Han Jae-young looked extrely upset.
He didn’t seem to have a favorable impression when discussing Yoo Han-ul and Estella, either.
Maybe that’s why, when he opened the car door to get out, Han Jae-young’s deanor was already intense.
Even when revealing his fairy form to take down the S-rank Incompetent Fool, I don’t think his aura was this strong.
Lee Pyeong-hwa and I ended up following him out of the car in a daze.
“Jae-young, it’s you. Hello? Perfect timing.”
In contrast, Estella didn’t seem to care about Han Jae-young at all.
A chanical voice ca out of her mouth through the translator.
By the way, I think the last ti, the translator automatically used polite language.
Noticing my confusion, Estella winked at .
I didn’t feel great about it.
“I think the previous translator was too low-quality, so I replaced it with an upgraded version,” she said.
For his part, Han Jae-young also smiled on the surface.
“Perfect timing? Weren’t you already waiting for us with Yoo Han-ul Hunter?”
“Excuse , but may I ask, what do you think about the etiquette of eting and greeting, Gen-Z style?”
“I didn’t think soone who openly makes scouting offers to another guild mber would bring up etiquette,” Han Jae-young shot back.
“Ha, was that it? Scouting isn’t a bad thing. Why don’t we just relax? The paynt will be in full.”
“Why don’t you replace that translator? Our guild could sell you a better one.”
“Ah, insightful criticism, indeed. That’s the last barrier our translator needs to overco. You see, humor depends on the society you grew up in. I don’t think it works as well with people from other cultures.”
Neither of them seed to want to back down.
Lee Pyeong-hwa quietly whispered to .
“It seems like they don’t get along very well…”
“Yeah…”
But now that I thought about it, there was no real reason they should be getting along.
On the internet, Yoo Han-ul is so famous that debates about who would win between him and Estella sotis pop up for no reason.
But in reality, it makes more sense that Han Jae-young, another magician, would feel competitive about it.
Even the HP Guild uses self-made items instead of buying those made and distributed by the Hunter Association.
Naturally, there would be a sense of rivalry in the realm of item crafting as well.
‘This is more interesting than I thought.’
To , it seed like two foxes hiding their claws were fighting.
And as if accustod to such scenes, Yoo Han-ul didn’t interrupt their conversation.
“So, why did you personally visit the Korean embassy? I hope you’re not trying to steal our potential guild mber in front of again?” Han Jae-young asked.
“Oh, really? I might have, but… don’t give that look. I’m just passing by. I was already in the area, so I decided to stop by.”
Saying this, Estella raised her arms to show off her appearance.
Now that I thought about it, she did look like she had been running.
Han Jae-young snorted.
“You’re running in the middle of the city? Your concept needs work.”
It was indeed odd.
After all, even if she’s as strong as she says, a person of Estella’s stature should be accompanied by bodyguards, not running casually through the streets without any.
Estella laughed loudly.
“Haha, it’s a little staged, but this simple appearance works well. The paparazzi team is waiting, and I’m supposed to have an interview in the newspaper tomorrow.”
“What interview?”
“I can’t let the newspaper sales drop. Check the stands tomorrow. Well, I’m off now.”
“...You’re leaving? Like this?”
“I told you I was just passing by. I’ve said all I needed to say. See you.”
With that, Estella actually ran off down the road with light footsteps.
Unconsciously, I glanced to my side and saw Lee Pyeong-hwa’s eyes bulging, as though they might pop out of his head.
“That person is Estella, the Association President... Wow, that’s surprising.”
I couldn’t help but agree with Lee Pyeong-hwa’s sentint.
Though I had suspected that soone at the top of the World Hunter Association wouldn’t be ordinary, it still seed subtly different from what I had expected.
“But how old is she? She looked older in the interview and news clips.”
Seemingly hearing Lee Pyeong-hwa’s question, Yoo Han-ul answered.
“When you reach a certain level, the aging process slows down drastically, or you regain the physical youth you had before. She wasn’t like this the last ti we t, but it seems Estella has crossed another threshold.”
“Is it like reverse-aging? That sounds like sothing out of a novel.”
Even though Hunters with supernatural abilities were out there, slicing through the sky with a sword or burning the sea with magic…
It wasn’t so common for soone’s body to rejuvenate.
“But Estella edits the videos and photos that go out to the dia to make herself appear older. She’s very skilled at dia play.”
Han Jae-young said sharply.
“She really seems to dislike her, huh. Did sothing happen?”
“This isn’t the place to talk about it. I’ll tell you when we have the chance.”
It was clear from his tone that he wasn’t planning to talk about it any ti soon. He smiled and turned his head toward Yoo Han-ul.
“So, why is the Association President at the Korean embassy? Did she need to talk to you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yoo Han-ul nodded.
“I think I ntioned this before, but I held Estella accountable for the leakage of the performance-enhancing item.”
Oh right, that’s why Yoo Han-ul entered Manhattan in the first place.
He was there to et Estella and hold her responsible.
The item used in the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break.
‘It was definitely a threatening item.’
Even Hunters don’t always keep their guard up during their daily lives.
Maybe for a day or two, but you can’t constantly be aware of every breath you take.
The item was fully optimized for suppressing powerful individuals.
“They’ve co to a conclusion and delivered the results.”
“She confessed and told you who the culprit was?”
“Yes, it was too big to cover up.”
Yoo Han-ul’s explanation was sowhat anticlimactic.
