Chương 14: Cat Wandering in Darkness
Hunters with abilities that transcended ordinary people were double-edged swords in society.
They served as weapons against monsters that could not be subdued with human weapons, but there were also many cases of abuse of that power.
The only force that managed and controlled such hunters. It was neither the government nor the people, but the 'Hunter Association'.
Recently, however, the status of the association was getting weaker everyday.
"Have you heard from Hunter Shin Siwoo yet?"
Even if the sky fell, there would be a hole which you could rise through. Daeyoon, the president of the Hunter Association, was anxious because he could not get the solution in front of him.
"No, President. I've been trying to call him…"
In response to Gwanghyun's answer, Daeyoon pressed his temple with his fingers. He really, desperately wanted Siwoo.
Of the hundreds of thousands of Korean hunters, there were only six S-Class hunters. In other words, it meant that he was a rare talent who was born at a terribly low probability of 0.001%.
If Siwoo became a hunter belonging to the association, they would have their first S-Class hunter.
'It's for balance.'
Daeyoon was sure.
Currently, 4 out of 6 S-Class hunters had their own personal guilds. While those four guilds were increasing their strength with every passing day, it became dangerous for the association's position and prestige to decline more than it already had. If it did, it would be no different from a warning that an era of lawless hunters was approaching.
In other words, they needed to quickly recruit an influential hunter to join the association! The current members of the association were at their limit.
"But will he really leave the Wolf Guild and join the association?"
"Don't you know that Shin Siwoo is not on good terms with the Wolf Guild?"
"But blood is thicker than water, isn't it?"
"There is no tree that doesn't fall after ten hits. Try to stay in touch first."
Shin Siwoo. While he was a member of the Wolf Guild, he established a subsidiary called 'Silver Moon' and claimed the title of CEO for himself.
Silver Moon was not a guild, but a hunter management company. One might think of it as a stepping stone before becoming the next guild leader, but Daeyoon had a foreboding feeling that it would not be the only one.
"Well…"
Meanwhile, Gwanghyun scratched his cheek as if he were in trouble. Daeyoon, the president of the association, had never officially talked to Siwoo yet, so he could still say that.
Siwoo had a talent for freezing people with his smiling face. Gwanghyun was convinced that Siwoo's persistence would most likely be stronger and harder than his ice shields.
Gwanghyun was not confident enough to break through that ice shield. Rather than contacting him, it was more comfortable to visit the master of the Corps Guild, known as the 'geeky otaku'.
"Oh, come to think of it."
Gwanghyun suddenly raised his head as if he had remembered.
"Didn't I tell you last time? The Princess of Dark Flare…"
"Are you still talking about that? Aren't you ashamed as an adult to be swayed by stories like these children's jokes?"
The Princess of Dark Flare was an urban legend amongst hunters.
There were many other urban legends that were similar. There was the 'Bat Man' who would suck the blood of hunters, the 'Black Reaper' where the souls of dead hunters gathered and wandered through cracks, and many others.
"Hey, you were the type of person who would wear a dog on the back of your hand back in the days of the Red Mask*."
tl/n: *an urban legend and it's more or less explained in the next dialog. it's originated in japan and the korean version is just a variation of it. you can google it as "red masked woman" or "kuchisake-onna" if you want to know more.
"…I wouldn't do that."
"Then? How would you respond to the question 'Am I pretty?' If you said no, your throat would be slit, and if you said yes, she would cut your mouth to look like her. Were you even able to go to school if you were this scared?"
"Don't make fun of me."
"I'm saying this because a member of the association believes in an urban legend. If you understand, don't let me down anymore."
They say you shouldn't judge people by their looks, but Daeyoon was as conservative as his appearance. The current association existed because that conservative tendency was favoured by the government. Yes, that was true, but…
"I don't know her identity, but Hunter Shin definitely said that he couldn't even beat her himself."
"Tsk tsk. That's just because the young Hunter Shin is humble."
