Chapter 8
Saebyeok met his intense gaze for a long time.
Then, slowly, she shifted her eyes toward the man hiding behind Kim Ihan.
âSo thatâs how Glory Guild got their hands on a gate in the âclean zoneâ of Gwanaksan⌠Jin Sungcheolâs doing, huh?â
The title of Glory Guildâs vice master, Jin Sungcheol, was well known to the public.
<All or Nothing>.
Despite only being a B-rank hunter,
he held such a high position because of the unique ability tied to this title.
And yet, right now, his face was paleâ
as if he had just seen a ghostâ
while he scanned Saebyeok from head to toe.
âBut that canât be just because I stole a lucrative gate from themâŚâ
Her sharp eyes returned to Kim Ihan.
Thanks to her previous life,
she knew him far too well.
This wasnât the look of a man angry over losing a B-rank gold mine.
Noâthis gaze meant something else entirely.
âJin Sungcheol must have seen something.â
Had the golden light of the gate transferred to her?
Or⌠was it another light altogether?
Either way,
if Kim Ihan was showing this much interestâ
it could only mean one thing.
She was strong.
Very strong.
âDonât you think itâs rude to tell a stranger she smells⌠delicious?â
Saebyeokâs face hardened with annoyance.
But Kim Ihan simply smiled wider,
bending slightly at the waist to meet her gaze.
âI know the face of every Awakener in Korea above A-rank,â he said.
The unspoken words, âBut I donât know yours,â carried the meaning clearly.
âAre you new? Or⌠registered overseas?â
âEither way, it has nothing to do with Hunter Kim Ihan.â
âOh, it has everything to do with me.â
He suddenly closed the distanceâ
so close that their breaths almost touched.
His eyes glimmered with curiosity
as he whispered softly.
âIf youâre new,
then I should tempt you properly.
If youâre overseas,
then I should use everything I have to tempt you.â
Saebyeok let out a short laugh.
This was one of the many reasons dealing with him was such a painâ
that smooth, insincere attitude of his.
âEither way, itâs still âtemptation,â huh?â
âIf you donât like that word,
letâs call it âscoutingâ instead.â
With a flourish of his fingers,
a business card appeared in a small puff of smoke.
Saebyeok didnât even blink.
She only gave him a pitying look,
glancing between his card and his face,
before walking past him.
For a moment, Kim Ihan froze.
But then, his bright smile returned
and he quickly followed her down the mountain.
âYou didnât deny being A-rank,â he said, walking beside her.
âIâm not A-rank,â she answered casually.
The moment she spoke,
Kim Ihanâs eyes flashed crimson.
Just for a split second.
His gaze scanned her from head to toe
before narrowing.
ââŚIt doesnât apply?â
His words slipped out unconsciously.
Or maybe he wanted her to hear.
<Skill: Sageâs Eye (B)>
Celebrities are always exposed to danger.
Equip eyes that can distinguish between praise and malice.
Kim Ihanâs skill allowed him to detect liesâ
and even sense the goodwill or ill will behind a personâs words.
But it only worked on Awakeners below A-rank.
The moment Saebyeok claimed she wasnât A-rank,
he used the skill to confirm.
And as expected,
it failed.
<Skill: Sageâs Eye (B)> has been canceled.
Target cannot be analyzed.
There was no clearer proof that she was at least A-rank.
Kim Ihanâs smile grew sharper.
âYouâre not, huh?â
He moved in close again, speaking with sly confidence.
âDo you really think Iâd fail to notice something like that?
Iâm Kim Ihan of Glory Guild.â
His overconfident words earned him a faint smirk from Saebyeokâ
as though she were looking at the most foolish man alive.
The tiny twitch of Kim Ihanâs brow showed his pride was pricked.
âHah, I wasnât planning on going this farâŚâ
Normally, he saved this skill for lastâ
for when charm and conversation werenât enough.
But Saebyeokâs mocking look had pushed him too far.
Now, he wanted to see her crumble.
<Skill: Charm of Eloquence (A)>
A persuasive voice always draws attention.
Enchant them with dazzling words and make them fall for your charm.
âThink about it carefully,â
he whispered in her ear,
his voice like liquid honey.
âThe leader of Glory Guild himself
is scouting you.
Where else will you ever find an offer like this?â
His tone grew lower, smoother,
laced with a faint magical pull.
âOur guildâs marketplace is the best in Korea.
