Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“First of all, thank you sincerely for stopping the terrorist attack.”
Kim Baek-dong bowed his head.
It was an attitude that didn’t quite match the image of a man who commanded both respect and fear as a famed villain hunter.
Rather, it showed that Kim Baek-dong genuinely felt gratitude toward Lee Seon-seok.
Regardless of his intentions or reasons…
“If it weren’t for you, more civilians would have been harmed. As a supervisor in the Association, I must thank you again.”
Lee Seon-seok gave Kim Baek-dong a long look.
Even as he bowed, his entire body was stained with blood and dust.
It wasn’t his own blood.
It was the blood of the people around him, the aftermath of the battle with the villain.
During the fight, Kim Baek-dong must have been rushing around, saving civilians wherever he could.
‘Come to think of it, this man really is quite an honest person.’
Should he call him “good”?
It was a tricky label, but at the very least, he wasn’t a bad man.
“Shall we continue our discussion?”
“Let’s.”
Kim Baek-dong agreed, and they returned to the café.
The police had taken care of the surrounding area.
Inside the café, they paid for the broken glasses and drinks and reordered the same items as before.
“Ah… understood.”
A female employee, probably a part-timer, spoke with a nervous tone.
Given the sudden appearance of a villain, and the two of them handling it… her nervousness was understandable.
Meanwhile, a reporter approached without hesitation.
“Supervisor Kim Baek-dong! May we have a brief interview?”
The reporter barged in without even ordering coffee, mic in hand.
Another reporter addressed Lee Seon-seok.
Are you affiliated with the Association? When did you awaken? What is your rank?
Looking at them, Lee Seon-seok thought, these journalists are just as clueless as ever.
“I’d prefer detailed interviews go through the Association.”
Finally, Kim Baek-dong intervened. His aura alone seemed enough to intimidate them.
“Ah… understood… We apologize, ahem.”
The reporters slinked out of the café, shoulders slumped.
Meanwhile, their ordered drinks arrived.
Lee Seon-seok had a mango latte, and Kim Baek-dong sipped his Americano.
“Well,” Kim Baek-dong began, “I believe you do have a precognition-related trait.”
It was impossible to think otherwise.
The villain appeared exactly as Lee Seon-seok had predicted, and his traits matched perfectly.
However…
“I took a brief look at the villain’s corpse.”
Kim Baek-dong’s gaze sharpened as he spoke.
“The sword markings on the body resemble those on the corpse found at a certain department store. It could be my imagination, but I’d like to ask you something.”
He looked at Lee Seon-seok with an intensity that would make anyone else shrink in fear.
“You went to Bukhansan anticipating the dungeon outbreak, based on your precognition?”
Lee Seon-seok remained silent for a moment.
Then, he nodded.
“Yes. I saw it through my precognition. I knew many people would die there.”
He couldn’t reveal that he had reincarnated. No one would believe it.
Instead, he had to fabricate a story, explaining he had awakened his traits a while ago and that it was difficult to openly claim precognition, so he lied.
“And… I couldn’t just leave it be, pretending it wasn’t happening.”
With a shameless expression, Lee Seon-seok casually spun his lie, wearing the mask of confidence.
Fortunately, Kim Baek-dong didn’t notice.
“So you went alone to such a dangerous place?”
Lee Seon-seok nodded quietly.
Kim Baek-dong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Was this bravery?
“You could have died.”
“Yet, you didn’t.”
“Still… judging only by the result is…”
There were far too many uncertainties.
“But I think it was worth it. I didn’t just awaken precognition alone.”
Kim Baek-dong was genuinely surprised.
‘…A dual awakener.’
He had suspected as much.
Even with precognition, such movements were impossible without additional traits.
Combined with the dark red flames and considering the hunter exam, Lee Seon-seok could potentially have three or even four traits:
Precognition, flame ignition, combat specialization, and perhaps an undead-related trait.
‘Unbelievable.’
Kim Baek-dong stifled a laugh.
It was rare to see someone with even one trait. Two traits were extremely uncommon, and three were nearly unheard of.
Four traits… that was exceptional.
‘At least S-rank potential.’
Just considering precognition, he was S-rank material. With combat ability included, SS-rank was plausible.
Seeing him overwhelm a larger, stronger villain, Kim Baek-dong couldn’t look away, and for a brief moment, found his appearance beautiful.
It sent chills down his spine.
Precognition and remarkable combat skills weren’t the only remarkable things.
Lee Seon-seok’s selfless heroism—his desire to save others—moved Kim Baek-dong the most.
‘…Never trust a man’s appearance.’
Kim Baek-dong let out a dry laugh.
Seeing Lee Seon-seok’s emotionless gaze up close was striking, even if the traits could explain his demeanor.
And his conclusion:
‘He must be recruited.’
If recruitment wasn’t possible, he would at least keep him close.
