Chapter 173: Episode 173

The two brothers faced each other, smiling—Frost with a gentle curve of his lips, Seojin with a vicious, torn grin. A heavy silence descended upon the room.

“Seojin. Calm down and think. I hope you choose your words carefully,” Frost said, tapping his temple. “If you didn’t infiltrate Kim Yusin’s circle to give the family potions as a gift… then what is it? Don’t tell me. Is it that again? Teenage rebellion? Is Kim Yusin the last lifeline you’ve managed to grasp?”

Frost mused aloud, then laughed.

“If that’s what you’re thinking, it’s truly pathetic, little brother. You know better than anyone. A famous rookie who’s been popular for a few years can’t so much as touch an ancient tree that has been rooted since before he was even born. That’s how the system works. The stakes are just different. It’s not an unfair race; for you, the very act of racing means you’ve already lost.”

Frost laid out his argument in a soft, calm voice.

“Putting your stupidity aside, do you realize your very existence is a liability to Kim Yusin? By taking you in, he makes the Unix Group his greatest enemy. What sin did he commit to deserve that? Is it the sin of befriending the wrong person?”

Frost continued, “Let’s think positively, little brother. Just by being involved with you, Kim Yusin’s story is guaranteed a bad ending. There’s only one way for you both to survive!”

Frost clasped his hands and leaned forward. “Hand over the potion specialist and the recipes. Then, both of you will join Unix. I’ll let you live as our dogs. I’ll feed you regularly, take you for walks, and if I’m in a good mood, I’ll even give you a reward. Isn’t that the life everyone wants? Even now, people all over Korea are fighting a war of qualifications just to become one of our family’s dog…”

“If you’re done spouting nonsense, I’ll be on my way,” Seojin spat, rising from his seat. “I’m ashamed I was ever part of this family. The moment you start referring to people as dogs, you’re all fundamentally rotten.”

“Did I say something wrong? It’s a fact,” Frost shrugged. “Everyone wants to be the dog of a good family, eat good food, wear good clothes, and be looked up to by the other dogs. ’Please pick me, master. Woof woof.’” As he chuckled, mimicking a dog, his eyes suddenly turned cold. “Hanging out with dogs has made your thoughts vulgar, Seojin. Are you planning to defy Father’s will again?”

Seojin didn’t answer. He simply turned his back and walked out of the room. Frost chuckled and tilted his wine glass.

“Is your discussion finished?” Secretary Ahn asked.

“Yes. Negotiations have broken down,” Frost said. “Form a task force to take down Alchemia. Garam, where Kim Yusin is based, is a bit troublesome, so let’s start with the potion division.”

“Understood.”

“You may leave.”

“And, young master. There is one more guest.”

“Ah, that person? Let them in.”

After Secretary Ahn left, the door clicked open, and a man in shabby rags appeared.

“I heard there was someone here who says interesting things. I wanted to hear them for myself.”

Frost, swirling his wine glass while looking out the window, smiled gently.

“I think we could be good friends. Don’t you agree?”

A metal prosthetic arm emerged from the rags and pushed back the hood.

“I agree.”

* * *

We were traveling in a military helicopter provided by Garam. With the disaster imminent, the nation’s highways were completely gridlocked, so the military had provided support for the hunters’ swift movement. Jin Bora, Jeong Seojin, Eunsol, and I were in one helicopter, while the Fourth Floor Team, being part of the assault team, had gone to the site a day earlier. Samia was still working at the Magic Tower. She would join us via teleportation once the operation began.

“Wow! This is my first time in a mana helicopter! I thought it would be super loud, but it’s surprisingly comfortable inside!” Jin Bora chattered away as usual.

“Yusin! Where are all those cars going?” Eunsol was looking down at the vehicles stuck in traffic on the highway.

“They’re going somewhere safe, where monsters don’t appear.”

“It looks like a parade!”

“They’re evacuating, Sol.”

While we were chatting cheerfully, one person was unusually quiet.

“Seojin.”

“Yes.”

“Is something wrong? You seem down.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Seojin answered.

He was normally a man of few words, but today, something was different. His complexion was unusually dark. Just then, Jin Bora, sitting next to him, nudged his arm.

“Aha! I get it. You’re afraid of heights, aren’t you? No wonder you’re so quiet.”

“The thought of getting my forehead cracked open by one of your potions today is indeed frightening.”

“It’s a healing potion!” Jin Bora shrieked, and Seojin laughed out loud. I wasn’t sure. Maybe I was just worrying for nothing.

