Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 100
Immortal Headquarters, located in Seoul.
Rrrr...
An Immortal employee, his face weary, picked up the receiver while handling work on his computer.
"Good day, we extinguish evil, but not loyalty and passion. This is Immortal."
After dryly reciting the set phrase, he suddenly furrowed his brow slightly.
It wasn't because he now found the uttered phrase old-fashioned, but for a different reason.
"...Yes?"
As he looked at the receiver with a strange expression while on the phone, his colleagues around him began to glance at him furtively.
A prank call?
Occasionally, young children would call saying, 'I want to arm-wrestle with Monkey King ahjussi!'
Besides that, the content of calls to Immortal HQ varied widely, from drunk people, broadcast reporters, to even foreign fans.
Can you put me through to the Monkey King.
...However, there had never been anyone who called so abruptly and asked to be put through to the Monkey King.
The Monkey King, master of the Immortal Guild and an S-Class hunter of Korea, was naturally not someone you could just call up for a chat.
'Ha.'
The employee sighed deeply inwardly.
It was because he keenly felt the recent sharp increase in prank calls.
How did this person even know the extension number to call?
I'll have to speak to the Vice-Master and get the number changed.
"I apologize, but the Master is currently away and unavailable to take calls. We will send you the address via the number you called from, so please send fan letters and gifts there—"
I heard your Master was looking for me.
"..."
The employee glanced at the receiver again.
Judging by the voice, it didn't seem to be a child.
Listening to the calm intonation, they didn't seem drunk either.
"...I apologize, but may I ask for your name, no, your alias?"
Princess of Dark Flare.
Princess of Dark Flare?
An alias he had only heard in ghost stories.
He seemed to recall hearing that a hunter with such an alias had recently become an issue, or maybe not.
He pushed up the glasses that had slipped down his nose and then spoke indifferently.
"Please wait a moment."
The employee, roughly tucking the receiver under his shoulder, began to type on the keyboard with his now free hands.
Let's see, Princess of Dark Flare...
Found it.
The employee, who had been scrolling down with the mouse wheel, abruptly stopped his hand on one page.
"Are you the F-Class hunter, Princess of Dark Flare, who registered with the Association in May 2021?"
Emphasizing the word 'F-Class' was, frankly speaking, intentional.
Yes.
A calm reply came from over the receiver.
"Understood. I will relay your message."
Click.
The employee, hanging up the phone, scratched his head.
As it was, the Monkey King's recent frequent visits to the Association had already significantly increased his workload.
To the point where even a moment spent dealing with such a useless call felt like a waste.
"Is the requested task still undone?"
Just then, the office door burst open.
It was Immortal's second and third-in-command, Heo Jaemin and Do Sungyoon.
"The rough organization is complete."
One of the employees shot up and handed Jaemin the organized documents.
Jaemin, after a cursory glance, clicked his tongue, tsk, as if displeased.
"Did our guild really have so few fire attribute hunters? And only five dark attribute hunters, what's with that, five."
"It's because of the special recruitment for physical enhancement types, what else. It's Master's preference."
Sungyoon said nonchalantly, as if stating the obvious.
"Still, if we scrape the bottom of the barrel, we might gather around ten or so. For now, we have no choice but to put these guys on the list. Anyway, physical enhancement type hunters are useless."
"You, who says that, are also a physical enhancement type."
"...You're lucky, aren't you? Since you're a 'general' enhancement type who just enhances arrows."
Beside the two bickering individuals, the employee who had earlier received the call from the Princess of Dark Flare subtly approached.
"Um, Vice-Master..."
"Hmm?"
Jaemin, who had been growling at Sungyoon, whipped his head around.
"The frequency of prank calls has increased recently, causing some trouble. Would it be alright to change the number?"
"Prank calls? Even on the extension number?"
"Yes. Just now, there was a call abruptly asking to be put through to the Monkey King..."
"What? Who would say such a crazy thing?"
Is Monkey King your uncle's name or something?
Jaemin raised his thick eyebrows sharply.
Even Sungyoon, with his gentle face, hardened his expression and glanced at the employee.
The employee, retracting his neck like a turtle, cautiously spoke.
"Well... after checking, it seems to be a rookie F-Class hunter who just registered with the Association this year."
He handed the printout he was holding to Jaemin.
He had printed it out in advance, just in case.
"Kids these days seem to have thrown common sense, let alone manners, out the window—"
Whack!
