Chapter 245 – The Name Is…

Jeong Hye-won tensed up unconsciously at Shin Kyung-min’s words about having something to ask.

“What do you want to ask me?”

“First, you seem completely fine?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard the news?”

Jeong Hye-won looked puzzled at Shin Kyung-min’s somewhat sharp tone.

“What news…?”

“Our guild master has disappeared from the rankings.”

Shin Kyung-min was from the Emperor Guild.

Jeong Hye-won knew well that the guild master he mentioned was Kang Hyuk-su.

“You don’t seem surprised?”

“What?”

Jeong Hye-won jumped as if caught stealing.

Shin Kyung-min’s gaze sharpened.

“Disappearing from the rankings means death. You know that, right?”

“O-of course.”

“If you know, why aren’t you surprised? Even if the guild master was annoying to you when he was alive, isn’t your reaction too indifferent when someone has died?”

“N-not surprised? I was plenty surprised…”

Of course, she was surprised.

By Shin Kyung-min’s sharp questioning.

“When I first saw the rankings, I doubted my own eyes. I thought I might be seeing things.”

As the person who had been closest to Kang Hyuk-su, Shin Kyung-min found it especially difficult to accept his death.

“I’d like to think it’s a system error, but that’s impossible. And I can’t reach the guild master either…”

Shin Kyung-min, who had been looking wistful, suddenly fixed Jeong Hye-won with a sharp gaze again.

“Where have you been these past two days, only to show up now?”

“Me? I just had some things to take care of.”

“What kind of things would make you disappear without a word right before entering a dungeon? With your phone turned off too?”

“It was urgent.”

“Then why turn off your phone?”

“The battery died. Wait, why are you asking me all this?”

“The guild master disappeared two days ago. The same day as you.”

“…”

“And today, you return while the guild master is dead. Is this just a coincidence?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you two were together.”

“Me? With Kang Hyuk-su?”

“Weren’t you?”

Despite Shin Kyung-min’s interrogation, Jeong Hye-won continued to lie.

Because she had promised Min Do-jun.

“I swear I haven’t seen Kang Hyuk-su in the past two days. Why would I be with him?”

“The guild master liked you, so I thought you might have met.”

“Look, Shin Kyung-min.”

Feeling this wasn’t going well, Jeong Hye-won took a firmer stance.

“What are you trying to do? Interrogating me like this is unpleasant.”

“I just want to know how the guild master died.”

“Isn’t that for the police and the Association to figure out?”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to ask you.”

“You know I don’t have to answer, right?”

“If you know something, just tell me straight.”

“What is there to tell?”

“Our guild master, how did he die?”

“How would I know that?”

Jeong Hye-won raised her voice with an incredulous expression.

It was an act to keep her promise to Min Do-jun, a promise she would take to her grave.

“Oh my, please stop this.”

Sensing the tense atmosphere, the Hope Guild master stepped between them.

‘If you’re going to fight, do it outside. Why am I stuck in the middle?’

The guild master secretly sighed as Shin Kyung-min continued to give suspicious looks and Jeong Hye-won crossed her arms in annoyance.

* * *

[Emperor Guild Master, Kang Hyuk-su, Erased from Rankings…]

[No Contact for Two Days, Disappeared from Rankings, Effectively Confirmed Dead]

[Mysterious Disappearance, Not Even Captured on CCTV]

[Emperor Guild Master, Kang Hyuk-su, How Did He Die?]

It was natural for Kang Hyuk-su’s death to make the news.

He was ranked 3rd and the master of Emperor Guild, considered Korea’s top guild.

However, not a single article about Jeong Hye-won appeared.

It wasn’t because of the influence of a major corporation’s owner.

Simply, no one thought of her as missing.

Being out of contact for two days was commonplace for hunters who frequently entered dungeons.

That’s why no one thought Jeong Hye-won had been with Kang Hyuk-su.

