Chapter 9 - Broken Nose (2)

Chapter 9: Broken Nose (2)TL: SHW

There are a few things I’ve learned while working in society, especially as a public servant at the Ability Management Agency.

The most important one, in my opinion, is this:

Don’t stand out. People shouldn’t notice you.

Make sure your title comes before your name in people’s minds.

It wasn’t difficult. Luckily, I had someone more noticeable than anyone else by my side. That person is none other than the greatest Hunter in Korea, to whom every Korean owes at least one life.

If I introduce myself as Woo Hwijae, an chief in the Dungeon Raid Comprehensive Situation Room at the Ability Management Agency, it seems like I’d be dragged into hearings every day. But if I say I’m the assistant to Hong Seok-young, the Director at the Ability Management Agency, it doesn’t leave much of an impression.

Most people are too focused on the director’s name to pay attention to a low-level public servant like me.

“…Who did you say you are?”

This concept applies even during dungeon raids or dungeon breaks, although with slightly different meanings.

Even if you work hard and make a name for yourself, it only increases your responsibilities. Just look at Yoo Ji-eun. Seeing that fiery woman, now a team leader, sitting at her desk writing reports, I feel sorry for her. It’s all because she stood out unnecessarily.

Of course, I’m not part of the raid team and won’t be sent to a dungeon, but whenever I give lectures during the Awakener’s mandatory safety training sessions, there’s always someone who stands out.

Those who think they are something special and recklessly act without skills.

If they actually have skills, it’s fine. Having more capable people to deploy isn’t a bad thing. But usually, the loud ones lack both skills and responsibility. They boast loudly but are the first to run or die when things get tough.

If they only died, it wouldn’t matter. But these types usually don’t die alone. The usual victims are kind-hearted veteran Hunters who can’t bear to see these idiots die.

Kim Chae-min died that way.

“Just a passerby.”

So, undeniably, this is my mistake. It’s like I asked to be noticed.

Being less than 1 km away from fighting a large monster like a Minotaur is as good as being nowhere. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

I should have kept my distance much earlier.

“A passerby, you say?”

It’s a suspicious statement, and I know it well.

If I had just kept my mouth shut and gone to the City Hall, I wouldn’t have run into this situation.

Especially not with the person I least wanted to see right now.

“Well, you see…”

“Grooooar!!!!”

The fallen Minotaur flailed its arms at the perfect timing. It couldn’t get up with one leg missing, but its sheer size still made its movements threatening.

I quickly moved to hide behind the hunter holding the spear.

Hmm.

This is survival instinct, nothing more.

“…Just wait. Don’t go anywhere.”

“I was just passing by, can’t I continue passing by? I won’t interfere.”

“Cut the crap.”

The Hunter lowered his spear slightly and spoke.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Director, no. There’s no Agency right now.

Even twenty years ago, Hong Seok-young, my adoptive father, known as the strongest Hunter in Korea, charged straight at the Minotaur

Even if he is the greatest Hunter in Korea, he’s only one person. If I wanted to escape while he’s occupied with the Minotaur, I could.

But other Hunters began gathering around me, one by one. Each one of them was a legendary Hunter.

“…Hello.”

I forced an awkward smile.

Trying to run now would only make me a wanted criminal.

I have no choice but to accept my fate and leave it to the will of heaven.

I did a good deed earlier, so heaven should be on my side.

…Hopefully.

* * *

“So, what’s your name again?”

“……”

“Come on, let’s not make this difficult. Stubbornly holding out won’t do you any good.”

The investigator said, twirling his pen with a disinterested look on his face.

Under the gloomy lighting and gray walls.

The investigator, who had been sarcastically lounging, scoffed. A suspect… no, an awakened person shifting uncomfortably. It’s unfair to call me a suspect. I haven’t done anything wrong.

Anyway, this is a typical scene in the Awakener Crime Investigation Room.

Except for the fact that the person being interrogated is me, it’s a familiar sight. It’s disheartening that even after twenty years, things haven’t changed. Seriously, they should increase the budget.

…Wasn’t it me who cut the budget?

Let’s think positively. It’s a miracle it hasn’t gotten worse. Considering the crude Awakener laws of this era, this is pretty decent.

“What’s your resident registration number?”

“……”

“Awakener license number?”

“……”

I checked the handcuffs on my wrist. These handcuffs, designed for Awakeners, aim to block mana. With such a crude design, escaping wouldn’t be difficult, but….

Even if I escaped, there’s nothing I could do. I’d be lucky not to become a wanted criminal. They are very strict in these aspects.

If I were to be caught, it should have been when there were other witnesses around. If it had been in front of the kids from the model high school, those innocent children would have eagerly testified for me. Then, finding a loophole would have been much easier.

“There’s no point in hiding, you know? Awakened people get harsher punishments for that.”

Yoo Ji-eun’s sword had already been confiscated. The same goes for other belongings. As long as the Mana Watch isn’t activated, it just looks like an ugly watch and doesn’t raise suspicion.

I managed to hide my wallet, which contains my ID card, just barely. The Director’s dog tag as well. I didn’t want to complicate things by adding the headache of being labeled a time traveler when I was already being treated as an illegal Awakener.

“Your fingerprints aren’t registered either… Are you Chinese?”

“No.”

“Oh, you’re quick to answer that.”

“……”

“Then where are you from?”

“……”

“Ah, you don’t want to answer that? Then just answer this. Why were you in Myeong-dong? Why were you watching the Hunters?”

Why indeed. I had ended up in the past by chance and was fascinated by the sight of the dead walking around energetically.

“If you continue to be uncooperative, we have no choice but to…”

Slam.

