Chapter 12
8:30 PM.
The last worker at the Sindang-dong department store construction site, where even the late-night tasks were finished, clocked out.
‘Thump! Clank.’
As if they had something to hide, security guards in suits stood at every door leading to the site and began to lock them.
The construction site was now completely sealed off.
A total of eight security guards—four outside and four inside—began their watch over the empty site.
9:00 PM.
Thirty minutes after all the guards had started their shift.
It was the time when the relaxed night-shift workers were at their most complacent.
‘Shall I start my search? What would be good?’
It was the moment Hyuk-min had been waiting for.
Quietly looking down from the second floor of the site building, Hyuk-min slowly began to move.
“Kuhahahaha.”
It seemed the guys inside were higher-ranking than the ones outside.
Laughter erupted from a container that looked like a workers’ break room.
“That’s what I’m saying, you bastard. Just because you hit the jackpot doesn’t mean everything’s fine, you know? Kuhahahaha. I’ve only heard stories, this is crazy! This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone actually hit the jackpot with a jackpot ticket. Kuhahahaha.”
One guy was laughing particularly loudly.
He was the only one not wearing the suit that everyone else had on, and he was the one Hyuk-min was watching most closely.
As if he was feeling more than just amusement, almost a thrill, the man rolled up his sleeves to scoop the money on the table into his arms.
‘Found it!’
At that moment, a glint appeared in Hyuk-min’s eyes.
“Hahahaha.”
A tattoo was visible on the man’s fully exposed arm.
[Blue Tiger]
The character for blue.
The character for tiger.
He was a guild member from the Azure Lake Guild.
‘The other guys in suits don’t have tattoos? Does that mean there’s only one Azure Lake Guild member?’
If so, were the people guarding this building 7 external security contractors and 1 Azure Lake Guild member?
The search was over in an instant.
‘Smirk.’
‘This just got easier.’
In the dark construction site, Hyuk-min’s white teeth showed between the corners of his upturned lips.
= = =
Inside the container where gambling was in full swing.
‘Drrrrrrrrrrrrr.’
At the sound of a drill coming from somewhere, everyone, including the Azure Lake Guild member, stopped what they were doing.
“Do you hear something?”
‘Drrrrrrrrrrrrr.’
Was it because they were too focused on the money at stake?
The sound of the drill had been faint, but now that everyone was quiet, it sounded much louder.
“What the hell!”
The startled Azure Lake Guild member was the first to kick open the container door and rush out.
‘Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.’
There was no mistake.
It was the sound of someone who had entered the site and was drilling on the floor above.
“You said all the workers went home.”
“Yes, they all left. In the first place, since we’re surrounded by apartment complexes, all work is prohibited after 8 PM.”
“Then what’s that sound? Is a fucking ghost doing construction?”
“I-I’ll go check!”
“What are you still doing here!? Run!”
At the Azure Lake Guild member’s roar, the security guards scrambled and started running upstairs.
“How long has that been going on?”
Until this point, the Azure Lake Guild member hadn’t thought much of it.
But as he looked up and saw a piece of a pillar crumble and fall, cracks began to form in his relaxed demeanor.
“Hey! Hey, you!!”
Was it because nothing ever happened at this site?
Pointing at the crumbling pillar with a wave of his hand, the Azure Lake Guild member still didn’t think it was that serious.
He just thought, ‘That’s a little strange?’
But suddenly, the pillar, which had been spitting out concrete fragments, began to fall in chunks, and as the rebar itself became visible, the Azure Lake Guild member’s expression turned dead serious.
“Fuck! You son of a bitch! Who are you!!”
Did he hear the Azure Lake Guild member’s shout?
The drilling, which had been completely destroying one pillar, stopped entirely.
“W-What is this.”
From the Azure Lake Guild member’s perspective, it was like a bolt from the blue.
It had been a relaxed day, no different from any other.
But then, because of some crazy bastard, a pillar on one of the floors was completely gone?
“I’m fucked. Fuck.”
Curses escaped his lips automatically.
The shattered concrete fragments scattered on the floor felt like his own heart.
But what could he do?
He was the one responsible for this incident.
“Advisor… Sir, we have a huge problem.”
He had no choice but to take out his phone and make a call.
= = =
Just as he’d thought.
There was no method more effective than destroying the building under construction.
He needed that big of an impact.
