One way or another, the officer escorted Gidan right up to the suspect.
“Don’t come any closer! If you take even one more step, I’ll blow up this oil pipeline! I mean it!”
The lunatic was making some absurd demand about bringing his ex-wife.
Even after approaching to within a meter of his opponent, Gidan continued tapping away at his phone without pause.
“You! Aren’t you going to get the hell out of here right now?”
But Gidan paid him no mind. Without taking his eyes off his phone, he scratched his chin. Then, in a genuinely troubled tone, he said,
“Ah, I need to hurry. I think Guild Master-hyung kidnapped a kindergartener.”
“What?”
He wasn’t the only one startled by the thunderbolt-like statement. Everyone who had gathered for the emergency stared at Dan in shock.
What had Hyeonak’s guild master done?
Regardless, Dan spun his dagger and gripped it in a reverse hold. A sharp aura seemed to emanate from him, as though he had become an entirely different person.
Gidan narrowed his eyes into crescent moons and raised the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s finish this quickly. I need to stab Guild Master-hyung in the back while he’s out of his mind.”
“Whaaat?”
Muttering that otherwise he wouldn’t even be able to get close, he took one step forward.
Tap—
The air trembled in accordance with the flow of something.
The officer blinked.
No one standing there had sensed a thing.
And yet, at the exact moment Gidan took one step in front of the villain, he was standing behind him.
Gidan spun the dagger he had been holding behind his back and caught it in his hand.
“Ugh…… Wh……?”
The suspect groaned in confusion and dropped to his knees.
The area within a one-meter radius of the fallen Kim Seungbeom had been utterly devastated. Flying insects, weeds—every living thing had been killed.
It had all happened in the briefest of instants, a moment when no one could do anything to help. Faced with how easily the situation had been resolved, everyone was left speechless.
‘That’s impossible…….’
In the meantime, Gidan suppressed the sharp aura and placed the dagger back in his inventory.
“Ah—”
“I’m busy preparing for a coup, so I’ll be going ahead.”
Gidan gave a polite bow and turned around.
“A coup?”
“Wait! Hunter Gidan! You’ll write up the incident report, right?”
Ignoring the troublesome request, Gidan opened his messenger app.
Guild Master-hyung
Gidan, Management Bureau, go?
Why? Is the director making a scene again?
Did they find out I wrecked the Gongdeok Station dungeon without permission?
ㅠㅠ
Guild Master-hyung
That was you?
Sorry, sorry.
(bowing emoji)
ㅠㅠ
Guild Master-hyung
We’ll talk later.
For now, the Management Bureau.
We need to alter the Awakened rank data and make your awakened rank F.
Directly at the Management Bureau?
Hmm, if we get caught, won’t they arrest us immediately?
Guild Master-hyung
If you don’t like it, pass.
I was just saying.
Sorry, sorry.
Please check the chat. Sorry, sorry.
(You sent a gift coupon)
.
.
.
Hyung, I’m always ready.
Should we go right away?
Guild Master-hyung
Go to the company first.
Okay. Give me ten minutes.
I’m out supporting them right now.
But who is it?
Whose data?
Guild Master-hyung
An S-rank kindergartener.
?
Is this phishing?
Hyung?
Answer your pho—
Hyu—
Ah, hyung!!
asdfghjkl
*
At that moment, inside Hyeonak’s break room—
“I heard the CEO is adopting a child?”
At someone’s utterly preposterous remark, laughter erupted from all around.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“The CEO doesn’t even keep potted plants. He says they’re too much trouble. But a child? How would that work?”
“Exactly. Are there really still this many people at Hyeonak who don’t know what the CEO is like?”
The employee, who had suddenly become someone spreading baseless rumors, grumbled indignantly.
“Hey, I’m not lying! The rumor’s been spreading all around the secretary’s office first……. Huh?”
Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened as though she had spotted something. Everyone’s attention turned toward the break room door.
The employees who had gathered to gossip about On Joorim all froze at the sight of a child peeking her head through the door.
As everyone’s gazes gathered on her, the child’s large coral-colored eyes rolled around. She timidly stepped out and bowed.
“H’lo.”
“A baby?”
“……Whose daughter is she?”
“Can I take a picture?”
“This is crazy. She’s so cute.”
“Hello, sweetheart.”
