Chapter 132. Party (2)
A few days later.
The Gate Star’s anniversary event was just around the corner.
Of course, all necessary preparations had already been completed.
All the complex stuff like visas and such was handled by the Korean Magic Tower.
‘Korean Magic Tower, huh.’
Suddenly, it hit me as we were about to go abroad: why on earth does that guild use the name Korean Magic Tower?
“Do they have a branch overseas or something?”
I turned on the internet to quench my curiosity.
But surprisingly, this topic ended rather nonsensically.
【 KnowledgeIng 】
[Q. Why is it called Korean Magic Tower?]
[A. When the guild system was launched, someone randomly registered the guild names, and it seems that the name ‘Magic Tower’ was snatched at that time (like claiming a nickname in a game). But when the person offered it for sale at an outrageous price, they decided to rename it to Korean Magic Tower out of disgust.
-Source: Esther Interview 20XX]
How careless to provoke a Curse Mage; that name hijacker might be suffering from random misfortune now.
‘Poor thing.’
Anyway.
With my curiosity satisfied, I slowly headed toward the meeting place.
As I arrived early and waited, Esther soon showed up at the airport.
“Hey? Isn’t that an S-Class Hunter over there?”
“Huh, where?”
“Over there. Oh, wait! I see Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter too!”
Since not many recognized me, I thought people generally have little interest in their neighbors.
But this made me realize the reason the surroundings had been quiet so far might just be because my magic power was low.
‘So moist in the eyes…’
While everyone’s attention was drawn this way.
From beyond the crowd, Esther waved her hand as she approached.
“Mr. Gi-ryeo! You came out early! Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we check in right away?”
“Sure.”
And while I could tell she confidently made the preparations for departure…
I had already reported my trip to the U.S. according to the Knight’s Pact.
Ever since the Nachalsawon incident, I had noticed that Kang Chang-ho didn’t seem to care much about where I went lately.
Of course, I could guess the reason. Despite my posing, I am officially an S-Class Hunter.
‘Usually, it’d be hard to kick the bucket at such a rank.’
While it was nice that his stalking was lessening, it felt uneasy without Kang Chang-ho’s watchful gaze.
-Going to America suddenly? I actually have quite a few important schedules this week, so it’s a bit tricky for me… Sorry, but could you just go to that party alone? If you’re with Esther, there’s really nothing to worry about.
I recalled my phone call with Kang Chang-ho.
But it wasn’t like his busy schedule would last a lifetime.
Rollin’ rollin’.
Finishing my thoughts, I hurriedly followed Esther, pulling my suitcase behind me.
*
Airplane.
It’s quite amazing that a 170-ton hunk of metal flies through the sky.
However, today held more surprises.
“Is this a translator?”
Around the time we finished immigration checks.
Seo Esther handed a peculiar device to Gi-ryeo, who stood beside her.
“It’s the latest model. I wanted it quickly, so I ordered it directly, and luckily it arrived on time.”
A black device resembling bone-conduction earphones.
It was connected to a palm-sized exterior device through a thin wire.
“When you stick the earphone part in your ear… Voila! The foreign languages spoken by the other party are automatically translated for you. There’s a slight latency, though.”
“Ah.”
“Plus, with just a button, I can convert my speech into English!”
“Wow.”
“Pixies must be acknowledged for their tech power!”
Clink, clink.
After a while. Gi-ryeo fiddled with the translator in his hand, bursting with curiosity he had since earlier.
“By the way, what exactly does ‘Pixie’ do?”
To which Esther opened her eyes wide and began to explain.
“Eh? Pix… Pixie? They mainly create tools needed for Hunters, you know?”
“Ah.”
“Awakening testers, analyzers, you name it. These days, there’s hardly anything that doesn’t involve their technology.”
More precisely, I guess it should be said that they are technicians who figured out how to use the magic stones?
Esther tilted her head, continuing the explanation.
“But here’s the thing. Most people don’t know this, but Pixie originally started as a game development company.”
“Games?”
“The title ‘SOM’ is pretty famous… But anyway, that’s not the important part.”
Esther brightened up as if discussing her favorite hobby.
“Do you know where our hologram screen technology for analyzers comes from? Surprisingly, it was all originally for games.”
[Unknown Gate]
[Description: No gate information available.]
[Grade: EX]
Hunter items often display text in the air, and it turned out this tech was derived from creating more immersive games.
“But with Dungeon Shock happening, this Pixie Glass technique surprisingly proved very useful.”
“Hmmm.”
“Monsters that suddenly appear can also display information like in a game. The difference between being informed and uninformed could be quite significant.”
In other words, a technology developed for displaying game UIs inadvertently ended up assisting Hunters.
“That’s why the terms we use often overlap with gaming culture.”
What’s impressive about Pixie is their recognition and classification.
Using their technological prowess, they measured, analyzed, and ultimately reached a point where they could name ‘Magic Power’ faster than anyone else.
“Games typically set up their configurations intuitively to ensure many can enjoy them, right? So, the Gate concepts named by Pixie naturally settled into society…”
Esther praised Pixie enthusiastically before suddenly frowning.
Like someone who felt betrayed.
“The problem is that the Pixie techs got absorbed by the U.S. government.”
“Absorbed?”
“Heard that they’ve long since stopped the game business and are now only making assistive devices using magic stones.”
This translator also contains magic stones. Saying that, Esther muttered with a gloomy expression.
“That’s quite sad for someone who dedicated their life to that game.”
The shutdown of the [SOM] server.
Recalling past experiences, Esther seemed to have more to say.
“But I honestly expected a day like this to come.”
“Why’s that?”
“Pixie had often been told their technology was unnecessarily excellent since long ago.”
