The S-Class Hunter's Generous Compensation

The very first thing I did was check my bank balance. It was the obvious move.

"Money's never enough, no matter how much you earn."

The mana stones I'd sold after climbing the Tower for the past few days had brought in a nice, satisfying sum. But after covering the officetel deposit, down payment, monthly rent, and all the supplies for Neukgu, not much was left.

Still, I had one thing going for me.

"The bounty."

The reward money I'd received for taking down that villain causing a scene in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hospital lobby. Just to be safe, I'd given them a different account, and exactly ten million won had been deposited there. A perfect rain shower in the middle of a drought.

With the ten million won secured, I grabbed my coat and thought it over.

"...Maybe I should ask them if there's a decent shop around."

They'd probably give me solid advice. And who knows, they might even point me toward a hidden honey pot.

I summoned the gallery into the air and typed up a post.

By the time I finished a glass of water, several comments and a brand-new post had already appeared. The author was none other than Kim Soyeon.

Hmm. A hidden shop. Exactly the information I wanted.

I stepped out onto the street, ready to head straight there. That's when a strange sense of unease began to creep through the otherwise ordinary scenery. Here and there, I spotted groups of people who didn't quite fit. Every one of them was eyeing the young men walking by.

'...Already?'

They were fast. The odds were high these were the fanatics from Kim Soyeon's gallery.

"The guy who just passed looked over 180 cm. Check that one out."

"We'll find him today no matter what. Drag him to the Han River and toss him in."

I overheard two men openly spitting out their conversation as I walked past. Their eyes had that unmistakable unhinged look. A few of them even gave off the aura of hunters.

A chill ran down my spine, but it didn't matter. I kept walking with confident, even strides. There was no way they knew my face. The only image that had been posted was of my back. That alone wasn't enough to identify me. At best, they had my general build and clothing style. Since I'd changed my outfit, there was no way they'd single me out immediately.

I savored the tension with a relaxed smile and headed for my destination.

After passing the main street of the hunter shopping district, I delved deep into the dark back alleys. After wandering for a while, I finally found it. Mix. The sign was literally dangling, and the shop looked incredibly rundown.

I pushed the door open carefully, worried it might fall apart.

"Welcome."

A cheerful bell rang out alongside the owner's greeting. The sharp smell of leather hit my nose. Inside, despite the shabby exterior, quite a few pieces of equipment were neatly displayed in glass cases. Weapons, artifacts, even decorative items. From deeper inside came the constant sound of hammering.

I walked straight to the display case and checked the price tags on the mana amplification bracelets.

...Wow.

Only then did I realize how pathetic ten million won really was. Five, ten, hundred, thousand... fifty million won. Even the mana amplification bracelet tucked in the very corner cost fifty million. I finally understood those mocking comments about what I could possibly buy with ten million. There was no way pocket change like that would get me anything here.

"...Shouldn't have come."

I clicked my tongue and turned to leave when I spotted a familiar silhouette in the back of the store. The person was wearing a mask and a black cap pulled low, carefully examining something. Unless that fashion suddenly became trendy, there was only one woman who dressed like that.

'Kim Soyeon?'

Why was I running into her here of all places? The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. For a second I wondered if the Kim Soyeon from the gallery had planned it, but that seemed extremely unlikely. There was no way she could remember the exact date with normal human memory.

She must have sensed my presence too, because she turned her head. The moment our eyes met, she froze completely. Her eyes widened like she'd seen a ghost. She looked so startled she nearly dropped what she was holding.

She glanced around frantically, then strode right up to me and whispered in a low voice.

"You... did you come here knowing I'd be here?"

Her voice trembled slightly at the end. Her eyes were filled with clear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suspicion. It made sense. This shop wasn't easy to find. And the fact that I'd shown up while she was here was definitely suspicious.

Unfortunately for her, it was a misunderstanding.

"...What are you talking about?"

