The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood Chapter 313. Evening (2)

"Hello."

In that case, let's begin the conversation politely, following Earth's customs from here on out.

"Are you available to talk right now?"

If I wasn't, I wouldn't have answered the call, would I?

Soon, a man's voice flowed from the speaker.

"For a re mammal, he sure has a sharp tongue."

Giryeo briefly pulled the phone away from his ear and gave the screen a dissatisfied glance. But that small, unspoken expression of annoyance lasted only a mont.

"Pardon the sudden call. I apologize for the intrusion, but I have sothing to ask you."

By the way, this sentence isn't just a simple greeting. At first, he even considered aggressively demanding, "Get to the address I saved right now," without any explanation. But after thinking it over carefully, he realized that no matter how he tried to sum it up, this incident was sothing extraordinary.

A governnt official who'd been bribed. The mysterious guild [QuantumPulse]. And criminals who erged, disguised as Beasts, after Brooklyn Morgan's death?

"The flow is strange. It would be best to gather as much information as possible before stepping in."

Co to think of it, even without offering brute-force support, Kang Changho was particularly useful in situations like this. That Earthling had an oddly vast amount of information—far more than any other mammal.

"If I had to pick among the Hunters I know, this person is probably the most knowledgeable about illegal activities."

So Giryeo promptly asked the Hunter with the surna Kang a question. He left out the part about the gate's unique nature for now. Starting with whether he had heard about a suspicious ard group appearing inside a gate in the capital, he soon moved on to sharing a certain deduction he had made.

"But it turns out that the identity of that ard group has been confird to be the 'Beasts' everyone's been talking about lately."

"..."

"Hunter Kang Changho, with your level of intel, you might have heard sothing about them. Just asking—do you happen to know the true identity of those Beasts?"

Kim Giryeo finished speaking and leaned in toward the speaker. Now that the question was out, Korea's third 5-rank remained silent for a noticeably long pause—then finally gave his answer.

Hmm?

He spoke in a rare tone of doubt.

So the Beast that was causing chaos in the middle of the U.S. just a few days ago is suddenly in Seoul now?

"Yes, yes. It seems you, Hunter, have also seen this morning's news."

But why are you trying to find out the identity of those petty criminals from ?

Sask.

From beyond the speaker, there was a brief sound—like fabric or a collar brushing against sothing.

If he had to guess, the person on the other end had probably just shifted into a position with their arms crossed.

I've been living honestly, ignoring all the visible magic around , even though there's no one here to test ...

"Yes. Thank you."

I didn't say that to hear a soulless thank you. I clearly warned you to avoid getting involved with as much as possible in the future, so it's troubleso if you keep testing like this. Or perhaps knowing the true identity of the Beast is your wish, Hunter Giryeo? Or is this a protest, aning you're dissatisfied with the delayed compensation?

As Korea's third 5-rank let out a sharp sigh, clearly displeased, Giryeo hurried to add an explanation—before the other could grow more irritated.

"Not at all of it, no. I actually have a different request—that's the main point. Since this involves so freak like the Beasts, I want to prepare as much as possible in advance, if it's at all possible..."

The conversation partner makes a sound indicating understanding.

"It's the last favor I have left anyway. Sir, I'm asking sincerely—please. If you know anything related to this, share the information too, while you're being generous."

When the alien adjusted to Earth's customs and used the most respectful tone possible to stay on his good side, the soft agreent that ca from the other end was just a bonus.

Ah, when soone younger goes that far, it's hard for , as an elder, to ignore it.

Wait.

Hmm.

However, compared to usual, the call quality right now feels oddly poor.

Just as Kim Giryeo was tilting his head, trying to follow the muffled sound, a new voice ca through.

For now... let's clarify that part first. The request to reveal the Beast's identity is, unfortunately, 'impossible to fulfill' at the mont.

What are you talking about?

The Beasts have rare psychic abilities, so of course I've kept an eye on them. But it's not like I was desperate to uncover their identities at all costs or anything.

"Hmm."

Besides, until earlier this year, soone in the industry, Mr. Kim, was even mistaken for it because of that.

"Yes?"

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I don't know anything about Beast's identity either.

Useless... The mont he heard Kang Changho's response, the dead black eyes of his reincarnated body narrowed even further into an intense glare. With a face full of frustration, Giryeo stared into empty space, swallowing his irritation—when suddenly, a single remark shifted the mood.

...I don't know everything. But one thing I do know for sure—there isn't a single Korean among that weirdo group wearing bone masks.

That was strange. Giryeo had seen the Beasts' real faces himself, so of course he knew they were foreigners. But how could Kang Changho be so certain of that—without ever having seen them directly?

It was the very mont that doubt crossed his mind. Kang Changho simply continued the conversation in his usual tone.

If I were to share the information I gathered back then: when the Beasts seized the gate in France, all of our country's 5-rank Hunters were inside the country. Oh, and just so you know, this wasn't based on rumors or speculation but on official exit records, so you can rest easy.

"Sorry, but I'm genuinely asking because I don't know—did you just say you accessed soone else's immigration records without permission? Are we sure that's sothing I can actually feel reassured about?"

Anyway, that's roughly how it is. A report confirming that the newly erged second-generation Beasts aren't Korean—now that's sothing.

But the fact that the Beast group suddenly set their sights on a dungeon on the Korean Peninsula... that really was unexpected.

Kang Changho ignored the brief interruption from his forr contractor's idle chatter and continued speaking.

Since you provided with interesting information in real ti, I guess I should do a light investigation.

"How long will it take?"

Things in this world don't always go the way we want, so it might take a while. But since I'm in the rare mood to share so intel without even deducting a wish, try not to be too picky about the quality of service, alright?

