Chapter 176 – No Mercy (2)

-The Heavenly Steed acknowledges you as its master.

A crazy horse was using kung fu, so I just beat it up.

It tried to act the part, spouting some martial arts gibberish, but my stats are just too brutish.

Whether it tried to use some fancy martial art or another, it would get hit before it could even finish waving its hooves.

There’s a truth that transcends time and place.

A good beating is the best medicine.

The self-proclaimed Heavenly Steed knelt before me.

I wondered if it was a transformed human or someone in a costume, so I looked for a zipper.

Nope.

Anyway, I parked the Heavenly Steed in the parking lot and went inside the company building.

It’s like a personal vehicle, so it should be fine in the parking lot, right?

I casually attended the executive meeting.

The free agency period has started, so everyone’s busy. Unlike in baseball, the FA conditions for hunters aren’t that strict.

Hunters want to go where their abilities are appreciated, seeking out places with better conditions.

That’s only natural.

Since it’s not like a local sport where they compete internally, it’s advantageous for those who throw money around.

In that sense, Hanul’s terms can be considered better than other guilds.

Graham personally running the workshop and providing custom-made equipment was a major appeal.

“The number of hunters wishing to join Hanul this time is 158, and the number of amateur hunter applicants has increased significantly to 2,725…”

Currently, due to the merger with the Hwarang Guild, Hanul is not accepting any more hunters.

Only a few hunters from our guild left for others this time, and those were for personal reasons.

In other words, a low turnover rate means they’re satisfied.

Things are running smoothly.

There was nothing for me to do at the meeting. To be precise, it was less of a meeting and more of a briefing session.

After the boring meeting, I went straight to see the kids from Team 3.

I’m now the tactical director for the entire Hanul Guild, but since they’re my kids that I raised from the beginning, my eyes are always on Team 3.

“Director!”

As expected of our In-ho, he’s got sharp eyes.

He noticed and reacted the moment I walked in.

“I told you all to rest, but you’re grinding away at training?”

“My body can’t function unless I punish it every day. I’m ruined. I’ve fallen from grace.”

That’s Kim Tae-yang in the corner, having an existential crisis without even greeting me.

He says that, but his body is honest.

The calves of his legs bulge mightily as he does leg extensions.

“Oh, right. In-ho, you did well.”

“Sir?”

“Your command. You handled it calmly and effectively, even in an urgent situation.”

“Ah. It’s all thanks to what you taught me, Director.”

In-ho smiles, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

I took an item out of my inventory for him.

A staff from which dark smoke gently billowed.

It’s Jeon Woo-chi’s weapon.

A staff isn’t my style anyway, and I’m not so poor that I need to sell off items in a hurry.

Setting aside my salary, I’m expecting a hefty reward for taking down that 6-star.

“Here, you use this. Its options are better than I thought.”

“Th-this? Something so expensive, for me…?”

“It’s not that much. Just use it.”

Kim In-ho took the weapon from me and smiled with a bewildered expression.

“You can get it digitized at the workshop, so take care of that yourself.”

“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it!”

The weapon In-ho uses is a Blue Label (Hardness Enhancement) grade weapon made at the workshop.

Label-grade weapons can be upgraded.

For example, converting Jeon Woo-chi’s staff into data is done at the workshop. And once the weapon is successfully converted, its weapon value is measured.

Let’s say that weapon value is roughly 10 mega.

The capacity varies depending on its abilities or rarity. Upgrades are possible depending on the capacity of the Label-grade weapon it’s being applied to.

In short, the larger the capacity, the more you can enhance the weapon.

“Uh, Director, what about me? Me?”

Seeing In-ho receive a gift from me, Tae-yang came running over.

“In-ho did a great job commanding this time. That’s why I’m giving it to him, because I’m proud of him.”

“Ack! You didn’t see, Director. I went to take down the boss with Team Leader Ang! Should I bring a witness?”

Tae-yang is pacing around me like a puppy. It looks like he’ll whine all day if I don’t give him something.

“Here.”

To be honest, I was planning to give him something anyway.

Jeon Woo-chi’s robe had options for defense increase, a regeneration skill, evasion, and invincibility activation—perfect for a guy like Tae-yang.

At my level, an invincibility option is honestly meaningless. The low probability is one thing, but when I fight, it’s a battle of total annihilation where invincibility and the like are pointless.

“Wahahak! Our Director is the best! I love you!”

The dark-skinned guy tried to cling to me, so I quickly dodged and tripped him.

Even as he fell, Tae-yang was happily clutching the robe.

In truth, Tae-yang fought like a madman this time. Though he shows some weakness against large monsters, when it comes to PvP, he fights like an absolute lunatic.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Seo Hyun-ji cleared her throat next to me.

At first, when I worked them like crazy, they were scared and started avoiding me. Now that they’ve built up some stamina, they’re not scared anymore.

“Here.”

I handed over Seo Hyun-ji’s share of the items.

“What’s this?”

“What do you think? The item inspection details are right there.”

What I gave Seo Hyun-ji was Jeon Woo-chi’s gat. It increases magic power and casting speed.

That damn 6-star boss didn’t drop a single item I could use, just stuff for my teammates.

“I didn’t ask for it.”

“Then give it back. I’ll sell it.”

“What are you talking about? You should always listen until someone’s finished. I was going to say thank you, thank you!”

When I tried to take it, Seo Hyun-ji quickly turned her body and shielded the item.

“Director Lee. What about me?”

