16
16 - Gift
Just as Seoul was boiling with news of Shartia, New York was also boiling.
Of course, it was in a completely opposite sense from Seoul.
└ This is insane. We're losing an S-rank Hunter to another country? What is the Hunter Management Bureau doing?
└ The height of incompetence. They're devouring a budget equivalent to national defense, and then make mistakes like this. How diversely are they wasting our taxes?
└ We need to protest this. Shartia isn't just any S-rank. She's the S-rank who was responsible for our dinner tables! Just look at how vegetable prices have gone up already.
Public opinion was extremely bad, and the reason was that Shartia wasn't just any S-rank Hunter.
After awakening her plant growth ability, she rarely entered Gates and instead traveled around the world, examining land and tending to plants.
She began gaining recognition from that time, and since she lived in New York, she devoted most of her energy to New York's land, allowing New York citizens to receive cheaper and higher quality vegetables than other cities.
With news of Shartia's naturalization, vegetable prices at the market immediately began rising, so public opinion couldn't possibly be good.
-I will take responsibility for this incident and resign.
The New York Hunter Management Bureau's response was Director Martin's resignation announcement.
Director Martin was a former A-rank Hunter who had steadily and diligently built up his achievements and connections to become director of the Hunter Management Bureau.
Though there were some difficulties since he supported the party opposite to the current administration, conversely, the fact that he still reached the important position of Hunter Management Bureau director despite this proved his competence.
Even he couldn't withstand the unforgivable mistake of losing an S-rank.
Next to take office was S-rank Hunter David, who had excellent origins completely different from former Director Martin.
He was a tall, well-regarded figure who was, above all, young and spirited.
-What happened with the Druid is regrettable. Though it was the former director's matter, those of us in the same industry should have paid attention to it as well.
At the inauguration interview, he gave a speech with numerous cameras and reporters present.
-Speaking of industry people, we, too, must awaken. New York's Hunter industry has particularly strong discrimination against Elves. There was that incident, and honestly, it's hard for Hunters to have a good impression of Elves. But having an Elf as a past life is irrelevant, isn't it?
Who someone was in their past life has absolutely no relation to their current life. Even if they were a heinous murderer or war criminal who massacred countless people in their past life, we shouldn't judge the present based on that.
Saying this, David gradually raised his voice with increasing fervor.
-How can we hold people accountable for sins from before they were born? That's not all. The Hunter Management Bureau is like a whale of a department that consumes a massive budget comparable to the Department of Defense. With so much money gathering, all kinds of rotten meat and hyenas overflow. It's time for transformation.
Like leaders of newly inaugurated organizations typically do, David also promised change.
However, unlike other times when there were only formal reactions, this time the response was enthusiastic. The fact that he rode the wave of public opinion well with Shartia's case was significant.
└ Change is difficult, but he seems like he'll succeed. There's confidence in his voice, and he's actually an S-rank Hunter. Different from incompetent Martin.
└ This is the leader we wanted! Not a man with narrow, modest shoulders like Martin.
└ Talking is easy, and practicing is hard. But David seems capable of pulling it off.
David's charisma instantly gathered the popularity of New York's Hunter community.
Behind this was also the fact that he was an active S-rank Hunter, and there were many testimonies from Hunters who had teamed up with him and achieved good results.
Former Director Martin, who actually wasn't that incompetent, was already branded as a failed loser and retreated to the background. He would probably never show his face to the public again.
Public opinion condemning the loss of Shartia soon quieted down and was filled with expectations for the new director and the reforms he would carry out.
In a way, it was a positive change looking forward. But no one knew whether it was right or wrong. No one even tried to find out.
A week after the major reorganization of the New York Hunter Management Bureau began.
"Hello? Mayor?"
-…...
David received a phone call in his personal study. It was a call from New York's mayor.
"It really was easy when I did it your way. You're an amazing politician. If politics had grades, you'd be an S-rank politician, wouldn't you?"
-…..
The sound from the other end of the phone was very quiet and hard to hear. But it wasn't quiet enough that S-rank Hunter David couldn't hear it.
"Yeah, I did as instructed. I subtly scattered those who were in Martin's line or Hunters with ties to opposing companies, and only gathered our supporting forces tightly together. I mixed in some moderates, but I'm not sure if they'll convert to our side. Do people's hearts change that easily?"
-…...
"Really? Just placing our people around them naturally leads to conversion? I doubt it'll work well since we're not cult evangelists... But if you say it works, then it works. But I want to ask one thing - did you torment the Druid from the beginning, targeting this?"
Then, adjusting his posture, the sound from the other end became a bit clearer.
-Hardly. The human world isn't lenient enough to predict that easily. If so, I'd be a prophet. I just gauge the wind direction each time and make the best choice.
"Wind direction?"
-Wind never stops. It's always either a tailwind or headwind. When it's a tailwind, I ride the current, and when it's a headwind, I crouch down. That's all.
