Four Days Remaining
Click. Click.
The sharp staccato of high heels drew every eye in the room.
Korean Hunter Association Headquarters.
Kang Hanna stepped into the elevator under the weight of the staff’s stares.
“Haa…”
As the car descended she let out a quiet sigh and unlocked her phone.
The internet was still drowning in stories of the Death Knight raid; everyone was busy singing the praises of Yoon Seah and Cha Seojin.
For the guild it was the best publicity imaginable, yet she could not simply rejoice.
“Four days left…”
Watching the floor numbers drop toward the basement, she recalled the deadline the Death Knight had given them.
One week. Nearly half of it was already gone.
Even with contingency plans in place, the anxiety refused to leave her.
That was why she had come to the Association today.
“Oh. Guildmaster Kang’s here.”
Basement Level B12.
The moment she entered the Association’s secret underground chamber, Association President Ryan Kim and several council members greeted her.
Everyone present already knew the truth about the Death Knight.
“Mr. President. I’ve come to speak with you about the Death Knight matter.”
She skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point—proof of how on edge she was. A few of the councilors looked openly annoyed by her tone.
“Haha. Guildmaster Kang, what’s the rush? Come on, sit down first and we’ll talk.”
The president alone wore an easy, good-natured smile, as if wondering why anyone would hurry. He showed none of the others’ tension, nor did he scold her. He was simply… relaxed.
“Let’s see. You said you had something to discuss about the Death Knight?”
He handed her a cup of tea as she sat. The question was not born of curiosity. When she opened her mouth to answer, he cut her off.
“But that’s strange. I thought that whole business was already settled. Or has some new development come up?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just…”
“Of course not. We’ve still got four whole days. What could possibly go wrong?”
He took a leisurely sip of the coffee his secretary had brought. The casual, faintly mocking attitude left her speechless for a moment, but she forced her voice to stay even.
“You know better than anyone what the Death Knight is, Mr. President. Even America failed against that monster once.”
“Yes. And?”
“I still think we should strengthen our countermeasures a little more—”
Clack.
The president set his cup down hard. Her words died. An uncomfortable silence settled over the chamber.
Under every gaze he pointed at the large monitor.
“Look. See that Red Gate? In America one of those pops up about twice a month. Sometimes even more often.”
The screen showed a Red Gate deep in a Montana forest. He watched the S-rank hunters entering it and continued.
“Two S-ranks are enough to clear one of those. That’s the average for a Red Gate. But this operation? We’re throwing more than a hundred hunters at it. A hundred. Twenty of them S-rank.”
“Numbers might not be the issue. You know even Lee Seoyun couldn’t take the Death Knight down.”
“Lee Seoyun? Lee Seoyun…? Ah. That guy.”
The president searched his memory, then snapped his fingers. That disaster had forced the previous president to resign and put him in this chair. Even so, not a trace of urgency showed on his face.
“I watched that whole thing from America. I was just about to go to bed when it hit NewTube. But in the end… nobody actually died, right?”
“That’s correct, Mr. President. Aside from former Guildmaster Choi Jincheol, there were no fatalities.”
A councilor answered promptly. The president snapped his fingers again, as if he had known it all along.
“See? I knew it. And even Choi Jincheol didn’t die to Lee Seoyun—he fell off a building, didn’t he? The whole thing’s ridiculous. One accidental death and everyone starts screaming ‘catastrophe.’ And didn’t Lee Seoyun end up dead because of it too? That’s what I heard.”
“Yes. After nearly half a year with no trace, he almost certainly died of his injuries somewhere. The body still hasn’t been found, of course.”
“Probably washed out to sea or something.”
His joke drew chuckles from around the table. Only Kang Hanna could not laugh. Her fists clenched tight.
If only Seoyun were here right now…
He would have told them all to shut up and found a solution by himself. The memory of him made her both miss him and envy him.
“All right, Guildmaster Kang, listen carefully. We’re sticking to the original plan. Eleven Association S-ranks. One hundred elite Orion Guild hunters. Plus the former S-rank mercenaries we went to a lot of trouble to bring over from America. Once the American mercenary with the gate-detection skill pins down where the mana is gathering, we’ll be waiting there before the gate even opens. How? By riding the American’s teleportation magic.”
He snapped his fingers once more. Not a shred of doubt colored his confidence.
“Honestly, this is already overkill. What country throws more than twenty S-ranks at a single gate? We don’t even do that in America. But Guildmaster Kang kept fretting and begging…”
“…”
“I’m only indulging you because it’s you, Guildmaster Kang.”
