Chapter 127

EPISODE 127

Yoo-seong was not a young man with poor economic sense. He had different problems.

For example, his career, his goal to retrieve the stolen Tech. Without them, Yoo-seong would have taken care of what possessions he needed and fixed his finances.

But this…

“Uh…”

He couldn’t even imagine this much. “How did these digits happen?”

“Oh, you haven’t even seen it all yet. If you turn to the back page, there’s more.”

Seoyu and Sung-wook exchanged glances and laughed. They, too, had been surprised to see the initial figures. However, if you thought about it, it wasn’t so strange.

The price of the Peril Yoo-seong had caught in China had been beyond anyone’s imagination.

During the Shanghai Shock, Yoo-seong had struck down countless beasts, and each of them was at least four stars or higher.

“You were lucky. In fact, everything you obtained from China could have been gone, but before you went diving, the certificate arrived here, so everything was taken care of. And I told you, I stayed up all night organizing everything,” Seoyu proudly explained.

Aside from his work in China, the relief, compensation, and by-products of operations in which Yoo-seong had unofficially participated in Korea were also recognized for ownership. As a result, on the last page of the document, Yoo-seong saw that there were quite a few zeroes currently deposited into his account.

“You’ve earned a lot more than I did when I was on active duty. You’re a rich man. What is it like?” Sung-wook teased Yoo-seong. For a moment, Yoo-seong felt dizzy, and he staggered toward a chair.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, wait a minute…”

“The guy who pretended to be cool when he said he didn’t care about the world. Did he just lose his mind because he got some money?” Sung-wook could barely contain his laughter.

“I can’t help it.” Putting the documents on the table next to the chair, Yoo-seong gave an exhilarated smile. “First of all, I wasn’t born rich. I can’t help but think this is a huge prank. I can’t believe that there are tens of billions of dollars in my bank account.”

“To be precise, not tens of billions,” said Seoyu.

“What?”

Yoo-seong’s face had an ‘Are you serious?’ look written all over it.

“Are you sure you’ve read it right?”

Seoyu exhaled. She looked like a teacher telling off a lazy student as she divided the document into parts. “We haven’t cashed out all the by-products. Even though we have a price in mind, some items still do not have buyers due to low utilization, and there are still quite a few that are under auction and for value investment. There are also those left in a preserved state and things you can use to make equipment…”

“Slow down, hold on…” Yoo-seong begged as he pressed his forehead.

“And we haven’t even quoted your Japan operations yet.”

“Operations?”

Officially, Yoo-seong had taken part in two operations in Japan: the Tokyo Sudden Rift that occurred upon his arrival and the crack where the Thunder Ape appeared.

However, in the case of the first hunt, Yoo-seong had immediately sealed the crack, so there were no monsters left to hunt. And in the hunt with the Thunder Ape, Yoo-seong had taken its horn, so he thought that there was nothing more to gain from it.

Unlike the contract he’d had with Tenz when he was in China, Yoo-seong’s actions in Japan were unauthorized. The likelihood of being penalized by international law was higher than that of being rewarded.

“So you won’t get paid for them?” Seoyu’s brows furrowed.

“Well, I have an excuse to receive…”

“That’s it. I have to make them pay somehow!” Seoyu’s voice rose in her excitement. “Whether it’s the Special Defense Agency or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or wherever, it is only right to ask and appeal that you have to be compensated. You are a hunter, aren’t you?”

“Eh, that’s right.”

“Isn’t a hunter someone who catches monsters and gets paid in return?”

“Hey, that’s a bit too…”

“It’s not good to do something worthwhile and not even try to get paid. How much money could that be? A monster called the Thunder Ape, with a twelve-star rating? Even if it’s just for relief compensation, how much could that be considering Japan’s market price? I cannot give up! I cannot lose my money!”

“Your money?”

Instead of answering, she looked away and spoke in a robotic tone. “Agent fees. 4.5%. It’s in my contract.”

