I’m the Bad Guy, Can I Leave?

The Exilis Guild was bustling with people even late in the evening. Half the people had been drawn to the nocturnal nature of the Guild master, and half had joined Exilis on purpose because they were nocturnal by nature, so the towering building was never without light into the night.

Today was no different.

“Haa…. Can I go now?”

Geum Myeong-yeol said in a dying voice. His large body was half-crumpled on the sofa, and his eyes were glazed over.

He’d been snatched up by his secretary as soon as he’d returned home and dragged back to the guild, where he’d spent the last few days catching up on all the work he’d missed.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

The secretary snorted and dropped the stack of papers in front of him. It was so heavy that the desk creaked with a thud.

Geum Myeong-yeol looked at it with a grimace.

“I’m really going to die.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t been next to the master for a day or two, but your face is shiny like a newborn baby?”

“Does it look that good? I shouldn’t.”

Geum Myeong-yeol quickly held up his face to the mirror.

“You do. The wood effect must have been too good. Hey, Hwa-jin, can you hit this one?”

“Three months of paid leave on top of worker’s compensation, I’ll think about it.”

“If I’m right, why are you going on holiday?”

“Don’t you think I deserve that much for punching an S-rank with my bare fists?”

“Enough!”

Geum Myeong-yeol shouted, throwing the mirror away. The secretary snorted and dropped another stack of papers in front of him.

“Stop fooling around and work hard. Who wants to be here forever? Do what you want to do after you’re done.”

“Okay.”

For a moment, there was silence. Only the sounds of shuffling papers and fountain pens gliding across paper echoed through the office.

But then someone broke the silence. It was, of course, the impatient Geum Myeong-yeol.

“Can I just see his face?”

The secretary glared at him with beady eyes.

Three gates were opened during Geum Myeong-yeol’s stay in England. Seven newly discovered unassaulted dungeons, and the guilds, thirsty for a new source of items, pounced on them like dogs, leaving Exilis, in the absence of a guild master, to take a backseat.

They’re even losing out to a guy who’s barely in the top 10!

With a bang, the secretary hit the desk with the corner of the tablet he was holding. Hood ducked. Crumbs fell to the floor.

“Do you want to die before you get the earrings?”

“…….”

Geum Myeong-yeol looked away silently. The secretary sighed and crossed his arms. He was a bastard, really.

He understood his desire to get his hands on the earrings as soon as possible, but there were priorities at work. Priorities.

“Han Cha-soo hasn’t been kidnapped in the middle of nowhere, he’s at the Awakening Management Bureau, so what the hell are you so worried about?”

Geum Myeong-yeol tapped his fingers on the handle of his chair in frustration. The secretary raised an eyebrow and called out to him again.

“Master.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

That might sound pathetic. But the secretary’s reaction was different. With a serious look on his face, he asked,

“In what way, exactly?”

“The guys who attacked Baek-dam. You said you still haven’t figured out who’s behind it.”

The secretary nodded, puzzled by the sudden change of topic.

News of the attack on the S-rank healer had already spread throughout the Hunter World. Everyone knew the scale of the incident, as well as the story of the Heavenly Spirit Guild stepping in to rescue him.

The culprits caught at the scene had suddenly lost their edge.

But everyone had some idea who the culprits were. Japan or Russia, two countries that probably had their heads in the sand.

But why would that make a difference… Oh, my God. Wide-eyed, the secretary looked at Geum Myeong-yeol.

“Are you trying to tell me that it wasn’t Baek-dam they were after, but Han Cha-soo?”

“Maybe.”

The calm answer made the secretary salivate. Assuming it was Han Cha-soo and not Baek-dam, it was clear what they wanted to get their hands on.

It was Han Cha-soo’s earring.

“But there was no mention of the appraiser being dead. We also kept an eye on other people who might be interested in the earrings, but none of them had any suspicious behavior.”

While Geum Myeong-gyeol was away from Korea, the secretary has been closely watching Han Ah-hyeop and other awakeners of the curse and faith. This is to prevent a possible situation.

“If someone other than the appraiser leaked the information, no harm would come to the appraiser.”

Geum Myeong-yeol recalled the contract Han Cha-soo had signed. It said that the penalty for disclosing information would only apply if the appraiser who had done the appraisal leaked the information.

In other words, it didn’t apply if someone other than the appraiser had stolen the information.

“That’s… we’ll have to look into that.”

