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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 31
“I’ll agree to your terms. But in exchange, you must never speak of this arrangement. If word gets out that you’re receiving special treatment... the Association will deny everything. As far as they’re concerned, you were never given any such favor.”
Dojun silently met Na Taehwang’s gaze.
He knew full well that the privileges he was being granted weren’t trivial. No—he considered them borderline outrageous. Which is why he didn’t expect the Association to accept them so easily in the first place.
And yet, he pushed for them anyway—for one simple reason: he needed to draw a clear line between himself and the Association.
In other words: ‘If you want something from me, then be ready to pay an even bigger price.’
And if there was no price paid? Then Dojun would cut ties without hesitation.
Still, the Association had accepted his demands.
“Was it really necessary to go this far?”
At Dojun’s question, Na Taehwang let out a dry chuckle.
“So, you DO understand just how unreasonable your request was.”
Even though he’d tried to lighten the mood with some exaggeration, Dojun’s expression didn’t budge—he just stared, blank and unmoving.
Once again, Na Taehwang was reminded how maddeningly hard this man was to deal with.
“Honestly, it WAS over the line. Practically an impossible demand. But I accepted it because... my gut told me I shouldn’t sever ties with you. Not yet.”
He called it “gut instinct,” but Dojun knew exactly what that meant.
’Shouldn’t have done that.’
He’d intended it as a warning—don’t get any ideas, stay out of my way. But Na Taehwang had interpreted it differently.
Still, what was done was done, and Dojun had no choice but to admit he’d stirred things up unnecessarily.
On top of that—
’It was reckless.’
Na Taehwang was the one taking the biggest risk.
Sure, he might deny everything if it got out. But would it really be that easy?
No—when the blame came raining down, it would all fall on Na Taehwang’s shoulders.
Knowing all this and still agreeing to Dojun’s terms… It didn’t sit well with him.
“Are you satisfied?”
At the question, Dojun simply nodded. What was said couldn’t be unsaid. May as well see how far this road went.
“Well then, I look forward to seeing you hunt monsters and sell mana stones like your life depends on it.”
“Actually, I’ve already got some I want to sell. Would you mind handling the sale for me?”
“Consignment sale?”
A consignment sale implied value—enough to spark bidding wars between buyers. In other words...
“You’re talking like you’ve got top-grade mana stones.”
Na Taehwang said it offhandedly, not really expecting anything.
Top-grade mana stones—“Mythic-grade,” as they were known—could only be harvested from boss monsters that even S-Rank heroes struggled to take down.
“I’ve got two.”
Dojun’s offhand reply made Na Taehwang’s face stiffen for a beat.
“One from Kaserian. The other from the Cyclops.”
As he spoke, Dojun casually took a sip of the coffee in front of him.
Just as the rumors said, Na Taehwang’s coffee was excellent—aromatic and full-bodied. Dojun had grown quite fond of coffee during his time on Earth, so this hit the spot.
But while Dojun was enjoying the flavor, Na Taehwang was mentally short-circuiting.
“Did you just say… Kaserian and the Cyclops?”
He stared at Dojun, dumbfounded.
As the head of the Hero Association in South Korea, Na Taehwang knew the situation in the Rifts better than anyone.
Kaserian—the boss of the Chuncheon Rift.
Cyclops—the boss of the Paju Rift.
Both had only been taken down once in recorded history.
They were so powerful that it required multiple S-Rank heroes just to attempt a raid—and even then, the spoils weren’t worth the risk. As a result, they were essentially left alone.
Thankfully, boss monsters in the Rifts were limited in number. So as long as they weren’t disturbed, the Rifts wouldn’t go into full “break” mode.
That’s why the Association avoided boss raids—they weren’t worth the gamble.
And now this man was saying he’d taken them down?
Na Taehwang couldn’t help but be rattled.
“You wouldn’t lie about something so easy to disprove... Did you team up with a guild?”
It was unfathomable to him that Dojun could’ve pulled off a boss kill alone.
