READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 314. Evening (3)
A foreigner complaining in an unintelligible language while tilting his head?
That’s a sign that even a blind person would recognize as bad news.
So the person who was supposed to negotiate spoke again. For reference, English isn’t a major language here, so he had been wearing a Pixi company translator from the start.
“Sir, are you not considering resolving the situation through conversation?”
“Yeah.”
“Please calm down. Let’s avoid such thoughts. While I may have caused you unintended troubles, I actually want to offer you a sum that’s several times greater than the transaction amount I proposed today.”
“Really?”
“I promise. However…”
This was essentially a new request.
“There’s just a tiny condition. You only need to respond to a few simple conversations in the future.”
Currently, they were trapped in a dungeon due to the negotiator’s betrayal.
So even mentioning “I’ll pay you several times more” instantly raised the question of how to trust someone who had already stabbed them in the back.
But it seemed the other party had anticipated that future as well.
The foreign man, dressed in traditional Indian attire, added an explanation.
“Oh, and…”
I heard personally that you obtained the Truth Scale, Kang Chang-ho.
So please use it right now.
If so, it would be easy to know that what I’m saying is the truth.
However, as soon as Truth Scale was mentioned, Kang Chang-ho raised his eyebrows in suspicion.
It was a light expression of discomfort.
“Truth Scale?”
But listening to the following explanation, it was clear this wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
“What are you talking about? I no longer have that. I sold it ages ago.”
“Excuse me?”
The Epic-Class Item Justitia.
This artifact is responsible for raising the authority of British courts and allowed the modern age to even speak the word “trust.”
Moreover, despite gathering all available information, could it really be that a Korean hunter had already sold such a rare item that truly there were only two in the world?
The man in traditional clothes could not hide his surprise.
However, Kang Chang-ho paid no attention to the other’s reaction and calmly continued the conversation.
“No, honestly, I also have to make a living.”
“What?”
“Did you think the fuel for my private jet sprouted up from the ground? I, too, have compensation to pay and a lot to do. Plus, since I hardly venture into dungeons, opportunities to build clean wealth are rare.”
“Huh.”
“Wait, let me correct that. Actually, I just sold something I found for free in the dungeon. So it’s not completely wrong to say the fuel sprouted from the ground.”
Grorrr…
By the way, the location where they were was deep inside this dungeon, not some vague coordinates.
From what seemed to be the upper floor, a low growling sound echoed continuously.
“Nevertheless, I have no real need for that Truth Scale. It’s already crossed the border seeking its new owner.”
“Oh my God. How can a person not need Justitia?”
“Well, I don’t generally care much about people…”
Of course, the hunter with indigo hair was also largely indifferent to the growls from the upper floor.
“Recently, I had a rare chance to use it, but even then, I was too skeptical to trust the artifact’s results, making it meaningless.”
“……”
“No matter how much the mysterious scale screams, if the owner doesn’t believe in it, what’s the point? As you can see.”
Kang Chang-ho shrugged and scanned the surroundings.
“I still have a few Knight’s Pacts in a box, but I’d hate to use that here, so let’s just assume for now that your proposal is somewhat genuine.”
In this dungeon, aside from the space manipulator who trapped him—the one ready to break the deal—there seemed to be several other hunters.
Kang Chang-ho sensed the presence of another Awakened caught by the Dragon’s Eye and straightened up again.
If a bold criminal organization was bold enough to trap an S-Class Hunter in another world, they would definitely have hidden traps in addition to such minor manpower.
“To sum it up, what you’re saying is that if I pretend I don’t know what’s happening in some small country, you’ll give me compensation?”
“…Well, I guess.”
“Trapping a person in a dungeon and suddenly engaging in trivial chit-chat? That surely can’t mean anything good.”
Kang Chang-ho stated.
He was willing to take a leap of faith on the suggestion made just now and considered his time spent in this deep dark cave as a ticket to great rewards.
A very positive hypothesis.
However, at the end of it all was ultimately a refusal from one individual.
“Alright, now that we’ve cleared up the confusion, please answer me directly. I’m done talking about money.”
“Is that so?”
“I can’t say I want to. I immediately want to escape this cave and check what’s happening at my legal residence.”
The foreigner who had trapped the owner of the Dragon’s Eye quickly expressed his disappointment.
“So it would be nice for you to step aside here, but sadly, the chances of you suddenly changing your attitude seem slim.”
