As we stepped out of the dungeon, we strolled around momentarily, taking in the sights of this new world.
Here, there were various aggressive plants, but we didn’t see much of the monsters.
“Well, since this is the early part of the dungeon, it seems like the only thing around is those mosquito-like things, huh?”
“I wanted to see a Frizkana. Those gems…”
“You can’t just see them easily, you know.”
“I heard they swarm in the center area.”
“I think even Hyeon Yi-hwan hasn’t managed to break through to the innermost parts yet.”
“Really? Is it that tough? Does this dungeon really have difficulty levels from A to Z?”
‘If Hyeon Yi-hwan couldn’t break through… it’s clear we can’t do anything about it either.’
“Have you had your fill of sightseeing? Shall we head out?”
We wrapped up our exploration and headed toward the entrance, which was also the exit.
I was the first one out, and as soon as I emerged, I had to deal with a skill that came flying at me with quite a fierce momentum.
[Ilseom – Second Step]
The clear intent to aim for my neck and the immaculate swing without a shred of doubt.
Smack–!
“Gah!”
Yet, even though I had been perfectly ambushed, I easily countered it, deflecting the subsequent two attacks before launching a counterattack.
Thud–!
In the end, I knocked out all three of the guys guarding the entrance.
Suddenly, a man in full armor emerged from the gate, and I bet those people were quite startled.
“Oh no… I ended up doing it, didn’t I?”
“What can you do? Should I just sprinkle some sleeping agent around?”
Noh Ha-yoon doused the unconscious people with plenty of sleeping agent.
“Hey, that’s enough to be lethal!”
“Huh? But isn’t it better to be safe? And these guys won’t die from this amount.”
“Crazy girl… oh dear…”
Joo-ah gasped at Noh Ha-yoon, who had used an excessive amount of sleeping agent.
‘The effect is definitely certain. They might lose several months of memory. Seriously, this kid has no mercy for others.’
The hunters from Ilseom were already enveloped in a blue-lit space, deep in sleep.
“Uh, their physical responses seem okay…”
Eun-young, checking the unconscious hunters, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and stared at Noh Ha-yoon with a look of disbelief.
“What’s this! I can use my stuff however I want!”
“Eugh… I knew you’d be like this.”
It was quiet for a moment, but it seems that one’s true nature never really goes away.
In any case, we swiftly exited Ilseom’s territory and hurried to Helen’s shop, clutching our growling stomachs.
It could be our last supper.
Helen expressed regret seeing us, so young and burdened with such weight and responsibility as we joined the hunt team, while she was focused, determined not to miss any meaningful information in our conversation.
Her intelligence agency business was successful, and she mentioned that Song Jin-kyeong was adapting reasonably well.
“Oh, sister. I have something to request.”
“Hmm? What is it? Just tell me.”
The victor of the guild tournament and someone expected to become the next transcendent, Yeon-hee.
If it was her request, even if it didn’t come with immediate money, the value of the information alone was enough to throw myself into it.
“Uh, could you write a list of decent hunters in this region?”
The area Yeon-hee mentioned was where Cha Jin-hyuk and Haseirin were located.
Though Haseirin had been gaining power since joining, given her way of doing business, there were clear limits.
Above all, was there perhaps a follower of the Blue-eyed faction among the recruits? That was the primary concern.
“Ah-ha, but this requires quite a broad investigation, so we need enough investigators…”
“We can cover the request fee sufficiently.”
“Ahem, then let’s get a quick estimate. Doing background checks related to the Blue-eyed organization tends to cost a bit more, so let’s see.”
“Is it really possible?”
“There’s nothing impossible with money, Yeon-hee. Aside from those in high positions within the Blue-eyed organization, the rest are all in it for personal gain. Their tails will inevitably stick out.”
“Ah-ha…”
‘She hasn’t even said anything specific… I’m thankful she’s keeping pace with me.’
