National Power-Class Psychic
"They're coming!"
It had only been a short while since the hunters had been deployed aboard the trade vessel.
Unidentified persons of interest had begun approaching Incheon Port.
Upon receiving the report, the elderly man stroked his beard and nodded.
Just as I was told.
Na Hwanil, Director of the Central Hunter Administration.
South Korea's oldest S-class Hunter, he was remarkably robust for a man in his seventies. His back was ramrod straight without the slightest stoop, and beneath his suit lay a solid chest and powerful thighs no formal wear could fully conceal.
And yet he never came across as merely fierce or rigid. The face behind his glasses radiated a flexible, keen intelligence — a presence both gentle and strong, much like the mana that rippled around him. Threatening enough on its own to split rock, yet coiling as if it could wrap around and trap an opponent at any moment.
The mere act of facing the Director head-on made the reporting officer swallow hard.
"How many? What's their armament?"
"Ah, well… currently we've identified about three hundred. Their gear varies — everything from full plate to police-issue reinforced combat suits, and even everyday clothes."
The Director paused.
"Everyday clothes?"
"Yes, sir."
The hunters stationed at Incheon Port were a legion of monsters in human form. Anything short of overwhelming force wouldn't so much as scratch their cordon. No matter how confident these people were in their abilities, their movements were far too unnatural for a rescue attempt on the Plant Queen.
Weren't they supposed to come at us in force?
The Director frowned and clasped his hands behind his back, and the reporting officer continued hesitantly.
"We've confirmed this with mana meters and skills. Some of them aren't even carrying swords — bare hands, or just a box cutter at most."
"What?"
"And that's not the only strange thing."
"Speak freely."
"The age range is quite diverse. From children to the elderly. Especially a lot of homeless people and mothers with kids."
"Ah."
Only then did the Director nod in understanding. This was information he had already heard. Since the Plant Queen's addiction skill was based on narcotics, it would have spread heavily among vulnerable populations and closed communities. Among mothers in particular, it had likely been quietly shared as a "drug that helps with mana awakening."
Both the information provider — the Deputy Director of the Incheon Branch — and the Central Narcotics Task Force had drawn the same conclusion.
"I should get the Incheon Branch Deputy Director's opinion first. She's with the extermination team, correct?"
"Yes. She's already been deployed to the Nordian. However, the Safety Guardian Purple Bunny is operating nearby. Shall I call her in?"
The prevailing theory was that this information had come from Purple Bunny. After all, Kang Jiye — who had seemed determined never to appoint a Safety Guardian in her lifetime — had suddenly changed her mind.
After a moment's thought, the Director replied.
"She's probably in the middle of dispelling mental skills. We shouldn't interfere with the operation. I'll head over myself."
The Director unclasped his hands and started walking, a dozen bodyguards falling in behind him.
"Is that the one?"
The Director pointed to a tall blond figure in a rabbit mask.
Whenever the tall figure laid a hand on the forehead of an infected person the hunters had rounded up, something like a phone flashlight would flash — and the infected person's head would droop forward.
Mana collision. He seemed to be personally engaging the heavily addicted one by one to dispel the skill.
Not bad at all.
A faint smile touched the Director's lips.
Most mental-type ability users preferred to land their skills from a distance. Part of it was the cool factor of subduing someone with a glance alone, but the bigger issue was safety. Investing so much time in asymmetric power naturally left their direct combat ability lacking — sometimes to the point of losing to an ability user a full rank below them.
Hunters willing to set aside their pride and even abandon safety to engage this actively were rare.
"Hard worker, that one. Doesn't even seem to be a formal Bureau member."
When the Director praised him in a warm tone, Yu Hanbaek spun around in shock. He hadn't sensed the approach at all, and a chill ran down his spine. Fortunately, the badge on the old man's chest identified this vigorous grandfather as the Director of the Hunter Administration.
Yu Hanbaek's waist bent at a perfect right angle.
"Ah — good day to you, Director!"
The Director nodded calmly. Though the man looked nothing like "Purple" and was tall enough to pass for male, he made an effort not to be trapped by such petty prejudices.
"So. You're Purple Bunny…"
At that moment, the reporting officer whispered from beside him.
"This isn't the one. This man is the president of a company contracted to the Incheon Branch. Former code name: Joker."
"Ah, is that so?"
The Director looked Yu Hanbaek over thoughtfully.
"Then why are you wearing a rabbit mask?"
"I don't know, sir," Yu Hanbaek answered. "I was imitating my favorite hunter. I apologize for any confusion."
"Ah."
The Director chuckled lightly.
"No need. I thought you were remarkably skilled for a rookie — turns out you're already an active veteran."
Psychology Hagweed was S-class. Even a hunter specialized in mental abilities would struggle to counter it like this without deep training in high-tier skills. Dispelling an S-class skill with B-class mana — Yu Hanbaek's ability was more than enough to be called first-rate.
Still, expecting that level of skill from someone who provided that much intel might have been greedy.
A Safety Guardian's authority was formidable. With proper grounds, they could independently arrest or punish hunters, and their identity and private life were fully protected by the Hunter Administration. The commission fees for accompanying gate raids weren't trivial either. As a result, it wasn't uncommon for people to pay enormous sums to Bureau personnel to become Safety Guardians.