The Korean Item Trade Association was a favourite of Exilis. If there was an inside job, it was worth checking out.

The secretary kept his face calm and dusted off his tablet. Then he rolled his eyes as if he’d suddenly remembered something.

“If you have something to say, say it, and don’t pretend to look away.”

“Then I’ll ask, without mincing words.”

Geum Myeong-yeol stiffened and raised his hand. The secretary coughed loudly, leaned in close, and whispered.

“When you said you had to see Han Chasoo-ssi as soon as you got back, you were trying to beat him to the punch before anyone else did, weren’t you?”

Apparently, Han Cha-soo even stopped breathing for a moment. In other words, he could have died at any moment.

If Geum Myeong-yeol thought someone was after him, he might have gone to the administration to claim the earrings as soon as he died.

No, the secretary was almost certain, because his guild master was an admittedly brainless son of a bitch.

And there was no way Geum Myeong-yeol couldn’t feel it.

“…You really think I’m a lowly bastard.”

“Oh, you know I have a big mouth.”

The secretary smiled with a twinkle in his eye, as if he was confiding in me alone. Geum Myeong-yeol smiled back and snatched the tablet out of his hand.

He slammed it down on the secretary’s forehead.

“Evil!”

“Cut the crap and go get ready to fetch Nam Se-woo.”

“Are you deliberately changing the subject now? Why is Nam Se-woo suddenly… Hmph, I see, I’m not privy to the master’s profound wisdom. Are you trying to torment him in his dreams and make it seem like he’s committing suicide?”

“I won’t kill him and I won’t let him die, you madman!”

Geum Myeong-yeol shouted, a look of exasperation on his face.

“Why would I kill him in the first place?”

“Then why did you smash his car while he was driving?”

“…Because, Hwa-jin, I’m quite fond of Han Cha-soo.”

Geum Myeong-yeol swept his hand across his face and said in a sighing voice.

He was genuinely looking at Han Cha-soo fondly.

The way he didn’t give up even when his life was in danger, and the way he dared to give me the paralysing drug. On top of that, he’s got the brains to know when to stay in line and when not to cross the line.

He’s a tricky opponent to play against, but he’s a sweetheart when he succeeds.

‘Besides, he’s uselessly confrontational, so even if his attack skills are shared, he won’t sell his secrets, and he won’t even be able to use them because he’s weak.’

If it was a couple item that needed to be shared with someone, Han Cha-soo was the perfect match, so there was no reason to kill him and steal the earrings now.

But the secretary clearly thought there was another reason.

“Oh, come to think of it, there was a Heavenly Spirit Guild leader behind Han Cha-soo, so you should be a little scared of him, I understand, Master.”

“You’re really going to be ruined by that mouth of yours.”

Grumbling, Geum Myeong-yeol stood up from his seat.

“Where are you going? Going to harass Han Chasoo-ssi?”

“I’m going to wash up!”

He hadn’t even bathed since returning home, let alone changed his clothes. Geum Myeong-yeol grabbed the door and yanked it open.

“Uh, what?”

The secretary suddenly let out a new sound. Geum Myeong-yeol shook his head and started to walk away.

“Stop, Master!”

“I can’t hear you.”

“No, it’s not strange…! Come in, come in, come in!”

“Are you such a waste of my time washing up?”

“Just come!”

“Ugh!”

The secretary rushed over and slapped Geum Myeong-yeol on the back. Then he shoved him back into the office, glancing around quickly.

“Why lock the door, are you going to commit a clandestine murder?”

“It’s on my wish list, but not right now. Check this out, come on.”

“Oh, why….”

He shoved the tablet in front of him and swore with all my might. He was getting tired of reading proposals and invitations from companies.

But the words on the screen were not what he expected. No, it was a slap in the face that far exceeded his expectations.

[Dear, Exilis Guild Master, Hunter Geum Myeong-yeol.

I would like to give you the items (accessories) of Hunter Han Cha-soo, so please visit the Awakening Management Administration tomorrow morning.

―Awakening Bureau 1st Headquarters Medical Centre]

“…….”

“…….”

An indescribable silence fell between the two men. Confusion filled his golden eyes, and Geum Myeong-yeol, who had barely torn his gaze away from the screen, asked.

“What’s this, is he dead?”

“Well, I guess so.”

“…Really?”

The transfer of ownership of a possessed item can only happen when the owner dies.

“This is crazy.”

This was, therefore, an official death sentence.