At that moment, the door to the interrogation room opened. A familiar face walked in.

“Hunter Hong!”

The investigator, who had begun to raise his voice, stood up abruptly. He looked relaxed and out of place in the rigid atmosphere of the interrogation room.

“Oh, you’re working hard. I’ll take over this guy. I have something to check.”

“Is that so?”

I frowned.

It wasn’t unusual for the Director to appear. He often helped with public duties despite being a high-ranking Hunter. He was also very interested in investigating Awakener crimes. Burning down the lab where I was part of those efforts.

But it was strange for him to intervene like this. The investigator, familiar with the Director, stepped aside and left the room.

“I turned off the camera as I came in.”

“……”

“So you can talk freely.”

I wasn’t naive enough to take the word “freely” at face value.

The Director saw my look and chuckled. He looked like a nice person, but… well.

“Shall we start with your name? I’m Hong Seok-young.”

The Director extended his hand to me. It was the rough hand of a veteran Hunter.

One year after the lab was destroyed, the Director had visited the orphanage and introduced himself just like this.

I looked at the Hunter in front of me.

His hair was still jet-black. There wasn’t a single gray hair. Even Hunters who age slowly can’t avoid gray hair.

Seeing his black hair and a face with fewer wrinkles than I remembered, I realized anew that this was indeed twenty years in the past.

He awkwardly retracted his hand when I didn’t take it, scratching the back of his neck. It was exactly like the Director I knew. Would this Director also save young Woo Hwijae a year from now?

And adopt young Woo Hwijae two years later?

“…Woo Hwijae.”

I didn’t take his hand, but I did state my name.

“Woo Hwijae? Is that your real name?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm. I see. Woo Hwijae.”

The Director tapped his fingers on the table.

Though he is younger, no one in this world knows that man as well as I do. I saved his disciples, so he won’t ignore me. If I can get through this situation safely.

“Do you know what this is?”

The Director took out a small piece of paper, the size of a business card, from his pocket. There were scorch marks on the edges.

Even so, I had no trouble recognizing the drawing on the paper.

An upside-down ship over a cluster of black stars. There were no sails. Instead, a rusted sword took the place where the mast should have been.

I knew it.

Of course, I knew it.

The picture had been drawn all over the walls of the laboratory.

“As I thought.”

The Director grinned.

I pressed my fingers to my eyes. The forgotten fatigue was catching up with me.

I shouldn’t reveal my hand like this. I don’t even know my opponent’s objective, and I can’t even hide my cards…

“I turned off the camera, remember? You don’t need to be so tense. There’s no one in Korea capable of eavesdropping without my noticing.”

Sure, that might be true.

“Let’s talk comfortably. I’ve been very worried about you.”

“…What?”

Why? Worried about me?

Do you know me?

We’re supposed to meet next year, though?

“If things had gone according to plan, we’d be meeting in much better circumstances…. The Myeong-dong Dungeon has caused quite a mess.”

I blinked. It was hard to keep up with the Director, who was acting strangely familiar.

“In any case, I’m glad you made it out safely.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Oh, I said it’s alright.”

No. I really don’t understand.

“I’m the teacher Kim-gun mentioned.”

Kim-gun?

“Because of what happened to Kim, we lost contact with you, and I was worried. We were supposed to help you escape.”

“……”

“As I heard, blue mana, flames, and a sword. I know you’re cautious, but don’t worry.”

I looked at the drawing on the paper again.

I had no regrets about the lab. The experiments weren’t anything significant. It was just taking some medication on time. The researchers yelled a lot, but if you stayed quiet, there were people who treated you well.

The kids who were kidnapped from outside cried loudly, wanting to see their moms, but I wasn’t like that.

By the time I was old enough to hold grudges, the lab and the organization had already been taken down.

The Director never told me how he had dismantled the organization. After I joined the Agency, I could have looked it up myself, but I didn’t feel the need. Digging up the past wouldn’t be any fun.

However, once, when he was drunk, the Director had mentioned Kim along with the names of his dead students from the high school.

‘If only Kim had survived, I could have saved you and the other kids earlier.’

‘Kim-gun?’

‘He was the one who infiltrated there…. We were excited because we had someone on the inside. But when Kim suddenly died, we lost contact with our insider and were left in the dark. That’s why it took longer.’

I knew everything I needed to know.

“You want to catch those bastards, right? I feel the same.”

I lifted my head.

Lucky me. The timing was perfect.

It explained why I had no identification, and from what he was saying, it seemed like the Director would vouch for my identity.

I don’t know what the actual insider connected with Kim is doing now, but considering I haven’t heard anything since, there’s a high chance they died along with Kim.

After all, I come from that place too, so I am an insider, right? It’s not a lie. If I check the information in my Mana Watch, I’ll find relevant details, so it’s not a problem.

“Due to the Myeong-dong Dungeon incident, we’ll be busy cleaning up for a while. It’s actually better this way. Even if a Hunter suddenly appears, no one will pay attention.”

The Director tucked the paper back into his pocket.

“We’ve prepared an identity for you in advance. We only knew your last name was Woo, so we gave you a temporary name… Is Woo Hwijae alright?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. You’ll be under me for the time being.”

“Am I under surveillance?”

“You can think of it that way if you want. Regardless, I can’t just let you roam free. You understand, right?”

The Director scratched his head and then extended his hand to me again.

“Anyway, I look forward to working with you.”

After a brief hesitation, this time, I took his hand.

The Director… no, he’s not the Director yet, nor is he my adoptive father.

Hunter Hong Seok-young grasped my hand firmly and shook it.