Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Tree in the Forest
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‘What the hell? Why are so many flies buzzing around me?’
There had only been one tail when I entered the weapon shop, but by the time I came out, they’d started multiplying one by one. Now, somehow, there were over ten of these damn flies sticking to me.
What’s going on? There’s no evidence pointing to me at all. So why the hell are there so many?
Where did they get the scent from?
‘What the fuck is happening? This is driving me insane.’
Because of these pursuers suddenly multiplying, while hanging out with Ayoung and cautiously searching the internet about the incident, I stumbled upon chatter about the mysterious S-rank Awakener known as the Golden Knight.
I thought I’d slipped away without being noticed, but my presence had been caught on the drones, cameras, and black boxes set up on the battlefield.
‘Damn it! How am I only finding out about this now!’
On top of that, the aftermath was huge—the skill from the Pa-hwang Cheon Sword Style, Chapter 1: Earth Star Flash, had obviously been captured on video. That footage of the mysterious S-rank Awakener, the Golden Knight, taking down the S-rank demon Jeong Min-su in one blow had set the world abuzz.
As a result, the Association, guilds, and scavengers were all throwing everything they had into hunting down his identity, and they were conducting high-intensity investigations on the guilds that participated in the subjugation.
‘I was too complacent.’
This whole mess came down to me overestimating my own handling of things.
All I’d ever done was work as a staffer, and I’d underestimated how guilds operated too.
Anyway, now that I’d realized my mistake, it was time to fix it.
‘Now what? Sigh… At least my status hasn’t been exposed… The problem is…’
[‘Golden Guardian Beast Armor’ has blocked an unknown target’s ‘Detection Magic.’]
[‘Golden Guardian Beast Armor’ has blocked an unknown target’s ‘Clairvoyance Magic.’]
[‘Golden Guardian Beast Armor’ has blocked an unknown target’s ‘Ability Measurement Magic.’]
[‘Golden Guardian Beast Armor’ has blocked an unknown target’s ‘Detection Technique.’]
These goddamn pursuers, trying to sneakily probe me—they’d piled on a mountain of spells like this.
If it was just one guy, I could ignore it, but they were all jabbing away with their own tricks, pissing me off to no end.
Do these bastards know something?
‘No, have they got a hunch about me? Nah, if they were sure, they wouldn’t be poking around like this.’
If they had solid proof, someone would’ve made contact by now instead of just prodding.
No one would let an S-rank Awakener who appeared out of nowhere like a comet slip through their fingers.
And one more stroke of luck: the game of chicken between the ones chasing me.
‘First things first, I need to clear up this misunderstanding that isn’t really a misunderstanding.’
The biggest reason they suspected me was that I’d blocked all their detection spells.
How could a mere staffer have magic-blocking abilities or gear? I had to address that first to shake off the suspicion.
‘Let’s see. How do I pull this off?’
My head started throbbing like I’d been handed a pop quiz out of nowhere. But if I didn’t sort this out, those Golden Knight hunters would keep closing in on me.
I couldn’t just wipe out all the pursuers either, so I needed to show proof that I wasn’t the Golden Knight.
‘As if that’s easy. Damn it!’
Quashing a suspicion once it takes root is incredibly tough.
People have a tendency to cling to what they already believe.
Anyway, to untangle this knotted mess, I couldn’t rush it.
I had to unravel it thread by thread, nice and slow.
‘First up: explain why my info’s blocked. Not my gear—make it some external factor.’
Until I fixed that, no amount of chaos would help.
But no matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing came to mind.
It was a suspicion I couldn’t escape no matter what.
Gear, skills, curses—whatever angle I took, as long as I had it, there was no way out.
‘Damn, even blaming it on gear is weird. A lowly staffer with magic resistance equipment?’
Was there no way? If the suspicion grew any more, they’d uncover that I was the damn Golden Knight.
Even trying to sync an alibi on my phone now—these trackers around me might spot it.
‘No way out?’
Worst-case scenario. Should I just ditch Seoul and go ghost? The thought crossed my mind, but that’d basically scream that I was the Golden Knight.
Getting outed as an S-rank Awakener would make life hell.
I didn’t want to cut ties with civilization either, and they wouldn’t buy a sudden disappearance—they’d come swarming from everywhere.
‘They wouldn’t just let a walking nuke wander free…’
To avoid that, I had to wring my brain dry, but all I got was cold sweat. No eureka moment.
