Chapter 26

Chapter 26.

 

The one who shouted was none other than Ma Do-hyuk.

Of course, Ha-kyung wanted to curse as well.

He simply held himself back because too many eyes were watching.

Ma Do-hyuk strode toward Choi Hyun-ki.

His momentum was so threatening it looked as if he might beat the man down at any moment.

Ha-kyung quickly stepped in front of him.

“Before you beat him senseless, we should make an important decision first.”

“Yes? About what?”

“Curse Breaker. They are definitely going to claim ownership of it.”

At his low voice, Ma Do-hyuk’s expression twisted.

It seemed he had snapped back to his senses.

And that was the truth.

In the Abyss, video recording was impossible.

Even audio recording did not work.

All anyone had was the testimony of the people who had been there.

The Raiders would undoubtedly latch on to that and refuse to let go.

Ma Do-hyuk asked Ha-kyung a question.

“Then what do we do?”

“We make them admit it on their own. They do not know we succeeded in the boss raid.”

After finishing his whisper, Ha-kyung stepped forward.

The Raiders guild members had gathered around Choi Hyun-ki.

Ha-kyung spread both hands and said,

“Let us talk.”

“Say whatever you have to say from there.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“If you had just done the boss raid, everything would have ended cleanly. Why did only you people run away?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. The dungeon raid ended normally.”

At Choi Hyun-ki’s answer, Ha-kyung suddenly realized something.

By tomorrow or the day after, the Layered Abyss would vanish entirely.

There would be no way to expose Choi Hyun-ki’s lie.

That was why he could act so shamelessly.

Even so, Ha-kyung continued speaking calmly.

“Then what dropped from the boss? You should share that with us too.”

What had happened inside the Abyss could be fabricated.

However, they could not do the same with the guest member contract.

Before the betrayal, they must have intended to clear the dungeon properly.

At Ha-kyung’s claim, Choi Hyun-ki’s expression soured.

Of course he would be uncomfortable.

The people he had thought were dead were now claiming ownership.

At last, Choi Hyun-ki opened his mouth.

“This is the final reward. Unfortunately, our luck was not very good.”

What Choi Hyun-ki pulled out was a cube-shaped object.

Ha-kyung did not know its name, but he could roughly guess its use.

It was probably something like a top-grade crafting material.

It was a little underwhelming to say it had come from an Unfathomable-grade dungeon.

Of course, it was not impossible.

Even high-grade dungeons sometimes had duds.

Perhaps Choi Hyun-ki thought Ha-kyung would back off at this point, because the corners of his mouth rose.

However, Ha-kyung had no intention of stepping back.

“Good. Then you must not have much interest in the artifact we obtained separately.”

“You obtained one separately?”

“After your side left, we continued the raid. In the end, we defeated the boss and obtained the final reward.”

Ha-kyung took a small necklace from his chest pocket.

It was the final reward he had obtained after defeating the Shroud Wraith.

Curse Breaker.

At that, Choi Hyun-ki’s eyes changed completely.

From contempt to suspicion.

His gaze seemed to be trying to determine whether Ha-kyung’s words were true or whether this was a trap.

However, Choi Hyun-ki did not take the bait easily.

“So?”

“I do not know if you remember, but the Shroud Wraith had been elevated to Extreme grade.”

Choi Hyun-ki’s mouth worked soundlessly.

A final reward from an Extreme-grade boss would be worth hundreds of billions.

No, it might even be an artifact worth trillions.

Of course, the reality was a little different.

The dungeon’s difficulty had surged, but the final reward had not improved along with it.

Ha-kyung had only exaggerated slightly so the other man would fall into the trap more easily.

The truth did not matter.

In the end, Choi Hyun-ki took the bait Ha-kyung had thrown.

“If what you are saying is true, then you know that reward has to be divided as well, don’t you?”

“Why?”

“Because everything obtained during the raid has to be shared.”

“What are you talking about? You people had already left, and we killed it on our own. You cannot claim a right to something you contributed nothing to.”

“I told you, the boss raid ended normally.”

“You just said the final reward was that material artifact.”

“There can be two rewards. You people must have hidden one from…….”

Choi Hyun-ki seemed to realize his mistake and shut his mouth.

A dungeon’s final reward was always one item.

Now he had no choice but to admit it.

That each side was on its own.

That was exactly what Ha-kyung had been aiming for from the beginning.

‘This is the only way to have Curse Breaker recognized as the property of the five of us.’

They could not dispose of the artifact behind the Association’s back.

It was far too expensive.

Perhaps it would have been possible if they took no payment at all.

If they passed it off as a perfect internal transaction.

But Ha-kyung’s group was not in that kind of situation.

However, there was one fact he had not known.

His opponent was far more immoral than he had expected.

And far more shameless.

After sinking into thought for a moment, Choi Hyun-ki raised his head.

“It is a reward obtained during the raid, so that, too, belongs to the team. Hand it over. I will distribute it and give you your share.”

“Yes?”

“If you try to break the rules, we will have no choice but to use force.”

“Wow…….”

Ha-kyung was genuinely impressed.

How could such a bastard even exist?

The Raiders guild members immediately formed ranks.

Their stance suggested they would unleash concentrated fire the moment an order was given.

Then Ma Do-hyuk stood beside Ha-kyung.

“I knew this would happen. There is no way words would get through to those damned bandits.”

“I should not have revealed Curse Breaker in the first place.”

“No. That was unavoidable. No matter what happened, a tremendous amount of money would have changed hands.”

“Are you going to fight?”

“That is exactly what I was hoping for. I will not feel satisfied until I put a fist into that scumbag’s face.”

