As I turned my head toward the source of the sound, I saw a metallic cylinder covered in abstract engravings lying on its side. From the cylinder, a rapidly spreading pale blue gas continuously poured out.

Seriously, why does this country have so many lunatics...?

"No, looking closely, they're definitely not Korean."

To correct myself, it seems like this planet simply has too high a ratio of crazy humans. I had just thought Earth was amazing a mere three minutes ago, yet I'm now already regretting my reincarnation. I've been living quietly without bothering anyone lately—so why do these trials keep finding their way to me?

"Today, I just wanted to look at the fish on Earth."

Yeah. That's really all I did.

"What on earth...!?"

"Forget it, just run! Hurry!"

Unfortunately, Ahn Yoonseung's protective shield was still in its primitive stages and couldn't filter out harmful gases. However, perhaps because unexpected ambushes were nothing new, maintaining composure came naturally.

I grabbed Ahn Yoonseung by the shoulder and shouted, urging him to hold his breath as much as possible and get out of this place. However, it seemed that even such a simple struggle wouldn't be so easy.

"Damn it!"

In movies, villains usually ramble on with their lines, giving the protagonists time to react. But these people appeared suddenly and pounced with expert precision.

***

Blink.

The eyes of those with distinct dark eye hollows blink in succession.

A woman and a man. They were awakened individuals who had worked together as a team for quite some time. When you think of "errand runners," you might usually picture small tasks like grocery shopping, but the work they did was far broader and deeper than that.

Background investigations. Threats. Retaliation.

Among them, the most highly paid jobs were, of course, those involving life and death. Veterans in this industry used Tory tools on tools like guns or knives, which always made cleanup troublesome. However, in today's modern society, more sophisticated methods of murder have emerged.

Awakening abilities. That was what brought change to the market they belonged to.

[Me: Are you really asking me to work under these conditions?]

[client: Yes.]

Come to think of it, this job still seems unusually specific, no matter how many times they reconsider it. The hunting duo, also known as 'Ally,' recently received a request from a certain Korean individual. And that request was none other than to eliminate the top-tier hunter, Kim Giryeo.

"Still, an S-rank is a bit much."

They had originally planned to refuse the mission. But, not long after, that Korean client readily sent over an intriguing contract.

It's not like they have to kill Kim Giryeo. With their abilities, they just need to give him a slight nudge and slip away—no problem. They can run as much as they want. But if they do him this favor, they'll get an enormous reward—all of it.

Reward. Yeah. In the end, the reward that the Korean offers is what provokes the foreign errand runners.

Approximately 670,000 euros in cryptocurrency. In Korean won, that's a staggering 1 billion.

There was no one who wouldn't hesitate if they could earn that just as a reward for a mere 'challenge.'

These days, the errand industry is not at that booming. Unless it's something with extreme legal risks like murder, a job that pays a staggering 1 billion won is quite rare. Besides, if not for the target being an S-rank, the veterans have snatched up this job before anyone else even got a glimpse of it.

"If you think about it, it's a pretty good deal."

Team Ally exchanged a few more messages with the client afterward. Through this, they ultimately decided to accept the request. Even in the worst-case scenario of mission failure, South Korea is a country where the legal penalties for unprovoked assault are relatively light, providing them with some level of safety.

"With that money, I can buy the building I've had my eye on."

Some call awakening a blessing. But Ally, this pair of awakened ones, didn't find it particularly pleasant to have gained the ability to use magic. Strangely enough, they both suffered from the same condition—while they could use their skill without issue, their immune systems had serious problems.

Their internal mana doesn't accumulate. As a result, unlike other awakened individuals, their bodies aren't physically strong. What's worse, the magic they've awakened to happens to be a power that affects the minds of living beings.

They weren't born overwhelmingly powerful like S-ranks, nor could they use their skills to kill monsters. As a result, they couldn't become hunters.

