Chapter 215: Knockout Tournament (2)
“I had grocery supplies ready to hole up at home.”
Crack.
I gritted my teeth in frustration, having set my phone’s mic far away.
I straightened myself and asked again.
“…First, just to confirm. Is it safe to assume that your sudden trip to China is for the international competition?”
-Right. Hunter Tournament.
Seeing this, it’s instantly clear how substantial the rewards China is offering must be.
S-Class Hunters are loaded to the point where they can collect money with their eyes closed, so it’s not easy to scout them.
Did they think it was fine to show a fighting scene? Or was some coveted prize appearing in that tournament instead?
Kang Chang-ho decided to depart more readily than I expected.
Besides, it seems he already informed China, so perhaps by the evening, there’ll be a promotional article with my name on it.
“Confirmation of participation by a top-ranking Awakened. Even I, an alien, can tell this is definitely going to be a money maker.”
But while talking, a small doubt suddenly struck me.
First off, I get that he needs to go to China to participate in the competition. I understand he wants to accompany me just in case something happens to the contractors left in Korea.
Yet he just announced that he was in front of my studio building; what in the world does that mean?
“Is he just throwing that around as a threat? No, that’s not it. His magic power is definitely nearby.”
Thump.
Rolling my eyes in pursuit of someone’s energy, I carelessly tossed the wrapped tofu into the sink.
“Anyway, I got it. I’ll keep my schedule clear.”
-Okay.
“But wait, you mentioned you’re in front of my studio. Is there any other business you need to address…?”
-The elevator’s here.
Click.
What I heard next was the usual awkward mechanical sound signaling the end of a call.
“What the heck?”
Why the sudden hang-up?
I have a bad feeling about this. It seems there might be some important reason he wants to visit, but given the contractor’s personality, that’s likely not a good reason.
I hastily prepared to welcome my unexpected guest.
Kicking aside the messy blanket on the floor, I headed towards my desk drawer.
*
Ding dong, ding dong.
How long has it been since I’ve changed it? The doorbell’s switch is so pressed in I can barely push it properly.
By the time I pressed the squeaky switch again…
The door, plastered with ads for a mobile locksmith, swung open from the inside.
The landlord appeared.
“Hello.”
The blond man was dressed comfortably, unlike during his public activities.
However, the guest’s gaze was drawn to something unexpected rather than the anticipated features.
“Hmm.”
The shabby condition of my studio shown through the door crack.
Discolored wallpaper.
And cheap flooring worn over the years.
“When was this flowery wallpaper even in style?”
“Uh?”
“Anyway, could you please undo the chain? I’ve brought something.”
Initially tense at the news of Kang Chang-ho’s arrival, the conversation surprisingly proceeded quite normally.
Then the third S-Class of Korea tilted his mouth into a smile.
Since you brought a gift last time you visited, it was only natural he had something to show in return.
Surprise! Grape Juice Family Deluxe!
Is he looking to insult me…?
Or is that just this earthling being stingy…?
Kim Gi-ryeo dryly stared at the cheap drink box in the other’s hand.
Then the door closed.
I felt like just slamming the door in his face, but logically speaking, treating a bona fide S-Class Hunter that way would likely bring more trouble than it’s worth.
Click.
Out of habit, I undid the safety lock and swung the front door wide open.
But what happened next was shocking.
As soon as the door opened to a certain angle, Kang Chang-ho, keeping his hand on it to prevent it from closing again, suddenly kicked the landlord’s shin.
It was what one might call “breaking the joint.”
“You’re getting bold now, sneaking in at this hour since I always let it slide…”
Yet this time he had his reasons.
How long has it been since the orbital fracture? Why had he already relaxed? His contractor had been sending almost one-sided notifications lately.
An abnormal F-Class Gate that occurred in the Korean Magic Tower.
Yeah, I could consider that, since we entered it with Esther and the danger was minimal.
But days ago, the [Mimic City] incident couldn’t just be ignored.
Due to the Knight’s Pact prohibiting it, he wouldn’t have stealthily snuck off to another country anyway.
But that was only true by virtue of Kim Gi-ryeo being unwilling to do so. If an unexpected incident occurred inside and some insane Awakened forced a Korean to an unexpected exit…
Given that [Dragon’s Eye] has a limited range, it complicates matters from that point on.
So he planned to use force to leave a warning and completely prohibit unauthorized entry to any gates.
Thud!
What’s this?
Though I eased up on the force considering the other’s durability, I thought for sure I’d break the Awakened’s bones with that little kick.
“……!”
“…….”
I paused.
The tip of his shoe lightly connected with the shin. The attack from Kang Chang-ho seemed to have hit an invisible wall, leaving no injury behind.
“Uh.”
Not even a proper impact sound got registered, and despite it being an S-Class’s kick, the landlord stood as resolute as rock rooted in the ground.
I looked down to check again, but indeed, the landlord’s leg had no scratch on it.
‘His defense…’
Kang Chang-ho’s eyes widened silently.
In such a situation, the first thought that crosses the mind is the possibility of item usage.
But in just a few seconds, that assumption is clearly disproved by undeniable evidence.
Deep, bright, and cold.
Soon, a familiar burst of blue energy appeared right in front of Kang Chang-ho.
“No, kicking suddenly like that….”
While the victim stood there bewildered,
the massive visitor rolled his eyes, checking the aura before him.
