Incheon International Airport in Jung-gu. Is there some kind of event going on? People have been forming a long line since early in the morning.

Click, click, click.

Before long, the sound of countless shutters fills the air. Beyond the overwhelming noise, a blonde foreign woman appears. The perfect subject, surrounded by sparkling lights, looks as if she's walking down the red carpet at an award ceremony.

Since Earthlings were suddenly threatened by monsters from another world, they tended to show great interest in hunters, the only ones capable of countering them. Especially when the person in question was someone who was considered close to being the best in the world, that attention often reached the level of idolization.

"Wow, I've traveled to many countries, but this is the first time I've been treated this way, though?"

Whoaaa!

The blonde woman, wearing sunglasses, raised the corners of her lips and scanned the crowd in front of her. However, her smile was strikingly different from the cynical atmosphere of other S-rank hunters. She was the one who had earned the grand nickname of "Angel," known for her warm gaze and remarkable abilities.

"Hello!"

The blonde hunter soon shouted towards the crowd gathered at the airport.

"Thank you for welcoming me! I love you!"

As the hunter smiled, the onlookers, regardless of age or gender, smiled back. At that moment, a media outlet that had been granted permission for an interview in advance approached and handed her the microphone.

"Why did a hunter representing a country suddenly visit Korea like this?"

The foreign Awakened corrected the translator hanging on their ear and spoke loudly again.

"Tourism!"

A bright expression. A light tone.

"I really love Korean bibimbap and bulgogi!"

The savior of a nation and the only S-rank healer on Earth—who could have guessed that she would set foot in Korea for such a reason And so, Brooklyn Morgan finished her whirlwind early-morning interview. The famous figure's gentle demeanor was proudly featured on the front page of the Seonhan Daily.

"Ms. Morgan, this hotel has bibimbap on its room service menu. Would you like to order it for lunch?"

Tuk.

Arriving at her accommodation, Brooklyn casually tossed her suitcase aside. She had rented the entire 5-star hotel to maintain her security, so here, she could finally take off her social mask.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Actually, I've never really tried much Korean food, so I'm not sure if I'll like it. Is there something like bread instead?"

"Let me see. Beef cheeseburger, chili chicken fries, eggplant sandwich..."

"I'll have a sandwich."

Contrary to what she had explained to the reporters, Brooklyn had actually come here to handle an important matter. In the meantime, the [Spectrum] guild, to which she belonged, had issued new orders.

"Well, now that all my friends have entered the country, let's start getting things underway."

Brooklyn looked around at the nearby agents with a much calmer smile.

"Please bring me the fourth S-class from Korea."

And there is one thing that has not been revealed until now.

[1.4.43 Changes]

• Improved ability to express emotions

He's not sure if this should be considered good news or bad news. During the process of recovering a large amount of physical memory, perhaps the senses also came back. On that note, it seems that she suddenly remembered how to make facial expressions.

Smile when you're happy.

Cry when you're sad.

Kim Giryeo was now able to express involuntary emotional reactions based on changes in feelings. Not long ago, when he had a meal with Jung Haseong, the natural expressions he made were all thanks to this.

"Uhm..."

The problem, however, was that leaving this function on meant his inner emotions—such as embarrassment—would be completely exposed. So, just in case, Giryeo had fixed his facial muscles into a neutral expression. Today, he felt that this past decision had been the right one. If he hadn't prepared in advance, he would have completely revealed his dumbfounded expression by now.

"Wait a second..."

After a few seconds of silence, Giryeo lowered the hand that had been pressing against the bridge of his nose and asked the agent in front of him.

"I think I misheard something. Could you say that one more time?"

Then the Earthling in the suit immediately answered.

"We have come to present Hunter Kim Giryeo with a great offer. On behalf of the United States."

Why would the name of such a powerful nation suddenly come up in the midst of a peaceful daily life? The person in front of him had introduced himself as a member of the United States Gate Management Agency. Given that he had tracked Giryeo down so precisely—not at home, but while he was wandering through an isolated street—it was immediately clear that he possessed a skill similar to that of Seonwoo Yeon.

To go so far as to assign someone with tracking magic for this proposal—honestly speaking, since he hadn't been on Earth for long, he had wanted to avoid contact with foreigners as much as possible...

'I still haven't properly adapted to Korean culture.'

As Giryeo remained silent without answering, the other person became even more polite in their request. It was fine if not right now. They asked to be contacted whenever it was convenient for him. However, if he were to agree, they promised to pay a price that matched the precious value of an S-rank Hunter's time.

This meant that simply engaging in conversation would earn him some rewards, like crumbs falling from the table.

'Looking at the way he speaks, it doesn't seem like he's here for anything bad. Maybe it's fine to hear him out for a moment?'

He didn't have anything particular to do anyway. Giryeo decided to at least hear out what this foreigner had to say. It was the curiosity of a scholar.

"Okay. I'll listen to what the offer is."

"Thank you! Then shall we move for a moment?"

"Yes?"

"It's a bit of a long story, so we've prepared a place to talk."

Of course, there was always the possibility that this foreigner was a fraud posing as a U.S. official. So, at the very least, he would set up some safety measures.

"Let's get in."

Giryeo took out his phone, sent a single text to someone, and then got into their car.

...But seeing someone like this waiting for him, it seemed they weren't scammers after all.

"Welcome!"

A moment later, after arriving at a hotel in Seoul, Giryeo instinctively froze as he entered one of the rooms.

The overwhelming magic that easily enveloped even the large suite was unmistakably the same power as the magician he had met at the founding party earlier.

