Chapter 67
[A Dungeon has appeared at the Sindang-dong department store, resulting in numerous casualties.]
[Workers were on-site at the time, but it has been revealed that there were no casualties among them….]
[Most of the casualties were members of the Haeundae Guild….]
[Thanks to the swift response of the Haeundae Guild members, all the workers were rescued, but 28 hunters from the Haeundae Guild have died….]
[As a result, a ministerial commendation will be awarded to the Haeundae Guild…]
Everything was going as expected.
It was the same in my past life, and it was the same in this one.
If there was one flaw in my meticulously laid plan, it was that I had overestimated Park Chung-ho and his group.
They were bigger trash than I thought, and I had to move far more busily than planned to stop their despicable actions.
That left me with far too little time to gather the evidence needed to pin this incident on their atrocities.
[The Dungeon’s appearance is an unpredictable disaster, and the public is expressing deep sorrow over the incident.]
[We offer our deepest condolences to the deceased.]
A small part of the plan, yet the most significant one.
Since it failed, I knew it wouldn’t be enough to get them arrested, and I thought things would unfold just as they had in my past life.
The only differences from my past life were that Park Chung-ho got nothing from the Forced Dungeon, and the workers survived.
I was going to be satisfied with that.
However, those small changes from my past life began to create events that hadn’t happened before.
The workers—every last one of them—survived, unlike in my past life.
Is it true that there are no secrets in the world?
Despite threats from Jisu Construction, countless eyes and mouths began spreading word of Jisu Construction’s evil deeds here and there.
[This is a breaking news report. The heroes of the Haeundae Guild. News that they may not be heroes, but devils.]
[We are receiving reports that during the Dungeon break incident in Sindang-dong, the Haeundae Guild members, who were thought to be heroes, actually attempted to murder the workers.]
[A doctor’s opinion states that some of the severely injured workers who were transported to the hospital show signs of assault-related injuries.]
[Upon further investigation, the fact that the Haeundae Guild members, once thought to be heroes, were not trying to save the workers but to murder them has come to light, shocking the public.]
One by one, the truths of that day were being revealed.
But unfortunately, there was no major upset.
[The Haeundae Guild has officially announced that the guild members who died in the recent Dungeon break incident were mercenaries dispatched to assist with the department store’s construction, and that all responsibility lies with Jisu Construction.]
[Jisu Construction is completely denying this official announcement, claiming that they only dispatched workers for the department store construction and did not request or receive help for any other matter.]
[Reporters on site have reported that they were prevented from filming by people from Jisu Construction, and there are successive witness accounts of them speaking with the survivors of the accident.]
[Further breaking news. It has been revealed that most of the survivors of the accident were threatened by Jisu Construction officials to maintain secrecy, and the cause of this entire incident is Jisu Construction’s….]
[The fact that they ordered the Haeundae Guild members to assault the workers has been revealed, and all media outlets are now simply waiting for an official announcement from Jisu Construction.]
A perfect case of cutting their losses.
No matter how much they were a subcontractor taking orders, since they had taken the lead and enthusiastically carried out the work, Jisu Construction had no way out and could only be sacrificed by Park Chung-ho and Jang Han-bit.
On top of that, a national petition signed by hundreds of thousands of people added even more pressure.
In the end, Jisu Construction admitted to everything, and the company’s president took the fall for all the charges. Along with all related personnel, he ended up behind bars, the company went bankrupt, and it was over.
It had been an eventful, fast-paced day.
With everything finished, Hyuk-min was grateful for the small changes and returned to his family’s embrace as if nothing had happened.
When Hyuk-min arrived that evening, his family showered him with worry.
“Son! Are you okay?”
His father, who had even come to the emergency room, was especially anxious.
Rushing over in a flurry, he looked Hyuk-min over from head to toe.
“If it’s too hard, just quit. It’s foolish to keep trying to do a job that doesn’t suit you.”
His father must have thought it was just fainting from stress and lack of sleep.
Hyuk-min knew, because the texts he checked after everything included things like Black Label’s chart manipulation—done to keep his father at the emergency room for a while.
“I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, you’re fine? Kids these days quit at the drop of a hat and whine about how hard things are. Why can’t you be like that? Why don’t you quit and we can look for another job? How about that, son?”