‘If I get 4.5% of whatever Yoo-seong is earning, it will be a pretty good profit.’

“If you are really busy,” Seoyu continued to bug Yoo-seong, “then please allow me to work on it using your name. I’ll try to arrange the compensations, whether it’s possible or not.”

“Uh…”

“Okay?!”

“Uh, yeah, yeah.”

Seoyu had such unexpected energy that she’d managed to render Yoo-seong speechless. ‘Well, I knew that Seoyu was passionate about her job, but this is…’

“It’s the money,” Sung-wook said as he watched Seoyu enter her “office,” which was temporarily set up inside the house.

“I don’t know if all Chinese women are like that or if she’s just different, but…”

“Did you get robbed, too?” Yoo-seong let out a snicker.

“The last time I paid tax. She saw me organizing the receipts and asked me this and that. Then she said…” As if he could not continue the conversation anymore, Sung-wook shook his head. He merely sighed, “The good old days are gone.”

“Looking at it, I could be richer than you soon,” Yoo-seong said jokingly. “By the way, since I have this much, I’d better go take some and spend it.”

Sung-wook looked surprised for a moment. “You’re spending it now? Don’t you need to get a financial advisor first?”

Sung-wook was right.

Yoo-seong placed his hand on his mouth in thought. “For now…”

“For now, what?” Sung-wook asked.

Yoo-seong rose from his seat. “I have to go downstairs. Jin Chang-hoon’s clinic.”

‘The CE injection that I have been aiming for since I was in Japan.’

Yoo-seong wanted his physical condition checked and, if possible, to receive an injection immediately.

However…

“Yoo-seong?”

Yoo-seong tilted his head.

“What, what is it?” he asked impatiently, eager to get on with the CE injection.

“I have to tell you something about Jin Chang-hoon.” Sung-wook’s expression was serious.

***

“What is this?!”

As he got out of the cab, Yoo-seong sighed once again.

Jin Chang-hoon had gone on vacation. It was because his business was doing so well.

Although it was already a reputable clinic, it had become even more in-demand after it was made known that it was Yoo-seong’s clinic.

After that, Jin Chang-hoon’s hospital had faced an unprecedented boom.

Even the cafe on the first floor had experienced an increase in sales as the hunters used it as a waiting place.

The hospital lobby hadn’t been big enough to accommodate the number of Jin Chang-hoon’s patients.

Yoo-seong knew it was something to be pleased about. However, as with his bank account balance, he couldn’t help but feel flustered at these trivial matters.

Yoo-seong looked up at the hospital building where he’d arrived.

The entire building was spacious, almost close to a hypermarket, and had been built as a treatment facility exclusively for hunters.

The Hankwang Hunter Medical Center.

It was the largest hospital in the Seoul metropolitan area, operated by the Hankwang conglomerate.

The hospital lobby was filled not just with hunters but countless people from different walks of life.

However, no one recognized Yoo-seong.

Method Mask.

It was the equipment he’d received from Yang Chang-guk to disguise his face.

He hadn’t been able to use it in Japan, not just because it was unnecessary but also because it was a confidential prototype. It would have been disastrous if he’d been caught in another country with the Mask in his possession.

“Can you show me your ID?” the receptionist asked.

When Yoo-seong presented his ID card, the receptionist’s eyes widened. However, he went through the formalities without any problems, as if Yoo-seong was the same person as on his ID.

This was because Yang Chang-guk had provided a copy of his ID card to use with the Method Mask.

“Is this your first time in our hospital?”

“Yes.”

“Apart from the medical records of your procedures, we also measure your core conditions and simple spec data every month. There is a measurement area on the first floor of the injection center. You can finish your measurements there and get the instructions right after.”

Yoo-seong nodded and headed for the first floor.

‘Surely this is quite different from private clinics,’ Yoo-seong thought as he looked around.

Unlike the private facilities that freelancers usually visited, these large hospitals had several employees under contract.

