Jeong-Hoon, who opened his eyes in the morning, quickly finished preparing and left his room. He then arrived at So-Hyunâs room on the top floor.
âSo-Hyun, did you have a good nightâs sleep?â
âOh. Chairman Lee, good morning.â
Already woken up and blankly watching the TV screen, So-Hyun nodded and frowned when she saw Jeong-Hoon. The hunter disease is known to be unimaginably painful for ordinary people. Therefore, So-Hyun is receiving an enormous amount of painkillers. However, it is Jeong-Hoon who felt that So-Hyunâs current expression was different from that of pain.
âDid something happen? You donât look so well.â
âHuh? Was it that obvious? I thought it would look as if I was sick.â
âYour expression seemed different from that of being sick.â
She had an expression of concern. Of course, people with only five days left to live canât help but have worries. However, Jeong-Hoon intuitively felt from her expression that she was thinking of a different matter than her lifespan.
âYeah, so about that. Chairman Lee, are there any lawyers you know well?
âDo you need a lawyer? Donât tell me you were sued overnight.â
âThat wouldnât even happen. I didnât step a foot out of my room.â
âCan I hear what the problem is?â
If she needed a lawyer, he was willing to call a truck-full of them. However, Jeong-Hoon expressed his curiosity because he was curious about why she needed a lawyer.
âItâs because the guild that my sister is part of said some nonsense.â
âSorry? Wait, didnât hunter Han Si-Eun return home yesterday?â
Just then, Si-Eun entered the room. Jeong-Hoon opened his eyes wide. To think that she didnât return home and instead stayed with So-Hyun.
âI contacted the guild and our family that we wonât be back for a while.â
âOh, is that really okay? Arenât you busy because youâre an S-class hunter?â
âNo, Iâm not that busy. Our guild is pretty small, andâŠâ
âIs there something else?â
âIf itâs not time like this, when would you ever stay in one of Lumenâs luxurious rooms?â
Jeong-Hoon nodded and smirked at the fact that she had her own purpose of fulfilling her self-interest. It may seem like that was her true intention, but itâs not really the true intention. Si-Eun had just made an excuse to stay with So-Hyun as long as possible. She wasnât good at lying to the point where he couldnât notice her true feelings.
âAh. You said that the daily stay here is definitely more expensive than Si-Eunâs monthly income, right?â
âMoney is money, but the conditions are quite tight.â
âSigh⊠Well, that just makes my worries seem pathetic. Iâm trying to stay in a room thatâs more expensive than the monthly income of an S-class hunter and scrape off for a small sum of money.â
At So-Hyunâs sudden sigh, Jeong-Hoon realized that the reason behind why she needed a lawyer was because of money.
âIf itâs a money problem, I can solve it for you.â
âHuh? Itâs not a matter of needing money, itâs a matter of my severance pay.â
Feeling that there was something strange behind the word âseverance pay,â Jeong-Hoon frowned.
Perhaps the guild she belonged to was a black company- no, a black guild.
***
Itâs not a rare case that a guild abuses its power against its hunter. Unfortunately, the object of its power abuse applies beyond the hunter to the hunterâs family, but to be more exact, to the family of the hunter who died. Jeong-Hoon was also a victim of a guildâs power abuse. Therefore, he had a serious expression when he heard this case from So-Hyun.
âJust what kind of brain must a bastard have for him to tell her to donate it all instead since she canât use it anyway?â
Jeong-Hoon, who was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white, slowly emitted an aura of murderous intent. Watching this, Butler Joo thought it was fortunate that Jeong-Hoon had returned to his room for investigation. The aura that Jeong-Hoon was emitting right now was something that non-awakened people can never do.
Judging by the aura alone, it can be determined that he had the strength of an A-class hunter. This was the aura emitted by a person who had only been to the dungeon once. Although the orc lord was the opponent at that time, the aura was abnormally strong. It was fortunate that he did not emit it in front of So-Hyun, a patient, even if she was D-class.
