24

Hong Jong-Geun tried to say something. He probably wanted to inform Lee Ho that it was not the right thing to do.

Cheon-Myeong, or Providence Guild, was like a corporation. The biggest corporation in Korea, in fact. Yet, did I hear him right? He wanted us to kidnap two people?

If Lee Ho interfered with the business of the authorities, then this case would get more complicated. That was why Jong-Geun tried to stop him, but…

[ Just do as I say. ]

Those were not the words Ho would say. Jong-Geun was surprised. Gi-Hoon could not see him right now, but he could easily imagine Jong-Geun’s face.

[ Well, Gi-Hoon? ]

“…Yes, sir.”

[ Let me talk to my brother. ]

***

I looked up at the sky. No matter where I was, the sky was always blue. While I was lost in my thoughts, a man with a familiar face approached me. “Master Hwan.”

It was surprising to see him around here. I laughed and turned to him.

“Were you there all this time?”

This was my personal issue. Although my brother is the guild master of Cheon-Myeong, this was my mission, and I should be the one who dealt with it alone. Yet, here he comes. The presence of Jeong Gi-Hoon already explained everything.

He handed me a smartwatch, and soon, my brother’s hologram popped out.

[ What are you doing there? ]

That was his question.

“I’m waiting for them to come.”

[ How far are you planning to go? ]

I had an obvious answer, so I laughed and told him.

“I’ll go until everything is done.”

I knew that finishing the job was quite important, that was why I was planning to do just that. If I left without finishing the task, that would eventually become a burden. That was what I learned, and it was applicable every time.

[ Reports say that Mr. Gu accidentally fell down the stairs. ]

“That’s what the reports say?”

[ In addition, I discovered that Park Jeong-Nam was actually assaulting a girl, and that’s why Mr. Gu scolded him. Jeong-Nam was mad about it and caused this incident. But, for you, this might be a surprise. ]

“What might be a surprise?”

[ In the Hunters’ authority, there’s a department managing weapons, like a weapon factory for Hunters. Jeong-Nam’s father, Park Soo-Ho, is the head of that department. He manipulated every piece of information. ]

“I see.”

[ In just ten minutes, he had talked to the hospital and managed to manipulate it the way he wanted. That job was done quite nicely. ]

Lee Ho explained everything that happened. He then paused for a while before asking a question. To be honest, it was not a question that I imagined he’d ever ask.

[ I think I’ve never told you about my dream, have I? ]

“Your dream?”

[ Yes, my dream. ]

I wanted to know why he was bringing this up so suddenly. However, more importantly, I had never heard of that before. I told him, and he eventually believed me. We hadn’t had enough time to talk about that.

Dream… Now that I thought about it, it had been a while since I had heard that term. The word, in fact, suited him quite well.

“Is that why you keep your hair long? You look quite like a dreamer.”

Lee Ho did not laugh. Instead, he started to speak with a serious tone of voice.

[ Do you know how many people have died because of the gates? ]

“No idea.”

[ During the First World War, about nine million people died and twenty-three million were injured. In the Second World War, fifty to seventy million casualties occurred. ]

“What’s your purpose for saying this?”

He paused for a while as if to emphasize the words he was going to say next. Then, with a serious expression, he continued.

[ At least two hundred million people are dead because of the gates. ]

I could sense the fury on his face.

[ My dream is to eliminate every single gate. That’s my dream. ]

“….”

[ I’ll be honest with you. In order to end the gates, I need your help. ]

Without saying anything, I stared at him intently.

[ The strength of the gates is escalating, and Hunters can’t do anything about it. Statistics actually show that. ]

So what he was trying to say was…

“So, you want me to become a Hunter?”

Ho shook his head.

[ No. I don’t want to force you to do that. At the moment, I can still handle everything. But when I encounter a gate that I can’t manage, that would become a disaster. That’s when I am going to need you. ]

Like I said before, Lee Ho did change a lot. Now, he could actually think carefully and decide the best path for his responsibilities.

[ For that, I can and will give anything for you. ]

“Like what?”

[ Look up. ]

I raised my head to look at what he was pointing at. In front of me were two people, a man and a woman, who looked similar to the student I had just killed. They were being held by men who looked familiar as well. They were the guards who had come with Ho when we went to the cemetery. I was sure that they were Hunters from Cheon-Myeong.

“Did you capture them?”

[ Yes. ]

At this, I immediately frowned.

