Chapter 362

One puzzling question remained: why had someone who, until last year, had been so considerate of others suddenly begun exuding such an overwhelming presence?

“That video creator, Han Jehoon, was right. Kim Giryeo really is that kind of person. No wonder I fainted in the middle of the street.”

The Hunters in the auditorium cast wary glances at the menacing S-rank, like people bracing themselves against a raging typhoon.

All the man at the entrance had done was find an empty seat and sit down with a stern expression. Yet the clammy tension spreading through the room showed no sign of easing.

“Hunters! Thank you for waiting so lo—... heuk?”

A moment later, even the person who entered the auditorium to give the briefing visibly flinched when they looked toward the audience.

That alone showed just how overwhelming the S-rank’s aura was. Even an Association employee—someone accustomed to encountering high-level espers on a daily basis—had been startled by it.

“I-I’m truly sorry for being late. It wasn’t intentional... I’ll begin the forecast briefing right away.”

Frankly, it was the kind of situation that made the words Please spare me spring naturally to mind.

And yet the reason behind the aura that had intimidated so many people was surprisingly trivial.

“My retirement... is canceled?”

The alien creature that had terrified everyone present was, in truth, mentally rather fragile.

Kim Giryeo had appeared in public for the first time after nearly two months of absence. But as anyone could tell from the turbulent mana swirling uncontrollably around him, for some reason, he had completely lost the ability to keep it contained.

“Even after reincarnating—after basically getting a second life—I’m still a penniless beggar with hundreds of billions in debt and not a single cent in savings?”

That was the secret behind his grim appearance.

“Ugh.”

The alien creature, uncharacteristically, swallowed back tears as he stared at the PPT in front of him.

Incidentally, dressed in a suit from head to toe, the man looked like the very embodiment of a working professional.

And the only thing on his mind was:

I want to go home.

***

But this was something I couldn’t avoid.

Paying taxes was a necessary step toward becoming a proper Earthling.

That was why I steeled myself and came all the way to the Hunter Association.

“I’m planning to start earning money seriously from now on. But I can’t exactly ignore an impending disaster and chase nothing but personal profit, can I?”

I barely suppressed the urge to sob as I pulled out my phone.

“If I did something like that, my precious name, Kim Giryeo, really would end up all over the headlines.”

After waiting a few minutes, I finally received the full explanation from the Association staff.

I opened the calendar app on my phone—something I had only recently learned how to use—and added an event titled Red Gate Rush.

From now on, this wasn’t the time to sit around grieving. It was time to overcome the trials placed before me.

But before making any concrete plans, there was something I needed to consider.

“The amount I need to earn isn’t simply 30 billion. Since I bought an expensive house, I’ll also have to keep paying property taxes and maintenance fees from now on.”

After all, careful planning was the foundation of a proper freeloading life.

“I can’t just cover the taxes. Once living expenses are included, realistically, I’ll need around 40 billion.”

The calculation was soon complete.

The amount of money I needed to earn from this point onward was an enormous 40 billion.

It didn’t seem like something I could resolve in a short period of time.

Even in this world, being an S-rank Hunter didn’t mean money simply materialized out of thin air.

Especially as an individual rather than a corporation, how was I supposed to earn that much through labor alone?

“Besides, as an alien, investing is incredibly difficult for me...”

This may seem sudden, but at times like this, I couldn’t help thinking of someone truly remarkable.

The number-one Hunter, Jung Haseong, had once managed to pay an astonishing 6 billion a month in tutoring fees.

So, if I could earn money at a similar rate, could I really clear the 30 billion in taxes in just five months...?

The problem was that his income belonged to an exceptionally rare category.

Having 6 billion in cash disappear every single month and still being able to endure it?

That was only possible because the person in question was Jung Haseong.

With that kind of diligence—practically the diligence of a national hero—even a little luck with item drops would probably have been enough for him to repay hundreds of billions in debt in no time.

Unfortunately, my temperament was fundamentally different from that hero’s.