“For now, let’s keep the precognition trait a secret. Revealing it wouldn’t benefit anyone.”
Having said that, Kim Baek-dong moved to the main point.
“I’d like to discuss in detail the 420 casualties you mentioned, once we sign a mercenary contract. Would that be acceptable?”
420 casualties.
This was the first piece of information Lee Seon-seok had shared.
A highly confidential villain-sweeping operation.
Fortunately, Lee Seon-seok seemed to understand. He nodded in agreement.
“That’s fine. That’s why I revealed my abilities to you, Supervisor.”
It sounded sincere enough.
Yet Kim Baek-dong knew the truth.
It was merely a ruse to accumulate virtue points.
After some light conversation, Lee Seon-seok left, promising to be in touch regarding the mercenary contract.
That concluded today’s tasks.
For the next two months until the Association’s large-scale villain operation, Lee Seon-seok planned to strengthen his abilities and accumulate virtue points.
As the sunset cast its glow…
“I’m home.”
His mother, Han Yu-ri, greeted him warmly.
The fragrant aroma suggested they were having soybean paste soup for dinner.
“And father and Ji-hye?”
“He’s late due to a company dinner. Ji-hye ate out with friends.”
“I’ll help.”
“Did you get into trouble behind my back?”
Han Yu-ri asked softly, noticing her son’s rare display of filial piety.
“Just wanted to help.”
“You’re something else.”
She chuckled happily.
Lee Seon-seok washed his hands and helped with dinner preparations.
He wasn’t skilled at cooking, but he was good with knives.
“Oh my.”
Han Yu-ri seemed surprised at how easily he cut the meat and vegetables.
“Did you practice secretly to help me?”
“Just… a little, watching YouTube.”
His training came from slicing humans in combat…
‘Better not mention it.’
After a quiet dinner with his mother, Lee Seon-seok went to his room.
‘Lucky no one noticed.’
His clothes were relatively clean, with almost no dust.
He had been careful not to get blood on them during battle.
‘Let’s keep my hunter identity a secret for now.’
He didn’t want to worry his parents.
He wanted this house to remain peaceful, at least for now.
Someday he would reveal it, but not yet.
“Status window.”
He summoned his personal information.
It was time to check the traits he gained from killing the villain.
“Thank you, team leader.”
An intern spoke as Kim Baek-dong got into the car.
He handed over some documents shortly after.
“These are the villain’s personal details as investigated by the police.”
Blood- and dust-stained paperwork.
The intern, it seemed, had also been active outside during the chaos.
Kim Baek-dong skimmed through the documents.
Kim Man-sik, 42, male.
Awakened two years ago as a hunter, but his trait reduced intelligence whenever used, making him unable to function properly. Eventually retired.
Plagued by thousands of debts, he received treatment for hallucinations and other mental disorders over several years.
Motive: Possibly an impulsive rampage due to mental instability.
Considering his intelligence-lowering trait, this was plausible.
“Any connection between this villain and Hunter Lee Seon-seok?”
“None.”
The intern shook his head. He had investigated just in case, but there was no evidence of collusion.
“Also, we re-examined Lee Seon-seok’s past activities. Nothing suspicious turned up.”
Kim Baek-dong swallowed hard.
‘So it really is precognition…’
An unbelievable, yet undeniable reality.
“Did your discussion with him go well?”
The intern asked quietly.
“Yes, roughly.”
“Perhaps you’ll gain a junior, then.”
“Oh?”
“Though it might be a temporary one.”
The intern’s excitement at the word ‘junior’ quickly faded.
“A mercenary contract. He’ll be joining temporarily.”
Kim Baek-dong picked up his phone and made a call.
A rough dial tone rang.
“Have you been well, Chairwoman?”
“Gah…?!”
The intern straightened in surprise.
The chairwoman was the first female SSS-rank hunter in Korea, known as Geomseon, and a globally recognized powerhouse.
Yet Kim Baek-dong remained composed.
“Yes, I’ve been well.”
“I didn’t expect you’d call first. Is something wrong?”
“Not at all… I’m calling because there’s a hunter I’d like to recruit.”
“Huh? Your authority should be enough for that.”
“I wanted to make sure.”
“So this hunter is truly exceptional?”
“Yes.”
Her laugh came through the receiver.
“I’m curious, then. Go on.”
Kim Baek-dong continued.
“I’d like to request director-level authority for this recruitment.”
He had no intention of mentioning the precognition ability.
But for Lee Seon-seok, director-level authority was necessary.
The chairwoman responded cautiously.
“I’m not giving such authority lightly.”
“Yes.”
“Then explain why this hunter would be such a valuable asset to the Association.”
The question was expected.
The answer was clear to Kim Baek-dong.
“The hunter I want to recruit is Lee Seon-seok, who recently passed the hunter exam as top scorer.”
He calmly began persuading the chairwoman.