I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 84

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 84. Ki So-young and
I open my eyes. The ceiling comes into view—so familiar now that it feels like an old friend.
A breath of relief escapes me, and tension drains from my body. It seems someone answered that final call and brought me here safely.
“They must have been shocked.”
Three corpses and two unconscious bodies—anyone would have panicked. There was no way they couldn’t tell something terrible had happened in that place.
Just then, someone opened the door and entered the hospital room. I opened my eyes and sat up to see who it was—Ki So-young, the Guild Master. Her face was grave as she approached me.
“You’re awake. The call connected suddenly with no explanation, so I was worried.”
“Well, you found me quickly and treated me well.”
I spoke while examining my healed wounds. She had cleanly removed the curse from the magic item and treated everything.
“You’ll have to pay a steep price. I treated you personally, after all.”
“Whatever it takes. So what did you want to tell me? The cleanup isn’t going smoothly, I take it?”
Ki So-young nodded in agreement at my words. And rightfully so. A third-generation member of the Changsung Group—a Hunter called the Holy One—had died. On top of that, one of the corpses still bore the marks of a Demon, undissolved, as if advertising that I, Ma-in, was involved.
It was enough to turn the world upside down.
“Moon Kang-un, the one who was knocked unconscious instead of killed? The Association took him into custody, and all the other bodies were transferred to them as well. Did Shin Ju-ha do all of this?”
Her tone carried a note of exasperation. And understandably so. Getting entangled with a Demon, for any reason, would lead to nothing but trouble.
Especially with a third-generation member of Changsung involved, it was far more dangerous.
“Changsung came out swinging hard. They’re claiming that you and a Demon worked together to kill Lee Ji-yong. They’re also screaming that you killed the butler who was with him. Lee Seo-yong, the Chairman himself, already did a live broadcast interview.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“This is no laughing matter! This is serious! You could actually end up being executed as trash colluding with Demons! These people have that kind of power!”
“Puhaha! Ah… it’s been a while since I laughed like this. He really said that? The Chairman himself?”
“Yes! Right now he’s pressuring the Association to hand over his grandson’s and secretary’s bodies, and threatening us to turn you over! I don’t know why the Association isn’t listening to Changsung, but we won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
“Interesting. I didn’t even do anything. They walked right into the trap themselves.”
I opened my inventory. From it, I pulled out a pair of glasses.
Crack!
When I broke the frame, a small SD card and camera were revealed inside. I asked Ki So-young to bring me a laptop, and she quickly retrieved one. I checked the contents.
It was filled with evidence of all manner of crimes. Most damning of all was footage of Lee Ji-yong sacrificing over forty people alongside a Demon.
Irrefutable evidence.
“That’s all we need. With this, we can deal a serious blow to Changsung. Actually, at this level, Changsung will be shaken to its core.”
A conglomerate heir who colluded with a Demon. A group chairman who defended that heir. Their image would inevitably collapse, and the chairman himself would be implicated in dealings with a Demon.
‘Those bastards will all cut ties with him.’
They’re more sensitive to power and strength than anyone else. They can’t stand anyone better than themselves, and they’re not the type to leave such easy prey alone.
‘They might very well tear Changsung to shreds and devour it.’
It’s as good as revenge. All that’s left is to deal with Lee Seo-yong, who will have lost everything.
“With this, we can mount a proper counterattack, right?”
“Of course! Phew… I thought I was going to die from the stress. Ji-hyuk even said he needed to meet you because of all this… wait!”
“Dangun Ji-hyuk? He wants to meet me?”
Dangun Ji-hyuk is the one who despises Demons most intensely. A hero representing the generation after our parents, and the strongest person in South Korea.
His family was brutally murdered by Demons. His hatred and extermination of them is, in a way, only natural.
‘I’d like to meet him once.’
He’s different from my parents. Unlike them—heroes devoted and kind-hearted—he’s moderately good, moderately evil, and moderately greedy.
A man who believed that overwhelming power must be accompanied by overwhelming authority.
Thus, the man who had established the Dangun Guild and now reigned at the very pinnacle of South Korea’s power cartel.
In any case, let me first handle what needs to be dealt with immediately.
“Spread all of this across the internet. Both the properly pixelated version and the unedited version. If we carelessly bring this to Changsung and try to refute them, we’ll just end up looking foolish.”
“Hmph, what is Changsung anyway? We only held back because we were on the losing end of the argument! Just how remarkable is our Miracle Guild!”
She was right. While the Miracle Guild ranked lower in the official guild standings, in terms of actual influence, it was virtually on par with the Dangun Guild.
Ki So-young spoke thus and immediately left the hospital room with her laptop, ready to begin. I changed clothes and headed straight to the Association.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in.”
As I entered the room, thick cigarette smoke filled the air. Park Seo-ha, the woman puffing away at the center of that haze, suddenly lit up upon seeing me and rushed forward.
“You! You…!”
“Ugh, the smell. How much have you been smoking? Back off a bit. What are you doing clinging to me like that? Seriously?”
“Damn! You’re alive! I thought you were dead.”
What nonsense was this woman spouting? I shook my head and took a seat at the head of the table.
At my reaction, Park Seo-ha, who had been frowning, quietly settled herself on the sofa.
“Moon Kang-un. In the end, I was the one who caught him. And he even cursed me with a magical item. The curse was excruciating.”
At my words, Park Seo-ha fell silent, her mouth shut tight. It was clearly the Association’s incompetence. They had asked for just a few more days, claiming they could capture Moon Kang-un, yet they failed to do so even after nearly a month—and in the process, allowed secondary damage to occur, didn’t they?