"She's an S-rank Hunter from the United States, right?"

Brooklyn Morgan.

Giryeo was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Awakened individual, but the other person greeted him with a bright smile, as if meeting a long-lost friend.

"Sorry for the late introduction! I'm actually a Hunter from a guild called 'Spectrum'... Well, to put it simply, I'm Brooklyn, a hunter belonging to the government's top cooperative organization."

She shook my hand as a greeting, just like she had done before.

"It's nice to meet you again, Kim."

First of all thanks for the warm welcome, but I don't understand why such a big shot like an S-rank Hunter is here.

"Just so you know, the only reason I came to Korea is for you."

"Yes?"

"If a famous American hunter personally comes to scout you, it should convey at least a little bit of our intentions towards you."

Aha, so they're trying to show they care about the treatment by having Brooklyn at the negotiation table... Wait, what did that woman just say?

"Scout?"

Giryeo slightly widened his eyes after hearing the voice from the translator.

"Yes. A scout. But what we're offering is a condition you've never heard of anywhere else."

"...I"

"Honestly, at our level, money is no longer an issue. I know you wouldn't be swayed by something as trivial as pay. After all, I'm an S-rank too."

By the way, she doesn't know, but in fact, some people are quite easily swayed by money.

"There are quite a few S-rank hunters in this world. Even if they come from a small country, most of them prefer to stay in their hometowns where they were born and raised, and don't feel the need to leave."

"But when we offer 'this', everyone tends to change their mind."

Now that he looked, there was a box placed in the center of the room. It was a square box, with a blue glow emanating from each of its faces, resembling the barrier of a Marquis of Flowers.

"We, like other evolved beings, always carry a desire for higher places and greater strength."

Soon, Brooklyn approached Giryeo with the glowing box in her hands, and the object's image became clearly visible.

It was a small, transparent orb, with a red substance pulsating rhythmically inside.

"This works out perfectly. Kim, since you have an analysis skill, you would be able to recognize this even without an appraiser."

The substance inside was strangely shaped like a living creature's heart. Yes, this was the only item among the dragon organs that had received an Epic-grade rating.

[Dragon's Heart]

Giryeo confirmed the original dragon's organ for the first time here. He stood frozen in place, seemingly shocked by the magic artifact from Earth.

"Since there is a possessor of a dragon's heart in this country, you must already know, but—"

Brooklyn's soft voice followed.

"This is an item that fundamentally changes the rank that awakeners are born with."

Giryeo was still looking at the item in the box.

"The [Dragon's Heart] dramatically increases the amount of mana, grants new skills, and makes even the weakest person's skin as tough as diamond."

"...I"

"If swallowing this could change your life, then what else could it be but magic?"

Indeed, as Brooklyn had said, what was contained in the box seemed like something from a fairy tale. Most equipment that boosts magical power only temporarily enhances the skill's strength at the moment of wearing it, merely imitating the concept. However, [Dragon Heart] truly changed the mana in the Awakened's body.

And just how powerful was this effect... In the past, a Hunter named Choi Jin, who was considered to be at the bottom of B-rank, used this item to rise to the top of A-rank. Anyone who understands the vast gap between A-rank and B-rank would realize how shocking this event was.

The [Dragon's Heart] was an incredibly powerful magical artifact. It was incomparable to sealed spellbooks or anything of the sort. It was the kind of substance that could elevate a person to a semi-dragon status, breaking through what once seemed like insurmountable, inherent limitations. Naturally, many people would desire it.

"This strong heart is helpful enough for weak hunters, but if someone like us were to use it, something even more dramatic would happen. Among S-ranks with similar abilities, just by a single inch, we would be ahead of the rest."

Brooklyn said this as she hugged the box containing the Dragon's Heart.

"So, honestly, I really want to swallow this myself... but I can't help it. I decided from the moment I got it that I would pass it on to my future ally."

Unlike a lizard's lung, this magical artifact is something that can't be obtained no matter how much the national budget is spent. If such a treasure is suddenly in Korea, it can only mean one thing. Before Brooklyn could finish her next sentence, Giryeo anticipated the offer that was about to be made.

"Mr. Hunter, if you become a citizen of our United States, I will gladly give you this item."

Brooklyn had endured the long flight to receive the order to recruit this blonde man. Since the emergence of Kim Giryeo as a hunter, the United States had been considering scouting him from the very beginning.

A special history of dealing with inevitable Malice and subduing Sirens. On top of that, the fact that he was a freelancer with no ties to any Korean organization was something that would make any country drool.

'Is this hunter really an S-rank like me?'

Although Brooklyn was still suspicious of the other party, the situation was different. At this point, with the heroic tale of overwhelming the boss monster of the Soul Strike, regardless of the rank, if Brooklyn had carefully selected, knowing that it was the item the Korean hunter would most desperately desire.

"How about it? All it takes is changing a few words on your passport. Then this item will be yours."

She confidently seduced the opponent while thrusting her magic tool.

"A hunter like you would definitely have more advantages working in the United States..."

However, before Brooklyn could even finish his sentence, the Oriental hunter abruptly responded. The eyes that had been showing interest had disappeared, and his expression had frozen.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline."

Brooklyn was surprised to see Giryeo make a decision in three seconds. It couldn't be helped.

"Yes?"

Of course, she expected that the man would refuse to accept once he realized he had been caught as a scammer... However, this refusal came much quicker than anticipated.

"Three seconds?"

Giryeo began to look at the offered heart as if it were just discarded scrap metal on the street.