Chapter 121

Emergency. Emergency!

This was no time to be admiring the ocean. At this rate, I was going to be in serious trouble.

‘Kkaaaaaaah...!’

Early one morning, I sat on a train bound for Seoul, clutching my head as I screamed silently.

In other words, only a few days after arriving in Gampo, I was already heading home.

‘Why would they hide such important information where no one can see it?’

There was a reason I had decided to return to Seoul.

I had only just learned about the conditions attached to purchasing dragon lungs.

‘Damn this ranking system!’

Apparently, in Korea, hunters needed to hold a certain position in the rankings before they were allowed to purchase imported items of Unique grade or higher.

More specifically, only hunters ranked within the top fifty overall were eligible to apply for permission to import Unique-grade equipment.

And the ranking I had belatedly checked was—

Tenth place.

Some might wonder why I was worried when I already met the requirement.

But my current rank was not what mattered.

Hunter rankings reflected both innate talent and accumulated achievements.

‘I don’t have enough gate-clearance points!’

No matter how highly ranked an Awakener was, taking an extended break without a valid reason resulted in heavy deductions.

And if I failed to raid a single dungeon during the three-month evaluation period, even my current position at tenth place would undoubtedly be affected.

I had no idea how far I might fall, but...

[Kang Changho [S] — 814th]

Judging by this man, there did not appear to be any limit to how low a hunter could drop.

“Phew.”

‘Damn it!’

Honestly, it felt unfair.

Had I known things would turn out this way, I would have brought up the ranking issue when I threatened the Association President.

Why had I only discovered such an important clause now?

And why did I have to put myself in danger just to preserve my rank?

‘Ugh...!’

But complaining would change nothing.

I had already taken three billion won from the Association President and had no intention of ever seeing him again.

If I suddenly went back and demanded even more, I might be accused of greed.

“I’m doomed.”

Using the Association to manipulate the rankings would be inefficient anyway.

That left only one option.

I would have to perform legitimate hunter work in accordance with the rules.

Thud.

I leaned my head against the train window, my expression gloomy.

Outside, the scenery continued to blur past.

...

...

...

How was a weak Awakener like me supposed to clear an A-rank gate?

Well, I would have to make the best possible use of my strengths.

Whether that meant my knowledge of golems or my unusual resistance to status effects, I had no choice but to use everything available to me.

“Let’s see.”

While searching for a suitable gate where those advantages might prove useful, I came across a location that had recently become a frequent subject in the media.

[Mermaid Pass]

The name alone sounded almost like something from a fairy tale.

The problem was that the monsters inside were capable of provoking extremely dangerous battles.

“Hmm.”

Mermaid Pass was the name of a gate that had appeared earlier that month.

And this was where another unusual characteristic of Earth came into play.

‘Cataclysm.’

It was January.

A special month during which large numbers of previously unseen gates appeared all at once.

The inhabitants of this planet referred to the phenomenon, which resembled a massive game update, as a Cataclysm.

Korea was currently in the middle of one.

[(Seonhan Daily) Nationwide Siren Alert...]

To explain, Mermaid Pass contained two varieties of aquatic monsters.

The gate had appeared only on the Korean Peninsula.

The problem was that no one had yet succeeded in clearing it, primarily because of the creatures known as Sirens.

“Every day brings another disaster.”

According to the hunters who had entered the gate, Sirens behaved roughly like this.

“I suddenly heard my mother calling to me from beyond the fog.”

“My ideal woman—the one I’ve always dreamed of—was standing inside the dungeon and beckoning me toward her!”

“The song was so beautiful. I became completely absorbed in it, and all the strength left my hands.”

It was clear that some kind of mental-attack monster lurked beyond the mist.

Every hunter who had returned alive testified that something had taken control of their mind.

‘The monster sings?’

The distant song drifting through the fog was the reason Mermaid Pass remained unconquered.

‘The Sirens incapacitate their victims, and then the Mermen move in to finish them off. An efficient division of labor.’

Mental attacks were usually so ineffective that hunters referred to them as a free attack pattern.

But Earth’s magicians had never encountered such a powerful status abnormality before, and they struggled to maintain their senses.

Even covering their ears did nothing to block the effects of the Sirens’ song.

[Expensive Equipment Proves Useless... Hunters Struggle Against Sirens]

It was an utterly hopeless situation.

But the long period of confusion was over.

‘Heh.’

This body could neutralize the Sirens’ song.

‘I suppose it can’t be helped. This archmage will lend a hand, so everyone should be grateful.’

To summarize, I had come to conquer Mermaid Pass in order to preserve my ranking.

Naturally, I had already summoned a companion to deal with the remaining monsters—the Mermen.

***

A few minutes later.

“Yoonseung-ah!”

I waved broadly at the man standing near the gate.

The shaved-headed hunter turned toward me.

“Huh? You’re already here?”

Wait.

Had I just seen white smoke coming from Yoonseung’s mouth?

“Hmm?”

There was also an artificial fragrance lingering in the air around us.

Almost like...

“Yoonseung-ah, what are you holding?”

“Yes?”

“Is that a cigarette?”

At my question, Yoonseung gave an awkward smile and opened his palm, revealing the object he had hurriedly tried to hide.

“Hahaha. Oh, well... Yes. It’s an electronic cigarette. I thought you might be late, so I was waiting here by myself for a while...”

My fist moved before I could think.

Smack!

“...!”

“...”

The moment I realized it was a cigarette, I reflexively knocked it out of his hand.

The movement was so fast that even an A-rank hunter failed to react in time.

‘I-I didn’t even see it...!’

Gulp.

As Ahn Yoonseung broke into a nervous sweat, the square electronic cigarette struck the cold pavement with a pathetic clatter.