No one except Shin Kyung-min.

‘Hyuk-su, how did you end up dead…’

Though he had questioned and suspected Jeong Hye-won, he ultimately couldn’t discover anything about Kang Hyuk-su’s death.

But that didn’t mean he had no leads at all.

‘She’s definitely suspicious…’

The person Shin Kyung-min suspected was Jeong Hye-won.

He recalled her lack of surprise when he first told her about Kang Hyuk-su’s death.

‘It was as if she already knew he was dead.’

Her obviously flustered reaction afterward was also suspicious enough.

‘Something definitely happened between them on the day they both disappeared.’

Though he couldn’t guess what had happened, he had no doubt they had met.

‘What is it? Why is she pretending not to have met Hyuk-su? Could it be that Hye-won…’

Finding his own thoughts absurd, Shin Kyung-min let out a hollow laugh.

‘There’s no way Hye-won would have done that.’

The hypothesis that Jeong Hye-won had committed murder was as ridiculous as saying Min Do-jun had killed him.

It made no sense at all.

‘Then why is she acting like this?’

Though the question lingered, that was as far as it went.

Without any clues, he couldn’t know anything more.

* * *

[…]

The Kang Hyuk-su that Shin Kyung-min was looking for was currently in a state of confusion.

Because he had heard Min Do-jun’s explanation that he had become a soul.

And also because he had heard who had killed him and how.

[You killed me, Do-jun?]

‘Yes. It was an unavoidable situation.’

Min Do-jun had also told him how he had been mind-controlled and tried to kill Jeong Hye-won and Min Do-jun.

However, Kang Hyuk-su didn’t seem to remember what he had done.

[Me, trying to kill Hye-won and Do-jun… I don’t remember any of it.]

‘Really?’

[But I remember everything up until then. Killing the dark mage and attacking that Asian man…]

‘It seems you don’t remember anything after being mind-controlled.’

[Controlling someone’s mind… What kind of overpowered ability is that…]

Though his words expressed disbelief, Kang Hyuk-su’s voice was surprisingly calm.

‘Aren’t you angry?’

[What? Why should I be angry?]

‘Because I killed you.’

[So what?]

Despite conversing with the person who had killed him, Kang Hyuk-su’s voice remained composed.

[You said it was unavoidable. You said I was mind-controlled and attacked without reason.]

‘That’s right.’

[If what you’re saying is true, then you did the right thing. The person I was then wasn’t really me.]

‘You’re remarkably level-headed.’

[To be honest, I’m far from level-headed. I’m the type who gets excited easily. But I think I can be like this probably because I don’t remember.]

‘Because you don’t remember?’

[Yes. Since I don’t remember anything after being mind-controlled, even if you say you killed me, I don’t feel that emotional about it. It just feels like someone else’s story.]

‘If it were me, I’d feel quite wronged.’

[I do feel wronged. It’s like going to sleep and waking up to find the Earth has been destroyed. I hadn’t even gotten to hold Hye-won’s hand yet…]

‘…’

[But that’s all. I feel wronged, but not angry or betrayed. It couldn’t be helped, right?]

That was true.

Without knowing much about mind control, Min Do-jun couldn’t have left Kang Hyuk-su alive.

[If you hadn’t stopped me, I might have hurt Hye-won too. Ugh, it’s horrifying just to imagine.]

Seeing Kang Hyuk-su actually grateful for being killed, Min Do-jun had many thoughts.

‘If Kang Hyuk-su was mind-controlled like this before my regression…’

Could the coup have been the Asian man’s doing?

Could Kang Hyuk-su have been a victim?

‘Then what about Shin Kyung-min?’

Min Do-jun was lost in thought for a while.

And all those thoughts were heard by Kang Hyuk-su.

[Regression…? You’re a returnee, Min Do-jun?]

‘Yes.’

There was no need to hide it from a soul at this point.

Whether he believed it or not was another matter.