"Hmm... I'm still a rookie F-rank politician, so I don't really understand your philosophy. So what about Shartia? Isn't she too valuable a talent to give to others?"
-We have to kill her.
The answer came without even a second's gap, making David shrug his shoulders. The old man on the other end supplemented his answer.
-We're the only ones with analysis data on Shartia's plant growth ability. We need to kill her before Seoul starts researching so we can monopolize it.
"Poor thing. She could have become a saint who saves the Earth."
-The Earth will be saved. It's just a difference of whether a saint saves it or New York does.
Though he said it was pitiful, David had no particular intention of stopping it. Rather, he thought the mayor's judgment was extremely rational.
'It would be foolish to meekly let another country steal a Hunter with such unique abilities.'
If they could exercise monopoly rights over that ability, perhaps they could reclaim the glory of being a past hegemonic power.
The biggest reason Shartia had been subjected to harassment and pressure from all quarters was actually this. Being an Elf in a past life only touched people's emotions and had no connection to actual profit.
The mayor had warned her several times not to use her abilities in other countries, but she never listened. That snowball rolled and rolled, connecting to Shartia's naturalization and David's inauguration.
He spread out two documents.
One was a report on Shartia. The other was a report on a Seoul Hunter that Shartia had been close with recently.
Seoul's F-rank Hunter Kang Jin-woo. Though he's F-rank, he simply hasn't been promoted due to his short career, but his abilities are already B-rank or higher. He single-handedly found and killed a Shadow.
"What about this Kang Jin-woo guy? He seems to have the ability to detect Erosion cores."
This time, there's a moment of consideration. The person on the other end pondered silently for about 3 minutes before answering.
-Too valuable an ability to give to others.
***
After two weeks of treatment, Jin-woo was safely discharged.
To commemorate his discharge, he decided to have a barbecue in the yard from midday this time. He stopped by the mart to buy meat, expensive spices, and high-grade butter.
He doesn't want to skimp on food. Because of the sadness of calculating price, nutrition, and satiety with every meal in the past, once he started earning money, he stopped being frugal when it came to food. He didn't have any other hobbies besides eating anyway.
While preparing in the yard, Jin-woo took the opportunity to call Shartia. She had visited him many times during his hospitalization, taught him Elvish, and took great care of him.
She might be busy, but he could ask about that over the phone.
-I'll come.
She didn't seem that busy, as she answered immediately.
Jin-woo sent her the house location via message and continued preparing. Not long after, he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle.
Vroom vroom.
Still, it was quite tame since it was in the city. She stopped the motorcycle in front of Jin-woo house and entered the yard, pushing it along.
"So this is Jin-woo's house?"
"Yes. It's quite shabby, isn't it?"
"It's spacious and nice."
Because it's covered by a barrier, it's much more spacious than what you'd expect for the rent. There's a yard too, and he didn't have major complaints about the house itself.
"Since it's barbecue today, I brought a gift."
"A gift?"
"Ta-da."
Shartia opened the motorcycle's rear seat and pulled out a wine bottle wrapped in cloth and two glasses.
Come to think of it, he'd only tried beer but never wine. They say wine goes with meat, so why hadn't he thought of it?
Jin-woo set up camping chairs and a table and started grilling the meat over charcoal.
'Mm, this is it.'
His heart pounded with a sense of openness. He'd been eating a lot of meat since becoming a Hunter, but this was only the second time preparing and having a barbecue like this.
Unlike grilling in a pan at home, there was an open feeling.
While Jin-woo grilled the meat, Shartia poured wine into glasses and set the table. She placed glasses filled less than half with wine on napkins. She also took out plates for the meat in advance and arranged bread and cheese.
If Jin-woo had been alone, he would have just set things up roughly and eaten, but with Shartia's touch, it had quite an atmosphere. It felt like luxury glamping.
When the meat was done grilling, the two clinked glasses.
"Congratulations on your discharge."
"Thank you."
After a simple toast, Jin-woo took a sip. His first impression was that the aroma was incredibly rich.
As soon as he brought the round glass near his mouth, the aroma rushed up. Tasting it in that state, he couldn't help but fall for it.
'Wow, this is different from grape juice.'
It was an impression that would make a winemaker grab the back of their neck if they heard it, but he couldn't help it since he hadn't tried much. Until now, he'd only drunk beverages full of artificial ingredients.
It had been less than two months since he started drinking such good alcohol and eating good meat.
"This is delicious."
"Right? I got it as a gift from a craftsman there when I went to take care of a vineyard in Paris."
"You didn't buy it but received it directly as a gift? Is it okay to drink such precious alcohol like this?"
"Alcohol exists to be drunk. The craftsman also said to drink it anytime when something good happens. Just don't drink it only when sad."
"That's wonderful."
In times like these, there aren't many craftsmen left who brew alcohol. There probably aren't many even if you search the whole world.
