Episode 20: So, I Want to Help More

An all-too-familiar voice came through Tae Ihyun’s phone.

So, you want to rent a Gate?

“Yes. Is there anything available at the Association?”

Well, if you want it, we’ll have to make it available even if we don’t have one. Haha!

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Of course. But why the sudden need for a C-rank Gate? Is it for that guild?

“Something like that.”

Hmm, I see.

Since it wasn’t a question expecting an answer, Park Daehan immediately agreed. There was no need for further questions. If the Thunder Emperor wanted it, they would support it. That was the deal between the Association and Tae Ihyun.

Besides, Park Daehan was pleased to see Tae Ihyun more involved with the guild matters than he had thought. It meant he was that much more invested in the Hunter business.

Anyway, how soon do you need it?

“The sooner, the better for me. If we can enter by the day after tomorrow, that would be ideal.”

By the day after tomorrow… Got it. I’ll sort it out and send you the details. Would three be enough?

“Perfect. Thank you.”

I’ll also send a request from the Association along with it.

“Sure. I’ll check and get back to you.”

Tae Ihyun hung up the phone and let out a short sigh. He had already grasped the situation the Harmony Guild was in. He pretended not to listen, but the atmosphere was too serious to ignore.

“This should do it.”

He wasn’t exactly sure what caused the conflict with such a large guild, but if Harmony Guild couldn’t enter a Gate for a while, it would be troublesome for Tae Ihyun. After all, the reason he was in this guild was to ‘observe.’

So he stepped in personally. To ‘observe.’

‘Should I call them upright or just foolish?’

Tae Ihyun found the guild members, especially Man Saseong, fascinating. Despite the difficult situation, they never asked him for any favors, which was unusual compared to others.

“So, I want to help more.”

One of the things Tae Ihyun hated most in the world was being taken advantage of. But this time, he didn’t feel too bad about it. After all, this was something he needed, so he was helping for his own reasons.

Thanks to Park Daehan’s swift handling, the list of requested Gates arrived for Tae Ihyun the next day. Thus, the rental of three Gates for the Harmony Guild was approved.

The next day.

“Here you go.”

“What is this?”

Man Saseong looked puzzled as he stared at the file Tae Ihyun handed him.

“It’s a list of Gates you can start tackling from tomorrow. The intervals are spaced out enough that you can take them on one by one at a comfortable pace.”

“Huh?”

Man Saseong’s puzzled face turned into a blank one. He stammered as he asked, “Wait… Can we really accept this?”

“Of course. They’ve already been approved for rental.”

Tae Ihyun smiled, but Man Saseong still seemed hesitant. Then, Gi Seung-ho approached and nudged Man Saseong with his elbow, whispering.

“Hyung, what are you doing? Just take it and say thank you.”

“Huh? Are you sure we can really accept this…?”

“Are you going to reject something that was so hard to get? Especially since it was the Thunder Emperor himself who arranged it. Hurry up.”

“Haha. This is something.”

With Gi Seung-ho’s urging, Man Saseong finally snapped out of it and accepted the file.

“Wow!”

At that moment, Choi Yongsik, who was oblivious to the situation, clapped his hands like a seal and chimed in.

“Wow, our youngest has some serious skills! How did you manage this?”

“It’s nothing much. Someone I know at the Association heard about our guild’s tough situation and offered to help.”

“Whoa, someone from the Association? You have connections there?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Getting Gates lent to us isn’t a big deal?”

“Haha. Anyway, they mentioned they had a few Gates that needed tackling and lent them to us as an opportunity.”

“Wow! So they work in the Gate department at the Association? That’s amazing!”

“They handle a bit of everything.”

Listening to the conversation between Choi Yongsik and Tae Ihyun, Man Saseong and Gi Seung-ho started whispering to each other.

“Who could it be?”

“Must be someone high-ranking, right?”

“High-ranking?”

“Maybe Secretary Woo Do-young, who oversees everything at the Association, or Guardian Commander Kang Min-hwan, or even Association President Park Daehan?”

“Gasp. Such big shots?”

“Come on, hyung. Considering the Thunder Emperor’s reputation, those kinds of connections are a given. He’s one of the Twelve Apostles, after all. The Twelve Apostles.”

