Chapter 372

But revealing that someone is an Ultra Alien is an entirely different matter......

‘Hmm.’

At this point, a little additional explanation is necessary.

It wasn’t out of mere whim that I rejected the dungeon’s gimmick. If even a single illusion were created from my actual memories, this gate would immediately descend into utter chaos.

‘Let’s try looking at it from an Earthling’s perspective for a moment. Yeah. As expected, the Alphaurin would look like 100% pure monsters to them.’

Therefore, appropriate preventive measures were essential.

That said, there was no need for any grand explanation. The anomaly occurring right now had actually arisen for an extremely simple reason.

‘Why do you think I haven’t fallen victim to Seo Esther’s curse all this time?’

The soul of an archmage naturally repels mental interference calibrated to Earth-level minds.

So, to be precise, it wasn’t that I hadn’t been affected by the dungeon.

It was closer to saying that the dungeon simply couldn’t affect me.

‘Is this defense perhaps too strong by current Earth standards?’

The more carefully I thought about it, the more I had to admit that might be true.

‘Still, better too much than too little.’

Everything remained within expectations.

It was fine.

Gismche were basically insects.

Feeding, craving, imitation.

Beyond those things, these cosmic creatures rarely engaged in any particularly complex or high-level thought, which made them poor at accounting for irregular variables.

Especially during the early stages of planetary conquest, they often fell into even the most ordinary traps because they were too preoccupied with eating.

‘Even this ‘Happiness’ dungeon can get by with nothing more than piles of dollars and other trivial rewards humans generally like.’

But openly displaying my status as the Archmage?

For some reason, the dungeon had failed to produce anything at all.

That was why, ever since my second awakening, I had been restraining myself from using magic that was too advanced.

‘Hmm.’

Anyway, I could say with certainty that the absence of a single illusion posed no problem whatsoever.

That settled that concern.

Now it was time to turn to the main issue.

The truth was, what I really needed to pay attention to lay elsewhere.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first EX-rank I’ve entered since regaining my mana.’

It wasn’t exactly something I could discuss openly with other people, so I usually kept quiet about it.

But this EX-rank gate—this otherworld—possessed certain peculiar characteristics... Ȓ₳ΝȯΒΕŝ

Ssshk.

I tilted my neck in a suitably human manner and examined the ceiling.

The impression conveyed through my sambaegan eyes grew even harsher.

Ignoring that, I continued observing.

And the sixth sense that had awakened after my second awakening whispered inside my mind.

More precisely, it was the conclusion I reached by concentrating on the tiniest details like a living microscope.

‘As expected, there’s no ‘vision.’’

A specialized term that Earthlings would never understand briefly surfaced in my mind.

‘Could this be a table prepared by a Gismche with unusual tastes, making it somewhat different from the ordinary kind?’

But just then, the mammal beside me interrupted my thoughts.

“Hunter Kim Giryeo.”

Jung Haseong.

Despite possessing a fire-attributed superpower, his face was as pale as someone who had just been dragged out of the water.

“Now, I think I’m starting to understand.”

For reference, whenever that young man showed an unusual reaction, there was an eighty-to-ninety-percent chance he had fallen into that particular state of mind.

“Hunter Kim, have you perhaps never truly been happy in your life? There’s nothing that genuinely stirs your desire, whether it’s money or anything else. So if happiness itself is something you can’t feel... wouldn’t that explain why only your illusion never appeared in this dungeon?”

Illusion...

“No—”

The instant I heard the national hero’s words, a response embedded in this Korean body sprang naturally from my mouth.

“Even the police dog produced something it liked, so there’s no way a human like me wouldn’t have done the same.”

With a head circumference of barely 57 cm, how much creativity could anyone possibly expect?

The Earthling’s guess had been completely wrong from the very beginning.

There was no real need to continue the conversation, but I subtly lowered my gaze back toward the ground while giving an appropriate response.

‘Since we’re inside an EX-rank dungeon, there’s no benefit in behaving recklessly.’

A pity, but the observation would end here.

And so would these utterly mistaken assumptions.

Naturally, I took a step away from the dining table of a monster that had crossed over from the far side of the galaxy.

As I did, I added a brief explanation.

“The illusion probably didn’t appear simply because I’m strong.”

A reason that was, quite literally, impeccably simple.

“Besides, even if Seo Esther had come here, the result would probably have been more or less the same, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re saying that again. Even in the interview you gave after defeating [Siren], you mentioned the similarities between yourself and Representative Seo.”

“Uh...”

“Then, if you don’t mind me asking, what relationship is there between water and curses when it comes to your attributes?”

“Ah, you remember that interview. I was about to explain it from the beginning because I assumed you wouldn’t know anything about it.”

By now, cold sweat was beginning to form.

But let’s gloss over that.

After all, what topic could possibly be off-limits between workers who had finally finished their job?

“Anyway, what I have in common with curse users is....”

A human trap that brought happiness.

After escaping that paradoxical snare, we spent some time exchanging idle bits of conversation.

“What we have in common is mental resilience. I’m simply naturally resistant, while Seo Esther’s ability is literal mental interference.”

“—”

“Oh, but has that information already been made public?”

“Yes. The fact that the curse is actually a separate phenomenon called Hyper Nocebo was made public about three months ago through a French paper.”

“So by ‘public,’ you mean ordinary civilians know about it now? In other words, it’s no longer information restricted to specialists or the authorities?”

“Uh... that...”

“It’s fine. You can explain it normally.”

“I’m sorry for bringing this up so late, but I was wondering whether you might be affiliated with the National Intelligence Service...”

“?”

Honestly, there had been quite a few complications along the way, but taken as a whole, this overseas mission had been a success.

