03. Guild Fair (3)

We were guided by Byung-Jun Lee and headed to the corner of the exhibition hall.

Even while the three of them were walking, numerous hunters in various booths were raising their voices to get the attention of passers-by.

“Are you interested in investing? The Nox Guild will proceed with the attack on the lower floors of the Titan Tower in a month!”

“The new guild Hawa is recruiting talented magic hunters!”

It was a noisy scene reminiscent of a market hall.

“There are so many people. Those people are all pro hunters.”

I looked around and said something interesting, but Lee Byung-jun, who was walking in the lead, sneered at those words.

“Anyway, it’s only small and medium-sized guild hunters. Would a real dinosaur guild participate in a fair like this?”

“Um.”

Although Lee Byung-jun’s tone was a bit pessimistic, it was a fact that could not be denied at all.

Haneulnuri or Mercury, which maintain the industry top, are not interested in such an exhibition. Even if such a guild held an exhibition alone, the scale would be this much, but it was impossible to compare in the first place.

Among the many guilds gathered here, I felt somewhat skeptical when I asked how many Hunters had been to the 4th and 5th floors, which could be called the upper floors of the tower.

By the way.

“There are more foreigners than I thought.”

I thought most of them were Koreans because it was an expo held in Korea, but there were also a few foreigners with western looks. They were not just foreign tourists, but real professional hunters dressed up in gear.

Lee Byung-jun nodded and replied.

“Because Korea is a hunter powerhouse.”

“By the way, does it have anything to do with the large number of foreigners?”

“Not all countries have towers. A country with no Tower but overflowing with Awakened people is going abroad like this.”

Okay. From this small piece of land alone, as many as five towers have risen.

There are many countries in the world, but only 99 towers. It was not uncommon for countries to have no towers rising at all.

In the exhibition hall, not only Europeans, but also people of various nationalities such as the Middle East, South America, Asia, and Africa gathered together.

Are there 10,000 criminals among them?

No, let’s not have prejudice. Among the Koreans, there were many hunters who committed crimes and ran away.

Anyone could be a suspect.

Lee Byung-Jun led us to a door with the words ‘Staff Only’ written on it.

As soon as he put his guard card on the panel, an alarm sounded and the green light flickered and the door opened. He looked around and quickly went inside.

“Come in.”

I nodded and followed Lee Byung-jun with Baek Ji-soo.

Even if you go into an area that only employees can enter, you go further into the corridor.

A hallway that doesn’t feel like a human presence. When I opened the innermost room and entered, there was a dark warehouse with the smell of old dust.

“No one would come here.”

Lee Byung-jun coughed lightly from the accumulated dust and shook his hand.

Baek Ji-soo, who had been still without paying attention to the flying dust, quietly opened her mouth.

“Can you tell me now?”

Lee Byung-Jun seemed to have shrunk slightly at the gentle gaze, and he threw his head back in a hurry, then cleared his throat briefly and continued.

“Kuhm! Did you tell me earlier? The real thing is that they don’t participate. But one of those real ones is going to be auctioned off this fair.”

“What? Why?”

“Actually, it’s not a guild, but a global company overseas is entering Korea this time, and it’s for the purpose of publicity. If you hear it, it must be a name you know?”

What kind of company is it that takes such a long time?

Lee Byung-jun lowered his voice and opened his mouth.

“Claprot Industries.”

“What?”

I held my breath in shock. It was because a name like that popped up.

Klaproth Industry.

As one of the world’s leading munitions manufacturers, it supplies more than 50% of the defense equipment distributed worldwide, and is also a leading steel company that first developed the technology to process magic stones taken from towers into magic steel.

In fact, the standards for the magical power content of metals, which are said to be first or second, began with this Klaproth, and since the beginning of Outbreak, it is a global company that has been expanding numerous businesses based on overwhelming capital and technology.

“Is Claprot finally entering Asia?”

“Uh. There is still an embargo in the media, but everyone already knows.”

Lee Byung-jun crosses his arms and leans his back against the dark warehouse wall.

“They say they took over the Serim Group, which was on the brink of bankruptcy, and even ate the domestic elixir business.”

I frowned at the name I had heard somewhere and recalled the memory.

Where is Serim Group? Oh

“Isn’t that Lee Hyun-woo’s company? Did you screw up there?”

“It’s on the verge of ruin. The chairman was arrested for various charges such as tax evasion and bribery, so how can the company be fine?”