Then why not just make money another way? What nonsense. The country they were born in was relentlessly harsh to ward superpowered individuals, going so far as to impose regulations like the Awakener Identification Tag. They could no longer even hold ordinary jobs. Whenever they went, they were eyed like leashed beasts, and ordinary people shunned them, telling them not to covet their jobs and to get lost in the dungeons instead.

"Let's take the job."

They eventually fell into illegal activities.

At first, it was just to survive. They crossed seas and mountains, abandoned their homeland, and earned money as illegal immigrants before settling in Spain. Later, they cleaned up their identities and appearances, no longer needing to cling to errand jobs. But now, they can no longer be satisfied with the income of an ordinary profession.

Ten million, a hundred million, a billion. They hadn't put in any extraordinary effort, yet their awakened abilities were like a magic pot, endlessly generating money.

They had grown quite fond of this line of work. They couldn't care less if their actions worsened the public perception of Awakeners. In a way, people like Go Byeongdo from the Hunter Association harboring a hatred for the superpowers would likely a result of individuals like them. The era of magic that suddenly arrived intertwined with capitalist society caused many problems.

So...

***

Team Ally accepted the mysterious request to mess with an S-rank hunter. But they had these two, similar in build like a pair of wings, chosen today of all days to attack?

It was precisely because of the possibility of escape. From the prior investigation, it turned out that the bald man over there was Kim Giryeo's closest friend.

"A sudden trip to the aquarium in broad daylight on a weekday? How unusual."

Their work always required a certain amount of time. So, the one Ally had been keeping an eye on wasn't Kim Giryeo but Ahn Yoonseung. The two errand runners had come up with their own way to keep Kim Giryeo occupied.

"Can we really pull this off?"

"Don't worry. Just trust me."

Shoooooooo.

As the mysterious craft exploded into the space, the curly-haired female worker was the first to rush forward. For an awakened individual with a fragile body due to a chronic issue, it was a provocative choice.

However, there is a cause and effect for everything.

"Ugh!"

As she charged forward, Ahn Yoonseung, who had been fleeing, quickly spun around to avoid being caught by her.

This was exactly what the asker was aiming for. The overseas awakened individual pretended to attack the opponent's lower body, waiting for his shield to drop, and then swiftly sprayed something hidden in his hand when the moment was right.

Silver particles of unknown origin. These were none other than the powdered shards of a [Scream Stake] dagger. They had ground down the part of the unique-grade item that caused pain and threw the powder at the opponent.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Yoonseung-ah!"

Soon, a scream erupted. In addition, the several cylinders that Ally had thrown before entering were status-effect inducing items, each with its own unique effect.

Sleep. Paralysis.

Confusion. Blindness.

This was the second lubrication method, one that even the torturers of the Rakshasa Temple couldn't figure out.

In fact, the awakened people of this world tended to have their abnormal status defenses plummet when exposed to multiple negative effects at the same time.

"U, ugh...?"

Before long, Ahn Yoonseung, the Korean hunter, slowly drops to one knee. Attacks of the mental type were truly three times as dangerous. Even though he was a defensive-type hunter with a sturdier body than most, once you break through the one weak point beside him, it was easy to subdue him.

"It's done."

Once Ahn Yoonseung became incapacitated, the person hiding behind finally began to close the distance.

The foreign awakened team's male member had a unique ability. He could push others into a world of illusions, trapping them in what felt like a lucid dream with a master, allowing him to torment his opponent at will. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

[Invitation to Dreams]

In the language of this place, that was the name of the supernatural ability.

No matter how strong the opponent was in reality, once they entered that phantasmal space, it was over. In the mental world he created with his magic, he was truly like a god.

"It's too much to push him to a fatal shock, but I can most likely knock him out."

The unnamed man pours his mana toward the target. The target is the blonde Korean.

Imagine trying to torture a person who isn't their own teammate, so the fourth S-rank from Korea will not be able to run away, even out of concern for his close friend. Then, all that was left for them to do was to keep up the appearance of fighting while extending the time the status-effect cylinders were exposed.

That was the plan to break the S-rank's resistance.

