The First Hunter Returns
"?"
Jisu and Woohyeok weren't the only ones. Every person present turned toward the voice.
"That person…!"
Jeong Siyun made no effort to hide her shock.
Standing before them was the very woman who had once existed above them all — until that incident.
"It's been a long time, children. There are a few new faces, I see."
The one who had appeared so suddenly was an elderly woman.
She certainly looked her age, but the pressure rolling off her was nothing like that of an ordinary old woman. The first to approach her was Kim Heeyeon.
"You're here, Mom?"
Mom?
Jisu looked from Heeyeon to the woman and back again.
That old lady is Kim Heeyeon's mother? They don't even look alike…
He glanced around, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. He had no idea why she'd shown up out of nowhere, but from the way she was talking, it sounded like she'd come to put this whole situation to rest.
If that was the case, Jisu certainly wasn't going to complain.
Guess I'll just keep my mouth shut for now.
"Heeyeon. It's been a while. Have you been well?"
The woman's tone was unmistakably affectionate, but it wasn't purely gentle. Colder, perhaps. Whatever it was, it didn't read as the doting warmth of a parent wrapping a child in unconditional love.
"Me? I've been fine. Did you fly in today?"
"Something like that. I had a feeling something interesting was about to happen."
She said this, then turned her head toward Seo Ayeon and Yoo Chaerin.
"You two look like you've been well."
"…"
"You've arrived."
Chaerin said nothing at all. Beside her, Ayeon offered a silent bow, her manner utterly professional.
"Heh. Ayeon. That stings a little. 'You've arrived'? You used to be so much cuter."
Even in the face of that easy, unhurried manner, Ayeon kept her expression locked down, her voice ice-cold.
"You're no longer my mother. You're not my direct superior anymore."
The woman showed no particular reaction. Ease clung to every movement she made, as if nothing in the world could rattle her.
"Fair enough. I came here today because I have something to do, after all."
Only then did she look toward Woohyeok and Jisu. Both of them had been watching her in silence, waiting to see what she would do.
"Let's see. That one over there must be the boy Siyun's been raising—"
"I'd prefer you didn't throw people's names around so casually."
Siyun cut her off. The woman didn't seem particularly bothered.
"Still the same as ever, that one. Tsk tsk. Anyway — you."
"Yes?"
The moment she pointed at him, Jisu answered on reflex.
"So you're the Strongest Hunter on Earth!"
"…Well. For the time being, yes."
It was an embarrassing title, honestly — but as long as he was bluffing, he needed to keep the Strongest Hunter on Earth label intact.
"I came here today to see you, you know. Word reached me that an SS-rank Hunter had appeared in Korea. Do you have any idea how long it's been…? So. Why, exactly, are you all fighting?"
Nobody answered. She didn't wait for one. She simply continued, as if a reply had never been expected in the first place.
"Well. In any case, that's enough. Do you have any idea what a loss it would be to Korea's Hunter community if one of you two died?"
"Hey, you old hag. You gone senile from living too damn long? Who the hell are you to barge in here telling us to call off a duel?"
"Heh. Siyun. Still no manners at all. Though I suppose that lack of manners was always your strength. I always figured you'd reach the top someday. I just never expected you'd turn out quite like this…"
"Shut up. Stay out of this, you damn geezer. You've barely got any years left as it is — unless you're looking to hurry your own death along."
That was when Chaerin, who had said nothing until now, suddenly cut in.
"Watch your tongue, Jeong Siyun. Your people aren't the only ones here."
"…!"
Siyun glared hard at Chaerin, her mind racing.
If it came to a fight with Chaerin, Heeyeon and Ayeon would almost certainly take her side. The remaining S-rank Hunters, Woohyeok aside, were sitting in neutral territory; neither side could count on them. Below A-rank, Seongwolhoe's talent pool was vastly superior — but the opponent would still be Yoo Chaerin, the woman called Korea's strongest Hunter.
Even Siyun knew better than to pick a fight she couldn't win.
Of course, someday…
Someday they would clash. But it couldn't be now.
That didn't mean she could swallow the anger. She didn't particularly try. Being anyone's subordinate had never been in her nature.
And so the two people who currently split the Hunter Association's power between them began a war of nerves — a situation balanced on a knife's edge.
It was the kind of atmosphere that would have cowed most people. The elderly woman simply smiled, easy and unhurried, and moved to settle it.
"Anyway. I'd put the brawling aside, if I were you. And I'm not saying this for anyone else's sake, Siyun — I'm saying it for yours. Are you really fine with that stray dog you're so proud of raising ending up dead?"
"What?!"
She snapped the word out, but Siyun had been watching the match the entire time. She knew exactly what the woman meant.
Jisu had said that if he used that technique, he could kill Woohyeok.
She had no idea what that technique actually was. It could have been a bluff. But Jisu was an SS-rank Hunter with the power to blow a wyvern apart in a single strike. If the high-voltage electric attack they'd prepared in advance couldn't get through, Woohyeok's odds of winning this match were converging on zero.
