Chapter 246. Mirror Treatment
‘Why are you laughing?’
Just when the F-Class on the sandy beach fell into anxiety.
The Hunter with an exotic appearance stopped mocking and continued the conversation.
“Oh, I’m sorry for laughing in front of you. Just wait. I’ll let you know soon.”
“Excuse me?”
“But before that, I have one question. Hmm, what’s the height of our Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter?”
Somehow it sounded a bit sarcastic…
‘Is it just my imagination?’
It was a rather sudden question, but I found it hard to keep my mouth shut given the flow of conversation.
So Kim Gi-ryeo replied shortly. I’m not sure if it’s accurate, but my height is approximately 179cm based on measurements from last year.
Clatter!
Simultaneously, another noise that had previously rattled appeared again.
Hearing it again, it felt strangely familiar.
Like…
“179cm. Right. That’s it. …Usually, one would round it up to about 180cm, but Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter is just so honest.”
The light sound of something like ‘plates’ clinking together.
It was coming from the same spot again.
When the alien entity occupying the Earthling’s body realized something, Kang Chang-ho fixed his gaze into his open shoulder bag.
“I really didn’t expect this to be used like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before arriving here, I was exploring some dungeons in Seoul. The [Unknown Cave]. Yeah, the new monster lair you tried to enter before. I had actually cleared it every time I found it.”
‘Ah, you know that.’
“But honestly, I didn’t expect a reward. Yet here we are, after taking the boss’s head today, this just dropped as a reward.”
Clatter!
Finally, the source of the noise revealed itself.
Kang Chang-ho widely opened his bag, displaying the object in question.
Holding the thin part like he was picking up a chicken neck, the object turned out to be something silver.
At first glance, it seemed like a silver candlestick from the Renaissance era.
Upon closer inspection, you could see it had intricate carvings in the center, made of an unknown creature or wood, complete with two flat plates hanging.
A scale.
What was in Kang Chang-ho’s bag was a clearly silver ‘two-sided scale.’
“—[Justitia].”
Jeong Ha-seong recognized its shape and displayed an expression of surprise ahead of time.
Kim Gi-ryeo, who had been dazed, also reacted as Kang Chang-ho revealed the name of the item.
[Justitia].
This was one of the few artifacts that could establish trust and belief in a society rife with selfishness today.
Until now, it was a rare national treasure held only by the Western European country of England.
Indeed, it was said to be the only scale that existed in the world.
And after discovering it in some dungeon, England formally recognized the results of [Justitia] as legal evidence after years of verification.
The primary function of [Justitia] was to discern truth from lies, punishing liars who made false claims.
Politics thrives on false promises to entice voters.
Those who scam people with sweet words probably didn’t want to reveal their true colors.
The [Justitia] owned by Western Europe could only be personally used with the permission of the Hunter Association and a majority vote from the twelve Supreme Court justices, making its export complicated.
Therefore, it had been rare to encounter that magical scale in East Asian countries.
Up until now.
‘Is that really the physical form of Justitia?’
Could it be that such a treasure had finally been revealed to the world?
Moreover, it conveniently ended up in the hands of a lazy Hunter!
The F-Class’s face hardened as he grasped the situation. Yet, Kang Chang-ho maintained his calm demeanor despite the unfamiliar change in the contractor’s expression.
“The functions of Justitia… well, talking about it among Hunters is pointless. Kim Gi-ryeo, I think this item operates automatically if the area is properly configured.”
“…”
“So during our conversation, I phrased a sentence that was flagged as a question, and when you responded, there was a lie in your answer. That’s why it tilted to the left earlier.”
Swish.
Kang Chang-ho showed the scale, which was now tilting to the right.
“If the left plate of Justitia goes down, that signifies a lie. But the problem is, right before that ruling was made, the sentence you uttered…”
The reptilian eyes, glistening in bodily fluid, fixed their gaze ahead.
Kang Chang-ho stared at someone with those green eyes and finally said,
“Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“…”
“Let me ask just one more thing. Are you an Awakened who could break the [Knight’s Pact]?”
The voice of the Hunter echoed.
The hybrid man who acquired the Judge’s Scale didn’t originally intend to use Justitia so actively.
He knew the personality of the fourth S-class Hunter, and if he presented this and asked something, he knew that even the smallest sentence likely wouldn’t get a response.
Kim Gi-ryeo was a suspicious Awakened.
He didn’t talk much and wouldn’t share his story.
