The Hero Returns

"First, it's to check out the rubbish you were planning to spew about me, and then...."

The 'rubbish spewing' bit caused Gwon Ho-yeong to frown deeply.

BUt Su-hyeun didn't pay any mind to his reaction and continued, "Second, it's to separate friends from foes."

"Separate friends from foes??"

"To figure out who are my enemies and who are my allies. Or, if I am to get more specific..." Su-hyeun narrowed his eyes and scanned the audience members. "To figure out how far the rot has spread."

A few flinched at those words and began avoiding his gaze.

No one was stupid enough to not know what he meant by this point. Everyone in the association clearly understood the intent behind the 'enemies and allies' bit, plus the 'rot' Su-hyeun had mentioned.

The same applied to the reporters, as well. And it was they who sucked in their breaths the deepest.

<< When he said he'd check out the extent of the rot and separate friends from foes, he... >>

<< He's going to consider all corrupt guilds like Hahoetal his enemies even if they're association members? >>

That was an incredible bombshell.

No, in a way, it was rather obvious. Because it also implied that he'd be friendly towards the righteous folks, but he'd deem the corrupt villains, after all.

But the evil that had grown deep roots in recent years made it seem like such thing was a bombshell. For instance, the current matter involving the Hahoetal Guild was an example.

The world at large wanted to go beyond finger-pointing and cussing to demand that they be classified as criminals right away. Too bad, the inner workings of the awakener world weren't so simple as that.

The Awakener Authority was worried about a collision with the association, so it chose not to do anything. As for the association, it might have been willing to expel the Hahoetal Guild from its membership, but it also didn't readily step forward to punish the guilty.

All of these were indeed unfair, but also quite understandable.

The world had come to accept such things as normal, and now they arrived at this moment in time.

An arm was always bound to bend inward.

But now, Su-hyeun was saying this to them.

"I'll ask again."

He said that such a thing was wrong.

"How far does it go?"

Gulp-

Just one word, just one casual glance from him; that was all it took to throw everyone's minds into utter chaos.

This unexpected development also threw Gwon Ho-yeong into an uncontrollable fluster, as well.

<< A-at this rate... No, I can't be careless and say whatever. >>

Gwon Ho-yeong had initially planned to paint Su-hyeun as an evil villain during this meeting and gather the combined strengths of the association under one united banner.

He wanted to show a united front to the world, and that's why the reporters had been brought in today.

To tell them that the one at fault was Gwon Jae-hoon, and that the Hahoetal Guild was still standing tall despite everything.

To declare that if Su-hyeun wanted to fight them, then he'd have to fight the whole association.

But now, Su-hyeun had flipped his plan on its head, instead.

-If the association sides with the Hahoetal Guild, then the organization will immediately become the bad guys along with them.

That line of thought floated up in the minds of everyone present. Of course, other thoughts did pop up at the same time, too.

<< Must we get toyed around by some wet-behind-the-ears punk?? >>

<< Even if he's the winner of the Ranking Wars, how dare this one bastard challenge the entire association all by himself....? >>

They all accepted that Su-hyeun was incredible.

But they still didn't enjoy this situation one bit. At this rate, it would end up looking like they'd gotten scared by Su-hyeun and couldn't say a single damn thing.

"No matter how I think about it, you're not giving us any respect!"

"Are you saying that you'll punish the entire association or something??"

A handful of guild masters known for their hot tempers shot angry glares in Su-hyeun's direction. Several others in the audience seats who couldn't dare to openly say something began nodding their heads at that.

"Punishing, is it..." Su-hyeun pondered for a little while, before nodding as well. "If there are any rotten parts, then sure, that should be done."

"You insolent little...!"

"With what authority do you dare to punish us?!"

"You're truly arrogant! Do you really want to wage war against the association?!"

Public sentiment was heading in a weird direction. And one person in the middle of it all was grinning inside. Gwon Ho-yeong.

<< Yes!! >>

He thought that everything was over the moment Su-hyeun showed up. But the story would change if the meeting continued to unfold this way.

What Su-hyeun did by showing up in the conference venue was basically equivalent to baring his fangs at the association itself.

