NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 64. The Contract Part 1
The morning after the kidnapping case was concluded.
♬~ ♩♪~♪
Seonwooyeon moved his hand to the sound of the bell ringing in his pocket.
“hello?”
When I picked up the phone, a familiar voice came from the other end of the receiver.
-I’m contacting you because you missed a call.
This is Kim Ki-ryeo’s voice.
By the way, a missed call? Seon Woo-yeon thought about it carefully and then recalled what had happened before.
Oh right, I remember talking to Ahn Yoon-seung and then I called this person for a moment.
“Ah, that call.”
-Why are you contacting me?
“It wasn’t anything special. I’m sorry for bothering you so much.”
Seon Woo-yeon apologized politely, then blurted out a thought that suddenly occurred to him.
“But I called you two days ago, did you go in or out of any gate?”
Isn’t that too long of a time to think that we lost contact simply because we forgot to charge our phones?
-No. I was kidnapped for a little while.
But the answer that followed was shocking.
Kidnapping. It’s not a word you’d ever hear in everyday conversation.
“Huh? What did you say?”
-You said you were kidnapped. But you’re okay now. I just got all my belongings back.
“No, please tell me more. Where were you kidnapped?”
Seon Woo-yeon was startled and urged him on, but the kidnapped person himself did not seem very interested in the topic.
-It’s already over… … .
“Still!”
-It’s a temple called Nachalsa Temple.
“yes?”
-That terrorist den you told me about. I was caught there and then I came out.
The temple of Nachal had been targeting Kim Ki-ryeo. There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but Seon Woo-yeon prioritized this question above all else.
“Mom, are you okay?”
Then, a gust of wind came from the microphone on the other end of the receiver.
Did the other person laugh? Or did they sigh?
-Your body is fine.
Seon Woo-yeon felt a little relieved after hearing his answer. But then.
-Anyway, I’m glad it wasn’t an emergency, so I’ll hang up now.
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
-I’m busy today so I won’t be able to contact you often. If you have anything to say, please leave a message.
Stop.
The other person hung up the phone.
Seonwooyeon stared blankly at the black cell phone screen and muttered softly.
“What the hell is going on…?”
There are still many things I’m curious about.
But it’s not possible to stop a busy person and ask them every single question.
Seon Woo-yeon had no choice but to find another way.
Since there were many police officers I was close with, it wasn’t difficult to hear information about what Kim Ki-ryeo had mentioned.
“Hello? Detective Cha, this is Seon Woo-yeon. I’m calling to ask you something.”
But I didn’t know the outcome of that incident would be like this.
“… It’s going to be torn apart?”
Soon after, news came from the police.
-Yes, yes. I’ll just tell you since the article will come out soon anyway.
A high-ranking official of the pseudo-religious temple Nachalsa was arrested last night.
But the circumstances leading up to his arrest are quite interesting.
The Nachal Temple was run in a manner similar to a guerrilla organization, so it was very difficult to track down its whereabouts because it was good at cutting off tails.
For some reason, it is said that Kang Chang-ho raided the great teacher’s hideaway.
So when I asked Kang Chang-ho how he knew where it was, he said he was just there to rescue Kim Ki-ryeo.
On the other hand, Kim Ki-ryeo claims that he is a kidnapping victim and does not know anything…
“her.”
The testimony of the brainwashing survivors here is important.
The man who worked as a supplier of believers to the temple of Nachal became angry when Kim Ki-ryeo’s name came up during the investigation.
“Are you shivering?”
-It was a total mess. They were just swearing at me, saying that it was a demon wearing human skin.
“Isn’t that a little strange? Why are you so scared of the person you tortured?”
-They say that this is all planned by that F-class. He was caught on purpose to infiltrate the church?
“… .”
-Puhahaha, but does that make any sense? Honestly, do you ever think you’ll get kidnapped at any time in your life?
“… .”
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-Anyway, he was just talking nonsense. The victim was also terrified and asked what he was talking about.
Seon Woo-yeon drops the hand holding the cell phone.
