Chapter 32

SMH 32

Swordmaster Healer – Episode 32

TL: Boko

Editor: Ren

Chapter 11 – Predator (1)

“Your synchronization rate is at 9%,” Rishibalt reported.

“It looks like my synchronization rate went up by a lot,” Sung Joon said.

Excluding the Awakening Dungeon clearance reward, it was the first time that his synchronization rate had increased by more than 1%.

Rishubalt said, “My lord, the assassin that you faced was quite powerful.”

“Yeah, it felt like that to me too,” replied Sung Joon.

Sang Kyu had plentiful PvP experience. Therefore, Sung Joon had struggled but in the end, he had won and his strength had increased by as much as he had suffered.

Sung Joon lifted the memory card which had been inserted into his button-shaped camera. He planned to go to the Hunter’s Bureau that day and give them a duplicate file.

“Is it the memory card that has the recording of the assassin?” Rishubalt asked.

Sung Joon nodded.

“It’s like the magic from my dimension. With this, that establishment, the Hunter Bureau, should get involved.”

“No, they’re incompetent, so they won’t easily get involved. The Great Demon is a top 30, high-rank guild. They’re also a huge guild and have connections with politicians, so it won’t be easy to mess with them,” Sung Joon replied.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be pointless?” asked Rishubalt.

“It should be impossible right now. However, if the Great Demon guild loses their influence, the Hunter Bureau could take this evidence and deal a finishing blow to the Great Demon guild.”

Although the Hunter Bureau was incompetent, they weren’t stupid. If they had evidence, and they found the right opportunity, they would deal the final blow onto the Great Demon guild.

Sung Joon took a taxi and arrived at the Hunter Bureau. Hyun Sung, who had heard the whole story from Sung Joon over the phone, waited outside of the building for him.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon!”

Sung Joon got out of the car and Hyun Sung, who had been waiting for him, raced towards him.

“Please, let’s go inside,” he said.

The two men went to the Investigation Team’s office. Hyun Sung replayed the file that Sung Joon had given him. Sang Kyu’s figure appeared on the monitor.

Even the scene of their intense fight was recorded.

“This much evidence is enough.”

“It’d be too much to ask to move immediately, right?” Sung Joon queried.

“I’m sorry. We need a little bit more evidence,” Hyun Sung apologized and bowed.

It was regrettable for Sung Joon but he didn’t really let it show. Since he had been weak once, he could empathize with them.

He said, “The Great Demon guild will probably keep aiming for me. Generally, these kind of guys have a lot of pride.”

“We can send you some bodyguards…” replied Hyun Sung.

“Forget it! Could you give me some of their personal information? I think I’ll need it to gather more evidence…” Sung Joon said.

“Although it’s illegal, if it’s connected to the Great Demon guild, we can make a ‘special exception’ and provide it for you,” responded Hyun Sung after checking his surroundings.

“Give me the personal information of the Hunters here,” Sung Joon said.

Sung Joon took out a piece of paper from his breast pocket. The names of the Great Demon guild’s Executive Branch members that he had tortured out of Sang Kyu were on it.

It had been the best information that he could get from Sang Kyu.

“I will inquire into this right now,” Hyun Sung said.

Sung Joon replied, “Take your time.”

Hyun Sung checked for the names on the list.

“It seems like they’re all affiliated with the Great Demon guild,” he said.

Sung Joon replied, “They should be on the register for the Executive Branch.”

“It’s highly likely based on their activity log,” said Hyun Sung.

Hyun Sung looked through the Hunters recorded on the register and even perused their activity logs, and concluded that they were indeed from the Great Demon guild’s Executive Branch.

The Hunter Bureau had collected weak evidence and hypothesized that these individuals might be part of the Executive Branch but now they had confirmed it.

“It looks like you had some evidence on them. You came to a conclusion quickly,” Sung Joon said.

“It’s because we were also keeping an eye on the Great Demon guild. Although we haven’t been able to gather any conclusive evidence…”

Hyun Sung couldn’t stop his bitter laughter. The eyewitnesses had all died or their mouths had been shut brutally, so obtaining evidence hadn’t been easy.

They had tried assigning bodyguards and even slipping cameras onto the witnesses unawares, but it was common for them all to die with the cameras stolen.

