The next morning.
Kim Kang-hoon of the Hunter Intelligence Agency had felt sick to his stomach since morning.
They said a person suffered when they had the wrong employees under them, and Kim Kang-hoon was exactly in that situation now.
-Director, this is an emergency. It is an attack by an S-Rank Villain.
It was a message from Team Leader No Da-bin.
For reference, he was a parachute appointee who had been planted there through pressure from above.
He had flown into the Prospect Analysis Team, where he could have been promoted quickly as long as he had a certain basic level of ability.
Yet rumors had been rampant that he spent every day killing time by playing games, and it had been only a week since Kim Kang-hoon had finally demoted him to the Odd Jobs Team.
‘It seemed quiet for a while, but what is it this time?’
He had heard a report during the night that a Villain had attacked the Hunter Association.
But for it to be the work of an S-Rank Villain?
To Kim Kang-hoon, it sounded far too absurd.
Petty criminals might often attack institutions in order to gain fame.
‘But what would an S-Rank gain from it?’
An S-Rank Villain was someone who had chosen not to belong to the system even though money and fame were already guaranteed.
That was how powerful their skills and abilities were.
They had become Villains by stepping outside the system because they had no intention of controlling their abilities.
There was nothing an S-Rank could gain by directly attacking Korea’s Hunter Association.
Unfortunately, Korea was not yet a country that could be called a Hunter powerhouse.
‘The only thing they might gain is…… No, surely not!?’
It was too unrealistic, so it had not immediately come to mind.
The newly appeared rookie Hunter, ‘Meteor Lord.’
Since notifications of first place in dungeons appeared to all Hunters,
Meteor Lord, who had taken first place twice in a row, must have entered their sights as well.
He had cleared the Tutorial Dungeon the day before, so they must have attacked the Association to match the timing of his registration.
Whether they wanted him as a ‘comrade’ or wanted him ‘eliminated,’ he did not know.
“Secretary, please have a car prepared immediately.”
Whatever the reason, if it was true that an S-Rank Villain had appeared, he could not simply remain sitting in his office.
Kim Kang-hoon hurried to the Ansan Branch of the Hunter Association.
And.
For an Association that had been attacked by an S-Rank Villain, its appearance did not seem too serious.
The controlled area was not wide either…… If that was fortunate, then it was fortunate.
But since nothing had been properly confirmed yet, he could not simply feel relieved.
“Team Leader No, have you checked the scene?”
“Director, you have arrived? Yes, I will brief you while we head to the scene.”
As Kim Kang-hoon followed No Da-bin into the scene, he stopped walking at the sight of the miserable state before him.
Then his heart grew heavy with the complex emotions welling up inside him.
One side of the building’s wall had caved in, and part of the measurement room building had collapsed.
‘Kugh, what a disaster…….’
This was not a building that should have broken apart so easily like a piece of scrap metal.
It was a building constructed by fusing metal with Wasp Wax, a dungeon by-product, giving it the greatest strength possible with current construction technology.
For such a building to have collapsed allowed him to imagine the moment of the attack.
There must surely have been countless casualties…….
Kim Kang-hoon felt indignant.
It was because Korea’s national power was weak that they had been caught up in such an attack.
“……What is the damage situation?”
“Fortunately, perhaps because the Association responded well, they say there were no casualties aside from the building collapse.”
‘No casualties?’
For a moment, Kim Kang-hoon nearly felt his legs give out.
It was a reaction caused by extreme tension being released all at once.
The fact that there were no casualties at a scene where he had expected severe damage was that much of a miracle.
Once his tension eased, Kim Kang-hoon was left with one question.
‘An S-Rank Villain disappeared without causing casualties?’
The only common sense that applied to Villains was that power was law.
The stronger the Villain, the higher the probability of casualties.
Furthermore, if it was a skill with this much power, the damage should have been considerable.
If the Villain had controlled it, there was only one reason.
As expected, they had been looking for someone.
If they showed a destructive display to someone who had just awakened, anyone would be frightened.
Even if that person was Meteor Lord.
The purpose of the S-Rank Villain must have been Meteor Lord.
That was why they had destroyed only a localized part of the building and merely confirmed something.
They would not even have felt the need to deal with flies who were not their objective.
‘That Villain knows how to use his head.’
Since it had become clear that the Villain’s objective was Meteor Lord, the important thing now was whether anyone was missing.
If there were no casualties, yet someone had disappeared, it could mean that ‘Meteor Lord’ had turned into a Villain.
