Chapter 30

But the secret wasn’t easily unraveled.

Kang Yuseong knew that instead of endlessly dwelling on such matters, it was best to focus on what he could do now.

After that, he ran dungeons with his attack unit every other day.

And he meticulously checked the Karma Power he acquired.

One day, after completing the fourth dungeon, Kang Yuseong stiffened his expression while checking his Karma Power.

It was different.

All four dungeons were B-rank, and the number and types of monsters were similar.

Yet, only in the fourth dungeon had a noticeably larger amount of Karma Power accumulated.

It wasn’t a figure within the margin of error.

Clearly, the fourth one showed a distinctively higher value.

‘What is it?’

Kang Yuseong frowned.

He recalled the monsters he had hunted in the fourth dungeon.

The monsters found there were usually…

At that moment, a memory flashed through his mind.

— “I heard that a Hunter attack unit was wiped out here recently. It’s unfortunate. They weren’t skilled enough to challenge a B-rank yet…”

This was what Baek Myeong-han had said before they entered the fourth dungeon.

‘Hunters… attack unit wiped out…’

Strangely, that sentence lingered in Kang Yuseong’s head.

But the answer didn’t come easily.

He habitually tapped his fingers on the desk, muttering to himself.

‘Karma Power. Karma… it’s a value that every living creature must accumulate. This value accumulates most significantly when one takes the life of another being…’

At that moment, Kang Yuseong’s eyes widened.

“Taking the life of another being…?”

He snapped his head up.

He immediately logged onto his computer and searched for the accident history of the fourth dungeon.

It was just as Baek Myeong-han had said.

Around twenty Hunters and a similar number of Porters had entered, but only one or two managed to escape, with the rest being completely wiped out.

This had happened only five days prior.

After that, there were no records of anyone else entering the dungeon.

Someone had died there.

That Karma Power must have been transferred to the monster that caused their death.

And that, in turn, had accumulated back to Kang Yuseong.

Kang Yuseong’s mind brightened.

‘This is it!’

The Plunderer of the past must have realized this secret.

The reports also stated that it was unknown why he specifically targeted dangerous dungeons where many people had died.

If this was the reason!

If he sought out monsters that had killed many people—that is, monsters with a lot of accumulated Karma Power!

A wry smile played on Kang Yuseong’s lips.

The secret was unraveled.

‘Should I check it once more?’

He diligently checked the dungeon accident reports.

And he found one such C-rank dungeon nearby.

It was a place where five Hunters, who appeared to be friends, had recently met a tragic end after unknowingly venturing in.

Kang Yuseong silently offered a prayer for their souls as he picked up his sword.

*****

The difficulty of the C-rank dungeon was quite low for Kang Yuseong’s skill level.

In the past, he too would have fought, covered in blood, but now he could sweep through it with movements that merely felt like a warm-up.

This was because his Chakra Cultivation had progressed considerably.

He had already cleared a dungeon of similar scale before coming here.

“Hoo…”

After sweeping through the C-rank dungeon, he compared the Karma Power.

The result was 420 Karma Power versus 590 Karma Power.

A clear difference.

‘It’s confirmed!’

Kang Yuseong wore a triumphant smile.

Afterward, he laid out the soju and dried snacks he had brought and held a small memorial service.

‘Thanks to you… I have gained the power to protect this nation. Rest in peace.’

Having offered a memorial service for the nameless, faceless Hunters who had died painfully in this place, Kang Yuseong rose again.

He already had a plan.

Hunting monsters that had killed many people was good, but there was an even more effective method.

Hunters.

Specifically, he intended to hunt Hunters who had mercilessly slaughtered countless monsters and humans alike.

‘It’s about time they crawled out on their own.’

The Hunters belonging to China’s Black Society.

A grim smile deepened on Kang Yuseong’s lips.

And not just them.

Even more reclusive, more brutal, and more vicious individuals were close at hand.

‘North Korea.’

In this era, due to North Korea’s strict information control, their true state was completely unknown, but later, the horrific truth would spread.

People who learned of it were utterly shocked.

Even China pointed fingers at them.

For the sake of their selected Hunters, they slaughtered all the “unnecessary” common people.

Knowing that they could gain more Chakra Points if monsters grew stronger, they would throw people to them as bait, or use them as Porters and abandon them if they became too weak.

Through such means, they were able to form the extremely powerful Red Star Military Guard Unit.

Moreover, there was an even deeper hidden secret.

Chakra Points.

With the Mega Shock, gaining Chakra Points wasn’t limited to hunting monsters.

Hunting humans yielded a similar effect.

Developed nations or countries with proper morals simply didn’t know because they never even attempted it.

North Korea was among the first to discover this.

It was a fact realized when Hunters went and massacred disobedient common people.

By now, countless common people would likely have been purged.

‘Those who must be swept away someday.’

Kim Jong-un and his followers.

Kang Yuseong believed that to prepare for the future, he needed to nip their very existence in the bud.

The secret was unraveled.

And a method had emerged.

In a week’s time, a shockwave would spread, dealing an immense blow to South Korea, centered on Chinatown. Simultaneously, a surprise Japanese landing would occur in Busan.

From the north, North Korean special forces would push down, seizing the opportunity.

Of course, the timing might be a little off, but these three misfortunes would cause South Korea to falter in an instant.

