Chapter 407

The funeral hall. Of all places, a funeral hall.

“Then, if we want to meet that Hunter, it looks like we’ll have to go directly to the place written in the message.”

A few hours later, as the start of the workday approached, Seonwoo Yeon used one of the vacation days she had been saving. As soon as the sun rose, she passed through several tollgates and eventually arrived at the place where A-rank Hunter Choi Jin was staying.

A clean, seemingly endless road. Beyond the windshield, all she could see were low fields and a handful of container offices.

In truth, it was difficult to find this kind of tranquility in modern society.

‘Unless you come all the way out to a funeral hall like this...’

Seonwoo Yeon parked the car, taking the quiet surroundings in stride. She had at least confirmed that Choi Jin was here—but how on earth had that Awakened Hunter ended up keeping vigil at a funeral hall?

“Hunter Kim Giryeo had just confessed that his lungs had burst, and since he kept clutching his chest in pain, I couldn’t exactly bring myself to ask him for the details.”

Not long after the thought crossed her mind, Seonwoo Yeon and the man with dyed hair walked deeper into the building one after the other.

The number one among the A-rank Hunters had readily agreed to Kim Giryeo’s request for a meeting. However, once they were already on their way, Choi Jin suddenly became impossible to contact. With no other option, they had resorted to using the [Searcher] skill.

“Ah, so that’s why there was no reply when we texted asking where you were.”

Unfortunately, the ominous feeling that had grown stronger with every step soon proved correct.

“So that was it. No wonder she wasn’t in any state to answer.”

The A-rank Hunter they finally found was dressed in mourning clothes. And hanging on the nearby wall was a rather familiar portrait...

It seemed she had cherished her long, flowing hair from a young age. Her distinctive Awakened trait could, at a glance, almost be mistaken for nothing more than slightly crooked teeth. And then there were those red eyes—features that had made her more famous in Europe than in Korea, giving the woman in the framed portrait the appearance of a monster said to drink human blood.

[Deceased: the late Choi Jinhee]

[Mourner: Choi Jin]

The sudden death of the B-rank ace of the [Faith] Guild.

“Ugh... what a mess. How old was Choi Jinhee this year? Had she even graduated from high school yet?”

“No, Hyung-nim. It’s already been several years since the kids graduated. Even the older sister over there is probably in her late twenties, maybe around thirty.”

“Really? They both looked so young that I didn’t realize. I...”

A local memorial hall. In one corner, ordinary people without Awakening Levels were having a quiet conversation. But in a place like this, there were only so many things people could talk about.

“Oh, by the way, how is her mother? How has she been holding up?”

“What do you mean, how is she? Don’t even ask! She’s already getting on in years, and after a shock like this, how could she not collapse?”

“Ah...”

“And on top of that, there’s the whole situation with Ahn Ibook.”

“Ibook Hyung-nim? What happened to Ibook Hyung-nim?”

“His only son. Ahn Yoonsoung! Apparently, he was badly injured somewhere, and they suddenly got a call in the middle of the night. Everyone panicked, came here, and then had to turn around and drive back again...”

“Huh?”

“After hearing that on top of everything else, my mother ended up being taken to the hospital. At this rate, it feels like our entire family is about to be hit by some huge tragedy.”

Their speech was rough, but they kept their voices low so as not to disturb the other grieving family members nearby.

“Seriously, what kind of chaos is this? Ah, what kind of unprecedented disaster is this supposed to be?”

They were not immediate family of the deceased, Choi Jinhee. Even so, their faces were flushed as though they had been drinking, and tears streamed from their eyes—the thoroughly human response one would expect at a funeral.

“Hyung-nim, by the way, are you sure it’s okay to skip the meal?”

“It’s fine. I don’t have an appetite right now. More importantly, how could I leave this kid alone and go eat?”

“Oh dear, even the older sister’s already an adult...”

They had hardly kept in touch, each of them too busy living their own lives. Still, news of the sudden death of a B-rank Hunter naturally struck a chord. Perhaps it was because they had known one another since they were crawling around the floor at family gatherings. Or perhaps it was simply the overwhelming grief that came with seeing a young Korean who had worked hard and lived diligently despite difficult circumstances die so suddenly.

Murmur, murmur.

