There are fewer than ten S-rank Hunters in our country. And half of them belong to the Glory Guild. That must be why they’re in charge of protecting Seoul and other key areas.
Moreover, two of them from the Glory Guild are S-rank in name only; they are also called ‘Beyond Standard.’ It means they are beings beyond the heavens. Today, I ended up running into those two Beyond Standard Hunters.
I'd never met them, but it was impossible not to know their names. I saw them almost daily through internet articles, broadcasts, and YouTube. The same went for the Hunter Association’s Vice Chairman standing next to them.
The Vice Chairman handles various briefings on behalf of the Chairman. Including the person who seemed to be a secretary, there were four of them in total. They were all giving me rather uncomfortable looks.
The S-rank Knight, Gu Geon-yi, in particular, was glaring at me as sharply as his spiky hair. Was this what it felt like to face a great mountain? Gu Geon-yi's presence was no joke.
He was physically large, but the man before me felt less like a Hunter and more like a giant Monster reaching for the sky.
“What is this behavior at the Hunter Association headquarters? Do you want to go to jail?”
Ugh.
It was like this when he used Lion’s Roar, too. It seemed Gu Geon-yi's voice contained a special kind of energy. If I just stood here, I felt like I would naturally be intimidated by him.
‘Damn it. Why should I be?’
I activated the Black Ether in my body to its fullest. I had keenly felt the gap between me and Gu Geon-yi, but I had no intention of being overwhelmed by a mere voice that was neither a skill nor anything else.
“Ah…”
However, as I activated the Black Ether, Maria’s expression turned strange. Could she also have the ability to sense Ether? It wouldn't do any good to drag this out.
I turned my gaze to Gu Geon-yi.
“The security guard here was using force to restrain a civilian, so I just stopped him. I heard he’s an employee of the Hunter Association.”
I deliberately emphasized that he was part of the Hunter Association. A dispute between the Hunter Association and a civilian. If this commotion became public, they would be the ones in trouble.
“…Is that true?”
“If you don't believe me, you can check the CCTV.”
He kept speaking informally, so I found myself doing the same. However, unlike the man before, Gu Geon-yi didn’t even flinch at my light provocation.
“Vice Chairman. Sob. I’ve been so wronged.”
Recognizing the Vice Chairman, the woman burst into tears and approached him. The man who seemed to be his secretary blocked her, but the Vice Chairman stopped him.
“It’s alright. Ma’am. Let’s go over there together.”
The Vice Chairman looked to be a little over sixty. A well-groomed beard covered his prominent jaw, and fine wrinkles were etched behind his round glasses. Yoo In-won nodded to Gu Geon-yi and Maria before heading to a separate room with the woman.
The man whose wrist I’d twisted also left with the person who seemed to be the Vice Chairman’s secretary. It was a relief that the Vice Chairman was at least a decent human being. If even he had pushed the woman away, I might have felt disgusted with the entire Hunter profession.
“You said you’re a Hunter exam applicant?”
Gu Geon-yi bowed his head once toward the Vice Chairman, then turned and asked me.
A jolt. Hah.
How could he apply so much pressure with just his voice? It was a good thing I had activated my Black Ether; before my Awakening, a mere conversation with him might have made me pass out.
“So?”
“You reek of youth. No manners whatsoever. Well, it’s a passionate age. But there are many Hunters who died young because they relied only on youthful vigor like you. I hope you won’t act so rashly in the future.”
Gu Geon-yi advised me, looking down from his great height. The pinnacle of the Glory Guild and an S-rank Hunter. It was obvious how someone like me, a mere applicant, must look to him.
A wave of irritation washed over me. He had an expression that said he knew all the principles of the world, as if he were letting a foolish child off the hook just this once.
You bastard.
If you were going to let us off, you should have done it a long time ago.
“Shouldn’t you two have gone in with the Vice Chairman?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“That woman. She’s a resident of Gaebang District.”
“!!!!”
“Isn’t that your jurisdiction?”
To be precise, the district you all abandoned. The last shred of reason I had barely managed to stop those final words from coming out. Gu Geon-yi looked down at me once more.
Yes. That gaze.
The reason I had become so emotional was because of those eyes. Those eyes, with their perfect mix of contempt and pity, were driving me crazy.
