Defeated. A single word he never thought would leave his lips again. Thomas repeated that same phrase over and over in his mind before finally opening his eyes. He was in a hospital.
'When was the last time I was in a hospital?'
Unlike Jin-Woo, who during his Hunter life had come and gone through hospitals as if they were his own home, Thomas had no memory of crossing a hospital threshold after becoming a Hunter. Who could have predicted that a meeting between a Hunter who had started at the very bottom of the E-rank and a Hunter who had stood at the pinnacle from the very beginning would lead to this outcome? Of course, regardless of Jin-Woo's past, the person most stunned by this result was Thomas Andre himself.
'Really… I lost.'
Thomas, his face blank as though his soul had fled his body, slowly rose to his seat. Tap, tap. The sound of keystrokes stopped. Thomas's gaze turned that way. Not too far and not too close, Laura, the Scavenger Guild's main manager, sat there. Her fingertips rested on a laptop keyboard—she had apparently been working.
"Are you awake?" "…Yeah."
Thomas averted his gaze and ran a hand along his jaw. Judging by the length of his grown-out beard, he could estimate how much time had passed. If you could call it a blessing, at least the beard hadn't grown as long as he'd worried.
"About… a day?" "Yes."
Laura answered briefly, then continued.
"The doctor who first checked on you said you should be prepared for a few weeks, at minimum."
That was how poor Thomas's condition had been at the time. And yet—was it quintessentially Thomas that he had gotten up perfectly fine after just one day despite such a diagnosis? Or was it un-Thomas-like that he had been unconscious for a full day? Laura felt a confused mix of emotions as she stood beside his bed.
"Shall I call the doctor?" "No. Not yet."
Thomas shook his head while rubbing his throbbing temples. He could still vividly recall the impact of taking that man's blow to the head. It was a terrible pain—one he didn't even want to think about. Even if they called the doctor, there wasn't much they could do. More importantly—weren't there things he needed to check on first? Thomas asked.
"What happened to Mr. Huang?"
Laura's lips parted, but she couldn't bring herself to answer. She simply shook her head.
"…I see."
Thomas mused for a moment, then changed the subject with a nonchalant tone.
"Any other casualties?" "There were many injuries, but thanks to the quick response from the Hunter's Association, everyone has fully recovered."
Thomas, who had been trying to keep his composure, raised his voice.
"No one died?" "That's correct." "…"
Surprise quickly turned to shock. Thomas swallowed a groan inwardly. The fact that no one had died despite such a violent battle meant the other side had gone easy on them. It was truly a crushing defeat. When you were beaten this thoroughly, you didn't even have the energy to be angry. That was exactly how Thomas felt right now. Awe. He felt fear toward Jin-Woo, who alone had annihilated him and the elite Hunters he'd gathered. No—it had gone beyond fear into something resembling respect. Because Thomas had always believed that power was justice, the shock hit even harder. But. But why? Despite his devastating defeat, he didn't feel that bad. Perhaps it was because he'd confirmed the gap between them and had nothing left to cling to. He felt no anger toward the one who had defeated him, no desire for revenge.
'No, rather…'
As various thoughts swirled in his mind, Laura held out a small, slender case to him. An eyeglass case.
'…?'
When Thomas took the case and looked at her quizzically, Laura answered.
"The Master's sunglasses recovered from the scene were too badly damaged to repair."
Click. Inside the case was a brand-new pair of the sunglasses Thomas had always cherished. Snort. Thomas let out a soft laugh and put on the gifted sunglasses.
"I really keep putting you to work."
Laura, who had been worried that Thomas might cause a scene after regaining consciousness, let out a sigh of relief at his calm reaction and offered a faint smile.
"That's my job."
Thomas, who had been silently gazing into the distance, spoke quietly.
"Mr. Huang… give him the finest funeral possible. He was still one of our people." "Understood." "And one more thing."
And…? Laura, who had been jotting his words down in her notepad, looked up.
"Tell Hunter Sung Jin-Woo that the Scavenger Guild—no, that I, Thomas Andre, am formally apologizing to him."
* * *
Protect the Hunters. Why had Mrs. Selner said those words? Jin-Woo wore a puzzled expression.
"…Why do you ask?"
The woman, who appeared to be deliberating where to begin, slowly opened her mouth.
"In my recurring dreams, I tried hard to remember the faces of those who hunt Hunters. But it was in vain."
No matter how hard she tried, once she woke from sleep, all she could recall were faces shrouded in darkness—that was her explanation.
"So I decided to use a different method. I would use my own ability to verify their true nature, even if only within a dream." "Then when you looked into my eyes back then—" "Yes."
Mrs. Selner openly admitted to her ability. Thump. Jin-Woo's heart raced. Back then—what had she discovered within him that had made her tremble with fear like that? But her story wasn't over yet. Jin-Woo suppressed his curiosity and listened closely.
"The endless power dwelling within them. When I locked eyes with 'that thing,' I had no choice but to wake up."
Jin-Woo's gaze dropped downward. The tips of the woman's fingers were trembling slightly.
"I still vividly remember the voice I heard from 'that thing' when our eyes met."
Jin-Woo raised his head slightly. The Director, who had been listening to the story, and Adam, who was interpreting her words, both wore tense expressions. Jin-Woo asked.
