45 chapter - Uninvited Guest (4)

[Did you guys hear the Hunter serial killer got caught?]

You’ve probably heard about the recent F-Rank Gate disappearance case.

Turns out it wasn’t a disappearance—it was a string of murders. One of the comments ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) on a related post even predicted it exactly. Damn.

It’s a news article.

Apparently, the killer was officially registered as an F-Rank Hunter, but his Trait made him stronger by killing other Hunters.

The funny part is how he got caught.

He went into an F-Rank Gate to commit another murder like usual and ended up getting killed by a C-Rank Hunter who was clearing the Gate. LOL.

Like a dumb mutt picking a fight with a tiger and getting wrecked. Pure karma. LMAO.

Anyway, this is our proud C-Rank Hunter.

[Photo]

You all know him, right? That rising star from the recent qualification test—Choi Changshik.

He’s had his share of controversies, but I support him.

I’m just a low-tier D-Rank Hunter barely scraping by on F-Rank Gates in the capital, but thanks to him, I can finally work in peace. Yup.

👍 3213 👎 213

—Choi Changshik’s killing it lately. I heard he even took care of the Gate that opened up in Gangwon-do.

—Something happened in Gangwon-do?

—An Orc Gate opened. Could’ve gone to shit.

—For real? But Orcs mean a C-Rank Gate, right? Choi Changshik handled that?

—Probably played a big part. His qualifications showed stats close to B-Rank.

—Not sure if it’s related, but Mountain Guild is backing him hard now.

—?? He joined Mountain Guild?

—Isn’t Choi Changshik that piece-of-shit Hunter?

—Mind your own business.

—Do you even have proof of that?

—He is trash. Look how many victims there were.

—Wait, are there actual victims? If there are, show proof, then talk;;

—Damn, he’s hot.

—22222

—3333

—Still, doesn’t matter if the guy was a criminal. Killing him makes you a murderer too, no?

—So he should’ve just sat there and died?

—People like you are why “criminal rights activism” exists.

Public opinion about me in the Hunter community had improved dramatically.

Even though I didn’t actually do anything.

It wasn’t much different from when I’d done those interviews during the C-Rank promotion test just to manage my image.

But now, you couldn’t even say public opinion was divided. It was completely in my favor.

To the point where people insulting me were getting insulted back.

Apparently, there’s even a fan café now.

……Probably has something to do with Hong Soo-ah.

More precisely, it seemed like her older sister, Hong Yura, had intervened.

Rebranding a garbage-tier public image overnight wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.

Taeseong Guild must’ve stepped in.

Either way, having a good image never hurts.

Even now, I was already enjoying the benefits of that image.

Even though I’d killed someone—even if he was a criminal—I was being treated like a hero.

If things with Hong Soo-ah hadn’t gone well, I might’ve ended up labeled a murderer.

But reality was a bit more complicated than public opinion.

♪♬♩♬~

“Hello?”

[This is Lee Jongsuk.]

“Yes, sir. Attorney.”

[The Kim Taehun case will likely be ruled as self-defense. Given that he was a violent criminal and his personal mana measuring device showed readings over 5,000. The issue is with Kang Juhui.]

Kang Juhui, who had lost both her eyes trying to use her ability on me, had filed a lawsuit the day after she was taken into custody.

“She tried to kill me too. Can’t it be ruled self-defense?”

[Unfortunately, the legal standards for self-defense are very strict. Without hard evidence—like a recording of the exact moment she attempted hypnosis—it’s hard to frame it that way. All we’ve got is circumstantial evidence that she entered the Gate illegally……]

“So then……”

[As things stand, the best course is a settlement.]

That was the conclusion from the best lawyer the Mountain Guild had assigned me.

Expecting anything more would’ve been greedy.

“……Understood.”

Kang Juhui was demanding an exorbitant settlement for “medical treatment” of her eyes.

Her justification was that it would take at least a B-Rank healer to regenerate completely lost eyes.

It felt like a waste of money, but I didn’t regret it.

It wasn’t like I’d done it for justice or anything.

She was someone who treated murder lightly.

A serial killer who had already murdered dozens.

Someone with no reason to be kept alive.

So I killed him.

The only reason I spared Kang Juhui was because I thought she was innocent.

She’d told me all the killings were Kim Taehun’s doing, and she was just threatened into helping him. I’d fallen for that lie.

Even if she’d been threatened, she was still complicit in murder—and she tried to use her ability on me. That’s why I stopped at just destroying her eyes.

Didn’t know she was just another piece of shit criminal.

During the investigation, dismembered corpses were discovered in Kang Juhui’s home.

She was a murderer too.

If I’d known that, none of this would’ve gotten so complicated.

An eye for an eye. A life for a life.

If I’d known she was a killer too, I would’ve killed her on the spot.

Their corpses would’ve vanished along with the Gate, and I wouldn’t be in a position now where I had to negotiate with some violent felon.

Ding-dong.

It was Hong Soo-ah at the door.

Lee Yuna wasn’t with her.

When I opened the door, Soo-ah walked in like it was the most natural thing in the world and sat at the table.

She stared at me.

“……”

I looked back at that emotionless face and said,

“Let’s order something. I’m out of food.”

Soo-ah just nodded.

“What do you want to eat?”

“……Pilaf.”

