Chapter 61. FLUKE (3)
Kim Gi-ryeo half-heartedly retrieved an item that was floating in the air.
Honestly, he still didn’t understand what was going on.
‘Oh, now that I think about it, how’s Yoon-seung doing?’
He absentmindedly turned his head toward the corridor.
Then, he made eye contact with a few people.
“…!”
Ahn Yoon-seung and the attackers were holding their breath and staring over here.
*
From a distance, it looked like a comedy.
From up close, it seemed like a tragedy.
Even if it’s the same incident, it appears completely different depending on the perspective.
“….”
That’s why this situation, which could be dubbed a mere ‘fluke’, came across entirely differently to certain observers.
‘The boss…’
Ahn Yoon-seung shivered.
When Gi-ryeo diverted Grid’s attention, he certainly believed that Yoon-seung’s discipline would break because of this.
“Ha.”
What a refined way to hunt.
In an instant, he grasped Grid’s weakness.
Naturally leading the monster’s balance to collapse.
And then, hitting with such a precise strike in that moment.
‘Wow…’
Admiration came out involuntarily.
It was truly an incredible feat.
He turned his head, not realizing he was witnessing such a marvelous moment, almost missing it altogether.
Ahn Yoon-seung replayed the scene he just witnessed in his mind.
A sharp sliding kick.
The subsequent fall of the boss.
To his eyes, the entire sequence seemed thoroughly calculated.
‘Does fighting such a monster not require skill?’
Even an A-Class boss became nothing but a foolish beast in the hands of that Awakened.
The man who ended the boss’s life slowly rose.
Ahn Yoon-seung became so engrossed in Gi-ryeo’s skill that he even forgot about the ongoing fight.
Of course, the others were just as stunned.
‘What the! No way. Took down Grid with bare hands?’
In the brief moment he looked away, the boss was defeated, and even the targeted item was snatched away.
The cultists were in shock, even more so than Ahn Yoon-seung.
However, the main party involved still maintained an expression devoid of emotion.
“Hm.”
The reward for killing Grid. An unidentified blue core.
Gi-ryeo idly rolled it in his hand, then shouted out loud.
“Ahn Yoon-seung!”
The dungeon’s master was dead.
Thanks to that, a new exit had appeared in this room.
So why should he face those psychos? Just running away would suffice.
“Run this way!”
Kim Gi-ryeo waved his hand in front of the gate, signaling to retreat.
But the ice mage wasn’t going to let them go easily.
‘No way!’
He had to reclaim the core!
The cultist hastily cast a skill.
Up until now, he had been controlling the pace for combat, but now it was all or nothing.
Whoosh.
He gathered all the mana within his body.
The skill he would use was [Frost Storm].
When an ice spear hit the target, it would cause a chain reaction of cold explosions, freezing everything in the area.
Crack.
A fierce magical power gathered at a single point in the air.
Ahn Yoon-seung was now close to the gate exit, but the activation of that magic would probably happen faster than his escape.
“Ugh.”
“Hey, Hyung! Behind me…!”
Yoon-seung seemed to sense something amiss and rushed to lift his shield. But someone stood in his way.
It was Kim Gi-ryeo himself.
“Hyung?”
Swoosh! Just as the completed ice spear shot through the air.
Gi-ryeo pulled something out of his pocket and held it out before him.
It was none other than…
“I didn’t want to use this.”
A small hand mirror…?
“Huh?”
Sparkle.
Just as the tip of the ice touched the surface of the mirror, he blinked twice, and the scenery of the world changed.
What just happened?
Just until a moment ago, the magic was aimed at them.
-Bang!
Before long, the tip of the ice spear spun in the opposite direction, as if reflected in a mirror.
“Ha, ugh…”
There was no time to dodge.
Suddenly caught up in the Frost Storm, the caster began to freeze rapidly along with his comrades.
And now, an item that had been forgotten made its appearance.
‘Tsk, I rushed the field test.’
That very item he had bought at the Hunter Market. The Reflection Mirror.
[Reflection Mirror]
[Effect: Reflects light-based magic back at the caster for attacks below E-Class.]
