Chapter 74

“……”

Shin Jongoh slowly opened his eyes.

Throb!

Pain coursed through his entire body.

A quick glance told him there wasn’t a single uninjured spot.

Not that it was surprising.

After all, he’d been beaten senseless with a golf club.

He couldn’t understand it—why would someone use a tool meant to hit golf balls to beat a person?

“…Son of a bitch.”

The curse slipped out on its own.

His hands trembled.

Had he ever been beaten like this before?

Not only was it the first time—his assailant had been his own grandfather.

“Heh.”

A laugh escaped him.

“Heh heh… heh hahahaha!”

A hoarse sound seeped between his cracked lips.

Shin Jongoh pressed his head to the ground and shook with laughter.

‘That bastard of a grandpa.’

Chairman Shin Jooyong had really done it—he’d erased him from the family registry.

And not only that, he’d stripped him of every bit of property under the company’s name.

When he came to, he found himself in a deserted alley, surrounded by cigarette butts and the foul stench of sewage by a garbage dump.

That could only mean one thing—

A fall from a third-generation chaebol heir to a street beggar.

Unbelievable.

“This is all because of that bastard.”

Grit.

Shin Jongoh clenched his teeth.

“Joo Donghoon, that son of a bitch.”

At first, he’d only meant to teach him his place.

‘Just because a ranker like Ki Soyul took an interest in you doesn’t mean you’re somebody.’

‘You’ll always be a dog under people like me, crawling at our feet.’

‘Try fighting fate, and all you’ll get is exhaustion.’

That was how the world worked—and he’d only wanted to remind him of it.

But the bastard had fought back.

He’d ignored his invitation outright and even had the gall to open his own workshop.

‘A workshop? Please.’

He’d laughed at first.

Workshops were businesses even conglomerates often failed at.

But Joo Donghoon was different.

He had both talent and ideas.

Despite constant interference, he kept climbing.

And then—

‘He can make S-rank weapons?’

That was when true panic set in.

He’d realized Dmir Workshop could actually become something big.

So he’d chosen assassination.

That part didn’t matter anymore.

“Honestly.”

Shin bit his lip.

“That bastard’s only good at one thing—making weapons. That’s it.”

To him, Joo Donghoon was just a lucky fool.

Everything that happened was thanks to the rankers around him.

His grandfather’s downfall? The Berserker’s doing.

His failed assassination? Because of Ki Soyul.

He himself hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.

“Why the hell is everyone so desperate to take his side?!”

He shouted and shot to his feet.

He refused to end things like this.

This would only end with one of them dead.

After all, that guy’s combat ability was just B-rank at best.

If he could take Ki Soyul out of the picture, he could handle the rest.

‘I’ll show them how terrifying a man with nothing left can be.’

Murderous intent filled his eyes.

“There you are, Shin Jongoh!”

A shout rang from behind him.

“Huh?”

He turned to see a teenage boy glaring at him.

The face looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it.

Someone forgettable, most likely.

“You bastard! You devil! You destroyed my life, and you don’t even remember me?!”

“What the hell is this now…”

“Serves you right, bastard! How’s it feel? Now that your life’s in ruins too? Feels good, doesn’t it? You understand me now?”

“What did you just say…?”

Shin’s irritation spiked.

He was already fuming over Joo Donghoon, and now some nobody dared mouth off to him?

But before he could react—

“Shin Jongoh! There you are.”

“Well, well. Look who it is. Been a while, you bastard.”

“Heard you got your ass kicked out of the family, huh? No more chaebol life for you?”

“Look at you—just a filthy stray now. Always drank like an animal, and now you’ve become one for real. Too bad, huh? No money, no friends to protect you anymore.”

Rumble.

People began stepping out from the alley shadows one by one.

Some were civilians. Some were low-tier Hunters.

But one thing was clear—they were all people he’d tormented before.

“Wh-what the hell is this? You bastards…”

He stumbled back in alarm.

How had they found him so fast?

He’d only been beaten yesterday.

Did rumors spread that quickly?

The crowd’s eyes blazed with fury.

One young man stepped forward.

“Remember me? You gathered your Hunter friends and trapped my brother, called it a human monster dungeon, didn’t you? Said if he defeated you, he could live, but if not, he’d die? He’s been in a coma ever since, you psychopath. Just tell me one thing—why?”

“What? That happened to your brother too?”

“My friend, too!”

“Same here!”

“….”

Shin clenched his fists.

He knew what they meant.

It was just a game—a roleplay.

He and his subordinates were the “monsters,” and the victims were unlucky Hunters trapped in a dungeon scenario.

If they managed to survive using their wits, he’d planned to reward them handsomely.

‘It was just a joke at first.’

