Before calling Russia, Shin Nara offered a word of caution. "Once the official docunt is submitted, the Hunter Association will be the first to hear about it. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, it's fine," I answered calmly. "I've done my research on Frost. Right now, he's under suspicion of intentionally luring President Hong Yul into a trap. That's his Achilles' heel, the most sensitive scandal of his presidency. Do you think he'd risk stopping a hunter who's setting out to rescue her? He's not the type to do sothing that would only amplify the suspicion against him."
"Ah, I see."
CEO Shin Nara spoke with her managers, who imdiately began the dispatch procedures and contacted their Russian counterparts.
After about an hour of waiting over coffee, Shin Nara, who was on the phone, relayed their response. "The Russians are puzzled. They said they've already neutralized the Immortal and the dungeon raid is proceeding smoothly, so they don't see a need for you to co."
"Please persuade them that I absolutely must go. Tell them I'll be discreet and won't interfere with their operation."
Shin Nara nodded and continued to negotiate diligently.
And then finally. "It's done! We've received permission from Russia!"
"As expected of CEO Shin!"
"Should I book a flight for early tomorrow morning?"
I thought for a mont. I could use Samia's warp, but it was better to go through official channels to avoid needlessly provoking Russia. "A flight for tonight, please. This is an urgent matter."
"Understood!"
The procedures went smoothly. Shin Nara promised to contact with any updates, and I returned to the Magic Tower to check my equipnt. A mana-engine plane could get from Seoul to Vladivostok in a little over an hour. The site was close to the airport, so a wing golem could get there in no ti.
The plan was perfect. Go to Russia. Enter the Immortal dungeon. Activate the Sixth-floor Trial. Clear the trial and reach the dungeon's core. Hack the dungeon, rescue Hong Yul, and return to Korea. And then, set everything back to normal.
'Good. Perfect.'
'Ding!'
I thought nothing could go wrong. As I was checking my gear, a text ssage arrived on my smartphone.
—NOTICE: You have been prohibited from leaving the country under Article 4 of the Immigration Control Act.
"You have got to be kidding ...!"
Right after I saw the text, a call ca from Shin Nara. I answered as I sat down at my laptop.
"Hunter Kim! Sothing terrible has happened!"
"I just got the travel ban notice. What's going on?"
"An article just dropped! Search for Alchemia on the news portals!"
I imdiately typed it in. An article with my na on it was plastered across the main page of a major news outlet.
[Alchemia — Forr Hunter Association Chairman Suspected of Collusion. CEO Kim Yu-shin Under Investigation. Travel Ban Imposed.]
Frost had made the first move.
'Damn it. This was my miscalculation.'
The most sensitive scandal plaguing Frost's new regi was the disappearance of Association President Hong Yul. I'd expected him to tread carefully, but I never imagined he'd use the Alchemia situation to corner .
'Am I fundantally misunderstanding this man?'
Hunters are required to report any international travel to the Association. Frost would have known I was heading to Vladivostok and likely deduced my goal was to enter the Disaster 'Immortal' dungeon. I thought he'd simply let go to my death. I had a hidden ace, of course, but to any outsider, my plan would have looked like pure madness. Finding Hong Yul—who had vanished in Korea—by entering a Russian dungeon and then getting her out in ti… the odds were practically zero.
Yet Frost's reaction had been extre. He'd risked fueling the scandal surrounding him by issuing a travel ban.
Was he trying to eliminate even the slimst possibility of my success? Or did he know sothing more?
"Tower Master."
Ea materialized in mid-air, her expression grave.
"What is it?"
"Intruders have appeared at the studio apartnt you're renting."
"What?"
The apartnt itself was nothing—just a cheap place I'd rented in Sanggye-dong to have a legal residence on paper. Ea projected the security cara footage.
'Wow, they're not holding back.'
The video showed several figures who had climbed through the window and were now ransacking my room. They wore hunting devices at their waists and carried guns. Judging by their gear, they were from the Enforcent Bureau.
"Ea, compile this footage and the text about my travel ban into a file and send it to Ms. Shin. If things get ugly, I'll use it to amplify the suspicions around Frost."
"Understood."
"And if you can, run facial recognition. I want to confirm they're from the Enforcent Bureau."
"I will handle that as well."
Ea vanished to carry out my orders. I let out a deep sigh and raked a hand through my hair in frustration.
'Thank god for the Magic Tower.'
I had never been so grateful for a place of absolute safety. Frost knew nothing of the Magic Tower, and he could never get in here.
But this was no ti for relief. He would soon discover that my movents were concentrated in Sanggye-dong, and in the worst-case scenario, he might beco suspicious of the abandoned, monstrous structure in that part of the city.
From now on, it was a race against ti. Speed was everything.
"Hunter Kim Yusin. What did you need?"
Samia arrived on the ninth floor after receiving my summons.
"I need to get to Vladivostok imdiately. Can you create a warp for ?"
"Hmm. I don't have any spare warp magic circles, so it will take so ti to create a new one. About two hours. Will that work?"
"That's perfect. Please start right away."
I gave her the coordinates. Samia nodded and returned to the fifth floor.
'Ping!'
Just then, a new ssage arrived.
'Now what?'
I checked it, a knot of anxiety in my stomach, but the sender was unexpected.
