Chapter 112: Contract (2)

At that moment, the sophisticated masks of kindness worn by the guild employees fell away completely.

In their place, the true colors of greedy and cold-blooded predators were slowly but clearly revealed.

Sang-woong crumpled the contract and threw it onto the table with contempt.

“This isn’t a contract; it’s a blatant Slave Contract meant to trap and exploit a person for life! You scamming bastards!”

His voice shook the consultation room like a clap of thunder.

“Wh-what? Is this punk crazy?!”

The man’s face flushed a deep red, like molten lava. A murderous intent flickered in his burning eyes as if sparks might fly out at any second.

Sang-woong began to point out their vicious traps one by one.

“Absurdly high equipment rental and maintenance fees! Mandatory daily hunt times and impossible quotas! The ridiculously unfair profit-sharing ratio is just the tip of the iceberg!”

His voice grew louder, vibrating through the heavy atmosphere of the office.

“Especially these compound interest and penalty clauses — they’re wickedly designed to ensure a Hunter can never escape the shackles of debt once they step foot inside! You intend to suck the blood of innocent, desperate people and break their backs to exploit them forever! You’re like cancer cells in this society!”

The guild employees could not hide their flustered expressions at Sang-woong’s accurate and sharp criticisms.

Behind their masks, their greedy and hideous true natures became even more vivid. Some showed visible signs of panic, while others radiated blatant hostility and bloodlust.

“You… it seems you don’t value your life! Watch that mouth of yours!”

The man in front of him growled a threat. His hand was already tightly gripping the handle of the Dagger at his waist, as if he intended to slit Sang-woong’s throat in a single stroke.

“Shut up, you vermin!”

At Sang-woong’s icy shout, the guild employees flinched and hesitated for a moment.

They had never imagined that someone caught like a rat in a trap would resist so boldly and defiantly in this place.

Once his initial surprise subsided, the man’s face burned with humiliation and rage.

Sang-woong, however, did not care. His gaze was cold and lethal, shining like that of a top predator that had already spotted its prey.

“Society’s parasites, human scum like you… you dare to deceive and exploit innocent people?! I will never forgive you!”

A cold anger that seeped into the very bones dwelled in his voice.

“H-how dare you cause a scene in our sacred Sebo Guild? You arrogant brat! Drag him out and finish him!”

The man in charge of the contract yelled in an agitated voice.

“No, let’s end him right here! There’s no need to even report this to the Guild Master! We need to show this arrogant punk a lesson so he never crawls up to us again!”

Another Hunter with a sinister look added with a chilling smile, appearing bloodthirsty.

A blue Dagger was already flashing in his hand, reflecting the light gloomily.

“Kill him!”

Using someone’s crazed shout as a signal, the guild employees simultaneously pulled out their hidden weapons and rushed toward Sang-woong like a herd of angry buffalo.

Their bloodshot eyes burned with a menacing light as if they would tear him to pieces right then and there.

However, to Sang-woong, who had already reached the level of a Rank S Hunter, their murderous movements were nothing more than slow-motion, clumsy gestures.

He had been tempered through countless battles and saw through the crude attack patterns and fatal weaknesses of these small-fry perfectly.

“Foolish. If you’re insisting on a beating, I suppose I have no choice.”

Sang-woong’s voice sank as cold as a grim reaper’s, echoing low in the consultation room.

A chilling and overwhelming aura, something an ordinary person could never hope to withstand, began to explode from his body like a storm.

But the guild members, blinded by immediate profit and their superior numbers, ignored Sang-woong’s final warning.

Driven by the arrogance of being in their own den and the foolishness of underestimating their opponent, they charged like beasts.

Thud! Crack! Snap! Crunch!

Sang-woong’s fists and feet cut through the air without mercy, moving like invisible flashes of light.

Every time his attacks landed, the office was filled with heavy explosive sounds, the horrific noise of breaking bones, and desperate screams.

In less than ten seconds, the guild employees who had been charging so confidently were thrown back helplessly, rolling on the floor.

The office instantly turned into a scene of carnage, a mess of screams, groans, blood, and torn flesh.

Sang-woong accurately and ruthlessly destroyed their Mana Circuits, ensuring they could never use their powers as Hunters again.

At the same time, he cruelly crushed their wrists, ankles, and major joints.

It was an act that went far beyond mere self-defense.

It was cold, but it was a definitive retribution. His purpose was to fundamentally block their very foundation of violence so they could never again commit the evil act of exploiting and harrassing the weak with those filthy hands.

This went beyond simply manifesting justice. It was a blood vengeance for the deaths of countless innocent Hunters that would have occurred had Ho Shin-woo been led to ruin.

At the same time, it was a resolute struggle to change the future.

The office quickly turned into a living hell, filled with the fishy smell of blood and wretched agony.

