GM Ch54

The wind spirit had sneaked into the S-rank hunter’s house and left a letter. It could hear everything, even Choi Euiseong muttering as he read the letter. It was a perfect eavesdropping operation.

Of course, Soohyuk didn’t need to know about this. What puzzled him more was why Soohyuk was so interested in the spirit. Was he planning to use it for something illegal?

“Whether it’s curiosity or greed, don’t do anything you can’t handle.”

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“Huh?”

“There are plenty of people who get drunk on power and do something stupid, only to regret it for the rest of their lives.”

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“You mean don’t cause trouble, right? Don’t worry. I’ll live a good life. My goal is to earn money diligently and retire early.”

Minjun quickly understood what Soohyuk was worried about. Hunters who suddenly gained extraordinary power almost always caused some kind of trouble. In the past, he himself had destroyed a building while fighting with a provoking hunter.

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Soohyuk’s advice might have sounded like nagging to a twenty-year-old rookie hunter. But to a twelve-year veteran hiding his true identity, it was clear this was kindness based on genuine concern. No matter what he could do with the spirit, Minjun had no intention of causing trouble.

“Retire?”

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“Yes, retire.”

Soohyuk was taken aback by Minjun’s confident answer. The possibilities with a spirit that left no evidence were endless. It wasn’t surprising that Minjun understood the warning perfectly. Given his mature and cautious nature, Soohyuk expected him to be careful.

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But he hadn’t expected to hear about retirement. Glancing sideways, he saw that Minjun’s expression was as resolute as his voice.

“You’re twenty, right?”

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“Even at twenty, I can dream of retirement. Actually retiring will take a bit longer, though. I have to stay with the June Guild for three more years.”

“So you really mean it.”

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“Yes. I’ll work hard and not cause any trouble. I need to save up for my retirement fund. Thanks to the guild leader, I’ve almost got it all. I just don’t know if I can sell the S-class magic stones.”

Minjun’s earnest explanation about his retirement fund left Soohyuk momentarily speechless. Then he burst into laughter.

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“You know, the more talented you are, the more work you’ll have. And you’re very talented.”

“Bad omen, back at you.”

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Minjun’s casual use of an old joke made Soohyuk laugh again. He really wanted to know how Minjun had lived his life.

“Back at you, twice over.”

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“Hey, that’s not fair!”

“Mhmm.”

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“I’m going to complete my three years and retire, just watch!”

Listening to Minjun’s ambitious declaration, Soohyuk laughed. There was no way someone as talented as Minjun would retire in three years. The National Security Agency would keep begging for his help until the Poison Jar Dungeon was eradicated. And Soohyuk would be no different. With a 55% buff skill, letting Minjun leave was out of the question.

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Soohyuk pondered how to keep Minjun from leaving. In three years, when Minjun would leave without a second thought, he could cling to Minjun’s pant leg, begging him to stay. Or he could get him hooked on spending money, making him blow through his retirement fund.

Hmm. His conscience was working overtime again.

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Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to do such things. But because it was Minjun, his heart felt a sharp pang.

Soohyuk looked at Minjun standing across from him. Under the shadowless desert dungeon, Minjun’s face, flushed red, stood out clearly.

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As he kept staring, Minjun tilted his head, puzzled, and for some reason, Soohyuk’s heart skipped a beat.

“Damn.”

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“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”

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“Okay.”

Shaking his head, Soohyuk sent Minjun ahead to the escape gate. And then, a different question popped into his mind than the one he had before entering the dungeon.

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Do I actually like this guy?

***

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After dropping Minjun off in front of the dormitory, Soohyuk headed to the guild leader’s office to catch up on some overdue work. Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he ran into Jung Seongwon coming out of the deputy guild leader’s office.

“Heading home?”

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“Ugh, you should’ve come a bit later.”

“Why?”

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“I need to talk to you.”

“If it’s about the Legion Guild leader, it’s fine. Go home today, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

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“No, it’s not about the Legion Guild leader. I can’t stop thinking about it. Let’s go to the guild leader’s office.”

Dragging Soohyuk to the guild leader’s office, Jung Seongwon pulled out a tablet from his bag. The face of a man appeared on the screen, a hunter Soohyuk recognized. It was Joo Myunghwan, the leader of the Ace Guild.

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“The Ace Guild leader? Why him?”

“He’s been acting really suspicious.”

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“More than usual? How?”

