Chapter 338 – Part 2 – Combat Power Update

While the group members were hospitalized, Choi Seong-min went solo hunting.

The dungeon was the Great Nutria dungeon, said to be the second strongest among B-rank dungeons.

He would have liked to tackle the strongest Saber-tooth Tiger dungeon, but he couldn’t be stuck there for 24 hours straight.

He had to balance it with going to work.

‘My agility went up by about 30 again today.’

Spending 18 hours a day on dungeon conquest raised his agility by about 30 each day.

He could feel himself getting stronger day by day, but the actual combat power increase was minimal.

‘I guess 230,000 is my maximum combat power.’

Still, perhaps because his agility was increasing, it did go up by about 2,000 each day.

He had been hunting alone like this for about three days when the group members returned.

“Choi Seong-min. Stop soloing now and hunt with the group members from now on.”

“Understood, Great Hero.”

He said that, but for Choi Seong-min, it wasn’t particularly welcome news.

When he looked at the group members, they all flinched and avoided his gaze.

“Did you rest well?”

“……”

“Your faces look normal again? Healers really are good. Right?”

He spoke with a smile on his lips, but the group members couldn’t smile.

The reason was simple.

“Am I talking to the wall right now? Why is there no answer?”

“S-sorry.”

Fear.

Fear of Choi Seong-min had taken root in the group members’ minds.

It was because he had left such a strong impression from the very first day.

“Your way of speaking has changed. Before, you were speaking informally from the first meeting.”

“S-sorry.”

Kang Chan-seong bowed his head as if apologetic.

The sight of his massive body bowing was quite a unique spectacle.

“Um… Group Leader.”

When Kang Chan-seong spoke carefully, Choi Seong-min chuckled.

“Now you acknowledge me as group leader? Thank you.”

“Y-you can speak informally to us.”

“How can I do that? You’re 11 years older than me.”

“I-it’s fine. Actually, it’s more burdensome when you speak formally. Please treat us comfortably.”

“Should I?”

Nothing was more uncomfortable than a superior speaking formally all the time.

In other words, it also meant he acknowledged Choi Seong-min as his superior.

“Since I’m the group leader, I’ll speak informally. If anyone has complaints, speak up.”

“N-no! What complaints could we have?”

The group members all waved their hands dismissively.

No one would express complaints after being beaten like dogs on a hot day.

“Then shall we enter a dungeon together?”

Choi Seong-min and the group members entered the Great Nutria dungeon.

The group members thought they would coordinate with their new group leader, but that wasn’t the case.

“I’ll do the hunting, so you guys just follow.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Are you deaf? I said watch me hunt.”

Choi Seong-min pushed the group members back, saying he could hunt alone just fine.

Thwack- Slash- Swoosh!

“……”

The group members trembled at Choi Seong-min’s prowess as he massacred the monsters.

“Don’t step forward. No matter what happens.”

It was essentially a declaration that everything was his.

The group members experienced firsthand what it felt like to have their prey stolen right before their eyes.

‘If this is how it’s going to be, he might as well enter alone…’

‘Or hunt separately…’

‘Why is he making us follow him around?’

The reason Choi Seong-min didn’t separate from them was simple.

It was to gain additional agility through the Pack Instinct effect.

Not knowing this trivial reason, the group members had to follow Choi Seong-min around all day without being able to express their complaints.

It couldn’t help but be an ordeal.

***

Several more days passed.

The days were so busy there was no time to sleep.

‘I need to become as strong as possible.’

With that single-minded determination, Choi Seong-min focused only on hunting after work.

Because of this, the group members complained they were dying from exhaustion, but…

‘Whatever happens to them has nothing to do with me.’

He coldly focused only on getting stronger.

The reason was none other than this.

‘I don’t know when Song Chi-hyeon will call.’

Since the assassination was approaching, he had to become even a little stronger.

So he had to increase his chances of success.

However.

