Chapter 246. Mirror Treatment
"Why are you laughing?"
Around the time the F-rank on the sandy beach became anxious, the Hunter with an exotic appearance was the first to stop sneering and continue the conversation.
"Ah, sorry for laughing in front of you like that. Just wait a moment, I'll tell you right away."
"Yes?"
"But before that, there's something I'm curious about. Hmm, how tall is our Hunter Giryeo?"
Somehow it sounds a bit sarcastic...
"Is it just my feeling?"
It was a rather sudden question, but given the flow of the conversation, it was hard to stay silent. So Kim Giryeo soon answered. He said that although it was measured around last year and might not be completely accurate, his height was about 179 cm.
Clank.At the same time, the unidentified noise from earlier rang out once again. Even upon hearing it again, the sounds felt strangely familiar to the ears.
As if.
"179 cm. Right, that's what it was...Normally, people would just round it up and say about 180 cm, but Hunter Kim Giryeo is really honest."
The light clattering sound of something like "plates" bumping against each other. It kept coming from the same spot. A round the time the alien creature occupying a human body realized something, Kang Changho fixed his gaze inside the shoulder bag with the zipper left open.
"Honestly, I never thought this would end up being used like this."
"What did you say?"
"Before I arrived here, I was checking out a dungeon in Seoul. It was called [Nameless Cave]. Yeah, the new monster I air you were trying to get into before. Actually, I had been clearing it every time I found it."
"That's news I already know."
"But honestly, I wasn't expecting any crumbs, but what do you know? After taking the head of the leader there today, this is what was dropped as a reward."
Clank.
Finally, the source of the noise pollution revealed itself. Kang Changho opened his bag wide and revealed the object in question.
He grabs the thin part as if he is holding a chicken's neck and pulls it out, and the identity of the object is something silver. At a glance, it looked like a silver candlestick from the Renaissance era. But upon closer inspection, they could see that it had a central ornament with intricate carvings—unclear whether they depicted a living creature or a tree—and two flat plates attached to it.
A scale. What had been inside Kang Changho's bag was a vividly silver 'two arm scale' with two arms.
"- [Justitia]."
Jung Haeseong recognized its shape and showed a startled expression a moment ahead of the others. Even the dazed Kim Giryeo was soon shaken when Kang Changho followed up with a single word that revealed the object's name.
[Justitia]. This is one of the few artifacts that can be trusted and believed in today's society where egoism is rampant. Until now, it was a rare national treasure, owned solely by the European country of England. It was hard to perfect the scale of its kind in the world. After discovering it in a certain dungeon, England spent years verifying it, and recently, they officially recognized the results of [Justitia] as legitimate legal evidence in court.
The primary function of [Justitia] is to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and to punish those who tell lies.
Politicians in this world often made countless false promises to lure voters. Perhaps it was because those who lived by sweet talk didn't want their true intentions exposed. The [Justitia] owned by Western Europe was so strictly controlled that even personal use of the scale required both permission from the British Hunter Association and majority approval from the twelve High Justices. As a result, it was extremely rare to encounter that magical scale in East Asian countries.
At least, that was the case—until now.
"Is that the real Justitia?"
So, the sibling of such a rare treasure has finally made its appearance in the world. And of all people, how did it end up in the hands of such a lazy hunter? The F-rank's face quickly hardened as he grasped the situation. However, even after witnessing this unfamiliar change in his character, Kang Changho maintained his calm demeanor.
"The function of Justitia... Well, there's no point in discussing it among fellow hunters, Kim Giryeo, it seems like this item automatically activates once the range is set properly."
"..."
"So, during our conversation, I made a statement that was judged as a question, and you answered it... But there was a false statement in your response, which caused it to tilt to the left earlier."
Sssk.
Kang Changho showed the scale, which was currently tilted to the right.
"If the left plate of Justitia tilts downward, it means it's a lie. But the problem is, the sentence you made right before that—at judgment..."
The reptilian eyes, shining sickly with human bodily fluids, stared straight ahead. Kang Changho, after scanning someone intently with his green gaze, finally spoke.
"Kim Giryeo."
"..."
"Let me ask you one more thing. Are you an Awakened who is capable of breaking the [Knight's Oath]?"
The voice of the hunter is heard. The half-blooded man who obtained the Scale of Judgement had never originally intended to use Justitia so actively. He knew the personality of the fourth S-rank Hunter, and he understood that if he presented this and asked something, even the smallest of statements would likely go unanswered.
