Chapter 146 – Weakness of Mind and Body (2)
Thankfully, the booby trap disbandment ended safely.
Entering the studio in question, I frowned at the thick bloody smell.
In one corner of the studio, the owner of this space was dead.
It looks like he killed himself by making some kind of pistol-like equipment… It’s spread out on a chair.
It was an absurdly comfortable posture for a big accident.
I asked Blanche when I saw the fertilizer bags piled up on one side of the workshop.
“Did you use chemical fertilizers to make explosives?”
[That’s right. The suspect purchased 5 tons of fertilizer along with an abandoned farm.]
“An active hunter equipment maker bought such a hazardous material, and no one stopped it? That’s great.”
Even though I made a small sound of pain, I thought I was going to do it.
Hunter equipment makers mostly have hunter abilities for crafting, so it is difficult to properly regulate them.
The producers themselves are hunters as well.
In the meantime, Alice clicked her tongue as she took pictures of her work tools her with her smartphone camera.
The exterior of the studio was shabby, but all the equipment inside was sophisticated in design.
There were various types of presses for industrial use as well as equipment used for manufacturing chemicals.
“They say these are all the latest. They say they’re very expensive equipment?”
[That’s strange. With the sales scale of this studio, I would not have been able to purchase this much equipment…]
“Have you ever taken out a loan?”
[It could be. First of all, the official financial records are clean.]
If he had used private finance, he might have committed a crime and committed suicide due to the hardships of life.
As he was reconciling the scene with the crew members who arrived late, a report came in from the Guild House.
[Team leader, all 15 people who went to work at the Golden Tree Guild House today, except for the suspect, are dead. There are 8 Hunters and 7 regular people.]
“Good work. Did you get anything extra from the field?”
[Nothing special. However… There are especially many women among the staff. 13 out of 15 are women.]
“Okay? Go back and interrogate the suspect.”
Something is weird
Feeling a faint sense of déjà vu, I investigated the suspect on this side.
“Blanche, call the personal information first.”
[Ha Nam-il, a hunter specializing in equipment production. 43 years old. It is an independent sole proprietorship. The equipment produced by Han Nam-il was receiving good reviews.]
“What exactly is a good review? Is it a luxury item?”
[The number of evaluations is insufficient because it is not mass-produced, but all equipment is traded at a high price. Some second-hand items also have a premium. It is said that it produces equipment with a unique and sophisticated design that is hard to find. Even if the actual performance is good, it seems to have been at the upper-intermediate level.]
“It means hipster.”
Only then did I realize the meaning of ‘good evaluation’.
It’s definitely a concept that’s a bit early for Blanche to understand.
Of course, there are good specimens right next door, so it won’t take long.
“Is there anyone among the Masters who can be stabbed?”
[Do not be ridiculous! I definitely craft rare equipment, but I also take good care of the performance! Rather, I think performance is the most important thing.]
I cracked a joke, and Matthew’s voice came back, muffled with noise, as if he was in the middle of work.
Certainly, the equipment made by Matthew has the best performance, so it is not a comparison target.
Then Irene Wilson let out a rare cry.
[It would be nice to have a little bit of cost performance…]
[…
“Are you pretending not to hear?”
[Connection with Master Matthew has been disconnected.]
Anyway, Han Nam-il, who committed suicide, was a recognized producer in his own way.
But apart from that, the financial situation didn’t seem very healthy.
[However, Namil Han, like Master Matthew, is the type to spare no development costs…]
“But there was no loan?”
[Well, it’s a private business. It’s kind of weird though. The bank account details are also too clean…]
“What about the balance?”
[I wrote it down to the soul. I also sold my house a while ago.]
Right. Were you crazy?
Han Nam-il, who committed suicide, seems to have been a bit of a weirdo… But it’s not clear.
He was a typical creator type of person.
He is a race that focuses on making things of value rather than making money.
As proof, apart from the considerable sales, the management of the business was a total mess.
‘Looking at how much he developed by himself, it seems that he had his own abilities.’
At best, he reinvested in the studio without hesitation at all.
He seems to have been living quite satisfied with himself, but he suddenly made cursed equipment and even committed suicide.
I feel like I’m lacking some crucial motivation.
Even if I had an accident like this, it doesn’t make sense, but it’s still a little empty.
[As a result of CCTV analysis, it seems that I almost lived in the studio. He has more days he didn’t than days he did work.]
“You’re the type whose work is life. Have you ever had a conflict with someone in the business?”
