Yoo Harin's Help
In that moment, I found myself the sole focus of Yoo Harin's worried gaze.
"……."
How had someone who was nothing more than an E-class porter managed to climb all the way to the Easy difficulty 20th floor on his own? And at a speed that utterly shattered the world record, no less. In her current position, she had every right to press me with questions.
Yet Yoo Harin asked nothing.
Not what specific abilities I had gained. Not what I had gone through inside the Tower. She dug into none of it.
Probably out of consideration for me.
That was the only way her attitude made sense.
After a stretch of silence, Yoo Harin spoke in a grave tone.
"For the time being, it would be best if you stay away from the Tower."
"……The Tower?"
"Yes."
She glanced around once, then dropped her voice as low as it would go.
"Because of what happened today, the Association is going to start looking for you in earnest."
Yoo Harin continued.
"World records aren't broken once or twice—they were shattered consecutively from the 2nd floor all the way to the 20th. And every single one of those records came from Gangnam Central Tower."
"……."
"From the Association's perspective, this is something they absolutely cannot let slide."
She was right. Even if my name had been set to private, the clear records themselves could never be completely erased.
Suddenly her tongue tangled and she began to stutter.
"J-J-J-J…… Jiwoo-ssi is going to end up in all sorts of trouble."
In that instant, the Subspace Pocket at my waist flared hot.
[Master.]
What?
[That female just committed a 'slip of the tongue.']
No, it's not like that.
[Biting one's tongue can also be a strategy.]
Come on, no way.
[Every female who sets her sights on Master must be regarded with suspicion.]
I let out a deep sigh inwardly.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of my internal exchange, Yoo Harin pressed on.
"And the byproducts you collected today."
"……."
"If you cleared up to the 20th floor, you must have quite a pile by now."
As expected of an S-class. Her experience made her observational skills razor-sharp. I found myself fidgeting with the Subspace Pocket without thinking.
Yoo Harin gave a small smile.
"Don't tell me you even have a Subspace Pocket? At this point, nothing surprises me anymore."
"Wow, you figured that out right away?"
At my reaction, Yoo Harin flashed a mischievous little grin.
In that moment the Subspace Pocket grew even hotter.
Fwoooooosh!
Cardia, calm down!
Yoo Harin's expression turned serious again as she continued.
"I'll arrange for a contact of mine to purchase them."
"A contact?"
"Yes."
She spoke gently.
"Don't worry. The place I'm taking you is one that even S-class hunters use regularly."
"Even S-class hunters?"
"Yes."
Yoo Harin checked our surroundings once more, lowered her voice to a whisper, and opened her mouth.
"It's a place that handles byproducts that are awkward to list on the official exchange, or items whose origins you'd rather not disclose."
"Is this…… illegal trading?"
"It's not illegal."
She thought for a moment, then added,
"Strictly speaking, it's closer to a gray area."
"That sounds a little unsettling."
"Anonymity is guaranteed completely. Even S-class hunters trust this place enough to use it often."
I stared at her for a moment, thinking.
Why was this woman going so far out of her way to help me?
She was one of only five S-class hunters in all of South Korea. There was no reason for someone like that to go out of her way for a single E-class hunter.
Of course, there was one possible reason.
I recalled something she had said not long ago.
'B-because you're…… handsome…….'
Was that really the reason?
I asked her again.
"Um, by the way."
"Yes?"
"Why are you being so good to me?"
For an instant Yoo Harin's face flushed faintly.
"……."
She averted her eyes, repeatedly tucking her hair behind her ear as she mumbled,
"W-well…… why do you think?"
"……."
Inside the Subspace Pocket, Cardia growled.
[It is the female's seduction. Be careful. Grrrrr……]
All of a sudden Yoo Harin whipped her head around and cried out,
"A-anyway! Follow me!"
"Huh?"
"You need to settle the items you acquired today, don't you?"
"Right now?"
"Yes!"
Yoo Harin raised her voice and rattled off the words in a rush.
"It's better to handle these things quickly—before the Association starts moving."
Thinking about it, she was right. After a brief hesitation I nodded.
"Understood."
Yoo Harin's face brightened.
"Great. Then we'll take my car."
The underground parking garage near the Tower.
The car Yoo Harin had driven was more ordinary than I expected—though that was only by S-class hunter standards.
The black luxury sedan looked refined without being flashy.
Yoo Harin opened the passenger door for me.
"Get in."
"Thank you."
A subtle fragrance filled the interior, the kind that put you at ease the moment you sat down.
Yoo Harin settled into the driver's seat and started the engine. The car glided forward without a sound.
"If you're uncomfortable at all, please tell me."
"I will."
"It'll take a little while to reach the contact."
"Okay."
An awkward silence settled over us.
Outside the window, the lights of Gangnam streaked past. Leaving the bustling streets behind, the car finally turned into a dark, secluded alley.
