Chapter 192: Chief Song (2)
Whoosh─
A knife sliced through the night air. Hunter Lucas, an A-Class, twisted his leg deftly to let the knife aimed at his ankle slide under his boot. Even though the blade merely grazed it, the sole of his A-Class-grade boot was shaved clean off in a long cut. The knife embedded itself deeply into the wall with a resounding thud, leaving a large, jagged impact mark.
“Damn it!”
Lucas cursed and stretched his hand forward. A translucent barrier appeared in front of him, but before it could fully materialize, a man rushed at him, throwing a punch at Lucas.
Boom!
A sound like an explosion echoed, and the barrier shattered into fragments as if it had never existed. The defensive skill was strong enough to withstand most attacks from S-Class monsters. Yet it had been destroyed without resistance.
Lucas clenched his teeth as he saw the black shadow trailing the fist that had stopped just short of his face. He tried to duck, but his opponent, Song Taewon, had anticipated this. He raised his knee and struck Lucas squarely in the torso.
“Ugh!”
The knee strike was immediately followed by a sweeping punch, which transitioned into an open hand that grabbed the back of Lucas’s head. Song Taewon yanked him forward and drove his other elbow straight into Lucas’s spine. The sickening crack of breaking bones reverberated through the alley. For an ordinary person, such a strike would have been fatal. But for Lucas, a defense-type A-Class hunter, it only rendered him unable to continue fighting.
Song Taewon tied the still-conscious hunter with a wire and dropped him unceremoniously onto the ground. Lucas spat blood and glared fiercely at the man standing in front of him.
“All this just because I roughed up some, ugh, powerless civilian?! It wasn’t even serious! In my country, this wouldn’t even be a problem─”
“This is Korea.”
Song Taewon spoke calmly, his tone cold and professional. His voice continued in an even manner.
“In Korea, it is strictly prohibited for an awakened individual to harm a non-awakened person. Furthermore, resisting arrest and attempting to flee as a high-ranking hunter is considered a serious crime.”
If the harm inflicted had truly been minor, the matter could have been resolved through mutual agreement. But a high-ranking hunter’s refusal to comply with the law was a far graver issue. With the limited means to control such individuals, even a single act of defiance could spiral into a catastrophic situation.
Despite Song Taewon’s explanation, Lucas’s face twisted in indignation.
“They’d be dead without us anyway! Damn it, these ungrateful bastards would’ve all been wiped out if not for hunters!”
Lucas’s rant was cut short as he noticed Song Taewon’s icy glare boring into him. For a moment, he clamped his mouth shut. But it didn’t last long. When Song Taewon didn’t respond or move, Lucas, emboldened, began spewing curses at him again.
“I’ve heard people say Korea’s Song is a crazy bastard, but seeing you in person, you’re worse! What kind of idiot S-Class hunter bows his head to powerless civilians?! If you’ve got power, it’s only natural to use it! What are you, some neutered dog? How the hell is a high-ranking hunter supposed to─!”
Crash!
A loud explosion interrupted him. The sound came from not far away. Song Taewon, who had been ignoring Lucas’s insults, furrowed his brow slightly and turned toward the source of the noise. Thankfully, no further sounds followed. Instead, a thud echoed as an unconscious man fell to the ground near them. It was another foreign A-Class hunter.
“He’s alive.”
A voice came from above. A young man appeared, stepping lightly down what looked like stairs made of swirling leaves. Han Yuhyun landed gracefully on the wall where the knife was embedded. His gaze flicked briefly toward Lucas, who immediately went silent. Just the passing glance from Yuhyun made the A-Class hunter’s body shrink involuntarily.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Han Yuhyun nodded lightly, then pulled out his phone. Pressing a speed dial number, he waited as the call connected. The moment the other person answered, the air around Han Yuhyun shifted noticeably.
“Hey, hyung. Just finished up.”
The image of a predator no one dared to challenge suddenly transformed into that of a tame cat rubbing its cheek against its owner’s hand. This change didn’t escape Song Taewon’s sharp eyes.
“I’m heading home right now. Do you need anything? No, don’t wait up if you’re sleepy. It’s fine.”
