Chapter 173

“Alright, I was wrong!”

Pavel, on his knees, cried out desperately.

“I’ll take full responsibility, so if your anger won’t subside, then just take my life instead and please spare my guys! They might look like that, but they’re innocent fools!”

They were truly impressive.

No matter how small a person became when cornered, to switch their stance this fast…

“N-no, hyung-nim! What are you saying?!”

It wasn’t just Pavel.

The ones who seemed to be his subordinates also changed their sloppy attitude in an instant.

“It’s all our fault!”

Those vicious snake eyes—

“Leave our hyung-nim alone and kill us instead! Do you know what a good person our hyung-nim is?”

“That’s right! We’re much worse! Our hyung-nim has kids like rabbits and a wife like a fox!”

Some kind of magic that turned them into sparkling deer eyes.

All of them threw down their weapons, knelt, and surrendered.

“……”

I just stared at them with a blank expression.

“……Is this right?”

Even Ki Soyul seemed confused as she murmured.

“Just a moment ago, they were threatening to twist arms and saying you hadn’t come to your senses, and now they look so… pure…”

Fair.

Seriously—if you didn’t know better, you might actually get fooled by those faces.

And calling that vicious bald guy kind was a bit much, wasn’t it?

“I’m dumbfounded too. And what is this shameless, forced sob story…”

“No matter how you look at it, they’re criminals putting on an act because they realized we’re Rankers, right?”

At Soyul’s question, the Russian Hunters grew frantic.

They shook their heads hard and denied it immediately.

“No! It’s real!”

“Don’t judge by appearances! Our Pavel hyung-nim—he might look like some creepy murderer who’s killed thousands, but his heart is practically a Buddha!”

“That’s right! It’s all prejudice!”

With words that sounded like insults and compliments at the same time, they kept begging to be spared, insisting on how kind they were.

Step.

I walked toward Pavel, still kneeling.

“……”

He bit his lip, gaze lowered.

Then when I approached, he lifted his head again and met my eyes.

I opened my mouth.

“Did you ever think about it?”

“Th-think about what?”

“That counter-proposal I mentioned earlier. You cooperate willingly, and I don’t beat you to a pulp.”

“…….”

“Sorry, but I don’t care whether you’re kind, evil, or pure. I just need the information I want, and then you get lost. Okay?”

“Th-then… our rudeness is forgiven?”

Pavel muttered, looking like he couldn’t believe it.

“What, you can’t believe it because if it were you, you’d beat someone up and toss them in a drum barrel?”

Even if they kept insisting they were good—

– They don’t know how scary the world is.

– Look at that guy. He’s smiling? He hasn’t come to his senses. Or is there something wrong with his head?

– He’s a madman. Just beat him up. I’ll toss him in a drum barrel in a bit.

Those things they said to me didn’t just disappear.

“N-no! And when I said ‘drum barrel,’ I meant a warm bath—”

“Are you going to keep playing word games?”

Fwoosh!

When I transformed the staff into a spear, he sprang up in a panic.

“I-it’s true!”

Pavel, his voice full of grievance, pointed at the building behind him.

“First, we’ll escort you to our base! No matter what I say, it won’t compare to you seeing it yourself! And our Zakhar hyung is smart and knows a lot—dealing with him will help you more than dealing with me!”

“Yeah?”

At my question, he nodded like a maniac.

“Hmm.”

Then let’s go see.

—

At that moment—

Zakhar, watching from outside the building’s window, had gone pale.

“Damn it!”

Zakhar shouted.

He sent his brother and subordinates out with instructions to treat them politely, and now they were kneeling with their hands raised?

Wasn’t the situation painfully obvious?

No matter how stupid Pavel was, he was an S-Class Hunter.

And the underlings he brought along—sure, they were ignorant, but they were all A to S-Class.

With twenty Hunters like that, even a normal Ranker couldn’t ignore them.

But they were crushed in an instant?

“That’s definitely a Ranker!”

And a high-ranked one at that.

“Zakhar-nim! Zakhar-nim!”

A subordinate rushed in, panting.

“We just got word that two Rankers entered through Krasnoyarsk International Airport!”

“What? Two Rankers?”

Zakhar felt his whole body freeze.

Drip.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead.

“Why are you only telling me now, you bastard?!”

“W-what do you want me to do? The intel just came in!”

“Goddamn it, who are they?!”

“Th-that is…”

The subordinate hesitated.

He could tell from Zakhar’s voice that the situation was serious.

“Spit it out.”

“Th-they’re the 78th-ranked Skeleton King and the 151st-ranked Shadow Empress, entering from the Republic of Korea…”

“Fuck!”

Bam!

Zakhar slammed his fist down on the table without thinking.

‘Of all people…!’

Why did someone like that have to come here?

‘A High Ranker.’

A High Ranker within the top 100 was an unstoppable disaster.

Even if you had hundreds of S-Class Hunters who weren’t Rankers.

Even if you had powerful strategies and traps.

It was the same logic as an ant being unable to kill a lion.

They were simply on a different level.

‘I had a bad feeling.’

Even as he sent his brother out, something felt off.

‘I should’ve gone myself.’

It was obvious how his idiot brother would act upon meeting them for the first time.

Zakhar looked outside again.

The sight of them slowly getting up and coming this way…

‘He brought the Ranker here? What is he thinking?!’

Zakhar’s pupils shrank.

If the Ranker was abnormal, what would happen to this place?

The community they had barely built in this hellish environment—would it all be smashed to pieces?

He was afraid.

So anxious he could go insane.

“Z-Zakhar-nim… someone’s arrived on the first floor…”

A little later.

Why did the information the subordinate relayed feel like a bolt from the blue?

‘Just kneel. No matter what…’

He didn’t care about pride or face.

Bowing his head to a High Ranker—so what?

