Chapter 33

SMH 33

Swordmaster Healer – Episode 33

TL:Boko

Editor: Ren

Chapter 11 – Predator (2)

“Behind you.”

Sung Joon’s voice rang out coldly. Since he had spoken, his stealth was automatically released.

The Executive Branch Hunter looked behind him, turned around, and swung his sword. His sharp blade cut through the space that Sung Joon had previously occupied.

“I’m behind you again.”

Sung Joon casually seized his rear  and then stood in front of the injured Hunter.

‘He’s toying with me…!’

The Executive Branch Hunter grit his teeth.

“Who, who are…”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. It was a development he hadn’t expected; someone appearing to disrupt him.

“That isn’t really important right now, is it?” Sung Joon said.

“Do you want to die?” the Hunter snarled.

He tried really hard to act tough but he knew… that Sung Joon was way stronger than he was.

Sung Joon had caught him from behind twice. He had no choice but to accept the truth. But right now, he was looking away from the truth.

“If you get out my way right now, I’ll let you live…” he continued.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of letting you live,” Sung Joon said.

In that moment, there was a flash of his sword. Something shone and passed by him, and the Executive Branch Hunter’s clothes were rent, his stomach was torn apart, and his mouth opened widely as his stomach expulsed his inner organs.

“AH!”

Unfortunately, his opponent wasn’t used to pain.

That dizzying pain that came from his stomach.

Due to the pain, he had become only semiconscious. When he saw his spilled organs on the floor, he slipped into panic and picked up his organs, but there was no way that would work.

Sung Joon watched him and laughed coldly. He then proceeded to cut off his head.

Thud.

The headless body weakly fell to the ground. Behind him, the female Hunter maintained her composure even after witnessing the bloody spectacle.

“Absorb.”

Sung Joon absorbed the mana and turned his attention to Rishubalt to check his synchronization rate.

“My lord, it looks like the girl will need treatment,” Rishubalt said.

Sung Joon belatedly realized that there was an injured Hunter behind him. He had forgotten because he had been so focused on the battle.

“Are you alright?” Sung Joon asked.

“Yes, yes…” she responded, arduously nodding her head.

Her white blouse was soaked in blood and her side had a lengthy tear in it.

“I’ll heal you, so please remain still.”

The girl nodded her head and Sung Joon raised his left hand.

“Heal.”

“Ah…”

White light flashed. He stemmed the bleeding and the girl’s wound began to heal at a rapid rate. Following his awakening, Sung Joon’s healing power was higher than Hunters of the same rank.

“It’s ok to move now,” he said.

It wasn’t a full recovery but he had healed her enough that her wound wouldn’t prevent her from moving. Sung Joon took out his phone and called Hyun Sung.

“Have you already done it?” Hyun Sung asked.

Hyun Sung was more than a little surprised. He didn’t expect that Sung Joon would get results that quickly.

Sung Joon replied, “I recorded the video properly. There’s someone injured, so please send someone over.”

“I understand.”

The call ended. Sung Joon checked the Hunter’s condition again.

“People will come soon. Please go and get some treatment,” he said.

After he spoke to her, Sung Joon turned his back to leave. At that moment, the girl grabbed his sleeve.

“Please don’t… leave…”

He couldn’t turn his back on her soft, trembling voice. It wouldn’t take long for the people Hyun Sung sent to be there.

Since he had no intention of continuing his ‘hunt’ for that day, he decided to watch over her for a bit. It wasn’t long before the people that Hyun Sung had sent had arrived; a few Hunters affiliated with the Hunters’ Bureau. Sung Joon transferred the girl to a secure location.

“Thank you for your help,” she said.

The Hunters and the girl went into the car together as she delivered a final ‘thank you’ to Sung Joon.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon?”

One man approached Sung Joon. Since he had a handgun strapped to his waist, Sung Joon assumed that he wasn’t a Hunter. Instead, he looked like a security guard that had a contract with the Hunter Bureau.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Team Leader would like to meet with you. If you’re alright with it, I’ll guide you to the office,” the security guard said.