Sung Joon offered, “If you give me their personal information, I can kill all of them; the ones in the Executive Branch. In the meantime, it should be quiet so long as I slaughter them all.”

“But there are three A-rank Hunters left…” protested Hyun Sung.

A-rank and B-rank were levels apart. Moreover, the Great Demon’s Executive Branch had ample PvP experience and was composed of elites.

Hyun Sung didn’t know much about combat, so despite watching the clip, he thought that Sung Joon had won by luck.

“The Great Demon guild is probably aiming for me. However, if I preemptively attack them, work my way up and cut down their numbers, I stand a chance.”

Also, Hunters had a lot of mana so if he absorbed that mana, Sung Joon felt that his synchronization rate would skyrocket. If he hunted the B-rank Hunters first, he would increase his synchronization rate, and then he’d be able to easily take on the A-rank Hunters.

“Does the Hunter Bureau possess a stealth item?” he asked.

“We do have one in our possession but we don’t have many of them and they’re extremely expensive. A stealth skill is a rare ability, so it should cost over $10 million,” replied Hyun Sung.

“Please let me borrow one of those,” Sung Joon requested.

“I’m sorry?”

Hyun Sung was shocked, as Sung Joon was thoughtlessly asking to borrow an item that cost over $10 million.

“Didn’t you say you were going to support me? And it’s not like I’m asking to borrow it for free. I’ll give you $1 million.”

Sung Joon could only afford to give him $1 million at most. He had to save at least $5 million for his father’s treatment bill.

“$1 million…”

Hyun Sung’s looked stunned. If he took the $1 million as a rental fee, Hyun Sung might be able to do something.

Amongst the Investigation Team Leaders, due to the PK case, Hyun Sung currently had the highest authority. It wouldn’t be impossible.

“I’ll do what I can. However, please don’t expect too much,” Hyun Sung responded.

Sung Joon and Rishubalt went back home. Fortunately, the Great Demon guild hadn’t sent an assassin already and there hadn’t been anyone tailing him.

A few days later, Hyun Sung visited Sung Joon.

“There’s a park close by. Let’s go.”

Sung Joon guided him to the park and the two men sat on a bench situated in a corner of the park.

“Was there anyone following you?”

Hyun Sung anxiously looked around. If the Great Demon guild had followed him, it would be risky to hand over the ‘item’.

“There wasn’t anyone following me. I’m positive,” Sung Joon answered definitely.

“That’s a relief,” Hyun Sung replied.

Hyun Sung didn’t want to die early. He had spent a lot of time thinking before he had made the decision to come here.

“This is it.”

Hyun Sung took a small storage box from his breast pocket. The box required fingerprint verification so Hyun Sung put his thumb onto the box and the box opened with a short mechanical sound to reveal a single ring inside.

“I’ve now confirmed your deposit.” he said.

“Is it a stealth item?” Sung Joon questioned.

Hyun Sung nodded.

“It was really hard to get permission for that item. You cannot! Under any circumstances! Lose that item!” Hyun Sung warned.

“Don’t we need to write a contract?” asked Sung Joon.

“Actually, the process is quite simple. I’ve confirmed the deposit of $1 million so you can just borrow the item as is,” replied Hyun Sung.

Sung Joon grasped the ring inside the storage box.

“I feel tremendous amounts of mana from the ring. In our dimension, I remember that a magical item like this was rare,” Rishubalt explained.

Rishubalt was astonished by the amount of mana that the ring possessed. Based on his reaction, Sung Joon assumed that Hyun Sung had worked really hard to get him this great item.

Sung Joon raised his measuring tool to the ring in order to appraise it.

Beep.

A-rank.

Verifying Stealth effect.

The measuring tool beeped and showed a brief report on the screen. It was the first time he had touched a A-rank item.

Sung Joon put on the ring and Hyun Sung spoke.

“Saying ‘stealth’ will activate the item. Saying the word ‘release’, making large movements, or speaking loudly will turn off the stealth effect. It doesn’t matter if you speak softly.”

“How effective is it?”

“It should be worse than a Hunter’s innate ability.”

“What if you compare it to an A-rank Hunter?”