An accident big enough for the Azure Lake Guild member to be summoned by the client, Jang Han-bit.
‘Vrooooom.’
Thanks to the invisibility scroll hiding his body, the culprit wasn’t found, and the Azure Lake Guild member started his car and drove off.
‘Zzzzzzzip.’
He tore a Location Tracking Scroll.
A magic circle was drawn, and a bright light illuminated the car the Azure Lake Guild member was in.
[The Location Tracking Skill has been activated.]
[30m]
[50m]
“Go slowly. You might hit an innocent person.”
Just by seeing him gunning the engine of a subpar car, it was easy to tell how much trouble the guild member was in.
Watching the Azure Lake Guild member’s car recede into the distance, Hyuk-min leisurely took his first step.
He looked up at the sky.
The night sky, neither too bright nor too dark, offered not a single star.
And yet, for some reason, even a night sky like this wasn’t so bad.
“Clear skies. Perfect weather for stirring up trouble.”
A night sky with no clouds, no starlight.
In its center, only a single point of light brightly illuminated Hyuk-min’s eyes.
[230m]
= = =
Many vehicles were parked in front of a luxurious mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
The high-end residence, with six cars parked in front of it, ranging from expensive-looking models to common ones, was none other than the home of Jang Han-bit, the CEO of Hanbit Real Estate.
“See? I told you we should add more people.”
Jang Han-bit raised her voice at the people sitting around a large dining table in the living room.
A total of nine people.
Surprisingly, every single one of them had a ‘Blue Tiger’ tattoo on their right arm.
“This is the problem with Korea. You only take action after something happens.”
Jang Han-bit’s finger, seemingly particularly angry, often pointed toward the Azure Lake Guild member who had been in charge of the Sindang-dong department store, who had his head bowed low.
“Can’t you do it in advance? In the end, something happened. A pillar collapsed. If it had gone further, the entire building could have come down. And what did you say? You couldn’t catch the culprit? Unbelievable.”
“I already said I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who suffered the damages. Do you think I’m putting up this building for my own good? It’s for your boss’s benefit too, isn’t it?”
“Ahem.”
One of the Azure Lake Guild members, who was about to raise his voice in return, cleared his throat and held his tongue.
It seemed he hadn’t expected Park Chung-ho, the Guild Master of the Azure Lake Guild, to be mentioned.
That was the extent of Jang Han-bit’s position.
An advisor to the Azure Lake Guild, and the only younger sibling Park Chung-ho cared for.
This was why the Azure Lake Guild members couldn’t treat Jang Han-bit carelessly.
“Your boss was the one who gave this order. So! When I make a request, don’t think it’s pointless and just do it. Otherwise, I’ll just hire and place my own people.”
“Are you talking about the Land Cleaning Guild?”
Was this the moment?
The name that had driven the Black Label Guild to annihilation was spoken.
There were still ten years until Black Label’s collapse.
But had the name Land Cleaning already been established?
“Yes, what’s wrong with that? They’re quite competent kids. If we combine my money with their brains and connections, it’ll become a pretty good intelligence guild.”
“How can an intelligence guild provide security? They’re the kind of guys who’d keel over if someone over Level 50 showed up.”
At one guild member’s words, Jang Han-bit let out a sneer.
“That’s my point. What’s the use of being high-leveled and strong? In the end, the result is the same as with a fledgling intelligence guild. Don’t try to make excuses. Isn’t that the result?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“Whether the Land Cleaning kids fail to protect it and let the culprit escape, or you guys let him escape, the end result is the same, isn’t it?”
“Ugh.”
The guild members thought they shouldn’t have opened their mouths.
Arguing with Jang Han-bit was pointless.
It was obvious they would lose.
“Are you sure there were no signs of intrusion after checking down to the third basement level?”
“Yes, we’re certain of that.”
“Alright, let’s do this. I’ll bury today’s incident at my level so it doesn’t reach your boss. In exchange! The 8 personnel assigned to the building. Let’s have them all be Azure Lake Guild members.”
“All 8 of them, you mean?”
“I’m saying I won’t use some incompetent security firm. The plan is what it is, so let’s only use people we can trust. Stronger, more trustworthy people.”
The guild members crossed their arms and deliberated.
Then, Jang Han-bit slammed her delicate, fern-like hand on the large dining table.
