Chapter 293 – Part 2 – The Prey

As soon as he got home, Choi Seong-min headed straight to the bathroom.

He needed to wash off the dried blood stuck to his fists.

‘Did I act too impulsively?’

He’d lashed out because he couldn’t stand the loan shark insulting his family and himself.

There wouldn’t be any real trouble because of it.

‘In this world, those with power stand above. Even if what I did gets out, with Hunter Yang Jo-young as my backer, I can smooth over this much trouble.’

Besides, the loan shark wouldn’t dare report or seek revenge.

He’d seen the terror and fear in the man’s eyes.

‘Now that he knows how frightening a hunter can be, he won’t dare come near our house again.’

Even though he’d taken the man’s money, he’d taught him the lesson that you don’t mess with a hunter. In a way, you could call it a tuition fee.

Clunk—

Choi Seong-min opened the bathroom ceiling and hid his backpack with 390 million won inside.

‘I’ll use this money to buy a house in a month.’

Since he’d only just become E-rank, it would be awkward to explain where the money came from if he spent it right away.

“Seong-min, come eat!”

Sitting down for dinner with his family, Choi Seong-min repeated himself:

“Mother, you don’t need to go to work anymore. And you too, A-yeon.”

“Huh? Me too?”

“Yeah. You’re only seventeen. Why work in a factory? You should focus on studying.”

“St-studying?”

Choi A-yeon was shocked. For someone raised as a commoner, studying was a luxury.

But now that their status had risen, she wasn’t bound to factory work anymore.

She had more options for her future.

“That’s right, I’m not a commoner anymore, am I? I’m equal to merchants now?”

“Exactly. So study hard, get a job at a big company, or find something you really want to do. You’ve always wanted to study, haven’t you?”

“You knew? My dream since I was little was to go to school.”

“Then do it. Mother, you agree, right?”

“Of course. I want to give you both everything you want.”

“Mother, you should also do everything you’ve always wanted to try.”

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

“You saw it yourself—I have plenty of money. Though we’ll have to wait a month before I can buy a house.”

“Thank you, Seong-min. Because of you, I’ve achieved something I thought was impossible my whole life…”

“It’s just luck that I became a hunter.”

“Still, it’s thanks to you. Thank you.”

“Oppa, really, thank you. You made my dream come true. I’ll study so hard at school.”

“Haha, that’s great. Do your best.”

Seeing his family so happy made Seong-min smile as well.

‘My real family is elsewhere, but seeing them happy like this is rewarding.’

He felt a pang of pity for these people who’d been denied even the most basic things.

‘This damn caste system needs to go.’

Choi Seong-min made up his mind.

He’d kill the 8 Heroes as soon as possible and save not only his family in the underworld, but also this suffering world.

---

On the first day of every month, combat power rankings are updated.

That’s why, as soon as morning came, E-rank armory manager Kim Gi-hong checked the rankings.

He needed to confirm the fate of his close junior.

“Huh, he’s not there. Dong-il’s name is gone…”

That could only mean one thing.

Death.

“He didn’t just die. He was murdered…”

Three weeks ago, when F-rank armory manager Nam Dong-il went missing, Kim Gi-hong had suspected foul play.

‘Dong-il would never just rob the armory and run. Something must have happened to him.’

He focused on the hunter caught on CCTV.

‘Wasn’t that F-rank commoner hunter Oh Nam-gi?’

Honestly, if there was a murder, he thought Oh Nam-gi was the most likely suspect—at least until he checked the rankings.

“Oh Nam-gi’s name is gone too…”

So both were dead?

By whom?

‘Was there a third party?’

Kim Gi-hong dug deeper into Oh Nam-gi’s background.

He found out the guy was notorious at the Hunter Management Center for bullying new F-rank hunters.

‘That means he had a lot of enemies.’

Every F-rank rookie who’d been tormented by Oh Nam-gi probably wished for his death.

‘But the one who’d want it most is that commoner named Seong-min.’

Apparently, the person Oh Nam-gi bullied most recently was Seong-min, an F-rank hunter.

‘He was in a coma for three months and only just woke up.’

Officially, it was said he fell off a ladder, but that was just a cover story.

‘The director told me Oh Nam-gi beat him nearly to death.’

It was all because of Nam-gi’s violent streak.

‘If I were Seong-min, I’d want to kill Nam-gi on sight.’

He had plenty of motive.

‘If Seong-min killed Nam-gi for revenge and also killed Dong-il, who was with him…?’

Kim Gi-hong shook his head.

‘No way. How could an F-rank kill an E-rank?’

Even he thought that was a stretch.

‘I’ll have to talk to the director and dig up more about Seong-min.’

---

“You’re here?”

Kim Gi-hong visited the Hunter Management Center where Seong-min used to work and bowed to the director.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice.”

“No problem. Please, have a seat.”

The director looked at him curiously.

“So, how’s the investigation going?”

“I’ve found the suspect who killed Nam Dong-il and Oh Nam-gi and robbed the F-rank armory.”

“Who is it?”

