The incident occurred on the way home that afternoon.

‘Come to think of it, in the midst of all the chaos, I never got my gift. What was in Brooklyn’s shopping bag?’

The alien archmage refused Kang Changho’s offer to give him a ride and was walking back home instead. It was a bit of a long journey, but the weather was nice today, and it felt like a rare, leisurely day.

‘If it were food, I’d feel a bit unfair.’

Giryeo had been using skill training as bait to extort wealth from heroes. As a result, the number one ranker was growing stronger day by day. Furthermore, the more he learned, the further the world moved away from the dangers of dungeon breaks, making it a win-win situation.

Like a ship with the wind in its sails, Kim Giryeo’s money-making plan was progressing smoothly. That was the case until today.

‘Well, anyway, the tuition fee that Haseong sent has been deposited. I should head home and check out the latest auction news.’

But at that moment, just as he was about to reach his studio apartment, Giryeo felt an unexpected pang of discomfort as he turned into an alley where the streetlights were broken.

A strange sensation settled on the right side of his face. It was somewhat cold, and a little sharp, as if a recent shock had caused his vision to blur, momentarily turning everything a hazy white.

*_*

Boom!

All of this was the result of Kang Changho, who had been walking quietly beside him, launching an unexpected attack. He had struck the person’s face. The usual protective shield of the regular defense ring he always carried was instantly pierced. To make matters worse, the bones in his face seemed to have collapsed, and soon after, the unsettling sound of broken bone fragments shifting beneath his skin could be heard. It was an orbital fracture.

Giryeo instinctively covered his left eyelid, which was not clearly visible, and asked a question.

‘What is this...’

In fact, the archmage had activated a spell just before his fist made contact. It was the fireball creation by the pyromancer necklace. In other words, the archmage attempted a self-destructive act at a speed that was hard to even describe as human.

However, the situation was taking a strangely unexpected turn. If this was meant to be a surprise attack activated with [Improvement], the punch should have been strong enough to shatter the skull.

‘What is this, really?’

Kang Changho’s attack was far too weak to kill someone. Considering that his opponent was an S-rank Hunter, this was barely even a punch with any real force behind it. So, Giryeo merely prepared his magic and observed the situation, and soon enough, Kang Changho cleared up the confusion for him.

‘Why are you so soft?’

Tuk, tuk.

As the S-rank said those words, blood from Giryeo’s face had pooled on the back of his hand and was dripping off.

‘Even if your body is soft because you’ve been consuming magic elsewhere, it’s still strange that your reflexes are so slow.’

*_*

‘It seems like you’re quick with handling mana, but your eyes can’t keep up. Not just now, but always. It’s like you’re missing something that a high-ranking Awakened should naturally be able to see...’

Kang Changho tilted his head to the right. What followed was the suspicion he had harbored for a long time.

‘No way, are you really an F-rank?’

As soon as Giryeo heard that, he muttered in a tone of disbelief.

‘Back when I asked you to believe me, you didn’t even pretend to listen. So why are you making a fuss about it now...’

The blond hunter gathers his mana while clutching the half of his face that has been crushed—not using the mana of his ragged body, but drawing on the energy stored in his necklace.

‘If you’re that curious about my reflexes, why don’t you try hitting me again?’

Giryeo threatened with a warning, saying that even if he tested him like this, the self-destruction wouldn’t fall behind. In response, Kang Changho gave a slight sign of surrender.

‘Calm down. I was just curious about something, not trying to test my improvement.’

But for some reason, the S-rank hunter’s gaze gradually began to turn cold.

‘Still, it’s the reaction I expected. Even after becoming like that, you always try to stand above others. It’s a bit...’

‘If you don’t like it, then kill me.’

‘Right. That’s exactly the problem with your attitude. How did our contract end up like this?’

Kang Changho lifted the corners of his mouth with a smile. However, that smile was as stiff as a mimicry of a human made by an alien creature.

‘It definitely started as a way to pass the time.’

This must be the face of someone who has mastered the art of hiding their emotions. Kang Changho then continued, revealing his true feelings.

‘To be honest, when I openly expressed it, the relationship got completely reversed. Lately, my pride’s been getting hurt little by little.’

Although his expression was indifferent for someone whose pride had been trampled.

‘That’s why I’m saying this.’

Kang Changho briefly glanced down at the blood of another person trickling down his hand, then proceeded to make a shocking declaration to the hunter in front of him.

‘Kim Giryeo, actually, I was in China around the time you went to the Gate Star anniversary party.’

*_*

‘And during that time, I met another contractor who could serve as a sacrifice. To put it simply, I’ve already found an awakener to replace you.’

The blond man remained silent.

‘By now, you should understand. That pathetic self-destructive threat of yours won’t work on me anymore.’

On the outside, there was no sign of disturbance, but in his mind, everything was more complicated than ever.

Kang Changho had made a double contract? He had claimed that he never thought of using his desire for improvement, yet somehow he found a hunter whose skills he coveted. Giryeo swallowed a dry saliva. In the meantime, Kang Changho had taken a few steps closer to him.

‘Don’t be too nervous. After all, your abilities are still the ones I desire the most.’

A relaxed attitude based on overwhelming magical power. Yeah, that was the aura typically possessed by the invincible top-tier predators. In his past life, he had lived just like that.

There was really nothing to fear.

‘I’ll continue to protect you just the same. But from now on, you should show me some respect. It’s better if you start being more cautious in your actions. I just wanted to say that.’

