Chapter 93

What a bunch of amateurs.

Hong Woojin was furious enough to burst. If he had entered the cat’s body like last time, he would have puffed up its fur and hissed.

But right now, he was a rice weevil smaller than a fingernail. The most he could do to express his anger was hide in the gap beneath the refrigerator and wriggle.

Bzzzzzz.

That bastard’s coming in again.

The target of his anger was the fly that kept entering the house.

Woojin did not know who was behind them, but whoever it was seemed to think they were being careful by sneaking the flies in one at a time. Instead, they were only putting Jin Taekyung further on guard.

“Ugh, these damn flies.”

Whoosh. Smack!

A predictable end. Hong Woojin grew anxious, worried that Jin Taekyung might notice him.

Bastards like that have no professional courtesy, and they’re stupid on top of it.

Most Hunters would never have noticed, but he recognized it immediately.

That fly was a Familiar being controlled by a mage. The proof was the incredibly faint mana that only another mage could sense.

Who hired the bastard? Sangdong Guild, after all?

If that was the case, he would have to quit this assignment right away. He was a professional with immense pride in his abilities.

He could not tolerate an intruder interfering with his sacred workspace.

I told them over and over…

No matter how well you handled a job, there were times when a single loach released by an impatient client muddied the water. Just like now.

“Are all flies like that these days?”

“Th-They could be, couldn’t they? Anyway, give me the hundred thousand won.”

“I will. I’ll give it to you, but… don’t you think that fly’s a little strange?”

Damn it. He knew this would happen.

Swallowing his curses, Hong Woojin hurriedly moved his body. He was wriggling deeper into a place no human eyes could reach when—

A jolt.

…Huh?

He was seized by a strange sensation, as if his body had suddenly floated into the air. It had never happened once since he began using Familiar magic.

Is it because this Familiar is too small?

The sensation lasted only an instant, but Hong Woojin could not shake off his unease. For a moment, he wondered whether it had been some kind of detection spell, but he soon shook his head.

It definitely wasn’t magic.

That was not merely because Jin Taekyung was a non-mage Hunter. After all, this was a world where anyone could obtain magical equipment if they had enough money.

But mages recognized their own kind. As a B-rank mage, there was no way he could fail to distinguish a detection spell.

The connection must have weakened for a moment. Yes. That has to be it.

The decisive reason he convinced himself it had been a simple illusion was Jin Taekyung’s reaction.

“Maybe its wing’s injured. This fly’s looking pretty weak.”

Smack!

With a crisp sound, Jin Taekyung returned to the living room and sprawled out on the sofa. He chuckled at a variety show for a while, but soon the house was filled with loud snoring instead of laughter.

Grrrrr. Grrrrr.

Only then did Hong Woojin relax.

Of course. What could a C-rank Hunter who was an F-rank until recently possibly know? What happened two days ago must have been a complete coincidence, too.

The incident from two days ago still lingered in the back of his mind. He had been watching Jin Taekyung through a cat Familiar and had been startled by what happened. For some reason, it had continued to bother him ever since. Now, at last, he felt he could breathe a little easier.

If he can’t even recognize a shoddy Familiar like this, then that says it all.

There was only one problem: the lazy bastard had no intention of moving at all…

I’ll have to monitor him a little more boldly from now on.

Hong Woojin had chosen a rice weevil from among all the living creatures in the world because he had retained a sliver of caution toward Jin Taekyung.

But now, it seemed safe to leave the body of this tiny, painfully slow insect.

Let’s meet in a different form tomorrow, Jin Taekyung.

Pop.

Hong Woojin severed the Link. The creature hiding beneath the refrigerator was no longer a Familiar. It was nothing more than a small, fragile rice weevil.

And then—

Grrrrr…

Jin Taekyung’s snoring gradually faded before stopping altogether.

A faint presence disappeared. I could sense the change only because I was using every one of my senses.

Did he leave?

I opened my eyes while pretending to stretch. The first place I looked was the gap beneath the refrigerator.

