Chapter 221. Misinterpretation
Korean Magic Tower. Esther's Room.
– The Chinese player, Zhuhan, uses his signature skill, Hidden Dragon Palm. As a result, the Arican Hunter collapsed. The technique was executed at a speed almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but if you look at the footage captured by the high-speed cara...
The television, which was left on, was playing a rerun of sothing. The guild master of the Magic Tower Guild listened to it with one ear while focusing on paperwork.
Click, click.
A pair of mule-shaped shoes that are about to slip off to match the swaying feet. And then, the sound of soone's feet tapping rhythmically from outside the room followed.
Click. Click. Click.
How much ti had passed while following the sound with her ears? Before long, soone who seed sowhat out of place arrived at the secluded pinnacle of the Magic Tower.
Unlike the S-rank Hunter who chooses to wear clothes of various colors, this B-rank awakener adheres to a black suit due to professional reasons. With a neat posture and the subtle scent of green tea lingering, perhaps due to using excess tea leaves as a deodorizer.
"Excuse , Hunter Seo Esther. I ca to visit because I have sothing to deliver regarding the chairman's inauguration ceremony..."
Seonwoo Yeon opened the door and stepped inside. Esther, as if she had never worn a serious expression, greeted her guest with a bright smile.
"Oh my! Welco, Yeon-ssi!"
The magic power of an awakened person can fluctuate even with positive emotional changes, so Seonwoo Yeon suddenly feels the presence of a monster called S-rank.
"So, the branch permit we received last ti will remain valid without any issues, right?"
"Yes. The Association President said that as soon as the inauguration ceremony is over, they will prepare the contract and finalize the arrangents."
"Okay. Thank you for your hard work."
A little while later, the woman in the suit soothed her dry throat with so cold coffee after a long conversation. By the way, the reason Seonwoo Yeon ca to this eting today was to relay several matters regarding the association to the head of the large guild. On the other hand, she also had the duty to convey Esther's opinions to the organization.
"The new association president."
In the anti, the Korea Hunter Association had appointed a new president, and as expected, there were many controversies surrounding the change. However, Esther didn't worry much about the incoming figure. After gathering information in advance, she found out that the new president was a middle-aged politician, well-known for having an awakened son.
His personality, if described positively, was steady. If described negatively, he lacked strong opinions. Rather than boldly implenting new policies, he focused on maintaining and refining the course set by his predecessor. For the ti being, he would likely be too busy with the handover process to cause any disturbances, so things would remain quiet.
"Hmm, to be honest, I didn't want to use my abilities to influence administrative matters, but..."
Esther thought as she played with the tips of her neatly trimd fingernails.
"This ti, it was that man's request, so I can't help it."
A satisfying conclusion. From now on, all that remained was to hope that the new association president would not clash with the hunters and would simply fulfill his duties diligently. Esther crossed her legs the other way and smiled. With the heavy topic now over, she thought of tossing a playful remark at the watchdog sent by the association.
"By the way, Yeon-ssi, you've really been working hard."
"Yes?"
"Since most of the association staff are non-awakened, they usually send you when they need to verbally communicate sothing to an S-rank like ."
"Ah."
"Our Yeonnie-ssi is a B-rank, right? Anyway, I know you're one of the most skilled individuals in the organization."
"My skills aren't really that..."
"Co to think of it, the forr association president once left a eting halfway because his heart couldn't handle being around awakened individuals. But can you believe that such a petty person thought it was a good idea to send errands under the na of his cousin? Hahaha. It's co to light recently, and now he's getting cursed out by his own relatives!"
Esther continued the conversation while lifting her coffee cup.
"Anyway, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, you're usually assigned as a coordinator when a high-level dungeon break occurs, right?"
"Yes. I guess a little bit..."
"Well, thanks to that, I get to see our lovely Yeonnie-ssi more often, so I'm not complaining."
"Yes?"
Seonwoo Yeon casually responded to her superior's words with a neutral reply, but she flinched at the ntion of the Head of the Magic Tower's joke.
"I'm worried that eting hunters with different awakening levels all the ti might be bad for your health."
Esther's lips curved into a soft arc.
