Chapter 82

“W-What did you just say?”

To the S-Class hunter, however, those words sounded entirely different.

Caught off guard by the sudden remark, Esther asked what he meant.

Kim Kiryeo proceeded to pour even more oil onto the fire.

“I’m trying to earn your personal favor—the cursed magician’s. The guild’s gains or losses have nothing to do with it.”

He simply wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, so he openly admitted that he was trying to flatter her.

Unfortunately, that one sentence caused a far greater ripple than he could ever have imagined.

‘H-Huh?’

The moment Esther heard it, she went completely speechless, as though she had been struck.

***

It was a clear day, with white clouds drifting across the sky.

“...This is ridiculous.”

A sharp voice echoed through the spacious office.

“Honestly. Completely unbelievable.”

The sharp-featured woman seated on the leather sofa had been muttering to herself for some time, clearly displeased by something.

The secretary of the Korean Magic Tower cautiously asked:

“What’s wrong? Did something happen with yesterday’s auction?”

The woman on the sofa shook her head, denying it with a complicated expression.

“No, that’s not it...”

Esther briefly recalled the events of the previous day.

—The only person I care about is Esther.

Who would have expected such words from that cold man?

She had been too flustered to respond properly at the time, but the more she thought about it, the more astonishing it seemed.

‘I never imagined he was interested in me!’

So that was why he had been so shamelessly playing hard to get?

The corner of Esther’s mouth twitched upward.

A hunter she desperately wanted on her side had shown an interest in her. How could that possibly be bad news?

“Hohoho.”

“Why are you suddenly in such a good mood?”

At that moment, Esther became completely convinced that the F-Class hunter harbored romantic feelings for her.

“Of course I’m in a good mood. It’s made me realize all over again just how beautiful I must be.”

“Ah...”

“Phew. As expected, being beautiful is exhausting.”

“Well, when you keep your mouth shut, you really do look like a celebrity...”

The secretary’s dry remark was nowhere near enough to spoil Esther’s mood.

She twirled a pen between her fingers, deep in thought.

‘In any case, this has worked out perfectly. If he’s interested in me, it shouldn’t take much to coax him over.’

Her drooping eyes curved gently.

In her mind, she was already considering how best to make use of the awakened individual’s power.

“Ah!”

Then, in the middle of those thoughts, she suddenly felt the urge to contact the person in question.

‘Our schedules are unusually light this week. Perhaps I should invite him to a movie.’

Esther took out her phone and sent Hunter Kim Kiryeo a message.

At that moment, her mood could not have been better.

(Message Sent)

[Kiryeo-ssi ~~(>_<) Did you enjoy the auction yesterday? I’d love to show you around again sometime. Are you free this week?]

It took only ten minutes for Esther’s smile to vanish completely.

[No.]

That was his entire reply.

“Is he... embarrassed?”

For a brief moment, Esther attempted to deny reality.

But as their conversation continued, her expression steadily hardened.

[Does that mean you can’t? Are you entering any gates this week? Are you busy?]

[Yes.]

[Then when will you be free? I can wait until your schedule clears up. ㅎㅎ]

[About three months from now.]

The guild master of the Korean Magic Tower wanted to meet him, yet he claimed he could not make time for the next three months.

For an F-Class hunter in particular, there should have been far fewer matters demanding his attention.

Still, perhaps circumstances truly made it unavoidable.

[In any case, it will be difficult for me to respond for the time being. Please contact me again later.]

The blond man’s final reply was as impenetrable as a cast-iron wall.

“...”

Even without him stating it outright, this was clearly a blatant rejection.

Tuk.

Esther weakly turned her darkened phone facedown.

A moment later, she began tugging at her hair, her expression filled with utter disbelief.

“You said you wanted to earn my favor!”

The guild master of the Magic Tower was being toyed with by the behavior of a mere F-Class hunter.

Could anything be more absurd?

***

Clink, clink.

Sunlight reflected off the necklace and danced across the wall of the studio apartment.

I followed the shifting light with my eyes for a moment before returning my gaze to the phone screen.

[Search History]

– How to make a smiling face

– Smiling facial expressions

– Number of muscles in the human face

They were surprisingly peaceful search terms.

“Hmm.”

As one might infer from that history, I had regained a reasonable degree of mental stability.

[Pyromancer Necklace (Rare)]

I had also devised a plan to deal with Kang Changho’s attempt on my life.

[Version 1.2.31 Changes]

Improved removal of fatigue-inducing substances.

Reduced required sleeping time.

Physical modification is also progressing smoothly.

[Nationwide “Good News”... Gate Risk Falls by 31%]

According to the reports appearing each day, the recent surge in gate activity was also beginning to return to normal.

It was a long-awaited period of peace.

I had therefore decided to use this opportunity to practice expressing the emotions I had been neglecting.

“Hmm.”

Yet the moment I sat down, one concern refused to leave my mind.

‘Rakshasa Temple.’

That fraudulent organization continued to bother me.

When I considered the situation carefully, there was no guarantee that they would remain quiet forever.

‘Could there be any information online?’

I searched for Rakshasa Temple on a portal site.

However, the only results were a few short articles claiming that many people had fallen prey to cults because of the anxiety caused by the recent gate crisis.

There was absolutely nothing about what those terrorists were currently doing.

“...”

It made me uneasy.

At the same time, a growing sense of hostility toward them began to surface.

‘They abduct people without warning. They even try to kill them...’

I had been forced to endure all that merely because I happened to acquire the item first.

‘It’s so unfair that I could die from the injustice alone.’