Jaemin, snatching the printout, suddenly widened his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Sungyoon, who had been quietly observing the situation, approached him and glanced at the printout.
"Who on earth is it that you're so surprised—"
And his eyes widened even more than Jaemin's.
The two, their gazes fixed on the printout, froze stiffly as if by agreement, and didn't move.
"...?"
The employee blinked, looking at the two as if they were strange.
Could it be a hunter they know?
No, could two such famous hunters possibly know an F-Class hunter like that?
Perhaps they were speechless because her appearance in the ID photo was unbecoming of the times.
Just like he had been at first.
"For now, I just said I understood and hung up... Whoa?!"
The employee, scratching his head, suddenly found his vision spinning rapidly.
The one who had roughly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck wasn't the hot-tempered Jaemin, but,
"Call back immediately."
It was Sungyoon, who had been standing beside him.
"Ye-yes...?!"
As he just gaped with a bewildered face, Sungyoon, veins popping on his neck, uncharacteristically raised his voice.
"You should still have the incoming number, right? No, give me the contact information. No, no. First, call and apologize!"
Right now!
He bellowed.
He didn't seem to be in his right mind.
He couldn't stand still, as if his feet were on fire.
Jaemin too, with an anxious expression, bit his nails.
"First, we need to inform Master about this immediately. Hasn't he returned from the Association yet?"
"He left two hours ago, so it'll still be a while before he returns..."
Before the employee could even finish his sentence, Sungyoon, unable to bear it any longer, stormed out.
"Damn it, I'll go get him myself. What are you all doing? Aren't you going up to the reception room immediately! Get ready!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut violently.
'Did I... make a mistake?'
He somehow had a bad feeling.
The employee, awkwardly picking up the printout that had fallen to the floor, quietly broke out in a cold sweat.
At that time, Korean Hunter Jurisdiction Association.
"So it was just the two of us in the end."
Yoo Hwan muttered, holding the conference room door open until Roje followed him out.
"It was expected, wasn't it."
Roje smiled faintly and followed.
Click.
Only then did Yoo Hwan close the door and head towards the elevator with her.
Only Monkey King Yoo Hwan and Doctor Plant Keum Roje had responded to the S-Class Hunter Emergency Summoning Order.
Since Trickster Song Minju hadn't regained consciousness yet, important matters were being relayed to Junhwan, the Vice-Master of Corps and Minju's representative.
Yoo Hwan muttered, pressing the elevator button firmly.
"Never mind the old dog in the hospital bed, but that Phantom Thief kid doesn't even seem to plan on showing up."
"She's not interested."
"...Is that Baekrang fellow, the last one to join the S-Classes, even a real person?"
"Pfft, right?"
Roje, letting out a small laugh, nodded as if in agreement.
Baekrang.
They were really curious about him.
She heard he was a nature type.
She had heard stories that he was an incredible ice mage who could turn Seoul into Alaska if he set his mind to it.
However, rumors were inherently prone to exaggeration.
Since they had never seen him directly, they couldn't judge the truth of the matter.
In fact, Baekrang Shin Siwoo had already promised to lend a hand to the Association.
However, because Baekrang's side had requested strict secrecy, the Association President hadn't informed Roje and Yoo Hwan of this fact.
Therefore, from Roje and Yoo Hwan's perspective, the only forces they could think of were Rose, Immortal, and a small number of Association agents.
Corps would also provide support in terms of information or resources as much as they could...
'What moves Corps is not patriotism, justice, or public sentiment, but loyalty.'
They had almost lost their leader in the Pohang Unknown Gate last time.
One of the Corps members had even vented her grief, anger, and resentment towards Roje.
They would probably jolt awake in their sleep just hearing about an Unknown Gate.
Their fierce loyalty and their patriotism as citizens of Korea could not be placed on the same level.
Yoo Hwan thought that was a problem with no right answer from the start.
The decision of whether Corps would directly participate in the South Coast Gate operation could only be made by one person, their master, Song Minju.
However, even though his condition was said to have improved, he still hadn't opened his eyes.
In other words, Corps' participation in the operation was effectively on hold.
'As the Association President said, we're too short on manpower.'
Was Korea so lacking in talent?
While waiting for the elevator to arrive, Yoo Hwan crossed his arms and furrowed his brow deeply.
"Roje, at this rate, it might be faster to find Cheonwangbong."
At Yoo Hwan's words, Roje froze.