At his father’s worried tone, Hyuk-min—who would normally brush it off like always—paused.
He was about to lie again, just as he always had.
‘Right, the time has come.’
But not this time.
As if he had made up his mind, Hyuk-min gave an awkward smile and looked at his father.
“Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“You trust me, right?”
“Of course, I trust you, son. But why all of a sudden…”
“It’s my turn to do for my family what you’ve all done for me. I won’t regret it.”
At the sudden, out-of-the-blue words, his father scanned Hyuk-min’s face with a serious expression.
It was the perfect time to cut the conversation short.
Hyuk-min immediately turned around, walked over to his mother—who had finished preparing the meal—and gave a bright smile.
“Mom, your son is hungry.”
“Yes, you should eat right away. You must be starving.”
Maybe because she’d heard Hyuk-min had been sick, tonight’s table was filled with more delicious and nutritious food than ever.
Looking at it all, a smile naturally spread across his face.
[While the planned ministerial commendation for the Haeundae Guild has been confirmed to be canceled, news of a new hero is emerging from among the workers. We will now cover that hero.]
The TV was running a preview for the upcoming 9 o’clock news.
[We’ve conducted interviews with all the workers. They say there was a hero who actually saved them. Furthermore, there are successive testimonies that this hero also saved them from the Haeundae Guild members who were trying to kill them.]
Along with that, faintly filmed footage from inside the site showed Hyuk-min’s party rescuing the workers at high speed.
Anyone could tell it wasn’t the Haeundae Guild, but a party of hunters who didn’t belong to any guild.
They were filmed in a way that made them unrecognizable.
The sudden news was startling, but only for a moment.
Hyuk-min’s expression turned serious as he looked around at his family.
Just then, the phone rang.
It was No Death.
[Are you watching TV right now?]
“Yeah, I’m watching.”
[Looks like this was broadcast nationwide? What are you going to do? My phone’s been blowing up.]
“You think they bought it from the Shadow Broker?”
[Isn’t it obvious? You know there’s some kind of arrangement between reporters and the Shadow Broker. More importantly, what are you going to do?]
At No Death’s urging, Hyuk-min glanced at his family.
His father, so worried about his sick son that he’d neglected his own work.
His mother, who must have been tired from her job, yet set it all aside to cook for him.
And his younger sister, who had grown so mature it was as if she’d never even had a rebellious phase.
After looking at them all, Hyuk-min spoke as if he had already decided.
“Tell them I’ll do the interview.”
[Our faces will be all over the broadcast. Is this really the right time?]
“Park Chung-ho and his cronies already know our faces anyway. It’s only a matter of time before they find us.”
[I think it might be better to just ignore them and let them waste time trying to find us.]
“Tell them I’ll do the interview. Let’s meet in front of the Rogue Guild by 9:30. Tell Hyun-jung, too.”
[Sigh, alright. I’m sure you have a plan.]
Just before the call ended—
“Wait, No Death.”
[Yeah?]
“Like you said, I have a plan for everything.”
[I know. Sometimes you move so fast it’s startling, but in the end, has listening to you ever been the wrong choice?]
“So don’t be surprised this time either.”
[What does that mean…. Bang Hyuk-min! Bang….]
Click.
He ended the call unilaterally.
Then he looked at his family, busy with dinner preparations, and once again gave an awkward smile.
= = =
From chicken soup to braised ribs and pork kimchi stew, the meal gradually wound down as the plates began to empty.
[9 O’Clock News]
The 9 o’clock news started right on time, and the family’s attention turned to the TV.
Since it was a related topic, the story about the Sindang-dong department store naturally came on.
“Ah! Dad, did you hear from your friends?”
“They said I was incredibly lucky. That my son protected me.”
“You’ve been saying that since earlier. I’m sick of hearing it. Besides that, your friends would know if that news is true, right?”
The broadcast was presented a little differently than usual.
Before the anchors even gave their greetings, the footage of the Sindang-dong department store incident—capturing everyone’s interest—played first.
And at the end, the image of the real heroes.
Fortunately, Hyuk-min had been in the middle of a bloody battle in the basement at the time, so he didn’t appear in the video.
“I actually asked them earlier, and they said the people in that video were the ones.”
“Really? Awesome.”