A thread of tension rose along the back of Kim Kang-hoon’s neck.
“Whew…… Were there any Awakened people who disappeared?”
“Ah, I will explain that.”
A man stepped forward in front of the deeply worried Kim Kang-hoon.
Kim Kang-hoon had heard there were no casualties, yet the man was wearing supports around his neck and arm.
Even so, he was an ambitious fellow who bowed his head well.
“Mm, who are you?”
“Yes! I am Park Ji-tae from the Association’s Hunter Registration Department!”
“I see. You have worked hard. I am Kim Kang-hoon, Director of the Hunter Intelligence Agency.”
“Huk! It is an honor to meet you!”
Park Ji-tae seemed not to have expected Kim Kang-hoon’s position and jumped in surprise.
Seeing how his body suddenly stiffened, it was clear that all the various supports he wore were exaggerations.
Park Ji-tae began self-promotion disguised as a briefing.
“Due to the Villain’s attack, the Hunter Association faced a crisis, but I devoted myself body and soul…….”
“Ah, just the key points. Please give me only the key points. I am rather busy.”
“Yes! There were zero casualties, and all Awakened people who visited were evacuated. I personally…….”
Since all the situations he had feared had turned out not to be the case, Kim Kang-hoon felt relieved.
A new Villain had not been created.
However, that did not mean he could let his guard down. In a sense, the danger was only beginning.
No one’s whereabouts had been confirmed yet, and attempts like this would continue.
***
As soon as he returned to the office, Kim Kang-hoon convened another meeting.
“Starting today, assign staff to Hunter Associations nationwide. If there are any suspicious Awakened people, escort them to the office.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
……
For now, confirming Meteor Lord’s whereabouts was the most important matter.
Whether or not there were additional terrorist attacks, Meteor Lord was also the hope of Korea’s Hunter community.
“Assign staff of A-Rank or higher. Tell them to take preliminary action if any problems arise.”
And they had to find the Villain as well.
Korea was fast when it came to administrative processing, at least, so the Villain would not be able to move rashly now.
Even more so if staff were stationed in advance.
No matter how strong a Villain was, it would be difficult for them in front of many opponents.
And.
“Immigration Control Team Leader. Which S-Rank international Villains are currently active?”
“The S-Rank Villains we are currently tracking are Bien Phu, Mapan, Angkor, and Eraser.”
“Eraser? ……Eraser.”
Kim Kang-hoon found the last Villain’s alias lodged in his mind.
It was a name he felt he had heard somewhere before. Eraser…… Eraser…… Where had it been?
“Can we check Interpol’s Villain wanted list?”
“Yes, I will check immediately.”
“Check whether Eraser is on it.”
“He is there! Eraser.”
“Brief me on the basic information.”
It was just as Kim Kang-hoon had expected.
Villain name: Eraser.
A Villain who had begun his activities in Europe and then moved to Russia.
According to the Interpol report, his skill was ‘Destroy Beam,’ a destructive ray befitting his name.
‘An S-Rank Villain’s destructive ray.’
It said he could fire rays at will and destroy any substance.
Kim Kang-hoon recalled the scene of the Association incident he had witnessed personally.
What if Eraser had fired a ray and destroyed the wall?
The range of destruction, the point of impact, the remaining traces of destruction…….
His last confirmed whereabouts were Japan, and Interpol had classified his danger level as ‘High.’
There was nothing strange about saying he had entered Korea and carried out a terrorist attack like this.
‘Damn it, that Eraser was in Korea…….’
Kim Kang-hoon was once again astonished by the fact that there had been no casualties.
What if Meteor Lord was turned?
From that moment on, a horrifying situation would surely unfold.
“How does it look?”
“With such delicate skill, it is definitely Eraser!”
“Right? I think so too. Share the situation with Interpol immediately and request additional information.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“And Team Leader No, you issue wanted notices to the media and cooperating agencies.”
“Yes, sir! I will ping MIA!”
“……What does that mean?”
“That the enemy is missing…… Is that not business terminology?”
“……Stop playing so many games.”
“Ah.”
***
Seonghyeon, who had managed to return home safely last night, was still shut up in his room.
After all, he had caused a great disaster at the Hunter Association…….
He had fled in the confusion, but given the situation, he could not remain at ease.
‘Damn it…… What do I do if they find out it was my skill?’
His head was already filled with images of himself covered in dust and Hunters chasing after him.
Because of that, he had been trembling with anxiety until now, unable to eat or sleep even a wink.
