Yuna's Plan
Madam.
One of the most dangerous figures in the Korean underworld.
Publicly, she was the chairwoman of an ultra-luxurious cultural foundation frequented by political and business elites, as well as a famous female entrepreneur renowned for her extensive support of orphanages.
But those in the know knew the truth behind the facade.
The children in the orphanages she ran were trained day in and day out solely to Awaken.
Once they did, they lived their lives as Awakened tools existing only for Madam.
“The government is trying to keep her in check, but Madam has made so much money from her underworld Awakened business that her bribery game is top-tier,” Seo Harin said, her eyes turning cold.
Her face was filled with deep disillusionment and disgust toward humanity.
This was likely the side of people that made Harin so cynical.
“Namgung Yuon is the masterpiece among Madam’s children. He has the looks, a docile personality, and immense power.”
“...But doesn't he skip class completely?”
“School classes have nothing to do with Madam’s education. If anything, his behavior is a side effect of being conditioned to obey only Madam’s orders.”
A puppet programmed only to follow Madam's commands.
As a result, he had reached a state where he cared about absolutely nothing else.
Hearing that made me realize why Namgung Yuon had ended up the way he was.
“I'm warning you in advance, don't get close to him just because you feel sorry for him.”
Harin swallowed the rest of her ice cream and licked her finger as she issued the warning.
“Namgung Yuon is her masterpiece. He's a Hunter Madam specifically created so she could operate above ground, not just in the shadows.”
Harin's warning was not something to be taken lightly.
“If you get tangled up with him, you'll become Madam's target, Yuna.”
“...I suppose so.”
“Why are you trying to get close to him anyway? There's absolutely no reason to.”
Well, because otherwise, he's going to become Sloth.
“Good grief, I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours.”
Harin sighed and shook her head, looking like an exhausted older sister dealing with a troublesome younger sibling.
...If the reason Namgung Yuon wants to become a girl is also related to Madam...
Perhaps escaping Madam's grasp meant shedding his identity.
No matter how much the world had changed, a male figure carried a certain kind of presence and expectation. It was a deeply rooted gender perception that had existed for ages.
If he becomes a girl, he becomes less useful for the specific public image she wants to project.
Maybe that was why Namgung Yuon wanted to become a girl.
It seemed I really needed to talk to him more.
On top of that, I also needed to look into Axion.
“What are you two whispering about?”
Just then, Chaerin returned and gently nudged Harin aside. Yeonhwa followed close behind, drying her hands with an embroidered handkerchief, looking completely used to this routine by now.
“Boys,” Harin said mischievously.
Chaerin's eyes widened instantly, and her head snapped toward me.
“...What does that mean?”
Chaerin, please. Your eyes are terrifying.
When I glared at Harin, she just hummed with the ice cream stick still in her mouth.
I was definitely going to get her back for this later.
Axion.
The delinquent circle of Hunter Middle School.
Although it didn't have a long history, it was a group that many active Hunters had passed through.
Because of this, rumors spread within the school that joining Axion was a great way to build connections with senior Hunters. Naturally, many kids joined out of a desire to network or simply out of rebellious teenage bravado.
The place Axion claimed as their territory was the old school building.
It was originally a regular middle school building that had been closed down when the school transitioned into a specialized Hunter academy. That abandoned, isolated atmosphere only fueled the kids' delinquent fantasies.
The members of Axion had pooled their own money to bring various pieces of furniture into one of the old classrooms, creating a makeshift clubroom.
Slide—
A boy stepped into the Axion clubroom.
Kang Yongchan.
A freshman who had joined this year, he scanned the room with a deeply irritated expression.
“Where are the seniors?”
“The second-years went on a field trip today, and who knows about the third-years. Probably out smoking somewhere.”
“Tsk, figures.”
Listening to the lazy reply of a delinquent sprawled on a worn-out sofa, Yongchan pulled out a chair and sat down.
As the eldest son of the Yongho Mulsan family, he had lived his life completely sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. Yet, ever since entering Hunter Middle School, nothing seemed to go his way.
He had been utterly humiliated and crushed by Yoo Chaerin at the entrance ceremony.
After that, he got on the teachers' bad side by showing up late, and for some reason, his classmates avoided him. Out of sheer frustration, he had ended up joining Axion.
But even Axion wasn't living up to his expectations.
They boasted about connections to active Hunters, but it was far less impressive than he had hoped.
Yongchan felt his irritation rising and let out a hot breath.
“Damn it, this is bullshit.”
“What is it now?”
“Yoo Chaerin. That bitch acting like she owns the place.”
“Yoo Chaerin again? Man, you're obsessed. Just drop it. She's an anomaly. An S-rank isn't even the same kind of Hunter as us.”
Hwang Seonghyeok, another member of the circle, looked at Yongchan with pity. He knew exactly why Yongchan hated Chaerin so much.
