Chapter 054 —
In the end, Yoon Seong hyeon came all the way to England. It must have been a long and arduous journey—coming this far just to recruit me.
Did he get chewed out at the company or something? Either way, if the famous Taebaek partner hunter was coming, this wasn't something we could talk about over street food and tteokbokki.
With the help of the British Hunters' Association, I finished preparing as best I could and waited for Yoon Seong hyeon to arrive.
"Are you here to start a war or something?"
The door opened and Yoon Seong hyeon entered with six hulking men. Watching the sight from my seat at the table, I couldn't help but say it.
Was he here to negotiate, or to threaten me? Did he learn negotiation in some other world or what?
"I won't mince words. When the transfer window opens, honor the agreement."
Yoon Seonghyeon said that and handed me some documents. They listed the conditions I'd receive if I became a hunter affiliated with Taebaek.
"A partner hunter, huh. I thought the original condition was that I'd become a junior hunter under Partner Hunter Yoon Seong hyeon."
At my words, Yoon Seong hyeon replied,
"Taebaek isn't stupid. We judged that you surpassed that level a long time ago. What you're looking at now is the best set of conditions Taebaek can offer."
The terms really were incredible. As a partner hunter, you basically split the profits from the contracts you secure with the company—and the distribution ratio was generous. On top of that, I'd have at least seventy-five hunters working under me.
And as if to prove that Taebaek was a company that raked in money by the shovel, they'd prepared all kinds of welfare benefits and perks.
"So you never intended to negotiate in the first place."
The fact that they'd laid out conditions this favorable from the start meant they had no intention of yielding even a single step from here.
"That's right."
I set the documents down.
"I've heard Taebaek is different from other hunter companies."
Other hunter companies don't have a CEO. Partner hunters simply band together, work, and split the profits. In other words, there's no single owner.
But Taebaek has a representative. That means the company has an owner. That's the one difference between Taebaek and other hunter companies—and proof that Taebaek is fundamentally different from the rest.
"Yes. Sung Sihoon is the owner of Taebaek."
Sung Sihoon—a hunter famous for using telekinesis. Worthy of the title "owner of Taebaek," he's powerful, with multiple records of subjugating Grade 1 Corrosion Zones.
But…
"From what I know, he hasn't been active lately."
After Taebaek firmly established its position, he stopped working as a hunter. He doesn't eliminate Corrosion Zones, and he doesn't sign contracts with corporations or nations.
He simply remains as Taebaek's owner. To put it bluntly, a totem that glorifies the name of Taebaek.
"The movements of the strong must carry weight."
I smiled and replied,
"Can you really call someone a hunter if they don't hunt?"
A writer who doesn't write.
A painter who doesn't paint.
A lawmaker who doesn't attend the assembly.
A chef who never comes out to the kitchen.
There's a neat, tidy word that describes all of them.
"CEO Sung Sihoon is a rich unemployed man."
"Watch your mouth. If you flap your gums carelessly, you'll die without anyone knowing."
From Yoon Seong hyeon's tightly clenched fist came the sound of joints grinding. Naturally, the expressions of the six brutes behind him darkened as well.
It seemed that this "rich unemployed man," Sung Sihoon, at least maintained strong loyalty among his subordinates.
"What's wrong with being a rich unemployed guy? There's no better life than that."
That's my ultimate goal too. I'm complimenting him.
Of course, Sung Sihoon is a rich unemployed man who, in a world where people eat dried food-waste powder as relief supplies and get chewed up by monsters like dog treats, has the power to stop it all—and still does nothing.
I slid the documents on the table back toward Yoon Seong hyeon.
"I refuse."
At my words, Yoon Seong hyeon stood up.
"That's not one of your options."
The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile. I laughed as if dumbfounded.
"I'm not playing a game here. What do you mean, options?"
I looked at Yoon Seong hyeon, who glared at me as if he might attack at any moment. Then I stood up as well and met his gaze.
"The Korean government wants Korea to remain the strongest nation in this world, and Taebaek wants to remain the strongest among hunter companies."
Their goal isn't the complete eradication of Corrosion Zones. That's secondary. Honestly, I'm not even sure that's truly their goal.
The Korean government and Taebaek are organizations whose objective is to have been the best, to be the best, and to remain the best. I don't think that's necessarily a bad ambition.
Wanting to remain the top in your field is natural.
"My goals and Taebaek's goals are different."
What I'm aiming for isn't that. We want to go in different directions. Like someone heading to Gangwon Province and someone heading to Gyeongsang Province riding in the same car—what happens besides a fight?
You'd just wear each other out. So I'd rather they stop wasting effort and just go back.
But if that were the plan, there'd be no need to create such an oppressive atmosphere, or to bring six brutes along.
"Doesn't look like this will be settled with words."
"Sadly, no."
Since the mood had shifted, polite speech no longer came out of my mouth. At my reply, Yoon Seong hyeon looked at me as if I were absurd.
"Now that you're famous, do you think you've become something special?"
"I actually did become something. You know that—why ask?"
If you say no, you're a liar. Santa beats liars up at Christmas, right?
At my words, he swung his fist at me. With the sound of air tearing, the punch's trajectory twisted under my hand and struck empty space. With a bursting rush of air, the table flipped over and documents scattered.
Negotiations were over. Honestly, it never felt like words would solve this anyway.
"Once we beat you down and break a few bones, you'll change your mind."
