Chapter 8
Been hearing "demon this, demon that" for a while, thought the rare species rumors were BS, but it's real.
Stealth classes are a nightmare to find, right?
For real, how'd they even locate them?
They were already both out cold before the hunters even spotted them.
For real?
Like the OP says, word is the demon handled it.
The demon took care of them.
Aren't demons supposed to be super weak?
This one's basically human-level.
Wtf does "basically human" even mean?
Holy crap x4
Even top dog Han Yeon Guild was poking around investigating it.
Probably heading to the bureau for their own probe. Han Yeon Guildmaster won't stand for this—bet they'll try to snag her for their guild.
I blinked. Come to think of it, the Department Head had mentioned that hunters from a government-backed guild might come looking. Han Yeon Guild, huh. The name didn't ring any special bells.
I checked the next post.
Demon passive traits.
Lots of folks don't know 'cause they're rare—basic demon features.
Posts from Yongsan-gu witnesses match this.
Ugh.
Saw this punk before.
Hunter rating.
This idiot mouthed off to the demon and got wrecked instantly.
Demons are a pretty race by nature, no?
But this one's on another level, hunters say.
Other races: if pretty, they're pretty.
Hers is next-level.
Need someone who's seen her up close.
Looks super young.
Gasp.
Baby... lolololol
Hold your breath for a week pls.
I scrolled down and paused at the comments calling me pretty.
I showed it to Book.
"See?"
"They say I'm pretty. On another level."
"Hehehe."
I slapped my hand on my hip, straightened my shoulders, and lifted my chin. The corner of my mouth twitched.
"Heh heh."
"Heh heh heh heh."
I glanced at Book.
"Book, aren't you tired of that jealousy yet? You gotta accept facts sometimes."
"Jealousy and acknowledgment are different things."
I stood there for a while, chin held high. I pictured the hunters who'd given that evaluation. And Shin Chae-ah's reaction when I'd talked to her.
"Wait, if I'm so pretty, why won't anyone be friends with me?"
"Quiet. The otherworldly beauty is thinking."
I sank deep into thought.
"Are they too intimidated by my beauty to approach?"
I shook my head.
"Even this level of beauty has its downsides sometimes."
I perched on a chair and stared at the floor for a bit.
"Book, I just had a great idea."
"I'll make the first move."
"I'll aggressively leverage this beauty to close in."
I mimed swinging an invisible sword through the air.
"Bribe 'em a little with gifts to seal the friendship deal, then layer on the charm. Perfect plan. Right?"
I blinked.
"I don't do weird stuff normally, so I'll succeed right away."
I stared into Book's eye. It stared back. I raised my fist.
Book recoiled in panic. Must be fresh memories of getting hit.
"Your eye just rubbed me the wrong way."
I stepped in front of the full-length mirror against the wall. My horns protruded clearly from my forehead, and long white hair cascaded to my waist.
"Maybe... a cuter style?"
I beckoned Book with a finger.
"Pull up the beauty page."
Book's pages flipped. A list of hairstyles I'd recorded ages ago. I skimmed them and picked a familiar one: twintails. Pigtails.
"Change to this, please." I pointed at the twintails with my finger, and Book closed its pages. A comb etched itself into the air, along with horn-shaped hair ties. I closed my eyes like a high official receiving service, as the comb groomed my hair. I felt the ties cinch tight.
The horns were inseparable from me, so nothing to be done.
"Yeah. Looks good."
As always, I tucked Book into my bosom and headed for the bureau.
But today, the bureau was unusually noisy. At the entrance, where uniformed hunters stood guard sternly, a crowd had gathered and was buzzing.
Eavesdropping on conversations, it seemed awakened folks were grilling bureau hunters. Probably drawn by the Black Magic Cartel breach now that it was daylight. There'd been a small crowd right after it hit the mass media yesterday, but they'd shooed away reporters and officials after brief answers.
I spotted aspiring bureau hunters seizing the chance to chat up the rare high-rankers.
"Do you do interviews or anything!? Any tips?"
"Uh, y-yeah... well..."
"Is fieldwork super intense...?"
"If you diligently build your mana..."
I glanced over, then up at the second floor of the bureau building. The outer wall I'd smashed yesterday was under repair. Massive magic engineering equipment caught the eye.
No helping attracting attention like this.
Shifting my gaze, I spotted a woman chatting with some people. Black hair, crisp suit. A Han Yeon Guild emblem gleamed on her clothes. A few from other guilds were talking to her.
"Thanks to Raid Leader Cha Do-hee's support, our supply levels are top-notch. Truly grateful."
"Those were limited-edition supplies infused with magic engineering builds. We manufacture them ourselves and sell to government hunters and guilds like yours... but maybe we're pricing too low. Time for a markup, especially for other guilds."
"Th-that... haha."
The hunter bowed obsequiously, eyeing her warily. I tilted my head.
Han Yeon Guild. I vaguely recalled they were a powerhouse directly tied to the government, number one in monster subjugation and city security.
Cha Do-hee must be a big shot there. I lost interest and looked away.
Anyway, tons of people. I took a deep breath and slipped right into the thickest cluster, where questions were flying hot and heavy.
A brief silence.
"Hi there."
Eyes met mine.
"Waaah!"
"Y-you scared us...!"
I blinked. People freaked out and started murmuring among themselves.
"Everyone back up!"
"Hang on, calm down."
"Th-that's... that demon, right...?"
"Wh-whoa, for real...!?"
I blinked again. The buzz grew louder. Bureau hunters rushed over, urging the crowd to disperse. Chaos erupted as people scattered.
While watching, a bureau hunter approached me.
"Miss Lee Seo-ah, if you stay here, it's, uh... a bit... Shall we head inside?"
"It's crowded and fun here."
"Ah, haha... still..."
Then, a low voice.
"Hold."
I turned. Black hair fluttered. It was Cha Do-hee.
"You're the demon?"
Cha Do-hee stared steadily, then stepped closer. I greeted her.
"Yes. Hi."
Cha Do-hee eyed me up and down, appraising. Time to get aggressive.
I reached for her stiff suit. She impassively wrapped it in mana. I pierced through and grabbed the fabric, yanking her toward me.
The suit stretched. Her body lurched forward for a split second. I let go. Cha Do-hee looked dumbfounded.
"...What."
I tilted my head. She stared at me.
"My mana... pierced by a demon...?"
Cha Do-hee gazed at me blankly. I blinked, then spoke.
"The fabric's kinda cheap-feeling."
Cha Do-hee stared seriously. Then the fidgety bureau hunter spoke up again.
"Alright, Miss Lee Seo-ah. Let's go inside. Hunter Shin Chae-ah is waiting."
"Oh, sure."
I nodded. The bystanders had already cleared out. As I followed the hunter inside, I heard Cha Do-hee's low voice behind me, like she was on a call.
"Yes, it's me. We need to accelerate the plan. Right now..."
I tilted my head, then followed the hunter into the bureau.