Chapter 112

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 112

Chapter Title: Hunters' Hunter

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After Jahwa-yeon disappeared, I stood there for a while.

And that thought lingered in my mind.

Of course, whenever I started a counseling session, I always focused on the client in front of me.

Which meant it kept popping up between sessions.

She seemed to have some attachment to titles.

Asking me to call her "Yeon." From what she said—that it was a title allowed only to her father and old friends—it seemed reserved for very special people.

Which also meant I had become someone special to her.

I had decided to be her confidant from the start, after all.

Though Jahwa-yeon appeared fine on the outside, she clearly had a lot weighing on her.

At such a young age, shouldering a massive organization with the huge decision of the righteous-demonic alliance looming ahead.

And she had no one to share those worries with.

I gazed at the empty counseling room.

Todays sessions were over.

Now all that was left was heading home.

That was when it happened.

- Ding ring…

"Hm?"

My phone rang.

I picked it up and checked the caller.

[Lee Seo-ryeong]

It was Lee Seo-ryeong.

We had exchanged numbers during her visit at the association last time.

Going through the association every time was a hassle, and more importantly, she wasnt just my client—she was Seol Yu-wols official guardian.

If asked whether the timing for her call was right…

It seemed perfect.

Seol Yu-wols release… no, graduation was the day after tomorrow.

And from the contract details Id seen, the Azure Heaven Alliance was involved too.

I plugged in my Bluetooth earbuds and pressed accept.

"Yes, this is Yoo Seon-woo."

- Hello, Counselor? I hope youve been well?

"Ive been good. I hope the Alliance Leader has been well too?"

Lee Seo-ryeongs voice was calm and gentle.

We exchanged the usual greetings.

Then she slowly got to the point.

- Its about my daughters graduation coming up soon, and with the association contract on the horizon, I have several things Id like to discuss, so I reached out.

She paused for a moment before adding,

- And… theres something personal Id like to tell you as well… Would it be possible to meet, if youre okay with it?

The last personal meeting wed had was that evening right after Id first counseled Seol Yu-wol.

Lee Seo-ryeong had come straight to me.

Id heard about her past and her true feelings that day.

After that, all our meetings had been through the association.

"……."

Speak of the devil—it lined up perfectly.

I had some personal questions too.

Starting with how the Azure Heaven Alliance ended up as my guards.

And up to the righteous-demonic… alliance Jahwa-yeon had mentioned.

"Yes, thats fine. When works for you?"

- Anytime is good for me, Counselor. Whatever time suits you…

"Hold on a sec…"

I opened my calendar to check my schedule.

The day after tomorrow was Seol Yu-wols graduation ceremony.

Id definitely attend that, for my fathers sake.

Since it was graduation-related, we needed to talk before then anyway.

That left only tomorrow.

Tomorrow evening… seemed the best bet.

"How about tomorrow evening?"

- Yes, of course. For the place… how about Wolha-jeong, if thats alright?

"Sure, sounds good."

I remembered it as a Chinese restaurant.

A pretty pricey one.

With the appointment set, the call ended.

I turned off the counseling room lights.

And headed straight home.

I got home, turned on my computer, and was browsing.

Todays studying was done.

Just casual internet surfing.

Lately, though, the Hunter Gallery had been pretty entertaining.

During stove league season, the gallery always heated up more than usual.

And this time, with Otherworlders like Seol Yu-wol hitting the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠market, it was even more active.

"Oh…"

The gallery was buzzing, partly from users hyping each other up.

But ultimately, the stove league was driven by the leakers.

The rumor-mongers.

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breathed life into the gallery.

And the nickname "Brothel" was a rumor-monger with a perfect 100% accuracy rate so far.

Now he was announcing Jin Seas contract confirmation.

"News travels fast."

It was spot on.

Id gotten word from Jin Sea today that she was staying with Haetae.

I didnt know the details, but from her tone… it was pretty much like shed claimed Haetae.