Ang-hyeong approaches, blinking his eyes. Karin comes scurrying over too.

These guys.

“Ang-hyeong, I had a case of soju delivered to your place.”

“Ohh. Thanks. As expected!”

He’s a cheap date.

“Ajeossi, what about me? Me?”

Do these guys think I’m Santa Claus or something?

“Here, a free coupon for Happy Happy Chicken.”

“Woooow! But just one?”

“It’s a one-week unlimited pass.”

“Reaaaally! Ajeossi, you’re the best!”

The three foreign brothers come running over too.

“The only thing I have to give you guys is my fist.”

“That’s harsh. This is racial discrimination.”

Uh, no it’s not.

Honestly, everyone worked really hard this time, so I did want to give them something.

That ominous future I saw. They all died in it.

It felt like it was hammering away at the trauma I had only just begun to overcome.

I am strong. But those around me are not yet.

Of course, by normal standards, I have no intention of refuting that the people here are top-tier talent.

But what I want is more than this.

We must aim higher, for a greater summit.

I tossed them a car key.

The faces of the three foreign brothers, receiving a car key for the first time, lit up with joy.

“Here, take this and get off my back.”

“Have we finally been blessed with an iron steed?”

“Now we too can park illegally.”

The joyous trio was getting excited while looking out the window.

“What’s the model? A Hyundai? A Kia?”

“A horse.”

“A Fe-X-rari? The taxes are heavy, a bit of a burden. But a man has to drive one of those. Good. We approve!”

The three excited guys went down to the parking lot. And there they saw a horse chewing on hay.

The horse spat out the hay. It ambled over to the window, chomping its lips as if chewing cud.

You guys can ride that thing. But be careful, that horse might end up riding you.

“The iron steed?”

“Not an iron steed, a Heavenly Steed.”

***

“Aegis.”

As the white-haired young man muttered quietly, a shield of light formed before him with a skill effect.

Every hunter possesses their own unique talent.

The young man—no, Seol Ji-hoon—was someone from another dimension and possessed two talents.

One was his ability as a knight, Aegis, which could create a powerful shield. The other was his ability as a healer: DoT healing.

When his health dropped, he would put up his sturdy shield and recover with his DoT heal.

The healing he used was extremely useful as it restored both HP and actual physical stamina simultaneously.

“But against him, it’s meaningless.”

Seol Ji-hoon muttered, thinking of a certain man.

He looked down at his own white-gloved hands.

His mind was a mess.

The battle at the recent, unprecedented gate.

There, Seol Ji-hoon had witnessed an overwhelming numerical offensive.

It was a major crisis where everyone was sure to be annihilated.

From his position as a Villain, it was a situation where Seol Ji-hoon should have been applauding.

And yet, he had acted against his own interests.

Watching the dying guild members, the faces of those who had died helplessly in his own world came to mind.

The desperate screams of people crying out for help, reaching out their hands in search of salvation.

By the time he came to his senses, he had already used Aegis to protect his comrades.

He stood before his terrified comrades, rallying them with the shield of light before him.

‘Damn it.’

Seol Ji-hoon clenched his fist.

Was it because he had been caught among his enemies for so long that he had, without realizing it, started to think of them as ‘human’?

“How was it? Spectacular, wasn’t it?”

Just then, someone entered his training room.

A woman with short black hair and a choker around her neck was smiling faintly.

He knew what she was talking about.

“Ryu Ji-yeon.”

The woman who was once called the Company Man.

She placed a hand on Seol Ji-hoon’s shoulder with a deceptively friendly demeanor and whispered.

“Kei is dead, by the way.”

Seol Ji-hoon had expected as much.

They were supposed to lure the Hero into a trap and then make contact.

They hadn’t been counting on an uncertain existence like a regressor in the first place.

“Who’s next? You? Or maybe me?”

“He doesn’t seem like the sexist type to spare someone just because they’re a woman.”

As Seol Ji-hoon sneered sharply, Ryu Ji-yeon gave a gleeful laugh.

“I’ll be fine. My shadow will die in my place.”

The Company Man can freely create bodies for itself, regardless of age or gender.

But Seol Ji-hoon had no such ability.

Nor could he escape to the dimension he originally came from.

It was, quite literally, a dead end.

“The Hero.”

Seol Ji-hoon was giving up.

“Gives no mercy to his enemies.”

He couldn’t defeat that monster. All that was left for him now was ruin.

The Company Man cackled as if talking about someone else’s problem and left the training room.

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Seol Ji-hoon said to the Company Man’s retreating back.

I’m not afraid.

I’ve already experienced true fear.

There is nothing more terrifying than losing the family and lover you adore, and gazing upon their corpses.

He had wanted revenge on those who didn’t see people as people, simply because they were from another dimension.

But there was something he was feeling in a corner of his heart.

The members of his own guild. And the residents nearby.

The members of the fan club that had sprung up for him.

They are innocent.

They didn’t kill his family.

‘Damn it all!’

Seol Ji-hoon gritted his teeth. His mind understood, but his body refused to accept it.

Kei was dead. His cronies were wiped out as well. Now, he was the only one left. The Company Man was basically the Hero’s fangirl, so she was no help.

Seol Ji-hoon knew the Hero wouldn’t attack him right away.

No matter how powerful he was, it would be difficult to kill him, an S-rank hunter of Korea. That should have been obvious.

The Hero. To Seol Ji-hoon, he was the most threatening existence.

But in the end, he knew nothing of importance.

Nothing at all.