Yeon-hee is well aware of my intentions to nurture Cha Jin-hyuk, hence such a request.
“Hehe, don’t worry. I’ll gather all the manpower and bring you satisfactory data.”
The amount Yeon-hee suggested for the fee was so staggering that Helen accepted the request immediately.
A little later, Ah-rin had to leave early to spend some time with her younger siblings.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry. I, who is constantly worrying about what you’re up to?”
Noh Ha-yoon had been glued to her phone since earlier, a sign that there were quite a few people concerned about her leading the Vision Guild.
“Sis, doesn’t Grandma say anything?”
Joo-ah was chatting with Eun-young after a long while.
“Huh? Uh… Grandma always says she believes I’ll do well, no matter what I do…”
From what happened last time with Heo Min-sol, it seemed like ‘Reverse’ would understand Eun-young’s concerns. From what I heard, it was more like neglecting her.
‘That shouldn’t be the case… she’s probably reassured since I left Azraelon by her side.’
In reality, Azraelon was completely focused on eating.
Crunch– Crunch–
Azraelon was munching away at the ribs with his paw as if it were a soft mallet.
Having only recently materialized, he was already able to indulge in such a luxurious act of consumption.
‘Aren’t you lucky… I want to feel the taste too.’
(What are you looking at me for?)
‘Can you taste it?’
(Not yet, my taste buds aren’t fully developed, but I’ll get there soon.)
‘I see… by the way, why didn’t you help when Ah-rin got attacked earlier?’
When Ah-rin’s arm was pierced, I was too far to assist, but Azraelon was definitely within range.
(Hmph, who would help a slave?)
‘Geez, the worlds are different, huh? Beastmen aren’t a slave class.’
In the demon world, there seems to be a disregard for the beastmen mixed with animal blood, as Azraelon seemed to look down on Ah-rin a bit. Though, I just learned that recently.
(I’m content with just protecting Eun-young.)
‘If you protect Ah-rin, Eun-young would be happy too.’
(Keeping Eun-young happy is the job of that ice queen over there. I’d consider helping that human.)
‘Hmm… well, at least you don’t have to worry about Ha-yoon. Got it.’
With two members taken care of in the party, that should cover everyone’s share.
And upon further examination, I found myself in a similar position to Azraelon.
Only after securing Yeon-hee’s safety do I tend to the other kids.
“Geez, this is a real hassle.”
“Are they sending someone from the Vision?”
“They’ve already added me to the hunt team roster. Those old-timers in our guild don’t understand how eerie it is to know there are people watching me from somewhere.”
Noh Ha-yoon announced that she’d assign people to protect and monitor her, calling herself a ‘witch.’
‘They’ve already assigned someone. Ha-yoon.’
From the moment we returned to town, unfamiliar-feeling hunters had been tailing us one by one until three of them were staring us down from a distance.
They must be planning to follow us throughout the Great Beast Hunt, so they’re likely already tailing us.
‘One is definitely from the Vision side, and one is from ‘Reverse,’ right? What about the last one…’
There was clearly another uneasy gaze, but unlike the other two, I couldn’t clearly identify the sensation, which made me uneasy.
‘Someone capable of disrupting my senses… If they have that level of skill, it means they aren’t part of Ilseom’s shadow organization either. Which side are they on?’
Heading a little further to a quieter spot might help me detect them… but it was a source of anxiety. The fact that someone with that level of skill is tracking us.
After we left the area, we parted ways, promising to meet tomorrow.
I flew home with Yeon-hee, but surprisingly, one of the three watchers was trailing us.
Among the three, the one with the strongest skill, an expert in [Stealth].
It became clear that their target was us.
As they approached a less populated area, the figure deliberately blurred its presence even more, maintaining distance as a precaution.
‘This isn’t someone who just started their antics yesterday or today. At this level, even an S-rank hunter wouldn’t notice.’
After we arrived home, we exchanged notes and shared the current situation.