“Are you talking about Yoo Sang Kyu?” Hyun Sung asked.

Sung Joon nodded his head. Right now, there was nothing else he could compare the item to besides Yoo Sang Kyu.

“I don’t know Yoo Sang Kyu very well, but the item’s stealth ability is not at the level of an A-Rank Hunter’s stealth ability.”

Sung Joon grasped blindly at his memories, feeling as if he was moving around in the dark, and remembered his meeting with Sang Kyu. Sung Joon’s Presence Detection was at a level that couldn’t be compared to his fellow B-rank Hunters’.

Since he didn’t really know the abilities of an A-Rank Hunter, it was difficult to compare himself to them but Sung Joon was confident that he wasn’t lacking compared to them.

“It should be difficult for B-rank Hunters to detect me then,” he mused.

“Of course. It isn’t an A-rank item for no reason.”

“I’ll make good use of it.”

Sung Joon parted ways with Hyun Sung and went home. His desk was piled with information that he had received from Hyun Sung, personal information that the Hunter Bureau had recorded regarding the Great Demon guild’s Executive Branch.

“The Great Demon guild seems to have a lot of members… will you be alright?” Rishubalt asked.

“There may be a lot of members, but actually, the only members that they can mobilize to fight covertly are a minority, the Executive Branch. I just need to kill all of them.”

While it wouldn’t be easy to take on the Great Demon guild’s Executive Branch, which had a notoriously bad reputation, alone, Sung Joon was overflowing with confidence.

Although it would be difficult to take on the entire Executive Branch at once, if he struck preemptively and cut down their numbers, he stood a chance.

“I’ll kill them all.”

How dare they point their swords at him? He couldn’t forgive the Great Demon guild. He wanted to behead all those involved.

“After you behead them, you must make an example of them,” Rishubalt said, in favor of his decision.

His anger had reached an extreme high towards those who threatened his lord. If he wasn’t a ghost, he might’ve attacked the Great Demon guild alone.

“How about I kill this guy first…” decided Sung Joon.

Sung Joon took out the personal information of the Hunter who acted closest to him. He put the information inside his breast pocket and departed from his home.

“Finally, the hunt has begun.”

“Wouldn’t predation fit better? Since right now, I’m the ‘predator’.”

“I somewhat feel the symptoms of what is called ‘8th grade syndrome’* here.” (*Chuunibyou in Japanese. Basically, Rishubalt is saying he’s deluded.)

“You’ve learned way too much stuff.”

Sung Joon shook his head and walked. Eventually, he arrived at the residence written in his records and hid in the darkness.

“Wouldn’t it be better to kill him inside?”

“Team Leader Kim Hyun Sung said it would be better the more evidence they had. Also, most covert activity happens at night.”

Sung Joon didn’t speak for very long but it was enough to explain his actions, so Rishubalt nodded.

“Let’s try waiting for about two hours. If he doesn’t come out, I’ll just go and kill him.”

It was close to midnight, and after an hour and thirty minutes, a man wearing all black came out of the front door.

“Stealth.”

Sung Joon used the stealth ability and tailed him.

‘He doesn’t have a stealth ability,’ Sung Joon thought.

The records were accurate. The man he was following didn’t have a stealth ability and he was moving quickly and stealthily, evading the surveillance cameras.

Eventually, the man entered the suburbs, which had less surveillance cameras, and his behavior relaxed. He checked his surroundings once and jumped over the wall.

“Let’s go.”

Sung Joon, together with Rishubalt, jumped over the wall. The Executive Branch Hunter skillfully looked around and checked his surroundings and unlocked the door.

“AH!”

Then inside, terrible screams burst out. Without hesitation, Sung Joon ran inside and saw a gruesome scene.

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A young woman, who looked like a Hunter, was covered in red as if she had showered in blood. The man wearing all black, the Executive Branch Hunter, was aiming his weapon at her.

“You’re prettier than I expected. Before you die, it’s alright if I do some other things to you, right?” he asked lecherously.

The female Hunter struggled to raise her weapon, but upon hearing the Executive Branch Hunter’s words, her hands shook. Sung Joon saw her state and decided to intervene, turning off his stealth.

At once, his hand gripped the hilt of his sword, and he spoke…