"Huh?"

What on earth was going on? The moment his eyes met with the blonde man, the sorcerer activated his skill and felt a dizzying sensation as if his consciousness was being sucked into somewhere.

Surprisingly, the mental intrusion succeeded in just a few seconds. It was as if he had attacked an F-rank weakling!

***

An empty white space. The awakened individual, whom they would refer to as Errand Runner 2 for convenience, was certain of their victory the moment they saw this pure white void.

As mentioned earlier, in this place, abilities from the real world didn't matter much. Even if their rank was very low, here they could trample on an S-rank with this pure white void.

"_ _"

The blond Korean was looking around silently, as if he was flustered.

"Are you confused?"

At this time, the foreign Awakened spoke to his target for the first time.

"We have a lot of time here anyway, so let's talk."

"_ _"

"Actually, it's my first time facing an S-rank. Anyway, I'm quite curious. About various topics."

"_ _"

"If you answer well, I might give you a hint about what you'll face next."

Anyway, this was a request taken partly out of curiosity, but now it's all a bit deflating. He was so tense thinking it was an S-rank hunter, but this... it was over without even the thrill of a challenge, and he succeeded in mental intrusion right away. How is it possible that the mind of a top-tier awakener is this weak? If S-rank individuals are really just this level, maybe he can start accepting more relaxed requests more actively. And someday, if he saves up enough money, he could build a place in Hawaii and enjoy a leisurely retirement.

"Why aren't you talking? Can you hear me?"

The two were clearly from different nationalities, but strangely, Kim Giryeo heard the opponent's language in Korean. Even now, Ahn Yoonseung is being relentlessly threatened by his own teammate, so the fourth S-rank hunter stared intently at the Hispanic who was leading the conversation, and in response, Ally's sorcerer shrugged.

"Feels strange, doesn't it? I don't know what your awakening ability is, but you won't be able to use it here. Hmm, because... I don't want you to."

The blonde answers.

"Is that so?"

It's a rather short and concise statement.

"That's right. Everything here- goes as I think. In this place, I'm an S-rank hunter, a superhero, and you're just a powerless ordinary person."

And at that moment, a blue droplet, just like the ones seen in the aquarium, suddenly splashed in the pure white void. With this, the foreign awakened proved that he could create something out of nothing.

"So, be careful with your words and actions... Actually, never mind. Feel free to resist as much as you want. It'll be even more fun! The struggles of an S-rank, huh?"

Unlike his timid demeanor outside, the errand-runner maintained a rather arrogant stance.

It couldn't be helped. As long as this awakening ability worked properly, any being would quickly kneel before him. It was truly a powerful force that could dominate anyone, as long as the first hurdle was crossed. Now, the plan was to mentally torture the S-rank hunter in front of him until they passed out, then escape with his teammate, completing the mission.

Tsk.

He snapped his fingers and poured a torrent of water over someone's head.

...But something about his reaction was strange. Even though water had poured over the blond man's head, he showed no response. That's because he really didn't blink an eyelid and just stared at him.

"_?"

After waiting a few more seconds, something unimaginable happened. The man, who had been watching him intently, suddenly changed his expression. His mouth opened, and his eyes squinted, as if something that was merely human on the surface was facing his mouth.

"Thank you."

The words that followed were also incredibly strange.

"Huh?"

"You really use magic thoughtlessly. This is a skill that pulls a specific target into your own mind. It's not about meeting each other in some unknown third world."

"What do you..."

"Ha. Honestly, when I was ambushed, I was shocked, but of all things, how did such an awakened end up as an assassin?"

"_ _"

"Do you still not understand what I'm saying?"

For some reason, it felt uncomfortable. The foreign awakened felt an inexplicable sense of displeasure from the tone of the other's voice and unconsciously frowned. But Kim Giryeo's expression remained unchanged.

"As the landlord, you just swung open the front door and called someone in."

Tuk, tuk.

He kept smiling without an inch even as the water droplets from his hair swept over his eyes.