Chapter 21. Awakening Re-Examination
Luckily for them, this Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t come off as hostile.
“I just got a call from the analysis team. They examined the substance that Hunter left behind, and it seems the information is likely genuine.”
“Oh really?”
“To think someone would so readily hand something like this to our guild!”
It’s clearly a sign of goodwill.
They’re trying to make a good impression on you, being an S-Class Hunter and all. As the secretary said this with bright enthusiasm, Esther coldly scoffed.
“It’s only cute when the weak ones try to curry favor. This is actually scary.”
A brief moment of contemplation crossed her mind.
“First, get me the Hunter Association profile of this Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“Understood.”
“Whether it was an item used or whatever, the fact remains my skill didn’t work at all.”
Seo Esther sank deeply into her chair and sighed.
“I need to see what kind of person this Kim Gi-ryeo is.”
Bright sunlight poured through the windows of the glass-walled conference room.
Despite being a beautiful view she had painstakingly created with vast sums of money, these days, Esther felt like this painstakingly built tower could collapse at any moment.
*
Meanwhile, in front of the Korean Magic Tower headquarters in Guro District, Seoul.
“Indeed, Hyung, you’re something else! You solved the maze of the Magic Tower Guild that no one else could pass, and even received a direct scout offer from Hunter Esther! You must have a skill for sensing things!”
“……”
“But the truly amazing thing is, you looked at all that money without batting an eye. I still tremble when I see numbers in the hundreds of millions, yet you calmly dismissed it as just a means to control you!”
“Hold on a second.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Seems like he learned a lot from this negotiation.
Ahn Yoon-seung rattled off what he’d been holding back like a machine gun the moment he stepped out of the building, but sadly, it didn’t reach my ears.
I headed straight for a nearby convenience store and bought some bottled water.
I poured the clear liquid into my mouth, desperately trying to wash away the lingering coffee taste.
“Craaack. Ptooey!”
I must remember the word coffee from now on.
If I drink that dreadful beverage twice, my tongue won’t survive.
“Phew, I can breathe now.”
After my emergency treatment, I returned to where Ahn Yoon-seung was. He lit up when he saw me approaching, standing there blankly on the street.
“Shall we head out right away? It’s still only 3 o’clock, so we should have enough time to handle some tasks at the Gate.”
“Yeah.”
By the way, isn’t it convenient to be an Earthling?
Grateful for Ahn Yoon-seung’s contact with the Korean Magic Tower, he also offered to help with the Gate tasks.
This is why there’s a traditional tale about Heungbu and Nolbu in Korea. No harm in doing a good deed.
“Hey, Gi-ryeo Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“About the item you handed over to Hunter Esther earlier, you mentioned you knew about it alone…”
It was hot outside.
I rolled up my sleeves and listened to Ahn Yoon-seung’s words.
“I’ve never heard about such a thing until now. Something that can extinguish the flames of a fire bat or strengthen a building.”
“I found it recently.”
“Do you know what kind of value discovering such a new material has?”
Of course, I know, you primitive wizard.
“But you handed over the item information to the Magic Tower without registering it with the Association. Could it be… do you hate the Hunter Association?”
I quietly shook my head at his words.
Looks like Ahn Yoon-seung is misunderstanding something. This transaction certainly cost me, but I had my own intentions.
“No. I have no feelings for the Association.”
“Right? Phew.”
Ahn Yoon-seung visibly relaxed at my answer, but was soon shocked by what followed.
“I just wanted to make a good impression on Esther Hunter.”
“Excuse me?”
Yoon-seung stumbled on the uneven cobblestone and nearly lost his balance.
Normally he wouldn’t trip like that; it must be a sign of his surprise.
“Wow, with such a dry image, I thought you’d have no interest in such things!”
“What do you mean by such things?”
“Is someone like Esther your ideal type?”
Now I see what he’s misunderstanding.
This kid has a vivid imagination. He’d make a good mage.
“It’s not for that reason.”
I stared at the dazed Ahn Yoon-seung, shaking my head while doing that typical Earthling negative gesture.
And then I revealed all my secrets.
“Yoon Seung-ah, listen closely. This is advice for you.”
“Ah, yes!”
“From now on, be extra nice to any curse attribute Hunters you meet.”
“Huh?”
“It’ll be better for you.”
Looks like the people in this world don’t know much about Curse Mages.
But once they understand the personalities of mages who are skilled at curses, their reactions will change.
“Yes, Gi-ryeo Hyung. I’ll do that.”
Curse Mages.
They all have one thing in common.
They never forget what happened to them until the day they die.
If someone angers them even a little, they’ll ruminate on it every moment, using that rage as fuel for their curses.
‘In short, they can hold a grudge for quite a while.’
Thus, in my hometown, there’s an unwritten rule to treat Curse Mages kindly.
No matter how weak a mage is, ignoring them unnecessarily could lead to trouble.
‘Huh, to think there’d be a Curse Mage among the S-Class Hunters. There weren’t many even back home.’
But there was no need to fear and avoid them simply due to their temper.
‘Esther, I wonder if I’ll run into her again in the future?’
On the flip side, they never forget the kindness they receive either.
*
The next day.
With Ahn Yoon-seung’s help, I successfully gathered the materials for [Magic Power Amplifier].