-Hunter Seonwooyeon?
An image of a summer night flashed through her mind.
Under the dim moonlight, a neat-looking Awakened One looked down at others while wearing handcuffs.
“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.”
-Oh, what is it? How much help did you receive from Hunter Seonwooyeon?
Stop.
Seonwooyeon ended the call abruptly.
“Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo, surely… … .”
Her tense face was visible through the blank screen.
***
Around 11am.
A cafe near Sindorim Station.
“Please give me a vanilla latte without the coffee.”
“yes?”
“And add a glass of iced Americano.”
For Alphauris, coffee shops are not exactly welcoming places.
But this time there was no choice.
If you go to a place like a restaurant with a person like that, you’ll get sick in no time.
“So, why did you suddenly ask to see me?”
Moon.
As soon as the drink is put down, a short question flows out.
I looked up and looked across.
There, sitting tall, was Kang Chang-ho, a S-class hunter from Korea.
With a large build that makes the café sofa look uncomfortable, and hair that is a shade of blue.
I once wondered why the hair color was so unique.
It is said that Earthlings sometimes have their body hair change to a cold color as a side effect of awakening.
‘hmm.’
That’s enough escapism.
“First of all, thank you for coming out. The reason I called Hunter Kang Chang-ho is… … .”
I opened my mouth with great difficulty. Kang Chang-ho was watching me with his arms crossed.
“I wanted to say thank you.”
“huh?”
But the other person didn’t seem to know that I would say something like this first. Soon, his eyes widened.
“I couldn’t even talk to you properly yesterday because I was so busy with the police investigation and everything. Thank you so much.”
“ah.”
Well, now let’s get to the main point.
“Um, but… … . I appreciate you saving me, but you were watching me, right? Could you stop doing that?”
I said seriously.
Kang Chang-ho also noticed this attitude and realized that this person was confident, so he didn’t make any excuses.
“You don’t like it?”
But don’t you think it’s a bit much for you to come out so confidently, you punk?
“You don’t like it?”
“Why? I got some help thanks to you.”
“You’re saying that now. If you keep acting like that….”
“What if it comes out like that? Should I report it?”
hmm.
The S-class hunter took a sip of coffee and continued speaking leisurely.
“Try it. I’m a 20-something male who has been stalked for some time now. Tell the police about it.”
I wonder how they will cope?
Kang Chang-ho drew a gentle curve with the corners of his lips. His expression was full of confidence.
“This is why I like Korea. The law is not doing its job.”
“her…….”
“If you have money, there is no better country to live in.”
When I heard that, annoyance suddenly rose up inside me.
It’s sad enough that I was reincarnated as an F-class, but I can’t even catch one alien stalker.
So I couldn’t hold it in any longer and brought up the words I had been holding back.
“Are you a [spirit of improvement] holder?”
It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since I discovered that skill on PixieWiki.
[improvement]
[Description: Kill the strong and steal their skills.]
“If not, I can’t explain your behavior.”
“okay?”
“I don’t know how they came across a piece of trash like me, but they were hovering around with the intention of using me as a sacrifice to improve their spirit.”
“hmm.”
“The reason you haven’t killed me until now is because you weren’t sure if I fit the criteria for improvement, which is ‘strong’ or not.”
The blue-haired S-class hunter remained silent for a long time when the word “improvement” came up.
And after a long time, when he finally opened his mouth again, his first words were:
“okay.”
It’s a refreshing admission.
“It’s all pretty much correct.”
Kang Chang-ho really must have had a [spirit of improvement].
I got a chill down my spine.
‘Actually, I didn’t really want to know!’
If I had known it would be this scary, I wouldn’t have even tried.
Kang Chang-ho himself confirmed that he was targeted for skill theft.
‘Ugh.’
And that wasn’t the only terrible thing.
“Then I guess your desire to improve has been revealed. I guess I should tell you about it now.”
Soon after, the other person started making strange remarks.
“Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to suggest to you for a while.”
“proposal?”
