Chapter 116

Chapter 116
## Chapter 116

### Chapter Title: Duel Proposal to Taebaek’s CEO

—

I stepped inside the elevator and ascended until I reached the 42nd floor.

“Forty-two. The ultimate answer to everything.”

*Ding.* The metallic, silver-white panels parted ways.

“Well now.”

It appeared he had some sort of trump card held in reserve. Looking past the sequence of seven security barriers, I walked forward, a thin smirk playing on my lips.

An expansive hallway stretched out from the elevator’s threshold. At the far end stood a monumental set of doors.

Fixed above the entrance was a dark wood sign featuring sophisticated gold lettering: ‘Taebaek CEO Sung Si-hoon’. I pushed the door open.

“Ha, that scent.”

A heavy, aromatic cloud rushed to meet me. The air was thick with the deep, layered fragrances of musk, dragon’s saliva incense, white sandalwood, and agarwood.

“Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. This is our first time speaking face-to-face, isn’t it?”

A man with sharp features, dressed in a dark purple dress shirt and a black tie, stood waiting. He scrutinized me, lazily swirling the liquid in his wine glass.

“It is. And it’s also my first time being greeted by a setup quite like this.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the door behind me slammed shut with a heavy thud. The distinct metallic clicks of the locking mechanisms followed immediately.

“There’s no mana.”

Sung Si-hoon offered a small smile and a nod, acknowledging my observation.

“Correct. The atmosphere in this room is completely devoid of mana.”

With a slow, measured pace, Sung Si-hoon began to close the distance between us.

“You have a habit of drawing in ambient mana to use it instantaneously, don’t you? That’s the secret behind your seemingly bottomless reserves.”

“Eh, you’ve got the general idea.”

Sung Si-hoon pressed on, his expression resembling a predator that had finally cornered its prize.

“However, to maintain that edge, you don’t keep mana stored within your own body. That implies that in this specific environment, you are nothing more than my prey.”

I wasn’t sure how to react. Watching Sung Si-hoon radiate such absolute certainty of his triumph almost made me feel a pang of pity for him.

Had I ever faced a battle in that other realm where the very air lacked mana?

If a trick like that could have halted my progress, would I have ever managed to stop that world from meeting its demise?

Of course, Sung Si-hoon was ignorant of those facts, so his belief in his tactical advantage was logical from his perspective.

“CEO Sung Si-hoon. Do you know what makes fire so interesting?”

He stopped walking when I spoke. I sparked a tiny ember of Paradox Flame on the tip of my finger and let out a smile.

“Regardless of how small the initial spark is, if you provide it with the right sustenance, it expands in the blink of an eye.”

The Paradox Flame perched on my fingertip began to swell, using the heavy perfumes permeating the room as its fuel source.

“The dark flame I command possesses a rather peculiar mana signature, you see.”

Typical fire consumes physical fuel. Paradox Flame also requires fuel. The primary distinction? The variety of things it can consume.

And there is one other vital difference.

While standard combustion emits heat from its fuel, Paradox Flame emits mana.

“No mana in the air? I’ll just generate my own.”

As it tore through the scents in the office, the Paradox Flame began venting mana back into the room’s atmosphere.

“…”

Sung Si-hoon’s expression turned rigid as he witnessed the display.

“So, remind me—who was supposed to be the prey?”

I took a purposeful step toward Sung Si-hoon.

“There’s an abundance of things here for me to incinerate. Color, thoughts, sound, heat, physical form…”

I can simply harness the mana flooding out as the Paradox Flame consumes those very concepts.

The absence of ambient mana changed nothing for me.

To truly defeat me using this logic, he would require a total vacuum—a state of absolute nothingness. An impossibility.

“I didn’t come here for a brawl. I came to have a conversation.”

I condensed the room-spanning Paradox Flame back down to my fingertip and sank into the sofa.

“So let’s talk. You can stop with the useless parlor tricks that don’t work on me.”

I surveyed the room, noticed the glassware, stood up, and served myself.

“You don’t mind if I have a drink, do you?”

Sung Si-hoon gave a silent nod. I poured a glass of red wine, foraged through the refrigerator for some jamón, carved a few slices onto a plate, and returned to my seat.

“I didn’t think we had any business to discuss.”

Sung Si-hoon adjusted his tie with an air of discomfort before leaning against the edge of his massive desk, watching me. He tried to look composed, but he was clearly on edge.

“Why wouldn’t we? Surely you remember Yoon Sung-hyun? Or perhaps the tournament held to ascend Hope’s List.”

I ate a piece of the jamón.

“Are you here because you have a grievance to settle?”

I shook my head.

“Not at all. Between major players like us? Friction is bound to happen.”

I don’t usually hold onto such things. I tend to move on, though people like him usually let it fester.

“My apologies, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. Taebaek has no intention of collaborating with you. It’s time for you to leave.”

Sung Si-hoon spoke with a cold finality, putting his glass down. I simply grinned in response.

“That’s fine. I’ll head out and go straight to the press. I’ll tell them I want to settle things with you in a duel.”

Sung Si-hoon’s movements suddenly locked up.

