Chapter 204: Beast (2)
Isn’t this conversation steering me into a corner?
But when I think about it, the man they referred to was likely not me.
That S-Class Hunter from America was suspecting me of being a brazen con artist.
‘Is that comment aimed at Kang Chang-ho?’
Physical enhancement type Awakened usually don’t have their magical properties obvious. So, it’s really not strange that Kang Chang-ho is under suspicion.
I gulped down the remaining green tea and turned off my mobile phone.
I know that the world is getting noisy because of some Awakened person, but honestly, that’s not my problem.
‘You can make a fuss; I’ll just mind my own business~’
With that, I started my day with light thoughts.
I began preparing the materials for crafting.
.
.
.
[★☆★No casual language allowed★☆★]
[[Job Post] D-Class攻略 healer urgently needed for the 10th (Mon), high ratio]
[[Trade] Please sell me some Scream Stakesㅕㅜㅜㅜ]
[[Question] Is the ring in the photo an item?]
10 AM.
On a website on the Internet.
Today is a weekday.
Usually, community forums see a drop in visitors during such times, but since this place is mainly used by Hunters, the atmosphere remained relatively active.
[[Chat] Speaking of G-Rank Hunter]
Then suddenly, during a peaceful morning moment.
A thread with a new topic popped up on the board.
[Main content: So, what exactly is Awakening attribute?]
Thanks to a news segment from a non-mainstream broadcaster quoting an American talk show, similar inquiries began to surface online.
Jeong Ha-seong and Esther.
Those two hunters, ranking 1 and 2, possess such distinctive innate abilities that it’s rare for a citizen not to know their attributes…
But Kang Chang-ho and Kim Gi-ryeo were a bit different.
Anyone could recognize someone with a previous life as a Great Mage.
The magic used for enhancing physical abilities often gets confused with the basic specs of a top predator.
Kang Chang-ho’s type is hard to discern unless it’s a really tough battle.
Moreover, what about the blond guy?
Kang Chang-ho, at least, is an experienced Hunter and could make inferences from past data about types.
But the more information about Korea’s fourth S-Class was revealed, the more confusion increased.
(1) He must be a special ability user skilled in espionage, having concealed his rank at the association’s behest.
(2) How could such a person think of facing ‘Unavoidable Malice’ one-on-one? His combat strength must be significant.
(3) So, does that mean the same physical enhancement as Kang Chang-ho?
(4) No. Given the Garion Guild leader’s invitation, it’s more reasonable to assume the fourth has exceptional defensive abilities.
(5) Ahn Yoon-seung’s comment about him being a role model also supports this assumption.
(6) Guys, but I heard Kim Gi-ryeo used support skills in the Japan gate.
(7) Huh?
(8) What’s that?
(9) Then what the heck is going on?
This was the timeline of social media up until now.
But as seen, no one had drawn a definite conclusion yet.
[Main content: Everyone… it’s simple! Just look at Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter’s interview during the Siren raid. He casually mentioned Esther Hunter’s abilities in that interview, so isn’t it the same curse hunter… @;~~~]
The more one digs, the more other suspicions arise.
The problematic Hunter himself remains silent regarding his awakening type (a certain alien used magic without regard for types. Thus, claiming one now would be a lie), naturally complicating online opinions.
【 chat 1 】
[What is that guy’s awakening type?]
[It’s defense type, definitely defense type.]
[Judging from his face, he’s an assassin. How could he be a tank?]
[Looks like that guy named Yoon Sang, who follows Neo, learned a lot from him. Seems like defense type is correct. Plus, he’s been training with Jeong Ha-seong weekly, and the fact that he hasn’t even a scratch shows there’s definitely more to him. When you work with defense types, their physicality is noticeably different. Recovery speed is also particularly fast.]
Like the national hero Jeong Ha-seong, the most likely ability has been estimated to be related to protecting team members and enhancing physical endurance—defense type.
But even that was not absolute.
True to the quickly changing modern internet, netizens would often refute mainstream opinions at any opportunity.
【 chat 1 (refresh) 】
[No, no, no. There’s no way it’s defense type. If that Hunter isn’t an attack-oriented awakened, it doesn’t make sense. Defense types usually take ages to take down a single boss. They’re particularly slow at hunting even with the same weapon.]
[For real.]
[If that Hunter was defense type, he wouldn’t have cleaned up until the Imugi came out last winter!]
Inherent magic.
The residents of this planet still didn’t know how the talents of Hunters were determined. However, as a species that dominated the food chain with superior intelligence, they were slowly recognizing the hidden rules behind it.
[I also think you’re right.
Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter feels… like he’s totally different from a defense type, right? Lol. Most defense type awoken tend to have a gentle personality that makes them seem comforting.