—Hong Yeon: Sunbae. Can we talk for a mont?
It was none other than Hong Yeon. She hadn't responded to anyone since her sister disappeared.
'Is she okay?'
Samia was still working on the warp circle, so I had so ti. But giving her a eting place directly could compromise our location. I used Ea to send an international text with a masked caller ID.
—Kim Yusin: Encrypted Algorithm ssaging App
When she clicked the link, a ssage with location coordinates would appear.
* * *
I pulled my hat down low and put on a mask, then headed out to a quiet park I used to frequent. It was a weekday during a busy hour, so the park was unusually deserted.
I couldn't see Hong Yeon anywhere. There were still about ten minutes until our eting ti, so I began a slow walk through the park to wait.
Then I saw her, sitting on a bench. Her red hair was hidden under a hat as she calmly looked at her phone. The sight was strangely familiar, reminding of when I'd found her in Gyeongju during the labyrinth incident.
"You're early."
She looked up at the sound of my voice.
"Hello."
"Have you been well?" I asked, sitting down beside her.
An awkward silence fell between us, just like that day in Gyeongju. After everything we'd endured together in Africa, I thought we'd grown closer. But given the circumstances, this was hardly the ti for casual conversation.
One look at her face told she'd been through hell. Her once-sparkling hazel eyes were dull and lifeless. Her slumped shoulders and tightly pressed lips spoke volus.
"Sunbae."
"Yes."
"I'm being dispatched to Antarctica tomorrow."
My heart sank. "That's insane! You just got back from Africa, and now they're sending you to Antarctica?"
She only smiled bitterly, saying nothing more. I didn't have to ask; I knew it was Frost's doing. Just as he was demoting Im Namjin and the forr Enforcent Bureau, sending them on endless overseas assignnts, he planned to ship her out of the country to neutralize her.
It wouldn't matter if she returned with a string of victories. Frost would keep sending her to the world's most dangerous frontiers until she broke.
"You're not thinking of leaving the Association, are you?"
"No."
"Good."
The mont she left, the situation would only worsen. Frost was using the ongoing disaster as a pretext to maintain a state of martial law. If she beca a freelance hunter, he would use his ergency powers to send her sowhere even more dangerous. She could be eliminated at any ti, anywhere. That was why Im Namjin was also holding out, remaining within the Association. Once the state of ergency was lifted, there would be an opportunity to strike back. The Korean governnt was in on it, so they were useless, but if we explained the situation to the Global Hunter Alliance, we might be able to rein Frost in.
As these complex calculations ran through my mind, she spoke again.
"...My sister."
"Hmm?"
"She's definitely alive."
I nodded. "I think so, too. There's no way she'd go down that easily."
"I'm going to Japan."
"Why all of a sudden?"
"I heard there's an Immortal dungeon still open in Kagoshima. I'm taking the mana helicopter from the estate tonight to go rescue her."
A laugh escaped . We were thinking the exact sa thing.
"You know that's a direct violation of orders, right? The mont you're caught, you'll be executed on the spot."
"I know."
"And even if you get inside, the chance of finding the Association President is less than one percent."
"Still!" she insisted, clenching the fist on her lap. "It's better than doing nothing!"
I t her gaze, my expression serious. "Promise you'll go to Antarctica."
"I can't."
"If you promise, I'll go to Russia."
Her eyes widened.
"The odds are much better if I go. I have my own thods. You saw it yourself, didn't you? In the labyrinth dungeon, when I opened dozens of portals in the Boss Zone."
"...Don't tell ."
"That's right. I have a way out, even if the dungeon closes." I stood and offered a small smile. "It's hard enough finding the Association President as it is. If you get stranded in Japan, it'll just be double the work for , right?"
I froze. A single drop of water landed on the back of her clenched fist. Then another.
"H-Hong Yeon..."
It was the first ti I had ever seen her cry.
She shot to her feet and gripped the front of my shirt.
"...I know this is shaless, but please."
Her tear-filled brown eyes and sorrow-steeped voice wove a spell around .
"Please... save my sister."
* * *
I returned to the Magic Tower. She had agreed to trust and go to Antarctica. After seeing her, the weight of my responsibility felt heavier than ever.
'Hah.'
The image of her crying lingered. I shook my head, trying to clear it. This was no ti for sentintality. I had to focus.
-Tower Master, Samia has completed the warp magic circle.
'Understood. I just need to head to the fifth floor?'
I took the magic elevator and arrived. Samia stood beside the warp gate, her expression serious.
"As instructed, the coordinates are set for Vladivostok. The warp will generate a strong mana signature, so be wary of hunters mistaking it for a rift or a dungeon gate."
"Thank you, Samia." I stood before the gate.
"Hunter Kim Yusin, are you sure you'll be alright alone?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. "Perhaps I should accompany you..."
"I'll be fine, Samia. This is my trial. If I fail, I need you to stay here and continue developing the dungeon warp magic circle. You're a rank-3 hunter, so please watch over the others."
"...I understand."
Our eyes t, and we nodded.
"I'll be back."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Of course not."
Samia activated the gate. The coordinate magic circle interlocked with the warp gate, causing its shimring portal to shift. Steeling my resolve, I stepped through.
* * *
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