Chapter 412

Moreover, this person showed not the slightest trace of mana—truly an ordinary human anyone could recognize as such. So when someone like that suddenly walked into [Faith]'s reception room, the company's representative initially had little reason to be suspicious of the guest.

Visitor? Could it be that the person from the trading company we had an appointment with today has already arrived?

Uh... y, yes. That's right. It is.

Since the visitor had already been verified at the first-floor reception desk, the representative of [Faith] completely trusted him as a foreign buyer. And now, faced with someone who had traveled all the way here just to purchase goods from Korea—

“Oh, welcome! I’m really glad to see you. It must have been exhausting coming all the way here!”

A prompt greeting of welcome.

“Did you manage to eat well on the plane? Hahaha.”

The [Faith] guild was small, so the division of labor among its employees was rather haphazard. Moreover, according to what the front desk attendant had explained, the white man was actually one of the guild's biggest clients, purchasing more items than anyone else. Naturally, the guild's representative eagerly stepped forward without hesitation. Then he brought up another subject.

“I didn’t expect to meet a new representative all of a sudden. Wow, your Korean is truly excellent!”

When a foreign resident from another region showed respect for their culture, it was only natural for anyone to feel pleased.

Freckled skin. And sand-colored blond hair, as though all the pigment had been drained from it.

For reference, this exotic-looking visitor had already spoken his very first words in fluent Korean. Honestly, with pronunciation like that, he could have blown on a bowl of hot soup and immediately declared, “I love you, Love Relay!” Because of this, the [Faith] side felt no wariness toward him at all. On the contrary, they began the reception with a rather favorable impression of their visitor.

“How many years did you study to become so fluent in a foreign language? Do you happen to have a Korean ancestor or something?”

“My mother did.”

“W, wow. I can’t believe that’s actually true! Hahaha.”

Ice-breaking. Small talk. Or, to put it more simply, casual chatter.

“Then first, let me bring you something refreshing to drink, and I’ll have the [Lesser Frostweed] samples collected this quarter brought over right away.”

“Samples?”

“Yes, yes. They’re still in storage since it’s early, but if I ask the staff, they can bring them immediately.”

The man, whose flashy watch stood out prominently, maintained a friendly demeanor for quite some time. Since the Dungeon Shock, [Frostweed] had mostly appeared in South Korea's Gangwon region. Of course, this specialty product was mainly used for money laundering, but that didn't mean he had any reason to turn away someone willing to pay a premium for it.

'We need to plug the hole in the safe as soon as possible—even a single day sooner. We can’t afford to miss any chance to make more money!'

Moreover, there had recently been talk of creating an artificial [Frostweed] forest in Saudi Arabia...

'Demand is high. Let’s sell it at a high price.'

Haha.

The representative of the [Faith] guild wore a subtle smile. What followed, no matter how briefly summarized, was nothing but boasting: things like, “Although the quantity of [Frostweed] in our country is limited, its quality is still the best in the world,” and, “Korea, especially, has a more advanced distribution and storage system than other [Frostweed]-producing regions, so the freshness is incomparable,” and so on.

Tuk.

It was then.

The mysterious foreign buyer suddenly raised a hand and interrupted the conversation.

“Wait a moment. But let’s put off checking the samples for now.”

“Yes?”

“First, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Huh? Ah, yes, yes. Please, ask me anything.”

“How much annual revenue does a guild of this size usually generate?”

The question seemed completely unrelated.

'What is this?'

Profit. Of course, focusing on money was hardly unusual in this society, but who would have expected him to ask something like that right after they had only just met? Money could be a private matter, and after all, they were meeting for business purposes.

“That’s an unusual question......”

“Is it difficult to answer? Then, would it be impossible to know how much Hunter Choi Jin earns in a year?”

“Uh, huh? Ah~ Choi Jin! You mean our guild’s star player, right?”

Could it be that his nephew had recently awakened or something? As questions about the hunting industry kept coming, the representative wearing the watch reluctantly answered.

“Honestly, not all Awakened make an enormous amount of money.”

“Hmm.”

“First of all, A-rank Gates aren’t as common as people think, and hunters often reinvest billions into potions or equipment, so the liquidity of their assets is quite low.”

“That’s right.”

“Sure enough, it’s hard to act like a wealthy person when you’re young. Compared to your company’s annual revenue, it’s probably nothing, right?”

It felt a little awkward to state an exact amount right away.

“But they’d at least be making hundreds of millions, right?”

“Ah, well, of course.”

“Then, what do A-rank hunters do with the money they earn?”

For a while, the conversation continued in this strange direction. But since the ice had already been broken, Representative Kim continued speaking smoothly.

“Ah~ well, even Awakened... in the end, when people make money, everyone ends up buying cars and houses...”

Houses. Cars. And depending on a person's interests, some splurged on gourmet food, hobbies, security systems, and luxury goods. When asked where the money earned by Awakened went, one Korean man began listing examples without pause.

