Chapter 82

Episode 82. To Kill the President of the Association (1)

The room became quiet.

Kim Min-jae, the President of the Association. His name carried an immense amount of weight. Although people also called him a cheapskate who did anything for money or a fool who viewed Rifts as a means to make a profit, no one could say those things to his face.

Infamy was also a type of fame. He was criticized, but he was powerful and had a strong base. At least in the hunting industry, he was on the top. And it was no exaggeration to say that the most powerful people in the world had his back.

Kim Min-jae definitely deserved to be condemned, but he was a giant. He could ignore anyone here.

"President Kim Min-jae of the Association came in person? Wasn't he just sending backup?"

"Yes, that's what I heard... I don't know."

The atmosphere changed in an instant. The Commander of the Monster Fields Park Young-joon was, of course, an important person. But if he misspoke once in front of Kim Min-jae, who brought along all his forces, he could lose his head.

And a single sentence in the news, 'Fighting to protect civilians on the chaotic Monster Fields, Park Young-joon meets a heroic end,' would be enough for Kim Min-jae to avoid any suspicions.

"Did he like the idea of building a wall so much? I said I'd give him my answer after thinking it over. He really is damn quick to act at times like this."

Park Young-joon clicked his tongue and grumbled. Kim Min-jae was capable of infuriating everyone just by showing up.

"But wouldn't Kim Min-jae listen to you up to some point if you explain your plan well, Commander? I know people hate him, but he still founded the Association to hunt monsters in the very beginning."

The woman who shared the depressing news spoke naively. Park Young-joon immediately opened his mouth.

"You've never seen Kim Min-jae before, have you?"

The woman tried to say something, but she gulped and nodded solemnly.

Park Young-joon and I could immediately understand why she thought so. But explaining it a hundred times would be meaningless. Once she saw him, she would understand in no time.

"...Open the door."

Park Young-joon sighed deeply and muttered as he waved his hand.

* * *

Park Young-joon and the woman picked an area of the messy facility that was in a relatively good condition and passed it along to the Association. As soon as they received the location, the Association personnel hung up without leaving a proper reply.

"His hounds are still rude as usual."

Park Young-joon complained quietly.

Hounds. It was a term that referred to the elite team in the Association that was directly under Kim Min-jae's command.

Thump. Thump.

The sound of footsteps echoed outside the door.

"It's been a while, Commander Park Young-joon, and hunter Jeong Si-woo."

With a faint smile on his face, Kim Min-jae casually took a step forward.

Thump. Thump.

The sound of his shoe hitting the floor felt loud. It felt completely different from when I met him before.

Yes, this was the real Kim Min-jae. He was a different person than when he secretly approached me under disguise and hovered around Zhang Wei to recruit him.

The world's most powerful and massive organization, the Association.

Kim Min-jae had the charisma befitting a leader who held such an organization in his grasp. Park Young-joon unconsciously cleared his throat.

"Let's shake hands."

Kim Min-jae extended his hand artfully. Seeing Park Young-joon hesitate, I shook his hand first.

'It's amazing how he goes about lying that he has no abilities while he acts like this.'

Now that I accumulated enough power to be a 1st class hunter candidate, I could clearly tell. I thought I was powerful enough to be anyone's match, but Kim Min-jae's energy intimidated me.

I couldn't believe that the presence I felt was that of a person who didn't reveal his mana, skills, or characteristics.

I let go of his hand, and Park Young-joon shook it next. Park Young-joon frowned slightly, then lifted his head and looked Kim Min-jae straight in the eye.

"Why did you come here yourself? You didn't send me a single hunter from the Association when I made multiple requests in the past."

Perhaps it was because he had many years of experience, but Park Young-joon spoke his mind despite Kim Min-jae's charisma.

"You always managed well enough without any backup. Thanks to your efforts, more citizens were protected from the Rifts. I'm forever grateful, Commander."

"Our hunters are citizens, too... But sometimes it feels like you don't think so."

"Hahaha, no way. How could I?"

Kim Min-jae put on a fake smile.

"Then why are you here instead of protecting more of your citizens?"

"As you said, the hunters here are also citizens. I've come to reduce the number of victims."

"I think you came too late for that."

"I came late because I was figuring out how to do so. You don't think I came late on purpose, do you?"

Squeeze.

A vein bulged on the back of Kim Min-jae's hand as he shook Park Young-joon's hand.

