Chapter 82

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 82: A Dangerous Exchange (2)

Noon.

The time when the sun is at its highest.

“Screeeam!”

“Aaaah!”

A small village in Mexico was thrown into chaos.

Cartel soldiers suddenly stormed in and began ransacking the place.

They tore through every house until they dragged one family into the village square.

The couple, yanked out without warning, trembled in fear, clueless as to what was happening. Their young son stood by, just as terrified.

“We’ve got them.”

The soldiers addressed a man seated in the square. A large, heavyset man replied with a detached expression.

“You sure?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good work.”

He heaved his bulky frame off the ground and walked toward the family.

“HKK2021.”

He blurted out something completely out of the blue. The couple stared at each other in confusion.

“Who’s HKK2021?”

He asked again, this time with a murderous tone that implied he wouldn’t ask a third time.

Then, a hand went up.

It was the son.

“T-That’s... the username I use online.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.”

The man laughed, utterly dumbfounded.

“You’re telling me we came all the way here because of this tiny brat?”

The couple darted their eyes between their son and the man, their expressions screaming confusion.

“So you’re the kind of parents who don’t even know what their kid’s been up to? This cheeky little punk’s been posting trash about our Pablo Family online.”

At that, the couple’s faces went pale.

The Pablo Family — or rather, the South American cartel — tolerated no slander, no matter the age of the offender.

“P-Please forgive us!”

The father dropped to his knees. The mother followed suit.

“O-Our son’s just immature! He didn’t know any better!”

“We’ll discipline him thoroughly — just spare us, please!”

They pleaded with clasped hands, desperation pouring from them.

“Hmph.”

The man looked down on them with indifference.

“Immature, huh… Yeah, I guess kids do dumb things.”

Their faces brightened slightly with hope.

“Saying stuff like all the Pablo Family’s parents are odd-numbered, or that their corpses get auctioned off to demons when they die, or how they’re all so horny at night they can't keep their hands off each other…”

But then, his words continued—and so did their horror.

“He sure picked some vile things to say. But I get it. He’s just a kid. Still…”

His expression hardened.

“Parents shouldn’t just let that slide, should they?”

He made a hand gesture to his men.

“Kill the man and the brat. Strip the woman and pass her around to the boys.”

A blood-curdling scream erupted from the couple. The son fainted on the spot.

“P-Please, have mercy!”

“P-Please! Please!”

Despite the cries, the cartel soldiers didn’t flinch.

“S-Someone help us!”

The mother cried out to the villagers. But only a few windows slammed shut — not a single soul stepped up.

“I just have one question.”

They didn’t expect anyone to.

Everyone turned their heads toward the unfamiliar voice.

At the village entrance stood a cloaked figure in a brown robe.

“And who the hell are you?”

The man looked up slightly, meeting the cartel boss’s eyes.

“You must be Lilo Moro, the Pablo Family’s Cleaner, yes?”

“I said — who the hell are you?”

“I asked first. Are you Lilo Moro or not?”

“Are you nuts? Yeah, I’m Lilo Moro.”

Lilo Moro scoffed, bewildered.

“You know my name. That means you gotta pay for it. Boys, we’ve got one more body to add to the pile.”

At his command, a few soldiers approached the cloaked man.

“Play nice and we’ll make your death quick—”

“Humans…”

The man finally spoke again. A soldier scowled.

“What did you say?”

“When people sin, they must pay the price.”

“What kind of bullshit—?”

The man removed his hood.

In that instant, the cartel soldiers, the terrified family, and even the villagers peeking through the windows couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Rabbit ears…?”

A pair of fluffy, snow-white rabbit ears popped up from his head.

“In all my life, I’ve never seen a lunatic walking around with rabbit ears.”

Lilo Moro scoffed again.

But then—

“Ogre.”

He muttered a single word, and the rabbit ears vanished.

In their place, his skin turned a sickly blue. His teeth sharpened like saw blades. Crimson light burst from his eyes.

He swung his palm sideways toward a stunned soldier. Wherever his hand passed, heads burst like lightbulbs.

Every soldier around him dropped to the ground, lifeless.

“You idiots! Don’t just stand there — kill him!”

Lilo Moro bellowed. Soldiers raised their rifles and opened fire.

Hundreds of bullets exploded across the air — but none pierced the man’s skin.

“Use everything! All of it!”

One soldier aimed a grenade launcher and fired.

BOOM!

The blast engulfed the man in flames — but he strolled out unscathed.