“……”

Until the combat power update day approached, there was no summons from Song Chi-hyeon.

‘It’ll be midnight soon and combat power will be updated. But he still hasn’t called…’

When he killed Yang Jo-young, Song Chi-hyeon had tried to kill even the Team Crush members.

However, he agreed with his own opinion to erase their memories and decided to keep them alive for the time being.

‘I thought “for the time being” would be short, but it’s already been 12 days.’

He thought he would call his friend soon to delete memories, but he managed to hold out until combat power update day.

‘I don’t know the reason, but it’s the best possible situation for me.’

It’s not like Song Chi-hyeon killed Team Crush behind his back either.

‘If he had, there wouldn’t have been any contact from Do Eun-jeong either.’

Do Eun-jeong had been sending texts until recently.

It wasn’t to invite him to another meal for an interview he didn’t know about.

It seemed like an intention to maintain a good relationship.

‘I’m thoroughly ignoring her now though.’

Since she tried to deceive him as a criminal organization, he couldn’t treat her like before.

He would never respond to Do Eun-jeong’s calls again.

‘Since combat power update day is right around the corner, I should prepare for assassination in advance.’

Right now, Choi Seong-min was at the mansion after Song Chi-hyeon’s summons.

‘I don’t know why he called me in the middle of the night, but since I’m at the mansion, I should prepare.’

He planned to put neurotoxin in the pear juice as planned.

Since the effect lasted 36 hours, there would be plenty of time to kill him after the combat power update.

‘First, I need to meet Song Chi-hyeon.’

Surely he didn’t call him to erase memories at this hour.

Knock knock-

“Great Hero, it’s me. Choi Seong-min.”

“Come in.”

When he opened the office door and entered, Song Chi-hyeon was smiling.

Choi Seong-min, who had to control his thoughts, could only bow his head without having time to wonder.

“You called for me.”

“You must be curious why I called you in the middle of the night.”

He answered honestly.

“That’s right.”

“I have news that will make you happy.”

So saying, Song Chi-hyeon took something out of thin air.

A familiar box caught his eye.

“Take it.”

He received it while pretending not to know and controlling his thoughts.

Then an information window appeared.

[Transcendent Random Box]

-Category: Consumable

-Grade: S

-Effect: Randomly obtain S-rank item

-Usage Restriction: S-rank or higher

-Description: A carefully wrapped gift box. Contains an unknown gift.

“This is…?”

“It’s called a random box. When you use it, you get a random item. And it’s guaranteed to be S-rank.”

Since it was guaranteed, it was essentially like obtaining one S-rank item.

“Take it. It’s yours.”

“Are you really giving this to me?”

When he asked with a bewildered face, Song Chi-hyeon nodded.

“Ten years ago, when a dungeon break occurred and a named boss called Karmygas came out into the world.”

Choi Seong-min also knew about this.

Because of that Red Dragon, the world was on the verge of destruction, and the 8 Heroes appeared to defeat it.

That was the reason why the eight hunters were called Great Heroes and praised.

“This is one of the items that came out when we caught that guy. If it were auctioned, it would probably fetch at least 3 billion won.”

“Why would you give me something so precious…”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I’d give you a big reward.”

The reason for giving a reward was one thing.

Because he had saved his life.

“3 billion won for my life is cheap.”

It wasn’t empty words.

Compared to the wealth and power Song Chi-hyeon possessed, 3 billion won was nothing.

“I was keeping this item to use when I became S-rank, but I’ll give it to you. Use it when you reach S-rank someday.”

“This seems like too expensive an item.”

“You don’t need to feel burdened. Think of it as payment for saving my life.”

“Still…”

Since it looked bad to accept it readily, he refused several times, then Song Chi-hyeon sighed.

“Then how about this? Think of it as a debt and assist me by my side until you pay it all back.”

“Even without this, I will guard Great Hero’s side for life.”

“Come on. Just take it. This makes me uncomfortable.”