Moreover, it was I who ended up capturing him. I was grateful that she had defended me with the Restraint Stone, but that’s separate from this.
While Park Seo-ha remained speechless, only rolling her eyes, the Association Chairman burst into the room. He stared at me, his lips trembling, and after a long silence, he finally spoke.
“The situation is grave. The Association cannot protect you. If the worst moment comes, I will abandon you. All we can do is endure.”
I hadn’t expected anything different. Rather, I was surprised that the Association had managed to hold out against Changsung’s pressure this long.
“To be honest, if the situation weren’t so blatantly obvious, I would have immediately complied with Changsung’s demands. Don’t resent me. You and I are allies, but it would be strange if we looked after each other to that extent, wouldn’t it? Do you have a card to reverse the situation?”
I let out a hollow laugh and looked at the Association Chairman. I still didn’t like him. Once I finished my revenge against those bastards, I’d have to deal with this guy too.
“I’ll handle it myself. Since the Association is incompetent, after all.”
I stood up. I had come thinking I might meet Moon Kang-un once more, but that desire had completely vanished.
This place really doesn’t suit me.
“Make sure you judge the situation well. The thread of our alliance seems to have grown a bit thinner.”
With those words, I left the Association and returned to the Miracle Guild. And at that very moment, all the evidence was made public.
***
Just one day. Public opinion had completely reversed in exactly one day since the Secretary handed me the evidence and it was released to the world.
It was inevitable. The evidence was far too precise and irrefutable, and there wasn’t just one or two pieces—it was impossible not to believe.
Lee Ji-yong, who had been praised as a hero, became nothing more than trash who had joined hands with Ma-in and committed murder in an instant. The situation spiraled beyond control.
Naturally, Changsung suffered an enormous blow. Lee Seo-yong, who had made Lee Ji-yong a hero while appealing to the entire nation with tears, was now suspected of being Ma-in and was forcibly arrested by the Association. Boycotts became standard, and Changsung’s stock price plummeted through the floor.
The Changsung Guild couldn’t escape the damage either. They weren’t assigned dungeons as a matter of course, and other Hunters avoided Changsung Guild members. Many openly questioned whether they were in league with Ma-in and picked fights with them.
It was a collapse in an instant. Considering that more than half of the major incidents caused by humanity since the Cataclysm were events triggered by Ma-in, this level of response was only natural.
Ma-in were humanity’s traitors, Earth’s traitors. They treated lives as worthless and sought to turn Earth into a playground for the demon tribes and demons they served.
The most forceful pressure on Changsung came from the Dangun Guild and Dangun Cheonje. Given his immense thirst for vengeance against Ma-in, that pressure was beyond imagination. And the people responded with fervent cheers and support for Dangun Cheonje’s actions.
Three more days passed, and Lee Seo-yong, his face haggard, slipped out of the Association and hurried somewhere.
The door swung open.
As he entered, approximately seven people were waiting for him inside. They greeted Association Chairman Lee Seo-yong with eyes as cold as ice.
“You came.”
“Late. You should have come faster.”
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. What is this state? Tsk tsk.”
Each one of them held a position at the very apex of South Korea. Whether it was power, strength, or money, each possessed at least one.
And they shared one common point: they were the masterminds who had caused the death of Shin Ju-ha’s parents, the couple once called heroes.
Lee Seo-yong swallowed hard at their cold reception and took his seat. A moment of silence descended.
Under normal circumstances, Lee Seo-yong would have had considerable say among them and could command much. But now?
“Association Chairman Lee Seo-yong. You pushed too hard.”
“Right, no matter how much you love your grandson, this is too much. How could you try to cover up an incident involving Ma-in?”
“It would have been better if you’d quickly admitted it and shown a repentant attitude. Why is it like this?”
They each threw out a word. There was mockery in those words—it was inevitable. Normally, his pride wounded, he would have angrily shot back at them, but not today.
“Hehehehe. I made a mistake. My grandson crossed the line too far, and I couldn’t help it. But he’s still blood, isn’t he? He was the only Awakened in our family.”
Having naturally conceded, he finally said what he wanted to say.
“It’s my fault, so lend me a little strength. The one at the center of this incident is that bastard. Shin Ju-ha! The child of those wretches! We need to crush him completely this time!! That kid will grow quickly and put a blade to our throats! I’m not asking for much. Just help me so I don’t collapse!”
He begged pathetically and miserably. Yet everyone’s eyes remained cold. Silence descended. Association Chairman Lee Seo-yong, looking flustered, rolled his eyes back and forth before finally looking at the man who had kept his mouth shut from beginning to end.
When their eyes met, the man who had been quietly drinking tea opened his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you last time? Don’t touch him. If you leave him alone, he’ll figure out his place and live accordingly. Why did you have to provoke him and make things like this?”
The man ranked second among South Korea’s Hunters. Ha Il-seok clicked his tongue.
“Lee Ji-yong was someone I looked after for a moment, so it pains me, but this incident crossed the line too far. Ma-in can’t be covered up. The World Association is watching this incident too. I’m sorry, but you should step back from here. Yes, just spend your remaining years comfortably in a quiet countryside. I’ll give you one of my nice villas.”
With those words, he stood up.
“If you’re done eating, leave. You seem to need time alone to gather your thoughts.”
Thus, Association Chairman Lee Seo-yong and Changsung were abandoned by their cartel. It was a fall from grace.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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