Then.
“Oh my goodness, what in the world is this!”
He flinched violently at the sound that suddenly came from outside the door.
It was his mother’s voice, startled after seeing something. Something must have happened.
‘Surely those people did not come charging into my house, did they?’
BANG!
“Wait……!”
[If you have seen the Villain called ‘……aser,’ please report it.]
When he rushed into the living room, the commotion he had feared was not there.
Instead, he could hear the faint sound of the TV.
Fortunately, it seemed his mother had been startled by the news.
“What kind of vicious Villain is going around like this…… Hm? Son, what is it?”
“What? Ah, it is nothing. Haha.”
[We will repeat the announcement. The Hunter Association in Ansan has currently been attacked by a Villain called ‘Eraser’…….]
Combining the contents of the news with the situation, it seemed Seonghyeon had become the vicious Villain called Eraser.
‘I am sorry, Mom. I am that vicious Villain…….’
What remained to him was the 1.8 million won he had obtained by exchanging some Magic Stones.
And his future life on the run.
Moreover, now that he had already been caught, this was no time to linger.
He had to pack his things quickly.
BUZZ—
His phone rang.
Startled, Seonghyeon soon resigned himself.
He could roughly guess who the message was from.
‘It is already too late.’
He would have to accept reality.
Seonghyeon’s heart became somewhat calmer.
Right. If it had come to this, he should defend himself as much as possible.
He would say that a person named ‘Park Ji-tae’ had told him to do it.
He immediately checked the message.
-[Web Message]
Hello, Hunter Yoo Seong*!
This is the Ansan Branch of the Hunter Association. According to the Association’s measurement results, you have been confirmed to be an Awakened person…….
“…….”
Was this…… fortunate?
Why did only dopamine-filled events keep happening after he awakened……?
The price of obtaining great power was far too high.
-Starting tomorrow, you may visit the Ansan Branch of the Hunter Association to receive your Hunter License.
In addition, as an apology for the shock you must have suffered due to the terrorist incident that occurred on the day of measurement, we have prepared compensation in the form of preferential trading commission rights. You may register them together when you visit.
???
He had destroyed the Association, yet they were giving him additional compensation?
It seemed the price of his skill was not great only in bad ways.
‘Hehe, this is perfect.’
However, Seonghyeon suddenly felt anxious.
Then who was this person called ‘Eraser’?
Surely it was not some Hunter who had been falsely accused in his place?
“Son! By the way, what were you doing all night yesterday? You did not even turn off the lights.”
His mother, who had been watching the news, asked with a mischievous expression.
She probably had no idea what had actually happened.
“Ah, nothing. Haha. I did not do anything.”
“Right, I understand. Anyway, how about taking a leave of absence this semester?”
“What? Why?”
“They say that terrifying Villain, whether his name is Eraizer or Eraser, is here, do they not? He even destroyed the Hunter Association right next door.”
One side of his chest stung.
Since he knew who had done it, he felt guilty.
However, he had to act as if he did not.
“What kind of Villain would be in our country? Come on, it will not be a big deal.”
‘There is no way a Villain like Eraser came here. I was the one who destroyed it.’
He made up his mind.
He would work as hard as possible as a Hunter.
If he kept preventing Dungeon Breaks like that, he would at least repay the value of the building he had destroyed.
***
At the same time, somewhere in a hotel in Seoul.
The news was playing on the TV there as well.
[Breaking news! Last night in Ansan…… the Hunter Association believes the person behind this incident to be the S-Rank Villain ‘Eraser’…….]
The report stated that the Villain known as Eraser had destroyed Korea’s Hunter Association and caused a commotion, and his face photo was being shown.
“Keukeuk, me? How ridiculous.”
The person watching the news laughed as though it was absurd.
He was none other than the main subject of this breaking news, Eraser.
Eraser, who had been staying in Korea to watch an idol concert, could only laugh hollowly.
Why are they driving me into the role of the enemy?
Last night, he had definitely been in this room watching fancams.
Come to think of it, there was more than one strange thing about this.
‘They are airing my face on the news without fear?’
Even by his own estimation, he was a high-risk Villain.
And yet they were broadcasting it on the news?
Did they think he would not see it?
And.
‘Now that I think about it…… how did they know I had entered Korea?’
Eraser began to find the situation rather amusing.
And he grew interested.
“I will have to go there myself and find out.”
He would need to go to the Association to find the answer.
Why Korea was framing him, how they had found him, and whether they could handle the consequences.