When he said that, Choi Seong-min had no choice but to pretend to back down.

“…I understand. I will definitely repay this debt by Great Hero’s side.”

“Yes, that’s how it should be.”

Even after handing over a 3 billion won item, Song Chi-hyeon’s face showed no sign of regret.

Rather, he was more than satisfied to be able to keep a capable subordinate by his side using the item as an excuse.

“Hm? It’s already past midnight.”

Choi Seong-min also belatedly looked at the clock.

He had been so absorbed in conversation that he didn’t notice time passing.

“Finally, combat power has been updated.”

Song Chi-hyeon checked the rankings.

Yang Baek-du and Yang Jo-young’s names were gone.

“I’m curious what reaction the Association President will show when he finds out those two are dead.”

He said he was curious, but Song Chi-hyeon was expecting it.

He knew Kwak Min-cheol’s personality better than anyone.

‘There’ll probably be an uproar like no other.’

Just thinking about it made him fear the aftermath, but he endured it.

He couldn’t show such behavior in front of his direct subordinate.

‘That aside, I wonder how much Seong-min’s combat power has increased… Hm?’

Song Chi-hyeon’s eyes grew wider and wider as he searched for Choi Seong-min’s name, and finally his mouth fell open.

“Ch-Choi Seong-min.”

“Yes, Great Hero.”

“I’m not seeing this wrong, am I?”

Song Chi-hyeon asked in shock.

It was a sight rarely seen.

“What do you mean?”

“The rankings. Your combat power!”

Song Chi-hyeon was looking at Choi Seong-min’s ranking with disbelieving eyes.

4,190th place – Choi Seong-min (20 years old) – Combat Power 250,079 (B-rank)

“It’s 250,000!”

As far as Song Chi-hyeon knew, Choi Seong-min’s combat power was 150,000.

Of course, that was his combat power from ten days ago, but even so, his current combat power didn’t make sense.

“Didn’t you say 150,000 before? How could you raise it to 250,000 already?”

“…I kept hunting and it went up. It’s rising slowly now though.”

He watched Choi Seong-min intently as if trying to detect lies, but there was no way he could read the truth.

“You who were only 20,000 reached 250,000 in just one month… What’s your secret? How do you show such growth?”

“Well, isn’t it because Great Hero provided good items?”

“Even so, there should be limits with just items…”

Song Chi-hyeon kept showing surprised expressions while Choi Seong-min continued acting like he didn’t know.

“I’ve taken in quite a strong subordinate. Hehe…”

Strength, talent, loyalty.

He was a subordinate lacking in nothing.

***

Bang! Crack-!

When Kwak Min-cheol struck the desk in anger, it split in two.

“Damn it, the Secretary is dead? Really?”

It had been 12 days since contact with the Secretary was lost.

During that time, they had tracked and investigated his whereabouts, but no significant clues emerged.

‘So I thought it was just a simple disappearance… but he’s actually dead?’

Looking at how his name didn’t come up when searching the rankings, it was certain.

Yang Baek-du was dead.

‘Looking at how the Secretary’s son doesn’t show up in searches either, he’s definitely dead too.’

He had already known that the other brothers had disappeared as well.

‘It wasn’t just running away. The entire family was killed.’

No wonder it seemed strange – the truth had been revealed.

“Someone killed them. Yang Baek-du and his entire family.”

It was more reasonable to assume murder rather than suicide.

“Which bastard… Which bastard dared…”

Yang Baek-du was Kwak Min-cheol’s right hand.

Killing him was like cutting off his own limbs.

In other words, it could be seen as a challenge to the Great Hero.

‘This is treason.’

Treason is a grave crime.

A grave crime deserving of having one’s spine ripped out and three generations exterminated.

‘Could it be?’

There was one person who naturally came to mind when thinking of treason.

‘That bastard Song Chi-hyeon?’

Kwak Min-cheol stood up from his seat.

With eyes that looked ready to tear someone apart and kill them immediately.