Originally, it was just a worthless item with this limited ability, but Gi-ryeo took it upon himself to modify it based on his extensive knowledge.
[Reflection Mirror]
[Effect: Reflects magic back for attacks below A-Class.]
Regardless of attribute, all magic touched would reflect. Now that’s one cheat item!
But if you looked closely, there were also many flaws.
First of all, the magic needed to have a clear directional intent.
And the attacking magic had to hit this small hand mirror.
‘It could easily become useless if the opposing mage just sends area attacks that can’t be reflected.’
Since the base item was a low-grade magic tool, it also lacked durability.
“Oh, dear.”
Crack.
In the meantime, the glass of the Reflection Mirror shattered into three pieces.
He looked down at the broken magic tool with a bittersweet gaze.
“Anyway, let’s get out of here.”
Then Gi-ryeo hurriedly checked on his companion, noticing Ahn Yoon-seung’s expression was quite different.
“Hyung…!”
That A-Class Hunter had tears welling in his eyes.
He was greatly impressed by the other’s actions.
Just when he was trying to avoid a fight, his younger brother was in danger, and he immediately showed his skills…
Moreover, to reflect a skill that he wasn’t even sure whether he could block, even as an A-Class Defender Awakened!
What an impressive person.
‘Whether it’s character or skill,’
His evaluation of Kim Gi-ryeo was quickly turning into a sense of reverence.
Of course, the subject himself had no way of knowing.
Gi-ryeo silently passed through the gate without paying any attention to Yoon-seung, who was still moved.
“Phew.”
As he left the hellish Golden Fragrance behind, he was finally able to catch a signal on his phone.
“How many times have I had to call the police this year?”
“Gate crimes should be reported to the association. I’ll contact them right away!”
They quickly reported the incident.
Before long, several employees from the association arrived.
The terrorists left behind in the gate were arrested in their frozen state.
‘Ice mages have high cold resistance from birth. Though they look like this, they can’t be dead.’
No need for interrogation; they should just be tortured.
As Gi-ryeo poured curses onto the backs of the apprehended criminals, he turned back to where Ahn Yoon-seung stood.
The incident seemed to be winding down.
4 PM.
Korean Hunter Association Main Building.
“Hmm.”
A woman with long hair paced anxiously in the corridor.
“When will I get additional contact?”
The woman was none other than Seonwoo-yeon.
If you asked why she was so restless, it was because she had just received a report of a theft incident.
“Could it be that something went wrong with the response team…?”
The hunter with the [Seocher] skill was on standby to prevent any potential escape of the criminals.
And then…
Vvvv.
The automatic door at the end of the corridor opened, revealing a man stepping through.
“Ah.”
Brightly dyed hair. And those snake-like eyes? A familiar face, no doubt.
“Welcome, Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo.”
When you meet someone often enough, even an annoying face becomes familiar.
Seonwoo-yeon greeted him warmly and, as always, inquired briefly about his well-being.
“Did you come for work?”
“Nope. I got caught.”
Looking closely, this F-Class Hunter was wearing something on his wrist.
It was handcuffs.
“Well, good luck.”
Kim Gi-ryeo mumbled in disbelief as he was led down to the lower levels of the association.
…What a perplexing sight.
*
I’m hungry.
You know, in dramas, the detectives order noodle soup at times like this.
‘Can’t I get some food too?’
In the basement of the association on the first floor.
I was pulled into a windowless room and sat down heavily on the couch, half irritated.
This was all Ahn Yoon-seung’s fault.
‘Damn it!’
When it was time to inform the association employees about the incident,
Ahn Yoon-seung inadvertently let slip something.
-“By the way, the exit is open, huh?”
-“Ah, yes.”
-“Who caught the boss?”
-“That would be Gi-ryeo Hyung….”
He tried to clean it up later, but the result was evident.
The association staff quickly arrested me as if they had caught a big fish.
Entering the gate without reporting.
Ignoring grade restriction regulations.
Illegal hunting.
They said I had three charges against me this time.
‘I’m screwed!’
The first two could be resolved with a fine, but the last was a serious matter.
