In front of the Hunter Association Incheon Branch.
Two boys, clearly aiming to sell something to aspiring Awakened candidates, were engaged in a conversation.
“Hey, Kang Min-soo, when did you sell everything?”
“See those guys from the Areum Academy over there? I got them all to buy from me.”
“Wow, you’re amazing at business.”
The envy in the other boy’s words brought a proud smile to Min-soo’s face. At that moment, the boy seemed to remember something.
“Oh, right. Did you hear about Moon Dae-shin… death?”
“Where did you hear that from?”
For a moment, Min-soo muttered with a guilty expression. After all, he was the one who witnessed the death of Moon Dae-shin, also known as Moon.
“Where did I hear it from? It’s already spread as a rumor. Why pretend not to know? But did he really get stung by a red wasp and die? You said you found him.”
“Uh, well…”
Min-soo’s pupils dilated. Suddenly, the scene flashed before his eyes. The day he barely managed to drag Moon under the beehive and left him there a week ago.
That day, Min-soo had watched as Moon struggled to breathe, unable to even scream.
“You idiot! How pathetic. Haha.”
“Stop with the unlucky stories and let’s hurry up and sell the rest and go in.”
Min-soo turned his head with a sigh. He was afraid of saying something unnecessary and making a mistake. As they say, all trouble comes from the mouth.
“Wow, what a response. I thought you’d like it the most.”
“…”
“You know it’s true. How much did Moon torment you? In reality, he was just older than us, not much different from us! Good riddance!”
But the boy seemed determined not to change the subject. If left alone, he might continue talking about it the whole time they were together. No wonder Min-soo had a splitting headache.
Then, it happened.
A large bus stopped in front of the association building.
Now was the chance. Min-soo quickly spoke up.
“Customers are coming in.”
“Oh, wow! A big bus. Min-soo, are you going to help?”
“Uh.”
The boy’s attention shifted in an instant.
Clearly, business was more important than the supposedly dead Moon.
Min-soo chuckled and nodded, and the boy grabbed Min-soo and headed straight towards the front.
As they approached the bus…
“Where are you going instead of coming in?”
For a moment, Min-soo’s steps halted.
“Hey, sorry. I have to go first.”
“What? Seriously, are you going to ditch me like this?”
“Really sorry!”
Min-soo quickly turned around.
Although he heard the boy’s voice, feeling upset, something urgent had come up. Min-soo hurriedly moved forward, afraid of missing the man he had seen.
***
“Phew, phew. Hello.”
Jong-sik looked down at the boy who had stopped him. It was the little kid who had helped him navigate the first day back, teaching him anything about the world. His name was Min-soo, if he remembered correctly. Thanks to that kid, he was able to meet Yeona smoothly.
Perhaps that’s why Jong-sik’s expression softened upon seeing Min-soo.
“Nice to see you here again.”
Min-soo, too, responded casually to Jong-sik’s reaction.
“I was surprised too. How did I run into you here? Are you here to take the Awakening Exam?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Jong-sik’s words brought a grin to Min-soo’s face.
“As expected! Congratulations. Um, so, did you meet your family all right?”
“Thanks to you. But I didn’t come chasing after you just to say that,” Jong-sik said, his expression puzzled, trailing off at the end.
And Min-soo, who surely knew the meaning behind Jong-sik’s words, didn’t miss a beat. His street-smart instincts, honed over years of living on the streets, shone through. Min-soo got straight to the point.
“It’s about something else. Do you happen to know a guy named Choo Tae-sik?”
“Choo Tae-sik?”
Jong-sik’s brow furrowed. He had no reason to know that name, yet it sounded vaguely familiar.
“Yes. Choo Tae-sik, the murderer. There’s a bounty on his head…”
As Min-soo continued speaking, something clicked in Jong-sik’s mind.
A week ago, he remembered seeing a wanted poster attached to the neighborhood bulletin board. If his memory served him right, the bounty was 20 million won?
For a moment, Jong-sik’s eyes lit up with recognition.
No wonder Min-soo had approached him. But there was no need to jump to conclusions.
“Why are you asking about him?”
“If I tell you where he is, can you catch him?”
Jong-sik’s lips curled into a smirk. He responded with a chuckle and a nod, as if accepting the offer.
Though he had only seen the man once, he couldn’t help but wonder why Min-soo was offering him this information. But for now, he decided to go with the flow. It seemed like luck was rolling his way.
As he pondered this, Min-soo made a determined demand in his resolute voice. From Jong-sik’s perspective, there was no need to hesitate in granting Min-soo’s request.
“In return, we split the bounty 80:20, no, 90:10.”
“Once a manhunt begins, you have to see it through to the end. If I catch him, I’ll give you 20%. So, are you ready for me to tell you now?”
“Yes! But… Mr. Hunter, you need to prepare too, so should we go tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? What for? We should go right away.”
“Just like this? Um, I… I’m fine with it.”
“I’m fine too. What’s the hold-up? You said you’d guide me. Aren’t you going to take your 20%?”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Wait for me.
20 million won.
***
The taxi that Jong-sik hailed in front of the Hunter Association drove for about 30 minutes before stopping. The destination was the entrance to Gaewoong-san.
“Sir, we’ve arrived.”
