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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 60: I Know Everything (1)
Ever since recruiting Mei Hong, Kwon Hanul’s life had become a little busier.
Having a team member didn’t mean things were over. There were still many things to do before he could assign her to a guard mission.
The first task was to properly assess Mei Hong’s capabilities.
“It’s all done!”
Mei Hong waved her sword around energetically. Behind her, the corpses of monsters lay in pieces, her bright smile in stark contrast to the carnage.
“A gold-rank dungeon. Three golems. Cleared in 5 minutes and 20 seconds.”
Kwon Hanul checked his watch as he spoke. Even by a second look, her skill was impressive.
Golems were notorious not just for their destructive power, but for their near-impenetrable bodies. Most couldn’t even scratch them.
Though classified as gold-rank, these dungeons were considered on par with platinum rank due to the difficulty.
And yet, it hadn’t even taken her five minutes.
“Her skill’s amazing, but…”
Kwon Hanul murmured with a hint of concern.
There was nothing to criticize about her technique, but watching her fight sometimes sent a chill down his spine.
Suddenly, Gu Eon’s words came to mind — that she looked fine on the outside, but inside, she might be rotting.
She had witnessed her parents' death with her own eyes and ended up working for their killers. Who’s to say she didn’t harbor some deep-rooted violence?
“I did well, right?”
Before he knew it, Mei Hong had come up close. Kwon Hanul nodded, slipping his watch back into his pocket.
“You were impressive.”
“You can speak casually with me, you know.”
“I’m more comfortable this way.”
At his response, Mei Hong pouted slightly.
“Well, you do speak formally with Hayun too…”
At that moment, the ground shook. A short distance away, the earth trembled, and two more golems emerged.
“I’ll finish these in three minutes this time!”
Mei Hong gripped her sword and dashed off again. Kwon Hanul watched her quietly.
“…”
His eyes followed her movements, but his mind was elsewhere.
Baek Cheolmin’s words from the other day still rippled through his thoughts.
“…He didn’t leave the clan by choice — he fled after being sentenced to death.”
He wanted to know in detail why his father had been sentenced to death.
But there was no one he could easily ask.
“The chairman and Hayun won’t tell me anything again anyway…”
That’s why he’d considered using Vassal Bloodline to dominate members of the clan and force an investigation.
However, the power of Vassal Bloodline didn’t work well on hunters.
Unlike with No Ho Min, he couldn’t just beat someone to a pulp and then control them, so he had no choice but to give up.
“To dominate someone with Vassal Bloodline, I need a medium…”
You had to destabilize a person’s will for the domination to take effect. Without that, the power wouldn’t work.
That’s why Catalina Blaga honed her charm as a woman — to enthrall people with her beauty and then dominate them using Vassal Bloodline.
“…I need to find someone who can investigate for me.”
Finding such a person wouldn’t be easy.
“There’s never an easy job in this world…”
Just as Kwon Hanul muttered this, a dungeon gate nearby stirred, and Joo Hayun stepped through.
“Kwon Hanul, there’s an incoming call request.”
“Who is it?”
“The guild master of Iron Fang.”
Iron Fang.
They were the guild that had tried to pin a dungeon failure on him before he joined Hyukcheon.
Later, during his debut match, he’d gotten payback by thoroughly humiliating Iron Fang’s guild master.
“What does he want now?”
“He said he’s returning something.”
Ah.
Only then did Kwon Hanul recall an item he’d forgotten about.
“He wants to send someone over with it. What should I say?”
“Just tell him to go ahead and—”
In that moment, a thought flashed across his mind.
“Actually, no. Tell him I’ll go myself.”
“You’ll go personally?”
Joo Hayun asked, puzzled. Kwon Hanul nodded.
“Yes. I want to see Seoul again. It’s been a while.”
After that, Kwon Hanul began preparing for a trip to Seoul.
When setting up the meeting with Iron Fang’s guild master, he added another condition.
He wanted access to at least one platinum-ranked dungeon that Iron Fang had secured.
Gold-rank dungeons weren’t enough to fully assess Mei Hong’s capabilities. He needed a higher-level dungeon.
However, platinum dungeons were specially managed within Hyukcheon, so Kwon Hanul couldn’t freely use them.
Thus, he planned to use Iron Fang’s resources to challenge a platinum dungeon and evaluate Mei Hong’s strength.