“He’s at the office this late?” asked Sung Joon.

“He decided to work night overtime just a moment ago,” replied the guard.

Sung Joon replied, “Please lead the way.”

Sung Joon took the security company’s car and travelled to the Hunter Bureau. He could see light escaping from a few windows in the tall building.

Sung Joon went up the dark stairway and opened the door to Hyun Sung’s office.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon!”

As Sung Joon entered, Hyun Sung saw him and greeted him effusively.

“You did great work!” he said.

“I’m sorry?” replied Sung Joon.

“Do you know the Hunter who you just saved?” Hyun Sung asked.

Sung Joon shook his head. He tried to look through his memories but that was the first time he had seen her.

“She’s a C-rank Hunter who is treated as a VIP by the Seraphim Guild.”

“She seems to be lacking in skill to have been taken in as a VIP of the Seraphim Guild. Is she a Hunter with a special ability?” asked Sung Joon.

Although they say that she had been taken by surprise, the Great Demon Guild had sent a B-rank Hunter. Seeing as how she could only withstand one attack from the B-rank Hunter, she was definitely C-rank. However, the top 28th ranked guild, Seraphim, took her in as a VIP?

It was only possible if she had a stealth ability or something like aura – a unique ability.

“Yes. Her name is Lee Ji Eun and she’s a C-rank Supporter Hunter with an Mad Enhancement Buff ability.”

As soon as he heard ‘Mad Enhancement Buff’, Sung Joon understood why the Seraphim Guild took her in as a VIP.

If arguments intensified between guilds, they had to settle it with a Guild War. This was considered a tacit rule. Killing in Guild Wars was forbidden but the high-rank guilds didn’t worry about that kind of thing.

‘Also, the Mad Enhancement buff is specialized for PvP.’

The Mad Enhancement buff improved one’s physical abilities and dulled the pain. Ironically, it was mostly used in battles between guilds, not in the dungeons.

The Great Demon guild had sent an assassin to kill her in order to keep the Seraphim Guild in check.

“The Seraphim Guild said that they would send someone over,” Hyun Sung said.

It was understandable how fast the Seraphim Guild had reacted. The high-rank guilds mostly competed against one another, so if Sung Joon hadn’t gotten involved this time, Ji Eun would’ve been assassinated by their enemies and the case would’ve been closed as a mysterious death.

“When will they arrive?” asked Sung Joon.

Hyun Sung replied, “They’ll be here soon.”

There was no reason to rush. Five minutes hadn’t yet passed before the office door opened. A man who gave off a gentle vibe walked in and bowed his head.

“I came from the Seraphim guild. It’s insufficient, but I am Park Joon Hyuk, part of the Senior Management Team.”

“It’s a pleasure. My name is Kang Sung Joon.”

Sung Joon shook hands with Joon Hyuk. Hyun Sung and Joon Hyuk seemed to already be acquainted with one another as they dropped the handshake and instead, just gave each other a brief glance.

The three men sat around a circular table.

Joon Hyuk began, “If it wasn’t for you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, we would have lost a precious Hunter. I, as the guild’s representative, once again relay our message of thanks.”

“Yes,” acknowledged Sung Joon.

“The guild has prepared a reward of $1 million. If you tell me your account number, I can deposit it immediately,” Joon Hyuk continued.

There was no reason to refuse. Sung Joon immediately gave him his account number.

Joon Hyuk finished his memo on his phone, cleared his throat, and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you something. Is Kang Soo Hyuk, who is staying at the Korean Central Hospital, your father?”

“That’s correct… How did you know?”

Sung Joon’s voice became cold. Sung Joon thought that just like the Great Demon guild, the Seraphim guild had also accessed his personal information through illegal channels.

Joon Hyuk waved his hand.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. The Korean Central Hospital is a hospital run by our guild.”

“Ah… I see.”

Sung Joon nodded in understanding. A guild running a hospital or a company was common.

“We’ll take extra care in Mr. Kang Soo Hyuk’s treatment,” promised Joon Hyuk.

“You seem to be putting a lot of care into this,” Sung Joon said.

