“Huh.”

The Association President’s wrinkled face twisted.

Yeah. The basis for those Americans pressuring him was the claim that Giryeo was a fake S-rank. But what if, at a time like this, the very subject of suspicion were to suddenly drop dead?

What could they possibly do? Once an Awakened becomes a corpse, measuring their mana in any way becomes difficult. The most crucial piece of evidence would disappear. That would leave only the test results recorded while the hunter was alive. As long as the numbers in the system remain intact, the rest can be covered up with whatever excuse necessary.

“Let’s see, it should be around here...”

President Go Byeongdo then carefully pulled something out of his pocket. It was a notebook bound in a luxurious leather cover. The method he had just thought of might be difficult to implement immediately, but still, the fact that a glimmer of hope to turn the situation around had appeared was something to be thankful for.

***

Various sounds can be heard from the TV.

[...We are honored to have with us Seo Esther-ssi, the representative of Korea's leading Hunter Guild!]

Cheering. Applause. And the voices of two people.

[The name of the Korean Magic Tower has a small story behind it, right? Originally, they wanted to keep the company name simple with just two characters, but back when the guild system was still underdeveloped, someone ended up monopolizing all the usable words, so the guild name had to be changed in the end.]

[That's right. Ah, but I think the rule has changed now, and if an actual guild isn't established within 30 days, the preemptive ownership will be nullified...]

[Although it's a name born from an unexpected incident, many people say that they actually like the name “Korean Magic Tower” because it clearly reflects that it's a proud guild of South Korea.]

[Ahaha.]

[But I've heard that the term “Magic Tower” is somewhat unfamiliar. Is it possibly a term from online games?]

[Originally, it's a term used across various creative works, but the source I took it from is a game. To be specific, it's from [SOM].]

[Oh, I know that game too! It was quite a sensation.]

[But I doubt there's anyone here with a higher level than me. I'm such a serious [SOM] addict that I even brought my in-game guild name into reality.]

[Yeees?]

[A more familiar term would be a gaming addict. Haha.]

I tapped my toes while listening to the conversation I was hearing. Propping my elbows on a shabby, cheap blanket. As could be told from this relaxed posture, the archmage was currently spending their precious weekend in a fulfilling manner.

“Haam.”

There was still a lot to do to regain the powers of my prime... But honestly, taking a day off wouldn't make the world collapse.

“I’ve always been a little bothered by the term ‘Magic Tower’ and all that. So what, it turns out it was just borrowed from a gaming term after all?”

Tossing and turning.

Having finished the Blueshell verification, I took some time to rest. And during this process, I turned on a video platform to kill time, and that’s exactly the kind of broadcast that came up...

‘Interview with the second S-rank leading a major guild.’

At this point, it was pretty obvious content, but Seo Esther was the most active figure in terms of public appearances among South Korea’s S-rank hunters.

At this point, it was pretty obvious content, but Seo Esther was the most active figure in terms of public appearances among South Korea's S-rank hunters.

Various official meetings. Appearances in public service ads. In addition, she often showed off her frank and easygoing conversations on SNS without any pretense. Surprisingly, this sorceress had managed to establish herself as a fairly “familiar hunter” in this space.

It was something I could never have imagined. Even if I somehow accepted the monstrous awakening stats, how could a cursed sorcerer manage to win the favor of everyone?

‘It’s a difficult task. Whether because of the nature of magic or due to temperament.’

Could this phenomenon be happening because curse magic hasn’t fully manifested on Earth yet? I quietly pondered and then put my phone down.

Actually, Esther’s image isn’t important right now. After surfing the web for a long time, I obtained some very interesting information today.

After Dungeon Shock, Earthlings showed an immense interest in the newly emerged awakening phenomena.

And now that people’s attention was focused on it, it was to the point where viewers would flock to it just by putting a high-level hunter in front of the camera.

And now that people's attention was focused on it, it was to the point where viewers would flock to it just by putting a high-level hunter in front of the camera.

“Oh.”

A broadcasting station obsessed with ratings wouldn't let such a treasure island slip by. In the end, even program directors began offering rookie hunters like Ahn Yoonseung, who hadn't even been awakened for a year, salaries comparable to top-tier entertainers. According to the market economy, the value of hunters had skyrocketed.

