The Hero Returns

Su-hyeun paused while unbuttoning his shirt. He turned his gaze to the TV. The news was talking about the Hahoetal Guild and the twin blue-colored dungeons.

“…Hahoetal Guild?”

He hadn’t heard of this before. He thought the Authority was leading the raid. That was Bak Yun-gyu had told him, and that was why he had agreed to help them. But the news report was very different from what Su-hyeun had been told.

-The Hahoetal Guild was the first discoverer of the blue-colored dungeons that appeared near Seorak Mountain recently. They are claiming priority in the attack. On the other hand, the Authority—

There was a conflict between the Authority and the Association. Su-hyeun could figure out what was going on since he knew Gwon Jae-hoon well.

Ring, ring, ring—

The phone rang. It was a call from Bak Yun-gyu. Su-hyeun answered the phone, unbuttoning his shirt again.

“Hello?”

-Hello. Mr. Su-hyeun. We’ve got a little problem.

“Yes. I’m watching the news right now. You’re talking about the Hahoetal Guild claiming ownership of the dungeons, right?

-…Yes. Sorry for the news.

“So, what happened? Doesn’t the Authority have the ownership of the dungeons?”

-That is…

Bak Yun-gyu explained what had been happening so far. In the case of civilian reports, the Authority was supposed to take ownership of the dungeon, but the Hahoetal Guild was stubbornly insisting that they were theirs this time.

“Then what is this news?”

-It looks like the Hahoetal Guild is using the press now. They took action before us.

“But will the Authority just sit back and watch?”

-Gwon Jae-hoon isn’t just the guild master of the Hahoetal Guild. He’s also the president of the Korean Awakeners Association. And he’s acquainted with several large guilds.

“So, you’re saying that the Authority can’t touch him.”

-Yes.

At this point, Su-hyeun could tell what Bak Yun-gyu wanted.

“I think the Authority has to drop out of this.”

-Are you saying…

“‘veI had trouble with the Hahoetal Guild anyway.” Su-hyeun thought this situation wouldn’t be bad for just him. “This is good.”

Su-hyeun took off his shirt and placed it on the floor, then sat on the couch and watched the TV. On the screen, Gwon Jae-hoon was giving an interview.

-As we are aware of the dangers of dungeons, the Hahoetal Guild is dedicated to the safety of the people—

He was spouting bullsh*t. Su-hyeun looked at the TV screen silently for a moment with a cold smile on his lips. Su-hyeun wasn’t personally acquainted with Gwon Jae-hoon, but he knew well what kind of person he was. Gwon Jae-hoon was simple but calculating. And he was definitely capable of making a good show of himself. His true colors were very different from what he was showing on TV.

-Mr. Su-hyeun?

At Bak Yun-gyu’s question, Su-hyeun asked. “Is the Hahoetal Guild going into the dungeons tomorrow?”

-The Authority hasn’t approved it yet. We were going to give you priority in targeting the dungeons.”

“Then leave them for now.”

-Yes?

Bak Yun-gyu asked in an embarrassed voice, wondering if he had heard wrong. He thought Su-hyeun would be embarrassed since things had gotten complicated. But, instead, he was glad about it.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

-Oh, I see. Okay, then…

At Bak Yun-gyu’s answer, Su-hyeun hung up the phone. Su-hyeun was looking forward to the next day.

<<Hahoetal Guild and Gwon Jae-hoon…>>

Su-hyeun sat on the sofa and closed his eyes quietly, thinking about those names.

***

“Thanks for your work, Producer Jeong. I’m so sorry for contacting you this late at night.”

“No, no. You’re fine. We appreciate it. We can’t miss such a scoop, you know.”

Gwon Jae-hoon, who had finished an urgent interview late at night, thanked the broadcasting staff. This live news broadcast was hurriedly made at Gwon Jae-hoon’s report. The appearance of the twin blue-colored dungeons was shocking enough to shake up the news coverage.

“Then, I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Gwon Jae-hoon’s expression quickly changed as he walked out of the TV station. He had smiled the whole time he was inside. But now, he was expressionless. He got in the car. Inside, Yun Jae-ho, the executive of the Hahoetal Guild, was waiting for him.

“I got a message from the members who went to Kim Dae-ho.”

“Why were they so late? I was thinking about going there myself after the interview.”

“Sir… There was a reason why they were late.”

“I don’t want to hear excuses. Drag those bastards to me right now. I’ll set an example—”

“Kim Su-hyeun was there.”

At Yun Jae-ho’s answer, Gwon Jae-hoon wondered if he had heard the right name. “Who?”

“Kim Su-hyeun. You know? The winner of the Ranking Wars…”

“Why would he be here? He should be in San Francisco. If you’re trying to lie, at least make it more believable—”

“The second team said the same name. Moreover, there wouldn’t be many awakeners in the world who could knock Kyung-taek out with one hit.”

“What? Kyung-taek was knocked out?”

That was undoubtedly reliable evidence. Yun Jae-ho started to worry about Gwon Jae-hoon, whose face fell. But he had to continue

“They said Kim Su-hyeun warned us. If we go to see Kim Dae-ho again, we’ll have a war with him.”

“That crazy bastard…”

Gwon Jae-hoon’s eyes widened at Su-hyeun’s provocative warning. But he couldn’t just ignore his wishes. Kim Su-hyeun was special. He had defeated the famous Gordon Rohan and won the Ranking Wars. That meant he had enough ability and power to defeat any large guilds by himself.