<< If this continues, then Kim Su-hyeun won't be in conflict with my guild alone, but at odds with the entire association. >>

If that happened, then the ensuing fight would be winnable. No matter how incredible Su-hyeun was, there was simply no way he could consider the whole association as an enemy and massacre its every member.

Especially so, considering that the dungeons still being generated even now would be left unbeaten, if the great framework called the association disappeared and its members decided to keep their collective 'silence', as it were.

The Awakener Authority also knew this, which was why they couldn't do anything to the association.

"You know, an organization that doesn't want to change even though it's aware of the corruption, and keeps its silence despite knowing its guilt..." Su-hyeun got up from his seat while staring straight at Gwon Ho-yeong, "....doesn't deserve to exist."

The Hahoetal Guild.

Gwon Jae-hoon, who wished to kill Su-hyeun and, in turn, cause a blue-colored dungeon outbreak.

Their wrongdoings weren't something the association should make excuses for. If the blue-colored dungeon had indeed caused a full-blown outbreak, then the catastrophe that might have ensued would be difficult to even imagine.

That was why Su-hyeun showed up in this place. To confirm with his own two eyes just what kind of a decision the association would make.

He said, "The Hahoetal Guild is still present in this meeting. Not only that, that man's younger brother is standing there as the association chairman, too."

"So? What of it?"

A short-tempered middle-aged man got triggered and retorted back, but that only earned him a sharp, piercing glare from Su-hyeun.

"None of you... deserve to live, that's what."

Those words opened the floodgates.

"You crazy son of a...!!"

"A young punk who stumbled his way into some power doesn't know his damn place and decides to run his mouth!!"

Those who'd been suppressed by the weight of Su-hyeun's fame and had held themselves back shot up from their seats and began rousing their magical energy.

Goh-ooooooh-

The atmosphere within the conference venue deteriorated in an instant. More than half of the audience members bared their fangs at Su-hyeun.

But he smirked, as if he already expected this, and casually addressed them. "Yup, I knew you'd come out like this."

[Third Eye- Predator]

Split-

An eye opened up in Su-hyeun's forehead, and, at the same time, an enormous magical power swept across the room.

Sha-aaaaah-

The effect of the 'Predator' skill caused the air in the conference venue to sink down uncontrollably. The temperature within the room, which had been heated up by the panting of the enraged people, plummeted to near zero in the blink of an eye.

<< W-what the hell is this?? >>

<< My body, it suddenly...?? >>

Their bodies were all frozen like a cat—no, maybe even a rat— suddenly face to face with a massive snake.

The moment Su-hyeun unleashed his true presence, their bodies and minds instinctively told them something—that this existence before their eyes was on another realm than them.

The angered crowd was silenced instantly. Su-hyeun studied them and continued to speak.

"An arm will bend inwards. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. We should rely on each other to survive, after all. It's just that, when things go overboard, you stop seeing other things, you see...." He began walking towards the platform. "And it seems like there are quite a lot of blind folks present today."

Currently, on the platform...

Gwon Ho-yeong was staring at the approaching Su-hyeun, his legs trembling nonstop. The 'Predator' skill was affecting him the worst out of everyone there.

"D-d-do-don't come closer!!" Gwon Ho-yeong yelled. He took a step backward every time Su-hyeun took a step forward. And, while waving his hands desperately, he began rousing his magical energy to resist the crippling fear.

Step-

"I-I said, don't come closer!!"

Ka-gak, gagagak-

Dozens of long spears suddenly materialized all around Gwon Ho-yeong. He created them out of sheer terror, sensing that if he didn't do anything, he'd be dead for sure.

But then, Su-hyeun's third eye emitted light, and...

Fwoooosh-

Gwon Ho-yeong jumped up in fright and fired the spears in Su-hyeun's direction. It was the reflexive action of a frightened man, but, regardless of what, he had attacked first.

He was also an A-Rank awakener, despite his current state. Even though Gwon Ho-yeong fired the spears in panic, they still flew true and straight toward Su-hyeun.

Giii-iiiing-

[Third Eye- Neutralization]

Pang! Pa-pang-!

The flying spears were all extinguished in midair. The reporters, squeezing their eyes shut out of sheer shock and fright, all looked confused at the sudden development.