Anyone here who’d dare complain about that?

There was no one.

—

“Welcome Skeleton King and Shadow Empress!”

“Welcome!”

“Welcome!”

Clack-clack-clack!

The moment we stepped into the building, countless men in black suits bowed at ninety degrees.

‘Huh.’

I marveled inwardly.

‘Well, damn.’

So being a High Ranker really was something.

I just showed up, and people I’d never seen in my life were treating me like I was some organization boss.

“I’m ashamed to say it, but I am Zakhar, the leader these kids trust and follow.”

One of the men in black suits stepped forward.

His face—no, his whole body—was covered in thick hair.

“If my younger brothers made you uncomfortable, I apologize on their behalf. If there is anything you want, I will comply with everything. And while you remain here, we will serve you with utmost sincerity!”

Oh?

He was taking responsibility?

For a moment, I wondered if I’d misjudged them.

Because the truly bad ones usually run away when a crisis hits.

“Shall we go this way first?”

Soyul and I followed him to the conference room.

—

– We don’t know much about that Dungeon either. Um, actually… it wasn’t known to other countries, but in this region, it’s been famous for a long time. There was a rumor that if you went in, you would definitely die, so no one wanted to enter.

– Ah, and around a year ago, there was talk that the guys from 「Gotham」 were going in and out, so that fear only grew.

– Gotham? You don’t know? They’re at the very top of the Russian mafia. Their boss is a High Ranker too, so… yeah, it’s brutal. Ah, I shouldn’t be saying this.

Zakhar poured out information earnestly.

I listened, nodding.

And Soyul scribbled notes beside me.

‘Gotham…’

Come to think of it, I’d heard that name before, briefly.

A group that Bug King Andrey and the Ruthless Zima belonged to.

Something about the Russian mafia, I think.

‘In the end, there’s no useful information.’

They didn’t really know anything about the Dungeon either.

“I’m sorry. But we truly don’t know. And it’s not like we have any reason to lie to a High Ranker.”

At Zakhar’s words, I nodded.

I accepted it.

Because honestly, even before we sat down here—

On the way to the conference room, Zakhar guided us around the building.

‘That bald guy really wasn’t lying.’

They were only called the mafia by name—this was just an ordinary group.

More like citizens banded together just to survive in a place that wasn’t much different from an apocalypse.

On each floor, children, women, and the elderly had settled in and handled daily life.

Only the capable Hunters wore black suits and came forward.

– We deliberately put forward and raise only guys who look vicious. Humans instinctively avoid guys who look as intense as Pavel.

– That doesn’t mean we’re weak. This is a city where it’s hard to survive if you’re weak, and even now, strong people keep joining us.

– Did you know? Among the guys you faced, there were two who were Rankers last year. Of course, they’ve been pushed out now.

And that thing about the drum barrel—

Honestly, it surprised me too.

In a ruined city, the most precious thing was clean, warm water.

And if you beat up any villain and then treat them to warm water, they said they naturally “reform.”

“Okay. That’s enough.”

Clap!

I clapped once.

“So the reason this place is famous as a crime city isn’t because it’s uniquely criminal—it’s because most of Russia is in this state, right?”

It was the same as when a country becomes corrupt or is on the verge of collapse and bandits run rampant.

“Yes, hyung-nim. If you put it that way, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk are all crime cities too. Gangs are everywhere there.”

“You look vicious, but you haven’t actually done vicious things?”

“We’re just acting tough, hyung-nim. This is a city where if you just sit still and take it, you really get taken.”

“Fine. Got it.”

Hmm.

The first “mafia” I met in Russia turned out to be genuinely decent guys.

Suddenly, I thought of a friend.

Vladimir Rodygin.

A comrade who had given his life to protect me during the trial.

Was he a mafia boss like this too?

“Can I look around this place a bit?”

“Of course, hyung-nim!”

Zakhar answered immediately.

“You can treat it like your home and stay comfortably! We even prepared a reception room on the top floor for situations like this! Please rest there in comfort!”

At this point, it was clear.

If they really had something to hide, they wouldn’t want me staying long.

But the way they welcomed it made it seem like they truly were good people.

In a dangerous city, there was no safer time than when I was staying here.

After guiding Soyul and me into a massive room, Zakhar hurriedly slipped out.

“What are you planning to do?”

Maybe because she saw my expression earlier when I briefly thought of Vladimir.

Soyul asked carefully.

“Just setting up a base, that’s all. They seem like the group that runs this area, more or less. Might as well gather information too.”

Since we hadn’t managed to get any meaningful information, there was only one option left.

Enter the Dungeon ourselves.

‘But.’

I had a strange feeling.

Like something was going to happen here.

It was just a sense my heart was giving me.

But honestly, there was no indicator more reliable than my senses.

“Hoo.”

Soyul let out a light breath.

“So in the end, we have to crash into it head-on?”

At the same time, she glanced around.

Maybe Zakhar put effort into it—the luxurious fridge was packed with drinks and snacks.

“Ahem.”

Soyul cleared her throat, looking a little uncomfortable.

She must’ve been thinking about it.

The children and elderly we’d seen on the way here were skin and bones.

It could end up looking like we were throwing our weight around and causing trouble in a place where people were scraping by.

And in a market this collapsed, even getting food like that could be difficult.

“Don’t worry about that.”

As you know, my creed was simple.

I repaid both kindness and grudges in full.

They’d offered a good room and treated us well despite having little.

So shouldn’t I repay them a little?

I pulled out my phone and started typing a message.

– Vice President-nim? Please stock up plenty of drinking water and emergency rations in Peach Blossom Land. I’ll be picking them up soon.

(T/N : Oh damn. What a convenient skill haha.)

It wasn’t a big deal.

Just my own small hypocrisy for the sake of image management.