How did I end up in such a miserable situation?

‘If you challenge me with such a weak body... do you think you’ll gain anything from it? Don’t you agree? Hunter Kim Giryeo.’

The magician, wearing the skin of a human, realized at this moment. Finally, his arrogance had its limits. Pretending to be strong by just running his mouth actually had countless flaws. From the start, trying to deceive people with nothing but his bare body in an industry where abilities had to be proven daily in real-time was insane.

‘Whew.’

So, Giryeo decided that from this moment on, he would acquire the true power to materialize his own falsehoods.

The item!

If he could just get his hands on that item he had already set his eyes on, he would no longer be treated like a weakling. At last, he would possess some ability worthy of an S-rank.

‘Hmm...’

The first tutoring fee had been deposited, and the target amount was nearly reached. So, Giryeo decided to move up the schedule a bit and began his thoughts in his mind. Kang Changho, noticing that the opponent standing silently without a word seemed strange, eventually spoke up.

‘Should I give you some recovery medicine?’

But Giryeo was indifferent.

‘It’s okay.’

If it were anyone else, they would have caused a commotion the moment they got punched in the face, but this one had a high tolerance for pain. Giryeo decided to look at the situation positively.

An S-rank hunter felt their pride hurt but still spared his life—wasn’t that something to be grateful for? Moreover, whenever he thought of the word “karma,” it somehow made him instantly understand all the misfortunes of the world. After all, he had done “such things” in his past life, well...

Hmm...

‘Hmm.’

When you suddenly tell someone who’s gone through misfortune that it’s all the result of their past life’s karma, it usually sounds absurd. But for him, since all the memories of his past life were still intact, it sometimes felt... strange.

Moreover, Kang Changho was now 32 years old by Earth’s standards. To an archmage, his soul seemed not just young, but almost childlike. Because of this, Giryeo decided to generously overlook a slap from the primitive sorcerer as a gesture of being the elder.

‘Haha. Anyway, Kang Changho. Such a curious person...’

Generously.

‘That damn primitive b*stard...’

Generously. Generously. Generously.

***

The Korean item auction house. Perhaps because it had been raining non-stop from morning to noon, the building was filled with damp air, and there were few people around.

That’s good. I like the dampness, and I didn’t want to attract any attention anyway.

Tak, tak.

I quickly approached the manager here.

‘Hello.’

When I presented the card I had prepared in my pocket, the manager’s eyes widened in surprise as he took it.

‘Heuk! H, hello. S-rank Hunter Kim Giryeo...!’

‘I would like to participate in the auction.’

‘Yes, yes! I will proceed with the process right away.’

He bowed as if he had met a king and busily manipulated the tablet.

That’s right. This is it.

An infinite reverence and consideration for an absolute powerhouse. Even if it’s because I like this, I have to somehow regain my former status.

‘H, here, your name tag. I hope you have a great time.’

While I was momentarily lost in thought, the staff here handed me a name tag with the number 33 written on it and politely pointed to the auction room I was supposed to go to. However, before heading there, I decided to stop by the rest room first.

The budget I had to spend today was a whopping 3 billion. With such a large sum at stake, it was only natural to be extra cautious.

‘If it’s an item that an S-rank hunter is desperately trying to bid on... I can definitely see why it would pique my interest too.’

I focused on the reflection of Kim Giryeo in the mirror. I’m not sure how effective this trivial tactic will be, but fine, let’s give it a try.

***

‘Oh~ This is an auction house that sells epic items!’

A few minutes later, a young-looking hunter walks into the room, bathed in soft lighting.

She was none other than ‘Jakyeong’, the youngest member of the Neo Sisters guild. She is the person who has a cross-body-wielding marksman as her team leader and a hunter named Ahn Yoonseung as her direct senior. Normally, her rank was too low to visit places like this, but today was different.

‘Team leader, you’re the best!’

This place allowed bidders to appoint a proxy if they couldn’t participate in the auction themselves. Thanks to that, Jakyeong was able to visit a place she had been interested in for some time. The awakener who had originally signed up suddenly wanted to be added and canceled their schedule, but after hearing a request from a subordinate, they gladly lent out their name tag.

‘Since this is a rare opportunity, should I buy at least the cheapest one?’

Murmuring...

After waiting for a moment, the empty seats around her gradually filled up. Then, the hosts entered, and soon the auction began.

‘This item is the [Fairy Frank]. It was discovered five years ago in the northwestern region of Finland, and its effectiveness, as proven during the first conquest of the White Tower, is...’

‘The auction will start at 50 billion.’

‘...80.7 billion, 80.7 billion, 80.7 billion. Sold.’

‘The next item is [Efreet’s Heavy Armor].’

The auctioneer smoothly encouraged the bids with his eloquent speech. A stream of elaborate descriptions poured out. And even the appearance of the equipment, which had a somewhat old-fashioned, elegant atmosphere.

Jakyeong happily admired the items passing by the stage, and as she slowly turned her head, she happened to catch sight of the person sitting in the seat next to her.

[Number 33]

A blue shirt that a freshman in engineering would wear. A hat pulled down low. And a little black hair visible underneath. Since the auction started, he had been sipping the contents of the stainless steel tumbler in his hand.

It was strange. Even though the person was someone she had never seen before, there was something about his profile that felt oddly familiar.

“ Author Thoughts Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)