“It seems we’ll have to postpone the press conference. It’ll be difficult to make a statement under these circumstances.”

Esther seemed to be trying to come up with a new plan as soon as she checked Jung Haseong’s interview. I didn’t have time to think about that. This situation was too sudden for a mere F-class to handle.

“That’s right.”

We ended up changing our original plan to gather friendly reporters and manipulate public opinion. However, it seems there’s no need to refund the clothes just because the press conference was canceled. The guild master of the Magic Tower simply left a signature on the card reader and completed the payment without saying a word

“Kiryeo-ssi, could you briefly give me your address?”

“Address?”

After that, Esther made a few requests that I didn’t understand, but I opened up willingly after hearing that they were necessary for the payment process.

“Can I use the street address?”

Since the wardrobe issue is resolved, now I need to figure out how to get out of this situation…

***

Is there really a chance of coming up with a clever solution in such a short time?

“Haa.”

A little while later, I got out of the taxi in a neat outfit. Oh, and where did I leave my old clothes? Why am I empty-handed?

– Hunter Kim Kiryeo. I have a question. How much does this man-to-man cost?

– I think I got them for free somewhere.

– Then one more question. Do you have any important memories tied to this?

– Not really?

By the way, those old clothes were disposed of by the curse wizard. Esther asked again if this item was important, and then immediately tore the gift jacket to shreds.

– Oh my, my mistake! I’m sorry. Maybe I’m just so tired these days that I can’t seem to control my strength?

Of course, it wasn’t really a matter worth worrying about. Anyway, I’m someone who just needs something to wear right now.

‘It’s thin, but it’s warmer than I thought. Should I consider my old teeth as new ones?’

I buttoned up the coat I received as a gift and walked down the street with quick, light steps.

“Hmm?”

But just as I was about to return to Kim Kiryeo’s studio apartment, I sensed a strange unease coming from the alleyway.

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– Murmur, murmur…

The atmosphere of the neighborhood was different from usual. There aren’t many businesses around here, so there aren’t many people around, but why are they chattering so much?

‘Is there a fire somewhere?’

I tilted my head and moved forward. However, the mysterious murmuring seemed to become clearer the closer I got to Kim Kiryeo’s place.

Tuk.

Before I knew it, I had reached the alley in front of the house.

– Click!

As I turned around the wall, I was struck by an unidentified flash of light.

– Click! Click!

– Sparkle.

Yeah, in fact, all the disturbances that had been happening were spreading from this very spot.

“He’s here!”

“Hunter Kim Kiryeo!”

“Hey, hey. Turn the camera over there!”

“Take a picture, take a picture!”

Damn, what on earth happened…

‘How many people are there?’

I was startled and stepped back when I saw the crowd in front of me. I hadn’t expected so many people to be gathered in this narrow alleyway. There were at least twenty of them, most carrying large cameras on their shoulders. It was clear they were all from a broadcast station.

“Hunter! Please give me a quick interview!”

“Bring the microphone over here!”

But how did the reporters find this place? Even though we live in an information society, is it really that easy to pinpoint someone’s residence?

‘Information leaks are too fast!’

Come to think of it, things have been unusual since lunchtime. It had only been a day since the rumors started circulating, and already most of my personal information had leaked out.

‘This is strange…!’

This speed was enough to make me suspect that someone had leaked the information on purpose. If that’s the case, who could the informant be?

Esther, who suddenly asked for the address at the clothing store? It can’t be her. We just parted ways, so the timing doesn’t match. Then, what else could be a potential lead? Something that could spread not only the address but also the name and even the rank of a Hunter…

‘Huh.’

A few possible sources quickly came to mind. I had been consistently facing issues like this before.

‘If I think about it, whenever I had an incident at the gate, the news went straight to Kang Changho’s ears.’

The Korean Hunter Association. That’s right. That government agency has been light-mouthed before. So, there’s really no reason to trust them, even in this situation.

‘No way, could it really be them again?’

Various speculations about information leaks flashed through my mind, but I couldn’t hold onto them for long.

“Hunter!”

“Hunter Kim Kiryeo!”

In a brief moment, the pack of wild reporters had surrounded me.

“Ugh.”

Click, click, click.

I was pushed to the end of the alley by the relentless crowd of reporters. The cold temperature of the wall against my back contrasted with the urgency of the situation. However, the reporters didn’t care about my frightened demeanor and shoved microphones in my face.

And so, a temporary press conference was held against the backdrop of a red residential wall. It was a rather sudden turn of events, but what can I do?

“Please tell me something!”

“I’m reporter Lee Jiyoung from YTV. Is it true that you cleared an A-Class gate all by yourself in the past?”

“Everyone, it’s dangerous, so don’t come in!”

They seemed determined not to back down until they got an answer. I took a deep breath, glancing at the people making a fuss with a loud voice. What I finally uttered were a few sentences from someone wearing the skin of a corpse.

***

Finally,

A long, long…

The recollection ended.

‘Haa.’

On a winter day when fine snow was falling, I closed my eyes tightly against that wall and reflected on the past. I wanted to understand what mistakes I had made that had led me to this point. I needed to identify the cause myself.

