Christopher Reed. Grand Hunter Jonas. And Ko Gun-Hee, chairman of the Korean Hunter's Association. When news of the deaths of these top-tier Hunters broke back to back through broadcasts, the world was thrown into turmoil. If Hunters standing at the pinnacle of power could be murdered, who could possibly catch the culprit? Major media outlets around the world covered the three Hunters' deaths nonstop, and the U.S. Hunter Management Bureau even released an official statement on the matter. It said they were already working at full capacity in coordination with guilds across every nation to track down the perpetrator. But the public's anxiety didn't subside easily. That was only natural—the wall that had protected them like an iron fortress against the threat of magic beasts had crumbled. While the Hunter world and the media were both in a frenzy, the Hunter's Association released a single video to the press. It was footage captured by the security camera inside Chairman Ko Gun-Hee's office.
"Oh my God!" "What the—!"
People couldn't hide their horror. Two men appeared on screen. One was Chairman Ko Gun-Hee, and the man who had pierced through his chest with something sharp was… by every measure, a being that was not human. A magic beast.
'An Ice Elf!'
A magic beast that should have been confined to a Dungeon had been captured on video in the act of killing a supreme-tier Hunter, and it was vivid for all to see. The close-up of the magic beast's face soon spread across the entire globe. The impact of the video was enormous. People now understood that Hunters, who hunted magic beasts, could just as easily be hunted by them. It was fear on an entirely new dimension. Ordinary citizens had been protected by Hunters—but who would protect the Hunters? The sentiment became so strong that public opinion even argued Korea's Hunters should not be sent abroad, given that Chairman Ko Gun-Hee had been murdered while Sung Jin-Woo was away. Amid this chaotic atmosphere, the focus of public attention turned to Sung Jin-Woo. His close relationship with the chairman was widely known, and people were curious about what he would do. But Sung Jin-Woo said nothing. A few days later, when the investigation into Chairman Ko Gun-Hee's cause of death had been fully completed and the funeral was just one day away, Sung Jin-Woo quietly visited the Hunter's Association.
* * *
Woo Jin-Cheol appeared in the waiting room, looking haggard.
"I'm sorry, Hunter. Things have been a bit overwhelming lately…"
Woo Jin-Cheol fidgeted with his unkempt beard and apologized. On the day he returned from the United States, Department Head Woo Jin-Cheol had stepped off the plane at Incheon Airport only to be hit with news like a bolt from the blue, and he had rushed straight to the Hunter's Association. Their reunion came exactly three days after that. Before getting to the matter at hand, Sung Jin-Woo asked a question.
"Why was the latter half of the security camera footage hidden?"
The video the Association had released ended at exactly the moment the face of the Frost Monarch appeared. What came after—Sung Jin-Woo and Beru entering the chairman's office—was never made public. Woo Jin-Cheol scratched his head and answered bitterly.
"Our Hunter's Association places the safety of Hunters above all else. We determined that we could not freely disclose an ability you had concealed, Hunter."
A Hunter's skill was a card the Hunter held in hand. Revealing all of one's skills was no different from showing every card on the table. Naturally, the higher a Hunter's rank, the more they guarded their skills—and that secrecy could serve as a breakthrough when the unexpected occurred. Sung Jin-Woo, who had been in the United States, possessed the ability to move instantly to the Hunter's Association building in Korea. The Association decided that such an extraordinary skill should not be carelessly made public without the Hunter's consent.
"Even if the chairman were alive, I believe he would have done the same."
Department Head Woo Jin-Cheol, who had followed and admired Chairman Ko Gun-Hee more than anyone, reddened at the eyes as he mentioned the chairman.
"So that's why your expression was so grim the day you flew back. A mystery from the moment I first saw the video has finally been cleared up."
Sung Jin-Woo nodded and readily admitted it.
"Was it a magic beast that even your strength, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, couldn't stop?"
Sung Jin-Woo shook his head.
