Chapter 99 – Network

-Today at the XX Building, a large number of members from a villainous criminal organization were arrested.

-Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Special Guarder Lee Hyunbin and the agency…

-An incident occurred where a gang of villains ran rampant in a residential area.

-There were no civilian casualties, but several hunters who tried to stop them suffered minor to serious injuries…

Over fifty hardline villains were arrested in total.

That was probably almost every member of the hardline faction.

Only fifteen of them were actual dimension-hoppers from another world; the rest of the group was made up of naturally awakened criminals.

-Hunter Lee Hyunbin has done it again. The war against the villains. He stood at the forefront of the agency’s policy declaration.

The war between the moderate and hardline factions was over.

The result was the complete decimation of the hardline faction’s organization.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t catch all the masterminds and their remaining followers.

“…?”

I was currently watching the CCTV I had installed at home.

My Team 3 had fought against the villains.

Thanks to the dedicated training I put him through, Kim Tae-yang fought like an absolute madman.

His coordination with Kim In-ho was excellent, too.

For once, I actually feel like praising them.

But the three knights were a problem.

Of course, I understood that their synchronization rate was still low since it hadn’t been long since they crossed over to this side.

The fact that their opponents happened to be one of the top three powerhouses in the villain organization was also an issue.

‘I could use this as an excuse to torment them a bit, couldn’t I?’

Whoops, a slip of the tongue.

I meant I could give them some love. And they would have no way of avoiding my love.

Katrinne did pretty well for her part.

As a supporter, she was perfectly adequate, activating multiple skills at once.

And then there was Seo Hyun-ji.

A bit of a disappointment.

She’s too weak in actual combat. She’s vulnerable unless there’s someone who can stand firm and block for her in the front, which is a role no one could fill.

Of course, this is typical for most mage-types. But she’s an S-rank.

She needs to show efficiency befitting that status.

I had anticipated this to some extent. That’s why I made preparations.

Reinforcements from the Shinhwa Guild.

Mister Kaldoma.

An S-rank hunter and a foreign mercenary of the Shinhwa Guild.

During the agency terror incident, Kaldoma had barely escaped with his life thanks to me.

Fortunately, his surgery was a success, and he was told he could continue his life as a hunter without any future issues.

I had asked him for a favor.

To provide support for my team during a practical training exercise if they started getting pushed back.

Of course, just in case, I dangled a piece of bait.

I mentioned the existence of Kim Yeo-jin, the one who had shattered his arm.

Kaldoma wanted to repay his debt to me and readily agreed.

S-rank hunters have strong pride.

Literally every human who belongs to the position of the strong is like that.

I’m the same way.

Kaldoma would naturally want to redeem himself.

In other words, this was a chance to repay his debt to me and restore his own honor.

And he joined the battle at the perfect time.

Good. I’ve marked the ones who need a good thrashing.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

Without doing this, there’s no way to give them real combat experience.

It’s best for them to face strong opponents as much as possible.

That’s how I grew up, too.

Back in my day, I didn’t have anyone watching my back like this.

I just, you know, had to dodge dragon fire with my bare body.

And fight giants with my bare fists.

You kids have it good, being hunters in a time like this, unlike my days.

The tide of the battle turned.

Not only did Kaldoma arrive as support, but so did Yeomje, an S-rank from the same guild and the number one ranked hunter.

Of course, Yeomje didn’t lift a single finger. He just stood there with his arms crossed, glaring at the villains.

Thanks to that, the battle became completely one-sided.

Kaldoma utterly crushed Kim Yeo-jin, and riding that momentum, Team 3 also began to overwhelm the remaining villains.

To be precise, the pressure of having Yeomje waiting in the back must have been immense.

But in the end, they failed to capture the villains.

Why?

“I just blinked, and they were gone. Felt like I’d been tricked by a ghost.”

Kaldoma muttered, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

I saw it on the CCTV too.

The villains, who were in the middle of getting beaten, suddenly vanished in a single second.

Without a trace.

Just in case, I’m currently investigating the battle site myself.

There’s nothing rigged here.

I can’t feel any traces of magic either.

‘What is this?’