âHuman beings become ugly when it comes to money.â
ââŠâ
Jeong-Hoon nodded at the words of Butler Joo, who had said it to calm him down.
âSo, which guild did you say it was that So-Hyun belongs to?â
âItâs a small guild of 28 members called Odyssey.â
âItâs a guild that Iâve never heard of.â
One could easily tell that Jeong-Hoon was ignoring Odyssey in that sentence. However, Jeong-Hoon wasnât simply ignoring it. Jeong-Hoon is a hunter otaku. Meaning, he memorized the names of quite a few guilds and hunters, including the top 10 guilds. If such Jeong-Hoon claimed that he had never heard of a certain guild, it meant that the guild was literally nothing.
âHeâs just telling her to donate but in reality, heâs trying to eat away her severance pay, isnât that right?â
So-Hyun retired from the guild due to Hunterâs disease. Her guild contacted her to donate the severance pay to the guild. They even went as far as to say why she was trying to receive it when she couldnât even use it since she only had a week left to live.
âSo, is the investigation over?â
Since he had asked to investigate this case while on his way to his room, Jeong-Hoon snapped his fingers and called the most competent lawyer in Lumen. A thin man in his early 40s appeared, his bangs neatly parted in 2:8 ratio.
âDid you call for me, Lord?â
âHow did the investigation that I asked for go, Lawyer Ko?â
âI have finished everything.â
Lawyer Ko, or Lawyer Ko Yu-Yeon. He is one of the 12 vassals leading Lumenâs legal team. As he handed over a document with a slight smile, Jeong-Hoon let out a long sigh after briefly looking through it.
âI see a human being who shouldnât be left alive.â
When looking at the name and career of Odysseyâs guild master, Jeong-Hoon let out a long sigh.
[Kim Kyung-Hwan. B-Class Hunter. Former Ilias Guild Master]
Ilias is a guild that was disbanded after the annihilation of guild members. At that time, the guild master stole even the compensation to be paid to the bereaved families of hunters and completely disappeared. But to think that he would shamelessly create another guild. Jeong-Hoonâs hands trembled as he remembered his late parents.
âIs this true?â
âThereâs no flaw in Lumenâs information collection- no, my information abilities.â
A person who dismantled the guild and disappeared. Jeong-Hoon shook his head at the fact that a person who can be called a criminal was proudly leading a guild. Seeing him shake his head, Ko Yu-Yeon looked uncomfortable, perhaps thinking that Jeong-Hoonâs behavior was out of distrust of the information.
âLord? Iâm an undefeated lawyer, but Iâm also a vassal with the best information collection ability from an SS-class family. That information is for sure.â
At the words of the proud Lawyer Ko, Jeong-Hoonâs murderous aura shot up. And as the direction of the aura headed toward Lawyer Ko, Butler Joo quickly intervened between the two. Jeong-Hoonâs aura canât harm Lawyer Ko, who was an SS-class awakener. It was all just to soothe Jeong-Hoonâs anger.
âLord, I think you only have to make a decision based on the information Butler Ko Yu-Yeon has brought you.â
âHa? I mean, yes? What do you mean by decision?â
Jeong-Hoon, who lost his words in anger, hurriedly returned to his original tone. Come to think of it, this wasnât something to be mad at Ko Yu-Yeon. He was just annoyed at him.
âThe level of punishment to give to Odyssey.â
âOh, thatâs right. Lawyer Ko, to what extent can we punish the guild based on this information?â
âIf I come forward in this case, I can turn even white into black. Death penalty is also possible.â
At Ko Yu-Yeonâs confident declaration, Jeong-Hoon nodded and beckoned him to leave. His anger has subsided now, but he was not confident that he would not be angry again at the lawyerâs confident and tactless attitude.
âThen Iâll go and meet with Hunter Lee So-Hyunâs side. Didnât they say they needed a lawyer?â
Jeong-Hoon, nodding at those words, snapped his finger shortly after Ko Yu-Yeon left. Then Woo Do-il, the director of Myeongil Hospital, appeared in front of him.
