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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 20: The Peculiar F-Rank Hunter (2)
Among those who were marked as missing back then, Yeonwoo’s name would surely have been included.
But with that sentimental old man’s network, he wouldn’t have simply written Yeonwoo off as missing.
He briefly considered whether to use his real identity, since taking the easy way out sounded nice, but there was no need to deliberate.
He hadn’t hidden his identity to conceal his power, but to obscure his very existence.
Yeonwoo lightly caught the old flip phone that the man had casually tossed to him.
Then he pulled out a small bracelet from his wrist and pushed it forward.
"I’d like to leave this with you for a bit. The amount doesn’t matter. I need it right now."
"Hmm... it’s not a fake, right?"
Regardless of what it held inside, outwardly it was a modest gold bracelet.
It was not something one would normally pawn here, considering its real value, but it wasn’t a problem as long as he could reclaim it later.
"Give me a fair price."
"Judging by your voice, you’re still a young bastard. No manners. Tsk. Take it."
A few 50,000 won bills were flicked out.
Considering the gold content alone, it was a lot, but the bracelet’s antique design gave off the impression that it wasn’t ordinary.
In fact, while the bracelet was made of gold, it was also mixed with Orichalcum.
As the so-called queen of metals, it would fetch a name-your-price value if properly appraised and sold here.
-Yeonwoo? Do you know that man?
Mulhoe slowly asked, following Yeonwoo as he exited without any hesitation.
"He’s a nosy old man I used to know."
-An acquaintance?
"Back when I was a Hunter, I knew him a bit. When trolls first appeared, he lost his leg and ended up doing this. His manipulation skills were insane, so they used to call him Pinocchio."
-Then why didn’t you say anything?
"We’re not exactly on chatting terms. Better if we just never know each other."
Mulhoe tilted her head at Yeonwoo, who was wearing a bitter expression, as if caught in a wave of nostalgia.
Every time he looked at her Artenis’s young, innocent-looking exterior, he felt an overwhelming urge to throw away his pride and hug her.
He just barely managed to hold himself back.
‘Calm down. That thing is Mulhoe. Mulhoe.’
Technically, not a ‘thing’ but a ‘she’, but he never asked for her gender and didn’t care.
After repeating this self-hypnosis several times, he finally calmed down.
Despite the cold, tough image he portrayed, deep down he was just an immature bachelor who liked to whine to Artenis.
-What exactly did you ask him for?
She spoke slowly after a long silence, as if thinking.
"A new identity. I can get my old one back later, but for now it’s no good."
She assumed he had his reasons, but curiosity still tugged at her.
But she couldn’t ask.
As a navigator meant to deliver information, it was too humiliating to be the one asking questions.
‘If word gets out now that I’m alive, it’ll cause trouble. More people than I’d like would start meddling.’
Back when he worked as a Hunter, a lot of shady and illegal stuff happened.
There were many human rights violations as well.
And Yeonwoo was someone who knew those secrets.
After all, he was one of the original generation of Hunters.
"They probably set me up because of that. Fucking bastards."
-Excuse me?
"Curious?"
-I am your navigator. I exist solely for you... so, please tell me.
As she finally lowered her pride and asked for cooperation, Yeonwoo let out a bitter laugh.
"Korea looks like a good place to live on the surface, and honestly, it is."
-I haven’t experienced it myself, but according to records, yes, Korea is said to be a good country.
"That’s the bright side. But behind it are scumbags so shadowy, there’s no info on them. Who knows if they’re alive or dead. Judging by the state of Earth now, I’d bet they’re alive."
Her face twisted into a complicated expression.
-Then, in the past, you...
"I had dirt on a lot of those people. You know how thieves react. The moment they hear I might be alive, it’s going to be a pain in the ass."
If Yeonwoo still had his transcendent powers, it wouldn’t matter.
No matter what Korea did or who stood against him.
But now things were different.
On his way back, aiming for Artenis’s summoning, the strain of the dimensional shift had severed all his contracts.
Even the plans he made with the Spirit Kings had gone awry, and he’d have to start from scratch.
At the moment, Yeonwoo had overwhelming spirit power but no way to properly utilize it.
He had briefly wondered if those people might be dead, but he didn’t think so.
They were the type to hide in safe places and spin schemes.
"That old man’s actually skilled. With so many people declared dead or missing back then, one or two fake identities won’t raise suspicion. I’ll reveal my strength once I can stand on my own again."
-You said ‘get strong again’... Yeonwoo, are you some kind of complete Hunter model or something?
Flustered, she started babbling nonsense.
Complete model?
"What do you think I am, a transforming alien with three forms or something?"
Yeonwoo flicked his finger on Mulhoe’s forehead, who was floating next to him, and walked out through the light.
Reduced to palm-size, Mulhoe who was reduced to palm-size flinched at his gentle touch and clamped her mouth shut.
"Just a lonely old bachelor who loves his family."
Not wrong.
In hindsight, living simply in the light would have been better than the complicated path he chose.
***
Since he had already prepared for this, faking an identity didn’t take long.
It only took an hour to make one usable anywhere, though the cost was a bit steep.
“Don’t overdo it. If you get caught, it’ll be a mess.”
The nagging voice of the nosy old man he met on the way out lingered in his head.
The Hunter Association building had clearly gone through major renovations, it was much larger and more advanced than the shabby one from the past.
‘So they really do use cores as energy sources. Even the Association’s growing.’
Yeonwoo muttered, recalling the info he’d seen online.
As expected, cores were high-density energy bundles and could be used in pharmaceuticals as well.
Diseases once thought incurable were now treatable.
Cores were a revolutionary new energy discovery.
And since Yeonwoo had studied a bit of alchemy, he quickly realized that cores could also be used to create gear and weapons.
It was similar to amplification.
The place was bustling with people.
Some wore light hard leather, others had heavy plate armor on.
Some looked like they’d just come from battle, covered in yellow or green blood.
It was just like the old days.
The difference was how much equipment had evolved, and how relaxed people looked.
Back during the First Hellgate, even seeing someone with a normal expression was rare.
The government supported them, sure, but all they got in return were scars and near-death experiences.
According to records, few of the Hunters from that time were still around.
Recon Hunters had drastically decreased since the First Hellgate.
Now they were rare.
Some of the older Hunters, though, had risen to powerful positions.
It was likely the same overseas.
"Welcome..."
A female employee at the counter organizing documents greeted him but then stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open as she stared at Yeonwoo’s face beneath his cap.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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