“You know that will be a burden for you.”

That was when Lee Ho laughed.

“I told you before that I’ll do anything to achieve my dream. My success is all for my dream. No more, no less.”

I had to admit, my brother was not like any other person here. Well, for starters, he was the CEO of the most powerful company in Korea at his young age.

[ You paid a lot for the strength you now have. Hunters like us can not imagine the path you have taken. You don’t have to work anymore. ]

Wow, what a statement. He actually surprised me. Although…

“Can you bear with me?”

[ Of course. ]

I had already said it before, but the ones who were related to me always ended up badly. I guess that didn’t matter to Lee Ho. It was his desire to show that he would do anything to achieve his goal.

The dream of making a world that no longer has to suffer from the gates. That was wonderful faith and belief.

“I see. But let me tell you something you don’t know.”

Lee Ho was wondering what I was trying to say, but it was quite a simple answer.

“I’m your brother. There’s no need for all that. Just tell me what you need and I’ll be there for you.”

His eyes shook for a bit, but soon, he managed to smile softly and nod. That was good enough for now.

“I’ll see you soon.”

After our call, I handed the smartwatch back to Jeong Gi-Hoon and stood up.

After all, I still had a job to do.

***

Chief secretary Hong Jong-Geun was quite confused.

“Master… Are you sure you’re fine with this?”

At Ho’s instructions, Jong-Geun had selected four elites. One of them was a teleporter, so it was easy for them to capture the two parents.

Confused? Of course they were. They complained about it, but the Master of the guild himself had ordered it and they did what they had to do. It was easy to do the job, but it would definitely be difficult to smooth over.

The situation was simple and crystal-clear; Cheon-Myeong had pricked the authority’s pride.

Jong-Geun, with a worried look in his eyes, looked at Ho, who stood up slowly. His room was full of artworks as usual.

“Mr. Hong.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“What is the definition of a Hunter?”

Jong-Geun did not know how to answer his question.

What exactly were Hunters?

Come to think of it, it was quite complicated. Ten years ago, the gates opened like some sort of pandemic. Monsters from another dimension rushed out and began attacking people.

At first, they could be hunted down and killed using modern weapons. Guns, swords, cannons, missiles…. and so on. They were all effective. But issues arose when these monsters began to intrude on the places where humans lived.

When a Gate was formed, it usually stayed in the same spot for two weeks. After that, it would open and monsters would start to invade. At the same time, a massive explosion occured.

That was how the university in Busan was eliminated. Because of the explosions, natural disasters continuously occurred, causing about four thousand people to die. That process of this explosion is known as the ‘dungeon break.’

Of course, this was just what happened in Korea. On the other side of the world, there were even more severe damages. That was why Ho had said that at least two hundred million people have died through the gates.

When the monsters attack and an explosion occurred, the damage was always severe. To prevent that, they learned that people must enter the gate and eliminate the monsters from the inside.

But who was willing to do that? At first, the army tried to go in the gates, but it was difficult to fight the monsters on their home ground. Even if their weapons were great and powerful, there was still a limit to them. Additionally, only a limited number of people could enter a gate. It varies by rank, but the maximum number of people that can go in was just five hundred.

That was why a small number of elites, called Hunters, were trained.

However, the gates’ power also escalated. It now required a lot of missiles to eliminate the monsters inside.

But to kill hunters like lee Ho, a lot of missiles must be used, just like the gates. Then what exactly is Lee Ho? And what is a Hunter?

“We are humans, but we can use special powers to eliminate monsters. We can block bullets easily and possess greater abilities than everyone else. Then can we still consider Hunters as humans? They are more like monsters, just with a similar appearance to humans.”

“……….”

“In fact, some people say that ‘Hunters are like monsters, so we should also eliminate them.’”

At this, Lee Ho lifted a cigarette to his lips but did not light it. He put it back down instead.

“I will do anything to achieve my dream. The conflict between Hunters and ordinary people? That’s none of my business. From the beginning, my only goal was to eliminate the gates. That was why Cheon-Myeong was built.”

“…What if you lose everything you have?”

“Then so be it. In fact, I don’t really have anything to protect. My only goal is to eliminate the existence of the gates. So, I would like to ask you a question.”

“Go on, sir.”

“Will you follow me?”

Lee Ho’s eyes were fixed intently on Jong-Geun. At this point, Jong-Geun thought that his eyes were mysterious, just like in the beginning.