What’s more, he wasn’t completely foolish; he probably realized that answering Justitia thoughtlessly would be to his detriment. So, he likely chose the simple solution of remaining silent to all questions.
Moreover, Kang Chang-ho had no intention to pressure the sacrifice into answering just because he didn’t provide a proper reply.
Because he hadn’t had any essential doubts worthy enough to weigh on the scale of trust.
Even if he wanted to hide the scale to find the truth and engage in sheer deviousness, it would only end up at a question of whether he was a real S-Class or not.
But due to an unintended mistake, the scale’s ability was activated, leading to the current situation.
“I’m really curious if our Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter is totally unaffected by the Pact.”
Kim Gi-ryeo, struggling in his thoughts due to Kang Chang-ho’s threatening tone, ultimately concluded one thing.
I messed up.
Having only met Justitia for the first time, he still didn’t fully understand the complex structure of that magic tool.
Thus, he couldn’t immediately think of a way to disrupt it. No, even if he had the knowledge, with his F-Class magic power, it might not have been feasible anyway.
So.
“…No.”
He replied with difficulty to the Hunter’s question about whether he was unaffected by the [Knight’s Pact], even knowing the reaction that would follow.
Clatter!
Soon after, the scale tilted.
To the left.
Bang!
A huge sound echoed in the expansive air.
Seeing the result of Justitia, Kang Chang-ho summoned his magic power and kicked at the sacrifice’s chest.
With swiftness that an F-Class’s eyes could scarcely track, the blond man was propelled backward without fail.
They were facing each other, leaving almost no space to gather momentum, yet to kick with such power while just pivoting on the spot.
“Kang Chang-ho Hunter! What the heck is this…!”
Clack.
Jeong Ha-seong was caught off guard, yelling in shock.
But Kang Chang-ho completely ignored his voice, laid Justitia neatly on one side of the beach, and said,
“I’ve treated you well all this time.”
A line meant for a swindler.
“I really did treat you well.”
“…”
“I couldn’t let you slide anymore with the kind of nonsense you were pulling.”
“W-What…?”
“If you went to conquer dungeons at 2 AM or babbled about wanting to see Japan’s S-Class Gate, I accepted your craziness graciously.”
Kang Chang-ho furrowed his brows significantly.
“I didn’t even lock anyone in the basement for the sake of that rumored ethics. Really unforgiving, huh?”
Though his expression was soft, the rise in his voice was evident.
“This contract was something you suggested first, remember? And now you repay the kindness of my industry colleague like this?”
“B-But!”
“That’s why you accepted my offer so willingly at just twenty-four. I thought something was odd from the beginning, but…”
Kang Chang-ho quietly muttered in his characteristic low voice.
“Does the Pact have no effect at all? The Pact…?”
Realizing that he was about to collapse, Kim Gi-ryeo hastily apologized to the target in front of him.
“I—I’m sorry! I’ll explain what happened…!”
The reaction wasn’t pleasant.
“Shut that mouth immediately before I put you on the scale again and reveal your lies.”
Kang Chang-ho interrupted him coldly, a smile still across his lips.
“If I had known it would come to this, I would’ve just killed you from the get-go.”
“H-Hunter!”
“Shouldn’t you at least be grateful that I let you live after missing out on good opportunities like [Baek-ui Maze] or [Unavoidable Malice]? You deceived me all this time? Then I could’ve just been used for ten years and had nothing in return…!”
Wait, did you voluntary step into the bizarre S-Class Gate from last week?
Kang Chang-ho glared sharply, and the alien’s face turned pale as he denied it.
He didn’t expect his internal info to leak like this so suddenly, and it left him quite flustered.
However, having seriously considered breaking the Enhancement Heart contract recently, he had his own ways to propose some sort of conflict resolution.
“I’m sorry for not revealing my abilities in advance. Yes, I admit it. Initially, I signed the contract with the intention to completely deceive you.”
“Right?”
“But I changed my mind recently. Watching Kang Chang-ho Hunter being unexpectedly diligent with the contract… I was really trying to put an end to this mess lately.”
“Put an end to it?”
“I intended to stop using lies and repay the labor I’ve received. Of course, it might not be exactly the same form we originally promised.”
At least he was fortunate that, even in this dire situation, his verbal presentation skills didn’t falter.
Kim Gi-ryeo gratefully acknowledged one of his few advantages and continued talking.
