Chapter 59: Awakened Criminals (1)

Chapter 59: Awakened Criminals (1) "Ahem, ah, ah. Testing, one, two, three." Kim Ki-Rok was holding a pen, not a microphone. Why he felt the need to test it was a mystery, but given he was the one conducting an important briefing, everyone chose to overlook this lapse in sanity. Satisfied, Kim Ki-Rok placed the marker onto the board, acting as if everything were perfectly normal. "Why the hell was he holding the pen like a microphone?" someone whispered incredulously. It was an absurdity impossible to understand, but rationality had never been the Crazy Bastard's strong suit. "On the night between December 23rd and 24th, Awakened criminals plan to assault a Hunter department store. They intend to distract the Hunters Association with a staged power struggle among criminal factions. The store targeted is located here." Kim Ki-Rok sloppily drew a circle around Incheon, a major city west of Seoul. "Some of you might wonder why they aren't targeting Seoul." Although Incheon was still a metropolitan city, it was inferior to Seoul in many ways. Why would they target such a place? "There are three companies that operate Hunter department stores. The Il-Sung Hunter Department Store is managed by the Il-Sung Group, which is in alliance with the Shine Guild. Wiki, a global corporation headquartered in the United States with branches worldwide, runs Wiki Hunter Department Store. And finally, the company perpetually in second place, always pushed down by Il-Sung Group—" The sharp sound of someone gritting their teeth echoed throughout the room. "Ahem, AHEM!" "Cough, cough." A few Hunters coughed, trying to point out the disrespectful remark, but Kim Ki-Rok ignored them entirely. "Korea's eternally second-place company, U&K—or UK Group—operates the UK Hunter Department Store," he continued. "This fucker keeps saying second place, second place," one of the ordinary employees of UK Group grumbled. The executives, however, maintained their silence. Kim Ki-Rok ignored the comment. "The Il-Sung Department Store is protected by their ally, the Shine Guild, therefore the criminals are unlikely to attack it." He made a good point. "Then, is the Wiki Hunter Department Store any different? No, it's not. The Wiki Group is a global corporation. Unless the criminals have lost their minds, they wouldn't target this either," Kim Ki-Rok inferred. This also made sense. "But UK Hunter Department Store, Korea's eternal number two, is different. Although it has alliances, they're mostly with mid-sized guilds rather than a large one, all in the name of cost reduction, significantly lowering their security." The logic was immediately clear. The Awakened criminals would naturally choose UK Hunter Department Store because it was easier prey. Right then, someone cautiously raised their hand. "Um, I was under the impression that the UK Group had contracted with one of the large guilds." "That contract was terminated," Kim Ki-Rok clarified. "Whether due to financial difficulties or a falling-out between the guild and the company, the fact is the contract no longer stands." The Hunters looked toward the UK Group executives for confirmation, but they only cleared their throats and looked away awkwardly. The silence confirmed everything. "Now, back to the main topic. Why target the UK Hunter Department Store in Incheon when there are also branches in Seoul? The reason is simple. It's because of the coastal road." A seaborne escape route made perfect sense. Kim Ki-Rok marked Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu and even Busan with an X. "You might be wondering, doesn't Busan also have a coastal road? Wouldn't it be safer than Incheon, being farther from Seoul? Normally, this would be the case, but circumstances have changed. Starting on December 10th, fifty-six Gates suddenly appeared in South Korea. The Association and large guilds prioritized clearing Gates around the capital." That was why the area around Seoul had quickly stabilized, but regional Gates posed a different challenge. "The Hunters Association and large guilds from the capital region have dispatched Hunters to the provinces like the Jeolla and Chungcheong, which lacked such guilds. By the way, 'dispatch' is the key term here. For those taking notes, make sure to underline it," Kim Ki-Rok said jokingly. His casual tone belied the severity of the situation, and those gathered for the briefing could feel their throats dry up. He proceeded to address the harsh reality they were ignoring, "Guilds dispatched nearly all available Hunters and spared only the absolute minimum to keep things running, which left Seoul and its surrounding areas essentially defenseless. These efforts hinged on the information that the Association obtained about how Gates with the 'contaminated' modifier could potentially Break simultaneously on December 24th." Seoul and nearby cities became nearly devoid of Hunters. "Gulp!" The implication was clear: If criminals attacked the department store, there would be no Hunters left to stop them. However, they couldn't simply order the Hunters to withdraw in the middle of their raids. Those Hunters were tasked with clearing as many Gates as they could before the twenty-fourth, and respond to any Breaks if time had run out. "Here's a hypothetical: without the intel on the potential mass Break on the twenty-fourth, what