"You didn't? Then how did you find this place?"

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was just walking around and happened to come across it. Aren't you the one who's been following me?"

I slipped both hands into my pockets and looked down at her with an innocent, shameless expression. Kim Soyeon sucked in a sharp breath, clearly fed up.

"Me? Following you?"

"If not, then never mind."

"I was here first!"

"Oh, is that so?"

She glared at me with an incredulous look. Seeing her try to look intimidating brought back memories of yesterday, her rolling around with her face buried in Neukgu's belly at my place. No matter how scary she tried to look, to me she was just a cat hissing.

"I only came to see if I could pick up some mana amplification gear, so don't misunderstand."

"Amplification gear?"

"Yeah. But when I saw the prices, it was way too expensive, so I was about to leave."

I shrugged with exaggerated disappointment and let out a sigh. Kim Soyeon kept watching me with that meaningful gaze, but since she had no real grounds to argue, she simply let out a short sigh.

"By the way."

"...?"

"Why are you speaking so casually to me?"

"I know your age."

"..."

"You're twenty."

"...Petty."

Kim Soyeon pouted and looked away.

"Now that I think about it, treating me like a stalker is pretty rude."

"...But..."

"Do you even know what kind of situation you've put me in?"

"...!"

"Haven't you seen the gallery? Or the news? Really nothing to say to me?"

"..."

Kim Soyeon didn't answer. Or rather, she couldn't. Her expression said everything. Of course she'd seen it. Of course she knew. There was no way she wouldn't know about a scandal she was involved in.

I tilted my head sideways and stared at her.

"You're going to pretend you don't know? How much they're badmouthing me in the Kim Soyeon gallery? What kind of actions they're taking right now? You really don't know?"

"......"

"That those fanatics are still wandering around my officetel looking for me even at this hour? That they've even posted death threats saying they'll kill me?"

Kim Soyeon's eyes lost focus and wavered. Embarrassment and deep guilt were written all over her face.

"...I'm sorry. I didn't think it would turn out like this."

"I figured."

"That's why I said I'd compensate you."

"You did."

"..."

"But that doesn't feel like enough. Back then I hadn't seen the gallery reactions yet."

Kim Soyeon's shoulders twitched.

"So."

I stared directly at her and pointed at the display case. Then I tapped my finger against the exact seventy-million-won mana amplification ring.

"Buy me this."

"...Huh?"

"Buy it for me. The famous Kim Soyeon should have no problem affording this much, right?"

"...You're talking about my money like it's already yours."

"Aigo, tomorrow I'm going to get dragged away by those people and have my intestines used as a jump rope! Aigo, what am I going to do?"

Kim Soyeon stared at me with wide eyes. But after a moment, she let out a deep sigh of resignation and pulled a card from her wallet.

"Please ring this up."

She spoke in a curt voice, telling the owner to process the payment. Only then did I break into a winner's smile and exhale through my nose.

Hmm. Should've done that from the start.

Kim Soyeon handed me the ring. I immediately slipped it onto my left hand and held it up, turning it this way and that.

"Whoa, it's expensive, so even the shine is nice."

"...We're good now, right?"

"Yep. I'll be taking that bag and the ring you promised me too."

"...Petty anchovy."

"Yep. Still taking it though."

"Leech."

"Yep. Still taking it~"

"...I hope ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you grow old and die alone."

...This girl. That's a bit too harsh, don't you think?

When I glared at her in disbelief, she turned her head away as if sulking. She kept muttering under her breath about how dissatisfied she was.

'...Now's the time.'

I slowly approached her and brought my mouth close to her ear. Then I spoke in an extremely quiet voice.

"It's still better than a certain someone who walks around without panties."

"?!?!?!"

Leaving behind Kim Soyeon, who was so shocked she sucked in a sharp breath, I turned around and walked out. I could hear her saying something behind me, but I remained completely indifferent all the way out of the store.

And I thought to myself: I won.