Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon, who had been following in another car, were sent to the Circle Guild first while we headed to the Association.
'Hyung Sunghyun and the Guildmaster must have seen those banners and ads too.'
God, I want to die of embarrassment.
I have to get rid of them as fast as possible.
Flanked by Cha Sahyeon wearing his choker on my left and Kwon Taehyuk on my right, I entered the Association. With the Catastrophe’s backing on one side and the Yesung Guildmaster on the other, I felt thoroughly secure.
Led by an employee, we stepped into the Association hall, where Park Minhyuk was already waiting to greet us.
When he saw me, Park Minhyuk ground his teeth.
“...You look positively radiant.”
Hm. That face wasn’t exactly welcoming.
His expression, full of irritation and resentment, was gaunt, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
“Why wouldn’t I look good?”
I tilted my head deliberately as I answered, and Park Minhyuk closed his eyes tight, swallowing down a hot breath. He was barely holding back the fury rising to his throat.
Kwon Taehyuk quietly looked at him from the side, eyes filled with sympathy. Why was he empathizing with Park Minhyuk’s frustration when he supposedly liked me?
“...Let’s go.”
After a few deep breaths, Park Minhyuk barely regained his composure and led the way.
Taking the elevator up to the higher floors, he guided us to a conference room at the very end of the corridor.
Sitting down before a laptop prepared in advance, he gestured toward the seats across from him and let out a short sigh. With a face full of fatigue, he powered on the laptop and asked in a businesslike tone:
“I don’t expect you to answer, but this is procedure. Where have you been and what have you been doing these past two weeks?”
Since he didn’t expect an answer, I could say whatever I wanted, right?
I shrugged my shoulders and said:
“Secret~”
“......”
Park Minhyuk slowly turned his head toward Kwon Taehyuk sitting beside me.
In his eyes were written: Was that really his answer? and At least you should give me a straight one.
But Kwon Taehyuk wasn’t going to tell him anything. When he quietly shook his head, Park Minhyuk let out an even deeper sigh.
Then, hammering the keyboard as if he might break it, Park Minhyuk asked his second question.
“About your skills. Is it true that you can transform into an S-rank dealer? Why have you kept it hidden until now? Additionally, would you be willing to undergo testing in our labs?”
“Well...”
Unlike my relaxed demeanor, Kwon Taehyuk’s gaze sharpened slightly.
He was recalling the condition for transforming into Cover—it had to be night or indoors in darkness.
He didn’t speak out, but he sent me a brief look. It meant I shouldn’t reveal this easily to the Association.
Of course, I had no intention of handing over my information to them.
I laced my fingers, rested my chin on my hands atop the desk, and smiled.
“Team Leader, isn’t this too much? On the phone you said if I wanted those ads taken down, I should come here. And when I do, you just want to strip-mine my info?”
“Hunters are obligated to undergo skill testing at the Association and register. Hunter Cha Seohu, you’ve now hidden skills twice in a row. That carries the risk of penalties.”
“Oh?”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Then penalize me. Why drag me into a conference room and waste everyone’s time? Afraid I’ll leave the country if you do?”
At the mention of “penalty,” killing intent leaked out from both sides.
Not only Kwon Taehyuk, but even Cha Sahyeon, who had been sitting quietly, reacted. His vivid green eyes fixed unblinkingly on Park Minhyuk.
Thanks to the choker, Park Minhyuk [N O V E L I G H T] sensed him as no more than B-rank. Still, with a look that said What’s with this kid? he glanced briefly at Sahyeon, then let out a weary sigh.
“...Strictly speaking, you should be penalized, but your case is extraordinary. Neither the Association President nor the state have raised the matter of penalties, so you need not worry.”
Leaning back in his chair, Park Minhyuk continued.
“But skill registration is still required. If no one had witnessed it, maybe—but too many people have.”
“In other words, you want information for public display.”
Hunter information registered with the Association is available anytime on their homepage.
But it’s only skill names and simple descriptions—conditions or drawbacks that could be seen as weaknesses are never revealed.
“I’ll cooperate only to the extent of public information.”
