Chapter 367. Let Do It, Honorary Firefighter of South Korea (2)
"Ah, right."
But it was at that mont. More precisely, just as he was feeling relieved that such a superhuman had arrived. The hunter nad Kim Giryeo suddenly tilted his head to look at the sky. And he stopped in that posture, speaking a few words.
"Although I said that, the truth is I've already started so unlicensed firefighting."
It was a sentence that defied understanding.
"I'm a bit worried about late complaints. I hope no one catches a cold from this."
What followed was just as hard to interpret. So Jung Haseong was about to ask what he ant, but the man imdiately closed his mouth properly.
Tuk.
It was because sothing surprisingly cold had touched his cheek.
Tuk.Tuk.
Moreover, this mysterious liquid—perhaps even summoned a friend of its own—gradually increased in quantity...
"A drop of water?"
Now Jung Haseong lifted his head as well. The two hunters standing in the shabby alley soon found themselves staring blankly at the sky. But what awaited them above was not the gray winter clouds—it was a heavy, oppressive shadow.
"Enough."
And with soone's words, a torrent of water poured down.
Swoosh.
What kind of downpour is this in subzero temperatures?
"Even a fire with oil would be a disaster, but who would cook outside at a ti like this?"
Then ca a cheeky remark from one of the Awakened.
But even without such a blatant display, Jung Haseong was able to grasp the situation as a whole the mont he felt the chill on his skin.
"On a day this cold, this ice-cold water hasn't frozen."
The rain fell strangely, as if soone had ordered it to maintain its form. Then there could only be one answer.
'...Wow.'
Swoosh.
An unexpected downpour struck downtown Seoul. Needless to say, it was an artificial rain warning caused by supernatural powers. The rain had sapped the strength of every fire that had spread across the city.
***
Then the biggest problem must have been dealt with. From now on, it was ti to imdiately mop up the remaining forces.
'Keugh.'
Swoosh.
Heavy rain poured from the sky. Beyond his expressionless face, Kim Giryeo let slip a sly smirk. It was sothing he could never say to those who had lost their property to the fire. Still, thanks to this incident, soone had managed to find a glimr of relief.
"It's done, it's done. I finally have a job—!"
An S-rank superhuman who controlled water! Of course, the archmage didn't fit into Earth's elental classification at all. But as a foreigner, he couldn't completely ignore the perceptions of the locals. Sohow, word had spread that he was a water-attribute mage. So now, he had co to put that reputation—gained almost by chance—to full use for work.
"Even if we set aside cursed magic, which is inherently difficult when it cos to protecting others..."
The man rolled his eyes for a mont.
"The number-one ranked in this country is a fire mage, isn't he? Haha! So how could anyone refuse my help in a situation like this?"
As he moved his eyes, he saw a young black-haired man, soot washed away by the artificial rain, Jung Haseong. In other words, the Awakened known as the national hero was looking up at the sky with a truly admiring expression.
Those who could wield magic of this caliber were extrely rare on Earth, so from his perspective, such a reaction was only natural. But he couldn't afford to linger in admiration, not when every penny counted.
"Kyaaah!"
"Gasp. Oh my goodness- There's an incredibly unfortunate citizen being tornted by a monster over there—"
Swish.
A scream could be heard nearby.
"Alright then, Jung Haseong. Let's talk after we've cleared all the debris first!"
The mont Kim Giryeo realized a monster had appeared, he started running. It was to hunt at least one more beast before the other operatives could get to it.
...
...
...
And ti passed, and soon, deep night fell.
"Oh my, Hunter Kim Giryeo!"
Quite naturally, the incident that had occurred in Seoul ca to a relatively uneventful end.
"Thank you! Of course, all the hunters worked hard, but if it weren't for you, Kim Giryeo-ssi, our humble citizens' hos would have been completely destroyed, wouldn't they?"
"Hmm."
"Hehe, and this is sothing I'll only tell you, Hunter. I almost completely lost my cherished electric car as well."
"Electric... car?"
"I truly thank you. I'll prepare a certificate of comndation soon and give you a proper reward."
"You're giving money too?"
