Multiple Mage Hunters
The wanted poster issued by the Ma Tower was anything but ordinary. For starters, there was zero information on the target. The photo was warped due to some perception-distortion magic, and aside from fake personal details, even the name was an alias. At this rate, you might not recognize the target even if they were standing right in front of you.
But that inconvenience was overshadowed by the bounty amount, which was beyond imagination.
"Ten billion, hundred billion, thousand billion—what the hell is this?"
An amount so massive that an ordinary person couldn't even dream of it. It was safe to say that my head alone was worth a decent company's annual revenue.
Of course, it wasn't incomprehensible. A Saga-rank was a living catastrophe no matter who you were. For catching a monster like that, 100 billion might even seem like a bargain.
"Should I turn myself in...?"
"Excuse me."
"Just kidding, kidding~"
...But since when had this guy been reading it with me?
Opinions are kinda split, huh.
Anyway, back to the post. I scrolled through the comments below it, and sure enough, the reactions fell into two clear camps.
People viewing the poster positively, eyeing the bounty.
People viewing it negatively, trash-talking the Ma Tower's upper echelons.
The two camps were locked in fierce arguments, setting the comment section ablaze.
"Not my circus, not my monkeys, though."
"Pardon...?"
"Nothing at all."
Everyone seemed busy plotting their plans, but I wanted to tell them: sorry, but too bad. The days of going easy on attackers or ignoring insults were long gone. These days, I was a bit more ruthless.
They regenerate limbs anyway.
During the Ma Tower raid, I'd run into a few recovery mages. They patched up lost arms and legs in no time, so the tower's medical tech must be top-notch. So from now on, I'd just lop off a limb or two.
...What about the trauma and pain? Pfft, if you're hunting a vicious criminal, that's just part of the job, I say.
"Kukukuku."
"I sense some seriously sinister vibes..."
Anyway, for now, focus on recovery.
A week after the Ma Tower raid incident. I'd mostly recovered my health and was in a state fit to resume work.
"You should rest a bit more..."
"The business trip's already extended."
"We can rest later..."
Saying that, Kim Gwa-jang's help had been huge. Every time I chugged one of those suspicious potions he gave me, my condition improved noticeably. The taste was godawful—over-the-top nasty—but the effects were outstanding.
"You didn't make it taste bad on purpose, right?"
"Of course not... ehehehet...!"
Super suspicious, but what can you do? If he's offering, gratefully accept.
So I returned to normal duties. For three days, I zipped around Ansan for meetings, clearing the backlog efficiently. And in the process, the cityscape of Ansan looked noticeably different from before.
"Ho... what's that?"
For one, the massive magic circle unfurled across the sky. A grand spell cast by someone touching the divine realm, detecting everyone inside Ansan City. Probably a detection net to catch me.
"Can't catch me, huh."
Of course. Whose handiwork is it?
No matter how impressive the magic, piercing the deep sea was impossible. Makes sense—my body was made by Shin-nim herself, so the security's airtight. Unless I cast deep-sea magic myself, no worries about getting caught.
"Kinda a lot of 'em."
That wasn't the only change. Mages had popped up occasionally before, but lately, they were everywhere.
"Where's the wanted guy?"
"My three months' research budget!"
"I'll avenge Lord Rohan!"
They looked dead set on catching me. Unfortunately, they struck out even when I was right under their noses.
"Nice."
And it wasn't just that—here's the kicker. Lately, I hadn't encountered a single yokai. Me, with my unlucky streak? Felt like the apocalypse tomorrow, but there was a reason.
Kieeeek!
"What the hell's that one?"
"Grab first, think later!"
Mages descending to hunt me end up snagging yokai instead. Ansan yokai population drops, and my workload lightens too. What a virtuous cycle.
Thanks to that, I'd been living peacefully lately.
"Love it."
Might even wrap up the trip without a hitch. Of course, stuff after that still loomed.
