Before that, I tested Byun Jeong-tae with a gentle tone.
“I see, but I think the mayor has a different purpose for this eting.”
But Byun Jeong-tae didn’t easily agree with .
“It’s rare that both parties et with the sa goal in mind.”
If you were lucky, both would get what they wanted. Usually, only one did. And if you were really unlucky, neither got anything.
“We can’t keep the mayor waiting. Before that, could I get your business card?”
He didn’t seem like a bad person. Of course, he could just be hiding his true nature behind polite words, but that was sothing to find out through experience.
“Oh, my card, right.”
Byun Jeong-tae rummaged through his pocket and handed a card.
“Thank you. You have my contact info, right? If you ever feel like working with , feel free to reach out anyti.”
Now then, ti to et the mayor of Incheon. I was curious what kind of person he would be. While riding in the moving car, I discreetly searched for information about the current Incheon mayor on my phone.
“We’ve arrived. This is Incheon City Hall.”
As I got out of the car, a group of people stood ahead, waiting.
“Nice to et you. I’m Lee Pil-jae, communications coordinator.”
“I’m Yoo Chan-seok.”
The mayor was apparently waiting in his office.
“The mayor has been looking forward to this eting. I was shocked myself when I read the report at dawn.”
Lee Pil-jae said that with a smile, then added in a low voice,
“He even canceled all his morning appointnts today.”
“Is that so? We could’ve taken our ti. I don’t think what I did was that big a deal.”
At my words, he waved his hands frantically.
“Please don’t say that. A first-ti Hunter taking down an Erosion Zone alone? And a grade 3 at that? There’s only been one precedent for sothing like that.”
That made sense. If not for the Paradoxical Fla’s properties, there was no way I could have handled that zone on my own. But wait, there was another precedent like that? Isn’t that person the real monster?
Anyway, they were clearly hyping up. I had my suspicions about why, but I’d only know for sure after eting the mayor.
“Ah, thank you for coming all this way.”
As the door opened and I stepped inside, a middle-aged man in a suit stood from his desk, smiling and offering his hand.
“I’m Park Gun, mayor of Incheon.”
“I’m Yoo Chan-seok.”
“Co, let’s sit and talk,” he said, offering a spot on the sofa.
“Can we get so coffee here?”
At the mayor’s words, Lee Pil-jae stepped out to get coffee.
“You’ve done a great service for the country, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. As soon as I got the report, I canceled everything to et you.”
I replied with a simple answer to Mayor Park.
“Everyone’s been praising so much that I honestly feel a little dazed.”
He burst into laughter at that.
“As mayor of Incheon, Gyodong Island has been a real headache. It needed to be dealt with, but mobilizing a lot of Hunters would’ve been too costly.”
“It must be a relief that the issue’s been resolved. Especially at relatively low cost.”
At that, Mayor Park nodded.
“Securing the safety of our citizens is a very happy thing. Looks like my instincts were right.”
“Hunter Lee Se-eun gave the opportunity, and I’m grateful for that.”
Park nodded again at my words.
“Company Jannabi has made great contributions to defending Korea’s Erosion Zones. Hunter Lee Se-eun is a pillar of Jannabi and one of Korea’s strongest protectors.”
With a clap, he applauded once.
“But this isn’t a eting to talk about Hunter Lee Se-eun’s achievents.”
He fixed his gaze on .
“There are several reasons I arranged this eting. First, I heard this was your first assignnt, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
At my reply, Park let out a thoughtful hum and nodded.
“For soone like you to appear in such difficult tis is a blessing for Korea. And for your debut to happen in Incheon is a point of pride for as mayor.”
He added, eyes glinting with sincerity.
“I firmly believe you’re destined for greater things. I know how tough the path of a Hunter can be.”
Bold of him to claim that, considering he’s never walked it himself.
He stood and looked at the map of Incheon hanging on the wall.
“Korea is the safest country in the world. And this is Incheon. We’ve always had excellent infrastructure, like Incheon Airport.”
Incheon Airport beca one of Korea’s central logistics hubs.
“Thanks to the ongoing Free Economic Zone projects, international cities like Songdo and Cheongna are flooded with foreign investors. We have so many that we’re forced to be selective.”
Though those cities had been built with noble goals, they had since beco a way for foreigners to essentially buy Korean residency by pouring in money.
“It’s already been seven years since gold beca the only currency with better credit than the Korean won.”
The ergence of Erosion Zones turned the world upside down, and the economy wasn’t spared.
Korea beca the only country completely free from that threat. That title ca with imnse credit, which naturally applied to its currency.
You could even use Korean won overseas without needing to exchange it.
“Massive funds flow in through Incheon’s international cities and supplies move through the airport.”
