Ch.67The Sea Journey Is Dangerous (1)

‘Kill Lee Jicheol?’

To be honest, it was quite an abrupt topic.

However, that’s precisely why it becomes an even more important clue.

‘This must mean there’s something about Lee Jicheol.’

After finishing my brief thought, I looked at the restrained Shin Doyoon and opened my mouth.

“Anything else?”

“That’s it. Even that was just a vague memory that remained, and I had no other contact beyond that.”

Since it didn’t seem like he was lying, I nodded lightly.

The unknown entity that made a contract with Shin Doyoon. Could it possibly be related to my current situation?

‘At least there’s a possibility.’

Finally having found a lead, I felt a slight sense of elation as I looked at Shin Doyoon with eyes mixed with delight.

‘…Should I just kill him?’

Since he made the contract directly, perhaps his death might trigger some kind of reaction.

I glanced behind me, and Khan slowly blinked his eyes. It meant I could do as I wished.

However, I soon put that thought aside.

‘…It’s not the right time yet.’

Honestly, it would be troublesome if the other party actually showed a reaction, and they hadn’t revealed their true purpose yet.

For that reason, I wanted to set him free for a while and observe the situation.

“I’ll spare you for now.”

“……”

“And about what we discussed earlier.”

“About Lee Jicheol?”

“Yeah, that.”

Whoosh.

Rustle.

I ordered Khan to release Shin Doyoon’s restraints and smiled meaningfully.

Then I spoke again to Shin Doyoon, who was moving his body around.

“I want in on it too.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ll help you kill Lee Jicheol.”

In my opinion, Shin Doyoon alone can’t handle an S-rank hunter anyway.

An opponent shrouded in mystery and hidden behind veils—I’m not sure what elaborate plan he might be drawing in his head.

‘I’ll have to intervene from our side.’

I decided to overturn the board head-on.

#

Around the same time, somewhere in Incheon, South Korea.

“So, you’re asking me to help you lot?”

In a gloomy room with little light, two men were having a conversation.

“Yes. As you’ve heard, Hades can give you what you desire most.”

“Hmph. You speak well.”

Tok.

Tok.

Took.

The sound of fingers tapping on the table echoed, and at some point, silence settled in the room.

“Do you have something to consider? I thought you’d be the optimal partner, but this is somewhat disappointing.”

At those words, the forehead of the seated man twitched.

“Insolent bastard.”

Whoosh.

Swish—!

“Keuugh!”

With just a gesture from the man, the other was instantly drawn in as if pulled by a magnet, his collar grabbed by the man’s hand.

“…Do you not know who I am?”

Kuuung.

With the tremendous density of magical power released in an instant, blood streamed from the eyes and nose of the man suspended in the air.

“Huk, kuk!”

“You’re nothing special. Get lost.”

Whik.

Kwang!

As he was about to leave after throwing the man pathetically against the wall, the man who should have been a mess straightened himself up and spoke again in a calm voice.

Crack.

Crackle.

“Well, I see your temper is as bad as they say.”

“You…”

“As you can see, we have quite some ability. Moreover, the one who made this proposal to you possesses power incomparable to mine.”

“Oh really?”

After pondering for a moment, Lee Jicheol, South Korea’s S-rank hunter, raised the corner of his mouth and gave his answer to the other party.

“If those words are just bluster, your entire leadership should be prepared to face the consequences.”

That statement was clearly not meant as a refusal.

#

After forming an implicit cooperative relationship with me, Shin Doyoon officially joined the Cheongbaek Guild. Naturally, it became quite an issue in the public eye.

【Returnee Shin Doyoon! Official Announcement of Joining Cheongbaek Guild!】

【Cheongbaek’s Rising Status, Now Aiming for the Top Position in South Korea.】

【Three Strong Promotion Candidates. Who Will Become Cheongbaek Guild’s Second S-rank Hunter?】

And simultaneously, my existence was also officially announced to the public.

【Hunter Association Announces Major Development Last Night.】

【Current B-rank Hunter Baek Eunha, Actually Related to Returnee Baek Seoha?】

【A-rank Hunter Baek Seoha: “Circumstances Weren’t Favorable for Disclosure. Nothing Will Particularly Change.”】

The reaction was explosive.