Cheonwangbong (天王峯) referred to the highest peak of Jirisan, one of Korea's famous mountains.
However, Yoo Hwan wasn't simply saying he wanted to go hiking now.
"Are you now... planning to contact the 'Sangun'?"
Sangun (山君).
In other words, the hermits.
Simply put, it was a term for eccentrics who insisted on living in seclusion somewhere in the valleys of Cheonwangbong.
They consisted only of non-Awakened or those who had awakened but had no intention of becoming hunters.
Therefore, some speculated that the faceless S-Class Baekrang was also one of the Sangun.
Roje shook her head resolutely, as if telling him to give up.
"Forget it. They won't even listen anyway. And even if they did agree to help, by some miracle, they wouldn't be of much help."
They were individuals who cultivated themselves in the mountains.
Their training level might be high, but they would have little to no combat experience.
Could such individuals truly be treated as 'combat personnel'?
No, absolutely not.
"Yoo Hwan, think carefully. It would be more rational to bring that many more healing hunters instead."
"..."
Yoo Hwan, quietly listening to Roje's words, stared intently at her.
A sense of unease.
It was because of that, which had suddenly come upon him again.
When talking to Roje, he would very occasionally feel this inexplicable sense of unease.
Yoo Hwan had once pondered deeply about this strange sensation.
It was certainly strange.
Roje's daughter had been swept away by an Unknown Gate 8 years ago.
Since then, Roje had been researching Unknown Gates solely with the determination to find her daughter.
Yoo Hwan was unmarried and had no children, but if he had been in Roje's situation, he would have searched every nook and cranny of Unknown Gates with fire in his eyes, using all possible means.
But Roje didn't.
She was desperate, but also cool-headed and rational.
Just like now.
The fact that she had investigated Unknown Gates solely with the strength of Immortal, Corps, and Rose, without receiving any help from the Association, let alone foreign hunters or mercenaries, was proof of that.
However, Yoo Hwan had never asked Roje in detail for the reason.
Because he couldn't.
He knew that bringing up the story of her daughter would be an incredibly cruel thing to do to her.
"By the way, what happened with the Princess of Dark Flare?"
Roje asked.
Only then did Yoo Hwan snap out of his reverie.
"Her matter is..."
Uncrossing his arms, Yoo Hwan slowly parted his lips, but,
「Strutting through the fishy docks like it's my world, fearlessly living another day with my two fists ♬」
A loud ringtone blared.
At that melody, which she had heard to death, a not-unpleasant wrinkle formed on Roje's nose.
How many years had it been with that ringtone?
"Hmm. A masterpiece remains a masterpiece even after decades."
Muttering awkwardly, Yoo Hwan, with a clearing of his throat, slightly turned his back to answer the phone.
"Yeah, what. ...Waiting nearby? For me, you say?"
It seems it was that ringtone even when we first met... Such an unchanging person.
The moment Roje, smiling faintly, averted her gaze from him, the elevator arrived and the doors opened.
Roje, who got on first, pressed the open button firmly and gestured towards Yoo Hwan with her eyes, as if telling him to get on.
However.
"Wha-what did you say—!"
He, who had answered the phone, suddenly bellowed loudly.
His voice was so powerful that it echoed throughout the entire top floor corridor of the Association.
"Roje, I'm sorry. I'll go first."
"What? Yoo Hwan, wait..."
Before Roje could say anything, Yoo Hwan, leaving the perfectly fine elevator, disappeared like an arrow towards the emergency staircase.
Dududududu...
The sound of footsteps descending the stairs with tremendous momentum continued even after the elevator doors closed.
Without stopping his descent down the stairs, Yoo Hwan spoke curtly into the phone speaker.
"I'll run, so follow me to HQ on your own."
It's faster that way.
Adding that, Yoo Hwan abruptly hung up the phone.
The distance from the Association to Immortal HQ was about 30 minutes by car.
Though Jaemin had parked his car in the Association parking lot, considering the traffic at this hour, running would be much faster.
Tucking his phone deep into his clothes so as not to drop it, Yoo Hwan stretched his legs out and began to lightly stretch.
「Master, just a moment ago, the Princess of Dark Flare called HQ. Do Sungyoon is on his way to escort her... no, that person.」
That's right, that's how it should be.
A thoroughly satisfied smile appeared on Yoo Hwan's lips as he recalled the phone conversation from moments ago.
Flash!
His eyes glinted momentarily.
In less than a second, his figure could no longer be found in the emergency staircase.
