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Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Two days later, Tyrant faced an unprecedented crisis.
As evidence of their involvement in human trafficking, murder, and assault surfaced through various media outlets, the Tyrant Guild became a public enemy in every sense.
Tyrant tried to exert pressure on the broadcasting stations belatedly, but while they could suppress the news, they couldn’t do anything about the public sentiment spreading across the internet.
“They fed a living person to the monsters?”
“Wow… are these guys out of their minds?”
“What are the police doing if they’re not capturing these guys?”
The association and government attempted to downplay the information circulating, claiming it was nothing but a rumor as they tried to manage the situation.
However, the online information was laden with numerous pieces of evidence, including photos and videos, which made their attempts futile.
Instead, the narrative spread that the government and association were in cahoots with Tyrant, now sparking protests.
As a result, the prosecution, with no other choice, announced they would begin an official investigation into Tyrant.
Of course, the prosecution had no intention of conducting a proper investigation at first.
But with numerous guilds hostile to Tyrant stepping forward to cooperate with the investigation, remaining passive became impossible.
This wasn’t just any other guild.
With Altron directly taking the lead, providing continuous support for Tyrant became quite unfeasible.
Tyrant also couldn’t dare to initiate a conflict with the major guilds uniting against them.
In the end, rather than face the guild alliance head-on and risk destruction, Tyrant chose to retreat and preserve what they could.
“Tyrant Guild executives arrested in large numbers.”
Shortly after, the headline that appeared on the internet was a sign of Tyrant’s downfall.
Despite attempts to cut off the head, they had only managed to protect the guild leader’s safety.
They couldn’t prevent half of the executives from getting arrested.
A significant number of regular guild members were also apprehended, and among those who remained, many left on their own, fearing being branded as traitors by the public.
“Damn it…!”
Most guilds had harbored resentment towards Tyrant’s oppressive policies, and thus they rejoiced at this turn of events.
However, Han Young-seok, an executive from the Titan Guild who had uncovered evidence of Tyrant’s wrongdoings, was deeply frustrated.
“Why on earth did you distribute that valuable information anonymously?”
Han Young-seok expressed his anger by slamming both hands down on the table.
On the monitor, Seo Sang-ho’s face appeared.
It seemed he hadn’t finished his overseas assignment yet, as a hotel’s view was visible behind him.
“Look at the situation! Innocent Altron is posturing as a hero!”
“If we provided the evidence under the name of Titan, we would have been at the center of public opinion!”
It was a golden opportunity to unite their forces, overthrow Tyrant, and absorb their power.
But because of Seo Sang-ho’s orders, Han Young-seok was forced to release the evidence anonymously.
As a result, Altron, who had protested to the prosecution, seized control of Tyrant’s territory.
Because it was submitted anonymously, Tyrant was given the time to prepare and unite which led him to this moment.
That was what Seo Sang-ho had intended.
But Han Young-seok still couldn’t accept it.
“Destroy? Are we fools? We certainly have enough power to stand against Tyrant!”
“If we had successfully recruited an S-rank hunter, it would have been entirely conceivable…”
Seo Sang-ho let out a visible sigh as he interrupted Han Young-seok.
“There are plenty of excellent hunters in Titan even without him!”
“…”
After hearing this, Han Young-seok fell silent.
Even if he wanted to reply with confidence, the strength of Jo Won-cheol, the guild leader of Tyrant, was extraordinary.
It was far from an ordinary challenge to face him solely with A-ranked hunters.
Han Young-seok couldn’t answer that question.
He had been so consumed with just wanting to battle against Tyrant that he failed to consider the ramifications of such chaos.
“Such matters! If we absorb Tyrant’s power, all of it will only amount to insignificant losses!”
Seo Sang-ho had agreed to be on the line for the video call just to hear this nonsense.
“Wait! Please hold on just a moment!”
Han Young-seok hurriedly called out, but Seo Sang-ho had already disappeared from the monitor screen.
Only a message remained stating that the call had ended.
“Damn it!”
Han Young-seok cursed as he slammed his fist against the table, destroying the thin monitor which split like paper.
“Why the hell is the guild leader acting this way!”
Shouldn’t a guild leader be striving for the benefit of the guild?
Han Young-seok couldn’t understand why Seo Sang-ho was preoccupied with other concerns over the guild’s interests.
“If he continues like this, Titan will remain trapped in their position…! No, he may allow us to plummet even further!”
Until now, Han Young-seok had overlooked Seo Sang-ho’s reckless behavior, being an S-ranked hunter and founder of the guild.
But enough was enough.
He pulled out his phone, deciding to contact Lee Kang-jun, a name he had previous hopes of erasing from his contact list.
The call connected, and outdated music played through the receiver before Kang-jun’s irritated voice broke the silence.