"Do I look like someone who would do such a thing?"

"...I don't know."

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Park Young-joon countered Kim Min-jae's forceful aura. Park Young-joon was an impressive individual.

Kim Min-jae glared at him for a while before smiling again and spoke.

"Well, everyone thinks differently about other people, so I suppose you could think so."

"......."

"But don't you want to know why I came all the way here?"

Kim Min-jae let go of Park Young-joon's hand.

"I gave you an offer. Instead of deploying hunters to the Monster Fields, I'll build a wall to trap the monsters in, closely monitor the Rifts, and harvest by-products and mana stones. The Field hunters will be safe, and I'll also guarantee their welfare with a pension."

Kim Min-jae spoke as he looked at Park Young-joon.

"I came here myself to carry out this great project. With a large-scale project like this, you need the head of the organization to be present, don't you?"

Park Young-joon replied reluctantly.

"You did send me an offer. But I never accepted it."

"Didn't you say you'd think about it? Didn't that mean you were going to think about what to do after your retirement?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, I meant I was going to think about your offer. And I haven't expressed my intention to accept or reject it yet. The way you showed up here without contacting the Fields first......."

"Mr. Park Young-joon."

Kim Min-jae said in a deep voice. He was smiling, but his voice was as cool as a sharp blade.

"Do I need your refusal or approval to proceed with a project? If a plausible project comes up, I'll proceed with it if I wish to. Or should I make rounds and get permission from everyone? Shall I head down right now and get consent from every single hunter?"

"Doesn't the Commander of the Field have exclusive jurisdiction over the Monster Fields?"

"Yes, but the Monster Fields belong to the Association, and the Commander also belongs to the Association. And the Association is mine."

Kim Min-jae's eyes shone sharply and dangerously at Park Young-joon.

His smooth tongue was slowly starting to have an effect. It was time for me to step in.

"Mr. President."

"Oh, hunter Jeong Si-woo? Do you have anything to say?"

"Do we really need a wall around the Monster Fields? Here, Rifts occur often due to the unstable mana, and a Rift might appear in the area between the outside and inside of the wall. Then it will be only a matter of time before the wall collapses, causing a massive amount of casualties."

"We're going to manage the mana concentration before that happens. Our analysis team isn't that incompetent. Though, of course, they may be less insightful than you, hunter Jeong Si-woo."

"Not even the Oracle has succeeded yet in coming close to managing mana concentration. I don't think even the Association's analysis team would be capable of having complete control over it."

"Yes, not 100 percent. But I think we can manage about 80 percent....... So, wouldn't it be better to trust the odds and set up a wall instead of putting our precious hunters in the dangerous Fields? Or do you have a safe Fields plan with a success rate that's higher than 80 percent?"

"Yes."

Kim Min-jae's eyebrows twitched.

"If you get rid of the Fields altogether, you can save the money meant to build the wall and invest more into your precious hunters. If the Monster Fields disappear completely, it will be 100 percent safe."

"Hahaha. You're relatively new to this industry, so I don't think you know much. The Fields have been around for a very long time. All attempts at getting rid of it failed persistently. The Four Guardian Gods Guild, The Tower, and Temple all gave up on the Monster Fields. But to everyone's relief, the Association took over. And now you want to get rid of the Fields?"

"I think it's perfectly possible right now."

Tap tap.

I pointed my finger. And right in Kim Min-jae's confident face, I repeated the plan Park Young-joon had just told me, while adding some of my ideas.

Once I used detailed calculations and data to support the originally vague plan for destroying the Fields, it became very plausible.

Kim Min-jae's smiling face slowly hardened, and even Park Young-joon exclaimed a few times. The Association's hounds looked displeased, but it looked like they had nothing to refute me with.

Of course. The evidence I presented was air-tight. No analyst could say otherwise.

"That sounds like a good plan. Yes...."

Kim Min-jae had no choice but to say so in line with the general atmosphere. If he ordered his hounds, he could proceed with his plan right away. But if he gave an order that wasn't justified, he would start to lose the trust of his hounds.

Kim Min-jae was a man who cared about saving face, at least in front of his minions.

"Well, but......."

Kim Min-jae rolled his tongue in his mouth. He was thinking hard. It looked like he was trying to find a loophole in my words. But apparently, he couldn't think of anything. He was showing signs of impatience, scratching his palm with his index finger.

He must be very annoyed. He was trying to make a farm and make a huge profit, but a random kid was getting in his way.

