Ch. 9 - Chapter 9

I received three devices from Dr. Jin.

One of them was a corneal implant device, similar to the one Kiril had given me.

Dr. Jin removed the device attached to my eyeball and installed an upgraded model.

A combat-type prototype of the one I had before.

Maybe that’s why information I couldn’t see before was now displayed.

[User Information]

[Black Aether Held: 1557]

[Physical Enhancement Ability: ‘E’]

[Self-Healing Ability: ‘S’]

"Oh..."

I already knew that my current body was on par with a low-ranking Knight.

But after equipping the newly installed device, it seems that not only my physical abilities but also my healing capabilities have been enhanced.

Even though most of the poison in my body couldn't be neutralized, my self-healing ability was S-rank.

What on earth did my body come to be like?

And what’s this ‘Poisner-rank Level’ supposed to mean?

There were so many things I wanted to ask, but I had already left Dr. Jin’s house (?).

There was no way to contact him for the time being until he told me his new whereabouts.

I would have to figure it out myself.

Once I get home, I plan to run a few tests.

If things go the way I’m planning, I can make myself ‘appear’ to be a healer.

And for that to work, this little guy’s role will be more important than anything.

"Can you do it?”

– Kkuwang.

Brie flapped its wings and let out a roar, as if telling me not to doubt it.

…Though calling it a roar is too generous.

Dr. Jin said that when Kiril first awakened, she had red blotches all over her body, just like me.

That means she, too, couldn’t fully control the poisons in her body.

Surprisingly, Brie supposedly devoured all of the remaining poisons inside her.

Considering the strength she showed, I can’t even begin to imagine how massive that amount must have been.

Which is why I arrived at the following conclusion.

That the amount of poison Brie can absorb is virtually limitless.

That sky-high pride it has must come from that very confidence.

「I wasn’t sure whether I should tell you this or not…」

Before we parted ways, Dr. Jin told me one thing.

That he was the one who built the backbone of the communication network used by Hunters in the past.

Though the format had changed over time, Dr. Jin could still eavesdrop on transmissions between the Hunter Association and the guilds whenever he wanted to.

「Of course, I never had a reason to use it until now. The longer the tail, the easier it is to step on it. And frankly, I’ve had enough of hunter business.」

However, Dr. Jin said he felt intense curiosity about the unprecedented Dual Gate incident.

He checked the transmission records between the Glory Guild, which oversees the area, and the Hunter Association, and the contents were as follows.

「Contrary to what’s been reported, the Poison Task Force deployed to the Gupa Neighborhood suffered only minimal casualties. If they had been deployed to the Gaebang Neighborhood, even if it was late, the damage could have been reduced by half.」

「……!!」

That was a kind of confirmation for me.

The media reports claiming it was an unavoidable event that happened at the same time was a blatant lie.

They abandoned the Gaebang Neighborhood even though they could have exerted more effort, and the association turned a blind eye.

It wasn’t just a matter of weighing human lives; it was outright throwing one side away.

There was only one reason they abandoned the Gaebang Neighborhood.

Because it wasn’t a profitable area.

“Sometimes, humans are scarier than monsters.”

– Kkuwang.

Brie nodded vigorously, as if to say, "You made a good point."

I patted its head and made my way down Cheonggye Mountain.

* * *

Seoul, where land prices are high.

Among them, Cheongdam Street, famous for its prime land.

The Glory Guild’s headquarters, ‘Glory Tower’, was located there.

A large and magnificent newly built structure, constructed using only the most expensive materials.

Its exterior seemed to flaunt that they were the most powerful organization in South Korea.

In the reception room of ‘Glory Tower’, two men were seated.

“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the invitation.”

The thin, gray-haired reporter bowed his head toward the imposing man.

The man across from him looked to be in his thirties.

Though they seemed to be at least fifteen years apart in age, neither of them seemed to care.

The head of the Glory Guild.

And South Korea’s top tank Knight.

The man before him was none other than CEO Gu Gyeon, praised as a national treasure.

“Hehehe. You flatter me. I hope the sincerity of our Glory Guild is conveyed.”

“It will undoubtedly be so.”

Gu Gyeon had an interview with the editor-in-chief of Daily Capital Eye for one hour.

