Cha Hae-In's expression grew increasingly flustered as she looked around. Jin-Woo's face hardened as well.
'These buildings around here are all...'
Were they all places unsuitable for a man and woman to enter alone together? Before the awkward silence could drag on any longer, Jin-Woo changed the subject.
"You still need to find your car, so shall we head back to the office for now?" "Ah, yes."
Nod, nod. He thought she looked cute, bobbing her head slowly with a flushed face, but only for a moment. Jin-Woo turned toward the office.
"Let's go." "Yes."
Walking back along the distance they had just run, Jin-Woo was reminded anew that she was an S-rank Hunter.
'We came really far.'
They had only run for a short while, yet it would take over ten minutes on foot for an ordinary person. The guild office was on the third floor. When Jin-Woo arrived at the entrance and pressed his thumb against the sensor, the lock disengaged and the door swung open. He was about to head straight for the conference room when he turned to look at Cha Hae-In, who stood at the entrance.
"...?"
Reading the question in his eyes—Aren't you coming in?—Cha Hae-In asked back.
"Isn't it too dark?"
Ah. Only then did Jin-Woo realize the interior was pitch black. Since his vision was barely affected by darkness of any degree, this sort of thing happened from time to time. It seemed Cha Hae-In hadn't yet developed a tolerance for the dark. Click. When he pressed the switch, the room flooded with light. Cha Hae-In glanced around the brightened interior and asked cautiously.
"Is nobody here?" "The vice president wanted to stay on-site." "Wait—there are only two people working at this guild...?"
Seeing Jin-Woo's expression, which seemed to ask if that was a problem, Cha Hae-In quickly shook her head.
"...No."
She was learning, faster than most, that the usual rules of the world didn't apply to the man in front of her.
'Hold on.'
Following Jin-Woo toward the conference room, Cha Hae-In stopped in her tracks.
'So right now, the only people inside the guild building are Sung Jin-Woo and me?'
Tension flickered in Cha Hae-In's eyes. And at the same time, she realized how long it had been since she'd felt this kind of tension.
'Probably the first time since I awakened...'
How many men in the world could make an S-rank Hunter—one among the high-level S-ranks at that—feel this nervous? The phrase "quiet place" had been lodging itself oddly in her mind ever since earlier. Her heart began to beat a little faster. She found herself laughing at the thought that she had reverted from an S-rank Hunter to an ordinary woman. Stifling her giggles, she noticed Jin-Woo tilting his head.
'Is having only two guild staff really that funny?'
Well, from the perspective of someone serving as vice president of "Hunters," the top guild in South Korea, it probably was pretty absurd. Jin-Woo took it in stride and entered the conference room. He sat Cha Hae-In in a nearby seat and took the chair across from her.
"What happened?"
With that single question, the air in the conference room shifted.
"How was Hunter Min Byung-Gu able to leave a message about me to you, Ms. Cha?"
Jin-Woo's gaze turned serious. He didn't know Cha Hae-In well, but she didn't seem like the type to spout outrageous lies for attention.
"..."
Whether it took time to recall her memories, or she was debating where to begin, it took a moment before Cha Hae-In parted her lips.
"That day..."
She raised her head and their eyes met. Her gentle-looking eyes were glistening with moisture. Seeing that, Jin-Woo could tell roughly where the story would begin. Cha Hae-In continued quietly.
"I heard a voice."
* * *
What pulled Cha Hae-In back from the abyss was Min Byung-Gu's hand, reaching down from above.
"Hunter... Min Byung-Gu?"
Min Byung-Gu nodded slowly. Clad head to toe in black armor, his appearance was so unfamiliar that Cha Hae-In checked his face several times over. Had his face not been exposed, she would never have recognized him. Cha Hae-In asked.
"Where... where is this?" "I'm not entirely sure myself, but I do know what happens if you let go of this hand."
Cha Hae-In reflexively started to look down, but Min Byung-Gu quickly stopped her.
