Chapter 346 – Part 2 – Personal Consultation

‘He has something to discuss? What is he calling me for?’

Hwang Seok-gyu, who had been puzzled by the Great Hero’s sudden summons, made a worried expression.

‘I haven’t been caught, have I?’

The worry was brief.

Thinking about it, there was nothing to be caught for.

‘I haven’t told anyone else, and I haven’t even thought about it in front of Song Chi-hyeon.’

As Kwak Min-cheol’s slave, he had infiltrated while disguising his identity as a butler.

And for years, he had been reporting Song Chi-hyeon’s every move to Kwak Min-cheol while pretending to manage his schedule.

‘But I’ve never been caught even once all this time.’

Due to his meticulous personality and repeated training, Hwang Seok-gyu had been able to survive until now.

The fact that he was Kwak Min-cheol’s servant would never be revealed unless he made a mistake himself.

“Phew.”

Hwang Seok-gyu, standing in front of the office, emptied his mind.

It was a necessary task before meeting Song Chi-hyeon.

When he knocked on the door, Song Chi-hyeon’s voice was heard.

“Come in.”

When he opened the door, Song Chi-hyeon, whom he had seen earlier, was sitting with an imposing atmosphere.

“You called for me, Great Hero.”

“Sit down. It’s not a long story, but.”

“Yes.”

When Hwang Seok-gyu sat on the sofa first, Song Chi-hyeon sat across from him.

“What is this about…”

“It’s nothing much, but from now on I’m going to manage my own schedule.”

“Pardon?”

Did he notice something?

Hwang Seok-gyu almost let his inner thoughts surface, but quickly regained his composure.

“May I ask why you suddenly want to change this?”

“Well, it’s hard work for the butler.”

Hwang Seok-gyu was surprised once again.

‘To take on the schedule management yourself for the sake of a mere butler like me?’

It was a side he had never shown before.

“I appreciate the consideration, but I’m fine, Great Hero.”

“No. I’m uncomfortable with it. You have duties as a butler, but having to clean up after me too must have been so difficult.”

“No, it wasn’t difficult…”

“Even if you say that, I know it was difficult. So from now on, I’ll handle my own schedule.”

“…”

The Great Hero wouldn’t listen.

‘To take on troublesome work yourself…’

It was hard to believe this was the same Song Chi-hyeon who used to dump everything on others, saying it was bothersome.

“I understand. If that’s what you want, please do so.”

Since he had neither the confidence nor justification to persuade the Great Hero, he meekly agreed.

It was regrettable, but what could he do?

If he was a flea, the other party was a tiger.

“If you ever change your mind, please entrust it to me anytime. Managing the Great Hero’s schedule is an incomparable honor for someone like me.”

This was all he could do – lay the groundwork.

“Okay. I’ll contact you if I change my mind after trying to manage it myself.”

“Understood.”

“And also, gather all the subordinates in front of the yard by evening. All of them.”

“Pardon? A-all of them?”

“Yes. Gather everyone including Team Covert and the cleaners. Butler, you have the subordinates’ contact information, right?”

“Yes. You gave it to me last time.”

“Then tell them in my name to gather without exception by 7 PM. It’s an order.”

“Understood. I will do so.”

“Good. Now go.”

Hwang Seok-gyu bowed and left the office.

Thud-

After closing the door, his thoughts were filled with puzzlement.

‘Why is he suddenly gathering subordinates? And all of them?’

He didn’t know the reason, but he had to report this fact to Kwak Min-cheol.

As well as the information that Song Chi-hyeon would manage his schedule directly from now on.

‘He didn’t notice anything, did he?’

Shaking his head that it couldn’t be, Hwang Seok-gyu moved to a place where there were no people.

To report to his real master.

* * *

‘Hwang Seok-gyu. This cunning butler bastard.’

Choi Seong-min, who was acting as Song Chi-hyeon, had been reading the butler’s thoughts throughout the conversation.

But he couldn’t detect any suspicious signs.

‘How well-trained is he that his mind control is at such a high level?’

When he said he would manage his own schedule, the butler seemed slightly flustered, but didn’t reveal it in his thoughts at all.

Just like when Choi Seong-min was deceiving Song Chi-hyeon.

