Chapter 130: Right in the Eye of the Storm from the Very Beginning

Kang Mi-So cast her gaze back toward Dong-San City once more. Her expression remained as lovely and languid as ever, yet deep within those golden eyes lurked something entirely different.

A sense of anticipation, and sheer amusement.

"We should build our office there as soon as possible. Irumi, notify the Guild, I want a location right in the center of the city."

Kang Mi-So smiled gently.

"What on earth are you planning to do in Dong-San City?" Moon So-Yeon asked. "What is your real objective here, Guild Leader Kang?"

Kang Mi-So propped her chin in her hand, her smile turning peculiar, distorting for a fleeting second so quickly that neither Moon So-Yeon nor Irumi had time to catch it.

"I want to meet someone, to observe a fascinating human."

"You mean... Kei-nim?"

Moon So-Yeon blurted out.

For Kang Ian to go berserk and drag Kang Mi-So out for a brutal beatdown like that, it undoubtedly had to do with Kim Kei. Moon So-Yeon had guessed as much, and sure enough, she was right!

"The Kei of the present is so lovely and exquisite that it just makes me want to gaze at him endlessly without ever getting bored," Kang Mi-So murmured softly. "But I also want to see what kind of person the Kei of the future will turn into."

Moon So-Yeon stared at her for a long, quiet beat.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she suddenly felt as though Dong-San City had transformed into a massive intersection point. All of these formidable individuals, major Guilds, and futures that had no business crossing paths were one by one being dragged toward the exact same place.

And right at the dead center of it all, Kei remained completely oblivious. Right now, he was likely still holed up in his shop, buried under a mountain of herbs.

Moon So-Yeon instinctively let out a sigh.

"I just hope he doesn’t get dragged into this mess."

Hearing that, Kang Mi-So burst out laughing.

"Too late."

"What?"

"He’s been right in the middle of it from the very beginning."

The wind swept across the devastated wasteland, carrying away dust and the lingering stench of blood from the recent battle.

Far off in the distance, Dong-San City remained as peaceful as ever, completely unaware that countless eyes were silently locking onto it from the shadows.

And before long, a brand-new branch office of the Angel’s Kiss Guild would materialize there.

Moon So-Yeon ultimately had no choice but to concede. After all, no laws prohibited Guilds from opening branch offices in cities outside their designated jurisdiction; in fact, the Hunter Association frequently encouraged inter-guild exchanges like this to foster friendly relations among hunters.

Having gotten her way, Kang Mi-So cheerfully agreed to accompany Irumi back to handle the backlog of paperwork. However, right before departing, she pulled out her phone and placed a call to Kei right in front of Moon So-Yeon.

"That’s right, I have to be away for a while because some annoying pest won’t stop bugging me and picking a fight. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon; I still have a lot of things I need to learn."

"Don’t miss me too much... I’ll come see you again before long."

Standing beside her, Irumi felt a wave of profound exhaustion wash over her entire body. Kang Mi-So hadn’t even returned to work yet, and she was already scheming about running away again.

Fortunately, at least this time Irumi knew where to find her, sparing her from pointlessly wandering around searching in vain.

*Beep.*

Kei hung up the phone, a faint flicker of regret tugging at his heart.

Kang Narim was a remarkably compatible companion to talk to. She spoke with straightforward candor and acted decisively, sometimes even making him momentarily forget that he was living in a completely unfamiliar world.

And yet, she had to leave Dong-San City for a while.

Kei hadn’t even gotten the chance to show Kang Narim the fruits of his research on the Purification Ring.

"Are you really that sad to see her go?"

Kim Sora asked as she busied herself rearranging a few items on the counter. Her voice sounded calm enough, yet her hands unconsciously exerted more force than usual as she folded a piece of cloth in her grip.

Kei failed to notice the subtle anomaly.

"Yeah. Kang Narim is a good friend, after all."

Kim Sora immediately puckered her lips into a pout.

Instinctively, she disliked Kang Narim.

Sora couldn’t even explain why. Every time she laid eyes on Kang Narim, an intensely uncomfortable sensation welled up inside her chest, as if that woman had once caused her to suffer some grievance somewhere in the past.

Yet no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t pull up a single memory.

"A good friend, my foot..." Sora muttered under her breath.

"Hm?"

"Nothing at all!"

Sora quickly snapped her head away.

Kei watched her for a moment before dropping the subject. He had far more important matters to attend to anyway.

That was taking the newly rescued kitten in for a comprehensive health checkup to ensure it wasn’t harboring any latent illnesses that might go undetected.

Kei and Sora brought the cat to the nearest veterinary clinic. Following a thorough general examination, the vet informed them that it wasn’t suffering from any serious ailments, it was merely suffering from mild malnutrition due to roaming outside for too long.

Aside from that, the kitten was surprisingly healthy.

And above all, it was an absolute glutton.

The moment it heard the rustle of a food packet, it scrambled over instantly, its glittering golden eyes locked hungrily onto Sora’s hands. It devoured its meal so fast that the vet had to explicitly warn the two of them not to overfeed it in one sitting, noting that obese cats had shortened lifespans and were prone to a multitude of health issues.

"Such a greedy little thing." Sora squatted down beside it, gently poking its round belly with a finger.