It would be nice if he'd at least say something at a time like this. Saying nothing, Jin-Woo seemed almost harsh. Finally, Ju-Hee stopped and, with difficulty, spoke first. "Um... since I probably won't be able to pass anything along today, I'll give this back to you." Jin-Woo took the mana crystal Ju-Hee held out. It was the mana crystal he'd entrusted to her in the underground temple. The tips of her fingers trembled as she handed it over. 'And that was only a few days ago... with another accident happening right in front of us today.' Ju-Hee was the type to scare easily. He could fully understand her saying she probably wouldn't be able to pass anything along today. "But it's not like today is the only day. There's no need to give it back right now." Ju-Hee shook her head. "I'm going home next week." She was quitting being a Hunter and apparently intended to return to her hometown altogether. Jin-Woo wore a look of pity. "Because of that accident?" "Not exactly, but..." Her expression darkened, as if memories of that day were surfacing. Jin-Woo quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. "Where is your home?" "Busan. Hey, Jin-Woo." Suddenly, Ju-Hee's gaze turned serious. "Yeah?" Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Jin-Woo also wiped the smile from his face, turning serious as well. Ju-Hee gazed intently at Jin-Woo's face. Two eyes full of vitality. When everyone in the underground temple was trembling in despair, only Jin-Woo's eyes had burned with intense will. Ju-Hee had seen those eyes up close. 'It was like he was shouting he would survive.' Those eyes, which had caught a thread of hope no one else could, had saved her and many others multiple times. It was something no one could imitate. Thump, thump. As memories of that day resurfaced, her heart began to race again. 'No...' She had no regrets about quitting being a Hunter because it didn't suit her. But the thought of not being able to meet Jin-Woo again was painfully sad. 'If I ask if we'll meet again, he'll think I'm weird...' It was a shame, but some things couldn't be helped. Dwelling on such things only leads to misery. Ju-Hee finally gave a small smile and shook her head. "No. If you ever happen to come to Busan, give me a call. I'll treat you to a meal." "Sounds good." When Jin-Woo smiled, Ju-Hee smiled back. With that, she left her unspoken words behind, exchanged simple farewells, and turned away. '...' She had never felt the walk home this long before.
***
After seeing Ju-Hee off, Jin-Woo returned home. In the distance, he saw an old apartment complex. His home was on the 9th floor there. He was about to pass the parked cars and enter the building when an aged voice stopped him. "Young man from 902." It was the old security guard. Having known him for a long time, Jin-Woo greeted him without hesitation. "You haven't finished your shift yet?" "I'm on night duty today." "Ah," Jin-Woo nodded briefly. Soon, the guard came over from the security office carrying a parcel box. "This is for young Jin-Woo." "Oh, thank you." The sender was listed as the Association. 'Today, was it?' Today was the day the Association's Hunter Phone was supposed to arrive. Jin-Woo took the phone out of the box. A shiny, new phone. He remembered hearing news about a surge in people buying Hunter Phones even though they weren't Awakened, because of the excessive interest in Hunters these days. 'I can understand people wanting to buy one, but what's wrong with the heads of those guys who divert and resell them?' They say the country doesn't lack money, it lacks honest people. Anyway, whether it's the Association, the military, or anywhere people gather, corruption is the problem. When corruption causes money to leak out, support is reduced by the amount leaked. The less support there is, the worse the conditions become. In the end, the people who should receive benefits end up suffering. 'Which is why I was worried...' Fortunately, the new phone seemed to have no defects. Waiting for the elevator with nothing else to do, he turned the phone on. There were a ton of missed messages. 'How am I supposed to check all this?' However, two numbers stood out. Neither was familiar. One had called frequently, and the other had sent many text messages. 'I don't know anyone who'd contact me like this?' Jin-Woo tilted his head, then decided to check the messages first. _Hello, that time at the hospital... _If you have time this week... _Did I bother you? I was just thinking we could chat... He vaguely recalled after a moment. It was the nurse who'd given him her number at the hospital. 'Was her name Choi Yoo-Ra?' He couldn't say she was bothering him, but the moment he replied, he had a strong feeling things would get very troublesome. 'So I'll skip this...' Next was the one who'd called often. Jin-Woo pressed the call button. A cheerful, recent pop song blared from the ringtone. He had a rough idea who it was. The call connected quickly. -Hello. Just as expected. Not a single prediction was off, so a slight chuckle escaped him. "It's me. Use this number from now on." -Ah! You got the phone, hyung-nim! It was Yoo Jin-Ho. He'd saved the number but never called him first, so it had felt unfamiliar. Yoo Jin-Ho spoke in an excited voice. -I was just about to call you, hyung-nim! I've gathered the party members, so starting tomorrow, I'll come to pick you up! Hearing only his voice, Jin-Woo could picture Yoo Jin-Ho's joyful face. He also grinned. "Alright. See you tomorrow." Click. As Jin-Woo hung up, the elevator door, having arrived at the first floor with perfect timing, slid open with a soft hiss. Ting. Starting tomorrow, the serious raids would begin. The thought made his heart race. 'I need to level up as fast as possible.' Level up, raise his stats, and become stronger than anyone. Once he became a strong Hunter, he could get money, fame, power—everything. Tomorrow was that very first step.
