Chapter 8

"..."

Having confirmed the names engraved on the ranking board, Seoa lowered her status window and turned her gaze to the people in the room. Every staff member in the conference room held their breath at that single motion.

"Sh-should we... Chairwoman Lee Seoa, shall we attempt a trace using the Association's resources?"

"You mean Hunter Kim Doha?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

At the staff member's tentative reply, Seoa sighed. "This is a hunter who has never once shown her face in public. Either a brand-new registrant, or someone who's been operating unregistered all this time."

"Th-that's correct..."

"There are already dozens of hunters registered under the name Kim Doha. And if she's unregistered — how exactly do you plan to track a person whose only verifiable trace is clearing Floor 0 of the Tower?"

"...I wasn't thinking it through."

"Then please continue your report."

The staff member tapped at their console, and a man's face appeared on the screen.

A man with a square jaw and fiercely narrowed eyes.

"Of the five who've gone missing, he is the one we must watch most carefully."

"On what grounds?"

"If you'll look at the photograph we obtained—"

A photo of Park Cheolmin's bare forearm filled the screen, zooming in. A dragon tattoo coiling up the thick, muscled arm. A pattern Seoa knew all too well.

"The Cheongryong Sect? Is Park Cheolmin tangled up with them?"

"He is. It doesn't appear to be formal membership, but the relationship looks like a fairly close collaborative arrangement."

Seoa recalled what she knew about the Garibong-dong Cheongryong Sect. A gang of foreign-national Awakened who had pooled their strength in the chaos after the Tower appeared and public order collapsed. Fed by resources flowing out of cleared gates, they had grown into a sizable organization propping up a whole corner of the underworld.

They gnawed away at everything south of the Han River, where administrative power barely reached — but for the Hunter Association, whose first priority was keeping the Tower and the gates from collapsing, provoking them was out of the question. Touch them, and a hole opens in the gate defense line. Pull manpower to plug it, and the Northern Wall begins to wobble.

Whew... if it weren't for the gates, we could have swept them away ages ago...

Seoa regarded the thugs who wielded their petty power against ordinary citizens with open distaste.

"The reason I brought up tracing him is the Cheongryong Sect... If Hunter Kim Doha really is the culprit behind the current disappearances, then they'll already be hunting for her too."

Arms crossed, her expression turned grave. "Then we should secure her first and place her under protection."

"Then shall we begin the trace—"

Thwack—

Seoa brought her palm down lightly on the desk, and the conference room's glass rattled.

"And you intend to recruit her through coercion like that?"

"Th-then what would you have us do...?"

"She cleared Floor 0, so she'll register as an Awakened before long. At that point, we explain the situation and make her an offer."

If they laid out the danger she was in, Kim Doha would place herself under the Association's protection of her own accord. Having her walk in through the front door left no loose ends. The Association's upper echelons accepted Seoa's confident argument.

"Boss...? We went through every scrap of CCTV footage and we still can't pin anything down?"

SMACK—

"Yowch! Why do you keep hitting me?!"

"You call yourself a mage and you lean on modern gadgets? Use that precious black magic of yours and actually find something."

"I can't exactly attempt a trace without so much as a lead, can I?!"

"Fuck's sake, you've got no grit at all. Not a single person passed by? Late as it was, something should've been caught on camera!"

The man draped in a robe spent a good while fleeing the incoming fists. Only after two chairs had been smashed to pieces did the giant's barrage stop.

"There WAS footage! Take a look!"

"What? Play it, then."

"On the condition that you don't say anything to me after you watch it..."

The giant stared for a long moment at the footage the black mage had pulled up.

The grainy video showed Doha creeping down the street, pressed close to the wall, warily scanning her surroundings. A hood and mask hid her face, but her slight build and the long silver hair sticking out at odd angles just barely gave away her gender.

SMACK—

"AAAGH! Seriously! What NOW?!"

"Damn it! Is this a joke?! What's some little girl supposed to do?!"

"She's the only person who passed through this area at that hour, so why are you taking it out on me?!"

"You think that build looks like a grown adult? Charitably speaking, that's a middle schooler."

"Which is exactly why I said there were no suspects..."

"Ugh..."

The giant sank into a chair and mulled things over for a bit.

He'd bent over backwards to bring Park Cheolmin — a genuinely rare B-Rank tanker — into the Cheongryong Sect. Just thinking about the magic stones he'd already handed over made his head start to ache.

We have to find those magic stones somehow... but she vaporized them without so much as a corpse left behind. Unbelievable...

While the giant was lost in thought, the black mage, still staring at the screen, shot to his feet with a cry.

"Oh? Wait a second?"

"What? You dug up something new?"

"Boss, you know Go Jurang, right?"