"I'm truly impressed by Taebaek's excellent negotiation skills."
When words don't work, you use your fists. That's how the world works. And it's not like I came unprepared—I pulled out the spear at my waist, its length already shortened.
In a space this narrow, you have to adjust a spear's length to fight efficiently.
"Since we're supposed to be business partners, I won't kill you."
"That's my line."
I casually threw his clichéd line right back at him and dodged his attack. I slipped past an uppercut aimed at my jaw, and the building's ceiling, unable to withstand the shockwave, cracked loudly
That wasn't a punch anymore—it was basically a wrecking ball.
"Are you trying to make me submit, or are you trying to smash the watermelon sitting on my shoulders?"
There was no answer. Yoon Seong hyeon and the six brutes moved as if to surround me.
"What, did you rehearse this or something?"
Their movements were coordinated. Yoon Seong hyeon dealt with me directly, while the other six interfered with my movements to keep me in check. The mana they radiated pressed down on me like heavy weights.
It was a kind of suppression formation.
"Well damn. You really can do all sorts of things."
Of course, this wasn't some refined suppression formation perfected over long years by countless talented people. The development of techniques and methods takes time and talent.
Still, its performance alone was impressive. The layered mana pressing down on me was gradually slowing my movements.
"This is your last chance. It's not too late even now."
Yoon Seonghyeon made the offer again, smiling meaningfully.
"…"
To break a suppression formation, you can't focus on the people maintaining it. You have to analyze the flow of mana moving around you—the flow that presses in and restrains you.
Even while doing that, the only one I needed to truly watch was Yoon Seong hyeon. He was the only one who could move freely within this formation. The other six were restricted in their movements because they had to maintain the mana flow.
"?!"
Focused on Yoon Seong hyeon's movements, I was momentarily thrown off and failed to evade, forcing me to block his punch. My arm throbbed as I was pushed back, and I glared at him.
The spot he'd aimed for just now was my temple. If that had landed cleanly, it would've been instant death.
"You bastard. How exactly am I supposed to interpret that attack just now?"
That son of a bitch was trying to kill me. That realization was what truly startled me. Yoon Seonghyeon spoke with a hardened expression.
"If you won't belong to Taebaek, then I'll just crush you right here."
That was the meaning behind his last attack. I twisted my face and released my mana. The mana flow of the six brutes pressing down on me wavered, and the force restraining me weakened.
"Pretty scary, huh."
The spear in my hand was engulfed in black flames. When someone tries to kill me, I'm not dumb enough to think, 'No matter what, I can't kill a future business partner!'
"From now on, even grazing me will leave you seriously injured."
Go on. Try as hard as you like.
Realizing that their suppression had been neutralized, one of the six brutes charged at me, swinging his sword. I struck the blade with my spearhead to knock its trajectory aside, then drove my hand—burning with paradox demon flame—into his chest.
"…?!"
Pitch-black flames spread across his body in an instant, incinerating all of his muscular strength. His eyelids drooped as the muscles responsible for breathing lost all power, cutting off his breath.
With every muscle required to sustain life losing its strength, he collapsed. His heart soon lost the power to keep beating, and he died on the spot.
With no strength left to burn, the paradox demon flame naturally extinguished. I flicked my spear once and looked at Yoon Seong hyeon.
"I'll send you after your subordinate."
"You think you'll be safe after killing a Taebaek hunter?!"
Yoon Seonghyeon screamed as if in a fit. I picked at my ear and replied,
"Did you think you'd be safe after laying a hand on me?"
No—laying a hand on me would've been fine. I knew the intention was to pressure me, and I believed you didn't actually plan to kill me. If someone doesn't intend to kill me, I don't go out of my way to kill them either.
But you weren't like that.
"Thousands of Taebaek hunters will come for your life! Taebaek never forgives those who touch it!"
So that's a threat? I slammed my spear into the ground with a thud and spoke.
"I already understand what kind of ideology your company operates on."
Do you think this is my first time dealing with an organization like Taebaek? I looked at Yoon Seong hyeon coldly.
"I'll kill you and tell Taebaek directly. We fought because we couldn't come to an understanding, and the result was that you were weak and died. Yoon Seonghyeon wasn't a hunter worthy of Taebaek."
Sending Yoon Seonghyeon back to Taebaek would've meant death for him anyway, so I took care of it myself.
At my words, Yoon Seonghyeon fell silent.
"Organizations like Taebaek tend to see it as natural when the weak are killed by the strong."
It's one of the operating principles of groups that take survival of the fittest as their motto. The weak being devoured by the strong is only natural. Of course, I don't completely agree with that way of thinking.
"Even so, you think Taebaek will overlook an outsider arbitrarily executing one of its hunters?!"
"Of course not. Once Taebaek finds out you died at my hands, they'll have two choices."
One is to panic like a colt stabbed in the rear and hastily send people to eliminate me.
Or they can fabricate a more plausible pretext and use that to come after me.
Taebaek will choose the latter. Moving just because one of their partner hunters—no matter how famous—was killed by a rookie who hasn't even been hunting for a year?
That would make them look utterly ridiculous. Taebaek will prepare another excuse to deal with me, then use it to bind and kill me.
That takes time.
"Yoon Seonghyeon, Taebaek can't do anything to me."
I have a brain too—and thoughts, and plans. By the time Taebaek finishes preparing to make a move against me, I'll be ready as well.