"Don't!" "What?"
Startled, Cha Hae-In jerked her head back up. Min Byung-Gu explained with a grave expression.
"If you look down below, you may never be able to come back up."
In his eyes as he spoke, Cha Hae-In read something akin to longing.
'Could it be...'
She recalled her memories just before losing consciousness. The Jeju Island raid. The Queen Ant. And the grotesque ant monster that appeared without warning. After sensing that something terrible was approaching, deep darkness had descended.
"Am I... dead?"
Min Byung-Gu shook his head.
"Not yet." "Then what about you, Hunter Min Byung-Gu?"
No answer came. Min Byung-Gu cut her off there.
"There isn't much time, so I'll only say what's absolutely necessary."
This was likely his last chance. If he missed it, he would never be able to relay these words. Min Byung-Gu spoke with a desperate expression.
"Please tell Hunter Sung Jin-Woo." 'Sung Jin-Woo...?'
Caught off guard by the sudden name, Cha Hae-In was momentarily flustered. Min Byung-Gu went on.
"That he must be careful with the power he possesses." "What do you mean?" "As you may have guessed, I died once. I fell down there. But someone pulled me back up—from the endless darkness." "Could that person have been...?" "Yes. It was Hunter Sung Jin-Woo."
Cha Hae-In's pupils trembled. No matter how powerful Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was, bringing the dead back to life? But Min Byung-Gu calmly recounted what he had experienced.
"But the me who came back wasn't me anymore. I had a self, I had consciousness, but it felt as though I would do anything for him—a blind slave who lived only for his sake."
She didn't even need to ask who "he" was. Cha Hae-In swallowed hard.
"And the worst part was that it felt blissful, which made it even more terrifying."
Min Byung-Gu wore a bitter expression.
"Please inform Hunter Sung Jin-Woo."
His face hardened with gravity.
"That power is too strong, too terrifying. He needs to know that."
But what was even more horrifying was this. Min Byung-Gu, his face drained of color, recalled what he had just seen. When he had risen as a shadow soldier, following the Hunter's command, he had seen an endless vision of black soldiers lined up behind Jin-Woo. Their number was in the tens of thousands—no, the hundreds of thousands. An uncountable force, silent and holding their breath behind Jin-Woo as though awaiting the Monarch's command. And when his eyes met the great general standing at the vanguard of that army, his consciousness vanished—and Cha Hae-In was before him. Min Byung-Gu knew what he had to do. And beyond that, he realized there was something else he could do. He could tell Hunter Sung Jin-Woo just how terrifying the power he harbored truly was. During the brief moment his mind had been connected to Jin-Woo, he had glimpsed the true nature of that power—and his real army. Sensing that time had run out, Min Byung-Gu cried out.
"Remember! The Hunter's true army is—"
Just then, light cascaded down from above and enveloped Cha Hae-In. Min Byung-Gu's face froze.
"His true army is—!"
But his voice was swallowed into a hollow echo, fading down, ever downward.
* * *
"..."
That was where Cha Hae-In's memory ended. Even that had been hazy, like a dream, and had only barely resurfaced recently. Having heard everything, Jin-Woo's expression grew heavy.
'The consciousness of Cha Hae-In, on the verge of death, met that of Hunter Min Byung-Gu, who had already died and become a shadow?'
It was hard to believe. Could she, deeply traumatized by her brush with death, have constructed false memories based on things she'd heard from those around her? When Jin-Woo said as much—
"I thought the same thing."
Of course Cha Hae-In had considered that possibility too. After days of deliberation, she had finally brought herself to share the story now. Jin-Woo nodded, seeming to understand. Then he held out his phone.
"Let me give you my number. If any other memories come back to you, will you contact me right away?"
Cha Hae-In nodded.
"Yes. If anything else comes up, I'll reach out immediately."
Jin-Woo thought her face looked a little brighter than before.
