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—Sssht!

At that moment, Gi Soyul appeared out of thin air.

Kim Junseo’s sister, Kim Hyerin, gasped and opened her eyes wide with shock.

It was an understandable reaction since the previously cramped room with only two people suddenly had another person.

“Wh-Who are you?” She was briefly flustered, and then her eyes widened further. “D-Dark Empress! Gi Soyul?”

She recognized Gi Soyul immediately.

“Is this for real? How is the Dark Empress here?”

“Are you alright with this?” I sighed inwardly as I asked.

I meant to ask her if it was okay for a famous person to show up in such a shabby place.

“That doesn’t matter when someone’s been kidnapped.” Gi Soyul’s eyes had already turned cold. “It’s exactly what the Shadow Lurkers would do. Since I’m sticking around you, they’ve resorted to such low-grade kidnapping.”

“I agree.” I nodded.

The Shadow Lurkers’s intentions were obvious. Even though they had business with me, they couldn’t approach me because I was within Gi Soyul’s territory, so they resorted to something like this.

“And besides.” She took out her smartphone to show me something. “A text message I just received.”

[Giparang: Sis.]

[Giparang: Our reserve team was attacked in the dungeon.]

[Giparang: Judging by the disgusting dog smell, it’s Hellhound. Just when I was about to get off work.]

[Giparang: I’ll try to handle it as much as possible, so don’t worry.]

[Giparang: Just letting you know. If you have time, it’d be a great help.]

The message was from the renowned archer, Giparang.

The Hellhound referred to in the message was ranked 92nd, Nick Jakan—a ranker known to be the master of the Shadow Lurkers.

“It’s perfectly timed. It seems like the Shadow Lurkers are targeting Parang as well.”

“…Yikes.”

Surprisingly, they’d go after the prestigious Parang guild just because of me.

Is this the power of the old man?

It was a moment to reflect on the value of the opportunity I had gained.

“…”

Silence fell over the room. The tension was palpable.

Kim Hyerin seemed paralyzed with fear at the thought that those who kidnapped her brother were more prominent figures than she expected, and Gi Soyul was biting her lip, looking furious.

She must be worried.

No matter how detached she was from the guild, she couldn’t deny being part of the Parang lineage. Moreover, her brother, Giparang, was her kin. It was only natural that she’d be concerned.

And yet…

I looked at her tightly closed lips.

She chose to stay here.

Because she promised to protect me. She wasn’t someone who took her words lightly.

“I guess there’s no choice.” I spoke up first. “Dark Empress, you should go to Parang.”

“…?”

Gi Soyul flinched.

Judging by her expression, I guessed correctly. However…

“I can’t do that.”

As expected, she refused firmly. Her expression was resolute.

“My brother is ranked 58th. He’s not weak enough to be taken down by something like the Shadow Lurkers. Not to mention, there are Parang members with him. You, on the other hand, are alone. If I leave, who knows what might happen to you.”

“Well, I agree with you on that.”

I looked at Kim Hyerin. Her eyes were trembling with anxiety.

“First, we need to save the kidnapped person. They’re asking for me alone.”

“It’s a trap.”

“I know. It’s 100% a trap.”

But sometimes, you must act even when you know it’s a trap.

With Gi Soyul protecting me, I’d be relatively safe. But that could be the critical factor to the Shadow Lurkers defeating Parang.

Parang’s true strength is said to come out when Giparang and Gi Soyul join forces.

Hellhound is already heading toward Giparang.

So it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.

Honestly, I wasn’t afraid. This seemed manageable compared to enduring the old man and the Sun Spear’s trials.

Of course, that didn’t mean it would be easy.

It’s just how I feel.

“Fuu,” I took a deep breath. “I remember something you once told me.” I turned to her and looked into her eyes.

“What was it?”

“Life is a journey that starts and ends with connections.”

“…”

“Kim Junseo, the team leader, is someone connected to me. And such a person is in trouble because of me. I can’t just sit back and watch.”

“Is it out of a sense of justice? Or a sense of duty?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I just don’t want to be a cowardly hunter.”

My dream is to be a ranker, one who could be an idol to all hunters. Would such a ranker retreat in the face of danger, run away out of fear, or avoid confrontation? Not a chance.

“I want to give back as much as I receive.”

That was my simple principle and I didn’t want to break it.

The Shadow Lurkers attacked me, so I must be the one to retaliate.

“…I see.”

Gi Soyul’s expression was subtle. She seemed to be in an internal conflict, her lips twitching as if unsure of what to say.

“Alright.” Eventually she nodded slowly. Her eyes were determined as if she had made a decision. “I’ll quickly handle things at Parang and then come back to join you.”

“Good choice.”

“But,” she added, “I told you I would introduce you to many connections before.”

“Pardon?”

“That might happen sooner than expected.”

—Sssht.

With those words, Gi Soyul vanished like smoke.

What did she mean by that?

Her words puzzled me, but there was no time to ponder.

