B-Rank Monster: Raptor Dragon
A creature that looked like a smaller version of a Tyrannosaurus. Though it wasn't large, it was incredibly fast and had razor-sharp teeth, making it a formidable hunter.
Its low intelligence made it relatively easy to capture, making it the perfect choice to stir up chaos in the center.
Ready.
[Greeting Emoticon]
Nayun-noona
Pre.Par.ed. (Means "Ready" lol)
?[Disgusted Emoticon]
Guild Master-hyung
The moment the signal dropped, Gidan flicked his thumb and index finger against the glass.
Crack—
The one-meter-thick special glass started to fracture. A liquid seeped through the cracks, and as soon as it made contact with air, it instantly evaporated into nothing.
A sharp glint.
Freed from the liquid, the monster opened its glowing yellow eyes.
Gidan turned up the volume on his headset and took a step back.
A long, piercing howl soon echoed throughout the entire center.
When they entered the assessment room, the measurement technician immediately recognized Shin Nayun and bowed deeply in greeting before guiding Hanguru toward a large machine.
As Hanguru stepped inside, the device emitted a red light, scanning his body.
“All done.”
At that moment—
Boom!
“What was that?”
A loud explosion echoed from somewhere, followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering glass.
The assessment room’s blue warning lights flashed urgently.
It was a signal calling all employees with Hunter licenses to assemble.
The technician quickly pulled a weapon from his inventory and gestured to Lee Yujeong.
“Officer, please escort the civilians to the waiting area!”
“Yes!”
As the staff rushed around in a frenzy, Nayun simply smiled and lifted Hanguru into her arms.
When evaluating an Awakener, the assessment device collected various data points—stats, total mana, and skills—and transmitted them to the server room, where they underwent processing.
This server room was also staffed with licensed Hunters.
Leaning against the wall, waiting for the room to clear out, Jurim approached the desk without deactivating his stealth.
‘Assessment Room 1 should be here.’
A small monitor was displaying a line-by-line breakdown of Hanguru’s data.
Hanguru, 4, Female
Status: F
Skill: L
Total Rank: S
‘How considerate.’
Grinning in satisfaction, he placed his hand on the screen.
[Activating skill ‘Internal Interference (SSS)’.]
The caster can interfere with all internal settings they recognize.
‘Internal Interference’ allowed the user to manipulate internal settings however they pleased.
Its range depended on the caster’s stats and the state of the target, but despite its strict conditions, its applications were limitless.
Jurim could do anything from basic hacking to rummaging through someone’s mind. He could even combine it with other skills to inflict direct pain or subdue his targets.
It was this very skill that had allowed him to read Hanguru’s skill data.
Just as Jurim was about to alter Hanguru’s rank and skill information—
“What the hell happened at the exhibit?”
The door suddenly swung open.
“Apparently, the glass shattered. They kept putting off replacing it because it was expensive. Figures.”
Three Hunters, summoned by the emergency call, walked in, chatting among themselves.
“This is why cutting corners on safety always backfires. I keep telling them, but no one ever listens.”
“Tsk, they can barely keep things running with the low-ranking Hunters they have. You really think they’d spend money on this? At least Chief Jin was here, or we’d have had a serious mess on our hands.”
After a brief round of complaints, the Hunters sat down and turned back to their monitors.
“Let’s see... Our little one is still an F-rank, huh?”
“See? Awakening early isn’t always a good thing.”
Jurim waited until they had sent the updated data back to the assessment room before slipping out through the open door.
‘Chief Jin?’
He stepped into a restroom, confirmed it was empty, and deactivated his stealth. Then, as naturally as possible, he walked back out.
Glancing at a nearby CCTV camera, he adjusted the glove on his left hand and made his way toward the assessment room.
He had told Gidan to stall for at least ten minutes, which meant he must have picked a B-rank monster.
But was there really a Hunter in the center strong enough to subdue a B-rank monster that quickly?
