TOP 75

Chapter 75

Legend (True)

Step, step.

“…Hmm.”

Somewhere in a deserted corner of Seoul.

An elderly priest walked slowly, scanning his surroundings.

“There was clearly a battle here. So why is there no trace of bodies…?”

This was Ahn Soo-hwan, a First-Class Priest of the Gaia Order.

In society’s grading system, he would rank as a 7-star high priest.

“What do you think?”

He spoke into the empty air.

The question, which seemed to dissolve into nothingness, surprisingly summoned a response.

“They seem to have tried to erase traces, but they couldn’t completely wipe out the bloodstains. If we analyze the blood, we may be able to determine more details of what happened.”

The air rippled.

An assassin of the Gaia Order appeared—one of the nameless.

“I see. Then collect every trace you can.”

“……”

No reply came.

“Tch. Answer me.”

“……”

“Again with this? Show yourself.”

Zzzzt—

At his command, the assassin’s figure slowly revealed itself.

Clad simply in gray tights, with a short sword at his side.

But then—

“…Khk.”

He clutched his head, trembling violently.

“What a stubborn will you have.”

His extraordinary mental strength and ability were impressive… and troublesome.

Muttering, Ahn Soo-hwan reached out his hand toward the tormented assassin.

“You need to be re-educated. Judgment.”

Swaaaaah!

A powerful, radiant light shot from his hand.

The light pierced straight into the assassin’s mind.

“Ghhk…! Khhk…! Nnghhhhh…!”

The assassin groaned for a long time, resisting something unseen.

But it was only a matter of time—the result had already been decided.

“…Forgive me. I’ll begin collecting traces immediately.”

“That’s better.”

The assassin vanished once more, dutifully moving to gather all signs of battle.

A faithful servant—at least for now.

Watching him, Ahn Soo-hwan clicked his tongue behind his back.

“Tch. He’s skilled, but the problem is the occasional blasphemous thought.”

But more important than the assassin… was the state of the battlefield.

“Hm. Judging by the situation, it looks like the ‘Judgment’ failed… but I don’t understand why.”

Vice-Captain of the 4th Holy Knight Division, Kwak Dae-ho.

Along with over a dozen priests and holy knights, he had been mobilized.

Their mission: to judge Geum Yu-gang, the president of Geumwa Group.

Because he stubbornly refused to devote himself to the Goddess, the Order had prescribed the most extreme remedy.

The plan was flawless.

Yu-gang, usually so cautious, had shown a rare opening. Using a driver already converted to their cause, they lured him here.

They had dispatched overwhelming force. Success should have been inevitable.

“What variable disrupted us…?”

It was only a 7-star Hunter and two 5-star Hunters.

There was no way they could fail with the forces they’d sent. And yet—here they were.

Unable to draw a conclusion, Ahn Soo-hwan pulled out his phone and made a call.

Click.

“Priest Ahn Soo-hwan.”

“Your Excellency. I’ve begun investigating as you instructed, but I cannot determine the variable.”

On the other end was Namgung Ham, Bishop of the Gaia Order’s Korean Diocese—the one who had ordered the Judgment.

“I see. I had hoped traces at the site would give us a clearer picture of our followers’ sacrifice.”

“There are some remnants, but all the bodies are missing.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

Hmm.

Namgung Ham pondered briefly, then spoke again.

“Unfortunate. Had we the remains of our faithful, we could have gleaned certainty from the marks upon their flesh.”

“My apologies.”

“There’s no need for you to apologize.”

“……”

“We’re also investigating this failed Judgment through other channels, but so far, the cause remains unclear.”

“I understand.”

“It doesn’t seem President Geum Yu-gang was unusually strong. We know the mage backing him was tied to Yuseong Group, but we found no signs that Yuseong actually intervened.”

“That does complicate things.”

“Still.”

The Bishop drew a slow breath, then continued.

“We did learn something from one of our faithful embedded in the Hunter Administration Bureau.”

“What was it?”

“There was a Hunter present—by the name of Kim Yu-jin.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of him. Officially rated 5-star, though not yet licensed…”

“We’ve confirmed he advanced to 6-star.”

“…What?”

“He wielded an Aura Blade. The Bureau is now struggling to process his license.”

“That’s…”

Ahn Soo-hwan was shaken.

Becoming 6-star was not some trivial achievement.

It was a realm difficult to reach even with the Goddess’s blessing.

And yet—a boy in his early twenties?

It defied understanding.

“Of course,” Namgung Ham went on, “that alone does not explain the failure of the Judgment.”

“Correct. We dispatched three 6-star Holy Knights, after all…”

“Nevertheless, the most certain variable here is that boy.”

“…Understood.”

“And though unconfirmed, the Bureau suspects he may even be a Red Hunter.”

“A Red Hunter…!”

Ahn Soo-hwan gasped.

Unlike those blessed by the Goddess, Red Hunters gained power by selling their souls to demons—by slaughtering fellow humans.

They were unforgivable evil incarnate.

“Again, only a possibility. We’ve no intention of alerting the Bureau yet.”

“Understood.”

Namgung Ham’s tone remained calm, as though this minor setback posed no threat at all.

“Still, let us place Kim Yu-jin under Surveillance rank. For now, that should suffice.”

