Volume 1, Episode 20
020
Heavy silence. A dark night.
Only the moonlight illuminated the two of them.
But darkness was not much of an obstacle to these A-Rank Hunters.
"You."
A frigid gaze and presence settled over them.
"What are you?"
Kim Seungmin spoke to Lee Seojun.
"……."
But no answer came from Lee Seojun.
He merely sent a sharp gaze toward him.
"I thought it was strange."
Breaking the silence, Kim Seungmin opened his mouth once more.
"The reaction of an SS-Rank Gate, a rank that had never appeared once in Hunter history, and the first-ever accident in the Tutorial."
Strange events that had never occurred even once had begun to happen.
Then, too.
"The sole survivor who made it out with Yun Hyeon-gi from that Unique Gate. You might share some special bond since you lived through life and death together, but at this point, something felt suspicious, you see."
He had investigated with certainty the absurd tale of two beginner Hunters—the sole survivors of the Unique Gate—defeating the boss monster.
"I felt these shocking events must have some connection. So I dug into Tirion that much, but not even a speck came out."
But the result was shocking.
Still, he hadn't given up.
"So I went back to the beginning, slowly organizing my thoughts and proceeding with the investigation, when an interesting piece of news reached me."
Just now, the Nowon-gu Gate they had cleared.
He had heard that Tirion had taken the conquest rights for it, that the raid leader of the raid party in charge was Yun Hyeon-gi, and that one of the raid members was none other than the person before his eyes.
"For the two survivors of the Unique Gate to now belong to the same raid party. I thought your connection from that time was truly deep."
Furthermore, their number was far too lacking to be called a raid party—a mere ten people.
And the levels of the raid members weren't high, either.
So he had felt something was off.
Because Tirion, one of the Three Great Guilds, was not lacking in manpower.
"The way the raid members looked at you after clearing the Gate. And on top of that, seeing Raid Leader Yun Hyeon-gi's attitude toward you, I understood."
Having harbored suspicions, he immediately stepped forward to confirm.
"What you all said back then, that statement I thought was absurd—it really was true, you see."
He could finally solve the mystery that had remained unsolved until now.
"It was you."
Kim Seungmin spoke as if declaring it.
"It wasn't Yun Hyeon-gi."
The protagonist who cleared the Unique Gate in the Tutorial and closed it.
It was not Yun Hyeon-gi of Tirion, who had taken all the credit.
And right this moment.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounding roughly, his instinct was telling him once again.
Not Yun Hyeon-gi….
"It was you."
Lee Seojun.
"What are you?"
In the Tutorial, Hunters normally finished awakening and immediately completed registration before receiving the Tutorial.
Of course, there were Hunters who hid their awakening, but cases of them awakening and registering late were rare.
Also, from what he had investigated about Lee Seojun.
All traces….
'Are clean to the point of being suspicious.'
These were the traces of someone's interference.
If it was something that happened within the Association, there was no way he wouldn't know about it.
"Are you related to the SS-Rank Gate that appeared recently?"
At his question, Lee Seojun quietly closed his eyes.
Was he giving up on everything?
Kim Seungmin drew a smile on his lips as if things had worked out.
"Did you come alone?"
At that moment, Lee Seojun's answer came.
"…….!"
Only then did Kim Seungmin sense something and hurriedly try to widen the distance.
"I already checked, but just in case."
But it was already too late.
Crunch!
Lee Seojun's fist, which had approached at some point, pierced into Kim Seungmin's abdomen.
"Keugh!"
* * *
Samil Resolution Office.
Tremble. Tremble.
A man, upon seeing something, was greatly flustered, his pupils shaking uncontrollably.
"Wh-what in the world…."
It was Kim Ju-won.
He shouted loudly.
"Wh-what have you done!"
The target Lee Seojun had brought over his shoulder.
He was shouting while looking at that target.
"Now even kidnapping…."
But the shock didn't end there.
"Gasp!"
Lee Hyeon-u, who came out late, revealed his emotions all over his face unlike usual, exclaiming in shock.
"Who in the world did you bring!"
Lee Hyeon-u, whose voice never rose above a certain octave, was screaming beyond his register.
The person Lee Seojun had thrown down.
"This person is!"
"Someone I know…, huh?"
"It's Kim Seungmin!"
Kim Seungmin.
If you were a Hunter—or rather, a Korean Hunter—this was a name and face that most knew.
'Hunter Management Bureau Team Leader.'
Kim Seungmin, called the Grim Reaper of the Association.
He who, despite his young age, was acknowledged for his skill and had seized the Hunter Management Bureau Team Leader position, wielding immense power.
Also, he possessed a sociopathic personality said to know neither forgiveness nor mercy.
For these reasons, Kim Seungmin enjoyed great renown.
"Why in the world this person?"
But why was such a Kim Seungmin here?
And kidnapped, at that.
Lee Hyeon-u simply could not understand this absurd situation.
*Swish.*
The moment Lee Hyeon-u looked at Lee Seojun with flustered eyes.
"I picked him up."
Lee Seojun opened his mouth in a dry, emotionless tone.
"……."
"……."
Then a heavy silence fell over the room.
And shortly after.
"…Huh?"
Lee Hyeon-u.
"H-hyungnim. Picked him up? What do you mean by that…."
Kim Ju-won.
