Chapter 219: Association Investigation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: Association Investigation
When the elevator doors opened, I saw a familiar back.
“Oh?! Hyun-woo!”
Before I could even wonder who it was, a Minotaur-kin woman standing nearby waved her hand cheerfully and approached me.
She was quite tall for a woman, with cow ears sprouting from the sides of her head and a pair of cute horns on top.
“…Hayan?”
It was Lee Hayan, who had been in the same party during the demon worshipper incident.
I’d heard she’d taken a direct hit of cursed demonic energy and wouldn’t be conscious for a while.
Lee Hayan came right up to me and grabbed my hand, a bright smile spreading across her lips.
“Thank you!”
“Pardon?”
“I heard everything from Yujun-oppa. He said you gave me first aid, right?”
Lee Hayan’s eyes began to sparkle.
“I was half-unconscious and had collapsed, but at some point, I started to feel at ease. Honestly, I thought I was a goner, but when I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital. The priest who was treating me said I would have died if the first aid had been even a little late… How can I ever repay this kindness…”
Her gaze was so intense it was almost burdensome.
Of course, it felt good, but Noel’s stare burning into the back of my head was just as sharp.
“Kindness? We were in a party, even if it was temporary. It was only natural to help.”
Still, I had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
This wasn’t the first or second time Noel had shown jealousy when I flirted with other women.
Besides, she only ever showed jealousy; she never actually objected to me meeting other women. You could say she just expected me to make up for it at night.
“I’m glad to see you’re safe.”
“Hyun-woo…”
I took her hand with my other one and looked at her.
She was definitely pretty, but she fell a little short compared to Noel and my master.
Of course, she was far prettier than your average celebrity.
On top of that, true to her Minotaur-kin nature, her breasts were enormous, and the app had guaranteed she was a virgin.
What man could possibly refuse a woman like that showing him such favor?
At least, I couldn’t.
“By any chance, your number…”
“A-ahem. Hyun-woo?”
My attempt to make a move was thwarted by a third party who cluelessly cut in.
With a cool expression and a mole under her eye, it was Song Minha, who had also been in the same party as Lee Hayan.
I had rescued her after she was kidnapped by demon worshippers during a scouting mission.
“Ah, Minha. I’m glad you’re safe. I was very worried.”
“…For someone who was worried, you didn’t seem to notice I was even here.”
“Haha, that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Just as Song Minha said, I had known she was there from the start.
How could I not, with my keen senses?
The reason I had focused on Lee Hayan was that she was a lower priority.
Of course, that didn’t mean Song Minha was ugly.
In fact, someone who liked the “cool beauty” type would probably prefer Song Minha over Lee Hayan.
She even had a great figure and was skilled enough to be a B-rank Ranger at a young age.
Anyone could see she was an attractive woman, but unfortunately, she wasn’t a virgin.
Well, I guess that’s to be expected.
A virgin in this day and age?
If anything, Lee Hayan was the strange one. How could she still be a virgin with that face and those breasts?
It was obvious she’d been raised with great care.
In any case, I had too many women around me to bother making a move on a non-virgin like Song Minha.
She wasn’t as pretty as Noel, either.
“If you’re thinking of taking Hayan as a concubine, you have to let me know, okay? I’m her only friend, so if it’s not me, there’s no one else to be her bridesmaid.”
“M-Minha?!”
“What? The way Hyun-woo was looking at you, his eyes were practically dripping with honey.”
Song Minha was clearly annoyed that I’d only paid attention to Lee Hayan, her tone sharp as she showed her displeasure.
Seeing that was kind of cute, but a non-virgin is a bit…
To be honest, I didn’t used to care whether a woman was a virgin or not. Would a man who’s starved for a week throw away a piece of bread just because it’s a little past its expiration date?
But now, my situation was so plentiful that I could take one bite of a chicken leg and toss it.
‘Should I ask for Lee Hayan’s number later when she’s alone?’
