IH Ch 61

Chapter 61

The captured Hunters and gangsters were all tightly bound and confined in the village hall. Since the Hunters were only C and D-rank, simply restraining them was sufficient, but the villagers were still uneasy, so they stood guard, armed.

Jae-i and Dohwa were staying at the youth association leader’s house, which was right next to the village hall. They weren’t tied up, but with the elders constantly coming and going, bringing them food, it did feel like they were being watched.

The sudden loud noise came from the direction of the village hall. Curious as to what was going on, they went outside to find a man standing in the yard, pale as a sheet, hastily trying to explain himself.

“I know I look suspicious, but I’m a reporter. I’m not here to talk to any of you. I came following someone else.”

“Then who exactly?!”

“Well, that’s…”

He wanted to say it clearly but couldn’t. After all, he couldn’t exactly admit to having followed Guild Leader Hwang Jae-i all the way from Seoul.

The man was Kim Inseok. While everyone else chased after the supercar pulling out of Hwang Jae-i’s building, he had trailed an old delivery van. He had an unfounded but strong hunch that Hwang Jae-i was in that vehicle.

An S-rank Hunter had extremely sharp senses. If he followed too closely, he’d be discovered in no time, so Kim kept a safe distance. He was worried about getting caught halfway, but the delivery van never stopped and kept driving until it entered Pohang.

He didn’t know that someone else had been driving and that Hwang Jae-i had been asleep the whole time. Believing his success came from his own skills, Kim gained confidence and became bolder. He got out of his car and decided to use the terrain to his advantage, climbing a hill and hiding carefully, zooming in as far as his camera allowed.

But the first person to step out of the van wasn’t Hwang Jae-i. For a moment, Kim thought he had chased the wrong person all the way to Pohang. Still, after coming this far, he couldn’t give up. There were items among Hunters that allowed them to disguise their appearance. Maybe one of them was using one. But even with that, the difference in build was too great to ignore.

As he debated what to do next, another person stepped out of the delivery vehicle. His face was different, but Kim immediately knew it was Hwang Jae-i. Those broad shoulders and long legs could only belong to him. He hadn’t been mistaken. Feeling immensely relieved, Kim was soon struck by another question.

Who was that person accompanying Hwang Jae-i? Were they close enough to travel all the way to Pohang together? But did Hwang Jae-i even have any friends?

It was a rather rude thought, but not one unique to Kim; anyone might have wondered the same. It could even make for a good article. He thought, perhaps I should respect their privacy… but he couldn’t stop himself from pressing the shutter. At the same time, he tried to figure out the identity of Hwang Jae-i’s companion. Were there any known associates of his who looked like that?

While he was caught up in these thoughts, Kim saw the two enter a restaurant for a meal, then later head up a side alley and into a small building.

To most people, it would have looked like they were simply out enjoying the day. It felt overly invasive to keep surveilling something so private. If he were Hwang Jae-i, he’d be furious. Maybe it was time to stop. But no one had ever seen this side of Hwang Jae-i before.

The word “exclusive” kept floating around his head, and Kim couldn’t stop thinking about what the best course of action was. And then—it happened. A suspicious black vehicle appeared.

It was obvious trouble. When the dangerous-looking people started threatening the elder, Kim panicked and took out his phone. He was about to call the authorities, but his finger hesitated over the dial button.

Was this really something he should get involved in? What if he got dragged into something messy? At that moment, Kim realized just how much of a coward he really was. He’d always looked down on the other reporters who just followed Hunters around, but now, he was no different from them.

Then a loud sound came from below. Alarmed, Kim looked down and saw Hwang Jae-i. That was it. For some reason, Kim felt immensely relieved. It was like seeing a hero from an old childhood cartoon. And like a true hero, Hwang Jae-i took down the villains. Kim watched as the villain tried to run, only to be surrounded by armed tractors and captured. He quickly relocated.