"What did it say?" "'Go back… and obediently wait for the war.'"
Mrs. Selner, recalling the memory from that time, shuddered as goosebumps rose on her skin. The voice in that dream had been more vivid than any sound she had heard in reality. But unlike the frightened woman, Jin-Woo knew that the word 'war' was the key.
'It's the same as what the Rulers told me.'
The battle between Rulers and Monarchs. The King of the Giants had said it. That they were preparing for war. It probably wasn't only the Rulers who were preparing. Then—who were the ones currently hunting Hunters? But he still hadn't heard the answer to his first question. Jin-Woo asked again.
"But what does that have to do with your request to protect me?" "…Because I discovered the same power within you, Hunter."
That carefully spoken remark from the woman jolted Jin-Woo to attention. The power of the Shadow Monarch. On that day, Mrs. Selner had seen the Shadow Monarch's power within him. And the fact that she had seen the same power in the hunters of her dream meant their identity was…
'…Monarchs.'
Jin-Woo's face hardened. When the woman noticed his changed expression, she quickly continued her explanation.
"They are beings beyond Hunters. To stop them, we need a Hunter who possesses equal power."
The Director, who had been listening in silence, interjected into the conversation.
"To tell the truth, we were half-skeptical of the claim that no Hunter other than Hunter Sung Jin-Woo could protect the others…"
But the fact that a meeting had been arranged so suddenly meant—
"The fight that took place between me and Thomas yesterday changed the Hunter's Association's mind."
The Director, caught off guard, answered somewhat sheepishly.
"That's exactly right."
Thanks to yesterday's events, the Hunter's Association now knew the gap in power between Jin-Woo and other Hunters. It was both a serious incident and a hopeful discovery. Beings that could kill a National-level Hunter, and the one Hunter who possessed power equal to them. The Hunter's Association needed Jin-Woo's help more than ever before. For the United States, which had already lost one National-level Hunter to them, Thomas was someone they had to protect by any means necessary.
"Of course, we don't expect someone as extraordinary as Hunter Sung Jin-Woo to help us without any compensation."
Whatever he desired. That included everything—even the greatest treasure Kamish had left behind, the rune stone. The Hunter's Association's new proposal was not to recruit Jin-Woo. Rather than pushing a proposal he would only reject and bothering him, they would use his help to protect America's strongest fighting force. That was the Hunter's Association's conclusion after Chris's death, in how they approached this matter.
"…"
Jin-Woo pressed his lips together firmly and fell into thought. The woman, hoping to aid his decision, laid out everything she had seen.
"In this world, there are Hunters who have been blessed with great power. They have been holding the world together with their strength. If they disappear, the world won't hold."
After deliberating, Jin-Woo answered.
"…I'm sorry."
His refusal left no room for negotiation, and the Director's eyes went wide.
"Could it be that you still harbor personal feelings toward Hunter Thomas Andre—"
Before the speculation could take hold, Jin-Woo shook his head.
"No."
There was one reason for his decision.
"Because I don't yet know who my enemies are."
No matter what their true nature, Jin-Woo had never encountered them. Not knowing the enemy's capabilities, it was only natural that he couldn't make a promise to protect someone from them. Jin-Woo was not the kind of person to casually make a promise he might not be able to keep.
'For now, I'll keep an eye on the situation.'
And deal with it as best he could. His characteristic composure was exactly the same as when he had first entered that double Dungeon—nothing had changed. Fortunately, Jin-Woo had several Shadow soldiers who could relay accurate information. If he planted shadows on the Hunters the Hunter's Association was monitoring, he could respond to their movements in time.
"Then."
Jin-Woo stood up from his seat while mapping out his future course of action in his mind.
* * *
The chairman's office of the Korean Hunter's Association. Chairman Ko Gun-Hee had the busiest day of anyone. Of all things to happen on the day before the International Guild Conference—Hunter Sung and Thomas Andre getting into a massive fight? After searching every avenue to find out whether things had gone wrong, he had just received an answer from the Hunter's Association. The investigation had found it was the Scavenger's fault, and there was no possibility of Jin-Woo facing any disadvantage because of it.
"Haa—"
Only then did Chairman Ko Gun-Hee finally let out a breath of relief and collapse into his chair. He couldn't describe how anxious he had been, worrying that Hunter Sung might end up trapped in the United States. But.
'Wait a minute…'
Come to think of it, who could possibly detain Hunter Sung? Thomas Andre had already been knocked unconscious. It was only after the matter had been resolved that the thought suddenly occurred to Ko Gun-Hee, and he let out a soft chuckle.
'Perhaps… it was an unnecessary worry after all.'
Hehe. After laughing for a while, Ko Gun-Hee suddenly felt thirsty and looked for water. The water bottle sat on a table a short distance from his desk.
'…'
Ko Gun-Hee stared at the water bottle, then reached his hand toward it. The bottle flew into his hand. Thunk. He caught the bottle deftly, opened the cap, and wore a faint smile.
'When Manager Woo Jin-Cheol comes in, I'll have one more thing to talk to him about.'
Hehe. Ko Gun-Hee was pleased—it had been worth sending Manager Woo Jin-Cheol along, even if he had to force the matter.