Of course, I might change my mind.
Truthfully, aside from the merit of her being a virgin, going to a hotel with Noel was several times better.
Besides, I’d slept with the Tower Lord not long ago.
I still didn’t know why she did it, but judging by her reaction, I figured I wouldn’t have to wait until next week. I could probably go to her workshop tomorrow and have sex with her.
Choi Hyena has been busy lately, so I haven’t seen her much, but I sent her a text, so we should be able to meet soon, right?
Anyway, the bottom line was that I wasn’t hurting for women, even without going to another world.
Of course, I might just be counting my chickens before they hatch.
It’s not like she’d offer up her virginity just because I saved her life once. Besides, she was half-unconscious at the time.
If I had appeared dramatically in a moment of crisis like a prince from a fairy tale, then maybe it would be a different story.
“Hyun-woo, I’m sorry to interrupt your chat, but it’s time for your interview.”
Assistant Manager Song Yukyung glanced at her watch.
It hadn’t even been ten minutes.
‘Right.’
An assistant manager in the Surveillance Department wouldn’t be sitting around idly.
Unlike me, who would go home after the investigation, she probably had a mountain of work waiting for her.
“Hayan, Minha. I’m afraid I have to go now.”
“Ah…”
Lee Hayan’s expression was one of blatant disappointment. Song Minha was similar, though she didn’t show it as openly.
They said they had arrived before me and had already finished their interviews.
But one of them was kidnapped from the start, and the other was unconscious from the start. Was there really anything for them to be questioned about?
“Hyun-woo.”
While I was lost in thought, Song Minha approached me.
She stared at me intently, then bowed her head.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“I heard from an Association employee. The gate was closing earlier than expected because of the demon worshippers. If it weren’t for you, I would have disappeared along with that gate, trapped in that prison.”
“That’s only natural for a party…”
“No. It wasn’t an official party, and it’s rare for someone to go to such lengths for a hastily formed party member.”
I knew what Song Minha was talking about.
Criminal acts committed by hunters inside gates—I’d heard about it on the news a few times.
On Earth, the Hunter Association and other superhumans acted as a deterrent, but that wasn’t the case inside a gate.
“If it weren’t for you, we would have died right then and there. Please, allow us to repay you.”
“Just say the word!”
Lee Hayan, who was standing beside her, bowed her head as well.
I gave an awkward smile.
If I had my way, I’d suggest a threesome, but today wasn’t the day.
“If you insist, could I have your contact information? I’ll let you know if I need anything in the future.”
“Yes!”
Unlike Lee Hayan, who answered with a bright smile, Song Minha hesitated, glancing at me before whispering softly.
“Um, is it okay if I contact you…?”
“Ah, m-me too!”
With her beast-kin hearing, Lee Hayan squeezed in between me and Song Minha.
Song Minha clicked her tongue softly. Didn’t she just say they were close friends?
“My replies might be a little slow. Is that okay?”
Both of them nodded their heads vigorously.
After getting their numbers, I followed Assistant Manager Song Yukyung into the investigation room.
*
The investigation took about an hour.
Fortunately, unlike at the church, no one gave me a hard time.
It was all just a simple exchange of questions and answers.
“By the way, I heard the Vatican is planning to make a major public announcement about this incident. Is that alright?”
To hide the fact that an Association employee was involved, the Association had offered me an artifact as compensation, while the other party members received money and various other benefits.
But if the Vatican went public with this, the situation would inevitably escalate, whether they liked it or not.
And that couldn’t be what the Association wanted.
Assistant Manager Song Yukyung answered calmly, as if she had expected the question.
“That matter has already been settled with the church. They said they would keep the involvement of an Association employee a secret.”
“…Is that really true?”
Those religious folk cooperated so readily?
As someone who had been hassled by a paladin dispatched from the Vatican, I found that hard to believe.
“There’s a high probability that the employee who fled is a demon worshipper. They also want to capture and interrogate the employee. They’re cooperating because a secret pursuit is better than drawing attention.”
