There was no knowing what preparations Daepeld might have made, so the more cards he could play, the better.

“I would appreciate that.”

– Shhhk.

Immediately after, Choi Juwon hung up the phone and started gathering his artifacts.

– Kwaang-!

‘I’ll kill them… These trash-like bastards….’

Bursting out the door, Choi Juwon started running rapidly.

– Shiiiiiiiiik.

He ran so fast that people and countless buildings blurred past behind him.

– Kuuung-!

Choi Juwon, who had been running so fast it felt like flying, landed back on the ground as he neared the location sent via message.

‘Is that it?’

A short distance from Choi Juwon, a building that looked suspicious at first glance came into view.

A building resembling a dilapidated factory.
Its size was larger than a typical large hospital, but there were no amenities or people around it.
Its exterior was decayed and crumbling; anyone unaware would think it was an abandoned building.

‘If torture is happening, it must be somewhere in there.’

Choi Juwon looked at the medical artifact connected to Seo Rina’s father, Seo Hohyuk.

– [Warning! Excessive bleeding is occurring. Please apply hemostasis quickly….]

‘His condition is bad, but he’s still alive.’

Choi Juwon quickened his pace.

– Step.
– Step.

The moment he slowly began to enter the building suspected to be the Daepeld Guild’s secret hideout.

– Ping.

A security magic activated.

– Beeeeeeeeep.
– Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-!
– Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-!

A loud security alarm blared.

“Wh-who goes there!”

– Tatadadadak.

Instantly, ten men, Daepeld guild members who must have been waiting somewhere, rushed out all at once.

Not knowing when the Hunter Association President would arrive, Choi Juwon, who had put on his mask beforehand, showed no change in emotion and replied.

“If you want to live, answer my questions.”

However, ignoring Choi Juwon’s words, the man leading the ten Daepeld guild members shouted.

“Everyone, surround him-! Block his escape-!”

– Tatadadak.

As they moved busily, Choi Juwon asked quietly.

“Where is Seo Hohyuk?”

“What kind of bullsh*t are you spouting…!”

The moment one of them rebuked Choi Juwon, an unpleasant sound filled the area.

– Splurt.

“Ghh… Guhhh… ugh….”

– Thud.

Unable to even scream properly, the man died, pierced by Choi Juwon’s sword, Hellhound’s Fang.