A while later, the two hunters finished their conversation and went back to their respective homes.

As soon as Kim Kiryeo arrived at the studio, he reactivated the barrier that had been turned off. It no longer felt as bothersome as before.

“Was there only one sent from the Cult…?”

The identity of the visitor who had been harassing him had long since been revealed. Using the S-Class to capture and threaten, the opponent quickly spilled the secrets.

Could it be that those who entered the industry with only the belief in their ability to awaken had the reticence of independence fighters? In a way, this was perhaps the expected outcome.

“They must be shaken. Will they refrain from using the same trick for a while?”

Now that this is settled…

Kiryeo lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep. And at that moment, he still didn’t know how significant a deal he had made.

***

A few days after that.

“What did you say? Say it again!”

Only then did Su Yehwi learn about the current status of the assassin he had sent.

“Failure?”

So the so-called hitman from the underworld couldn’t even handle a mere F-Class hunter. According to the broker’s explanation, was there a barrier surrounding that small studio that exceeded the security level of the Korea Magic Tower headquarters?

The shocking news didn’t end there.

“That can’t be possible!”

Even when the assassin hired by Su Yehwi saw the perfect barrier, he didn’t give up and attempted to break into the target’s house…

Those efforts ultimately came back with disastrous results.

And that was all due to the person summoned by Kim Kiryeo.

“How come that hunter helps Kim Kiryeo?”

Kang Changho, South Korea’s S-Class awakener.

Not only did he show interest in an F-Class, but he even directly handled the assassin himself?

“Why?”

With the grim report that the hired assassin had been critically injured by Kang Changho and handed over to the police, the call came to an end.

Since the mission failed, there was no need to fulfill the promised payment for success… But at this point, it wasn’t just about the money anymore.

“No way.”

Kim Kiryeo is suspected to be a disguised rank imposter. So, of course, the situation in which the assassin was defeated after a fierce battle was also taken into consideration to some extent. But he never would have thought that a big name called S-Class would get involved in this fight.

“He has a connection with Kang Chang-ho?”

What kind of person is Kang Changho?

He was a representative outsider in the hunter world. Unlike other hunters who managed their rankings at a minimum through periodic gate attacks, his official activity records were worth counting on one hand.

S-Class is a position that attracts attention whether they like it or not. So he knows. Kang Changho had never maintained a friendly relationship with any hunter until now.

But why? How could such a self-righteous awakened person accept the call of an F-Class person who lives in a room no bigger than 5 pyeong?

‘Why did this happen…’

This would mean that the F-Class is not ordinary.

Su Yehwi felt a strong sense of anxiety.

Kim Kiryeo. What on earth is that man?

***

The day after completing the oath.

“Oh my~ Kiryeo, how is it that you don’t have a single property in your name?”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I started complaining.

“How can I gather 2.6 billion?”

260,000,000 won. Now I have to figure out how to gather such a huge amount of money.

‘And that too within the time limit of 10 years.’

Even without bringing up the promise with Kang Changho, I have always felt the need to quickly escape from the body of this useless awakened person.

And the surest way to overcome this situation is to get new lungs. If only the lungs were replaced, it would be possible to use body-changing techniques even in an F-Class state. Compared to Earthlings, I can achieve several times the efficiency with the same amount of mana.

– Yoonseung-ah, are there any ‘Dragon’s lungs’?

– There is.

– Can you also check the market price for it?

– It’s 2.6 billion won.

However, this time, I’ll need a somewhat special set of lungs. Even for me, it would be difficult to undergo major surgery to remove my lung in such harsh conditions.

‘There is a chance of failure.’

While a simple lung exchange can use those of ordinary individuals, the preparation cost is low, but there’s a risk of dying during surgery with even the slightest mistake….

So I changed my direction of thinking.

[Dragon’s lungs]!

If it’s the item dropped by the dragon-type monster, then all problems would be solved much more easily.

“I need to save money.”

The topic returns to where it began. But a way to solve the problem had already been solidified within me.

“Whoo, I wasn’t going to use this forbidden method again…”

Click.

I unlocked my phone with Kim Kiryeo’s fingerprint and contacted someone else.

[Ahn Yoonseung?]

I’m sorry, kind Earthling…

***

Korean Hunter Association Headquarters, 3rd floor.

Monitoring room.

“Wiiiing…”

The fly hid in the shadow of a bookshelf and fixed its gaze intently on a computer being operated by an association employee.

-Crack, crack!

In the fly’s compound eyes, which shine like rubies, a few lines of writing appear dizzyingly.

【Red Gate Forecast】

[▼Timeline]

(08:17) [Suspicious Area 1] [Concentration C] Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul…

At this point, let’s take a look at my contract with Kang Changho again.

[2. When entering the gate voluntarily. Kim Kiryeo must first report this to Kang Changho.]

Kang Chang-ho told me to pay attention to the ‘voluntarily’ part, but the area I focused on was the back.

‘Entering.’

The only dungeon accessible on this planet is the Blue Gate. According to regulations, F-Class hunters do not have a wide range of hunting grounds to choose from. So, after much thought, I decided to try accumulating wealth in a different way.

That is, attacking the Red Gate, which doesn’t require a separate entry.

‘The monster that appeared at the Red Gate is said to be owned by the person who caught it!’

Of course, no matter how much we talk about it, in the end, the attacker is this person.

“Hyung-nim~!”

I watched with dim eyes the Earthlings running brightly from afar.

How many times will I have to exploit this person for money? What’s even more conscience-pricking is that Ahn Yoonseung never gets angry even in such situations.

“Thank you for calling me! I didn’t have anything to do today anyway! I’ll learn a thing or two. Hyung-nim!”

