Chapter 182
Crack!
Crash—!
Was it an earthquake?
Every window and fluorescent light around exploded all at once like bombs going off.
Rumble rumble rumble…!
The entire building was plunged into chaos.
The pressure was so intense, it felt like the entire structure would be crushed at any moment. Hunter Association employees could barely breathe under the weight of it.
“…Attack!”
A few Hunters who barely withstood the killing intent drew their weapons and charged at Suho.
But—
Thud.
“Growrrr!”
…!
A massive wolf suddenly appeared, blocking their path with a savage roar.
“Graargh!”
[Gray uses the skill: ‘Contempt for the Weak.’]
[‘Effect: Fear’ is activated.]
[All stats of affected targets are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
The appearance of the giant wolf filling the room left the Hunters pale with fear.
And then they realized.
At this level… there was no doubt—they had come with full intent!
This was a terrorist attack, thoroughly planned to target the Association!
The shocking truth only threw them into deeper confusion.
No, seriously—what kind of lunatic villain would attack the Hunter Association?!
Even the infamous Hwang Dongsoo wouldn’t pull off something this insane!
‘What are they after, doing something like this?’
‘Why?’
‘Why the hell?!’
No one knew.
They really had no idea!
There wasn’t a single person here capable of making a rational judgment.
Suppressing their rising fear, they blindly rushed toward the villain before them.
…Crash!
“Urgh!”
But the moment they charged, they were swatted away by the massive wolf’s forepaw and thrown back.
Seeing their colleagues slam helplessly into the walls, the Association staff completely lost their fighting spirit.
‘We’re going to die.’
They knew it instinctively.
Absolute death had arrived at their doorstep.
“Graaaagh!”
At that moment, Chief Min Daeseok, who was floating in front of Suho, mustered all his mana to desperately resist the overwhelming killing intent weighing down his entire body.
Clenching his trembling teeth, he glared fiercely at Suho.
“You think you’ll get away with this… huurk?!”
Suddenly—
As Suho reached out his hand, Min Daeseok’s body was pulled toward him as if sucked in.
When Suho’s hand neared his neck as though about to snap it, Min Daeseok shut his eyes tightly.
Snap.
But what Suho tore off wasn’t his neck—it was the necklace around it.
“I’ll ask you.”
A chilling voice.
That devil-like tone pierced straight into Min Daeseok’s ears, making him shudder in fear.
…Creepy.
Suho’s fierce gaze was clearly imprinted on the terrified man’s eyes.
“You will answer.”
Holding up the necklace in front of Min Daeseok’s face, Suho asked,
“This Stardust Necklace. Where did you get it?”
The Stardust Necklace.
Why would an item likely linked to the Church of the Outer Gods be in the possession of a man who’s a chief of the Association?
Suho’s head was spinning with endless possibilities.
What was the relationship between the Church of the Outer Gods and the Association?
And did Woo Jin-Cheol, the Association President who was once his father’s comrade, know about any of this?
But then—
Min Daeseok shut his eyes tightly and shouted in response to Suho’s question.
“I—I bought it!”
“Bought it?”
Suho tilted his head slightly.
At that frightening gesture, Min Daeseok flinched and quickly changed his answer.
“S-Sorry! I actually got it for free!”
“For free?”
“I’m truly sorry! I said I’d pay for it, but the president insisted on giving it to me…!”
And to make matters worse, Min Daeseok’s cowardly gaze drifted toward his subordinates scattered around.
“Also, I wasn’t the only one who received it! All the other staff members did too…!”
“…!”
That slimy bastard!
Dragging down his own subordinates like that, and he’s supposed to be their superior?
Min Daeseok’s sudden confession drastically changed the expressions of his staff.
They quickly covered or ripped off the Stardust Necklaces they were wearing.
But Suho, seeing their reactions…
His formerly emotionless face cracked—just a little.
He asked again.
“Who is this ‘president’ you’re talking about?”
“…Pardon?”
Sensing something was off, Min Daeseok looked up at Suho with a groveling expression and asked cautiously,
“A-Aren’t you from the Merchants’ Association?”
“…”
“We were told the Stardust Necklaces were sponsored by them…”
“…Sigh.”
Flinch.
Even Suho’s faint sigh made Min Daeseok tremble.
Then Suho flicked his hand downward.
Min Daeseok’s body floated again and was forcibly dropped onto a nearby chair.
“…?”
Clatter—
The chair wheels rolled on their own, and Min Daeseok, still seated upright, was smoothly returned to his original spot.
“…?”
“…?”
The staff watching this scene all had identical puzzled expressions.
The suffocating atmosphere.
In the tension so thick they could barely breathe, their eyes were instinctively locked on Suho’s every move.
At the center of it all, Suho calmly walked over to Chief Min Daeseok’s desk and plopped down in the chair across from him.
Facing the trembling chief, he boldly stated the reason for his visit.
“Are you the chief here? I’m here to file a complaint.”
“…Excuse me?”
At that moment—
It was like a lie. Everyone could suddenly breathe again.
All the killing intent that had been crushing the room vanished without a trace.
But Min Daeseok could only wear a dazed expression.
“A-A complaint…? What do you mean all of a sudden…?”
