‘I completely forgot.’
“Clans with full support like the Icarus clan are different. They don’t care who’s behind us.”
Choi Yeonseung didn’t say a word, but Kreger, who misunderstood, was convinced.
“By the way... Was that martial arts?”
“Yes.”
Before Choi Yeonseung could answer, the Mount Hua Sect hunters spoke with proud faces. They felt a sense of pride in martial arts that they hadn’t felt before. After all, every hunter around them admired it. The Shining Hallucinatory Octahedron’s magic was really powerful. Without outside help, half of the hunters here would’ve likely attacked and killed each other.
“How many casualties did we suffer?” Kreger asked his subordinate. They fought well in the beginning, but the situation turned into a mess when their enemies summoned the octahedron. Hypnotized, they attacked their allies, forcing Choi Yeonseung to fight back. Even if they didn’t know much about martial arts, they could roughly guess the power of Choi Yeonseung’s techniques. Hunters fell every time he moved, so his skill likely had more destructive power than a high-caliber bullet.
“No one died.”
“... What? Check again.”
“Nobody was killed. They’re unconscious, but they are all alive.”“......!”
Kreger was shocked by his subordinate’s report.
‘That’s insane...!”
Choi Yeonseung, who was still holding his sword, suddenly looked a lot more towering than before. Subduing a hunter was several times more difficult than killing them. What made it even more impressive was that Choi Yeonseung did it with the octahedron running wild in front of him.
As a B-rank hunter with experience in combat, he knew that this person's value had recently risen sharply. However, this was a whole different realm. Killing monsters and dealing with hunters were two different things.
‘I heard he was a professional from the UHC, but could he actually be an anti-hunter specialist than an anti-monster...?’
He definitely felt like he had heard this before. Martial arts were trash, but they were useful against hunters.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing.”
If he said that martial arts were trash in front of a hunter who used martial arts, a fight would break out no matter how good-natured the hunter was. Choi Yeonseung was just standing at ease and didn’t even have a single defensive spell activated, yet his posture still gave off a sharp destructive power that made Kreger afraid.
“Uh... Oh, Richard is coming.”
Richard approached from where he had been fighting with other hunters and soon looked dumbfounded upon seeing Choi Yeonseung.
“... Huh???”
“You have a good colleague. He came to help after receiving information that this place was being attacked.”
“The Icarus clan?” Richard asked as if he didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense no matter how he thought about it.
***
“Are you really here to help me? The Icarus clan?” Richard asked Choi Yeonseung and the Mount Hua Sect hunters. They were now sitting in a cafe near the research park. The research complex behind them was busy dealing with the aftermath and restoration efforts.
“No,” Choi Yeonseung answered briefly.
“Ah. Then... Did you come by yourself?”
Richard was convinced. Although the Icarus clan raised aces, it couldn’t have had this many people on standby just to protect one hunter who left against their will. Moreover, Richard was a member of the Parker family. The clan had no reason to worry about him. If so, then there was only one possible conclusion. Choi Yeonseung came alone.
‘This jerk...!’
Richard looked down, not knowing how to express the complex emotions he was feeling. He found it both touching and incomprehensible. To be honest, he had never met a hunter like Choi Yeonseung.
“No. I came here to steal a researcher trapped in your family’s research complex, but an evil god constellation’s household member appeared. I fought it.”
“......!!!”
Richard stared at Choi Yeonseung as his mouth dropped open. He didn’t pay attention to it earlier due to the confusing situation, but one of the people among the hunters did look like a researcher.
“W-What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
“What? Pable was the one who kidnapped him first.” Choi Yeonseung was very confident. The researcher, Ronald, wanted to sign a contract with Dragon Artifact. Pable intervened and kidnapped him before he could.
“If this becomes known now...”
“What do you think will happen if word gets out?”
Choi Yeonseung snorted. He didn’t know much about the company, but he was well aware of how these things worked.
“There isn’t enough justification, so they won’t start a fight unless they’re crazy. At most, they would end this by scolding the guards.”
“... You do know I’m the one responsible for that, right?”
“Ah. That’s right. Well, since I saved your life, let’s just say that you are paying it back.”
“Uh...” Richard groaned and covered his face as if he was in pain. His posture was so sad and pitiful that one of the Mount Hua Sect hunters pushed the coffee he received at the counter toward him.
“Hey. Drink something sweet. It should sober you up.”
“... I don’t need...”
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ pokes your side to talk to you.]
-Do you have to touch me?
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says to not forget your plan to turn useful people into your household members.]
‘Ah... That’s right.’
It was important to gain a reputation and to be trusted by the general public, but he also had to turn useful talents into household members or minions.
‘I keep forgetting. Honestly, all the B-rank hunters are close to raw, unpolished gemstones.’
The B-rank hunters were so far away from his level that he hadn’t thought of attracting them into his household. It was definitely a bad attitude. As the cat constellation said, he should see their potential, train them, and entice them...
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says you have to cheat them and make them sign a contract before another constellation takes them.]
… He had to cheat them?
‘No. I’m not a scammer.’