“Hyerin, was it?”

“Yes?”

“The place I need to go is Seonyudo, right?”

“Y-Yes! By 8 PM! There’s not much time left! It will take at least 30 minutes to get there from here.”

Let’s get moving.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Dawn

Proofreader – BringTheRayn

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/reapercomics

* * *

“Finally, the time has come.”

At Seonyudo, a recycling ecological park floating in the middle of the Han River, an assassin named Ko Jaeyoung sat cross-legged on a bench with a sinister smile.

“Mmph! Mmmp!”

In front of him, the dungeon request team leader of Problem Solver, Kim Junseo, was tied up and trembling.

“I’ve waited a whole month for this.” Until the master of the Shadow Lurkers, Jakan gave his permission.

Ko Jaeyoung regretted his past actions.

“Joo Donghoon, was it?”

His past was a disgrace, where he showed unnecessary mercy and let his prey escape.

“Lucky bastard. This time, I’ll catch you for sure.”

This time was different. The preparations were meticulous. Not only had Jakan himself taken action but the Shadow Lurkers also hired high-ranking hunters.

Even Gi Soyul wouldn’t stand with him with two rankers attacking Parang.

Additionally, three A-rank hunters and ten B-rank hunters were stationed here at Seonyudo.

Also, to prevent escape, hunters specialized in tracking were placed within a ten kilometer radius of Joo Donghoon’s home.

“…”

Ko Jaeyoung looked at his wristwatch with a chilling expression.

[07:55 PM]

“It’s almost time.”

According to the tracking hunter’s report, Joo Donghoon was going to Seonyudo.

They would soon meet.

“Everyone, get ready.”

Ko Jaeyoung’s voice over the radio was unusually eerie.

* * *

“Hm.” I clicked my tongue.

I had left Kim Hyerin at the association building and was now standing in front of the Seonyudo bridge.

I had used up all my remaining energy to summon five skeletons.

—Creak! Creak!

As if understanding their master’s intentions, the skeletons prepared their weapons with determined expressions.

I wanted to call the elder, too.

But the cooldown still had a long way to go. And I had no energy left.

“Sunny,” I called.

Until now, Boney 1 had been the leader, but now Sunny was the leader. The reason was simple: it was stronger and more articulate.

“My lord, did you call?”

“Yeah, can you sense the guys stationed around here?”

“Yes.”

Sunny swung his bone spear. Even in the night, it seemed to flash like the sun.

“How are they?”

“They are weak. If I had my original strength, I could handle them in less than a single breath.”

“Come on.” I shrugged. “That was then. I’m asking about now.”

“Now… it might be a bit challenging, but if you command it, I will handle them.”

“Really?”

I was surprised to hear that. Claiming that those guys were so weak that Sunny could overcome such an overwhelming power difference, even though Sunny was still technically D-rank.

Anyway.

It was time to face them.

“Mmph! Mmmmp!”

In the distance, I could hear the struggling voice of Kim Junseo.

I sighed internally, he’s always been a handful.

—Step, step.

I walked toward the group without hesitation.

It felt reckless, but there was no other choice. Any delay could endanger Kim Junseo’s life.

And I had an idea.

“You’ve come?”

The man wearing a bandana, Ko Jaeyoung, smiled as he saw me as if he knew I’d come. Did I look like someone burning with a sense of justice?

“Hey, hey! You actually came? You’ve got guts, kid.”

“So this is the guy Master Jakan mentioned?”

“Judging from the skeletons, he must be a low-level necromancer.”

“But he got such an attractive opportunity that Master Jakan would personally attack Parang?”

The A-rank hunters, who seemed to be his colleagues, also commented.

Indeed.

They were still far beyond my ability. I felt like I was suffocating. Ko Jaeyoung, who had been watching, spoke up.

“Hehe, I’m sure you know why I called you here, correct?”

“Not really. It was just written on the note that you’d spare that man if I came.”

I pretended to be innocent.

“Hmph, are you pretending not to know?” Ko Jaeyoung’s smile deepened. A ferocious aura emanated from his hidden dagger. “You’re starting to make me feel bad.”

“…”

“Have you forgotten? We made a deal. You said you’d tell me what your opportunity was if I let you fight those guys who attacked you. Have you changed your mind because you’re relying on Gi Soyul?”

He pressed his dagger against Kim Junseo’s throat.

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

It sounded like, “J-Joo Donghoon! Save me!”

“Alright, let me make a counter-proposal.”

—Drip!

Blood trickled from Kim Junseo’s throat.

“Tell me exactly what your opportunity was and hand it over. Otherwise, this guy dies,” he threatened politely.

At the same time, numerous hunters surrounded me.

Some drew their weapons directly in front of me. Others displayed their intent to snipe from a distance.

I sighed internally, This is nerve-wracking.

All I had were five D-rank skeletons.

But what can I say?

My opportunity wasn’t something I could give away.

“Alright.”

First, let’s get out of this situation.

I nodded and with a hard gulp.