Two days passed like that.

Tiring.

I followed the sound that came from my pocket and pulled out my phone. On the screen was an unknown number. However, considering the timing, it was likely a call from that person. I answered it without hesitation.

As the call connected, a voice immediately echoed in my ear.

– Is this Hunter... Kim Giryeo’s number?

The voice of a man who seemed to have aged drastically in just two days.

– Are you listening? This is Go Byeongdo. Go Byeongdo.

Sniff.

Through the speaker, a sound of someone wiping away tears or a runny nose could be heard. And the reason the association’s president was calling in such a melancholic tone...

– Y, you must have been surprised by the sudden call. But there’s something I really need to tell you.

“Go ahead.”

– I’m really sorry. I... I must have lost my mind for a moment. This... this is all because of a guild called Spectrum in America that pushed me into this...!

I couldn’t hold back a sneer at the sight of my opponent’s broken attitude.

That’s right. In fact, for the past 48 hours, Go Byeongdo had endured unimaginable hardships. The fact that the head of the Hunter Association had gone so far as to betray hunters was something that couldn’t be hidden by shallow media tactics.

This battle had already been decided the moment Esther unleashed her trump card to the media. But Go Byeongdo, unaware that the scales were heavily tipped against him, foolishly stirred a hornet’s nest with his desperate actions.

[From ‘A Child in Crisis’ from an Orphanage -> Transformation into an S-Class Hunter]

To put it simply, my small secret was eventually exposed to the world. And because of this article, an S-class cursed sorcerer became enraged and hastened the execution.

The initial plan was to strip Go Byeongdo of his power and, once public interest had faded, gradually began applying pressure.

Esther had reached the point where she could no longer tolerate the very existence of this Earthling breathing.

– What should I do? Huh? I’m sorry for daring to touch Hunter Kim Giryeo. If you want me to kneel... I’ll kneel!

The truth behind the situation is that the president of the Hunter Association is currently under the effect of a certain curse. A curse so painful that it forces him to bow his head to the very awakened individuals he despises. I’ve heard that recently, the market ran out of curse-resistant equipment, which suggests he had been preparing for something like this. It seems that he had made some preparations of his own, though...

“The opponent is an S-rank Hunter.”

Unlike other forms of magic, curse rituals rely heavily on the power of the mind as an important fuel. In doing so, the president of the Hunter Association foolishly increased the intensity of the face he was about to face.

Now, Esther no longer cares about public opinion or anything else. If they want to report her, fine. But if that happens, she’ll make it clear that she’ll take down the association president and his entire family without mercy, showing her ruthlessness stance as she tears into him.

Moreover, as you know, curse magic has an incredibly long range. Despite preparing as best as he could, the association president was still overtaken by the curse inside his own bedroom. Having experienced the power of an awakened being in this way, he can no longer afford to act so carelessly.

‘If only he had quietly stepped down from the position of president and just signed a pledge promising not to harm me anymore... it would have all ended quietly.’

Anyway, I slightly dropped the phone from my ear, pondered for a moment, and then spoke to the other person.

“So what you’re saying is that the Spectrum Guild called me a fake, and you believed that and did all of this?”

It was a kind of fact-checking. In response, Go Byeongdo answered in a loud voice, saying that he was only guilty of believing what the Americans said, and promised that such a thing would never happen again.

“Well. You still hired the mercenaries with your own hands, and now you’re blaming America for this...?”

– What, what did you say?

“Anyway, this afternoon, Esther will bring a copy of the [Knight’s Oath]. You should be ready to sign it.”

– No, wait! I, I’ll apologize! You don’t have to go that far, I’ll show my sincerity on my own, so let’s just negotiate normally. Okay? Hunter, what do you want?

I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

I completely ignored the voice of Go Byeongdo, who repeatedly apologized in a pitiful manner.

“What I want, huh?”

After all, the ones that man had touched were the most unforgiving beings in this world.

The Alphaurins and curse sorcerers. The words of a human who has touched both of these races are predictable.

“Why ask such an obvious question? What I want is for you to be punished. I’ll hang up now.”

– Yes? Wait...!

Tuk.

I ended the call and blocked the association president’s number. Then, after a few days, the news I had been hoping for flooded the TV, one after another.

[Sorry for disappointing you... “Resignation from the position of president.”]

[Go Byeongdo bows his head]

[Sudden health deterioration? Former president complains of critical condition. However, the public’s reaction is cold, with many speculating that it may be an attempt to avoid an investigation into embezzlement...]

Thus, this situation was relatively easily resolved through the past debts owed to Esther. It was a story that began with favor and grudge and ended with favor and grudge.

***

And then 17 hours later.

“Hmm?”

For a while, the phone had been silent, but now it rang again. This time, a text message had arrived.

‘I’ve done everything you asked. You can relax now! (*_*)v’

I carefully scan the text that Seo Esther sent.

First, under the pretense of lifting the curse on Go Byeongdo, I had him sign the Knight’s Oath, ensuring that he will never again be able to oppose any Awakener.

Of course, as soon as the oath was completed as I had mentioned, I placed a new curse on him, one with a different nature than the previous one. The punishment is ongoing. Now, my goal is to torment him until the trial, forcing him to return the money he embezzled, ensuring his financial ruin after sparing his life.