"By the time I arrived, it was already…"
Seeing Sung Jin-Woo's dark expression, Woo Jin-Cheol finally hung his head.
"I'm sorry… I know your heart must be heavy as well, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, and I let my own frustration get the better of me…"
No one knew better than Woo Jin-Cheol that Sung Jin-Woo bore no responsibility. That was exactly why Sung Jin-Woo's reassurance that it was okay only made Woo Jin-Cheol's heart ache more.
"I still can't believe it."
Woo Jin-Cheol kept his gaze fixed on the floor as he continued.
"The day before that, he was rushing me to come back, saying he wanted to hear about what happened in the U.S. How could someone like that…"
Sung Jin-Woo waited calmly for Woo Jin-Cheol, who couldn't finish his sentence.
"What did the chairman say… before he closed his eyes?"
"That he was relieved."
"What?"
The startled Woo Jin-Cheol lifted his lowered head.
"He said he was relieved he could entrust the next generation to young Hunters like me…"
"Oh."
So that's what it meant. Woo Jin-Cheol, moved to tears by Chairman Ko Gun-Hee's final concern for the future, finally let them fall. He pressed the corner of his eye with his fingertip, hiding his tears, then nodded.
"Thank you… for being there at the chairman's end."
The words of relief were probably not a lie. If they had been, how could he have drawn his last breath with such a peaceful expression? Woo Jin-Cheol's gratitude was sincere.
"…"
Sung Jin-Woo pressed his lips together and said nothing. As he conversed with Woo Jin-Cheol, the tangle that had occupied his mind for days began to sort itself out.
"I'm going to kill that thing."
"What?"
Sung Jin-Woo spoke with a cold expression.
"The magic beast that killed the chairman—I will definitely kill it."
Not just for Chairman Ko Gun-Hee, but as a warning to those who threatened him. Gulping, Woo Jin-Cheol swallowed hard. Even though the killing intent wasn't directed at him, it was suffocating. Cold and crushing murderous intent pressed down on his shoulders. Seeing Woo Jin-Cheol's face turn pale, Sung Jin-Woo withdrew the killing intent.
"So I'll collect your thanks when that time comes."
"Ah…"
Woo Jin-Cheol tried to calm his pounding heart and nodded.
"Understood."
Only then did he realize he still hadn't heard the reason Sung Jin-Woo had come to the Association in the first place. A Hunter of Sung Jin-Woo's caliber wouldn't have come all this way just to ask why the latter half of the security footage had been removed.
Woo Jin-Cheol asked.
"Goodness, my head's all over the place… I just realized I never even asked why you came to see us, Hunter."
Sung Jin-Woo stated the conclusion he had reached after days of deliberation.
"Could you arrange a press conference?"
* * *
The press conference hall was flooded with reporters. Sung Jin-Woo had long since become the Hunter who carried scoops wherever he went among the press corps. When it was announced that he, for the first time, had called reporters together, not a single journalist failed to show interest. The hall buzzed with murmuring and chatter. But the moment Sung Jin-Woo appeared, they all fell silent as if by magic. A hush descended over the room. Sensing the reporters' eyes fixed on him, Sung Jin-Woo spoke.
"A group of magic beasts with highly advanced intelligence is targeting supreme-tier Hunters. They are stronger than any Hunter, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their aims."
A group of magic beasts? The magic beast that killed Chairman Ko Gun-Hee hadn't been alone? The reporters were stunned. But Sung Jin-Woo had obtained information from the Giant's King, the Primordial Monarch. There were nine Monarchs in all, and a war between them and the Rulers would continue. The targets they went after first were the apex Hunters who borrowed the power of the Rulers. Three Hunters had already fallen, and there was no telling how many more victims there would be. He had placed Shadows on the individuals the Hunter Management Bureau was already monitoring, but it was impossible to watch every Hunter. Just like Chairman Ko Gun-Hee, victims could emerge from places no one expected. Sung Jin-Woo's sudden press conference was a warning to those potential victims fighting magic beasts somewhere in the world.