More specifically, it was the representative of [Faith], who wore a Swiss platinum watch on his wrist. Even though these days one could check the time with a simple tap on a phone, this man, who had yet to abandon analog accessories, was the one leading the conversation.

“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

On top of that, the only reason people poured hundreds of millions into accessories like these was because they looked good.

Someone in the room paused in thought.

Before coming here, he had resolved to remain calm no matter what happened.

Who would have imagined that such a trivial detail would become the trigger?

The Western guest sitting on the sofa grew increasingly unsettled each time his gaze fell on the other man's wristwatch.

To think that someone could indulge in such luxury while casually treating another person as a servant—it was deeply unpleasant.

'And on top of that, to maintain that kind of life, they even went so far as to take more people.'

After finishing that thought, he spoke first.

“Sometimes, you remind me of the brothers I’ve lost.”

“Yes?”

“You think just like the people from my hometown.”

And the strange events continued.

“Ah, of all things, the glass just fell. Sir! I’ll go get a new one quickly...”

Click.

“Huh?”

The guild master's right-hand man tried to leave the room, offering some excuse.

But suddenly, the doorknob refused to turn, as though it had frozen solid.

A supernatural phenomenon straight out of a horror movie.

More precisely, it was a [Telekinesis] ability, created for only a moment using the tiniest speck of mana.

“Don’t you leave either. I saw everything in Choi Jinhee’s memories—how you always had a hand in everything.”

The representatives of the [Faith] guild had done the one thing they absolutely should not have done.

Above all, they had given the mage plenty of time.

“What, what did you say?”

While everyone had stood around chatting idly, the mage had already finished preparing all of his magic.

'Wait a minute... but why have I suddenly been feeling so nauseous...'

Something unimaginable before the era of the Dungeon Shock.

The sheer terror of shivering merely from sensing one person's life force.

Ordinary people froze in place, seized by an indescribable sense of dread.

The man sitting on the sofa spoke.

“You two have never awakened, have you?”

Come to think of it, his manner of speaking had naturally changed somewhere along the way.

“So you have no idea just how good mutants’ hearing is in this era. You can’t understand it without experiencing it yourself.”

But then, they wondered why he had suddenly started saying things like that.

“I’ve been trying since earlier, but I just can’t make a rational decision...”

At that moment, several images flashed through his mind.

The vampiric mutant whose prominent teeth showed strikingly whenever he smiled.

And among those with similar hairstyles, the acquaintances he might finally have learned to tell apart.

'The true friend I acknowledged in my heart.'

Those very people had fallen victim to the ones sitting right in front of him.

Money, money, money.

Truly obsessed with money.

And all because of these pathetic fools who had completely lost their minds over it.

Tak!

What happened next was over in an instant.

The freckled visitor merely cast a glance toward the corner of the room, and the CCTV camera there suddenly snapped and fell to the floor.

“As expected, 11 years just doesn’t add up.”

For reference, the precedent the male mage had suddenly brought up was a relatively recent sentencing case involving incitement to murder.

“You guys messed with 70 years of my friend’s life.”

That was the last human voice heard inside the reception room.

Immediately afterward, the sound of fairly heavy objects crashing to the floor echoed through the room.

***

[YTV Desk. We bring you the morning news.]

[The executives of Faith, the top guild in Chuncheon, have still not been found four days after they were reported missing.]

[However, while searching for the executives, including company CEO Sung-ssi, the police discovered another suspicious detail.]

[In a notebook found at the investigation site, there were indications of embezzlement amounting to tens of billions of won.]

[Based on this, investigators are considering the possibility that the missing individuals may have intentionally fled...]

How much time had passed since then?

“Kim Giryeo-ssi!”

For reference, that mage reappeared a full five days later.

“So, you came after hearing the news, as expected.”

“Yes.”

“Then, perhaps you’ve heard that story as well?”

“Yes...”

“And do you also know why all the foreigners seemed to be missing their hands?”

Kim Giryeo had completely dispelled the illusion, and his original voice had returned.

However, even though quite some time had passed since they had last met, one Earthling did not seem particularly pleased to see the mage.

“Um, this might be a rude question.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s just that your tone a moment ago made me suspicious. Could the news that’s been coming out so far be the result of something bad you did, Kim Giryeo-ssi...”

After all, the other party had suddenly disappeared for a full five days during such a critical period.

'Could it be that he even went abroad during that time?'

Surprisingly, there was no need to agonize over it alone.

When the Earthling asked the question, the person standing beside her leaned forward and answered clearly.

“Yes.”

“...!”

“I kidnapped all the main perpetrators of the incident and got the full details of what happened directly from them.”

“Really?”

“And after I got all the information, I killed both of them. To be honest, I didn’t want to, but since three people were entangled in the [Knight’s Oath]...”

The law-abiding citizen beside him lowered her head, unsure of how to respond.