At that time, Baek Ji-soo, who had been listening quietly, came out with an expressionless face and intervened in Lee Byung-jun’s conversation.

“That kind of thing is fine.”

“Huh?”

“What is the item being auctioned off? Where is it stored now? What is your expense plan?”

“Uh, now, wait.”

Lee Byung-joon shakes his hand in embarrassment at the question leading to rapid-fire.

“I don’t know that far!”

“You don’t know?”

Baek Ji-soo slightly curved her eyebrows. It was a subtle change that only I could notice.

“Yes! Would you tell a daily part-timer like me that? I actually heard this from my sister… !”

“… I see.”

After confirming that there was no more information to hear, Baek Ji-soo turned his back without regret.

I grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Wait a minute. White number.”

“… Why?”

“For now, let’s listen to the end. At least the probability that their target is Klaproth is high.”

There is no way that a criminal organization with a level of about 10,000 will aim for a target that is not high enough. If it was a large company like Klaproth, it would certainly be worth aiming for.

“Byungjun-ah. Do you know anything more?”

“Ummm….”

Lee Byung-jun closed his eyes and was silent for a long time, then he shouted loudly as if he remembered it belatedly.

“Right. He said he was showing off some new technology. I heard that the chairman’s daughter came all the way to Korea to show it? My sister is also going there now.”

Equipment with new technology? Is that the goal that Man-Maryn is aiming for?

I’m not sure, but I thought it was highly likely. Most of the items on display at the fair auction are items that can be obtained from the middle and lower floors of the tower.

“When does the auction start?”

“Now is the time… Well, about an hour left.”

I checked my watch and it was a little past one o’clock. The auction starts at 2 p.M.

Time seems vaguely insufficient to do something. Time was running out to stop terrorism. Yoon Seo-hee should have arrived on time.

First of all, I had to discuss what to do with Baek Ji-soo.

“Okay, thank you for letting me know.”

“Uh… I’m glad if it helped. So what the hell is going on?”

I can’t tell Byung-jun about terrorism.

To explain this, he must also tell how he came to know it, but he promised not to tell anyone about the future.

How can I explain this?

At that moment, Baek Ji-soo turned his back and met Lee Byung-jun’s gaze.

“Look at me.”

“Uh, uh uh?”

Her red eyes were calmly tinged with light.

“When I count, you forget the conversation we had. I only remember saying goodbye to Kim Yi-jin and saying goodbye.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Three. Two.”

The young mana in her eyes swelled up in an instant.

“One.”

A jing- sound was heard.

Then, the focus disappeared from Lee Byung-jun’s eyes, and he hung his head helplessly.

After confirming that appearance, Baek Ji-soo grabbed my sleeve and left the room without hesitation.

“Let’s go. You will come to your senses in a few seconds.”

“… What? What is it just now?”

“A brief allusion.”

Is there such a magic? No, even though I’m not in the combat department, I’ve never heard of such magic.

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Judging from Baek Ji-soo’s way of speaking, it didn’t look like it was even a skill, but you could do something like that with magic?

This is absolutely not the magic taught in the academy.

Where did she learn magic?

As if he had read the confusion on my face, Ji-soo Baek quietly opened his mouth.

“I’ll explain later. The priority now is to prevent terrorism.”

“That’s right… Still, couldn’t you just send them out of the venue?”

Of course, we will do our best to prevent terrorism, but if an emergency happens, this plan becomes very dangerous.

Last time, I went through an unnecessary risk at the library because of me. Is it okay to go through another dangerous event?

“No. Suggestions cannot do anything against their will.”

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Jisoo Baek shook his head and continued.

“Something obviously strange, like a guard leaving his job and running away, is accompanied by strong psychological resistance. It’s hard to suggest something like that, and even if you do, it’s easily broken.”

We passed through the long corridor and returned to the venue again.

The exhibition hall was still bustling with countless hunters and was noisy like a market tavern.

“After all, there is no other way to prevent terrorism.”

“Yes.”

But how?

I don’t know the means, and I don’t even know who Manma-ryun hid among them.

Baek Ji-soo spoke to me, who was frowning and lost in thought for a long time.

“I have a way.”

“How?”

She thrust her hand into the air and drew out her starlight-engraved, ink-colored sword.

“I need this.”

It was a three-person sword that had been placed in Baek Ji-soo’s subspace in advance.