Of course, the victim standing on the opposite side felt no different sentiments.
“…I want to live a good life, but sometimes it feels like the world is pushing against me.”
Ultimately, what came out were complaints typical of repeat offenders.
Swish. Swish.
The S-Class Hunter with long hair suddenly switched some accessories in his item box.
To change equipment in front of a potential enemy?
Those must surely be performance upgrades for battle.
The traditional-clad conversational partner soon closed his eyes.
“Well then, I’ll go along with this. I was kind of expecting things would go this way anyway.”
It was anticipated that Kang Chang-ho would reject the proposal.
He sighed and tossed the Monster Lure into the ground.
With this action, a flow was set off where the upstairs monsters and hidden Awakened ones began to converge.
As Kang Chang-ho followed it with his gaze, he suddenly thought.
“Ah, wait a second. You said you have little interest in people, but I apologize for changing my mind.”
The Korean suddenly continued speaking.
“However, I suddenly got curious. Given how big this game is, there must be something behind this, so where exactly are you from?”
The identity of the unidentified foreign kidnapper was unknown, even his name or affiliation.
The conversation fell into silence.
“Considering your keen interest in Gate technology, maybe Germany? No? Perhaps Russia?”
As the other party remained silent, Kang Chang-ho kept throwing out various terms.
“If that’s wrong, maybe are you from Pixi’s end?”
But the Korean wouldn’t receive a proper answer.
“Pardon me, Kang Chang-ho.”
The mysterious anomalous being standing across the cave decided to end these trivial exchanges, concluding that there was no longer a need to cater to the other.
“Since the situation is what it is, I might as well ask what I’m curious about. In fact, everyone here is baffled.”
“What about?”
“Why are you so obsessed with your home country? I’ve heard that you are a Hunter who hardly steps outside your borders, much less leave Seoul without haggling for such enormous amounts…”
This foreigner intended to pay a sum equivalent to the nation’s budget, so long as Kang Chang-ho would ignore the safety of his home country.
Moreover, the money was well laundered, so he would select it without any issues.
No matter what the upper-ups were pushing him to do, he didn’t want to meddle unfavorably with an S-Class Hunter. He wanted to get the target back safely under consent.
However, with this mental state, Kang Chang-ho choosing to go back home had triggered unexpected annoyance.
“There’s a ton of money, and it’s not like you can’t speak English, so why?”
In the past, moving from one region to another required extensive walking, but times have changed.
Thus, the person in traditional attire unwrapped a long-held question.
Kang Chang-ho focused on how his actions had been known by others and the nostalgia that came with hearing a common question posed before.
Why is it that someone from such a narrow peninsula state hardly ventures out?
“That woman from Brooklyn is the same, so are you.”
The nation’s third S-Class Hunter had been quite indifferent throughout most of the conversation except for moments of amusement.
“Ah… I see.”
But from this point onward, Kang Chang-ho raised the corners of his lips and wore a smile.
It seemed he had fully made up his mind on how to behave next.
“Why are outsiders so interested in my business anyway?”
Without any reward for eavesdropping, next came a statement so absurd it dumbfounded even the experts who were trying to stall time.
“It’s strange that I don’t come out of Korea? You really don’t get this simple problem?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Let me explain. My name is on a great deal of real estate that includes inherited assets I’ve unexpectedly accumulated.”
“Hmm?”
“If Seoul collapses, my assets will take a hit immediately.”
Wait, what?
The foreign Awakened was so shocked at that remark he stumbled over his own words.
“What? Real estate? So you avoided leaving due to that? For real?”
The mixed-blood man at the end of the corridor maintained a flat expression as he answered the counterpart.
Note that this was the last time they saw Kang Chang-ho smile.
“Haha. No, of course, that was all a lie.”
It was right after that.
From deep inside the cave came the sound of bones snapping.
*
-Thunk-thunk-thunk—
At the same time, the focus returned to that problematic Asian country.
This was in front of a peculiar gate in Korea.
As expected, not receiving any calls.
Kim Gi-ryeo had attempted to reach Kang Chang-ho several more times before neatly giving up.
Could it be that something related to that beast group affected Kang Chang-ho?
While it seemed something strange had occurred to the hunter abroad, he too had pressing issues of his own right now.
Such is my fate.
The blond man raised his head to confront the situation ahead.