Kim Gi-ryeo’s internal magic power rapidly expanded to a size befitting an S-Class Hunter…
Interpreted through the magical device called [Dragon’s Eye], this scene could only be read that way.
What on Earth happened?
To explain, Kang Chang-ho’s sudden change was mixed with someone’s little trick.
“Seeing how you’re moving your pupils, it seems it worked pretty well.”
In simple terms, the alien pulled another fast one.
“Guess there’s no need for further improvements.”
The past few days had been an unusually long “break” for the Great Mage.
He had been holed up in the studio crafting useful items to evade pursuit, but feeling he had time to spare, the Great Mage casually engaged in light research as a mental refresh.
[Task: Remake potion for manipulating awakening levels. – (Improve it, ideally making it a solid form with a longer preservation period)]
The result produced was precisely this scenario.
Scholarly minerals cleverly absorbing external properties, made to appear like the mana of a living being.
Not a perfect example, but to put it simply, this was akin to resolving anemia with a steel ball.
The relationship between elemental iron and iron minerals is great, as there are vast differences between internal mana and external mana.
“Anyway…”
Regardless.
“Kang Chang-ho, why do you look so surprised?”
“You look just like a hunter of the same rank as me.”
“I see.”
Confirmed the potion’s performance, Gi-ryeo smoothly led the conversation.
“But I’m sorry, but I don’t remember ever saying I’m not S-Class this year… not once.”
Based on my research, there are incredibly few items capable of mimicking S-Class level defenses on Earth, and especially gears that don’t even show traces of being used, like the [Divine Tree Sapling], are nonexistent even in rumors.
Therefore, to rationally explain this rapid rise in defense by Earth standards, I had no choice but to recycle the concept I’d been pushing since last January.
“Yes, I’m indeed S-Class.”
Claiming the Association’s published awakening grades weren’t incorrect.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m telling you I was indeed an S-Class Hunter, as you see.”
Frankly, if I admit I’m a bottom-tier Awakened at any moment, Kang Chang-ho wouldn’t loosen his guard.
And since I planned to secretly swap bodies anyway, it would be better to shape my image this way.
Having finished my calculations, Gi-ryeo artificially created a stiff expression and beads of cold sweat to fool the contractor’s misunderstanding.
“Wait.”
Of course, the more flawless his performance became, the more bewildered Kang Chang-ho appeared.
“So what you’re saying is that you had this decent defense but pretended to be weak all along?”
“Uhm.”
“And last time, you even let my slow punches hit you directly?”
Gi-ryeo calmly handled the subsequent inquiries.
“No, it wasn’t that I intended to confuse you about my rank…”
If you didn’t, then what?
Because he spoke without filtering, his speech became somewhat verbose.
Gi-ryeo quickly added a few words to aid understanding.
“I’ve been feeling under the weather.”
“Under the weather.”
Even those great new humans who awakened magic couldn’t escape from simple problems like illness.
Just like Jeong Ha-seong, who suffered immunity loss after overworking for 43 hours and ended up falling prey to ordinary terrorists.
A mage could indeed become weakened based on physical condition or mood.
Additionally, the current studio resident was well aware of countless health-related issues that a mage might suffer due to his past life circumstances.
“To be precise, I was suppressing my mana because I was unwell. Uh… actually, I got a slight injury in the past. But afterward, whenever I breathed normally, my mana would react, making my body uncomfortable.”
“Where exactly did you get hurt?”
“Somewhere around my abdomen, but even the doctor doesn’t know the reason for it, so I am quite…”
Breaking promises, refusing school.
Or being late for work after oversleeping, etc.
This excuse about being unwell is a common enough cover in everyday life.
To argue that he was indeed S-Class, Gi-ryeo introduced a new setup.
This health issue excuse didn’t inflate contradictions significantly and was easy to reconcile in future talks.
‘Most importantly, there are witnesses.’
He had even caught Esther Hunter mid-spit.
If he pulled this off with Kang Chang-ho, it would also be easy to enhance credibility later by involving the Magic Tower master.
“Anyway, now I can manipulate my mana again.”
“Your mana?”
“Still in bad shape, unfortunately. When you hit me last time, my immunity had dropped badly, I couldn’t dodge. I half expected this issue, but thankfully it’s slowly getting better, so that’s at least a relief…”
Gi-ryeo elaborated on why he had been weak all this time.
In truth, without items, his body was as fragile as a half-frozen ice, yet he spoke as smoothly as a stream.
“Hmm.”
However, at that moment, what was even more astonishing was…
Kang Chang-ho surprisingly accepted Gi-ryeo’s bluff rather quickly and moved on.
I don’t know what sort of Schrödinger’s cat situation this was, but incredibly, that blond Awakened felt no oddity in treating him as an elite right away.
“Condition, huh…”
Binding capable of subduing a black dragon.
Monstrous composure.
Truly, the unyielding physical endurance of an S-Class.
The sorcerer at the door fixated his gaze with a strange expression.
As Kang Chang-ho’s slightest uncertainty about the other’s rank tipped back toward strength, everything felt like a riddle.
‘So the F-Class raving from before was due to being under the weather, hiding the S-Class so it wouldn’t get troublesome if discovered?’
If that were a lie, it would sound like incomprehensible nonsense, but that would make it all the more intriguing.
Honestly, left with time and energy, facing some interesting scam would hardly be a bad deal.
If I end up losing later, I’ll just chalk it up to the overheads of a performance.
