Chapter 182

Crack! Shatter!

As if an earthquake had struck, all the surrounding windows and fluorescent lights exploded simultaneously. 

Rumble rumble rumble...!

The scene was pure chaos. The overwhelming pressure, threatening to crush the building at any moment, made it difficult for the Hunter Association staff to even breathe properly.

"...Attack!" A few Hunters who managed to withstand the Bloodlust hesitantly drew their weapons and charged at Suho.

But. Thud.

Growl! A giant wolf suddenly appeared, blocking their path and roaring fiercely.

"Grrrr!"

[Gray uses Skill: 'Contempt for the Weak'.]

[Effect: 'Fear' activated.]

[All stats of the targets are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

The Hunters were terrified by the appearance of the giant wolf filling the room. And they realized. With this level of force... It was definitely a deliberate attack! A meticulously planned terrorist attack targeting the Association! The shocking reality only added to their confusion.

'No, what kind of crazy villain would attack the Hunter Association?! Even the infamous Hwang Dongsoo wouldn't do something this insane!'

'What do they want?'

'Why?'

'Why?!'

They didn't know. They had absolutely no idea! No one could think rationally in this situation. Only some were able to desperately suppress their rising fear and blindly charge towards the villain.

Bang!

"Cough!" But as soon as they charged, they were struck by the giant wolf's front paw and flung backward. The sight of their colleagues helplessly crashing into the wall completely demoralized the rest of Association's staff.

'We're going to die.' They sensed it. Inescapable death had arrived before them.

"Kaaagh!" At that moment, Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok, who was floating in front of Suho, mustered all his mana in a desperate attempt to resist the overwhelming Bloodlust pressing down on him. He gritted his teeth, his body trembling, and glared.

"You… You think you can get away with this... Uhhh?!"

Suddenly, as Suho reached out his hand, Min Dae-Seok's body flew towards him, seeming to be sucked in. While the deadly grip approached, as if to crush his neck, the Branch Manager finally closed his eyes tightly.

Snap! But what Suho's hand tore off wasn't a part of his throat, but the necklace hanging around it.

"I'll ask you a question." Min Dae-Seok shuddered in fear as the demonic voice pierced his ears. And the fierce gaze was now forever imprinted in his memory.

"You answer." Suho held up the necklace he had taken from him and asked,

"Where did you get this Stardust necklace?"

'A Stardust necklace. Why would a human, the branch manager of the Association, have an item that was highly likely to be related to the Itarim?' All sorts of imaginations ran wild in Suho's mind.

'What was the relationship between the Foreign Religion and the Association? And did Chairman Woo Jinchul, who was once a colleague of his father, know about this?'

But then. At Suho's question, Min Dae-Seok closed his eyes tightly and shouted.

"...I-I bought it!"

"Bought it?" Suho tilted his head. Min Dae-Seok, startled by his terrifying appearance, hurriedly corrected himself.

"I-I'm sorry! Actually, I received it for free!"

"For free?"

"I'm truly sorry! I insisted on paying, but the president forced it into my hands...!"

He went even further, his cowardly gaze shifting to his subordinates scattered around.

"And I wasn't the only one! All the other employees too...!"

"...!"

'That rat! How dare he, a supposed superior, drag his subordinates into this!' Min Dae-Seok's sudden revelation caused his subordinates' expressions to change drastically. They hurriedly covered or tore off the Stardust necklaces they were wearing.

But Suho's face, upon seeing this...

The stoic expression he had maintained until now cracked slightly.

He asked again. "Which president are you talking about?"

"...Huh?" Sensing the strange atmosphere, Min Dae-Seok cautiously gauged Suho's reaction with a servile expression and asked,

"Are you perhaps... from the Merchants Association?"

"..."

"We received the Stardust necklaces as a sponsorship from there..."

"...Phew."

Flinch, Min Dae-Seok trembled even at that small sigh. Then, at Suho's hand downwards motion, his body floated in the air again and was unceremoniously dropped onto a nearby chair.

"...?"

Roll. The chair's wheels turned on their own, and Min Dae-Seok, still in a seated position, returned to his original spot.

"...?"

"...?"

Puzzled expressions appeared on the faces of the Association employees who witnessed this. A suffocating silence. In an atmosphere so tense that they could barely breathe, all eyes instinctively followed the intruder's every move. In the midst of it all, Suho slowly walked towards Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok's desk and plopped down on the chair opposite him. Then, looking at the trembling man, he boldly stated his purpose for coming here.

"Are you the branch manager? I'm here to file a complaint."

"...What?" At that moment, everyone's breath was simultaneously released as if by magic. All the bloodlust that had been pressing down on the area vanished without a trace. But Min Dae-Seok could only wear a bewildered expression.

"A-a complaint...? What do you mean all of a sudden..."

"It seems my grandfather has gone missing. Do you know anything about it?"

