The incident that occurred in Lilim’s playground was not recognized as an abnormal event.
Although there was a situation where the boss monster, Lilim, was charmed, no dramatic change followed, so it wasn’t considered an unusual incident.
“It’s about focusing on the results rather than the process. Even if some abnormal situation happens along the way, as long as the gate clearing progresses as planned, this country wouldn’t recognize it as an abnormal event.”
“…This may not be something a mere Academy student should say, but is it okay to do it like that?”
“Of course it’s not okay. A gate isn’t a separate, isolated world; it’s just a piece of a huge puzzle. A small abnormality could lead to an absurd situation due to the butterfly effect.”
Yet, people don’t act until something actually happens.
Because nothing has happened yet.
They don’t try to take the initiative because things have been fine up until now.
If they can solve a problem by overworking eight people instead of the ten needed, they won’t bother looking for more help.
This precarious balancing act could lead to big problems if even one person is missing.
“It won’t change until we get vaccinated.”
Just like how a virus won’t change until it infiltrates the body and generates antibodies, this country is the same.
After an event happens, then people will start pushing for change or reform.
Before that, those who were indifferent to the situation will only feel a sense of urgency after something happens.
No matter how much you warn them, no matter how much you caution them, nothing changes.
Not until they experience it firsthand.
“You’ll probably see it in your lifetime. The so-called villains.”
“I’ve met quite a few of them.”
There were a few people who still lingered in his memory.
But the one who stood out the most was someone who by now should have been rotting away in prison…
“Ah, never mind.”
Thinking about it now, it wouldn’t be surprising if that person had already returned to society.
‘Considering it was his first offense, his contributions to society as an A-rank Hunter, and the fact that he confessed, the severity of his punishment was drastically reduced.’
“Han, Hunter, what’s the date today?”
“It’s May 19th.”
“Ah, then he must have been released back into society.”
The worst villain in Si-woo’s life.
Everyone has at least one person they can never forget.
A villain they can never erase from their memory.
Click-clack, click-clack.
He walks down the dark alley, relying on the moonlight and the faint glow of a nearby streetlight.
This was a familiar alley to him, one he often used.
The alley connected directly to the neighborhood where the guilds were located and the Academy, frequently traveled not just by Si-woo, but also by the Academy students commuting back and forth.
Click-clack!
Even if the sound of another woman’s heels echoed, it wouldn’t be strange.
The female students outnumbered the male students at the Hunter Academy.
If she was a student rather than a Hunter out on a mission, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to be wearing high heels.
But strangely enough, the sound of those heels seemed oddly familiar to Si-woo.
For a moment, he paused in his steps.
Click!
At that exact moment, the sound of the heels that had been bothering him disappeared.
At this point, it was clear that the person wasn’t even trying to hide the fact they were following him. It was like a stalker proudly announcing their pursuit.
He shifted his gaze toward the direction the footsteps were coming from.
Soon, his eyes locked with a woman’s.
Her pink hair, shining brightly in the moonlight, fluttered in the night breeze, so bright that it almost hurt his eyes.
Her pale skin, reminiscent of a vampire, and the heavy makeup she wore, paired with a lace and ribbon ensemble in muted colors, gave off a vibe straight out of a classic fashion landmine.
The woman, sipping from a straw of a caffeinated drink she had drunk like water back in high school, flashed a bright smile.
“Hehe, I got caught, huh?”
With violet eyes blinking, she smiled at him.
“I don’t think a person blatantly following someone around has the right to say that.”
“But back then, you ignored me even when I was openly following you, right?”
“Well, you were scary. I was weak back then, and I’d never been involved in something like stalking or any crimes like that.”
“So, are you saying I took your first time?”
“Well, if you put it that way, then yes, you could say that.”
The woman smiled with a mischievous grin, and even though a long time had passed, she hadn’t changed one bit.
Si-woo had thought that maybe she would have changed a little after spending some time in prison, but it seemed that less than a year in jail hadn’t been enough to change her inherent nature.
“So, what’s the reason you’re here?”
“I just came to see your face today! I’d love to confess right now, but after going to prison, most of my assets were seized, and I couldn’t even buy a proper ring.”