The wings obtained from D-Class Gate’s fairy-type monster. They need to be dried and crushed, so I placed them by the window.
‘Alright, this is going smoothly.’
Having resolved the most troublesome Korean Magic Tower Gate beforehand, the remaining materials were coming together quite easily.
“Hehehe, once I can use magic, the era of Homo sapiens will be over.”
Just one step away from reclaiming my former prestige.
I envisioned a rosy future and headed for the refrigerator. It was time to supply my nutrients for the day.
Ding dong, ding dong.
What’s this now?
Ding dong, ding dong.
Just when I was feeling good about my meal, it felt like cold water had been thrown on me.
Someone was visiting Kim Gi-ryeo’s house.
“Could it be family?”
If it were an acquaintance from Kim Gi-ryeo’s past, things could get complicated.
I put the egg I was holding back in the refrigerator and headed for the entrance.
When I arrived at the front door, after a few seconds, the same doorbell rang again.
Ding dong, ding dong.
“Yes, coming!”
Click.
Just in case, I locked the chain and cautiously opened the door, and there stood…
“Hello, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo. We are from the Hunter Association.”
A black leather wallet.
Between the wide-open wallet, I could see a ruggedly designed card.
[Awakening Official ID]
[Seonwoo-yeon]
[Affiliation : Investigation Division]
“Could you spare a moment of your time, please?”
Seonwoo-yeon, the hunter. It was a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while.
“What’s going on?”
I peeked through the slightly opened crack in the door. But wait, there wasn’t just one guest.
Three more people in black suits were standing next to Seonwoo-yeon.
“I would like you to come out for a moment, sir.”
Why do they consistently use the title of ‘sir’ when Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t even a teacher?
‘Ugh, I’m starving to death. Why are they being so annoying?’
Was it my fault for wanting to eat lunch at 2 PM?
I found Seonwoo-yeon’s visit quite bothersome, but since they insisted I come outside, I complied and unlatched the entrance chain.
Ignoring public officials would only make things more troublesome.
“I apologize for the sudden visit. Our regulations require proceedings to be conducted without prior notice.”
As I stepped out, Seonwoo-yeon flinched at the sight of my room’s interior, but continued with what she had to say.
“Now, I’ll formally inform you of our visit’s purpose.”
“Ah, okay.”
“A suspicious report has been filed regarding the false registration of an Awakening for Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“Hmm?”
“According to the investigation results of the Hunter Association, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo is suspected of being a fraudulent registrant who misled his rank…”
“What did you say?”
“Today, an Awakening re-examination will be conducted.”
But wait a minute. What does this mean?
“I must ask you to accompany us to the Hunter Association.”
“Right now?!”
“If you don’t want to be detained.”
Looks like I won’t be having lunch today.
*
Seonwoo-yeon.
A woman with long straight hair and a stiff tone.
To explain why this Earthling is only now appearing before Kim Gi-ryeo, we need to go back a few weeks.
‘That Hunter definitely lied. Claiming he’s F-Class after taking down a Beginner Killer!’
When Kim Gi-ryeo had just been reincarnated, Seonwoo-yeon had begun to suspect a manipulation of his rank.
His handling of the Beginner Killer incident was far beyond the level of an F-Class Hunter.
After parting ways with Kim Gi-ryeo at the Awakening Test Center…
‘So his awakening test result really was F-Class. Did he use an item to hide his stats?’
Seonwoo-yeon returned to the Association and searched for that man’s records.
Awakening Level 12, testing date was just a year ago.
From this alone, it appeared to be the record of an ordinary bottom-tier Awakened. But the issue lay beneath that line.
Before entering a Gate, Hunters must always report to the Association.
And the entry permission record for that Gate is stored in the agency’s database.
Yet, Kim Gi-ryeo’s record was merely…
———————
[Chronological Order▽]
20XX.06.28 – F-Class Gate Entry Permission
– – – – Below this line – – – –
———————
“One entry record for a Gate? That’s all he worked as a Hunter?”
The questions began to deepen.
How could a person who had done nothing but enter an F-Class Gate not be startled when confronted with monsters in broad daylight? Does that even add up?
‘A Hunter who has manipulated their rank is dangerous! What could they do amidst weaker Hunters…’
But there was a small problem.
If it were up to her, she would want to investigate him immediately, but…
Sadly, Seonwoo-yeon was just a lowly staff member without significant authority within the Association.
There was no way she could just apprehend an innocent Hunter based on her suspicions alone.
“Ugh.”
On top of that, Seonwoo-yeon found herself in conflict.
To be honest, she hadn’t directly witnessed any wrongdoing by Kim Gi-ryeo.
It was all merely circumstantial evidence, but did she have the right to question that person?
“Hmm…”
In the end, Seonwoo-yeon took a passive approach, filing a formal suspicion report against Kim Gi-ryeo and burying the issue.
Of course, with just her one report, nothing would happen.
Then why did Kim Gi-ryeo, out of the blue, receive an undeserved evaluation?
It took only a few days for that to unfold.
Seonwoo-yeon stumbled upon this news article.
“What the hell.”
[(Breaking News) Jeong Ha-seong ‘Unconscious’… “Not due to a monster.”]