The other party had committed acts so egregious that they were almost impossible to defend. Realizing this, Seonwoo Yeon couldn't help but feel a complicated mixture of emotions.

“Besides, the perpetrators were brainwashed and even made to turn themselves in. Their bodies had been found so clumsily that the culprits were going to be identified anyway.”

“That’s right. I found a crucial scene on a black box near the Seoul site.”

“Ah, so making them turn themselves in was pointless. That actually counts as a mitigating factor here.”

“Did the culprits use any items?”

“They ambushed the victims on their way home using status-altering and explosive artifacts.”

“That’s standard procedure. And in that case, using a weapon would increase the sentence.”

“Thank goodness.”

But the blond man remained comparatively calm and composed.

“Well, then, no one can be wronged by this, right? I solved everything with my magical powers.”

“...”

“This is what a wizard is.”

Snap.

Moreover, he didn't normally do things like this.

Kim Giryeo even raised a thumb, performing a gesture unique to this planet.

“There are things a wizard can’t do in this world.”

But the peaceful mood lasted only briefly.

The blond man suddenly stopped speaking, as if something had caught in his throat.

After a long silence, he abruptly changed the subject.

“By the way, where’s Choi Jin? She didn’t come here, did she?”

“Try heading over to the smoking area.”

For reference, it was essential to inform this person of how everything had unfolded.

“Oh. That’s right. She really is.”

A few minutes later, Kim Giryeo arrived at the nearby smoking area and encountered the familiar Awakened.

Moreover, he wasn't one to waste time.

“Hunter Choi Jin. I need to talk to you for a moment.”

“You’re free now! You don’t have to be bound by the [Knight’s Oath] anymore. You can break free from Faith’s grip and leave your life as a slave behind. I’ve already checked all the procedures and handled everything properly.”

Kim Giryeo rattled off the words the moment his eyes met Choi Jin’s.

“Yes?”

It was a truly bewildering announcement.

Yet for some reason, even though Choi Jin herself could feel that the artifact’s effect had ended, she didn't seem particularly happy.

....

Her younger sibling was already dead.

She had already lost everything that truly mattered.

What meaning could any of this possibly have now?

....

“....”

By now, even her tears seemed reluctant to come.

Choi Jin gave a small nod with dry, exhausted eyes, and after waiting for a moment longer, she finally spoke.

“Our Jinhee......”

Her first words were about her dead sister.

“Back when she was alive... you have no idea how much I struggled trying to make her watch what she said.”

“I understand.”

“The fortunate thing is that, because I was her older sister and kept insisting, she surprisingly kept her promises. That means she was thorough about keeping secrets.”

“Really?”

“When you brought up the [Knight’s Oath] before, I acted prickly because I was afraid it would be broken.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

There was no need to apologize for something so old.

Just as the Archmage was thinking this, Choi Jin paused briefly after her final remark, then finally asked a new question.

“But... may I ask you just one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Looking back carefully on everything that’s happened so far... it seems obvious that you possess some kind of extremely rare skill, don’t you?”

The mage nodded.

“Then... have you perhaps figured this out too? I’m really curious why my younger sister suddenly revealed that information...”

“The [Knight’s Oath]?”

“As I just said, she had always been good at keeping secrets. So why did it happen this year?”

For reference, it probably wasn't something she would be particularly happy to know.

But since the surviving family member was asking, there wasn't much choice.

“I think it was because of the wedding.”

Today, he was dressed in the same color as Choi Jin.

The dark-clad alien began explaining calmly.

“Hunter Jinhee believed that her older sister couldn’t get married because of her.”

“Yes?”

“And to make matters worse, the Faith side also disapproved of your love life...”

But at that point, an unexpectedly sharp shout cut him off.

“No way!”

It was Choi Jin's venomous protest.

“There’s no way I couldn’t get married because of her! I just chose not to! Honestly, with the salary the company offers, anyone could easily start a family!”

“You’re suddenly raising your voice...”

“And what does the company have to do with it? Even so, there was nothing my sister needed to worry about!”

“Hunter.”

“Anyway, I broke up with that employee quickly because our values didn’t match. Really. For a truly trivial reason...”

Then came tears, falling one drop at a time, together with breaths that caught completely in her throat.

“Jinhee, it wasn’t because of you...”

Choi Jin was heartbroken, and Seonwoo Yeon, watching from a distance, wore an equally sorrowful expression.

Only the alien from another world failed to match the mood at all.

Tak.

Kim Giryeo checked the time on his phone.

He even considered the sea of tears before him somewhat unnecessary.

After all, there were other important matters he needed to attend to.

'What time does it start?'

The place where they had all gathered was none other than a funeral hall in Seoul.

And today was the day when the funeral proceedings for the A-rank hunter, postponed for several days, would finally begin.

This was because the murder-for-hire case orchestrated by the [Faith] guild had finally been completely resolved.