After thinking it over for a long time, I devised a plan to give Rakshasa Temple a taste of its own medicine.

To be honest, quietly enduring this situation did not suit my temperament.

“Right.”

Of course, charging directly into enemy territory would be unreasonable.

Still, as a former Great Magician, surely I could at least assist in capturing them.

“Hmm.”

And among the people I knew, the one most closely involved in the investigation of Rakshasa Temple was...

***

Several hours later.

Rumble.

It was six in the evening at the Seoul headquarters of the Hunter Association.

Employees who had finished their work were pouring out through the rear entrance.

Among them was a woman with long, straight black hair.

“Phew...”

She repeatedly glanced around, apparently searching for someone.

Before long, her gaze stopped at a particular spot.

A man dressed entirely in black was leaning against the stone wall beside the rear gate.

“Hello.”

It was F-Class hunter Kim Kiryeo.

After spotting him, Seonwoo Yeon approached the wall.

The man gave her a slight nod.

“Yes. Hello, Hunter Kim Kiryeo.”

It was rare for this F-Class hunter to contact her first.

What could he possibly want, calling her out so suddenly?

“Thank you for making the time. Shall we find somewhere to sit first?”

Since Seonwoo Yeon had no plans for dinner, she readily accepted his suggestion.

That was how they ended up in a Chinese restaurant.

“This may take a while. Please listen while you eat.”

“Ah, all right.”

“Yoonseung recommended this place to me before. The food was very good.”

Perhaps this was what people meant when they said life was unpredictable.

For a moment, Seonwoo Yeon found the situation strangely moving.

To be honest, her first impression of Kim Kiryeo had been among the worst she could remember.

‘I thought there wasn’t a single humble bone in his body.’

Yet after spending several months around him, her opinion had changed completely.

Contrary to his sullen appearance, Kim Kiryeo was surprisingly polite.

‘I never knew he had this side to him.’

Her prejudice had long since faded.

The only question now was what this courteous young man intended to say.

“Um, you may already have guessed, but I asked you here because I need a favor.”

Drrrk.

The employee who had delivered their food slid the private room’s door shut and left.

Only then did Kiryeo finally get to the point.

“You know about Rakshasa Temple, don’t you?”

“Yes?”

“If I specifically targeted someone near the top of Rakshasa Temple, would it be possible to have him imprisoned?”

Seonwoo Yeon’s chopsticks froze in midair.

“Someone at the top of Rakshasa Temple...? Wouldn’t it be better to take that information to the police?”

His answer carried a distinctly negative tone.

“I would like to do that, but honestly, it would be difficult.”

“Why?”

“First, there’s no guarantee the police would readily believe anything I told them...”

He sifted through the sweet-and-sour pork he had ordered.

“To identify that person, I would need to participate in the investigation several times. But as you know, I don’t currently have the authority to do that.”

“Ah.”

“Even if I were fortunate enough to receive assistance from another awakened individual through the Association, there would be no guarantee that the assignment involved the Rakshasa Temple case.”

Crunch.

He bit into a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and savored the taste.

A brief silence settled between them.

“That’s why I’m making this proposal.”

The silence did not last long.

After swallowing, he immediately continued.

“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, if you become involved in tracking that cult... could you share some information with me?”

The awakened woman’s eyes slowly shifted toward him.

“With a little help from you, I could catch the most important person in Rakshasa Temple.”

His gaze sharpened.

“Perhaps someone even more important than its leader.”

His eyes were as cold and focused as a viper’s.

Facing them, Seonwoo Yeon swallowed dryly.

But the tension she felt was not merely caused by the pressure of his demeanor.

This conversation had confirmed a suspicion she had been harboring.

‘As I thought...’

A self-proclaimed lowest-rank hunter.

Two separate abductions.

And all the suspicious circumstances surrounding both incidents.

Seonwoo Yeon arrived at a single conclusion.

“I-I don’t think taking the law into your own hands is a good idea.”

Perhaps, during those kidnapping incidents, this man had deliberately infiltrated the criminal organizations involved.

‘No way.’

There had been numerous signs over the years.

He had remained unnaturally calm even when he was nearly sold overseas.

A terrified believer from Rakshasa Temple, who had participated in torturing Kim Kiryeo, had given alarming testimony.

And both incidents had ended in the destruction of the organizations’ hideouts.

Everything pointed in the same direction.

‘It really does seem that way.’

Considering the flow of events, there was little choice but to assume that Kim Kiryeo had deliberately set out to destroy those criminal organizations.

‘But why?’

Was it out of a sense of justice?

Or had he simply done it to relieve his boredom?

She had no idea.

“Why not leave this to the police?”

This was, after all, a country governed by law.

No matter the motive, such behavior would ultimately constitute a crime.

Seonwoo Yeon cautiously advised him to distance himself from the matter.

“Oh.”

Kim Kiryeo looked at her.

“So you’re saying the police can eliminate Rakshasa Temple without my cooperation?”

The question immediately sealed her lips.

“...”

He was right.

Despite the growing influence of the cult known as Rakshasa Temple throughout Korea, no one had managed to tear it out by the roots.

This was a democratic country.

Freedom of religion was protected.

‘I know perfectly well that the cult leader, Tak Gwangjo, is inciting his followers to commit acts of terrorism. But there still isn’t enough legal justification to arrest him. Some people are even claiming that officials have accepted bribes.’

Seonwoo Yeon remained silent, pressing a hand to her forehead.

‘Even now, countless people are suffering because of that cult...’

At that moment, an indistinct voice reached her ears.

The hunter seated across from her broke the silence.