At the black mage's words, the giant thought of the woman whose name was always the first out of anyone's mouth whenever the strongest ranged Awakened came up.

"That lunatic who claims she's a descendant of Jumong?"

"Didn't she Awaken in middle school and hit S-Rank?!"

"Yeah, so? I feel a wall every time I look at her. How is some kid who hasn't even finished growing that strong? Damn it, if I'd rolled a decent skill, I'd be living the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high life too. Life's all luck, I'm telling you~"

Watching the giant pour out laments about his existence, the black mage felt his chest tighten with frustration.

"Boss... think it through. Every Association-affiliated A-Rank and above got pulled up to the Northern Wall around that time of night, didn't they?"

"So?"

The giant leaned back in his chair, rocking idly, answering without really listening.

"Then who does that make the Awakened who took down Cheolmin?"

"Hmm... someone not with the Association, obviously?"

The black mage choked at the sight of the man missing the point entirely.

Why is this guy so dense? Even if he Awakened a great skill, he'd never show half its potential!

He wanted to smack that blissfully empty head, but in a room this small, a fight would only end in his defeat, so he let it go.

"...And if it were an Awakened from the underworld, we'd know about them one way or another, wouldn't we?"

"True... Don't tell me you're about to say that little girl is some high-grade Awakened who only just Awakened?"

The black mage clapped once at the giant's words.

"Exactly that! How about we try recruiting the girl instead of Cheolmin?"

SMACK—

The giant smacked the black mage across the head for that one.

"Damn it, say something that makes sense. You think a case like Go Jurang grows on trees? In five years, fewer than ten people have Awakened as S-Rank in all of Korea, you idiot!"

"Ow! Then do YOU have a better guess, Boss?"

The black mage rubbed his head and stood his ground.

"She's the only person who passed by Cheolmin at that hour! Even just attempting a trace will turn something up!"

"Hmm... maybe you've got a point..."

The giant chewed over the black mage's words.

Shake the girl down for information and get the magic stones back — break-even. But what if the girl really was S-Rank?

She'd still be young, freshly Awakened... if the two of us go together, we could subdue her easily... kidnap her and raise her a little, maybe?

Train a promising young Awakened... fold her successfully into the organization, and conquering the underworld would become no difficult task at all.

Having finished his deliberation, the man patted the black mage on the back.

"That's our Cheongryong Sect brain for you. Always counted on you."

"You were hammering that brain's skull not five minutes ago! I think half the brain cells died!?"

"Heh. Just a rough display of affection. So — how does our dear brain plan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to trace the girl?"

"Well, we know her face and we've narrowed down the area. Easy."

The black mage drew out a staff crowned with a skull and stroked it.

Woooo—

Wraiths gathered around him, letting out a keening wail. A chill crept through the room at the black mage's display of power.

"Search area: XX District. Find this target's location and report back."

Whooo—!

The instant the words left his mouth, the wraiths shot out of the hideout.

In the living room of Doha's home, Fenrir was enjoying his afternoon nap.

Vmmm—

The jewel he carried within him sensed an ominous presence and began to stir. The low vibration resonating from deep in his chest cracked his eyes open.

Grrrll—

Fenrir rose at once and began scanning the world outside.

Oooo—

Through the window, wraiths wheeling across the sky entered Fenrir's sight.

Wraithcraft that no one below a high-grade mage would ever detect. But the power of the jewel that ruled the space around its master's dwelling could not be deceived.

Fenrir tore open a rift in the empty air and thrust his jaws inside.

CHOMP—

In a single instant, the wraiths drifting across the sky found themselves caught in Fenrir's teeth.

Whoo—!

The scattered scraps of wraith thrashed and scrambled to flee—

CRUNCH—

—and through the rift pried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠open by the jewel's power, every last fragment was sucked in, nothing left behind.

Fenrir rose high into the sky above his nest, scouring everything from the rooftops to beneath the earth for any further suspicious movement. A landscape where the roofs, the alleys, and the utility poles were all flattened down to the size of his palm.

Grrrr—

Having confirmed that no suspicious beings remained, he returned to the living room.

"Oh? Daengdaengi, you're up? You could use a wash too, you know."

Lick—

"Eek! I-I just washed...!"

Fresh from her own bath, Doha had no choice but to scrub her face all over again at the enthusiasm of the dog's tongue.

"Boss...? The wraiths just... vanished?"

"Does that even make sense?!"

"They evaporated whole before the signal could come back... not a trace left."

SMACK—

"Yaaagh! Must be a mage-type Awakened, then..."

"Erasing your wraiths wholesale... they must be pretty skilled, huh?"

"What do we do?"

"Simple."

The giant grabbed his sword, seized the black mage by the robe, and dragged him out of the hideout.

