Chapter 4
“Hohoho….”
It had been a while since I’d visited the Association building. I turned over the C-rank Hunter insignia I’d been issued, examining it from every angle.
With this, I can collect whatever treasure I want inside Gates, right?
Just getting that Forest Jewel Fragment from the forest this time was a huge deal.
A Gold Dragon’s special reward? If I keep getting rewards from that, maybe I can fill up my collection rate in no time.
“But, you know. Why am I C-rank? Everyone was freaking out on stream, asking if I was S-rank.”
“Ahaha… Well, Hunters are evaluated based on their achievements.”
“Does everyone start out like this?”
“Yes… B-but starting at C-rank is already really high! I started at F-rank….”
Starting from F-rank and reaching B-rank?
She’s worked hard, too.
I think she’s pretty young, too.
“Anyway, why did you call me here? You wouldn’t call me just to give me this, would you?”
“Yes! Well….”
Ha-eun moved closer and spoke quietly and carefully.
“The department head wants to see you….”
“Really? Then why are you being so quiet about it?”
“It’s… unofficial? Something like that….”
“A secret meeting with a middle-aged guy? Sounds a little weird.”
When I said that with a smirk, Park Ha-eun jumped as if startled and said,
“U-Unnie!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. It’s the same place as last time, right?”
“…Yes.”
Sometimes, teasing her is just too much fun.
Still, having him as the department head is a bit of a drag.
Every time I see him, I hate the way he looks me over as if analyzing me.
Beep-
“Th-this way, unnie.”
Following Ha-eun’s directions, I stepped into the elevator.
Then, as the elevator rose quietly, I glanced at Ha-eun.
There was something I’d been curious about for a while.
“Ha-eun.”
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering.”
“Yes!”
“Why do you follow me around?”
At that, Ha-eun tilted her head as if to ask what I meant.
“Uh… because I’m the one assigned to-”
“You’re assigned to me, but you don’t have to follow me around every single time.”
Even if I wasn’t human anymore, I still understood how society worked.
The Association or the government wouldn’t just let a valuable human resource like a Hunter sit around doing nothing.
Besides, if they were going to assign a Hunter to keep me in check, they’d have sent someone stronger than B-rank Ha-eun.
So if this girl insisted on following me around, it was probably of her own volition.
“Back in the other world, there were lots of people who approached me because they wanted something.”
“Th-that’s not it!….”
“Well, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. And I do owe you something.”
There’s nothing particularly wrong with approaching me while looking for an opportunity.
Desire. Greed. Longing.
Every living thing wants something, in one form or another.
Using others to satisfy that desire is common.
Whether for good or ill.
Besides, Ha-eun had already done me a favor when I was settling in on Earth.
I ought to repay her.
“If you need anything, just tell me. Gold Dragons always repay their debts.”
Ding!-
[27th floor.]
“We’re here. Let’s get off.”
“….”
After hearing the announcement, I got off the elevator first.
Ha-eun followed behind me slowly, seeming lost in thought for a moment.
***
“Pass this case to Team 1. Contact the administration team about the report.”
“Yes!”
When we reached the office, I saw various employees and Hunters hurrying about.
And the middle-aged man seated at the center of it all glanced at me for an instant.
Just like last time.
That unpleasant gaze, sweeping over me as if he were trying to analyze me.
“You’re here.”
“It’s been a while since we met in person. This is the first time since the last training, right?”
“That’s right.”
I accepted the hand he offered, shook it, and sat down.
Then, as if they’d been waiting, the Hunter who seemed to be his secretary handed us refreshments and coffee.
But macarons?
Did he really think I was some girl around Ha-eun’s age?
Honestly, what did he take a dragon for?
How dare he try to win me over with something as trivial as a lump of sugar?
It’s not as if I’m a little girl on the inside, either.
Still, hmm… he did go to the trouble, so I’ll eat one.
“In any case, I reviewed yesterday’s footage.”
“Munch… I see.”
“To be honest, you were beyond what I imagined.”
“I am something else, aren’t I? Ha-eun, want one too?”
“Y-yes!”
“….”
Seeing Ha-eun gaze intently at the snack box beside me, I handed her a macaron.
Then I reached for another… wait, what?
Why are they gone?
“…Bring out some more.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, we’d like to enter into a direct Hunter contract with you, Returnee.”
“Munch, munch. A contract? What’s the compensation?”
“I knew that would be the first thing you asked. Here’s what we have in mind.”
Kim Sang-cheol took out the contract he’d prepared in advance.
To put it simply, it was this.
I would take on the occasional special assignment.
I’d also be free to clear other Gates as allowed by law, and I’d keep all the spoils obtained inside them.
In return, for as long as the contract remained valid, I’d submit a list of my assets to the Association once a week and let them manage them.
Well, at first glance, the terms weren’t bad.
Normally, Hunters had to pay a certain portion of their spoils to the Association, like taxes.
Besides, asset management was usually a privilege reserved for A-rank Hunters and above.
It was the kind of contract an ordinary Hunter would have to accept on their knees.
But.
Was I an ordinary Hunter?
“Why should I?”
That rubbed me the wrong way.
Who was the Association to talk about managing my treasure?
“We have a separate department that helps manage Hunters’ assets. It’s commonly used by those who bring in large sums.”
Apparently, they wanted to satisfy my desire while keeping my power under control with money.
I’d be free to earn money, but the Association would ultimately manage it.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand.
Even I knew I was dangerous when I had a lot of money.
But to approach me this blatantly?
Especially when I hadn’t even shown any hostility toward humans so far?
