Chapter 60
The next day.
"I'm heading out."
Sung-jun Lee's expression was full of energy as he stepped out of the front door early in the morning, heading towards the gate.
This was inevitable, as he had not only taken a comfortable rest for four whole days in the warm house with his family, but also achieved tremendous growth by consuming elixirs.
He had spent the best holiday possible. In other words, it was now time to move forward.
No, to be precise, he had to move forward.
'To think I'd use 30 billion won in just one day.'
He had purchased the elixirs thinking he was making a somewhat bold investment, but it turned out to be a bigger expense than expected.
'I need to keep some cash on hand, since we don't know when a suitable house will come on the market.'
Although he was living in a fairly nice house thanks to the Association's help, it was still somewhat lacking compared to their residence in central Seoul.
In today's Korea, the location of one's residence is directly linked to public safety and security, so there shouldn't be any room for regret.
'I don't care how much it costs, I'll find the safest house in South Korea.'
Perhaps it was because he had such a clear goal?
Sung-jun's steps forward were more powerful than ever before.
However, these strong steps didn't continue for long before coming to a halt.
"..."
The reason was simple.
He sensed a presence persistently following him from not too far away.
'...Who could it be?'
If it had been an ordinary presence, he would have just ignored it.
Since making a name for himself as a rookie, there had been times when some reporters followed him around.
However, the person trailing him now had such light footsteps that they couldn't be considered an ordinary reporter.
'At least an S-rank expert.'
Moreover, it was a presence he had detected near his home before.
'I should check it out.'
When he first detected it, he lacked the ability to pursue it, but now that he had grown sufficiently, things were different.
With cold eyes, Sung-jun immediately sprang up from the ground.
Tak-
In an instant, Sung-jun's figure shot up into the sky and landed on the roof of a nearby four-story building.
Immediately after, he began leaping across the rooftops of nearby buildings, heading towards the alley where he sensed the presence.
Throughout this process, he used the Wind Thunder Step of the Wind Chest Demon Clan, which had been granted the title of Divine Agility Technique. He thought that even an S-rank expert wouldn't be able to properly perceive his movements.
However, the reality unfolding before his eyes was quite different from what he expected.
The face of the man in the black suit who had been following him showed some bewilderment, but he was clearly meeting Sung-jun's gaze.
"To close such a distance in one leap... as expected, Returnee Sung-jun Lee, you are an incredible person, just as I anticipated."
The man who let out words of admiration gave a short nod and greeted him.
"I am Yoon Ki-sung... an S-rank villain."
There was no return greeting.
Sung-jun merely continued to stare with cold eyes, showing no other reaction.
But that alone was enough. Yoon Ki-sung, who was meeting his gaze head-on, felt as if his breath was caught in his throat.
'...Truly an unbelievable monster.'
In the past, when he had given up on Kim Dong-jun's request.
It was the first time his intense intuition had sent such a strong signal, so out of personal curiosity, he had investigated the individual named Sung-jun Lee.
'A returnee who had been back on Earth for barely a month at that time.'
Even now, considering the present, it meant he was a returnee who had only been back on Earth for about two months.
Yet the aura that Sung-jun was emitting right now was enough to overwhelm him, Yoon Ki-sung, an S-rank villain.
In other words, Sung-jun had reached S+ rank in just two months since returning, a feat that takes most hunters years, if not a lifetime, to achieve.
'At this rate of growth, he'll reach at least SS+ rank...'
If he continued to grow steadily like this, it meant he could reach SSS rank, or perhaps even become a ranker who could discuss the world's level.
'As expected, my intense intuition wasn't sending signals for no reason.'
Sung-jun was absolutely not someone to be made an enemy.
Having quickly finished his calculations, Yoon Ki-sung immediately bowed his head towards Sung-jun, who was narrowing his eyes, and offered words of apology.
"I apologize if my sudden approach was unpleasant. I have urgent news to deliver, but I couldn't find any other way to contact you, so I had to come to you like this."
"Just state your business."
Despite trying to speak as politely and respectfully as possible to gain even a little favor, the response from Sung-jun was ice cold.
But there was no need to be flustered.
This was a situation he had encountered countless times since being branded a villain.
Therefore, he was confident he could easily continue the conversation and lower Sung-jun's guard.
Of course, it didn't take long for him to realize that this thought was his own arrogance.
"As I mentioned earlier, given my identity, if you don't mind, could we move to a quieter place to talk?"
"...I believe I told you to just state your business."
With a force that was unbelievable for mere words, an overwhelming weight pressed down on his entire body, making his mind go blank.
At the same time, his SS-rank skill, Intense Intuition, was sending strong warnings.
'...I'll die.'
If he tried to pull any unnecessary tricks, he would meet a terrible death.
Fortunately, it hadn't happened yet, but it was a future with a high possibility of occurring.
Yoon Ki-sung hurriedly continued speaking.
"It, it's nothing else but to warn you about the safety of you and your family members, Sung-jun-nim."
"..."
Words from a criminal villain, normally he would have judged them not worth listening to.
But when it came to issues related to his family's safety, he didn't want to miss even the smallest detail.
"If this turns out to be useless nonsense, you'll have to forfeit your life."
Sung-jun nodded once and slightly withdrew the aura he had been emitting.
The pressure that had felt like it would suffocate him at any moment eased.
'Whew...'
Swallowing a sigh of relief inwardly, Yoon Ki-sung clutched his chest.
