Chapter 111

Since Seonwoo Yeon had fallen silent, it was now the other person’s turn to bring up a topic.

‘Should I start by asking what happened to Su Yehwi after he came out of the Gate?’

Kim Kiryeo had plenty to discuss with the Association employee. Unfortunately, the conversation did not proceed as planned.

His phone suddenly began to ring.

“Just a moment.”

When he answered, the subject of the call was entirely unexpected.

—Hello, this is Plan Express. Your delivery is scheduled to arrive shortly. Are you at home right now?

“A delivery? What delivery?”

—It was sent by a place called Fashion & Homme. In any case, is Mr. Kim Kiryeo currently at home?

“Uh, I’m not sure. I’m out right now, but I’ll probably be back soon...?”

—All right. Then I’ll leave it in front of your door.

“Okay, wait... what?”

The call ended abruptly.

Flustered by the delivery driver’s words, Kiryeo immediately prepared to return home.

Whatever the package contained, the idea of simply leaving it outside someone’s door was incomprehensible by Alphauri standards.

‘What if someone else takes it?’

Kiryeo put away the dagger he had been holding and spoke.

“I didn’t order anything, so what exactly did they deliver? Seonwoo Yeon, I’m sorry, but I need to leave right away. I’ll see you next time.”

Seonwoo Yeon let him go without giving it much thought.

He needed to receive a package, after all.

It was an entirely ordinary reason, even if the person giving it happened to have the soul of an alien.

“Take care.”

Kim Kiryeo hurried down the corridor.

“Hmm.”

But watching him from behind made it even more obvious.

Seonwoo Yeon quietly observed Korea’s fourth S-Class Hunter as he walked away and realized that the coat he was wearing had a design she vaguely recognized.

‘As I thought, that’s definitely the brand.’

It was a French fashion label whose name began with the letter M.

Naturally, clothing from such a brand was rather expensive for an ordinary person like her. The regular price of the coat Kiryeo was wearing could easily equal two months of an office worker’s salary.

‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’

Seonwoo Yeon briefly wondered why someone who usually dressed so poorly had suddenly appeared in such an expensive coat.

Meanwhile, its wearer was about to discover the truth behind the garment’s price himself.

***

A little later, Kim Kiryeo arrived home.

[Sender: Fashion & Homme, Apgujeong Branch

Seo Yohan]

He was startled when he read the sender’s name printed on the box.

The mysterious packages had been sent by none other than Esther’s brother.

‘They’re all suits.’

Rustle.

The box was filled with clothing. On top of the neatly folded garments lay a small card bearing a handwritten message.

[It’s a gift. Wear them well through the winter. ^-^

—Esther]

Apparently, the kindhearted curse sorcerer had worried that her alien neighbor might freeze to death and had decided to send him a thoughtful gift.

“Oh.”

Only now did Kim Kiryeo understand why she had asked for his address.

He began unpacking the clothes.

After all, who would refuse something offered for free?

According to the information stored in the corpse’s brain, clothing on Earth generally cost between ten and twenty thousand won. There was no need to feel burdened by—

[₩1,900,000]

Wait.

Why was there a number resembling the price of an electronic appliance written on the tag?

“...?”

Kiryeo froze when he saw the price attached to the new garment.

However, after searching the product name online to verify it, he discovered that the vest alone truly did cost that much.

Which meant...

“Huh?”

He finally understood.

The shop run by Esther’s brother was not an ordinary clothing store. It was a luxury boutique specializing exclusively in high-end brands.

The suit he had worn so casually was, in fact, worth several million won.

“The clothes are worth more than my organs.”

Cold sweat ran down his back as he realized the scale of the favor the leader of the Korean Magic Tower Guild had shown him.

Honestly, at prices like these, he would rather sell everything and use the money to make magical tools.

No.

Forget it.

Otherwise, he might be cursed to death by the most terrifying curse sorcerer in the world.

***

These days, television broadcasts were filled with stories about the appearance of Korea’s fourth S-Class Hunter.