Kim Giryeo was a sly Awakened. This also meant that he didn't talk much and kept to himself. Moreover, he wasn't fools because, up until now, he had never easily realized Justitia without thought would only work against him. It was highly likely that he had chosen the simple solution of staying silent to all questions.
Moreover, Kang Changho had no intention of pressuring his subject simply for failing to give a proper answer. This was because, up until now, he had never had an important question that needed to be placed on the scale of trust. Even if he had hidden the scale and tried to do something shady to find out the truth, Kang Changho's question would have been limited to 'is he really an S-class or not?' at best.
However, due to an unintentional mistake, the scale's ability was activated, and the situation has led to this point.
"I'm really curious whether our Hunter Kim Giryeo is completely unaffected by the Oath's influence."
Kim Giryeo, upon hearing Kang Changho's threatening voice, began to struggle with his thoughts. But no matter how much he racked his brain, the conclusion was the same.
He's screwed.
Since he was encountering Justitia for the first time right here, he had yet to fully understand the complex structure of the magical artifact. Therefore, he couldn't immediately think of a way to disrupt it. In fact, even if he had known how, it might have been impossible to execute with his F-rank magical power.
Therefore,
"... No."
Even though he knew the outcome, he answered the hunter's question with difficulty, asking if he would be affected by [Knight's Oath].
Clank.
Soon after, the plate of the scale tilted. To the left.
Boom!
A loud noise echoed through the vast air. As soon as Kang Changho saw the result from Justitia, he drew up his magic power and kicked the sacrificial vessel's chest. With a speed that was unimaginable for someone of F-rank, the blonde man was effortlessly pushed back. They were facing each other, so there was almost no space to gather momentum, yet able to land such a powerful kick while only twisting his waist in place.
"Hunter Kang Changho! What is this..!?"
Clank.
Jung Haeseong couldn't react in time. The hero shouted in a shocked tone. However, Kang Changho completely ignored his voice, placed Justitia neatly on one side of the beach, and said.
"I've been good to you all this time."
It's a message for the swindler.
"You really played your part well."
"..."
"I let things slide no matter what you did, to the point where I couldn't possibly overlook anything more."
"T, that's..."
"I've put up with everything, whether it's going on a dungeon raid at 2 AM or babbling about wanting to visit Japan's S-rank gate."
Kang Changho furrowed his arched eyebrows.
"I didn't even look anyone up in a basement just to uphold that damned sense of ethics. People sure are heartless, huh?"
His expression remained gentle, but his voice was steadily growing louder.
"This was even a deal you called to propose first. And this is how you repay the kindness of a fellow professional in the industry!"
"H, Hunter Kang Changho."
"So that's why you accepted the offer so readily when you were only twenty-four. Right. I thought something was strange from the beginning."
Kang Changho muttered quietly in his characteristically low voice.
"The oath has no effect at all? The oath...?"
In response, Kim Giryeo managed to straighten his body from the position he had collapsed in and hurriedly apologized to the person in front of him.
"I'm, I'm sorry! I'll explain everything, how this happened..."
The reaction wasn't good.
"Shut that mouth right now, before I put you on the scale and expose your lies again."
Kang Changho cut him off coldly with the corners of his mouth raised.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have just killed you from the start instead of doing all this unnecessary stuff."
"Hunter-nim."
"You should be grateful that I spared you, even though I passed up good opportunities like [White Maze] and [Inevitable Malice]. You've kept your mouth shut and deceived me all this time? If that's the case, I would have spent 10 years being used, only to end up with nothing in the end..."
Wait, then did you enter the S-rank gate that happened last week on your own?
Kang Changho sharply glared and asked, the alien denied with a pale complexion. He hadn't expected his internal information to be exposed so suddenly, and he was in quite a confused state. However, since he had been seriously considering breaking the contract for Improvement recently, he had a plan to resolve the friction.
"I'm sorry for not revealing my abilities earlier. Yes, I admit it. At first, I did sign the contract with the complete intention of deceiving you."
"Right?"
"But recently, my thoughts have changed... Seeing how Hunter Kang Changho has been so dedicated to the contract, I truly started thinking about ending this whole act."
"Ending it?"
"I stopped using lies and tried to repay the labor I've received up until now. Of course, it's not exactly the same as what was promised, but..."
"It's a good thing that even in such a life-threatening crisis, my oral structure hasn't compromised my ability to communicate effectively," Kim Giryeo thought, feeling grateful for the few advantages his body afforded him. Flustered, he couldn't focus much on his expression, but after that, the most important aspect of negotiations—the material compensation presented in the statement?
"I'll make you a [Skill Stone]! Please spare me."
