Chapter 424 – Part 2 – Ryu Jong-ik’s Past

Ten years ago, Ryu Jong-ik was an S-rank hunter.

Then and now, S-rank hunters were nobility among nobility.

Naturally, it was a period of great success.

A brilliant future was guaranteed.

Until he met Kwak Min-cheol.

“Are you Ryu Jong-ik?”

“Who might you be…”

“I even made a nationwide announcement recently, but my face still isn’t known? I’m Kwak Min-cheol, who became the association president of Eastland.”

“Association president…? Kwak Min-cheol…?”

When Ryu Jong-ik still tilted his head in confusion, wrinkles formed on Kwak Min-cheol’s forehead.

“Damn, you don’t know even when I tell you my name? Then would you know if I said the 8 Heroes?”

“The 8 Heroes…!”

Only then did Ryu Jong-ik show recognition.

Even if he didn’t know the name, he had heard about the 8 Heroes who had killed Karmygas and saved the world a few months ago.

They were the ones who now ruled the world and introduced the class system.

“Now you understand how great a person I am?”

“What business do you have with me, one of the 8 Heroes…”

“Keke, even your tone has changed. At least you’re not completely clueless. I like that.”

While Kwak Min-cheol giggled with amusement, Ryu Jong-ik just felt uncomfortable.

The systems the Great Heroes were pushing these days didn’t appeal to him at all.

“It’s nothing special, but I’m currently recruiting subordinates. Direct subordinates to assist me. You’ve been selected as a candidate.”

Did he expect him to be surprised and delighted?

Kwak Min-cheol paused and watched for a reaction, but Ryu Jong-ik remained calm.

“Why that reaction? Aren’t you happy that I’m offering to make you my direct subordinate?”

“Ah… it’s such a sudden proposal, I need to think…”

“What’s there to think about? Feel free to rejoice.”

Ryu Jong-ik pondered for a moment.

Would working under Kwak Min-cheol really be enjoyable?

He had run without rest until becoming S-rank, so couldn’t he rest a bit now?

He had earned enough money.

Seeing him unexpectedly hesitant, Kwak Min-cheol began persuading.

“Of course, as an S-rank, you’d have no trouble making a living anywhere. But if you join under me, you can earn several times more profit. Other miscellaneous benefits are a bonus. Do you understand?”

“Yes… I understand what you mean. However…”

After much deliberation, Ryu Jong-ik continued.

“I have no desire to belong anywhere. I’m fine with how things are now.”

“What?”

Not expecting rejection, Kwak Min-cheol’s eyes twitched slightly.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m sorry you came all the way to my house personally.”

“Think about it carefully once more. Becoming my direct subordinate isn’t something you can easily pass up. Don’t you want to earn more than now? Don’t you want to move to a bigger house than this?”

“I think I’ve earned enough money. It’s about time I retired anyway.”

The talk of already retiring was incomprehensible to Kwak Min-cheol.

“Retirement when you’ve just become S-rank? Do you know how many mountains you have to climb above you?”

“I know. There are over 200 hunters above me.”

“Yet you still say that? I can help you grow more than now.”

Despite Kwak Min-cheol’s persuasion, Ryu Jong-ik shook his head.

“I’ve run frantically to reach S-rank, so now I want to rest. And most importantly…”

Ryu Jong-ik glanced at the door where his child was sleeping.

“I have a treasure I need to protect.”

Ryu Jong-ik only felt sorry for his daughter, whom he hadn’t been able to care for while hunting.

He didn’t even blame his wife who had run off with another man.

It was his own fault for neglecting his family by focusing only on hunting.

“I’ve never properly been a father, so I need to do it now.”

“……”

Kwak Min-cheol couldn’t understand.

The statement that he would give up everything and waste his abilities after climbing to S-rank.

Moreover, he was saying he would retire to live peacefully with his daughter.

‘He’s rejecting my proposal for such a trivial reason?’

If he were a greedy person, he naturally wouldn’t have rejected the proposal, but Ryu Jong-ik was different.

He was satisfied with his situation and didn’t wish to go further.

A person without greed.

Kwak Min-cheol overlooked this fact.

Of course, Ryu Jong-ik also overlooked something about Kwak Min-cheol.

‘This damn bastard dares…’

That Kwak Min-cheol was far more trash than he thought.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the answer you wanted.”