‘I won’t be fooled as easily as Song Chi-hyeon was.’

This was also the reason he declared he would manage his schedule directly.

He didn’t want to expose his activities to the spy butler.

‘Still, it seems he carried out the killing of Yang Baek-du without the butler knowing.’

If the butler had known about the restaurant incident, Song Chi-hyeon should have died long ago.

‘Because the report would have gone straight to Kwak Min-cheol.’

But since he died at Choi Seong-min’s hands first, it seems it didn’t reach the butler’s ears.

‘Song Chi-hyeon seems to have thoroughly silenced his subordinates.’

It seemed he had threatened the subordinates who participated in the operation to prevent information from leaking…

‘But I can’t be relieved with just that.’

There was no guarantee that not even one of them would open their mouth.

‘Frankly speaking, if Kwak Min-cheol tortured them by cutting off their limbs, which bastard wouldn’t talk?’

They would probably beg for their lives while detailing the process of Song Chi-hyeon killing Yang Baek-du.

‘If that happens, Kwak Min-cheol would come to kill me immediately.’

The current Choi Seong-min couldn’t beat Kwak Min-cheol with 1.8 million combat power.

Even using invincibility or lethal deadly poison wouldn’t make a difference.

‘I could avoid death by releasing the transformation and going into hiding, but…’

Since an opportunity to use Song Chi-hyeon’s power had come, shouldn’t he enjoy it for at least a month?

‘To prevent the fact that I killed Yang Baek-du from being discovered, I need to eliminate the evidence.’

For that purpose, Choi Seong-min had instructed the butler.

To gather all subordinates by evening.

‘If I just silence the subordinates who participated in the operation, there will be no evidence.’

Silencing didn’t mean anything else.

It meant murder and annihilation.

‘As long as I can’t contact Oh Gwang-taek, this method is the best.’

If memories couldn’t be erased, killing was the only sure way to silence them.

‘Getting traits in the process is just a bonus.’

Anyway, those guys were trash who carried out dirty work under Song Chi-hyeon.

Since they weren’t really his subordinates, Choi Seong-min had no affection for them whatsoever.

‘Tonight should be interesting.’

A wicked smile crossed Choi Seong-min’s lips.

* * *

When the sun set and darkness arrived.

Song Chi-hyeon’s mansion was full of people.

They were Song Chi-hyeon’s direct subordinates who had been summoned.

“Everyone please line up here. It’s the Great Hero’s order!”

At the butler’s shout, the subordinates moved sluggishly.

If it hadn’t been called an order, they all would have ignored it.

Butler Hwang Seok-gyu counted heads and checked the personnel.

‘Team A 4 people, Team B 4 people, Team C 2 people. Plus 3 cleaners.’

Including Team Covert and the cleaners, a total of 13 subordinates had gathered on time.

Except for just one person.

‘Only Hunter Choi Seong-min, the Team B leader, hasn’t come yet.’

He had sent texts and even called, but couldn’t reach him.

The butler picked up his phone again with an anxious face.

‘If I can’t gather everyone, it’s my responsibility!’

With that thought, he tried calling again, but still no answer.

‘To be absent when you’ve barely been here!’

Choi Seong-min had been a subordinate for less than a month.

Compared to the butler who had served Song Chi-hyeon for years, he was practically a newcomer.

‘Please answer the phone…!’

It looked like he’d receive a scolding because of one newcomer.

Then, as soon as it became 7 PM, the promised time, the butler’s phone rang.

Thinking it was Choi Seong-min, he looked and saw the caller was Song Chi-hyeon.

“Yes, Great Hero…”

-Did you gather everyone?

“W-well, there’s still one person…”

-You mean Choi Seong-min?

The butler’s eyes widened at Song Chi-hyeon’s words.

“That’s correct.”

-Choi Seong-min has other business and won’t be in a situation to receive contact. There’s no need to call him specifically.

“Ah… is that so?”

Rather than relief, curses came first to the butler’s mind.

‘You could have told me earlier, how annoying!’

Of course, it was a thought he had because Song Chi-hyeon wasn’t visible.

‘Oops.’