“Surveillance rank… I understand.”

Surveillance rank—those not yet exerting great influence, but deemed worth monitoring closely.

The Gaia Order had officially begun watching Yu-jin.

“And what of Geum Yu-gang and Geumwa Group?”

“For now, let’s observe. Too many uncertainties remain.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“The way they handle the aftermath will tell us much. If the boy shows himself openly, it means he’s confident. If he hides, then he’s not.”

“Truly insightful, Your Excellency.”

“Hahaha. Don’t flatter me.”

“It is only the truth, Bishop.”

“Hah. Perhaps I’m still human after all.”

Thus the call ended—along with the Order’s decision to monitor the situation, and above all, Yu-jin.

“…Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Given the circumstances, this is the best way forward.”

“Miss Seol-ah, you too?”

“Yes!”

Yoo Seol-ah and I were now entering Geumwa Group with Geum Yu-gang himself.

Through the front gate. Boldly.

In other words—we had chosen to reveal ourselves.

“I have no choice but to stand by my group. But you two…”

“It’s the same for us. I’m not giving up my Hunter career.”

“Me neither. I need to be recognized… by my father.”

“Ha. You both have remarkable resolve.”

It was a sharp contrast to when we had sought the hidden safehouse earlier.

This was a decision reached after careful thought.

‘Hiding now would only make us look suspicious.’

In truth, I had already intended to reveal some of my strength and identity.

If I hadn’t, I never would have applied for Hunter ranking in the first place.

But—

‘The one thing I wanted to keep hidden was my hostility toward the Order…’

That plan was ruined.

After all, the Order would surely know I had been present in the incident that wiped out their priests and knights.

Still, I believed they wouldn’t dare openly denounce me.

I glanced at the man walking ahead—Geum Yu-gang.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“No reason.”

He was now my ally.

With the might of Geumwa Group behind me, not even the Gaia Order could ignore us.

‘If they could, they wouldn’t have bothered with tricks and ambushes in the first place.’

So instead, I decided to make our alliance public.

From now on, my presence would only grow stronger.

“We’re here.”

The first step was finalizing our deal with Geum Yu-gang: selling him the Permafrost and receiving payment.

“…Oh. Incredible.”

“Of course. This place holds Geumwa’s entire history since the Great Cataclysm.”

We had arrived at the Group’s treasure vault.

A warehouse filled with items of every kind.

“Choose whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

We had agreed to price Permafrost at 10 billion won.

Ten billion.

Compared to what I’d ever owned before, an absurd amount.

I had considered taking it in cash, but money itself was useless to me.

What mattered was whether it could raise my specs.

So I’d asked if I could be compensated with items instead—and Geum Yu-gang readily agreed.

Sure, I could’ve used the money at the trading post…

But—

‘The trading post is full of overpriced junk.’

Nothing but low-grade equipment sold at outrageous prices.

The real treasures flowed through hidden routes like this.

And thanks to my alliance with Geum Yu-gang, that door had opened to me.

“Here, take it.”

“Ohhh, finally…!”

At last, I handed Permafrost over to him.

He accepted it with trembling joy.

It was only natural.

Now, he could finally cure his only daughter’s illness.

“Then, we’ll pick out some items.”

“Take your time. Or hurry, if you can. Hahaha.”

“…Yes.”

“Just joking.”

He even cracked jokes now—purely happy to see hope for his daughter’s recovery, regardless of war with the Gaia Order.

And so, we entered the vault.

Geum Yu-gang did not follow us.

Like a shopkeeper who hates hovering over customers.

“Can I really pick too?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

“We’re in this together. And you’re paying as well.”

Yoo Seol-ah joined me.

I had made the deal, but she was sharing in the benefits.

As my Guardian, it was only natural.

【Yes, yes! We must get Seol-ah some good gear!】

‘…Frill?’

【Ehehe. You already have the Tenauzes system to guide you!】

‘…Fair point.’

And so we began browsing the vault.

The accumulation of thirty years of Geumwa’s history—staggering.

“Common, rare, rare… Oh, unique!”

Most were rare-grade, but here and there were unique items.

I picked out only those useful to me.

“Focus on armor…”

Weapons, I had plenty. What I lacked were armor and accessories.

Gear that boosted stats, or offered high defense.

“Anti-Blade T-shirt, Enchanted Protective Pants, Armadillo Ring…”

Especially defense—I filled in all the gaps.

Thanks to the dragon body’s aura resistance, I could already endure aura attacks. But the more defense, the better.

‘As long as it doesn’t slow me down, of course.’

So I chose items that improved overall combat effectiveness rather than raw defense alone.

“This is good. I’ll be able to fight much more steadily now.”

After gathering my picks, I kept browsing—

“…Oh?”

My eyes widened.

《 Frost Giant Leather Jacket – Outerwear, Unique 》

• Made from the hide of a Frost Giant.

• Soft yet durable, light yet strong.

• Imbued with a faint chill.

• Contains the sealed Blessing of Growth. (Hidden!)

• Upon unsealing, evolves into Legend-grade. (Hidden!)

• Method of unsealing… (Hidden!)

Without the Tenauzes System, I never would’ve recognized it.

A true Legend-grade item.