I received a total of three devices from Dr. Jin. One of them was a cornea-installed type, the same as the one Kiril had given me. Dr. Jin removed the device fitted in my eye and installed an upgraded model.
It was the combat-ready version of the prototype I had before. Perhaps for that reason, it displayed information I hadn't been able to see before.
“Oh…”
I already knew my current body was on par with a low-rank Knight. But after putting on the new device, it seemed to reflect not only my physical abilities but my healing ability as well. An S-rank in Self-Healing Ability, even though I couldn’t resolve most of the poison in my body.
Just what in the world was my body made of? And what was this Poison-type class level? I had many questions, but I had already left Dr. Jin's house (?).
Until he gave me his new location, I had no way to contact him for the time being. I had no choice but to figure it out on my own. I planned to run some kind of test when I got home.
If things went as I thought, I could make myself ‘look’ like a healer. To do that, this fellow’s role would be more important than anything.
“Think you can do it?” -Kkuwang.
Ppori flapped its wings and roared, as if telling me not to doubt it. …It was too pathetic to be called a roar. Kiril had said that when she first had her Awakening, she had red spots all over her body, just like me. That meant she, too, couldn't perfectly control the poison in her body.
Amazingly, Ppori had supposedly devoured all of her remaining poison. Considering the strength she had shown, I couldn't even begin to fathom how vast that amount must have been. Therefore, I could come to the following conclusion.
The amount of poison Ppori could absorb was practically infinite. That must be the reason for its confidence, why its nose was pointed as high as the sky.
“I debated whether I should tell you this or not…”
Before we said our goodbyes, there was one thing Dr. Jin had told me. He was the one who had created the framework of the communication network used by Hunters in the past. The format had changed, but Dr. Jin could still eavesdrop on the transmissions between the Hunter Association and the Guilds if he wished.
“Of course, I haven't had a reason to use it until now. A long tail is bound to be stepped on, and I'm sick and tired of Hunter affairs.”
But the unprecedented Double Gate incident had piqued Dr. Jin's intense curiosity. He checked the transmission records between the Glory Guild, the jurisdiction in charge, and the Hunter Association, and the contents were as follows.
“Unlike what was reported, the damage to the Poison response team deployed to Gupadong was minimal. Had they been deployed to Gaebang District, even late, they could have cut the damage in half.”
“…!!”
For me, that was a final confirmation. The media reports claiming it was an unavoidable event that happened at the same time were all blatant lies. Even though they were in a position to exert more effort, they had abandoned Gaebang District, and the Association had turned a blind eye.
It wasn't just a matter of weighing human lives; they had completely thrown one side away. There was only one reason they abandoned Gaebang District. It was because it was not a profitable area.
“Sometimes, humans seem scarier than monsters.” -Kkuwang.
Ppori nodded its head emphatically, as if to say, ‘You said it.’ I stroked the creature’s head as I descended Cheonggye Mountain.
Seoul, where land is expensive. And among its pricey neighborhoods, Cheongdam District, known as a plot of gold. The headquarters of the Glory Guild, ‘Glory Tower,’ was located there.
A new building, large and majestic, built with nothing but the most expensive materials. Its exterior seemed to boast that they were the most powerful group in the Republic of Korea. Two men were sitting in the reception room of Glory Tower.
“You’ve worked hard, Representative. Thank you for inviting me.”
A reporter with a lean frame and salt-and-pepper hair bowed his head toward a burly man. The man across from him looked to be only in his thirties. The age gap appeared to be at least fifteen years, but neither of them paid it any mind.
The head of the Glory Guild. And the best tank Knight in the Republic of Korea. The man before him was none other than Representative Gu Geon-yi, hailed as a national treasure.
“Hahaha. You’re too kind. I truly hope the sincerity of our Glory Guild has been conveyed.”
“It most certainly will be.”
Gu Geon-yi had been in an interview with the editor-in-chief of the Central Daily News for an hour. It was about the recent unusual incident. The Double Gate from which Poison-type Monsters had appeared.