After gently brushing his hand over the map, he looked at again.
“I can help make your path as a Hunter smoother.”
“And I suppose there’s sothing I need to do in return?”
I leaned back against the sofa.
“Reelection?”
I had looked it up, and Park Geon’s term ends early next year. Most believed his reelection chances were slim.
At my words, Park chuckled and looked out the window.
“Very direct. But yes, your participation in this mission required approval from Incheon City Hall, didn’t it?”
Since City Hall had approved it and I had perford excellently, he could claim he was the one who discovered .
It seed like he wanted to tie to his success, then claim credit for it.
“Thanks to infrastructure like Incheon Airport and the international cities I ntioned, I maintain close ties with many dostic and international companies.”
He fiddled with his watch as he continued.
“Many of those companies require Hunters to protect their assets.”
“You’re offering to introduce to them?”
Park nodded.
“Recomnding soone unqualified is problematic, but helping a proven talent spread their wings is no cri, right?”
While we talked, the door opened and two cups of coffee were brought in. They even brought a box of instant coffee packs and placed it next to us.
Mayor Park smiled and pointed to the box, which had a pretty woman printed on it.
“That Hunter has an exclusive contract with this brand. She’s soone I have close ties with.”
He sat back on the sofa and added,
“The contract is almost up. If I make an introduction, I imagine the next person printed on that box would be you.”
I smiled and took a sip of coffee.
“I think I understand the extent of your influence now. It’s impressive.”
“Making a public endorsent might seem too political. All I want is to show a bit of personal connection.”
Showing off a relationship with the super rookie who took down a grade 3 Erosion Zone solo.
That alone made for good optics. The problem was…
“I must look cheaper than I thought.”
“Excuse ?”
I set my cup down.
“Everything you’ve said you can do for is sothing I can achieve on my own if I keep working as a Hunter.”
To put it simply, Mayor Park was too impatient.
“The Erosion Zone was handled just last night. And now, by this morning, I’m already sitting face to face with the mayor.”
You could gauge the value of your actions by how others reacted to them.
“Lately, all the news seems full of gloomy forecasts.”
And now soone like has appeared. Would Korea really leave alone?
“This world needs a new face to turn things around.”
And suddenly, I fell from the sky. I was the guy that crushed a grade 3 Erosion Zone on my own, sothing that usually required 10 to 15 Hunters.
“What you offered, I’ll naturally obtain as long as I keep doing this work.”
Trying to win over with that? It felt cheap.
“I can provide you with high-paying, low-risk assignnts. I even have access to classified opportunities that regular Hunters never see.”
“I’m not interested in that offer.”
Reputation wasn’t sothing you could build by sitting still. You had to take on hard tasks and prove yourself.
After finishing, I looked at my coffee and chuckled.
“That Hunter with the exclusive coffee deal is lucky. Looks like she’ll be renewing her contract.”
It was my indirect way of saying I had no intention of working with him.
“It was a pleasure eting you. I’m exhausted from the all-night hunt. I hope we can et again under better circumstances.”
I stood to leave the office.
“Other Hunters would’ve taken this chance without hesitation. You may regret this later.”
“Is that a threat? That’s how it sounds to .”
Park didn’t respond. I looked right at him.
“People have told I’d regret things before. But without exception, they were the ones who ended up regretting it.”
To that, Park replied,
“Now it sounds like you are the one threatening .”
“I’m glad you took it that way.”
Because it was a threat. And what were you going to do about it?
Rather than listening to any more of his crap, I opened the door and walked out of the office.
* * *
In a dark alley, a hooded man leaned against a damp wall.
“What’s the result?”
“I’m sorry.”
The one reporting didn’t dare say the word “failure.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“But there’s also good news.”
The subordinate handed his smartphone over to the hooded man with both hands, like he was presenting an offering to an emperor.
“What’s this?”
“You should take a look. It’s part of a video from the Hunter license exam.”
The hooded man checked the contents.
“…”
It was footage of a man sparring with Lee Se-eun, one of the key defenders of Korea’s Erosion Zones, during the Hunter license test.
“Impressive.”
The subordinate nearly looked up. The best praise he’d ever received from this man was sothing like “good work” or “you tried.”
“That much?”
For this man to say “impressive”?
“That really is good news. I’ve been hearing a lot about him.”
“Yes, many hoped we’d suspend testing in light of the situation.”
The Korean governnt agreed the tests were necessary. But with the economy under threat due to the Erosion Zones, continuing them was politically risky.
“They said Yoo Chan-seok dealt with the Alpha Erosion Zone in Gyodong, which had surged to grade 3 due to our failed test. It was his first assignnt.”
A smile spread across the hooded man’s lips.
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