Chapter 54

Chapter 54
## Chapter 54: Taebaek’s Ultimatum

In the end, Yoon Sung-hyun actually traveled all the way to England. It was undoubtedly an exhausting, long-distance trek, yet he had journeyed this far with the sole intent of recruiting me.

Had the higher-ups back at the headquarters given him a brutal ultimatum? Regardless of the reason, since a high-ranking Partner Hunter from Taebaek LLC had arrived in person, I couldn’t exactly host him at a humble street-side snack stall.

With assistance from the UK Hunter Association, I had arranged a suitable setting. Now, all that remained was to await the arrival of Yoon Sung-hyun.

“Are you here to negotiate or declare a state of war?”

Yoon Sung-hyun stepped into the room, flanked by half a dozen massive bodyguards. I couldn’t help but remark on the display as I sat at the table, taking in the scene.

Was this man here for a discussion or an act of coercion? I wondered if he had picked up his bargaining skills in some alternate dimension.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries. Once the transfer window is active, you will fulfill the agreement.”

Without another word, Yoon Sung-hyun pushed a stack of files toward me. They detailed the specific stipulations for my enlistment as a hunter under Taebaek LLC.

“A Partner Hunter position? I was under the impression the initial offer was for a Junior Hunter role reporting to Partner Hunter Yoon Sung-hyun.”

He countered my observation immediately.

“The leadership at Taebaek aren’t fools. We reached the conclusion long ago that your abilities have far outpaced that rank. The document in your hands represents the absolute peak of what Taebaek is willing to provide.”

The proposed terms were undeniably lavish. As a Partner Hunter, the profit-sharing ratios on company contracts were skewed heavily in my favor, and the role included command over a minimum of seventy-five active hunters.

Furthermore, it was packed with various luxuries and incentives that served as a testament to the sheer mountain of capital Taebaek generated.

“You had no intention of actually bargaining, did you?”

Presenting an offer this lopsidedly beneficial right out of the gate signaled that they had reached their limit and wouldn’t budge a single millimeter.

“That is correct.”

I placed the files back on the table and remarked,

“From what I’ve gathered, Taebaek operates quite differently from typical hunter firms.”

Most other agencies lacked a centralized CEO. They functioned more like loose federations of Partner Hunters who collaborated and split the earnings. There was no true singular proprietor.

Taebaek, however, possessed a CEO—a man who held actual ownership over the entire entity. That was the fundamental distinction, proving that Taebaek played in an entirely different league.

“Indeed. CEO Sung Si-hun is the owner of Taebaek.”

Sung Si-hun was the hunter renowned for his mastery of telekinesis. He backed up his status as Taebaek’s proprietor by being a titan with authorization for multiple Class 1 Erosion Core operations.

However…

“Word is he hasn’t been on the front lines in quite some time.”

Since Taebaek had firmly established its dominance, he hadn’t participated in any hunts. There were no Erosion Core expeditions, nor any active service for corporations or the state.

He simply remained in the background as the figurehead owner. To put it bluntly, he was nothing more than a symbolic idol used to maintain the company’s prestige.

“The movements of a powerful man carry immense significance.”

I let out a short laugh at his defense.

“Can an idle hunter even be considered a hunter anymore?”

A novelist who stops writing. A muralist who stops painting. A politician who never attends a session. A cook who never sets foot in a kitchen.

There is a precise term that describes all of them.

“CEO Sung Si-hun is nothing more than a wealthy vagrant.”

“Mind your tongue. If you keep speaking so recklessly, you’ll find yourself disappearing without a trace.”

I could hear the audible pop of knuckles as Yoon Sung-hyun tightened his grip into a fist. Naturally, the six subordinates standing behind him wore murderous expressions.

It seemed that the wealthy vagrant Sung Si-hun commanded intense devotion from his staff.

“What’s wrong with being a wealthy vagrant? There isn’t a better lifestyle on the planet.”

In fact, that is my own personal finish line. He should take it as praise.

Of course, Sung Si-hun was the specific type of wealthy vagrant who remained idle while common people were forced to survive on dehydrated scraps and were slaughtered like playthings by beasts—despite possessing the strength to prevent it.

I slid the paperwork back across the surface toward Yoon Sung-hyun.

“I decline.”

He stood up abruptly at my rejection.

“That isn’t an option on the table.”

The tension in the room spiked. Chuckling in sheer disbelief, I asked,

“This isn’t a game. What do you mean ‘no option’?”

I met the gaze of Yoon Sung-hyun, who looked ready to strike me at any moment. Standing up from my chair, I stood eye-to-eye with him.

“The administration in Seoul wants Korea to remain the global hegemon, and Taebaek intends to stay the premier hunter firm.”

Wiping out the Erosion Zones wasn’t their true objective. That was a secondary concern at best. Perhaps not even that.

The Korean state and Taebaek simply desired to maintain their number one status—yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I didn’t necessarily think that was a villainous ambition.

It’s only human to want to sit at the top of your profession.

“The problem is that my objectives do not coincide with Taebaek’s.”

It was as simple as that. We were traveling on divergent paths. There was no logic in forcing someone headed for Gangwon into a vehicle full of people driving to Gyeongsang.

We would only end up grating on each other’s nerves, so it was better to part ways now.

But if they had shared that logic, they wouldn’t have brought this suffocating atmosphere or six hired thugs.

“It appears conversation won’t resolve this.”

“Regrettably, it won’t.”

As the tone shifted, even my polite manner of speaking evaporated. Yoon Sung-hyun gave me a look of pure incredulity.

