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Chapter 173 Pulling the Accelerator (5)

The gate opened, revealing two boys and an unconscious man. Barricades had been erected around the gate (though they meant little if monsters started pouring out), and police monitored them.

“What happened? Emergency at the gate?!”

“We cleared the gate?” Baek In-ha raised his head and pointed back at the gate, which was gradually scattering behind them. The police became embarrassed as they looked at the man they were supporting.

“Yes?! Then, did Hyeongju Ahn do that…” Somehow, in their eyes, an emergency had occurred in the gate, and Hyeongju Ahn had been injured while saving his two trainees. Kang Shin-hyuk shrugged after exchanging a glance with Baek.

“I guess we didn’t do a proper job.”

“Somehow…” That evening, Kang Shin-hyuk and Baek In-ha made the headlines of the news. It was the first time since the artifact contest that he had appeared in his form of Kang Shin-hyuk instead of Shin Eun-hyuk. He was sitting on the sofa in the hospital, gazing up at the TV screen as he listened to the administrator’s explanation.

-There is an item called a soul contract. It is a terrifying artifact that can inflict serious penalties or even death if you try to break it. It is a product exclusively handled by the Hero Universe.

“It sounds more like black magic than anything else… I’ll buy one.”

-They are 30 million HP each.

“…” If it weren’t for killing the Sediment of Chaos, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Kang Shin-hyuk purchased it with his trembling hand. Fortunately, his VIP discount brought it to 22.5 million HP, but he still didn’t have enough money to buy another.

“Well… huh?” Hyeongju Ahn, who was lying in the patient’s bed, groaned and opened his eyes. He was quick to grasp where he was, his eyes bulging.

“You’re alive?! But… that terrible monster!”

“Mister, be quiet. If you talk too loudly, the Vanguard members outside will come in.” Hyeongju Ahn had returned from the gate in a battered state with traces of that filthy mana in his body, so not only Vanguard but also the entire Korean branch of the association had mobilized to investigate. Kang Shin-hyuk hadn’t known, but the demon that had caused it was known among superhumans. Rather, apparently, all of the main members of Jormungand were demons. Hague, the armored man who appeared in Paris, had mana similar to the Sediment of Chaos.

“Kang Shin-hyuk… you look fine.”

“Of course I am. The hospital isn’t sure, though.” Kang Shin-hyuk and Baek were trapped in the hospital out of a fear they might’ve been influenced by the mana. Baek had called Baekyang to give them a more comfortable ward, but Kang Shin-hyuk had stayed behind to wait for Hyeongju Ahn to wake up. Of course, that was to cover up what he had seen.

“Oh… oh! Right, Hongdae!” Hyeongju Ahn groaned and grabbed his head, recalling what had happened before he passed out.

“The gate was cleared.”

“What…?”

“Baek and I solved it.” Kang Shin-hyuk pointed to the TV. The news was about the S-class gate being cleared, which in itself wasn’t particularly newsworthy. The fact that a demon had been detected at the gate and one of Vanguard’s elite fighters had been incapacitated despite two students walking out fine had garnered attention. Hyeongju Ahn stiffened as he watched the screen, no doubt feeling humiliated. Kang Shin-hyuk patted his shoulder and handed him the contract.

“Anyway, so I don’t need to worry about you, sign here.”

“A contract? What… ah.” Hyeongju Ahn stopped himself from moving instinctively, sensing the enormous magic of the soul contract.

“Don’t reveal your identity… what is this about artifacts?”

“I’ll sell armaments to Vanguard through you. That way, you will also accumulate some standing.”

“Armaments, what do you… ah, I see.” Hyeongju Ahn belatedly recalled that Kang Shin-hyuk had won the artifact contest.

“…Did you make all the weapons you used today?”

“Would you like to check them out?” Kang Shin-hyuk took off one of the gloves he was wearing and showed it to Hyeongju Ahn. He didn’t have the emotion skill, so he couldn’t check the details himself, only the information Kang Shin-hyuk deliberately released… that was to confirm that he was indeed the craftsman.

“Nonsense. How old are you?!”

“I made it with my senior. With these kinds of trading conditions, it should be sufficient for not revealing my identity.”

“I didn’t intend on it from the beginning. The Thunder Empress has been in charge of your information for the association…” The associations didn’t know his true identity, but Shin Eunah, the one who managed his information, wouldn’t forgive someone who spreads it. Kang Shin-hyuk smiled at the thought and handed him the contract once more.

“So let’s prevent such a situation. Now, sign. Quickly.”

“It looks like a pretty good artifact… is there a reason you’re hiding your identity?”

“If I get caught, I won’t be able to move freely as Shin Eun-hyuk. I plan on revealing it after I graduate.”

