Chapter 217 – Blaming Others

Lee Han-seok opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“Before I explain the reason, there’s something I need to disclose. Until recently, I was the guild master of the Blue Dragon Guild. Not anymore, though.”

“The Blue Dragon Guild… isn’t that one of the top 5 guilds in the rankings?”

“That was during its peak. Now, it’s barely hanging on around the 50th spot.”

“How did a thriving guild fall so far…?”

“It’s all because of Hunter Min Do-jun.”

‘Because of me?’

Min Do-jun wanted to retort but decided to hear him out first.

“I had a nephew named Lee Se-yoon. He was a hunter and the pride of our guild.”

“Ah, Lee Se-yoon… the hypocrite who assaulted his family?”

“…”

Lee Han-seok glared at Min Do-jun for a moment, but only briefly. He didn’t have the courage to hold that sharp gaze for long.

“That’s right. I can’t agree with calling him a hypocrite, but for a while, the news painted him that way.”

“So, you’re saying he’s not a hypocrite?”

“Doesn’t hypocrisy imply pretending to be good? Se-yoon was genuinely a kind kid. It’s just that the stress he’d been bottling up exploded onto his family.”

‘Hah.’

Min Do-jun couldn’t help but interject at the absurd claim.

“The articles said he repeatedly assaulted, verbally abused, and threatened them. Isn’t that too much to just chalk up to stress?”

“When stress builds up, it’s bound to explode. Can you imagine how lonely and tough it must have been for Se-yoon, caught between half-siblings?”

“…”

“And people only blame Se-yoon one-sidedly, but would he have resorted to violence for no reason? His half-siblings must have done something to deserve it.”

‘This guy’s hopeless.’

Realizing that reasoning with him was futile, Min Do-jun changed his approach. Instead of arguing, he decided to play along.

“If they deserved it, then they deserved to be hit.”

“Exactly! But the world just believes the articles and is busy cursing our Se-yoon!”

“You must have been very close with your nephew?”

“Of course. I’ve watched him grow since he was a child; he’s like my own son. He had a talent for hunting and was considered a promising star in our guild, until that bastard Min Do-jun…”

“Min Do-jun? What about him?”

“Yes. That guy killed my Se-yoon.”

Min Do-jun put on a surprised expression. It wasn’t entirely an act; there was some genuine shock mixed in.

‘How does he know?’

Back then, Min Do-jun had killed Lee Se-yoon in the mountains and taken his Reflection trait. He had meticulously erased all evidence and ensured he wasn’t caught on any CCTV.

‘The police didn’t even list me as a suspect, yet Lee Han-seok thinks I’m the culprit?’

It wasn’t just a suspicion; the look on Lee Han-seok’s face showed absolute certainty.

“Are you saying Lee Se-yoon was murdered?”

“Yes. We haven’t found his body or even the cause of death, but I know. My Se-yoon was killed by Hunter Min Do-jun.”

“…”

“People praise Min Do-jun as a hero, but he’s not. He’s a murderer who killed my nephew.”

“Do you have evidence?”

Lee Han-seok nodded.

“At that time, Se-yoon and I were trying to recruit Hunter Min Do-jun by stockpiling Magic Swordsman skills and using them as bait. Se-yoon told me that when Min Do-jun found out, he was furious. He looked at Se-yoon as if he wanted to kill him.”

“And?”

“Doesn’t it make sense? Who else would have a reason to kill Se-yoon?”

“That’s just circumstantial evidence, isn’t it?”

“It is, but it’s also a decisive motive for murder. What clearer motive could there be? He must have harbored a grudge and acted on it.”

“Still, there’s no concrete evidence, right?”

“Well, yes, but the circumstances alone give me a strong feeling…”

Lee Han-seok rambled on, but Min Do-jun stopped listening. The key point was that there was no evidence.

‘Of course. I was so thorough with the cleanup.’

Min Do-jun, who had been inwardly worried, felt relieved.

‘So, without any evidence, he’s trying to have me killed based on a hunch?’

It irritated him that someone would attempt to assassinate him purely on suspicion, without proof.

‘Not that I haven’t done the same…’

Then, he recalled something Lee Han-seok had said earlier.

“But why do you say the guild’s downfall is Min Do-jun’s fault?”

“Because everything went wrong after Min Do-jun killed our Se-yoon!”

“…?”

Lee Han-seok, bursting with frustration, explained further.

“After Se-yoon was branded a hypocrite, our guild’s reputation plummeted. The hunters who had joined started demanding to terminate their contracts left and right.”

Min Do-jun nodded. Even he wouldn’t join a guild with a member labeled as a hypocrite.

“We tried to convince them by offering better rates, but it didn’t work. That’s when I first realized hunters value honor over money.”

“When money is no longer an issue, seeking honor is natural.”

“While we were on a downward spiral, someone offered to buy the guild. I was scared of it falling further, so I sold it at a bargain price. But damn it, the guild I thought would keep dropping stabilized at rank 50.”

Seeing Lee Han-seok’s bitter expression, Min Do-jun summarized the story.

“So, you’re saying the guild’s image tanking and being sold at a low price are all Min Do-jun’s fault?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Wasn’t it Lee Se-yoon who ruined the image by being a hypocrite?”