The thing was, though, their surprise couldn't even compare to that felt by the awakeners gathered here for the association's meeting.

Someone's skill had disappeared without a single trace. And the expressions of those staring at the culprit behind this phenomenon, Su-hyeun, were filled with indescribable shock.

"W-what's this? Why did the spears suddenly go pop....!"

"It was Kim Su-hyeun! He actually canceled someone else's skill!"

"Is that even possible?!"

"I don't know... But, there's no reason for Gwon Ho-yeong to cancel his own skill, so...."

Opinions were split.

The 'Cancel'.

It was one of the most basic skills one could learn, something meant to cancel another skill that the user had activated already. Understandably, it didn't see much usage.

Still, it was a skill that any awakener had to learn if they wanted to ensure the safety of their companions during the dungeon raids.

The situation was obviously different right now, however. Well, if Gwon Ho-yeong had indeed canceled his own skill, he wouldn't look so shocked right now, now would he?

To top it off....

"The magical energy was coming from Kim Su-hyeun's side when the skill disappeared." Jung Yoon-ho, who had kept his mouth shut since Su-hyeun's appearance, finally said something. "Kim Su-hyeun undoubtedly made the skill disappear. But I can't tell how he canceled his opponent's skill, or if he possesses some other strange skill that allows him to do so."

Jung Yoon-ho too was an S-Rank awakener. He had learned all kinds of skills and could wield them freely. So much so that people referred to him as the 'jack of all trades'.

But even someone like him couldn't figure out Su-hyeun's skill.

To be able to cancel—neutralize—his opponent's skill. Assuming that there was no special penalty applied when doing so, such a skill should definitely be considered as completely unrivaled. And, it also implied that the possessor of such a skill could render all awakeners as nothing more than a bunch of physically strong morons.

"Come on, man. Making me raise both my hands, and my feet, too." Jung Yoon-ho indeed raised both of his hands and got up from his seat. "I surrender. If you all want to kill yourself fighting that monster, go on ahead without me."

"W-what?!"

"W-wait a minute, Mister Jung Yoon-ho! If you just leave like this...."

The others were flustered by this development and tried to stop Jung Yoon-ho, but the fight was already over by then.

Step, step-

Meanwhile, Su-hyeun was still walking over to Gwon Ho-yeong. When the latter's back touched the wall behind him, he launched several other skills in a row.

Unfortunately for him, the results remained the same. All of Gwon Ho-yeong's skills simply vanished the moment they were activated.

"That crazy son of a...."

A sense of powerlessness he hadn't felt since acquiring his powers washed over him like a tidal wave.

Soon, the distance between him and Su-hyeun narrowed, and, when their gazes met head-on, that powerlessness morphed into fear once more.

It wasn't just because of the 'Predator' skill's effects. No, this was an instinctive fear. The most basic fear one would feel when their death was closing in rapidly.

"D-don't, don't k-kill me. It was— it's my brother who's at fault, not me...."

Grab-

"Keok, keo-geo-keok...."

Su-hyeun's hand grabbed Gwon Ho-yeong's throat. The latter's eyes opened wide, and he began pounding on the hand choking him.

"What you lot tried to do to me wasn't your only sin, though."

<< I, I'm d-dying.... >>

Gwon Ho-yeong's brows shot up high, and, just as thoughts of his impending death entered his mind...

Drop-

"Keok! Keok, ke, ke-kekek!"

Su-hyeun let go, and Gwon Ho-yeong's body crashed to the floor.

"Time to pay for all the sins you've committed up until now."

"Pant, pant, pant...."

Rubbing his neck, Gwon Ho-yeong forced himself up from the spot and hurriedly escaped from the room. As if he didn't care one jot about that, Su-hyeun slowly walked elsewhere.

"From now on...."

The people inside the conference venue wordlessly staring at everything that had transpired so far all shifted their gazes to him, their expressions utterly dazed.

"....the Hahoetal Guild will cease to exist."

Su-hyeun climbed up to the platform in Gwon Ho-yeong's place, scanned the entirety of the venue in one gaze, and asked them all.

"Any objections?"