Greeting (1) >
“It is nice to meet you, Hunter Yoo Myeongwoo-nim!”
“You are much cooler in person!”
“Please tell us what to do, whatever it is! Do you have any materials you require?”
There were excited noises from all directions. When Myeongwoo, who had been secluding himself at home for a long time, finally showed himself, all Hunters within the building swarmed over. The mid to low rank Hunters couldn’t easily intrude, so at first, it was a little over ten people, but people heard the news and streamed in, so over thirty A-Rank Hunters filled the lobby. From time to time, I also saw faces I met at Haeyeon.
Only Hunters who had permission to enter could come into the inner lobby, so I thought there might be more outside. All of them had S-Rank equipment in their sights, so they were impatient.
Myeongwoo was a little taken aback at first, but soon, confidently picked out volunteers to boss around in order to shop for materials. Seeing A-Rank Hunters being bossed around by the fingertip[1] felt pleasing.
Our Myeongwoo was completely a boss among bosses.
“Then, I’ll be back.”
“Be careful going around. Safety is number one.”
Though, he had Shalos’ Bead and could dodge into the Forge if need be, so there probably wouldn’t be any problems. When Myeongwoo left, most of the people followed after him. But a few stayed and turned their attention to me with eyes that said something was better than nothing.
Just then, Yerim appeared from the entrance connected to the parking lot. She was still young and her outward appearance didn’t look that strong, but the surrounding Hunters knew to get out of her way. Without anybody blocking her path, Yerim walked lightly over to me and smiled brightly.
“Ahjussi~ oh? It’s a bracelet I haven’t seen before. It’s pretty! But it doesn’t seem to suit your clothes. Ahjussi, get proper styling, too.”
“That’s annoying to do.”
It wasn’t like I went on air and needed to manage my image like guild leaders, so for what? Yerim, who had been staring at the bracelet, searched around me.
“It looks like Noah oppa isn’t here.”
“Why? Do you need to see him for something?”
“No, he’s just pretty. And he sparkles. Ah, did you know? Soyoung unni came to see Comet and saw Noah oppa practicing flight, and was stunned the whole day. Even now, she mumbles ‘I can’t, I have Comet’ at the drop of a hat. It seems like he was really appealing to her.”
It made sense for that to happen. Comet was also going to grow up to be an S-Rank dragon type, but it couldn’t compare to Noah. Though of course, Noah was a person. No, was it better because he was a person, so communication worked? I wanted to show Riette once to Kang Soyoung, too. I was getting curious over her reaction.
“You said you are going to the special isolation center, right?”
“Yeah. Though you don’t have to come along.”
The atmosphere was going to be different from the detention center, so it was bit much to take a kid. But Yerim raised her eyebrows as if asking what I was talking about.
“While I’m here, I’m ahjussi’s bodyguard. That’s how we made the contract.”
After decursing the contract with Yerim that was annulled during the kidnapping, I tried to not make a new contract. It was because I thought that there probably wasn’t a need to bind her with a contract. Since she was a kid who would try to help me even without something like that. But Yerim wanted to draw a contract up again, and this time we decided on a condition where she would protect me when I called for her.
While I looked down at Yerim, who would follow me wherever it was, I suddenly noticed the earrings shaking on her ears.
‘It was called the Mermaid Queen of Sea Waves Earrings, right?’
It was definitely a design similar to Water Droplet’s, the mermaid queen’s, earrings. Specifically, just the size of those blue gems were different, but they seemed to be the same mineral. I didn’t have the ability to accurately distinguish between them, but the color and the cutting were completely the same.
‘If Myeongwoo could teach his skill to other people with the talent, then it would probably be possible for the immoral people, too.’
If it was true that those earrings were Water Droplet’s, then her skills would be water-, ice-affiliated. What abilities would the others have? I didn’t know about Newcomer, and Deer, Wolf, Tree. …I really couldn’t tell. There was Water Droplet, so why wasn’t there something like Flame?
Anyways, I should extort out all that I could extort out.
“I also have to meet Yoohyun, but for some reason there’s no reply.”
I said, taking out my phone as I entered the parking lot. I needed to tell him about the bracelet and going into a dungeon with Myeongwoo.
“Guild Leader? Did you ask Kim Sunghan ahjussi or Team Head Suk?”
“No. Should I try calling?”
When I opened my contacts, Yerim stuck out her head and stared.
“What did you name my number?”
“Yerim.”
“Ahjussi really seems like an ahjussi. They’re all just names.”
