Chapter 6: First Request (4)
‘How did this happen?’
Yoon Su-a thought as she looked at the scene before her.
Just minutes ago, the Pungbaek Guild Hunters, including herself, had been rushing through the mountain in urgency.
One of the target Monsters had escaped during the hunt.
Although it was an Ogre, they couldn’t lower their guard.
Because it was a Variant Species.
A Variant Species referred to a mutation that exhibited behavior deviating from the standard Monster patterns.
This Ogre was exactly that.
It was far stronger than ordinary Ogres from Gates, and its attack patterns were unusual.
Despite being rookies, 3 B-Rank Hunters had surrounded it—yet it still broke through and escaped.
‘This isn’t something an ordinary Hunter can handle easily.’
It was clearly extremely dangerous.
Enough that even she, an A-Rank Hunter, had momentarily lost track of it.
And yet—
‘How did it end up like this?’
That Ogre now lay sprawled out, its skull crushed.
In front of a man who didn’t even wear a suit—someone who looked like an ordinary civilian.
Given the circumstances, it was obvious that man had done this.
Alone.
‘Then does that mean he’s at least A-Rank? But…’
Her confusion deepened.
The Hunter world was smaller than one might think.
Especially when limited to capable Hunters.
There was no way she wouldn’t know someone of this level.
Moreover—
I’ve definitely never seen him before… so why does he feel familiar?
It was strange.
The man before her was definitely a stranger.
And yet, his face felt oddly familiar.
Like she had seen him somewhere, long ago.
‘A misunderstanding… probably.’
That alone could be dismissed.
But there was one more critical issue.
[The Great Warrior of the Firmament shows deep interest in the individual before you.]
Her Divine Throne.
Her sponsor—and transcendent being—had shown interest in him.
‘My Divine Throne has never shown such direct interest before.’
Her Divine Throne, the Great Warrior of the Firmament, was taciturn.
Unlike her older brother Yoon Su-hyeok’s Divine Throne, it rarely showed interest in human affairs.
[The Great Warrior of the Firmament mutters once more that the man before you is an interesting existence.]
And she belonged to Pungbaek Guild.
She had met countless rookies and elites.
Yet her Divine Throne had never cared about any of them.
Which made this man even more special.
Yoon Su-a carefully met the man’s gaze.
‘Is he really that capable? But his presence feels…’
She recognized that look.
The gaze of a normal person—curious and intrigued, like seeing someone from another world.
There was no trace of the fierce aura typical of Hunters.
There were too many oddities.
“Nice to meet you, Hunter. I’m Yoon Su-a from Pungbaek Guild.”
Still, she approached and extended her hand.
Anything more would be rude.
After all, this man had resolved their critical mistake.
“……”
But the man only stared silently at her hand.
“Um…”
“Ah, sorry. I was a bit lost in thought.”
After a moment, he finally shook her hand.
“I’m Kim Han-ul.”
Kim Han-ul.
A name she had never heard.
It didn’t seem like an alias either.
None of her questions were answered, but she smiled and asked—
“Did you hunt this Ogre?”
“Well… something like that.”
‘Something like that?’
She tilted her head inwardly.
Still, she bowed.
“Thank you. As you may have guessed, this Ogre escaped from us. We were worried it might harm civilians… you saved us.”
Behind her, the 3 Hunters made displeased expressions.
But she was right.
If civilians had been harmed, the backlash would have hit not just them, but the entire Guild.
An A-Rank and 3 B-Rank Hunters failing to handle one Ogre—
That was a serious issue.
“Well, I just got lucky.”
Kim Han-ul didn’t deny it.
But the Hunters behind her muttered—
“Tch, acting all high after just stealing the last hit.”
“Hunter Kim Jong-un.”
“Isn’t he right? That Ogre was basically dead already.”
“That’s right. He doesn’t even look higher ranked than us. Just lucky.”
But—
“Then.”
A suffocating pressure descended.
“Who was it that failed to stop that dying Ogre, Hunter Kim Jong-un?”
“Uh—well—”
“I told you to activate the trap if it tried to flee. Who froze instead?”
“Th-that—”
“And who stood watching while I fought other Ogres?”
“……”
Under Yoon Su-a’s killing pressure, the Hunters went pale.
Only Kim Han-ul watched with interest.
“This was your first request, but this mistake is unacceptable. It won’t end with just a report.”
She spoke firmly.
Mistakes could be forgiven.
But their behavior toward Kim Han-ul could not.
“B-but Team Leader—!”
“Hunter Kim Han-ul.”
She ignored them.
And bowed deeply again.
“I apologize on their behalf.”
“Well, there are always a few who muddy the waters. I understand.”
Kim Han-ul shrugged.
The Hunters glared but stayed silent.
Then he looked at the Ogre corpse.
“Then this Ogre belongs to me, right?”
“Yes. It is entirely yours.”
“I see… now how should I handle this…”
She looked puzzled.
“May I ask something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you not belong to a Guild?”
The reason was simple.
Normally, Hunters didn’t deal with corpses.
Guild staff handled everything.
Only 2 cases existed where a Hunter did—
Small prey, or no one else to handle it.
“For now, no.”
Again, a vague answer.
Her eyes widened.
A Hunter capable of crushing a Variant Ogre—without a Guild?
[The Great Warrior of the Firmament urges you not to miss this opportunity.]
She made her decision.
“Then may we handle the corpse and transfer the profits?”
“…I have no affiliation with your Guild.”
“Please consider it a token of gratitude. We’ll cover processing costs and fees.”
He stroked his chin.
A freelancer would have to call a private disposal service—expensive.
“Alright, do it.”
She sighed in relief.
“Do you have a contract?”
“A contract?”
“A written one. Just in case.”
“…Understood.”
She waved her hand.
[Subspace Inventory]
Space distorted, opening a small crack.
She pulled out a document and pen.
“It’s a sealed contract used for outsourcing. It includes a magic penalty.”
Kim Han-ul skimmed it and nodded.
“Then I’ll be going.”
He turned.
“Hunter Kim Han-ul!”
“?”
“May I have your contact?”
He stared at her phone, then entered his number.
“Thank you. I’ll contact you soon.”
She watched him leave.
‘He didn’t say anything unnecessary.’
Most people did.
But not him.
[The Great Warrior of the Firmament smiles meaningfully.]
‘That’s not it.’
Still—
He was interesting.
And familiar.
***
“Whew…”
I ran down the trail, holding my phone.
[Thank you so much, Hunter Kim Han-ul. This is Yoon Su-a from Pungbaek Guild. Please save my number.]
Meeting my favorite Hunter—and getting her number?
Not bad.
My poker face from 5 years of streaming paid off.
I didn’t embarrass myself.
‘Yoon Su-a really is an angel.’
The media didn’t do her justice.
Cold, composed, a natural leader—and polite.
And beautiful.
‘Anyway, the Ogre corpse is handled.’
‘Now I just wait… ah, right.’
I looked at the glowing window.
[You have an unused free Draw Ticket!]
Time to test my luck.