Chapter 14 : Friends

“Why have you been grinning since earlier?”

“Why do you think?”

I responded to Hunter Hanseong’s question with another question.

At that, Hanseong suddenly shifted his gaze toward the distant mountains.

‘Is he bad at conversations?’

Maybe it’s because he’s only ever spoken in a businesslike manner.

When I was gathering information about him, he had seemed extremely blunt.

But now, rather than being cold, he actually seemed quite kind.

“Take a guess.”

I chuckled and asked.

Hanseong seemed to ponder deeply before shaking his head.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m happy because I made a friend.”

“A friend?”

He looked confused.

Weren’t we friends?

Feeling a little hurt, I looked at him with a shocked expression.

“…We’re not friends?”

My voice trembled slightly as the words slipped out.

A mix of anxiety that I might have misunderstood, embarrassment if I really had,and the fear of being deeply hurt all welled up inside me.

Seeing my devastated expression, Hanseong flustered and hurriedly responded.

“F-Friends! We’re friends! Of course, we’re friends!”

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry? You’re making me feel bad.”

“I’m sorry, we’re definitely friends.”

Then, he laughed awkwardly.

Thank goodness.

I wasn’t imagining things.

Feeling a little sheepish about nearly tearing up, I scratched my cheek.

“Ahaha… Sorry. We really are f-friends, right?”

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“Hehe.”

I couldn’t help but smile again.

Friends.

How long had it been since I’d heard that word?

Ever since I dropped out of high school and went completely astray,I had cut off all contact with my friends.

As a result, my social circle had shrunk dramatically.

At one point, it got so bad that I nearly forgot how to hold a conversation.

So the fact that I had made a friend again filled me with immense joy.

Aside from Geomgwi, my subordinates seemed somewhat afraid of me.

Though giving praise and coin bonuses to Death Knight seemed to help a bit.

Hwarang wasn’t like that, though.

Maybe I should try talking to him sometime.

Well, that’s for later—right now, I’m just happy to have a friend.

“Hanseong! I look forward to working with you!”

Feeling elated, I beamed and bowed my head toward him.

“…I look forward to working with you, too.”

As I greeted him, Hanseong returned the gesture.

When I almost completely lowered myself in a deep bow, he waved his hands awkwardly and told me to get up.

“Was that too much?”

“…A little?”

Guess I went overboard.

Oh well, who cares?

I sat back down and picked up my tea to calm myself.

Geomgwi had prepared this herbal tea.

It felt a little odd drinking it in a hanok house, but whatever.

I could feel my heart settling down.

“Would you like me to introduce you to a house where you can stay for the next three days?”

“That would be great.”

As I stood up, Hanseong followed suit.

But there was one problem.

“…I don’t really know my way around, so I’ll have to call Geomgwi.”

“Huh?”

“I, uh… only moved in recently… hehe….”

“Pfft.”

Seeing me scratch my head awkwardly, Hanseong burst into laughter.

Why is he laughing so much?

This is embarrassing.

“Gu—Gumiho, I really want to record this and share it everywhere. Is that okay?”

Since this was going to be broadcasted anyway, I didn’t really mind, but why was he even asking?

“…Uh, yeah, I don’t mind.”

“Thanks! I was already recording, but I figured I should ask first.”

“?”

What the—he’s worse than a tabloid journalist.

I mean, sure, I used to record people in secret too, but they were all criminals.

What’s up with this guy?

“Uh… since we’re broadcasting anyway, can I ask why you’re recording this?”

Wiping away the tears that had escaped from laughing, Hanseong answered.

“I thought it’d be a good way to show people that you’re not dangerous.”

“Most people won’t believe what you say.”

“But if I, someone who was trapped in your tower for three days, walk out unharmed and show them these videos,it might help change their minds.”

He smiled bitterly as he spoke.

“Of course, given my position, I can’t blindly support you.”

“…I see.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t stream anything until I leave.”

My ears perked up at that.

Why?

If he’s worried about my mental state, I’m fine.

I can handle it—even if I feel down and sad after the broadcast ends,I have a friend now.

“Is there a reason for that?”

“It’s hard to watch a friend cry, and if you stream now, people will just be busy hurling insults at you.”

With a serious expression, Hanseong continued.

“They might think you’re just putting on an act.”

“You showed them your wounded side before,but if you suddenly start laughing on stream,they’ll doubt you even more and attack you harder.”

His tone changed in an instant, becoming professional and firm.

This was the top-ranked hunter I had seen in various media outlets.