This woman called Purple Bunny had probably obtained her name card in exchange for the information. Meaning her actual ability was likely nothing special.
"Come along. Being thrown into a major operation out of nowhere must be rough."
"One moment, Director."
"Hm?"
"Purple Bunny's location keeps changing. I'll guide you along the projected route at speed."
"Moving during an operation…? Looking for a bathroom, is she?"
Purple Bunny was about six blocks away.
A petite woman in a white rabbit mask, dressed in some kind of magician's costume, was bouncing from car roof to car roof. With a light flick of her staff through the air, the men and women around her dropped their weapons as one, stripped off their clothes, and dropped to their knees in their underwear.
Seeing this, Purple Bunny spread both arms wide.
The Director's brow furrowed.
……?
Not only was she constantly on the move instead of staying put — she was putting on some bizarre show for the civilians. No matter how you looked at it, this was not the posture of someone engaged in a national-scale operation.
And yet the strange part was the people kneeling before Purple Bunny. Children and mothers, elderly people, and a few armed thugs. From every angle, they matched the description of the persons of interest from the report. Their composition was barely different from the ones Yu Hanbaek had been treating moments ago.
Don't tell me…
"Are those the infected?"
At the Director's doubtful tone, the reporting officer answered with a troubled expression.
"Yes, sir. She's been dispelling the Queen's mental skill like that this whole time."
"How, exactly? That doesn't look like one or two people."
"We're still investigating the method. My apologies."
"……"
Even Yu Hanbaek, called a first-rate psychic, was dispelling the pollen addiction through direct contact. Among B-class hunters at least, no one in the country could match his mental skills.
"Godspeed."
"Director!"
Godspeed
Fwoosh!
In an instant the Director's form vanished and reappeared before the crowd of suspicious persons. Laying a hand on several foreheads, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
This is…
It wasn't simply that the skill had been dispelled. A kind of brainwashing skill had been newly layered over the rioters. It stood in stark contrast to Yu Hanbaek, who had been sweating buckets just to cancel out the skill.
"Um, is something the matter?"
Purple Bunny, who had already been aware of his presence, bent at the waist and met the Director's gaze.
The Director nearly let out a hollow laugh, then offered a slight smile instead.
"So you're Purple Bunny."
"Yes."
"Weren't you startled? Me appearing so suddenly like that."
"Uh…"
Pecia sensed something ominous in the Director's question.
I feel like I'm supposed to be surprised.
"I-I was startled! Wow, that made me jump!"
"……"
"……"
The surrounding hunters wore pitying smiles at her belated performance. The sight of the girl flustered and unsure whether she'd made a mistake radiated a cuteness beyond words — a ditzy charm completely at odds with the abilities she'd displayed so far.
"Do you know who I am?"
The Director, meanwhile, maintained his smile without any change in expression. Unlike the majority who had simply fallen for Pecia's charm, he felt a strange sense of threat from the rabbit-masked girl before him.
Purple Bunny studied the Director's face with curious interest.
"You're the Director of the Hunter Administration, aren't you?"
There it is again.
Normally, a Director's identity was confirmed by badge. But Purple Bunny had deduced his identity just by looking at his face. No — it felt less like deduction and more like running into someone she already knew.
Of course, she might have seen him during a speech, but the location where Purple Bunny had been was quite far from there.
There's something more. Beyond just mental skills.
Then the Director blinked.
Come to think of it — had Purple Bunny used any mana just now? Controlling this many people at once should have produced a detectable mass release of mana. What kind of trick had she pulled?
The moment the Director looked at her with suspicious eyes, Purple Bunny's two violet pupils gleamed from within the mask.
"Mm."
A moment later, the Director let out a low groan.
Well, no need to think about it now. The operation was a success either way.
But why did his mana circuits feel a little tangled?
The Director's mood turned foul in an instant. He had immediately sensed that something had gone wrong with the mana inside his body.
But then, mercifully, a line of men in black combat gear arrived in succession and diverted his attention.
"Director. Cleanup of the Nordian is complete."
"We've deployed the cleaners to the vessel."
"Report that the Plant Queen, Psychology Hagweed, has been subdued."
"Already?"
Capturing an S-class without casualties often meant working through the night. The ship would also have been full of the Queen's subordinates and infected. Yet only about twenty minutes had passed since the operation began.
The reporting officers exchanged a glance, then one man spoke as representative.
"Well… they were already completely wrecked."
"Wrecked?"
When the Director tilted his head, the man's superior scolded him.
"Watch your language. You're reporting to the Director — what do you mean, 'wrecked'?"
The man bowed his head.
"My apologies."
The Director replied evenly.
"Never mind that. What do you mean? It sounds as if they had already been subdued."
"That's correct. All members of Valhalla's Gate, including the Plant Queen, were found combat-incapable."
"……? Combat-incapable? Are you saying someone attacked an S-class magical beast?"
"Yes. There were traces of a large-scale assault by an unknown entity. And based on preliminary forensics, the probability that it was not the work of a human appears high."
"……!"