“You seem to be after only the good parts of being a high-ranker. Well… alright.” Hyeongju Ahn signed the contract with a slight frown as he could feel its power bind him.

“I originally planned for this to be a temporary job, but now I feel like we’ll be seeing each other in the future.” Kang Shin-hyuk had intended this from the start, through trading with Vanguard. Wouldn’t it be convenient if he had someone on Vanguard’s side to support him?

“In the future, my skills will improve.”

“Aren’t you two already good enough?! I can’t figure out how the hell you were fine against that demon!” Hyeongju Ahn quickly shook off his depression, raising his voice energetically.

“How can I… can it be possible to be so strong?”

“It’s partially luck, but also a lot of effort.”

“I see.”

“There’s no way to become strong just by studying or reviewing preparations.” Kang Shin-hyuk was confident he wouldn’t lose to anyone when it came to effort, but he acknowledged it wasn’t solely through his effort he had grown so fast.

“Luck and talent aren’t something you can force, so try your best.”

“Hmm…”

“I can also make you a weapon one day.”

“Really?!” Hyeongju Ahn was convinced that if he had an artifact half as good as Soul Connection, his ability would increase significantly.

“It won’t be free, but I’ll sell it for cheap. Wear it and show it off to the Vanguard people.” If he wanted to sell his armaments for a good price, he would need to prove they were worth it. Of course, he had Lee Manwoo to back him up in that regard, but he had already been considering establishing his own connections as well.

“Cheap… how much is it?”

“First, let’s see what you can pay, because I’ll decide what to make based on the budget.” Having finished what he came to do, Kang Shin-hyuk pressed the call button and stood up. Opening the door and stepping out into the hallway, he saw a nurse walking fast towards the room. She was followed by Vanguard’s members, one of whom was a girl who seemed a little younger than him. She wore Vanguard’s coat and had a creepily neat appearance.

-Member?

‘Why do you get worried every time I see a woman these days?’

-70,000HP bonus!

‘Look at that…’ Of course, he thought she was pretty, but that wasn’t what had caught his attention. Her hair and eyes were bluish indigo. Her skin was white, and she looked Korean. Claire’s own eyes and hair had been dyed red when she awakened, so this must’ve been a similar case.

-She’s a talented fox…

‘She hasn’t said a thing yet, but she’s already a fox?’ 

“Kang Shin-hyuk.” Shin-hyuk was planning on pretending to ignore them, but the man at the head grabbed him. It was Lim Hoon. Considering he was in his thirties, it was an unconventional greeting, but Lim Hoon was one of Vanguard’s strongest members.

“Long time no see.”

“Hello.”

“I see Shinyoung had made a good bet with you.”

“It’s thanks to Mr. Hyeongju Ahn, who protected us.” Kang Shin-hyuk had no reason not to push Hyeongju up now that he was his contact with Vanguard. Lim Hoon continued to look at him seriously as if he were considering something.

“When we met before, I mentioned the contract would have to be revised next we met… I thought that would happen in about two more years.”

“Oh, did you bring a contract?”

“I’m ready, but I don’t think you’ll take it.”

“Yes. So, when I graduate, let’s talk once more.”

“Haha, so there’s still a chance.” Lim Hoon had a nervous smile on his face, but then he pulled the girl who stood behind him up suddenly.

“This is the next prospect of our guild, Hye-na.”

“I’ll go in first.” The girl looked at Kang Shin-hyuk with an unpleasant expression before passing him to enter the hospital room.

-A woman has appeared with a high probability of falling in love with this member. It would be better to handle her now.

‘Where do you get your information from? We need to talk about your hobbies one of these days.’ The sight of Kang Shin-hyuk speaking to the administrator was a bit of a shock for the others to see, but Lim Hoon was quick to take action.

“I apologize. She is still young…”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

“Hye-na is a swordsman, like yourself.” Kang Shin-hyuk handled all weapons well, but since he used swords the most on the official stage, there were rumors his trait had to do with swordsmanship.

“She does have a sword on her back.” A blue greatsword hung behind her black coat.

“She is the daughter of the guild master. She learned kendo directly from her father.”

“…” Kang Shin-hyuk, who had killed Vanguard’s former guild master in his Shin Eun-hyuk form, went quiet.

“That… take good care of her. That child will enroll in the knight department of Shinyoung next year.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for her.”

“Thank you.” Lim Hoon smiled before leading the other guild members into the hospital room.

-It’s obvious that later she will rush to kill the person who killed her father. Kill her now.

“Well, it’s fine for now.” Kang Shin-hyuk headed off to the private room where Baek In-ha was waiting.