South Korea had a water-attribute Awakened who could easily be considered SS-rank. True to his status as a fully recovered archmage, Kim Giryeo resolved the incident at an extraordinary speed. The citizens were quick to shower him with praise. Moreover, by dealing with the monsters as they appeared according to plan, he had also gained a significant advantage.
'Heh heh. By the way, it seems that all the F-rank low-tier monsters whose hunters weren't identified were counted as having died in my downpour.'
Saving lives. Getting rich. Honestly, being a hunter in this world is quite a aningful profession, isn't it?
"Ah, of course. How could we not give a reward to a hunter with such great contributions?"
"Haha."
"Hunter, if it's not too much trouble, to commorate the safe handling of this disaster, could we take a photo together...?"
For reference, not long after the chaos in Seoul, similar disasters occurred in other regions of the country. This ant that South Korea was covered in Red Gates. However, from what he gathered, the otherworldly passages that appeared in different areas seed to have different properties...
'So the unification of attributes was only in the capital after all?'
Fortunately, the other regions were able to deal with the monsters more easily than usual. And now, with all the Red Gates closed, it was truly the perfect mont to pop the champagne.
"Haha. This is exactly what the power of magic is."
Who would have thought everything would go so smoothly? Yet, at this mont, he couldn't fully relax and smile—perhaps because of the humans nearby, the head of the capital had co solely to offer thanks. But despite enjoying all manner of honors, Giryeo didn't seem particularly pleased. The reason was simple.
'By the way, I'm really glad that sothing I've been worrying about for so long was resolved thanks to this incident. But now... it seems it was resolved a little too 'strongly'...'
A problem being caused by its own resolution? A brief, indulgent complaint passed through him. But in truth, looking at the expressions of so of the humans nearby, it was an understandable frustration.
'Oh my.'
Gloomy.
When he turned his head, he saw so of South Korea's top-tier figures sitting gloomily. This was an empty room in the Hunter Association headquarters. As the key contributors to handling the recent Red Gate incident, they had originally gathered here to receive various follow-up reports. But with the disaster safely resolved, only a sense of gloom lingered in the room.
'Everyone looks like they're going to die.'
Esther, Jung Haseong. They had completely lost their confidence after this incident.
"They say humanity is helpless when a natural disaster strikes..."
"We've received help again from Hunter Kim."
"Do you know? When I heard that Giryeo-ssi had co to Seoul, I was so relieved that my legs almost gave out. It was one of those monts when you instinctively rely on soone else and hate yourself for it."
How hard they'd worked. The woman, her hair disheveled like a ghost, finally spoke.
"Sniff... By the way, why is that guy several tis stronger than us even while he's injured...?"
It was Esther's lant. Even though she had truly done her best as an S-rank Awakened, her contributions were almost completely overshadowed. This incident inevitably unsettled the other top-tier Awakened in various ways.
'Hmm.'
And the fact that they were in despair was successfully conveyed even to the alien scholar.
'Maybe I was a little harsh.'
Giryeo looked at the despondent mammals and thought to himself. He had only wanted to demonstrate how exceptional his physical abilities were. He believed that by handling the debris and proving his strength, he would no longer be pressured to take a break. He never intended to crush the confidence of his fellow professionals.
'As expected, it seems I went too far this ti. I wasn't considerate enough.'
So, after watching their expressions for a long while, Giryeo finally carried out an act peculiar to intelligent beings. He felt compassion.
'I even got annoyed for a mont, thinking they were ddling with my earnings. But co to think of it, they were only doing it out of concern for , weren't they?'
But the problem was the way he expressed it. He summoned all his kindness and began to offer gentle comfort...
"It's okay. Don't be so discouraged, everyone. People can live well without talent."
"..."
"..."
A few seconds later, the words that ca out naturally sounded more like an insult than encouragent.
"Sob, sob."
The Earthlings who heard that only grew even gloomier. When the alien wasn't deliberately trying to deceive soone, he beca overly sincere like this, and so this was a small mishap born of his purity.
'I didn't an to make them cry.'
But just then, an unexpectedly tempting story ca up.
"I wish everything could just be solved with money."
The so-called silver spoon Earthling, Esther said this with a sorrowful expression.