Given Gu Geon-yi's stature, the Central Daily News could not send someone of mediocre rank. The elderly editor-in-chief coming in person was a sign of respect, and they had maintained a friendly meeting as such. The media and a mega-corporation.
Two groups that absolutely needed to be on good terms.
“Sincerity… Sincerity…”
Even after leaving Glory Tower, the editor-in-chief kept repeating the same word.
Sincerity.
The editor-in-chief knew as well as the back of his hand what sincerity Gu Geon-yi was talking about. That the Glory Guild had done its best during the last Double Gate, and the victims’ deaths were unavoidable. It would be something along those lines.
What happened behind the scenes, what the ‘truth’ was, didn’t matter. Gu Geon-yi wanted sincerity, not truth, and from now on, the editor-in-chief would only write about that sincerity. The newspapers and webpages of the Central Daily News were filled with Glory Guild’s advertisements almost every day.
A massive sum, accounting for over 30% of their total advertising revenue. At this point, even if it were the editor-in-chief’s grandfather, he would have no choice but to turn away from the ‘truth.’
“Well… if you think about it, it's not entirely wrong. Glory Guild did definitively protect Gupadong…”
The editor-in-chief rationalized it to himself, a bitter taste in his mouth.
Gu Geon-yi.
His growth of the Glory Guild was not solely due to his qualities as a Hunter. No. Perhaps his talent as a businessman surpassed his talent as a Hunter. Skillful rhetoric and a trustworthy image.
And a natural talent for political maneuvering, completely at odds with his sturdy appearance. On top of that, the strategic mind to express his key points indirectly, as he did just now. The person with the most influential voice in the Hunter Association was, of course, Representative Gu Geon-yi.
Therefore, even a major media outlet like themselves had no choice but to write articles that suited his taste. Was there any group that would dare to defy the Glory Guild, which had seized money, power, and even the media? The editor-in-chief shook his head from side to side and started his car.
Meanwhile.
As soon as the editor-in-chief left, Gu Geon-yi roughly tore off the necktie around his neck.
“Why so many questions? Shit. Is he hard of hearing because he’s old?”
The good-natured smile he had worn throughout the interview was nowhere to be found. All that remained was the ferocious warrior who crushed monsters on the battlefield. His bulging trapezius muscles and short-cropped hair seemed to represent his temperament.
“How did the new recruitment go?”
Gu Geon-yi, having left the reception room, spoke to the chief secretary beside him.
“Yes. Among the top 30% of Hunters who passed the qualification test, we have recruited half.”
“Half… What’s the average tier?”
At that, the chief secretary’s face stiffened slightly.
“B-tier… sir. There are about five A-tiers… but a few C-tiers have also been included.”
“C-tier?”
His voice wasn’t loud. But that low, sunken voice made the chief secretary break out in a cold sweat. From past experience, it seemed Gu Geon-yi was quite dissatisfied with the current situation.
Rank aside, how many employees could face the wrath of an S-rank Knight head-on? The chief secretary put his brain into full gear and stressed that the situation was unavoidable.
“That was the best we could do. No S-rank prospects were found this quarter, and the Hunters we recruited as C-tier are all healer types.”
At the word healer, Gu Geon-yi's eyes softened a little.
“Right… In a world like this where you never know what will pop out, supplementing healers is essential. Speaking of which, is Maria still in ‘that state’?”
“Yes… She is in her private healing chamber right now.”
“Tsk tsk… Just how long does she plan to continue that foolish act.”
Gu Geon-yi shook his head and clicked his tongue. It was true in the past, but now more than ever, it was an era that needed healers. And the Glory Guild had a legendary healer who had been with them since its inception.
Maria.
A founding member of the Glory Guild, just like Gu Geon-yi, and an S-tier Hunter ranked within the top three not just in the country, but in the entire world. The public support for Maria was practically at the level of worship. A face that looked as if it were sculpted to match her ability to heal people.