And with our partnership with the AssociationâŚâ
His alluring voice trailed along her ear.
<Skill: Charm of Eloquence (A)> has been canceled.
Target cannot be affected.
Kim Ihan stopped walking.
Even the faint smile lingering on his lips disappeared.
This skill had never failed.
Not once.
No matter how small or great the effect,
it always workedâ
on everyone.
People often said,
âIf you talk to Gloryâs guild master long enough,
youâll find yourself agreeing with him without realizing why.â
This skill was the reason.
Yet now, it had bounced off her completely.
âS-rankâŚ?â
Saebyeok froze.
She was staring at the same system notification he had just seen.
!! Alert !!
An abnormal status has been detected.
But thanks to the passive skill <Blessing of the Heavens (S)>, you are unaffected.
<Blessing of the Heavens (S)>
The earth cannot harm the rising sun unless it reaches the sky.
-
Effect: Complete immunity to all poisons and abnormal conditions.
A message appeared, showing that one of Dawn’s passive skills as <Spear Master of Dawn> had activated.
Dawn let out a small laugh.
Of course, she thought. Her ear had been ticklingâhe had tried to use a skill on her again.
Even in her previous life, thanks to this passive skill, she had never once fallen for his smooth words.
âYouâre quick to âfigure things out,â arenât you?â she said with a crooked smile.
She had expected him to try using that skill eventually, but not so soon.
Since she had been found out anyway, Dawn turned to face him with a playful smirk, returning his earlier arrogance right back at him.
âYour deputy leader seems to have realized it too.â
Kim I-Han turned his head.
A few steps behind them, Jin Sung-Chul swallowed hard and spoke.
âI remember now. Where Iâve seen that violent silver light beforeâŚâ
His face was pale as paperâclearly terrified.
âNine years ago, the Association PresidentâŚâ
He spoke as if recalling the sight of a legendary monster.
âBefore the Association President was ranked, he had⌠that same violent silver glow.â
The Association President was none other than Yoon Byung-Geunâthe strongest S-rank Hunter in Korea.
He was living proof that even among S-ranks, there were levels of power.
The reason he had been able to rip apart and rebuild the corrupt Association as soon as he became president was precisely because of that overwhelming power.
A dangerous light, like an unscratched lottery ticket glowing with untold value.
For the first time, Kim I-Hanâs face lost its smile.
He stared at Dawn, speechless.
This time, Dawn was the one to smile sweetly.
âNice to meet you. Iâm Han Sae-Byeok.â
The first round of their battle of wits had ended.
And the winner was clearly Dawn.
* * *
Dawn followed Kim I-Han to Glory Guildâs VIP Exchange Hall.
Jin Sung-Chul didnât come alongâwhether it was because he was too frightened by her glow or because he wanted to investigate her further in secret, she couldnât tell.
Today, the exchange hall was quiet. Only the staff, Dawn, and Kim I-Han were inside.
The first thing Dawn did was sell the magic stones she had brought.
âThis amount will take some time to verify. Would you like to look around the hall while you wait?â
The staff glanced nervously at Kim I-Han but remained polite to Dawn.
He was curious about who she was but wisely didnât ask.
âYes. Iâd like to see the weapons,â Dawn replied.
As the staff began guiding her, Kim I-Han stuck close, still eager to talk.
âYou donât seem to have a spatial item⌠is it a skill?â he asked, amazed at how she had poured out all those magic stones from thin air.
âThat war hammer youâre sellingâyou got it from a dungeon, right? Still, itâs too beautiful for a pure combat weapon.â
He was trying to make conversation, fishing for clues, even flirting a little.
Dawn ignored him completely and looked around the display hall.
But of course, Kim I-Han wasnât going to give up so easily.
When she stopped in front of the spear display, he sidled up beside her again.
âWait, is your main weapon⌠a spear? No way. You look more like a support type⌠or maybe magic.â
ââŚâŚâ
âOr are you buying it as a gift? Do you have a Hunter close enough to give something like this to?â
ââŚâŚâ
âArenât you curious how much our Glory Guildâs signing bonus would be? What benefits weâd offer? For an S-rank, I could even promise you a deputy leader position.â
ââŚâŚâ
âWow⌠the last time I got ignored this completely was by Hwang Tae-San.â
âOh, Hwang Tae-San,â Dawn finally said.
Kim I-Han blinked in surpriseâbecause her first reaction was to that name.