“I’ll give it to you.”
“I’ll make you the guild leader.”
* * *
Kang Jin-hyuk was able to meet Jeong Dae-yun again after the overwhelming public attention had begun to calm down.
Covering his face with a mask and hat, for fear of being followed, he looked like a criminal on the run.
After noticing the individuals on the street whispering as they glanced in his direction, he finally began to reflect on his appearance.
Kang Jin-hyuk was horrified by the reflection of himself visible in a shop window, and he quickly took off his hat and mask, throwing them into a nearby trash can.
“What was I thinking? Why am I going around like this?”
He ruffled his hair that had been pressed down by the hat and made his way to the agreed-upon meeting spot not far away.
As he continued to walk for about another five minutes, he spotted the café he had previously heard about right in the middle of the street.
“Why choose such an obvious place to meet when you asked to meet discreetly?”
Meeting in a café where everything was on display felt as though there was no intention of hiding.
If only it were in a more secluded area.
However, the café was not far from the station, so it was bustling with patrons passing through.
It was packed with customers, making it nearly impossible to find a place to sit.
“…I guess there must have been some thought put into this.”
Finding it bothersome to contemplate further, Kang Jin-hyuk decided to stop thinking and entered the café.
Jeong Dae-yun, who was seated inside, waved excitedly when he noticed Kang Jin-hyuk entering.
“This way!”
Despite calling out in a relatively loud voice, none of the other customers turned their attention since everyone seemed engrossed in their own activities as if nothing had happened.
Feeling a sense of dissonance, Kang Jin-hyuk took a seat across from Jeong Dae-yun.
“You seem to have a brighter complexion than last time. Is life treating you well?”
“Haha, you can tell I didn’t end up in prison, right? As an innocent victim who was unfairly manipulated, I received my acquittal!”
“So, you’re still hanging on in Tyrant while enjoying the leftover spoils?”
“Due to the drop in staff numbers, the returns have increased. But it won’t last long.”
His expression darkened as Jeong Dae-yun raised his coffee cup to his lips.
“Rich families might survive for three years, but reality is quite different. Tyrant is destined to collapse soon.”
Despite having engaged in inhumane activities, it seemed he still held a sense of belonging due to the time he had spent with the guild.
His expression failed to lighten.
But Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t care less about his sense of pity.
The reason he came to meet Jeong Dae-yun today was to dig into the actual circumstances surrounding the recent events.
“Is there no one in your guild advocating to find the Hwandan?”
“None.”
Jeong Dae-yun answered firmly before elaborating.
“The assassin who seized the Hwandan was exposed by guild members during a fight. Ultimately, that assassin consumed the Hwandan and died alongside it.”
“It plays out exactly as scripted.”
“Yes. Tyrant has taken this narrative at face value.”
“That setup had to be flawless; they can’t be trusted otherwise.”
Jeong Dae-yun nodded in agreement as he passed Kang Jin-hyuk a beverage he had prepared in advance.
“Given the lack of time and evidence to investigate, trusting their storyline was their only choice.”
The majority of guild members had been caught up in the Alraune incident and couldn’t afford the luxury of personnel to investigate.
“But there are unexpected developments as well.”
“What are they?”
“’Given that someone has leaked information to the media, it seems the assassin has a backer.’ It seems the remaining executives believe this.”
“I suspected as much.”
If it was a lone wolf, leaking information outside was nearly impossible.
From the moment Titan tipped off the media, Kang Jin-hyuk had anticipated that complications would arise.
“The guild has the room to pursue at least two suspects.”
“…You’re informed in great detail.”
“Indeed, I’m being summoned here and there since I’m the sole survivor of the incident.”
Having been used as a scapegoat, he had suddenly become a key figure in the guild.
Despite his financial situation improving, this was hardly a comfortable position.
“Well, at least I managed to gather some material.”
Jeong Dae-yun pulled out two sheets of paper from his bag and laid them on the table.
Each sheet contained a photograph of an individual along with a brief profile.
“This information is regarding two suspects.”
“Can you just share something like this in a public place?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Everything here is just a figment of my imagination.”
“What?”
To demonstrate the evidence to Kang Jin-hyuk, Jeong Dae-yun picked up a straw and threw it at a woman nearby like a dart.
Kang Jin-hyuk distinctly saw the straw pass by the woman and land on the floor.
Even though it had been thrown at her back, it had managed to pass through without any obstruction.
“That’s impossible without being a ghost or an illusion.”
“I arranged for the café manager’s permission to borrow this place for a day.”
“Your preparation is more thorough than I expected.”
“This is a life-or-death situation for me.”
While Jeong Dae-yun had been managing to keep his act, if he were discovered even a little, he might have to prepare for a torturous death.
All things considered, his caution wasn’t excessive.