The eventful Dragon Raid had finally come to an end. I booked a flight back to Korea as though I were fleeing the country. And now, I had safely made it home.
"Whoo."
First of all, everything that happened in Japan took place inside the dungeon, which meant there was no evidence. I'd barely managed to escape with my life, and if I started making a fuss about it now, there was no telling what sort of trouble might follow.
So what could I possibly do afterward?
I simply let out a deep breath and went to sleep. Even if it was only for a little while, I wanted some peace of mind.
Before long, evening came.
"Hmm."
When I woke up, the sun was already setting. Out of habit, I reached for the phone beside my bed and checked the internet.
"Cough!"
But the moment I did, I nearly passed out all over again.
An entirely unexpected piece of news had appeared on the portal site.
[Japanese Forum Translation] ************
ID: wqXSLW
I can't believe they cleared it with no deaths...
ID: zsNOgC
Imabari is the strongest!!
ID: XG0Wav
I was really worried because my grandfather lives in the Kyushu region. I'm so relieved everything was resolved.
***
First of all, Japan was in a celebratory mood over the successful resolution of the S-rank gate.
But right in the middle of all that, the Imabari Guild made a startling announcement during an interview.
[The success of the raid was largely due to the contribution of Hunter Kim Giryeo, who came all the way from Korea.]
Guild Leader Moritake Ito had handed much of the credit for clearing the gate to a foreign hunter who had come to assist them.
[Therefore, we have decided to repay him for his help.]
[What kind of decision have you made?]
[In the future, if an S-rank gate appears in Korea, every top-ranking Awakened member of Imabari will participate in the raid without compensation. Of course, this is something we can guarantee through the Knight's Oath.] RÂΝ∅βĘŝ
No!
Why are they coming to Korea?
At this point, I was dying to know what kind of discussion had taken place inside that guild while I was asleep.
But the surprises didn't end there.
After stepping up to the podium, Ito paused briefly to catch his breath. Then he looked straight into the camera and spoke.
[Hunter Kim, are you watching this broadcast?]
[...]
[The reason my guild members and I are still alive is entirely thanks to Hunter-nim. We will never forget that. Please, we ask that you kindly overlook the trouble we caused.]
Still, by the time I watched the video to the end, I had begun to understand.
His dull complexion.
His hunched posture.
His anxious eyes, trembling ever so slightly.
I remembered my first meeting with Ito.
Back then, the man had looked at me with relaxed eyes, almost as though he were looking down on me.
But the expression I saw in this recording was something much closer to unease.
I recognized it immediately.
After all, I had encountered that emotion countless times in my previous life.
"Fear."
Ito was afraid of me.
"Wait, fear? Huh? Could it be... he actually fell for my bluff...?"
And that was when I realized it.
The Japanese hunters had completely fallen for my lie.
If that was the case, then an interview like this made perfect sense.
After all, I had threatened to smash their skulls while keeping Imabari's S-rank hunters bound and helpless.
"They must be regretting it now!"
Even if I had verbally forgiven them, they had still picked a fight with an unknown powerhouse.
From their perspective, there was no way to settle the matter other than bowing their heads as low as possible and apologizing.
They were the ones who had committed the offense, so they couldn't exactly approach me with a shameless offer to negotiate.
Of course they would want to repair their relationship with me, even if that meant offering the services of all their highest-ranking hunters—something money could never normally buy.
"That much groveling must mean they want me to keep quiet."
But was it really all right for them to say something like that on public television?
If they kept going like this, wouldn't people eventually figure out that Imabari had been threatened inside the dungeon...?
***
ID: rkXqQ7
They survived because of him?
ID: 0HacBY
How much did he contribute inside the dungeon for them to be that grateful?
ID: QIf381
Moritake really seems to be taking a humble stance. Well, no matter how you look at it, Korea is a hunter powerhouse. They even send Awakened people to assist other countries.
ID: TwKWcI
Was there some dangerous attack pattern during the raid?
ID: 78JX7r
Maybe he saved them from a monster or something.
***
Looks like I won't get caught.