***
Eastern United States. Late at night. Hwang Dong-Su, the main Hunter and S-rank Hunter of the top North American guild 'Scavenger', had just received shocking news right before falling asleep at home. "...How did hyung die? Slow down, explain in detail." His brother's name was Hwang Dong-Seok. He'd apparently lost his life after entering a C-rank Gate recently. "...Eight of hyung's party members all died, and only two came out alive?" But those two were a D-rank and an E-rank? Something smelled off. The brother he knew wasn't the type to risk his life for weak teammates. And if those members were supplements? It went without saying. Yet the D and E-rank Hunters survived, while his brother and the other C-rank Hunters all died. 'Something's going on...' Hwang Dong-Su's eyes sharpened. Although he was now separated, having been scouted by a famous American guild, back in Korea, his brother had been someone who cared for and looked after him more than anyone. He couldn't call him a good person, but he was certainly a good brother. 'I was going to bring him over here once I got more established...' To have him die suddenly like that. Hwang Dong-Su bit his lower lip. "Fax me the information on the two survivors. The number is..." Hwang Dong-Su hung up and dialed his manager's number. It connected quickly. -Mr. Hwang, what's going on at this hour? "Laura, what would happen if I killed someone in Korea?" -Are you serious? "Yes." A slight silence was needed before her voice continued. -...There's still no extradition treaty between Korea and criminals who are Hunters. Since you're a Hunter with American citizenship, you'd be tried in America, and with negotiations with the government, the sentence probably wouldn't be too heavy. "Good. Something's come up, so I need to go to Korea for a bit. Can you clear my schedule?" -But Mr. Hwang, if you go suddenly like this, the guild's work will be paralyzed. Won't you tell me what it's about? "It's personal. Of course, I don't intend to harm the guild. How far out is my schedule booked?" -It's full until two months from now. "Two months... Fine. Clear it after that. Not for long. Just two weeks. I'll be back in Korea for exactly two weeks." -...Understood. But what should I tell the upper-ups? "That I'm going to attend hyung's funeral. A condolence trip." -OK, I'll do that. But Mr. Hwang... if there's anything I can do to help... Click! Hwang Dong-Su hung up. Consolation or advice—he wasn't in the mood to welcome either. Beeeeep! Just then, the requested fax arrived. Hwang Dong-Su took the document as it came out. It contained photos of two Hunters, their names, and brief profiles. "D-rank Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho, E-rank Hunter Sung Jin-Woo." Hwang Dong-Su looked back and forth between their photos, steeling his resolve. 'If I ask these two, I should get answers.' And if, by any chance, there was even a little bit suspicious... "They'll regret ever coming out of there alive." Hwang Dong-Su's eyes turned red.
6. A Strange Raid The next morning. He went down after receiving the call, and a large van was parked in front. "...?" Before he could even ask who it was, blocking someone's house like that, the driver's side window automatically rolled down. That smiling face... was Yoo Jin-Ho. "Hyung-nim, get in!" Yoo Jin-Ho stuck his hand out the window and tapped the van. Since he'd said he was coming to pick him up starting the day before, Jin-Woo had wondered if he'd show up in a Mercedes or something... but this was clearly an ordinary minivan. Although a bit large for something ordinary. "Aren't you supposed to be some chaebol's son?" "I thought it would be too conspicuous if I moved in my car. I bought this one to use for raids." No wonder the van had such a shine to it. 'It's a brand-new car.' From showing up bright and early in the morning to preparing a new car to avoid standing out—Yoo Jin-Ho was leaving nothing to chance. That probably meant his expectations for this matter were just as high. Mistaking Jin-Woo's inspection of the car for something else, Yoo Jin-Ho asked anxiously. "Is a car like this uncomfortable for you, hyung-nim?" "Not at all." He answered curtly and climbed into the passenger seat. "Let's depart, hyung-nim." Being the first day of the raid, Yoo Jin-Ho seemed in a good mood, humming a tune while turning the steering wheel this way and that. After driving for a while, the van stopped in an empty lot. Screech. "Hyung-nim, we're here." At the meeting place, eight Hunters were waiting.