Chapter 286 – Part 2 – Kwon Ho-jun

‘Can I endure seeing injustice?’

Choi Seong-min sensed it intuitively.

That the team leader was trying to drag him into something bad.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean…”

He had a rough idea, but deliberately pretended not to know.

He needed to hear the guy’s plan.

“Ha, what a clueless bastard. I’m asking if you can turn a blind eye to your superior’s bad deeds, literally.”

“…Superior’s bad deeds?”

After pondering for a moment, Choi Seong-min nodded as if there was no problem.

“As a subordinate, I can’t interfere with what my superior does.”

“So you can pretend not to know?”

“Of course.”

“Alright. Then listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Team leader Kwon Ho-jun began revealing his plan as expected.

“You know Eun-jeong, right? Our team’s only woman.”

“Yes.”

“The supervisor seems to have taken a liking to Eun-jeong. So we’ve decided to create a private moment for just the two of them. You just need to pretend not to know and follow only me.”

“Ah… I understand the situation.”

It seemed the supervisor was planning to rape Do Eun-jeong.

“Even if you know, you have to pretend not to. Can you do that well?”

“If that’s all it is, there’s no problem.”

Wasn’t he already pretending not to know while knowing?

“Everyone come in!”

At the team leader’s call, all the team members who had been outside came in.

“Team leader. I ran into the supervisor earlier…”

“Oh, he said he was departing for the dungeon first. We need to go before we’re late too.”

“Then we should form teams. If we do it the same as last time…”

“No need. I’ve already formed them. Me, Do Eun-jeong, and Choi Seong-min are Team A. The rest are Team B.”

“What…?”

The team members questioned the strange team formation.

“Both newbies are on the same team?”

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to put the newbies together?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to split them up…”

“Don’t worry since I’m here. If needed, we can get help from the supervisor too.”

Supervisors usually just stand with their hands behind their backs looking at message windows when they enter dungeons.

Since items obtained by party members are shared in the message window.

‘Literally just monitoring what items were obtained.’

Despite their high rank, they don’t intervene in hunting at all.

Because they didn’t come in to hunt.

That’s why they often ignore it even when team members are dying.

‘But supervisors who’ve taken bribes are different.’

In the case of supervisors who’ve received some bribes, they sometimes step in when party members are in danger.

It’s a kind of supervisor chance.

They even sometimes actively help by holding monsters.

‘Though you’d have to slip them a lot of bribes for that.’

That’s why when he mentioned they could get the supervisor’s help, the team members all had one thought.

He must have given bribes.

“Can we really get the supervisor’s help?”

“You were talking privately with the supervisor earlier, so the discussion must have gone well?”

“Uh? Yeah, that’s right.”

“As expected of our team leader. You’re so capable!”

“What on earth did you give him for the supervisor to agree to help?”

‘What did I give? I sold out a person.’

Choi Seong-min clicked his tongue internally, but the team members didn’t know and were busy praising the team leader.

“Instead of this, let’s hurry and go. The supervisor must be waiting.”

* * *

Team Crush, having arrived at the mountain, climbed the mountain path.

The Worwolf dungeon was located here.

When they got near the entrance, they could see the supervisor talking with the dungeon manager.

Probably to get permission to enter the dungeon.

“Huff, huff.”

The team leader ran over breathlessly.

“Supervisor. Have you been waiting long?”

“No. By the way, did the discussion go well?”

“Yes. I explained it clearly so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”

The supervisor looked at Choi Seong-min in the back and smiled meaningfully.

‘What an unpleasant smile.’

Contrary to his inner thoughts, Choi Seong-min responded with a smile and followed the supervisor’s gaze.

The supervisor was scanning Do Eun-jeong’s body from head to toe with lecherous eyes.

Meanwhile, Do Eun-jeong was talking with team members, unaware of anything.

‘…I’ve suddenly become an accomplice.’

Why did the team leader specifically choose him as an accomplice?

‘Probably because I seem the most manageable.’

On the surface, Choi Seong-min’s combat power of 3,011 was the weakest among team members.

But this was only combat power raised through basic attacks alone.

‘If I use skills, my actual combat power would be more than double.’

Moreover, during the week at the training center.

Choi Seong-min hadn’t just been playing around.

‘From the Horn Rabbit dungeon to the Big-eared Monkey dungeon.’

He had obtained runes by going through each dungeon.

Even though all items were confiscated by the instructor.

‘What I gained during that week was 10 Health runes and 30 Agility runes.’

Just then, the team leader’s voice was heard.

“Equip your gear! Team A goes in first!”

After equipping gear, Choi Seong-min checked his stats.

-Strength: 114, Health: 124

-Agility: 223, Magic Power: 3

‘This is almost equivalent to a level 300 with full gear.’

In the previous world, level 300 was D-rank.

Choi Seong-min’s level was essentially beyond D-rank.

“Hey, newbie! Let’s go in!”

Kwon Ho-jun, Do Eun-jeong, and Choi Seong-min, all equipped with gear, entered the portal.

Along with the D-rank supervisor harboring sinister plans.

* * *

As soon as they entered the Worwolf dungeon, Kwon Ho-jun spoke to the newbies.

“Originally, we three would hunt while the supervisor only supervises, but today the supervisor has specially agreed to help.”

“Wow, really?”

“Ooh!”

Following Do Eun-jeong’s joy, Choi Seong-min also added a slight reaction.

He had decided to play along for now.

“Supervisor, thank you so much.”

“Hmm, it’s nothing much.”

