"I'm twenty-six."
"So that's how old you are."
"Ah..."
They said he'd lost his memory, so apparently he'd forgotten his age too. Looking at Haram with sympathy, Jihan asked another question.
"What skills do you have? I heard a rough explanation yesterday, but I still don't really understand what they actually do...."
The previous day, after briefly stopping by the guild, Seo Munhyeok and Haram had explained to Taebeom and Jihan everything that had happened with Geumyi.
Naturally, the conversation had turned to Jun as well, and they explained Haram's skill that supposedly supported the story. (Naturally, it was a fabricated skill.)
He could identify monsters' weaknesses, knew anything related to magic... what else had they said again?
Jihan frowned.
At the time, he'd been too shocked by everything they were saying, and then they'd added that Geumyi's twin brother Jun would awaken as a Hunter after being completely cured, leaving his mind in utter chaos.
Now that a night's sleep had calmed him down somewhat, his curiosity about Haram's unusual skill had finally overtaken his confusion.
"To put it simply, it's a skill that lets me access information."
"Access information... You mean something like Christopher's skill in America?"
Christopher, an American C-rank support Hunter, was famous for possessing the rare class known as a Prophet Hunter.
Of course, being only C-rank, he couldn't see particularly extraordinary information. At most, he could glimpse events up to a week into the future, and even then, only things related to "good fortune."
Besides that unusual awakening ability, he also possessed a unique skill called "Plant Encyclopedia," which allowed him to read information about plants found inside dungeons.
The skill Seo Munhyeok had invented for Haram was based on that very example. Haram himself had heard about Christopher's Plant Encyclopedia through Seo Munhyeok before, so he nodded.
"Correct. Mine is simply an upgraded version. I can view information about monsters, their byproducts, and... well, all sorts of other things."
Haram lazily wrapped everything up with the phrase "all sorts of other things."
After all, did he know a lot? That was putting it mildly. Explaining everything one by one would exhaust his mouth.
"..."
Taebeom looked at Haram with unmistakable suspicion.
Meanwhile, the innocent Jihan's eyes sparkled with admiration.
'That look in his eyes is irritating.'
Meeting Taebeom's gaze head-on, Haram took another bite of his fish-shaped pastry.
His attitude practically screamed, So what if you're staring? What are you going to do about it?
Just as the atmosphere was beginning to stiffen—
Clap!
Seo Munhyeok lightly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
The tense mood instantly relaxed.
"Let's end the introductions here. As I explained yesterday, Mr. Pyo Haram will be visiting the hospital regularly to treat patients."
At that, Taebeom frowned.
Quickly noticing it, Seo Munhyeok glanced toward him, and after shooting Haram a brief look, Taebeom finally spoke.
"I heard he still hasn't officially reported his reawakening. Is it really okay for him to use his abilities before filing the report?"
"Ah. Right."
It was a good question.
Seo Munhyeok explained the agreement he'd reached with the hospital the previous night.
Once he mentioned the confidentiality contract, Taebeom nodded in understanding.
"Uh... um, Guild Master? There's a post online."
Just as it seemed the matter had been settled, Jihan suddenly said something unexpected.
"This post on the Hunter community. Isn't this talking about Haram?"
"What?"
He held out his phone.
Displayed on Jihan's screen was a post reposting content from another community while making all kinds of speculative conclusions.
Looks like it's Eclipse's newly recruited Hunter healer.
Yesterday there were eyewitness reports that Eclipse's Guild Master visited Korea University Hospital.
(Eyewitness screenshot)
(Verification photo.jpg)
Around the same time, this post also appeared in a patient information-sharing community.
(Community screenshot)
Basically, it says some healer promised to cure someone's family member of an incurable disease. (Already got ninja-deleted lol.) But if you check this person's older posts, they mentioned their grandson has Mana Hypersensitivity Syndrome. FYI, Korea University Hospital is still the only hospital treating Mana Hypersensitivity Syndrome.
That post was uploaded last night.
The sighting of Eclipse's Guild Master at the hospital also happened last night lol.
The eyewitness photo was cropped, but apparently there was an unfamiliar guy standing next to the Guild Master. Probably that guy is Eclipse's new Hunter and the healer who cured the disease.
If you disagree, you're right.
The comments section was already overflowing.
One side agreed with the original poster's theory, while the other criticized it as an excessive leap in logic, leading to a mild argument.
Still, because the evidence the poster had gathered seemed to support the claim, public opinion was gradually leaning toward believing it.
Scattered among the comments were countless guesses about Eclipse's mysterious new Hunter.
"Wow... Everyone seems convinced Haram is a healer."
"I'm a mage."
"I know, but normal mages don't go around curing incurable diseases."
Jihan smiled warmly.
Haram glanced at him before replying with his usual grumpy, sulky expression.
"I'm not a normal mage."
"That's right! My uncle is an amazing mage. Right, Uncle?"
Sua suddenly jumped into the conversation and said exactly what Haram wanted to hear.
When it came to taking his side, she was always the only one.
"You're a clever child."
"Hehe."
As always, Haram praised her by lightly patting her head.
Then he bestowed a reward—a warm, crispy fish-shaped pastry.
"Here. Eat."
"Mhm. Uncle, you eat too."
"Very well."
The two, looking remarkably alike, happily munched on their pastries.
While the person at the center of the whole issue remained completely carefree, only Seo Munhyeok—who had somehow become his guardian—rubbed the ridge of his brow with a headache.
