S Chapter 34

“Haa… damn it.”

An unusually harsh curse word burst out of him. It was understandable. Look at the way things were going; who wouldn’t swear?

“You told Eve not to curse!”

‘My mistake. Sorry.’

He ran a hand through his hair irritably. It had been a long time since he’d been this annoyed.

“Eve says ‘damn it’ too.”

‘Eve.’

“( ｰ̀εｰ́ )”

‘Eve.’

“( ⩌_⩌)”

Shin Jukyeong slumped his shoulders. Don’t act like an amateur. He shouldn’t act emotionally. Be calm. Didn’t he still have a lot to do?

‘…Damn it, those bastards crossed the line first.’

How could life be one mountain after another, a sailboat before a storm? Just looking around, there were countless people on the verge of death. Two or three… no, at least a dozen people would die within a day.

Of course, he could easily pretend not to see it. ‘It’s none of my business.’ It was possible if he sold his conscience. Yes. He could probably do it after a few nights of restless sleep, feeling sick after every meal, and having his condition completely ruined.

…Damn it. Shin Jukyeong advised his conscience to leave work early, but his conscience was a workaholic who didn’t even mind working for passion pay. Even when he pleaded, the answer was always the same.

Conscience: (KIN)

Was that a trend or something? …Damn. The lines around his eyes deepened.

“Haa…”

Shin Jukyeong himself felt like being locked in a cage. Unconsciously, he glanced around to see if there was an empty seat. It was full.

“Hey there… Please, please let me out!”

“I want to leave! Let me out!”

“Ugh! Hwaaa! I’m so hungry! Hwaaang!”

Screams poured in from all directions. They ranged from gray-haired elders to young adults. Their only commonality was that none of them were in good shape.

“…There’s nothing easy, after all. Nothing easy.”

His sigh-filled voice sounded like an office worker on the third day of overtime. Yes, that moment when doubts about life grow the largest.

‘I didn’t want to call the Hunter Association.’

Seeing how things were going, he had no choice but to call. Was this what they meant by digging your own grave? He was, after all, known for being good at digging holes even at the Hunter Academy. He’d even won awards for it.

Shin Jukyeong, who had been momentarily lost in past glory, suddenly snapped back to reality.

“…Hmm.”

Actually, there was a way to just pull Won Go-yu out and drop him in front of the Hunter Association. Then, he wouldn’t get involved with the Hunter Association, and these people could also be rescued. It was a very convenient method.

However, there was one problem. It would require some time and sacrifice until the reporter of the situation, Won Go-yu, recovered and woke up. Half a day at the earliest, perhaps a full day at the latest? The Hunter Association would only move after that.

So, how many people would die in the meantime? How many moments, where every second decided life or death, would pass?

Yet, he couldn’t just knock on the Hunter Association’s door and report it himself. He wanted to avoid being entangled with the Hunter Association as much as possible. No. He shouldn’t be entangled. Especially not as Shin Jukyeong. Revealing his presence was forbidden.

Think about it. What if he was recognized for his contributions to solving this incident and received an award? Would his opportunistic father leave him alone? He’d happily use him. Not only would his reputation skyrocket, but his position as successor would also become even more solid.

He couldn’t let that happen. How could he, when he’d worked so hard to create a downward trend? Just a little more, and there was a possibility of delisting him!

‘I can’t show filial piety in the name of that bastard.’

“Is Jukyeong angry?”

‘Moderately.’

Shin Jukyeong readily admitted his feelings.

“Phew…”

His eyes were red from rubbing his face dry to suppress his anger. It was due to accumulated stress.

‘I need to talk to Yang U-dam separately.’

The reason he hadn’t sent his brother out and had kept him isolated was simple. He knew that even if he sent him, the boy wouldn’t return obediently anyway. So, since things had come to this, he had intended to resolve it quickly and have a private talk with him. Or perhaps scare him a little so he’d never set foot in a place like this again.

But everything had gone awry.

‘I’ll have to talk to him at home.’

It was a shame, but there was nothing he could do. Shin Jukyeong decided to find Won Go-yu first.

It didn’t take long to find his target. Won Go-yu was trapped in the very last cell. Shin Jukyeong grabbed the rusted iron bars without hesitation and easily broke them. Won Go-yu lay unconscious with his eyes closed. His breathing was ragged.

He carelessly placed a hand on his forehead. Oh, he had quite a high fever. How many Ability Suppressors had he been given to be like this? Shin Jukyeong’s expression darkened.

‘Just hold on a little longer.’

