I stuffed the card from Spiderweb into my pocket without much care and unlocked the front door.
Whatever Eun Woojeong had to say could wait until nightfall, when I could use my hidden skill. Right now, piercing Cha Sahyeon's ears took priority.
"Kiddo."
I sat her down on the sofa, kneeling in front of her as I opened the earring case.
"You'll need to get your ears pierced to wear these. It's going to sting and hurt. Are you sure you're okay with that? If you'd rather not, we can switch them for a necklace or a ring."
"I'm okay."
Even after I warned her that it would hurt, her answer didn't change. No hesitation at all.
"I give up."
Why are kids so obsessed with earrings? Is it because they look cool? Well, I guess she is at that age where shiny things matter.
I cleaned the needle thoroughly, then dabbed it with antiseptic. Technically, Sahyeon was an Awakener and I'd be using a healing skill right after, so it wasn't strictly necessary—but she was still a child. Better to be cautious.
"Close your eyes."
"Mm-hm."
"Even if it hurts, don't move. You have to endure it."
As I brought the sharp needle to her earlobe, Sahyeon squeezed her eyes shut just like I told her. Honestly, that kind of reaction was... pretty cute.
Looking at her soft little earlobe, I hesitated for a second. Was I doing this right? I'd never pierced my own ears, so I had no idea if I was following the proper steps.
I figured doing it in one go would hurt less, so I pushed the needle through with steady pressure. It slid cleanly out the other side. I pulled it back quickly and slipped the earring into the hole.
I could wait to use the healing skill until after piercing both ears, but the first ear was probably already hurting by now—so I activated the skill immediately.
《Skill: Divine Power (S-rank) activated!》
A soft white light glowed from my fingertips. The reddened earlobe, which looked ~Nоvеlight~ like it might bleed any second, healed instantly.
"Hm?"
Surprisingly, no glowing wings appeared behind me, no status window popped up, and no awe-struck effects triggered.
Why? Is it because the healing area's too small?
Maybe it didn't trigger because the amount of divine power used was too low? That would make sense.
It was an unexpected but welcome discovery. I'd worried that I'd have to deal with all that dramatic crap every time I used Divine Power—but apparently, if I used just a little, I could avoid it.
I pierced the other ear without incident, inserted the second earring, and set the needle down on the table. Then I looked at Sahyeon and asked,
"How does it feel? Weird, right?"
She slowly opened her eyes and reached up to touch her earrings. Then she nodded.
"It's going to be uncomfortable for a while. But since you went through with it, try to be patient. It doesn't hurt?"
"Nope."
Despite knowing it'd be uncomfortable, she didn't seem bothered. She kept playing with the gemstone, clearly more focused on how much she liked it than anything else.
...Well, it does suit her.
I mean, let's be honest—what wouldn't suit that face?
The beautiful sapphire in the earrings perfectly matched her large, round green eyes. Just looking at her made it hard to look away.
"I'll keep the case, so let me know if you ever want to take the earrings out."
Pretending to store the case away, I discreetly removed the chip hidden in the bottom. Smaller than a fingernail, I inserted it into my phone. A new app installed automatically, and a map popped up.
It showed the building we were currently in. A blinking red dot marked Sahyeon's exact location.
The tracking device linked to the earrings was working properly. If she ever went missing, this would be my last line of safety.
Hopefully, I'll never need it...
Sighing quietly, I turned off the phone.
"I'm stepping out for a bit."
After dinner with Sahyeon, I got ready to go meet Eun Woojeong.
I wanted to take my time, but the truth was, I needed the intel he had. I activated my hidden skill to change my appearance and covered my face with a mask.
Since the denim jacket I always wore was wrecked during the last rift battle, I put on a black bomber jacket instead.
"It's a bit far, but I'll be back as soon as I can."
I gave Sahyeon a quick explanation and checked her ears again. She was stronger than me, so there was always the chance that my healing skill wouldn't take—and the wound could reopen.
"Can you behave and wait for me?"
Fortunately, her ears looked perfectly fine.
As I gently brushed the earlobe with the new earring, Sahyeon, who had been glaring at me in irritation, softened her expression.
"Mm-hm..."
"If it gets late, don't wait. Just go to sleep, okay?"
With that final reminder, I pulled my hat down low, opened the window, stepped onto the ledge, and leapt from the building.
The B-37 district was near Mount Cheonma—a dark area now abandoned by ordinary people.
A long time ago, a rift opened above the mountain, and the monsters that poured out weren't fully cleared. Even now, stray creatures roamed the streets.
Civilians had long since relocated, leaving only criminals and homeless Hunters behind. The occasional monster attack was just part of the scenery.
It was similar to C-281, the district I grew up in—but also very different. C-281 was practically its own country, governed by rules set by whoever controlled it.
While C-281 was a closed-off zone filled with powerful Hunters, B-37 was simply a crime-ridden hellhole.
Of course, danger was danger. No taxi would take you into B-37, so I got off in the nearest neighboring district and walked the rest of the way.
Maybe I should get a bike.
Things went smoothly this time, but with the video from the second rift incident circulating, more people would be looking to expose my identity.
If I got a miniaturization item, I wouldn't even have to worry about parking. I could just summon the bike whenever I needed it.
With my range of activity expanding lately, I really needed to start considering a reliable form of transport. Especially if Eun Woojeong kept calling me out to places like this.
Entering B-37, I saw broken buildings and filthy streets.
The place looked like the end of the world. Everything was cracked, crumbling, or abandoned. I didn't sense a single person—but if I let my guard down, I knew I'd have thugs or rogue Hunters swarming me in seconds.
I pulled my sword from inventory and made my way toward the building mentioned on the card. Occasionally, I felt eyes on me from alleyways or windows, but no one dared make a move. Probably thanks to the weapon in my hand.
The building was a five-story run-down commercial complex. The shattered sign on the first floor suggested it used to be a restaurant. A small entrance next to it led to a stairwell.
Third floor, right.
There was no elevator, so I started climbing.
At the third floor, I opened the glass door and stepped inside. The room was dark, with nothing but a single sofa in the middle.
I only sensed one presence—Eun Woojeong. Cautiously, I entered.
Someone was lying on the sofa. Just as I suspected, it was him.
He was dressed the same as always: mask, gloves, completely covered from head to toe. He didn't move a muscle. With my S-rank hearing, all I could pick up were slow, even breaths.
Don't tell me he's asleep?
Tch. I let out a breath of disbelief.
Maybe he was just pretending—I couldn't see his face behind the mask. Still, whether real or not, it wasn't exactly the kind of image a secretive informant should project.
Or maybe he was testing me? Seeing if I'd try to remove his mask?
Crazy bastard.
Either way, it was annoying as hell. Clicking my tongue, I kicked the leg of the sofa.
Bang!
"Wake up."
The jolt made the entire couch shake. Finally, Woojeong stirred and sat up, his voice low and sleepy.
"...Was that really necessary?"
"You're the one who called me here and then passed out, asshole."
"I waited all day, you know. You could be a little more polite."
Whether he was actually groggy from sleep or just faking it, Woojeong slowly rubbed his face and tilted his head.
"You didn't touch the mask, did you?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I don't care who you are."
I already knew anyway. Why would I bother?
At my indifferent tone, he seemed genuinely taken aback.
"You're... not curious about my identity?"
"Nope. Just hand over the intel."
I'd already wasted two hours getting here. I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

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