Chapter 98

No. 98

Sword against sword.

Caang-!

Aura against Aura.

At first glance, it seemed no different from his earlier clash with Yoo-seong. However, Yoo Joon-seok felt a huge difference.

The impact he was receiving was enough to make his hands shake. He opened his eyes wide, stunned at the power he felt.

Kacaang-!

‘This…’

Every muscle in his body felt a sharp pain upon every clash.

‘Cheeky bastard!’

Kacaaang-!

The Blade in Yoo-seong’s hand was very thin. Glowing with Aura, it almost looked like a needle of light.

However, each successive blow that Yoo Joon-seok received felt heavier and stronger than the last.

‘How?!’

Yoo Joon-seok’s eyes had gone red.

How could a sword so light deliver such weight?

Caang-!

He could think of only one explanation.

Gravity control.

Yoo-seong was using the strength in Yoo Joon-seok’s sword against him, almost like an adult playing with a child.

‘It shouldn’t be like this,’ he thought.

He had to be the best now. He had faithfully served as Tenz’s dog just to gain this power. How could all his efforts be meaningless?

He was practically Korea’s number one. He had plans to overtake Tenz and even take over the entire Chinese hunter industry.

‘I can’t lose now,’ he decided firmly.

“Aaaah!” he yelled out in frustration.

Of course, his emotions weren’t having a positive effect on his swordsmanship.

Caang-!

Meanwhile, Auto-Hunt was gaining information on his weapon. With every clash, it was studying the Spectral Thunder Sword’s composition. By now, it had all the information it needed.

Go-oh-oh!

Yoo Joon-seok felt his world slow down.

It was as if he sensed the threat and saw his life flash before him. Petals fell around him. Plum blossoms.

It was not just a simple Tech but a legendary one that even Chinese hunters craved and admired.

And now…

Caaang-!!

His ears were filled with the sound of metal breaking.

Yoo Joon-seok’s sword was shattered into countless fragments. It progressed slowly, from the tip down to the handle. Then the destruction began climbing up Yoo Joon-seok’s arms.

Crunch-!

He watched his arms twist together like laundry.

“Damn… this…”

It was a level of pain he hadn’t felt before. He fell to the ground and rolled to his side, groaning in unimaginable pain.

He had lost.

More so, it didn’t even negate what was waiting for him outside.

The video Yoo-seong had was key to the destruction that could take away everything he currently possessed.

“Kill me!” he cried out.

Yoo-seong raised his sword.

It was a beautiful blade made of pure Aura, with plum blossoms falling around it.

Fuwook-!

It plunged into flesh, killing in one blow. However, it wasn’t Yoo Joon-seok it was aiming for.

Cargo Weaver-★★★~★★★★

A spider was writhing at the end of Yoo-seong’s long blade.

“No.” Yoo-seong looked surprised. “Why would I kill you?”

Then Yoo-seong suddenly twisted around. Two more Cargo Weavers that had leaped at them from above were slashed into pieces.

“CEO!” they heard a voice cry out.

The rush team was there, carrying a pulse breaker.

“CEO, are you okay? Your arm…”

The hunters of the rush team looked at their CEO’s smashed sword and his ruined arms. The spider corpses around them couldn’t have done this damage.

“It’s my fault,” Yoo-seong declared as he motioned toward the monster corpses around them.

“During the battle with a Cargo Weaver, an unidentified entity appeared. I didn’t realize… but CEO Yoo sacrificed himself to save me.”

“Ah!” The hunters were shocked at the news.

“I don’t think the entity will appear again anytime soon because it was injured too… but it would be best to close the rift as soon as possible,” Yoo-seong added.

The hunters were eager to accept Yoo-seong’s explanation. Meanwhile, Yoo Joon-seok’s mouth remained shut.

“It’s my fault,” Yoo-seong said again. “Sorry, CEO Yoo.”

Then Yoo-seong stepped out of the crack. The Gung-on rush team was proud.

The state of Yoo-seong and Gung-on’s relationship was no secret after yesterday’s events.

However, it seemed that their CEO had disregarded it and even saved Yoo-seong. Thus, they finished the operation with a smile. If only they could hear what Yoo Joon-seok heard at that moment, they wouldn’t be so happy.

‘Mr. Yoo,’ he heard through Yoo-seong’s Sound Penetration Tech. ‘If you try to hurt me again, I will not hesitate to disclose what really happened here. I even made you look good, as my senior in the industry.’

With that, the crack was closed, along with Yoo Joon-seok’s mouth.

That was the absurd result of the smallest crack in Korea.

***

Three o’clock.

After leaving the Gung-on Tower, Yoo-seong headed towards his second business of the day. It wasn’t something as difficult or intense.

“Welcome!” a voice greeted him.

He was at a dedicated store in Gangnam that sold hunter phones. For hunters, cellphones were very important equipment.

They used them for a variety of functions, such as briefing, information exchange in the operation area, and field measurements when needed.

They also needed to work despite being exposed to magnetic fields, and their durability had to be high enough to keep working throughout a battle with monsters. Because of these requirements, a hunter’s phone was always very expensive.

The low-priced models had retail prices at around $40,000. Despite such a price range, the large dedicated store was quite crowded because anyone could buy the phones.

A hunter’s phone was similar to an expensive watch. No matter how expensive it was, there was always a demand for such luxury goods.

Rich people who dreamed of being hunters were always on the lookout for the newest hunter phone models. In fact, the majority of the people in the store were ordinary people, not hunters.

The store manager looked at the customer who had just entered.

Then he approached the customer. “What product are you looking for?”

“Oh… I need to buy something.”