“It seems we need to have a little talk.”
Gu Geon-yi spread his thick lips into a broad smile. I, on the other hand, almost took a step back. An unfathomably strong Ether was boiling up from his entire body.
Just as I thought. Gaebang District was clearly a sore spot for him.
“Representative Gu.”
Just as I was hesitating, wondering if I should use Poison Step, a voice as smooth as silk was heard. Maria, who stood beside Gu Geon-yi, had stopped him.
“You’re just trying to give him some good advice, right? A bit of encouragement for an applicant who’s about to become a Hunter.”
Her voice was gentle, but I could feel a heart-chilling coldness within it. It was a familiar feeling. It was just like when my sister would scold me with a smile on her face.
The effect was immediate. Gu Geon-yi’s boiling Ether vanished as if it had been washed away.
“Yes. That was my intention.”
Maria smiled brightly and looked at me.
“You should stop here as well. If this commotion gets any bigger and you end up on the Association’s blacklist, your application eligibility could be revoked.”
“I know.”
I knew.
I knew my abilities were still insignificant compared to theirs. I knew I had to keep a low profile until I passed the Hunter test. I knew that, for now, I couldn’t hold the Glory Guild responsible for anything.
I wasn't an idiot; of course I knew.
“But, I’m also a resident of Gaebang District.”
“…!!”
A wrinkle formed between Gu Geon-yi’s brows, and Maria’s pupils trembled.
“A resident of the neighborhood loses their child and is being unfairly thrown out, how can I just stand by and watch? I’m also someone who almost died a dog’s death under a Gate.”
“The incident in Gaebang District… we also find it very regrettable…”
Maria’s voice trembled slightly. Not just her expression, but her pale lips were trembling as well. Anyone watching would think I was persecuting the greatest saint of this era.
“…That’s enough.”
I had no intention of accepting a half-hearted apology. If they showed sincere remorse, perhaps, but looking at Gu Geon-yi’s face, that seemed unlikely to happen even if he lived a thousand years. They were the ones who hadn't even tried to protect Gaebang District.
Regrettable, now?
The image I had of a saint in my mind was starting to fade.
“Excuse me…!”
As I turned to walk away, Maria called out to stop me.
“You said you were taking the test, what type are you?”
What does she need to know for? Ah, now that I think about it, I did activate my Black Ether in front of her. It was too late to lie, so I spat out the word curtly and went on my way.
“Healer.”
Quite some time had passed, but my sunken mood showed no signs of lifting. In particular, the image of Maria's pupils swaying like a pendulum was strongly etched in my mind. Was it because I was a man, and I'd seen a pretty woman?
Not a chance. In terms of looks, there wasn't much difference between my sister and Maria. But my senses, which had become sharper since my Awakening, were dragging my mood down to the depths.
What the hell was it? What was I missing about those Glory Guild bastards?
“Enough worrying.”
I couldn’t waste my mental energy on useless things after coming all this way. An hour and a half on a bus from the terminal. I was standing in front of Gyeongho Subway Station in Daejeon.
This was the location of the country's largest black market, the one Kiril and Dr. Jin had told me about.
Rustle.
When I took a plastic bag out from my coat, Ppori let out a happy ‘Kkuwang!’ sound. Inside the bag was the rare plant, the Copper Eternal Flower, whose scent the little guy had been savoring every day.
“You little rascal… It’ll be sold soon, so breathe it in all you want now.” -Grrrr…
It truly was a strange plant. I hadn’t given it any water or nutrients, yet its brilliant light hadn't faded for two days. According to Dr. Jin, it wouldn't lose its light until the healing essence within was extracted.
Indeed, the Copper Eternal Flower was shining brilliantly even inside the black plastic bag.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath and entered Gyeongho Station's Exit 1. If it weren't for the people coming and going, it was so dark inside I wouldn't have even known there was a passageway. The entrance here was protected by a unique barrier; entry was impossible without Ether in one’s body.
In other words, unless you were a Hunter or an unregistered Awakened, you couldn't even take a look.
Zzzing.
As I passed through the entrance, I felt as if I were being stripped bare, but it wasn't a major issue. And the moment I stepped inside the black market, I became like a country boy seeing Seoul for the first time.
