Chapter 74
After finishing the usual settlement for the byproducts.
Suddenly, Lee Seong-jun's footsteps come to an abrupt halt as he walks alone through the darkening night.
'...A presence?'
Lee Seong-jun's eyes narrow.
It couldn't be helped, as this was an abandoned construction site on the outskirts of Seoul.
Although a gate had been generated where the Gray Orc, said to be the most efficient to hunt among B-rank monsters, appeared, the Association had restricted access not only to the general public but also to hunters under the pretext of safety inspection.
'There have been many visitors lately.'
It was particularly annoying since most of the visitors could be called uninvited guests.
'Still... this time I won't need to engage in unnecessary probing.'
Fortunately, this uninvited guest was not an unknown figure like the previous Baek Mu-jin.
It was someone whose identity he was certain of, having met face to face in the past and even gone on a raid together.
"Song Seung-jun."
As he utters the name, Song Seung-jun's eyes, hidden in the darkness, quiver slightly.
But the surprise is only momentary.
"I thought I had concealed my presence well, but I didn't expect to be detected so quickly."
Song Seung-jun reveals himself with an awkward smile, scratching the back of his head.
"First... I'll greet you formally, I'm Song Seung-jun from the Cosmos Guild."
As Song Seung-jun offers his greeting, his eyes begin to move busily.
'I came here in person just in case...'
It was the same as when they had conquered the raid gate together in the past.
'As expected, I still can't read anything this time either.'
If he had to point out any change, it was that an even darker darkness had settled compared to then.
It felt like facing an abyss.
In reality, an eerie sensation was creeping up in a corner of his chest, and goosebumps were rising on his forearms.
'What on earth is his true identity...?'
It was something he couldn't find an answer to right away, but fortunately, there was no doubt about his abilities.
'Lee Seong-jun defeated Jo Se-hyeok, an SS-rank villain.'
To be honest, he wasn't entirely without doubts.
He knew for certain because he had briefly faced Jo Se-hyeok directly in the past, albeit for a short moment.
'The abilities of Jo Se-hyeok's skills were real.'
Although he couldn't handle them properly due to his low innate prowess, in terms of skill abilities alone, they were comparable to the top hunters among the masters of the 5 major guilds.
'If I were to face him head-on, I too would have had to give it my all.'
He defeated such a Jo Se-hyeok in a 1:1 battle.
Moreover, Lee Seong-jun's defeat of Jo Se-hyeok occurred just a week after conquering the raid gate.
'...Although his skills shown in the raid gate were impressive, they weren't enough to take down Jo Se-hyeok.'
It meant he had achieved tremendous growth in just a short week to be able to defeat Jo Se-hyeok, an SS-rank villain.
It was an unbelievable feat, even considering how fast returnees grow.
Even his master, Yoon Min-su, hadn't grown at such a rate.
'He must have been hiding his power like me, that's for certain.'
No, there must still be power that hasn't been revealed to the public.
Of course, it wasn't a vain delusion.
It was a thought he could have because he had thoroughly investigated Lee Seong-jun beforehand, enough to be able to anticipate his movement patterns and wait.
'Lee Seong-jun has been hunting continuously for about a month, receiving help from the Association.'
Considering the growth he had shown so far, he must have achieved considerable development.
'There's no one more suitable as a partner for Cosmos than Lee Seong-jun.'
Having already completed his calculations in advance, Song Seung-jun immediately bowed his head towards Lee Seong-jun, who was sending a cold gaze, and offered words of apology.
"I'm sorry, I knew this kind of visit would be unpleasant, but I thought it would be best to have this conversation as quickly as possible, so I came to see you unannounced like this."
There was no response.
Lee Seong-jun was still just staring at Song Seung-jun with cold eyes, showing no action.
After all, it was impossible to expect a positive reception, given that he had not only followed him but also revealed himself at such a late hour in a deserted construction site.
"Just state your business briefly."
Despite Lee Seong-jun's chilly reaction, Song Seung-jun continued speaking without any concern.
"Since you seem to dislike long conversations, I'll get straight to the point. Following the Hunter Association and White Tiger, our Cosmos Guild would also like to propose a joint affiliation to Hunter Lee Seong-jun. We offer a signing bonus of 250 billion won and an annual salary of 20 billion won."
Instead, Song Seung-jun's voice was filled with deep confidence.
It was natural.
Currently, Lee Seong-jun is active as a joint member of the Association and White Tiger.
Despite this being a factor that would relatively lower his value, Cosmos offered the same conditions as SS-rank hunters.
Of course, the conditions visible right now alone wouldn't be enough to move Lee Seong-jun's heart.
"Lastly, we will transfer 10 percent of our Cosmos Guild's shares to you."
It was a condition he had barely received permission for from his master, Yoon Min-su.
Naturally, the advantage of receiving shares was considerable.
'As Cosmos grows larger due to Lee Seong-jun's personal growth, he can reap that much more profit.'
It meant they could grow together in mutual benefit.
It was a guarantee of not just present but also future value.
Certainly, from Lee Seong-jun's perspective, it wasn't a bad offer.
To be precise, it could be said to be quite satisfactory conditions.
"Good."