“Ah! Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

Realizing my mistake too late, I immediately apologized.

I had touched someone else’s property without permission, so naturally, I picked it up and took responsibility for what I had done.

But when I handed the device back to Yoonseung, my eyes had gone strangely unfocused.

“If you ever smoke something like this in front of me again, I’ll really kill you.”

The words came straight from the heart.

After all, the reason I was trapped in an F-rank body could, in a way, be traced back to that wretched invention.

“Y-Yes. Yes, of course.”

Yoonseung trembled at the unexpectedly harsh treatment and hurriedly agreed.

Only after giving him a lengthy lecture about quitting smoking did I finally begin discussing the dungeon.

‘Phew.’

Today had not begun well.

I did not want to treat the reliable ally who had rushed over to help me like that from the very start.

“Ahem.”

After a moment, I took a breath and spoke to Yoonseung again.

I told him that I was genuinely grateful he had come despite my sudden request.

“If you weren’t here, I would have been too worried to enter the dungeon. Thank you.”

“No, I should be thanking you for inviting me! You may not realize it, but even if this arrangement is only temporary, it means a great deal to me...!”

Unlike before, I had officially taken the position of team leader this time, using my status as an S-rank hunter.

In truth, however, the title meant very little.

Even as team leader, I could not freely choose every member of the party.

“By the way, Hyung, are we going in with just the two of us?”

“No. There’s one more person.”

So who would be the final member of the Siren subjugation team?

Speak of the tiger, and it appears.

Before long, a familiar Awakener approached from the opposite side of the road.

A remarkably large frame.

Foreign-looking features.

And green eyes he had acquired after tearing apart a dragon.

“Hello.”

Yes.

Today, I would be working with this S-rank hunter.

“Hunter Kang Changho.”

I already wanted to go home.

***

Kang Changho had not been in a particularly good mood lately.

That was only natural.

Anyone would be irritated after being deceived.

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

Truthfully, Kang Changho had remained only half-convinced even after seeing the rumors online.

During the phone call that followed, Kiryeo had vehemently denied being an S-rank hunter, so Changho had chosen to let the matter go.

But who could have imagined that the contractor he trusted would stab him in the back so thoroughly?

“...”

Kang Changho tilted his head as he watched the Association’s announcement on television.

At that moment, only one thought passed through his mind.

“What kind of man is he?”

What kind of person was Kim Kiryeo?

Returning to the present, Kang Changho remained in a foul mood.

He could not understand why the young man with dyed blond hair had lied to him.

If Kiryeo truly was an S-rank hunter, then he had no need for anyone’s protection.

Why, then, had he agreed to such a contract?

‘What is he planning?’

At this point, Changho wanted to crack open the man’s skull and examine whatever was inside.

But he soon forced himself to calm down.

After all, his original objective had already been achieved.

‘It’s strange. No matter how powerful an S-rank hunter may be, no one can break the Knight’s Oath. No one. I confirmed that with my own eyes.’

In the end, Kang Changho decided to wait and observe.

For the time being, there was nothing else he could do.

Besides, the situation suited him well enough.

He had more money than he could spend, overwhelming physical strength, and an abundance of free time.

In an age defined by dungeon disasters, very little in his life could truly be called difficult.

‘I suppose I’ll watch him for now.’

He had grown somewhat tired of his uneventful existence.

At some point, he had begun to think that observing such an unusual hunter might be an entertaining way to pass the time.

Boredom.

It was simply a means of relieving boredom.

In effect, he was forgiving the deception for an almost trivial reason.

But when he thought about it, the other man’s circumstances might not be so different.

Kim Kiryeo.

The man standing before him was a powerhouse who far exceeded the limits of ordinary humanity.

‘Korea’s fourth S-class.’

Perhaps he, too, suffered from the endless idleness that seemed to accompany S-rank strength.

Could that be why he behaved so unpredictably?

Kang Changho closed his eyes as the thought briefly crossed his mind.

***

Why were there two S-rank hunters in a single team?

The truth was simple.

When Kim Kiryeo reported that he planned to enter the Blue Gate with Ahn Yoonseung, Kang Changho had suddenly become curious and insisted on accompanying them.

‘Damn it! I told him several times that he didn’t have to come because of the contract, but he followed me anyway...’

As a result, the three of them were now trapped in the worst possible three-way confrontation.

“K-Kang Changho. Have you been well?”

Kiryeo cautiously attempted to break the ice.

The response he received was sharp.

“Better than you.”

Kang Changho had briefly taken his eyes off the contractor who had gotten himself involved in an accident without saying a word.

Now, he looked at Kiryeo with open displeasure.

What followed was biting sarcasm.

“Anyway, thank you for allowing me to join you today. Of course, since you’re an ‘S-rank,’ you probably don’t need my help. Still, a contract is a contract.”

“...”

“Oh, but perhaps I’ll only get in the way. After all, our Hunter Kim Kiryeo is an extraordinary man who deals with ‘S-rank’ monsters all by himself.”

At this point, he might as well have been smiling while cursing him.

“I’m already worried that I won’t be able to keep up with your level.”

Having accumulated a great deal of resentment, Kang Changho repeatedly emphasized that the other man was an S-rank powerhouse, criticizing him with every word.

“Gasp!”

But at that very moment, Ahn Yoonseung’s eyes lit up at Changho’s remarks.

“Hyung-nim, even another S-rank hunter acknowledges your strength...!”

The alien merely stared at the A-rank hunter with a hollow expression.

He said nothing.

At this point, even correcting such minor misunderstandings felt exhausting.

“Shall we get moving?”

He hurried to bring this painful team arrangement to an end as quickly as possible.

More precisely, he led them toward Mermaid Pass.