Chapter 150. Public Opinion (2)
South Korea heated as though it were the height of August,
“Orabeoni, look at this.”
The clear-eyed beauty, watching the situation unfold in real time, sparkled.
“In just one day since the article was published, the national petition has surpassed 1 million signatures.”
At that, “1 million?”
The man leisurely drinking soda on the sofa, Kim Shimun, looked quite surprised as he turned to Lee Yujeong.
“Yes! At this point, it’ll be hard for the government to ignore it.”
“With 1 million, it certainly would.”
Although a national petition didn’t wield immense power by itself, a figure exceeding 1 million told a different story.
‘It shows where public opinion stands.’
Even major incidents often peaked at tens of thousands, so surpassing 1 million was significant.
‘Not just the nation, even major guilds will have to pay attention.’
Especially since this all happened overnight. Considering the numbers could still rise, it was impossible to overlook. Most importantly, ‘The shift in public opinion is crucial.’
The media manipulation by the expelled guilds. Public opinion leaning in this direction meant their articles would no longer be effective.
On the contrary, ‘The more they push their narrative, the more backlash they’ll receive.’
A vicious cycle that would lead to their own undoing. Kim Shimun took out his phone and skimmed through the articles.
And then, “Gosh… Uncle is quite something, isn’t he?”
He chuckled at the photo of a middle-aged man in a black suit bowing his head.
“The game is already over, yet he’s bowing like that.”
“I was surprised too. The Association President must be really grinding his teeth.”
“He’s probably enjoying it. Look at this expression.”
A man whose demeanor was sharper than the word ‘blade’. Yet in the article’s photo, he appeared unusually pale and subdued.
“He would’ve thrived as an actor.”
“Haha. The Ironwood King as an actor? That’d be something to see.”
“Ha! There’s a novel idea! ‘I’m the Awakener Association President, but in a parallel world, I’m an actor?’ or something like that.”
Lee Yujeong and Park Jinwook burst into laughter. Kim Shimun smiled at Park Jinwook.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly thanked you. Jinwook-ssi, thank you for your help.”
Kim Shimun nodded slightly.
“Oh, what are you saying! I should be thanking you for this opportunity!”
Park Jinwook quickly waved his hand.
“Thinking about what those bastards did to us in the arena still grinds my teeth. I’d do a hundred interviews if that’s what it takes!”
“Exactly. Orabeoni, thanks to you, even Kim Shihyuk is having a great time right now.”
“Lee Yujeong is right. That guy’s been over the moon lately.”
Despite the National Championship being over, Kim Shihyuk was nowhere to be found. And understandably so.
“I saw that too. He’s been doing nothing but interviews.”
He had been eagerly accepting every interview request.
“Oh, you don’t say. He’s even accommodating media that he never used to look at.”
“After what happened to him recently in the national competition, I suppose he’s pretty fired up. But… Orabeoni?”
Lee Yujeong, who was agreeing with Park Jinwook, cautiously asked.
“If it’s alright, I’d like to lend a hand too.”
“Huh? You, Lee Yujeong?”
Kim Shimun tilted his head, surprised by the unexpected request.
Then, “Do you really want to help, or are you looking to join in on the bash?”
He asked playfully.
“Haha. Orabeoni, you see through me. Yes, I’ve got a bone to pick with those guilds too.”
Lee Yujeong returned the playful smile. Kim Shimun rested his chin on his hand for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. Although it feels like it’s already over, having you help can’t hurt.”
“Thank you. Can I write the article as I wish?”
“Of course. Do as you please.”
“Yes!”
Excited, Lee Yujeong immediately started tapping away on her phone. Kim Shimun smiled softly, then turned his attention to Park Jinwook.
“Oh right, Jinwook-ssi.”
“Yes, Shimun-nim.”
“I have a favor to ask. Can you help me with something?”
“Whatever you need! If you want, I’ll even take Kim Jongjun’s head for you!”
Park Jinwook firmly clenched his fist, exuding a fierce aura.
“Haha! I’ll appreciate the sentiment.”
Kim Jongjun was also a Diamond-tier assassin. Even for the Night Hunter, successfully assassinating him would be challenging.
Rejecting the offer with a hearty laugh, Shimun got to the point.
“Instead, can we spar together?”
***
Crash!
Glass and various pieces of furniture shattered. The culprit behind this destruction.
“Damn it!”
