Chapter 223: Episode 223

“Oh my, look at you, you gorgeous thing. Where did a little bundle of good luck like you pop out from, huh?”

My triumphant march back to the waiting room like a conquering general didn’t last long. The Association President immediately grabbed me, hugging me tight and patting me enthusiastically.

Even now that I had reached the pinnacle of humanity and become a certified Rank 2 who could wield real power in the world, her attitude toward me hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“The impact was perfect! With this, Korea getting into the M10 is finally within reach!”

“We still have a long way to go. I’ll make sure we get great results in the World Guild evaluation, too.”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s my boy!”

She clung to me as if declaring she would never let me go, squeezing me in her arms. Ugh, I couldn’t breathe.

“The benefits for a certified Rank 2 hunter are substantial. They’re on a completely different level from Rank 3,” she began explaining in a calm, steady voice. “If Rank 3s are like national guild leaders or ace hunters, Rank 2s are more like global heroes who operate on the world stage. If you want to go somewhere, you can go. If you want to do something, you can do it.”

“Oho.”

My eyes lit up.

“And wherever you go, on almost any front line in the world, you can assume you’ll be the supreme commander by default. The Hunter Associations of every nation will cooperate with your requests. The scale is different in every respect.”

…So that was how it was.

I had only ever heard that Rank 2s were amazing. I hadn’t realized they held that kind of transcendent authority.

“Oh, and from Rank 2 onward, it’s less about taking orders and carrying out assignments, and more about finding what needs to be done and doing it of your own accord. That’s the mindset you should have.”

“I understand what you mean.”

She stared at my face for a long moment, then spoke in a markedly serious tone.

“I’m really proud of you, Yusin.”

“Ma’am?”

She pressed up against me again. I tried not to show it, but I felt the blood rush to my face before I knew it.

“To be honest, I always felt guilty when I looked at you. I’m the Academy Head, yet I couldn’t do much for you when you were a non-combat type, and I never really went all out to help you. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’ve come so far on your own.”

“Come on, you can’t say you didn’t do anything for me. I realized it when Frost took power. Just how much you’ve done for me, President.”

Leaning against me, she looked up with a strange expression.

“…You really do have a way with words.”

Seeing her flushed face gave me a strange, fluttery feeling. The bridge of my nose stung, and I swallowed hard.

“Hunter Hong Yul! Are you in there?!”

At the sudden voice, I jolted and snapped my back straight.

A Alliance staffer burst into the waiting room and saluted.

“Hunter Hong Yul! The other Association Presidents are waiting for you! You need to join the Association Presidents’ meeting right away—huh!”

He froze on the spot.

He had walked in just in time to see me sitting there stiff as a board, with the Association President leaning into my arm.

“M-My apologies, I—”

“Stop.”

The President called out to the staffer as he tried to flee.

He turned back like a wooden puppet, joints creaking.

“And? I didn’t hear you properly. Say it again.”

She still didn’t move away from me as she spoke.

“The World Association Presidents’ meeting has already started on the seventh floor of the main hall! Everyone is waiting, so if you could please hurry…”

“Tsk.”

She finally pulled away from my arm and ran a hand through her hair in irritation.

“Call them and tell them I’m late because one of my hunters was in the middle of a Rank 2 evaluation.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“And this is just me being paranoid, but let me say this.”

Beneath the cascade of her red hair, her golden eyes flashed dangerously.

“Watch your mouth. I don’t care if you talk behind my back, but if this causes any trouble for him, I won’t let it slide.”

“O-Of-of course!”

“Get lost.”

After the Alliance staffer fled like his life depended on it, the President stretched with a long, lazy motion.

“Ugh! Guess I should go work.”

“Thank you for all your hard work.”

She rose from her seat, put her hands on her hips, and looked back at me.

“…How am I supposed to face my little sister now?”

“Ma’am?”

“Nothing. I’m off.”

She slung her suit jacket over her shoulders, waved, and disappeared down the hall. I bowed my head to see her off, then finally let out a breath.

* * *

The Global Alliance compound also had a large hotel building. It was mainly used by visitors, but quite a few Alliance staffers who worked here commuted from it as well.

Certified hunters got a 70% discount, so the price wasn’t much of a burden. Of course, in my case, even that cost was being covered by the Association’s budget.

I had made some money running the Magic Tower, but free was still the best feeling.

After dropping my luggage in my room, I washed up and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

My eyes opened in the early dawn.

’…I can’t sleep.’

I changed into comfortable training clothes and headed down to the 24-hour café on the first floor of the hotel. I planned to grab a bite and sketch out some plans for the upcoming World Guild evaluation.

I picked a seat in a quiet corner and opened my laptop.

“Huh?”

There was a small girl sitting in the next seat over.

’About Eunsol’s age? No, she looks maybe a year or two older than Eunsol.’

Her face was so pale it was almost white. Her hair was silver, but the farther down it went, the deeper the blue at the tips became.

These days, it wasn’t that unusual for hunters to undergo physical changes after Awakening, so her hair color wasn’t exactly unheard of, but for some reason, I couldn’t help staring at her.

She sat in her chair, swinging her legs idly, gazing out the darkened window.

’Hmm.’

But no matter how much time passed, no parents showed up for her. Worried, I finally spoke to her.

“Where are your parents?”

She turned her head and looked at me. Then she carefully studied my face, inch by inch.

I didn’t want to be mistaken for some creep, so I did my best to keep my expression as gentle as possible.

“Kim Yusin?”

“Huh?”

I stared at her in shock.

“How do you know my name?”

“…”

Expressionless, she turned her head away again. Then she walked toward the wall—and simply passed through it and vanished.