"Wh-where are we going?! Brief me at least before you haul me somewhere!"

"We go catch her ourselves. A mage-type who could be the next S-Rank? We recruit her, no question."

"Wha— you mean stage an ambush? In that neighborhood?"

"Well, talent like that is worth the trouble, isn't it?"

"Mmmh... true enough, but still..."

"C'mon, mage-type or not, she's still a greenhorn hunter. You and me as a combo? Easy takedown."

The black mage quietly sized up their odds.

A frame that hadn't even finished growing — clearly a rookie Awakened. Against that, two veteran hunters who'd survived everything the underworld could throw at them. A B-Rank black mage and an A-Rank warrior — with a surprise attack, they could subdue her in a single stroke.

"...Well, if only it goes that smoothly."

The two of them left the Gwanaksan Gate where their hideout lay hidden and set off for Doha's neighborhood.

Around that time, Doha was buried in Daengdaengi's soft fur, scrolling the Gallery.

Hmm... do I climb straight to Floor 1, or build up my specs at gates first...?

She'd ducked into the Gallery meaning to look up a growth guide for rookie hunters — and a conspicuous post caught her eye.

Whoa... are the Awakened about to go to war with each other...?

Public safety being in shambles was one thing, but hearing that factions had begun fighting over turf made her curl inward all on her own. Doha burrowed deeper into Daengdaengi's fur.

"Nnngh... thank god you're here, Daengdaengi..."

She resolved that from now on, every trip to the Tower or a gate would happen exclusively via Daengdaengi's teleportation.

I should put off registering with the Hunter Association a while longer, too... Daengdaengi eats all the magic stones anyway, so there's no need to sell them...

Apart from magic-stone runs, she decided not to set foot outside the house for the foreseeable future.

"How many magic stones are left for Daengdaengi to eat...?"

Doha checked the stones she'd stored away in one corner of a drawer.

When she slid it open, the lumps clinked against one another. Thanks to hauling in all those spiders, there was enough piled up to last two weeks.

Hmm... they do say prevention is better than cure, right? Daengdaengi could suddenly get hurt and be unable to fight, so I should stockpile a bit more...

Closing the drawer again, Doha pulled up her status window.

Taming a second monster means I need to enter the Tower or a gate, right...?

Doha looked over at Daengdaengi, curled up into a round ball.

Wolves were pack animals by nature. Digging up what she'd read before — Daengdaengi, too, would once have had dozens of brothers and sisters.

Days spent tumbling and roughhousing across an endless plain. Now Daengdaengi was the only one left of that pack, curled up alone in a strange land.

I can't leave Daengdaengi lonely!

Doha quickly opened the Gallery to pick out her next hunting ground.

Wait...? I'm Level 3, though...?

Doha had hit Level 3 the very moment she cleared Floor 0. By the author's logic, she was in a position to bulldoze Floors 1 through 10 with specs to spare.

It had been her first time ever entering a dungeon, though — so how? The answer came to her before long.

So that was why...?

It had to be the hidden dungeon her skill had uncovered. That had to be it.

Wow, that's pure profit...! I'm digging through every corner of the next floor too!

Doha moved to head straight for Floor 1 — then realized one small problem.

Ah... the Tower has a waiting period between floors...

As far as she knew, the wait was three days per floor. She'd gone to Floor 0 yesterday, which meant she still had two whole days left to sit through.

"Hmm..."

Doha mentally reviewed the monsters she'd seen in the Tower.

The snarling goblin mob, clubs in hand and drooling. The ravenous giant spiders that had come pouring out of the darkness itself.

Not every monster I run into is going to be as docile as Daengdaengi...

Wanting to meet as many different monsters as possible before going back to the Tower, she decided to run a gate as well, and pulled up a post she'd saved ages ago.

I saved this for a day exactly like this...!

It was a post she'd bookmarked back in her early Gallery days, back when she still couldn't quite let go of her dream of being a hunter. It's from four years ago... but well, it's not like the gates are going anywhere.

Having picked out the most approachable-looking of the listed gates, Doha rose from within the fur.

She held the gate coordinates displayed on her status window right up to Daengdaengi's nose.

"Daengdaengi, can you take me here?"

Grrrr—!

At Doha's instruction, Daengdaengi skipped across space.

"Daengdaengi, thanks for the hard work!"

Grrr—

Teleportation complete, Doha gave Daengdaengi's head a good rub.

Whoooosh—

Before her stretched a forest thick with trees. The smell of grass for the first time in ages, and the thought that she might just tame a brand-new monster — Doha's heart swelled with anticipation.

"So this is... the Gwanaksan Gate?"

The place Doha had chosen was the Gwanaksan Gate — the very gate where the Cheongryong Sect's hideout lay hidden.