Han Yuhyun smiled warmly, presumably because his brother had said he’d wait for him. He reassured him that he wouldn’t take long and ended the call with a soft chuckle. When he turned back to Song Taewon, the gentle expression was gone, replaced by a blank, impassive look.
“If you need a ride, I can take you.”
It was undoubtedly something Han Yujin had instructed him to offer. Song Taewon politely declined with a brief response. As soon as Yuhyun heard the refusal, he hopped down from the wall and walked away without hesitation. The mere fact that he had extended the offer at all was remarkable in itself. A second offer was never going to happen.
Song Taewon watched Han Yuhyun’s retreating figure for a moment before pulling out his phone. A text message had arrived.
[Thank you for your hard work, Chief Song. You don’t need to reply. If there were any issues with my brother, I’d appreciate it if you could let me know. You must be tired, so please get some rest.]
Song Taewon’s thoughts drifted to that night. Seong Hyunjae, handing over his phone to Han Yujin. That monster, who had always stood out even among predators, was someone he never thought would willingly keep Han Yujin by his side. It might have been a joke or a whim—something he could discard whenever he wanted.
But the fact remained that Seong Hyunjae had stepped back first and extended his hand.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Song Taewon turned off his phone without replying.
“Here’s my business card.”
I handed Myungwoo one of the fresh business cards that had arrived this morning. Yuhyun, Yerim, and Noah each took one as well. Out of curiosity, I gave one to Peace and Chirp too. Peace quickly lost interest, while Chirp took it to his nest. The contact information on the card was for a new number I’d set up for work purposes. Now, I had three phones. I barely used the first one these days—maybe I should just get rid of it.
“Looks pretty legit, huh? But it feels a bit overwhelming.”
I’d never had a reason to make business cards in the previous timeline. And now, with an official job title on it, it felt even more awkward.
“‘Director Han Yujin,’ huh?”
“Well, for now, yeah. That’s what it is.”
Ugh, so awkward. Stop smiling at me.
“…How about you take this opportunity to organize the forge system too? Right now, you’re basically leaving it to volunteers who are in it for the scraps.”
“It’s not inconvenient for now, but you’re probably right. Things could pile up and cause problems eventually. Maybe I should make some business cards too.”
“Want the contact info for the place?”
“Sure.”
I texted Myungwoo the contact info I’d received from Seok Gimyeong. Seok Hayan’s team seemed to be handling things well enough on their own, so there weren’t any issues there.
“By the way, Myungwoo, about Sharlos’s Orb. You haven’t gotten it back, have you?”
The damage-nullifying item that Yuhyun had borrowed—he still had it, apparently. Myungwoo had told him there was no need to return it.
“Yeah. I told him to use it if he’s in danger. He goes into dungeons all the time.”
“But there aren’t many left now, are there? You can’t make more of them either…”
The orbs were crafted using L-grade magic stones and the extraordinary material known as Dragon Heart. Myungwoo pulled one of Sharlos’s Orbs from his pocket and tossed it to me.
“Just in case, you should keep one too.”
“…Huh?”
“As a backup. You could lose Grace, or your mana could run out, or someone around you could end up in danger.”
“But what about you, Myungwoo?”
“I still have one left. Besides, I don’t really go into dangerous dungeons. And if things get bad, I can just retreat to the forge.”
Still, this was an unpredictable world. An S-Class dungeon could suddenly appear, or a high-ranking hunter might attack. Giving away such a precious item—one akin to a second life—until there was only one left was definitely not an easy decision.
“…If you’re looking out for Yuhyun too, I’ll feel too guilty to accept this.”
“Don’t be. And you can’t live without your brother, right? This will make you less anxious, won’t it? That’s enough for me. Honestly, I should’ve given it to you earlier.”
Hearing him say this with a smile made the back of my neck feel warm. I didn’t believe in any gods, but if they did exist, maybe meeting Myungwoo was a gift they’d given me for enduring so many hardships. We could’ve missed each other entirely. If I’d gone straight to the Awakening Center on the day I returned, I never would’ve known his name or face.
It was truly fortunate that we met.