"Before launching their attack, those magic beasts use magic to sever the space between spaces, isolating their targets."
Incredible information. It was testimony that could only come from someone who had met a Monarch face to face.
"So if you believe you could become a target, stay in the same location as comrades who can protect you. However—if."
If. Sung Jin-Woo revealed the true reason for holding the press conference.
"If you have no such comrades, reach out to me through the Korean Hunter's Association."
A collective gasp rose from the reporters. Unwavering confidence. The Hunter who had knocked out Thomas Andre, the strongest Hunter of all, was projecting bold assurance, declaring that those magic beasts were nothing. It was a remarkable announcement that could instantly ease the public's anxiety. But Sung Jin-Woo's real intention was something else entirely.
'I'm laying a trap for every Hunter who could become a target of their attacks.'
That way, he would be able to track every move the Monarchs made, even when they targeted retired Hunters like Chairman Ko Gun-Hee. At least one was bound to fall into the trap. Just as Sung Jin-Woo was about to end the announcement, questions poured in from the reporters.
"I'm a reporter from X Daily! How did you obtain information about this group of magic beasts?" "I've met them."
Twice. Once in Japan, where he encountered the Giant's King, and once more in Korea. The reporters couldn't contain their astonishment and began scribbling down Sung Jin-Woo's words.
"Then you're saying you survived the encounter with them?"
Sung Jin-Woo answered with a confident gaze.
"Yes."
Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had met those things and survived! The inevitable scoop burst forth, and the reporters frantically hammered their camera shutters. Click-click-click-click-click-click-click! At that moment, one reporter sitting apart from the front row raised a hand high. He was the journalist who, back when Woo Jin-Cheol was still a department head, had written the article about the Hunters who had sacrificed their lives fighting the Statue of God while following Woo Jin-Cheol. Sung Jin-Woo's gaze landed on the reporter. Reporter Kim slowly lowered his hand and, unlike the other reporters who were in a frenzy, posed his question with measured precision.
"When you meet the magic beast that killed Chairman Ko Gun-Hee, what will you do?"
Sung Jin-Woo stared silently at Reporter Kim, whose face was twisted with frustration, then turned off the microphone.
"That is all."
Reporter Kim watched Sung Jin-Woo's retreating back for a long time. He had the strange feeling that even without hearing an answer, he could hear Sung Jin-Woo's voice.
* * *
"Master."
"Master!"
Thomas gestured to the guards, who had leapt to their feet in surprise at seeing him, signaling them to sit back down. He pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner. Beep. The reinforced door slid open with a hiss. Thomas and his manager, Laura, stepped into the guild vault located beneath the Scavenger Building. The two guards who had just been startled by Thomas were actually A-rank Hunters themselves. A system was in place that immediately contacted Thomas, who lived in the penthouse on the building's top floor, should anything happen—so only a handful of people were permitted to set foot in the guild vault. Thomas walked without hesitation to the deepest point of the vault.
"You're really going to give that as a gift?"
Beep. Only after a second fingerprint verification could they enter the room where it was kept.
"Why? Do you think it's too much for the life of me and my guild members?" "No, it's not that, but—" "Then is he not enough of a Hunter to wield this?" "…"
There was no point arguing. Laura closed her mouth, knowing there was no rebuttal. Thomas stood before the object he had been looking for. Even though it was a weapon ill-suited for him to use, his heart still trembled every time he stood before it.
"…Always impressive, no matter how many times I see it."
Thomas gazed at it with an emotional look, and Laura tried to dissuade him, clearly reluctant.
"There are only two of these in the entire world." "I know." "And there always will be." "I know that too." "And yet you're still going to give it away?" "That's what I said."
Thomas grinned. It had been nearly eight years since those two had been forged, yet the madness they radiated hadn't faded by even a fraction.
"The finest weapon for the finest Hunter. It'd be a shame to let them rust away in here, wouldn't it?"
As if in answer, the two daggers sheathed in their case caught the light and gleamed with a flash of steel.