The Crystal Guild's Warehouse
The front of Korea University Hospital presented a rare sight. The hospital director had personally come out to the lobby entrance to wait for someone. People murmured among themselves.
"What's going on? Why is the director out here?"
"Is the president coming or something?"
Screech—
A luxury sedan soon pulled up in front of the hospital. Click— The door opened, and a man stepped out. The director bowed his head upon seeing him.
"Chairman Jeong Yangcheol, welcome."
"It's been a while, Director."
He returned the bow with a slight nod.
"I heard my daughter, Jeong Hayeon, is indebted to you here."
"Please come inside. I'll show you the way."
He was the president of the Hunter Association, the man who managed hunters whose power far exceeded human limits. If those monstrous hunters were left unchecked, they would run rampant and throw the world into chaos. The only way to control their deviant behavior was with power far greater than their own. The president of the Hunter Association, who held that role, was Jeong Hayeon's father. He was such a colossal figure that if he traveled abroad, even the president of that country would receive a direct report.
Before long, Jeong Yangcheol arrived at Jeong Hayeon's hospital room. She smiled upon seeing her father.
"Dad!"
"Did our daughter get hurt badly?"
Jeong Yangcheol spoke in an incredibly gentle voice.
"I didn't get hurt much. The doctor said I just used too much mana and ended up exhausted."
Jeong Yangcheol glanced at the doctor standing behind her.
"..Ah.. Y-Yes, that's correct."
The doctor stammered, clearly nervous.
"More importantly, Dad."
"Hmm? What is it, my daughter?"
"Oppa went on a business trip to the States, right? Is he doing well over there?"
Jeong Yangcheol chuckled.
"Of course, my daughter. Whose son do you think he is?"
Jeong Hayeon's older brother was currently active as a hunter. He had achieved such remarkable results that everyone considered him the talent who would succeed Chairman Jeong Yangcheol.
"....By the way, Hayeon."
Jeong Yangcheol spoke with a rather serious expression.
"Yeah? What's wrong?"
Jeong Yangcheol was watching her trembling fingers. It seemed her heart still hadn't calmed down after what happened today.
"Hayeon, being a hunter isn't the only path..."
A hunter must never back down, no matter how powerful a Demonic Human or monster appears. They must throw themselves into battles where death is certain, all for the safety of civilians. That is what a hunter is. He didn't want his little daughter to walk such a dangerous path.
Jeong Hayeon nodded, seeming to understand his intention.
"But I want to become a great hunter like Oppa."
Jeong Yangcheol let out a small laugh at those words. Because of his busy schedule, he was always away from home. As a result, only she and her brother had remained at home. That was why their bond was much stronger than that of other siblings. To her, her brother—who had grown up with her since childhood—was both her emotional pillar and the guiding light of her life.
"Alright. If that's what you really want, then I can't stop you."
Jeong Yangcheol gave a bitter smile. If that was his daughter's wish, then he would provide the best support possible.
****
Among the countless buildings rising in Seoul, there was one that stood out particularly large. It was the headquarters of the current number one ranked guild, Crystal Guild. At the very top floor of that building, inside the room labeled [Crystal Guild Guild Master Private Office], two women sat facing each other.
"Hyeyeon?"
Kim Hayoon, the guild master of Crystal Guild, spoke.
"...Y-Yes, Guild Master."
Jin Hyeyeon, standing before her, fidgeted with her fingers anxiously.
"So you're saying you didn't supervise the Elphon Academy students and just let them go off on their own under the excuse of free travel?"
"......Yes."
"Ha... Hyeyeon."
Kim Hayoon let out a deep sigh. Academy students had come to her guild for experiential learning. From that moment on, the students' safety became the guild's responsibility. Yet today, two students had gotten caught up in a Demonic Human rampage incident. If even one of them had died, Crystal Guild would undoubtedly have faced tremendous criticism. Fortunately, no one had been seriously injured.
"Hyeyeon."
"Y-Yes! Guild Master."
"What were the names of the students involved in the Demonic Human attack?"
"Nam Doyun and Jeong Hayeon."
"Hmm..."
Jeong Hayeon's father was none other than Association President Jeong Yangcheol. He was quite a difficult person to deal with. However, for some reason, it seemed he also didn't want this incident to become public knowledge.
"Have you looked into the boy named Nam Doyun?"
"Yes. I investigated, but there are no records at all. His parents' information couldn't be confirmed either."
"Hmm, then that's good."
Kim Hayoon grinned. The biggest obstacle to covering up this incident had been Chairman Jeong Yangcheol. But if he was staying quiet, then they could probably sweep this under the rug without issue.
"Let's give each of them about 5 million won as compensation for taking down the Demonic Human and move on from this incident."
"Understood, Guild Master."
"More importantly, Hyeyeon."
"Yes?"
"What were you watching?"
Kim Hayoon pointed at the laptop in her hands.
"Ah... This isn't anything special. It's CCTV footage from the day of the incident. I was just about to watch it."
"Really? Show me. I was curious about it too."
"Yes, understood."
Kim Hayoon stared quietly at the laptop on her desk. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes.
"........"
Even after time passed, she continued staring blankly at the footage.