At thirty-four, Joo Myunghwan was a former baseball player and a well-known A-class hunter. His abilities as a hunter were decent, and he was quite resourceful. Thanks to his uncle being a local politician, he had close ties with the political world.

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Soohyuk didn’t care whether the Ace Guild and Joo Myunghwan were close to the political world or not. But the situation changed when Minjun got involved in the Poison Jar Dungeon raid.

The Poison Jar Dungeon, located in the basement of the Capital Defense Command headquarters, was managed directly by the National Security Agency due to its unique location. Although it was a C-class dungeon, the poison required high-level hunters with poison resistance or immunity.

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S-class hunters with poison immunity weren’t even considered. Their fees were too high, and the government didn’t want S-class hunters frequenting the Capital Defense Command. Hunters from guilds led by S-class hunters were also excluded.

After considering various conditions, the chosen one was A-class hunter Joo Myunghwan. He had poison resistance and was of a high rank. However, five years after the Poison Jar Dungeon appeared, things were not going as the National Security Agency had intended.

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The Poison Jar Dungeon raid was running on Joo Myunghwan’s connections. The hunters participating in the dungeon raid changed slightly each time. But since the parties were formed through introductions, rumors of severe territorialism were spreading.

Rumors were rampant that Joo Myunghwan was the one causing all the trouble in the raid party. His obsession with power games had earned him a poor reputation. But there was something even more suspicious.

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“The hunters here didn’t get along with Joo Myunghwan.”

As Jung Seongwon swiped the screen on his tablet, photos and brief profiles of three hunters appeared. They were A-class, B-class, and A-class hunters.

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“These are guild leaders who clashed with Joo Myunghwan over interests. One had a heart attack, and two had strokes. Two died, and one survived but was left paralyzed on one side.”

“What?”

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“Four years ago, three years ago, and one year ago. There’s a time gap, but isn’t it a bit too coincidental? Plus, the Green Guild leader was in his twenties.”

“Indeed.”

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The deceased hunters were in their twenties and thirties. The one who survived with paralysis was also in his thirties. Hunters who fought monsters directly were under a lot of stress. But they were all too young to be collapsing from heart attacks and strokes, and as guild leaders, they should have been in good physical condition.

“It could just be a coincidence, but it might not be.”

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“You have a bad feeling about this, don’t you?”

“Mhm.”

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“Me too.”

Soohyuk stared at the tablet. As Seongwon said, it could just be a coincidence. But ever since becoming a hunter, his instincts were rarely wrong, especially when it came to bad omens.

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“What should we do? I think we should keep investigating.”

“I agree. Look into the people around Joo Myunghwan, not just him. Start with those who got hurt or died. Don’t overdo it.”

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Having worked together for eight years since founding the guild, the two quickly decided what to do with just a short conversation. If it was just a coincidence, that would be fortunate. If not, they needed to gather as much information as possible to prepare properly.

“Oh, and about hunter Kim Minjun. A TV station requested an interview.”

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“A TV station? Why?”

“They want to interview him because he’s Korea’s only elementalist. I didn’t reject it outright; I said I’d ask for his opinion. I don’t think he’ll agree, but what do you think?”

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“Absolutely not. Our chick needs to be kept safe.”

Seongwon couldn’t help but smile wryly at Soohyuk’s overprotective reaction. It was indeed unusual for Soohyuk to personally accompany Minjun on dungeon raids with his dual identity.

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There had been a request to help Minjun safely complete 100 dungeon raids. Normally, Soohyuk would have hired a reliable hunter as a bodyguard. But for some reason, he had decided to personally accompany Minjun. Soohyuk had always been a bit unpredictable. There was a reason the PR team called him “the wild card.”

But when it came to Minjun, his direction was consistent.

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“Do you know? You’re acting like Kim Minjun’s guardian.”

“As the guild leader, I am basically his guardian, aren’t I?”

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“It would be more efficient to assign a bodyguard, but you’re not doing that.”

“I feel more at ease doing it myself.”

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Soohyuk had considered hiring a bodyguard. There were plenty of trustworthy hunters. But thinking about unexpected situations like today, he felt more comfortable handling it himself.

“See? You’re like an overprotective dad.”

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“Don’t call me an overprotective dad. Just say I’m like an older brother. I’m not old enough to be his dad.”

“Haha. So you finally got a younger sibling?”

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“Finally?”

“Don’t you remember writing a letter to Santa Claus asking for a younger sibling?”

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“Oh.”