A mysterious being gazing intently at Il-wol had been tailing Lee Yeon-hee for days under the orders of Jo Gi-man.
To be precise, it was the clone of Jo Gi-man that had given the orders, and while that clone and the man had a special relationship, that wasn’t what mattered.
This man, known by the alias “Enemy,” was an unparalleled hunter when it came to the sole purpose of gathering information.
The act of following someone and obtaining information required one critical precondition: not getting caught by the target.
In that sense, the unique ability of “Enemy,” [Thousand Luck], was ideally suited for such missions.
[Thousand Luck]
– ···
An odd ability that could not be voluntarily activated and lacked a proper explanation.
Nevertheless, he firmly believed that this ability had saved him from countless dangers.
After tailing Lee Yeon-hee for several days, he realized something. The armored presence protecting Lee Yeon-hee.
A summoned creature with the grand title of “Grim Reaper.”
While it was said that a Skeleton Soldier was a more evolved monster, he couldn’t help but wonder what the heck it truly was.
‘It certainly feels like it’s detecting me…’
How is that possible? If [Thousand Luck] had activated, that shouldn’t be the case.
He found it puzzling, as if a tremendous force was blocking the activation of his ability. It didn’t make sense to feel such power from a single summoned creature. Yet, it was true.
Initially, his focus was on Lee Yeon-hee’s growth during the tailing, but at some point, “Enemy’s” interest shifted to the “Grim Reaper.”
And over the past few days of observing it, he had learned several intriguing facts that were enough to excite him, a man who usually executed tasks with cold detachment.
‘I want to talk with it. Perhaps I could find a clue to break the constraints.’
Watching the Skeleton Soldier being transported by nameless bats, he thought that.
‘A summoned creature commanding another summoned creature… despite being bound to Lee Yeon-hee, it’s paradoxically freer than anyone…’
He couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected excitement.
Feeling any such emotion during a mission was unprecedented for him.
—
‘That guy… is he following us for some work, or is he just a psycho who enjoys watching others?’
This thought crossed his mind as he looked at the nameless man grinning at him.
The top-tier hunter who was always inconspicuous due to his consistent tension had revealed he was a serious level of psycho, enjoying the spectacle of half-dead skeletons. What was he expecting from me? He didn’t seem like he wanted to kill me.
“Whoa, whoa—don’t look at me with those scary eyes. I’m doing my best to consider you.”
“······.”
Looking at him as if to say what kind of nonsense was that, he opened his mouth again.
“The information related to you folks has been expressed in the most restrained words. I’m excluding the critical ’emotions’ from my reports. If you understand what that means, you should be grateful for my consideration. Shame.”
‘How thoughtful of you. But regardless, he’s definitely working for someone. Is it Jo Gi-man? Or could it be Park Jin-gon?’
I also couldn’t rule out the low probability that it might be Hyeon Woo-seok from the Ilseom Guild.
I heard through my comrades that it was thanks to Hyeon Il-hwan that he was assigned to Team 1 of this hunting party. But that didn’t guarantee such a request wouldn’t be made.
“You’re probably having a hard time understanding why I’m revealing myself and rambling, but I’m slowly becoming more certain. The certainty that you can give me what I want.”
‘What on earth…?’
“I’ve been in this line of work since I was young; I can tell. You’re not that different from me.”
“Ding…”
“Kekekeke… right? You’re someone who hides many things. I’ve been watching you for days, and that’s what I see.”
“······.”
“What caught my attention the most was this: You are considerate of the growth of Lee Yeon-hee and your companions, even at your own expense. You even tried to ensure that they wouldn’t notice it.”
“······.”
“Heeheehee—right? A monster trying to help its master and companions grow without them noticing? How am I not supposed to go crazy? Am I supposed to be okay with this?!”
‘He’s completely nuts. Though I guess it’s not easy to be sane when you’ve been digging into others’ lives all your life.’
As the man, amid his laughter, suddenly shifted to a colorless mood, he displayed a somewhat lonely expression.
The immediate change in atmosphere felt off.
“Hooh—damn… what a miserable life. I’m already over forty… what I mean is, I’m really sick of this.”
‘Why the sudden pity party?’
“Hey… do you happen to see… something different about me?”
This man spoke to me with words I couldn’t comprehend.
‘······ Is he talking about that thing on his ankle?’
As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, he nodded as if he expected that.
“Clearly, you can’t see that, huh…”
He looked somewhat disappointed but continued to speak.
“Regardless of what you are, I’ve long believed that the one who can break the constraints placed on me must be a being like you, one that defies common sense.
Although I had forgotten that myself… seeing you fight today rekindled my certainty. My intuition tells me you’ll do something for me. This is the voice of my unique ability honed over a lifetime. It didn’t activate until yesterday, but today it suddenly did. I can’t control it sometimes.”
“······.”
The moment I realized this person was going to offer me something, I felt the tension that had been high ease up a bit.
‘I don’t know what it is, but the goal was to break his constraints. He also has an intuition-related unique ability… What kind of ability must that be for him to spill such mysterious words to me? He doesn’t seem like the type to overestimate his powers.’
Of course, unless he told me what his ability was, there was no way to know.
He then continued with lengthy explanations to instill trust in me, noting that he hadn’t intended to act bizarrely from the start.
