Chapter 197. Retirement (3)

"Even though you've become an S-rank hunter, you haven't donated anything at all. It seems inevitable that the public will criticize you for being stingy. What are your thoughts on this?"

I widened my eyes slightly. Truly, it was a topic I had never even imagined.

And at this moment, it felt oddly off to think that this journalist was merely here under the association president's orders to provoke me—his face was brimming with a peculiar sense of excitement.

One side of his mouth twisted, and his cheekbones rose in a smirk. The expression on his face was unmistakably one of ridicule. What could possibly be making that reporter Yang so happy that he was grinning like that?

"An orphanage, huh."

Come to think of it, the fact that I feel indifferent even after hearing this proves that I really do show signs of being from Alphauri. I knew about the institution where Kim Giryeo grew up, but the idea of donating—something that reporter mentioned—I had never even considered, nor do I plan to in the future.

Why would the state support an institution like an orphanage in the first place? Out of sympathy for children who can't grow up on their own? At least that kind of reasoning doesn't work in Alphauri, where I grew up.

Any act of resource consumption must have a reason behind it. That's why Alphauri never ignored orphans out of pity—instead, they did so purely based on the calculation that it's better for a native infant to survive and grow into some one who can contribute to national strength rather than die prematurely.

In the end, this country has already benefited enough simply by having the younger version of Kim Giryeo included in its demographic statistics. So why should I have to pay back the money spent on my upbringing?

"Are you not ashamed of ignoring your fellow orphans?"

Moreover, being criticized for this reason makes even less sense. From the perspective of a pragmatic Alphaurian, the mentioned group is nothing more than complete strangers. If someone asks why I haven't looked after them, I feel like snapping back—do you all go around handing out donations to every classmate you met in elementary, middle, and high school?

"Huh? Hunter Kim Giryeo is an orphan...?"

"Is that true?"

"Did you really grow up in an institution?"

But to my surprise.

Surprisingly, people focused on other keywords than the donation issue that I was worried about. From their perspective, they had gotten a juicy piece of information that would drive up views for free, so it was inevitable that they would show interest.

Even at this moment, the reporter Yang, who had not stopped filming and was observing my reaction, made a new statement.

"By the way, Hunter Kim Giryeo. If you had obtained a family relationship certificate, it would have been easy to find out that your mother is still alive. Why have you never made an effort to find your family even after becoming a famous S-rank hunter?"

Oh my.

"Did you perhaps have the intention of not sharing any of your earnings, even with your biological mother who gave birth to you?"

The man with the petty expression intentionally dragged out his words, smirking as he did.

"Please, could you answer? Huh? Did you just suddenly become an S-rank, and that's why you never thought about it until now?"

A silence fell in an instant. As soon as I heard the reporter's words, I became quiet and kept silent. But this wasn't because I was particularly hurt by what was said. Honestly, if I were to be very precise, the matter of Lee Hwayoung was merely the affair of a deceased stranger to an alien like me.

It was just that, as I watched the actions of the Earthling in front of me, a feeling of sympathy gradually rose within me, and suddenly, my throat tightened.

"This planet is ruined..."

How can a person ask such a stupid question... A being that mocks another's misfortune without hesitation for their own pleasure. If creatures like that are mixed into Earth's gene pool, then perhaps it's already beyond saving.

I once again gazed at the malice of the Earthlings with eyes filled with sorrow. As I've said before, it seemed that this place would follow the same path as Alphauri, and the atmosphere felt all too familiar, making me feel deeply regretful, leading me to unconsciously express sadness.

"-_-"

But at this moment.

"Hunter Kim Giryeo! Do you intend to remain silent like this? Shouldn't you at least say something—Keugh!"

Bang!

The reporter, who had been urging for a response energetically, suddenly staggered as though he had been hit by a truck. With a dull thud, blood splattered out, piercing through his skin, along with a bit of extracellular fluid. Reporter Yang, unable to even process the impact, collapsed onto the asphalt in an instant.

Thud. Thud.

Soon after, unidentified transparent shards rained down onto the unconscious man. The fragments, presumed to be glass, continued to fall ceaselessly, as if time moved only for them within a frozen scene. Raising my gaze slowly from where I had been watching the reporter's movements, my eyes landed on the source—some kind of rectangular object hanging in the air.

A small silver electronic device with cracks like a spider web.

"Huh."

It was Kang Changho, who had been standing beside me all this time. He suddenly hit the reporter while holding the tablet PC he had been fiddling with in his palm.

Just to clarify, what that S-rank Hunter did can't simply be described as 'slapping' the reporter. The reporter's head and the 7-inch electronic device were both shattered in the incident. Given the state of the tablet PC, with internal components exposed, it wasn't hard to deduce the extent of the damage to the victim as well.

Blood seeps into the rough surface of the road. The reporter, lying there, had a disturbing red color seeping through his scalp, his eyes closed. Seeing that, the humans around him turned pale and held their breath. As the silence settled, the one who had remained quiet until now finally spoke up.

"Yang Hyeonggyu of Jeongseong Daily."

It's a difficult statement to interpret. However, when he began to recite a sentence while pointing at the people around him, I gradually started to get a sense of what he meant.

"And this one is a rookie from SBC, next to them is Lee Jiyoung from YTN, and lastly, the one standing at the end—you're probably someone like Kim Woo, with a single-character name..."

Kang Changho glanced at each reporter before him, calling out their names one by one, then added a few words.

"Anyway, I've read the articles you all have written. Actually, reading online news is kind of a hobby of mine."