There was one slim hope… but it depended entirely on the other side handling it well, not me. Still, right now, it was my only option.
“Whew~”
I took a deep breath and arrived at the Baekya Guild entrance, going through the procedures.
Regular guilds don’t keep banker’s hours, so the building lights were still on. Guild masters have tons of work even without dungeon runs, so most stick around late.
I headed straight to the guild master’s office to meet Ayoung’s mom.
“What brings you here so suddenly at this hour?”
“……”
“…I see. Our guild always has standard security plus anti-magic resistance and blocking spells up, so speak freely.”
“Phewww! What a relief.”
It’s great to have someone who gets it without me saying a word.
Anyway, to resolve this mess, I needed backup from someone who understood my situation.
Of course, if I’d never taken this damn staff job, none of this would’ve happened—but that’s beside the point!
“So, what’s up? Golden Knight-sama, the new S-rank Awakener?”
“No, please don’t.”
“Your efforts to stay low-key clash hilariously with that flashy real look. Gilgamesh? Heh.”
Correction.
Even someone who gets it without words isn’t all that great.
She was teasing me perfectly—she’d probably pieced together my identity the moment I walked in.
Gilgamesh, huh? Must be some golden-armored character.
Not the time to dwell on that.
“Why not reveal it yourself when it was bound to come out? Lying feels kinda harsh, don’t you think?”
“Sigh~ Anyway, you know I need help, right?”
“Of course. I don’t want to lose my golden goose either, so I’ll help.”
“That’s the goose that lays golden eggs.”
Her teasing skills rival Ayoung’s—like mother, like daughter.
Anyway, since stepping up caused this, she had to help clean up the suspicion pinned on me.
“Suspicion’s looped all the way to me. A trainer staffer jumping into the subjugation team as a temp? Kinda shady… Any way to fix this? I can’t handle it alone.”
“Why not register as a proper Hunter and debut? Oh great Golden Saint of the Zodiac, you’ve got the combat chops—taking down an S-rank demon proves it.”
“Thanks, but no. I’ve said it a million times: I just want to live quietly and moderately. Keep pushing nonsense and refusing to help, and I’ll bail on Seoul.”
If she planned to preach about Hunter duty or whatever, I was out.
Why should I follow their forced hero or Hunter mold?
I didn’t choose this awakening—they shoved it on me overnight!
“Whew~ Fine. I’ll back off before crossing the line. Anyway, Golden Hercules stag beetle? Mind if I ask how the suspicion snowballed?”
Should I just bolt from Seoul? Tempting, but I’d end up vagabonding unprepared. I held back.
Then I explained the situation to figure out how to shed the suspicion.
“So, that golden armor worked too well. Why not take it off normally?”
“Then my status would show up on detections.”
They’d freak even more.
“Ah, right. Anyway, if the magic blocking fueled the suspicion, luckily I can handle it.”
“How?”
“We’ll say I cast it. Forgot about me? I’m a full A-rank Hunter—Judgment Eyes, specialized in dungeon scouting, detection, and intel gathering. Blocking spells are in my wheelhouse.”
Oh? Perfect! If the guild master gave me the spell or gear, nothing suspicious there.
Just needed a logical reason why, and I could shake these tails.
“That part we can fill in. Hmm~ What’s your class again?”
“Not set in stone, but think knight-type. Frontline melee.”
The Path of the Great Knight (SSS) skill I got on awakening points to knight, but no fixed class.
Come to think of it, weird.
Everyone else has a class—why not me?
No time to ponder now, so I stuck to my role.
“Hmm… Ever hear ‘hide a tree in the forest, a stone by the riverbank’?”
“Vaguely, yeah. Why?”
“From today, you’re our guild’s official Golden Knight tracker.”
“…Pardon?”
My jaw dropped.
Me, the damn Golden Knight, tracking myself? What?
But a quick think, and her intent clicked.
“Aha! That’s genius!”
“We were just talking about the Golden Knight in the guild, so I volunteered to look into it. You’re under suspicion for joining the subjugation, after all. Though the truth’s right here.”
“Brilliant. ‘Hide the tree in the forest’—I get it now.”
The Golden Knight hunting the Golden Knight?
Tell that to normals, and they’d call it nonsense, cock their heads, or say it’s insane.
But me, Yoo Seongwon? I don’t want to get swept up in this dog-eat-dog world—I just want to coast by. So I gladly take on this time-wasting, crazy-sounding gig.