But Dojun wasn’t the kind of guy to answer questions just because someone asked nicely.
“I’ll have the stones sent to you tomorrow.”
With that, Dojun rose to his feet—clearly done with the conversation.
Na Taehwang could only smirk at the sheer audacity of being brushed off like this.
“Didn’t think getting answers from you would be such a pain. But alright. I hope we see each other more often.”
He called out as Dojun walked out of the room. But, predictably, no reply came.
“Interesting guy.”
Na Taehwang muttered to himself, breathing in the now-lukewarm scent of his coffee, lost in thought.
＊ ＊ ＊
"When exactly do you plan on starting the job?"
Even with Hong Hee-joo’s irritated voice laced with nerves, Kang Yeong-pyo sat across from her looking completely unbothered.
"I'll get it done when the time is right. Why are you getting so antsy?"
"You’ve got some nerve saying that right now! I already paid you a ₩30 billion advance—don’t you think that means you should get to work?"
Her eyes were sharp as a drawn blade, like a venomous snake ready to strike.
At that, Kang Yeong-pyo frowned and clicked his tongue.
"Director Hong, do you even realize who you're talking about here?"
"Pfft! Just because that bastard became a Hero, you think I'm scared?"
"Wow. Didn't realize how clueless your intel network really was. Should I help you beef it up a little while I'm at it?"
Hee-joo’s stomach churned at his smirking tone.
She wanted to curse him out then and there, but considering who he was, she bit her tongue and held back.
"You think I came here to play word games with you?"
Kang Yeong-pyo chuckled lazily.
"Do you actually intend to work or not? If not, just back out now!"
Finally snapping, Hee-joo raised her voice. Kang Yeong-pyo scoffed.
"Do you really think things would just get resolved if I stepped away now?"
"There’s no shortage of people out there willing to kill someone if the money’s right."
"Sure, that’s true. But what if the target happens to be an S-rank Hero? You think they'd still risk it for a few bucks?"
"What are you even talking about?"
"Director Hong, the man you want dead—Seo Dojun—he’s an S-rank Hero. South Korea’s eighth."
"That lowlife? An S-rank Hero? Are you trying to con me? What kind of sick joke is this?"
"Tsk Tsk. You're not getting it. You think I'm messing around? If you don't believe me, turn on the evening news. You'll see who’s being crowned South Korea's eighth S-rank Hero—it’ll be loud enough to wake the whole country."
Despite his smirks, even Kang Yeong-pyo's face wasn’t exactly cheerful as he said that.
After returning from the UK, he’d poured time and money into investigating Dojun. He’d initially brushed him off as insignificant, but Hyun Jooyeon’s words had stuck with him—so he decided to dig deeper, just to be safe.
The results were… shocking.
S-rank Hero.
That was the moment he finally understood what Hyun Jooyeon meant when she’d said—’There’s no reason for me to get involved.’
How powerful Dojun actually was didn’t even matter.
What mattered was that he had officially become South Korea’s eighth S-rank Hero.
Even Na Taehwang, the head of the Hero Association, was keeping a close eye on him. There was no way Yeong-pyo could make any reckless moves under that kind of scrutiny.
So when Hyun Jooyeon said she didn’t need to get involved, what she really meant was—
Kang Yeong-pyo couldn’t afford to touch him.
"Th-That’s… impossible…"
Hong Hee-joo’s voice cracked. The moment she heard Dojun was S-rank, her mind started to short-circuit.
‘Of course she’s losing it. With all the crap she pulled, she knows she’s a dead woman walking.’
Yeong-pyo had already looked into everything Hee-joo had done to Dojun.
If it were him in Dojun’s shoes? He would’ve bashed her skull in the first chance he got.
She’d been relentless. Ruthless. She'd tormented him like a predator toying with prey.
‘He’s probably just waiting for the right opportunity. Someone like him wouldn’t make a move carelessly. He’s not the type to act without a plan.’
Even after becoming an S-rank Hero, Dojun hadn’t made a single move toward Hee-joo.
