Chapter 302

At the same time, she felt a pang of regret that Kim Giryeo hadn't been recruited into the Korean Magic Tower Guild.

'If an equal relationship is difficult, I'd still like us to become allies somehow.'

The most effective way for Hunters to build rapport with one another was to form an official team.

'At this rate, even Jung Haseong, who's essentially our team's reserve member, might keep chasing after nothing until he dies of old age simply because he never properly mastered the secret...'

Haha.

But would that cold-faced Hunter ever need a teammate in his lifetime?

"Hunter Esther, w-why are you sighing? Was I too slow marking the magic stones?"

"No way."

Esther once again found herself deeply regretting that this Hunter had never joined her guild, and the thought weighed heavily on her.

Meanwhile, the alien, still cautiously gauging the curse-wielder's mood, finally relaxed once he confirmed that she wasn't actually angry.

Only then did he dare to think,

'Fortunately, it works well.'

Swish, swish, swish.

He quietly brushed at his glove from an angle Esther couldn't see.

'Experiment complete.'

Not only attacks from A-rank beasts, but even the invisible force of a curse could be absorbed by this arcane artifact, provided that the power had a clearly defined direction.

'As a mage, I've always felt uneasy exposing my bare hands so openly, considering how crucial they are to spellcasting. I'm really glad I finally have such an excellent outer covering for them!'

And with that, the [Gloves of Midnight] were complete.

As of today, he had secured yet another viable means of survival.

Suppressing the hum that threatened to escape his lips, Giryeo finished marking the locations of the magic stones.

Thus ended a long outing.

***

Some time later.

A municipal training facility for Awakened in Seoul.

"Your right shoulder is dropping a little too much. Jung Haseong, is your body slightly asymmetrical or something?"

I had finally returned to a completely normal life.

To be honest, it had already been quite some time since I regained this peaceful routine.

I'd dealt with that insane skill-stealing incident.

I'd crafted new equipment that I was genuinely satisfied with.

And even after taking care of everything, I still had enough money left over that I wasn't exactly struggling.

Seriously, what hardship could life possibly throw at me now?

'I get all the sleep and food I never had in my previous life.'

There really wasn't much to say about the past two weeks.

South Korea had been peaceful for the most part.

And by peaceful, I mean the plans I'd been working on since the beginning of the year had been progressing smoothly toward completion.

Teaching activities worth a staggering three billion won a month.

Sure, the lessons had been postponed again and again because one disaster after another kept happening.

And, to be fair, I still had plenty on my plate even now.

But when this much money was involved, wouldn't it be only right to see the curriculum through properly to the very end?

"Asymmetrical? Really?"

"No. Your posture was just terrible. I misread it."

But the truth was, responsibility wasn't the only reason I'd returned to my role as an instructor.

Sure, I'd blown through all the compensation money I'd received from Imabari in Japan, and as a result I couldn't afford a top-tier residence anymore.

But whatever.

That wasn't the real problem.

"Hmm."

Recently, the atmosphere of the world I'd reincarnated into had begun to feel strange.

[Is This Yet Another Result of 'Ecosystem Disruption'? U.S. Government Officially Acknowledges Rising Global Gate Difficulty]

[Should I Start Looking for Another Job? — The Unexpected Struggles of an F-rank Hunter...]

[Column] The Rarefaction of the Lowest-Tier Monster, the Horned Rabbit — Is It Justified to Classify Dungeon Creatures as Endangered Species?]

It was something anyone could notice simply by glancing at an online news site.

When nearly every major headline from every major outlet pointed in the same direction, how could anyone who wasn't completely cut off from the news fail to notice?

'This doesn't seem like something I can laugh off.'

To summarize everything I'd read so far, the issue was simple.

For some reason, dungeon difficulty around the world had begun trending upward.

'No. This really isn't something I can just laugh about...'

The Great Cataclysm hadn't even happened yet, and new magical beasts were already appearing with increasing frequency in dungeons across the world.

Most shocking of all was the research published by certain mammalian scholars suggesting that, within just ten years, the very concept of an F-rank Gate might disappear entirely.

[Should I Start Looking for Another Job? — The Unexpected Struggles of an F-rank Hunter...]

That headline clearly stemmed from precisely this phenomenon.

