Chapter 49: Into the Serpent's Jaws (2)

The Shadow Guild’s headquarters stood tall in the heart of Gangnam, a gleaming 64-story skyscraper barely two years old.

BANG!

“Kaaaaah!”

With a thunderous explosion, a group of Hunters went flying like ragdolls, crashing into the fountain at the center of the lobby. Beautiful sculptures shattered, and fragments of marble rained down as the polished floor splintered under the impact.

“Hyeon-suya! Bae Hyeon-su!”

A colossal figure emerged through the choking dust, a man with a lion’s mane, a tiger-like face, and a powerfully built frame.

“Hyeon-su, let me see my cute little brother’s face!”

It was Matthew, the A-Rank Hunter who had effortlessly tossed aside the Shadow Hunters guarding the entrance like sacks of potatoes.

“Hyeon-suya, stop hiding like a rat and come out here! If you dared to cross Hwarang, you’ll pay the price. Don’t you think?”

Amid the chaotic pandemonium, the Hwarang Commander’s booming voice echoed through the lobby.

Click!

In the dust-filled air, the sound of guns being cocked reverberated. Cornered, several Shadow Hunters leveled their stun pistols at Matthew.

“Oh?” Matthew scoffed, unfazed by the numerous barrels pointed at him.

Outwardly, he seemed to be the one in mortal danger. Yet it was the Shadow Hunters who trembled, their faces pale with fear.

Bang!

Finally, one of the hunters pulled the trigger.

That single gunshot ignited a frenzy.

Bang, bang, bang!

The Shadow Hunters’ pistols erupted in a synchronized volley.

But then…

“Huh…?”

The Hunters who had pulled the trigger suddenly widened their eyes.

Phew!

The magic bullets, moments after leaving the gun barrels, hung motionless in the air.

“Tch.”

Matthew clicked his tongue and glanced back. “Seo Yeon-hwa, why do you always have to meddle in everything?”

“I don’t have time to play with these small fry,” Seo Yeon-hwa replied with a smile, extending her arm towards the Shadow Hunters.

With a casual flick of her wrist…

KWA-AAA!

A violent gust of wind erupted from her hand.

KWA-BANG!

The Hunters flew backward like ragdolls, crashing into the lobby walls and collapsing, instantly incapacitated.

Simultaneously, members of the Cheongyeon Guild and the Hwarang Unit surged into the building like a tidal wave.

Amidst the chaos, Seo Yeon-hwa’s eyes flashed with an eerie blue light as she quietly commanded, “Find him.”

”…”

In the damp basement, thick darkness clung to everything.

A man sat monitoring the real-time collapse of his guild on a screen.

His black shirt hung open, buttons undone, and his face was deathly pale. Cold sweat glistened on his forehead, betraying the depth of his desperation.

“Shit, how the hell did things get so twisted?” Bae Hyeon-su, the Shadow Guild Leader, tore his gaze from the CCTV monitors and resumed stuffing cash into his briefcase.

“They bragged they could handle even Shinwa’s dungeons without a trace. And now they’ve not only been caught, but they’ve spilled the client’s identity? Those goddamn bastards!”

Bae Hyeon-su spat the words out, his face contorted with fury.

“Shit, you think I’m just going to roll over and die here?”

I’m Bae Hyeon-su.

The Bae Hyeon-su who clawed his way up from the very bottom with sheer grit and determination.

I may be retreating now, but I’ll reclaim my rightful place someday.

And when that day comes…

”…Lee Taejun.”

I’ll tear apart the bastard who ruined my meticulously planned year-long operation and dragged me back down to this hellhole.

Spitting out Taejun’s name with venomous fury, Bae Hyeon-su turned his gaze back to the CCTV monitors.

Matthew and Seo Yeon-hwa, along with the Hunters they led, were scouring every corner of the headquarters.

But Bae Hyeon-su licked his lips, a snake-like smirk spreading across his face.

“Fools.”

They’ll never find me.

This wasn’t the building’s basement, but a separate underground chamber built beneath the parking lot outside the Shadow Guild headquarters.