They say a long tail gets stepped on—now was the time to disappear. Kim moved deeper into the woods and crouched down to review the photos and videos he had taken. From the moment he started following the delivery van to the scene of Hwang Jae-i beating up the villains, he had it all. These were unlike any photos ever taken of Hwang Jae-i. If he sent them to his company, he’d probably earn a promotion, a bonus, and even vacation time.

For someone living paycheck to paycheck, hesitation was a luxury. And yet, he hesitated. Over and over, he reviewed the photos. Even as he received a profanity-laced text from his editor asking where he was, Kim remained crouched in the same spot for over an hour.

Being in the mountains, the sun set quickly. He stood up, thinking to head back to his car and gather his thoughts—only to crouch again when he noticed strange movements below. At first, he thought someone had discovered his hiding spot and was coming for him.

Nervously frozen in place, Kim soon realized the movements were suspicious for a different reason. The people he was watching all had large backpacks. Kim pulled out his night-vision goggles. It might seem strange for a reporter to carry something like that, but he had originally studied Gateology. Even though he was now chasing gossip, he still dreamed of one day researching fully explored gates. And through those goggles, he saw—

“Those bags—each one of them was a containment prison capable of holding at least an A-rank beast. There were five of them. I’m not saying they’re all carrying A-rank monsters, or that there are beasts inside for sure, but just bringing something like that here is suspicious, isn’t it? I think they’re planning to release them.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to believe it either, so I kept following them. I saw a residential area at the foot of the mountain and hoped I was wrong. But then they placed the bags in a clearing and began setting things up. As soon as I saw that, I ran here. If I were suspicious, wouldn’t I have just run away instead of coming here and saying all this? Don’t you agree?”

He wasn’t wrong. In fact, one of the villagers confirmed they had seen Kim lingering near the entrance to the village and brought him in because of it. That prompted Kim to speak even more assertively.

“I’m telling you, they plan to release whatever is in those bags right here. This is a serious issue. At the very least, we need to alert the authorities. Or ask him for help…”

By “him,” Kim meant Hwang Jae-i.

He didn’t know if Hwang Jae-i was still in the village, but if he was, his presence alone would be enough to resolve the situation. Kim quickly scanned the area and locked eyes with a man standing at the village hall entrance. As the man froze, others began to turn around. When they spotted Hwang Jae-i, they gasped.

“…”

As everyone stared at him, Jae-i’s expression hardened.

If he’d known it would be like this, he wouldn’t have stepped outside. He didn’t want to become a spectacle like some zoo animal. He was about to turn back when Kim Inseok urgently lifted his knee and held out his camera.

“Guild Leader Hwang Jae-i, please take a look at this!!”

Explaining things to the villagers a hundred times wouldn’t help. But Hwang Jae-i was different. One photo, and he’d understand the gravity of the situation. Kim jumped up. The villager who had dragged Kim over tried to force him back to his knees, but the youth leader shook his head, signaling to let him be. Taking the cue, Kim rushed over to Hwang Jae-i.

“Please look at this.”

In the photo, the men wore bulletproof vests, protective gear, full-face masks and goggles, and even in-ear comms—clearly well-trained operatives. Kim quickly flipped to another photo showing the ominous bags. When he saw Jae-i’s eyes narrow, Kim asked with urgency.

“These lunatics are planning to release beasts here, right?”

“…”

Jae-i didn’t answer. Instead, he touched the camera and zoomed in on the screen. As he continued to zoom, he eventually spotted tiny letters on the chest of one of the men placing the bags down. Studying them closely, Jae-i looked into Kim Inseok’s eyes.

At that piercing glare, Kim’s grin instantly vanished. He had smiled foolishly, happy that Hwang Jae-i understood how serious the situation was. Snapping back to his senses, Kim cleared his throat as Jae-i said shortly:

“Give me your phone.”

“…Huh? My phone?”

“Yeah.”

He knew better than to ask twice. Kim hurriedly pulled his phone from his chest pocket and handed it over. Taking it with one hand, Jae-i swiftly dialed a number. After a few rings, the other party answered, and he spoke briefly.

“It’s me.”