When the employees welcomed her excitedly, a smile spread across the child’s face.
“H’lo. I’m Han Geuru from Saebom Kindergarten’s Chick Class. I came to eat bwead.”
Her adorable introduction filled the room with laughter.
“Can Geuru have some too?”
With her face turning bright red, Geuru picked out a sandwich.
“Eat, eat!”
“Take it. You can eat all of it.”
One by one, the employees loaded snacks into Geuru’s arms. Geuru crammed everything into her bag and bowed.
“Thank you.”
The sound of cameras snapping rang out from all around.
“Where are your parents? Shall Big Sis take you there?”
Geuru shook her head.
“I just have to go straight that way.”
The hallway she pointed down led directly to the guild master’s office.
“The guild master’s office?”
Geuru nodded.
“Uh, you can’t just go in and out of there without—”
“Guild Master-nim told me to eat bwead and come wight back.”
“The guild master did?”
“Yesh.”
Oh no, I’m late! Geuru bowed once more and walked away with light steps.
“Really?”
“You’re serious?”
“That girl?”
The employees’ mouths fell open. Their heads turned toward the employee who had brought up the rumor about On Joorim adopting a child.
“I told you……. I said it was true……”
Before long, they all silently raised their phones. Everyone began tapping away at their keyboards without pause.
*
‘So much!’
Geuru patted her bag, which had been stuffed full of snacks she had gathered from the break room.
There were many people who disliked children or found them bothersome, but everyone from Hyeonak she had met so far had been kind.
‘Geuru likes Hyeonak…….’
If she stayed at Hyeonak, perhaps she could register a new guardian in no time.
‘Next time, Geuru should look around and find an S-rank who likes her.’
She had something else to do today.
After stuffing an entire sandwich into her mouth and patting her round belly, Geuru headed toward the guild master’s office with a jaunty step, reviewing today’s plan once again.
‘The so-called Hide-the-Power-and-Act-Weak Project! (Name by: Geuru)’
The plan was to register Geuru as an F-rank instead of an S-rank when she officially registered as a hunter at the Awakened Center!
According to Joorim, an awakened person’s power was a double-edged sword.
It could be used for good, but there were also plenty of people who used it to do bad things.
Geuru had often seen bad villains on the news using their powers the wrong way.
If it came to light in such an era that a small, weak child like Geuru possessed an L-rank skill, what would happen? Naturally, many bad people would start targeting her.
That was why she would register as an official hunter, but hide the fact that she possessed a powerful skill.
The gist of the plan was to cause a little commotion at the Awakened Center and alter her rank.
‘My heart’s pounding.’
Geuru clenched both hands, her soft cheeks turning red.
‘It’s just like the protagonist of Real Hunter Level!’
It was an animated series airing to great acclaim on one of the major broadcast networks.
Every Wednesday at seven in the evening, everyone at the orphanage gathered to watch it live. The older boys and girls who watched it with her called the protagonist “a hide-the-power-and-act-weak type.”
Someone who hid his power while pretending to be a loser.
They said it meant the protagonist acted weak in order to use his power properly.
‘Geuru is a hide-the-power-and-act-weak type now too……!’
At present, there were only three people in the world, besides Geuru herself, who knew her secret.
The guild master, Nayeon, and an unknown person named Gidan.
All of them were people who would help Geuru register as a hunter today.
‘Gotta hurry~’
Geuru had been walking down the hallway almost at a run when she suddenly stopped.
‘Huh?’
Someone was standing at the end of the quiet hallway.
She thought he might be an employee of Hyeonak, but strangely enough, the boy was wearing a school uniform.
His tie had been carelessly tossed over one shoulder, his sleeves were rolled up, and a pair of headphones hung around his neck.
At the orphanage, the older boys and girls were scolded whenever they wore their uniforms like that.
‘A delinquent!’
Just then, the boy drew a dagger from his inventory.
Gasp! Geuru inhaled sharply and hid behind a pillar.
The black blade, sticking up like a shark’s fin, wasn’t merely a fruit knife. It was a combat knife used by hunters.
The boy spun the dagger around in his familiar grip.
‘Who? What is it? What’s he doing?’
Her vision spun round and round. Geuru slowly turned the thoughts over in her head.
‘Could he be an enemy?!’