Jin-woo was grateful to be able to drink such precious alcohol made by such craftsmen. Indeed, there are still so many things in the world he hasn't eaten and hasn't drunk.
For a while, they enjoyed conversation along with meat and alcohol. There was no shortage of topics.
Since they're both Hunters, there's much to talk about regarding Gates, and they also talk about Elves. The progress of Elvish I've been learning recently, or her recent situation after naturalization.
Actually, just hearing about her recent situation alone would provide enough topics.
"There are so many people bothering me asking me to come here and there. Landowners with fields or farms, or people asking me to give invited lectures about Gates. Guilds are also ardently courting me to join them."
"Will you join a guild?"
"No! Actually, I haven't entered Gates for quite a while. I don't really need to belong to a guild."
She wanted to continue living freely like this. Not belonging anywhere and able to fly off anywhere.
She just needed a place to return to, and the place to return that was originally New York has now become Seoul.
"By the way, New York must be grinding their teeth over this incident, so I should be careful. I feel like they might come to slit my throat while I'm sleeping."
"Pardon?"
Jin-woo asked back as she said something tremendous so casually.
"Slit your throat? You don't mean they'd send assassins?"
"Of course. Those guys extremely hated my ability leaking out, so there's no way they'd just leave me alone after I even naturalized."
"Uh, are you okay? Maybe you should ask Mayor Ma Du-sik for help..."
"I've talked about it all. He expressed outrage saying he would never tolerate such things. That passion might be acting, but his intention to protect me is probably sincere, so I half believe him."
"What about the other half?"
"It's my life, so I have to protect it myself."
Her reaction was dry despite the fact that her life might be in danger. It probably wasn't her first time experiencing this.
In the first place, if she's an S-rank Hunter, she would have experienced countless dangers and trials in Gates, so she could remain calm even in considerable crises.
"So those guys might mess with Jin-woo too."
"That can't... I want to say that, but I don't know the New York atmosphere well."
"If they find out I naturalized because of Jin-woo, they'll target you even more desperately. Then they'll present me with a very disadvantageous negotiation table."
"Because of me? I thought you just came because Seoul had good infrastructure."
Shartia realized her mistake and was startled. Blood rushed to her head in an instant, and her brain spun 2, 3 times faster than usual.
"You're the first Hunter I've met who has the same Elf past life as me. I wanted to stay nearby and observe for a bit."
"Ah, I see."
It wasn't a lie. Rather, it was mostly true, so the answer came out quickly.
Shartia let out a sigh, praising herself for her quick reaction.
"Anyway, Jin-woo might be in danger too, so take this. I brought a gift."
"Again?"
What she handed over was a small white flower. It looked similar to the amulet I'd received inside the Erosion.
"That one from before was made by infusing power on the spot, but this is different. It's a magic item carefully made using magic stones, so it'll be a great help if you carry it."
"Wow, thank you. I didn't expect to receive such a big gift."
Jin-woo received the flower with admiration. True to her words about using magic stones, the flower emanated a richer energy than before.
"When the Magi runs out, you need to recharge it with magic stones, but honestly the fuel efficiency isn't that great. If you use it carelessly just because it's convenient, your income might actually be negative even after going to Gates, so use it carefully. But when it's dangerous, don't save it and use it generously."
"Yes, understood. Thank you."
I wrapped the flower well in cloth and put it in my inner pocket. I could have put it in my inventory, but items that enter the inventory are frozen in that state. Meaning they don't function as magic items.
Since it's a gift to protect my body from dangers that might come without warning, I shouldn't put it in inventory but always carry it around.
"And I brought more things, so take this. A potion basket. Inside, the 3 bottles of crimson liquid are high-grade healing potions, and the 1 bottle of blue liquid is a purification potion. You roughly know the effects, right?"
"Ah yes. I know, but..."
Something else came out, making Jin-woo blink. He inadvertently received it and opened it to find bottles in four divided spaces within a small basket.
"Mm, the yard has some width but it's a shame it's so empty with nothing. Let's plant some trees and grow flowers or at least a vegetable garden."
She opened the motorcycle seat and brought out sturdy-looking tree branches and a seed pouch.
Then she placed her hands on the ground, and the earth thump thump heaved up and down, mixing here and there and being finely ground. Shartia appropriately planted trees and seeds in the area she had turned over once.
She muttered to herself while considering even the arrangement and composition as she planted, like some interior designer. Though calling her a gardener would be more accurate.
"I've infused my energy into all of them, so they're a bit different from ordinary plants. If anything dangerous happens, go inside the house and hold out. You understand?"
Jin-woo lost his words and just nodded. Satisfied with that, Shartia rummaged through the open motorcycle seat again.
"And in case you get kidnapped or something, I brought something for that too..."
Things kept popping out of the seat. Gifts aside, I'd never received this level of overprotection in my entire life.