'I specifically warned the guardians too....'
After checking the post on the patient community, it appeared to have been written by one of the patient's grandparents.
The post itself contained absolutely no information about the Hunter. It was mostly an expression of gratitude, saying how the world was still worth living in.
It had also been deleted shortly after being posted, so it clearly hadn't been written with malicious intentions.
'Even so... the timing couldn't be worse.'
Of all people, a Hunter happened to notice the post, take screenshots, and piece together enough clues to arrive at something dangerously close to the truth.
"Guild Master, what are we going to do now? If this turns into a news article, the Hunter Association might launch an investigation...."
Seeing Seo Munhyeok's darkening expression, Jihan cautiously asked.
Just then, Seo Munhyeok's phone vibrated briefly.
Checking it, he found one message and one email.
We sincerely apologize regarding the post currently circulating within the Hunter community. Our hospital is identifying the guardian who made the original post and will do everything possible to ensure Hunter Pyo Haram suffers no harm because of this...(View More)
Republic of Korea Hunter Association
Inquiry Regarding Eclipse's Newly Recruited Hunter
The lengthy message had come from the director of Korea University Hospital.
The email was from the Republic of Korea Hunter Association—commonly known simply as the Hunter Association.
After thinking for a moment, Seo Munhyeok made his decision.
"I think we'll have to report the reawakening as soon as possible."
Originally, the plan had been to teach Haram some basic knowledge about Earth before filing the report.
After all, Haram still knew nothing about Hunters, the System, dungeons, or any of the world's fundamental concepts.
But delaying things under the current circumstances was no longer realistic.
If they mishandled this, the Association's audit team might actually show up in person, just as Jihan had warned.
The real issue wasn't anything else—it was that Haram had already used his abilities before officially reporting his reawakening.
If that became public, not only would they face a substantial fine, but it would also give the Hunter Association and rival guilds an excuse to constantly interfere.
Information had already started leaking, and all eyes were turning toward them.
The safest option was to voluntarily report Haram's reawakening immediately, leaving no room for anyone to use it against them.
"As soon as possible? When?"
Still chewing his fish-shaped pastry, Haram asked lazily.
"Today... no."
Looking at Haram, Seo Munhyeok suddenly paused and corrected himself.
"...We'll go tomorrow."
At this point, there was no other choice.
He would have to cram every bit of common sense he could into Haram's head before the day was over.
* * *
"Now then, repeat it."
"...My name is Pyo Haram. I'm twenty-six years old. I was born and raised in Seoul. My only remaining family member is my niece."
"And?"
"The System window lists me as an A-rank magic-type Hunter. My attribute is Multi-Type. The fields I can use are multi-element magic, along with simple buffs, debuffs, and healing."
Half-dead inside, Haram recited everything like a broken doll.
Unlike Haram's hollow expression, Seo Munhyeok's face shone with satisfaction.
"Excellent. You've memorized everything."
"Now let me go. I want to sleep...."
"Hmm... Well, you've memorized everything I explained, including all the information, so I suppose we'll stop here for today."
"...Ha. You're one persistent bastard."
"Haha."
Seo Munhyeok merely laughed brightly at the insult.
He hadn't intended to torment Haram.
But seeing him suffer had turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable.
"Get some rest tonight, and I'll be counting on you tomorrow."
"Fine."
The next day arrived.
That morning, instead of his usual tracksuit, Haram put on the neat outfit Seo Munhyeok had bought for him.
On the way to the Hunter Association, he also had to surrender his hair to Geumyi's enthusiastic styling.
"...Do we really have to go this far?"
"Of course! We already told them you're personally coming to report your reawakening. Information has definitely leaked by now."
Having grown comfortable enough with Haram to speak casually, Geumyi chattered away as she wiped hair gel from her hands with a tissue.
"There'll probably be at least one or two reporters there. Since that's the case, you might as well look good in the photos. This is basically your official debut."
"My... what?"
"Debut. Anyway, that's the idea. Come on, look over here. Smile. Smile."
"What are you—"
Click!
After finishing his makeover, Geumyi leaned in beside him and snapped a selfie.
"What is this? A magical artifact?"
"It's just a phone camera. A photo. Don't tell me you've forgotten what photos are too? Seriously, how much of your memory did you lose? Can you even function in everyday life?"
"...How insolent. More importantly, why are you copying my face?"
"Once the article comes out after your reawakening report, we'll post it on the guild's official social media too. Eclipse supporters have been going crazy trying to figure out who you are."
"Official... esse... nce? Support? I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."
"SNS. Here, look. You upload photos and posts like this. This is our guild's official account. I mostly manage it. And this is my personal account. Pretty popular, right?"
"Ohhh...."
"Every guild also has supporters who cheer us on and sponsor various things. They're basically... fans? The size of a guild's supporter base is kind of a matter of pride. Ours is actually pretty small compared to the other Five Great Guilds."
After that, Geumyi continued expanding Haram's knowledge by showing him everything on her phone.
Before he even realized what was happening, she confiscated the phone Seo Munhyeok had bought him and even created a personal SNS account for him.
"Hmm. So this is Essence. Excellent. I finally feel like a true Earthling."
"Hahaha! It's SNS, not Essence. And what's with 'Earthling'? Are you some alien from another world or something?"
"..."
At Geumyi's joke, Haram immediately shut his mouth.
In the driver's seat up front, cold sweat silently trickled down Seo Munhyeok's back as well.