For a week after the article was published, internet communities were filled almost entirely with stories about Seoha and me.

– Damn. Are hunters now judged by bloodline too? It’s hard being a D-rank.

– For real, having sisters who are both high-rank hunters doesn’t make sense.

– Wait, Baek Eunha is the older sister? Not the younger one?

┗ I thought it was a typo at first, but it wasn’t.

┗ I overheard that it’s due to the aftermath of awakening.

┗ Rumor has it she’s actually around thirty years old.

It would have been stranger if there wasn’t a commotion about a promising talent who turned out to be a returnee and related to Baek Seoha.

– Then Baek Eunha will go to Cheongbaek too?

– Stock prices are soaring… Hold tight…

– Cheongbaek will soon become number one for real.

As a result, there was an incident where Cheongbaek Guild’s stock price skyrocketed, and for a while, Seoha received endless requests for us to appear together in advertisements and programs.

Of course, all of those were rejected.

If I used the new ring, I could talk to people all day, but I didn’t want to take the risk just for something like that.

That’s why I had no intention of using the ring unless it was a truly important situation.

‘Getting drunk, there’s a limit to how embarrassing one can be.’

However, that resolution was short-lived, as I soon found myself in a situation where I had to use the ring.

Vroom.

“I even took my first vacation of the year, so don’t think about sneaking away.”

“…Ah, I know.”

And so, I’m currently in a car driven by Seoha, heading to a department store.

“Wouldn’t a local clothing store be enough?”

“We’re going out for fun. When else would we go if not now?”

Seoha is unusually excited, even humming a tune. I tried to raise a timid objection from the back seat where I was lying down, mentioning the side effects, but Seoha’s answer was firm.

“You got it to use it anyway. Or are you saying you just don’t want to use it with me?”

“Th-that’s not it.”

I was completely cornered. I had no choice but to go along with her mood and quietly head to the department store.

‘Just once should be fine…’

And within just two hours, I came to regret that decision.

“How about this type? I think it would be good to dress a bit more maturely.”

“I’ll have her try it on. Oh, and that one too.”

Honestly, I hadn’t noticed because she hadn’t shown it much until now.

I thought she was just a workaholic, but Seoha seemed to enjoy shopping more than I had imagined.

“I-I think this is enough…”

“You probably won’t come again for a year after today. We’re not leaving until I get my money’s worth.”

And so, I had to become a dress-up doll for a full four hours.

#

After buying clothes for practically all four seasons and leaving, we were greeted by Song Hayeon and Kwak Minji, who were going to travel with us.

“Master, did you buy a lot of clothes too?”

Unlike Kwak Minji, who seemed uncomfortable around the celebrity Seoha, Song Hayeon, a natural social butterfly, smiled frivolously with an expectant face.

“Look at how excited you are. Tsk.”

“What’s wrong now?”

“With just that level, you should be running dungeons, not coming here. Do you have too much time on your hands?”

It was vexing that while her master would eventually have to fight an S-rank hunter, her disciple was still struggling below instead of being helpful.

Song Hayeon, suddenly scolded by me, complained with a dissatisfied expression.

“If we’re being technical, Master is ranked lower…”

“S-shut up.”

After finishing our chat, we divided into cars and headed to our destination.

The place we arrived at was a beach in Gangwon Province.

“Hayeon. Did you bring all the cooking ingredients?”

“Yes! Of course. I have a certificate, so just trust me.”

Although it was too cold for swimming, the place was famous for camping, so there were more people than expected.

I immediately went into the tent, laid out the blanket, and said to the people outside:

“I’m turning off the ring, so don’t wake me up.”

“Yes. Take your time resting and come out when you’re ready.”

At first, I thought about stopping its use in the car, but with the memory of the previous vehicle attack and considering the drunk state characteristic, I was worried about possibly making a mess in the car.

I pulled the prepared blanket over my head and deactivated the ring.

Whoosh.

And when I regained consciousness after some time had passed.

“What… what are you doing?”

“Uh. Nothing, nothing at all?”

For some reason, there were three people taking pictures of me with what looked like extremely expensive cameras.