Chapter 249 – To Create Yoo Jun-ho’s World

Episode 249

Yong Hangil was dead.

It was a shocking event that sent ripples throughout the Center Zone, not just the Korean Clan.

The cause of death was assassination.

The culprit had infiltrated the Master’s office, ambushed Yong Hangil, destroyed the building, and escaped.

And the culprit was none other than Kim Jinsung.

The two alliances, divided north and south, had different reactions to Yoo Jun-ho’s announcement.

The Eclat Alliance in the north completely denied the accusations. They claimed that Kim Jinsung had never left the alliance’s territory since entering the Center Zone.

But most of the hunters in the existing Major Clan Alliance in the south believed Yoo Jun-ho.

Because the accused was Kim Jinsung.

He had already assassinated Finlay and Graham in a similar manner.

And Yoo Jun-ho’s claim that he had infiltrated the heavily guarded headquarters seemed more believable to them.

No further explanation was needed. Kim Jinsung’s name alone was enough.

* * *

“Yesterday, we lost the pillar that supported the Korean Clan.”

Yoo Jun-ho stood on a podium in the Korean Clan headquarters’ outdoor stadium, looking at the assembled clan members with a heavy expression.

“My heart is broken. I want to collapse and weep, but I can’t.

I know the gravity of the situation and the duty that has fallen upon me.”

His eyes were red and swollen from crying at the funeral.

“We are facing a final battle against a powerful enemy, the Eclat Alliance.

Master, who is watching us from above, wouldn’t want us to mourn him while neglecting the situation at hand.

We can postpone the investigation into his death, the mourning period, and all the other formal procedures until after we’ve driven out those invaders from the north.”

He continued his speech, his face grim.

“Now that Master is gone, I will temporarily lead the Korean Clan as the acting Master, to resolve this urgent situation.

And Team Leader Hong Yeon-seok will act as the Vice Master.”

The hunters’ gazes shifted to Hong Yeon-seok, who was sitting in the back of the stadium, his face unusually grim.

No one objected to the announcement. It was a natural progression for them to take over after Yong Hangil’s death.

“An hour ago, we received news that the Eclat Alliance is marching towards the central defensive line with all their forces. According to our scouts, they’re almost here.

Therefore, the Korean Clan will prepare for battle and head towards the front lines immediately.”

The hunters’ eyes changed.

A life-or-death battle was imminent.

The weight of the situation was enough to overshadow their grief over their Master’s death.

“As the acting Master, I will give my first order to the Korean Clan.

In two hours, I want everyone to be fully equipped and assembled here.

And…”

He paused for a moment and then continued in a stronger voice,

“I look forward to working with you all.”

He bowed his head and ended his speech.

* * *

After the speech,

Yoo Jun-ho entered the Vice Master’s office and started changing into his equipment.

“What’s the clan’s opinion on Master’s death?”

He asked Hong Yeon-seok, who was standing before him, already fully equipped, as he put on his armor.

“Some are suspicious, since there’s no concrete evidence, but most of them believe our testimonies.”

“That’s good. I expected as much.”

There were many suspicious circumstances surrounding Yong Hangil’s death.

The numerous CCTV cameras in the Master’s office had all malfunctioned at the same time.

The guards who were always stationed outside the office had been strangely absent at that time.

But everyone believed their testimonies because

the witnesses were Yoo Jun-ho, Yong Hangil’s most trusted disciple, and Hong Yeon-seok, his most reliable subordinate.

Everyone knew how loyal they were to Yong Hangil, so they couldn’t help but believe their testimonies.

They believed that neither of them would ever betray Yong Hangil.

“It’s all thanks to you, Team Leader Hong… No, Vice Master. Thanks to you choosing me, I was able to become the Master of the Korean Clan without any problems.”

Hong Yeon-seok didn’t answer, his face still grim.

He wasn’t keeping silent because he had chosen Yoo Jun-ho.

‘If the truth is revealed now, the Korean Clan will be divided.’

If he revealed the truth, Yoo Jun-ho would accuse him of lying, to protect his position.

The Korean Clan would be split into two factions, Yoo Jun-ho’s and his, and a long and bloody power struggle would ensue.

He couldn’t even imagine how many casualties there would be.

‘That can’t happen. We need to be united to fight the Eclat Alliance.’

He knew that they might not even win, even if they united under Yoo Jun-ho, the acting Master, and helped the existing alliance with all their might.

A clan war in this situation would be suicidal.

He was keeping silent for the sake of the clan.

‘I’ll be watching you, Yoo Jun-ho. If you act for your own benefit, instead of the clan’s, I won’t let your betrayal of Master go unpunished.’

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

“You still seem to resent me.”

Yoo Jun-ho said, as if reading his mind.

“Well, I’m not going to make any more excuses or try to persuade you about what I did yesterday. I don’t think it’ll change your mind.”

“……”

“But I promise you this. I’ll reward you for choosing to follow me.”

He walked towards a clothes rack and took something out of the inside pocket of a suit jacket.