Was he showing this level of concern for me?

“You sound so serious all of a sudden.”

“Oh, sorry. It just happens naturally when I start briefing.”

“No, no, it’s a good habit.”

I shook my head and smiled.

It’s a great quality for a hunter.

“Hunters have to be like that, right?”

“It’s a dangerous job, and a lot of people place their hopes on you.”

As I smiled, Hanseong stared at me blankly.

Well, I guess hearing something like that from a monster would be surprising.

I chuckled and threw a question his way.

“But Hunter, aren’t you being a little too nice?You just said you don’t fully trust me yet.”

I giggled as I spoke, and Hanseong blushed slightly, clearing his throat.

“Th-That’s because I didn’t expect you to be so… human.”

“I seem human?”

“You’re not aggressive at all, and we’re having a perfectly normal conversation.”

Hanseong smiled sheepishly.

“Honestly, it’s confusing. I must have slaughtered at least dozens—no,

thousands—of monsters driven by rage.”

I understood where he was coming from.

Of course he’d be confused.

He had lost comrades and family members to monsters.

And yet, the creature in front of him was calm, friendly, and welcoming.

Saying it didn’t want to harm humans, inviting him into its home, and calling him a friend.

‘…I’d probably feel the same way if I were in his shoes.’

I smiled and spoke to him.

“You don’t have to be confused.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just special.”

“Is that so?”

“Or rather, think of the monsters in my tower as special.”

I’ll make sure to educate them properly from now on.

“We’re friends, right? That makes us both special.”

As I spoke a little more seriously, Hanseong burst into laughter.

“Wh-What’s so funny?! I was being serious!”

“I just realized how pointless my worries were. You’re right, Gumiho—you’re special.”

He grinned.

“This part should go viral too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. While we’re at it, should we gather all your subordinates and take a group shot?”

“That sounds great!”

I quickly started gathering everyone in the tower.

I wanted to introduce them to my friend and have everyone get to know each other.

***

Meanwhile, at the National Hunter Administration Committee—the organization responsible for monitoring and managing hunters in South Korea.

chaos had erupted.

“Yes, this is the Korea Hunter Association.”

“…We’re sorry, we don’t have a solution yet… Ugh…”

“How do we rescue Hunter Hanseong…?”

“…Apologies.”

“We’ll look into it and get back to you.”

The flood of calls was all about one thing:How to rescue Korea’s top-ranked hunter, Hanseong.

Some people even went as far as filing unreasonable petitions, demanding that all hunters be sent in to raid the Gumiho Tower.

At the center of this chaos was Sung Myungho, the chairman of the National Hunter Management Committee.

He swept back his graying hair and stared at the pile of documents on the table.

“…Gumiho Tower.”

It was an investigative report on the newly appeared SSS-rank tower in South Korea.

The report contained detailed analyses of the footage broadcasted by the Gumiho, as well as the valuable recordings taken by Han Sung inside the tower.

Below it lay another document—an analysis of the people who continuously provoked the Gumiho during its broadcasts.

“The first thing we need to do is stop the provocations.”

According to the report, certain regions showed an unnatural surge in critical voices against the Gumiho.

Some individuals had changed their stance overnight, while others, who initially expressed only anxiety, suddenly became filled with uncontrollable rage and began posting inflammatory remarks.

People who had previously expressed depression were now overflowing with anger, flooding the Gumiho’s broadcasts with insults.

It was as if someone was manipulating them from behind the scenes.

Strangely enough, once Han Sung’s survival was confirmed, some of these individuals suddenly reversed their stance as if by magic.

“…This is obviously unnatural.”

“A hypnosis-type skill?”

If it was a hypnosis-type ability, everything would make sense.

Such skills could trigger extreme emotional responses by tying them to specific memories.

Once the issue causing distress was resolved, the hypnosis would fade away like it had never existed.

“…But using it on such a large scale should be impossible.”

With a sigh, the chairman opened his system interface.

A warning message popped up at the top of his display.

[One of the Towers nearby is on the verge of a Boss Break!]

[Time remaining: 58:41:00]

“…What will become of this country?”

There was no way to stop it.

All they could do was trust that the Gumiho would keep its promise.

Sung Myungho picked up the phone and ordered an official announcement, urging the public to stop provoking the tower.

Then, he turned his gaze back to Gumiho Tower, watching it intently.

‘Please… let this pass without disaster.’

He prayed for Han Sung’s safety.

For South Korea’s survival.