I Couldn't Let Them Take the Food
The children were starving. He couldn't possibly let the food get taken away now.
The living came first, didn't they?
"I bought it. I'll carry it myself."
Kim Hwang-je spoke firmly to the headquarters employee.
The man looked extremely uncomfortable. When he shot the store manager a pleading glance, the manager approached cautiously.
"Ah, um... Customer. By any chance, are you with a hunter management... No, you said you aren't?"
"Correct."
Of course he wasn't a hunter yet.
But revealing that kind of information ahead of time might force him to cough up details under some law or another, so Kim Hwang-je kept his mouth shut tight.
"In that case, according to our resource management regulations, there is a primary priority buyer."
As expected. It was true. Still, just because Kim Hwang-je had done manual labor didn't mean he was ignorant.
He pressed the manager with clear logic.
"No, that's all before the purchase, like you said. This has already been paid for. Are you really going to cancel a completed transaction? Source the supplies from somewhere else. I need these supplies right now. The kids are starving."
The manager suddenly seemed at a loss for words and broke into a light sweat.
It had to be a joke, right? He'd never heard of a child eating one hundred sixty million won worth of rice.
"A child? There's no way a child could eat this much, sir."
"The children. Some of them are on the verge of death. Of course there are adults too. Anyway, everyone's hungry, so whether it's rice or anything else, I have to give it to them."
Even now, he could see it clearly through World Observation. Not only the children starving below the castle walls, but quite a few adults who were nothing but skin and bones.
This royal castle had once been an incomparably vast fortress, yet only about ten thousand survivors remained.
And even they were in terrible shape. The great mage had fled into the hero's stomach to survive the repeated wars.
A well-fed hunter could skip a day of meals without issue.
But for these people, hunger was fatal. Why had he only realized it now?
"You've gone hungry before too, haven't you, mister? You lived through the monster outbreak. You know the feeling of your own body digesting itself, right?"
"Of course... I have. But these days almost no one starves in Seoul...? I'm sorry, but if you'd just give us a little time..."
"Why wouldn't there be any? I said I need it right now."
Maybe because he was worked up, the manager kept shrinking back from Kim Hwang-je's fierce glare.
Suddenly, an aura completely different from before erupted from within Kim Hwang-je, like ten thousand people were staring at once.
Ugh!
The manager's legs went weak. He couldn't speak another word.
This was one of the passive effects within The Castle Becomes Me, a natural aura that let others feel the 'presence' of the people inside the castle.
It flowed out naturally whenever Kim Hwang-je grew even slightly angry.
Ordinary people couldn't even imagine giving a speech before a thousand people. Even with a friendly audience it wasn't easy. To receive the gaze of ten thousand people who sympathized with Kim Hwang-je's emotions? It wouldn't be strange at all if they wet themselves where they stood.
"Wait, wait just a moment. A hunter shouldn't act this way toward civilians..."
The headquarters employee rushed forward and pulled the manager back.
"Huh?"
Kim Hwang-je was startled.
He hadn't meant to threaten them on purpose, but because it was a passive, controlling it seemed difficult.
Kim Hwang-je took a hesitant step back.
At that moment a loud noise came from beyond the door and it flew open.
"What's going on?"
Speak of the devil. It was Park Dae-sik, the man those people had mentioned earlier.
His face was covered in fresh blue bruises and he wore a deep scowl.
He had been nearby when Howling destroyed the warehouse and gotten caught in the aftermath.
"Ah, it's nothing."
The manager quickly regained his composure and retreated.
If hunters caused a scene for no reason, it would bring nothing but trouble for the shopping mall.
"Ah, um. Hunter Park Dae-sik. This product has already been purchased by the customer here. I'll pull supplies from elsewhere to make up the difference somehow."
There was no helping it.
If the customer refused to hand them over, what could they do? But Park Dae-sik shook his head and strode forward.
"You need the supplies? Which organization are you with?"
There had been occasional news lately about hunters acting like they owned the world and causing incidents, but he never expected to see it in person.
"I'm not with a management."
The man crossed his arms as if thinking, then spoke.
"This is food intended for dungeon exploration. You're telling me a civilian bought all of it?"
The dungeon exploration kits stacked across the entire two-hundred-meter shelf were clearly items hunters bought. Civilians might purchase one or two, but never in such bulk.
"Wait. Now that I think about it, you're the one who used magic during the recent deep-sea giant incident."
He'd only caught a glimpse, yet the man noticed? Even with part of his face showing, hunters recognized him that quickly?
Kim Hwang-je rubbed his face.
It seemed hunters had their own separate information channels.
The man suddenly tensed and placed his hand on his sword.
"Not affiliated with any hunter management, yet capable of powerful magic that neutralizes giants, and inside your body an enormous number of souls can be felt. Sorry, but do you have any connection to Howling?"
The presence of nearly ten thousand people, something even civilians could clearly sense.
That overwhelming presence was vivid enough to make even the battle-hardened mage Jung Da-yeon and assassin Ghost tremble. To hunters it was even clearer.
Besides, it was hard to call it a misunderstanding when ten thousand people really did live inside the castle walls.
