A Sudden Storm Over the Han River
While Yunjae had been busy spending his time helping others, it seemed Mari had already figured out her own way to pass the hours. Or perhaps, since she eventually planned to return to her true calling as a hunter, she was reading up in advance to keep her edge.
“They post a lot on the website here too. The aftermath cleanup is often a total mess. Reading through them, you start to see what needs to be improved.”
So far, the reviews Mari had seen for the Blast Guild weren't exactly stellar. Because they took money and strictly stuck to the letter of their contracts, public criticism of them had been mounting.
“Did you read all of this by yourself, Mari?”
“Well, it's not like I have anything else to do. It's a good way to kill time.”
As a massive guild, they had plenty of personnel besides the top-tier ability users. Consequently, the stack of printed reviews was more than a handful, and new feedback was updated daily.
“I wonder if anything new went up today.”
Instead of printing out the latest reviews, Mari checked them on her monitor. As she clicked the screen, Yunjae stood beside her, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“So this is what you were looking at. I thought you were still browsing furniture, Mari!”
As he leaned in close, resting his hands on her desk and chair, Mari's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly hyper-aware of his proximity, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and spoke.
“W-what's the point of me looking anyway? You're the one who's going to make the final decision! So let's just buy something already! I really need a vanity!”
“Ah! I understand! From today on, until our next assignment comes in, I'll dedicate my time to that!”
Thanks to his 300% reward passive, Mamon's Grace, Yunjae had received tens of millions of won in department store gift certificates from Suyeon. The problem was that this ultimate bundle of introversion and social anxiety was overthinking the furniture purchase so much that he still hadn't bought a single thing!
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
Mari couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at his earnestness.
“Then I'll look up vanities for you first, Mari! I think that should be our top priority!”
As Yunjae settled into the seat right next to her, she smiled and turned her gaze back to the monitor.
...Wait, why is he the one choosing my vanity?
It was highly ironic, but she didn't dislike it. In fact, she was certain Yunjae would pick out something she would absolutely love. Smiling at the thought, Mari scrolled down, until—
To the ability user who helped us at the Hwagok Portal, thank you so much! They were so fast that I couldn't see who they were, but thanks to them, my entire family is safe. Thank you so, so much. Even if you aren't a registered ability user from this area, I wanted to leave this post to express my deepest gratitude.
She spotted a post that immediately caught her eye.
“The Hwagok Portal.”
Lately, that place had been one of the hottest topics within the Blast Guild. Ever since a portal opened at Hwagok Station in the past, Hwagok-dong had been hit directly by monsters, turning the neighborhood into something resembling a slum.
It was originally an affluent neighborhood, but most of the wealthy residents had fled because of the danger. Since then, the poor and displaced had gathered in the abandoned buildings and residential areas, forming their own community.
As a result, despite the unusually high frequency of monster outbreaks from the portal, the residents of Hwagok-dong had no funds to hire hunters, making hunter activity there extremely rare. They had repeatedly requested aid on a pro bono basis, but the Blast Guild had consistently ignored them—a stance that had recently drawn heavy fire from the media.
And now, an ability user had gone to that very Hwagok Portal?
Did the guild finally pull some strings because they were getting too much flak?
After all, major conglomerates sponsored the guild, and famous hunters often appeared on broadcasts or acted as commercial models like celebrities. It was no exaggeration to say the Blast Guild had paved that path. But because they operated on purely capitalistic motives, they faced immense public backlash. It was entirely possible they had sent someone there just for damage control.
*Click.* Driven by curiosity, Mari clicked on the post.
At that very moment.
“I must test the exact limits of your strength.”
A girl who looked like a crystal of pure ice—with pale skin, freezing blue hair and eyes, and a completely expressionless, cold face—appeared in the sky above the Han River.
“Slender Forearms!”
The girl, who had shouted the name with a dead serious expression, suddenly flinched.
“……”
She had always prided herself on being emotionally detached.
“Ugh, that name is so incredibly annoying!”
But she had no idea it would be this embarrassing! The more serious she tried to be, the more ridiculous the name sounded, completely ruining the tense atmosphere. Even with her icy composure, she couldn't hide her sheer mortification.
She stole a quick glance at her own forearms before snapping out of it.
“Ah!”
Shaking her head, she forced her expression back to a serious scowl.
“Now, show yourself!”