Not kidding, it’s eerily consistent. Lol.
But Kim Hunter’s vibe is pretty cold.
It’s obvious he’s defined the line between work and personal, a cold style.
For some reason, it feels off considering a defense skill.]
[Agreed.]
[Whoa, this is kind of creepy. It makes sense that our team also has that vibe!]
A few astute mammals caught on.
Somehow, Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t feel like a defensive type Awakened.
Of course, this was a rather unsteady way of judging, much like physiognomy on Earth.
[LOL, you guys should say that later blood types cause different awakening abilities, too~]
Most citizens dismissed theories linking type and personal traits as pseudoscience.
Anyway.
In the end, with Kim Gi-ryeo himself keeping quiet, outsiders would only be going around in circles, no matter how much they talked.
But now was the time when an unidentified top-tier Awakened named Beast was causing incidents.
Then shouldn’t the involved party clarify the truth to quell the citizens’ anxiety?
[Main content: Guys, I read that yesterday, in Greece, an Awakened named Beast was caught taking a corpse… It’s really a scary world out there… Personally, I think we should implement mandatory registration for Hunters’ abilities right away… ]
But in truth, this matter was ambiguous in many ways.
Items.
Earth had experienced many upheavals due to magical tools that emerged from dungeons.
Some Hunters were driven by jealousy for valuable items belonging to their industry colleagues and then often attempted theft while wrapping themselves in gear that could counter the awakened abilities they’d publicly revealed.
In reality, due to technological limitations, there was no way for the state to keep track of all the liars.
So the conclusion was.
[★☆★Notice★☆★]
The administrators of a certain site banned speculative posts about S-Class Hunters to soothe the heated atmosphere.
Fortunately, the site’s visitors didn’t seem to have major complaints about this measure.
[Yeah. It’s better to just ban it. It’s a problem we can’t resolve anyway.]
Who’s going to do something just because they don’t know someone’s main attribute?
Siren.
Gampo Port incident.
And various others.
The blond Hunter had shown reliable qualities so far. There was no way such a figure could be a brutal beast like Beast.
[Right? There’s no way that Hunter could be Beast, haha. After all, there are plenty of 179cm people around.]
[There are also people whose attributes are a secret, haha.]
[There are definitely strong people in S-Class… like me?]
[….]
[….]
It can’t be……
*
In a country where even cars choose between black and white based on others’ opinions, a bright blond color was boldly selected.
When I met the eyes in an old documentary showing a criminal’s mugshot, it felt weirdly eerie.
And the impeccably tailored suit.
Not a job that interacts with people, but merely a modern-day butcher who cuts beasts in his three-piece suit.
Kim Gi-ryeo’s way of speaking, influenced by his original body, was generally polite.
Yet despite this advantage, he rarely earned the public’s favor.
His appearance, overlapping with various characteristics, merely made it hard for others to approach him.
However, those who had directly interacted with him quickly forgot their first impressions.
[He had that intimidating vibe! Tsk tsk, he looks like he would act this way!]
In a past situation of false bullying accusations, netizens would instantly bring up physiognomy and pour out negative evaluations every time a new suspicion arose.
“Hello, Ha-seong!”
However, even the public institution that frequently contacted Hunters was not free from this prejudice.
“Are you here today for the new overseas dungeon materials? I thought so, so I sent you to the staff information room in advance. You can wait here with some tea!”
“Oh, okay.”
On a Monday.
Jeong Ha-seong visited the association after a long time.
Any C-Class Awakened staff, typically assigned to accompany him, had enough composure to handle themselves in front of the top tier—suddenly brought up such a topic.
“By the way, did you see that news about Beast?”
“Seems like I saw something about it in the newspaper about yesterday.”
“I see! Anyway, it’s causing quite a stir these days, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I watched it on Y-Tube. It’s quite plausible that Beast could be someone we know~”
Just for reference, the ranking 1 Hunter was holding the iced tea provided by the staff.
“I mean, it sounds pretty convincing, right? Beast has been picking dungeons that were avoided as if they were thrill seekers.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you remember when Ha-seong had to clear the White Tower alone in Singapore? Meanwhile, Beast was busy taking over the dungeon called ‘Lost Paradise’ and battling Demirich.”
“….”
“But when the S-Class Gate in Japan opened, he suddenly disappeared without a trace? Then what would this mean?”
There’s a culprit among the members who participated in the Kagoshima raid!
Beast had mainly caused havoc in European countries, so the staff continued chatting in a somewhat detached tone.
“So, does that mean Beast is Japanese?”
Ha-seong asked casually.
Upon hearing that, the staff turned pale and corrected themselves.
