Chapter 213: Exnation (Part 1)


    -That concludes the report. I’ve also taken care of the task you assigned.


    “Good work. Stay close to them until the situation is fully resolved, just in case.”


    -Understood, Master.


    Ryu Min hung up the phone, deep in thought.


    ‘If you call it long, it’s long. If short, short. But this bad blood ends here.’


    ‘I never intended to kill Ma Kyung-rok from the beginning.’


    Ryu Min had initially considered keeping him alive until the 20th round. Ma Kyung-rok had enough potential to be a valuable asset.


    ‘But what I need more than a damage dealer with an inferiorityplex is a reliable supporter.’


    If he had to choose between Ma Kyung-rok and Christine, it would undoubtedly be Christine. Sure, Ma Kyung-rok could be made an ally, even with his inferiorityplex. It was a simple matter of using Yamti to dominate him.


    ‘But he tried to kill his own brother.’


    Killing within the family meant they were cut from the same cloth, and there was no need to intervene. Ryu Min simply thought he could use the situation to firmly secure Christine as an ally.


    ‘It’s better to abandon Ma Kyung-rok’s potential and secure Christine.’


    With that decision, the operation proceeded smoothly. The n was simple: have Christine and Seo Arin witness Ma Kyung-rok’s crime and instill disgust towards him. Naturally, this would distance them from Ma Kyung-rok.


    ‘Everything went ording to n. The problem was that I didn’t expect Christine to intervene.’


    Ryu Min had only hoped to reveal Ma Kyung-rok’s true nature. However, ording to the report he received, Christine had intervened to save Ma Kyung-su. An unforeseenplication.


    ‘Because of that, Christine and Seo Arin were ced in mortal danger.’


    It was predictable that a criminal would try to eliminate witnesses to cover their tracks. Ryu Min had ced Jeffrey and Ju Seong-tak there, and even added Yamti to prevent any idents.


    ‘With Yamti there, nothing catastrophic will happen.’


    Unexpectedly, Ju Seong-tak yed a significant role. He had critically injured Ma Kyung-rok with an explosive corpse, making Yamti’s involvement unnecessary.


    ‘But he didn’t kill him.’


    Hearing the report in real-time, Ryu Min revised his n. He decided to kill Ma Kyung-rok for good.


    “Approach the two secretly and dominate An Sang-cheol. Order him to pretend to help Ma Kyung-rok escape, then take the chance to kill him,” Ryu Min instructed Yamti.


    He also ordered Yamti to order An Sang-cheol to dispose of the bodies and thenmit suicide. The mission was sessfullypleted.


    ‘I hadn’t nned to kill Ma Kyung-rok, but once Christine got involved, I couldn’t leave it be.’


    If he had stayed out of it, there wouldn’t have been any issues. But Christine got involved and exposed herself. Then Ma Kyung-rok tried to kill Christine, the witness.


    ‘Because of that, they became irreconcble. I couldn’t keep both.’


    He couldn’t bring both of them to the 20th round. One had to be abandoned. That’s why Ryu Min ordered Yamti to kill Ma Kyung-rok. The results speak for themselves.


    [Target ‘Ma Kyung-rok’ cannot be found.]


    [No such person exists.]


    [Target ‘An Sang-cheol’ cannot be found.]


    [No such person exists.]


    Both were killed ording to n. Their absence in the tracking system was proof of that.


    ‘An Sang-cheol erased Ma Kyung-rok’s body. He thenmitted suicide as ordered.’


    He hadn’t withdrawn his shares to avoid suspicion from Ma Kyung-rok, but now there was no reason not to.


    ‘I should sell all the shares I have.’


    It would result in a windfall of approximately one trillion won, but thepany would copse as a consequence.


    ‘It’s about time it copses. Without Ma Kyung-rok, there’s no reason not to sell the shares.’


    Even though he hadn’t nned to deal with Ma Kyung-rok and An Sang-cheol, Ryu Min managed to wrap things up cleanly. All that remained was to make others ept it. Just then, he received a video call from Jeffrey.


    Ryu Min donned a white mask before answering.


    “Jeffy.”


    -ck Scythe-nim.


    “Why the grim face? Something happened?”


    Feigning ignorance, Ryu Min asked as Jeffrey showed the devastated scene and exined the incident. Ryu Min nodded, pretending it was the first time he’d heard it, though Yamti had already reported everything.


    “So, there was a conflict after all. Was anyone hurt?”


    -No one was hurt, thankfully. However, the people here would like to hear your exnation, sir.


    At that moment, Christine and Seo Arin suddenly appeared on the screen.


    -Hello, ck Scythe. I’m sorry for the sudden call, but we have a question.


    “Let me guess. You want to know how I knew about Ma Kyung-rok’s crime?”


    -That’s right. And also why you called us here.


    Ryu Min organized his thoughts. It was a moment where an exnation—no, an exoneration—was necessary.


    “Some of you might already know, but I’ve been inmunication with a prophet named Ryu Min. We’ve known each other for a short time.”


    Seeing the others nod, Ryu Min continued.


    “He told me something. That a man known as Cheonma, or Ma Kyung-rok, was going to kill his own family at a specific location. He also mentioned that this person was connected to you both—one as a fiancée, and one as a boss.”


    -Oh.


    Christine and Seo Arin finally seemed to understand upon hearing that Ryu Min had received a prophecy.


    -When did you receive this prophecy?


    “Before the 12th round started.”


    -So, almost a month ago?


    “Yes. I couldn’t see Cheonma in a favorable light after hearing that. That’s why I rejected the party invitation in the 12th round.”


    -Oh! That’s why…!


    Seo Arin, who had felt a bit hurt when Ryu Min only partied with Min Juri, now had an expression of understanding.


    “As the rounds progressed, I debated internally whether to tell you that a family-killing murderer was among you, or whether it was better not to get involved even knowing the truth.”


    Christine and Seo Arin couldn’t help but be surprised that the usually stoic ck Scythe had agonized over their safety.


    “If I hadn’t heard the prophecy, I might have left it alone. But after hearing it, I couldn’t just sit idly by. While considering what to do, I found out that Jeffy knew Christine. So, I asked him for a favor.”


    -To bring us here?


    Ryu Min nodded as Christine spoke up.


    “I was in a situation where I couldn’t move directly, so I had Jeffy and Ju Seong-tak gather you all in one ce to confirm Ma Kyung-rok’s true nature with your own eyes.”


    There was some truth mixed in with lies—Ryu Min really had intended to expose Ma Kyung-rok’s true nature.


    “I could have told you over the phone, but I figured you wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes. That’s why I set this up.”


    -Oh, I see.


    “Whether you chose to cut ties with Ma Kyung-rok was up to you. I didn’t expect things to escte like this.”


    -We didn’t either. We never imagined Ma Kyung-rok was such a murderer…


    -Although he escaped, he’ll likely seek revenge on us someday, won’t he?


    They didn’t know yet—Christine and Seo Arin hadn’t tried tracking him. They didn’t realize that Ma Kyung-rok and An Sang-cheol were already dead.


    ‘Well, they’ll find out naturally soon enough.’