Kim Giryeo quickly raised both of his hands, signaling his surrender. The argument that followed was a suggestion that would surely catch the attention of any human listener.
"Anyway, no one really knows whether 'that trait' I have would be classified as a skill or not, right? I honestly don't know either. S, so if you kill me now, there's a chance you'll end up with nothing—just a failure with no benefit at all."
"..."
"Actually, I know a way to increase internal magic power with 100% certainty. I'll make it for you, Hunter. I'll make you stronger—much stronger than even with [Dragon's Eye] or [Dragon's Heart], so you won't feel the lack of anything..."
However, originally, intelligent beings were creatures that were tightly packed with complex elements. And no matter how tempting the offer might be, if that offer came from a swindler who had deceived you multiple times, it was only natural for your pride to take a hit—and for your interest to fade.
"Sorry, but from now on, I have no intention of trusting Hunter Kim Giryeo's long tongue."
"What? No, wait a second! If you just weigh this on the Justitia behind you...?"
"There's a guy in front of me who completely ignored the so-called Knight's Oath, which is known to be impossible to break. And you're telling me to trust an artifact when I'm in a situation where he's exposed all his cards?"
A moment of silence.
"I'm sorry."
Giryeo repeated his usual reflex to survive.
"I was wrong. Please..."
Since it was the first time seeing the other person show such displeasure, he continued to lower his head and maintain a submissive posture.
"..."
However, as an alien scholar, he subconsciously realized that no matter how much he performed such actions, the contractor's decision—killing—would not be reversed. And the moment he sensed that an apology wouldn't help his survival, a certain firm judgment was made. There was no way to turn the situation around.
Because such a sentence suddenly passed through his mind.
"But damn it, why the hell am I apologizing to a B*stard like this...?"
Mumbled.
Kang Changho's eyes widened. However, the blonde man, indifferent to the other's reaction, placed his hand on his forehead and spoke with a resigned tone. It seemed that no matter what he did, his life was coming to an end. He decided that, since it was the case, he might as well say everything he wanted to before it was over.
"- Hey, Kang Changho."
Informal speech. The alien creature switched to its preferred style of expression. What followed was an unbroken stream of dry and relentless criticism. Kim Giryeo admitted his own fault—concealing the invalidity of the contract and exploiting someone else's labor—but in the broader view of things, he believed that Kang Changho was actually more to blame.
"If you think about it, you really are proud of everything you do, aren't you? Never mind all that crap about how you've been 'cutting me slack'—what was that? I'm supposed to be grateful just because you didn't lock me up in a basement?"
"Hah."
"Is that little bit of power something to brag about? When I was going around saying I was F-rank, you were constantly mocking me, saying what could a weakling like me do, always testing me, and when I used you, you'd set traps and try to blow up the contract just a few days after it was made. And anyway, you've been trying to break the agreement yourself from the very beginning."
Kang Changho doesn't answer.
"But going by your logic so far, isn't this a situation where you should obviously turn a blind eye?"
On the other hand, Kim Giryeo's voice became clearer as time passed.
"If the reality for the weak is that they have no choice but to accept and endure injustice just because they've been marked by a powerful awakened one..."
"..."
"Being scammed by an ineffective item was simply the result of you knowing less than me about contracts. What, is magic the only kind of power? In a world like this, having knowledge is just as much strength."
Swash.
Giryeo slowly lowered the hand that had been resting on his forehead. Soon, the dry texture of his skin was revealed. Facing directly toward where Kang Changho stood, he finally opened his mouth.
"So, if we go by the logic some brat used to ramble on about all the time—"
He curled one corner of his mouth, expressing some kind of emotion.
"In the end, it's all your fault for being deceived because of your lack of ability... isn't it?"
A twisted expression, filled not with a smile of joy but with contempt and irritation directed at the lowly one. At this, Kang Changho started to laugh in response, his lips curling into a wide grin. However, the veins in the neck of the S-rank hunter, who had been laughing so freely, soon began to bulge. At this ominous sign, the Earth-based sorcerer, possessing body-enhancement magic, immediately cast his spell.
He channeled magic into his muscles. Like a descending sword strike, he charged forward. As soon as the blonde hunter entered his range, Kang Changho, with the intent to crush visible vital points, focused all his weight into the strike aimed at his opponent. The terrifying agility unique to body-enhancing sorcerers was on full display.
Bang!
With no interference, Kang Changho swiftly reached the target. As his magic-infused fist struck directly at the solar plexus, Giryeo was sent tumbling backward once again. The recent strike had reduced a full 70% of the [Protection] barrier.