"And look. Look at the state your subordinate is in right now. If you want to stand above others, you can't just keep your eyes on the sky. You have to look after the people who move for your sake."
"…D-don't… talk… bullshit…!"
Woohyeok shouted as if nothing were wrong, but everyone present could tell he was terrified. Even the voice inside the shout was shaking.
No matter how you looked at it, this was Jisu's win.
"Well. Even a soaked stray dog has his pride, I suppose. We'll call it a draw. I'll personally guarantee the result. Do you still have a problem with that?"
"…Tch!"
Siyun bit down hard on her lip. Her sharp canines sank into the red flesh, and the taste of blood spread bitter across her tongue.
But if she thought about it coldly, a draw was far more advantageous for her than it was for Jisu. And that fact, more than anything else, made her furious beyond reason.
I can't believe I'm taking help from that damn old hag!
The old woman seemed to have a fairly clear idea of what Siyun was thinking. She turned her head and looked at Jisu.
"But this will need your permission, child. Even if that side agrees, you're the one with the clear advantage. If you don't consent, they'll just have to fight it out to the end, won't they?"
"Well. I suppose that's how it would go."
Apparently everyone here thought Jisu had the upper hand.
He had jack shit, actually. But there was no reason to go announcing that to anyone.
"If I just let this end in a draw, the losses on my end wouldn't be small… A Hunter who can't even finish a one-on-one properly. What would that do to my reputation?"
He was saying whatever came into his head, but she listened with a perfectly serious expression.
"You're right, child. There's nothing strange about Hunters attaching meaning to a one-on-one duel."
Is that so? What a weird bunch…
The fact that his nonsense had actually landed was almost more absurd than if it hadn't — but he didn't say that out loud.
The moment the words left her mouth, a murmur rippled through the crowd.
Iran herself? Taking responsibility to help someone?
Even Heeyeon and Ayeon, who had been relatively composed until now, couldn't hide their surprise.
Hmm.
He had no idea what her help was actually worth, but there was no need to drag this out any longer. His stamina — the last of his remaining capital — was already unstable. Sure, there was a chance his Strength might suddenly spike, but stretching the fight out any further would be close to suicide even for him.
"Well. There are still a few things I find unsatisfying… but I'll leave it here. Killing someone wouldn't sit right with me anyway."
It was a little cringeworthy, honestly, but sticking with the persona he'd been running seemed like the better play, so he answered along those lines.
Iran didn't seem to mind the answer. She threw her head back and laughed, loud and unrestrained.
"What an interesting one you are. Still unsatisfied, you say? Hahaha. You've got the makings of a fine Hunter. Yes."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Jisu dipped his head in a bow, and the woman strode right up to him, holding out a hand. A handshake.
He hadn't noticed it under the suit, but looking at her solid forearms, it was obvious this was a body that had been through serious training.
"A pleasure. My name is Iran."
"Hyun Jisu, ma'am."
Her hand was hard, callused in places. Judging by grip strength alone, it was impossible to believe it belonged to an old woman.
"Thank you for being so understanding."
After they shook, Iran grinned.
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again. Until then."
"…"
Iran, met for the first time, had a charisma that crushed people under its weight from nothing more than a brief meeting of the eyes. If not for his Mental Strength stat, Jisu suspected he might have been overwhelmed into complete blankness.
He watched, dazed, as she turned and walked away — and behind her, Heeyeon, Chaerin, and Ayeon followed.
He had no idea what had happened among them, but it was a viciously tangled web of relationships. Jisu, the outsider who had never imagined he'd set foot in the middle of it, stared at her retreating back and entertained a pointless thought.
What a peculiar old lady. At her age, with that kind of presence, she could still be working in the field…
And so the duel was settled as a draw. Siyun cleaned up the raid field and vanished along with Woohyeok.
The high-ranking figures who had come to watch were all gagged into silence, and the recorded footage was handled personally by Siyun, never to be released. Among the few pieces of good news Jisu had received that day, that was one of them.
"So. He said he wouldn't be joining Seongwolhoe, then?"
"Yes. That seemed to be the case."
"I see. So that's how it is."
Iran let out a long breath, then turned around. She reached up and stroked the hair of Chaerin, who had been following behind her.
"You've had it hard, child. Has it been lonely? Painful?"
"…It's been bearable."
"Good. You have Heeyeon and Ayeon beside you, after all."
Iran thought back to that time. The very moment Hunters had first appeared in Korea. A lawless age, when people who hadn't even grasped that they'd awakened an ability were used, exploited, and burned through for nothing.
What she had sworn in that moment was—
"Anyway. I think I need to head out again."
"You're leaving already, Mom?"
"I am. I have to. Seongwolhoe will be fine as long as you three are here, and our new SS-rank Hunter friend should be all right for now. There are still things overseas I haven't finished settling."
She said this, then looked up at the sky.
She wanted to spend what remained of her life in Korea. But there was still so much left to do.
She thought of Jisu's face — the one she'd shaken hands with so carefully.
We'll meet again, child.