216. Sometimes Gambling is Good Too.
Just moments ago, Go Eul-ji had been genuinely savoring the pre-concert buzz.
With BTA fans from all over the world gathered, singing the same songs and dancing the same moves—it felt almost like a religious ritual in its fervor.
But when the random dance play of BTA's hit songs kicked off, she started sensing something off.
At first, she thought it was just another hunter who was also a BTA fan like her. But the mana was hidden so stealthily that she even wondered if it might be some assassin or terrorist from who-knows-where.
Whoever this is, they've got their presence masked that well. Only the guild master or I could pick up on it. Even Mr. Jo's sister isn't this good. America really lives up to its rep as the land of the free, huh? The heavenly kingdom indeed.
In an era where hunter power mattered more than defense budgets, America—still called the "heavenly kingdom"—poured top-tier funding into its hunters.
No matter how much of a thunderbolt scatterbrain Go Eul-ji was, she knew the basics of the American hunter scene, so she stayed wary of this American hunter.
"Eul-ji-ya, what's up? You look like you gotta pee or something."
"Nah, just something bugging me."
"You? Right before a BTA event?"
"Don't mind me, Nari. You just go wild. I'm probably just being paranoid."
"Paranoid? You? If anything, you're the dense one. Your nickname's Bear Girl for a reason. You slept through class like hibernation. Teacher probably whacked you and you still didn't wake up, right?"
"That was 'cause I pulled an all-nighter raid the day before."
"I know you stayed up till dawn for the BTA global MV launch."
No excuse would fool Kim Nari, who had BTA's schedule memorized.
Even as she chatted with her friend, Go Eul-ji kept tracking the stealthy presence. Then, suddenly, it vanished completely. She expanded her detection range, but nothing. It was gone.
Dangerous one.
Hiding it on purpose meant they'd noticed her watching.
That confirmed it. This guy wasn't a BTA fan. A real fan wouldn't kill their presence like that. So why go to such desperate lengths to stay hidden? From experience, hunters who didn't want to be spotted were usually villains.
Go Eul-ji snapped to attention.
She flashed back to the fan signing where she'd ignored a suspicious vibe, only for Japanese Iga-ryu hunters to approach BTA's agency.
They'd been after Iron Will Guild in the end, but the thought of those dangerous types lurking near her oppa's concert still gave her chills.
If this creep caused trouble, the concert could get canceled.
The guild can go down in flames, but I won't let my oppa's show get ruined.
It was the kind of vow that would make Joo Se-ah freak out, but Go Eul-ji resolved to hunt down the vanished hunter.
"Nari-ya, gotta step out for a bit."
"Huh? Where to all of a sudden?"
"Where else? Don't be dense. Bathroom. Think I got the runs."
"Shoulda stopped you from wolfing down twenty burgers at breakfast. Hurry back."
"Might take a while. Entertain yourself."
The opponent's presence crept in like a noose tightening around his throat, and Thomas could no longer hold back.
"Miss Catherine. I need to step away for a moment."
"Step away? Weren't you the one saying not to stray more than three steps?"
"In this situation, it's safer if I do."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just precautions. I'll cast a few measures."
Thomas laid two spells on Catherine.
One was a marker spell to track her location anywhere. The other, a defensive spell to block significant damage.
His chronic condition left him bedridden for days after powerful magic, but lighter spells he could handle in multiples.
Of course, overdoing even these brought side effects, but used judiciously, it let him out-versatile any mage.
"Then, enjoy the event safely."
"Hey! Safely? What do you mean by—"
Half-listening to Catherine, Thomas slipped away.
He hurried out of the venue, steadying his breath. Mana flow in his veins halted. His pulse slowed, then stopped entirely. No heartbeat.
Thomas became corpse-like. Any mage hunter spotting him would mistake him for a walking dead.
In truth, he was using Revival Deadman.
By modern theory, a black magic spell.
Raising corpses as temporary familiars—terrifying to civilians, shunned by hunters.
The twist: Thomas's version worked utterly differently from what hunters knew.
If they knew I cast this on the living, I'd be branded a cultist. Prison, maybe.
