f course, with an F-rank body, there was little point in making plans like that.
Now I had even more reason to buy a new pair of lungs.
I sorted out my thoughts and finished hanging up the rest of the clothes.
And two days later.
After the warning I had given her, Lee Hwaryeong seemed to have realized something and stopped behaving suspiciously. Thanks to that, I no longer had to worry about how I might dispose of a corpse on Earth.
All things considered, that was probably for the best.
Gimpo International Airport.
Footsteps clicked across the neatly laid tiles.
Tak, tak, tak.
A short, stocky white woman strode through the terminal, her cropped golden hair brushing the nape of her neck and the heels of her pink boots striking sharply against the floor.
At first glance, she bore a passing resemblance to one of America's most prominent S-Class Hunters, but her name was not Brooklyn.
This woman was Sophia, a freelance Hunter.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
The moment Sophia arrived in Korea, curses began spilling from her mouth.
Why had an Awakened person from Minnesota traveled all the way to this country on the other side of the world?
Because a lazy superior had dumped his work onto a subordinate.
"Sophia, our boss gave me a job. Sorry, but I'm too busy to take care of it right now. So could you go to Korea in my place?"
Damn it.
Of all things, she'd ended up running errands for that obnoxious bastard Brooklyn.
Debt truly was the enemy.
After awakening as an A-rank, Sophia had paid off every loan she owed and still had seven hundred thousand dollars left in her account. At the time, she'd thought she would never have to worry about money again.
Unfortunately, old habits died hard.
Even after awakening, Sophia had been unable to give up gambling. In the end, she'd lost all the rare equipment that had formed the foundation of her career.
If anything, becoming Awakened had only increased the scale of her spending to absurd levels.
Damned card games.
Damned roulette.
If it weren't for those debts, she would never have ended up on Brooklyn's leash.
'This sucks.'
Sophia nervously scratched at the black tattoo hidden beneath her turtleneck as she headed toward the exit.
At least she'd made it through immigration without any trouble.
Find out whether Korea's fourth S-rank is the real deal or a fake!
Seriously, how had she gotten saddled with an assignment like this?
She was supposed to determine whether Korea's newest S-rank Hunter was actually a fraud—and verify his strength herself.
'I really... have no luck.'
Whoo.
Before coming here, Sophia had done some basic research on an Awakened man named Kim Giryeo.
But after searching his name online, she'd immediately gotten the sinking feeling that she was screwed.
That Asian man wasn't merely some ordinary S-Class Hunter.
Even among the highest-ranking Hunters, his record stood out.
'He cleared the dungeon where the Siren appeared? And on top of that, he volunteered to participate in an S-rank gate raid?'
As she'd suspected, Brooklyn must have given her this absurd assignment just to torment her.
Even the Japanese Hunters who had entered the gate with him had praised Kim Giryeo, saying they would never have been able to hunt the dragon without him.
'How could someone like that possibly not be S-rank?'
Sophia had already reached her own conclusion about the target's identity before the mission had even begun.
It was understandable.
Although none of it had been intentional, Kim Giryeo's accomplishments had only grown more impressive with each passing day.
Even Jung Haseong, a genuine S-rank Hunter, had been fooled by his performance.
Once rumors like that began to spread, there was no stopping them.
'They say even Korea's number-one Hunter acknowledged his abilities. Then of course he has to be S-rank.'
Come on.
If even someone as remarkable as Jung Haseong was involved, how could the whole thing possibly be fake?
Certainty was a frightening thing.
Just like anyone else deceived by a convincing lie, Sophia had drawn a hasty conclusion after examining the information surrounding Kim Giryeo.
In her mind, he was already an S-rank Hunter.
"Whoo."
Now came the real problem.
Whether Kim Giryeo was genuine or not, Sophia still had to verify his level before she could return.
That was the agreement she'd made with Brooklyn.
But if her opponent really was an S-rank, then to be perfectly honest, this assignment bordered on suicide.
A foreign Hunter had come all the way to another country specifically to test someone's strength by provoking them.
Who wouldn't lose their temper after finding that out?
'Hmm.'
Glance.
Sophia checked Kim Giryeo's photograph once more.
Monolid eyes.
A gaunt, expressionless face.
And, on top of that, a sharply tailored black suit worn with such immaculate precision that it almost looked obsessive.
Even though they were of different ethnicities, Sophia could tell at a glance that there was nothing about the man that gave off anything remotely resembling a 'warm' impression.
Right.
No matter how she looked at it, he was absolutely not the kind of Hunter she wanted to antagonize.
"I'm doomed."
But what choice did she have?
It wasn't quite as absolute as a knight's oath, but the collar around her neck was still an item that made breaking a promise extraordinarily difficult once it had been worn.
"Oh, God... Please let me make it back home alive."
Muttering a quiet prayer, Sophia pulled out her phone.
There were several things she needed to prepare before getting to work.
How could she uncover the truth about Korea's fourth S-rank?
In fact, the method itself was simple.
If Sophia, an A-rank Hunter, wanted to verify Kim Giryeo's rank, all she had to do was attack him with everything she had.
Someone capable of overwhelming a full-strength A-rank Hunter.
That was the level of power possessed by the new generation standing at the very peak of the Awakened world.
Even the most renowned A-rank Hunters were ultimately powerless before them.
'The plan itself is simple.'
Of course, the problem was that if she made one wrong move, this Korean might turn her into kimchi.
'Shit!'
The one saving grace was that Sophia's Awakening ability didn't require her to confront the enemy directly.