But he couldn't relax yet.
'If my words are deemed useless...'
His head would fly off immediately.
His intense intuition kept sending signals. The Sung-jun standing before him now had the ability and resolution to carry out his own words.
Gulp-!
Swallowing dry saliva, Yoon Ki-sung carefully opened his mouth.
"The Honor Group has brought SS-rank villain Cho Se-hyuk, known as the Rookie Slaughterer, to Korea."
"..."
Sung-jun showed no reaction.
But the fact that he wasn't attacking was enough to indicate that Sung-jun's interest had been piqued to some extent, so Yoon Ki-sung moved his lips once again.
"As you can tell from his SS rank, his skills are on par with the masters of Korea's top 5 guilds in a head-on confrontation. But Cho Se-hyuk's most terrifying aspect is his obsession that borders on madness..."
With a hardened expression, Yoon Ki-sung continued:
"Cho Se-hyuk literally stops at nothing. He constantly kills what could be called weaknesses, such as family and lovers, to break down the target rookie's mind, or captures them alive to stage hostage situations. You'll need to use everything at your disposal to thoroughly protect yourself."
As Yoon Ki-sung finished speaking and carefully gauged the reaction, Sung-jun slowly nodded.
"Indeed, this is useful information."
If he hadn't known, his family might have been in danger.
However, just these words alone weren't enough to completely trust Yoon Ki-sung, a villain.
"But why are you telling me this information?"
Even to this question from Sung-jun, which could be said to hit the nail on the head, Yoon Ki-sung showed no sign of wavering.
Rather, he spoke as if he had been waiting for this.
"If I say it's out of respect, would you believe me?"
Sung-jun's narrowed eyes scanned Yoon Ki-sung's entire body.
'...He's not lying.'
Despite the strong pressure that was nearly choking him, there wasn't the slightest tremor in his eyes.
He certainly didn't look like someone who was telling a lie.
But that didn't mean Sung-jun believed he was acting solely out of respect.
'There must be some other reason.'
Various thoughts crossed his mind, but Sung-jun immediately erased them.
'It doesn't matter what he's thinking.'
With a relaxed smile on his lips, Sung-jun nodded.
"Alright, I'll believe you this once."
"...Thank you."
Bowing his head, Yoon Ki-sung inwardly rejoiced.
'It worked!'
Knowing that Sung-jun was no ordinary person, he had thought that obvious lies wouldn't work.
So he mixed lies with truth.
'The growth Sung-jun has shown so far is beyond overwhelming.'
He was showing a truly exceptional rate of growth, and his visible potential was so excellent that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was boundless.
It was only natural to feel respect as a hunter before being a villain.
However, it was absolutely not out of pure respect that he had provided information about the Honor Group and Cho Se-hyuk.
'If everything goes according to plan... my Scavenger Crew will dominate the underworld.'
It wasn't just the guilds in the light that checked each other's forces for their own benefit.
The villain guilds in the shadows, commonly called 'crews', were also constantly looking for opportunities to weaken opposing forces to secure their own interests.
In that sense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Honor Group's current move was presenting an unparalleled opportunity to Yoon Ki-sung and his Scavenger Crew.
'...Considering the nature of the Honor Group that I've observed so far, Chairman Kim Seok-hoon will do whatever it takes to take Sung-jun's life.'
Chairman Kim Seok-hoon of the Honor Group, known for his strong pride, had suffered damage because of Sung-jun.
To maintain his own dignity, he would certainly try to take Sung-jun's life.
'Even if the plan is exposed, they might retreat temporarily, but they'll never give up.'
This meant they would constantly be looking for a chance to take Sung-jun's head.
'In that process, most of the large crews will try to help the Honor Group.'
Of course, this wasn't a hasty guess or delusion, but a conclusion reached through thorough calculation.
'Many high-ranking villains have been maintaining long-term dealings with the Honor Group.'
There was even a saying that if the Honor Group collapsed, the economy of the villain world would crumble.
This meant that for villains, the Honor Group was the most precious business partner.
'To maintain a good relationship with the Honor Group, they'll have no choice but to help eliminate Sung-jun.'
No, there were already several crews that had lent their strength to Cho Se-hyuk under the pretext of helping the Honor Group's revenge.
They acted boldly, thinking the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor.
After all, how could Sung-jun, who had just started making a name for himself as a rookie, possibly handle the power of the Honor Group, which had accumulated enormous wealth and power over decades?
Of course, this was a misconception that could only exist because they didn't know much about Sung-jun's true nature.
'Sung-jun won't go down easily.'
It would be difficult for him to achieve victory since the Honor Group had employed the SS-rank villain Cho Se-hyuk.
But he could assert that it would leave massive damage and aftereffects.
'If he had enough time to grow, Sung-jun might have been able to achieve victory, but...'
There was no need to think about such hypothetical scenarios now.
The important thing was that because of that fight, the forces of the villains following the Honor Group and other crews that constantly picked fights with the Scavengers would be greatly reduced.
'Just by leaking information about the Honor Group to Sung-jun, we can very naturally eliminate these troublemakers.'
It meant they could dominate the underworld of South Korea without any major conflicts or fights.
The immense power and vast wealth that could be gained from this went without saying. Just imagining it sent shivers through his body and threatened to bring a smile to his lips.
However, this moment of joy didn't last long.
Because completely unexpected words flowed from Sung-jun's mouth.