Chapter 108

At that moment, a conversation from the shopping mall suddenly came back to him.

—Don’t worry about me. I’ll run away too.

—Sorry? What did you just say?

—What else did you expect an F-class Hunter to do in a situation like that?

Right.

He had never truly believed Kim Kiryeo would run away.

The Kim Kiryeo he knew was not the kind of person who would abandon a city in danger simply to save himself. More than that, he was powerful enough to protect himself even during a dungeon break.

—So stop worrying about everything else. Just make sure you look after yourself. Understood?

‘I’ll run away too.’

‘You should look after yourself as well.’

He had tried to reassure both himself and the person standing before him.

And yet, in the end, he had broken his own promise.

Instead of fleeing from the monster, he had taken the most active role in hunting it down. For someone as sincere as Kim Kiryeo to lie deliberately, what had he truly been trying to say?

—Yoonseung-ah, when someone is uncertain of their abilities, it’s always best for them to step aside before they become a burden.

Ahn Yoonseung already knew the answer.

He simply pretended that he didn’t.

Of course, compared to someone as capable as Kim Kiryeo, he was still a novice. Even so, he was an A-class Hunter—an Awakened individual ranked among the top three percent.

Surely there had to be something he could do.

If a terrorist incident occurred, he should at least be able to offer some assistance to his Hyung.

Holding on to that thought, Ahn Yoonseung quietly stepped into the elevator.

But his determination had been nothing more than arrogance born of inexperience.

As though Kim Kiryeo had seen straight through his thoughts, he had completely prevented the A-class Hunter from joining the battle.

‘While I was inside the gate... they captured the Imoogi?’

Yoonseung repeatedly switched his fully charged phone off and back on.

Yet no matter how long he stared at the screen, nothing changed.

‘I didn’t receive a single call.’

Why had there not been so much as a text from the person who had promised to contact him the moment the location of the Inevitable Malice was discovered?

To Yoonseung, Kim Kiryeo seemed like a flawless superhuman—someone so extraordinary that he scarcely felt real.

That was why Yoonseung never considered absurd possibilities, such as Kiryeo forgetting his promise because he was being pursued by the Inevitable Malice.

At least in Ahn Yoonseung’s mind, Kim Kiryeo was the sort of person who could casually send a text even if an Imoogi suddenly appeared directly in front of him.

And yet someone that capable had chosen not to inform him of the Imoogi’s appearance.

‘Was it because I’m really that useless...?’

Ahn Yoonseung’s expression hardened.

It felt as though he had been deliberately excluded from the incident.

—Instead, why don’t you run away the moment the boss appears? From what I can tell, even you would be in danger if the Imoogi reached full maturity.

And so, still dazed, Yoonseung began helping with the aftermath at the scene.

Even while he worked, however, he could not rid himself of the thoughts gnawing at him.

Just how did Hunter Kim Kiryeo see him?

How unqualified did he have to be for Kiryeo to decide that he wasn’t even worthy of witnessing the battle?

He had bought new equipment after hearing that a major disaster might occur.

He had never neglected his training.

‘I prepared for this too.’

He might not have been as confident as he once was, but recently he had finally begun to regain some faith in his own abilities.

“So you’re saying you felt betrayed because I didn’t call you?”

“No. It wasn’t betrayal.”

Ahn Yoonseung, who had been lost in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} his thoughts, returned to the present and shook his head.

“I just felt... pathetic.”

“What?”

“There was still a part of me that had become arrogant simply because I was an A-class Hunter. But this incident really opened my eyes.”

“...”

“Compared to someone like you, Kiryeo Hyung, my abilities are nothing but a burden. It made me realise how insignificant I really am...”

Ahn Yoonseung spoke in a dispirited murmur.

“That’s why I’ve been thinking so much lately. I’m not particularly angry.”

“Yoonseung-ah.”

At that moment, Kim Kiryeo, who had been quietly listening to him, finally spoke. Surprise was plainly visible on his face.

“No. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say this over the past week, but you’ve misunderstood everything.”

I’m sorry.

I didn’t tell you where the Imoogi was because the situation became so urgent that I completely forgot.

How could I possibly have excluded you on purpose?

What sort of misunderstanding was this now?

“Stop belittling yourself. All right? From my perspective, you’re an excellent Hunter.”