“In that case, I’ll reject you in advance.”
“Alright, I get it. Then next time, I’ll come back with a proper ring and a confession speech.”
They were not on the same page.
Even though Si-woo had rejected her as politely as possible, she nodded as if it didn’t matter at all.
While it’s often said that there’s no tree that doesn’t fall after ten tries, if it took a hundred tries and still didn’t work, he wished she’d just give up.
He had pointed out many times that the problem wasn’t with the axe, but with the lumberjack.
The woman, trapped in her own world, should have been in a psychiatric hospital a long time ago.
‘But there’s no dedicated psychiatric hospital for Hunters, so she probably can’t be imprisoned there.’
“By the way, the atmosphere has changed a lot, hasn’t it?”
“Well, a lot of time has passed.”
“But my love hasn’t changed, so don’t worry.”
The conversation stopped.
It felt like talking to a doll that only repeated the same words, not a person.
‘Should I just run away?’
It would be possible now, unlike back then.
He thought deeply. Running away right now would avoid any unnecessary conversation, but it could also lead to adding fuel to the fire, so to speak.
It was like trying to catch a fish that was already caught, versus trying to catch a fish that was trying to escape—it would only make things worse.
As he pondered for a moment…
With the familiar sound of footsteps, Si-woo noticed the approach of a woman with white hair.
‘Ah, damn it.’
He should have run away before thinking.
“Si-woo Hunter, I’m glad you didn’t go too far.”
As Cheong Ha-rin’s voice echoed, the woman’s gaze in front of him suddenly lost focus.
The conversation hadn’t even properly started.
Just the fact that Cheong Ha-rin mentioned Si-woo’s name caused the woman to start exuding a completely different aura than before.
“I came to bring your coat, since you left it behind.”
‘You could have just brought it tomorrow!’
Why did it have to be today?
Of all days, Si-woo had forgotten to grab his coat, and of all people, Cheong Ha-rin was the one who found it.
If it had been found later, he would have contacted her about it, or simply returned it tomorrow, but Cheong Ha-rin discovered it shortly after Si-woo left.
In that case, it would be better to return the coat even if it meant a bit of trouble.
She was familiar with the path between the Academy and the guild, having gone back and forth several times in the past, so she knew the way.
Normally, there wouldn’t have been a problem.
If it weren’t for the appearance of the worst villain in Si-woo’s life today.
“Another woman.”
The light in the woman’s eyes vanished.
The air became thick with a murderous aura.
The intense malice flowed out in waves. Cheong Ha-rin’s expression stiffened as she met the full force of the killing intent head-on.
“What is going on here? The release of an awakened one’s mana in a general residential area is illegal. Especially the release of mana laced with murderous intent…”
“You, what’s your name?”
A chill ran down her spine.
The woman’s voice was thick with emotion.
It was enough to rival the malice of a monster filled with evil intent.
“Aki-ness Guild, B-rank Hunter. Cheong Ha-rin.”
“Aki-ness… A bit of a troublesome guild, huh?”
The woman, who had been tilting her head as if thinking for a moment, nodded.
“Well, as long as I don’t kill you, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Thud!
With a sudden reinforcement of power, Si-woo slammed into the ground.
Without a second of hesitation, he threw his body toward Cheong Ha-rin.
At the same time, white hands appeared from beneath Cheong Ha-rin’s feet.
Realizing too late that she was under attack, Cheong Ha-rin unleashed her mana, but it was too late.
Boom!
“Ha, safe!!”
Si-woo sighed as he narrowly saved Cheong Ha-rin.
Cheong Ha-rin, cradled in Si-woo’s arms, turned her head and glared at the mage, whose killing intent was still emanating.
Soon, Cheong Ha-rin recognized the mage’s identity and frowned.
“…A Hell Mage?”
“What, there’s still someone who remembers me?”
“Isn’t it the case that there are more people who don’t know you?”
On the day of the S-rank promotion exam, the protagonist, the Hell Mage, Yu Ga-eun, made her appearance—not at the promotion exam site, but at the police station.
“I came to turn myself in!!”
She said with a bright smile.
Calling herself a stalker.