For such a small country to possess four S-Class Hunters was unprecedented.

Of course, the unusually high proportion became less surprising once one considered that one of those Hunters was a fraud who had manipulated his awakening assessment.

‘Now that I’ve gained a high-ranking position, the reporters have finally stopped visiting.’

Kim Kiryeo was inside his studio apartment.

Once again, I had returned to the safety of a home protected by a barrier.

As usual, I was absorbed in searching the internet on my phone.

[With this, Korea can truly be called a Hunter powerhouse. Four top-tier Hunters in such a small nation...]

[(Congratulations) Korea Ranks First in S-Class Hunters per Capita (Congratulations)]

[What Is Kim Kiryeo’s Awakening Level?]

[So Jealous of S-Class Awakeners]

My fame was growing by the day.

Netizens celebrated the existence of four S-Class Hunters, believing that it had made the country safer.

The reality, however, was quite different.

‘Do you think I’m insane? Why would I help anyone in an F-Class body?’

Naturally, behaving like this would eventually provoke a negative public response.

But to be honest, I could not care less about whatever criticism came later.

I was planning to move into a new body soon anyway.

“Let’s see. Has the Association president deposited the money yet?”

I opened my mobile banking app and checked the account balance.

Of course, gathering a massive sum like three billion won at a moment’s notice was not easy, so the balance had not changed.

‘I still only have one hundred million won.’

But wait.

How did someone who had spent nearly everything preparing for the vanished Imoogi still possess one hundred million won?

First of all, I had not touched the suit Esther had given me.

Instead, I had sold a used item far more durable than mere fabric.

“Phew. I never expected the Knight’s Oath to cost so much...”

A few days ago, I had sold the [Hermes’ Shoes] I had used during the terrorist incident back to the market.

I had urgently needed money because the contract I intended to use on the Association president cost nearly two hundred million won.

Besides, my physical condition was poor, so I could not use the shoes’ effects for long anyway.

There was no reason to keep a magical tool that did not suit me.

‘I only wore them for a few days, and their resale value still dropped by ten million won...’

But this was no time to obsess over equipment.

According to the contract, I would receive three billion won within two weeks.

Once I obtained a new lung, I could use magic to transfer into another body.

‘Once I repair the lung, I can finally say goodbye to this wretched body!’

I began searching for a new body to inhabit.

I could target the corpse of someone who had awakened recently, or wait for casualties during a dungeon break.

There were many possibilities.

***

A few days later.

[Fresh Korean Apples]

“....”

As promised, the Association president had sent the three billion won I demanded.

Considering the difficulties involved in tracing such funds, it was understandable that he had delivered the money in cash.

I decided to overlook the fact that every bundle had been packed inside apple boxes.

Then I turned my attention back to my phone.

[Search: Dragon’s Lung]

[Search results: 0]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

No matter how many times I refreshed the page, the contents of the screen did not change.

By now, anyone could understand the problem I was facing.

“There isn’t one...”

There were no listings.

No matter how thoroughly I searched, I could not find a single seller offering the all-important [Dragon’s Lung].

“Damn it!”

I stared at the empty screen and sank into despair.

Until the very moment I decided to purchase the dragon’s lung, one had been listed on the exchange.

It had been the only one available, but because so few people wanted it, it had remained unsold for months.

And now that someone had finally bought it, no replacement had appeared?

‘You damned bastard!’

Was this how the rickshaw puller who had bought seolleongtang for his wife had felt?

Even with more than 2.6 billion won in my possession, I still could not achieve my goal.

One day passed.

Then two.

Three.

Four.

No matter how long I waited, the item I needed never appeared on the market.

“Something isn’t going the way I expected...”

Then, on Monday, a remarkable item finally appeared in Korea’s Hunter marketplace.

<Emergency Disaster Alert>

[[Korea Hunter Association] An unidentified object appeared today, the 28th, on the road in front of Hunter Mall in Seocho-gu. Analysis and investigation are underway. The marketplace will remain temporarily closed until the 30th.]

