Chapter 81: Episode 81

In front of a building in the Gangseo District.

“We’ve arrived, Tower Master,” Seojin said after parking on the side of the road. “Are you really going in person? It’s too dangerous.”

“I have to.” I put the plastic USB drive he had given me into my pocket. “Of course, the situation is turning in our favor, but to get rid of those damn leeches, we need a final blow.”

“…Understood.” From the driver’s seat, Seojin opened his briefcase. Inside was a drone, which he skillfully connected to his laptop.

“Eunsol worked on this too, right?”

“Yes. She said she inscribed a magic circle onto modern equipment.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“She’s skilled enough to work in a device factory right now.”

I placed my hand on the magic circle drawn on the drone’s body and infused it with mana. The circle activated, emitting a blue light.

“Alright. All set. I’ll be back.”

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

I walked confidently into the Healer’s Union headquarters. The receptionist at the first-floor desk greeted me with a business smile. “Welcome! Thank you for visiting the Healer’s Union headquarters. How may I help you?”

“My name is Kim Yusin.” I returned the smile. “Tell them that upstairs.”

“…Excuse me?”

The flustered receptionist paused, studying my face. She seemed to be wondering what a kid like me was talking about. “Sir. I’m sorry, but I need to know the purpose of your visit…”

’Thump!’ I lightly slapped the reception desk with my palm. “That’s all I have to say.”

Her eyes darted about in a panic as her hand moved toward the security button under the table.

I sighed. “Think carefully. I don’t mind leaving right now, but if you send me away, you’ll face more than just getting fired.”

As if she had finally grasped the situation, her expression hardened, and she hurriedly made a call.

A short while later, the first-floor elevator dinged. A middle-aged man who looked like a high-level executive rushed over breathlessly with two bodyguards.

“P-Please forgive our rudeness! Hunter Kim Yusin!” The man bowed a full ninety degrees. “I am terribly sorry to have wasted your precious time. If only you had contacted us in advance…”

“Haha, I had a sudden change of heart and came on impulse.” I shrugged. “May I speak with the chairman directly?”

“Oh, of course. The chairman is waiting for you. Here, here, this way…”

The man guided me to the elevator. At the same time, he shot the receptionist a murderous glare and then gestured to her superior with his chin. That seemed a bit harsh.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” I said. “She was just following protocol.”

The man replied obsequiously, “Of course, sir!”

I was escorted to the elevator like a VIP. It stopped on the thirteenth floor, and the doors opened. Two burly men in sunglasses were waiting at parade rest.

“My security clearance doesn’t extend past this floor. Please follow the guards from here.”

“Understood.”

I stepped out of the elevator, and the man bowed deeply until the doors closed behind me. Two hulking figures approached.

“Welcome, certified rank-4 hunter Kim Yusin. Are you carrying any hunting gear or electronic devices?”

“Just my phone and a USB drive for my business here.”

“This is a level-one security area. We will now conduct a security check.”

A guard produced a detection wand and swept it over my body.

’How thorough.’

Only after I’d placed my phone in a storage locker did the guard step back. Then, a woman who introduced herself as a secretary came to personally escort me.

“Mr. Chairman, your guest has arrived.”

A voice from beyond the door called out, “Let him in.”

The secretary opened the door, and I stepped into a spacious office. Countless trophies and awards lined the walls.

“Ah, welcome! Mr. Kim, it’s a pleasure.”

A man in his early forties with a friendly face and a neat suit extended his hand. He introduced himself as Oh Bonggyu, the chairman of the Healer’s Union.

“It must have been a long trip. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

So this was the man, certified rank-3 hunter Oh Bonggyu. For the head of such a corrupt organization, he looked remarkably clean-cut.

As I settled into the plush sofa, the secretary brought out herbal tea, carrying the teapot herself and pouring each of us a cup.

“Please, drink.”

“Of course.”

I took a sip without any particular suspicion. It was far too sweet for my taste.

“Hahaha! It’s an honor to finally meet the hero of the Labyrinth Dungeon! To perform so brilliantly on your first major outing… Rumor has it you’re destined to become one of the great hunters who will lead Korea’s future.”

“You’re too kind. The honor is all mine, meeting the esteemed chairman of the Healer’s Union.”

“Hahahaha! I was actually at the last event, but it was so crowded I couldn’t get a chance to greet you.”

“Ah, so you were there as well, Mr. Chairman.”

We exchanged pleasantries, breaking the ice. Just as the atmosphere warmed, Bonggyu was the first to get to the point.

“Well, that aside, may I ask what business the hero of the Labyrinth Dungeon has with our union?”

I set down my teacup. “I heard you’ve been quite distressed by the unsettling rumors lately.”