Ryu Jong-ik politely declined, but Kwak Min-cheol was swallowing his anger.

No, he was preparing to explode like an active volcano.

That’s when it happened.

“Mmm… Daddy? Who came?”

Five-year-old Ryu Eun-bi came out of her room, rubbing her eyes.

“You woke up, Eun-bi. Say hello. This is the association president of Eastland who came to visit.”

Ryu Eun-bi looked at Kwak Min-cheol and politely bowed her head.

“Hello, mister.”

‘Mister?’

Kwak Min-cheol, now in his late twenties, made a displeased expression.

“Uh, yeah.”

He who had been thinking of killing Ryu Jong-ik on the spot slowly unclenched his fist.

“But Daddy, what’s an association president?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“I’ll tell her.”

Kwak Min-cheol intervened.

“An association president is someone who can do anything they want. They can do everything they desire.”

“Really? Then can they buy ten ice creams?”

At the unexpected ice cream topic, Kwak Min-cheol was silent before smiling wickedly.

“What’s ten? An association president can buy thousands, tens of thousands.”

“Wow… really? Being an association president is really amazing!”

Kwak Min-cheol patted the admiring child’s head.

“Of course it’s amazing. I’ve never been unable to have something I wanted. That’s why…”

Kwak Min-cheol looked at Ryu Jong-ik with a meaningful smile.

“It’s hard to endure when I can’t have what I want. Hehe.”

“……”

It somehow sounded like a threat, but Ryu Jong-ik dismissed it.

A Great Hero wouldn’t threaten him.

“Your daughter is really smart and pretty. Well, since our talk is over, I should go now.”

“Yes… please take care.”

Ryu Jong-ik, who had rejected Kwak Min-cheol’s proposal, regretted his decision the next day.

His only daughter Eun-bi was found as a cold corpse inside the house.

The culprit was obvious.

“Kwak Min-cheooooool!!!”

From that day on, Ryu Jong-ik sharpened his blade for revenge.

‘The current me cannot kill Kwak Min-cheol. I need power to surpass him.’

The easiest method was hunting.

But coincidentally, all the world’s dungeons were sealed for unknown reasons.

He was unlucky.

‘The path to growth is blocked.’

But that didn’t mean there was no path.

Ryu Jong-ik founded an organization called Revolution that very day.

On the surface, it was an organization to oppose society, but personally, he was dreaming of revenge.

‘Kwak Min-cheol. I will definitely kill you with my own hands…!’

Ryu Jong-ik vowed not to stop his revenge until dirt covered his eyes.

* * *

‘So that’s what happened.’

Choi Seong-min, who had peeked at Ryu Jong-ik’s memories, felt sympathy.

He too was in the position of having a daughter.

He couldn’t help but empathize with Ryu Jong-ik’s anger.

‘If my daughter Seo-yeon had died like that…’

Kwak Min-cheol would have been killed in the most horrible way in this world.

Returning the pain he received thousands of times over.

‘It’s sad that his daughter died, but… as a result, Ryu Jong-ik not joining as Kwak Min-cheol’s subordinate was a good choice.’

What if Ryu Jong-ik had become Kwak Min-cheol’s direct subordinate?

He would have been used appropriately and then backstabbed by Kwak Min-cheol and killed.

The invitation to become a direct subordinate was originally to absorb his stats.

‘If he had fallen to the level of prey like that, he couldn’t have dreamed of revenge like now.’

Either way, he was unlucky.

The two should never have met.

For Ryu Jong-ik, Kwak Min-cheol was misfortune itself.

‘But that Kwak Min-cheol has now become a babbling idiot…’

Ryu Jong-ik’s revenge was essentially already accomplished.

Of course, he wouldn’t stop until he finished it with his own hands.

‘I should give him a chance. A chance to take revenge directly.’

He had visited wearing a mask before and told him.

That he would hand over Kwak Min-cheol to Ryu Jong-ik.

‘At that time, it wasn’t a difficult matter and he begged so earnestly that I agreed…’

Knowing the circumstances, he felt he absolutely had to hand him over.

‘As repayment for risking their lives to protect my family, I should arrange for the two to meet.’

Having decided this, Choi Seong-min removed his hand from the head.