System

Lv. 1 Rice Weevil

Only ten minutes ago, its Level window had carried the tag “Familiar.” Not anymore—not with the Link severed.

“Yaaawn. Is there anything to eat…?”

I got up from the sofa and casually walked around the house. Only then could I be certain.

There aren’t any Familiars left.

The only things caught by my Qi Sense were a few ordinary flying insects. There was no Familiar anywhere.

The buzzing of wings that had continued without pause had stopped, too.

They had probably gotten spooked by what just happened, so at least they would not show their faces for the rest of the day.

Damn it. A Familiar?

Familiar magic.

It was a kind of mental magic used by mages. The caster formed a mental connection with the creature chosen as a Familiar and, depending on the caster’s skill, could even control it at will.

That was my first time experiencing it firsthand.

A melee Hunter was not automatically a master of every weapon, and mages were the same. Mental magic, in particular, was said to be among the more difficult branches.

Why would people like that come after me?

The reason I thought of them as “people” rather than “someone” was that there had been two Familiars. The two could have been working together, or they might not have been.

Still, I had a rough idea of who had sent them.

Who else could it be but Sangdong Guild?

The only place I had formed some kind of grudge against in the real world was Sangdong Guild. More precisely, Im Changsoo.

When you mess with someone’s child, the father comes running.

Im Chunsoo, the A-rank Hunter known for being cold-blooded and foul-tempered.

If what happened today was his order, this would not end easily.

But…

I can’t just sit back and take it.

I could let the fact that they had followed me two days ago go. I could tolerate that.

But I could not tolerate what happened today. This was my home, the place where my beloved family lived. They had touched my one inviolable boundary.

How should I screw these bastards over…?

I was thinking about it when Hayeon’s bedroom door flew open.

Her face was stiff. Had they used a Familiar to pull something behind my back? My thoughts grew frantic.

“Oppa.”

“What is it? What happened? Is there something strange in your room?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Why haven’t you given me the hundred thousand won?”

“…”

Right. I had been underestimating you far too much.

The next morning, I left the house as soon as dawn broke.

My eyes felt gritty from staying alert all night in preparation for another Familiar’s intrusion with Qi Sense, but I shook off the fatigue by circulating my qi.

“Where should I take you?”

“Ilsan Lafesta, please.”

The taxi sped along the wide-open roads without a hitch, reaching the destination much faster than I had expected.

Is this my first time coming to the Store since I visited once a few years ago?

The Store, located in the center of Ilsan, stood out clearly even from a distance. For one thing, it was overwhelmingly larger and more splendid than the shops around it.

There was another thing that set it apart from ordinary stores. At the entrance, guards in suits were screening the customers.

“Sir, we’re adults, I’m telling you!”

“No.”

“We’re adults, so why aren’t we allowed inside?”

“Because the fingerprint scanner says you’re not adults.”

“Isn’t it defective?”

“No.”

“Ah, shit, just let us in!”

“‘Shit’?”

Five or six teenagers who looked obviously young flinched and took a step back.

“…What?”

“Is that any way to treat customers?”

“Customers? Ha. You little shits, seriously.”

The guard rubbed the corners of his eyes with a weary expression. He was not an ordinary adult man but a hired guard Hunter. Even if a whole crowd of professional fighters came instead of five or six minors, they would not be able to force their way in.

“Customers to me are Hunters or civilian adults who’ve been issued membership cards. Not high school punks like you.”

“…”

“Are you leaving while I’m asking nicely, or should I call the police?”

People like that existed everywhere. Especially in a Store filled with all kinds of goods ordinary people could never access.

“…Hey, hey. Let’s go.”

Only after the kids loitering in front had left did the guard notice me. He addressed me politely.

“What brings you here?”

“I’d like to purchase something.”

“Please present your membership card or Hunter certification.”

“Here.”

“I’ll need to complete the verification process.”

Only after my certification had been checked and my fingerprints scanned was I given an admission pass.

“As a C-rank Hunter, you may access up to the third floor.”

The items stocked on each floor of the Store were different. I had visited once when I was an F-rank Hunter, but the second floor had been the highest I could access at the time. I had never even gotten to look around above it.