Appearance fees. Seriously, who would've thought there'd be a way to make money like this?

‘Just showing up and talking earns you tens of millions of won?’

I skimmed through the comments on Esther's video, swallowing my greed. If what they were saying here was true, then a solo interview was practically a dream job. Just sitting in front of an announcer, rambling a bit about my personal life, and the money would roll in? That was definitely a far easier option than the brutal work of a hunter, dealing with beasts' flesh and entrails up close.

‘Amazing!’

I want to do something like that too! Why am I not getting any offers?

Just as that thought flashed through my mind.

– Riiing. Riiing.

Before I knew it, the ringtone of my newly repaired phone echoed through the small apartment.

As usual, I checked the caller ID first.

'Seo Esther?'

What a coincidence. The name on the phone screen was the very one I had just been seeing over and over again.

***

A few hours later, I was dressed in outdoor clothes and had arrived at a certain location.

In a way, it was a familiar place. This high-rise building, with a clear view of the entire Seoul skyline, was somewhere I had visited many times before.

Knock knock.

“I’ll go in now.”

A polite knock. A brief pause. And then, the door in front of me swung wide open.

Then, a dreadful sight unfolded. Inside the room I arrived at, as if prepared ahead of time for the arrival of guests, there were steaming drinks placed on the table.

I looked down at the coffee welcoming me and paused for a moment to think.

‘Why on earth do these people enjoy roasted bean water so much...’

Since Awakened people don’t drink caffeine well anyway, they could cut down on that kind of thing.

“Hello, Hunter Esther.”

I hid my complex feelings and barely managed to greet her. In response, the woman sitting in the main seat quickly stood up.

Hello, Hunter Esther.

I hid my complex feelings and barely managed to greet her. In response, the woman sitting in the main seat quickly stood up.

Ah! Welcome, Giryeo-ssi!

Why did her voice tone come back higher than usual?

You must have had a hard time coming here, right? Thank you for making time for this. It's such great news, and I thought I should let you know as soon as possible, Giryeo-ssi. Of course, I also wanted to see your face after such a long time!

Good news? I tilted my head as I watched Esther set up the sugar cubes for the coffee. During the call earlier, all she asked abruptly was whether I had time today, so I still didn't know what kind of business she had called me for.

As I blinked in silence, the cursed sorceress of the Magic Tower hurriedly began to explain.

Oh, oops, did I forget to get to the point? Actually, today I was planning to talk about building reinforcement materials.

Reinforcement materials?

“Reinforcement materials?”

“It's the sand you gave me, Giryeo-ssi. Surely you haven't forgotten already, right? I still remember everything clearly from our first meeting~”

Ah, she was talking about the absorption powder I used as an entrance fee for the gate back then. I raised my eyebrows to show that I understood. Seeing this, Esther continued chattering happily.

“Anyway, it's good news. Recently, the government granted approval for a new branch to be established. So, our Magic Tower has decided to build our final guild branch in Andong.”

“Aha.”

“Of course, we'll be using the reinforcement materials you gave us, Giryeo-ssi!”

After listening to the long story, it seemed that the Korea Magic Tower had quietly been conducting research on the absorbents all along.

Starting with simple structures like single walls and containers, after thousands of ratio experiments, they had now reached the stage of actually constructing buildings using the proper mixing ratio of the absorbents they had developed.

‘They're picking up the usage faster than I thought. If the basic stages are already at this level, maybe within five year

Starting with simple structures like single walls and containers, after thousands of ratio experiments, they had now reached the stage of actually constructing buildings using the proper mixing ratio of the absorbents they had developed.

'They're picking up the usage faster than I thought. If the basic stages are already at this level, maybe within five years, we could expect a simple refinement method.'

Gulp.

The young S-rank hunter, who had been chatting for quite some time, took a sip of the coffee placed on the desk.

"Personally, I'm really looking forward to the results. So far, the experimental outcomes have always been positive."

"Hmm."

"Well, there are still many aspects to be verified, like how it will apply when constructing large-scale buildings, or if any unforeseen issues arise."

"That's true."

