Chapter 110

I’d finally made it this far.

‘Whew.’

Yes. This had been my goal from the very beginning. Had the threat not grown so serious, I would never have bothered contacting the Association in the first place.

“Just hear me out.”

Based on everything we had discussed so far, I laid out several demands.

First, the Association would take responsibility for restoring my damaged reputation.

Second, I would no longer obey any orders from the Association, nor would I accept any penalties for refusing them.

My final condition, however, was actually good news for them.

“And third, add my name to the list of S-Class Hunters.”

“Yes...?”

Contrary to their expectations, I had decided to become Korea’s newest S-Class Hunter.

After hearing my demands, the Association president asked why I had suddenly changed my mind after initially refusing to cooperate.

But there was a slight misunderstanding.

I had never said I was unwilling to be recognized as an S-Class.

“What I said was that I had no intention of following your orders. Having my proper rank acknowledged is an entirely separate matter.”

I had reached this decision only after a great deal of thought.

Now that I had already drawn nationwide attention, it would be safer to establish myself as an overwhelmingly powerful Hunter—someone with rare abilities capable of finishing off even S-Class monsters.

But suppose the public learned that I was nothing more than a low-ranking Awakener.

What sort of dangers might come looking for me then?

‘Kidnapping, robbery, and so on.’

No matter how I looked at it, being kidnapped three times was three times too many.

And so, with tears in my heart, I resolved to accept the title of S-Class Hunter.

“Y-you’re really going to admit that you’re an S-Class?”

Of course, even if I used threats to free myself from the obligations imposed on high-ranking Awakeners, the public would still condemn me if I failed to appear during a dungeon break.

In that case, I might as well demand advance compensation for all the emotional suffering I was certain to endure in the future.

“Of course, I won’t do it for free. In exchange for becoming Korea’s fourth S-Class Hunter, I’d like the Association to prepare three billion won...”

“What did you say?!”

“And I’d prefer the money to come from your personal account, President Go. I have no desire to be accused of helping myself to taxpayers’ money. You’re the head of this organization, so you should take responsibility for at least that much.”

Three billion won.

Considering the slander and damage this particular Awakener had suffered, it seemed like just enough to let him breathe again.

“Surely the home address and reputation of an S-Class Hunter are worth at least three billion won?”

I went straight for the throat.

My intention was to extort the money from them through intimidation.

“You refuse to deal with Gates, you refuse to respond to dungeon breaks, and now you’re demanding three billion won just to let us put your name on a list?!”

“President, this is a bargain. Look at other countries. Recruiting a single S-Class Hunter can cost several times that amount.”

“That assumes the Hunter agrees to work for them! The entire premise is different!”

Making money became surprisingly difficult once the whole country was watching you.

Still, I had to secure enough money to pay for the lungs somehow.

“W-what if I can’t give you that much?”

The sudden demand seemed to have short-circuited the man’s mind.

At this point, perhaps I should summarize the situation.

“It doesn’t matter if you refuse.”

“Huh?”

“If you truly can’t pay me, I’ll simply bring the investigation to an end.”

“...!”

“Or perhaps something else will happen.”

Tap.

I picked up my phone from the table and spoke in a quiet voice.

“You don’t even know what type of Awakener I am.”

Could there be any form of extortion more vicious than this?

Ever since the first Gate appeared, Earth’s scholars had racked their brains trying to catalogue and understand the abilities of Awakeners.

Yet even seven years after the Dungeon Shock, there was no reason to believe they had uncovered every secret the world possessed.

“Suppose, for example, I possessed telekinesis and could crush your brain with invisible hands. What would you do if, one day, while walking beside a busy road, something suddenly shoved you into traffic?”

“...!”

“And don’t even consider silencing me. I’m telling you this out of genuine concern. If anything happens to me, there is another S-Class Hunter who will become extremely angry.”

To these people, magic remained an unknown domain.

Like creatures lurking in the deepest trenches of the ocean, abilities beyond their wildest imagination could surface at any moment.

“Cough!”

By now, the Association president had to be feeling cornered.

Public attention was still fixed on the unprecedented disaster involving the Inevitable Malice. If it became known that the Association had ignored an appraiser’s warnings, the backlash would be enormous.

‘He might even be forced to resign.’

And as though that were not enough, an S-Class Hunter was sitting across from him and applying pressure from the opposite direction.

He was well and truly trapped.

“Is three billion from your personal funds too burdensome after all? Shall I offer you an additional condition?”

I added, pretending to be considerate.

“Let’s make a promise. Once I am officially recognized as an S-Class Hunter of Korea, I will never act against the Association.”

“What?”

“I have no intention of following your orders anyway, so why should either of us interfere with the other? In particular, I promise never to harm the Association president.”

More precisely, since I was only an F-Class, harming him was physically impossible.

“H-how am I supposed to believe that? After threatening me like this, what if you change your mind later?”

I had anticipated such a response from the Association president, so I had come prepared.

Modern society offered far more reliable ways of securing a promise than linking little fingers.

Rustle.

I reached into my trouser pocket and took out a sheet of parchment folded neatly in half.

[Knight’s Oath]

The president broke into a cold sweat as he read the contract inscribed upon the item.

Although I had lost most of my ability to read the thoughts of others, I could still make a reasonable guess at what was going through his mind.

‘He’s probably trembling with hatred for high-ranking Awakeners.’

It was only natural for members of the established elite to despise Hunters.

From their perspective, Awakeners were vulgar predators who had used brute force to seize the power those elites had spent their entire lives accumulating.

***

A few hours later.

[[Full Video] Press Conference by Hunter Association President Go Byeongdo]

I stopped the video playing on my phone and rose from my seat.

‘Hahaha!’

As my reaction suggested, yesterday’s negotiations had ended in resounding success.