If I wasn’t careful, I could actually end up in prison. I did my best to defend myself.
“To sum up, you’re just a transport worker, and all the monsters from Golden Fragrance were taken down by Ahn Yoon-seung, correct?”
“Yup!”
“Skipping the entry report was just an honest mistake?”
“Of course!”
And perhaps that earnestness paid off?
A little while later,
The association staff reluctantly released me, their faces filled with reluctance.
F-Class taking down an A-Class boss?
No one could prove such absurd charges.
‘Thanks, Seonwoo-yeon!’
In particular, the results of the awakening re-examination previously conducted helped a great deal.
Thanks to that, I was only given a warning for entering the gate without reporting.
‘Haha! I’m free.’
Clink.
With the handcuffs off, I walked lightly down the corridor.
Finally, all investigations were complete.
All that was left was to sell the cores I had stored in the Item Box and become rich…!
“Uh.”
But suddenly,
Chills ran down my spine.
‘Wait a minute.’
I suddenly had a realization.
Now that I think about it…
In Korea, when buying and selling gate items, they must use the national trading house.
It was established by law due to tax issues. As an alien, I didn’t know the details.
But one thing was clear: a rough transaction record was left behind at this time.
“…”
So far, it hadn’t been an issue selling high-grade materials as an F-Class.
But…
‘If I trade a bunch of cores from monsters of the Golden Fragrance right now?’
This is bad.
‘100% caught.’
And sure enough.
Ahn Yoon-seung, who had finished his investigation around the same time as me, immediately contacted me.
-Hyung, I said all the golems were taken down by me, but the investigators are asking where the hunting evidence is, and they’re even talking about a tax audit…….
Yeah, that makes sense.
“I’ll handle it….”
Click.
After the call ended,
I swallowed my tears in silence.
‘My money….’
To sum it up, the golem materials ended up back with their original owner.
It was karma.
*
Thursday morning.
“Yoon-seung!”
“Ah, Senior!”
Ahn Yoon-seung bumped into a familiar face near the association.
It was Hunter Seonwoo-yeon.
“Are you coming from the trading house?”
“Yeah! Just sold some golem parts.”
Normally, he would’ve just ended the greeting there.
But Seonwoo-yeon seemed to have something to say and stopped him.
“If we’re talking about golems, is it that Golden Fragrance one from yesterday…?”
“Why?”
“Um, I have one question.”
Her tone was cautious.
“That indeed was Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter who killed it, right?”
Yoon-seung stiffened instantly at her question, unable to speak. He looked like someone hiding something.
“Oh dear.”
“I-I didn’t say anything….”
“No need to be so nervous. People might think I’m going to eat you.”
With that, Seonwoo-yeon sighed briefly.
Kim Gi-ryeo, who went and defeated an A-Class boss.
“Be careful.”
“Ugh.”
“Do you know the rumors flying around among the employees already?”
In fact, Kim Gi-ryeo was currently accruing more karma in real-time.
Due to the recent Golden Fragrance incident, the Hunter Association had finally begun keeping an eye on the Awakened named Kim Gi-ryeo.
For now, it might have ended with minor discipline.
But the record of entering the gate without reporting would eventually become the root cause of the problematic press conference in the future.
“This is a really last warning. If you ever try to sneak an F-Class into a high-ranking gate again, see what happens.”
If he had heeded Seonwoo-yeon’s advice, things might not have escalated this far…
She thought for a moment.
‘Ultimately, it’s Kim Gi-ryeo who is the main problem. With his skill, Ahn Yoon-seung would recklessly dive into A-Class gates without worry.’
If Kim Gi-ryeo were genuinely an F-Class, Yoon-seung would have been concerned enough to prevent any illegal entries due to worry.
This won’t do. I should say something.
“Where are you calling suddenly?”
“To your porter.”
Whip.
Seonwoo-yeon took out her phone to call someone.
But…
[The phone is turned off; please leave a message…]
The call went to voicemail instead.
Somehow, it felt deflating.
“What’s up? Not answering?”
“Looks like the phone is off.”
But since the party involved was ghosting, it couldn’t be helped.
In the end, their conversation fizzled out.