And she raised her right hand and snapped her fingers with a sharp crack.
*Vrooom!* At that moment, portals began to tear open in midair!
*Screeech!* Watching the monsters pour out of the rifts, she smirked.
“Wipe out every living thing in sight!”
The humans would never expect a sudden, preemptive strike like this.
“If the avatars of Kadmus and Halles were easy for you, then I shall summon something far greater!”
But even this wasn't enough. Her opponent was someone who had subdued the avatars of Kadmus and Halles in a single blow!
*Flash!* Soon, the Han River began to glow with a brilliant blue light.
“Open, Gates of Dimension.”
*Rumble!* The river water began to surge violently, and soon, it started to boil and bubble.
“What would be best... something capable of exerting power far beyond a mere avatar?”
She smiled, thoroughly enjoying her dilemma.
“Ah, yes.”
The Han River was gradually stained a deep, bloody red!
“Great Demons.”
As the girl floating in the sky softly uttered the name, *splash!*
Massive, winged red devils began to rise from beneath the crimson-dyed waters of the Han River!
They had heavy, muscular red bodies that looked like anatomical models stripped of their skin, complete with menacing claws and savage fangs. Their breath was pure flame, and their eyeless sockets were filled with an abyssal, unfathomable darkness.
Their appearance was so horrific that anyone with a weak heart would likely drop dead of a heart attack just by looking at them.
*Roaaar!*
And there were hundreds of them! It was a sight so terrifying that even the bravest of souls would struggle to keep from wetting themselves.
“Yes, yes. Calm down, my children.”
Only then did a satisfied smile spread across the girl's face.
“Individually, they might be slightly weaker than the avatars of Kadmus and Halles, but there are hundreds of times more of them. Can you defeat them all, Slender Forearms?!”
She spoke with absolute confidence, but then—*flinch!* Her face flushed red once again.
“Seriously, that name!”
The more serious she tried to be, the weirder she felt.
“I am absolutely going to obliterate this weirdo!”
Blushing furiously, the girl pointed in the direction of the Blast Guild headquarters.
“Go! Destroy him!”
Contrary to Mari's expectations, the review of the Hwagok Portal didn't contain much detail.
“Oh, there's not much here.”
She had hoped to find out exactly which ability user had lent a hand at the Hwagok Portal.
“……”
She stole a glance at Yunjae, wondering if it could have been him.
“Do you think a modern style would be best?”
But seeing him completely absorbed in choosing a vanity, she immediately dismissed the thought. There was no way.
Right, there's no way he'd go out of his way to hunt.
Yunjae had taken an office job precisely because he hated hunting. Besides, if he had actually done it, he wouldn't have gone alone without saying a word. As the ultimate embodiment of introverted anxiety, he surely would have consulted Mari first.
“Well, whoever it was, they did a good deed.”
In any case, whoever did it had done a wonderful thing. Hunters were fundamentally driven by money, so this was likely a calculated PR move to quiet the media rather than pure altruism. Still, it had saved lives and minimized damage.
“…And that's what matters.”
If she had the power, she might have done the same, even without any monetary reward. Just to ensure that no one else would have to lose their precious loved ones the way she had.
“It's an emergency! A total emergency!”
It happened at that exact moment.
“Huh?”
Miju, who was currently the closest to them besides Akemi and Suyeon, leaped up from her seat and screamed.
“What's going on?”
“A random portal just opened over the Han River! Monsters are pouring out of it!”
Part of the Support Part's duties included monitoring the status of various portals and tracking any anomalies. Having just read a report submitted minutes ago, Miju shouted in a panic.
*Click!*
“Guild Leader!”
Yeonhui immediately contacted Taejun.
“A random portal opening in a place like this?”
While random portals occasionally opened in remote areas along flight paths, such an occurrence in the middle of a major city center was practically unheard of.
Before a bewildered Mari could even finish her sentence—
“Oh my god!”
The swarming monsters could already be seen from the windows of the Blast Guild headquarters. The sheer volume of the black wave of monsters was incomparable to any standard portal outbreak. In particular, the massive Great Demons flying toward them at high speed exuded an entirely different level of pressure.
“W-what on earth are those?”
As the Support Part staff, seeing Great Demons for the first time, fell into utter panic—
“I-I need to go to the park for a moment!”
Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Yunjae suddenly bolted upright from his seat.
“The park?”