But as they got used to it, things had gotten rougher.

In fact, the first time he’d tried to contact Joo Donghoon, it had been to invite him to that “game.”

But—

“…So what?”

Shin muttered.

You people were all the same.

Puppies wagging their tails for money.

Pawns who’d lick his boots for a paycheck.

“Who cares, you hypocrites.”

He straightened his shoulders arrogantly.

“You’re no different, you self-righteous trash! The world’s always been this way, so why the hell am I the only bad guy here? Tell me—when the Berserker breaks the law and smashes a building, that’s fine, but when I break the law and mess with you, it’s not?”

“This bastard’s insane.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

His victims stared at him, disgusted.

“You calling me names?”

Looking around, Shin grabbed a steel pipe off the ground.

“You idiots. Ever since Hunters appeared, this world’s belonged to the strong. Don’t like it? Then get stronger yourselves!”

Buzz!

He channeled energy into the pipe.

He was a C-rank Hunter.

None of the people he’d tormented had ever been stronger than a B-rank.

Meaning—no one here was stronger than him.

“Yeah, my life’s hit rock bottom. So what? You came here to get revenge? To fight me? Hah! You bugs think ganging up will change anything?”

Clang! Clang!

He slammed the pipe against the ground threateningly.

“Alright, who wants to be first, huh?”

Then his eyes fixed on the nearest young man.

“You. You’ll do.”

Whoosh!

Shin charged, swinging the pipe—

“Tsk.”

A tongue click echoed behind him.

“So this is the world humans live in? It’s been ages since I’ve seen someone this rotten.”

Clang!

A bone spear struck the steel pipe, deflecting it with a loud metallic ring.

“Ugh!”

The impact numbed his hand, and he dropped the weapon with a clatter.

His grip throbbed with pain.

“W-what the… who are you?”

Shin looked around wildly.

What he saw made him freeze.

A skeleton holding a spear.

And the only person who came to mind when he saw a skeleton was—

Joo Donghoon.

‘Shit!’

He tried to grab the fallen pipe, but—

Whoosh! Clang!

An arrow flew in from afar, knocking it further away.

“Mmm, such filth radiates from you—filth even purification rites couldn’t cleanse. Truly repulsive.”

“…What the hell is that?”

Shin’s eyes widened.

“A skeleton with a bow?”

And even as a C-rank, he couldn’t follow the archer’s movements—they were too precise.

Then, in front of him, stood the man he despised most.

The one who had reduced him to this state.

“Phew, first time seeing me like this, huh?”

Joo Donghoon stood there.

—

“…Joo Donghoon.”

Shin ground his teeth, repeating my name.

He looked furious.

Honestly, it felt unfair.

He’d been the one tormenting me all along, so why was he mad at me?

“These people… did you bring them here?”

He pointed at the victims.

“‘These people’? They’re not objects.”

“I don’t care! Are they here because of you or not?!”

“Hmph. You already know the answer. Why ask?”

I smiled faintly and slipped both hands into my pockets.

I wasn’t planning to take a single step from this spot.

I didn’t need to.

“I did some digging. Turns out your list of crimes is pretty long. It’s a miracle you weren’t already arrested. When I posted online to gather people who wanted to confront you, the replies came flooding in.”

“…You bastard. You think you can just come here to die?”

Whoosh!

He threw away the idea of weapons and lunged, swinging a fist at my face.

But—

‘Too slow.’

After sparring with the old man for so long, his movements looked like slow motion.

Smack!

I didn’t even need to try.

I simply dodged and slapped him across the face.

“Guh!”

Crash!

That alone sent him rolling across the ground twice.

‘Oh.’

I didn’t even need my skeletons.

I’d gotten pretty strong on my own.

Compared to when I was an E-rank Hunter, it was like a dragon rising from a puddle.

“Wow, your face was swollen already, but now it’s even puffier.”

“Y-you bastard!”

“Mind your tone when you speak to my lord.”

Wham!

This time, Sunny’s spear struck him—not the blade, but the metal shaft.

Still, the impact was far stronger than mine.

“Gaaah! D-damn it!”

He groaned, twisting in pain before scrambling to his feet and turning around.

So, he was planning to run.

I chuckled.

“Just seconds ago you were cursing at me, and now you’re running away? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.”

Watching him sprint down the opposite end of the alley was almost pitiful.

Because of people like him, I’d lost my time—

And even now, he was wasting it again.

I hadn’t planned to interfere at first, but I couldn’t just leave it be.

Not with someone like him.

“Go ahead and try to run.”

I didn’t move an inch.

After all, I had fifty-five skeletons stationed around the area.

“I’ve prepared a little game for you.”

The real fun was just beginning.