“No, it’s not that… Let’s see. Japan’s S-Class types have all been disclosed, right?”
“Then Kang Chang-ho?”
“No, no~ That guy is entirely different in build!”
180cm.
Excluding the low height of his flip-flop shoes, estimating accurately, approximately 179cm tall.
“What I’m talking about is Kim Gi-ryeo. Right now, the internet’s buzzing with questions about him potentially being Beast.”
The association staff continued their chatter with excitement.
Since he had been in charge of ranking 1’s reception for a long time, he had witnessed and experienced many incidents.
Among them, the one that remained most vivid was a report about a suspected rank forgery.
Additionally, he had once happened to watch an F-Class and S-Class battle while walking down the corridor during lunch.
‘As soon as Kim Gi-ryeo stepped out of the taxi, Jeong Ha-seong swung his sword with extreme precision.’
Red traces left behind in the air, the blond hunter had evaded it with superhuman abilities.
‘And later, didn’t he fight so fiercely in front of a certain hospital that he burned his skin with fire?’
He selectively remembered only the negative incidents between Ha-seong and Gi-ryeo, confusing himself.
He still thought that Jeong Ha-seong harbored hate towards Kim Gi-ryeo.
Thus, while gossiping in front of ranking 1, he began to gossip indiscriminately.
“By the way, Ha-seong, haven’t you been sparring with that Hunter on weekends lately? Regularly?”
“….”
“Wow, that must be tough. Of course, if he’s not that kind of person, there’s hardly an S-Class to use as a punching bag. But even so, sparring does help improve skills, but…”
“….”
“His look is scary, too. Rumors are really something. What if our national hero gets harmed? Haha. Let me know immediately if anything happens. I’ll jump in quickly……”
Clank.
Finishing the iced tea handed to him, Ha-seong quietly set the cup down on the desk and spoke.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, yes!”
He hadn’t replied much since he was absorbed in dungeon discussions.
But the staff, who had taken it upon themselves to think that Ha-seong enjoyed listening to their chit-chat, was met with a thunderbolt.
“Forgive me, but what do you mean cursing at Hunters in front of the Hunter…?”
Moreover, the hero’s tone was uncharacteristically rough.
“Uh, um?”
“What does it matter how Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter looks?”
“Huh! I-I certainly didn’t mean to offend, I am truly sorry if that’s how it came across…”
“Let me be clear: Mr. Kim Hunter has nothing to do with something like Beast. How can someone from the institution actively spread rumors?”
The atmosphere rapidly chilled.
At that moment.
“Uh?”
“Oh.”
If it were another S-Class, they would have shown their displeasure long ago.
The counterpart was an Awakened without an ounce of magical energy, and Jeong Ha-seong, recognizing the latecomer, called out.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo!”
“Uh, hey, Ha-seong. How’s it going?”
Kim Gi-ryeo had arrived at the association.
What followed was a scene where the number one hunter in South Korea willingly bent to greet the blond man.
The staff, watching from the side, instantly turned pale.
However, the two S-Classes met in the corridor without noticing the changes.
“Why are you here?”
“Ah, I came to apply for a dungeon raid.”
“You came all the way for that?”
“More accurately, my app crashed, and I couldn’t find a solution…”
“Crashed? Mr. Kim Hunter, if you don’t mind, may I take a look at your mobile phone for a moment?”
During this process, Ha-seong realized it was related to software updates causing Gi-ryeo’s inconvenience.
“It’s nothing serious. It seems like the automatic updates were just off…”
The 3.2★ mediocre rating meant there was no automatic redirection to the store for the Hunter app.
So, Ha-seong took the mobile to manually update it.
Tap.
However, while touching the screen, he accidentally opened the smartphone’s background screen…
——————=
[Running Apps:
[❏ Recent Search History]
[Types of Awakened Corpse Funeral Laws]
[Seoul Cemetery]
[Seoul Awakened Cemetery]
[Grave Robbing Sentencing]
------------------=
Ha-seong immediately moved his fingers to get back to his task.
He entered the store and updated the official app for Hunters to the latest version.
“Is that done?”
Then, maintaining his usual calmness, he returned the mobile back to its owner.
“Wow, now it’s working without interruptions!”
Since the issue was resolved, there was no point in lingering any longer.
“Thanks, Ha-seong. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”
Kim Gi-ryeo glanced at the hero with a rigid expression and smiled slightly to show his gratitude.
The 179cm man accomplished his purpose and quickly left.
Tap, tap.
But Jeong Ha-seong quietly watched the departing Hunter for a while in silence.
‘It can’t be…’
Typically, fire attribute Awakened didn’t feel the heat.
Strange.
For some reason, today, he felt beads of sweat starting to form on his right temple.