“I don’t even know how many times I’ve thought this already, but I hate working! And especially in winter, I absolutely refuse to go outside!”

Forget doing everything Jung Haseong could do.

I didn’t even have the confidence to manage one-tenth of it.

“If I start working five days a week like the mammals on this planet, I’ll get sick of life in no time.”

Therefore, after much deliberation, I reached a decision.

Since there was still some time before the taxes were due, I would start working from today onward and clear dungeons at a pace that wouldn’t wear me out.

“Right. I’m already outside anyway...”

Once I reached that conclusion, there was no reason to hesitate.

I operated the phone in my hand and opened the public service application.

“Should I clear one dungeon before heading home?”

Then I moved my thumb across the screen to reserve entry to one or two gates.

“There are fewer than there were two months ago, but there are still quite a few A-rank gates left.”

For the record, that was also why I had come all the way to the Seoul Association.

There had apparently been briefings about this so-called Red Gate Rush near my home as well, but the capital naturally had the largest concentration of high-difficulty gates—the ones that actually paid well.

“To think something as trivial as work is forcing me to leave the warmth of my home.”

Standing in the middle of the capital, surrounded by Earth’s aliens, I suddenly felt the urge to wipe at my eyes.

But true to my nature as an aquatic creature with no concept of tear glands, not a single salty tear emerged.

[Ting]

After a moment, the only thing that came from near my pocket was the familiar sound of a notification.

[Gate entry request has been approved.]

But what was this situation supposed to mean?

It happened around the moment my phone chimed to confirm that the request had gone through.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

A commotion erupted somewhere nearby.

To put it metaphorically, it felt like the tension of an entire herd of savanna elephants charging straight toward me.

Of course, it wasn’t the approaching person’s actual weight that caused such a reaction.

“That’s right! So don’t take the monsters!”

This time, it was Seo Esther who appeared.

However, this reunion came with a somewhat unusual twist.

When I looked around, Jung Haseong was holding a phone with an active video call on the screen.

“Judging by the fact that the model changed, it looks like they broke another phone while working...”

Anyway.

“And what was that just now? You were trying to claim an A-rank gate in Seoul? Wasn’t Hunter Kim Giryeo supposed to be retiring?”

I addressed the woman who had her face pressed close to the camera.

“From what I heard, it seems that news about me taking a break somehow reached you through Jung Haseong.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then this will be easy to explain. I’ve finished taking care of myself, and starting today, I’ve decided to return.”

Of course, reversing what I had said before would naturally bring up the promise I had made to the number-one Hunter.

But at this point, accompanying someone like him wouldn’t pose any real problem.

“Other than having to split the profits, there’s no reason to refuse—”

I relaxed and blinked a few times to ease my eyes.

But the reaction I received was far beyond anything I could have imagined.

“A-As expected, was it because we weren’t good enough that you made that decision?”

“Ugh.”

“But how could we possibly send Hunter into a dungeon? Please reconsider!”

“I absolutely refuse to send you into a dungeon until dirt gets in my eyes! I said I won’t let you go!”

Jung Haseong and Seo Esther, the two Earthlings, suddenly began shouting as though they were pleading for their lives.

From what I could tell, they were objecting.

Fortunately, their reasons seemed to be positive ones.

“Hmm?”

From the perspective of someone on the verge of becoming a 40-billion-won tax delinquent, it was an extremely awkward situation.

I checked whether there happened to be a flowerbed with some dirt nearby, then returned my attention to the conversation in front of me.

***

Why had Korea’s top S-rank espers suddenly started behaving like this?

To explain that, it was necessary to look back at what had happened over the past two months.

One clue was the fact that, despite the famous Hunter Giryeo having secluded himself from the public eye, the entire world had remained strangely peaceful.

[Official Government Announcement]

[Gate accident fatalities today: ‘0.’ A historic record... Hunter teams responsible for public safety are expected to receive presidential commendations.]

Only now did the truth begin to emerge.

The past two months had actually been the safest period the country had experienced in a very long time.

South Korea had passed through an almost ideal season without a single dungeon break of B-rank or higher.