Joon Hyuk simply smiled at Sung Joon’s inquiry.

“Just think of it as us investing in your future, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”

When their conversation was finished, Joon Hyuk rose from his seat.

Before he left the office, Joon Hyuk looked at Sung Joon and said, “If you keep moving like this, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, the Great Demon guild may notice you. If that happens, Mr. Kang Soo Hyuk will be in danger. We’ll stick a few bodyguards on him for now, but you should be careful.”

Joon Hyuk had said everything that he wanted to say, so he left the office. Uh Oh. Sung Joon usually thought of his father first, but he had forgotten about him this time.

“Team Leader.”

Sung Joon organized his thoughts and called Hyun Sung quietly.

“Yes?” he replied.

“Please introduce me to a private military company.”

“Did you say a private military company?”

Sung Joon nodded his head.

With the appearance of the dungeons, the world had become chaotic and so, the private military company, the PMC, entered into Korea as well.

“Yes. It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive. Please introduce me to a reliable place.”

* * *

Kim Kyu Seok felt a migraine coming.

It wasn’t enough that the Hunter from the Executive Branch that they had sent to kill Lee Ji Eun had come back as a cold corpse, but they were caught red-handed by the Seraphim Guild! The situation wasn’t great.

“This is driving me nuts…”

As Kyu Seok read the written reports, his eyebrows furrowed. If he had his way, the reports would be left out but if he did that, the situation would be only get worse.

He sighed deeply and organized the reports. Then he walked over to the Executive Branch Leader’s office in order to inform her.

“Kyu Seok, what’s wrong?”

Kyu Seok had walked through the hallway with a darkened expression and a guild member looked at him worriedly.

“It’s nothing,” he replied.

He wanted to come clean about his concerns but Kyu Seok could do nothing but shake his head. The Executive Branch’s work couldn’t be revealed to the outside.

He didn’t have unconditional faith in the Guild Leader like in the middle ages*. If they weren’t assured so much money, then the Executive Branch wouldn’t be able to exist in a modern guild. (*It’s a strange comparison that the author uses. He’s saying that he doesn’t have the same unconditional loyalty that one would’ve had to a superior in the middle ages.)

“Yeah, work hard.”

Since the worried guild member knew what the Executive Branch specialized in, he didn’t ask any more questions.

His first question was also just a formality.

Eventually, Kyu Seok stopped in front of the Executive Branch Leader’s office. He took a deep breath and opened the door. At that moment, a sharp attack aimed for Kyu Seok’s neck.

‘It’s, it’s for real!’

It wasn’t a warning shot; they were really aiming for his neck. He bowed his body and narrowly avoided the dagger.

“You don’t need to report. I heard as well.”

Kyu Seok felt intensely anxious. By the looks of it, a different Hunter from the Executive Branch had already acquired the information and reported it to her.

“I’m, I’m sorry!”

Kyu Seok had been the one responsible for Lee Ji Eun’s assassination. He bore all the responsibility. He kneeled and bowed his head.

She demanded, “Who messed up this mission? You at least found out that much, right? If you didn’t, you should just bite your tongue here and die.”

“It, it looks like it was Kang Sung Joon.”

As soon as he had received the report, he had prepared for this situation and investigated.

“Kang Sung Joon? You’re talking about that ‘self-defense’ guy, right?”

“Yes!” Kyu Seok answered energetically. He turned her anger over to Sung Joon.

“What are his family connections?” she asked.

“I’ve already looked into that. He has one father, but he is being treated at the Korean Central Hospital.”

“Is that so? I’ll give you two members of the Executive Branch. Take care of him,” ordered Yoo Jin.

“Take care of him?” he asked.

“Killing him or kidnapping him is fine. Do whatever it takes,” Yoo Jin said.

Kyu Seok smirked and nodded his head. Finally, it was time for revenge.

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“But it looks like there will be several eyewitnesses…”

“Kill them all. The Executive Branch will take care of the video feed and the security system.”

“I understand.”

Kyu Seok moved first. Two B-rank Hunters were also called and they headed towards the Korean Central Hospital.