[Huh, to think time travel is possible…]

Surprisingly, Kang Hyuk-su seemed to believe him.

He had sensed that there wasn’t a hint of deception in Min Do-jun’s thoughts.

[A coup happens eight years from now?]

‘Perpetrated by fourteen hunters, led by Shin Kyung-min.’

[M-me? I join a coup with Kyung-min?]

‘Yes.’

[That’s impossible. Why would I try to destroy Korea? Do I seem like that kind of person to you?]

‘…’

Min Do-jun deliberately withheld his answer.

To gauge Kang Hyuk-su’s sincerity.

[I’ve never once thought of such a thing. Do you know how much I love this country?]

‘…’

[Kyung-min is the same. Him gathering hunters and inciting a coup? That’s absurd!]

Min Do-jun was somewhat in agreement with Kang Hyuk-su’s assertion.

There were many aspects that didn’t make sense about a sudden coup.

‘It is hard to believe, considering Hunter Shin Kyung-min’s character as I’ve observed it.’

[The coup must be that mind-controlling Asian man’s doing. Don’t you think so too, Do-jun?]

‘I think so too, but…’

He couldn’t be certain yet.

Not until he heard it directly from the man himself.

‘Time’s up.’

[What? What time…?]

Min Do-jun cut off his conversation with Kang Hyuk-su.

‘It’s been 24 hours.’

The cooldown on his riding skill had reset.

‘Time to find him.’

[Target with matching scent found.]

[Distance to target: 11,208.30 km]

It was quite far, but even so, he would arrive within 4 hours.

‘Let’s go, Awoo.’

[Growl!]

Min Do-jun mounted the ghost wolf and disappeared like a bullet.

* * *

The Asian man was currently deep in thought.

Because of the obstacle named Min Do-jun.

‘How did he find the set?’

The man had been confident.

That no one could track Kang Hyuk-su and Jeong Hye-won.

‘I definitely used my twin subordinates to kidnap them flawlessly with teleport…’

Yet somehow, Min Do-jun had appeared.

‘And of all times, he shows up right when I’m mind-controlling Kang Hyuk-su…’

What could have been a clean situation-kill Jeong Hye-won and disappear-had turned into a mess.

‘I managed to make Kang Hyuk-su my ally according to plan, but what good is that? He’s already dead.’

He already knew about Kang Hyuk-su’s death from Korean news articles.

‘I thought Min Do-jun might spare him, but he’s more cold-blooded than he looks. Well, he’s already committed murder before…’

The man could see it.

How many people Min Do-jun had killed.

‘Fortunately, the conditions are sufficient.’

A situation where he could make Min Do-jun his ally anytime, just by making eye contact.

‘The problem is that getting close isn’t easy.’

Since he needed to approach to a certain distance to control someone’s mind, it wasn’t a simple task.

‘Damn! Neither Shin Kyung-min nor Kang Hyuk-su, not a single one under my control!’

He hadn’t managed to make a single Korean hunter his subordinate.

‘This makes staging a coup impossible.’

Though the plan had hit a snag, there was still a way.

‘If only Min Do-jun… if I could just control that bastard’s mind…’

Then everything would be resolved.

With 8 million combat power, he could easily dominate Korea alone.

‘Controlling other nobodies would be useless. As long as Min Do-jun exists, staging a coup is impossible.’

He reached the conclusion that he needed to control Min Do-jun’s mind before anyone else’s.

‘Damn, if only my face hadn’t been exposed, approaching Min Do-jun would have been much easier…’

The one silver lining was that Min Do-jun would never find him here.

‘First, I need to use Justin Walker to lure him in, then formulate a plan…’

That’s when it happened.

Min Do-jun appeared in the blink of an eye.

“Hello?”

The Asian man’s expression froze.

‘H-how?’

As the man stood dumbfounded, Min Do-jun looked at his Weakness Detection information window and said,

“Let’s see, your name is…”