Ma Do-hyuk growled like a beast.

Even though they were outnumbered, his will to stand his ground was clear.

Soon, the three tanks stepped in front of Ha-kyung.

“We will stand with you. We cannot hand Curse Breaker over to people like them.”

“We owe you our lives, so we will repay that debt this way.”

“Just leave the front line to us.”

It was a moment that made his chest feel solid with reassurance.

A fight of twenty-five against five.

Honestly, they were at an enormous disadvantage.

On top of that, the other side had healers.

However, their chances were not zero.

Ha-kyung stared quietly at the enemy formation.

‘As long as I can somehow strike through an opening, we can win.’

Precise control of distance would decide victory or defeat.

A fight had broken out in front of the Abyss Gate.

The number of spectators and people taking pictures increased one by one.

This incident would probably create a considerable stir.

Public exposure had been Ha-kyung’s goal from the start.

But in truth, it did not mean much.

Choi Hyun-ki was the kind of man who did not care about public opinion.

Just then, when the tension reached its peak,

“What is this place, some gangster turf or what?”

THUD!

With a heavy shockwave, someone forced his way between the two formations.

He was almost as tall as Ma Do-hyuk.

But his build was far more massive.

He looked as if he could crush most monsters through sheer intimidation alone.

The man tilted his head from side to side and looked alternately at both formations.

“Awakened people throwing down in front of an Abyss Gate like common thugs. This is why kids these days are hopeless. Not a decent seed among them.”

Then he looked at Choi Hyun-ki and made a show of surprise.

“Wait, what? Why are you over there? A man old enough to know better, and you cannot even maintain your dignity?”

“Kang Woo-jin, this is not your place to interfere.”

At Choi Hyun-ki’s answer, Ha-kyung realized the man’s identity.

One of the Four Great Guilds.

Kang Woo-jin, the master of Death Hound.

A man famously known by the nickname Mad Dog.

Kang Woo-jin looked at Choi Hyun-ki and said,

“From what I hear, both sides are claiming different things. In that case, you should settle it with a duel. Is it right to cowardly gang up on them?”

“Two groups with differing opinions clashed, that is all. This is fair enough.”

“Fair, my ass, when it is twenty-five against five. Since when did you change your last name to Pu?”

“What the…….”

“Listen here, Mr. Pu Hyun-ki. If you do not want to be called Old Man Pu, stop whining and do it the traditional way.”

At Kang Woo-jin’s wordplay, Choi Hyun-ki’s face crumpled.

It was crude, but he was not wrong.

Since ancient times, duels had been widely used to resolve disputes.

Especially when no proper legal system had been established.

Was the Abyss not exactly that kind of environment?

That was why Awakened people often resolved mutual conflicts through duels as well.

For Ha-kyung, there was no reason to refuse.

‘It is much better than twenty-five against five.’

He remained silent no matter what Kang Woo-jin said.

Surprisingly, Choi Hyun-ki nodded at once.

“Fine. Then, according to custom, we can put forward champions, correct?”

“Of course. Your side should get ready too.”

At Kang Woo-jin’s shout, Ha-kyung nodded.

Then he turned to look at Ma Do-hyuk and the tanks.

A brief exchange of looks.

There was no discussion, but the result had already been decided.

Ma Do-hyuk smacked his lips in regret.

“There is someone more capable than me here, so a lesser fighter has no right to show off.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“If we want to raise our odds even a little, it is only natural for the strongest among us to step forward. Please make sure you win.”

“I understand.”

“In return, if you win, we will let you purchase the artifact first. What do you all think?”

At Ma Do-hyuk’s suggestion, the tanks nodded.

In truth, it was not a particularly meaningful benefit.

With Ha-kyung’s wealth, there was no way he would lose an internal auction.

Even so, he felt strangely encouraged.

After all, veteran Awakened people were sincerely acknowledging him.

Soon, one person walked out from the Raiders’ side.

It was someone Ha-kyung knew.

‘Kim Tae-gwang?’

He was a tank who worked as a guest member and champion.

He was famous by the nickname “Iron Wall Butcher.”

His defense was exceptional.

And he even possessed a skill that made him tremendously heavy.

On top of that, he had one powerful finishing blow, so people also called him a tyrant in one-on-one fights.

For Ha-kyung, he was a troublesome opponent.

‘The matchup is bad.’

Of course, there was no such thing as a perfect counter among Awakened people.

However, small advantages and disadvantages certainly existed.

Tanks, melee damage dealers, and ranged damage dealers.

Those three formed a relationship like rock-paper-scissors, each one catching another by the tail.

Everyone seemed to have noticed Ha-kyung’s situation, because murmurs began to spread.

“Kim Tae-gwang? Isn’t he someone people always mention as a guaranteed ranker?”

“The Iron Wall Butcher and the Immortal Tyrant are fighting? Is this for real?”

“Isn’t Lee Ha-kyung at a disadvantage? I feel like he will fail to break through Kim Tae-gwang’s insane defense and get knocked out.”

“That is the expected result, yeah.”

All kinds of judgments flew around.

Amid them, Ha-kyung stared at Kim Tae-gwang.

Kang Woo-jin stepped into the center.

It seemed the duel would begin soon.

“I will serve as the official witness. Killing is forbidden under any circumstances. The duel continues until one side is unable to fight or surrenders. All right, begin.”

Kang Woo-jin spoke in a bored voice while looking at his cell phone screen.

It seemed he had simply read out the duel rules issued by the Association.

Soon, the distance between the two men began to close.

But when Ha-kyung saw his opponent’s movement, his brow furrowed slightly.

‘This is going to be difficult if I am not allowed to kill him.’