The two men looked at Lee Seojun simultaneously with faces that seemed to want an explanation.
"……."
But they could not hear what they wanted.
Lee Seojun merely sent his gaze toward them.
"Hah."
"Huu…."
Then, as if they had expected this, the two lowered their heads simultaneously and exhaled.
"Let's find a way quickly."
And as if this, too, was familiar, they began hurriedly searching for a solution.
"We have to send him back right away…, no."
This is a resolution office.
That is to say, it's a place that does illegal work, a place that must not be discovered by the Association.
To kidnap someone who smashes places like this in a place like this….
"This is bad. What should we do?"
It was a situation where they had kidnapped Kim Seungmin, who was of the highest position among them.
So sending him back like this was out of the question.
"We might as well kill…."
Just as Lee Hyeon-u thought such a frightening thought.
"You."
Lee Seojun called Lee Hyeon-u and gave him an order.
And the following moment.
"…….!"
Kim Seungmin, who had been awake for a while, tried to exploit Lee Seojun's opening to ambush him.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?"
But Kim Seungmin, who had shot to his feet, stood nailed to the spot as if rooted.
*Sssshh.*
A chill climbing up his spine.
At the frigid sensation numbing his entire body, his body refused to obey.
Then, at that moment.
*Screech.*
Lee Hyeon-u dragged two chairs over at Lee Seojun's order.
Lee Seojun subdued Kim Seungmin once more and tied him to one of the chairs.
*Thud.*
Lee Seojun sat facing Kim Seungmin.
And when he sent his gaze toward Lee Hyeon-u and Kim Ju-won, who had been watching this scene.
*Clomp. Clomp.*
They stepped aside.
Two people sitting facing each other in solemn silence.
"……."
Lee Seojun looked at Kim Seungmin with narrowly opened eyes and thought.
Those with good instincts always experience one of two things.
They make it big, or they die.
All those with good instincts that Lee Seojun had seen were the latter.
'Death.'
But only one person survived to the end, eventually achieved what he desired, and lived on.
That was none other than….
"Shall we see what your instincts are like?"
Himself.
His instinct, maximized to the extreme on Planet Lumer.
That instinct spoke.
'This guy is useful.'
It said there was a need to take the risk.
An instinct that sometimes pointed to paths beyond common sense—yet Lee Seojun had survived and sat in this seat based on that instinct.
* * *
"……."
In the silence, it was Lee Seojun who opened his mouth first.
"If you have something you want to ask, ask. I'll answer."
Hearing Lee Seojun's words, a smirk bloomed on Kim Seungmin's lips.
"After making me into this?"
Kim Seungmin's eyes seemed bristling with hostility.
"It's because you're like this that I can answer you properly."
A perfectly subdued opponent.
This was mercy bestowed upon that opponent.
*Swish.*
Silence returned once more.
At that, Lee Seojun and Kim Seungmin clashed gazes.
A strange tension and chilliness circulated between them.
"……."
Kim Seungmin, who had been clearly staring into Lee Seojun's eyes.
He thought.
'What in the world….'
If he had intended to kill him, he would have disposed of him long ago.
But he had not taken his life until now.
Thus, doubt inevitably bloomed.
'What is he trying to do?'
He tells him to ask questions.
What was Lee Seojun's goal?
He had thought until now but couldn't figure it out at all.
'This is an opportunity.'
But Kim Seungmin soon shook his head.
Because it might be an opportunity to find out Lee Seojun's identity.
He had to use the given situation first.
"What is your relationship with Tirion?"
Kim Seungmin, who had been contemplating, finally opened his mouth.
"Hrmm."
Lee Seojun let out a short grunt.
At that, Kim Seungmin swallowed and looked at Lee Seojun.
'Will he answer?'
A question of whether Lee Seojun would truly answer had arisen.
"A mutually beneficial relationship, you could say."
And that wonder seemed to be resolved quickly, but it was not satisfying.
"The reaction of the SS-Rank Gate that appeared recently. Is it related to you?"
"I couldn't tell you if it's related or not."
An ambiguous answer from Lee Seojun, not a clear one.
"Then. What are you?"
"Lee Seojun."
At Lee Seojun's answer, Kim Seungmin's eyebrows twitched.
"………."
What was this now?
He tells him to ask questions but doesn't give a proper answer.
Thus, doubts piled up and irritation surged.
"Hah. If this is how it would be, why did you tell me to ask? I don't think I've heard a satisfying answ—"
The moment Kim Seungmin expressed his dissatisfaction.
"If you want to hear more answers, why don't you find out for yourself?"
Lee Seojun cut off Kim Seungmin's words and spoke.
"What?"
"Each time you tell me the answer I want, I'll answer you honestly in return. Even if not, you can think of it as an ongoing relationship, perhaps."
"What is that…."
Lee Seojun spoke as he approached the flustered Kim Seungmin.
"You must have sharp instincts."
"…….!"
"What are those instincts telling you?"
He whispered.
"That you're going to live?"
It was then.
Lee Hyeon-u, who had disappeared, returned gasping for breath.
"I barely, barely got it."
The paper he held out.
It was powerful mana clearly felt by the two A-Rank Hunters.
"This is…!"
"Sign it. If you do just that, you'll be able to achieve what you want."
Lee Seojun approached even closer and spoke.
"How about it, care to bet on your instincts?"
The strongest villain in history had returned.