Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Delaying for even a day could mean more people would suffer.

Perhaps Bar had been attacked and their subordinates lost, which could push them to hastily withdraw.

For this reason, Kang Jin-hyuk felt it was necessary to raid Tyrant’s branch that was responsible for creating Alraune’s incarnation today.

Fortunately, his opinion aligned with Titan’s.

Before long, a car arrived at his front door to pick him up.

Having received prior notice, Kang Jin-hyuk packed his inventory and got into the car with Lucia.

The driver, a hunter from Titan, looked at Lucia with suspicion.

“Who is this person?”

His gaze was directed at Lucia, who was covering her face with a mask to avoid drawing attention, making her appear rather suspicious.

Since the incident involving Alraune’s incarnation and the Tyrant guild was sensitive, it was only natural to assume an outsider might raise suspicion.

In order to alleviate the driver’s doubts, Kang Jin-hyuk spoke in a calm voice.

“This is a friend who’s also helping me investigate this case. There’s no need to worry.”

“In that case, could we at least see her face?”

“She’s covering it up because she has a scar. I can’t exactly show it…”

As Kang Jin-hyuk and Lucia exchanged melancholy glances, the driver clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

“I believe she won’t betray us since she’s the one who reported the incident.”

The driver’s comment was precisely what Kang Jin-hyuk wanted to say to Titan.

However, he didn’t want to engage in a verbal sparring match at this early stage, so he swallowed his words.

Once their conversation ended, the driver quickly drove them out of the city.

Lucia seemed fascinated by the car, her eyes sparkling as she tugged at Kang Jin-hyuk’s sleeve.

When he turned his head, she whispered in a small voice.

“This silent carriage is really fast. Does it move through skills too?”

“No, it runs on gasoline.”

“Gasoline? Like the fat from pigs?”

Kang Jin-hyuk shook his head, unsure of how to explain.

Worried that explaining petroleum might spiral into discussions about dinosaurs and fossils, he hesitated, worried that he might end up recounting the birth of the Earth.

Thinking about that, Kang Jin-hyuk felt it was better to just brush it off.

“There’s a different kind of oil. I don’t know the details myself.”

“Tsk, tsk. I can’t believe you don’t know about this amazing carriage. You should study more.”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt a pang upon hearing Lucia’s comment.

Of course, the fact that he ignored studies since high school was true.

It was also true that his failure to attend a decent university stemmed from that.

However, it all made him feel defensive.

Having no way to express these feelings to Lucia who struggled with language barriers, he decided to distract himself by digging for more information from the driver.

“By the way, you surprisingly believed what I said.”

“Are you referring to the human trafficking case?”

“Yes. Most people would just consider it a rumor, but you came to support me.”

“I’m simply following the guild master’s orders.”

Honestly, from the driver’s perspective, he didn’t want to get involved with Kang Jin-hyuk.

He couldn’t easily overlook the honor of the guild being tarnished and an A-rank hunter getting hospitalized.

Knowing full well that Titan instigated the upheaval, he decided not to confront him about it.

“It seems there’s more to it than just that.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk pressed, the driver’s eyebrows twitched.

“Why do you think that?”

“I heard that those participating in this support volunteered to come.”

If the driver truly thought that Kang Jin-hyuk was a troublesome nuisance, he wouldn’t have stepped forward to support.

Confident there was a different reason for him being here, Kang Jin-hyuk pushed a bit more.

The driver shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

“Honestly… I’ve thought Tyrant might participate in human trafficking for a while.”

That was no small claim, as anyone would be cautious considering Tyrant’s history of skating on the thin edge of legality.

Rumors floated around that the serial killer specifically targeted hunters from large guilds, potentially someone from Tyrant.

“I’ve always had a grudge against them for their despicable conduct, and I wanted to give them a proper thrashing.”

“You mean you’d like to beat them up legally, I suppose?”

“Exactly.”

Since they often relied on size and strength as a guild, it was only natural that they would be seen unfavorably by other factions.

From Titan’s perspective, an early intervention to trim down the problematic guild would be ideal.

“A large-scale reveal of human trafficking could mean they wouldn’t have much to retort about even if they were beaten,” the driver remarked, seemingly amused at the thought.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk had a different perspective.

What would such reckless individuals resort to if cornered without a thought?

‘They’d likely choose an all-out war.’

Kang Jin-hyuk was still wary of that possibility.

“What would you do if Tyrant sought revenge?”

“I’d have to fight, wouldn’t I?”

“Are you confident you could win?”

“To be honest, with our current numbers, it would be a bit tough. But we do have some trump cards up our sleeves.”

Kang Jin-hyuk grew curious at the driver’s confident tone.

“What are those cards?”

“It’s said one of our executives is in contact with an S-rank hunter.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“I can’t reveal that. Just this tidbit is already quite generous information.”

Even if they were allies moving towards a common goal, Kang Jin-hyuk was still an outsider.