Come to think of it, if nobody knew the details of what happened, Ito's statement would sound like nothing more than gratitude for helping clear the dungeon.
So there was no way the Japanese public could know what had actually happened between us.
ID: 78JX7r
Thank you for willingly helping with the S-rank gate when everyone else turned their backs on us. Hunter Kim is our benefactor.
***
At the very least, if it had been revealed that a Legendary had appeared, people might have started speculating about other possibilities.
Were they keeping it hidden as a trump card?
Was there something else they wanted to conceal?
Since Imabari hadn't even announced that they had obtained the Legendary, the entire situation was becoming strange in more ways than one.
[Did you hear? Japan's number one guild just announced that if an S-rank gate appears in Korea, they'll definitely come help.]
[Top-tier diplomacy.]
[Wow~ This is what national pride feels like.]
[Seriously == ]
[Hunter Kim Giryeo, what on earth did you do over there...]
And thanks to Ito's excessive praise, even the Korean online community had been thrown into chaos.
._.
I finished checking the internet and let my phone drop to the floor.
"Huh."
Whatever.
Let things turn out however they turn out.
I really don't know anymore.
I'm hungry. I'll just eat.
***
After the Dragon Raid in Kagoshima Prefecture.
[Korean S-ranks are scary w]
[I probably shouldn't say this, but honestly, that guy totally looks like a Yakuza (gangster).]
[So not every Korean looks like a flower boy like Jung Haeseong...? ㅠ_ㅠ]
Following this incident, Japanese interest in hunters from the neighboring country skyrocketed.
Jung Haeseong was already famous worldwide, so practically everyone knew who he was. But thanks to the emergence of this new hunter, the neighboring country's Awakened community was once again thrust into the spotlight.
[Seo Esther. This person is ranked 2nd in Korea.]
[Did you upload the wrong K-POP idol photo!?]
[What a beauty!!]
[Please tell me how to immigrate to Korea]
When a common enemy appears, even rivals can find themselves standing on the same side.
Japan began showing an unexpectedly favorable response toward Korea's hunter industry.
Some people even went beyond simple admiration and desperately asked, 'Kim Giryeo isn't even part of a guild, right? Is there really no way to bring him to our country?'
But this trend was hardly confined to Japan.
[Real-time trending search ▲ 1st place: Kim Giryeo]
With this raid as the turning point, Korea also began paying intense attention to one particular hunter.
However, unlike Japan, where people were casually praising powerful Awakened individuals, the reaction here was far more serious.
People were thinking about the situation much more deeply.
[Then why did Kang Changho go with them?]
[A translation of the interview at the Japanese airport just came out. Apparently, he went there to assist Kim Giryeo.]
[What]
[Okay, sure, let's say Kim Giryeo needed a teammate because there's a long delay when he uses his skill. But you're telling me Kang Changho volunteered for that role?]
[What the heck?]
[Could Hunter Kang be into gambling or something? If he borrowed money from Kim Giryeo, that would explain a lot.]
But it was impossible to monitor every move a hunter made, so how could ordinary people possibly know the truth?
Netizens spent a long time speculating about why Kang Changho had been cooperating with Kim Giryeo.
When no convincing answer emerged, however, their attention gradually shifted elsewhere.
[By the way, how much did the S-rank hunters get paid for this raid?]
[I'm not sure how the rewards were divided, but apparently they brought back Epic-grade items.]
[Wow, Epic-grade!]
Rare equipment obtained from dungeons.
Whether or not it came from some legendary dragon, people had always been fascinated by dazzling treasures.
[So Epic items really do drop, huh? < <]
[Will one ever show up?]
~ (As a current appraiser, I can tell you that Epic-grade items are extremely rare, and there are only a handful of people capable of fully analyzing them, so information about them usually isn't made public. There may even be a separate classification name for them.)
So what exactly was the item Kim Giryeo had obtained, the one everyone was so curious about?
The longsword received by the blond S-rank hunter was an Epic-grade weapon called [Hydra].
Hydra.
A many-headed serpent.
So why had such a pristine-looking blade been given the name of a monster?
***
Slash!