In his line of sight was the familiar sight of a purple curly-haired individual.
Esther and Kim Gi-ryeo were currently waiting for others to arrive at the problematic site.
“Hunter Esther.”
And in this brief interval, Kim Gi-ryeo suddenly opened up a topic.
“Yes! Mr. Gi-ryeo.”
“I apologize for bringing this up late, but I think there are more reinforcements I can bring. Could we delay entering just a little longer?”
Looking at a list of potential reinforcements numbering as many as eighteen, Kim Gi-ryeo felt it was dangerous to confront the Beast group just yet.
Hence, he proposed an addition to Esther.
“The S-Class folks from Japan. The name I remember right off is… Moritake, I think? Anyway, the four from the Imabari Guild had prior arrangements with me, so they’d come if called.”
Despite the suspicion about bringing Kang Chang-ho with him, he hoped to utilize his interests from the Black Dragon raid to bolster their strength.
“Wasn’t that the case when the S-Class dungeon emerged?”
In response, Kim Gi-ryeo firmly replied.
“While that was the official announcement… It’s a secret, but Moritake actually owes me some debts.”
“Oh my God.”
“I sensed it during my last trip to Tokyo. Because of that debt, I think they will show some flexibility.”
In any case, whether facing an S-Class dungeon or the Beast group, both are formidable and dangerous, after all.
Kim Gi-ryeo inquired whether he could call in the Japanese hunters.
Esther hesitated before answering…
“However, that… Well, I oppose it a bit.”
Esther shook her head.
“You oppose?”
“Of course, a person like Mr. Gi-ryeo might have already thought of this, but as of now, the nationality of the Beast has not been clearly established.”
Of course, the foreigner put that part out of his mind entirely but didn’t bother to show it.
“There is no evidence that the Beast and Japan are unrelated.”
Given that now was a critical moment, there was no need to disrupt the flow of the conversation needlessly.
“Moreover, this is partially a significant error made by our country’s association, and considering the prospect of exposing such flaws to another nation…”
“Is that so?”
“It’ll be difficult to keep the situation private if an S-Class foreign hunter enters the scene.”
“True.”
“Back when I was younger, I completely separated the country from individuals’ interests, but in today’s prevalent disasters, if the state has low trust, we might not get extra support for citizens when needed. So now I can’t ignore the societal aspect…”
With a serious expression, Esther elaborated long on her explanation and finally lightened the mood again.
“Well, anyway, I oppose it for that reason. But since hearing your proposal has eased my mind a bit…”
“Why is that?”
However, contrary to her intentions, the expression of the foreigner grew even tenser.
“Bringing in four ranked members from a neighboring country shows an outsider holds some confidence in mediating any betrayal that might occur, right?”
“……”
“Well, how could you propose that without such guts? I get it.”
“……”
“Anyway, it was wise to seek help from a reliable hunter like you first. After encountering all the Beasts in the dungeon, I could verify with just a phone call that you are not the criminal, and honestly, that makes me happy!”
Seeking help from Imabari’s members actually seemed like a display of confidence.
‘Hmm.‘
Gi-ryeo subtly averted his gaze from the Curse Mage’s glowing eyes and contemplated.
For having gotten a heads-up via phone, it was certain that soon this gate would be bustling with the top-tier powerhouses due to the efforts of that second S-Class.
However, at this moment, the Great Mage found himself pondering a specific question.
‘Why didn’t they close the entrance?’
On Earth, if a red orb-shaped destruction item were used, that blue magic passage could temporarily be removed, essentially creating a so-called ‘closed dungeon.’
If an individual with certain knowledge like Su Ye-hwi sought out the dungeon, they would have closed the door from the start to avoid exposing its existence without going through bothersome procedures, like bribing the manager of the Korean Association.
But the Beasts hadn’t done that.
They occupied such a rare gate as if they were waiting for it.
As if pretending they were unaware of the additional abilities of destruction artifacts spread during the sales ban.
‘Well, the dungeon capable of acquiring Collapse Particles has already been discontinued for a long time. It could be that these fakes never got their hands on such items.’
Several types of hypotheses arose in his mind. Which way could be the correct conclusion, though?
The blond hunter sank deep into thought, rolling his black eyes in the air.
Whooooooo…
Even now, the gate in front of him continued to emit ominous sounds like a beast’s mouth.