Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit warehouse.

“…So, you’re saying you can’t do it.”

Kim Chok, muttering quietly, looked at the person in front of him while wearing half gloves.

Ugh, why is he doing this now?

Feeling disillusioned with the world, Kim Chok ruffled his hair roughly.

It’s all because of Kang Yoon-soo.

More precisely, it’s because he’s a government official who covets both the Ego Sword and Seo Yeon-oh.

Excessive greed tends to distort things.

But these officials seem oblivious to this fact, even after experiencing the humiliation of being robbed by Kang Yoon-soo several times.

Thanks to that, his standing within the government was narrowing.

And it was Kim Chok’s responsibility to broaden that standing again.

Truly an environment that could only elicit curses.

Yet, Kim Chok couldn’t ignore the words of the officials in this situation.

One of those officials… was holding his mother hostage and not letting her go.

Even if it was just because of his mother, who needed healing from a healer to survive, he had to follow the official’s orders.

The problem was that the official wielding power over him was his father.

Anyway.

This incident also started from his father’s greed.

“No matter how I think about it, we can’t just let Seo Yeon-oh go like this. Make her resign nicely, but find any weaknesses, even if you have to use any means necessary. And then, plan it so that she can’t endure it and has to leave, whether it’s through resignation or a scandal.”

How on earth does he come up with such thoughts?

So, Kim Chok had come to meet a hunter who could exploit Seo Yeon-oh’s weaknesses.

He had come because the man had claimed to be able to fulfill all the commission conditions, but now it seemed he was changing his mind.

Thanks to that, the unpleasant voice replayed in Kim Chok’s mind, and he tightened his expression.

The effect was quite good.

The man who had shown signs of refusal was now intimidated, to say the least.

A man with long bangs that covered his eyes, wearing a loose black hoodie, hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

“…It’s not that I can’t do it. It’s just that the risk is too high.”

“Huh.”

“Think about it on your end too. I’m the most talked-about hunter right now. I’ve even received a scout proposal from a massive guild.”

“So?”

“But in this situation, digging into someone’s private life is like… telling me to just go bury myself. I don’t want to die, Mr. Kim Chok.”

Despite trembling in fear at Kim Chok’s momentum, the man successfully finished his statement.

However, the man’s opinion was not accepted.

If he were a guy who could talk back to this extent, he probably wouldn’t even give such an unreasonable order to dig into someone’s privacy.

The man was well aware of this fact. That is, this was his audacious self-appeal, asking for his value to be raised even higher, as the risk was significant.

Kim Chok laughed as if amused by this absurdity, loosening his tie. 

“Well, you’re quite audacious.”

“…I’m also risking my life for this.”

“And what more are you willing to add to the value of that life?”

“I want a healer’s treatment.”

An A-level healer’s treatment, to be precise. The man with gloomy eyes boldly asserted.

Thanks to that, Kim Chok let out a hollow laughter. Who would go to such lengths for healing treatment?

“Well, what do you want?”

“A healer. Do you have trouble hearing, Mr. Kim Chok?”

“…And what kind of favor is that?”

“Do you, Mr. Kim Chok, know that you’re covering up crimes for me?”

“…”

The man continued his tirade, unperturbed by Kim Chok’s words.

“Why do you need a healer?”

“If I do this job, my life will be hanging by a thread, so I want to have some insurance attached.”

“Who are you lying to right now?”

“Ah, you’ve investigated everything.”

The man, or rather, the recruiter, smiled brightly. The recruiter was the leader of unregistered hunters. His rank wasn’t very high, but he was a genius in hiding and escaping.

They would earn money by taking illegal commissions using their superior physical abilities compared to ordinary people. Other than that, not much information was known, but what the recruiter was saying now was undoubtedly a lie.

If it were truly dangerous, he wouldn’t accept this commission. That meant someone needed A-level healer treatment.

This would become a vulnerability to exploit someday.

Kim Chok frowned, staring at the recruiter. Scratching his cheek, he muttered slowly.

“I thought… you didn’t know I was an unregistered hunter. I underestimated the government. Well, you’re a government official asking for a background check… I was negligent.”

“You’re revealing your true colors from the start?”

“…From the beginning, who contacted me, hiding the fact that you’re Kim Chok?”

The recruiter shrugged lightly, chuckling.

Thanks to him, Kim Chok was so angry that blood vessels seemed to pop on his forehead. He didn’t express it easily; he just held onto it.

The anger and vitality of an A-level hunter surged within him. The recruiter, who received both anger and vitality at once, seemed to realize his mistake and quickly lowered his tail.

“You need my abilities, so if you kill me here, wouldn’t that be troublesome in many ways for Mr. Kim Chok?”

“You also accepted my commission because you needed an A-level healer, right?”

“…Ah, hit the nail on the head. That’s why I don’t like people who catch on quickly. If Mr. Kim Chok provides me with A-level healer treatment, I’ll bring any vile truth to you.” 

Seems like they have a calculation that suits each other. The man’s gloomy voice had the power to make the opponent lose strength. Unnoticed, Kim Chok, who seemed to have disappeared for a moment, extended his hand to the recruiter.

A sign of agreement.

The recruiter stared at his hand for a moment, then slowly shook hands with him.

It was the moment when Kim Chok and the recruiter joined forces.

* * *

The next day.

The sun had risen, but it was an unusually chilly day with a cold wind blowing.

Yes.

I was outside right now.

…Because I had someone to meet.

So, I sent Cha Jae-joon and Ellie Kim out of the house early in the morning.

‘Ellie seemed a bit disappointed…’

After giving her my phone number and promising to invite her again soon, she quickly agreed. She earnestly asked for me to contact her and returned to where she should have been originally.

And… I’m sorry, but I just kicked out Cha Jae-joon.

…Sorry.

After apologizing deeply in my heart once again, I moved forward with a determined expression.

Because…

“Did that real estate agent send me another text?”

And that too, informing me of an appointment?

Oh, I’m furious.

This happened because when Ellie Kim was enjoying some live octopus, my phone buzzed with a text message.

[Ms. Seo Yeon-oh, it’s been a while. Are you doing well? If there’s currently an issue with your house, please come here by 2 PM tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.]

…After reading this message, I tried my best not to throw my phone.

If the phone broke, I could repair it with “Automatic Recovery,” but I didn’t want to give this guy any satisfaction by showing even a bit of anger.

The person who sent this message was none other than the real estate agent who sold me the house, standing with a nonchalant look covering his eyes.

What? If there’s a problem with the house, come out? But he’ll be waiting?

Is this guy messing with me?

This couldn’t be a prank message.

The only ones who know that I’ve moved are the government hunters I used to work with and my relatives, with whom I spent some time.

But they don’t know that my house is inside the gate.

‘…If there’s a problem, come out.’

Especially considering he even said he would wait at the end, the answer was clear.

…The blonde real estate agent who deleted my number.

That’s why I left home fully prepared.

And I arrived at the location the agent mentioned an hour early.

“…Haha, haha! You won’t get away this time, you bastard.”

I’ll find only you to the point where your eyes pop out!

One corner of my mouth formed a sinister curve, rising upward.

But then, it happened.

“…Hm?”

I was sure someone used a skill on me from far away…?

I felt the mana moving in an instant.

I stood still, looking around. There was nothing detected by <Survival Instinct>, and there was nothing more felt with <Mana Detection>.

…Was it just my imagination?

Maybe I felt it wrong because I’m too formidable right now.

Although it felt a bit unsettling, I was soon able to forget about it.

There, across the bridge, stood the real estate agent I had been so eager to catch.

You just wait right there.