As various thoughts filled the room, the person who had been looking through the guestbook suddenly raised their head at a sound reaching their ears.

“What’s that? The memorial hall next door should be empty.”

It sounded as though several people were whispering among themselves. Had another bereaved family arrived? Or perhaps colleagues from the same workplace who had contacted Choi Jin in advance?

‘Judging from the footsteps getting closer, it sounds like someone really has come to pay their respects.’

The ordinary person’s guess was only half right. The visitor who appeared before them had indeed come to pay respects, but he was not someone from the [Faith] Guild.

“Huh?”

There was an old expression, one that had been used for so long that it now sounded almost archaic.

A young man appeared at the entrance like the Grim Reaper himself, dressed all in black as though he had arrived astride a black horse.

“H-Hunter Park Giryeo, isn’t it? Park Giryeo?”

“No, little brother. He’s a Kim!”

“Ah! I knew that. I definitely knew it. I just got confused for a second...”

Kim Giryeo.

For such a famous figure to appear in the middle of all this confusion—

At this very moment, the man was at the center of countless rumors and speculations, making him one of the hottest topics in South Korea. Videos about him on YouTube were also racking up extraordinary numbers of views.

[Korean Hunting Industry: On the Brink of Collapse?]

[The surrender of this S-rank license is likely a choice due to “severe post-hunting aftereffects” (paparazzi shots compiled + insider leaks added)]

For the moment, speculation about the reason for his retirement dominated public attention. Fortunately, thanks to the fierce defenses put up on his behalf by people in the industry, public opinion remained favorable, but...

“Anyway, Hunter, what brings you here?”

“Ah, I see there’s another Awakened person behind you too. Are you perhaps a friend of Jinhee’s?”

The man in the black suit then began doing things that, at first glance, appeared perfectly ordinary.

He gave a simple bow to the grieving family members nearby, bowed twice before the portrait of the deceased, and offered his condolences to the chief mourner. He even paid condolence money in cash from the bills he happened to have on hand—though, ironically enough, those banknotes had originally been prepared to accommodate the spending habits of an alien.

The development of the internet really was useful.

Even complicated traditional etiquette, without anyone nearby to teach him, could be imitated reasonably well after a quick search. Perhaps because he had prepared diligently, he showed little sign of being someone who had grown up without a guardian, much less a complete outsider to this world.

“Ah, thank you for coming, Hunter...”

However, the man with the Sambagean eyes soon displayed an expression that was anything but ordinary.

“Hunter Choi Jin. As I mentioned in my earlier message, I’d like to speak with you today.”

Kim Giryeo’s face was as rigid as hardened plaster.

“This is a sensitive subject to discuss here, so shall we move somewhere else for a moment?”

Even when looking at the portrait of a Hunter around his own age, he did not so much as blink.

And this time, an unexpected reaction came from the other side.

Soon, Kim Giryeo and Choi Jin were speaking in a corner of the building. Once the conversation began and the necessary preliminary information had been exchanged...

“First of all, let me make this clear. I came here after confirming the death of A-rank Hunter Ahn Yoonseung.”

“...”

“This is a serious matter. So I’m sorry to bother you in the middle of all this, but I need to ask you a few questions.”

Choi Jin cried.

Unlike her younger sibling, who would burst into laughter at the slightest thing, Choi Jin was a woman whose face often seemed as cold as steel. Yet now tears began pouring from her eyes as though a faucet had suddenly been opened.

She stood perfectly upright and wept without making a sound.

The sight was almost unreal.

“I’m not going to ask you why Yoonseung died or anything like that.”

But displays of emotion only held meaning between members of the same species.

Without the slightest change in expression, Kim Giryeo put his objective first.

“So, as I thought, Hunter Choi Jin, you already had some idea of what was going on. And then Awakener Ahn Yoonseung ended up like this...”

And then...

“No!”

At last, Choi Jin, who had remained silent until then, spoke.

“I never—I absolutely never imagined things would turn out like this. Not even I thought...”

“Is that so?”

“I actually tried to stop things from getting worse. I stayed right beside him and tried to stop him. Ah... how... how could someone like Yoonseung end up like this...”

Her words were almost a scream.

“Why did something like this have to happen all of a sudden...?”

The emotions in her voice were easy enough to identify: shock, confusion, self-blame, and more.