“Haha. Truly impressive.”

They had momentarily forgotten. Sitting quietly in the corner of this shabby guild office, tapping away on his laptop, was a young man of extraordinary stature. Man Saseong was reminded of this once again.

Meanwhile, Choi Yongsik was patting Tae Ihyun’s shoulder, calling him their ‘precious youngest,’ with a pure smile, unaware of anything.

They were curious about what his reaction would be once he learned everything. It seemed like it would be quite amusing and maybe even a bit satisfying. Not the most mature thought, but what could they do about wanting to see it?

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Cho Jinnam was sweating as he pounded on a massive sandbag in his gym. He often came here when his mind was cluttered or something was bothering him. The sound of him hitting the sandbag echoed throughout the gym.

Then it happened.

“Boss!”

The gym door swung open, and one of his subordinates rushed in. Cho Jinnam stopped hitting the sandbag and slowly took off his gloves, irritation evident on his face.

“What is it? I told you not to disturb me at this time.”

“Well, it’s just that…”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Cho Jinnam’s face turned cold. It was news that the Harmony Guild had rented Gates and had just set off to tackle them.

“I told you to make sure they couldn’t rent any Gates, didn’t I?”

“Yes, we did as you instructed.”

As Cho Jinnam’s irritation grew, his subordinate, fearing a sudden outburst, stammered.

“Then what’s with these Gates they’ve rented? Not just one, but three of them.”

“Well, those Gates are owned and managed by the Association.”

“What?”

Cho Jinnam’s face twisted in anger. He clenched his fist tightly and spoke slowly.

“So you’re saying that since we blocked them from entering any Gates, the Association stepped in and lent them their own Gates?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Those bastards!”

Cho Jinnam’s eyes flared up.

Thud!

He threw a powerful punch at the massive sandbag he had been hitting earlier. The force was entirely different from before, and the punch landed squarely on the sandbag.

And then,

Boom!

The sandbag couldn’t withstand the force of Cho Jinnam’s punch and burst with a loud noise. Even the special materials inside, designed to absorb impact, were shattered into small pieces.

It was a testament to Cho Jinnam’s immense strength.

“I was planning to shake things up a bit and see what came out, but they respond like this?”

The subordinate delivering the report trembled involuntarily. Cho Jinnam’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

He realized he had been thinking wrong from the start. Beating around the bush wasn’t his style, and he had been acting out of character. If so, he should just do things his way now.

“Contact the guys monitoring them right now and tell them to grab any one of their family members.”

“…What?”

“What? Can’t do it?”

“No, sir. I’ll relay the message immediately.”

He should have done this from the beginning. Let’s see how they respond this time.

And this time, for sure,

“I’ll show them what kind of person I am. They messed with the wrong guy.”

Cho Jinnam began to laugh menacingly. His laughter echoed throughout the gym.

“…What?”

Inside a black car parked near the Taejongdae convenience store.

The men who had been on a long surveillance mission had just received new orders. Their faces were grim.

“Are we really supposed to do it? Seriously?”

“Why ask? You know the boss’s personality.”

“Ugh. This is crazy.”

In truth, kidnapping wasn’t that difficult. The men here were all at least C-rank or B-rank in skill. Naturally, for them, kidnapping a civilian was as easy as pie.

But, to not specify anyone and just say to grab any family member… How were they supposed to decide who to take?

It was an utterly frustrating order.

Moreover, what they thought would be a short surveillance mission had dragged on endlessly, and now they were being told to kidnap someone. Their irritation was boiling over.

“Sigh… Let’s just get it over with. I really don’t want to stay here any longer.”

“But even if you say that, who exactly are we supposed to…”

At that moment.

“…Let’s eat ice cream. Let’s eat fish-shaped bread. Let’s eat caramel popcorn.”

A strange song suddenly came from the direction of the Taejongdae convenience store, not far away.

“Let’s eat boneless chicken. Let’s eat it all. Let’s eat it secretly. Let’s eat it all by myself.”

A woman, wearing the same tracksuit for days, with her face hidden behind large horn-rimmed glasses, appeared humming the song.

“Bingo.”

The men’s eyes gleamed wickedly. It seemed they no longer had to worry about who to kidnap.