At Do Eun-jeong’s words, whether flattery or sincere, Norikane Jigoro smiled contentedly.

Watching him, Choi Seong-min swallowed his internal sneer.

‘Is it because I know the plan? It looks like a sinister smile.’

Kwon Ho-jun looked back and forth between the two newbies and said.

“But if the four of us hunt together, it’ll be too easy, so we’ve decided to split into pairs.”

“Th-then won’t it be dangerous?”

“Don’t worry, Eun-jeong. You just need to trust the supervisor.”

“Ah, me and the supervisor…?”

Her trailing off might have sensed some ominous sign, but it was already too late.

The moment she entered the dungeon, she was essentially trapped.

“Then supervisor, please take good care of our Eun-jeong. Let’s go, Choi Seong-min.”

“Yes, team leader.”

As Kwon Ho-jun left as if fleeing, Choi Seong-min hurriedly followed behind.

After walking into the forest far enough to be out of sight, worry suddenly washed over him.

‘To really leave just the two of them alone.’

Knowing what that supervisor would do, he couldn’t help but worry.

Of course, he didn’t show it outwardly.

“Phew, well done. Newbie. Your acting was good.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Just acting as an accomplice while knowing the plan and pretending to condone it.

‘But before dropping the act, there’s something I need to address first.’

Choi Seong-min spoke in a somewhat worried tone.

“But is it really okay to leave Senior Eun-jeong like that?”

“What? Are you feeling sympathy now? It’s useless anyway. You’re an accomplice now too, bastard.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m worried Senior Eun-jeong might find out later and report it…”

“Ah, worried she might report being raped? I thought you meant something else.”

Kwon Ho-jun chuckled and waved his hand as if telling him not to worry.

“As long as we keep our mouths shut, there won’t be any problems. Even if she reports it, where’s the evidence? Most importantly, where would she report it? To the Association where the supervisor works? What could she do?”

Kwon Ho-jun smiled self-deprecatingly.

“Hunters can’t escape the Association’s shadow no matter how much they struggle. Only those who quickly realize this and adapt can live comfortably in this world.”

“…”

“In that sense, newbie, you’ve chosen the right side. Do you know how respected Hunter Yang Jo-young is in the industry?”

“Is that so?”

“Without a doubt. If you just show good performance from now on, your life will be smooth sailing.”

“But why would the supervisor touch a team member of such an influential person? Wouldn’t Hunter Yang Jo-young be furious if he found out?”

“Kuk kuk. You really don’t know anything about the Captain, do you?”

That was natural.

Before possession, the only people Choi Seong-min had analyzed were the 8 Heroes and their close associates, and B-rank hunters like Yang Jo-young weren’t even candidates.

“Why do you think the Captain created an E-rank team? Because he needs money? Just as a hobby?”

“Well? Isn’t it both?”

“No. The Captain is planning to sell us out.”

“Sell us out?”

Choi Seong-min asked in surprise at the unexpected information.

“To whom?”

“Where else? To someone higher up. I don’t know the details either.”

“…”

“This isn’t baseless speculation. The Captain is originally famous for only caring about higher-ups.”

“How do you know that, team leader…”

“I used to work at the Association before dungeons opened. I know this much from rumors I heard then.”

“…”

“Anyway, would someone who only cares about higher-ups create a team and take care of us? Obviously he created the team to look good to higher-ups. Of course, this is just my speculation.”

Kwon Ho-jun smiled coldly.

“So you don’t need to worry about the Captain being furious about touching Eun-jeong. He’s not that kind of person to begin with. She’s just a newbie anyway, so he can recruit someone new, right? The supervisor knows this, which is why he’s doing this.”

“I see.”

“Right. So we just need to rest here and join them after the supervisor has had enough fun.”

“Aren’t we going to hunt?”

“What, just the two of us?”

Kwon Ho-jun laughed as if it was absurd.

“You just became E-rank, didn’t you? This is your first time in the Worwolf dungeon.”

“That’s right.”

“How am I supposed to hunt with such a beginner? Of course I could catch Worwolves alone, but what about you? Can you survive alone without me watching over you? Or should I babysit you?”

“…”

“From my perspective, you’re a burden. Would you want to hunt while carrying a useless burden like you?”

“I’m sorry.”

Choi Seong-min bowed his head and gripped the Assassin’s Blood Dagger in reverse grip.

Kwon Ho-jun happened to be looking elsewhere.

Choi Seong-min spoke in a quiet voice.

“Rather than hunt with a burden… it would be better to remove the burden.”

“Haha, that’s right. But I’m not thinking of removing you… Kuhurk!”

In the blink of an eye, the dagger slashed across Kwon Ho-jun’s throat.

Choi Seong-min’s Slash skill dealt a fatal wound.

Blood flowed down from his neck.

“From my perspective, you’re the burden.”

“Kurgle…”

“Burdens need to be removed. So they don’t get in the way.”

Stab- Stab-!

After stabbing his chest a couple times, a message appeared.

[You have killed Hunter Kwon Ho-jun.]

[You have stolen the trait ‘Counter.’]

[You have stolen 8 pieces of equipment.]

[Trait – Counter]

-Rank: A

-Description: If you attack at the exact timing when the target attacks, you can nullify the damage received. Can only counter once per target.

‘This is good? Nullifying attacks.’

Having obtained a better trait than expected, Choi Seong-min left the corpse and moved on.

‘Now it’s time to kill that supervisor bastard.’

He could tell where he was even with his eyes closed.

He had already placed an assassin’s mark on him.