“It seems my grandfather has gone missing. Would you happen to know anything?”
“…?”
Only then did Min Daeseok’s frozen mind begin to slowly turn again.
As he mentally retraced the events before this madman appeared, an even more insane conclusion hit him.
“Excuse me, are you perhaps… Mr. Sung Ilhwan’s grandson?”
“Yes. I’m Sung Suho, president of the Woojin Guild.”
“Then you’re not a villain…?”
“Villain? I’m a Hunter Association–certified villain hunter.”
“…Excuse me?”
Suho confidently held out his business card and his villain hunter license.
“Grroowl!”
The giant wolf, as if on cue, began to shrink down in size and sat at Suho’s feet with a dignified tilt of its snout.
Watching all of this, Min Daeseok’s mind fell into utter disarray.
And not just his—everyone, including the staff sitting dumbfounded around the room, was in the same state.
‘No, hold on a second.’
‘So let me get this straight…’
‘All of this was just to file a complaint?!’
Of course, no one was brave enough to voice that thought aloud.
Noticing all the eyes on him, Suho wore a serious expression as he apologized.
“I apologize. I tend to be a bit sensitive when it comes to family going missing.”
“A-Ah, no. Not at all. Anyone would react like that if a family member disappeared…”
Min Daeseok’s voice trailed off as he hurriedly waved his hand in response to Suho’s apology.
The Association office, now a complete mess in broad daylight.
All the glass was shattered, fluorescent lights were dangling from the ceiling sparking like ghost lights—crackle, crackle…
And yet, even understanding Suho’s emotional motive didn’t quite justify the devastation behind him.
‘…You’re telling me he’s not a villain after doing all this?’
Now that he realized Suho wasn’t a villain, Min Daeseok felt a slow-burning rage rise belatedly from his chest.
Now that the situation had settled, a deep embarrassment hit him—he had shown such a disgraceful side of himself in front of his subordinates.
Fine. So you’ve got impressive strength. You’re a Hunter, I get it.
But this is a nation of law and order!
‘Just because you’re some young punk with a bit of mana, you think you can do whatever you want? What do you think this is, barging into the Association like that!’
Clenching his fist, Min Daeseok glared at Suho.
‘President of the Woojin Guild, my ass! I’ll personally make sure you’re labeled a villain for this!’
A branch chief of the Association had more than enough authority to make that happen…
But the moment he made eye contact with Suho, Min Daeseok’s stubborn expression melted away instantly.
“…Ahem. Please compensate for the damaged equipment.”
“Of course I will.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
A little while later.
When Suho’s grandmother, Park Kyung-hye, and Sung Jinah entered the Association office, the chaos had already been cleaned up.
Though a few broken fluorescent lights still flickered, Suho sat beneath them listening to his grandmother and aunt explain what had happened.
“F-First of all, let me apologize. The reason we rejected Ms. Park Kyung-hye’s petition over the past few days is because we didn’t believe Mr. Sung Ilhwan had actually gone missing.”
Min Daeseok explained, almost defensively, based on what his subordinates had investigated so far.
“From what I’ve heard… Mr. Sung Ilhwan, your grandfather, enjoys fishing as a hobby. He prefers to go alone and often disappears for two or three days at a time.”
“That’s true.”
Park Kyung-hye nodded without protest.
Yangpyeong, where the Namhangang and Bukhangang Rivers split, had many quiet fishing spots.
Ever since moving to Yangpyeong, Sung Ilhwan often went out to enjoy fishing trips.
“…But this time, something felt different.”
“What felt different?”
“His expression.”
“…Mrs. Park, such vague impressions aren’t helpful in an investigation.”
Dealing with elderly people was always frustrating like this.
Min Daeseok sighed heavily.
But seeing Suho sitting right next to her, he quickly reined in his expression.
“So, what kind of expression did your husband have?”
“My husband… has only ever made that face three times in his life.”
“When were those?”
“The first was when our son ran away from home.”
Flinch.
Suho’s face stiffened at those words.
“He was in middle school. Left just a note saying he had something he had to do—and disappeared for two years.”
Park Kyung-hye recalled the memory with a bitter expression.
“I was so shocked I tried to run straight to the police, but my husband stopped me.”
Even though their son had gone missing, her husband hadn’t shown any panic. Even now, Park Kyung-hye couldn’t understand his reaction.
At first, she was furious. Then frustrated.
What parent could remain calm when their child suddenly disappeared?
But no—Sung Ilhwan wasn’t cold.
Instead, it had looked like he was barely holding back the urge to break down and cry.
In the end, Park Kyung-hye had gone to the police herself and filed a missing person report.
Yet even then, Sung Ilhwan made no effort to search for his son.
“…He even stopped me from posting missing person flyers. And what he said was…”
—Let’s trust our son.
Recalling the expression her husband had worn when he said that, Park Kyung-hye continued.
“In the end, our son returned home safe after two years. Then, after becoming an adult, he disappeared again—five years ago. This time, with his wife.”
“…”
“And again, my husband made the same face. Told me we should trust our son.”
She went on.
“But this time… he wore that face again.”
At that moment—
Suho could no longer doubt it.
‘Beru, could it be… Grandpa—’
[Yes. It seems he may have regained his memories long ago, Young Lord.]
