Chapter 86

“Oh, thank you for your hard work.”

The government official in charge came rushing out to greet us.

Well, more accurately, he came to greet Im Changsoo.

After meticulously checking all the byproducts and Magic Gems we had brought, he made a fuss.

“Wow, that’s an incredible haul. You must’ve wiped out every Minotaur in the labyrinth.”

“…”

Im Changsoo’s face was pale. He only nodded without answering, making the official glance around uneasily.

“Team Leader, are you feeling unwell?”

Since when did government officials start worrying about Hunters’ health?

Before he could say anything unnecessary, I jabbed Im Changsoo in the ribs.

“You have to answer him. Chang. Soo.”

“Um… No, I’m fine.”

“Ah, that’s a relief, then.”

Maybe he had sensed the strange atmosphere. The official gave me a suspicious look, but that was as far as it went.

“How would you like to handle the byproducts? As you know, there are two methods.”

As the official said, there were two ways to sell byproducts.

Private sales and consignment sales. With the former, the owner handled the transaction personally. With the latter, the goods were entrusted to the Administration—a government agency—to be sold.

Each method has its pros and cons.

Rare items were more profitable to sell privately. For everything else, handing them over to a government agency saved a lot of trouble. It was like the difference between a luxury auction and a market auction.

“What should we do?”

At Im Changsoo’s question, Butler Kim stepped forward. He hadn’t once taken the lead during this Gate raid, but he was still a veteran Hunter. When it came to this sort of thing, he probably knew more than anyone else here.

“We’ll sell them to the Administration.”

They said no part of a cow went to waste. The same was true of Minotaurs.

Their hides were used to make Equipment, their bones were simmered into restorative food, and their horns were popular collector’s items among enthusiasts.

“You’ve made the right choice.”

The government official began calculating the value of the byproducts with an expression of pure delight. The Administration was the one buying them, so the reason he was so happy was obvious.

He must be getting a little something off the top.

Still, whatever the official skimmed off wasn’t my concern.

The cut I was getting today was much bigger.

Tap, tap.

“What about the amount you promised?”

Im Changsoo answered with a rigid expression.

“I-I’ll pay it.”

“By when?”

“I’ll send it by tomorrow.”

Four billion won¹ by tomorrow? The son of a rich family certainly didn’t mess around. I smiled broadly and handed him a slip of paper.

“Well, that works for me. Here’s my account number. Treasure it like a family heirloom, then send the money tomorrow. It won’t be funny if you claim you lost it later. Got it?”

“…Yes, sir.”

That should be enough, right? I said goodbye by giving Im Changsoo a light pat on the back.

As I watched with satisfaction as he staggered away, Im Kkeokjeong asked me,

“Do you think that punk will actually pay?”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Well, you know… things could get a little messy. Sangdong Guild is a mid-tier Guild with some serious influence around here. If he just tells you to do your worst and refuses to pay…”

“Come on, we have video evidence. Surely he wouldn’t.”

“Evidence can be destroyed. More importantly, I’ve heard a few things.”

“Like what?”

Now that he had put it that way, I was starting to get a little worried.

Kkeokjeong glanced around, checking everyone’s reactions, then leaned in and whispered,

“You know who the Sangdong Guild Master is, right?”

“Yes. Though today was the first time I heard his name.”

Im Chunsoo. For some reason, the name brought to mind a middle-aged man with a bulging beer belly, but the reality was the exact opposite.

“He’s an A-rank Hunter who distinguished himself during the Great Cataclysm. What do people call him again? Fro… Fro… It’s suddenly slipping my mind.”

“Frozen.”

“Ah, right. Frozen. A mage specializing in ice magic.”

Famous Hunters were often given epithets that suited their abilities.

The same was true of Im Chunsoo. An A-rank Hunter, he was a mage who had played a major role in the Great Cataclysm, and his particular skill with ice magic had earned him the epithet Frozen.

“When it comes to ice magic, that man is one of the top five in Korea. He used that Fame to build Sangdong Guild into what it is today.”

When the brutal Great Cataclysm finally came to an end, the first-generation Hunters faced a choice.

Retire, or remain active.

Im Chunsoo chose the latter and founded Sangdong Guild.

“That’s impressive. His son doesn’t seem like much.”

Even among A-rank Hunters, it was rare for someone to survive the Great Cataclysm with nothing but their bare fists and gain both wealth and fame. Im Chunsoo’s present was the future many Hunters dreamed of.

“Impressive? Bloodlines certainly are.”

Kkeokjeong jerked his chin toward Im Changsoo’s retreating back.

“Don’t forget whose blood that punk inherited.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m not bragging, but I’ve been in this business for over twenty years. Sangdong Guild was founded when I was still a complete rookie.”

“And?”

“Bucheon was just as fiercely competitive between Guilds back then as it is now. There was no room for a new Guild to squeeze in.”

“But Im Chunsoo broke through anyway?”

“That’s right. That’s why he’s a frightening man.”

“Hmm.”

Did that really follow?

Competition between Guilds was nothing new, and in a meritocracy, it was only natural for the capable to survive.

“A man like him would have had excellent abilities as a Hunter and plenty of Fame. He must have had powerful connections, too.”

“Do you think the other Guild Masters didn’t?”

“What?”

“They might have had slightly less Fame than Im Chunsoo, but every one of them had been a war hero. They had entered the market several years before Sangdong Guild and occupied a substantial number of Gates.”

Kkeokjeong continued in a low voice.

“It was a time when all kinds of illegal activity ran rampant because the system hadn’t been fully established yet. The only reason Sangdong Guild exists today is that Im Chunsoo crushed every one of his competitors. He’s no pushover.”

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

What would happen if Im Chunsoo found out about what had happened today? How would he react to hearing that his only son had been utterly humiliated?