Park Minhyuk furrowed his brow slightly, but realizing this was the best he would get, he typed according to my words.
Thus, my registered information appeared as:
[Cha Seohu / Unaffiliated / SS-rank Supporter, S-rank Dealer]
Possessed Skills: Bond of the Guardian (SS-rank), Divine Power (S-rank), Silverlight’s Blessing (S-rank)
It matched my status window exactly.
Park Minhyuk turned the laptop around to show me the completed registration screen. I felt a faint unease spreading in my chest.
Skill names didn’t really matter. That’s why I had simply gone with the familiar names shown on my status window.
'But just now... it feels like something irreversible has been set in stone.'
I couldn’t quite grasp what that feeling was.
As the unease lingered, I found myself glaring at the laptop screen for no reason—when suddenly I felt warmth brush against my arm.
Turning, I saw Cha Sahyeon pressed close beside me, staring intently at the laptop screen.
In those round green eyes, I couldn’t read what emotion was hidden. Just curiosity? Or maybe...
“Skill registration is complete, then.”
Park Minhyuk’s voice cut through my thoughts.
Pulling the laptop back toward him, he spoke again in a weary tone.
“About the advertisements. To cut straight to the point: they can be taken down. They were hastily put up by the state as a stopgap to find you.”
“Hold on. A stopgap before finding me? Then...”
“Yes. Now that you’re back, they’ll likely make a proper one and put it up instead.”
“...Then what’s the point of taking these down?!”
“Regardless, the current ones can be removed.”
I stared at him in disbelief, and Park Minhyuk raised the corner of his lips slightly. The look of someone savoring revenge.
“Ha...”
This time, I rubbed my forehead and let out a deep sigh.
'Have they lost their minds?'
I had expected the Association and media to be a nuisance once my skills went public.
But for them to create promotional videos like this and plaster them on the streets... I’d never even imagined it. What was I, some celebrity?
'Well, actually, popular Hunters already are basically celebrities. I know that. I know...'
But to think I’d become one.
As I sat troubled, Park Minhyuk said calmly:
“Right now, your very existence draws attention. Not just domestically, but overseas as well. Since this is the state’s doing, you can’t avoid it. Beyond your skills... your face...”
Park Minhyuk flinched, his shoulders twitching, and fell awkwardly silent.
After a brief pause, he continued as if nothing had happened.
“For a while, things will be troublesome. Besides the Association, you’ll have staff dispatched from various agencies, and the media—PDs, reporters—they’ll all keep hounding you.”
Seizing the moment, he kept piling on words meant to bother me. I shot him an annoyed glare, then turned to Kwon Taehyuk.
“Now that I think about it, Guildmaster, didn’t you once shoot a promotional video yourself? That one seemed state-sponsored too. How was it?”
Looking displeased at Park Minhyuk, Kwon Taehyuk blinked at my question.
After a moment recalling the past, he answered reluctantly:
“When filming, I just did what they told me, so it didn’t leave much impression. But beforehand, for three months, they kept dragging me in for nonsense—concept meetings, directors, sets, costumes. They came to the guild multiple times. It was extremely bothersome.”
“Oh.”
Just hearing the description made me want to puke. I had no desire to do it.
'What do I do?'
I wanted nothing more than to flee back to the snowy mountains, but there was no time left to play around. I had to deal with this mess quickly and get back to chasing the cult bastards.
'If I dawdle, they could be pulling the same crap as in the last rift incident.'
That flower, the source of that energy, could already be planted all over the place.
I had too many things to check, too many things to do. And now what—was I supposed to shoot state-sponsored PR videos and smile for the cameras?
I turned to Kwon Taehyuk again.
'Even if I tried hiding out in Yesung Guild, if the state pushed its way in, not even Kwon Taehyuk could completely shield me.'
I needed someone with a status so high they could ignore the state outright.
And it would be even better if it were a place where dispatched staff and reporters couldn’t easily approach.
“Ha...”
With that thought, I scrubbed my face with both hands.
There was one place that met all those conditions.
Horribly enough, there was only one.

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