"It might actually be true. Manager. Report it. This man is harboring the souls of others inside his body."
"P-Park Dae-sik, sir...!"
"Hurry!"
The flustered manager ran out and grabbed the phone.
Watching the situation spiral strangely, Kim Hwang-je pressed hard on his temples.
"I only need food. Why are you acting like this?"
"Even a stone bridge should be tapped before crossing. Do not move. I will restrain you."
"What kind of nonsense..."
At that moment a quest window appeared.
Food Supply
Your Majesty! The subjects are starving!
Your Majesty must take responsibility for the subjects' food supply! It's common sense.
Resolve the misunderstanding yourself!
Please feed us!
HINT: Appropriate Control
🎁 Reward: [The Castle Becomes Me](Lv.1) → [The Castle Becomes Me](Lv.2)
You insect-like eunuch. If you attach a skill level-up condition to it, I can't back out now, can I?
But Park Dae-sik had already drawn his sword, eyes tense.
The system reacted to the drawn blade and displayed the autonomous combat window.
Execute autonomous combat?
Military funds required: 40 million won
Forty million won was too much.
He didn't want to waste it on a misunderstanding.
If possible, he wanted to control the situation himself this time without spending the money.
So he obediently let them bind his hands and read the skill description.
The Castle Becomes Me (Lv.1) / Passive
"Easy to enter; difficult to escape."
— Great Sage Alaundo
Your Majesty.
If they hit you once, hit them twice.
All you need is compensation money.
* You may command the guards.
* Be careful with the compensation money.
The king stood atop the castle wall. Kim Hwang-je wondered how much the king's skills cost.
When he pressed the king, a skill window appeared.
▷ Great Annihilation Flame Sword (Lv.??)
Usage Fee: 11.97 trillion won
▷ Explosive Demon-Slaying God Sword (Lv.??)
Usage Fee: 11.42 trillion won
▷ Normal Strike (Lv.??)
Usage Fee: 130 million won
Insane.
Kim Hwang-je scrolled down with all his strength. What was the cheapest skill?
A noble body charged 130 million won for a single sword strike!
Sure, it had to be at least the price of a missile... my ass!
One hit from something like this could completely kill the hunter in front of him. It was certain. That was exactly why he couldn't use it.
What about the others?
He selected the priests standing on the wall.
Anti-Personnel Paralysis Spell (Lv.5)
Usage Fee: 1 million won
One million won?
Considering the price of autonomous combat, this was an incredibly cheap fight.
Kim Hwang-je recalled the bandit—no, the thief with thick fingers.
The guy's skills had proven quite useful before.
Just in case, I'll order them to attack if anyone enters.
Just to be safe, he selected five priests and issued the command.
Conditional paralysis spell command issued to the priest order.
Reaction on attack.
Military funds will be expended.
Transaction: 1 million won × 5 priests
Total transaction: 5.5 million won
* Tax included.
When he looked through World Observation, the five priests standing near the king simultaneously cast their spells toward the giant on the horizon.
At that moment, Park Dae-sik sensed the skill activation.
He immediately charged at Kim Hwang-je, swinging his sword.
Shushushushuk!
Small sparks flew from Kim Hwang-je's chest.
Then five spheres of green light shot out and slammed straight into Park Dae-sik.
Park Dae-sik, who had been holding his greatsword to Kim Hwang-je's throat, froze rigid.
"...Fr."
Drool spilled from the corner of Park Dae-sik's mouth.
His body was paralyzed, but his eyes rolled wildly. The sudden stiffness had clearly startled him.
"The effect is stronger than I thought. I could've gotten away with just one."
Kim Hwang-je looked around.
"You called the police, right? You saw it, didn't you? He attacked me first. Please testify."
"...Yes..."
The manager looked relieved.
He had been worried the shopping mall would get destroyed if either side started swinging weapons, but it seemed everything would end quietly.
That was when it happened.
"Entry!"
"Entry!"
The SWAT team kicked in the entrance doors.
Several panes of glass shattered in the process.
Heavily armed reinforced troopers poured in, aiming countless firearms at them.
"Freeze! Move and we will shoot!"
It was a fully armed S.W.A.T. team. Not a single inch of skin showed. They wore helmets with six glowing green dot sights that resembled spider eyes—the elite anti-hunter tactical unit.
One of them raised a megaphone.
"Attention all hunters. A report regarding Howling has been received. Begin explanation procedures immediately."
Rattle-rattle—
As if that wasn't enough, vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns aimed at Kim Hwang-je through the broken windows.
The name Howling carried that much terror.
It was treatment reserved for something close to a national overthrow force.
Autonomous Combat — 2.44 billion won
With 2.44 billion won, could he wipe everyone out here and escape?
Wait, was this situation more dangerous than the deep-sea giant?
Kim Hwang-je clicked his tongue.
Of course he had no desire to fight the entire government. He hadn't done anything wrong.
So he raised his hands and said,
"I surrender. But I'm a civilian."
At those words, the same "what kind of nonsense" expression passed across the faces of the manager, the headquarters employee, and the paralyzed Park Dae-sik.