"No, he seemed to mean it."
"That's enough. It would've been more productive to make at least one more call to Shin Siwoo during this useless conversation."
"No, I'm serious…"
"Get out."
Gwanghyun, who had been kicked out, stood in front of the slammed door and touched his heart in sorrow.
"Ha. Should I really quit my job?"'
It was exactly his 201st urge to resign.
Usually, in the case of such an inflexible person, they would never believe what people said until they saw it with their own two eyes.
So, there was only one way.
Gwanghyun tightened his tie as if he had made up his mind.
"Team Leader, are you leaving work already?"
"Don't look for me for a while."
"What? Um, okay…?"
Gwanghyun grabbed his bag and got in the elevator without looking back.
'I'll never come back until you need me!'
Gwanghyun pressed the 'close' button with his index finger, engulfed in anger.
***
A week had passed since Eunha had escaped the gate.
Click, click.
It was a quiet room. Eunha, with a very serious face, raised her index fingers and tapped the keyboard.
<BOOGLE Search Bar> 'Wolf Guild'
Information related to the Wolf Guild poured through the white screen. Eunha slowly scrolled down and read the information one by one in her head.
Siwoo brought a laptop in consideration of Eunha. Since connecting to Wi-Fi was difficult for Eunha, he had set up all of the settings in the end. Thanks to this, Eunha was able to easily find information about modern times even in her room.
"Hmm."
Eunha, who was browsing the internet, gently stroked her chin. It was true that the Wolf Guild seemed to be the largest guild in Korea. However, its fame seemed to have become a double-edged sword.
[Title] Look at those who curse at wolf guilds
[Writer] □□ (121.204) | 13.4.2031 2:11 PM | [Views] 21,946 | [Recommended] 1,333
[Content] If it weren't for the Wolf Guild, would Korea have become a hunter powerhouse? I know that there are conspiracy theories, and there are obviously problems with sticking to a coercive system. But, as a result, don't a number of S-Class gate clean-ups make less money than Wolf's??
[Comments] 122
└>□□: no hahahaha i'm defending it lol, honestly, it's because s-class gates are the best way to get money
└>ㅁ:: that's true, right?
└>□□: i'm not interested in hunters or guilds, but i know wolf guild's the most famous. honestly, the wolf guild is way better in terms of recognition.
└>□□: it's the same reason that so many popular celebrities have so many anti's. it's such a big place so there are so many rumors.
└>□□: isn't the wolf guild leader about to retire? since wolf has done a lot, which guild will be the next batter?
As Eunha scrolled down further, she suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.
"Sunbae, it's me."
It was Siwoo's voice. Eunha closed her laptop and opened the door. Siwoo, who entered the room, began to arrange something on the table.
"These are the minimum things that Sunbae will need to live in modern times. Keep it."
<Lee Yura, a graduate of the 126th class of the Pocheon Hunter Training Center>
<Mobile Phone Activation Service Guide – Customer Lee Yura>
<Lee Yura's Savings Account>
Account Number: XXX-XXXXX-XXX
○○ Bank Co., Ltd. May 19, 2031
Creating a temporary identity was not a task for the Wolf Guild. So of course, Siwoo himself did not do these cumbersome tasks.
"… Lee Yura?"
Eunha, who was checking the items listed, muttered in confusion.
"Yes. Of course, it's just an alias."
Forgery of documents. It was a method used secretly by hunters who lived in hiding.
"It's because you didn't want to reveal that you were a first-generation hunter. And, I don't even know your real name yet."
Siwoo, who had spoken up to that point, glanced at Eunha.
"You still don't want to tell me, do you?"
"…"
Eunha had tried to say her own name, but her throat would choke up.
"If not now, I hope you'll tell me someday."
In front of Eunha's silence, Siwoo turned his gaze away without asking any further questions.
"First of all, Sunbae will need to learn a little bit about modern times."
Siwoo opened the bag he had brought. A myriad of books poured over the table.
