Chapter 196. Retirement (2)

At this moment, what came to mind was the languid face of a certain S-rank Hunter. If Esther were here right now, she would likely chatter in her district, clear tone, "See? You should have known better and stepped down earlier."

"F, this... how did things turn out like this? Why on earth...?"

But now, no matter how much he regretted it, the train had already left the station. This was precisely why Alphauri had always been careful not to provoke curse-type magicians.

Their revenge was always passionate. Relentless. And it never stopped until their enemy was completely and utterly destroyed.

***

Bubble, bubble, bubble...

Click.

Sunlight streamed down on a morning in New York, the largest city in the United States.

Somewhere within the dark blue-painted forest of skyscrapers, a young woman stood by the window, holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It was still quite early, but down in Bryant Park, a few pedestrians were already out, enjoying a light morning stroll.

The woman with a golden bob watched for a long time as the people, whether tourists or Americans, moved like ants.

"Haam."

A monotonous morning routine, just like that of office workers. But if there was one difference, it would be that the cup in her hand didn't contain ordinary coffee—it held a hyper-caffeinated drink made for awakened beings.

Brooklyn Morgan wet her dry throat with the steaming hot drink as she shifted her gaze. In her other hand, she held the latest model of the tablet PC she always used.

[The leader of the hunting association in South Korea......]

But today, the digital newspaper contained rather intriguing content. While Brooklyn had been asleep, a sensational incident had erupted in South Korea.

That the president of the Hunter Association, Go Byeongdo, had been deceiving hunters to create slush funds. Moreover, until now, Asia's only enchanter had been working under them with an incredibly lenient condition—simply being allowed to choose the priority of their tasks.

When it was revealed that President Go Byeongdo had broken even this minimal request—specifically, that he had selectively concealed enchantment requests that came into Korea to suit his own interests—the enchanter declared a strike. As a result, citizens were now launching a movement demanding the association president's resignation.

"Wow."

Anyway, it was complete chaos. The international news site she was reading featured a photo of an elderly Korean man bowing apologetically at a press conference. However, just a little scroll down revealed that the apology was fake. It was exposed through a second recording that he had cursed at Gu Seohyeong behind the scenes, which only fueled the growing fire.

"How did such an interesting thing happen?"

Could it be that the politicians in that country are having a power struggle?

Thus, Brooklyn was able to start her Wednesday with more interest than usual. In truth, the source of all this chaos lay within someone's affiliated Spectrum Guild, but she couldn't even notice it.

***

Beep, beep, beep.

Beep, beep, beep.

And then one Thursday, when he returned.

"Hmm."

The S-rank Hunter Jung Haseong, who represented the country of South Korea, glanced at his phone with a dry expression.

[Association President]

Haseong dried the water off his body after his shower and soon flipped his phone over indifferently. In the past, he would have answered before the second ring, but now he ignored the call. And, of course, for a certain middle-aged man, this was enough to drive him absolutely mad.

"Damn it! Now even this b*stard is avoiding my calls?"

Unlike last week, the atmosphere in the study room in Seoul has become quite unsettled.

To get straight to the point.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Association President Go Byeongdo to fall! A certain curse sorcerer shook public opinion by exposing the association president's dirty secrets, and amidst the chaos, the enchanter's revelation delivered the final blow. In the end, even members within his own party began calling for his voluntary resignation.

What a ridiculous sight. Who would have thought that beings as otherworldly as Awakened ones would attempt a full-scale battle of public opinion instead of using magic?

Moreover, in this incident, Go Byeongdo was essentially tied up and forced to take a one-sided beating. Esther had threatened that if she publicly announced her execution of justice, she would essentially kill him with her skills, and Gu Seohyeong, who was supposed to be used as a hostage, preemptively acted as quickly as a hornet, seemingly sensing the association president's intentions.

In this case, it could be said that Gu Seohyeong's revelation caused even more devastating damage. As a result, the association president scrambled desperately to silence the enchanter, running around in a panic.

[In front of the reporters, I declare that if this revelation leads to any disadvantages for our country's enchanters, I will also go on strike from that day! Go ahead, try to reveal their name! Do you think I'll just stand by? Honestly, it's not like they're asking for a salary increase, they're just asking to prioritize life and work. Is it right to block such a person for personal gain? What do you think, everyone?]

Even that became impossible to control because the Guild Leader of the Korean Magic Tower stepped forward to protect Seohyeong.

It's miserable. Truly a disastrous outcome. In the end, it's all because of that damn awakening. If only an era where people suddenly started performing bizarre sorcery had never come—he wouldn't have been so absurdly outmaneuvered like this.

"Ugh!"

Go Byeongdo had tried to overturn the situation by reaching out to a Hunter with a heroic image, a national hero. With their support, he could have swiftly turned the tides of public opinion in his favor. However, as evident, Jung Haseong was also deeply connected to 'that Hunter' and had already been informed of the entire situation—cutting off any attempts at negotiation with the association president.

Esther, Jung Haseong, and even the only enchanter in Asia. To think that all these influential figures were willing to take risks and act despite the potential losses.

"This damn..."

At this point, isn't Kim Giryeo practically someone with the ability to influence others' minds?

For a moment, the Association President felt a sense of injustice. After all, he had merely been deceived by the false information from the Spectrum Guild, and now, due to a single mistake, he was cornered this far. A sense of unfairness suddenly welled up inside him.

Would things change if he apologized to that fourth S-rank now? However, Go Byeongdo would rather lose his power in disgrace than kneel before that young man. Even in his downfall, he refused to suffer such a humiliating end.