Kang Yuseong grinned.

‘I won’t let that happen this time. I’ll be the one to crush your heads first.’

*****

Kang Yuseong returned home.

First, he had to use the next week very effectively.

The patent office had already contacted him, informing him that the patent certificate had been issued.

Stamina Potion-I.

This would be released strictly within the country.

Large corporations would catch wind of it and flock to it, but that was precisely what Kang Yuseong wanted.

Only then would the Hunters of South Korea benefit.

And Kang Yuseong would also sit on an immense pile of money.

He anticipated that countless copycat potions would flood the market afterward, but he had prepared for that too.

Currently, about 900 bottles of Stamina Potion-I had been produced.

‘The price is 300,000 won per bottle.’

If he sold them all, he would have a massive sum of 270 million won.

Honestly, it was pocket change compared to the amount Kang Yuseong needed, but it wasn’t bad for initial capital.

He could simply set up more machines and dedicate them to Stamina Potion production.

Now that the patent was open, he could hire employees to manage this.

The recipe was public, so it didn’t matter anyway.

He had also scouted a separate factory site.

And the heavy second blow would be prepared right here, at Kang Yuseong’s residence.

*****

Five days later, the Hunter Market was in an uproar.

[OMG, did you see this? This is amazing! It’s a Stamina Potion!]

[Wow, it says if you drink this, all your vitality recovers? It would be awesome for hunting!]

[Whoa, who developed this? I seriously respect them!]

A potion named Stamina Potion-I had been registered for sale on the Hunter Market.

[Nah, it’s probably just like Vita 600 or Bacchus, right? Like those monster energy drinks.]

[Yeah, it seems like a scam, doesn’t it? 300,000 won a bottle? Is he a snake oil salesman?]

[What if I drink it and die instantly?]

Negative comments were posted, but they were quickly pushed aside by the overwhelmingly positive reviews from those who had actually used the potion.

[Wow… what kind of potion is this? The effects are truly amazing! Truly!]

[I was almost dead, but I drank one of these and survived! Highly recommended!]

In an instant, thousands of comments poured in, and over a thousand people expressed their agreement, making Stamina Potion-I the hottest item on the Hunter Market’s main page.

Kang Yuseong watched it all with a smile.

The goods had already been delivered to the Hunter Market for consignment sales.

And 500 bottles had already been sold there.

The remaining 400 bottles probably wouldn’t be enough.

But he had already made preparations during that time.

He had brought in machines to another factory site and hired employees.

There, if the materials were supplied on time, they could produce 600 bottles a day.

Of course, even that would sell out quickly, but there was nothing he could do.

He could only sell as much as could be supplied.

‘Alright, I’ll leave this here for a bit…’

Kang Yuseong quietly closed his eyes.

The materials he had accumulated so far would last him for a while.

Now it was time to focus on his main task.

*Whoosh—*

[Basic] Chakra, Primordial Calm Stage 4
[Stage 1, Support] Chakra, Carapace Melt Level 3
[Stage 1, Attack] Chakra, Flame Barrage Stage 3
[Stage 1, Attack] Chakra, Blade Twist Stage 3
[Stage 1, Attack] Chakra, Critical Strike Stage 3
[Stage 1, Attack] Chakra, Meteor Stab Stage 3
[Special] Chakra, Swordsman’s Mindset Stage 5
[Special] Chakra, Butcher’s Disassembly Stage 3
[Special] Chakra, Wind Flow Stage 2
[Stage 1, Counter] Chakra, Vengeful Iron Sword Stage 1

The Chakra skills he had mastered came to mind.

He had diligently continued his Chakra Cultivation, increasing each skill by at least one stage, and up to two.

And with that increase, some Chakra skills had reached a branching point for higher grades.

‘Hmm…’

Kang Yuseong made his choices without hesitation.

He upgraded Chakra, Flame Barrage to Stage 2 Chakra, Rain of Steel, and Chakra, Critical Strike to Chakra, Flash Pierce.

Then, he raised his physical techniques again. Now was a crucial time for physical prowess.

After raising Chakra, Wind Flow to Stage 3, he completed his Chakra Cultivation.

He had used his Chakra Points sparingly.

He also invested 1,000 Karma Power into Thieving Eye, reducing its cooldown to 16 hours.

He had approximately 2,500 Karma Power remaining.

He planned to save this.

‘Good.’

Kang Yuseong grinned.

The best Chakra Cultivation, showing the highest efficiency in the current situation.

Everything was in place.

The battle was now two days away.

But Kang Yuseong had no intention of following fate’s lead.

‘I’ll strike first.’

Justification?

There was none.

What justification could there be in a battlefield of killing and being killed?

Such things were debated before a war began.

That is, when matters could be resolved through “diplomacy.”

But to stand by and watch when the enemy was clearly going to invade by force—that was the act of a fool.

Kang Yuseong had always been dissatisfied with this in the past.

Chinatown was clearly about to become the fuse, with Hunters under China’s Black Society opening their jaws to ravage the Korean Peninsula, yet the large guilds were only concerned with the government’s reactions.

If you have power, you must use it.

That is the duty of those who possess power.

While they suppressed and endured, Incheon would inevitably be drenched in blood.

*Thump.*

As Kang Yuseong stepped outside, his eyes shone with a cold light.