Nod—
(I can’t summon today.)
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
Yeon-hee continued her usual routine and went to bed early.
Without activating [Disguise], I finished up Irmana’s consciousness within the house.
‘No movement at all. What a persistent bastard.’
A faint gaze was lingering upon us.
A specialist in reconnaissance.
Their purpose was thoroughly focused on information gathering.
‘Since I can’t gauge their combat power… it’ll be tough to act immediately.’
It might be wiser to seek out vulnerabilities during the hunt, as that place would be brimming with variables.
‘If I use the Red Horn Pipe and Jim’s provocation simultaneously, they’re not likely to ignore it. As long as they don’t interfere with our growth… it would be ideal to deal with them when the hunt is concluded.’
The best course of action is to strike after we’ve maximized our growth.
Although we unexpectedly picked up a troublesome shadow, it was something I had anticipated, thanks to this tournament that revealed considerable parts of our abilities.
‘If… by any chance that’s Jo Gi-man’s directive… I should prepare myself well.’
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, I ran simulations in my mind while keeping my senses as sharp as possible, standing guard next to Yeon-hee.
*
While Il-wol was concentrating in the living room, there was a man observing him closely.
He was nicknamed ‘The Enemy,’ and only a handful of people in this world knew of his existence.
‘Indeed… he’s not just any typical guy.’
The man was suddenly understanding the reason behind his summons while observing Lee Yeon-hee and her summoned creature.
Being instructed to abandon the mission accompanying the ‘Heavenly Hammer’ to stalk a mere C-rank hunter.
It was puzzling, but he was not someone to question his superior’s orders.
‘That skeleton soldier in full armor… there’s something up with him. I’m sure of it. My extensive experience is telling me.’
‘The Enemy’ was feeling a sense of unusual enjoyment.
The target was undoubtedly Yeon-hee, but oddly enough, it was the summoned creature closely following her that became a source of confusion for him, while simultaneously eliciting such feelings.
He had been worried that he might have been demoted due to being overshadowed by other competitors.
However, he was confident that this incident could instead serve as a means to elevate his value.
Scratch— Scratch—
His eyes began to vibrate rapidly.
Then, unexpectedly, characters materialized in the air, and a two-page daily report was swiftly completed.
It was sent directly to the pre-designated location, and as soon as Jo Gi-man’s clone arrived at the office in the morning, he would check his report first.
In an age where people merely exchanged messages with a finger, it seemed like a cumbersome and pointless ability.
Yet, that report contained not only words but was an astonishing ability to encapsulate the emotions and senses he felt, and the thoughts that crossed his mind during that time.
‘Now… show me everything that you have.’
Thus began the day of cohabitation with ‘The Enemy.’
*
The following dawn.
Our party headed straight toward Dorasan-ri, near the demilitarized zone.
Since there was no reason for hunters to gather visibly in droves from dawn, we were merely notified of the meeting point.
“Well, it seems this info will be just for me, so I’ll summarize and tell you. Not that we have much else to do.”
“Oh, great. Just like you, Joo-ah.”
While flying on the Sword Dragon, Bae Joo-ah briefed us on the key points of the hunt preparation committee documents she received two days prior.
“Apparently, there’s a station at Dorasan-ri. There, we’ll meet an A-rank hunter who will lead us, and in front of the demilitarized zone, teams 1, 2, and 3 will gather in the same spot for the first time.”
“Wow— thousands of hunters gathering… what a spectacle that’ll be.”
It was an unprecedented operation involving 30% of the country’s S-rank hunters.
Of course, most of the forces were A and B ranks, but the main draw was the S-ranks.
“The commander in charge is none other than the head of the association, ‘Choi Gang-han.’ A no-compromise type, just like his name suggests.”
Listening to Joo-ah’s words, I scratched my helmet and reminisced about the past.
‘From talking to Yeon-su, he seems more like a king of compromise…’
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