In his fluster, he didn’t pay much attention to his facial expressions, but in any case, the most crucial aspect of negotiation was the material recompense stated in his sentence, wasn’t it?
“I’ll make you a [Skill Stone]! Please spare my life!”
He quickly raised both hands to express his willingness to surrender.
The ensuing assertion was a delightful offer from the Earthling’s perspective.
“After all, nobody knows whether ‘that characteristic’ I possess will be treated as a skill, right? I don’t really know myself. Then, if you kill me, there’s a possibility of failure with no benefit in return.”
“…”
“In fact, I know for sure how to significantly increase your magic power. I can create that for you, the [Dragon’s Eye] and the [Dragon’s Heart], making you even stronger than here…”
Yet inherently, a sentient being is composed of complex elements.
A quite tempting proposal, but eventually, if the incentive came from a swindler who had deceived him multiple times, it was natural for his interest to wan.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of trusting Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter’s silver tongue anymore.”
“Excuse me? Wait a second! Just check the [Justitia] behind you!”
“Sorry, but there’s a guy who disregarded the supposedly impossible [Knight’s Pact] right in front of me. Do you really want me to believe in some artifact when it’s out there exposing all your tricks?”
A moment’s silence.
“I’m sorry.”
Gi-ryeo repeated his outdated reflexes to survive.
“I was wrong. Please….”
It was the first time he saw the other party display such evident displeasure, so he kept bowing his head and maintaining his low stance.
“…”
But the alien scholar felt that such actions would not reverse the contractor’s decision—death—and instinctively realized that an apology would not aid his survival.
The moment he sensed an absolute inability to overturn this situation, a sentence flickered through his mind.
“By the way, why the hell am I apologizing to this scumbag…?”
Muttering.
Kang Chang-ho widened his eyes.
However, the blond man, regardless of what his counterpart did, said with an exasperated expression as he touched his forehead.
Since it seemed that no matter what he did, his life was coming to an end, he thought it was best to simply say everything he wanted to.
“—Hey, Kang Chang-ho.”
In a lowered voice.
The alien adjusted his speaking style to his preferred expression format.
The suffocating wave that followed was a series of dry criticisms.
Kim Gi-ryeo acknowledged that he had hidden the invalidity of the contract while exploiting others’ labor, but viewing the overall flow of the story, he felt that Kang Chang-ho was at fault more.
“Looking back, you think your actions are so justified. I mean, aside from the fact that you always go on about being generous? You’re grateful just for not locking someone in the basement?”
“Ha.”
“Is that meager power so praiseworthy? Back when I was busy proclaiming myself an F-Class, what could a weakling like you have possibly done? You’d often ridicule me, irritated because I was poking at contracts and trying to burst your sacrificial bubble just days after we signed. Honestly, you’ve been continuously trying to break promises since long ago.”
Kang Chang-ho had no reply.
“So according to your reasoning, should this situation not be simply overlooked?”
In contrast, Kim Gi-ryeo’s voice grew clearer with time.
“Being targeted by a strong Awakened, it’s the reality of the weak to reluctantly accept and move on even when faced with injustice.”
“…”
“Getting scammed by a useless item is merely the result of your lack of knowledge regarding contracts. Is strength merely magical power? In a world like today, having knowledge matters too.”
Swipe.
Gi-ryeo slowly lowered his hand from his forehead.
Revealing dry, textured skin.
He faced Kang Chang-ho straight and soon opened his mouth.
“So if we judge this from the reasoning of some child who likes to talk big.”
He twitched one corner of his mouth, expressing some complex emotion.
“In the end, it’s all your fault for getting fooled due to a lack of ability… isn’t it?”
A smile that wasn’t of joy, laden with disdain and irritation towards a lower being.
In response, Kang Chang-ho began to laugh at his brazen nonsense.
A thick vein appeared on the neck of the S-Class Hunter who had been smiling broadly.
Starting with this ominous sign, the Earthling sorcerer with body enhancement magic immediately cast his spell.
Channeling magic power into his muscles.
He dashed forward like a descending blade.
Soon, as the blond Hunter entered the range, Kang Chang-ho committed all his weight to striking his target, aiming at the visible vital points.
The terrifying agility unique to body enhancement sorcery was displayed.
Thud!
Achieving his goal in an instant with no interference, Kang Chang-ho’s magically-infused fist connected with Kim Gi-ryeo’s sternum, causing him to tumble back once again.
The recent blow had shattered 70% of the [Guardian] barrier.