“We have arrived at our destination, Miryang. Preparing for landing!”

The helicopter descended. I got off holding Eunsol, followed by Jin Bora and Jeong Seojin.

“Hunter Kim Yusin! You’re here!” Shin Nara ran over to greet us. I exchanged greetings with her and then looked at the man standing beside her.

“I am Brigadier General Jo Junhyeok, the commander of this operation.”

Hearing his rank, Jin Bora’s expression froze, but I smiled gently and shook his hand.

“Kim Yusin, certified rank-3.”

“Ah, I’ve heard endless praise for the Archmage’s exploits. It’s an honor to have you with us on the Gyeongnam front!”

“The honor is all mine. I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

After greeting the military officer, we walked with Representative Shin Nara.

“Ooooh.”

Jin Bora stuck close to my side, poking me in the arm.

“You’re looking pretty sharp, Yusin. You handle this stuff like a real pro!”

“That’s because I am a real pro,” I replied dryly.

She laughed and said, “Just kidding! Hehe, but seriously, it looks like we’ve really moved up in the world! A general just greeted us when we got off the helicopter!”

“You’d better get used to it. You’re a hunter, after all.”

“I know. I guess in my heart, I’m still just a college girl from the academy.”

The operational area was a rural village surrounded by mountains, with rice paddies and fields stretching out in every direction. The villagers had all been evacuated. We could see tanks and self-propelled guns crushing crops as they moved into position—an unavoidable, yet tragic, casualty of war.

As we headed to our destination, Shin Nara briefed us on the operation. We had already gone over the details before coming to Miryang, but she reviewed the key points and added newly acquired information.

“Soon, a gate will open in Miryang, and from it, an indestructible mana monster will appear. The Immortal.”

“Is it really a monster you can’t kill?” Jin Bora asked, bewildered.

“Yes! But it’s only indestructible until its dungeon is cleared. We can temporarily neutralize it by bombarding it with attacks. And, as you know, another important point: our intelligence suggests the Immortal prioritizes attacking nearby cities with large populations.”

Disasters and dungeon gates—especially rifts, the phenomenon where monsters fell from the sky—tended to appear more frequently in densely populated areas. This felt like more of the same.

“Command predicts it will target Busan,” Shin Nara explained. “Of course, it would be best to stop Immortal here before it gets there. We have second and third defense lines, and Busan has its own defensive systems prepared.”

“That’s thorough,” I commented.

“Human lives are the top priority.”

The conversation made the trip to the front line feel short. Soon, we arrived. The barrels of countless tanks were aimed at the gate’s expected location, and soldiers were rushing about, preparing for battle.

We were led into a barracks where the hunters could rest. A table was laden with refreshments, drinks, and health supplements. The other hunters were already busy inspecting their suits, their focus entirely on the coming hunt.

“Please wait here for a moment, everyone,” Shin Nara said. “I have a meeting with the Ayla representatives, so I’ll be right back!”

“Sure thing.”

As Shin Nara hurried out of the barracks, Jin Bora turned to me, her eyes sparkling.

“Sunbae, did you hear? The hunter teams in charge of the Gyeongnam defense line are Garam and Ayla! Ayla was the first guild we ever sold our potions to!”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“It was incredible when Ahn Sehyeon mentioned our company during that interview!”

Just then, Eunsol hesitantly tugged on Jin Bora’s sleeve.

“Sunbae!” Jin Bora announced. “Sol and I are going to the restroom.”

“Tower Master, I need to take a business call as well,” Jeong Seojin added.

“Go ahead.”

As they scattered to their tasks, I decided to get some fresh air. I left the barracks for a solitary stroll. I’d been cooped up in the Magic Tower for so long, mastering fifth-order magic and developing new circle magic, that it felt like my first walk in ages.

’An indestructible mana monster…’

I still had no idea how to take it down. Maybe I should have joined the assault team instead of the defense.

“Ugh, seriously! So stingy over a single potion!”

“B-But these are supplies we were issued…!”

“Forget it! This is pathetic! You can always tell who’s from a management company, acting all cheap!”

I heard loud, argumentative voices from beyond a nearby wall. Listening closely, I recognized one of them. I quieted my steps and approached, peeking my head around the corner to see what was happening.

-It is Seo Shimhee and Cha Doyeon, Tower Master.

’You’re right.’

A female hunter in full armor was berating them, flanked by two companions. Cha Doyeon and Seo Shimhee looked dejected but were still trying to argue their case.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, walking toward them.