Originally, Earthlings had assumed that dungeon difficulty simply fluctuated between easier and harder periods, like the changing of the four seasons.

But eight years after the Dungeon Shock, enough data had finally accumulated for them to realize—belatedly—that dungeon strength had actually been rising steadily all along.

'The more accustomed a host becomes to stimulation, the stronger the pain it demands. In a way, that's only natural.'

I stood with my arms crossed, briefly lost in thought.

'But the real problem is always the speed. Why does everything on Earth happen so damn fast?'

F-rank monsters such as the [Poison Moth], which were generally harmless to humans, had already disappeared from Earth by roughly twenty-eight percent.

Whatever the underlying cause, the extinction of a species was always something worth worrying about.

'Even if the creatures were artificially created through unnatural means, extinction is still something to be wary of.'

If F-grade Gates vanished completely within ten years, it might actually lead to an expansion of employment opportunities for superpowered individuals across various countries.

'Strictly speaking, this body isn't even a real F-rank.'

Who cares about the Awakened job market?

Earthlings, I simply hate working!

'Ugh. Lately, my sense of defeat has gotten so bad that I've even stopped calling myself an Archmage, but regardless, I absolutely refuse to ever get a proper job again.'

Work...

Anyway, I stopped myself from even thinking about that dreadful word.

And then another thought came to mind.

'Ha.'

In the end, this rise in dungeon difficulty was nothing more than the Gisinche throwing a tantrum because they wanted more food.

But I, on the other hand, had been reduced to a half-dead grey thing that had lost nearly all of its former standing as a mage.

"Damn it."

The statistics the Earthlings had published genuinely worried me.

'I can still deal with possession-type entities somehow. But the monster waves generated by the Gisinche... that's a completely different story.'

How was an F-rank Hunter—someone treated as dust by all kinds of barriers—supposed to fight and defeat enhanced monsters?

'If the Gisinche make even the slightest mistake in their setup, won't I get swept away along with everything else?'

Flutter.

The more I thought about the future, the more it felt as though I were trapped in a dead end.

So I resolved to continue researching ways to awaken the growth potential of this body—Kim Giryeo.

Of course, I would also search for alternative routes, just in case that research failed to produce quick results.

After all, raising a powerful weapon of my own to protect me didn't sound like a bad idea either.

"Whoo..."

"..."

I turned my head and spotted a familiar mammal at the center of the gym.

For a moment, I observed the man sitting cross-legged on the floor.

As the scene suggested, the new homeowner was currently engaged in something resembling meditation.

The crown of his head.

His shoulders.

His thighs and ankles.

And so on.

Low-grade ignition magic stones had been placed all over his body.

Training in this state sharpened one's sensitivity to heat, which was naturally one of the primary sensations dealt with by fire mages.

'In this capitalist society, it's rare to find such a kind landlord... I really did want to flatter him as much as possible.'

However, during the course of correcting his technique, the same problem surfaced yet again.

"He's dull."

Jung Haseong was a serious theorist...

Since I was living rent-free, I'd tried to dress it up as an advantage.

But to put it another way, he simply had no instinct for magic.

The growth methods I'd taught him up until now had been fine.

They were structured so that anyone who properly understood the underlying principles could achieve results through enough practice.

But the final skill I was teaching him now?

That one was ninety percent intuition.

No.

More like ninety-nine point nine percent raw talent.

An unfair kind of power.

"The lessons I prepared are almost over."

To be honest, I didn't think Jung Haseong would ever fully master that skill.

A flame sorcerer's ultimate technique.

Wrapping the entire body in fire and thereby merging offense and defense into one.

Well, even for a race that drew power from flame, there was no way an ordinary mammal could pull off something like that easily.

'Still, if he keeps training like this, he'll eventually learn to control his overflowing mana more precisely. So in the end, Jung Haseong won't lose anything from it.'

I slipped a hand into the pocket of my newly purchased suit trousers.

'But from an instructor's perspective, I often feel like I'm wasting my time. Maybe I really should just finish these lessons quickly instead of dragging them out for the sake of getting paid...' 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

After waiting a little longer, the alarm I'd set on my phone began to ring.

5 p.m.

Today's lesson ended without incident once again.

"Phew."

We left the Awakened-only training gym right on time, just as our rental period expired.