"...?" Finally, Min Dae-Seok's frozen mind started to work again. And as he recalled the situation before this crazy villain appeared, he came to an even crazier conclusion.

"Excuse me, are you perhaps... Mr. Sung Il-Hwan's grandson?"

"Yes. I'm Sung Suho, the president of the Woojin Guild."

"Then you're not a villain...?"

"A villain? I'm a villain hunter a officially certified by the Association."

"...What?"

Suho confidently presented his business card along with his villain hunter license.

Woof! The giant wolf's body shrank as if by magic, and it sat down proudly at Suho's feet, its nose held high. Min Dae-Seok's mind was in turmoil as he witnessed the whole scene. Everyone, including the employees sitting around with dumbfounded expressions.

'So, in other words.'

'To sum it up...'

'He caused all this ruckus just to file a complaint?!'

Of course, no one was brave enough to utter such thoughts out loud. But noticing the gazes focused on him, Suho apologized with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry. I tend to get a bit sensitive when it comes to the disappearances of my family."

"Oh, no. It's alright. Anyone would be like that if their loved ones went missing..." Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok's voice trailed off as he waved his hands in a flustered manner. The Association's office was a complete mess. All the windows were shattered, and the fluorescent lights dangled from the ceiling, flickering ominously. It was hard to empathize with Suho's apology when the scene behind him was so disastrous.

'...And he claims he's not a villain after causing all this?'

Realizing that the other party wasn't a villain, Min Dae-Seok felt a surge of anger rising within him. Now that the situation had calmed down, he was suddenly embarrassed by his pathetic display in front of his subordinates. 

'Alright. I understand you're a Hunter with great power. But Korea is a country ruled by law! How dare a young whippersnapper like you cause such a scene just because you are powerful? Do you think you can mess with the Association?!' Min Dae-Seok clenched his fists and glared at Suho.

'President of the Woojin Guild, my foot! I'll make sure you're labeled a villain!' As a branch manager of the Association, he had enough authority to make that happen...!

But as his eyes met Suho's, Min Dae-Seok's stubborn expression softened in an instant.

"...Ahem. I expect you to compensate for the damaged equipment."

"Of course."

"Thank you."

* * *

When Park Kyung-Hye, and Sung Jinah entered the Association office, the chaotic scene had already been cleaned up. A few fluorescent lights were still broken, but under them, Suho was listening to his grandmother and aunt explaining what had happened.

"Um… first I want to apologize. The reason we rejected Ms. Park Kyung-Hye's complaint for the past few days was because we judged that Mr. Sung Il-Hwan wasn't missing." Min Dae-Seok explained to Suho in a defensive tone. Based on the information his subordinates had gathered…

"We heard that your grandfather, Mr. Sung Il-Hwan, enjoys fishing as a hobby. And he prefers doing it alone, sometimes going for two or three days at a time."

"That's true." Park Kyung-Hye nodded readily. Yangpyeong, where the Namhan River and Bukhan River split, had many secluded fishing spots. Thanks to that, Sung Il-Hwan could easily indulge in his hobby after moving to Yangpyeong.

"...But this time, something felt different."

"What was different?"

"His expression."

"...Ms. Park Kyung-Hye, such abstract observations don't help the investigation at all." Dealing with the elderly was always frustrating. Min Dae-Seok sighed inwardly. But seeing Suho sitting right next to him, he couldn't help but manage his emotions.

"So, what kind of expression did your husband have?"

"My husband... has only had that expression three times in his life."

"When was that?"

"The first time was when our son ran away from home."

Suho stiffened at those words.

"When he was in middle school, he suddenly left a note saying he had something to do and ran away. For two whole years." Park Kyung-Hye said, recalling the past with a bitter expression.

"I was so shocked that I was about to rush to the police station, but my husband stopped me."

Park Kyung-Hye still couldn't understand her husband's lack of panic even though their son was missing. At first, she was angry, then frustrated. What parent could remain calm when their child suddenly runs away? Unlike his wife, Sung Il-Hwan was incredibly composed. But it was hard for Park Kyung-Hye to blame her husband for being cold-hearted because his expression at the time seemed like he was desperately holding back his emotions, on the verge of bursting into tears. In the end, she went to the police station and filed a missing person report. But even then, Sung Il-Hwan didn't make any effort to find his son.

"...He even stopped me from going out and putting up missing person flyers. Saying..."

– Let's trust our son.

...Recalling her husband's expression as he said those words, Park Kyung-Hye continued.

"Eventually, our son returned home safely two years later. And then, as an adult, he disappeared again five years ago. This time, alongside his wife"

"..."

"And my husband calmed me down with the same expression again. He said we should trust our son this time too." Park Kyung-Hye's words continued.

"When he left a few days ago, he had that same expression again."

Hearing those words Suho was almost certain.

'Beru, maybe Grandpa...'

[Yes. It seems his memories have returned a long time ago.]