Teleportation? Stealth?

If it were ordinary stealth, an S-rank hunter’s senses wouldn’t have missed it, and I’ve never seen teleportation used like this without a cooldown.

Well, at least I’ve confirmed the existence of a threatening ability beforehand. That’s a relief.

It must be a power with limitations for the enemy as well.

If they had a power like this from the start, they would have used it to kidnap Katrinne.

“The debt from before is paid. You know that, right?”

Mister Kaldoma said.

“Did you get your revenge?”

“Oh, it was awesome.”

Kaldoma grinned and raised his middle finger.

Look at this guy.

“Oops, my mistake.”

Kaldoma folded his middle finger and gave me a thumbs-up.

Is this guy’s persona, or did he really suffer some lasting damage?

“You both worked hard, so I’ll treat you to two chickens. One per person.”

“Chicken?”

Chicken is the best for recuperating.

But Kaldoma didn’t look pleased.

“If you’re treating, you should take us to a place where we can make some noise. What’s with just chicken? Right?”

Kaldoma passed the baton to the silent Yeomje standing next to him.

Yeomje shot Kaldoma a sideways glance before turning his head away, uninterested.

“This friend here is usually a bit blunt, but he absolutely loves places that make a racket. Right?”

“Shut up.”

“You know you like it. Stop putting on airs just to live up to that Rank 1 title. This guy actually has a tsundere side to him. Look at him, he followed me here because he was worried.”

At Kaldoma’s words, Yeomje glared.

Tsundere or not, he just looks annoyed.

“It would be a disgrace if an S-rank from the Shinhwa Guild got hospitalized by mere criminals again.”

“See? I told you he’s a tsundere.”

“Ah, I see.”

Surprisingly, Kaldoma and Yeomje get along well.

The common rumor was that Yeomje was so prickly that even his own guild members were too scared to talk to him.

I guess Kaldoma is an exception since he’s also an S-rank.

“Well, if you had caught them, maybe. But since you failed, it feels wrong to treat you to something expensive.”

“Failed?”

Yeomje looked my way.

As if he were ready to fight at any moment.

What, I’m right, aren’t I?

“If it were me, I would have caught them all.”

“…!”

Hearing my words, Yeomje stared at me with a face that looked like it was about to drip fire from his eyes.

Is that why he’s called Yeomje, the Flame Emperor?

But seriously, who calls themselves Yeomje? Isn’t that a bit cringey?

The Delivery Man would be a better name.

Hmm, would it…?

Since what I said was the truth, even Yeomje couldn’t say anything back.

“Anyway, the debt is paid, Teamjang Lee. Man, what a shame. I was hoping to get some free booze. Yeomje, let’s go for a drink.”

“Drinks? You’re going to drink leisurely in the middle of the day?”

“If you drink, it becomes night, and when it’s night, it becomes dawn. Let’s go, let’s go. Teamjang Lee, you can come too if you feel like it.”

“I have some things to wrap up.”

“Really? A shame.”

The ever-easygoing Kaldoma forcibly slung an arm around Yeomje’s shoulders and dragged him away.

Rumor has it that Yeomje is a heartless psycho.

But now that I see him, he’s just a pushover.

I bet Yeomje will be the one paying for the drinks, too.

As the two of them left, citizens started to gather, and Kaldoma waved to them as a bit of fan service.

In the meantime, I went back inside the house.

“Ajeossi!”

Katrinne welcomed me as I entered.

“Did you buy food?”

“No.”

“Wow, seriously! How could you? I told you I was hungry!”

“I ordered chicken instead.”

“…What kind did you order?”

“All of them.”

Only then did Katrinne grin and say.

“Good job.”

Do I really have to go this far just to get a compliment from her?

No, well, they went through a big ordeal today, so I should at least do this much.

“Everyone, you worked hard. I’m glad no one was seriously hurt.”

“Yes…”

Their replies were half-hearted.

They all looked down.

Ah, is it because they were pushed back by the villains?

They must know what the result would have been if Kaldoma, whom I had on standby, hadn’t been there.

Katrinne would have been kidnapped, and everyone here would have been killed.