* * *
Japan immediately appealed to the international community for help. Having lost more than half of its S-rank forces, Japan had no other choice. But the world's gaze was cold. Hadn't this been the very country that had turned a blind eye to the crisis unfolding in neighboring Korea, only to spring into action once the fire was on its own doorstep? The international community had not forgotten. The United States, which absolutely refused to let S-rank Hunters leave the country under any circumstances, and even China, Asia's foremost Hunter superpower—when both turned their backs, Japan was overcome with despair.
[The U.S. pulls out of Japan.] [Will China stand by and watch Japan fall?] [The Tokyo Gate—already two days. Time remaining...] [What will Korea choose?]
The world's attention began to fixate on Japan, and sensational headlines poured out by the day. That was when a single Hunter reached out a hand of salvation to Japan as it spiraled into despair and terror. Yuri Orloff. An S-rank Hunter of Russian nationality, he had invited relevant parties to negotiate with the Japanese government. Japan's Hunter's Association president, Matsumoto Shigeo, boarded a flight to Russia without delay. Yuri didn't even go out to greet the Japanese delegation, receiving his guests in the living room of his palace-like estate.
"Matsumoto Shigeo." "Yuri Orloff. As everyone knows, I'm said to be the finest support-type Hunter there is."
After brief introductions, the two sat down face to face. Yuri received the documents related to the Gate that he had requested from the Japanese side in advance and began reviewing them methodically. After some time had passed, he spoke between nods of calculation.
"Ten billion a day. As long as the money is wired properly, I will keep the Gate sealed for as long as you need."
Ten billion a day? At the outrageous figure, the Japanese officials bristled—Matsumoto alone was the exception. He extended a hand to hold them back, and the Japanese Hunters who had flinched sat back down.
"You seem to be a man who understands reason."
Yuri grinned, revealing gold-capped teeth.
"3.6 trillion a year. That sum can save your country. It's not 36 trillion, after all. So? Would you rather spend ten billion a day to save your nation, or clutch your money and watch it die?"
The world's officially known wealthiest man was worth just over 100 trillion. 3.6 trillion a year was by no means a small sum.
'But compared to the nation of Japan, it was a pittance.'
Matsumoto, having made his decision, spoke.
"We can pay." "Good. Then let's sign immediately, and I'll need a deposit upfront—" "But first, before that..."
As Yuri was instructing an attendant to bring the contract, he turned back to Matsumoto.
"...?"
Under his brazen stare, Matsumoto spoke politely.
"Would you be willing to demonstrate your abilities for us?"
Hearing this through the interpreter, Yuri threw his head back and laughed.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!"
He laughed until tears streamed from his eyes, then continued.
"Are you really in a position to be choosy right now? You should be licking my boots and begging!"
That was when two Japanese S-rank Hunters—Matsumoto's bodyguards, who had set foot on Russian soil for his protection—could tolerate the insult no longer and sprang to their feet.
"Now see here—!"
Matsumoto shouted urgently, but sparks flew in the S-ranks' eyes. But then—bang! bang bang! The S-rank Hunters who had been about to move found themselves utterly immobilized, as though blocked by an invisible wall. The two exchanged glances like mice trapped in a glass jar. Yuri looked at them and burst out snickering again.
"Come out if you can. Without my permission, you won't be able to move a single step from where you stand."
Yuri Orloff, the barrier specialist. Both the two S-rank Hunters and Matsumoto himself were stunned by the sheer power of his ability. Yuri grinned and renewed his proposal.
"Ten billion a day to seal an S-rank Gate, and I'll throw in those two lives as a bonus. Well? Doesn't that sound like a deal you can be satisfied with?"
His teeth gleamed gold as they caught the light. The power of a barrier that could effortlessly contain two S-rank Hunters.
'Then an S-rank Gate would be...'
For the first time since arriving in Russia, a smile crossed Matsumoto's face.
"May I borrow a phone for a moment?" "By all means."
The next day, the world's news was filled wall to wall with the name Yuri Orloff.
= [END]