“In this day and age of dungeon shock, it’s not a bad deal. If this deal goes through, not only will you not have to worry about living expenses, but your physical safety will also be guaranteed for life.”
Guarantee of life and safety.
It’s certainly an attractive sentence, but the problem is the price that comes with it.
“Kim Ki-ryeo, how old are you now?”
“I’m probably 24.”
“You look younger than you are?”
During the conversation, Kang Chang-ho suddenly asked about my age, and then blurted out the following sentence.
“Then let’s get straight to the point.”
The deal he offered had only one condition.
“Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo, can you possibly die by my hand at the age of 34?”
“…!”
“If you promise me that, I will let you live like a noble for the rest of your life.”
As soon as I heard that, I broke out in a cold sweat.
It’s been several months since I escaped from my hellish home planet.
I was finally starting to enjoy my new life, but what? I’m going to die in just 10 years?
“Mr. Kang Chang-ho, how old are you this year?”
“31.”
“Then think about it for yourself. Would you want to die in three years? 34 is such a young age!”
Of course, I declined.
To be honest, I thought it was nonsense. But it seems like the other person had a slightly different perspective.
“Is this something that warrants a sudden jump?”
Kang Chang-ho looked up at me as I was preparing to go out and spoke calmly.
“From my perspective, waiting ten years is a long time, and hunters have short life expectancies anyway.”
“Life expectancy?”
“Even those talented A-class people die because they got one bad matchup with a monster. Are you trying to save up for retirement by working hard in a place like this?”
“… .”
“Do you know what will happen in the future?”
“her.”
“In that case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to live a life where you can enjoy everything while you’re young. I’ll basically support you with 50 million won every month.”
“… .”
“Plus, you can have a house, a car, and whatever you want.”
Kang Chang-ho expressed his thoughts without changing his facial expression.
“I guarantee you that there will be other bottom hunters lining up to take up this deal.”
I’m a bottom hunter.
Oh, you spoke well.
“Hunter Kang Chang-ho, you’re forgetting something… … .”
I stopped trying to leave and sat back down on the sofa.
“The condition for using the desire for improvement is to kill the ‘strong’?”
“okay.”
“I don’t know the exact criteria, but there’s no way that an F-class can be classified as strong.”
“that’s right.”
“Then it’s concluded. I’m a real F-class! Don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing to be gained by killing me.”
I vent my frustration.
But Kang Chang-ho’s reaction was subtle.
Because he just rested his chin on one hand and rolled his eyes with a blank expression.
“Then how did you conquer Hwanggeumhyang? The cultists at the police station said that they brought you here because you were the Awakened one who killed Grid.”
I answered this question quickly too.
It was pure luck that he got the grid, and this guy’s only fault was that he slipped on the ice.
That is the truth, without a single lie.
“ha ha ha.”
The S-class hunter burst into laughter as soon as he heard the gate conquest process.
“I misstepped and the boss died.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the other Awakened people in Golden Fragrance… … .”
“It will come out like this.”
Kang Chang-ho looked at me for a while with a smiling face and then finally said.
“Then how are you holding up now?”
“yes?”
“Just look around.”
Surroundings?
I looked away. Only then could I understand what the other person was saying.
“ah.”
The guests who were sitting here and there are silently fainting.
Moreover, even the cashiers who were standing far away had pale faces and were frozen in place.
That means.
“I’ve been slowly increasing the intensity since a while ago, but I never thought I’d be fine until it got to this point.”
Kang Chang-ho was radiating magical power throughout the conversation.
And so gently that no archmage would notice.
Shit.
Back home, even newborn babies had this much magic power, so I got used to it without even realizing it… … !
“You suddenly became quiet?”
Druk.
The S-class hunter leaned his arms on the table and asked casually.
“What is your real awakening level?”
To be honest, the answer itself wasn’t difficult. But I guess I’ll have to polish up my sentences a bit before that.
‘Hey you son of a bitch! I said F-class, F-class. How many times do I have to say that I’m a bottom-tier piece of shit!’
Saying it like that will only make the situation worse.