A spell for the dead, on the living? Breaking skill laws to boot?
Hell, maybe a lab rat instead.
No other hunter modified relic or monster skills at will—except Thomas, with his originals aside.
Rare traits were power for hunters. Not for him.
Rare ain't always good. I'm weak.
But for the strong, rare meant power. Whatever trait his pursuer had, it was something unique.
How else could they track him so precisely, even with Revival Deadman erasing presence and life signs?
Unable to shake the tail, Thomas blended into the crowd toward the subway.
Ugh! Body's heavy. Telekinesis? From this distance? Trying to keep me aboveground.
Unable to fight the growing weight en route to the station, Thomas veered off. Ditching the subway lifted the bind instantly.
He had a hunch why they pushed so hard.
What if I head to the big mall?
Pulling force toward the ground again.
Keeping me from crowds. Wants me isolated. Herding me there.
But why?
Someone this strong from afar could kill me undetected anytime. Herding instead means needs to hide the kill. Or check something first.
Thomas weighed options: test mercy with contact, or evade till the end.
Then it hit him:
Any regrets if I die now?
Half-baked hunter life, life-eating disease, no possessions, no kin or friends. Closest was Doctor Marie, drawn by his rare illness.
He'd emailed a lead on his condition recently—marked read, but no reply.
Suddenly, Thomas wanted to meet his pursuer.
He ducked into a narrow alley between buildings. The shadow trailing him stretched long into the gloom.
Backed against a chain-link fence dividing zones, Thomas waited.
The opponent approached. A girl. By American standards, middle school age? Asian features suggested high school or college. Shorter than him by a head.
Sweet-looking, but high-rank hunters were rarely nice—best not assume.
Trait as guessed: telekinesis...
"Cut the calculations. I know I'm pretty, but staring's rude."
"Not bad personality—bad eyesight?"
"Eyesight? Mine's perfect. Personality's lawless too."
"No. Look in a mirror."
Brief silence. The rat-scurrying alley was eerily quiet.
"You saying I'm ugly? Sorry, American jokes aren't my strong suit."
"You took that as a joke? You're that dense. So why'd you chase me?"
Thomas eased into the main point.
But she dodged.
"Ugh, this isn't how I planned my U.S. debut. Hey, wanna get dense too?"
"Dense? How? No idea what you mean."
"Beat you till pain's gone. Get used to it, feels like nothing."
"No pain... that's dying from a beating, right?"
"Yeah, you get the real talk. Pretty sensitive. Asked why I chased you? Just decided."
"What?"
"To beat you."
Kang Moo-hyuk headed to Hunters Casino, Las Vegas's largest.
Converted his World Hunter Federation million dollars into chips.
No Song-rin, concerned, asked cautiously.
"Shouldn't this be operating funds?"
"What funds?"
"To expand influence? Even big hunters need fancy dinners, drinks, networking. U.S. celebs party a lot—hunters too, I hear. Gotta buy nice clothes for that, right?"
"Do you think I have social skills, Hunter No Song-rin?"
She shook her head.
"Then no need. See?"
"Still, gambling it away feels off."
"Pfft!"
Jang Deok-gu chuckled at her worried tone.
"Why laugh?"
"Just— you telling me not to gamble? Funny."
"What's wrong with saying don't gamble?"
"Ujungdo's full of innocents who gamble. Ex-con advising against it? Hilarious. Plus, you're Kim Myeong-jun's lackey. Who knows when you'll backstab—faking loyalty's a riot."
"That was ages ago... Thorns in your words lately?"
"Couldn't string words before, now your tongue's loose. Got the boss's backing?"
"Backing? Can't family talk?"
"You're on probation. Never heard of an Ujungdo grad turning good."
"I'm a good guy originally."
"Half the ones I locked up said that. Guess what the other half said?"
"Innocent?"
"Spot on. So you're bad."
"What kinda logic? Jang Deok-gu, too much? Bullying squad mates okay?"
"Boss is already at the slots. You hate gambling, huh? Deeper chat, just us?"
"Ahem. Sometimes gambling's good. For mental health."
"Look after your health too. I'm watching."