hotmtlnovel Chapter 70
Chapter 70
1.
The Gate in Myeongho 2-dong, Gate 313.
The exploration team, deployed for the 92nd regular raid, successfully returned after 13 days, 7 hours, and 12 minutes in the Gate.
“Make sure to keep your mouths shut. No one can know that the boss raid failed, or that we’ve been dragging things out.”
“We know the team’s good at keeping quiet. Don’t worry, Vice Guild Leader, everything will be fine.”
“You really are the raid leader. You know how to make people feel good.”
Kim Chang-sik, satisfied with his return to the headquarters,
held the second-highest position in the guild, just under the Guild Leader, and was treated as a senior executive.
But Kim Chang-sik had set his sights on becoming the Guild Leader himself,
building up influence within the guild.
Despite his cruel personality and harsh nature,
his workload was almost so murderous that even the typical executives would be overwhelmed.
“Secretary Kim. Was there anything interesting while I was gone?”
“There was.”
“Really? Tell me.”
“A monster raid warning was issued in Myeongho-dong.”
“...I see. With the raid progress going up, I guess they made a last-ditch effort.”
“Under the leadership of Captain Lee Myung-hoon, the guard responded initially, but there were many casualties. Teams 3 and 4 suffered severe losses.”
The casualty list, the doctors' reports, the medical bills, and compensation to the victims' families—
everything Kim Chang-sik needed to tighten Lee Myung-hoon’s grip was prepared.
“Good job, Secretary Kim. Let’s make sure Lee Myung-hoon can forget about ever dreaming of the Guild Leader position. We’ll make the payment in my name first, and then bring the guard under control.”
Kim Chang-sik was a villain, but not incompetent.
Without that competence, he wouldn’t have managed to rise to the second-in-command position, surpassing Lee Myung-hoon’s son, Lee Myung-hoon, in a guild that was practically a family business.
Recently, he had experienced a setback due to the mysterious figure, Ha Eun-eung,
but that had been purely because the opponent was weak,
not because he was lacking as a person.
“Things outside are loud. Secretary Kim. Who’s standing in front?”
“Mr. Lee Sang-moo’s son is working as a bodyguard.”
“While you're at it, teach him some manners. He shouldn’t be interrupting when adults are talking.”
“I’ll make sure to correct his behavior.”
“Go check. Oh, and on your way, call for a general meeting. Make sure all executives attend. We’ll crush Lee Myung-hoon during the meeting, and handle the payment while we’re at it.”
Secretary Kim bowed his head and thought to himself.
Kim Chang-sik was definitely a dangerous person—
his speed in playing office politics was terrifying.
He might not be the most dangerous person in other guilds,
but in Myeongho Guild, there was no one more dangerous than Kim Chang-sik.
‘In essence, he’s the real power behind the guild.’
With the monster-hunting reward, magic stone sales, government subsidies,
internal dungeon raids, and the overall Gate exploration,
the high-level Awakened who had emerged from the field earned astronomical sums.
When Lee Myung-ho founded the guild,
there were no shareholders to provide capital.
Since financial stability had been secured,
there were no management crises or external pressures,
and the second-generation Awakened, the guild’s founding members, had all retired due to magic sickness.
‘He played the lines well.’
Secretary Kim was confident.
If today’s meeting went smoothly,
he believed Kim Chang-sik would become Guild Leader,
and he would be promoted to the position of the Guild’s Secretary.
He believed in this future vision,
and for this reason, changing the payment details to his name
instead of the guild leader’s was no issue at all.
[New announcement posted on the internal intranet.]
[Urgent General Meeting]
[All executives and senior officials are requested to attend the general meeting at 2 PM in the 7th-floor conference room.]
Secretary Kim sent out the message, and responses began to flood in,
asking what the meeting was about.
Of the executives, only 10% were above executive level, and they were all B-rank or higher Awakened.
The remaining 90% were junior executives, most of whom were former C-rank or lower Awakened, working on one-year contracts.
These individuals were not high-ranking martial artists like Shin Seonggak,
but they had contributed to the guild, which is why they were given roles.
Now, their positions were largely insignificant.
If they wanted to keep their current benefits,
they had to actively participate in guild politics and follow the power structures.
‘If Kim Chang-sik is pushed out of the power center or retires from the frontlines, he’ll end up like them.’
Pop
The footage of the destroyed mansion, the severed right arm,
and the police and doctors' testimonies from that morning
were shown on the screen for the meeting room to see.
Everyone gasped in shock.
“To think an assassin could bring down a top B-rank Awakened like Shin Seonggak...”
“Did the Guild of Ten Thousand interfere?”
Kim Chang-sik quickly raised his voice.
“How could such a barbaric act be allowed? Don’t worry, Executive Director. I take full responsibility as the Vice Guild Leader, and I will personally oversee the search for the culprit...”
“You!”
With a deafening roar,
the room trembled violently,
and no one could speak as Kim Chang-sik, pale and trembling, clutched the round table, struggling to stay upright.
“The Guild Leader’s son and the Vice Guild Leader have split the guild in two, and I’ve turned a blind eye. But now the price has come due, hasn’t it?”
Crunch
“You’ve been sucking the blood of small businesses, extorting money from the underlings, and I didn’t mind because I acknowledged what you were building, the Myeongho Guild!”
Crunch, crunch, crunch
“Is this the price for all that trust and recognition? To see Shin Seonggak lose his arm to such a formidable enemy...!”
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
“Didn’t you know you were throwing the guild’s future away with every stupid move?!”
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
Boom!
“Kim Chang-sik!! Apologize now!!!”
“Ahhh!! The building’s collapsing!!!”
“I feel like I’m gonna die from hunger!!”
The meeting room was filled with screams and shrieks.
And just as suddenly, the shaking stopped.
‘So this is why the Guild Leader told me never to make Shin Seonggak angry.’
Ever since becoming the Vice Guild Leader,
Kim Chang-sik had heard warnings from the Guild Leader about the second-generation Awakened,
and only now did he truly understand their meaning.
Having survived the bloodiest war in history,
the second-generation Awakened who had lived through such hellish times
were forces far beyond what Kim Chang-sik had imagined.