Chapter 75: Trap

Thud!

With a fierce blow to the back of his head, Kang Unsoo lost consciousness and went limp.

“I figured there’d be some damn flies gathering, but now that I’ve actually been caught, I feel even worse.”

There were no secrets in this world.

Sang-woong had vaguely thought that a situation like this would come sooner or later.

Sang-woong slung the unconscious Kang Unsoo over his shoulder and walked out of the restaurant.

Then, as if he were used to it, he headed toward the dense forest behind the restaurant.

Sang-woong grabbed the back of Kang Unsoo’s head and, without hesitation, shoved it into the icy stream, only to yank it out again.

Gahk!

Kang Unsoo, shocked by the freezing cold, shivered all over, gasping for air as his eyes snapped open.

“Y-you bastard! Do you even know who you’re messing with right now?”

Kang Unsoo glared at Sang-woong, threatening him with a mix of rage and terror.

But such threats were useless against Sang-woong.

“Who am I messing with? From the way you mention the Veiled Site, I suppose it’s some Underground Market group.”

“You know that, and you’re still doing this? Are you out of your mind, looking to die?”

“Hah, what a joke. Didn’t you say you’d kill me even if I handed over the Detoxification Potion Recipe earlier? So now you’ll kill me again?”

At Sang-woong’s sarcasm, Kang Unsoo’s face flushed red and blue.

In his agitation, he blurted out something he should never have said.

“If you touch me, not only you but everyone you care about will die.”

Instantly, Sang-woong’s expression froze like ice.

His previously calm face disappeared, and his eyes sharpened like a beast stalking its prey.

It was as if he’d become a different person, and an overwhelming, cold aura radiated from him.

‘Family…’

For Sang-woong, family was a precious existence that he would trade for nothing.

In this life, Sang-woong had decided to live for his own happiness.

And that happiness was spending time with his family, more precious than anything.

For someone like him, threatening his family was like pouring molten rage into his heart.

Kang Unsoo had basically dug his own grave.

He instantly realized he’d made a huge mistake.

But the words that had already left his lips could not be taken back.

He hadn’t fully regained control of his body after waking from unconsciousness, but every fiber screamed that if he stayed like this, he really would die.

Kang Unsoo hesitated no more.

He immediately pulled a sharp dagger from the sheath hidden at his ankle.

“Damn it, you only got me earlier because I was careless. This time, let’s see you handle me for real!”

Kang Unsoo swung his dagger with all his might.

His eyes glinted cold and fierce like a viper, and the blade aimed for Sang-woong’s throat.

But Sang-woong didn’t budge in the slightest.

It was as if he watched Kang Unsoo’s movements in slow motion.

Just as the dagger was about to reach Sang-woong’s neck, his hand shot out like lightning and seized Kang Unsoo’s wrist.

Gahk!

Kang Unsoo felt a pain like his wrist bone was being crushed by a grip far stronger than he’d imagined.

The dagger slipped weakly from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Sang-woong looked down at Kang Unsoo with a cold expression.

“Careless? That’s all you’ve got.”

His voice dripped with contempt.

Kang Unsoo groaned in pain, trying to shove Sang-woong away with his other hand, but Sang-woong smoothly grabbed that arm and twisted it ruthlessly.

“Argh—!”

Kang Unsoo screamed in agony, as if his elbow was about to pop out of its socket.

Sang-woong kept hold of the arm, lifted it, and slammed his fist into Kang Unsoo’s face.

Crack!

There was a dull crunch as Kang Unsoo’s nose broke, and his head snapped back.

Hot blood poured from his nose.

“Didn’t you say earlier you’d wreck each part of my body? I’ll return the favor.”

At Sang-woong’s words, Kang Unsoo’s mind wavered even in the midst of pain.

All the scenes of torture he had ever inflicted on others flashed through his mind like a panorama.

And now he would suffer that pain himself?

His pupils shook in horror.

With fierce eyes, Sang-woong glared at Kang Unsoo and kicked him hard in the solar plexus.

Guh!

He’d been hit in a vital spot already, and now, struck in the same place, a wave of pain crashed over him.

Kang Unsoo doubled over, unable to breathe properly, groaning through bloodshot eyes.

But this was only the beginning.

Sang-woong grabbed Kang Unsoo’s hair and yanked him up.

“You mentioned my family with that mouth, didn’t you.”

Sang-woong’s voice was cold as ice.

“You dare speak of my family in front of me?”

His fist, filled with rage, crashed into Kang Unsoo’s face once again.

Crack!

This time, his cheekbone fractured audibly.

Blood and broken teeth spewed from Kang Unsoo’s mouth.

He couldn’t even resist properly, simply getting beaten one-sidedly by Sang-woong.

His body dangled like a ragdoll, and his face was already so swollen and broken that it was unrecognizable.

The smart, well-dressed figure in an expensive suit was nowhere to be seen; now, he was nothing but a miserable, groaning beast.

As a final blow, Sang-woong struck Kang Unsoo’s chin hard with an uppercut.

Guh!

Kang Unsoo instantly lost consciousness and slumped down.

Sang-woong looked down at the limp body with contemptuous eyes.

His anger hadn’t entirely faded, but there was no need to waste more time on this scum.