âWhat do you need me for, Lord?â
âDoctor, this is an absurd request, but will it be possible?â
âWhat is your order?â
Jeong-Hoonâs careful words made Woo Do-Ilâs eyes flash. Putting aside his anger at the intense gaze, Jeong-Hoon turned his eyes and looked at Butler Joo.
âMy Lord is the ruler of the family. No matter what your order is, it is our duty to fulfill any demands.â
âBut I havenât gotten my hands on Myeongil Hospital yet. I think the order thatâll mobilize Myeongil Hospital is a bit too much.â
âIf thatâs the case, it doesnât matter. Youâve already passed the assignment.â
Knowing that there were deadlines for the assignments and it was just that he wasnât told of the ones he passed, Jeong-Hoon nodded without any burden.
âThen, are there beds for about 17 people to be hospitalized at Myeongil?â
This is the number of people that Odyssey had been eating away. This meant that Jeong-Hoon had planned to hospitalize all of them at Myeongil, but Woo Do-il nodded at once.
âWe can do 170 people.â
âOh, and! I need to crack down on Myeongilâs internal affairs. We canât allow people who arenât even family members to know the remaining lifespan of an ill patient.â
Odyssey knew even the remaining lifespan of So-Hyun after being kicked out of the guild. This meant that somewhere in Myeongil information leaked out. Jeong-Hoon smiled to emphasize that point, but no one took that as a smile.
***
Visiting So-Hyunâs room again with Butler Joo and Woo Do-il this time, Jeong-Hoon opened the room door.
âHahaha, is that so? Oh, if I had more time to live Iâd like to go out with you, Lawyer Ko.â
âHaha, itâs an honor. But arenât you too young to date a man over 40?â
Jeong-Hoon thought that she would be swept with anger and detest over Odysseyâs power trip. However, the scene right now was completely different from what he imagined. Jeong-Hoonâs hand, which was holding the doorknob of the room in a friendly atmosphere, slipped.
âHmm, Butler Joo, what did I just see?â
âThe scene you saw was Lawyer Ko Yu-Yeonâs unexpected amiability.â
âIs it Lawyer Koâs amiability or So-Hyunâs amiability?â
When Jeong-Hoon murmured while staring blankly at the closed door, Woo Do-ilâs murmur was heard from behind, confirming, âItâs definitely So-Hyunâs amiability.â He wanted to ask in detail the strange sense of dislike he seemed to have towards Lawyer Ko, but the door opened from inside the room.
âMr. Chairman, why arenât you coming in?â
â⊠Oh, my hand slipped.â
When Si-Eun, who had seen the door open slightly earlier, came out and asked, Jeong-Hoon answered in moderation and came inside the room.
âOh! Chairman Lee! Lawyer Ko is so talentedâ
âHeâs the best lawyer in Lumen after all.â
Jeong-Hoon confidently replied to So-Hyunâs smile, tapping Lawyer Koâs shoulder lightly. Ko Yu-Yeon smiled proudly as if he was satisfied with the answer, but Jeong-Hoon could hear Woo Do-il clicking his tongue from the back.
âBy the way, do you have any plans today? Youâre different from usual.â
Recognizing at once that Jeong-Hoonâs outfit was different from usual, So-Hyun asked. Jeong-Hoon nodded in response. Jeong-Hoon usually wore a dark monochromatic suit. Some of them were recommended by Butler Joo, but they are dark suits, so no matter how luxurious they are, they are not noticeable. That was not the suit he was wearing now.
Itâs true the suit he had on currently was still of dark color, but it gave off some color and presence due to its blue, red, and gold lines. On top of that, he even wore glasses â even though it was for fashion â so his impression was definitely different.
âOh, this? Would you like to go together?â
âWhere?â
âOdyssey guild. Letâs go smash them to pieces.â
He can pressure the Hunterâs Association to vent all the crimes of Odyssey and make Kim Kyung-Hwan unable to come back to this world. However, that method would take a long time, so Jeong-Hoon decided on a different plan.
To physically smash Odyssey.
And this was why Jeong-Hoon had on an exceptionally cold smile.