By the way, until a new leader is appointed, the deputy head of the organization will act as the authority. I made sure to inform her grandfather about this, so the new association president will probably be someone trustworthy and not unusual.

“It’s neat.”

This much is probably more reliable than the genie from the lamp. I scanned through the updates Esther sent, and by the time I had nearly finished reading the long message, the next message arrived.

[Kim Giryeo-ssi, by the way...]

This is truly unimaginable good news.

[... I heard that it appeared in Daejeon around yesterday afternoon. Are you planning to participate in the raid, Giryeo-ssi?]

[I’ve already had the guild members handle the bidding, but if you want, I’ll leave a spot for you after the auction.]

***

Tak, tak, tak.

A blond man in a suit walks briskly down the corridor. He soon stops in front of the iron bars that still have a sinister appearance, unlike other detention cells that have been replaced with electronic ones.

“Hunter Kang Changho.”

The suspect in the solitary confinement cell, whose name was called, was speaking with an ordinary person, possibly having just finished a meeting with their lawyer. The S-rank Hunter, upon spotting Kim Giryeo, thanked the lawyers for their hard work and sent them away. And then he starts talking to the person who came to visit.

“Why are you here?”

“I have something to tell you, but you’re not answering the phone.”

“When you come in here, they take your belongings. It’s called ‘confiscation’, so those guys are holding onto my phone for me.”

Giryeo turned to look at the prison guard that Changho was pointing to with a smile, then straightened his posture. Then he clearly stated the purpose of the visit.

“Anyway, there’s something urgent I need to tell you. Yesterday afternoon, a [Nest of the Grass] gate appeared in Daejeon.”

“It’s Dragon Dungeon.”

“The auction for the gate entry ticket just ended, and my acquaintance won it.”

Kang Changho raised an eyebrow as if to ask him to say more.

“So, to get to the point... I want to participate in this raid...”

He continued in a somewhat cautious tone.

“Sorry, but when will Hunter Kang Changho be able to leave here?”

Of course, the answer to the question wasn’t very good. If it were easy for him to leave, that man wouldn’t still be wearing handcuffs.

“I’m not sure, but it seems like I’ll be stuck for the full 10 days.”

Even though it was his first offense, it was an event that could cause quite a stir. The third S-rank Hunter of Korea had a criminal record in the same category, and now, due to public opinion, things had become quite complicated.

But if, as Kang Changho said, he ends up serving the full 10 days of the detention center’s maximum sentence...

“The time is running out.”

If the schedule doesn’t align with the raid team for the Magic Tower, it could cause problems. Dragons are highly dangerous creatures, so it’s a rule to defeat them before the dungeon break is imminent.

“A dragon.”

But shortly after, Kang Changho leaned against the iron bars, pondering something for a moment. Soon after, he conveyed his thoughts to Giryeo.

“It can’t be helped. Then, go alone if you have to.”

“Yes?”

It was the sacrifice of improvement that allowed the journey to the Dragon’s Nest.

“Instead, make sure to include Jung Haseong in the raid team if possible.”

“Do you think the Korean Magic Tower will approve it?”

“If that hunter comes to volunteer without pay, the guild won’t refuse him unless absolutely necessary.”

Giryeo was briefly surprised by the other’s casual answer. To be honest, he had been one of the first to harbor certain suspicions and scowl at him, even before the Spectrum Guild. He hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way.

‘Didn’t he have a firm belief that I was a fake S-rank?’

The blonde man rolls his eyes expressionlessly. Soon, a tall hunter suffering from achromatopsia enters his field of view. With such a large frame, being confined to a small solitary cell must be uncomfortable, yet he still carries himself with an air of calm. Could it be because he’s an experienced one?

“Yes. Then I’ll take care of the dragon hunting.”

Giryeo crossed his arms and pondered a moment before voicing the thought that came to his mind.

“By the way, I have a quick question before I go.”

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, Hunter Kang Changho has a criminal record for special assault, right?”

“...”

“I don’t remember the details, but I think the person was probably a chauffeur or something.”

He had occasionally exhibited behavior similar to justice, such as taking revenge on a reporter who mocked someone else’s pain. This made me wonder if there was some circumstance behind his past criminal record.

“Anyway, can I ask how that criminal record came about?”

However, as soon as the question about his criminal record came up, Kang Changho’s expression noticeably changed. The smile that usually revealed his distinctive dimple disappeared, replaced by a somewhat cold, expressionless face.

“I don’t really want to talk about that.”

Kang Changho fell into a long silence.

“Hmm.”

Fortunately, one of the aliens here wasn’t rude enough to relentlessly pressure someone who said they didn’t want to.

“I understand. I’ll leave now.”

“Yeah.”

With the report to the contractor finished, it was now time to properly prepare for the dragon hunt. Giryeo took out his phone from his pocket as he left the detention center.

“<Chatroom>

[Me: The classes on the 12th (Friday) and 13th (Saturday) will be replaced with field practice. Please prepare your equipment and potions and come to the front gate of the Korean Magic Tower by 9 AM on Thursday.] 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

[Jung Haseong: Yes!]

[Me: I said I will replace it.]

And after sending the text message, I put my cell phone back in my pocket.

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