Chapter 136

Now the real battle began.

Ahjin Soft’s legal team, led by Yoo Jinho, faced off against the Scavenger Guild’s legal team, led by Laura. Bringing all their hard-earned expertise to bear, they exchanged countless documents and engaged in fierce debate for hours. The unrelenting tension, with neither side yielding an inch, called to mind a war between hunters and magic beasts.

At last, the outcome was decided.

“Suho. We’ve agreed to split the profits exactly fifty-fifty. Half the net profits each.”

Yoo Jinho appeared before Suho, looking as triumphant as a general returning victorious from war.

“In exchange for us putting up the entire cost of purchasing exclusive rights to the Glacier Dungeon, the Scavenger Guild will handle everything related to the Spring Water of Echo Forest from then on—procurement, management, distribution, sales, and so forth.”

In fact, Suho had requested that arrangement from Jinho in advance. He didn’t have any employees he could entrust with those tasks anyway. More importantly, he was busy enough leveling up without dividing his attention between that and running a business.

Suho nodded and asked, “That sounds good. So what do I need to take care of?”

“You? You just sit back and watch the money roll in.”

Jinho answered his question with a wink.

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. We’ll assign our employees to oversee their operations and make sure they don’t fiddle with the distribution figures or the accounts.”

Even this represented a considerable concession on their part. In short, Suho effectively held exclusive rights to the Spring Water of Echo Forest. The Scavenger Guild, meanwhile, was entirely at his mercy: without him, they couldn’t obtain a single drop.

Of course, for this to work, Suho first had to purchase exclusive rights to the dungeon from Pasad Island, where the Glacier Dungeon was located. He would also be obligated to manage it thoroughly and ensure the safety of Pasad’s citizens. But the Scavenger Guild had agreed to manage the dungeon for him as well, leaving him with quite literally nothing to do.

On top of that, Yoo Jinho had agreed to pay for the exclusive dungeon rights on his behalf. In other words, Ahjin Soft was investing a vast sum in an individual named Sung Suho. And to supervise how that investment was used, Ahjin Soft now had the legitimate authority to monitor every aspect of Scavenger’s operations.

As Suho listened to Jinho’s explanation, he happened to notice Laura sighing wearily in the distance.

'... He really is ruthless.'

This negotiation had given Laura firsthand experience of CEO Yoo Jinho’s infamous reputation in the industry. The process had been long and arduous, but everything had ultimately come down to the fifty percent Jinho had wanted from the start. Along the way, Scavenger had been forced to give him everything he asked for.

'He’s taken us for everything we’ve got. So this is what it’s like to have no bargaining power.'

The Scavenger Guild might be the largest hunter guild in America, but its name only carried weight among fellow hunters. Yoo Jinho’s Ahjin Soft wasn’t a hunter guild at all, but an entirely different kind of business. He had no reason to fear repercussions or feel intimidated by them over this deal. In fact, he was even a major shareholder in the Scavenger Guild. With the balance of power decided before this all-out battle even began, they had been doomed to a one-sided drubbing.

'The problem is... these terms aren’t bad for us at all. No, they’re actually too good.'

Laura’s wavering gaze settled on Jinho, who was smiling brightly beside Suho and Cha Haein.

There was a reason Scavenger had been forced to accept all those one-sided terms: the most tempting offer Jinho had made.

'We get to put Scavenger’s name alone on the Spring Water of Echo Forest as its distributor. That will at least double our brand value among hunters.'

A guild’s brand value wasn’t something that could easily be raised simply by having money or strength. It was a matter of how much positive influence that guild could exert on the hunter community.

'In the end, we danced to his tune, but it doesn’t feel all that bad.'

So this was Yoo Jinho, the iron-fisted businessman. Reflecting once more on the significance of that name, Laura let out a quiet sigh.

Then she approached Suho again.

“Hunter Sung Suho.”

Suho turned from his conversation with his mother, and Laura pushed up her glasses before continuing.

“Now that our business matters are settled, there’s a personal matter concerning Thomas Andre that remains.”

“A personal matter?”

“Our guildmaster says that you and your mother have helped him a great deal in many ways, and he would like to offer you a token of his gratitude. If there’s anything you want, please let me know.”

“Oh, that’s all right. Thanks to him, I was able to find my mother.”

Suho politely declined.

He had entered the Glacier Dungeon at Thomas Andre’s request, but that had led to his dramatic reunion with his mother, who had been missing for years. If anything, Suho was the one who ought to be grateful.

But Laura had no intention of backing down either. She had served as Thomas Andre’s secretary for decades. She knew all too well how long he had lived tormented by terrible nightmares and anxiety. Hadn’t they come to this treacherous Glacier Dungeon because Norma Selner had advised him that he would find a way to overcome them here?

[“Thomas, if you clear the Glacier Dungeon, you’ll be free of your nightmares. But you must bring a hunter in Korea named Sung Suho...”]