As Lee Seong-jun slowly nodded his head, Song Seung-jun's eyes lit up and he spoke again.
"There's just one condition."
Despite Song Seung-jun's sudden statement, there wasn't a trace of agitation in Lee Seong-jun's expression.
Or rather, it was unlikely that such a good offer would be made without any conditions in the first place.
"What is it?"
In response to Lee Seong-jun's question, Song Seung-jun answers as if he had been waiting for it.
"The top priority selection right you possess, I'd like us to use that to proceed with conquering the treasure gate, just the two of us. As you already know, the fewer people in the conquest party, the better the rewards from the treasure gate. However, due to the high difficulty, forming a party of at least 5 people is the standard, but if it's just the two of us..."
As Song Seung-jun was continuing his explanation with desire brimming in his eyes, Lee Seong-jun's cold voice cuts off his words.
"I refuse."
For a moment, Song Seung-jun's brow furrows.
"I hope you would give a more careful thought before answering. Tomorrow marks the 30th day since postponing the conquest of the treasure gate. The Association can no longer delay the conquest."
Due to its high difficulty, failures in conquering treasure gates occasionally occurred in the early stages of the Great Change.
Therefore, although they didn't actually gain rewards from the treasure gates, one piece of knowledge was gained from this.
'Treasure gates automatically disappear 100 days after their creation date.'
Unlike regular gates where rampaging monsters, commonly called outbreaks, rush out, treasure gates simply vanish without a trace.
'It means you can't get the rewards from the treasure gate.'
As a result, there's an international law stating that if a hunter who obtained the top priority conquest right doesn't proceed with the conquest within 30 days, a month, it must be put up for public auction in the name of advancing humanity.
"From the fact that you haven't announced your party yet, it seems you don't have suitable members. Rather than being stubborn, it would be wise to take the rewards with me, just the two of us."
It was an attempt to pressure him by mentioning the pressing time left, but there wasn't a trace of agitation in Lee Seong-jun's expression.
"Is there really a need for us to split it between two?"
Facing Lee Seong-jun's relaxed smile, Song Seung-jun shakes his head.
"Hunter Lee Seong-jun, I acknowledge that you are exceptional, but... excessive greed often leads to disaster."
"..."
Despite the somewhat sincere advice, Lee Seong-jun's expression remained unchanged and cold, causing Song Seung-jun's brow to furrow.
"I know that excessive confidence is a characteristic of returnees, but this is too much. Before we continue our conversation, I'll teach you the harshness of reality."
It was at that moment that Song Seung-jun placed his hand on his waist and drew his sword.
Simultaneously, a sharp aura flows out from Song Seung-jun's entire body.
He was issuing a warning.
A chilling smile appeared on Lee Seong-jun's lips.
'Giving me a lesson...'
From the perspective of Lee Seong-jun, who was hailed as the Blood Demon and Demon God, it was an unimaginable thing.
"Interesting."
As Lee Seong-jun's expression hardened, Song Seung-jun's form in front of him dispersed like a mirage.
But there was no need to be flustered just because he couldn't see him with his eyes.
Song Seung-jun's movements were being captured in detail by the ki sense he had already spread out.
"...It might sting a little."
Just as Song Seung-jun's confident voice was heard from behind, a white blade bathed in moonlight comes flying, tracing an arc.
Whoosh-!
However, what the sword cut was nothing but empty air.
Clearly, Lee Seong-jun's figure that had been in front of him until just now disappears from Song Seung-jun's sight.
Song Seung-jun's surprised gaze quickly scans the surroundings.
'Left side?'
Lee Seong-jun is visible.
'No, right side?'
He was there too.
Song Seung-jun couldn't hide his confusion at the sight of Lee Seong-jun split into two.
"Shadow clones, as expected... you were hiding more power."
But the winner of the fight won't change.
Thinking this, Song Seung-jun grips the sword he was holding with both hands and spreads his shoulders.
At that moment, the single sword splits into two.
Song Seung-jun's true value was not as a knight wielding a sword with one hand, but as a dual-wielding swordsman handling two swords.
If he had been an ordinary knight, he couldn't have been praised as a genius by his master, Yoon Min-su.
His power, which could be called his full strength, manifests when wielding dual swords like now.
'This is my true power.'
Song Seung-jun, now fighting in earnest, swings the swords in both hands with a cold gaze.
'Phantom Sword Dance.'
The blades imbued with sharp sword energy split into dozens of strands, shooting sword winds in all directions.
'No matter how fast it moves, ultimately one is the real body.'
It means that if he cuts both simultaneously, one must take damage.
But this was only true if he could actually cut them.
'Star's Protection.'
The moment Lee Seong-jun recognized the formless barrier created in the air, he overlaid it with blood energy.
Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!
Song Seung-jun's sword winds, flying with fierce momentum, bounce off into the air with a friction sound.
"Wh-What...?!"
Song Seung-jun's eyes widen like a full moon.
He had brought out his dual-wielding, which could be called his full strength.
Of course, since he couldn't know exactly how much power Lee Seong-jun was hiding, he couldn't declare victory with certainty.
But he thought he could at least have a somewhat even fight.
'But it doesn't even touch him...?'