There was no reason for the driver to share Titan’s secrets, especially when it involved a hunter who could defect to another guild.

“That would be a potential extra ally,” Kang Jin-hyuk thought, feeling intrigued.

The prospect of acquiring an S-rank hunter broadened the horizon of possibilities.

Should the news break, it would be earth-shattering even to reporters with their eyes peeled for sensational stories.

Perhaps this could lead to a dramatic power struggle between Altron, Tyrant, and Titan.

‘However, Seo Sang-ho hasn’t shared any intel about Alraune with the guild members.”

Given that the driver just mentioned the critical connection to Alraune, Kang Jin-hyuk felt certain Seo Sang-ho had kept his guild members in the dark.

‘Why would they hide this from even their own members?’

He had only learned about the confidentiality breach through Soo Sang-ho.

However, that did not justify withholding such vital information from his guild.

Their destination was indeed the very site they planned to raid.

As these thoughts churned in his mind, the car arrived at the meeting point.

Once he got out, he noticed the surrounding area was a dirt path lined with trees—no asphalt in sight.

It appeared they had chosen a secluded forest to avoid detection.

Before stepping out of the car, the driver turned to give him a piece of advice.

“There are many who aren’t friendly towards you. It would be wise to keep your head down.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was no need to point that out to Kang Jin-hyuk; he was well aware that Titan would not be welcoming him with open arms.

Not that he cared about their feelings anyway.

Having been closer to Seo Sang-ho, he wouldn’t have moved alongside Titans otherwise.

“…..”

As he opened the car door, it was as the driver had said—many hostile gazes swept over him, examining his every angle.

Some openly scowled, while others glared at him like he was their mortal enemy.

It was an atmosphere that made it clear he wasn’t welcome.

Lucia followed closely behind, noticing the charged atmosphere before scoffing.

“What kind of trouble are you stirring up for them to act like this?”

“I haven’t done anything. They were the ones who struck first.”

Among Titan’s elite hunters, one seemed notably more incensed than the rest.

With an expression as if he was on the verge of whipping out a weapon, it was Bak Jin-woong, who wielded a two-meter axe and had close ties to A-rank hunter Ahn Do-yoon.

“Do you mean to say we’re the only ones at fault here?”

Bak Jin-woong approached, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

The remark clearly implied that Kang Jin-hyuk should have made amends for whatever trouble he caused.

Unfazed by the blatant threat, Kang Jin-hyuk replied nonchalantly.

“Usually, it’s the party that causes trouble that’s at fault.”

“What did you say?!”

Disdain filled Bak Jin-woong’s tone with anger at the C-rank hunter daring to stand up to him.

He thought it was high time to assert his dominance.

Before he could launch an attack, another figure quickly stepped in front of him.

With a neutral attitude and a hand raised to block Bak Jin-woong’s aggression, the person known to Kang Jin-hyuk was Han Young-seok, Titan’s executive.

“We can’t afford to bicker amongst ourselves when we’re meant to cooperate.”

“Hey…! Are you saying we’re working together with this scum?”

“Your foul mood will not help the situation.”

As the usual fierceness drained from Bak Jin-woong, he reluctantly took a step back.

Even an A-rank hunter would think twice before acting rashly in front of Han Young-seok.

With a ceremonial smile, Young-seok extended his hand for a handshake with Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I am Han Young-seok, in charge of this operation. We met during the last aerial raid, but you may not remember.”

“I recall. You’ve changed quite a bit since then.”

“Haha. That time, I was focused purely on the interests of the guild, and I must have overstepped my boundaries.”

Young-seok was the same individual who had treated Kang Jin-hyuk with contempt at that time, dispensing insults without restraint.

Now, encountering someone he had previously scorned in such a disarming manner caused an odd dissonance within Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior, and fortuitously, I find this opportunity to do so,” Young-seok said, lowering his head.

How sincere that apology contained was unknown.

It might have merely been a ruse to conceal ulterior motives.

Yet, if he refused to accept this uncomfortable apology, it would cast a shadow over their collaboration throughout the operation.

Kang Jin-hyuk could only respond, “There’s no need for an apology. Had I been in Young-seok’s shoes, I would have acted similarly.”

“Thank you for understanding,” he replied with a handshake, both feeling a little awkward.

“By the way, may I ask how you disposed of the new type of monster?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just personal curiosity. You don’t have to share if it’s a bother.”

Exhaling softly, Young-seok feigned an apologetic smile.

‘If that’s the angle he plans to approach, I can’t let my curiosity slip out as well…’

“I actually used it for weapon enhancement—strengthening this bat.”

When Kang Jin-hyuk revealed the baseball bat he had taken from his inventory, Young-seok turned visibly pale.

“Y-You used that precious material for that?!”

Young-seok’s voice raised a near high-pitched pitch as he struggled to comprehend the crisis.

Unhinged, Young-seok began to shout and gesture without restraint, lost in thought.

What Kang Jin-hyuk had done seemed utterly counterproductive to everything Titan aimed to achieve.