And it seemed that prophecy had finally come true. Seeing Thomas Andre’s expression as he cackled in the distance, roughing up his subordinates with his tremendous strength, Laura found herself smiling too.

“... Our guildmaster is very competitive. If he feels indebted to someone, he can’t rest until he’s repaid them. It can be anything at all, so could you please name something? This is an expression of my personal gratitude as well.”

Suho looked troubled by Laura’s repeated requests. With her going this far, he felt it would be rude to refuse. But the problem was...

'There isn’t much I need.'

He had found his mother. And thanks to the Glacier Dungeon, he was now going to earn plenty of money. Asked out of the blue what he wanted, he couldn’t think of anything.

'Wait.'

Something flashed through Suho’s mind.

“If you insist, could you perhaps give me some high-grade mana crystals?”

“High-grade mana crystals? Of course. How many do you need?”

“The more, the better.”

“The more, the better...”

Laura considered his request for a moment, then readily nodded.

“Understood. However, high-grade mana crystals are in very short supply, so procuring them may take some time. Would that be all right?”

“Of course.”

Suho was well aware of that. Only two years had passed since the Cataclysm, so it was only natural that high-grade mana crystals were scarce. With so many companies wanting them for hunter equipment and scientific applications, they weren’t easy for an ordinary hunter like Suho to obtain. But a major guild like Scavenger should be able to acquire them with a little effort.

Once Laura had received his answer and left looking satisfied, Cha Haein asked in puzzlement, “Mana crystals? Why didn’t you ask for a decent weapon instead?”

“A decent weapon? You saw how surprised Thomas Andre was by your sword, Mom.”

Suho’s assessment was correct. It was still too soon to expect worthwhile items from the Scavenger Guild. Even if they began developing weapons the moment they returned to America, it would take considerable time to produce anything useful.

“Then why mana crystals?”

“To feed Beru.”

“Beru?”

“Yes. His strength has run out too—”

[“KIEEEEK!”]

SPLAT!

“...”

Before Suho could finish, an overwhelmingly moved Beru clung to his face and burst into great, heaving sobs.

[“Sob! To think you care so deeply for me! There is truly no one like you, Young Monarch! Carrying you on my back and washing your dirty diapers as I raised you was worth it!”]

“Dirty dia—”

While Suho looked as though he had bitten into shit, Cha Haein couldn’t help laughing beside him. It wasn’t an exaggeration. Beru really had done all that.

In any case, Suho intended to feed Beru all the high-grade mana crystals he received from Scavenger to replenish his strength. Beru had been recovering mana whenever he could while accompanying Suho, devouring magic beasts and mana stones from mines, but the amount he recovered was pitiful. Fundamentally, that was because his original power had been so immense. No matter how much he ate, it was like pouring water into a bottomless barrel. But feeding him high-grade mana crystals should help restore that missing strength at least a little faster.

* * *

With all their discussions with the Scavenger Guild concluded, Suho returned to the Glacier Dungeon with Cha Haein. Deep within Echo Forest, they stood side by side before the Gate leading to the graveyard of berserk dragons.

WHOOOOSH.

Gray ash drifted from the ominous Gate. As Cha Haein stepped through with Sirka, she glanced back at Suho.

“I’ll be back, then.”

“Okay, Mom. Be careful... and come back safely.”

Feeling strangely solemn, Suho bowed his head.

Parting was painful, but as his mother had said, he had his own work to do. First, until she restored Kaisel’s strength in there and returned...

'Stay here and level up.'

And before she returned, he would at least become stronger than her.

'... This made it clear just how weak I am.'

After watching Cha Haein fight as a fully realized S-rank hunter, Suho had gained a clear goal. To be of any help to his father, he first had to become stronger than his mother.

This experience had also taught him another important truth.

'Beru always said it.'

His father had always fought alone. In a place no one remembered, he had continued that lonely battle all by himself.

But not anymore.

'Now he has me.'

His father was no longer alone.

'And he has us.'

This time, Suho had truly realized that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to help his father as he fought alone. There was his mother. His uncle, Yoo Jinho. Thomas Andre. And Association chairman Woo Jinchul, whom he would soon go to meet.

Of course, they might all lack the strength to help his father, who was fighting enemies of the outer universe far above them. They weren’t hunters who could grow through leveling up like he could. But their feelings, at least...

'They feel the same way. Just as strongly as I do, and I’m his son.'

Each of them was striving in their own way, from their own position, to lend strength to his father, Sung Jinwoo.

“... So...”

Suho gazed up at the boundless sky, his eyes shining.

'Just wait a little longer, Dad.'

He would be there soon, having thoroughly prepared everything that could help his father.

Suho watched the Gate for a long time, until his mother had disappeared completely beyond it.

Then he spoke.

“Beru.”

[“Yes.”]

Turning away with Beru, he said calmly, “Let’s go back. To Korea.”