GM Ch94

“You’re angry, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I was nervous you were going to flip the table again this time.”

“I almost did, but I held back.”

Yoon Soohyuk didn’t hide his dissatisfaction.

The government properly recognized the danger of ‘Whispering Poison.’ They were acutely aware of the fact that a hunter addicted like Park Gyuyoung could turn into a monster anytime, anywhere.

To minimize confusion, they decided not to announce that hunters addicted to the poison would develop vine-patterned tattoos on their chests. They feared it could lead to a witch hunt. The meeting, which had been progressing towards an agreement not to prevent rumors from spreading gradually, derailed because of the detoxify agent.

The detoxify agent created by the Cosmos Guild had worked on a hunter who was a former member of the Lucky Guild. The detoxify agent submitted to the government was also the Cosmos Guild version. Its name was ‘Shadowless Bead.’

Unlike the S-class hunters’ proposal, the government opposed publicly disclosing the manufacturing method of the detoxify agent. To be precise, the government wanted to monopolize the production and sale of the detoxify agent.

Hunter explosions were a global phenomenon. More hunters than known had been poisoned and exploded. Perhaps there were more hunters addicted to the poison than expected.

The government calculated the diplomatic benefits to be gained from the detoxify agent.

In the catastrophic era, the number of hunters was equivalent to national power. And newly discovered and invented items were useful weapons.

Unlike complete items from dungeons, artifacts created by hunters could not be analyzed with skills. Therefore, ‘Shadowless Bead’ could be a very powerful weapon.

However, Soohyuk and the S-class hunters couldn’t understand the government’s attitude. If an explosion occurred, not only the hunter but also ordinary people could be harmed. Also, there would inevitably be hunters who couldn’t afford to buy the detoxify agent sold by the Korean government.

Nevertheless, the government’s position was firm. In particular, a secretary from the President’s Secretariat made the bizarre claim that it was an opportunity for our country to exert influence in the international community.

To Choi Euiseong’s sarcasm that it was notoriety, he said anything that came to mind, like the interests between countries change according to the logic of power, so it’s okay.

Soohyuk really wanted to flip the table. But that was just venting, so he held back.

“You held back well.”

“Can I cause an accident?”

From the moment the secretary said something strange, Soohyuk had been thinking of another way. He could do it alone, but in this case, he needed Seo Wooju’s support and help.

“How?”

“I’m thinking of releasing the detoxify agent manufacturing method to foreign countries. I heard that foreign countries have also noticed the addiction phenomenon and are engrossed in creating detoxify agents. It’ll be over if they announce they discovered it.”

“Are you confident you won’t get caught?”

“Of course, I am. You know that.”

Soohyuk smiled at Seo Wooju, who warned him not to get caught. Outwardly, Seo Wooju was known to be a rigid person. In reality, he was a stickler for principles, but he wasn’t inflexible. He was just trying to act as a role model as the oldest S-class hunter.

Some of the accidents Soohyuk had caused so far had happened with Seo Wooju’s tacit approval. This time was the same. Seo Wooju told him not to get caught, so all he had to do was pull it off properly.

“Do it after some time. It’ll be too obvious if you do it now.”

“I will. But do you know why the government is suddenly acting like this? Suddenly, international influence?”

The government’s basic stance was no accidents and safety. Hunters not causing accidents, clearing dungeons on time, and collecting as many magic stones as possible. There had been attempts to strongly regulate hunters from time to time, but recently they had almost disappeared.

But suddenly monopolizing the detoxify agent to exert influence in the international community didn’t make sense.

Korea, which was stably managing hunters while most countries with large territories were experiencing various confusions, was getting attention. However, Korea’s position, which was behind in the absolute number of hunters, was no different from before.

“I don’t know either. The chief secretaries are the same.”

“Well, someone must have stuck to their side. I’ll look into it.”

Soohyuk clicked his tongue. It was common for policies to change drastically depending on who was next to the chief secretary, who could be said to be the president’s hands and feet. If he poked a secretary he knew, he could find out what was going on.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Soohyuk discussed a few more things with Seo Wooju. The date for the hunter competition was set for the end of May. The official name was ‘Korea Hunter Championship.’

“What are you going to do about Kim Minjun hunter?”