Bonggyu’s smiling eyebrows twitched. His expression seemed to say, ’And whose fault is that?’

“As it happens, I’ve obtained some interesting video footage.”

“Video footage, you say?”

“Rather than explain, I’ll just show you. Is it all right if I use this?”

I activated the projector on his desk, connected the USB drive I had brought, and played the video file.

A somewhat unstable, static-filled image flickered to life on the screen.

Onscreen, Changsik’s voice was tense. “Looting was part of the position’s rules? I never heard anything about that.”

“Th-This is…!”

Bonggyu’s jaw went slack. I held a finger to my lips for silence, then resumed the video.

“This isn’t what we agreed to!” Changsik shouted. “You came here with double the magic stone ratio and an incentive, and now you’re saying you’ll take the relic, too?!”

A healer on the screen sneered. “God, this old geezer is so damn loud.”

That’s right. This was the genuine video file, not the audio recording we had released to the press.

’He looks pretty shocked.’

With only the audio file released, the Healer’s Union had just two options: deny it or admit it. Given the current public sentiment, remaining silent was no longer viable. Continued silence would lead to a flood of demands for an investigation, and the police might even get involved.

Historically, in such dilemmas, the Healer’s Union had almost always chosen denial. The records proved it.

Better yet, I had guided them toward that very response. I’d deliberately degraded the audio quality, maximizing the static before distributing it to the media. It was enough to make even an uninvolved listener question its authenticity.

Naturally, the Union was always eager to evade responsibility and claimed it was a fabrication. And just like that, they had walked right into my trap.

I hadn’t revealed all my cards at once. By releasing only the audio file, I baited them into stating their position. Now, I would release the real video to the public.

They would be branded as liars yet again—traitors who had deceived the public. All trust in them would vanish. Even those who had remained neutral and wondered if the recording had been manipulated would turn against them.

Just then, the healer in the video began goading the other party members.

“Eunsu. Cheonyoung. Hurry up and stomp this bastard.”

“W-We can’t…!” one of them stammered.

“God, you’re dense,” the healer scoffed. “How long are you going to stay in a shabby party like this? Cheonyoung, aren’t you taking the certified hunter exam? You need to cut ties with your rotten past and seize a shining future.”

“B-But…”

“Think carefully. Do you want to make a living in the hunter world or not?”

There was a brief scuffle, but just as Changsik had told me, he was eventually subdued by his colleagues. The dungeon cam clattered to the floor. Our viewpoint spun wildly before settling on the sky.

The healer’s voice dripped with contempt. “Look at this guy. Trying to pull a fast one.”

The camera’s view was suddenly blocked by a shoe. An instant later, with a sharp thwack, the video dissolved into static and ended.

I smiled gently at the man in front of me. He couldn’t hide his flustered expression. Cold sweat beaded on his skin, and his legs trembled as if he were about to collapse.

“What did you think?”

He looked exactly like a cornered dog, squirming with anxiety.

“He’s a real piece of work, isn’t he, Mr. Chairman?”

Finally, his face turned beet red, and he shot to his feet.

“You bastard! Where did you get this—?!”

“That’s not important, is it?”

Bonggyu glared at me as if he wanted to tear me limb from limb. “…What do you want?”

“First, bring the man in question here. We’ll talk after that.”

He ground his teeth and called for the attendant waiting behind the door.

A short while later, the healer in question was kneeling before us, head pressed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

“I-I was wrong! Please, spare me just this once!”

I took a sip of tea without answering. “You don’t need to apologize to me. Lift your head.”

The healer looked up at me, his body still prostrated.

“What are your thoughts after watching that video?”

“…Excuse me?”

I stared him down with my Sage’s Eye. “I won’t ask twice,” I said, my voice menacing. “Stop trying to be clever and answer me.”

The healer’s expression stiffened as he stammered, “B-Back then, I was blinded by the relic… It was something that never should have happened…”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Bonggyu shouted urgently.

Good instincts. But it was too late. This was what they got for underestimating me after a simple body search.

I shrugged. “Well, with that, we’ve secured a confession.”

He was too stunned to speak.

Both of their faces darkened simultaneously.

From the window, a drone that had been waiting under a third-order Camouflage spell briefly materialized before vanishing again. Its camera, of course, had been recording the entire situation.

“Now you’re well and truly stuck.”

Trembling, his face flushed, Bonggyu glanced at the USB drive plugged into the PC.

“Oh, and by the way, you know it’s useless to subdue me and take the USB, right? This is just one of countless copies.”

Bonggyu’s expression hardened beautifully. “…Mr. Kim. Are you even aware of what you’re doing right now?”

I grinned. “Of course. I’m holding your lives in my hands, aren’t I?”

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