"So make sure to contact in advance next ti. The imported magic suppression accessories will have arrived by then."
For a monster like her to willingly accept restraints for the sake of the weak... Her tone was so lighthearted that it didn't sound particularly serious, but still, Esther's words just now were undoubtedly an expression of goodwill. The two awakened individuals in this office had encountered each other a few tis in the field due to work-related matters. And through all those interactions, Esther had co to trust the humanity of the association employee.
"Okay? Please contact in advance."
"Yes."
Moreover, just thinking about what happened in the Labyrinth of the 13th month... Esther spent so ti reflecting on an event from the distant past as if it had happened just yesterday, rubbing her head in thought. At the sa ti, Seonwoo Yeon, noticing the change in Esther's deanor, started to carefully observe if the S-rank hunter was perhaps in a bad mood.
"Hmm."
But this awkward silence was only brief.
"This is not the ti for this. Please wait a mont. I'll review the docunts you just handed over and get them back to you right away."
Afterward, Esther turned her attention to the table to check the information brought by the association staff.
Srrk, srrk.
For a while, the sound of pages turning filled the room. Seonwoo Yeon sipped on the high-quality coffee provided by the Korea Magic Tower, killing ti. However, no matter how kindly the words were spoken or how silently she kept her mouth shut, the inherent pressure from being near a top-tier awakened one made her body feel uncomfortable.
The signal to flee from the dangerous monster and hide in a safe place kept nagging at her brain, as if urging her to escape imdiately.
If that's the case, then can that Hunter also induce such a chilling feeling when he stops concealing his magic?
"That guy is already scary enough."
It was when a man's face ca to mind. As Esther was looking over the docunts, she suddenly opened her mouth, as if she had just rembered sothing.
"But you know."
"Ah, yes."
"Since Yeonnie-ssi is here, there's sothing I've been curious about."
What she ant was about the record of a certain Hunter. Esther raised her head, choosing her words carefully. What followed were a few questions.
"Yeonnie-ssi, you once raided a new EX-rank gate called the Fairy Kingdom, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, this might be an impolite question, but when you wrote the report on that gate... was there anything you might have missed?"
"Yes?"
"To be more specific, it's about Hunter Kim Giryeo."
Seonwoo Yeon calmly listens to her words and responds.
"If it's about the report, the staff mbers who went on the expedition are usually instructed to describe everything they experienced in as much detail as possible as soon as they return from the dungeon."
"I see."
"Because of that, I don't think there would be any significant omissions... But suddenly, Hunter Kim Giryeo?"
"I was just personally curious about how he managed the new dungeon."
Is that not possible? As Esther blinked her thick eyelashes and made the request with a pleading look, the association staff hesitated for a mont before responding. After all, she were no secrets to hide from the previous exploration.
"Hunter Kim Giryeo's experience wasn't much different from ours..."
An S-rank hunter caught up in it. The fairies' forced festival. Gas like tag, and so on.
Seonwoo Yeon explained the events in the dungeon, focusing on Kim Giryeo's actions as much as possible. However, Esther showed an unexpected reaction.
"Hmm. That's right."
She raised one eyebrow and made a displeased expression.
"So there were no major incidents in the new EX-grade gate after all..."
That was a close guess that just missed the mark.
In fact, recently, Esther had acquired a new source of worry. After being stranded in a lower-level dungeon, she had accidentally discovered a secret about one of her industry colleagues.
It was a health issue. When she thought about it, the revealed secret about that Hunter was filled with many puzzling aspects.
"How did Kim Giryeo end up with such a severe aftereffect?"
At first, she had assud that the injury was likely from an S-rank gate in Japan, but after reviewing the reports from the Kagoshima raid completion, it beca clear that Kim Giryeo appeared outside just a few minutes after the exit had been created. So, the Black Dragon couldn't have been the cause. When his injuries had been severe enough to leave lasting aftereffects, Kim Giryeo wouldn't have been able to recover in such a short amount of ti.
So, Esther wondered if Giryeo had been affected by the chanics of the new EX-rank gate. However, the association staff in front of her just confird that it wasn't the case. Then, when did Kim Giryeo's condition start to deteriorate? What kind of enemy had he encountered that caused such a problem?