"...?Guild Master?"
Jin Hyeyeon asked with a puzzled expression.
"...Hey, Hyeyeon."
"Yes?"
"Come look at this."
Jin Hyeyeon approached her side and began watching the footage together. The video showed the moment Jeong Hayeon was aiming her arrow at the Demonic Human, gathering all her mana. At that instant, the Demonic Human moved in front of Jeong Hayeon with speed that could only be described as teleportation. Then, without hesitation, it swung its eerie hand toward Jeong Hayeon's face.
Jin Hyeyeon swallowed hard. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed Jeong Hayeon's head would be sent flying before her arrow could strike. Yet the report stated that Jeong Hayeon's arrow had killed the Demonic Human. What on earth had happened?
"Huh?"
Jin Hyeyeon tilted her head.
"Did the video pause?"
The Demonic Human's swinging arm had suddenly stopped. Kim Hayoon shook her head at those words.
"No. Hyeyeon, look carefully. Mana is still gathering in Jeong Hayeon's arrow."
"Ah..."
It was extremely strange. The Demonic Human was simply standing still, watching the mana gather in Jeong Hayeon's arrow. When all the mana had finally condensed into the arrow—
Shwaaaak—
Jeong Hayeon's arrow pierced through the Demonic Human's body and annihilated it. Even as the arrow flew toward it, the Demonic Human had remained motionless, as if its movements were being restricted by something.
"....Why did the Demonic Human suddenly stop?"
Jin Hyeyeon tilted her head in confusion. Kim Hayoon pointed at a man in the CCTV footage.
"It's this man."
"What!?"
The person she pointed to was none other than Nam Doyun. The lowest-ranked student at Elphon Academy, 500th out of 500 in entrance exam scores. Moreover, he wasn't from any notable family. A guy who made one wonder how he had even gotten into Elphon Academy in the first place.
"But that man was just standing still the whole time."
Jin Hyeyeon said. From the start of the battle, that man had only been watching the fight between Jeong Hayeon and the Demonic Human. He hadn't made a single move. It was questionable whether he was even a student at Elphon Academy.
"Hyeyeon, you know this too, right? While mana flows through humans, demonic energy flows through Demonic Humans."
"Yes, I know."
"If you can control the mana flowing through a person, you can also restrict their movements. You know that too, right?"
"Of course. That's something we learn in academy classes."
"Then do you know that demonic energy flowing through Demonic Humans can also be controlled?"
"...Theoretically, yes. But since mana and demonic energy have completely different systems, no one can control it..."
"Right. I thought so too. Until I met a dragon."
"...What!?"
"I've seen it. An existence that controls demonic energy."
Dragons were beings who had mastered all knowledge in this world. They lived for thousands of years without aging or dying, accumulating knowledge. The knowledge they possessed far exceeded human limits.
"I once saw a dragon fighting a demon when I accidentally entered a dungeon."
"!!!"
Jin Hyeyeon's eyes widened. Dragons were extremely reluctant to reveal themselves to the outside world, appearing before people perhaps once in a hundred years, if at all.
"There, I saw the same thing. The demons suddenly stopped and were all killed by the dragon's breath."
"...Then, could it be?"
"That's right. They showed the exact same behavior as the demon that suddenly stopped in front of this man."
"Ah..."
Only then did Jin Hyeyeon let out a gasp. That man hadn't simply been standing there blankly watching the fight between Jeong Hayeon and the Demonic Human. Just as controlling a person's mana required interfering with their mana flow and twisting it, that man had been interfering with the demonic energy flowing through the demon, twisting its flow.
"Hyeyeon."
"Yes."
"We can't just let this pass. We need to open the guild warehouse."
"...Are you serious?"
"We can't give the impression of being stingy to talent of this caliber. It'll be advantageous when we try to scout him later. You understand what I mean, right?"
"Yes, understood."
*****
Nam Doyun, Jeong Hayeon, and their homeroom teacher had been invited to the Crystal Guild and were on their way to the Crystal Guild headquarters by car. They had even received the special privilege of being allowed to take any item they wanted from the number one ranked Crystal Guild's warehouse. Beside them, Nam Doyun and Jeong Hayeon wore expressions filled with anticipation. The homeroom teacher shook their head.
The Crystal Guild's warehouse, being the number one guild, undoubtedly held many incredible treasures. Among them were weapons that could fetch tens of millions of won each. However, such items only appeared at a rate of one in a hundred. The rest were merely items worth a few hundred thousand won. While the teacher had an eye for good items, the students certainly didn't. In reality, the kids were just going to get a few hundred thousand won.
"You may enter this way."
Upon entering the guild headquarters, a guide appeared. He led the three of them toward the guild's warehouse.
"Here we are."
The guide soon brought them before an enormous iron door. Rumble— The massive iron door opened. Inside, countless items were piled up like mountains.
"You have exactly five minutes. You may choose only one item. Ah, would the homeroom teacher please step back?"
It was to prevent the homeroom teacher from giving the students any hints about choosing good items. Jeong Hayeon tilted her head.
"No matter how I look at it, I can't tell what's good..."
But beside her, Nam Doyun was grinning.
"I'll enjoy it."