I froze in place for five full seconds.

“W-What the hell?”

I rushed over and peered out the window, but there was nothing there. Not the girl, not anything.

I felt like I had just seen a ghost.

“Sir, is something wrong?”

A café employee approached. I pointed at the table, still rattled.

“Was there a little girl sitting here just now?”

“Um… I’m not sure. I’ve been at the counter the whole time, but I didn’t see any little girl come in.”

What the hell was this? Had I really just seen an actual ghost?

’Ea, you saw her too, right?’

—Yes, Tower Master.

’What about detection magic?’

—There is no biological response.

My heart dropped.

—To be precise… the detection magic isn’t functioning properly.

’What do you mean?’

—It’s an unknown phenomenon. The detection magic won’t extend properly; it just dissipates midway.

This might be a sign of some abnormal event. Uneasy, I hurried out of the café and into the hotel lobby.

A crowd of people had already gathered there in the early dawn. They were talking in low, serious voices, their expressions grave.

For a second, I wondered if they had seen the ghost too and was about to ask, when one of them pointed at me and shouted.

“There’s Kim Yusin!”

’…Why is my name coming up here?’

The group surged toward me like an angry herd of bulls.

So they weren’t here for a ghost—they were here for me.

I tried to slip away, but behind me were the wall and the café. There was no way out.

In the end, I had no choice but to return to my seat, and they surrounded me in no time.

“Hunter Kim Yusin! Please sign a contract with us!”

“We would like to secure the exclusive distribution rights for potions in the Netherlands!”

So that was who they were—corporate executives from various countries, guild masters, association officials, and the like.

“What’s going on?”

“I-I don’t know. They just suddenly rushed in…”

I could hear the café staff whispering behind their hands.

A bunch of powerful business figures were crowding around a young guy in training clothes—it was a bizarre sight, even to me.

Pushed back into my chair, I scratched my head roughly and let out a sigh.

“I’m curious why you’ve all suddenly decided to change your tune.”

At my words, they all flinched.

“Wasn’t everyone just following the FDA’s lead and putting things on hold? Why the change of heart now?”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had declared that they would ban potion imports unless the ingredients were fully disclosed and their safety verified.

Once that became public, other countries had taken similar stances, hoping to use it as leverage to drive potion prices down.

In other words, if we wanted to do business, we were supposed to bow our heads and play along.

Back when we were still in the planning stages of Alchemia’s global branches, these same people had been foaming at the mouth to help us. But once they had spent their money and built up the infrastructure, they used Frost’s move to clamp down on Alchemia as an excuse to join forces and pressure us.

I had been too busy with the 6th Floor Trial at the time, but for Jeong Seojin, who oversaw Alchemia, it must have been a headache bad enough to split her skull.

For her sake, I had no intention of just letting this slide.

“Our guild had nothing to do with that decision!”

“It was a unilateral directive from our government; we had no choice…”

Murmur, murmur, murmur.

Pathetic excuses, all of them trying to dodge responsibility.

I was sick of it. I ignored them completely and looked to the café staff.

“Can I place an order here?”

“Yes, sir!”

The staff hurried over at once.

When I had walked in wearing training clothes, they had rung me up with a sullen indifference, but now they were moving with unbelievable speed.

I ordered some simple desserts, starting with a slice of cheesecake.

“Hunter Kim Yusin! Please, if you would just hear us out—”

“You shouldn’t be eating in a place like this. If it’s brunch you want, we can take you somewhere much nicer!”

“Our contract terms are—”

I kept my eyes fixed on a news article on my phone and answered flatly.

“Please be quiet.”

Their mouths snapped shut.

I left the heavyweights of each industry standing there and ate my dessert in peace, right in front of them.

None of them dared say a word. They all knew that the moment they so much as uttered the word “contract,” this whole meeting would go up in flames.

Why had the corporations’ attitudes flipped so suddenly? Simple.

Once my guild became a World Guild, any regulations would effectively become meaningless.

And now that it had been revealed that potions were relics from another world, it would be ridiculous to keep harping on about potion safety verification.

“I came to Switzerland on hunter business, not for any kind of commercial deal.”

I wiped my mouth with a napkin as I spoke.

They all rushed to agree, bowing or nodding so hard it looked painful as they chimed in with things like, “Of course,” and “We’re sorry for disturbing your meal.”

“I’ll contact Vice President Jeong Seojin and have her arrange a meeting. Go to Seoul and speak with her directly.”

I wasn’t about to keep this satisfaction to myself. I wanted Seojin, who had gone through hell, to get a taste of this victory too.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

As the mood around us sank, I let the corners of my mouth curl up.

“What’s wrong? Does it seem pathetic to you that a young startup CEO is acting this way?”

A chorus of frantic denials exploded in response.

From all sides came lines like, “Perish the thought!” and “It’s an honor just to be given a chance!”

Honestly, their behavior was pathetic, wasn’t it? We had all drawn up the plans together, and they had poured a fortune into the project, but the moment they saw an opening, they shoved the U.S. out front and completely changed their tune. That was the kind of stunt only thugs would pull.

They must have thought they could look down on us because we were a venture company and our executives were young. That was their mistake.

“Honestly, it’s fine if you don’t do business with us.”

I kept smiling as I continued.

“We can just acquire a logistics company and build our own distribution line. I have no intention of giving so much as a crumb to anyone who looks down on us.”

I could hear people swallowing hard all around the room.

When I finally dismissed them, they trudged away in ones and twos. Even as they went, they were already on their phones, trying to schedule trips to Seoul.

’I’m counting on you, Seojin.’

With a wicked smile, I shifted my gaze back down to my smartphone.

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