“Whoa…”
Who could call this place a black market? Unlike the narrow, gloomy entrance, a brightly lit space stretched out vast and wide. I had expected long rows of shops along the subway tracks, but it was completely different from my expectations. -Kkuwang.
Ppori, who had turned invisible, shot me a pointed look. It seemed to be scolding me for acting like a rookie.
Ahem.
Right, I shouldn’t look like an easy mark here at the black market. The item in my hand was no ordinary thing. Though it was my first time making a deal, I had to get several times the initial asking price, no matter what.
“Heeyah…”
Was this really an illegally operated market? No, with a scale this large, it was more accurate to say the government was turning a blind eye. All around, rare items and Monsters (!) were on display.
There were taxidermied ones, and small-type ones growling inside iron cages. Why would people pay money for creatures like these? The human mind was a mystery.
As I moved toward the center of the black market, I could even see shops specializing in Hunter devices. Out of curiosity, I entered one of the device shops. The owner glanced at me, adjusted his glasses, and then quickly looked away.
He must have adjusted his glasses upon seeing my birthmark, then lost interest after checking out my shabby (…) clothes. Regardless, I slowly looked around at the devices displayed in the store. Knuckles, daggers, shields, guns, even large firearms.
The variety was immense, but they all had one thing in common. Compared to the device Dr. Jin gave me, their quality was inferior. Compared to the V1, which attached to the cornea to display information, this goggle-shaped device looked incredibly crude.
Where had Dr. Jin moved to? Was he still indiscriminately killing intruders with poison gas (…) there? Had his variety of canned food increased?
After looking around the store, I gave a slight nod to the owner, but he didn't even glance my way this time either.
“Heeyah…”
For a while, I was completely engrossed in looking around the black market. Surprisingly, this was a place one could wander around with a sense of ease.
Why?
Because an Awakened’s ability cannot be judged by ‘appearance’ alone. A C-rank Knight who wears a size 44 is a hundred times stronger than an E-rank Knight who weighs over 100kg. Since you can’t gauge an opponent's abilities, no one makes any rash moves.
And that was a huge help to me. My frail appearance and the fact that I was walking around alone without any companions created the effect of me looking like I was someone special. The very fact that I had entered meant I was at least an Awakened.
On top of that, there was the terrifying (…) birthmark covering half my face. Just as I didn't know the black market, they didn't know me. I was leisurely strolling through the market, taking advantage of the gap created by our mutual lack of information.
Of course, I didn't come up with this entire strategy on my own. It was only possible because Dr. Jin had told me about the things Kiril used to do.
“Hah…”
The problem came next. I couldn’t see any shops that sold rare plants in this black market. There were places selling medicinal herbs and food for humans here and there, but there wasn't a single shop that had anything like the Copper Eternal Flower I possessed, let alone a Gold Eternal Flower.
Should I go deeper inside and ask? But if a newbie like me suddenly said, ‘I’m here to sell a Copper Eternal Flower,’ it would be no different from sticking my head in a shark’s mouth. If I at least knew the market price, I could try to negotiate.
It had been three hours since I entered the black market. I came to the conclusion that there was no way for me to sell my item through normal means. When I reached the end in one direction, the lights grew dim, and there were no people coming or going.
Should I try the other end?
“Kkeung…” -Grrrr…
As if responding to my groan, Ppori let out a cry.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling hopeless, too?” -Grrrrrr.
“?”
No. It seemed like the little guy sometimes empathized with my thoughts, but this was different. He was currently growling at ‘something’.
Pssh!
He suddenly broke out of Stealth.
“What? What's wrong with you?”
Ppori’s eyes quickly scanned left and right, then he leaped into the air. -Kyaong.
“Hey. Stay still…”
“Kyaak!”
Kyaak?
But there’s no one here. Had Ppori finally learned how to speak human words?
“G-get away!”
It wasn't him. I thought this alley was completely empty, but there was someone here. The reason Ppori had jumped was because of an unwelcome guest who had approached while hiding their presence, just like him.
Chomp!
“Ayayayayayayaya.”
Ppori was biting someone on the back of the neck. A red-haired girl with a long scar near her mouth. I had once told Ppori to bite any suspicious person he saw.
But I never imagined it would actually happen.