“Yes! Just in case!”
It seemed he was worried that the stubborn little kid, Eriel, might be out in the park.
“Ah...”
But would the daughter of Taejun, the leader of the world-class Blast Guild, really be left unattended like that? Mari had her doubts, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
“Hurry back!”
The moment the words left Mari's mouth—
“Yes, Mari! Blink!”
*Flash!* Like magic, Yunjae's body vanished into thin air.
“...What was that just now?”
Though he had vanished in the blink of an eye using a spell she had never seen before, everyone simply assumed it was just another display of Yunjae's absurd power, so no one was truly shocked.
“I should prepare myself too, just in case.”
Mari drew her upgraded pistol, Cindy. Even as a lower-ranking hunter, it was her duty to prepare for the worst.
*Whoosh!*
“Mari! Where's Yunjae?”
Akemi suddenly materialized in the room.
“He went to the park! He was worried Eriel might be there!”
Akemi nodded quickly.
“Got it! Mari, you stay inside the building! I'm going out to fight!”
Entering combat mode for the first time in a while, Akemi shouted with a serious expression, and—
*Flash!*
She activated her teleportation ability and vanished.
“What in the world is happening?”
As Mari leaned against the window, completely bewildered by the sudden chaos, a shocking scene was unfolding in the park.
“Ah, ah...”
To everyone's dismay, Eriel really *was* out in the park alone, waiting for Yunjae. Clutching her teddy bear, she stood frozen in terror. No child in the world wouldn't be frightened by a sudden swarm of countless monsters.
*Growl...* Especially when those monsters were grotesque, massive, blood-red Great Demons!
“Ugh, hic...”
She might be the daughter of the leader of the world's strongest guild, but in reality, she was just a neglected five-year-old child who craved love and attention more than anyone else.
*Roaaar!*
“H-heek...!”
As the terrified Eriel burst into tears and squeezed her teddy bear tightly—
*Flash!*
A brilliant light erupted, and Yunjae materialized right in front of her!
“Rock-Crushing Strike!”
Dressed in his neat office suit, he threw a punch toward the Great Demon without a shred of hesitation.
*BOOOOOOM!*
With a deafening explosion, *screeech!* The Great Demon and all the surrounding monsters that had swarmed the area were instantly vaporized in a single blow.
“Are you alright, Eriel?!”
“Mister!”
He had come on a whim, but she really had been out in the park all by herself!
“Ah! It's so dangerous, why are you out here?!”
The moment Yunjae scooped up the startled Eriel in his arms—
*Growl! Rumble!*
As if he had been their target all along, the Great Demons flying in the sky began to descend to the ground.
*Roar!*
Hundreds of Great Demons growled in low, menacing tones, surrounding them in a tight, terrifying blockade.
*Flash!*
At that moment, Akemi teleported right next to them.
“Yunjae! Where's Eriel?!”
“She's right here, Akemi.”
It seemed Taejun had finally realized what was happening and sent Akemi to find his daughter.
“Thank goodness!”
Whether she was destined to be Demian's future girlfriend or not, right now, she was just a helpless five-year-old child. Relieved that she was unharmed, Akemi took Eriel into her arms and scanned their surroundings.
“What are these things? I've never seen them before!”
Yunjae tilted his head, sensing that something was off.
“They are Great Demons. They're the highest-tier monsters I've seen so far. They aren't creatures you'd ever encounter in a normal field, so why...”
These monsters possessed strength comparable to field bosses.
“Are they really that strong?”
Startled by the rare serious expression on Yunjae's face, Akemi asked with a tense voice.
“Ah! No, not really. I was just surprised to see them in a normal field, that's all!”
With that, he slipped off his suit jacket.
“Anyway, please hold onto this for me.”
“Eee~? But my hands are already full!”
“It's fine. This will be over in a second.”
Yunjae, who usually detested hunting so much, seemed to have decided to take matters into his own hands. He had clearly realized that this was no ordinary situation.
“...Yunjae.”
Rolling up his sleeves, Yunjae took a stance. Facing down hundreds of Great Demons, he adopted a martial artist's pose. Despite his slender forearms, he looked incredibly cool.
“Your forearms are so pretty! You should definitely roll up your sleeves from now on!”
“Ah! Akemi! How could you say that?!”
Of course, Akemi was far more interested in admiring his pale, delicate forearms than the impending battle!