If he wanted to rip out the root of this trouble, he had to move quickly.

He grabbed the back of Kang Unsoo’s head and shoved it into the stream again, then pulled him out.

“Call your boss now and say you’re bringing me to him. Say you want to make the deal for the Recipe in person.”

Trembling in terror, Kang Unsoo hastily fumbled his phone from his pocket.

He dialed right away.

“H-hyungnim, it’s Kang Unsoo.”

A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

The quiet of the woods was such that even without speaker mode, every sound from the phone was clearly audible.

“Yeah, Unsoo. Did you get it done?”

“Well, about that… The Alchemist says he wants to negotiate directly with you, hyungnim. Cough, cough! We’re about to head out—where should we go?”

After a moment of silence, Lee Dojin’s voice came through the phone.

“Come to the Bul Yaseong Night Club.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

The call ended, and immediately, Sang-woong drove a decisive punch into Kang Unsoo’s gut.

Wham!

Kang Unsoo’s face turned deathly pale in shock.

“How dare you… do this to me…”

His expression looked almost deranged.

Then a fiery rage quickly swept over his face.

Sang-woong had just shattered Kang Unsoo’s Mana Circuit.

For a Hunter, it was his life—the loss of everything.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Kang Unsoo thrashed madly, charging at Sang-woong with the last of his strength.

But it was the worst possible choice.

Thud! Thud! Bang! Thud! Bang! Crack! Crack-crack-crack!

Sang-woong beat Kang Unsoo senseless, but not enough to kill him.

At the end, he crushed both of Kang Unsoo’s ankles with a hideous cracking sound.

“I’d like to kill you, but it’ll be far more painful for you to pay for your crimes alive.”

Sang-woong whispered coldly to the whimpering, curled-up Kang Unsoo.

Then he grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him to the truck.

He tossed Kang Unsoo in the passenger seat and started the truck.

Inside the quiet cab, Kang Unsoo’s pained groans leaked out from time to time, but Sang-woong paid them no mind.

The truck drove down a deserted road for a while and finally arrived at its destination.

It was nearly midnight, so the streets were empty.

The Night Club on the outskirts of town—their destination—had its sign switched off, as if it was closed.

Sang-woong dragged Kang Unsoo along and took him inside.

After passing through the entrance and descending the stairs, the door to the club proper came into view.

Sang-woong pushed it open hard and stepped inside.

Then, at the sight before him, Sang-woong’s face hardened.

Inside the Night Club, at least thirty men glared at Sang-woong with murderous intent.

This was no negotiation—it was an obvious trap.

“So, that fake coughing earlier was a signal, huh? I thought it was odd.”

At Sang-woong’s words, a wicked, twisted smile crept onto Kang Unsoo’s pained face.

“That’s right, bastard. I’ll make sure you die here tonight.”

At Kang Unsoo’s venomous words, Sang-woong simply smirked.

“Think so? If anything, I’m even happier now. I can sweep away all this trash at once.”

“Y-you lunatic. No matter how strong you are, you think you can beat all these Hunters?”

“I think I can do much more than just beat them.”

With that final reply, Sang-woong threw Kang Unsoo onto a sofa.

As if saying, ‘Sit there and watch if I’m right or wrong.’

Then Sang-woong strode forward, brimming with composure.

“This is just too impressive to believe.”

The first to speak was Lee Dojin.

He hadn’t imagined that a mere Alchemist could not only be this strong but also so brazen.

There were more than thirty Hunters, but Sang-woong showed not the slightest sign of shrinking away.

In fact, this level of pressure was barely a tickle to Sang-woong.

He fought Monsters invading the land every day, and especially when the red moon rose, he faced massive Monster armies.

Hadn’t he recently fought thousands of Skeletons at once?

Those emotionless, robot-like things could make anyone despair.

Compared to fighting Skeletons, this kind of threat was almost cute.

“I guess with that kind of skill and guts, it’s no wonder you never joined another group until now.”

Lee Dojin nodded in understanding, but then straightened up, glaring fiercely at Sang-woong.

“But that only works on the right opponent. You’re not leaving this place alive tonight.”

Lee Dojin’s gaze sparkled with killing intent.

At that moment, the Night Club hall was filled with a suffocating tension.

Under flickering red lights, thirty Hunters with resolute faces radiated an overwhelming, cold aura as they surrounded Sang-woong.

The overwhelming presence of the Hunters pressed in on the small space.

The bloodthirst radiating from their muscular bodies seemed almost tangible.

“Just keep that bastard alive.”

As soon as the signal was given, the Hunters charged with explosive speed.

The moment their feet pounded the floor, a faint tremor ran through the club.

Blades flashed with a searing roar, and the mere swing of an iron pipe compressed the air around it.

The first to rush in was a Hunter swinging a sharp sword.

His blade looked sharp enough to slice steel, but Sang-woong, as if in slow motion, read every move.

Just by twisting his body to the side, Sang-woong dodged the attack, snatched out his hand, and grabbed the sword-wielder’s wrist.

Crunch!

The Hunter felt his wrist bone almost shatter from the unbelievable grip.

With a scream, his body was lifted into the air, and Sang-woong slammed him straight into the floor.

His back struck the concrete with a thunderous sound, the floor spider-webbing from the impact and shaking the entire club.