“H-He’s a monster!”

The man charged the soldiers. Every swing of his limbs ended five, six lives.

“Why the hell aren’t the Hunters doing anything?!”

Lilo Moro’s cry reached the rear guard. The cartel’s elite — the Hunters — drew their weapons.

Ominous auras wrapped around their gear. As expected of the Pablo Family’s Hunters, they were no joke.

They lunged at the man, blades coated with killing intent.

And then he whispered again:

“Salamander.”

His skin sprouted red scales. His pupils stretched like a reptile’s.

He snapped his fingers.

The Hunter in front burst into flames.

“Aaaagh!”

The scream was short. The pain even shorter. In seconds, he turned to ash.

“What?!”

Another Hunter cried out, panicked. But then — another snap.

All the Hunters were engulfed in fire.

“Aaaaagh!”

“Aaaaack!”

The screams ended, leaving only black ash scattered on the ground.

“N-Nooo!”

Lilo Moro shrieked and tried to run — but his legs tangled and he collapsed.

“S-Stop him! Someone stop him!”

He screamed in desperation, but all his soldiers had already fled.

The man slowly walked toward him. Blood dripped from his leg as he stepped.

“W-What the hell are you?!”

“This time, I’ll be asking the questions.”

“D-Do you even know who I am?! I’m a Pablo Family executive!”

“Where are the blood relatives of the Garcia clan?”

“Y-You lay a hand on me and the Pablo Family will never—”

Lilo Moro’s face twisted in confusion.

“G-Garcia… What?”

“I’m asking where the Garcia clan’s bloodline — the ones the Pablo Family abducted three years ago — are now.”

His face turned from confusion to horror.

“Garcia…? Y-You… Are you from the Sacred Beast Bloodline—?!”

The man crushed Lilo Moro’s arm underfoot. A sickening crunch and a spray of blood followed.

“Aaaargh!”

“I won’t tolerate useless chatter. Where are the Garcia clan members?”

“I-I don’t know! Lord Jose — Jose del Pablo took them! That’s all I know!”

“Is that so.”

Realization dawned on Lilo Moro. The only reason this man had spared him was to ask about the Garcia clan.

But now that he knew he was useless—

“W-Wait—!”

Lilo Moro screamed.

But before he could say another word, the man’s foot crushed his skull.

* * *

A few days later, Kwon Hanul departed for Mexico.

“If it were me, I’d go for the legs, not the neck.”

“But if you do that and they counterattack, it’s more dangerous.”

Aboard the private jet to Mexico, Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon passed time with a sparring simulation.

They’d been correcting flaws pointed out by Kwon Hanul during training before departure.

Watching them, Joo Hayun spoke up in awe.

“You two have improved so much.”

Kwon Hanul, sitting beside her, replied casually, “They both train hard. Plus, they’ve got talent.”

“Well, yes, but still…”

Joo Hayun tilted her head in curiosity.

“I didn’t expect such drastic improvement in such a short time.”

For someone like her to be surprised meant the growth was truly remarkable.

Hanul couldn’t help but be a little shocked too.

Their rapid progress was surely thanks to his guidance — knowledge derived from analyzing the True Genius Bloodline and the True Shura Bloodline.

He’d figured it’d be useful, but not to the point of impressing even Joo Hayun.

“Oppa Hudon! I told you — backing away there is a bad move! What if I twist my sword and lunge?”

“Y-Yeah, but charging in is so much harder…”

As the two bantered, Hanul turned his gaze to his tablet.

A report outlining their current mission filled the screen:

<Transportation Plan for S-Class Dungeon in Mexico>

This mission wasn’t just about clearing an S-class dungeon.

They had to transport the dungeon back to the Hyukcheon Clan.

Normally, a dungeon disappears once it’s cleared. But the Hyukcheon Clan had a special method to preserve them for future use.

This S-class dungeon was no exception — it was vital for acquiring key resources for the clan, and had to be moved intact.

“Hayun, the dungeon has to undergo special processing before it can be moved, right? How does that work?”

“Oh, I’ll handle all of that. You don’t need to worry.”

Only a few elite clans, including the Hyukcheon, knew the secret technique to make dungeons portable.

It was so top-secret that even Hanul wasn’t privy to the details.

“So my role is just to clear it out, huh.”

As he scrolled to the next page—

Suddenly, a ringtone echoed.

Kwon Hudon pulled out his phone.

“Excuse me, I need to take this.”