<101 Common Sense Essentials of Modern People>
<A New Wave of Evolutionary Theory! Hunters, Who Are They?>
<Now You're Dr. Hunter ♪>
<Fun Gate Exploration with Doraemon Book 1>
e/n: our tl didn't explain but in case u don't know, doraemon is a character in a manga.
"You want me to read this?"
"Yes. I was told to only choose books that were easy to read, but is there a problem?"
"…"
Eunha shook her head with a trembling face. Yes, it must have been prepared with thoughtfulness, and it would be absurd to tell him that he should put it down and let it go.
"Back in Sunbae's days, that is, around the end of the 90s, the boundary between the awakened and soldiers was not clear."
"That's right."
Eunha glanced over the books in front of her and nodded her head.
"There, look at page ten. Unlike in the past, where military service was forced regardless of one's will, today, there is freedom of choice."
As Siwoo had said, in the past, every Awakened had to become a hunter. This was because they were the only ones who could kill monsters, since they were human but had non-human powers.
Under the name of 'Hunter', they were sent into gates with a golden dog tag around their necks. Just like how Eunha and Yijun were.
Many hunters and ordinary people alike had died. An immeasurable amount of blood had covered the earth, and mankind gradually began to adapt to the changes.
"And in the late 2000s, the world started to recognize working as a hunter as a profession."
People praised the hunters, cheered for their work, and raved about the results they produced.
Yes. At some point, hunters became both the saviors and entertainers of mankind.
In particular, it was the 'S-Class hunters'—a special rank among hunters that drew attention from all over the world. There were only six in Korea.
"One of them is me."
Siwoo said in a calm tone. He was neither bragging nor being modest. It was in a polite tone, as if describing an established fact.
He was definitely strong. Eunha was able to nod because she had fought with him for a while.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' says that the S-Class hunter should freeze to death! It says that if Unnie hadn't lost her mind, it bet you wouldn't have been more than roast meat.]
… The cat's dislike of Siwoo was not an illusion.
Not knowing that the cat was poignantly gossiping about him, Siwoo continued to speak steadfastly.
"Sunbae is an S-Class hunter like me… No, you're a first-generation hunter with superior skills. When it becomes known that such a talented person has been recruited, Wolf will be a topic of discussion even more than now."
"You need that kind of popularity."
Eunha, who was reading <Now You're Dr. Hunter♪>, said.
Siwoo smiled softly.
Eunha couldn't figure out what the meaning of that smile was, but it probably didn't mean anything negative.
"But, there is a problem."
"What? If you are not satisfied with the terms of the contract, you may revise it according to your wishes."
"No, not that."
Eunha hesitated for a moment.
Her contract with the cat had restrictions. Because of those restrictions, Eunha had lost her name.
'To explain the loss of my name, I'll have to explain the contract with the cat.'
Problems arose there too. There were two restrictions. Eunha couldn't tell her name or talk about the cat.
Eunha, who was deeply absorbed in her thoughts, slowly moved her lips.
"It's a little difficult to reveal that I'm a first-generation hunter. So firstly, I want to keep the story about the Unknown Gate a secret."
At Eunha's words, Siwoo tilted his head. But after a while, Siwoo nodded as if he understood and opened his mouth.
"… I see. Considering your past when you were forcibly conscripted and used as a living weapon, you must be tired of your hunter life now."
'… Huh?'
Eunha raised her head. Siwoo had a slightly sad expression for some reason.
"After this contract is over, it sounds like you want to get away from the world and live a quiet life."
Siwoo understood enough. It was because he was also tired of the hunter world.
"Even if you don't announce that you are a first-generation hunter, your skills will still be a topic of discussion. There are many ways."
Siwoo, who had spoken up to that point, rose from his seat. He put on the coat he had taken off and glanced at Eunha.
"First of all, the easiest way is to prove your skill."
"How?"
"By measurement."
He picked up his car keys.
"Let's go right now."
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