The thin, middle-aged man panted angrily, struggling to contain his fury.
“Holy Trinity, why the hell did you interfere again!!”
With each syllable,
Bang! Bang!
He smashed the already broken furniture. The only thing that stopped his violent behavior was, neither the anxious muscle-bound figure at the doorway, nor the blood-soaked splinters caused by his fists, but,
Ring ring.
The phone ringing.
“… Haa.”
Was he calming his anger?
Or did he fear the caller?
After taking a moment to catch his breath, he glared at the relentlessly ringing phone with reluctant eyes, “… Yes, hyung.”
He finally answered the call. As expected, “You bastard! How the hell did you handle this?!”
A deafening roar came through the phone. Kim Jongjun briefly pulled the phone away from his ear, bit his lower lip, and replied, “I… I have no excuse. Who would have thought that Kim Muyeol would act this way…”
Ironwood King, notorious for his high pride. Who could have imagined Kim Muyeol bowing his head and putting on this kind of showmanship?
But the person on the other end of the call didn’t seem to share that sentiment.
“You idiot! Do you think Kim Muyeol is the problem right now?!”
The voice grew even more agitated.
“Do you still not get it? Huh?! What has that guy done in this mess that makes you think it’s about Kim Muyeol!”
“… I’m sorry.”
Kim Jongjun could only apologize again and again, his face twisted with frustration. Not because he agreed, but because, ‘Damn it! If it’s not Kim Muyeol, then what the hell is it?’
As the master of the Scorpio Guild, it made no sense to Kim Jongjun why Kang Deokman was reacting this way.
As if seeing through him, “You clueless idiot. Judging by how you’re talking, you haven’t figured it out at all.”
Kang Deokman lambasted him vehemently.
“Listen carefully. This wasn’t orchestrated by Kim Muyeol; it was American Dream pulling the strings.”
“American Dream?”
Kim Jongjun blinked in confusion.
Then, “Ah…”
A small sigh escaped his lips.
‘Is that how it is? No wonder there was no directive about the U. S. immigration rumors!’
From smearing his reputation to linking him with corruption and collusion, he had coordinated the main elements with the heads of other guilds.
The rumor about moving to America had never been discussed, had it?
Still, if Kim Shimun were to leave for the U. S. amidst this public sentiment, Kim Muyeol could be completely ruined.
He thought perhaps someone smart in another guild had added that detail.
‘It was all planned from their side! That’s why Kim Muyeol went as far as to bow his head and put on that show!’
The puzzle pieces rapidly fell into place in his mind. Hearing his sigh, Kang Deokman responded, “Hah! Why did I even make an idiot like you my deputy?”
Though his tone was somewhat calmer, he still let out a string of curses.
“Jongjun, you’re a first-generation member for heaven’s sake. How can you still be so dense? Haven’t I told you? You can’t survive using brute force alone anymore!”
“… I’m sorry.”
“If you were going to apologize, you shouldn’t have done anything that required it in the first place! Do you think you can fix this by just bowing your head?”
“I’m sorry. I will find a way to resolve this immediately…”
“Resolve it my ass! With that brain of yours, what on earth do you think you can come up with?!”
Kang Deokman’s voice rose again. Under his wrath, Kim Jongjun could only remain silent.
“Sigh… Jongjun.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Listen to me carefully.”
Kang Deokman took a deep breath before continuing.
“You’ve probably seen the articles, but now even Holy Trinity is involved.”
At that, “Hyung, I’m truly sorry for interrupting, but I cannot understand that part at all.”
Despite risking more anger, Kim Jongjun asked,
“Why is Holy Trinity involved in this matter? Wasn’t it Holy Trinity that backed us from the start?”
Luckily, it didn’t seem like a bad attempt.
“You idiot. Looks like you’re finally starting to use your brain.”
To his surprise, Kang Deokman’s voice was calm.
“Think harder. Why would Holy Trinity get involved?”
“That’s…”
Kim Jongjun fell silent.
Then, “Wait a minute, could it be Do-hoo?”
His eyes widened.
“Exactly. It’s likely that bitch Lee Yeonhee has made her move.”
For the first time, Kang Deokman confirmed his suspicion.
“But hyung, isn’t Holy Trinity’s chairman Lee Suncheol? Can’t he prevent a toothless old dog like Do-hoo from interfering?”
“When she had her teeth, who was leading Holy Trinity? Was it Lee Suncheol?”