And if their name was Jin, there was only one person that came to mind—someone that left an unsettling feeling in his gut.
As Korea’s #1-ranked Hunter, Jin Siwon was a name Jurim couldn’t avoid hearing.
Since government agencies and powerful figures frequently sought his advice or reactions, information about him inevitably trickled down.
A former S-rank Hunter from overseas.
Owner of a Reading Skill.
And now, here, in this very center.
Hanguru sat quietly in the waiting room, waiting for Nayun to return.
"Hanguru, don't go anywhere. You need to stay right here, okay? I'll be right back."
Though it was the Hyeonak Guild who were behind the trouble, no one wanted any casualties.
Nayun stepped out to prevent any possible harm, and it didn’t take long before the situation seemed to be under control.
The warning lights stopped flashing shortly after.
’That’s a good sign, right?’
It hadn’t even been five minutes...
The response was much quicker than what the Guild Master had told him.
Did something go wrong?
The thought that something might have gone wrong made Hanguru uneasy.
‘Could this be... Hanguru’s "Power Hiding Failure"?’
Power Hiding Failure = Hanguru’s ability is all over the neighborhood = Villains after Hanguru!
Ding-!
Hanguru, now pale with fear, tightly clutched his duck-shaped keychain and anxiously awaited Nayun’s return.
The quiet waiting room door suddenly swung open.
“Unni!”
Hanguru dashed over, throwing his arms around the visitor.
“Hanguru, I told you to be brave and stay put, didn’t I?”
Although he had been scared being alone, he wanted to say he’d waited patiently, but something felt off.
Why were Unni’s legs... not soft and slender like usual?
Hanguru looked up at the visitor with a face full of despair, his skin pale.
The man, flustered and unsure of what to do, managed a small smile.
“Uh... Hi.”
With ash-colored blonde hair and slightly drooping eyes, his expression was pitiful and his voice gentle.
Despite the warm impression he gave off, the man’s sharp features and angular jawline made him look striking, almost elegant.
“I’m not your Unni. I’m Jin Siwon, mister.”
Hanguru jumped back in surprise, immediately distancing himself.
‘A villain?!’
Hiding behind the back of a chair, he trembled and glared at the man.
“Ah...”
The man awkwardly reached out but quickly pulled his hand back.
“Sorry, I startled you by coming in suddenly. I’m just checking if the waiting room is safe.”
“...You’re not here to target Hanguru, right?”
“Eh? I’m not a weird person! I’m just a guy who works at the Management Bureau here.”
‘Management Bureau?’
Hanguru cautiously peeked out from behind the chair.
“I have candy. Want some?”
Jin Siwon fumbled through his pockets.
His unsteady movements only led to the candy scattering across the floor.
He awkwardly smiled, gathering the candy back up.
“Ugh...”
Clumsy and awkward, he bent down to pick up the candy as if he were a newborn giraffe.
‘Doesn’t seem like a villain. He’s kind of incompetent...’
Hanguru, still unsure, hesitantly approached and helped him pick up the candy.
“Heh, how embarrassing...”
Jin Siwon, his ears turning red, handed Hanguru a piece of candy.
“Do you like ginseng flavor?”
What flavor?
Hanguru opened his mouth wide in confusion, having never heard of such a flavor before.
Jin Siwon, once again looking awkward, floundered.
“I... I’m not sure what kids like, you know?”
“...I like it. Ginseng.”
Hanguru nodded, making sure not to make him feel more embarrassed.
“Glad to hear that.”
Jin Siwon smiled again, his expression melting like he was relieved.
‘There’s something about him that makes me care...’
“Thank you.”
Hanguru, now holding the ginseng candy to his chest, smiled.
He took a deep breath, clutching his chest in relief.
At that very moment—
Ding!
[Potential Caregiver detected. Increasing attachment score will allow caregiver registration.]
‘Eh?!’
This clumsy guy is S-rank?!

Comments

Loading...