“Are you sure it’s fine with just the two of you going?”
This time, Kwon Hanul decided to go without Joo Hayun — only Mei Hong would accompany him.
“Yes. We want to handle this on our own.”
The reason? To practice dungeon clearing without Joo Hayun.
Up until now, she had handled everything — securing dungeons, gathering intel, preparing strategy items.
While convenient, relying on her meant they’d be helpless if something happened to her.
So this time, they’d do it themselves, start to finish.
…Or so Kwon Hanul claimed.
At least on the surface.
“Understood. I’ll wait here, then,” Joo Hayun said, clearly reluctant but accepting.
Leaving her behind, Kwon Hanul and Mei Hong boarded a private plane to Seoul.
Inside the plane, Mei Hong turned to him.
“Kwon Hanul, be honest. Saying we’re clearing a dungeon together — that’s just an excuse, right?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Not really. Most people wouldn’t notice unless they were like me, watching you all the time.”
Good — that meant it wasn’t obvious.
“There is another reason, yes.”
“What is it?”
“It’s personal, so I’d rather not say.”
Mei Hong looked disappointed.
“Are you going to tell Hayun? Well, I’m still a bit upset you won’t tell me… but I’ll let it slide. You are my boss now, after all.”
She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, clearly tired. Then suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
“Oh, wait — that makes us partners in crime now, huh?”
* * *
Upon arriving in Seoul, Kwon Hanul headed straight to Iron Fang’s guild.
“Mei Hong, you must’ve felt cooped up at Hyukcheon. Go get some fresh air.”
Mei Hong glanced at him sideways.
“You’re really trying to ditch me, huh?”
“You know the deal — cut me some slack.”
“Fine. I’ll go find something tasty to eat.”
She disappeared into the city.
With her language skills and formidable abilities, Kwon Hanul wasn’t particularly worried.
Having seen her off, he made his way toward Iron Fang’s guild headquarters.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, a loud shout echoed through the hall.
“We pay our respects to Lord Kwon Hanul!”
From the entrance to the first-floor lobby, all the guild members stood in formation and bowed deeply to Kwon Hanul.
Through the middle of them, the guildmaster of Iron Fang waddled forward, his round belly bouncing with each step.
“Lord Kwon Hanul, it is an honor to see you again.”
With a smile, Kwon Hanul patted the Iron Fang guildmaster on the shoulder, leaning in close to his ear.
“What’s all this ruckus? Are you trying to make a spectacle?”
As Kwon Hanul’s voice dropped, low and menacing, the guildmaster’s face turned deathly pale.
“I—I was merely trying to welcome you in my own way…”
“Enough. Send them all away. Now.”
“R-right away!”
The guildmaster hurriedly dispersed the staff, beads of sweat pouring down his forehead as he returned to Kwon Hanul.
“I-I’ll escort you inside at once.”
* * *
Iron Fang.
A massive guild that has firmly held the number one spot in South Korea for over a decade.
Its hunters’ skill and efficiency are unparalleled, earning the guild widespread trust and respect throughout Korean society.
But inside the Iron Fang guildmaster’s office, something unthinkable was happening.
A young man sat in the guildmaster’s chair—while the actual guildmaster knelt before him.
“H-here it is.”
With both hands, the guildmaster respectfully offered a ring.
It was old and plain in appearance, but Kwon Hanul knew exactly what power it held.
Item Name: Ring of Binding
Quality: Legendary (???)
Description: The true name and authority of the ring are sealed. Special procedures are required to unlock them.
Skills:
Veil – Only the ‘Owner’ can see the ring’s name and description.
Domination – Prolonged contact by anyone other than the ‘Owner’ causes mental subjugation to the ‘Owner.’
‘It’s a bit of a waste to use this when I already have the Vassal Bloodline.’
Though the Ring of Binding was powerful, its usage conditions were too strict.
It only worked on individuals who had been in prolonged contact with the ring, and if the ring’s ownership was forcibly taken, all control would be lost.
“Lord Kwon Hanul, I heard you had a special request…”
“Ah, right.”
Tearing his gaze away from the ring, Kwon Hanul looked directly at the Iron Fang guildmaster.
“I need you to investigate the Hyukcheon Family.”