“Here.”
Jong-sik handed over his card.
It was a card given by Yeona, saying to buy something delicious if he went out and to buy whatever he needed. He brought it along when she insisted, but he never thought he would actually use it.
Especially not for something like transportation fare.
If he had used his spatial magic, he could have arrived earlier. But due to Min-soo, who volunteered to guide him, being out of sorts, he had no choice but to take a taxi.
“The payment has been completed for 40,000 won. Have a good day.”
As a result, he lost a bloody 40,000 won.
The money for three full course meals for three days.
However, Jong-sik decided not to regret it. Considering the bounty he would receive for catching the murderer Choo Tae-sik, this expenditure was, well, a great investment.
“Yes, thank you.”
“You need to go this way.”
Min-soo, who got out of the taxi, started giving detailed directions. Jong-sik followed him, spreading his senses.
Monsters, bugs, people…
Various energies could be felt.
“Four on the right, two on the left, three below. A total of nine.”
Feeling the energy caught by his senses, Jong-sik asked Min-soo,
“How much further do we need to go from here?”
“We need to go up near the peak. So, it’ll take about one or two hours…?”
‘Then it must be that guy.’
Jong-sik interrupted Min-soo, saying,
“Try to endure this time.”
“Ugh-!”
In an instant, the two vanished.
They arrived near the summit of the mountain not long after.
Min-soo, with a pale face, collapsed onto the ground. Jong-sik placed his hand on Min-soo’s back and infused mana into him.
“Isn’t a moment of dizziness better than three hours of riding a mountain?”
The dizziness quickly subsided.
Min-soo opened his eyes wide and said,
“Uh… What? I feel refreshed!”
“Really? I’m glad if you’re okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, and about Choo Tae-sik. You saw him over there, right?”
Jong-sik said.
‘How did he know even though I haven’t told him properly yet?’ Min-soo nodded.
“You found your way here properly. Now, catch your breath. We’ll be going down soon.”
With that, Jong-sik pounded the ground.
Min-soo opened his mouth belatedly,
“Hunter-nim, please don’t kill Choo Tae-sik! He’s still up on the mountain… But how long do we have to wait….”
There was no one around except themselves.
***
Fleeing for the eighth month,
As fugitives often do, Choo Tae-sik doubted and guarded everything.
He found hiding spots in desolate areas where people rarely passed, even choosing places that looked like cliffs.
Deadly traps were set up all around his hiding spots. Not only that, he released venomous snakes he handled to further deter intruders.
This was to quickly detect anyone’s approach. But all those efforts seemed to be in vain.
“Choo Tae-sik?”
“You, what?”
“You need to come with me.”
“Ugh, damn it.”
A man smiled cheerfully as he called him.
Choo Tae-sik cursed at the man upon seeing him.
‘Who the hell is this guy to approach without any warning? It doesn’t seem like he’s armed. Is he a martial artist?’
Regardless, he couldn’t stay still like this. Eight months of fleeing—why wouldn’t anyone looking for him show up?
But he was alive, and all his pursuers were dead. It had to be the same this time.
Choo Tae-sik blew his whistle loudly.
Soon, the bushes rustled with the sound of movement. There was a sense of motion beneath his feet.
But Jong-sik approached Choo Tae-sik without concern, his steps seeming leisurely as if he were on a stroll.
“You really look like the person in the wanted poster. Must be because you were photographed well.”
“You should shut up before I tear that mouth of yours.”
“Oh, scary. But seriously, are you really 35?”
Though the wanted poster stated he was 35, Choo Tae-sik, as he appeared now, could easily pass for someone in their 50s.
Bald head, deeply etched wrinkles, and teeth discolored to black. Truly a repulsive appearance.
“I said shut up. You son of a-!”
Perhaps sensing how grotesque he looked, flames flickered in Choo Tae-sik’s eyes for a moment.
But then, as a red snake darted out of the bushes, Choo Tae-sik grinned with satisfaction.
“Hehehe. Let me show you the price for your insolence.”
Still, Choo Tae-sik didn’t seem relieved, even throwing venomous snake as a last resort.
Red snakes and venomous snake rushing from all directions.
For an ordinary awakened individual, they would undoubtedly be formidable opponents. But that’s precisely the point—when they’re just ordinary awakened individuals.
“Hoho, just as I was thinking of trying out some tonic, I find this here.”
Jong-sik twinkled his eyes as he looked at the red snake biting his ankle.
Moments later, the venomous fangs of the red snake shattered like glass.
It was a natural outcome for someone as sturdy as a diamond.
“Adding red snakes to the bounty, it’s like hitting the jackpot. Hehe.”
The venomous snake, which flew towards, him simply fell to the ground with a wave of his hand.
And Choo Tae-sik, witnessing all this, stood dumbfounded, his mouth gaping open.
He felt like he was losing his mind. At the same time, he wondered if he was dreaming, in the midst of such surreal events.
“Damn it. Is it money you’re after? I’ll give you the money. How much do you want?”
“It was 20 million won, right?”
“I’ll give you double, no, triple!”
“….”
“I’ll give you triple.”
“Okay. Sorry. That won’t do.”
Choo Tae-sik’s vision blurred with frustration.