This could get complicated.

When it came to Korea, you couldn’t leave out school ties, hometown ties, or blood ties.

Sangdong Guild had held its ground for twenty years. If it was a local power, our Guild was practically a newborn.

If Sangdong Guild came at us in earnest, they’d tear up our birth certificate before we even got started.

“Is the Sangdong Guild Master good-natured, at least?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve only heard rumors.”

“At least tell me what you’ve heard.”

After thinking for a moment, Kkeokjeong answered,

“Seeing Im Changsoo today reminded me of an old saying: a tiger father and a dog son.”

“A great father and a worthless son? That’s still a compliment, isn’t it? Is he someone you can reason with?”

“No. Interpret it literally.”

“…A tiger for a father and a dog for a son?”

“If Changsoo’s personality is that of a son of a bitch, then Im Chunsoo is a tiger. I hear his temper is absolutely fucking terrible.”

“…”

“I’ve also heard he mellowed with age, but can a person’s temper really change that easily?”

For fuck’s sake.

The more I heard, the colder my spine felt. I had the distinct feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Damn it. I shouldn’t have made that bet.

My excitement at the thought of receiving several billion won² had lasted only a moment. Now I felt uneasy, like I’d taken a huge dump and forgotten to wipe.

I could deal with whatever happened to me, but I absolutely refused to let the other Guild members get hurt.

“Taekyung, don’t worry about it too much. I only brought it up just in case.”

“I didn’t just cause trouble, did I?”

“It’ll be fine. Team Leader Choi thought it sounded fun and joined the bet, too.”

“Oh, right.”

“Exactly. And look at the way Im Changsoo acted. If I were his father, I would’ve beaten him half to death. I’d be too embarrassed to tell anyone what happened.”

He had a point. What could possibly happen?

Hearing that made me feel considerably lighter. I even found myself smiling.

“Thanks, Kkeokjeong ajusshi³. No, hyungnim⁴.”

“Then buy me some beef to celebrate becoming a rich man. Wait, no. You should eat it with Miss Song, not me.”

“…Ah.”

He was driving a nail straight through my heart.

As Im Kkeokjeong killed me with words for the second time, I swallowed my tears.

“What brings you here?”

The speaker was a man with a distinctive appearance.

He was nearing fifty, but his skin was taut and his black hair bristled like wire. His large, piercing eyes alone were enough to make anyone’s knees go weak.

What the hell is with that look in his eyes…?

The manager of a K Bank branch was no exception. He had already met the man several times, but he was an ordinary person, while the other man was an A-rank Hunter—a living witness who had endured the Great Cataclysm with his entire body.

His tongue tied itself in knots, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Well…”

“If you came to waste my valuable time, go back. Otherwise, speak now.”

The words were sharp, but his tone was fairly gentle.

The manager had heard the rumor that Im Chunsoo was trying to mellow his temper with age. Apparently, it hadn’t been a complete waste of effort.

Damn it.

The branch manager squeezed his eyes shut and blurted it out.

“I’m sorry, Guild Master. I’ve come regarding your son.”

At the mention of his son, Sangdong Guild Master Im Chunsoo’s eyebrow twitched.

“Changsoo? What about him?”

“Some time ago, you asked me to let you know whenever your son used any of the bank’s services…”

Im Chunsoo nodded as if he understood where this was going.

“What is it this time? Did he steal my seal⁵? Or take out a secured loan?”

“He transferred a considerable amount of money all at once.”

“He must be fooling around with women again. Obviously. How much?”

“Four billion won¹ to each of two accounts. Eight billion won⁶ in total.”

“How much?”

“Eight billion… Hup.”

The branch manager hurriedly swallowed his breath. He had just watched the window behind Im Chunsoo rapidly freeze over.

Hiss.

It was late summer outside, but cold and frost now ruled the office.

Im Chunsoo motioned to the trembling branch manager.

“Anything else?”

“I-I brought the relevant documents.”

With shaking hands, the branch manager placed a stack of papers on the desk.

“Good. You may leave.”

“I-I’ll see you next time.”

After the branch manager fled the room, Im Chunsoo picked up the receiver. The phone had a cold-resistance function, so it transmitted the signal quickly without any problems.

Beep, beep. Click.

“—Yes, Guild Master. Team One’s Leader speaking.”

“Bring that bastard here immediately.”

“—…Do you mean Team Leader Im Changsoo?”

“Team Leader, my ass. He’s fired as of today. Bring that bastard here now!”

Bang!

The receiver’s life ended there. It shattered into hundreds of icy fragments that covered the desk.

“What a pathetic fool. Even after I warned him…”

Im Chunsoo glared coldly at the wrecked office, then his gaze stopped on one spot.

The stack of papers left behind by the K Bank branch manager.

There was no doubt that the documents contained the whereabouts of eight billion won⁶.

You stupid bastard. Which bitch did you get taken in by this time?

He read through the papers, turning them one page at a time, for a little over ten minutes.

When Im Chunsoo closed the final page, the door flew open with the sound of someone being dragged along.

“Team Leader Im Changsoo. I brought him here.”

An affable-looking middle-aged man stood there.

Clutched firmly in his grasp was a young man.

“F-Father!”

“My proud son is here.”

At his son’s appearance, the father extended a hand.

Of course, it was not a gesture of forgiveness.

Crackle, crackle, crackle.

Cold surged from Im Chunsoo’s grasp. It changed from gas to liquid, then from liquid to solid, completing its transformation into an ice club as hard as steel.

“I have a lot to ask you, but first, you’re getting hit.”

“Father!”

“Shut up, you little shit!”

The middle-aged man who had brought Im Changsoo—the Team Leader of Sangdong Guild’s Team One—quietly closed the door.

The room would be off-limits for the next half day.