The female hunter and her companions flinched. Cha Doyeon and Seo Shimhee looked at me with tear-filled eyes, as if I were their savior.

“Who are…” the female hunter began, frowning.

One of her companions, horrified, whispered something in her ear. Her expression shifted to one of shock, and she quickly bowed her head.

“H-Hunter Kim Yusin! My apologies.”

“Why is everyone raising their voices?” I asked, looking at Cha Doyeon. The moment she opened her mouth to speak, I felt the female hunter, still bowing, shoot her a venomous glare.

’How scary.’ This was why I hated getting dragged into catfights.

Cha Doyeon answered in a trembling voice, “We were just having a discussion about sharing hunter supplies.”

“Sharing?”

The full story was ridiculous. The female hunter’s name was Park Jihyeon, a member of the Ayla Guild assigned to the same assault team as my Fourth Floor Team. Since they were on the same team, she had demanded they share some of their potions to prepare for emergencies. Park Jihyeon claimed she fully intended to return them after the dungeon and would pay for any that were used, but…

’Yeah, right.’

Simply refusing to pay later was common practice in the hunter world. No matter how you dressed it up with plausible excuses like “operational effectiveness,” it was just extortion.

“Cha Doyeon, Seo Shimhee. You two can head back first.”

“…Ah, yes!”

They bowed and left. I then spoke to her two companions.

“I have something to discuss with Hunter Park Jihyeon in private. You may leave.”

Park Jihyeon shot her companions a desperate look, but they just bowed their heads and fled. Now it was just the two of us.

“Haaah,” she sighed. “What did you want to talk about? The operation will be starting soon, so I’d appreciate it if you made it quick.”

The audacity. Well, you meet all kinds of people in life.

“You don’t think you did anything wrong?” I asked.

“I do not. I made a necessary request based on a strategic judgment, and I fully intended to pay for the potions.”

“Hmm.”

I squatted down. “Have a seat for a moment.”

“Just for a moment,” I said, gesturing with a gentle smile. She looked a little flustered, then hesitantly squatted down like me. I took a potion from my pocket.

“You know what this is, right?”

Her eyes widened. It was a luxurious glass bottle filled with a golden liquid, the ’Alchemia’ logo stamped on it. Below the logo was the word ’Superlative’. A Superlative Red Elixir, worth two hundred grand a bottle.

“Let me apologize on their behalf, Hunter Park Jihyeon,” I said smoothly. “Since they’re in my party, I should have been more attentive.”

“Ah…”

“You know what I mean, right? Please take good care of my people when you’re in the dungeon.” I swirled the Superlative Red Elixir slowly. With each motion, her eyes followed it like a pendulum.

“O-Of course! You can count on me!”

“Here.”

I held out the elixir. The moment she reached for it with trembling hands…

I tossed it over my shoulder.

“…Ah!”

The expensive potion arced through the air before shattering on the ground. With a crash, a blood-red liquid soaked the tiles. Park Jihyeon’s face went white.

“Oops, my hand slipped. Sorry about that.” I took out a new Superlative Elixir and offered it to her again.

She suddenly waved her hands in refusal. “N-No! You don’t have to do this…!”

“Whoops.”

I theatrically threw the second potion behind me. The glass bottle shattered, and another two hundred grand spilled onto the floor.

“Another mistake.”

A third bottle.

“Ah, what’s wrong with me?”

A fourth. With every bottle that broke, Park Jihyeon’s expression crumbled. Finally realizing what was happening, she cried out, trembling. “Please stop! I was wrong! I’m sorry!”

A fifth bottle.

“What were you wrong about?”

“Th-That is…!”

A sixth bottle.

“Please, stop! I-I unfairly demanded potions from my junior hunters! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Finally confessing, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. I threw the seventh bottle I’d taken out onto the floor and stood up.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. 1.4 million is pocket change to me.”

“…Aah, uhh…”

Her shoulders trembled violently. I stared down at her, a smile fixed on my face.

“You thought I was a pushover because I was being nice, didn’t you?”

“I-I was just…!”

“I’m done talking to a grunt like you.” My lips stretched into a wide grin. “Go get your guild master. We need to have a serious talk about this.”

At those words, her expression completely collapsed. She looked as if her world had ended.

“P-Please forgive me! Anything but that!”

“I don’t say things twice,” I said, checking my watch. “Bring Ahn Sehyeon. Right now.”

* * *

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