The investigation revealed that one of the senior Hunter Association mbers had been bribed and secretly handed over the prototype item to a deputy secretary at the U.S. Departnt of Defense.
“Because it’s tied to the governnt, it’s going to be a big scandal,” he added.
“One of the senior mbers? How would we know who it is?”
“It’s Layla.”
“Layla Lopez?! No way.”
Han Jae-young seed genuinely shocked upon hearing the na.
Is she a famous figure?
“Who is that?”
“She’s a Hunter with a very unique skill. She can scan soone else’s inventory.”
“...That’s a thing?”
Isn’t that cheating?
Normally, just like the system’s user interface, inventory is private and only the user can see it.
But now there’s a unique skill that scans other people’s inventory?
I think I’ve heard the na Layla before.
I believe Han Jae-young ntioned before that it would be great to have soone with that ability to stop item smuggling.
But to think that she was the one who leaked the items.
“Well… if Layla hadn’t turned a blind eye, it would have been difficult for the Hunter Association to sneak those items out. The Hunter Association’s R&D departnt can’t access the items without Layla’s scanning.”
“So the security officer was the one who stole them.”
“Yeah, it’s a real ss. We were even developing a magic tool to analyze Layla’s unique skill and scan the inventory... So, was Layla arrested?”
“Well, not exactly.”
Yoo Han-ul said with a serious expression.
“Layla Lopez is currently on the run within New York City.”
Although Layla Lopez was on the run, it didn’t seem like it affected us directly.
Once she was captured and properly investigated, the Korean branch of the Hunter Association would deliver an official apology.
After all, there had been casualties during the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break, so the responsibility for the lack of managent was clear.
‘But it’s not just the performance-enhancing item.’
I sat alone in the waiting room, lost in thought.
I was waiting for my turn for the paperwork and interview needed for the repatriation process.
Lee Pyeong-hwa and Han Jae-young were working on their tasks first, and Yoo Han-ul had left saying he had sothing to discuss with the staff.
‘He’s probably avoiding , but honestly, I’m fine with that.’
At this point, I had decided to stop thinking about Yoo Han-ul.
Unless he suddenly cos at with a sword shouting, “I will take revenge for my past life!” I’d just leave him be.
It seed like things had gotten pretty complicated on his side, but since he wasn’t approaching first, I honestly didn’t mind.
Maintaining a distant relationship with the hero was ideal for right now.
‘Anyway, getting a chance to observe the soul of the Association President is a gain... but it feels a bit lacking.’
Orbis’s tail is hard to catch.
I took out the snake-engraved bracelet I had taken from Lee Man-bok and fiddled with it.
It was the item from Lee Man-bok, the leader of the True Light Church, who had caused the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break by smuggling items from the World Hunter Association.
At the ti, when I interrogated Lee Man-bok, he had muttered about sothing called the “Central Managent Bureau” before falling under a ntal restriction and dying.
After that, the Central Managent Bureau covered up and downplayed all the related incidents, so they were definitely suspicious, but...
‘It might have been a word intentionally planted to cause confusion.’
There was no doubt that Orbis was the one who created the item and placed the restriction on Lee Man-bok.
It was made with the sa principle as the Incompetent Fool, and it had the snake motif that Orbis liked.
And if it was Orbis, he probably anticipated that I would interrogate Lee Man-bok and placed the restriction on him.
After all, Orbis was a crafty individual, with no room for error.
‘The Gwanghwamun incident... Maybe it wasn’t Lee Man-bok who was targeting , but Orbis who orchestrated it. I can't be sure of anything...’
My situation was much more disadvantaged compared to my opponents.
I had no power, no wealth, and I was still bound by military service at only twenty years old.
It was hard to move freely to check suspicious points, and incidents kept happening, so I couldn’t do much.
‘Of course, this might also be part of Orbis’s plan.’
He was probably trying to push into a corner while I couldn’t move.
It wasn’t surprising since Orbis was a person who would fight to seize control, even if he were playing chess.
Luckily, my basic military training was done, and if I could transition into social service, I’d have a little more freedom to move.
Once I return to my past world and enhance my body, then I can start moving…
Knock knock.
Soone knocked on the waiting room door.
It was probably a staff mber from the embassy, coming to call for my turn.
“Yes, I’ll go.”
I said and stood up from my seat.
The door creaked open, and a staff mber ca in.
“I was about to leave…”
Click!
The staff mber closed the door behind them and slowly turned to face , speaking in a pleading tone.
Even though the voice ca through a chanical translator, I could feel the desperation in it.
“Please... stay quiet.”
The person who entered wasn’t an embassy staff mber.
She was wearing a janitor’s uniform, but her dirty black hair and haggard face told a different story.
She looked like soone who was cornered.
And most importantly, in one hand...
‘A bomb?’
I quickly examined the item in her hand.
It was clearly so form of condensed magical power.
If that bomb went off, the entire building would be destroyed.
She nodded when she saw my gaze fixed on the bomb.
“Hunters might survive, but the civilians in this building won’t.”
What does that have to do with ?
As much as I wanted to say that, I kept quiet.
Quest, “You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds?” is ongoing.
When the user performs actions that et social standards, the user’s stat limits will be gradually lifted.
Of course, this quest.
I fiddled with the bracelet in my hand, curiosity rising.
“What do you want from , Layla Lopez?”
Why did Layla Lopez, who was on the run, co here holding a bomb?
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