He still had plenty of power left aside from his position as the association president. After all, in this world, money was everything. He calculated that even if he let go of his authority, his entire life wouldn't collapse in the end.

Therefore.

"Ha."

Since his resignation was already half certain, Go Byeongdo decided to make one last desperate move—dragging his opponent's name through the mud. It was nothing more than a petty act of revenge, driven by the sheer unwillingness to watch that hunter walk around basking in victory.

.

.

.

Today is Saturday.

"The weather's a bit gloomy. It feels like the humidity has risen too... Is summer finally coming?"

Just like every other time, I spent this Saturday working with Jung Haseong until around 6 PM before finally leaving the gym. Standing in my usual spot, I turned on my phone and briefly checked with Esther to see if the handling of the association president was progressing smoothly.

At that moment, someone approached me.

"Kim Giryeo."

"You're here?"

The very bodyguard I hired at the cost of a 10-year lifespan.

It hadn't been long since I encountered the overseas mercenary, Ally. Recently, I had been calling this S-rank Hunter to accompany me wherever I went, just in case the association president tried something strange again.

"By the way, I guess the rumor about you two sparring every weekend was just nonsense, huh?"

"Yes?"

"I've been watching the gym for a while now. But it looked like Jung Haseong was the only one using skills."

But as soon as I met Kang Changho, he made a remark that was fitting for a stalker.

"What exactly are you doing here with the number one ranked hunter?"

"I was getting paid to give him a few words of advice while sitting next to him."

"Advice?"

"Well, you know... this and that..."

But I didn't mind. After all, I had no intention of hiding my schedule with Jung Haseong. I simply spoke the truth, hoping that a certain criminal wouldn't add to his criminal record. I casually entertained Kang Changho's whims and exchanged some light, meaningless conversation for a while.

"Hmm, then I'll give you some money. Do you think I could get some of that advice as well?"

"I'm sorry, but it might be difficult for you, Hunter."

"Why?"

"You're already controlling your mana well. I'm not joking—there's really nothing for me to advise you on."

"Really?"

"Honestly, if I could have asked for money from Kang Hunter, I would have told you earlier."

After that, I got into the bodyguard's private vehicle and headed home...

"Hmm?"

It should've been a smooth arrival, but for some reason, when I got to the front of the house, the atmosphere fell off. The alley is already notorious for illegal parking, making it difficult for even one car to pass by. But today, there were groups of unfamiliar people gathering by the front gate.

They were shifting restlessly, as if waiting for someone. And judging by the small black microphones clipped to some of their collars, this was undoubtedly...

"They're reporters."

Kang Changho, who was holding the steering wheel beside me, answered in my stead.

But so what if they were reporters? It seemed like the situation would be the same even if I tried sneaking in through the back entrance. So, I decided to just push straight through the reporters in front of me.

I was exhausted from spending the entire day teaching Jung Haseong, so I just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"He's here."

"Hunter Kim Giryeo!"

"Hunter-nim!"

As soon as I stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance, the reporters rushed toward me. I simply gave them a nod, as if telling them to hurry up and say whatever they had to say.

However, the questions that followed were quite interesting.

"We came by to verify some information. Recently, we heard that the enchanter who exposed Association President Go Byeongdo was actually a very close classmate of Hunter Kim Giryeo. Is it true that..."

"Hunter! We're from SBC. Just now, SBC received a tip claiming that you incited the enchanter to drive a wedge between him and the association and that you intend to use private enchantment requests for personal gain. What are your thoughts on these allegations?"

"Hunter! This is from SBC. We just received a tip claiming that you encouraged the enchanter to sow discord with the association and use the enchantment requests for personal gain. What do you think about these allegations?"

Go Byeongdo... Even after so many of his dirty secrets have been exposed, he still refuses to give up and is now trying to drag this into a mudslinging fight. And this time, he's digging into the connection between a certain S-rank and Gu Seohyeong.

Judging by the direction of the reporters' questions, it was easy to tell that they were associates of the pro-association faction. However, there was no need to be afraid of such a thing. If I were the one who started this incident alone, it might be a different story, but in this case, I had the strong backing of the guild leader of the Korea Magic Tower.

"Let's leave the public opinion battle to Esther, the Earthing. If I stay put, that curse sorcerer will take care of it on their own."

I casually acknowledged the truth about being former classmates with Gu Seohyeong but firmly denied all other allegations. Then, I gestured for them to step aside so I could enter the building.

"Hunter Kim Giryeo! Just one more question!"

However, among all the reporters gathered here, there was one man—the only one—who refused to put away his recorder and blocked my path until the end. For some reason, his face felt oddly familiar. Just as I was trying to recall where I had seen him before, he finally spoke.

"Shockingly, it's been said that you didn't grow up in a typical household but instead in a childcare facility as an orphan. Is this also true?"

I stopped in my tracks when I heard that.

"Moreover, according to our investigation... Despite earning a fortune from the Siren raid earlier this year, it seems that you haven't donated a single penny to the institution that raised you with such care in place of your parents."

The other reporters from various broadcasting stations had already turned their heads toward the man who had asked the question. After all, the revelation that Korea's fourth S-rank hunter was actually a solitary individual with no one to rely on was a piece of information that had never been disclosed to the media before.

"Don't you feel ashamed of your actions, neglecting your fellow orphans from the orphanage?"

The reporter, who had his hair neatly combed, held up a small microphone in front of me.

And then I remembered.

[Beasts' Without Ability?...Shocking Remarks from the New S-Rank]

Come to think of it, wasn't this guy the journalist with the surname Yang? The one who was most active in writing negative articles about me back when I had just taken down that Inevitable Malice?