"Yes?"
"Didn't Giryeo-ssi say that you ca back to work because you didn't have enough money to live on?"
"Oh, yes."
"So, if I just give you all your living expenses, you'll quit? Ha, I'm even thinking about that now."
Huh? Really?
The alien's eyes widened inwardly. The current conversation sounded intriguing enough to stir such a reaction. If matters could truly be resolved in that way, then of course—he would welco it with both tentacles raised.
"Why didn't I think of this sooner!"
It seed he had picked up such a habit while living on Earth. To be precise, the habit of never behaving rudely toward the other side had he refrained from demanding money without a proper justification. But now that the other side had expressed such intent first, a thought of sheer windfall began to well up inside him.
"Then... could you give about 40 billion won?"
And so, without even pausing for breath, the alien blurted out a specific amount.
"40 billion!"
"My unpaid taxes are about that much... Though I heard with certain deductions, it could be reduced to around 20 billion."
"20 billion."
"Still, if I'm going to receive living expenses anyway, I'd like to travel abroad and indulge in so luxuries... so let's keep it at 40 billion after all."
"Haha, travel..."
"If you give that amount, I can take a break from work. Oh, of course."
However, the negotiation fell through. This was because the representative of Korea's Magic Tower took the other party's words as a joke.
"During all my years as a hunter, the total amount of taxes I've paid on overseas inco hasn't even co close to 10 billion. And yet you're saying that Kim Giryeo-ssi, who's only in his second year of activity, has a tax bill of 40 billion?"
For reference, the money given by the Japanese hunters included compensation for attempted murder. It had been delivered deliberately in a way that would keep things as quiet as possible. That's why the other S-ranks had no idea that he had earned a trillion won from the [Kagoshima Raid]...
'Co to think of it, that's how the story gets tangled up.'
Esther observed the man with a complex, subtle gaze. And then she said this.
"Besides, even though you're an S-rank Hunter, you lived in a one-room apartnt as if you had no attachnt to worldly desires, training in seclusion..."
"Yes?"
"So now you're saying you want to travel abroad and splurge on luxury. Do you really think that's sothing I could take seriously from my perspective?"
"But I'm serious... No, and besides, it's not like I plan to work for long anyway. I'll just make so money for a while and then take another break."
"Sob."
"Please stop getting teary-eyed. It makes my heart ache a little too."
There could hardly be a clearer case of karma coming full circle. Kim Giryeo felt the price of his lies strike him to the bone. Since he was such a fundantally different being from them, he couldn't even explain why he had clung to that shabby little ho for so long.
'Should I just gather all these humans and make a public announcent that I'm actually an alien?'
At least the shepherd boy told the truth in the end...
Kim Giryeo fell into thought for a mont. But no matter the mistakes he had made, in this harsh world, one simply could not survive on conscience alone.
"A, anyway."
Ahem.
A man in a suit, gifted with supernatural powers, made a declaration before the people of the industry.
"Just yesterday, I completed all the procedures for establishing a corporation, so now I'm also a guild master."
"..."
"From now on, whenever a valuable dungeon appears, I'll be joining the bidding wars. I'm going to claim the gates as I please."
"..."
"But if you keep interfering, then... uh, collusion? Anyway, sothing illegal like that—I'll have no choice but to report you. So just keep that in mind."
Thanks to the [Prophecy]-type scroll artifact, he at least had sothing to rely on. But most of the gates written on it were predicted to appear overseas. Naturally, if a foreigner recklessly crossed another country's borders and ddled there, no one could say what might happen. So, for the thoroughly unwholeso reason of being 30 billion won in debt, Kim Giryeo had to work more diligently than anyone else.
But without knowing any of these circumstances, the faint-hearted S-class hunters once again shed invisible tears. They eyed moved, watching a mighty figure insist on living as a hunter despite everyone's attempts to dissuade him.
"Why would Hunter Kim want to do sothing that everyone else hates so badly?"
"A fool who only cares about the people."
"Hearing him say that he'll only be active for a while before resting again... as I thought, he really did co back because January is approaching"
"Honestly, how can soone be that upright and pure..."
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