Shin Jukyeong rummaged through the boy’s body. Somewhere… it should be around here.

‘Found it.’

What he pulled out was a wallet. Don’t misunderstand, he wasn’t trying to extort money. He wanted something else.

‘…Hmm.’

Sure enough, a small badge was attached. It was an emergency SOS rescue button. He had seen it attached when he was calculating earlier. Though it seemed the owner himself wasn’t aware of it.

‘It’s an emergency rescue signal, so at least an A-rank Hunter will move. Then it will take roughly 20 minutes.’

Let’s get his brother and leave before the Hunter arrives. Shin Jukyeong pressed the button and then exited the cell.

‘So, VIP Room 2, huh?’

Just as he was about to move, urgent footsteps echoed from afar. Shin Jukyeong watched the man running towards him in silence. The man briefly caught his breath, then immediately dropped a major bombshell.

“Boss, I apologize! The customer we had in VIP Room 2 has disappeared.”

…What? What was this now? Shin Jukyeong felt his world crumbling. The dizzying sensation was on par with the ‘strangely refreshed feeling on the morning of a work day.’ He was going crazy. He never asked for it, but surprise after surprise kept unfolding. Who the hell was organizing these events? He would absolutely not let them get away with it.

“Haa…”

Shin Jukyeong almost lost consciousness. In professional terms, it was ‘OMG.’

“The radio was out only in that area, so when I went, the guard was down, and the customer was gone. It seems they left on their own.”

Things were already tight, and now this big problem. Should he have found Yang U-dam first and then pressed the rescue button? It was useless to regret it now, but still.

“Right. That’s enough…”

Let’s just move. What was the point of lamenting his fate? Shin Jukyeong calmly sorted out his emotions. He shrugged once and instantly knocked the man down. He had struck a vital point, just like before.

“Eve.”

As he spoke, leaving the cell and climbing the stairs, black smoke billowed in response. Soon, Shin Jukyeong’s appearance transformed. The brief darkness lifted, revealing his outline. Exuding an eerie aura, his entire body was black. Beneath the cackling laughter, he had returned to his peak form.

‘Eve, find him.’

He advanced, killing the guards one by one.

Eve quickly located his brother. She said he wasn’t far. He intended to spank him once they met. Though, he probably wouldn’t even lay a finger on him despite saying so.

“Should Eve spank him? Rip off one of his butt cheeks?”

‘Tch.’

Anyway, now if he just kidnapped Yang U-dam and hurried out, the mission would be clear. Just when he thought the situation was flowing reasonably well, something happened.

“…!”

Shwaaa! Shin Jukyeong stopped his movement as if sliding. He had sensed a terrifying surge of energy extending towards him. A piercingly strong wave. He had experienced it before.

‘Won Chung-bae’. The name of the man who held the title of current Hunter Association Chairman, and also a name he absolutely should not meet right now.

‘I’m screwed.’

This was a real disaster. He hastily lowered his gaze, but it was already too late. White, thin threads spread everywhere. They intertwined like a spiderweb, completing a Barrier.

At that sight, Shin Jukyeong froze. It would be better if dozens of S-rank Hunters were rushing in.

‘Someone knock me out.’

There were only two people Shin Jukyeong had ever struggled against in a fight. His master, Choi Bon-gwang, and Hunter Association Chairman Won Chung-bae. Both were seasoned and quick-thinking types, making them incredibly difficult opponents. Honestly, those two should never use the priority seats on public transport. They were more energetic than most people in their twenties.

But the main problem was something else entirely. At this point, Won Chung-bae was younger than he had been in the past. Hmm. There was no telling how strong he would be. Shin Jukyeong zoned out for a moment, his eyes unfocused. He craved a cigarette more than ever today.

“The world is screwing Jukyeong over.”

‘Requesting early dismissal…’

Honestly, calling his grandpa, wasn’t that dirty?

‘I’ll call my father too.’

He fumed for a moment but soon realized his father was useless. Ugh. …Ah, he really hated this. It was too annoying. Shin Jukyeong groaned, narrowing his brows.

“My grandson! Grandpa’s here!”

Won Chung-bae, the Hunter Association Chairman, appeared. Look at those muscles. His shirt was practically tearing.

‘Looks about an F-cup.’

…Uh… Huh…?

“Haaah!”

Slap! Shin Jukyeong hastily slapped his own cheek. Forget it! Forget it right now if you don’t want nightmares! Hang in there, creature of oblivion! There are different kinds of chests. That’s not it. That’s the kind of thing that shouldn’t be imprinted on one’s eyes or brain!