And naturally, there were two people behind that remarkable phenomenon.

“Haseong-ssi, do you know about that?”

“I don’t.”

“I’ve been checking the internet every day lately to keep up with the news. Netizens have started joking that, judging by our recent activity, the number of dungeon-running machines must have suddenly doubled.”

“Ah, yes.”

“By the way, excuse me for asking, but are you perhaps avoiding conversations with the opposite sex because of your appearance?”

“No, it’s not that. I just went to all-boys middle and high schools...”

The undisputed celebrities of the Korean Peninsula exchanged a few words.

This encounter had taken place shortly after Hunter Giryeo began his break.

In fact, over the past two months, Jung Haseong and Seo Esther had met often enough to develop a certain degree of familiarity with one another.

“Anyway, does that mean all of the A-rank gates that appeared this time have been dealt with?”

“That’s right. The campaign was carried out successfully even through our Magic Tower guild branches, so I can say with confidence that there are hardly any left.”

The reason their relationship had changed so abruptly was simple.

In short, the two of them had been actively supporting a certain esper’s rest.

“Hunter Kim Giryeo cares deeply about public safety... so much so that he even investigated fringe groups no one else paid attention to, like the Rakshasa Temple...”

“-_-”

“But if dungeon breaks keep happening everywhere, there’s no way he’ll actually go through with retirement, right?”

“I understand. I used to have the same disposition. Of course he wouldn’t.”

They wanted their fellow awakener to be able to rest without worrying.

So the two of them had voluntarily set out to create an environment where he could do exactly that, and they had carried out their plan almost perfectly.

Instead of reporting on the blond man who had disappeared from public view, various television channels spent their time praising the unusual peace that had settled over the country.

“It’s perfect that the COAT happens to be going on right now—”

Esther wiped away the precious sweat she had earned through hard labor and thought to herself.

“With this, no matter how much effort we put into safety management, no one will think we’re showing favoritism!”

To be honest, maintaining this level of intensive management forever would have been impossible.

Still, for the time being, she was reasonably satisfied with what they had accomplished.

“Let’s just keep things like this.”

After all, the goal was to demonstrate that the industry could function perfectly well even without one S-rank Hunter.

And so the two Hunters continued their efforts, allowing the patient, Kim Giryeo, to focus entirely on recovery.

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes. The article was taken down immediately to protect his privacy, but apparently the contents themselves were true.”

“Finally, Giryeo-ssi abandoned that shabby house and signed a contract for a villa! There’s no doubt about it—he must be planning to recuperate properly!”

And after two months had passed, by the time snow began swirling through the air, they believed everything had finally been settled.

.

.

.

.

.

But how long had their relief lasted?

How could everything change in the span of a single week?

“I’ve decided to return starting today.”

Let us set aside trivial matters such as the summons order having been triggered by mistake.

The important point was that this single statement came as an enormous shock to two particular people.

“Hunter Kim Giryeo is returning?”

Someone suffering from an extremely rare disease—a case of awakened non-small cell carcinoma, with a tumor that could spread unpredictably—was saying that instead of resting, he intended to return to work without hesitation.

The man in the suit standing before them spoke politely and calmly.

But to the Earth natives, the alien’s words sounded more like this:

Looking at the state you people are in, there’s no way I could rest in peace. I’m just going back to work.

That was why the two S-rank Hunters had practically shouted themselves hoarse.

They even began demanding to know what, exactly, had been lacking in the results they had achieved thus far.

“What is this? What’s wrong with you?”

Naturally, from the alien’s perspective, their reaction was utterly baffling.

So Giryeo immediately tried to explain himself to the Earthling standing before him.

“No, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You had nothing to do with my decision.”

“Yes!”

“I only came out to work because I need to earn a living—”

But he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“An S-rank is worried about making a living?”

“A top-tier awakened person doesn’t have any money?”

The reason was simple.

The instant the subject came up, both Jung Haseong standing directly in front of him and Esther on the video call fixed him with fierce glares, as though they were staring at a blatant liar.