It was about the recent abnormal incident.

The Dual Gate, where the Poison Monsters appeared.

Given Gu Gyeon's position, the Daily Capital Eye couldn’t afford to send someone in an ambiguous position.

The elderly editor-in-chief personally seeking him out was a kind of a gesture of sincerity, and they had maintained an amicable relationship ever since.

The media and large corporations.

They were groups that had a necessary reason to stay close.

“Sincerity… Sincerity…”

Even after leaving Glory Tower, the editor-in-chief kept muttering the same word over and over.

Sincerity.

The editor-in-chief knew exactly what Gu Gyeon meant by sincerity.

During the last Dual Gate incident, the Glory Guild had done its best, and the deaths of the victims had been unavoidable.

That was probably the gist of it.

What really happened, what the ‘truth’ was didn’t matter.

Gu Gyeon wanted sincerity, not truth, and from now on, the editor-in-chief would write only about that sincerity.

Glory Guild’s advertisements appear everyday in Daily Capital Eye newspaper and website.

An enormous sum, accounting for over 30% of total advertising revenue.

With this sum, even if he were not just the editor-in-chief but the editor-in-chief’s grandfather, he would have no choice but to turn a blind eye to the ‘truth’.

“Well… when you think about it, it’s not exactly wrong either. The Glory Guild did, at the very least, protect Gupa Neighborhood for sure…”

The editor-in-chief smacked his lips bitterly as he rationalized it to himself.

Gu Gyeon.

The reason he built the Glory Guild into what it was wasn’t just because of his talent as a Hunter.

No.

Perhaps his talent as a businessman even surpassed his abilities as a Hunter.

Smooth-talking eloquence and a trustworthy image.

And behind that dependable appearance, a natural gift for cunning and manipulation.

On top of that, the strategic mind to express his point indirectly, just like he did now.

Naturally, Gu Gyeon was the most influential voice in the Hunter Association.

Therefore, even the country’s largest media outlet had no choice but to write articles that suited his taste.

Could there really be any group that would rebel against the Glory Guild, which controls money, power, and even the media?

The editor-in-chief shook his head and started the car.

Meanwhile,

As soon as the editor-in-chief left, Gu Gyeon roughly loosened the tie around his neck.

“So many damn questions. Shit. Maybe he’s too old to hear properly.”

The friendly smile he had worn throughout the interview was nowhere to be seen.

All that remained was the ferocious warrior who crushed monsters on the battlefield.

The bulging trapezius muscles and the sharply cropped hair seemed to speak for his temperament.

“What’s the status of the new recruits?”

Having stepped out of the reception room, Gu Gyeon spoke to the chief secretary standing beside him.

“Yes. We’ve secured half of the top 30% of Hunters who passed the qualification exam.”

“Half… What’s their average rank?”

At that, the chief secretary’s expression stiffened slightly.

“B-rank… Sir. We have about five A-rank, but… a few C-ranks ended up being included as well.”

"C-rank?"

His voice wasn’t loud.

But at that low, subdued tone, the chief secretary began to break out in a cold sweat.

Based on his past experience, Gu Gyeon seemed quite dissatisfied with the current situation.

His rank was one thing, but how many employees could face the wrath of an S-rank Knight head-on?

The chief secretary, his mind running at full capacity, emphasized that it was an unavoidable situation.

"That was the best we could do. We haven't found any promising S-rank this quarter, and all the Hunters we've recruited as C-ranks are healers."

At the mention of healers, some of the tension in Gu Gyeon's eyes eased.

"Right... In a world like this, where you never know what might pop out, reinforcing our healers is essential. Come to think of it, is Maria still in 'that condition'?"

"Yes... She's currently in the dedicated healing chamber."

"Tsk tsk... Just how long does she plan to keep up that foolish behavior?"

Gu Gyeon clicked his tongue and shook his head.

It was the same in the past, but now more than ever, this was an era in desperate need of healers.

And in the Glory Guild, there was one legendary healer who had been there since the very beginning.

Maria.

She was an original member of the Glory Guild alongside Gu Gyeon, an S-rank Hunter ranked among the top three not just in the country, but in the entire world.