What to do.
Using deep-sea magic would draw mages again. ...Seriously go full psycho and raid the tower once more? Screw mythic ranks and all—beg Shin-nim to flip the whole place?
"Calm down, calm."
No need to worry about unhatched chickens. Worst case, something could happen tomorrow. The tower could get wrecked, leaving them unable to chase me.
"..."
Of course, odds of that were near zero. Half the tower got blasted in the raid, and they rebuilt in a week. What could possibly go wrong?
What could go wrong?
No way anything big happens~
Huh?
Aaah.
Take that back. Humans like me might jinx things, but when Shin-nim does it, it's a whole different story. Looks like the Ma Tower's about to get smashed soon.
"Catch you later."
Uuuu...
But first, time to scold Shin-nim. Thinks she can get away with anything 'cause she's cute? No pets for you today.
Another week passed like that. Work was winding down, and the business trip was nearing its end. Once I closed the additional contract with Han-seong Electronics, I could basically head home.
But more than ever, I was on high alert every day.
"Something wrong...?"
"Gonna happen soon."
"???"
Shin-nim's jinx from a week ago. It was half-joking then, but now it felt half-inevitable.
Something's definitely up...
Ansan City itself was peaceful right now. Mages flooding in had thinned the yokai, no threats to daily life anywhere. But the Ma Tower? Peaceful? Eh, not quite.
"Hmm..."
I checked the mage gallery I'd been lurking lately. With the arm casts off and some calm returning, but unlike before, the vibe was tense and chaotic.
A standard gallery question post, but it nailed exactly what I was wondering. Couldn't find answers in other threads.
The moment I saw that comment, I nearly smacked my forehead. Obviously.
The Ma Tower was mistaking me for a mage hunter, but that wasn't true. From my side, it was obvious, but for them, it must be a massive headache.
The rest was news to me too. Until now, the mage hunter was known as a single fiend. But if not... maybe a group deliberately targeting Ma Tower mages?
The spicy comments got axed by mods quick, but I'd snagged the info. No wonder the Ma Tower vibe felt off lately. Must be turmoil over their top priority: the mage hunter issue.
"Hmm..."
Currently en route to my final meeting. Staring out the taxi window, lost in thought.
Any way to exploit this chaos? Like, me catching the mage hunter.
That'd be way easier.
Better than borrowing Shin-nim's hand to raze the tower—more economical. And they'd started moving again, right? Nabbing one now could clear up the misunderstanding easy.
But there's a catch.
How to catch the mage hunter. Even groups struggle; how could I track and nab 'em? Observer's power might work, but... it'd ping the tower's detection.
"Mr. Lee... could you protect me a bit...?"
"Pardon?"
While spacing out amid these thoughts, a weird voice piped up from the side. Protect? Now? From what?
Before I could voice the questions, a slash beam hurtled from afar and exploded.
"Kuhahaha!"
"Who the hell are you!!"
A swordsman... or so he pretended. But he was a mage. That "sword" was a staff, firing a blade of potent mana.
I hurriedly unleashed mana to block, but things had gone sideways. His gyeol-gye sealed the escape.
"Think I'll answer if you ask who I am?"
"Fair enough."
The guy struck a pose that screamed amateur even to me, yelling dramatically. Looked weak at a glance, but no room for complacency.
Legend Upper. About my level.
Could pull Saga feats with sacrifices and no regard for aftermath. Weaker than me, sure, but not to underestimate.
"So why're you here?"
"That much, I can say."
Better to pry info while I could. Could read memories post-kill, but hearing it direct avoids errors. Guy seemed the type to spill truthfully.
"Hand over the Death Witch beside you. Or die."
"...."
An answer I never saw coming. Wait, what?
"Huh...? Didn't see this plot twist coming..."
"Heh heh heh."
Learning Kim Gwa-jang's untold backstory from an attacker. Living long enough to get personally spoiled like this.