Just looking at her benevolent smile was enough to make one feel healed. The public had given her the nickname ‘saint.’ It wasn't a fitting nickname for someone still in her early twenties, but the public's support for Maria could be considered in the realm of actual faith.
As benevolent as the smile she showed people was, Maria was a person with a gentle disposition. The problem was that, because of it, she harbored more guilt than necessary.
“Let’s go in.”
“…Yes.”
In front of Maria’s private healing chamber. Gu Geon-yi was scratching his head as if reluctant, while the chief secretary’s face was deathly pale. It was a healing chamber in name only.
It was a space where secretive acts, the complete opposite of Maria’s image, were repeatedly performed.
“Keuk…”
As soon as he stepped inside, the chief secretary clutched his nose. The place was shrouded in the ghastly smell of blood. A deep line formed on Gu Geon-yi's brow, but his voice had turned as gentle as it was during the interview.
“Ria. This time, it’s taking quite a while.”
“…You’re here.”
A woman covered in blood from head to toe. A woman whose appearance was so unfitting for a saint was kneeling on the floor.
“Let’s stop now. We did our best.”
“……”
Maria was silent for a moment, then slit her own carotid artery with her slender, jade-like hand.
Fwsh.
“Ugh… ughh!”
As blood poured out like a waterfall, the chief secretary couldn’t hold back a groan. Gu Geon-yi sent the half-crazed chief secretary outside, then took Maria’s red hand.
“Ria.”
Amazingly, her neck had already become smooth. Even though blood was still pooling, her extraordinary healing ability wouldn’t leave the wound alone.
“Representative Gu. I still don’t know. Is it true that we did our best?”
A sharp chill settled in her always-warm eyes. Gu Geon-yi’s eyebrow twitched for a fleeting moment, but he nodded with a resolute face.
“Yes. Unless we have two bodies, we cannot block a Double Gate with just one team.”
“What if we had split the team in half? Or if we had gone to Gaebang District, even if we were late…”
“Ria.”
Gu Geon-yi’s voice turned firm.
“That sounds to me like you’re saying I’m not qualified to be the Guild’s leader.”
“That’s not it… It’s not that, but…”
“I know. You’re always tormented, thinking of the people you couldn’t save. But I swear on everything I have. We, and you, fought with all our might. This time as well.”
So please stop this goddamn nonsense. Those were the words he most wanted to say, but Gu Geon-yi swallowed them. Gu Geon-yi’s biggest worry in this Double Gate incident was not the media, the protests of the bereaved families, or the government.
It was the woman before him, covered in blood, Maria. She was a kind person, but she was no fool. The fact that the healing (?) ritual, which normally ended in a day, had been going on for several days.
That was proof that she harbored doubts about their handling of the Double Gate.
“I know you’re deeply grieved. I’ll grant you a period of rest for now, so how about you get some fresh air instead of being in a dark place like this.”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
She replied, but her voice still seemed to lack energy. Was there an event that could mentally refresh her? Gu Geon-yi racked his brain and soon found a satisfactory answer.
“I’ll contact you separately later, so go to the Hunter Association headquarters.”
“The headquarters?”
“Yes. The condition of the recently recruited Hunters is rather lackluster. For the next test, I’d like you to personally select the promising healers and compile a list.”
She was a woman with such a kind disposition that she felt pity even for monsters. It would be better for her emotionally to look after the budding sprouts than to be dragged onto the battlefield against her will.
It wasn't common for a Hunter from a private company to participate in Hunter selection, but since the company was ‘Glory Guild’ and the examiner was ‘Maria,’ it was essentially a free pass. It was another moment where Gu Geon-yi’s cunning mind, belying his appearance, shone through.
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
Maria answered as before, but this time, a different kind of relief was woven into her voice. She would be out of this goddamn space soon. Gu Geon-yi offered her a farewell with a satisfied look on his face.
“I hope you find a precious connection at the next qualification test.”