He had silently endured a long time under constraints.
But for some reason, while observing me and Yeon-hee, the desire to escape that unreasonable situation reignited.
He must have seen something in us, though the reason for that went unknown.
“Let’s make a pact. Something like a mutual protection treaty for a win-win situation. Even summoned creatures can form pacts, right? After all, even a slime can do it. You’ve heard that.”
Of course, making a pact was possible.
There was a time when “Natalan Jackman” had formed one in the hidden dungeon he was hiding in, and the fact that it didn’t affect me was probably because I was recognized as a distinct entity.
But what advantage would forming a pact provide me? That was a different story altogether.
“The terms of the pact are simple. We share information honestly. The right to remain silent on questions is allowed. Whatever we discuss with each other will not be disclosed to others.
Of course, written communication is included. However, I’ll still report what I observe regarding you to my employer. Gotta keep myself alive.”
“Ding…”
“Do you think it’s a one-sided deal? But forming a pact itself bears no disadvantage for you. If you don’t want to talk, just stay silent like you are now.”
“Ding ding ding…”
“And I don’t think you want me to keep stalking you, right? You felt it too, but if I set my mind to it, I could harass you for your entire lifetime.”
“Ding…”
Though he spoke like a half-threat, his tone was filled with excitement and curiosity.
‘He’s treating me just like a human. Just how insightful must he be to propose something like this to a mere summoned creature? Is he genuinely believing I possess such intelligence? No, given that he has already reached such a conclusion, that’s why he’s acting this way.’
Such behavior could only be done if he had an unshakable belief in his ability, and his eyes were filled with certainty.
‘This reminds me of Tanya somehow.’
The way he saw me for what I am bore a resemblance to the Golden Mimic Tanya.
‘I don’t have much time, but maybe I should talk a bit… I need to know who his employer is too.’
I thought of taking out a notebook from the space to communicate but decided against it.
‘It’s better to form the pact first.’
After all, he might run off without realizing I knew how to write.
As if he could read my thoughts, the man took out a pact document from the space.
He swiftly wrote down the conditions he had recited earlier, then infused it with magic before offering it to me.
‘······.’
Silently accepting it, we became honest counterparts.
At least when it was just the two of us.
“I’ll tell you one thing, and you respond with an appropriate piece of information. Any information will do. It’s also a way to verify our trust.
I don’t completely trust you or Yeon-hee. To communicate my purpose, we ought to build trust, right? And of course, you must be curious who my employer is.”
“Ding ding ding.”
The man, as if it were an obvious matter, threw a shocking remark my way.
“My employer intends to kill Lee Yeon-hee. While it hasn’t been finalized, it’s been evident from the reports I’ve submitted up till yesterday that the intention isn’t ordinary. It will happen.”
“──?!!”
‘What the hell…! Who’s this guy saying they want to kill Yeon-hee out of nowhere?’
Rage surged through me in an instant, but I tried to conceal my feelings as best as I could, all the while he keenly observed my reaction.
“Hoho—truly. Trying to hide is difficult, huh? You are harder to read than an emotionally drained hunter. I acknowledge it.”
“Ding ding ding.”
“Alright. Now it’s your turn.”
The fact that the first piece of information he provided was so impactful and useful lent me over ninety percent certainty about who his employer was, but opportunities to gather information from such a being didn’t come easily.
I had to provide him something tempting enough to maintain the relationship. If I offered something vague, there was a risk he might spill all my information to his employer.
‘This is too sudden; nothing comes to mind. Hmm…’
The keyword “constraints,” which revealed my genuine feelings, was something this man would likely find intriguing.
When he asked me if he saw anything different about me earlier, I still wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but I could ascertain it now.
‘The enormous shackles bound to my ankle. This must be what he wants to break free from.’
The shackles were linked together by hefty chains, connecting to some unseen space behind the man.
Only by concentrating my senses, in close proximity, could I barely spot the subtle magic emanating from it.
The existence of magic indicated that a hunter had placed constraints on this man, who might very well be found by following those chains.
And high odds dictated that…
“Ding…”
I pulled out a sheet of paper from the space, sketching a representation of the shackles around the man’s ankle, then shook it before him.
“─?!!”
The masked man jumped in surprise, probably not realizing if it was out of shock or joy. Yet, the trembling of his whole body indicated the information I showed him had taken effect.
“I knew it… I was right.”
He clasped his face, shoulders rising dramatically.
– The possibilities of the future in the space are aligning.
Soon, the possibilities granted by Ran will vanish.
‘Since I’ve confirmed that he’s a worthy trading partner, I need to handle urgent matters first and then continue our conversation. I don’t want to expose the future of the space just yet.’
I gestured towards the battlefield, and he read my signal, nodding in agreement.
A man who risked everything on mere instinct.
If he’s making such a choice to betray a powerful employer, he must be betting his life.
He soon vanished and withdrew his gaze from me entirely. He was likely headed toward Yeon-hee.
Ultimately, monitoring Yeon-hee was his primary objective, but it seemed he sought to show me trust more.
‘How to stop this man’s employer is something I’ll think about later… I should start bringing out the hunters now.’
I began to pull out the hunters I had stored one by one from the space.
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