horror would await us?" Kim Ki-Rok queried the room. Typically, Gates were cleared by systematically defeating all monsters. This practice encouraged Hunter growth and minimized potential Breaks. Moreover, if any rare metal or herbs were discovered, that Gate was usually maintained rather than destroyed. Although such Gates were regularly cared for to prevent Breaks, some still occurred and caused considerable casualties. There were especially a lot of monsters in the contaminated Gates, and if there hadn't been information about the mass Breaks on the twenty-fourth, those Gates would have been left unattended, resulting in even worse devastation than usual. Adding on a criminal attack during such chaos was unimaginable. Some Hunters shivered or clenched their jaws just thinking about it, but Kim Ki-Rok stood there with a grin. "I said it earlier, right? This is all a hypothetical." They knew about the criminals' plans and the upcoming Breaks. "There are a total of fifty-six contaminated Gates in South Korea. As of December 22nd, a total of forty-eight Gates have been destroyed, and eight remain. Unfortunately, at the current pace, it seems we probably won't be able to finish clearing at least five to six Gates. So!" Kim Ki-Rok slammed the board with his palm. "First, we will eliminate the criminals hiding in Incheon and waiting to attack the department store." As the saying goes, he who strikes first wins. The Hunters would attack the Awakened criminals first to stabilize their rear. "I have no intention of sitting around and waiting for the twenty-fourth to come while worrying about these criminals, so I've pinpointed their location. They're all wanted criminals anyway," Kim Ki-Rok rallied. The Hunters nodded in agreement. "We will depart in one hour. Purchase any necessary equipment at the UK Hunter Department Store here, and gather in the underground parking lot at the designated time," he instructed. The Hunters all rose from their seats and quickly left the meeting room. They didn't have much time on their hands to prepare for the operation. One of the UK Group workers approached him. "Excuse me... Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?" "Yes, Branch Manager." The Incheon Branch Manager of the UK Hunter Department Store wiped sweat from his forehead. "I have a question." "Go ahead." "So, you're saying we're not going to fight the Awakened criminals at the department store, correct?" "That's right," Kim Ki-Rok answered. "And you've confirmed the location of their hideout." "Yes." "Then why did you decide to hold the meeting in a conference room on the upper floor of the UK Hunter Department Store when we could have held it in a hotel or building overlooking the hideout of these criminals?" the branch manager asked. And why had Kim Ki-Rok deliberately emphasized how the UK Group always came in second place? "I wanted upper management to receive my message," Kim Ki-Rok replied calmly. "I beg your pardon?" The branch manager was clearly caught off guard by his response. "If UK Group had contracted a major guild for security, they would have never been targeted." The branch manager was speechless. "What is that saying... penny wise, pound foolish? That describes this situation perfectly. If UK Group had secured the proper intel and checked their plans ahead of time, they would've been able to quietly resolve this issue. So, shall we revisit that 'what if' scenario again? What if UK Group had contracted a major guild for security, just like Il-Sung Group did? "If they had, the criminals wouldn't have dared to target them so openly. And even if they were to attack, they would tread carefully to avoid incurring the wrath of a large guild. There would be no significant casualties from this outcome. "High-ranking Hunters from the Association and major guilds have convened here for this briefing. Naturally, this report will not end at the managerial level; it will be escalated all the way to the top, no?" Kim Ki-Rok's words sent a cold shock through the startled Branch Manager and staff. "So, when you're summarizing the contents of this meeting, please include these words. 'Find a new president, or the department store will go bankrupt.' If you need justification, contact the Iron Guard Guild." This guild had previously held a security contract with the various department stores at UK Hunter but terminated it upon achieving large-guild status earlier this year. Kim Ki-Rok patted the branch manager's shoulder sympathetically. "You've been through a lot because of that fool." "Ha... Haha..." The branch manager awkwardly laughed. In past Attempts, The UK Hunter Department Store had gone out of business after failing to bounce back from the significant damages sustained after the attack. This led to mass layoffs for numerous employees and affiliated workers. Even when Kim Ki-Rok had intervened to stop the attack, the UK Group continued to pursue reckless ventures in an effort to catch up with the Il-Sung Group, not to mention stay ahead of the Wiki Hunter Department Store that had been catching up to them at an incredible pace. In the end, continuous failures led to severe financial losses and ultimately, withdrawal from the market. The rest was history. When had this reckless approach begun? The moment the head of UK Group appointed his third son as president of the UK Hunter Department Store.