A greeting from the President of Turkey.

The delightful 5 billion won reward from an elderly couple who had dramatically reconciled with their S-rank hunter son.

And the wholehearted attempts to clear up certain misunderstandings—particularly those involving the National Intelligence Service—during the flight home, among other things.

‘Finally, I can return to Korea. To my second homeland.’

Afterward, I handled a few follow-up matters and headed home.

With my wallet running low, I quickly abandoned any thoughts of sightseeing.

***

I had boldly ventured into the nest of happiness that had swallowed numerous hunters, and had even managed to rescue a single police dog from inside the dungeon without incident.

In doing so, I had once again set quite a remarkable record.

[UJI Renewal] HunterNet]

[qwe**: 5 billion? Who the hell would take a job like that??]

For reference, when a certain Turkish couple had first published their plea in the newspaper, netizens from countries around the world had responded overwhelmingly negatively...

[l3**: Wow~ The price of an S-rank’s life is so high, and they’re trying to rescue one with pocket change like that— So frugal ㅋㅋㅋ. I get that they’re desperate, but... ㅋㅋㅋ seriously, who could possibly attempt a rescue for that amount?]

[They should talk to the government and somehow raise more money. Who’s going to risk their life for that—]

[000*: Wait, what’s wrong with the comments above? 5 billion won is normally a fortune that could take three generations to earn. And you’re calling it pocket change = =;]

[l3***: Sure, everyone knows that, but to an S-rank it really is pocket change.]

[l3***: If you look at the situation objectively, honestly, there’s no hero who’d step forward for that amount.]

And then, amid this chaotic period when everyone’s concerns were piling up, an alien with 40 billion won in unpaid taxes appeared.

[l3***: Huh??]

Since I was in a position where I needed to gather money as quickly as possible, I accepted the mission without hesitation.

On top of that, it provided the perfect opportunity to deal with the bluff I had once fed Jung Haseong.

Just before leaving the country, I neatly smoothed things over by declaring that I “roughly knew the strategy for the Happiness gate.”

Still, even with all that context, the public couldn’t help but be astonished that such a valuable S-rank Hunter had moved for a mere 5 billion won.

[YTV News Live]

[Real-time Chat =>]

On modern social platforms, where people primarily gathered to exchange opinions, countless users were busy praising Kim Giryeo as practically angelic.

Moreover, true to the saying “birds of a feather flock together,” members of the older generation remarked that this explained why Jeong Ha-seong and I apparently got along so well even in private.

Thanks to the impeccable image maintained by the nation’s top-ranked hunter, even an outsider like me enjoyed a significant boost in public favorability.

[Birds of a feather, huh... guys, then what about that time Hunter Kim went on an overseas raid with Kang Changho?]

[The article said they sent him into the dungeon as a guide, but I guess people really don’t change—looks like Kim Giryeo finally cut ties with him, yep. No team-ups lately.]

[Aha~]

And just like that, even the opinions that had briefly fallen out of step soon found their proper place.

Before I knew it, winter had arrived.

Despite the season of biting winds, I found myself surrounded by an unusually warm wave of public approval.

By now, I had become such a well-known figure with such a favorable image that even people obsessed with physiognomy were complimenting me.

“It doesn’t feel bad to be praised, does it?”

Moreover, like a ship running before a favorable wind with its sails full, opportunities to raise my standing continued appearing one after another.

[Incoming call: Hwang Mansu, Chief Secretary of Seoul City......]

“Hmm?”

Now I remembered.

Come to think of it, there was still one part of my reward that I hadn’t received.

“Ah, right.”

I had already received compensation for shutting down the city’s lights, but the actual commendation ceremony had yet to take place.

‘Well, I suppose it’s only natural for someone representing the city to be busy.’

I thought about that briefly while looking at the message on my phone.

To be honest, from the perspective of someone who had come from another planet, a little ceremony where they handed me a yellow piece of paper hardly seemed important.

“Yes, this is Kim Giryeo speaking. I’ve answered the call.”

The person known as the Mayor of Seoul had said that after the ceremony was over, he would treat me to a meal.

‘A restaurant recommended by a politician? I’m definitely curious.’

And since I had nothing better to do anyway, I casually accepted the invitation.

“Oh! You’re here!”

“Hmm?”

“Hunter. Would you mind taking a seat here for a moment?”

“You’re wearing that brand of suit again today! We actually prepared several outfits just in case, but honestly, what you usually wear suits you better...”

And that was how I came to find myself faced with this particular scene.

A short while later.

At an event hall in Seoul, people greeted my punctual arrival with obvious delight.

“What’s all this?”

Come to think of it, I had wondered why they had summoned me so early when the photo session wasn’t scheduled until four o’clock.

But after entering the venue, I discovered several unfamiliar Earthlings waiting inside.

From what I could gather, they appeared to be staff from a beauty salon frequently used by politicians.

“Excuse me. We’ll just lightly touch up the areas where there’s a bit of static~”

And so, as these professionals suddenly began putting their skills to use, I, an alien from a binary star system, was soon made presentable enough to appear on broadcast.

“What exactly changed?”

Having one’s face polished and refined by someone else’s hands felt strangely unfamiliar.

But there was no time to analyze my altered hairstyle.

I simply followed the guide and soon entered the auditorium.

—Click.

Strangely enough, an enormous crowd had gathered just to watch someone receive a mere piece of paper.

“They’re here, they’re here!”

“Roll the camera!”

“Have you finished checking the microphone?”

Click, click, click.

The moment I stepped into the room, a wall of reporters came into view directly ahead.

If it had been nothing more than a barrage of camera flashes, that would have been fine.

But with the cold winter air layered on top of it, memories of past incidents suddenly resurfaced.