‘Looking back, there have been so many things since I was reincarnated.’

I slowly lifted my closed eyelids.

And then I reached a conclusion.

‘If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have been born on Earth.’

Yeah. Why bother pinpointing every single mistake?

From the very beginning!

This reincarnation was just!

Doomed from the start!

It was a mistake just to enter this doomed body. And now, to be questioning what went wrong and what not.

Come to your senses, you brat!

“N, no comment?”

“Are you denying the accusations of grade manipulation?”

The reporters seemed quite embarrassed by what they just heard, but despite that, I didn’t change my attitude.

‘Whether I choose S-class or F-class, I’ll die either way…!’

I hadn’t even decided what position to take due to my circumstances, so how could I have anything to say to you? I remained silent to all the reporters’ questions.

Furthermore, once I started talking back, it was actually easier after that. I realized they were all unawakened individuals and grew somewhat brazen. It seems that the suspicion of the opponent possibly being an S-class Hunter holds considerable influence.

“Heuk.”

I put my hands in my pockets and silently looked down at the reporter in front of me. The reporter then slowly stepped aside, clearing the way. freewebnoveℓ.com

‘It’s definitely good to pretend to be S-class to scare people.’

In that case, there was no need to linger in this noisy place. I headed straight home. I figured that once I was inside the barrier and locked the door, at least there wouldn’t be any risk of intrusion.

– Click, click, click.

However, when I heard the sound of cameras clicking from a distance, it seemed unlikely that things would resolve so easily.

30 minutes later.

– Ding-dong!

A clear doorbell sound rings from beyond the front door. It’s incredibly annoying. I thought things would calm down once I got home, but those crazies are now calling me at all hours.

– Kim Kiryeo-ssi, are you inside?

If it were the old days, I would have hung them all on the street for daring to invade the Archmage’s residence… However, I no longer have the power to punish them. If I were to call the police, I wondered if they would really arrest them for ringing the doorbell.

“Haa.”

So, unable to bear being harassed by the reporters any longer, I decided to temporarily go into hiding. However, choosing a refuge wasn’t easy. Since I was unfamiliar with Earth’s residential systems, I couldn’t identify any high-security accommodations.

‘Alien handicap.’

Now, all that remained were some rather simple measures. I picked up the phone from the desk. The recipient was already determined.

[Ahn Yoonseung ?]

Yeah. I had received a favor, and if not now, when would I use it? An A-class residence should be at least better than the cheap lodgings scattered on the street.

“Hello?”

The call was quickly connected. I was impressed by Ahn Yoonseung’s quick response and told him the whole story. I mentioned that something urgent had come up and asked if I could stay at his place for a few days.

“Yoonseung, please.”

Of course, the answer was obvious. A gentle-hearted Earthling like Yoonseung wouldn’t ignore my difficult situation of being bothered by noise.

– I understand.

As expected, Yoonseung immediately gave a positive answer.

‘Huh?’

Wait, but after listening carefully, it’s a bit hard to express it as positive.

– I just need to prepare a room for Hyung-nim to use…?

A drooping voice. A powerless tone.

‘Why is this kid like this again?’

I had a brief moment of doubt about Yoonseung’s voice coming from the speaker. Moreover, this sense of unease persisted even after changing locations.

“Uhm, welcome.”

A few hours later, after carefully avoiding being tracked, I finally arrived at the A-class Hunter’s residence. However, the host was deliberately avoiding me from the very front door.

“This is the guest room Hyung-nim will be using, and the bathroom is down this hallway.”

“…”

“Oh, and my parents are staying at a relative’s house for a short while… and will be back in two days. You don’t need to worry about it. I’ve already explained the situation to them.”

A hardened face and a low voice.

I stared at him blankly without letting go of my bag.

‘Earth-style emotional expressions are still hard to read.’

Of course, since I can’t know someone’s feelings just by looking at their facial expressions, the only answer is conversation. I rolled my eyes and said a word.

“Am I being too much of a nuisance?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s just that your reaction during the call earlier seemed off.”

“…”

“If you’re saying it’s okay even though you don’t want to do it, then it’s a bit…”

However, the truth was somewhat different from what I had guessed. Yoonseung waved his hand in shock as soon as he heard those words.

“No way! I never thought of that!”

“Then?”

“T, that…”

When I pointed out his pale complexion and persistently pressed for answers, Yoonseung began to give a brief explanation.

“…Actually.”

In a crawling voice.

***

Two days ago.

Ahn Yoon Seung was shocked to hear the news of the Inevitable Malice. However, his shock was a bit different from others’. It wasn’t about the monster’s grade or the devastated city.

[Around 4 PM. The Inevitable Malice was finally defeated.]

Because it collapsed the most when he appeared.

“….”

Ahn Yoonseung had entered the gate on the 11th, the day the Inevitable Malice appeared. When he finished his mission and emerged, news flashes on building billboards were reporting that an unknown hunter had taken down the Imoogi.

“….”

The main character of the incident was a small screen taken by a drone cam, so his face was not even visible, but how could he not recognize that clear gold color?

Ahn Yoonseung stared blankly at the news on the billboard for a long time.