Anyone familiar with video games would probably recognize the term.
[Summoner]
Sophia possessed an exceptionally rare Awakening ability.
By using the magic stones left behind by monsters, she could summon creatures that obeyed her commands.
A summoner-type Awakened.
That was precisely why Brooklyn had chosen Sophia for this assignment.
With her abilities, she could easily make the entire incident look like an accident caused by a gate if anything went wrong.
"Phew..."
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
[Light]
She also possessed several camouflage skills capable of concealing the nature of her Awakening ability.
However, since they would be useless against an S-rank, she had decided not to rely on them this time.
From this point onward, she would trust only her summoning abilities and her stealth items.
'And there's even a contract that says I'll blow myself up if I reveal who's behind this. I'm seriously like some ninja from an anime.'
Once this job was over, she swore she would never gamble again.
Clink.
Sophia removed the blue magic stone from the battered staff she'd brought along under the guise of hunting equipment.
Then she climbed into the illegally rented car she'd prepared beforehand and drove toward the neighborhood where Kim Giryeo lived.
It had been roughly three days since she began keeping him under surveillance.
'Finally!'
Sophia spotted a blond man emerging from the address her informant had given her.
However, she didn't act immediately.
There were still too many variables to consider, including the target's destination and whether there were any witnesses nearby.
'I need to be especially careful if he's heading to a gate. That Asian guy is connected to another S-rank too—Kang Changho.'
She finished her preparations inside the car and began following Kim Giryeo.
Draped over her head was a stealth item that temporarily blended her body into the surrounding scenery.
'Okay.'
Fortunately, Kim Giryeo didn't appear to be going hunting today.
After tossing the plastic bottles he'd brought from home into a recycling bin, he simply turned around and headed back down the street.
'Did he seriously come out just to throw away the recycling? That's... surprisingly normal.'
It was an open street, making it ideal for observing the situation.
And there didn't seem to be many people nearby...
After watching for a while, Sophia finally decided to carry out her employer's orders.
All she needed to do now was test the man using one of her summoned creatures.
Naturally, as a summoner, she intended to maintain as much distance as possible while concealing her identity.
Right.
Sophia.
Perhaps now was a good time to review the conditions her employer had given her.
Before the mission began, Brooklyn had added several specific requirements.
"As you know, defensive abilities are incredibly easy to fake. With the right artifacts, even someone who's technically C-rank can withstand attacks from much stronger opponents. It's different from offensive power, where your own abilities inevitably have to come into play."
Brooklyn wanted an accurate assessment of Kim Giryeo's rank.
That was why, [N O V E L I G H T] when assigning this mission, he'd instructed her to use a 'special' method.
One that involved neither a physical nor a mental attack.
No physical attacks and no mental attacks?
What kind of ridiculous order was that?
It was like asking for a hot iced Americano.
Strangely enough, however, after carefully considering the monsters that appeared inside gates, Sophia had remembered one that fulfilled those conditions.
A monster capable of unleashing an extremely powerful and horrifying attack.
An attack that couldn't be resisted by increasing one's defenses.
'Alright! Come on out, my ridiculously expensive servant—Jackpot No. 1!'
Gugugugugu!
Sophia poured all her strength into the magic stone in her hand and summoned a monster into the sky.
It was a four-legged creature with dull skin resembling the bark of a dead tree.
Black blood seeped from every pore on its face.
Its name was Kelumineto.
[King of the Dead, Kelumineto]
[Rank: A]
[Description: Appears in the boss room of the "Fallen Paradise" dungeon with a 20% chance...]
It was a special monster whose attacks dealt 'fixed damage' that could not be reduced by any means.
[[Soul Strike] skill activated.]
One hit for D-class and below.
Two hits for C-class.
And only four hits for B-class and above.
If its special attack guaranteed death after striking a target a predetermined number of times, then wouldn't that make it possible to estimate the opponent's level?
'This monster's attack can't be blocked. Its resistance to status effects is high enough that tricks won't work either, so the only way to survive is to kill the boss before it kills you.'
Obtaining this magic stone had been an ordeal from beginning to end.
Sophia's ability only allowed her to use magic stones from monsters she had personally hunted and defeated.
That meant she'd been forced to fight this boss in its natural state several times.
And if she had to describe the experience in a single word...
'Horrifying.'
The pain felt as though vital points buried deep inside her body were being torn out by the roots.
The monster's attacks were so deeply unpleasant that merely remembering them sent a shudder down her spine.
[Soul Strike].
Could this monster truly interfere with the very concept of a soul?
'Okay. Check his position carefully...'
Click.
Sophia adjusted the German-made binoculars in her hands and examined her target once more.
Blond hair.
Sambaegan eyes.
There was no mistake.
This had to be the fourth S-rank Hunter from Korea whom Brooklyn had mentioned.
And at this distance, even an S-rank Hunter would have difficulty sensing the presence of the summoner controlling the creature.
'Confirmed.'
Sophia withdrew to the greatest distance from which she could still command her summoned servant.
Then she issued an order.
'Go!'
The creature that had been hovering in midair suddenly dropped toward the ground.
Its destination was the lone Hunter walking down a street in Korea.
'I do feel a little bad about this. I don't have anything against that guy personally, but... well, business is business. It can't be helped.'
Now, then.
What would happen?
Would he succeed in subduing the monster?
Or would he be helplessly trampled beneath the so-called King of the Dead, ruler of the undead?
Sophia nervously adjusted her binoculars.
At that exact moment, the monster's dry feet touched the ground.