It was a secret room known only to Bae Hyeon-su within the Shadow Guild.

Even if someone discovered the basement’s existence, it wouldn’t matter.

To reach this place, they’d have to break through a triple-layered, intricately sealed door reinforced with material enhancement magic.

Bae Hyeon-su had climbed to his current position by committing countless shady deeds. Naturally, he had taken ample precautions.

“Just you wait, you sons of bitches,” Bae Hyeon-su muttered, grabbing the cash and gold bars, slinging his briefcase over his shoulder with a curse.

Now, all he had to do was escape through the secret passage built into one side of the basement, follow the sewer lines, and surface near the Han River.

But just as he was about to take his first step…

Pshh.

The sound of air hissing reached his ears.

“Huh?”

Bae Hyeon-su couldn’t believe it.

It was the sound of the tightly sealed basement door being unlocked.

Pshh.

The second door clicked open.

Terror flickered in Bae Hyeon-su’s eyes.

This can’t be happening.

How could they have found me so quickly?

And how could anyone break through the spell-sealed doors at this speed?

Seo Yeon-hwa?

She possessed the cheat-like Skill Technique Nullification, making it possible.

But the CCTV footage showed Seo Yeon-hwa currently searching the Guild Leader’s office on the top floor of the Shadow Guild.

Then who could it be?

Pshh.

The final door swung open.

The moment his eyes met the figure standing beyond it…

“You’re…”

Bae Hyeon-su stood there, mouth agape in stunned disbelief.

The very person who had dragged him down to rock bottom.

“Hello, Guild Leader,” Taejun greeted him with a cheerful smile.

Navigation to my destination has ended.

I dismissed the Status Window floating before my eyes.

The upgraded navigation system, now usable both within dungeons and in the real world, was a significant advantage.

Thanks to it, things had been this easy.

“I guess you really hated me,” I remarked.

My gaze fixed on the target radiating unwavering hostility towards me.

I had been able to pinpoint the location of Shadow Guild Leader Bae Hyeon-su.

”…How the hell did you… you bastard… how did you find this place?”

Bae Hyeon-su stared at me with a look as if he’d seen a ghost.

The narrow basement creaked under the flickering light of a swaying bulb, casting sinister shadows across his face.

But the moment his slit-like eyes darted between me, the CCTV monitor behind me, and the one installed in the corner of the basement…

The man asked softly, “Alone?”

“For now,” I replied casually.

The moment Seo Yeon-hwa and Matthew attacked the Shadow Guild, I had already pinpointed Bae Hyeon-su’s location using my navigation system. However, I didn’t inform the two Guild Leaders of this. Instead, I slipped away during the chaos and followed the navigation system’s guidance to this place.

My reason for seeking Bae Hyeon-su alone was simple: before Seo Yeon-hwa and Matthew could capture and interrogate him, I needed to investigate something myself.

Six hours earlier, I recalled the words the Red Hound Team Leader had uttered while under Bewitchment.

“The client is Bae Hyeon-su, the representative of the Shadow Guild.”

Han Jongpil had answered when I pressed him about the mastermind behind it all.

But Han Jongpil’s confession didn’t end there.

After a brief pause, he added, his eyes unfocused, “But the client definitely had allies.”

When asked why he thought so, Han Jongpil offered a vague explanation: “It’s just my gut feeling, honed from years in this business.”

Since he spoke under the influence of Bewitchment, his words were unlikely to be tainted by lies.

However, the notion that Sayoung had allies was purely speculative. It was entirely possible that the Shadow Guild Leader had acted alone in rigging the Promotion Examination and hiring the Villain Team to eliminate me.

But there’s a chance his speculation might be right.

Therefore, it was worth questioning him directly.

This was a method only I could use, one I didn’t want Seo Yeon-hwa or Matthew to know about.

“Heh, so that’s how it is,” Bae Hyeon-su chuckled, setting down the briefcase he’d been slinging over his shoulder.

He turned to me and asked, “What do you want?”