I mean, what now? Of course you wrote in names; what else would you write? Yerim s.n.a.t.c.hed my phone away and and scrolled straight through my contacts.
“Guild Leader is also just ‘younger brother’? That’s unexpected. Huh? What’s this? Skill? Who is it?”
“Sung Hyunjae.”
“…The Seseong Guild Leader?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not even his name – how did it become Skill?”
“Because he’s just that.”
Yerim laughed, going ‘wow, treated as a skill’. I took my phone back from Yerim, who was asking why it was so empty and was recommending apps, and called Kim Sunghan. When I asked him about Yoohyun’s location, a surprising answer came back.
“The special isolation center?”
[Yes. He left about one hour ago.]
Why did he go there? Right now, the A-Rank Hunters centered around Yoon Kyeongsoo were locked up at the special isolation center. MKC’s Choi Sukwon alone had escaped to the detention center, and the remaining were planned to be strictly punished.
Putting aside visiting since it was a matter related to me, why wasn’t he answering me contacting him? Did they block calls there? No, I had sent the text an hour ago. I had a slight ominous hunch.
“He said Guild Leader is at the special isolation center?”
“Yeah. Looks like I should go soon. It’s foreboding no matter how I look at it.”
“Should I call Soyoung unni? It should be twice as fast as going by car.”
……Um, that was.
“There’s stacks of tickets, but she has never gotten into an accident.”
“…Alright. Let’s do that.”
Was there a helmet lying around somewhere?
***
The fire elemental that was in the shape of a small lizard, quietly circled its owner’s ankle. Then, it went down before his foot and seeped into the floor. The movements of the elemental, who left only a little faint dark spot as it pa.s.sed through the layered walls, weren’t noticed by anyone except for the owner who gave the order.
Faintly smiling as he sat in the waiting room, Han Yoohyun stared at the man who was standing on the other side of the table. Song Taewon let out a sigh that he couldn’t completely hold back.
“Unless you are one of the victims themselves, it is impossible to visit the special isolation center prisoners. Even if you are the brother, it is not allowed.”
“How particular. I merely have a few things I want to ask.”
“It is possible if you have the agreement of the prisoner, but Yoon Kyeongsoo, as well as all the other Hunters, refused the visit.”
Would there be any cause for them to accept? He had a smile on his face, but it was clearly obvious how Han Yoohyun wanted to handle the prisoners. Song Taewon spoke to the young man who was difficult in a different way than Sung Hyunjae.
“So please go back now.”
“As I have already come here, I will wait until hyung arrives. He is supposed to visit today, correct?”
“…I understand.”
He hesitated slightly, but Song Taewon nodded his head. Once Han Yoojin, who was directly involved in the incident, arrived, it would become hard to block the visit. But at the same time, Han Yoohyun would be as quiet as was manageable in front of his hyung.
‘It’s enough to be amazed.’
The one who changed the most noticeably was Han Yoohyun, but it wasn’t just him. Riette quietly went to the detention center, and Sung Hyunjae treated the fledgling Hunter tolerantly, whatever inner motives he had. There was no need to speak of Bak Yerim, and it was probably because of the kiseungsu, but apparently he was close to Moon Hyuna, too.
Whatever the reason was, it was a happy phenomenon for Song Taewon. Since Han Yoojin, who was at the center, was someone with whom you could resolve things through conversation.
The moment he was relaxing.
Puung!
Along with the sound of something bursting,
Kooreureung-
There was the sound of something collapsing and breaking and burning. The bell of the emergency phone on the wall rang, and Song Taewon couldn’t hide his confusion as he lifted the receiver. An urgent voice saying that a portion of the imprisonment facility had broken spilled out to even Han Yoohyun’s ears.
“It seems they were tired of being quietly locked up.”
Speaking calmly with a tone that was gentle to the point of being warm, Han Yoohyun stood from his seat. Something red faintly flashed up from his feet, and hid its appearance. Song Taewon hardened his face and turned to look at the very young Hunter.
“There is no need to pay attention to it. The imprisonment measures are in place, so it is enough with just the Hunters inside the isolation center.”
“If you say so.”
An explosive sound was heard again. Han Yoohyun took a long and sleek sword out from his inventory. One of his eyes held a red light.
“Though if the inventory sealing tool breaks, then even the imprisonment measures would not be useful. They are S-Rank, A-Rank Hunters, so they would have ample high rank potions and recovery or curse resistance equipment.”
Even if it was the special isolation center’s inhumane imprisonment measures, as long as you could take out and use potions, you could break out. It was the same for the curse-related restriction.