“He’ll probably attend. He might say he doesn’t want to, though. Hmm, there’s a way.”

“Don’t force him too much.”

“Hahaha. I respect the wishes of my guild members as much as possible.”

Soohyuk licked his lips and told the truth. Respecting as much as possible meant there were exceptions.

Of course, Seo Wooju knew that too. Depending on the circumstances, hunters had to jump into dungeons without any information.

Still, Seo Wooju, who knew Kim Minjun’s identity, couldn’t help but worry. Minjun, whom he met that night, only said that his appearance had changed because his spirit stone and soul had merged, and that he could now handle spirits, and remained silent about the rest, saying there were complicated circumstances.

Knowing Minjun’s personality, Seo Wooju didn’t pry. When he said he would soon be S-class, so don’t worry, he nodded.

As promised, Minjun became S-class. Instead of struggling alone like in the past, he was properly protected by June Guild. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but keep checking on Minjun’s safety out of concern.

It was widely known that June Guild didn’t spare money on the welfare of its employees. The hunters’ salaries and treatment were the best in Korea, to the point where other guilds protested, saying, “Stop it, are you trying to disrupt the market?”

Just as Seo Wooju was thinking that it would be enough if Minjun was doing well in June Guild and was about to change the subject again, Soohyuk’s phone, which was placed face down on the table, flashed.

Soohyuk, who usually kept his phone on silent, asked for understanding and picked up his phone. He complained that the battery was draining too quickly because he was getting calls from all over the place, calling them advertising calls, and pressed the reject call button.

“Seo Wooju. Just a moment. I’ll just check this one thing.”

Asking for understanding again, Soohyuk quickly moved his hands. Seo Wooju, who was sitting across from him, couldn’t see what the message said.

However, he could clearly see Yoon Soohyuk’s face instantly relaxing.

Soohyuk originally smiled a lot. He was also famous for delivering harsh words with a beaming smile. However, the man’s guard, which seemed somewhat light but had no gaps, had just crumbled.

Having eaten his age, Seo Wooju knew the examples of this case well.

Lover, wife, child. Mostly these three. Very rarely, there was also a favorite. Yoon Soohyuk had no wife or children. The existence that could be called his favorite was currently missing.

He wondered if it could be. According to Minjun, he and Soohyuk weren’t really dating. They were just pretending to be for some reason.

But looking at Soohyuk’s expression, it seemed like Minjun was wrong.

No, maybe he has someone else he’s really dating.

Seo Wooju formed a new hypothesis. But Yoon Soohyuk cleared up the suspicion himself.

“It’s a message from Kim Minjun hunter. He seems bored after being alone for two days.”

“Is that so?”

Looking at Soohyuk smiling at the phone screen, Seo Wooju clicked his tongue. No matter how he looked at it, that was the face of a man in love.

Minjun-ah. You said you were just pretending to date.

Seo Wooju couldn’t know what kind of misunderstanding there was between Soohyuk and Minjun. He thought he would have to ask Minjun separately later.

Yoon Soohyuk, who had no idea what Seo Wooju was thinking, was completely absorbed in the message Minjun had sent.

The intention of the message, which said when are you coming, I’m waiting, 3 days left, was clear. Originally, Minjun was strict about sex dates, but this was still a clear seduction.

Of course, he had to give in to this kind of seduction.

Soohyuk was about to reply to Minjun but stopped himself. It would be fun to surprise Minjun by suddenly appearing without contacting him.

“I’ll get up first. I’m sorry, but I’ll use the window. The reporters are sticking to me.”

Getting up from his seat, Soohyuk turned his head towards the window instead of the guild leader’s office door.

Minjun, who was presumed to be Korea’s eighth S-class hunter, had disappeared since that day. So the reporters chased after Soohyuk, the guild leader of the guild Minjun belonged to.

Some of the reporters were hunters. They aimed for exclusive stories, even using stealth and tracking skills.

But there was always someone who could fly above those who ran. If Soohyuk, an S-class hunter, used stealth skills to move, no one could follow him.

“Of course. Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as Seo Wooju gave his permission, Soohyuk unhesitatingly threw open the window.

“Give my regards to Hunter Kim Minjun.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you later.”

Using his stealth skill, Soohyuk slipped outside and politely closed the window. No one noticed him soaring into the sky.