“I think you’re seriously mistaken about something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I may be a nice dragon, but I’m not stupid enough to let intruders into my lair and do nothing. You’re talking about inspecting my lair whenever you please.”
Perhaps feeling threatened by my barbed words, the secretary Hunter put a hand to his waist.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Seeing that, I started to draw on my mana, too.
I may have a good temperament, but do I have to put up with this even in a situation like this?
It seems they think I’m some dog with its mouth tied shut, only able to wag its tail….
In the first place, I have no reason to be controlled by the Association.
I’m only doing this because I owe Ha-eun, and because, if possible, I want to live quietly without bloodshed.
I still have the Immortal Diamond and a few other treasures in my personal possession.
If the Association genuinely wanted to go to war with me, I’m confident I could wipe them out.
…I’ve had experience destroying an entire country before, after all.
Of course, the Association didn’t know that.
Tap-
“U-Unnie!….”
Perhaps she read my expression, because Ha-eun, who’d been chewing on a macaron, hurriedly called out to me.
At the same time, the man in front of me frowned and glared at his secretary.
“You.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Their quick actions kept the situation from ending in disaster, but the air around us had already turned heavy.
It was the calm before a storm, with neither side willing to speak carelessly.
Just as the sound of the clock’s second hand cut through the silence,
Beep beep-
An alarm from the monitor at the corner of Kim Sang-cheol’s desk broke the silence.
“…A new email has arrived. May I check it for a moment?”
An email?
Right in the middle of this?
If it were the Red Dragon instead of me sitting here, this whole area would already be an inferno.
Does he even understand how serious this is?
“Unnie… um….”
“All of the Association’s directives come by email. It’s as if they were watching this situation. Surely it contains something that will change things.”
“Well… sure. Go ahead.”
I answered as if to say, let’s hear it.
Watching this situation? Was email some kind of magic?
“Thank you.”
Kim Sang-cheol nodded, checked the monitor, then frowned ever so slightly.
Did he get an email he didn’t like?
“I’ll change the clause.”
After checking the email, he spoke with a quiet sigh.
“Change the clause?”
“Hunter Park Ha-eun will handle the asset management. She’s a combat operative, but she’s also good with numbers.”
“Huh? Ha-eun?”
“M-me…?!”
When I looked at Ha-eun in confusion, her eyes trembled as if she had no idea what he meant, either.
“Didn’t you awaken an aptitude for calculation?”
“I-I did, but… unnie doesn’t need that kind of-”
“Hunter Park Ha-eun will handle all asset management, and the Association will stay out of it. Just inform us of anything unusual.”
Hmm, so that’s how you want to play it.
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
“Whaaat?!”
I didn’t know how that email had known to arrive just then, but I’d already been thinking of getting Ha-eun away from the Association soon anyway.
Ha-eun should be fine.
I can trust her.
They were the ones who’d backed down first, too.
Of course, that meant I should ask for more while I was at it.
“In exchange, from now on, I’ll take her around with me, on my terms.”
Humans don’t know this, but dragons also have attendants.
The housekeepers who manage their lairs.
Of course, those keepers are usually monsters who’ve been forced to submit to a dragon, but violence isn’t the only way.
I might as well make a contract for the first time in a while.
“She seemed to want something from me, anyway. And I owe her, too. Besides, there might be something else I can gain from her, right?”
“Then let’s proceed that way.”
His expression wasn’t exactly pleasant, but he seemed relieved that things hadn’t escalated to a fight, and offered his hand.
Then he immediately handed me another document.
[B-Rank Gate (Normal) Clearance Request]
The objective was to explore and clear the Gate.
The location was… Incheon?
***
At the request for the fastest possible clearance, I headed to Incheon with Ha-eun right away.
In her car, of course.
“Wow, the Association won’t even provide a driver?”
“Well….”
“And we’re stuck in traffic. I told you we should just fly with me carrying you on my back. Or I could carry you while you’re still in the car.”
If I dropped my polymorph and flew, it really wouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
“I-I told you, we can’t!….”
“You’ve never even seen my real form. I can use concealment magic, too. For a fee.”
“That’s all the more reason we can’t! Who knows what might happen!… And where would the money come from!”
Honestly, human society is such a hassle.
Why give up efficiency just to follow the law?
“You’ve gotten a little prickly, haven’t you? Do you hate contracting with me that much?”
“N-no, it’s because you said it in such a scary way!….”
“Of course, you have to put your soul on the line when you make a contract with a dragon.”
To a dragon, a contract was a kind of proof of ownership.
A mark meaning this is mine, so don’t touch it.
In exchange, it also created obligations I had to uphold, but the contractor became my subordinate and had to obey my commands.
Of course, even if I made a contract, I wouldn’t treat Ha-eun that forcefully.
In any case, I could also grant her power through my authority.
Thanks to that benefit, there were even people in the other world who came seeking contracts.
“A contract made with your soul… That sounds scary just hearing about it!….”
“I’m not going to make you do anything weird, and you’re so timid. I told you, it can be terminated midway.”
“I still don’t want to! I do want to get stronger, but… still….”
“Ah~ So Ha-eun doesn’t trust me. What’s the point of living as a human anymore….”
While I spent quite a while teasing Ha-eun on the way,
“Then I’ll take a nap… Hm?”
“…What is it now?”
“Wait, this….”
I began to sense a familiar presence in the distance.
A sensation so familiar that there was no way I could fail to recognize it.
“…The Association really is amazing.”
“Huh?”
“I guess they had a reason for sending me here in particular?”
A lair.
It seemed another dragon had made its nest here.