“…I am curious how you are certain that the sealing tool is broken.”
“It is that noisy, so is it not an obvious guess? So I will help.”
Han Yoohyun walked toward the entrance. Song Taewon reflexively blocked his path. If he sent him like this, there wouldn’t be anyone left alive among the Hunters led by Yoon Kyeongsoo.
“There is no need for hel-.”
“Chief Song. If you don’t want to see yourself, as well as the other innocent people, get hurt, then go and evacuate them.”
“Is that a threat?”
“I am holding back. Or why don’t you nitpick with Sung Hyunjae? If he had cleanly disposed of them inside the dungeon, there would not have been any need to work this hard. Did he possibly leave me my share?”
Song Taewon moved to the side in the end. Truthfully, they were people that, even if they had been ma.s.sacred inside the dungeon, it wouldn’t have been weird. Rather than increasing the damage by blocking Han Yoohyun, it would be better to evacuate people like he said.
Even after making that decision, Song Taewon’s complexion wasn’t good. The gaze staring at the young man leisurely walking out of the door, was cold beyond measure.
Beasts free of their reins. Monsters[2] that didn’t even have leashes to be tied down with.
He himself was also included, so it was even more detestable. Song Taewon clenched his teeth and moved in order to clean up afterwards.
***
Hunter Kang Soyoung’s competency was impressive. Not only that, her combination with Yerim was also great. If we were caught at a signal or was blocked by a road that you had to turn back on, she lifted the bike as well and flew past, so there really were no obstacles. Even though my insides flipped over a bit, we were able to arrive at the special isolation center in the outskirts in a scarily fast time.
“It looks like Guild Leader already made a mess.”
Though it was after one side of the isolation center had collapsed down. It was a relief in terms of safety, that the surroundings were a field. But a fire was spreading out. I saw a fire truck from far away, but it couldn’t approach the place that was on fire. Since, there would only be innocent victims if they happened to be swept up in a fight between Hunters.
“Yerim, can you put out the fire?”
“Yes! Soyoung unni, ahjussi-.”
“No, I’m going to go in, too.”
At my words, Yerim’s eyes went round.
“Ahjussi, are you crazy?”
“Let’s use nice words. I have the item from that time. Don’t worry, and I’ll leave putting out the fire to you. Thank you for driving us here, Soyoung-ssi. Please stand off to the side, in case you get swept up.”
“I will receive thanks in the form of Noah-ssi’s contact information, and I will just watch!”
Kang Soyoung excitedly took out her cell phone. …Was she filming right now? Besides that, Noah’s contact information – was it that she couldn’t give up? I understood, but please think of Comet.
A barricade was set up, and the isolation center’s Hunters were standing guard, but they didn’t block S-Rank Hunter Yerim. I was able to go inside as Yerim’s extra as well.
When I used the bracelet, and went inside the building that didn’t have traces of people as if most had evacuated, I saw corpses that were left after being burned.
“Yerim, you go toward the side where the fire is spreading.”
“It’s not like it’s my first time seeing a corpse.”
“Hey! Still, there’s nothing good about looking at them!”
It was impossible to not see them at all, but it would be good if she saw less of them at least. Even at my nagging, Yerim floated around the surroundings, pretending to not have heard, and put out the embers with Sigh. In the meantime, one more corpse appeared. This time, I remembered the face. It was one of the Hunters who had attacked in the dungeon last time.
‘…Yoohyun, this punk.’
He had acted like he would reasonably let it go. Avoiding the building wreckage, I walked more inwards, when someone jumped down in front of me.
“Why did you come this early?”
Yoohyun looked down at me with a smiling face.
“What ‘early’! Did you kill them all? What about Yoon Kyeongsoo?”
“Wouldn’t he have died by now? Don’t mind it. It was weird that the Seseong Guild Leader let it go, and they even tried to escape, so it’s the obvious result.”
I also was surprised at Sung Hyunjae’s intention to reuse them, but to think that it was escape. When I sent a skeptical gaze, that little brother smiled shamelessly.
“Let’s just go. What time is it? Should we eat lunch?”
“He is alive, though.”
What? At Yerim’s words out of the blue, Yoohyun and I turned our heads at the same time. Yoon Kyeongsoo was standing in the place Yerim was staring at. With his neck about half sliced.
“No, is he dead? But he is moving. What is it?”
Yerim tilted her head, and Yoohyun frowned. And then Yoon Kyeongsoo opened his mouth.
“Hi!”
It was an unfamiliar woman’s voice.