Which meant only one thing—he was biding his time for revenge. Preparing for it meticulously.
And Yeong-pyo was sure of one thing: going up against him wouldn’t be easy.
"No… no way… if he’s really S-rank, I’m screwed… What do I even do?!"
The viciousness had drained out of Hong Hee-joo. Now she was desperate.
Understandably so. No matter how powerful her family background was, it wasn’t enough to go toe-to-toe with an S-rank Hero.
"That’s why I told you to trust me and wait."
"But if I do that—can you really kill Dojun?"
"Being an S-rank Hero doesn’t make someone invincible. However..."
Yeong-pyo paused. His eyes narrowed to slits, and he licked his lips like a snake sizing up prey.
"It’s just going to cost a whole lot more than you originally planned."
He had already been promised 30 billion won up front, with another 30 billion on completion. But now, even that didn’t satisfy his greed.
And yet, Hee-joo nodded without hesitation. She was past the point of logic.
"Fine. I’ll pay. Whatever it takes."
Her personal assets alone were worth hundreds of billions. If you added the stakes in the two corporate groups she stood to inherit, hundreds of billions more meant nothing.
Because if this went wrong, it wouldn’t just be her life on the line—her precious children, her legacy, everything could go up in flames.
She was willing to spend anything to stop that.
"The money’s nice, sure. But what I really want…"
Yeong-pyo leaned in, his tone silky, snakelike.
"Is to become your most loyal business partner."
"Fine. I don’t care what you want—just kill Dojun."
Maybe she even felt this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe, by gaining Kang Yeong-pyo as an ally, she’d finally be able to fly higher than ever before.
Knock, Knock.
A knock on the door broke the tension. The office door creaked open.
"Guildmaster, there’s something you need to hear."
One of Yeong-pyo’s most trusted men came to whisper in his ear. After listening, Yeong-pyo’s face lit up like the dawn.
Looking back at Hee-joo with a sly grin, he said—
"It looks like the heavens are smiling on you, Director Hong."
"What do you mean?"
"We’ve just been handed… the perfect opportunity to kill Seo Dojun."
＊ ＊ ＊
Heart-fluttering.
Hyun Jooyeon had never believed in such a thing.
Even if it did exist, she was certain it wouldn’t happen to her.
And yet—
“You’re going too?”
“Let’s go together.”
When Dojun tossed out those words so casually, so coolly—Jooyeon felt it.
Like her heart had dropped.
Like her entire body was heating up.
To anyone else, those words might’ve seemed dull and meaningless.
But that night, Jooyeon couldn’t sleep.
All she could think was—Why?
Back in her ordinary middle school days, the world had cracked open with a Rift.
She Awakened, and from that point on, her life became one of a Hero.
Not once had she dated.
To put it bluntly: She was a lifelong single.
Sure, she had millions of male fans across the globe—but she’d never even gone on a cute, clumsy date.
And now…
She couldn’t get one man out of her head.
“I’m three years older than him…”
Her age felt like a weakness.
Lost in thoughts of Dojun all day, Jooyeon moved like she was in a trance.
By the next morning, she was still spaced out, prompting Jeong Injoo to scold her.
“Jooyeon! What’s with you lately? We have to pick our Rift in advance or the Brazil side’s gonna throw us in wherever. Get your head on straight!”
“Sorry…”
Jooyeon shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it—but it barely lasted five minutes.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
[Dojun: Secure the Rift near Santarém.]
As soon as she saw Dojun’s message, Jooyeon quickly pulled up the list of Rifts the Brazilian Hero Association had marked for closure.
There were three in the Santarém region.
All were Rank 3—hard to shut down and not exactly popular picks.
“Unni, what about the Rifts near Santarém?”
At her question, Injoo checked the data—and grimaced.
“Ugh, those are the worst. Total hot potatoes. Even the Brazilian Association sees them as a headache. Wait... don’t tell me…”
“That means it won’t be hard to claim first, right?”
Injoo practically leapt out of her seat.
“Are you insane?!”
But Jooyeon had already made up her mind.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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