He had quite high hopes, but surprisingly, there was no gain in terms of information.

'If I can't imdiately uncover the identities of the fake Beasts, then any political maneuvering is off the table for now. In that case...'

Still, even with things unfolding like this, the end goal remained unchanged. That dungeon occupied by the Beasts—no matter what, it had to be reclaid.

Giryeo adjusted his grip on the phone and finally got to the main point.

"Alright, I understand about the investigation for now. I'll send you the address—please co here."

Where. Seoul?

"Yes. Actually, my real request is for Kang Changho to co here and help us reclaim the stolen dungeon."

Unlike the situation in Kagoshima, where it was completely disadvantageous, this ti is different. Right now, it's a situation where they can gather quite a few 4-rank awakened individuals by getting cooperation from Jung Hasseong, Esther, and even other guilds. Therefore, Giryeo calculated that Kang Changho wouldn't surrender imdiately like last ti and spoke.

It'll be difficult.

But I didn't expect it to end up like this from the beginning.

"What?"

His blunt tone slipped out before he could refine it.

'No, I didn't ask him to catch all three Beasts, but this delusional jerk...'

However, the other person maintained a calm tone regardless of whether the alien was angry or not.

It's not for so petty reason you're imagining. I'm just in India right now, so I can't head to Seoul imdiately.

"What?"

I'm in India right now.

Kang Changho, too, had his own circumstances.

Wait a minute, by the way, why were you so determined to recapture a dungeon soone else had entered in the first place? Was there an explanation for that?

Kim Giryeo, holding onto his phone, gave his response.

"Because it's a dungeon on the verge of a full break. From what I can tell, they're even pushing the monster population inside to its limits."

He had chosen his words assuming that, as soone in the sa industry, the other would understand with just that much explanation. But the tone that ca back was, surprisingly, no different from before.

Hmm. You know a lot, but talking with you can be frustrating sotis...

Just as the alien was about to ask what on earth he ant by that, Kang Changho spoke up first.

Anyway.

But Kim Giryeo never got to hear the end of what he was about to say.

Hmm?

Because with that one sudden exclamation—the call abruptly ended.

Korea's fourth 5-rank, started, tried calling back imdiately. But at that ca from the phone was a long series of ringing, ring-ring tones, eventually giving way to a prerecorded operator's voice.

[The number you have dialed cannot be reached. After the beep, you may leave a ssage...]

The call ended right away.

Since his reincarnation on Earth, over the course of roughly a year and three months of building rapport and trust with the other person, the conclusion that instantly surfaced in the archmage's mind was this—

'This cunning mammalian b*stard!'

For a mont, he suspected that Kang Changho had deliberately turned off his device just to avoid keeping his promise.

But as he thought about it more carefully—considering the temperant that mammals usually displayed—he realized Kang Changho was the type to refuse things outright if he wanted to, not sink away in such a petty manner. Which ant... any had contact with that 5-rank suddenly been cut off?

***

At that very mont, just after the international call was forcibly cut off—

—Hmm?

Southeastern India, Mannaral. It had never been a densely populated area to begin with, but after a major dungeon break several years ago, it had entered a stage of near-total depopulation. Its presence remained utterly undiminished.

More precisely, the image reflected in the eyes of the observer who had been on the phone there shifted.

Swish.

Just monts ago, a beautiful sunrise had been reflected in those glossy green irises. It felt like sothing straight out of a Western dragon's treasure hoard. But in the blink of an eye, Kang Changho now found himself face-to-face with a dark, damp cave.

An alien landscape. An overwhelming surge of mana. And now, a complete absence of signal—cut off entirely from the outside world. One by one, unmistakable signs of an otherworld began to appear.

"Gate?"

Kang Changho was now inside a dungeon. But even after being dragged into a pitch-black cave, the towering man showed no sign of intimidation—as if he felt no pressure at all. His presence remained utterly undiminished.

The Korean quickly scanned his surroundings. And by the ti his gaze landed on the image of another Earthling—not himself—he even let out a laugh, wearing a look of disbelief.

"Did I just fall for the exact sa trick you used yourself?"

The dragon's eyes rolled in a certain direction.

"On top of that, I just got stabbed in the back by the sa broker who was patiently taking my call until a mont ago?"

Across from this cave stood another Earthling, though shaped a bit differently from him.

A person like Kang Changho—who rarely left his own territory—usually set clear objectives whenever he did step outside. And now, this wasn't even Korea. He had co all the way to distant India with firm resolve, so of course, there had been a grand plan behind it all.

"Oh my, no wonder they were charging such high prices for the items."

In the black market where weapons and shady deals exchanged hands, stabbing soone in the back only ever led to one outco—so what exactly were they hoping to gain from this? He couldn't figure it out. Kang Changho muttered that hat had gotten out of hand and thought about his situation again.

'I wonder if the cult researcher's notebook spread this far, or if the sa verification had already been completed overseas.'

He suddenly moved into sub-space because the thod was identical to the research findings of Su Yehwi, which were used in a certain past kidnapping incident.

"Kang Changho-ssi."

Soon after, the person who was supposed to be his trading partner spoke up from ahead.

"Please, calm down first. I have no intention of causing you harm..."

But Korea's 5-rank Hunter completely ignored the language coming through the opponent's translator and spoke on his own terms.

"Let's see... the best way to escape from a rigged gate like this is usually... using so kind of thread-like item."

"Unfortunately, there's no one in this world who has my coordinates."

The muscular man crossed his arms casually and tilted his head to the side.

"And, of course, there's no one worth that."

The one with dragon eyes rolled his gaze so hard, it turned into a Sambagean. anwhile, Kang Changho, who had just been directly conversing in English, now didn't even bother using a foreign language anymore and started muttering sothing in his native language.