“That’s…”
Both Kang Deokman and Kim Jongjun knew the answer without saying it aloud.
“It was Lee Yeonhee.”
“Jongjun, you’ve climbed to Diamond rank—you should understand this. Whether by power or influence, Lee Suncheol can’t win against his daughter.”
Kim Jongjun slowly nodded.
“No matter how toothless she might seem, a tiger is still a tiger. Her position within Holy Trinity is likely unchanged.”
“And the moment Lee Yeonhee moved, it became clear to him too. This game is already broken.”
Kang Deokman’s voice echoed with a sense of inevitability.
“Old sly fox, he knows when to cut his losses.”
And then Kang Deokman issued his orders.
“Jongjun, it’s too late to fix things by thinking it through.”
“You mean…”
“Aren’t you a Diamond-grade assassin? Violence is for times like this. You get what I mean?”
Suddenly, Kang Deokman’s tone became almost nurturing. Knowing it was the tone used to give a last chance before being discarded,
“Hyung, I will not disappoint you!”
Kim Jongjun responded with all his strength.
“Good. Take that drug the Chinese gave us too. Thanks to it, you managed to stab the Sword Saint kid during the national selection.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Report back once everything is handled. I’ll clean up the mess.”
“Understood.”
The call ended. For a moment, Kim Jongjun stared at his phone, then looked out at the setting sun beyond the window. His eyes were full of cold intent.
“Do-sik.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Gather all our men.”
His voice was filled with chilling resolve.
* * *
Ranker’s Palace’s training hall.
In the vast expanse of the training area, there stood two men and a woman in the dedicated sparring zone.
The woman among them spoke up, “Hey! Are you serious?”
She glared at the handsome man with sharp features. The reason was simple.
“Why are you sparring with that muscle-bound dude instead of me?”
She was frustrated that she wasn’t the sparring partner, but instead, it was the muscular man. And the muscular man, despite his appearance fitting that of a thug,
“Th-that muscle-bound dude…”
looked visibly shocked, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
Regardless, “Fight me! I’m really strong these days.”
The woman continued to only fixate on the handsome man. However,
“Let’s start, Jinwook-ssi. I’ll handle the setup.”
Without even glancing at Go Malsuk, Shimun turned towards Park Jinwook.
Naturally, “Hey! Are you seriously ignoring me! I said I’m strong!”
Go Malsuk’s eyes flared up. Kim Shimun glanced briefly at Go Malsuk and said, “Malsuk, I’m not ignoring you. It’s just that using you for this test wouldn’t be effective.”
“Damn it! That’s still ignoring me!!”
Though he tried to reassure her, it didn’t seem to work.
Go Malsuk clenched her fists and shouted.
Then, “Sigh. Okay.”
She brushed her bangs back and looked at Kim Shimun more calmly.
“I canceled my arena to come here. I might as well watch to see what this test is all about.”
“Malsuk, there’s plenty of arena equipment over there.”
“Oh, shut up! I’ll watch the entire match! If it’s nothing special, I’ll fight you right after!”
Even Shiyeon wouldn’t throw a tantrum like this. Watching Go Malsuk pout and cross her arms, Shimun smirked.
“Alright. Suit yourself.”
Kim Shimun laughed softly and activated the sparring area. However, “And please, tuck your lip back in. It’s making me want to use my Demolition Strike.”
“…Bastard.”
He couldn’t help but add a small, biting remark.
Leaving the growling Go Malsuk behind, “Let’s begin, Jinwook-ssi.”
“Yes, Shimun-nim.”
Kim Shimun activated the training hall’s system.
Wooong.
A faint magical wave swept across the sparring area.
Taking that as his cue, “I’ll avoid the vital points, but still, be careful.”
Swish.
With a low warning, Park Jinwook enveloped himself in a shroud of black darkness and vanished.
In contrast,
Keeing.
Kim Shimun’s left eye activated with a sharp ring and glowed a golden hue.
Whoom!
His vision, previously only filled with the central arena, now held crisp, clear remnants of movement. The direction was his left shoulder.
Kim Shimun swiftly turned his shoulder, avoiding the dark shadow streaking towards him.
Skrtt.
A dagger materialized, precisely slicing through where the shadow passed.
Then, Park Jinwook emerged from stealth, following the trajectory of his dagger. His rough face was filled with astonishment.
“H-how did you?”
His expression was one of utter disbelief.