“Pardon?”

“You heard me clearly. Don’t act like you didn’t.”

I tapped my chest with my thumb and then pointed my finger directly at him.

“Journalists, news outlets, streamers—I’ll broadcast the challenge everywhere. If you have the nerve, let’s fight.”

I finished the wine in one go, set the glass down, and gave it a flick. It tipped over and began spinning across the surface of the table.

“Do you really think you’re in a position to refuse?”

He was a man who believed entirely in the doctrine of power, someone who couldn’t stomach being challenged. That was the brand Taebaek had cultivated. It was an image built with great effort, and it was the source of their current influence.

“If the CEO of Taebaek, Sung Si-hoon, runs away from my challenge, what do you think happens to that carefully crafted image?”

The spinning glass slid off the edge of the table and shattered against the floor.

“Do you honestly believe you can defeat me?”

“Why not? My clash with Choi Yeoreum was effectively my victory.”

He wouldn’t be able to deny that point outright. Mere words can’t change the reality of what happened—otherwise, there would be no point in having official hearings.

Sung Si-hoon kept his mouth shut. I felt a surge of inner amusement.

The concept of ‘might-makes-right’ doesn’t truly suit human beings. It isn’t in our core nature. It was only fitting for those lizard-creatures in the vast marshlands of that other world.

The idea that Taebaek is founded on the survival of the fittest? It’s a joke. No—Sung Si-hoon simply wants to stay on the throne indefinitely, he just wants to give it a fancy name.

He is considered one of the premier hunters on Earth.

When a stronger force appears? Do you think he’ll step aside and say “According to the rules…”? No. His current hesitation told me everything I needed to know.

“There are two paths here, CEO Sung Si-hoon. First: You continue to refuse cooperation, and we have a very public fight.”

“And the second?”

He jumped to the question immediately. It was almost endearing.

“A private duel, just between the two of us. If I win, Taebaek provides full support for my Samhyeoldong raid.”

“And if you are the one who loses?”

I held up both of my hands, mimicking the act of being leashed.

“Then you put a collar on me. I’ll sign with Taebaek and be your loyal hound.”

Sung Si-hoon countered instantly.

“What reason do I have to believe you’d honor that?”

“If you beat me, you can collar me without even needing to ask.”

That’s your philosophy, isn’t it? To crush and subjugate. So why the worry?

Truthfully, I didn’t see a world where I lost. It would be quite embarrassing to be taken down by an executive who spent his time sipping wine.

“The first path isn’t a real option for you anyway. The second path actually offers you a win-win.”

Even though he was going to fail.

I stood by the exit and rapped my knuckles against the door.

“Open it up. I want to go home, wash my feet, and get into bed.”

The locks disengaged, and the door swung wide.

“I’ll be waiting until tomorrow. Give me a call soon~”

I spoke to Sung Si-hoon in a playful, almost nauseatingly sweet tone while twisting my body as I left.

It wasn’t his style, but it was certainly mine. As I exited the building, a crowd was already gathered at the entrance—I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, what brings you to the Taebaek headquarters so suddenly?”

The journalists were having a field day. Their eyes were bright, clearly itching to spin a dramatic story.

After the recent commotion, being a media magnet was simply unavoidable.

“There has been a lot of negative speculation regarding the relationship between Taebaek and Yoo Chan-seok. How should we interpret this visit?”

They were going to twist the narrative however they wanted regardless of what I said. Even so, I kept a smile on my face.

“I can’t disclose the details yet. But personally, I’m hopeful that this will help mend our ties with Taebaek.”

“Were there any specific outcomes from the meeting?”

“We were just establishing our respective positions. It was a fair assessment for the time being.”

Neither good nor bad. It all depended on the phone call I expected to receive from CEO Sung Si-hoon tomorrow.

“Did you meet with Sung Si-hoon himself?”

“Yes.”

“Does this have anything to do with your previous claims about the Grade 1 Erosion Core?”

“That isn’t a question I can answer right now.”

I provided answers where I could and sidestepped the rest. I pushed my way through the crowd and got into the car.

While heading toward the Association Headquarters, I placed a call to the President.

— Hunter Yoo Chan-seok.

“I’m assuming my item is ready for pickup.”

He responded without delay.

— Yes, it’s prepared. However, it isn’t liquid cash. We’ll need a proper ceremony, wouldn’t you agree?

“When is this ceremony scheduled?”

If you try to stall, you’ll regret it. I only held onto Choi Yeoreum’s rank for this specific reason. If there are any tricks, I won’t show mercy.

— The arrangements are almost complete. Would two days from now at 3 PM work for you?

Perfect timing. Sung Si-hoon has until tomorrow. If I don’t hear from him? I’ll drop a bombshell at the ceremony.

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

I ended the call, checked my missed notifications, and scratched my head.

“Do these people never get tired?”

There were stacks of requests for interviews and show appearances. Anything non-essential? I’d pass.

Later, as the Samhyeoldong strategy solidifies, I’ll hit those media outlets to rally as many hunters as possible.

No time for early burnout. Back at the Association, I waited in silence for Sung Si-hoon’s call to come through by the next day.