The public’s support for Maria bordered on religious devotion.

A face as if sculpted to embody the very power to heal.

Her compassionate smile alone made people feel as though they were being healed just by looking at her.

People gave her the nickname “Holy Mother” after her name.

It wasn’t a nickname that suited someone still in her early twenties, but the public’s devotion to Maria was so deep, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a form of actual worship.

As compassionate as the gentle smile she showed the public, Maria was a kind-hearted person by nature.

The problem was that this often led her to carry more guilt than necessary.

"Let's go in."

“…..Yes.”

Maria’s private healing chamber.

Standing in front of the door, Gu Gyeon scratched his head as if reluctant, while the chief secretary’s face had gone pale.

It was called a healing chamber, but in reality,

It was a secret space where acts completely contrary to Maria’s image were repeatedly carried out.

“Ugh…”

As soon as they entered, the chief secretary covered his nose.

The dreadful stench of blood hung thick in the air.

Deep furrows formed on Gu Gyeon's brow, but his voice softened, as it had during the interview.

“Ria. You're taking quite a while this time.”

“...You’re here.”

A woman covered in blood from head to toe.

Her appearance was utterly incompatible with the Holy Mother image as she knelt on the floor.

“Let’s stop now. We’ve done our best.”

“..….”

Maria remained silent for a moment, then drew a line across her carotid artery with her delicate hand.

Splurt.

"Ugh... Uuugh!"

As the blood gushed like a waterfall, the chief secretary let out a groan, unable to endure it.

Gu Gyeon quietly ushered the half-dazed secretary outside, then took Maria’s crimson-stained hand in his own.

“Ria.”

Amazingly, her neck had already returned to its smooth, unblemished state.

Though blood still soaked the floor, her extraordinary healing ability simply wouldn’t allow any wound to remain.

“Chairman Gu. I still don’t understand. Did we really do our best?”

A piercing chill lingered in her eyes, eyes that were always so warm.

For the briefest moment, Gu Gyeon's brow twitched, but he gave a firm nod with a steadfast expression.

"Yes. Unless we had two bodies each, there's no way we could’ve blocked both Dual Gate with one team."

"What if we had split the team? Or if we had gone to Gaebang Neighborhood, even if it was late……"

"Ria."

Gu Gyeon's voice turned firm.

"That just sounds like you're saying I’m unfit to lead this guild."

“That’s not it… That’s not what I meant…”

"I know. You're always tormented by the thoughts of those you couldn't save. But I swear on everything I have. We did, and you too, fight with everything we had. This time is no exception."

So please, stop this reckless behavior.

It was what he wanted to say more than anything, but Gu Gyeon swallowed the words.

What he feared most about this Dual Gate incident wasn’t the media, the protests from the grieving families, or even the government.

It was the blood-soaked woman before him—Maria.

She was a kind person, but not a fool.

What should’ve been a day’s worth of healing had now dragged on for several days.

It was clear proof that she harbored doubts about how the Dual Gate was handled.

"I know you're deeply troubled. I’ll grant you some time off, so get out of this dark place for a while and get some fresh air."

"Yes. I will."

She responded, but her voice still lacked strength.

Gu Gyeon wondered if there was some way to give her mental peace.

As he racked his brain, he soon found a satisfying solution.

“I’ll contact you separately later, so go to the Hunter Association headquarters.”

“The headquarters?”

“Yes. The condition of the recently recruited Hunters isn’t very promising. For the next test, I want you to personally select the potential healers and create a list.”

She was kind-hearted to the point of feeling sympathy even for monsters.

Rather than forcing her to accompany them to the battlefield, it would be better for her emotional well-being to nurture the budding new talents.

It was not common for private company Hunters to participate in Hunter selection, but if the company is the ‘Glory Guild’ and the evaluator is ‘Maria,’ it was practically a free pass.

It was a moment when Gu Gyeon's surprisingly quick wit shone through once again.

"Yes. I’ll do that.”

Maria responded as before, but this time her voice carried a newfound sense of relief.

Soon, she’d be out of this damn place.

Gu Gyeon comforted her with a satisfied expression.

"I hope you meet someone special during the next qualification exam.”

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