And after a moment of silence.

Booooom!

A gigantic explosion erupted.

"What is it?"

The window frame trembled slightly, and dust fell from the ceiling. The floor shook, and the vibrations ran through my feet and body. The mana that spread out along with the explosion indicated that something unusual was happening.

"It looks like something happened outside."

One of the hounds spoke in a low voice.

"Oh, well... Why don't we put this off for now and deal with the situation first?"

Seizing the opportunity, Kim Min-jae quickly stood up. Simultaneously, the maintenance staff's voice came out of the PA system, accompanied by static.

-A Great Rift has appeared in the center of the Fields. Hunters below the 2nd class must evacuate to guard the defense line, and those who can fight immediately must assemble quickly. I repeat......!

"Oh, dear."

Kim Min-jae looked very troubled. His face was feigning anxiety, and anyone looking at him would become very angry.

"It looks like Great Rifts occur here all the time. What should we do? This is serious. Could you really get rid of these dangerous Fields and solve everything?"

"......."

"Wouldn't it just be better to build a wall? Even ocean coasts have breakwaters. Humans cannot stop these natural disasters, but......."

"I think we can work it out."

I cut in and spoke firmly. Kim Min-jae frowned. But I ignored him and continued to talk.

"Once I solve this problem, why don't you stop bringing up your wall project? What are you, a child berating his mom for a toy? Don't you get tired of it?"

"What did you just......."

"I'm in a hurry, so I'll head out."

Leaving a frozen Kim Min-jae behind, I led Kim Seung-hyun and Sung Hyun-woo to the outside of the Fields. The woman standing in the back stared at me with her mouth wide open.

It looked like she wanted to say, "How on earth are you going to deal with this later?"

'But I don't have to.'

After seeing Kim Min-jae this time, I already made up my mind.

'However corrupt the Association was, I was worried that getting rid of it would cause worldwide panic. So, I left them alone... But since they keep trying to do idiotic things whenever they get the chance, I have no choice.'

I was going to remove Kim Min-jae and topple the Association.

And then, I would either establish a new, sane leader or take over the Association and point it in the right direction. I needed to make sure one of the two happened.

'Otherwise, at this rate, I'll die of extreme stress before I get killed by the Great Overlord.'

Originally, I would have carried out this plan in the next few years.

But my plan to kill the President of the Association had just moved way up my schedule.

[You don't know how strong the President is and what abilities he has. Is it okay for you to do this?]

"They might do other stupid things while I'm unaware. What choice do I have?"

[Are you sure you don't just want to get rid of him?]

"There's some of that, too."

[...What if you get attacked instead?]

"That won't happen."

I replied firmly.

"How could I lose to a guy who ran away even as I, a man with no abilities, fought to death?"

I endured four of the Disasters, and even the Great Overlord acknowledged me.

There was no way Kim Min-jae was stronger than the Four Disasters and the Great Overlord.

Listening closely to the people calling for help all around, I ran into the Fields.

* * *

"I think those two are causing it."

Before entering the Fields, a staff member briefed me.

"It looks like the Flame Queen's powerful mana and the energy the unknown woman is blasting around are colliding to cause a sudden increase in mana concentration."

"Those two are such a nuisance."

"Hmm... It doesn't feel right to call the Flame Queen a nuisance since she was a hero. But yes, you're right."

The Flame Queen was injured badly. She was casting balls of fire as she fought Seol Ah-rin. In normal instances, Seol Ah-rin would have overpowered her. But since there weren't any sharp weapons nearby and Seol Ah-rin wasn't able to build a fortress, things were going differently.

Seol Ah-rin had the slight upper hand, but she wasn't overwhelmingly dominant. In the current circumstance, they would be fighting all day long.

"I'll send one of them away. And I'll use the remaining one to wipe out the monsters pouring out of the Great Rift."

"What? Send one away, and use one? How...,"

"You'll know when you see it."

Crash! I kicked in the broken door, and a passageway into the Field opened up. I activated the Mirage I retrieved from the maintenance room and wrapped it around my body. Then, I jumped in without a moment's hesitation.

* * *

"You want to hit me until you feel better? You crazy bitch!"

"You're so old; you should be dead already! Ugh, so annoying!"

The two women's voices rang in my ears. I poked Sung Hyun-woo, who was standing right next to me.

"It's time to separate the happy couple, Hyun-woo."