“I know you can do it. I also know you don’t trust me since I’m of no immediate help to the Azure Lake Guild right now. Just wait a little, I’m telling you. Me? I’m someone who always keeps my word. Your boss knows that, which is why he trusts me. I made a promise with your boss. Number one! I will make the Azure Lake Guild the number one guild in Korea. You think I can’t do it? I! If I say I’ll do something, I do it!”
Jang Han-bit’s bold words didn’t stop there.
The most important piece of information for Hyuk-min, who was currently hidden by invisibility and listening to their conversation.
“Regardless of whether the experiment succeeds or fails! I’m saying I can definitely do it.”
The story of that experiment came out.
“I’m confident, you know?”
As expected of someone who lived by their words, Jang Han-bit was an excellent speaker.
As a result, one of the Azure Lake Guild members agreed to her demand.
“Understood. Let’s do that. We’ll assign our guild members to guard the department store. In return, may we ask for a favor as well?”
“Yes! Ask for anything. We’re one family, aren’t we?”
“The Land Cleaning Guild. If you’re so confident in their information network, please find one thing for us.”
“I’ll find anything. What is it?”
“The Legendary Title holder.”
This time, Jang Han-bit couldn’t continue speaking.
“The Legen…dary Title holder, you say.”
“Please find that bastard for us. The Guild Master has been hell-bent on catching him lately.”
“Why the Legendary Title holder all of a sudden…”
“Why do you think? We have to catch him, kill him, and take that Title. You might not know this, but there’s a way to steal Titles. It’s being used… in the shadows.”
They had just spoken of a way to steal Titles themselves.
‘Kill him and take it.’
A thought process befitting a group of trash.
But what was more shocking was that it was already being used in the shadows.
They said they went under the Haeundae Guild, could the reason be…
“Is that so? The head of the Land Cleaning Guild happens to be nearby for a meeting anyway. I’ll call him in a bit and take care of it.”
At the same time, the sound of people getting up was heard.
It seemed that since it was late, the Azure Lake Guild members were all planning to leave.
“What you requested, Advisor, will be implemented starting tomorrow, so don’t worry. Ah! And don’t bring up the Legendary Title holder in front of the Guild Master. He’s in a very foul mood, so it would be better to proceed without mentioning it.”
“Oh my, thank you for the advice! As expected of the Raid Captain!”
“Don’t even mention Raid Captain. The Guild Master is already beyond annoyed about me becoming the Raid Captain.”
“Understood. Um… is the work with the Haeundae Guild going well?”
“The Guild Master is handling it himself. There’s no way it wouldn’t go well. We’re looking at two years.”
“Hehehe, then in two years, the top guild in Busan will be…”
“It will be our Azure Lake Guild. Advisor, don’t worry about other things and just focus on finding the Legendary Title holder. Things will move faster that way.”
“Understood! Well then, I’ll see you out.”
The house fell silent in an instant.
Hyuk-min, who had been quietly listening to the entire conversation, opened his mouth with a sigh.
“The more I dig, the more I see you’re nothing but trash. Is this how you became the number one guild in Korea?”
Rage boiled up inside him.
Coming here to see for himself, he found they were even filthier trash than he had imagined.
However, his real anger wasn’t because of their dirty personalities and mentality.
It was the fact that his innocent family had been sacrificed for the things these scumbags had done.
That became an unbearable rage, causing Hyuk-min to clench both his fists tightly.
“Hoo.”
He took a deep breath.
It was a shame, but now was the time to hold back his anger.
He still hadn’t heard what danger had put his family at risk.
‘Click.’
The sound of a door opening was heard, followed by Jang Han-bit’s voice.
“So what? What does the fact that a lot of those Invisible, or Invisibility, or whatever scrolls were sold have to do with me?”
“…!!”
What is this all of a sudden…
Hyuk-min’s eyes widened as far as they could go.
The situation was taking an unexpected turn.
A stranger’s voice was heard.
“I mentioned it because I thought it might be related. Today’s incident…”
The owner of this voice was likely the one who had created this absurd development.
‘Wait, then this guy is.’
A person instantly came to mind.
The nameless guild master of the Land Cleaning Guild who had annihilated Black Label.
“Could it have been a planned incident by someone who bought an invisibility scroll?”
Right now, in this house…
He was with the two people who had cornered him in his past life.