They were a few steps ahead in technology than their contemporaries in game companies.
Citing the talkative ones, geniuses like them were simply too good to be wasted on games.
“Especially when the first model of this translator came out, the world literally flipped upside down. You remember that, right, Gi-ryeo? Haha, I never imagined such patents would come from global online games.”
With a smile that sparkled like a pearl rolling on a silver platter, Esther exchanged jokes with the guild’s secretary.
“Wow, Pixie must’ve really interrogated some aliens or something. This new translator is impressively light!”
“Whoa.”
“Every time they release a new product, how many aliens do they have to fry, huh?”
Hahaha. Hohoho.
At that moment, one of the group began to sweat profusely, but fortunately, they weren’t caught by the people in front.
.
.
.
Not long after, we arrived at the party venue.
Surprisingly close to the city center, you could feel that the organizers had made significant preparations as we walked inside.
‘A protective barrier.’
It looked like a solid multi-layered barrier that could’ve consumed three Infinite Power Cores.
‘To be precise, it’s probably a shield to protect ordinary people outside.’
As the two Awakened entered the building, the security guard performed a brief identity check at the entrance.
“Please wait a moment.”
Purple hair. Small stature. And drooping eyes with thick eyelashes.
This was definitely a guild master who had come on behalf of Korea.
“Is this Gi Ryeo Hunter?”
When the guard, dressed formally, asked for the name, the man nodded and replied.
“Confirmed. Please enter.”
“Thank you.”
Since they were wearing two-way translators, there were no communication problems between them.
“… But it’s a machine, so there might occasionally be errors,” Gi-ryeo nodded, walking ahead following Esther’s explanation.
Finally, they arrived at a truly luxurious scene. Dazzling chandeliers, soft gold lighting, and delicate marble sculptures decorating the walls.
The man with the tri-colored eyes looked around in wonder.
“Hmm.”
But Seo Esther didn’t even cast a glance at the banquet hall’s extravagant scenery.
Zhu Han from China, Christian from Norway, and over there, the Canadian Hunter.
With so many rare S-Class hunters just lying around like they were nothing, how could she focus on anything else?
After scanning everyone present at the party, Esther spoke up.
“Well, I’m going to go talk for a bit.”
“Okay.”
With that, the guild master left, and Gi-ryeo was left with nothing to do but watch.
Now that he was separated from his companion, he wandered around the party alone for a moment.
During this time, he realized that finger foods were prepared all over the place.
Just as he was contemplating what to eat at the table, someone approached him.
“Hey!”
A big, burly, and cheerful-looking Westerner.
Naturally, this was a completely unfamiliar face to Gi-ryeo…
“Hey, where the hell’s the drink at?”
“Excuse me?”
“What’s the point of just having food? There isn’t even any champagne to drink together!”
The AI voice of the translator echoed Korean phrases into his ear.
However, even with the translation completed, the conversation still ran into difficulties.
“Stop standing there like a fool and hurry up and bring me something to drink!”
Well, that giant had been making strange demands since earlier.
“Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t know where the beverages are either.”
Gi-ryeo attempted to explain to the person who stepped up beside him. However, the other reacted with even greater dissatisfaction.
“What? How the hell did they train the staff here? Who let this clueless kid hang around here?”
“Uh?”
“Good grief!”
Hearing this made it clear that the man had misunderstood completely.
The white guy thought Gi-ryeo was a helper managing the party and tried to send him on an errand.
“If you’re going to act like a fool, then head back to the kitchen and wash some dishes. Do you have any idea how many important guests are here?”
“Uh…”
“And if you don’t know what was ordered, you should at least try to find out.”
This party was basically for the Gate Star’s guild members and S-Class Hunters from various countries, so all attendees were essentially Awakened.
However, Gate Star did not hire low-tier Awakened, so naturally, the Asian man before him could only be hotel staff, right?
“Tsk, the service here is a disaster.”
The man huffed angrily with a sense of self-importance, and Gi-ryeo emotionally opened his mouth to clarify his misunderstanding.
“Wait a minute. I…”
But this attempt was swallowed up by the voice that followed.
“Oh my goodness! Enzo, you idiot!”
Click, click, click.
From a distance, a woman wearing stiletto heels hurriedly approached.
Unlike someone else’s artificially blonde hair, she had glossy hair.
As soon as she arrived, the blonde woman gasped.
“That person is an invited guest! Do you realize you’re looking down on someone of the same S-Class right now?!”
So that Oriental man was an invited foreign Hunter. No, but still.
“What are you talking about? This guy looks like a low-tier…”
“Do you think everyone is as ignorant as you? Korean S-Class Hunters have a custom of regulating their magic power! Ever since Mr. Jeong dealt with that interview business!”
The man known as Enzo tilted his head and examined her.
But no matter how many times he checked, the result remained the same. The Hunter right in front of him genuinely only displayed F-Class magic.
“Uh…”
“Forget it, just leave. Hurry up and apologize and get lost.”
As he fumbled about, the blonde woman pressured the scruffy man to send him away.
Then followed a brief introduction.
“Oh, I’m sorry. My friend was rude.”
“It’s fine.”
“By the way, I didn’t expect you to come to this party. Is it you? The one who killed that monster snake.”
She was tall like a model, appearing taller than Gi-ryeo, likely due to the high heels.
She had seen him fight and extended a friendly hand to introduce herself to Kim Gi-ryeo.
“I’m Brooklyn Morgan. Nice to meet you. So, your name is… Gi… Gi…?”
“Gi-ryeo.”
“Kirya.”
It wasn’t a perfect first impression, but still, it felt nice to start a conversation without a hitch.
“Gi-Ryu? Ki, Ki…”
“Just call me Kim.”
“Thank you.”