He stepped toward a quiet corner of the jet. After a short exchange, his face twisted in shock.

“Huh? Wait, Hanul…?”

At the sudden mention of his name, Kwon Hanul looked at Kwon Hudon with a puzzled expression.

Kwon Hudon pointed to his smartphone and spoke.

“H-Hanul… My mom wants to speak with you…”

Hanul’s eyebrow twitched slightly. This wasn’t exactly welcome news.

Still, he couldn’t just ignore it. Hanul reached out and took the phone.

—It’s been a while.

A sharp, biting voice greeted him the moment he answered.

Hanul gave a bitter smile. He’d even gone so far as to save Hudon’s life, and yet his relationship with Kwon Mi hadn’t improved at all.

“Auntie, what’s the matter?”

—I just have a few things to advise you about.

Advise? Not warn?

Hanul frowned inwardly. The tone Kwon Mi gave off didn’t suit a soft word like “advice.”

If she was here to issue a warning or give a direct order, that he could believe.

—When you enter the dungeon, don’t let your guard down for even a second. In S-Rank dungeons, the moment you feel safest is often when it’s most dangerous.

Kwon Mi launched into a series of precautions regarding S-Rank dungeons. Hanul blinked, caught off guard.

“Um… I appreciate it, but… why are you telling me this?”

—What kind of nonsense is that? If you make a mistake, my Hudon could be in danger!

Of course. That made more sense.

Kwon Mi worrying about Hanul? That would be the day hell froze over.

—And if you don’t complete the mission properly, I’m the one who gets the headache.

“Why would you be troubled by that, Aunt?”

In response to Hanul’s confusion, Kwon Mi clicked her tongue.

—Why do you think? I’m the one in charge of the transport unit.

Hanul felt his brain go a bit blank for a moment.

Kwon Mi was put in charge of the transport unit responsible for relocating the dungeon gate?

“That must’ve been a tough decision, especially with your busy schedule.”

—You don’t seem too happy about it?

“Not at all.”

Sharp as ever, Hanul grumbled internally.

—One last thing.

There’s more?

Hanul was starting to feel overwhelmed when—

—Watch out for the Pablo Family.

The unexpected warning snapped him to attention.

“Are you saying the Pablo Family might attack us?”

—Unlikely, unless they’ve completely lost their minds. They wouldn’t dare mess with Hyukcheon.

That part matched what Joo Hayun had said.

—But things have changed recently. There’s been a rift between Ricardo Pablo, the head of the Pablo Family, and the "Godfather," the leader of the South American cartel alliance.

The South American cartels maintain a tight alliance.

The Brazilian cartel handles production, the Mexican cartel processes it, and the Colombian cartel handles export—each with clearly defined roles.

And the one who oversees all of that? The Godfather.

As the leader of the united cartels, he was essentially the de facto king of South America.

“Thank you for the warning. But from what you’re saying, shouldn’t we be more cautious of the Godfather rather than the Pablo Family?”

—The Pablo Family’s currently split in two due to their conflict with the Godfather.

Kwon Mi continued.

—The anti-Godfather faction is led by Ricardo Pablo. The pro-Godfather faction is headed by José del Pablo.

Hanul recognized the names from the report.

“José del Pablo… you mean the strongest Hunter in the Pablo Family?”

José del Pablo.

Nephew of Ricardo and the family’s most powerful Hunter.

Even among the cartel alliance, he was known for his unmatched combat ability.

He was so formidable that the Godfather had personally adopted him as a foster son.

The report had given him special attention for a reason.

“It said in the report that he killed two global rankers and one of Pandemonium’s infamous villains.”

Hanul’s voice carried a note of disbelief. Could a Hunter who operated solely in South America really be that powerful?

—It caused a massive stir in the Hunter community at the time.

But with even Kwon Mi confirming it, he had no choice but to believe it.

And now that same man was at odds with the family’s head.

This had to be more than just a difference of opinion—likely a power struggle over the family’s leadership.

Only then did Hanul realize why Kwon Mi had warned him.

—Anyway, I’ll hang up now.

With her business concluded, Kwon Mi immediately ended the call.

Her cold, abrupt manner made Hanul chuckle bitterly.

—One last thing.

Didn’t she say that already?

Hanul was about to question it when—

—Thanks for saving Hudon.

His eyes widened.

But the call had already ended.

“….”

Hanul stared blankly at the phone for a while. Hudon looked at him, concerned.