Kim Kiryeo carefully explained his side of the story.

Before long, Yoonseung realised that every conclusion he had drawn had been wrong.

His absence from the subjugation of the Inevitable Malice had been nothing more than the result of unfortunate timing.

“Is that really true?”

“Of course it is. Had I been thinking clearly, you would have been the first person I called.”

Yoonseung’s expression brightened.

‘So you didn’t abandon me because you found me annoying?’

Ahn Yoonseung immediately regained his spirits after hearing Kiryeo’s explanation.

Of course, one question still remained: why had someone who claimed he intended to flee ended up defeating an S-class monster?

But did that really matter now?

“Phew. You really know how to frighten people. I thought something serious had happened.”

Pat, pat.

Kim Kiryeo patted Yoonseung on the shoulder.

Naturally, Yoonseung reacted well.

When someone he admired treated him with such warmth, the last traces of tension within him quickly faded.

“In that case, please make yourself comfortable!”

“...Your guest room is bigger than my entire house.”

“Haha! Hyung-nim, you really are good at making jokes.”

After their conversation ended, Yoonseung left the room.

Thud.

If that was the truth, then the misunderstanding had been resolved.

There should have been no reason for him to continue worrying over such foolish thoughts.

‘Whew.’

And yet a strange conclusion suddenly took shape in Yoonseung’s mind.

‘This time, it turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding. But if things continue like this, the same thing could happen again at any moment.’

Who exactly was the Awakened man now sitting in his guest room?

He was an unknown powerhouse believed to be Korea’s fourth S-class Hunter.

In other words, he was someone who had stood worlds apart from Yoonseung from the very beginning.

‘Don’t grow complacent. Work harder!’

At that moment, Yoonseung made a new resolution.

If he ever wanted to be of use to that Awakened man, he would first need to become strong enough not to hinder him.

He vowed to continue training without delay.

‘Should I work out after dinner?’

What a diligent misunderstanding.

In reality, the only thing separating the two men was the tremendous gulf between their actual abilities.

And while Kim Kiryeo continued breathing without a care in the world, the hardworking monster beside him was once again honing himself to perfection.

***

The following morning.

“Hyung-nim! Breakfast is ready!”

Wanting to treat his guest properly, Yoonseung had ordered enough food to make the dining table groan beneath its weight.

Yet even after he shouted down the hallway, there was no reply.

“Hyung?”

Wondering what was happening, Yoonseung quietly headed towards the guest room.

But as he approached, he heard an unexpected sound coming from inside.

—Hahaha.

Laughter?

‘What’s going on?’

The door was already half open, but Yoonseung knocked anyway.

Knock, knock.

A voice similar to the one he had just heard drifted from within.

—Come in.

It appeared that the laughter had indeed belonged to Kim Kiryeo.

“Excuse me...”

“Is breakfast ready already?”

“Yes. It’s on the table.”

“Sorry. Let me finish this call, and I’ll come out immediately.”

The Awakened man looked scarcely different from the day before.

He wore a white shirt beneath a black vest—a perfectly conventional formal outfit.

The only difference was the mobile phone in his hand.

“Hello?”

Curious, Yoonseung lingered for a moment and listened to one side of the conversation.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I was just told that breakfast is ready. Yes, yes. I suppose I should hang up now.”

Naturally, it was difficult to understand the full exchange from only one person’s words.

Yoonseung could do little more than guess at the subject.

“In any case, thank you for the information. I’ll handle the rest from here.”

Judging by the faint voice leaking from the speaker, the person on the other end of the line seemed to be a woman.

“Yes. Goodbye. Oh, and please take care of yourself.”

‘Take care of yourself?’

“Drinking a single recovery potion doesn’t mean you’re completely healed. Besides, Esther is already so thin...”

Ahn Yoonseung, who had been leaning against the doorframe, stiffened at the name.

‘Esther? That Esther?’

Come to think of it, Kim Kiryeo had exchanged messages with the guild master of the Magic Tower before.

Even though Yoonseung already knew that, hearing them speak so casually was still astonishing.

S-class Hunters were normally so far beyond the reach of ordinary people that even having a brief conversation with one was considered extraordinary.

‘The Hunter who casually exchanges greetings with Esther and overpowered Kang Changho is staying in our house right now...?’

“Gasp.”