He handed it to Hong Yeon-seok.

“Take this.”

“…What is this?”

He asked, looking at the two objects in his hand.

A small key card and a red Abyss Mana stone with a magic spell engraved on it.

“It’s the key card to the Allobon vault.”

“……!”

“And the other one is a Mana stone that can control Allobon.”

He continued, seeing his shocked expression,

“I’m giving you the authority to control Allobon, as a token of my trust.”

“…Why are you giving this to me, instead of keeping it for yourself…?”

“I need to earn your trust, don’t I?”

He smiled warmly.

“As you know, Allobon is the most powerful and dangerous weapon we have. It’s equivalent to the entire Korean Clan’s forces.

In other words, you now have the power to assassinate me.”

“……!!”

“But I trust you. I know that you, who cares about the clan more than anyone else, will always make the right decision and stay by my side.”

He then gave him an order.

“In two hours, I’ll be leaving for the central defensive line with the entire Korean Clan.

After we leave, go to the Allobon vault and unseal them. Then follow us with Allobon.”

* * *

Two and a half hours later,

Yoo Jun-ho left the headquarters with the entire Korean Clan.

Hong Yeon-seok stood before the Allobon vault, the location of which only he and Yoo Jun-ho knew.

“Haa…”

He sighed deeply.

He was a seasoned hunter, despite his young age, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He was about to unseal those legendary monsters.

‘…But I don’t have time to hesitate.’

He swiped the key card.

The heavy steel door to the vault slid open with a beep.

He stepped inside, and

“…They’re really sealed here.”

He muttered to himself, looking at the sight before him.

Large, sturdy transparent capsules filled the entire space. Inside each capsule, a muscular young man was sleeping peacefully, his eyes closed.

It was clear that they were the Allobon test subjects.

‘I need to channel Mana into this to unseal them.’

He started channeling Mana into the Abyss Mana stone.

Moments later, the test subjects inside the capsules started opening their eyes one by one.

*Crash!*

They shattered the capsules with their fists and stepped out.

It took less than ten seconds for all of them to awaken and surround him.

‘…These guys are no joke…’

He gulped, feeling their overwhelming energy.

He now understood why these few test subjects had almost destroyed the Korean Clan five years ago.

‘I need to channel Mana into this and say my name for them to recognize me as their master.’

He continued channeling Mana into the Mana stone, remembering Yoo Jun-ho’s explanation.

He then said,

“My name is Hong Yeon-seok. I am your new master. Remember that.”

As soon as he finished speaking,

the Allobon subjects surrounding him started emanating Mana explosively.

He was startled, seeing them channeling their Mana to the limit.

‘What’s going on…?’

“Hong Yeon-seok. He said Hong Yeon-seok.”

“He’s the one we have to kill.”

“Kill him!”

They charged towards him.

“W-what?!”

He drew his sword in shock,

but it was too late.

Their fists were already inches away from his face.

* * *

Moments later,

[Hong Yeon-seok eliminated.]

A voice came from Yoo Jun-ho’s pocket as he looked at the central defensive line.

He took out a Mana stone from his pocket.

It was identical to the one he had given to Hong Yeon-seok.

The only difference was that his was blue.

He channeled Mana into the Mana stone and whispered,

“Erase all traces and come to me.”

[Acknowledged.]

He put the Mana stone back in his pocket and thought to himself,

‘It works exactly as the manual said. I was worried about side effects, but it seems there are none.’

If you want to eliminate someone without leaving any trace, give them this red Mana stone. Allobon will take care of them.

It was part of the manual he had found in the Allobon vault.

He had entered the vault after killing Yong Hangil yesterday and immediately started planning Hong Yeon-seok’s elimination after reading that part.

‘I can’t leave the only person who knows I’m the culprit alive.’

He had to eliminate all loose ends to ensure a perfect crime.

Hong Yeon-seok was a dangerous loose end.

‘The Korean Clan is mine now. I can just find a similar corpse during the battle and report Hong Yeon-seok’s death as a casualty.’

He had already planned everything.

‘And I’ve also eliminated the two most likely suspects who might be under surveillance.’

He had suspected Hong Yeon-seok, after Yong Hangil, of being under the enemy’s surveillance.

Considering that the enemy had even found out about the location of the Vice Masters’ meeting, it was clear that either he or Hong Yeon-seok was a spy.

‘Now all that’s left is the Eclat Alliance. I just need to win this battle. This battle…’

He looked at the Eclat Alliance hunters lined up beyond the central defensive wall, his eyes gleaming.

He believed that if they won this battle, his world would begin.

Now that Hemingston was dead and the Alpha Clan was weakened, this was his chance to become the center of the world.

‘And to do that, I need to eliminate Kim Jinsung.’

The symbol and leader of the Eclat Alliance, and the man currently known as the strongest on Earth.

He just had to eliminate Kim Jinsung. As long as he was alive, his plan wouldn’t succeed.

He would eliminate him in this battle, even if it meant using Allobon and all the other forbidden ability users!

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

—

(To be continued in the next episode)