The cat constellation distracted him for a moment, but he planned to offer a legitimate contract. Compared to other constellations, Choi Yeonseung was quite kind-hearted. He disguised himself as a mortal to participate in constellation battles, stole other people’s powers, and stole the faith of human beings, but didn’t everyone do that anyway?
[...???]
“Richard. What’s making you sigh like that? Did your girlfriend dump you? It’s sad, but think about it this way: you can now use the time for dating to train.”
“......”
“......”
The Mount Hua Sect hunters stared at Choi Yeonseung in astonishment. His encouragement was so crazy it made them forget even their high respect for him!
‘Isn’t this a provocation?’
‘No... He seems sincere?’
“Do I look like I would be shaken like this by a lover?” Richard angrily replied.
“What do you mean? Considering the way you’re talking right now, you don’t seem to be good at relationships,” Choi Yeonseung shamelessly replied despite most of his relationships ending in disaster.
Richard gritted his teeth. “That isn’t the point. This is the job that the chairman gave me.”
“The chairman? Gyeongryong hyung?”
“... Alex Parker. My father.”
“Why do you address him in such a confusing way?”
“We have to separate public and private matters.”
Alex, Richard’s father and chairman of the Parker family, was an arrogant and fierce man. He couldn’t have been happy that Richard had joined the Icarus clan. He waited and watched until Richard was no longer particularly helpful to other hunters. When that moment came, Alex immediately called him.
-I-I can do this on my own!
-Don’t spout nonsense, you idiot. You didn’t achieve anything you’ve done so far on your own. You got everything you wanted because you’re supported by our family’s power, yet you’re trying to act arrogant and shake us off now? Don’t be stupid and just return to the family! I made room for you in the clan, but you ruined that.
He already lost the right to speak, so it wouldn’t be strange if his status was reduced further.
“Can’t you just ignore him and leave instead of getting criticized like that?” Choi Yeonseung asked curiously.
“Of course not!”
“Why not?”
“......”
Richard was speechless. He didn’t think he could leave, but when asked why, he couldn’t find an answer.
“Ah. I understand.”
Choi Yeonseung stretched out his index finger as if he understood.
“You’re afraid that your name will be omitted from the will later.”
“Ahhh...!”
“That’s definitely a plausible reason!”
The Mount Hua Sect hunters agreed in unison. It made sense if that was his reason!
“That isn’t the reason!”
“What? It isn’t? Then why?”
“... In any case, it isn’t that!”
“Richard. We’re in the same clan, so let me give you one last piece of advice. If you don’t stand on your own, there will always be a limit to how strong you can be,” Choi Yeonseung said while pointing to Richard’s toes. He didn’t explain it in detail, but it was what he meant was already clear.
“If you cut ties with your family and stay in the Icarus clan, Gyeongryong hyung will help you. Think about it.”
“That doesn’t make sense...”
“No. I’m telling you how it is. He’s the type that would be more inclined to do something the more others told him not to.”
“......”
“Think about it carefully. We will be going back now. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes. The car has already been prepared.”
“Let’s go.”
Choi Yeonseung got into the car with the Mount Hua Sect hunters. Richard watched this scene with a complicated expression.
***
“Will that hunter cut ties with his family?”
“That’s ridiculous. The Parker family is one of the most famous conglomerate families. How many millions of dollars would he be throwing away?”
Choi Yeonseung shrugged in response to the Mount Hua Sect hunters.
“I don’t know. By the way, didn’t I already tell you to speak casually? Why are you still keeping up with the formalities?”
“Ah...”
“That...”
The Mount Hua Sect hunters couldn’t help it. Every time Choi Yeonseung performed his martial arts, respect rose from the bottom of their hearts. The Mount Hua Sect’s rules were fierce and strict. They had to obey their superiors almost absolutely. Coming from such a group made it impossible for them to talk to Choi Yeonseung casually.
‘Why does he want us to talk to him casually anyway?’
‘Is it because he doesn’t want to appear old?’
‘When learning martial arts, we should probably learn in a more informal atmosphere.’
“Well, in any case... you all did a good job. I was worried you would say things like, ‘everything’s ruined,’ but you displayed great skills.”
Choi Yeonseung played the biggest role, but the Mount Hua Sect hunters also did quite well. They protected Ronald while brilliantly taking down the minions of the enemy constellation. With their current level, it seemed Choi Yeonseung no longer had to worry about their clan being ruined.
“That’s not it.”
“?”
“We improved because of what Choi Yeonseung taught us,” Louis earnestly said. The other hunters nodded in agreement.
“How long has it been since I last taught you something?”
Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded, but the Mount Hua Sect hunters meant it. They didn’t think they had learned much, but their performance in today’s fight told them otherwise. Their confidence in martial arts, which they lost for quite some time, started to boil in them again.
“Li Yuyuan once said that even a very short and simple realization can quickly strengthen a person.”
Met with a high wall, they couldn’t help but feel freed upon climbing over it. Everyone felt as if they managed to do that thanks to Choi Yeonseung.
[The power of your existence has increased due to strong faith!]
“I’m glad you think that way. I’ll prepare harder training once I’ve returned.”
“......”
“......”
The touching atmosphere instantly turned cold.
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