But around then, the student—who hadn't asked a single question during the entire lesson—suddenly struck up a casual conversation.

"Hunter-nim."

"Huh?"

"By the way, I haven't seen those gloves before. Did you get yourself a new item?"

Earth-style leather gloves.

My secret weapon, acquired at the staggering cost of one hundred billion won.

And since Esther didn't possess any real magic worthy of being called [Memories], there was no reason for me to reveal every detail.

"I just bought something suitable because my hands were cold. They say it's made from the hide of a unicorn-type beast."

"It's not even September yet."

"Chronic cold hands and feet."

"Ah."

I proudly showed him the back of the leather glove, and the innocent Jung Haseong nodded as though that explanation made perfect sense.

With his question answered, the conversation drifted back into meaningless small talk.

"Hey, Haseong. How about we make some doenjang-jjigae when we get home today?"

"Yes?"

"I'm just a freeloader, so it's been hard for me to say anything until now... but honestly, the stew from that side-dish shop you always order from doesn't taste very good."

"Stew?"

"From what I've seen, you don't seem to like it either. You always just pick at the broth. You know, people need to eat properly if they want to... I mean, like you said, that's how their skills come out better."

I wanted to eat something specific.

But since it wasn't my kitchen, I pretended to be the considerate houseguest and subtly steered the dinner menu in the direction I wanted.

A short while later, the plan succeeded.

Jung Haseong, completely fooled by my claim that a balanced diet was essential for magical development, started the car.

Originally, the plan had been simple.

We would stop by a nearby discount supermarket, buy the ingredients, and head home.

'I've saved money on rent, so I might as well spend a little extra on good ingredients.'

Come to think of it, there seemed to be some peculiar culture surrounding passenger cars on Earth.

But I still couldn't quite understand what it was.

"Hmm."

When Jung Haseong's car arrived, I simply thought the rear seat offered a wider view, so I reached for the back door.

Why was the driver so surprised when I tried to sit in the rear when the seat was empty anyway?

"What on earth does that reaction mean?"

If I hesitated now, I'd only make things look even more suspicious.

So I deliberately ignored his reaction and stubbornly stuck with my choice.

'Let's see. The essentials I need to buy first are seasoning, zucchini, tofu...'

Once I'd settled into the seat I liked, all that remained was to wait until we reached our destination.

Tiring. Tiring.

A sound the original owner of this body had once heard in a television drama was now ringing out in real life.

In plain terms, a default ringtone filled the inside of the car.

As for me, when I'd gotten a new phone, I'd changed my ringtone to the sound of falling droplets for atmosphere.

So this definitely wasn't mine.

"Damn it."

The phone of South Korea's number-one-ranked Hunter was ringing.

Was there any more ominous sign in this entire world?

"The phone's ringing..."

Soon after, the traffic light ahead turned red.

Once the car came to a stop in accordance with traffic laws, Jung Haseong pressed a button on the steering wheel and answered the call through the hands-free system.

"Hello...!"

"I'm driving."

Jung Haseong calmly explained his situation.

Overall, he seemed composed.

Apparently, he was accustomed to receiving calls like this.

But the person on the other end was shouting frantically, as if there were a fire burning directly beneath their feet.

Tuk.

I rested my elbow against the door beside my seat and sank into thought.

'Oh my.'

As expected of a planet where people say no flower stays in bloom for ten days, a Hunter's peace couldn't even last a full month.

.

.

.

So what exactly was the message Jung Haseong had received?

To put it bluntly, the Korean Hunter Association had entered a state of total emergency.

"Anyway, Hunter-nim... I'm sorry for contacting you while you're driving. But if you have the time, we would really appreciate it if you could come to the Association."

They weren't talking about soybean paste stew.

What they really meant was:

Even if you have to skip your meal, make time and come here no matter what.

Was it really that urgent?

The man whose voice sounded like a news anchor voiced his doubt.

But the Association representative's next words made even me pay attention.

Because even outsiders unfamiliar with Hunters would recognize the name he mentioned.

"I'm sorry, Hunter, but there are simply too many things we need to ask you."

The Association employee, nervously bouncing his leg while gripping the receiver, finally revealed the reason for the emergency to the S-rank Hunter on the line.

"It's... it's a disaster. The [Tower of a Hundred People] has appeared in Sejong City..."