"-_-"

"But after watching for a while, I found it fascinating—every journalist gathered here seems to have a remarkably similar taste."

"-_-"

"[The Arrogant Attitude of Hunters, Is This Okay?] [The Moral Depravity of Awakened Ones Reaches a Critical Level.] Well, something along those lines, or generally articles that are somewhat favorable to the Association, etc."

The hunter with dragon-like eyes slowly blinked. Then, Kang Changho glanced down at the fallen reporter for a moment before lifting his head.

"By the way, what are you all doing instead of taking pictures?"

Even at this moment, the shattered tablet PC was still in the man's right hand. Just as I never let go of my phone, it was a device he frequently carried around.

"I just gave you some material for the story. Now, as a journalist, you should do your job and investigate."

Of course, despite this polite suggestion, the reporters remained frozen with tense expressions. After a few seconds, a young reporter, trembling, accidentally pressed the camera's shutter button, causing a flash to go off with a loud pop. However, Kang Changho didn't flinch at the flashing light and calmly continued speaking.

"Just so you know, if you handle this the same way you usually do... you'll probably all regret it."

"Yes?"

"I'm just saying, don't leave out the part about what kind of attitude the guy lying there had."

"I, that's."

"And if possible, it's best to avoid reporting too much on personal matters. None of you are high-income earners who can easily afford lawyer fees, are you?"

Simply put, he was warning them.

"Be careful."

A warning that if they displeased him with just a few written words, they would not be safe.

Thus, Kang Changho left those words directed at the reporters before lowering his gaze once more to examine the fallen man. But no matter how long he watched, there was no change. The unconscious reporter remained unresponsive until the ambulance and police car, summoned by the onlookers, finally arrived.

***

A police station in Seoul.

Tak, tak, tak.

As I descended the stairs, the sound of my footsteps echoed loudly through the spacious area. The moment I reached the lower floor, I immediately understood why it was so eerily quiet. Inside a semi-circular space blocked off by iron bars, a lone male awakener sat in solitude.

"Ah, hello. Hunter Kim Giryeo."

As I stepped into the detention center, the officers on duty inside bowed their heads in greeting.

However, their faces were visibly tense. The iron bars here were reinforced to restrain awakened individuals more securely than elsewhere, yet even those would undoubtedly be torn apart like paper in that hunter's hands.

The officers glanced sideways, tense, as if facing an untethered beast. Surprisingly, however, the man in question remained seated quietly, his wrists bound in handcuffs.

That's right. In the end, Kang Changho was arrested as a suspect for assault and is now detained for investigation. Perhaps because he had been watching me earlier while calling out the reporters' names, not a single related article has been published yet.

"Hunter Kang Changho."

I quickly walked up to the iron bars and said.

"Are you okay?"

It was a cliche from the beginning, but honestly, seeing him like that, I couldn't help but ask how he was doing.

No, but seriously, what on earth is this guy doing? I kept thinking about it the whole time—while Yang was being taken away and Kang Changho was quietly getting arrested—but no matter how I looked at it, I just couldn't understand why Kang Changho suddenly decided to cause a scene.

"But why did you do that just now?"

But the response I got in return was unbelievably dry. From inside the bars, Kang Changho explained that he simply didn't like the situation at the station. A reason I asked again—pressing for exactly what part of it he didn't like—he rolled his dragon-like eyes, pondered for a moment, and then finally spoke.

"You don't need to be criticized for something that isn't even your fault."

That's true. The fact that Kim Giryeo is an orphan isn't his fault, nor is it something that could even be called a mistake. Naturally, the situation just now is unfair.

The problem, however, is that I was the one being targeted—so why was he the one who smashed the reporter's head? This earthling already has a criminal record, so it's not like he didn't know such actions would bring him trouble.

"Anyway, if you're done watching, you should get going now."

"Yes?"

"I've called a lawyer, so I'll take care of the rest myself."

My head was already a mess, but the hunter locked in the detention cell continued to speak in a calm tone even at this moment. He told me that he probably wouldn't be able to get out for a few days, so I should refrain from entering the gates for the time being. He also mentioned that there was a clause regarding situations like this written at the bottom of the contract, so if I didn't remember it, I should check the copy again, and so on.

His tone and expression were not much different from usual, but as I watched Kang Changho like that, I eventually leaned my arm against the iron bars and spoke.

"I know, but I don't know."

Clang.

At that moment, Kang Changho, perhaps feeling uncomfortable maintaining an upright posture, shifted to a crossed-leg position. However, I paid no attention to his actions and immediately continued the conversation.

"Hunter Kang Changho. Let me ask you something."

Actually, I've always wanted to ask this question lately.

"Just whose side are you on, anyway?"

"What?"

"I mean, if you look at it, your actions seem all over the place."

He seems to offer kindness and understanding one moment, but then suddenly fractures someone's face. Then, like today, out of nowhere, he makes a reporter fall into critical condition with verbal abuse. If he were consistently doing something malicious, at least I could understand, but his mood swings, showing favor one moment and hostility the next, make it all the more uncomfortable and bothersome.

"Should I kill him or not?"

Well, a certain alien had already secretly marked the target's body.

"I don't know. A side, huh."

But once again, the answer was unsatisfactory.

"...Haven't you and I both passed the age where we draw such lines?"

Since Kang Changho said that and fell silent again, I looked at him and made a resolution to myself.

As expected, I really would have to crack open that earthling's skull someday—if only to find out what he was thinking. For now, the plan to take his body remains unchanged.

Author Thoughts

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