Unfortunately, the message did not say that the unidentified object was a dragon’s lung.

“....”

I read the alert and rubbed the bridge of my nose in frustration.

***

Monday, the 28th.

With a grave expression, the news anchor reported that an unidentified object had appeared on the road in front of Hunter Mall, a marketplace specializing in Gate-related items.

“The tall black stone monument resembles an Egyptian obelisk.”

Furthermore, the phenomenon was not limited to Korea.

Mongolia.

Vietnam.

Spain.

England.

Black obelisks had appeared in so many countries that listing them all was nearly impossible.

The same phenomenon was unfolding simultaneously throughout the world.

Moreover, the obelisks discovered in each country shared several identical characteristics.

“They are said to bear the Arabic numerals ‘86164.’ What could this number mean?”

People debated the meaning of the inscription.

At the time, one hypothesis appeared more convincing than the others.

“Experts believe it represents the Earth’s rotational period as measured in astronomy: 86,164 seconds.”

Then why was the object displaying the length of a day?

What would happen after that day passed?

[Is it going to explode? ㄷㄷ]

In this world, entities that suddenly appeared after being summoned were generally considered ominous.

The explosive structures in the Ice Palace Gate’s cemetery, the ignition stones of the lava giants, and numerous other Gates had employed similar attack mechanisms.

The usual safety measure was simple.

Destroy the summoned object before anything could happen.

Drawing on past experience, the Association responded immediately.

“Breaking news. The Hunter Association has issued a mobilization order to several Awakeners...”

However, despite being struck by a variety of supernatural attacks, the mysterious object remained firmly in place.

“Hyaaaaaah!”

“Hey, this obviously isn’t working either.”

“What in the world is that thing made of? How can it be so durable?”

Eventually, as a final measure, the Association summoned a small number of Awakeners.

[[Korea Hunter Association] Summons: S-Class Hunter Jung Haseong, please confirm receipt and respond.]

The young sorcerers who stood at the very top of the food chain.

***

Wow.

This planet was thrown into chaos every single day.

We had barely begun recovering from the destruction caused by the Imoogi, and another disturbance had already erupted.

‘Although perhaps someone from Alphauri has no right to complain.’

In any case, a bizarre spectacle was unfolding before my eyes.

Four of Korea’s rarest Hunters were struggling against a rock.

“Ah, this is annoying!”

Bang!

Esther kicked the obelisk.

Even then, the black object showed no sign of damage.

Honestly, if an S-Class Hunter could not destroy it, I doubted there was any other solution.

“Would you like to try, Kiryeo-ssi? Ah, my hand hurts too much. I can’t keep doing this.”

As the conversation suggested, I was present at the site where the black obelisk had appeared.

The reason I had come was simple.

I was trying to make myself look like a genuine S-Class Hunter.

‘When is that item ever going to appear...?’

Judging by how things had developed, obtaining a dragon’s lung was going to become a long-term struggle.

But the longer I delayed transferring into another body, the more this body’s reputation would deteriorate.

Just as I had warned the Association, I intended to ignore every dungeon break that occurred in the future.

‘Look at how Kang Changho behaves. No one can touch him, no matter what he does, simply because he’s an S-Class.’

Nothing prevented conflict more effectively than overwhelming authority.

In that sense, the present situation was perfect for me.

There was no monster.

There was no danger.

And every top-ranking Hunter who had arrived before me had already failed to destroy the obelisk.

‘I can use this to reinforce my reputation as an S-Class.’

My plan was to associate myself with the others through this harmless assignment.

All S-Class Hunters Fail to Destroy Mysterious Obelisk!

If an article like that appeared, would it not give me the perfect opportunity to ride on Esther’s already proven reputation?

‘Hehehe... I truly am a genius.’

It was a somewhat cowardly strategy, but I did not care.

After all, this too was a choice made to protect myself from the dangers of the world.

In other words, it was no different from the spines of a hedgehog.

“Yes. Please step aside. I’ll try as well.”

I stepped forward, justifying my bluff to myself.

It was time to stick my spoon into the pot.