[No criminal record, no complaints… Oh, there is money that went to the lawyer’s office.]
“That’s it! Take a look there.”
If it was simply a business-related consultation, he would have gone to a tax accountant.
Blanche immediately told me about the owner of the lawyer’s office.
[The owner of the attorney’s office is a lawyer specializing in patent disputes.]
“As expected. The technology was stolen by another maker’s guild.”
Han Nam-il was a man who was satisfied with his work.
He probably had some pride too.
However, other hunter equipment makers did not leave him alone.
They reverse-engineered Han Nam-il’s equipment, stole the technology, and then skipped the patent registration.
Since Han Nam-il was a private business owner with no relevant knowledge, he had no choice but to open his eyes and face it.
Given that he has no criminal record, he must have been told in the lawyer’s office that he was out of luck.
[Right. If you look at Namil Han’s equipment purchase records, there are many cases of purchases from large guilds. The records from the lawyer’s office are also relatively recent.]
If he had his technology and designs legitimately stolen, he would have been outraged.
In the end, he completed his curse equipment with plenty of resentment and despair for the world.
And he handed it over to Han Kang-wun of the Gold Tree Guild.
“How did you purchase the materials for the equipment? How is the record on the association?”
[Clean. It looks like they used a black market. However, the withdrawal amount is not enough for that.]
“Did you receive an investment… Let’s go back to the office for now.”
This case is no joke.
Even there seems to be a corner that is still not revealed.
Blanche uncovered additional circumstances before reaching his office her.
[Master. I found the information I was concerned about in the smartphone messenger app history of the members of the Golden Tree Guild.]
“I’m afraid to hear more about this. Summarize.”
[Yes. It seems that Mr. Han Kang-woon, who caused the murder, was being bullied by the members of the Golden Tree Guild.]
“What is it? Bullying?”
I stopped the car for a moment and exchanged seats with Alice.
I needed to pay close attention to this.
“Han Kang-woon was an A-rank hunter, right? If it was a small guild like Geumnamu, he would have been an ace in name and reality, right?”
“That’s right. Actually, his skills were good.”
Alice, who had been directly attached to him, nodded, and Blanche corrected her expression.
[The members of the Golden Tree guild systematically moved to keep the ace, Mr. Han Kang-woon, in the guild. Because there was no value in the Golden Tree Guild without Han Kang-woon.]
“Organized?”
[The female guild members approached Han Kang-woon one by one and made him feel romantic.]
“Crazy…”
At this level, admiration precedes absurdity.
To go so far as to try to put a straw on the guild’s ace.
In fact, the dead moved meticulously, even setting the duty without Han Kang-woon’s knowledge.
Not only taking care of this and that during work hours, but also going on a private date on the weekend…
As a suspect, he must have felt like a king.
[Actually, the distribution of the guild’s revenue was… Very deformed.]
Of course, if Han Kang-woon was satisfied, there would be no problem.
But… Unless the female employees are sincere. It was just a sweet dream.
And no matter how sweet a dream is, one day you have to wake up.
Han Kang-woon is an active A-rank hunter.
And that’s never stupid.
Just a few Hunter decrees you need to memorize in order to qualify for A rank.
He was a talent far above average.
What if Han Kang-woon later realized that he had been tricked?
Was it a mere coincidence that the curse equipment was delivered to him?
I ordered with my eyes closed.
“Find out what kind of relationship there was between Han Kang-woon and the deceased Han Nam-il. There must have been something.”
[A lot of hunter equipment purchase records made by Mr. Hanam-il… It seems that he sponsored them from time to time.]
“So it is.”
This case is not an arbitrary crime by Mr. Han Nam-il.
Alice, noticing this, groaned right next to her.
“So you’re saying that the cursed equipment was fake? To use that as an excuse to get mentally and physically weak…”
“No. The equipment itself must have been real. That’s all that comes out when you analyze it anyway.”
The question is whether the wearer of the cursed equipment, Mr. Han Kang-woon, really did not know about the cursed equipment.
The symptoms displayed by the cursed equipment were very serious.
That’s not the level of mental and physical weakness, but almost mental and physical loss.
It cannot be held legally responsible.
This is not the level where the older brother is a little close, but innocence may come out at all.
It was only then that I realized the real legacy Han Nam-il left behind.
“What Han Nam-il made is not a cursed device. It is a perfect crime set that can lead to loss of legal responsibility.”
“…”
