Living a Normal Life (4): An Unexpected Encounter

When Jihu saw me get hit, he charged forward in a rage. A massive ripple of blue mana surged from his hands.

But I was perfectly fine compared to the amount of blood I had shed. It looked like a serious injury from the outside, yet the wounds themselves were almost nonexistent.

Still, if things continued like this, Jihu might end up entangled in the incident. I hurriedly stopped him.

"Stop!"

"Sis...?"

"I'm... fine. Just stay put for now."

If Jihu got involved here, it would become a huge hassle.

No matter how young he was, the guild treated him as a promising talent, so he could probably win. But whether the guild would view it favorably was another story entirely.

Sister Yeseo had told me that trainees in their probationary period could be replaced without a second thought. They were promising at best, but since the practical benefit was low, they could be discarded immediately.

If he let his emotions take over like this, it could cause problems down the line. I didn't know if the Binghwa Guild Master was the type to act that way, but there was no harm in being cautious.

"Aigoo, bros. If I make that pale girl cry her eyes out, it's thirty, right? I'll get right on it~"

"Thirty? Hey, aren't you guys donating? Okay, fifteen. Call!"

"Yo yo. The big spender says he'll give fifty thousand won per person. Let's gooo!"

The guys who had felt a slight pang of conscience after seeing the blood I shed earlier immediately surrendered to the allure of money.

Their brief moment of hesitation vanished in an instant. As soon as the viewers craving stimulating content started throwing cash, they began slinking closer.

The best option is to run away.

Their skills weren't particularly high. At best they were D-rank. If we chose to flee, we could easily get away. Do you avoid shit because you're scared of it, or because it's filthy?

I spoke to the kids right away.

"Guys. If you cause an accident, it's a loss in itself, right? So let's run away."

"Sis?"

"What do we gain by fighting them? Teaching them a lesson? That's not rational at all, is it?"

Would the higher-ups bother moving themselves? They would simply order someone to clean up the mess and lose interest. Thinking like a mage, why should I even engage? They weren't worth my time at all.

Running away was the best course of action. Just because we had the power to win didn't mean it was rational to waste it here.

"Let's just avoid them. That's better."

The kids were still young and might want to take them on, but it was wiser not to participate in a fight where the losses outweighed any gains.

Of course, that was from our perspective. We had nothing to gain from fighting, but they did.

When they realized we were trying to slip away wisely, they moved quickly.

"It won't be that easy! Haa!"

Vwoong—!

A huge translucent wall enveloped us. When I touched it, it had physical substance. Its hardness was quite high too.

"Now how are you going to get out? Huh?"

The opponent sneered.

"Uh...?"

While the kids panicked, I began analyzing the situation the way a mage would. As far as I knew, no such skill or magic existed.

So how had the opponent used it without any incantation? There was only one answer.

"A Unique Ability...?"

"Ohh? You're pretty sharp, miss. With a face like that, you look like the type who'd play dumb but live comfortably by landing a good man."

The big guy in the back answered. It seemed he was the source of the ability. A Unique Ability would be troublesome.

Unlike regular skills or magic that had clear counters, Unique Abilities were unpredictable precisely because they were unique.

It was like preparing for fire, only to discover it was merely something that looked like fire, rendering magic useless.

I can't tell if this ability actually creates walls or if the wall is just an image and it's really something that restricts space-time...

Damn it. To think they were using a Unique Ability that even I couldn't fully grasp. At that level, several guilds should be trying to recruit him. So why this?

The situation had completely reversed. Escaping had become even more difficult.

Seoyeon and Jihu were minors. They couldn't clear gates yet. They were only learning response methods through mana quality and equipment. It meant they had no skills or gear. The only thing they could do was reinforce their bodies with mana.

If we could break through the wall with raw strength, that would be one thing. But if not...

There's no one but me...!

What should I do? Call the police? Even if I did, would they arrive quickly?

Should I subdue them with my own mana then? Even as a mage, the number of spells I could cast without drawing a magic circle was limited. I couldn't handle five people alone.

If I used magic, I could win. I had a few high-firepower spells after all.

But... of all people, they had to be these broadcast scum and not just regular thugs...!

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠real problem was that these broadcast scum were in the middle of a live stream.

Seoyeon and Jihu would be fine. There was a high chance they would keep my secret. The scum would be fine too. Even if they claimed anything, no one would believe them.

But leaving behind video footage was unacceptable. It would be permanently recorded and spread everywhere. All the truths I had worked so hard to hide would be exposed.