“…You’re important to me too, Myungwoo. So don’t give away the last one. Keep it for yourself.”
Not just Myungwoo, but everyone else too. This time, I hoped I wouldn’t lose anyone. Maybe it was selfish of me, but still.
“Don’t worry. Honestly, I’m probably the safest person around. You, on the other hand, are a Director now, so stay close to the breeding facility.”
“I wish I could, really.”
How great would it be to just take care of baby monsters and wait for everyone to come home safely? Things would’ve been even better if Yuhyun and Yerim weren’t hunters. Maybe I should give Sharlos’s Orb to Yerim. Her team was coming together, and she’d soon start tackling S-Class dungeons.
“Do you think it’s okay to lend the orb to Yerim? Just for dungeon raids.”
“Do as you like. Just make sure you manage Grace carefully.”
“Thanks. Really.”
This took a weight off my mind. Of course, it’d be best if the orb never needed to be used. If an S-Class hunter needed a damage-nullifying item, it meant the rest of the team was probably… beyond saving.
I hoped things never reached that point. Truly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Director Han Yujin.”
A woman in her mid-40s, dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, extended her hand toward me.
“Hello, Team Leader Kim Hayun.”
I returned the handshake with a slight bow of my head. Her hand was slightly firm and large. She had quite a solid build. I knew she wasn’t an awakened individual, but if she were, her stats wouldn’t have been low.
Kim Hayun, the head of Haeyeon’s legal team, sat on the sofa and placed a stuffed toy on the table. It was a plush replica of a baby Flame Horned Lion. A stuffed toy? Wasn’t she here to discuss the legal contracts between the Mount Breeding Facility and Haeyeon?
“This is a counterfeit that’s currently being sold on the market.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I heard from Manager Seok that you’re considering producing official character merchandise.”
“…Well, it’s not entirely off the table.”
“How about adding Peace’s paw print to the authentic tags?”
Kim Hayun said this seriously. A paw print… It did sound cute.
“We could make it stand out in gold. Perhaps use a special printing technique so the tag feels slightly soft when touched.”
“That sounds nice, but… you didn’t come here just to talk about merchandise, did you?”
“I did, actually.”
She answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Don’t worry about the other aspects; the legal team is handling them. I personally like Peace. This is a rare opportunity to combine work with a personal hobby, so I decided to take charge myself.”
Apparently, Kim Hayun primarily dealt with much heavier matters. Specifically, she worked on various projects related to hunter legislation, often collaborating with other guild legal teams. Her focus was ensuring everything stayed within the boundaries of the law.
As for the breeding facility, it wasn’t the kind of case that warranted her direct involvement. And yet, here she was, suggesting ways to design Peace’s life-sized plush toy so that Chirp could be perched on it.
“Small decorative figurines or snow globes would also be adorable,” she added.
“They’d definitely be cute. The adult form is really cool too. I’d love to see merchandise based on the adult version.”
We discussed various ideas about the other monsters as well. In addition to character merchandise, she shared some noteworthy information worth keeping in mind. Though, to be honest, more than half the conversation revolved around how adorable Peace and Chirp were. But since my kids are undeniably cute, there wasn’t much I could do about that.
“That raccoon, Manager Seok, seems quite excited,” Kim Hayun said as she stood to leave.
“It looks like he’s found a good prey after a long time, so try not to get too caught up in it. He enjoys creating images for people. But since he’s skilled, as long as you don’t let him completely overwhelm you, he’ll be helpful.”
“Ah, I see. To be honest, even I find the whole ‘rigorous self-maintenance’ thing a bit…”
“You should do it. Director Han, you’ll mostly be standing among S-Class hunters. At the very least, you need to avoid looking shabby.”
…Well, that’s true. My confidence suddenly took a hit. …Maybe I really should start putting in some effort.
The next day, I spent most of my time at Haeyeon again, working on organizing the breeding facility. Of course, that meant enduring Seok Gimyeong’s endless nagging as a bonus. No matter how pleasant his voice was, even that could get tiresome after a while.
Finally, the time for my meeting with Guild Leader Seong Hyunjae was approaching.
–TL Notes–
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