By all appearances, these were not the reactions of a perpetrator, and Seonwoo Yeon’s suspicions momentarily faded.

Only the mage who had already skimmed through the corpse’s memories spoke with greater certainty than anyone else.

“Did you really not expect Ahn Yoonseung to die?”

Choi Jin nodded.

Then she truly was innocent.

The blonde alien proceeded with the questions he had prepared in advance.

“I’ll take your word for that much. Now tell me what happened between Ahn Yoonseung and your sister, Jinhee.”

“...”

“Of course, I’m not asking this as a favor. Just... while I’m still asking you like a normal person, please understand what I mean without making me spell it out...”

But the instant that name was mentioned, the atmosphere changed.

“Jinhee?”

The Hunter, whose short-cut hair was now rather ragged and damaged, abruptly closed her mouth and sank into thought.

She pressed her fingertips together hard enough to redden the skin. The muscles in her neck shifted visibly as she swallowed.

Anyone could tell how tense she was.

In the span of only a few seconds, tens of thousands of thoughts seemed to race through her mind.

But in truth, Choi Jin had already decided what she would say in a situation like this.

More precisely, she had made that decision from the moment she sent the obituary notice to the S-rank Hunter buried in the corner of her contact list.

“...”

Her entire face swollen from crying, Choi Jin looked at the man standing before her.

“Hunter.”

She stared into Kim Giryeo’s eyes for a long moment.

Then, slowly, she spoke.

“Actually.”

And just as it seemed that some crucial piece of information was finally about to come out...

Tuk!

Someone suddenly lunged at Choi Jin.

It was not some mysterious attacker, but the funeral guest in the black suit who had been quietly observing her until now, moving entirely on impulse.

“Hunter Kim Giryeo!”

Kim Giryeo seized Choi Jin’s face with both hands, startling Seonwoo Yeon into rushing toward them.

All she wanted was for the case involving someone she knew not to remain unjustly unresolved. She had absolutely no intention of extracting information through violence. After all, testimony obtained that way could hardly be trusted.

“Hunter. Calm down...”

“Don’t say another word. Awakener Choi Jin. Listen to me!”

But what was this?

Still holding Choi Jin firmly in place, Kim Giryeo suddenly said something completely unexpected.

“I should’ve paid closer attention from the very beginning. So this is what the [Knight’s Oath] placed on you and your sister was about?”

Unable to move with Kim Giryeo holding her face so tightly, Choi Jin simply listened.

Then she broke down completely, tears pouring uncontrollably down her face until she could no longer maintain any semblance of composure.

“Don’t try to speak. This alone is enough for me to get a general idea of what happened.”

“...”

“Don’t risk your life just to tell me one thing. If, in the middle of this mess, even you, Choi Jin, end up dying, there really won’t be any way to fix things.”

[The Knight’s Oath].

And a warning that went far beyond simply telling her not to endanger herself.

After listening from the side, Seonwoo Yeon slowly began to grasp the outline of what had happened.

By then, Kim Giryeo had removed the hands gripping Choi Jin’s face. But Choi Jin, having understood his warning, no longer tried to speak.

“Listen carefully from now on.”

From that point forward, they communicated only through glances and nods.

“Ah... Seriously, we don’t know what condition triggers the contract. We can’t afford to say anything carelessly.”

“Has some kind of artifact been used to force you into silence, Choi Jin?”

“Probably, Seonwoo Yeon. So from now on, we’ll have to carefully avoid any landmines...”

But now that the truth of the situation had already been established, was there really any reason to keep pressing Choi Jin?

The Hunter with the Sambagean eyes briefly looked upward.

Then, after gathering his thoughts, he spoke.

“Hunter Choi Jin, I’m going to ask you some questions. If it looks like the contract is about to activate, I’ll squeeze your shoulder as a signal. The moment I do, stop answering.”

“...”

“Excuse me, but how did your younger sister end up having a funeral? More precisely, what was the cause of death?”

[The Knight’s Oath].

The mage briefly focused on that almost mystical curse.

Fortunately, the current question did not seem to violate any of its conditions.

Choi Jin barely managed to stop crying before answering.

“It was brain death.”

“As expected.”

“And the first person to find my sister after she collapsed was Ahn Yoonseung. He was the one who called 119 first.”