Yoonseung covered his mouth as he was once again reminded of how extraordinary the man before him truly was.

At that moment, Kiryeo addressed him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Gasp!”

Kim Kiryeo had already ended the call and stepped out into the hallway.

Yoonseung hurriedly answered him.

“Oh, I-I was just wondering what you were talking about...”

And then, surprisingly, Kim Kiryeo revealed the contents of the conversation without the slightest hesitation.

“It was about the Association.”

Was it something involving the Korean Hunter Association?

“No. Esther-ssi keeps insisting that she wants to help me, so I asked her to investigate something. It seems she uncovered something rather interesting involving the Association.”

“The Association?”

“That’s why I’m going to pay them a visit today.”

Ahn Yoonseung responded reflexively.

“My parents left their car here. Would you like me to drive you?”

However, Kim Kiryeo politely declined.

There was a reason he needed to handle this matter alone.

“Well, I think it would be better if you didn’t come.”

The Hunter in the suit spoke in a calm voice.

“Because I intend to cause trouble.”

***

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the Korean Hunter Association headquarters.

“Reporter Yang certainly writes well.”

The president of the Hunter Association lounged comfortably on a sofa, leisurely turning the pages of a newspaper.

It belonged to a pro-government media outlet, and its front page was filled with articles that pleased him greatly.

[Hunters’ Arrogant Behaviour—Can This Be Allowed to Continue?]

[Kim Kiryeo Refuses to Address Allegations of Rank Concealment]

There was little point in hiding the truth.

The person who had leaked Kim Kiryeo’s home address was none other than the president of the Association himself.

He had assembled the reporters and encouraged the publication of those articles for two principal reasons.

The first was to escalate the incident.

No matter how thoroughly Kim Kiryeo concealed his rank, the entire scheme would become meaningless if the public refused to believe that he was truly F-class.

‘There’s no point in hiding in the shadows.’

The Association president had orchestrated the incident partly because he wanted to make the arrogant Hunter uncomfortable, and partly because he intended to force him to abandon the false rank.

Furthermore, drawing public attention to Kim Kiryeo offered another advantage.

It allowed him to emphasise the potential danger posed by Hunters.

‘No comment in response to every question? As expected, he’s thoroughly insolent.’

The more selfishly high-ranking Awakened individuals behaved, the more anxious the public would become.

If public opinion continued moving in that direction, demands for stronger restrictions would inevitably begin to surface.

And with those demands, the Association’s authority would steadily increase.

“Are you certain this is all right?”

The other employees observing him, however, appeared deeply uneasy about their president’s hard-line approach.

“He didn’t even flinch when reporters stormed his home. I doubt a little pressure will be enough to make him admit that he’s S-class.”

“That’s true.”

“I still think it would be better to try persuading him more gently...”

Thud.

The Association president slammed the newspaper down.

“Oh? Are you truly saying that?”

“Ah...”

“People like him never know when to stop once you begin yielding to them. The moment you bow your head, they start treating you like easy prey.”

“That may be true, but...”

“But what? Have you already forgotten what happened with someone like Kang Changho?”

Even if they failed to secure a confession, it hardly mattered.

The media constantly described the number of Awakened individuals as a measure of national strength.

But wasn’t that only true when those Hunters were willing to cooperate?

“These S-class types cannot be controlled through flattery. Anyone likely to become a problem should be dealt with before matters get out of hand.”

“Excuse me?”

“Or they can simply be driven out of the country.”

“Er... well...”

“You see, Awakened individuals may wear the same skin as the rest of us, but inside they are entirely different creatures. If we indulge those who act however they please and begin treating them like masters, they will ultimately become a threat to the nation...”

But then—

Knock, knock.

A sudden knock sounded from beyond the door.

“Come in!”

A moment later, a mid-level manager from the Hunter Association entered.

Despite the fact that it was the middle of winter, sweat streamed down his face.

Then the employee delivered his news.

“Sir! Hunter Kim Kiryeo just contacted us. He asked whether he could have a brief meeting with the Association president.”

There it was.

No matter how powerful an Awakened individual might be, what could he possibly do when he was little more than a young man who had barely turned twenty?

‘It seems the media pressure finally brought him to his senses. Has he come to correct his rank at last?’

The corners of the Association president’s mouth curled upwards.

“I’m willing to hear whatever he has to say. Bring him here at once.”