While Ryu Jong-ik had a dazed expression, the minute passed and Gang Min-chan came to his senses.

“Uu… my head is ringing.”

Gang Min-chan, holding his head as if suffering from a hangover, belatedly discovered Choi Seong-min.

“Bl-Black Mask?”

“Are you conscious?”

“Wh-when did you arrive? No, more than that, what happened? I was definitely fighting with the leader…”

Choi Seong-min calmly lied.

“It seemed so. When I arrived, you two were already unconscious.”

“What? Then the tracker…”

Choi Seong-min nodded toward the back.

“I took care of him.”

Where Gang Min-chan looked, there was Jo Wang-chun’s corpse with his forehead pierced.

“Haha… we struggled so much against this guy… but you handled it quite cleanly.”

Saying this, Gang Min-chan turned to Ryu Jong-ik.

Just as the minute passed, Ryu Jong-ik also blinked and came to his senses.

“…Did I faint?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the Black Mask appeared and took care of it.”

At Gang Min-chan’s words, Ryu Jong-ik’s gaze turned to Choi Seong-min.

“Black Mask, you’ve arrived. The family you asked us to protect should be safe, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. Thank you for protecting them.”

“Not at all. Compared to what you do for us, Black Mask, this much is nothing…”

Though they had lost their lives, Ryu Jong-ik and Gang Min-chan seemed to have no memory of it at all.

Choi Seong-min was inwardly satisfied with this sight.

‘Good. They don’t have to recall the painful memories.’

It was a bonus that he didn’t have to tell the two about the Potion of Life.

“Would you like to meet your friend’s family now, Black Mask?”

Choi Seong-min nodded.

“Yes.”

* * *

Choi Seong-min followed Ryu Jong-ik and Gang Min-chan toward where the family was said to be.

“Do Eun-jeong said it was around here…”

They had heard the general location from Do Eun-jeong over the phone, but being in a forest, they couldn’t find the exact place.

While the two were wandering around lost, Choi Seong-min said:

“It’s not there, but seems to be this way.”

“What? Over there?”

“That’s what it feels like.”

Though he said that, it wasn’t just based on feeling.

There was clear evidence.

‘The Location Tracking trait is telling me it’s this way.’

Sure enough.

Not long after, Choi Seong-min was able to meet his family.

Though the person who welcomed him wasn’t his family.

“Black Mask!”

Han Sae-bom got up from her seat with a bright smile.

She welcomed him more than anyone, but knowing her feelings, Choi Seong-min just felt uncomfortable.

‘I’ve saved many lives, but this is the first person to follow me like this.’

It was the same when he visited Han Sae-bom’s house asking her to protect his family.

She had stepped forward without hesitation to help him.

She seemed happy that an opportunity to repay her life debt had come.

Choi Seong-min couldn’t completely ignore Han Sae-bom who had helped him.

“Thank you for helping.”

“Don’t mention it. Hehe. Please tell me anytime if you need me for anything.”

While Han Sae-bom smiled saying this, Do Eun-jeong was watching with a displeased expression.

Reading her thoughts, she seemed unhappy about Han Sae-bom acting friendly toward the Black Mask.

‘The Black Mask is unexpectedly popular…’

The Black Mask was popular regardless of gender.

It had to be that way.

Only the Black Mask saved lives, assassinated Great Heroes, and conducted various activities.

‘On the other hand, there’s not much I’ve accomplished as Choi Seong-min.’

At most, finding the USB of Kwak Min-cheol’s murder video at the hunter training facility.

Even with 10 million combat power, it was understandable that the Black Mask was more popular than Choi Seong-min.

“Um…”

Then his mother and Choi Ah-yeon approached hesitantly.

“We heard the story. Thank you for saving our lives.”

“Thanks to you, we weren’t kidnapped. Thank you.”

The two who had bowed in greeting finally raised their heads and asked about what they were curious about.

“We heard you introduced us as a friend’s family.”

“So we’re wondering if you know our Seong-min?”

Choi Seong-min hesitated for a moment.

Whether to confess that he was their son Choi Seong-min.

Whether to reveal his identity in front of Ryu Jong-ik and the others.

It was a simple matter of just removing his mask, but…

Choi Seong-min didn’t do it.

“Of course I know him. He’s a close friend.”

Because there was still work to be done.