He smiled and patted her shoulder. What truly worried him was not the Death Knight at all.
“So you just keep the kids’ mouths shut. We don’t want any leaks after it’s over about the Death Knight still being alive. Heroes Yoon Seah and Cha Seojin—we need to keep that image, right?”
She had nothing left to say. The whole mess had started the moment Cha Seojin blurted out a lie the second they exited the gate. As the one responsible for Orion Guild, she could only nod.
The president looked satisfied.
“Perfect. We’ll go over the detailed plan later. Haa, I swear, Koreans and their drama. You people just can’t stay chill like Americans.”
“Hahaha. Y-you’re right, Mr. President!”
“All right, everyone back to work. Oh, and Guildmaster Kang—what time was that golf appointment again?”
The president hurriedly gathered his clubs and left. The councilors drifted out one by one until only Kang Hanna remained.
She understood then.
Since that day, there was no one left who would take her side.
“It’s fine. I’m fine…”
Even so she murmured the words and pulled out her phone. Looking at her little sister’s face on the lock screen, she forced the emotions down.
“It’s fine. I don’t need Seoyun anymore. That’s right. From now on I can handle everything alone…”
Yes. She had to. After all, that was why she had chosen her sister over him.
She drew a deep breath and steadied herself.
Early morning. Warm sunlight.
Birdsong and the bright laughter of children drifted pleasantly on the air.
I closed my eyes for a moment and simply savored the quiet.
If someone tried to paint peace, this would be the scene.
“Oppa. You asleep?”
Jian tugged at my sleeve. I turned and met the eyes of my little sister, dressed up as a princess just like me.
“Pfft. Oppa, your face is hilarious.”
“Yeah? Well you look completely adorable.”
“Hehe. That’s ’cause I’m pretty. Actually, you look cool too.”
She giggled and gave my fake beard a tug. It was part of the costume kit she had bought the day before—along with the sunglasses, the cape, and the ridiculous hat I was wearing.
Osaka theme park. We had been standing in line since before dawn for the open-run.
“Jian, aren’t you tired? We could just gate straight inside the park, you know.”
“Ehh, Oppa, you’ve got no romance. Waiting in line is part of the fun.”
She raised a finger like a lecturer. I didn’t really get it, but the sight made me laugh, so I just nodded.
“Haa. Still, it’s a shame Grandma couldn’t come with us.”
“She’s not interested in places like this. And with the monsters in the gate, she’ll be fine.”
No one was going to raid the gate, and if anything went wrong I’d get a signal anyway. In some ways the gate was safer than here.
“Ah! Oppa, they’re letting people in!”
Just as she said, the line began to move. We entered with the second-hand paper QR codes we had bought and headed straight for the attractions Jian wanted.
“Woooow, look! It looks exactly like the game world!”
Her eyes sparkled as she took in the theme park. Watching her, I was glad I had come. This was about all I could give her.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
“Oppa, hurry! We have to ride it before the line gets long!”
“Haha, okay, okay—slow down or you’ll fall.”
We rode every attraction she wanted, ate lunch, and before we knew it the afternoon had arrived.
On the way out of the restaurant my gaze drifted toward a group of girls Jian’s age who had come with friends. Jian immediately yanked my hand.
“Ehehe. Thanks, Oppa. Today’s the happiest I’ve ever been!”
She looked up at me, face full of pure satisfaction. Grateful and proud, I ruffled her hair.
“Good. We’ve still got plenty of time. Where to next?”
“Hmm. I think we’ve ridden pretty much everything. Maybe go again…?”
“Or we could watch the parade later. Want to?”
“Ooooh! That’s our Oppa—always with the perfect sense!”
She clapped like a seal and I snorted a laugh.
We were heading off to claim a good viewing spot when I stopped dead.
“Huh? Oppa, what’s wrong? Stomachache?”
“…”
“Oppa…?”
Jian looked up at me, worried. I smoothly guided her behind me and fixed my eyes on the opposite direction without a word.
There, half-hidden among the tourists, I locked gazes with the one who had been tailing me.
“Heh, for real? You actually noticed?”
A girl stepped into the open, looking almost offended. She seemed about Jian’s age, yet even a glance told me the truth.
She was several levels above most S-ranks.
And she was not alone. Other hunters were still blended into the crowd.
“Finally found you. You damn Lee Seoyun…”
The girl glared at me with pure resentment. I had no memory of her at all.
“…What the hell is this.”
I quietly drew a dagger and leveled it at her.