“Has your sudden celebrity gone to your head?”

“It definitely has. You already knew that—why act surprised?”

Is Santa going to deliver a haymaker on Christmas just because I won’t deny it?

Following my comment, he launched a fist at me. The strike sliced through the air, its path warping within my palm before it impacted nothing but empty space. The table flipped over with a thunderous crash, sending documents scattering like leaves.

The talks had collapsed. Not that they ever truly had a chance.

“Once I’ve broken enough of your bones, you’ll find yourself much more agreeable.”

“I must say, Taebaek’s method of negotiation is truly world-class.”

Since words had failed, violence was the only language left. It wasn’t as if I had come into this blindly—I unsheathed the compact spear from my belt.

In a confined space like this, being able to modulate the length of the spear was vital for fighting with precision.

“I’ll refrain from killing you, considering we’re practically on the same team.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

I brushed off his arrogant warning and evaded his strike. Ducking under a heavy hook aimed at my chin, I watched the ceiling above me fracture from the sheer pressure of the impact.

That wasn’t just a punch; it had the force of a demolition ball.

“Are you trying to restrain me or just shatter the skull on my shoulders?”

He didn’t bother to answer. Yoon Sung-hyun and his six goons shifted their positions to hem me in.

“Did you guys spend weeks practicing this?”

Their teamwork was flawless. Yoon Sung-hyun engaged me directly while the other six harried my perimeter. Their combined mana began to weigh down on me like leaden blankets.

It was a structured formation technique.

“Impressive, you guys really have a trick for everything.”

Of course, this wasn’t some legendary array perfected over centuries by masters. Real technique requires time and immense talent.

Nevertheless, it was effective. Successive waves of mana began to drag at my movements, slowing me down.

“This is your final warning. It’s still not too late.”

Yoon Sung-hyun smirked with confidence, offering the deal one last time.

“…”

To dismantle a formation, one shouldn’t focus on the individuals comprising it. You have to dissect the flow of mana that is encircling and crushing you.

Amidst that pressure, Yoon Sung-hyun was the only one I needed to track. He was the only one moving without hindrance; the six guards were forced to remain static to sustain the flow.

“?!”

Because I was focused solely on Yoon Sung-hyun, I couldn’t evade in time and had to block his fist with my arm. Sharp pain radiated through my limb as I was forced back, glaring at him.

He had been aiming for my temple. If that had landed squarely, it would have been fatal.

“You piece of trash. How was I supposed to survive that if I ‘accepted’ your offer?”

He had genuinely tried to murder me. That realization broke my focus. Yoon Sung-hyun stared back, his expression cold and uncompromising.

“If you refuse to join Taebaek, I will simply destroy you right here.”

That was the intent behind the blow. Grimacing, I allowed my own mana to erupt. The stifling flow maintained by the guards shattered instantly, and the weight lifted.

“Are you feeling the pressure yet?”

Dark flickers of Paradox Flame began to coat my spear. He had tried to take my life—there was no way I was going to play the “we’re future coworkers” game like a fool.

“From this point on, even a scratch will be a fatal wound.”

Show me what you’ve really got. Seeing that their containment had failed, one of the guards lunged forward, blade swinging. I parried the edge with the tip of my spear and drove my hand, wreathed in Paradox Flame, directly into his chest.

“…?!”

The black fire ignited instantly, consuming his muscular tissue. His eyelids fell shut as the strength left them; his diaphragm failed, and his breathing ceased.

With every vital muscle incinerated, he collapsed, his heart unable to sustain a beat. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Once there was no more muscle to feed on, the fire extinguished itself. I flicked the spear clean and locked eyes with Yoon Sung-hyun.

“I’m going to send you to the same place as your subordinate.”

“You actually think you’ll survive after murdering a hunter from Taebaek?!”

He screamed at me in a fit of rage. I reached up to scratch my ear and retorted,

“Did you think you’d survive after trying to kill me?”

It would have been fine to trade blows if it was just posturing without lethal intent. If he hadn’t tried to kill me, I wouldn’t have gone for the throat.

But you decided to cross that line.

“The thousands of hunters under Taebaek will hunt you to the ends of the earth. We do not let anyone touch our own and live!”

So, am I supposed to beg? I drove the butt of my spear into the floorboards.

“I understand exactly how your organization functions.”

It’s not like I haven’t dealt with the Taebaek-types of the world before. Looking at him with a dark intensity, I said,

“I’ll just inform Taebaek that I killed you because the negotiations failed, you were incompetent, and you were a poor fit for the company. Yoon Sung-hyun simply wasn’t Taebaek material.”

He’d likely be discarded even if I let him live and go back. I might as well finish the job myself.

Yoon Sung-hyun went silent at my declaration.

“Groups like Taebaek view the weak being devoured by the strong as the natural order of things.”

That is the core tenet of survival-of-the-fittest cults. The weak get consumed—it’s basic math. I didn’t necessarily subscribe to it, but it didn’t matter.

“You believe they’ll grant an outsider a pass for slaying one of their own?!”

“Of course not. Once Taebaek realizes you died at my hand, they have two paths.”

They can lose their composure like a panicked horse and charge in to eliminate me.

Or, they can craft a sophisticated justification to target me.

Taebaek will choose the latter. Declaring war over a rookie who has been active for less than a year, regardless of his fame? It’s a bad look for the brand.

They will invent some other pretext to trap and execute me.

That takes time.

“Yoon Sung-hyun, Taebaek cannot touch me.”

I have a brain, I have foresight, and I have a strategy. By the time they are finally ready to move, I will be ready for them.