As if understanding my reaction, Assistant Manager Song Yukyung continued her explanation matter-of-factly.
I see. So our interests aligned.
“Assistant Manager Song. May I ask one more thing?”
“Yes?”
There was one question that had been nagging at me.
“That employee who fled… is it someone I know?”
“…”
Assistant Manager Song Yukyung fell silent.
That was my answer.
“Is it Assistant Manager Cha Eunyoung?”
The employee from Gate Management Division 2 who had helped with Noel’s naturalization and guided us into that gate.
No matter how I thought about it, the timing was too coincidental.
Of all the countless gates, why did demon worshippers appear in the one I entered?
It wasn’t a coincidence.
Someone had pushed me in there.
Assistant Manager Song Yukyung, who had been tapping on the desk, let out a heavy sigh and nodded.
“You mentioned that the demon worshipper talked about a sacrifice. It seems they wanted a mage with high magic power as a sacrifice.”
Just as I thought.
It was only natural that a hunter, who possessed magic power, would be more valuable as a sacrifice than an ordinary person. And the value of a mage, who also had a mana circle, would be even higher.
“Hyun-woo.”
Tap.
As if to break my brief train of thought, Assistant Manager Song Yukyung placed a small box on the desk. It was designed to look like it contained something quite expensive.
When the box opened, a ring, carefully stored inside, was revealed.
“This is the compensation we mentioned earlier.”
Ting—
[Information on the newly acquired item is being collected.]
[Ring of Voltaris]
[Grade: Rare]
[A ring containing the lightning of the giant Voltaris.]
[Increases lightning affinity.]
[Enhances lightning attribute attacks.]
“Twelve years ago, an A-rank Gate Break occurred near Hamgyongnam-do Province.”
“…This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“It wasn’t disclosed to the public.”
I was slightly dumbfounded by Assistant Manager Song Yukyung’s nonchalant tone, as if she were just drinking a glass of water.
Do people usually admit to violating the International Hunter Treaty so brazenly?
“China, Japan, even the United States do it all the time. We all know, but we pretend not to.”
“I suppose so…”
News of a single Gate Break would crash not only the local real estate prices but also the domestic stock market and exchange rates.
With the economy already unstable due to magical beasts, the government would have wanted to hide it at all costs.
“This ring was crafted by processing the magic core of the giant Voltaris, one of the sub-bosses from that gate. It’s a rather well-made, high-quality item, but since hunters and mages who handle lightning are rare, it has been stored in the Association’s underground vault for a long time.”
So they were using this opportunity to clear out old inventory?
The intention was obvious, which was a little off-putting, but it didn’t matter since they hadn’t given me something useless.
I immediately put the ring on the middle finger of my right hand.
“Please tell the branch manager that I accept it with gratitude.”
There was no way they could offer something like this as compensation without that old man’s approval.
With that, I left the investigation room, leaving Assistant Manager Song Yukyung to see me out. After a short wait, Noel also finished her interview and came out.
“How was it?”
“Mm, it was pretty much the same as what they asked at the church. Other than that, they asked if I had any intention of joining a guild.”
“An Association employee asked that? Did they get a commission or something?”
Of course, whether they got a commission or not was none of my business.
But making a guild offer during an official investigation was crossing the line.
I wanted to raise hell, but since I was pleased with the ring I received as compensation, I decided to let it slide just this once.
For the record, Noel received 2 billion won and bonus points as compensation. The bonus points were for the A-rank promotion test.
“But is there any real benefit to becoming A-rank?”
“…I wonder.”
There were probably various benefits, but for Noel, who wasn’t from this world, there likely wouldn’t be anything of merit.
At best, a tax reduction?
If anything, in a wartime situation, A-rank hunters would be deployed to dangerous places, so it might be better for her to remain B-rank.
In any case, with our morning schedule finished, I headed to the amusement park with Noel, just as I had promised.