I looked into his bright eyes and lowered my head.

“I was really surprised. You suddenly said you wanted to see me working.”

“Mhm.”

“And the reason wasn’t anything else but to correct my shortcomings…!”

The burden on my heart increases as the conversation progresses.

Yeah. That’s the excuse I used this time.

– Ahn Yoonseung, I thought about it carefully. I think it’s a bit early to showcase your skills to the hunter industry.

– …!

– So, what I’m saying is, how about you try handling a few Red Gates in front of me this time? I’ll watch how you work and point out areas for improvement.

Anyway, I have a long tongue when it comes to the topic of awakened people at the bottom.

Nevertheless, it’s not all lies. After all, I do have exceptional magical knowledge on my side.

‘This time too, I just need to correct one skill appropriately.’

It’s knowledge.

Right. In fact, initially, I even considered using that knowledge to make money. I thought about things like seizing large quantities of valuable materials that hadn’t yet had their worth recognized, much like the absorbent I handed over to the Magic Tower. Or perhaps becoming a tutor, teaching magic to others. There were plenty of other paths to explore if I looked into it.

But after much thought, I decided to avoid making money using my knowledge. Because there was just one problem that bothered me so much.

‘I mustn’t let Earth’s development speed up because of me.’

The knowledge in my head is so valuable that it could easily change the history of mankind. But there is an order to everything.

If magic technology suddenly improved due to alien intervention, wouldn’t this planet eventually end up like Alphauri?

‘I’m scared.’

As someone who has already lived in an advanced magical civilization, I can confidently declare that experiencing a technological singularity is not a good thing from a biological perspective. While some aspects of life may become more convenient, unimaginable cruelty could occur throughout society.

‘For example, in my hometown, after the need for sleep was eliminated through body modifications, overtime work exploded.’

Ugh.

Just thinking about my hometown makes me sick of it.

Alphauri was a messed up world. Compared to that, how good is the Earth? This good society should be protected by designating it as a cultural asset.

‘It’s better if magic development is slow in places like this.’

As for the absorbent thing, I just did it because I thought it would have been discovered sooner even if I hadn’t done so. Again, I had no intention of getting involved in the history of magic on Earth.

‘I have to be careful about sharing my knowledge.’

So, for now, the safe zone of action would be just gently guiding on the basic magic used by primitive magicians.

‘Besides, it has to be taught only to a very few people so that it can be kept secret.’

While I was lost in thought, Ahn Yoonseung was chattering excitedly with a bright expression.

“How did you know that a Red Gate would appear here, Hyung-nim? As expected, I guess when you get to your level, you can see the Gates forming right in front of you and all, right…?”

However, a few seconds later, Ahn Yoonseung abruptly stopped speaking as he noticed someone approaching from the other side.

“Huh?”

Next, Yoonseung turned his surprised face towards the back. However, I didn’t bother to look in that direction. I already knew who had come.

“Why is Kang Changho here…”

“Hey, Kim Kiryeo!”

“Heuk!”

An S-Class appeared in a quiet park. I check Kang Changho’s voice and point to my temple.

‘After the contract, Kang Changho told me to contact him if anything dangerous happens. Just to be safe, I checked the schedule for the Red Gate too.’

Even though it was revealed that the target was C-Class, I never thought he would come in person. Of course, we’re under a contract where he guarantees protection until I’m 34 in exchange for my life.

‘Does he really keep his end of the deal?’

Honestly, I didn’t expect the promise to be kept. After all, the Knight’s Oath didn’t properly specify Kang Changho’s obligations.

‘I expected his attitude to change once the contract was signed, so I prepared a plan.’

Then, the number of remaining cases is one.

‘I guess he came to keep an eye on me to see if I might do something strange.’

I stopped expressing all my facial expressions and started greeting people so as not to show any unnecessary hostility.

“You’re here, Changho-ssi.”

“Heuk!”

But what does this mean?

“Hmm?”

The source of the noise was none other than the A-Class hunter. Ahn Yoonseung looked at us in turn and asked a question in a voice filled with astonishment.

“Kiryeo Hyung… By any chance, do you know Hunter Kang Changho…?”

Well, isn’t Ahn Yoonseung quite surprised?

It must have been quite a shock for Ahn Yoonseung to witness us suddenly shaking hands after he had warned about Kang Chang-ho being a dangerous guy.

‘Hmm.’

However, due to circumstances, I can’t provide a detailed explanation. Kang Changho warned not to spread information about his improvement ability casually.

“It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”

“Yes?”

“Rather than that, you should focus on your work now. Did the gate open behind you?”

The timing was good.

-Wuuuung…

Meanwhile, a new red gate appeared behind us while we were talking.

According to the information on the association’s computer, the probability of the forecast being correct was about 58%, but… It seems like this time I’ve won the coin toss.

‘With my advanced magic, sneaking in like this is a piece of cake.’

Hoho. I leisurely observed Ahn Yoonseung’s hunt, satisfied that the stolen information was functioning properly.

‘Hey, you’re good~’

Ahn Yoonseung always calls himself a young chick hunter, but considering that, his response to Red Gate was excellent. He quickly smashed, struck, and trampled the monsters.

‘How much is this? If I could just get half of it from Yoonseung under the guise of tuition fees…!’

However, a small problem arose in the process.

-Slash!

The creatures that emerged from this C-Class Red Gate were all small in size and could fly, causing Ahn Yoonseung to miss some monsters. The danger even reached the rear where I was standing.

‘No, this little chick!’

Has my sense of crisis been dulled because I’ve been hanging out with big names like S-class and all? The truth is, even for a bottom-tier awakened like me, C-Class monsters were more than threatening enough. And now, such a being…

They are rushing this way.