Thanks to that, the Haetae stock Id bought was safe.

Shed been shocked when I mentioned I held shares, apologizing profusely for shaking the price so much.

I told her not to worry about it.

The biggest deal in stove league was the S-rank hunters destinations.

As expected for huge news, the comments were popping off.

With Jin Seas contract—the stove leagues biggest bait—confirmed, the galleries heat seemed to cool a bit.

But no.

When one spark dies, just toss in new logs.

Talk about female hunters.

This post had the most likes.

The Hunter Association had finally distributed official profiles of all Otherworlders to guilds and media today.

Seol Yu-wol had one too, apparently.

Scrolling down, I finally spotted a familiar face.

"…They got a good shot."

I muttered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠without thinking when I saw the attached profile photo.

No trace of her usual ditzy vibe.

Just a fierce, cold beauty.

How was this Seol Yu-wol?

She was wrapped head to toe in a tight cheongsam.

But that thin fabric couldnt hide her figure at all.

And gallery users werent about to miss that.

Not Azure Heaven Alliance.

I gave a wry smile at the guess.

Well, no way news of an S-rank hunter joining as a mere bodyguard would leak.

They wouldnt believe it anyway.

Itd cause chaos when it did get confirmed.

I imagined it and chuckled, then scrolled further.

Nothing else caught my eye. I shut down the computer.

Browsing stove league posts reminded me of someone.

"Wonder where Marys headed."

Shed left Haetae Guild. On the first day of stove league, no less.

I hadnt heard anything about her plans since we parted at the cafe that day.

We'd texted a few times after, but I hadnt asked about her next move.

Didnt want to pressure her.

I checked my watch. Not too late yet.

"…Should I ask?"

No, just curious.

"…Nah."

Mary was probably busy too.

Shed tell me when things firmed up.

We were on contact terms, after all.

With that, I drifted off to sleep.

"You wont regret this, Team Leader."

"…As if wed have any regrets."

The association team leader had a heavyweight in front of him.

S-rank hunter Mary.

That day, when shed learned the bodyguard spot was taken and left, the team leader thought it was all over.

Hed regretted letting an S-rank slip away right in front of him.

Mary had requested the bodyguard role.

But the association couldnt do anything.

[Article 21 (New): Under mutual agreement between the protectee and bodyguard, no additional security personnel is required. Any third-party attempt to add security will be deemed a serious threat to the bodyguard and may be neutralized immediately.]

This poison pill clause was the culprit.

It was actually a revised version of Seol Yu-wol Hunters initial proposal, tweaked multiple times.

The associations assumption that Otherworlders would sign easily?

Completely wrong.

It was the toughest contract in history.

Shed tearfully rejected Mary Hunters proposal.

But Mary returned the very next day.

With an offer the association couldnt refuse.

"This isnt a bodyguard position, is it?"

She sat on the sofa, legs crossed, smiling.

The contract was simple.

[Position: Dedicated Technical Advisor and Mentor for Otherworlder Hunter Seol Yu-wol]

Seol Yu-wol was S-rank, but in a way, just a brute-force dinosaur.

Shelter training was basic education.

No one taught organizational adaptation or proper workflows.

The association naturally had to prepare extra training for her.

And assigning someone to guide her was well within their rights.

They'd been agonizing over that exact issue.

Even considering outside hires.

But now.

An S-rank hunter like Mary volunteering as her mentor?

There couldnt be a better teacher.

In other words…

The bodyguards bodyguard.

No— the bodyguards teacher.

This was Marys second strategy.

If Seol Yu-wol stuck to Seon-woo 24/7… well.

‘Ill get to stick to her too.’

Mary knew full well.

The association couldnt turn this down.

- Swipe.

And they signed the contract.

Mary elegantly scrawled her name.

With a satisfied smile, she grabbed her contract copy and stood.

"See you next time?"

She smiled at the team leader and left the meeting room.

And so, the stove league.

Was slowly.

Drawing to a close.