Since he couldn’t be certain Song Chi-hyeon wasn’t around, he had to quickly hide his thoughts.

He might be able to see through the window, couldn’t he?

‘…’

Fortunately, Song Chi-hyeon’s figure couldn’t be found at the nearby windows.

It didn’t seem like he was using stealth either.

If so, his voice would have been heard during the call.

-How many gathered?

“Ah, all 13 people gathered except for Hunter Choi Seong-min.”

-Good. Then butler, you take responsibility and send them into the mansion one by one at 5-minute intervals from now.

“Pardon? One by one?”

-Yes. One by one since I’ll be conducting personal consultations.

‘Personal consultations?’

He was curious what kind of consultations they were, but had no choice but to do as instructed.

-There’s a warehouse in the mansion’s basement, right? Tell them to come there.

“Understood.”

-Make sure it’s one by one. Keep to the time schedule.

When the call ended, the butler spoke to the formation.

“Everyone. The Great Hero says he will conduct personal consultations, so please enter the mansion one by one in order.”

“Personal consultations?”

“Is that why he told us to gather?”

“What’s with the sudden consultation?”

The murmuring grew louder, but no dissatisfied voices emerged.

Indeed, they were all subordinates personally selected by the Great Hero.

Their loyalty was high enough to do anything if it was the Great Hero’s instruction.

“Then the hunter in front will enter first. He says the consultation will be in the mansion’s basement, so please go there.”

Following the butler’s guidance, they entered the mansion one by one.

The butler, who checked his watch as soon as they entered, sent the next person in only after exactly 5 minutes had passed.

It took an hour to send all the direct subordinates in this way.

‘Are the consultations going well?’

Since he couldn’t know the situation inside, he was very curious, but there was nothing Hwang Seok-gyu could do.

‘If only I knew the consultation content, it would be a great help when reporting to Great Hero Kwak Min-cheol…’

Still, since he had reported the information that Song Chi-hyeon was conducting personal consultations, it wouldn’t be completely unhelpful.

‘I did as instructed, so what do I do now?’

While having such thoughts, a puzzling thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘Come to think of it, everyone only went in and none came out?’

They were probably all resting somewhere in the mansion, but it felt strange that not a single person had come out.

Anyway, Hwang Seok-gyu, who had to enter the mansion as the butler, opened the door and stepped inside.

‘Huh?’

The strangely quiet silence made Hwang Seok-gyu tense.

‘What? Why is it so quiet?’

He walked through the mansion corridors, but all he could hear was his own footsteps.

Feeling something was strange, Hwang Seok-gyu stopped in front of the stairs leading down to the basement.

‘Hmm… he didn’t specifically say not to come…’

Eventually, unable to contain his curiosity, he stepped on the stairs leading down to the basement.

While going down step by step into the darkness.

“Ugh.”

A strange smell stung Hwang Seok-gyu’s nose.

‘Th-this smell, could it be…’

Hwang Seok-gyu had seen all sorts of things while living as Kwak Min-cheol’s slave for years.

He had seen fellow slave colleagues torn to death before his eyes for stealing, and had seen female slaves whose mentality was shattered from sexual exploitation.

The current smell was one that Hwang Seok-gyu had smelled many times.

‘This is the smell of blood.’

He was certain.

Though it was mixed with the basement’s characteristic damp smell, it was definitely the smell of blood.

There was no way veteran slave Hwang Seok-gyu couldn’t distinguish this.

Splash-

Hwang Seok-gyu, who had come down to the end of the basement, stepped on water.

No, not water. Blood.

It didn’t take long to realize this.

Because an unspeakable sight was spread before his eyes.

“Hup!”

Hwang Seok-gyu covered his mouth.

Otherwise, he felt like he would vomit.

‘C-corpses!’

Fresh corpses that had just died were scattered on the floor.

‘All familiar faces.’

They were the hunters who had gone for consultations earlier.

‘S-Song Chi-hyeon, this crazy bastard killed them all?’

Hwang Seok-gyu, who had learned the truth about the personal consultations, immediately turned around to leave.

But.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Hwang Seok-gyu had to stop walking with a hardened expression.

The crazy Great Hero who had massacred his own subordinates was standing blocking the stairs.