"If this gets patented, it will take some time for the technology to stabilize, but it will definitely bring in high profits later on. And of course, we've made sure to include a share for you, Giryeo-ssi!"

But still, unable to calm her excitement, the other person's face remained flushed. To protect a building from monster

If this gets patented, it will take some time for the technology to stabilize, but it will definitely bring in high profits later on. And of course, we've made sure to include a share for you, Giryeo-ssi!

But still, unable to calm her excitement, the other person's face remained flushed. To protect a building from monsters, the cost of maintaining such a barrier would be astronomical. And seeing the price of the infinite power cores rise daily, even the wealthiest would find it uncomfortable. As she had mentioned, this patent truly held significant value.

'Does what she just said mean she'll be giving me some kind of royalties or share of the profits?'

Interesting.

I picked up the coffee cup, feeling intrigued by the conversation. I had no intention of drinking it right away. It was better to drink it all at once when it was cold rather than sip it slowly and risk it getting too hot.

“Hmm.”

It was too late to boldly refuse the drink like I did with Ahn Yoonseung, considering I had already had plenty of coffee at the Tower.

I quickly swallowed the dark liquid in the cup. There was no choice if I didn't want to leave any unnecessary questions lingering.

'Every time I come to the Magic Tower, I feel the nostalgia of my hometown and I'm about to die from happiness. Seriously, at this rate, an alien is going to die.'

Anyway, I've heard the good news about the unexpected profits. If there's no more information to share, I'd like to head back soon.

'I wasn't planning on leaving the house today.'

Unfortunately, it seems Esther still has some things to share. She leaned toward me, eagerly explaining something with focus.

If the patent gets filed, she plans to transfer about 25% of the equity to me, but since I didn't participate in the invention process, my name won't be on the applicant list. However, she assured me she'd handle all the financial matters, so there's no need to worry. We'd just sign an equity agreement or something like that.

'For now, the completion date for the new branch they're building here is three years away.'

Tak. The empty glass is placed next to the scattered documents.

"You understand, right?"

Tak. The empty glass is placed next to the scattered documents.

“You understand, right?”

“Yes.”

I nodded along, pretending to understand, in order to wrap up the conversation quickly. After all, they were still in the early stages of research, having barely built a five-story building. It wasn’t the time for concrete discussions yet. Everything was still too uncertain.

‘I’m not sure what the 25% stake really means, but since it’s coming from the well-meaning curse sorcerer, at least I can trust it won’t be a backstab.’

I've done well all this time, so there's no way something would go wrong now, right? The fact that the archmage has humbled herself to please the curse sorcerer means there's no hidden agenda. With that thought in mind, I prepared to leave the room, while also trying to recall if there was a water cooler on the first floor of the guild.

“Hmm?”

However, it seems like rinsing my mouth will have to wait a bit longer.

“What’s wrong?”

After the conversation ended, I got up from the sofa but froze in an awkward position. Father immediately raised a que

"What's wrong?"

After the conversation ended, I got up from the sofa but froze in an awkward position. Esther immediately raised a question, but instead of answering, I chose to act. This was the first time I had experienced such a phenomenon since being reincarnated, and I couldn't predict what kind of effect it would have on a person.

Sssk.

As I quickly extended my hand, the guild leader's eyes widened in surprise.

"CEO, just a moment, over here..."

And upon hearing those words, Esther seemed to finally understand the gesture, placing her hand on top of mine. At that moment, I firmly pulled on the limbs of the approaching figure. Of course, with my F-grade strength, it would feel incredibly light to that person.

"Huh?"

If you're just going to give directions, this much would be enough anyway.

"What."

If you’re just going to give directions, this much would be enough anyway.

“What.”

The guild master of the Korean Magic Tower, startled by my one-sided action, was about to protest. However, she quickly shut her mouth as her body leaned forward. Soon, a strange flow of magic power entered her senses, catching her off guard.

The space twisted and distorted with a soundless transformation.

“…G, Gate?”

When I turned my head, a familiar concept was appearing in the place where the Earthlings had retreated.

“Um… just to be safe, should we move a little further over there?”

A blue gate had appeared. I brushed aside the representative’s hair, which was almost touching the edge of the portal, and gestured again.

Author's Thoughts

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