Ho Shin-woo, who had witnessed this entire horrific sight right before his eyes, was completely out of it. He stood dazed, his face pale as if his very soul had departed.

Not only had a terrible event occurred before him, but he could never have imagined such a thing would happen because of him.

At first, he was most shocked by the unimaginable and overwhelming strength of Sang-woong, who had seemed like a kind neighborhood brother.

Next, what made his entire body tremble was the devilish true face of the Sebo Guild, which had approached him with the face of an angel.

In the moment trust and hope turned into betrayal and despair, his fragile psyche was reaching its limit. Ho Shin-woo felt as if his mind, as well as his face, was burning white.

His eyes lost focus and shook emptily, and his lips trembled like an aspen leaf.

Sang-woong supported him firmly and quickly led him out of the Sebo Guild Office, which was now littered with blood, flesh, broken bones, and weapons.

The cold, damp air brushed against his burning cheeks, but he didn’t seem to feel anything.

Ho Shin-woo’s pale face was filled with extreme shock and terror regarding what had just happened. Mixed in with that was a confused swirl of deep worry and guilt for his mother, which still weighed heavily on a corner of his heart.

Sang-woong patted Ho Shin-woo’s trembling shoulders. His touch was firm, but his eyes held a mix of relief, compassion, and a small sense of victory for changing a grim future.

He resolved once again to completely rescue this precarious and pure soul from the bottomless swamp of ruin.

There was no more time to hesitate or waver. In the gentlest and warmest voice possible, he whispered into the boy’s ear as if casting a spell.

“It’s okay, Shin-woo. Everything will be fine now. Just trust me.”

Ho Shin-woo looked up at Sang-woong with hollow eyes, barely moving his paralyzed tongue to speak.

“W-what… what is… all this… Brother…”

His voice was torn in the face of an unbelievable reality, trembling almost like a sob. Like a child lost on the border between reality and a nightmare, his gaze lost focus and shook wildly.

“They’re bad people. Very malicious scammers. They were trying to deceive innocent and desperate people like you to use them like slaves for life. I’ll explain the details later. What’s certain is that there’s a very high possibility they’re in league with the guy who first scammed you.”

Sang-woong explained briefly and concisely, hitting the core points. He judged that any further detailed explanation would only add an unbearable burden to Ho Shin-woo, who was currently in a state of extreme confusion.

“Why… why are you being so good to someone like me, Brother…?”

In Ho Shin-woo’s cracked voice, there was deep gratitude and confusion of a kind he had never felt before, along with lingering doubt.

He could neither understand nor accept the sudden and even blind kindness of a stranger. The world had always handed him nothing but harsh trials and cold betrayals.

Sang-woong hesitated for a moment. His eyes flickered with complexity. He answered sincerely, though he could not tell him everything.

“You probably don’t remember, but you were a very likable kid. I just felt like I wanted you to do well. And I happen to know a lot about these kinds of things. I had a feeling something wasn’t right, so I followed you just in case. If I had turned a blind eye, my conscience would have pricked me. That’s… that’s all. If our positions were reversed, you probably would have done the same. So don’t think too deeply about it.”

Most of his words were true. Knowing the horrific end of the previous life and the pain Ho Shin-woo had to endure in the process, helping him felt like a natural destiny.

Because he knew the path of blood and despair this young and wounded soul would have walked, he could not bring himself to look away.

Fortunately, Ho Shin-woo seemed to understand Sang-woong’s words. His confusion appeared to have lessened significantly.

“Shin-woo, let’s go for now.”

Sang-woong took Ho Shin-woo’s hand and headed toward his Truck, parked far away from the guild office. As soon as they got into the truck, Ho Shin-woo’s tension seemed to ease slightly.

The place Sang-woong headed to was the Dungeon Disease Specialty Hospital.

His mother was the source of Ho Shin-woo’s greatest pain and his only support in life. Sang-woong was certain that if the problem with his mother were resolved, the possibility of him falling into the ruinous path of a villain would decrease significantly.

“Th-this place is…!”

Ho Shin-woo’s eyes widened when he saw the hospital building. He cried out in a voice mixed with shock and hope.

This was the very Dungeon Disease Specialty Hospital that the Sebo Guild had promised his mother’s admission to — the place he had only seen in his dreams.

In fact, right after his mother was diagnosed with Dungeon Disease, Ho Shin-woo had desperately tried everything to get her admitted here.

However, due to the unimaginable treatment costs and the lack of available beds, he had eventually been forced to give up, swallowing tears of blood.

The biggest reason he had no choice but to fall for the Sebo Guild’s absurd contract terms was this hospital.

“Brother!”

As Sang-woong led Ho Shin-woo into the hospital, he walked familiarly toward the Administrative Department counter and called out to a person inside.