If I could escape the wall using magic, that would be ideal... but since it's a Unique Ability, there are too many variables. I might be the only one who can get out. Using only physical reinforcement to subdue them is impossible. If the kids helped it might work, but that would ruin their futures. Calling the police has a low chance of arriving in time. If I reveal I'm a mage, I could subdue them alone... but my identity would be plastered all over the internet.

Every choice came with risk.

A choice without risk was no different from one without return. Choosing an option with big returns meant accepting the risks that came with it.

The most rational choice... would be to reveal that I'm a mage.

The reason I had hidden it was simply to gain a bit more advantage. It wasn't some deep vow or belief. Revealing it wouldn't create any real risk. It would only reduce the benefits.

I couldn't stake the kids' futures for my own minor gains.

"Hey. You look like you're shaking in fear. Who wants to go first?"

Fortunately, they were still off guard.

That would be enough to create a real impact. I recalled a suitable spell and prepared the magic within my clothes.

The moment I cast it, all eyes would turn to me. I wouldn't be able to live as before. But I couldn't fear change. That wouldn't be mage-like at all.

As the opponent drew closer and I finished preparing to launch the spell, that was the moment.

Knock— knock—

"What could this be? Balak. Was it always like this?"

"It appears to be a wall someone artificially created."

Sudden voices came from behind us. When I turned, two people were standing there.

One was a neatly dressed man in a suit. The other was a large Black man with dreadlocks.

They seemed to be trying to pass through and were knocking on the wall.

"Excuse me. We need to get through here, so could you open a door for us? I'm asking you sincerely."

The black-haired man requested politely. What a strange person. The situation was obviously dangerous, yet he spoke so casually.

Seeing the Black man, he looked like a bodyguard. Was he hired for that reason? Some rich family's young master?

"What the hell? Who are you? Get lost?"

"If we don't move, what are you going to do about it? Huh?"

But these opponents lived off aggro and attention. They were what people called attention whores. Being Awakeners was their only advantage, and the greatest superiority they could feel was through force.

A polite request to step aside would never work on them. They had no intention of complying anyway. If that man passed through, we could naturally escape too.

But...

This is an opportunity.

When an opportunity came, I had to seize it.

"H-help us! These people trapped us and are trying to do weird things!"

I quickly made it clear that we were the victims. If that Black man was a bodyguard, he had to be B-rank or higher.

If he helped, we would have a chance.

"Please help us! Please! I'm begging you!"

I acted as pitiful as possible, begging for sympathy. I used every tool at my disposal to win his pity.

"Well. Then I'll help you."

Yes...!

Fortunately my approach seemed to work. The man appeared willing to help us. The guys behind him hesitated.

It was a clearer effect than anything before. Delighted, I turned around.

The man stood there smiling. It should have been an ordinary, heartwarming scene.

It definitely should have been...

What is this?

Something felt wrong.

What exactly? I couldn't understand it.

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. If he was simply a young master flaunting a strong bodyguard, the aura he gave off was too odd.

Yes, intuition. My intuition was speaking.

This man was different somehow. He wasn't the rich young master I had concluded through mage-like thinking.

That was when it happened.

"What? Who is Kim Jian?"

The answer to my question arrived.

"What are the viewers saying?"

Hermes. One of the four guilds dominating South Korea's hunter industry, along with a single massive corporation. Even if its military power was somewhat lacking, its influence far surpassed the other four guilds. It was a leading domestic conglomerate. And he was the chairman of that place?

Him?

"Break it."

"Yes."

The Black man threw a light punch. To him it was nothing more than a casual swing, but the wall didn't see it that way.

The wall shattered with a thunderous crash. After breaking, the mana-constructed barrier turned to ash and vanished into the air.

The Hermes president slowly walked forward with a meaningful smile. The Live Tribe members hesitated.

Some might think that because they had nothing to lose in life, they had nothing to fear.

Half of that was true. These guys had hit rock bottom and had nothing left. But precisely because of that, they feared losing even the little they had left.

They say having nothing to lose means having nothing to fear, but that only applies to those who have already lost everything. People who started with little fear losing even what remains and act cautiously.

What did these guys have to lose? Any living creature can lose its life. That's why if death was certain, they would never charge in. That was the reason behind the strong preying on the weak.

"Hey! You're the chairman, right? If the chairman uses private sanctions, what do you think public opinion will be like? Huh?"