The other party had ultimately signed the contract.

[(Breaking News) Korea’s Fourth S-Class Hunter Revealed!]

[OECD Rankings: Number of Hunters by Country]

[“A Great Transformation Amid Crisis”—Has a New S-Class Been Born?]

Public opinion had reversed completely in the space of a single day.

After speaking with President Go Byeongdo, we had agreed on the official story: I was a secret Awakener whose existence the Association had deliberately concealed.

We invented a plausible explanation that I had been forced to pose as an F-Class as part of a special undercover investigation.

‘All those hateful comments vanished overnight!’

Still, I could hardly believe they had handed over three billion won so readily in exchange for a clause promising that I would never harm the Association president.

If my true rank were ever exposed, this affair would definitely not end peacefully.

For the moment, however, there was no need to worry about that.

“Is that everything?”

I had just finished proving that I was an S-Class Hunter.

“Y-yes! You may leave now. Thank you for your cooperation, Hunter Kim Kiryeo.”

During my third awakening test—the one intended to correct my registered rank—I had employed a clever little trick.

Before entering, I drank a potion containing finely ground mana stones, interfering with the machine’s readings.

‘Easy.’

Submitting an artificially inflated awakening score was, this time, an unmistakable act of rank manipulation with no possible excuse.

‘It’s not my fault your equipment is so poorly made.’

Naturally, I felt no guilt about committing the fraud.

After all, even without the test, everyone had already chosen to treat me as an S-Class Hunter.

This was simply my way of rewarding their confidence in me.

“Hmm.”

Once the rank assessment was complete, I picked up the coat I had removed and left the testing room.

The reactions of the Earthlings I encountered in the corridor were remarkable.

As I passed, people stole nervous glances in my direction.

‘Fear.’

Yes.

That fearful look was one of the privileges enjoyed by the powerful.

‘No one will dare cause trouble for me now.’

I savored their reactions.

For a brief moment, it felt as though I had returned to the height of my former glory.

But then—

As I walked through the Association corridor, I noticed a familiar figure ahead of me.

Long, pitch-black hair.

To be honest, when I had first reincarnated, every Earthling had looked more or less the same to me.

By now, however, I was beginning to recognize and distinguish them.

“Hello.”

Especially sorcerers with mana as clear and refreshing as hers.

They were much easier to remember.

***

Around lunchtime, one of the Association employees finished her morning duties and took a short break.

She stood beside a vending machine near the front desk, buying herself a cup of yulmu tea.

“Haa...”

Seonwoo Yeon.

A B-Class Awakener.

Of everyone involved, she had been the most anxious about the string of revelations that had unfolded over the past three days.

She could not simply pretend ignorance. She had been closely involved with that Hunter from the very beginning.

Furthermore, after everything that had happened, she had developed a personal attachment to him.

—Get out of the way.

—And unless you want to die, stay out of the Imoogi’s path.

Even now, remembering the incident involving the Inevitable Malice sent a chill through her.

Had that Awakener not saved her, she would no longer exist in this world as a living human being.

‘Back then... I was so terrified that my legs wouldn’t move.’

Panicked civilians.

Screams echoing through the air.

And a cold-faced man standing alone before the monster.

How had Kim Kiryeo remained so composed in a situation like that?

Was it merely because he was powerful?

Seonwoo Yeon thought back over every incident she had witnessed, but no matter how carefully she considered them, his behavior did not seem like something that could be explained by a high awakening rank alone.

[(Breaking News) Korea’s Fourth S-Class Hunter Revealed!]

In the end, it felt as though the S-Class title had finally found its rightful owner.

‘People changed their minds in an instant.’

Seonwoo Yeon checked the internet again and felt another wave of relief.

Only yesterday morning, countless people had been denouncing the illegal registrant who claimed to be an S-Class Hunter.

After the Association president issued his explanation, however, the online forums had filled with praise for Kim Kiryeo.

‘I’m glad everything was resolved.’

Seonwoo Yeon sipped her yulmu tea and idly scrolled through her phone.

On the screen was a list of comments she had posted over the past three days.

[ye***08: Please stop insulting him.]

[ye***08: Please respect his personal rights.]

She was relieved that she would no longer need to wander around the internet posting such timid protests.

“Hello.”

At the sound of a voice behind her, Seonwoo Yeon quickly turned her head.

“Ah, Hunter Kim Kir—”

The very person she had been thinking about stood before her.

Short blond hair.

An impassive gaze.

Seonwoo Yeon opened her mouth to greet him, only to stop when she noticed what he was wearing.

“Hello, Hunter.”

The conversation resumed after a three-second pause.

“I saw the article. I heard you were recently registered as an S-Class...”

For a moment, she considered congratulating him.

Then she remembered that this outcome was the exact opposite of what the man—who had always wished to live quietly—had originally wanted.

“Ah...”

Seonwoo Yeon hurriedly changed the subject before the atmosphere could become awkward.

“B-by the way, I was wondering... What kind of item did the Inevitable Malice drop?”

“Yes?”

“The reward given to those who contributed to the hunt. It just occurred to me.”

“Ah, that.”

Kiryeo reached into the pocket of his coat and took something out.

“It appears to have come from the drop table of the Imoogi before it reached maturity. Honestly, it’s useless.”

The object he produced was a long, slender dagger.

[Screaming Stake]

[Grade: Unique]

[Description: Inflicts the abnormal status effect [Pain] upon a target when struck...]

What sort of performance could possibly make a Unique-grade item worthless?

[※ Caution: This special equipment cannot inflict physical damage.]

Awakeners without appraisal abilities could not visually inspect an item’s effects.

As a result, Seonwoo Yeon could do little more than admire the dagger’s ornate handle, unable to offer any more meaningful reaction.