Chapter 89

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Episode 89: Spark (1)

“Cut the crap.”

The harsh words flew out instantly. Even Kwon Mi was surprised at herself.

— Whoa, calm down. It’s not like I said anything that crazy.

“You said you were going to kill Hanul. How do you explain that?”

— Kill? Don’t use such violent words. I merely said I’d send him on a little trip.

Kwon Mi clenched her fists.

So shamelessly blatant. Just hearing it made her furious.

— What’s more surprising is that you, of all people, are getting mad over that guy. You hated Cheon’s son, didn’t you?

“Shut it.”

— It’s kind of sad, really. The woman who used to act all fierce, saying she’d do anything for her son, has changed so much.

“What are you trying to say?”

— Geez, so touchy. I just wanted to have a nice little sibling chat after so long.

This is what he calls a “chat”?

Kwon Mi held back her anger. If she lost her temper now, she’d be playing right into Kwon Hyuk’s hands again.

— I’ll take it that you have no interest in working with me. But hey, if you change your mind...

Click.

Kwon Mi hung up without another word.

“Piece of shit.”

Her irritation only lasted a moment before concern clouded her face.

Kwon Hyuk isn’t someone who acts without purpose.

“What the hell is he plotting?”

Her unease deepened.

* * *

Meanwhile…

“I’ll head in now.”

Joo Hayun spoke before entering the dungeon.

“This could take a while, so feel free to head back and rest.”

“How could we possibly do that?”

“You might not care, but the other two need someplace safe to recover.”

She glanced at Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon.

They still seemed dazed, likely from the exhaustion of battle.

“Please look after them while I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry about us.”

Suddenly, Kwon Hanul turned to Joo Hayun with a question.

“But how are you going to stabilize the dungeon on Earth?”

Normally, dungeons disappear when the core is destroyed or the boss is defeated.

However, some families have found ways to anchor dungeons and repurpose them.

That’s exactly what Joo Hayun was about to do.

“You just manipulate the dungeon core.”

“And how do you do that, exactly?”

“Like I said before—it's an artifact.”

Her tone was firm.

The method for stabilizing dungeons isn’t shared with outsiders.

It’s one of the reasons why major families and guilds can thrive.

“I’m from Hyukcheon too, remember?”

“The more people who know a secret, the faster it spreads.”

Kwon Hanul couldn’t argue with that logic.

“Well then, I’m off for real this time.”

Just as Joo Hayun stepped toward the gate, a small unit approached from afar.

Hanul and Hayun turned toward them in confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“No idea…”

The unit was escorting a mid-sized car. Hanul stared at it curiously.

The vehicle came to a stop in front of them. The door opened, and someone stepped out.

Messy dreadlocks, but sharp, clean clothing.

“What the hell? Why are you here?”

It was Jose del Pablo.

“I heard you went into the dungeon. Guess it was too much for you, huh?”

That wasn’t the case, but Hanul didn’t bother responding.

“Actually, this works out. I’ve got a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Where’s the guide who went into the dungeon with you?”

Hanul instinctively knew—GG’s movements had been exposed.

“Why are you asking?”

Jose del Pablo scowled as he answered.

“We got a witness. Said they saw him near the scene where one of our officers was murdered.”

Hanul clicked his tongue internally. They say if the tail’s too long, it eventually gets caught—and it had.

“Talk. Where is he?”

“I don’t know. He vanished on his own business.”

“You serious?”

“I am.”

It wasn’t a lie. GG never told him where he was headed.

Hanul knew plenty—GG’s goal, even his identity—but he had no intention of sharing any of it.

“Listen, you Hyukcheon maggot…”

Jose stepped in close, glaring.

“I’m in a really shitty mood right now. Know why? Because every one of the guys that bastard killed were my men. And if you’re lying to my face…”

An overwhelming killing intent surged from Jose’s body.

Silent, but thick and suffocating—like poison clinging to skin, burning him all over.

“You’d better be ready to face the consequences.”

Hanul stayed silent.

Jose let out a cold chuckle.

“What, cat got your tongue? Don’t worry, I’m not actually gonna—”

“Now that I think about it, this is kind of hilarious.”

Hanul suddenly interrupted.

“Hilarious?”

“Why are you asking me about the guide you assigned me?”

Jose frowned.

“He’s not one of ours. Just a freelance hunter. And you were the one working with him.”

“Sure, but the employer is still the Pablo Family, right? He’s worked with you longer than he’s ever worked with me. So why are you grilling me?”

Hanul poked Jose’s forehead with his finger, pushing him back.

“You messed up managing your own guy. Don’t come dumping that crap on me.”

“…Crap?”

“Yeah, what else do you call it? Or were you just lashing out without thinking?”

Jose’s face stiffened at Hanul’s bluntness.

“Don’t go strutting around just because you’ve got Hyukcheon backing you. This isn’t Korea. Keep acting like that and you’ll disappear without a trace.”