“Every single person I called said they were saved by those people, so I guess it must be true.”
Their mother, who had been listening quietly, patted their father’s back and let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s truly a huge relief. Imagine if you had gone there, Dad. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“It’s true that our son saved me. Still, it’s a huge relief that none of the people I worked with died.”
“Don’t your friends know, Dad? Who those people are?”
“They said they’d never seen them before, and that they left without even giving their names.”
“That’s awesome too.”
Screech.
For the first time, Hyuk-min stood up from the table before everyone else.
At that, the whole family looked at him.
“Are you done eating? You must be tired, so get some rest.”
At his mother’s worried words, Hyuk-min—unlike his usual self—didn’t smile. He opened his heavy mouth with a serious expression.
“I think the time has come.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Everyone looked bewildered.
Instead of looking at them, Hyuk-min looked at the TV, where the 9 o’clock news was in full swing, and said,
“There’s no need to lie anymore.”
“Lie… what do you mean?”
“I’m actually not working at a company.”
The bombshell was dropped so casually that no one seemed to believe it at first.
However—
“Not working… at a company? I’m sure I met your coworker at the emergency room….”
“The truth is… I clear Dungeons for a living.”
At the single phrase “clear Dungeons,” the entire family was at a loss for words.
“I’m a hunter.”
There wasn’t a single person in this world who didn’t know what a hunter was.
People who risked their lives fighting monsters while clearing Dungeons and the Tower.
People who lived in a new world, in a different dimension from ordinary people, walking a dangerous path directly linked to life and death.
That was what hunters were.
“An, a hunter? What are you….”
The family was beyond flustered, unable to figure out what to do.
It was a typical reaction from people who suddenly learned they had a hunter in the family.
Hyuk-min couldn’t stay any longer.
“Why I had to become a hunter, why I had to come out of that room.”
As his gaze went to the room where he had lived as a shut-in, the whole family’s eyes naturally followed, landing on Hyuk-min’s room where he had been confined.
A dark past.
For a family that knew that past, it was a terrible time they wanted to erase.
Hyuk-min pointed at the TV, where the 9 o’clock news was still rolling, and spoke to his family, who held those bad memories.
“You’ll see the reason here. I’ll be back safely.”
As he tried to leave, his father rushed over and grabbed Hyuk-min’s hand.
“Wh-where are you going?”
Ring ring.
Hyuk-min answered the ringing phone, put it on speaker, and No Death’s voice echoed out.
[They said the interview prep is done. You should get here quick.]
Along with that voice, the reporter’s voice came through the TV.
[We will be conducting an interview with the heroes who appeared in Sindang-dong shortly, so please wait just a moment.]
Slowly, his father’s hand began to loosen.
With expressions of disbelief, the family’s gazes shifted back and forth between the news and Hyuk-min.
Seeing them so shocked they didn’t know what to do, he finally showed the same awkward smile as always.
“I’m sorry for surprising you. The reason I chose to be a hunter… please watch.”
[Bang Hyuk-min! When are you getting here?!]
Hyuk-min answered No Death’s echoing voice.
“Now.”
Then he moved his mana and used the [Dark Ring].
“He’s here!”
“Whoa! Even his entrance is on another level!”
Click. Click. Click.
With the brief sensation of being sucked in, the scenery changed completely.
Camera flashes lit up the dark surroundings as if it were morning.
Click. Click. Click.
A new morning—one that would reveal the truth to his family.
Hyuk-min stood at the center of a stage formed by cameras and, facing everyone whose eyes were locked on him, declared confidently,
“[Legendary Title] Holder.”
Just two words.
And then, a slip of the tongue from a flustered No Death.
“Hey! Bang Hyuk-min!”
No Death’s “oops,” and a sudden silence from the press corps.
“Bang Hyuk-min? A [Legendary Title] Holder?”
“Huh? Huh?”
“No way….”
A mistake that was no mistake, but the final, shocking piece of the puzzle.
Looking at them all, Hyuk-min pulled his identity—hidden deep beneath the surface—out into the open.
“The [Legendary Title] Holder everyone has been looking for, Bang Hyuk-min… that’s me.”
(T/N : Body-Transfer skill is an extra skill under Dark Ring so dont get confused with that. Again, odd naming from the author lol.)