"No matter how great a chairman you are, this doesn't make any sense! Right? Huh?"

"You said you were just passing by, so let's just go our separate ways. Okay?"

It was like a beast puffing itself up to look bigger. They knew they would lose, but backing down without resistance would be the end, so this was their final struggle. Everyone knew it wouldn't work.

Was Hermes a company that lived off its image? Was it the kind of company where the chairman's deviation would become an issue?

And public opinion? What opinion would turn against them? They were the ones who had tried to commit a crime first. The only reason they could even make these refutations was because the stream was live. Conversely, that also meant their own crimes were being broadcast. There was nothing they could do.

"Haha. You say some interesting things."

He spoke politely, yet everyone's bodies stiffened at the chairman's words. They were the same words, and he was probably the weakest in terms of force among everyone present. Yet that one person's words carried more weight than anyone else's.

"It looks like you all do internet broadcasts, right? Am I correct?"

He casually mentioned the internet broadcast. The threat seemed almost amusing to him.

"And the purpose of that broadcast must be to attract a lot of viewers or create a hot topic, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suppose."

The chairman continued speaking casually. I couldn't predict how he would handle this. Even thinking like a mage, no answer came to me. I didn't know how many cards this man held. Having never possessed such power, I probably couldn't understand it. But he was clearly no ordinary person. It was a position you couldn't reach without that level of capability.

"Then. Let's stop here and go back. Okay?"

The choice he made was to avoid the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight.

"Wasn't your goal to create a topic anyway? But now I've appeared on the broadcast, right? Wouldn't this be enough to become a hot topic?"

Why did Live Tribes exist? To attract aggro and make money. And the man known as Hermes Chairman Kim Jian was definitely a subject that would draw massive attention. He was offering them a compromise to back off moderately.

"B-but... we were already attracting viewers! If you disappear, all those viewers will leave! Unless you give us more content, do you really think this level of aggro is enough?"

But at their core they followed the law of the strong preying on the weak. When it seemed the chairman wouldn't attack them, their vile nature immediately crawled out. Since the chairman seemed to understand their ecology, they were trying to squeeze out even more benefits.

But would the chairman not know what they could think of?

"Of course."

He slowly approached and stood in front of the person who seemed to be the leader of the Live Tribe. Then he matched their eye level. The leader figure was terrified, but he paid it no mind. He smiled with that unknowable smile once more and opened his mouth.

"Because it's me."

He answered while stepping back slightly.

"In the broadcasts of this small country, I can confidently say that there aren't even ten people who can create a bigger issue than me."

At his single sentence, the people slowly backed away.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

He was speaking kindly, but everyone knew his true intention. He was saying this: Just get lost while I'm still giving you an excuse.

"Bros. You've seen someone really amazing today, right? Honestly, it seems like those people don't like this very much, so shall we end this content here?"

"Let's go quickly. It was a jackpot anyway."

"Whew... that was close to getting fucked."

The Live Tribe members hurriedly disappeared. Overwhelmed by his presence, they went on their way. The space that had been noisy just moments ago was left with only silence.

"Are you okay? There's blood on you, so I'll clean it up."

He spoke casually as he took out a scroll from his pocket and tore it. White light flowed out and erased the bloodstains on my pants.

"Yes. Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to escape. I really appreciate it."

"Haha. It's nothing."

"So... are you really the chairman of Hermes?"

This was a tremendous opportunity.

The Hermes chairman... is an incomparable connection...!

After Sister Yeseo's words, I had looked up Hermes. It was an incredibly demanding organization. Other places might accept me into the guild with just the fact that I was a mage, but Hermes was different. I could tie myself to them as a client, but...

"Yes. I am Kim Jian, CEO of Hermes. Nice to meet you."

That's why I had thought it would be hard to form a connection. But not anymore. This was a chance to build a direct link with Kim Jian. I had to seize this opportunity.

"Then, can I say one thing... is that okay?"

"Yes. Please speak."

There was hesitation. If it went wrong, I might earn his dislike. But if I hesitated out of fear, nothing would happen. Thinking like a mage, even if he disliked me here, would he still dislike me after learning I was a mage? With that kind of attitude, he couldn't have grown the business this far. He wouldn't act in such an un-mage-like way. It was worth the challenge. It was an opportunity to clearly imprint who I was.

"Us. Could we set up a meeting when you have time? There's something I'd like to discuss from a business perspective."

So I would do it. No matter how much it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seemed like overreaching.