“H-Hanul? You okay?”

Hanul let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

* * *

Several hours of flight later…

They finally arrived over Mexican airspace.

As the plane descended and touched down on the runway, a greeter from the Pablo Family was waiting outside to welcome them.

“Welcome to Hyukcheon.”

Instead of returning the greeting, Hanul carefully scanned the greeter and the entourage.

Surrounding the VIP vehicles were heavily armed soldiers, armored transport trucks, and even an armored personnel carrier.

It looked more like a convoy going to war than a welcoming committee.

“Isn’t this a bit much for a welcome?”

The greeter quickly bowed.

“My apologies if we’ve offended. There’s no hidden intent. A few days ago, a Pablo Family executive was assassinated. So we’ve heightened security.”

“An assassination?”

“We’ll find the killer soon, so please rest easy.”

The gleam in the greeter’s eye was chilling. Hanul couldn’t help but feel pity for the unknown culprit.

“This way, please.”

The convoy carrying Hanul and his team departed, flanked by armed guards.

The road to the Pablo Family estate was long.

Only after passing through five cartel-controlled checkpoints did they finally arrive.

“Whoa.”

“Wow…”

“Damn…”

Gasps escaped their lips the moment they stepped inside.

The estate was utterly extravagant.

The floors were adorned with amber gemstones, the walls decorated with platinum, and the hallways lined with priceless artworks.

Even Kwon Hudon and Joo Hayun, who were born and raised in Hyukcheon, were stunned.

They hadn’t imagined drug money could buy this much opulence.

“This way, please.”

The guide led them to a grand reception hall.

Inside, a man sat alone in the massive room.

Hanul observed him carefully. He seemed like an ordinary civilian—no aura of mana at all.

But the air around him was thick with the stench of blood.

Not an actual smell, but something that clung to his very presence and movements.

This man had clearly killed many.

“Welcome.”

Despite lacking a shred of magical energy, his presence was overwhelming.

“I am Ricardo Pablo, head of the Pablo Family.”

So it was true.

Even the family head wasn’t someone ordinary.

Impressed, Hanul introduced himself.

“I’m Kwon Hanul of the Hyukcheon clan.”

As soon as he heard the name, Ricardo Pablo’s brows furrowed.

“Hyukcheon… you’re being a bit unreasonable.”

Though Hanul didn’t know why, Ricardo’s voice was filled with displeasure.

“Sure, we might be drug dealers, but sending someone like you as the negotiator?”

Objectively, Hanul’s status was low.

So from Ricardo’s point of view, sending him for this deal was an insult.

“How am I supposed to take this?”

Ricardo stood up and approached Hanul.

As he drew near, Hanul carefully considered his next words.

How should he soothe Ricardo and ensure the deal went smoothly?

Then, out of nowhere, Ricardo grabbed his hand.

“What an honor this is!”

“…Excuse me?”

“To meet the rising star of Hyukcheon in person!”

For a moment, Hanul thought Ricardo was mocking him.

But the sparkle in his eyes and the wide smile proved otherwise.

“You seem to know a lot about me…”

“Of course I do! The ‘Little Dragon’ of Hyukcheon, who defeated Pandemonium’s villain Frederance!”

Hanul blinked in confusion, and Ricardo burst into booming laughter.

“Sounds like you don’t even know how famous you are. Compared to what others say, I’m being modest!”

The stern presence from earlier was gone—Ricardo was now like an excited child.

“Ask for anything. Until the dungeon raid begins, I’ll make sure you’re treated like royalty.”

“Uh… thank you.”

Hanul decided to accept the goodwill as it was.

“When do you plan to begin the dungeon raid?”

“In about a week.”

“Smart! That’s enough time to prepare. I’ll assign someone to guide you—he’s already explored that dungeon himself, so he should be useful.”

Hanul expressed his thanks, though a strange sense of unease crept in.

And then—

“N-No! You can’t go in! We have guests right now!”

“P-Please, stop!”

A sudden commotion erupted outside.

The door slammed open.

“Uncle!”

A young man with dreadlocks burst into the room, shouting.

“You’re seriously planning to sell that dungeon to these Hyukcheon nobodies?!”

Ricardo shot up from his seat, furious.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Can’t you see we have guests?!”

The young man ignored the scolding and walked straight up to Hanul.

“You the punk from Hyukcheon?”

“And who are you supposed to be?”

Hanul asked calmly.

“Name’s José del Pablo, you motherf—er.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]