“Yes?”

The manager nodded at the other employees, almost as if to tell them to watch over the customer. It was not a positive gesture.

The customer was wearing a white hoodie and sweat pants. His shoes also looked pretty messy, as if he had just come from a muddy and grassy place.

On top of that, his hood was completely pulled down, hiding his face.

It wasn’t just the manager. The other customers were also looking at the young man with unwelcoming expressions.

“Exactly what product are you looking for?” the manager asked.

“Milky Way 5B-112 model.”

The answer was so straightforward that the manager’s eyes widened. It was the top model available, with the highest price.

The choice made the manager more suspicious of the young man.

“Have you placed a pre-order?” he asked.

“Uh, do I have to?”

“Of course,” the manager said impatiently.

It was a requirement even for low-end models. Stores did not stock such high-priced items, except for display.

The customers who were listening to the young man and the manager’s conversation smirked. They thought the young man was simply bragging.

“You can fill out the pre-order form here,” the manager offered.

“Ah, I have to wait for a little…”

“Is there a problem?”

The young man seemed a little restless. “I forgot my wallet…”

The manager’s expression turned very stern. It wasn’t that every customer had to buy something from their store. Since they were selling luxury products, it was natural that many browsers would walk out empty-handed. However, this young man was making the other customers feel uncomfortable because of his appearance and behavior.

Some sensitive customers had already walked out after seeing him.

“I’m so sorry,” the manager began to explain, “but our other customers…”

“Ah,” the young man said suddenly before walking out.

‘Thank God,’ the manager thought.

However, after a few minutes, his eyebrows furrowed again.

The man was back in the store again, this time with an envelope in his hand.

“Sir?” the manager’s voice was stern.

“I have it now.” The young man smiled.

They could only see his mouth, with his hood pulled down so low.

“Yes?”

“My temporary ID and credit card. I left Korea for a while, so my secretary was still preparing my documents. I had her bring them here as soon as it was done. I called her with the public phone outside.”

The manager, like everyone else in the store, stiffened.

This was because the young man had taken off his hood.

‘No wonder his smile looked familiar,’ the manager thought belatedly.

The young man was someone everyone knew.

“Mr. Chang-sik!” The manager urgently called an employee.

“Yes, Sir?”

“See if the Milky Way 5B-112 is in stock…”

The manager felt intense pressure to please the young man.

“Mr. Choi! Place an inquiry on nearby stores, send someone to get it as soon as possible…”

The manager knew the probability was low. However, he felt he had somehow to give the phone to the man in front of him.

Forget about the pre-order. It would be a sin for this man to walk away without a hunter’s phone.

If Oh Yoo-seong needed a hunter’s phone, they had to do all they could to provide it to him. He couldn’t keep calling using public phones.

‘It was a sin. Definitely, a sin.’ The manager’s idea was already firm.

The other customers watching the conversation also thought the same.

***

“Would it really be okay?” Yoo-seong asked again and again.

“Yes, of course!” was the response once more.

At this point, Yoo-seong thought it would not be polite to refuse.

“Then, thank you.”

He looked down and signed the transfer contract lying in front of him.

The 112 model was extremely popular. Several pre-order buyers were at the store to pick up their devices.

When the manager, who had tried everything in his power, could not find a phone for Yoo-seong within an hour, the other customers began competing to transfer their device to him.

After all, they were just ordinary citizens. Their purpose for buying a phone was just for luxury or for their hobbies. The phone would be infinitely more valuable in the hands of Yoo-seong.

The face of the woman who handed her phone over was the happiest he had seen in a while.

“Oh Yoo-seong…” She hesitated.

“Yes?”

“If it’s okay, can I take a picture with you?”

“Ah, well… yes. Yes.”

Although no one told him to, the store manager took out his phone and acted as their photographer.

Soon, the manager’s phone was filled with the woman’s happy smiles beside Yoo-seong.

Then the woman seemed to want to say something more.

“Can I get an autograph, too?”

Yoo-seong thought about it. She would be the first person to whom he would give an autograph.

Yoo-seong quickly signed it, and the woman received it as if it were a treasure.

“I really like it! Thank you so much!” At this point, the woman was pretty much just jumping with glee.

“Well… I’m glad you like it,” Yoo-seong trailed off.

Then he felt it.

He felt the countless gazes bearing down on him. It was like passing through rough terrain where monsters lived.

As expected, everyone in the store was looking at Yoo-seong.

-He gave her an autograph. He’s so kind…

-Is it because she transferred her phone to him?

-He seems nice…

The people kept their distance from Yoo-seong out of courtesy. However, now that a person had gotten an autograph…

A bead of cold sweat ran down Yoo-seong’s back.

His intuition told him that it wouldn’t be too long now before the predators began to run toward him in unison.

Unconsciously, Yoo-seong’s hand felt for his button.

However-

Tiririririr-!

His new phone rang. It was his unexpected salvation.

Yoo-seong answered the phone while stepping outside the store.

“Hello?”

-Oh Yoo-seong.

It was the Director of the Special Defense Bureau, Yang Chang-guk.

-I called to confirm that your number was re-activated. It looks like I got the timing right.

“The timing was perfect.”

-There is an operation that I want you to participate in.

There was definite urgency in Yang Chang-guk’s voice. He had made the call without knowing whether Yoo-seong’s phone was activated or not. He’d just known he had to get in touch with him quickly.

-It’s a very special operation. If you say you’ll participate, you will have to move right away.

Yoo-seong replied immediately.

“Where do you need me to go?”

As soon as he heard Yang Chang-guk’s response, his jaw dropped. “Damn…”

It was definitely a special operation.