“You’ve got it twisted.”

Hanul poked at Jose’s chest with his finger.

“‘Don’t strut around just because of Hyukcheon’? Your Pablo Family—or hell, even the entire South American cartel—couldn’t dream of matching Hyukcheon’s reputation.”

His voice dropped to a deadly calm.

“So do yourself a favor and get lost.”

Silence fell.

After a long pause, Jose burst out laughing.

“Hahaha!”

The laughter echoed for a while.

Then, out of nowhere, magical energy erupted from his body. The air exploded outward in a violent gust.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Jose’s eyes were filled with murderous rage.

“You son of a—!”

José del Pablo extended his hand toward Kwon Hanul.

Even that simple gesture carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.

But Hanul didn’t react.

He didn’t need to—he had a powerful ally standing beside him.

“That's enough.”

Joo Hayun grabbed José del Pablo’s wrist.

“José del Pablo. Out of respect for your uncle, Ricardo Pablo, I’ll let this slide—just this once. Now leave.”

“And if I refuse?”

Hayun summoned her mana.

In an instant, José’s energy was forcefully pushed back—completely overpowered.

Having taken control of the space in a heartbeat, Joo Hayun stared him down.

“Shall I rip off this arm to start with?”

The two locked eyes in silence for a long moment.

Eventually, José backed down and withdrew his hand.

“…Not exactly polite of me to act like that in front of guests.”

With that, José climbed back into his vehicle.

Then, along with his unit, he turned back the way he came.

* * *

“Nice work.”

As José del Pablo took his seat, the woman next to him spoke.

“So, how was it—meeting the Witch of Hyukcheon in person?”

“…She’s no joke,” he replied curtly.

“Think you could beat her?”

Ashley’s question hung in the air as José fell into thought.

“Not confident?”

José’s brow furrowed—his pride clearly bruised.

“You don’t know till you try.”

“The Witch of Hyukcheon isn’t someone you can take lightly. She used to work directly with the chairman of Hyukcheon himself.”

His scowl deepened further.

“Then why’d you have me provoke her? Didn’t you say we shouldn’t mess with Hyukcheon carelessly?”

The reason José had come here in the first place was because of GG.

But the reason he’d picked a fight with Kwon Hanul and Joo Hayun was because Ashley had asked him to.

She’d wanted him to test her power.

“I did say that. But... the situation has changed a bit.”

“Changed how?”

“Paqueta Family just pledged loyalty to the Godfather.”

At those words, José’s eyes widened.

“Wait, that means… the Godfather’s managed to unify all the South American families?”

It was the first time since the era of the original drug kingpin that all the cartels in South America had come together.

José looked deeply moved—he was living in a glorious age.

“…Not all of them,” Ashley said, pouring cold water on his excitement. “The Pablo Family is still left.”

José grimaced like he’d swallowed something bitter.

She was right. While all the other families had pledged allegiance, only his uncle, Ricardo Pablo, still refused to submit to the Godfather.

“I’m with the Godfather now. It’s only a matter of time.”

“True… but why wait at all?”

“What are you getting at?”

Ashley leaned in and whispered into his ear, “The Godfather and all the families are on your side. So why tiptoe around it? Just use force.”

José’s face stiffened. Even for him, taking down his own blood…

“…You know what? You’re right.”

It wouldn’t be a problem.

“The Godfather is ready. We could go ahead with it as soon as tomorrow.”

But José wasn’t even listening anymore.

His mind was already racing—thinking of Ricardo Pablo’s closest aides, and when the next meeting was scheduled.

“…So why mess with Hyukcheon?”

Then he suddenly remembered.

“To steal their tech,” Ashley said plainly.

“Tech?”

“Do you know how a mega-corp like Hyukcheon managed to grow so powerful?”

“Because they’re strong?”

Ashley shook her head.

“It’s because of dungeons.”

“Dungeons spawn in South America too.”

“More accurately, it’s because they figured out how to modify and utilize dungeons.”

Ashley glanced toward the rear window of the car.

They were already far from the site—but back there was the S-rank dungeon that the Hyukcheon family had claimed.

“They know the technique. And the Godfather wants it.”

“The Godfather?”

“Yes. He has no intention of dying just a drug lord. He wants to expand our influence—to the whole world.”

To do that, they needed the technology to harness dungeons.

That’s why she had José test Joo Hayun’s power.

A confrontation might break out, after all.

“…You're seriously thinking of going after Hyukcheon?”

Even José, usually all too eager to fight, hesitated at the thought.

“We have the Godfather on our side.”

Ashley’s calm words erased that hesitation in an instant.

“Think about it. What happened when you killed that world-ranked hunter?”

The guild that hunter had belonged to had declared war.

It was a famous global guild—large, with many elite hunters. But—

“What happened after that?”

The moment the Godfather stepped in, they went silent.

No one was reckless enough to fight the entire South American cartel.

“Trust in the Godfather. He already has it all planned out.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]