“Just think of her as a natural disaster and forget about it. Nobody holds a grudge against a hurricane.”
“I know. I know that.”
Yongchan knew his place. Having been thoroughly beaten by Chaerin once, he didn't dare challenge her directly again.
Even so, he couldn't stand the sight of her.
“But I can't stand her smug face. She acts like the whole world belongs to her.”
“Well, I don't like her either, but she is hot. She's nice to look at. Honestly, despite her temper, I'd love to make her my girlfriend.”
Seonghyeok smirked, imagining Chaerin being gentle only with him.
Ignoring him, Yongchan's mind raced. He wanted to ruin Chaerin somehow. He wanted to shatter that confident, arrogant face of hers and make her cry.
He couldn't do it with raw strength.
Even if he used his family's money to hire other Hunters, it wouldn't work. Active Hunters would run away in terror the moment they heard an S-rank was involved.
There was a famous, notorious S-rank Hunter who had once beaten half to death every Hunter who claimed rank differences didn't matter. In the end, targeting Chaerin directly was impossible.
In that case...
He had to think of another way.
How do you break someone indirectly?
By destroying what they cherish most.
And what does Yoo Chaerin cherish most?
Only one person came to Yongchan's mind.
Chaerin's best friend.
Ha Yuna.
The girl Yongchan had taken a liking to and approached on the first day.
Chaerin cherished Yuna so much that she constantly visited her classroom even though they were in different classes. It was to the point where other classmates who wanted to get close to Chaerin couldn't find a way because she only hung out with Yuna.
There were many rumors about Yuna as well.
Rumors like how she scored the highest in the combat test, beating out A-ranks. Or how she controlled a terrifying monster. Or that Yuna was actually the one calling the shots, not Chaerin.
Of course, these were likely exaggerated. Rumors tended to grow as they passed from mouth to mouth.
But they couldn't be completely dismissed either, especially since Yongchan had experienced Yuna's strange presence firsthand.
Lately, she seems to be hanging out with that Hwa Yeonhwa girl too.
Since he despised Yuna almost as much as Chaerin, Yongchan stroked his chin as he recalled how she had bruised his pride.
“Hey. Hwang Seonghyeok.”
“Yeah?”
“Didn't you say there was a crazy senior who graduated from Axion?”
Seonghyeok, who had a wide network when it came to these kinds of things, tilted his head and looked over.
“Yeah, there is. A total psycho who'll do anything for money. Why?”
“What do you mean by 'anything'?”
“That psycho would probably kill someone if the price is right.”
The corners of Yongchan's mouth slowly curled upward.
There was a massive gap between active Hunters and student Hunters. S-ranks were walking natural disasters, but an active B-rank Hunter could easily defeat an A-rank student through sheer experience.
Moreover, fighting humans was entirely different from fighting monsters.
While students could unleash their powers against monsters without hesitation, they would inevitably hesitate when facing another human. That split-second hesitation was always fatal.
There was a reason military Hunters underwent specialized training for human combat.
“Introduce me to him. Tell him there's a job that pays a shitload of money.”
“What? What the hell are you planning? I don't want to get dragged into anything illegal.”
“Don't worry, it won't blow back on you.”
“Man, this sounds sketchy...”
Seeing Seonghyeok hesitate, Yongchan clicked his tongue, pulled out his wallet, and tossed two fifty-thousand-won bills onto the table.
“Make the call.”
“Yes, sir! Right away, boss!”
Indeed, there was nothing in this world that money couldn't solve.
Yongchan grinned, anticipating what was to come.
The thought of ruining both Yoo Chaerin and Ha Yuna made his heart race with excitement.
He remained completely oblivious to the moth crawling across the ceiling of the Axion clubroom.
I watched Kang Yongchan plotting in the Axion room through my moth puppet, resting my cheek in my hand.
He really was a simple-minded guy. I had kept an eye on him just in case, but to think he would plot revenge so quickly.
He really holds a massive grudge against Chaerin.
And it looked like he was planning something incredibly nasty.
If I wanted to, I could have my puppets strike first to neutralize the threat.
However, I had a different idea.
Wait, couldn't I use this to get Axion shut down entirely?
I was currently struggling to prevent the kids from joining Axion in the future. But since things were unpredictable, there was always a chance they might end up joining anyway.
In that case...
Wouldn't it be better to just dismantle Axion itself?
Right now, the teachers knew about Axion's existence but chose to turn a blind eye. They probably figured that even if it was a delinquent circle, it wasn't dangerous enough to warrant intervention. They might even think it was easier to manage the troublemakers if they were all gathered in one place.
But if Axion became associated with an actual crime, the story would change completely.
Hunters faced much harsher legal penalties than ordinary citizens. Because of that, a crime committed through Axion wouldn't be easily swept under the rug just because they were minors.
After a brief moment of contemplation, my decision was made.
Yes, let's use this.
I will shut down Axion.