They weren’t foolish enough not to realize that, which is why they all looked so grim.

“What’s with the long faces?”

“Uh… well…”

They can’t bring themselves to say it.

“Because it feels like Ajeossi is going to work us to the bone.”

At Katrinne’s words, the others flinched.

Aha, so that’s it.

My, my, our family is getting quick on the uptake.

A smile automatically spread across my face.

Kim In-ho, whose eyes met mine, began to tremble.

Why is it that his face is fine when he’s trading blows with villains, but he trembles whenever he sees me?

I have a pretty handsome face, so his reaction feels a bit unfair.

I stroked my chin and looked in the mirror.

Ah, holy crap, that scared me.

I should probably stop smiling. A blank expression would likely look less terrifying.

“You’re… not going to scold us?”

“Why would I scold you? You all fought well.”

At my words, the team members’ faces relaxed slightly.

“The enemy had made a living out of fighting people, while this was your first battle. If we just reinforce a few areas, you’ll definitely win next time.”

Is it that surprising for me to praise them?

Many people freeze up in their first real fight against others and die without even being able to display their true skills.

Of course, I’d been conducting practical sparring sessions with them to prevent that from happening.

“Tae-yang fought really well, just going all out. In-ho, your combat awareness was excellent.”

“Huh? Why are you being like this, Team Leader…?”

He can’t even be happy about a compliment.

Who made him like this? It truly breaks my heart.

“Thank you!”

Kim In-ho, however, was purely delighted by the praise.

“Seo-yeon, let’s just work on your stamina a bit more.”

“Damn…”

“Damn? You don’t want your share of the chicken?”

“‘Damn’ is short for ‘Damn, I’m excited!’ You didn’t know that, Ajeossi?”

Let’s just go with that.

“Ms. Seo Hyun-ji, your skill application was a bit lacking. Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you a few things.”

“What… are you going to teach me?”

Seo Hyun-ji asked nervously.

It’s nothing to be that worried about.

You won’t die, after all.

Probably?

I finally turned my gaze to the main dish.

The three foreign brothers, trying to avoid my eyes, curled their large frames and hid behind Katrinne.

“Hey.”

“…”

“I’ll just say it straight.”

“…?”

“You guys are now fucked.”

The complexions of Jeon-guk, No-rae, and Ja-rang turned pale.

If even a black man can turn pale, that says it all.

Let’s see you get properly rolled.

* * *

No one spoke.

Was it like this when they first crossed over to this place?

Of the comrades who had gathered in the hideout, only seven remained.

“Damn traitors!”

A villain who used a square shield slammed his fist on the floor.

Those moderates had joined hands with the hunters.

While their compatriots were all captured by the agency, they felt ashamed to have returned alive by themselves.

“Kei, what do we do now?”

They didn’t know when the enemy might discover their current hideout.

“We move.”

“Where else do we have to go…!”

At his comrade’s words, Kei smiled.

“I’ve prepared another hideout.”

“…You did?”

“Don’t worry about our comrades. They’re only captured, not dead.”

In this world, they don’t execute people carelessly.

No matter how vicious the criminal.

“We can rescue them anytime.”

Kei said, the corners of his mouth lifting.

The organization, having grown in a short time, was in an uproar, demanding they strike the moderates immediately.

Why?

Because the organization’s power had grown considerably.

They thought that when they could crush them with force right away, foolishly waiting for an opportunity was the same pathetic act as the moderates.

And so, factions began to form within the organization.

One person had to hold absolute command. Only then could a group called an organization function.

Now, things could finally proceed properly.

The plan.

“Oppa, I’m sorry. Because of us, your finger…”

Kim Yeo-jin muttered in a small voice.

Her gaze was fixed on Kei’s thumb.

The thumb, broken and bent, looked extremely painful. But he hadn’t even been able to get proper treatment for it yet.

Kei let out a bitter sneer.

If he could mock an S-rank hunter at the cost of a single finger, it was a success.

“How about Network.”

“Network…?”

Kei continued.

“The name of our organization.”

The time had come when villains, sensing a crisis, would wander in search of a place to belong.

The plan was only just beginning.