“Se-yoon did nothing wrong. He had been leading the guild without any issues until then, hadn’t he? But because he died, everything fell apart. If that’s not Min Do-jun’s fault, then what is?”

Min Do-jun clamped his mouth shut, unable to find words.

‘Blaming others, huh.’

“That’s why I want Hunter Min Do-jun dead. Does that help at all?”

“Yes. It definitely helps.”

“So, will you take my request?”

Min Do-jun nodded.

Lee Han-seok’s face brightened, but only for a moment.

“However, the price needs to go up.”

“What? The price?”

Lee Han-seok looked dumbfounded.

“10 billion isn’t enough?”

Min Do-jun nodded firmly.

“How much…?”

“15 billion.”

“…”

“That’s the amount needed to make the risk worthwhile.”

“Guild Master, please…”

Lee Han-seok looked at him pleadingly.

“Can’t it be 10 billion? I’ve scraped together everything left after selling the guild. Isn’t there a way?”

“Hmm.”

Min Do-jun rubbed his chin as if in thought, then spoke as if granting a favor.

“Then let’s increase the deposit instead.”

“How so…?”

“Normally, we take a 20% deposit to start the job, but this time, we’ll take 50%. And if we fail, instead of a full refund, we’ll return 80%.”

“…”

“If you don’t like these terms, there’s nothing I can do…”

“I’ll do it!”

Lee Han-seok requested the account number to finalize the contract.

‘I gave him a chance to back out, but…’

It seemed he was determined to go through with the assassination.

“Is there a specific body part you want? If the assassination succeeds, I’ll cut it off and show it to you.”

“Of course, the head. If you show me the head, I’ll pay the remaining balance on the spot.”

Nodding, Min Do-jun shook hands with Lee Han-seok.

“That concludes our contract. As soon as the deposit is transferred, we’ll begin the job.”

“The money will be deposited soon.”

Lee Han-seok left with a brighter expression.

“I’ll be waiting for good news!”

After Lee Han-seok departed, Kim Jae-won quietly entered the room.

“How did it go? Did the discussion end well?”

“Yes. There are a few changes, though.”

Min Do-jun explained the revised terms, and Kim Jae-won couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“Increasing the deposit to 50%! That’s huge!”

They had expected to pocket around 2 billion as a freebie, but now it was 5 billion.

“Now, should we take the deposit and cut contact?”

“No.”

Min Do-jun had no intention of letting Lee Han-seok off easily.

“After about a week, I’ll give the signal at the right time. Call him then. Tell him the assassination succeeded.”

“What? Are you really planning to take down an S-rank Hunter…?”

“Of course not. It’s a lie to lure him out. Bring him to a secluded place, then take the guys and kill him. That’s the cleanest way. And don’t forget to extort the remaining balance before killing him.”

“Ah…!”

Kim Jae-won opened his mouth in admiration.

“That way, we can take the full 10 billion, right? And prevent any loose ends.”

“Exactly.”

‘Truly worthy of the nickname Cold-Blooded.’

Kim Jae-won looked at his boss with respect before leaving.

‘Lee Han-seok, huh…’

Alone in the office, Min Do-jun pondered once more.

Lee Han-seok’s fate.

‘Whatever his reasons, he tried to have me killed, didn’t he?’

Even after further thought, the conclusion remained the same.

‘Then he has to die.’

Whether civilian or hunter, anyone who targeted him would die. That was Min Do-jun’s unyielding principle, one that required no lengthy deliberation.

“Is that true?”

Lee Han-seok, the former Blue Dragon Guild Master, brightened at the news over the phone.

It was none other than a report that the request had succeeded.

“Can I confirm it?”

-Of course. I’ll set a location, so come at midnight. Bring the remaining balance as well.

“If I can confirm the face, I’ll transfer the balance immediately.”

Having set the appointment, Lee Han-seok waited eagerly for midnight.

‘Finally… finally, revenge for Se-yoon!’

Counting every minute and second, time felt agonizingly slow.

‘It’s time! It’s time!’

Setting out, Lee Han-seok arrived at the designated location before midnight.

It was a secluded alley with no CCTV, perfect for a covert meeting.

‘It’s almost midnight, so why isn’t anyone here?’

As he scanned the alley, waiting-

Thud, thud-

A group approached Lee Han-seok.

Three men wearing black masks.

“Lee Han-seok? We’re from the Black Sea Guild.”

Momentarily startled by the unknown figures, Lee Han-seok relaxed.

“Can I see the promised item?”

At his request, the masked men exchanged glances before handing over a black bag.

“Here it is. Confirm it, then make the payment.”

Receiving the bag, Lee Han-seok felt its heavy weight and smirked.

‘This is definitely a human head!’

Even before opening it, he was certain.

Inside this bag must be Min Do-jun’s head.

However,

“Huh?”

Contrary to his expectations, it wasn’t a human head but a pig’s head inside.

A pig’s head that seemed to be mocking him.

Thwack!

Thud-

Struck on the back of his head, Lee Han-seok groaned in pain.

Meanwhile, the masked men pulled out sashimi knives from their coats.

“Let the torture begin.”