"This place……?!"
An old commercial district. Shops that looked as though they had closed years ago lined the street. At a glance, it was the last place you would expect to find a trading post frequented by S-class hunters.
Yoo Harin, however, drove on as if she knew the route by heart. At last we stopped in front of a shabby building—a five-story structure without a single signboard.
"We're here."
Yoo Harin unbuckled her seatbelt as she spoke.
I stepped out of the car and asked,
"This is the trading post?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"Not very noticeable, is it?"
"You're right."
"That's its greatest advantage."
"……."
As she walked toward the entrance she glanced back over her shoulder and added,
"The owner is a former hunter named Jang Taesan. Don't worry. He's a bit of an eccentric, but his reliability is rock-solid."
At that moment the building's front door opened, revealing a sleek interior that clashed completely with the dilapidated exterior. Another door appeared beyond it. With practiced fingers Yoo Harin entered a passcode and opened it.
The instant we stepped inside, a low, gravelly voice greeted us.
"Well, if it isn't Hunter Yoo Harin."
"It's been a while."
"And the one beside you?"
From the shadows a man emerged. A deep scar marked one of his eyes, and an indescribable pressure radiated from him.
Yoo Harin said,
"Someone I personally vouch for."
Jang Taesan's gaze shifted to me. After staring as if he meant to pierce straight through me, he finally looked away and spoke.
"If Hunter Yoo Harin is vouching for him, he must be trustworthy. Come in."
Once inside the secret space of the trading post, I reached into the Subspace Pocket in front of both of them. Various items obtained while clearing up to the 20th floor, mid-grade mana stones, and a handful of rare minerals began pouring out onto the table—and soon covered the entire floor.
Faced with the endless cascade of items, Jang Taesan's expression hardened.
"……."
When at last I had emptied everything except the byproducts from Nightmare difficulty, the corner of Jang Taesan's mouth curled upward.
"Interesting. A very interesting customer has arrived."
The settlement of the goods finished faster than I expected—though "fast" only applied to the transaction process itself.
"……."
"Bring more useful goods next time."
Those were Jang Taesan's parting words.
"I won't ask where they came from."
After the deal was done, Yoo Harin and I climbed back into the car. She carefully opened her mouth.
"Jiwoo-ssi."
"Yes?"
"All the items we settled today were processed under my name."
"Is that…… really all right?"
"It's fine."
Yoo Harin continued calmly.
"An S-class hunter trading large quantities of high-value byproducts at once is fairly common."
"I suppose it would be."
"On the other hand, if they were processed under your name, a lot of problems would arise."
Her brown eyes turned toward me.
"What if an E-class hunter suddenly settled a massive amount of expensive byproducts?"
"……The Association would naturally grow suspicious."
"Exactly."
Yoo Harin nodded.
"And on top of that, today's world-record incident is already in the mix."
"……."
"Even a single small clue would be enough for them to start suspecting you. It's only a matter of time."
Her point was spot-on.
"So……"
She paused. I could see her hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel.
"If a large sum of money suddenly appeared in your account, that alone could draw the Association's suspicion."
"That makes sense too."
"Which is why……"
She carefully chose her next words.
"I wouldn't exactly call it a substitute for the settlement money, but……"
The brown eyes fixed on me wavered strangely.
"Would it be all right if I bought you a house?"
"……?"
For a second I thought I had misheard.
"A-a house?"
"Yes."
Yoo Harin's face flushed faintly as she added,
"It'll be far better than the place you're living in now."
"No, wait a minute."
I waved my hands in panic.
"Even so, a house is way too much."
Yoo Harin's voice turned firm.
"This way is safer in every respect."
She continued seriously.
"I can handle the property title transfer and the contract structure myself. On the surface it can even look like a move you've been preparing for a long time."
"……."
This woman was far too thoroughly prepared—almost as if she had been waiting for this exact moment for ages.
After a brief hesitation, Yoo Harin bit her tongue and added,
"O-of course, m-m-m-m-m……"
Oh no. Here we go again.
I waited in silence.
Having steadied her voice, Yoo Harin finished with a face that had turned bright red.
"It's also very close to my house."
"……."
Silence filled the car.
I stared at her blankly. Her eyes were still locked on mine, her ears scarlet all the way to the tips.
Then Cardia's voice rose from within the Subspace Pocket.
[Master.]
I tensed despite myself.
Wh-what?
I braced for the word "I'll kill her!" to leave her lips.
But Cardia's voice was unexpectedly calm.
[This maiden asks that you pay her no mind.]
……Huh?
[This maiden also believes Master requires a finer nest.]
I blinked.
Cardia…… was agreeing with Yoo Harin's proposal?
[Moreover.]
Her composed voice continued.
[This young lady appears to harbor no ill intent.]
…….
When exactly had the form of address been promoted from "female" to "young lady"?