“An F-rank hunter named Seong-min.”

“…”

The director’s reaction was strangely lukewarm.

“I heard he worked here?”

“Not anymore.”

“What do you mean… Ah!”

Kim Gi-hong quickly realized.

“I forgot about the F-rank conscription order ten days ago. He must be at the training camp by now.”

“No, he was discharged just the other day.”

“What? How? I thought you couldn’t leave until you reached E-rank…”

“Haven’t you checked? He’s already E-rank.”

“What?”

Kim Gi-hong quickly brought up the rankings.

‘Search: Choi Seong-min.’

Sure enough, he saw a combat power of 3,011 and an E-rank.

“He’s already E-rank? How…?”

“I heard he was called an elite at the training center. Went from 0 to E-rank in a week.”

“That’s unbelievable… He must be incredibly talented.”

“He’s a real prodigy.”

“But you told me at first he had an F-rank trait?”

“That’s what I thought. But apparently he lied so Oh Nam-gi wouldn’t get jealous. Turns out it was actually an S-rank trait.”

“…”

To think the guy who’d always been beaten by Oh Nam-gi was actually an elite with an S-rank trait.

‘Wait, then he really could be the culprit, couldn’t he?’

He had motive, the skill to do it, and while there was no proof, it was obvious to anyone.

“Director! I think Seong-min—no, Choi Seong-min—is the culprit. We need to set an example so this doesn’t happen again…”

“Now, now, Gi-hong.”

The director fixed him with a weighty stare.

“Do you know who brought Choi Seong-min out from our center?”

“Who?”

“Hunter Yang Jo-young.”

“Yang Jo-young, as in… the son of Yang Baek-du?”

“That’s right.”

Yang Baek-du was an A-rank hunter and a true power broker in the Hunter Association.

He was second only to the 8 Heroes in influence in Eastland.

“How long do you want to keep managing the armory?”

“I’d like to do it for life.”

“Me too. I’d like to stay director forever. And how do we do that?”

“By not getting on the wrong side of the higher-ups.”

“Exactly. Now, if the hunter who robbed the armory is under Yang Jo-young—son of Yang Baek-du—would you try to catch him? Even if it meant damaging their reputation?”

“…”

“So let it go. There’s no solid evidence against Choi Seong-min anyway. It’s all circumstantial. Even if he’s guilty, we’d only hurt ourselves by pursuing it. I’d rather take the blame for the armory myself.”

“…”

Kim Gi-hong bit his lip in frustration.

‘To know the culprit and not be able to touch him…’

Choi Seong-min had a powerful backer.

For a mere D-rank like Kim Gi-hong, it was too dangerous to poke that hornet’s nest.

“I understand. There’s nothing I can do…”

“Good. I’m glad you see reason.”

But the director overlooked one thing.

Kim Gi-hong and Nam Dong-il had been quite close.

---

“Oppa, aren’t you going hunting today?”

“No. There’s nothing to do for now.”

“What about A-yeon’s school? Is it okay to send her?”

“I have enough money. Don’t worry, just go.”

After seeing his family off, Seong-min let out a sigh.

It wasn’t about money.

‘I can’t enter dungeons or grow for now.’

His progress was stalled.

Until he was ordered to rejoin a team, he couldn’t enter dungeons.

‘That’s the problem with this world. If you’re not in a team, you can’t enter dungeons at all.’

Except for hidden dungeons, sneaking in was impossible.

Every dungeon entrance was guarded and strictly controlled.

‘If you tried to sneak in and got caught, you’d be finished.’

With the Association holding a tight grip, there was nothing he could do.

He’d probably have to wait three or four more days.

Until the investigation into the supervisor’s death was completely wrapped up.

‘Not just me—other Team Crush members are probably sighing like this too.’

Unable to hunt as they pleased, another sigh escaped him—but that didn’t mean he had no options.

‘Ordinary hunters can only grow by killing monsters and eating runes…’

But Choi Seong-min was an exception.

‘I have trait absorption.’

If others could grow by hunting monsters, he could grow by hunting hunters.

Of course, he wouldn’t kill innocent hunters.

‘This world is full of scumbag hunters.’

The Hunter Association here was like a giant tower of concentrated evil.

‘If I could get a position in the Association, it’d be perfect for my work…’

But first, there was someone he needed to deal with.

‘Now that the rankings have updated and Dong-il is confirmed dead, someone will definitely come after me.’

He already knew Dong-il had a close friend.

He was certain that person would track him down.

He’d expected and prepared for this ever since killing Dong-il.

‘It should be about time now…’

Just then—

Thump thump thump—

Someone knocked at the door.

Choi Seong-min went to the entrance.

“Who is it?”

“Is Hunter Choi Seong-min here?”

“That’s me.”

“May I have a word?”

“And you are?”

“I’m Kim Gi-hong, D-rank hunter and manager of the E-rank armory at the Southern Hunter Management Center.”

‘He’s here.’

A deep smile crept across Choi Seong-min’s lips.

‘The first prey has arrived.’