‘Even so, it’s too crowded,’ Yoo-seong complained. Currently, Seoul was experiencing some “free time” for the first time in a while. No cracks had appeared in the city for the last twelve hours, despite the continuous crack appearances that were now the norm.

It was natural that hunters would use this time to charge their CE. Therefore, this was a long-awaited break.

“Hey, nurse! How much more should we wait?”

“Our team has been waiting for four hours!”

The lobby was filled with tension. The hunters, more than anything, felt anxious. After a routine check-up to ensure that their cores had recovered enough, they would immediately receive their CE injections. However, many of them had delayed their treatment and had come to fill their CE quickly if possible.

Thanks to this, the hospital, which was supposed to be orderly, was crowded with people.

Just like everyone else, Yoo-seong lined up to get his core checked. After waiting for about thirty minutes, the line began to shrink.

“Ugh. Is the line still this long?”

Three people who seemed to have just entered from the hospital cut into Yoo-seong’s line.

He waited, but no one cared to stop them.

“Excuse me.” Yoo-seong raised his voice. “You can’t cut in.”

There was silence.

“What?!” the man in front of him snapped.

Everyone in the line turned their heads toward Yoo-seong. The three people who had just come in were wearing the same jerseys as those ahead in the line.

It was obvious that they were from the same group.

“What did you just say?” the tall man, probably two or three years younger than Yoo-seong, said with a harsh tone.

“I told you not to cut in line,” Yoo-seong responded calmly.

“Can’t you see that we are from the same team?”

Yoo-seong pointed to a poster on one side of the room.

“For a smooth checkup, please line up unless you have a special injury,” he read off the poster.

“Well…”

The tall kid clicked his tongue as if he were dumbfounded.

Sighs, or possibly mocking laughter, filled the room.

Yoo-seong could not tell the difference.

He couldn’t even tell if they were aimed at him or the kid.

“Hey. Where do you belong?” The tall kid changed the subject.

“I’m freelancing,” Yoo-seong answered.

The kid seemed to be trying to say something, but Yoo-seong paid him no heed. Instead…

“Excuse me! Nurse!”

Instead of dealing with him, Yoo-seong spoke out to the passing nurse. Then he pointed to the three men in front of him.

“They cut in line.”

“What the-!”

Even the nurse heard the kid’s sharp cursing. “You’re making me mad!”

However, he eventually stepped back from the line. He knew it was very stupid to make a fuss in the hospital.

“I’ll remember your face. See you later,” he threatened Yoo-seong.

When the line went back to normal, Yoo-seong continued to think deeply.

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to see Yang Biyeon for a while because of the defection process.’

Yoo-seong also had no idea what had happened to the crack that appeared in the demilitarization zone.

Yang Chang-guk had asked him to delay the deployment saying, “Give me a little time.”

“How much did you say it was?”

“Me? Not much. 79,200.”

“When do I get to catch up to that?”

The closer he was to the inspection table, the noisier the hunters became. They mainly talked about their CE figures.

Hunters usually had an absorption rate of 20% for CE extracted from monsters.

Considering the two-week core recovery time, an average hunter accumulated about 400-500 CE twice a month. Yoo-seong’s current CE of 12,000 was equivalent to two years’ worth of injections for an average hunter.

It wouldn’t be strange for talented hunters to have that amount after receiving injections for a year-and-a-half. However, to have 12,000 CE in less than half a year was unprecedented.

“Next?”

Finally, it was Yoo-seong’s turn.

Yoo-seong felt the measuring paddle touch his lower abdomen. Then…

“Hey! It’s that guy now!”

The tall kid’s voice rang all over the place.

“You can’t look at the figures for other patients!” the nurse in charge of the measurement shouted, but it wasn’t enough to stop the rowdy hunters behind Oh Yoo-seong.

Like on blood pressure gauges and scales, the measured values came out on the top of a large panel.

Beep-!

The nurse pressed the button. The checker started running.

The hunters behind Yoo-seong also eagerly awaited the results.

It did not take long for them to appear.

“Huh?!”