"The best option would be to hear the explanation directly from him, but..."
What exactly happened inside the flesh of Gampo Port? Or, as the rumors say, did that guy really go around secretly clearing dungeons in the Beast's Territory and get injured?
"I've been thinking about it alone, so now I'm making a million guesses."
It bothers her. Seo Esther had already asked the person about this topic, but the fourth S-rank who received the ssage had strangely avoided talking about the injury, quickly changing the subject. Because of that, Esther still doesn't know the cause of Kim Giryeo's coughing up blood.
When she thinks about it, there's nothing more frightening and frustrating than not knowing sothing in this world.
"Why are you not telling anything?"
But in the end, since the person in question kept his mouth shut, there was no other choice for the third party. Esther spent so ti lost in thought before she eventually returned to the current conversation.
"Anyway, I understand."
Sssrk.
The guild master of the Magic Tower left a signature with a fountain pen on the docunt requested by the association and handed it over to Seonwoo Yeon.
"Then please tell the new association president that I look forward to working with him in the future..."
It was then.
Knock knock.
The sudden sound of a knock interrupted the calm conversation flowing in the office. Hearing this, Esther quickly raised her head and examined the identity of the visitor.
"Who is it at this hour?"
"The Guild Master. It's . The imported potions you ntioned earlier this morning have arrived."
"Oh my!"
"If you're not busy, can I deliver it to you now?"
"Of course. Co in right now."
A certain hunter seed to be trying to hide their injury. It wasn't about prying into secrets, but rather just a light concern about their health, sothing that should be done as a fellow in the sa industry, wouldn't it?
"Ah, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, make sure to head back safely when you leave!"
She got up from her seat, greatly delighted at the news that the potion had arrived. The way she looked in the mirror and straightened her clothes seed like she was getting ready to go out.
***
[Giryeo-ssi: -u -u]
[Yes.]
[Oh, quick reply! It's nothing special, but I was wondering if you had any plans to raid a dungeon today.]
[No, I don't.]
[Really? Then what are you doing now?]
[Rest at ho]
A few minutes later.
"Let's see, this is the right address..."
An awakened person with long, curly hair holds a cardboard box close to their chest, looking around. This place was inside a building in Mapo District, where Korea's fourth S-rank Hunter resides. Esther knew the exact address of Kim Giryeo, as he had sent him a package before.
'Room 304'.
The young curse sorcerer, upon arriving at the room, adjusted her hair once in front of the door.
By the way, the potion she was carrying in her arms was a European-made 1st Grade Holy Water. It was highly effective for dispelling curse-related status effects, and even it was too late to apologize for nothing to do with such issues, it was still a decent item as a gift. Caught up in this, it could also serve as a short-term fatigue reliever, similar to taurine.
– Ding dong, ding dong.
"Excuse - Are you inside?"
By the way, it was such an expensive potion that it was sent in person rather than by courier...
"I hope it's not a nuisance, right?"
Esther thought, with the word 'surprise' ready on her tongue. She had checked that the other person's schedule was clear, but there was a lingering worry. Her studies on how to apologize about appraising, she knew that the hunter would be busy even on a day off, caught up in studies or other duties. Would she dislike her coming over, especially if he found out it was just an excuse to see his face?
Thud!
It was at the mont when the doubts began to surface. Inside the room 304, a sudden noise broke the silence. A minute later, the gray door in front of her swung open. Kim Giryeo appeared.
"Hunter Esther?"
But this was unexpected. It seed that the concern she had actually co true. The person who swung the door open was dressed in a manner that sharply contrasted with his usual polished appearance.
Calmly settled wet blond hair. And the faint sll of tap water. Just from that alone, Esther could tell that the other person had just been in the bathroom. Now, it was ti to apologize for interrupting his shower. But the mont her eyes t his, taking in the loungewear he was wearing, a completely different set of words slipped from her throat.
"That damn freebie is still—"
Heuk!
Esther, who had unconsciously shouted, narrowed her pupils and froze, then hurriedly fixed her expression.
"- Hello, Giryeo. Have you eaten? The weather is really nice today."
"You don't have to force yourself to pretend like nothing happened."
It was a bit too late, unfortunately.
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