<<No. Maybe he’s more than that.>>

But still, Gwon Jae-hoon’s pride hurt to just step back at Kim Su-hyeun’s command. Gwon Jae-hoon struggled between profit and pride. Of course, it wasn’t a long-term concern.

“Just hold off then. We might fight Kim Su-hyeun later, but not now.”

“What about Kim Dae-ho’s equipment?”

“If we can’t take it, we just have to proceed with the raid without it.”

“Are you sure?”

“We have to make it work at all costs. You understand how this raid will affect our guild, right? So, do it!”

“Yes, sir!”

“I got the data about blue-colored dungeons from the American Awakeners’ Authority. The probability of a successful attack is more than 80%. Even if we fail, the probability of survival is more than 95%.”

“Is that correct?

“The raid for the blue-colored dungeon in America was carried out during the interruption of the Dump Guild. If they made it under such conditions, the Hahoetal Guild, with full preparation, can’t fail.”

Yun Jae-ho felt a little relieved at Gwon Jae-hoon’s confident answer.

“Well. That’s good, then,” Yun Jae-ho said.

“We’ll take care of the trouble with Kim Su-hyeun later. For now, just focus on the raid tomorrow.”

“What about the Authority?”

“Hmm…” Gwon Jae-hoon replied, thinking about Bak Yun-gyu’s face. “It can’t be helped.”

Gasp—

At his firm answer, Yun Jae-ho held his breath. What he said meant, if things went wrong, they would be willing to fight with the Authority.

***

The next day, Su-hyeun headed to Seorak Mountain in the morning. When he arrived, Lee Ju-ho, Thomas, and Hak-joon were already there.

“Hey. What’s up?” Lee Ju-ho, who had been leaning against the black sedan, approached Su-hyeun.

Su-hyeun saw the three people had arrived first and asked, “When did you guys get here?”

“We just arrived, too. I picked Hak-joon up this morning.”

“Su-hyeun—!”

Thomas found Su-hyeun and ran at him from a distance. Su-hyeun hugged Thomas, who jumped up wildly, as usual, and put him on the ground again.

“He’s been whining about wanting to see you since yesterday. I’ve been having a hard time soothing him.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh, and I hired a few skilled mercenaries to protect Kim Dae-ho. So, don’t worry too much. I don’t think the Hahoetal Guild would even think about going there again after they heard your name, though.”

By the way, did you hear about that?” When the Hahoetal Guild was mentioned, Hak-joon, who was standing next to them, asked about the news from last night.

Su-hyeun nodded and answered, “Yea, I hard. It’s an odd situation.”

“What are you going to do?”

“It depends on what they do.” Su-hyeun shrugged. “If I can solve it with talking, that would be the best.”

“What if talking doesn’t work?”

“In that case, I’ll have to solve it another way.”

After he’d heard what had happened at Kim Dae-ho’s house, Hak-joon started to dislike the Hahoetal Guild and Gwon Jae-hoon.

He murmured at Su-hyeun’s answer, “I hope talking doesn’t work out.”

“Honestly…” Su-hyeun grinned. “So do I.”

Lee Ju-ho checked the time and said, “Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

The four began to walk toward the viaduct of Seorak Mountain, where the dungeons were, where Bak Yun-gyu waited.

***

About 20 awakeners gathered in front of the viaduct, including Bak Yun-gyu and Kang Seung-cheol. They were awakeners from the Authority. They couldn’t hide their embarrassed expressions because the awakeners of the Hahoetal Guild and journalists from various media were right in front of the viaduct.

“Sir, what’s this all—”

“Shh. Stay still.”

At Kang Seung-cheol’s reaction, the awakeners of the Authority shut their mouths and lowered their heads. Kang Seung-cheol also bit his lip after making them quiet.

<<Damn. Bastards.>>

The Hahoetal Guild not only had released information to the media without any consultation with the Authority, but they’d also gathered reporters as if they were going to let them film their raid. Their actions clearly showed that the Hahoetal Guild didn’t intend to consult with the Authority at all.

<<They have the power of the Association on their side.>>

It was so clear what they were thinking. Nevertheless, Kang Seung-cheol and the other people from the Authority couldn’t take action. Their orders had come from the top.

<<The Authority ordered us not to make any trouble with the Association and solve it by conversation. Ha. Conversation?>>

It was nonsense.

<<They’re the ones who ended the conversation. How the hell we can solve it with a conversation?>>

Kang Seung-cheol lowered his head. He didn’t want to show his stormy face to them.

<<Wha’is he thinking?>>

Kang Seung-cheol glanced at Bak Yun-gyu, the leader of the team. He was standing with an expressionless face. He was like a stone. He didn’t show any reaction. In front of them, Gwon Jae-hoon was talking rot to the reporters.

“I think the awakeners from the Authority gathered here for an emergency that might happen. But don’t worry. The Hahoetal Guild will…”

“There he is,” Bak Yun-gyu murmured in a small voice.

He finally moved his head. Kang Seung-cheol also followed his gaze and checked far over the viaduct.

“Wow. There are a lot of people here.”

“There are reporters, too. They’re really making this into a show, aren’t’ they?”

“They like to show themselves in the first place. I’m not surprised.”

“Is that a dungeon? Yes? Yes?”

The four people came up, making loud noises. Kang Seung-cheol found Su-hyeun’s face among them.

He smiled brightly and shouted, “Here they are!”

He didn’t mean to, but his voice was very loud. At his shout, the reporters looked down from the viaduct, following his gaze.