Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Fantasia's Desperate Request
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“Do hunters all have some kind of instinct to climb as high as possible or something?”
I muttered as I gazed up at the Fantasia Guild building, standing alone in the dark mountainside.
The Korea University campus nestled at the foot of Gwanak Mountain, and right next to it, a thirty-story building constructed to overlook the site.
With its front made entirely of reflective glass, it was impossible to even glance inside during the day.
Unlike the Justice Guild, Sama Guild, and Camellia Guild—founded by first-generation hunters—Fantasia had been established less than ten years ago.
That was because its founder was the current guild leader, Seong Rosa herself.
“They said she was a grad student at Korea University, and here she is getting her revenge like this.”
If she’d been a struggling engineering grad student, constantly chewed out by her professor and scraping by on a shoestring budget, only to suddenly awaken as an S-rank magic hunter...
“Yeah, I get it.”
I’d do the same.
Her rough mouth was a bit much, but I liked her personality.
Not to mention her skill in turning the guild into one of Korea’s top four in under ten years amid fierce competition.
“Nayeo-ju-ssi, we don’t have much time left until the appointment.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s head back now.”
It was quite a distance from the Justice Guild in Jongno to Fantasia in Gwanak-gu.
And for some reason, they’d built the visitor parking lot way down at the bottom of the hill.
Kang Han wouldn’t have any trouble, but since my stamina was lacking, I’d paused to catch my breath.
“Ugh, this healer’s gonna die.”
Considering Seong Rosa’s personality, she’d definitely made us climb this steep hill on purpose.
Like, you suffer too, or something.
Still, as I huffed and puffed through the night to make our ten o’clock appointment, Kang Han spoke up from beside me.
“Want me to carry you?”
“Carry? If you carry Fantasia, that’d be a disaster, Guild Leader.”
“No, I meant carry you, Nayeo-ju-ssi.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly?
I tilted my head at the unexpected offer but quickly understood.
The way Kang Han was looking at me—like I was a wounded comrade.
“Save Private Nayeo-ju for when I get hurt inside a dungeon, and I’ll let you film it then.”
“Nayeo-ju-ssi won’t get hurt.”
“Sure, sure. Just hearing that makes me feel secure.”
Before I knew it, we’d reached the entrance to the Fantasia building while chatting.
“Someone’s waiting for us.”
A figure in the white uniform symbolizing Fantasia Guild stood at the bottom, looking down at us as we approached.
“Hello. You must be tired from the trip. Let me check your invitation.”
When Kang Han handed over the invitation that had been delivered to the training grounds, the Fantasia guild member snapped their fingers.
I wondered what they were doing, but then the invitation burst into flames.
Flames blending blue and silver roared up, consuming the paper in an instant before forming a meteor-shower-shaped Fantasia seal, then vanishing like an illusion.
So the invitation had that kind of magic on it.
What would’ve happened if we’d brought a fake one without the nondisclosure oath?
“On behalf of Fantasia, we welcome the Justice Guild. The other invitees have all arrived just moments ago. Please, come up.”
Hold on.
“We didn’t see anyone on the way up. Are there other paths?”
Did we climb the hill alone?
“No, there’s only one way up to Fantasia. The others were accompanied by spatial manipulation ability users.”
In other words, looks like your guild doesn’t have a teleporter.
“...That’s a shame.”
The invitation from Fantasia today was probably related to that ‘spatial manipulation ability user’.
As I muttered that inwardly—something I couldn’t say aloud—Kang Han’s hand rested on my shoulder, apparently misinterpreting my silence.
Ah, I don’t need comforting!
“Please proceed inside.”
True to its reputation as a magic guild, we took an elevator that floated up without cables, arriving at a conference room on the twenty-seventh floor.
Kang Han opened the door first.
At the same time, the presences blocked by the door’s magic became palpable all at once.
“Justice Guild?”
“Kang Han, long time no see.”
“...”
I slowly scanned the people lounging freely around the conference room.
Some faces were unfamiliar, but their uniforms made it easy to identify their guilds.
‘Magma, Hwacheon, Ragna, and Justice.’
They weren’t quite in the top ranks yet, but these were guilds that had been buzzing on people’s lips lately.
In short, they’d gathered guilds with the potential to soar high with the right opportunity—and the drive to seize it.
‘They’ve set the stage perfectly.’
And the one who’d laid it all out appeared in the empty head seat as if by magic, gliding smoothly into place.
Her long golden hair fluttered like it was caught in a gentle breeze, and her slightly downcast eyes gleamed emerald green.
“Thank you all for accepting my invitation.”
It was Seong Rosa, founder and leader of Fantasia.
“I apologize for the sudden invitation and any surprise it caused.”
As Seong Rosa opened with those words, the guild representatives—excluding Kang Han and me—waved it off, insisting it was no trouble.
‘Can’t she drop the elegant act?’
Not like she has split personality or anything.
It was a far cry from the frantic Seong Rosa who’d been scrambling to buy Im Cheong-su’s tonic just a few days ago.
“Since this is an urgent matter, I’ll get straight to the point.”
As expected of one of the four major guild leaders, the room fell silent at her words.
“I believe you’re all aware of Seong Yona Hunter, a former Fantasia guild member and my younger sister.”
As expected.
I’d half-guessed it when the invitations went out so suddenly.
Fantasia had reached its limit searching for her alone.
More precisely, Seong Rosa’s patience had run out.
“Two years ago, Seong Yona Hunter became the sole witness and suspect in the Ansan City A-rank dungeon incident, and she’s now wanted by the Awakener Association.”
“...Ahem.”
A man in what looked like a modernized hanbok—likely from Hwacheon Guild—cleared his throat uncomfortably.
The Ansan City A-rank dungeon incident.
It was Seong Yona’s first dungeon raid, the A-rank spatial manipulation hunter who was the guild leader’s sister and had captured the nation’s attention.
But no one had emerged from that gate.
When signs of a dungeon break appeared from the gate Fantasia’s assault team had entered, the Association dispatched high-rank hunters.
Inside, they found one A-rank hunter in a coma... and the gruesome corpses of another A-rank and four B-ranks.
Worried for the missing Seong Yona, the Association and Fantasia scoured the dungeon for days, but she was never found.
Public outrage boiled over.
Seong Yona, who distorted space to aid in battle and evacuate guild members in emergencies.
Yet the survivors were only the dead or comatose guild members left behind.
At first, public sentiment worried for the missing Seong Yona, but as time passed, wild speculations hardened into ‘fact.’
‘Seong Yona got cold feet on her first dungeon run and abandoned her guildmates mid-battle, leading to one in a coma and the rest dead.’
Seong Yona became Fantasia and Seong Rosa’s weakness—and their shame.
And recently, traces of that very Seong Yona had surfaced for the first time.
“Then...”
A middle-aged woman, apparently Ragna Guild’s leader, frowned and murmured.
“Yes, exactly. Fantasia wishes to entrust all of you with tracking and capturing Seong Yona Hunter.”
Capture?
“You want us to hunt a human?”
Magma Guild leader Yang Hwa-yeon shot back, not hiding her displeasure.
“That’s correct.”
But Seong Rosa’s reply was straightforward.
And before Yang Hwa-yeon’s discomfort could spread to the other guilds...
“Every participating guild will receive ten million won per day as an upfront fee. Upon successful capture of Seong Yona Hunter, a reward of ten billion won. And...”
Seong Rosa leaned back, speaking in her signature languid tone.
“One S-rank item as a success bonus.”