The sharp blade sliced through the creature's flesh.
As the long, narrow edge passed through it, beads of blood welled along the split skin.
But the wound did not remain a mere shallow cut.
Gradually, jade-colored ripples began spreading through the creature's blood vessels.
"Keugh, kiiik."
A moment later, the monster before me died.
Thud!
I looked down at the pig-shaped beast as it collapsed with a sound disturbingly similar to that of a human corpse hitting the ground.
Let's see.
The item's effects seem to be working properly.
I straightened the longsword in my hand and examined its effects once more.
If I had used an Earth-made Analyzer, it probably would have displayed something like this.
[Hydra]
[Grade: Epic]
[Description: A Western-style sword with a sharp blade. Those struck by it will enter the state of [Poison that Kills Immortality].]
[Additional Description: [Poison that Kills Immortality] - A top-tier poison. Kills enemies of C-rank or lower.]
Hydra.
As its name suggested, it possessed an extremely powerful poison effect.
This was the reward I had earned from the dragon hunt.
'A wizard reduced to something as crude as sword fighting.'
I really don't care for primitive weapons like longswords.
"---Still, I'll give it a try and make good use of it."
But this was hardly the time to complain.
[Hydra] was an extraordinary weapon.
One powerful enough to completely change the course of a hunter's life.
Anything C-rank or lower would die instantly from so much as a scratch.
B-ranks would be poisoned as well, and if I simply waited three minutes, they would eventually succumb to weakness and die.
And apparently it even had some effect on A-ranks?
"This is amazing!"
Hahaha!
My lack of offensive power had been solved in an instant.
And with the armor strengthened by the Seohyeong, I might now be able to hold my own against B-ranks using nothing but equipment.
With a weapon like this in my hands, all sorts of thoughts began racing through my head.
"Should I just live like this?"
Honestly, hunting nothing but C-rank monsters would already be enough to make a fortune!
This was the best possible reward.
With this, I could probably get by just fine even with my F-rank body.
"Hmm."
Still, I should make sure my future is secure.
I'm smiling now, but if I continue living with my magic restricted, the day will inevitably come when I regret it.
"The contract with Kang Changho is another problem."
Srrmk.
I sheathed Hydra's blade, still glowing with a sinister green light, secured it at my side, and strode briskly toward the gate.
Clearing a C-rank gate completely on my own.
I'm satisfied.
I'm proud.
This achievement deserves a feast.
"Hello? Yoonseung-ah, if you're free today, would you like to have dinner together? I'll treat you."
Of course, there would only be one guest at the banquet.
.
.
.
"Thank you for the meal. I really appreciate you treating me!"
"Yeah."
A barbecue restaurant in Seoul.
Suddenly, memories of the past came flooding back.
When I had first been reincarnated on Earth, I hadn't even possessed enough money to pay for a single bowl of soup and had nearly gotten myself caught because of it.
And now I could order as much 1++ Korean beef as I wanted without worrying about the price.
"This is a huge step forward."
The dragon raid had been rough, but...
Still, things had turned out far better than I expected.
I left the restaurant with a spring in my step.
"Oh, by the way, I just remembered—what do you usually do when you get home, Hyung-nim..."
Tiring? Tiring?
But just then, Yoonseung's voice was drowned out by a notification sound.
More precisely, by my phone's ringtone.
"Sorry, just a moment."
"Heup! I'm sorry! Please, go ahead and take your call."
I raised one finger to signal that he should wait, then answered the phone.
"Hello?"
The moment I put the phone to my ear, I heard the voice of an unfamiliar woman.
"Is this... Hunter... Kim Giryeo...? Is this the correct number?"
I answered her question as I normally would.
"That's right."
"Yes. I'm Kim Giryeo. Who are you?"
But come to think of it, this was clearly an unfamiliar number.
So why was this person suddenly speaking to me informally?
"Giryeo Hyung?"
I stopped.
My eyes widened as I froze where I stood, still holding the phone.
There was no helping my reaction.
"...Giryeo-ya, this is Mom."
And, naturally, those words came through the speaker immediately afterward.