“…Did you say the Hyukcheon Family?”
Just the mention of the name made the guildmaster’s eyes tremble violently. At the same time, a system message appeared.
<The subjugation of the bound subject tied to the ‘Ring of Binding’ is weakening.>
Kwon Hanul frowned slightly. Such an unstable ability.
The guildmaster’s fear was natural. No matter how powerful Iron Fang was, it was nothing compared to the Hyukcheon Group.
The Hyukcheon Family was so influential that they weren’t even included in the national guild rankings—there was simply no comparison.
“…Forget it. Never mind.”
As Kwon Hanul withdrew his command, the guildmaster’s eyes regained their stability.
<The subjugation of the bound subject tied to the ‘Ring of Binding’ is maintained.>
Kwon Hanul clicked his tongue. If only it were the Vassal Bloodline’s domination—it’d make them leap into fire if I ordered it.
On impulse, he activated Vassal Bloodline.
<Activating the authority of ‘Vassal Bloodline’.>
<The target’s mental fortitude is too strong.>
<Domination failed.>
‘As expected.’
Hunters with a certain level of strength couldn’t be dominated through Vassal Bloodline alone.
Perhaps if he beat the guildmaster into submission like he did with No Ho Min, it would work—but that wasn’t an option here.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Kwon Hanul rose from his seat. The guildmaster bowed repeatedly in farewell.
Just as he was about to leave the room, Kwon Hanul realized something.
He was still holding the Ring of Binding.
He considered storing it in his subspace—but instead, he slid it onto his finger.
It was an idle gesture, but the consequences were immense.
<The ‘Ring of Binding’ is evaluating the wearer’s qualifications.>
<Qualifications confirmed. Releasing the true name.>
Startled, Kwon Hanul stared at his finger.
The ring began to burn, shedding its layers of rust.
It transformed into the image of two crimson snakes, each biting the other’s tail.
Item Name: Ring of Lust
Quality: Legendary (SSS+)
Description: A ring symbolizing Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The ring’s abilities change depending on which finger it is worn on.
Skills:
Thumb – Amplifies the wearer’s presence.
Index Finger – Increases others’ affection toward the wearer.
Middle Finger – Induces hypnosis in others.
Ring Finger – Greatly weakens the target’s mental strength.
Pinky Finger – Induces hallucinations in others.
As he held the ring, Kwon Hanul could feel a stirring in his Vassal Bloodline.
<‘Vassal Bloodline’ resonates with the Ring of Lust.>
<‘Vassal Bloodline’ authority is greatly amplified.>
Kwon Hanul examined the ring thoughtfully.
To dominate others with Vassal Bloodline, an auxiliary method was necessary.
Until now, the lack of such a method had limited his control.
But with this ring… things might be different.
‘I’ll have to test it to know for sure.’
Sliding the Ring of Lust onto his ring finger, Kwon Hanul turned to the guildmaster, who tilted his head in confusion.
“Wh-what are you—Mmph!”
Grabbing the guildmaster’s head with the hand bearing the ring—
<The ‘Ring of Lust’ weakens the target’s mental strength!>
Dark energy seeped into the guildmaster’s face, his eyes rolling back slightly.
<Activating ‘Vassal Bloodline’ authority.>
<Successfully dominated a target with strong mental resistance!>
<Synchronization Rate: 12% -> 14%>
Kwon Hanul slowly released his grip. The guildmaster rubbed his face frantically.
“W-what was that?! No matter who you are, I won’t tolerate this!”
He was even more defiant than before. But Kwon Hanul remained unfazed and issued a command.
“You will investigate the Hyukcheon Family.”
At that, the guildmaster’s eyes quivered again. But he quickly bowed in submission.
“Please provide the details.”
“Everything on Kwon Cheon—the second son of Kwon Seonwoo, the current head of the Hyukcheon Family. Especially what’s happening inside the family. Understood?”
The Iron Fang guildmaster shouted resolutely.
“I will obey your command!”
“I’ll stay here for a while. Report back when you’ve gathered the information.”
As Kwon Hanul turned to leave, he looked back at the guildmaster once more.
“One more thing.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Iron Fang has a vault for relics, correct?”
“Of course!”
“I’d like to pick out a few items from there. Is that alright?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, the guildmaster nodded vigorously.
“Take everything if you wish!”
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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