We ordered pilaf and cream pasta. I glanced at the seat beside her.

It was where Yuna would’ve been sitting.

Feels empty without her.

Yuna had been deeply shaken.

More precisely, she’d been shocked that I’d killed someone—and gouged out Kang Juhui’s eyes.

Unlike during the Snow Leopard raid, this time she’d seen the corpse up close, and she’d seen Juhui scream, sobbing blood and cursing me right up until she was handed over to the police.

She went home that night—and hadn’t come back for three days.

I asked Soo-ah,

“You okay?”

She was fidgeting with her phone, but paused and slowly looked at me.

“……Not really. But she attacked first.”

Even though it was a vague question, Soo-ah understood and answered.

She looked back at her phone and said it like it was nothing.

“Commander didn’t do anything wrong.”

Only after hearing her did I realize how stupid my question had been.

She’d been saying she’s okay this whole time—just by being here, next to me, like always.

“Thanks.”

Ding-dong.

“That must be the food. One sec, I’ll grab it.”

That pilaf and cream pasta tasted better than usual.

**

Two days later. Tuesday morning.

Lee Yuna came back.

She stood awkwardly and greeted me.

“G-Good morning, Oppa……”

I told her,

“You sure you’re okay? Like I said yesterday, if you’re still feeling off, it’s fine to sit this one out.”

“N-No. I’m totally fine!”

I asked again,

“You really sure?”

“Yes. Really, I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

We rode the pickup van to the Mountain Guild’s 3rd HQ.

The air was stiff and awkward the whole way.

Halfway down the expressway, Yuna spoke cautiously.

“Um, Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

She looked like her tail would be dragging on the floor if she had one.

Even though I knew exactly what she meant, I feigned ignorance.

“For what?”

She glanced at me and replied,

“Seeing someone die…… it scared me. Not that I was scared of you, just the whole situation…”

“It’s okay.”

Yuna stopped rambling and looked straight at me.

I smiled gently, trying to reassure her.

“Really. It’s okay.”

But for some reason, tears started to well up in Yuna’s eyes.

She started sobbing as she spoke.

“I’m sorry. I was scared. The corpse, the situation, even you. I realized that being a Hunter means people can really die, and then… and then… sniff…”

I patted her back while she cried.

“It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

Through her tears, Yuna choked out her words.

“I shouldn’t have run away. Sniff. I’m sorry. I was just too scared.”

“I told you. It’s really okay.”

After that, the van was filled with the sound of her sobbing.

“I won’t run away again. Hic. I promise.”

“Yeah. Promise.”

We hooked pinkies, and only then did she calm down.

Just as she stopped crying, we arrived at HQ.

**

“Boss! Long time no see!”

Im Jin-sol burst into the van with her usual energy.

She glanced around.

“What’s with the mood?”

Then, like she couldn’t care less, she added,

“Oooh, heard you pulled off another incident, Boss! Took out that criminal bastard, huh? Nice!”

Seong Yohan climbed in behind her and mumbled a greeting.

“……Good to see you. Yawn.”

He looked completely exhausted.

I asked,

“You’ve been looking tired lately. Not sleeping well?”

For some reason, Jin-sol and Yohan both flinched.

Jin-sol immediately smacked Yohan on the back—hard enough to make a slapping sound.

“Haha. Didn’t I tell you to manage your condition before a raid? Huh?”

“But that’s because you—!”

“What about me?”

Jin-sol glared. Yohan immediately caved.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Then I figured it out.

Well, well, look at these two.

I said to Jin-sol,

“Don’t go too late into the night, alright?”

She looked away awkwardly and replied,

“W-What are you talking about……?”

I said it casually.

“What do you think I mean? Helping Yohan grow his Trait, of course. Get some rest after that.”

Her face turned bright red.

“Haha… Yes, Boss.”

She then shot daggers at Yohan with her eyes.

**

“Everyone’s here. Shall we head out?”

“Yes, Manager. We’re in your hands again today.”

“Yup.”

We cleared the Gates without issue.

Took just two hours to handle two D-Rank Gates.

By lunchtime, we were done.

On the drive back to HQ, the manager spoke.

“You guys are clearing Gates faster and faster.”

With Monsterization available now, D-Rank Gates were a breeze.

“What do you say about tackling three Gates at once next time?”

“Not a bad idea.”

“In case it runs long, should I book rooms at HQ and set a 2-day schedule?”

Yoon Sang-ho, our manager, really was competent.

“I’d appreciate that.”

**

Seoul Detention Center.

Kang Juhui was locked up in solitary confinement.

Now that her Trait had been fully exposed in the investigation, no special measures were being taken.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him for sure.”

Blinded, there wasn’t much she could actually do.

All she had left was to curse Choi Changshik.

Creak.

The door opened.

It was early morning. Not a time for guards to visit.

A voice spoke.

“Do you want revenge?”

It was a child’s voice—not yet past puberty.

Juhui raised her head.

“Who are you?”

“I asked if you want revenge on Choi Changshik.”

Juhui turned toward the voice, disoriented.

“I’ll ask one last time. Do you want to kill Choi Changshik?”

Juhui slowly nodded.

The boy smiled darkly.

“We’ll help you. This way.”

Juhui took his hand—and stepped out of the cell.

That morning,

Seoul Detention Center issued a wanted notice for escaped inmate Kang Juhui.