”…”

“You wouldn’t have snuck in here behind the backs of the Hwarang Commander and Guild Leader Cheongyeon unless you wanted something, right?”

He opened the briefcase, revealing a chaotic mess of cash bundles and gold bars.

“How’s this? It’s more money than you ever saw back when you were toiling as a porter. All you have to do is wait for me to disappear, grab this briefcase, and go your own way.”

I stroked my chin.

Did he take that as a sign of agreement?

Bae Hyeon-su smirked and turned toward the manhole on one side of the basement.

“That’s going to be a little tricky.”

Of course, the moment those words left my mouth, he froze like a statue.

“What?”

“I’m not interested in your dirty money.”

Honestly, those stacks of cash and gold bars were tempting.

But taking them was secondary.

I hadn’t come here to make a deal with him in the first place.

The Shadow Guild Leader’s face twisted in a grimace. “Then what do you want?”

“Nothing in particular. Well, if you insist, I want the person who conspired with you to rig your Promotion Examination.”

”…What?”

“I am curious about his information.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Bae Hyeon-su’s eyes, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

“What nonsense are you spouting? The manipulation of the Promotion Examination was entirely my own plan.”

Bae Hyeon-su chuckled as he answered.

I responded with a nonchalant expression. “Well, we can find out from here.”

If he doesn’t exist, I’ll just beat this guy until he cracks and be done with it.

“Hmph.”

Bae Hyeon-su smirked bitterly.

“Hey, you seem to be mistaken about something.”

“Mistaken?”

“I didn’t propose this deal because I’m afraid of the likes of you. I just wanted to escape before Guild Leader Cheongyeon and the Hwarang Commander arrived. Honestly, even if I did run into them, I could easily shake them off and slip away.”

The man glaring at me widened his eyes.

“So, you think a piece of trash like you, who used to be a porter, can actually do anything to me?”

Very little was known about Bae Hyeon-su. Until two years ago, he had merely been the leader of a small guild tucked away in some provincial corner. It was only recently, with the meteoric rise of his Shadow Guild, that he had begun to draw attention.

Rumors had spread about his past as an A-Rank Hunter and his legendary solo subjugation of an S-Class Drake during his active career.

But those were all claims he made himself in interviews.

None of it had been properly verified. Guild Leaders weren’t required to disclose their licenses or abilities unless they participated in expeditions.

He was using his veiled abilities as a weapon to intimidate me.

But what could he do? His hand had already been revealed.

Bae Hyeon-su stood there with a bitter smile on his face. I tore my gaze from him and focused on the Special Status Window floating beside me.

Inside the rectangular window was an image of Bae Hyeon-su, overlaid with an oval dot reminiscent of a camera’s autofocus point.

The window displayed his outdated information, showing only his stats and skills.

So I really can see someone else’s Status Window.

Normally, Hunters have no way to accurately gauge each other’s abilities without using specialized tools.

Even those with the A-Rank Skill “Origin Detection” could only verify a target’s basic stats.

But now, I had a new way.

A newly unlocked ability became available after reaching a 30% Synchronization Rate:

The icon was a square enclosed in quotation marks, filled with squiggly, worm-like characters—a QR code.

A QR code scan function to check an opponent’s stats?

I hadn’t anticipated it, but it was undeniably an overpowered ability.

Of course, as the warning stated, I still couldn’t scan the QR codes of opponents like Seo Yeon-hwa or Matthew.

If Bae Hyeon-su had been as formidable as I’d feared, or if the QR Code scan had revealed skills I couldn’t handle, I would have contacted Seo Yeon-hwa long ago.

With her spatial teleportation skill, she could have instantly teleported to my location upon receiving a pre-arranged tracking message.

It wasn’t as if I’d recklessly stormed in alone to interrogate him without any countermeasures.

But whatever.

He’s no match for me on my own.

I crossed my arms with a nonchalant expression.

“Hah, you’re just standing there frozen with your mouth shut like a little kid.”

Bae Hyeon-su forced a smirk as he shouted, his Status Window open below, revealing his sole skill: Technique Nullification.