“Have a pleasant time.”

“Thank you. Have a good one.”

Once I passed through the doors, I saw endless rows of glass display cases.

The space was incomparably larger than an ordinary shop. Yet there were only a handful of customers in sight.

Well, it would be strange if this place were crowded.

The people who could use this place were an extremely small minority: Hunters, who made up only 0.1 percent of Korea’s total population, and civilians with enough social influence to be issued membership cards.

They were the Store’s main customers.

“This item was manufactured by domestic S Company and has a built-in alarm spell, making it useful for security…”

“This brooch was made by overseas M Company. With its beautiful, tasteful design and built-in shield spell, it’s perfect for your wife’s personal protection…”

The employees were busy explaining their products to customers.

That was right. The Store was a kind of luxury department store where people could buy expensive magical goods that were difficult to obtain through ordinary channels.

“Then I’ll take that one and this one. Bring me that, too.”

“Don’t you have anything with better performance? Don’t worry about the price. Bring me some options.”

There might not have been many customers, but their purchasing power was unmatched.

I was staring blankly at people buying goods that cost at least several million won when a pretty female employee approached and bowed.

“Hello. I’m Assistant Manager Kim Seonhee from the Ilsan Store. I’ll be assisting you today.”

“Ah, yes.”

She had treated me politely the last time I visited, too, but not to this extent.

Now that I was a C-rank Hunter, the customer service was considerably more lavish.

“Is there a particular product you’re looking for?”

“I’d like to buy some raid equipment.”

The employee’s expression brightened. The Store carried countless magical goods, but Hunter equipment was among the most expensive of them all.

And I was a C-rank Hunter. Even a mid-level Hunter could spend hundreds of millions of won on a single piece of equipment.

Naturally, a sales employee would be delighted at the thought of adding that kind of sale to her record.

“I’ll show you to the third floor.”

As she turned toward the escalators, I spoke.

“No, please take me to the second floor.”

“Pardon? But to purchase C-rank Hunter equipment, you’ll need to go to the third floor…”

“It’s fine. I’m looking for weapons for low-rank Hunters.”

I pretended not to notice her expression darkening and stepped onto the escalator first.

I wonder if they have anything useful for killing rats.

The time had come to fill my Inventory.

“It’s fine. I’m looking for weapons for low-rank Hunters.”

Assistant Manager Kim Seonhee secretly sighed at the customer’s words. As someone who was unusually concerned with her sales numbers, this was far from welcome news.

I need a good sales record this month if I want to get promoted.

The colleague who had joined the company at the same time as her, but worked at the Seoul branch, was already a Team Leader. Whether it was because of luck or business savvy, every customer she encountered was apparently a big spender.

Compared to her…

“This one looks good.”

“Ah, yes. This product was manufactured using an F-rank Magic Gem…”

Kim Seonhee quickly pulled herself together and began her explanation. The customer had picked up a dagger with a black-painted blade.

Compared to the other weapons, it was nothing special. It did not even have magic embedded in it. It was just an ordinary consumable.

“How much is it?”

“It’s currently on sale as part of our summer promotion, so we’re offering it at the reasonable price of 520,000 won.”

“Hmm. That’s expensive.”

“…”

What was the annual salary of a C-rank Hunter again? Didn’t their basic allowances alone amount to several hundred million won? Kim Seonhee found it ridiculous, but silently waited for the customer to make his choice.

“Ah, well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll buy it. Give me one.”

“…Yes.”

The look on his face, as if parting with the money were killing him, was utterly obnoxious. Kim Seonhee was silently cursing him to herself as she picked up the dagger when—

“No. Not that one.”

“Excuse me?”

“The one next to it.”

Her gaze shifted to the side. One hundred daggers were neatly arranged inside a storage box.

“They’re the same product, sir.”

“I know. Give me one of those.”

“…Are you referring to that storage box?”

“Yes. Give me one box of those. And one box of that, too. And that one…”

That was the moment Assistant Manager Kim Seonhee’s worries about her sales numbers disappeared.