Chapter 21: What She Desires (Illustration)

After parting with Joo-young, I returned to the mansion.

By now it was night, and most of the reporters who had been crowding in front of my home had withdrawn.

Though a few paparazzi were being annoying, I ignored them and entered the mansion.

I made it back safely, but the interior was strangely quiet.

"..."

Sensing something odd in the air, I tensed up and looked around warily from the moment I stepped into the elevator.

Ding-

The elevator stopped at my floor and the doors opened. But for some reason, the entrance to the hallway was already open. There was an intruder.

After detecting the flow of magic power from beyond the corridor, I spoke quietly.

"...Who's there? Come out."

As I glared down the hallway, the sound of high heels approached from the distance.

Click-* *Click-

Then, a woman appeared before me.

A mysterious woman wearing a black baseball cap pulled low, with a mask and sunglasses covering her face. She wore a beige trench coat over skinny jeans and high heels.

Though she was trying to conceal her identity with covered face and plain clothes, I could tell who she was at a glance.

'The Guild Leader of Clan Valkyrie. Shin Ji-yeon.'

Clan Valkyrie is Korea's second-ranked guild, made up entirely of female warriors.

Clatter-

She removed her sunglasses and put them in their case, then glared at me with sapphire blue eyes.

Wavy blonde hair and eyes that sparkled like gems. Long, slender limbs and tall stature. And... large breasts visible even through the trench coat.

With the aura of a top celebrity, she was actually a naturalized Korean citizen of Northern European descent who immigrated here as a child.

In terms of looks alone, she rivals Association President Yoon Joo-young for the top spot among Korea's beauties. I tilted my head as I looked at Shin Ji-yeon.

"...Why are you here?"

At my question, she narrowed her eyes sharply and warned me.

"Why? I came to give you a warning. You haven't declared that you're suspending activities, have you?"

"I decided to put it on hold for now. Why?"

At my response, she gave a small nod.

"Good. If you had declared a suspension of activities, I would have taken your head right now."

Woong-

Along with her threat, a spear of magic power appeared in her hand. The humming spear seemed to reflect its owner's emotions as it trembled.

Like Yoon Joo-young, she harbors deep resentment toward me due to past grievances.

I glared at Shin Ji-yeon and her magic spear while slightly twisting my lips.

"That's impossible with your skills."

While group attacks might be different, in one-on-one combat I fear no one.

Even though I was helplessly subjected to various things in the parallel world... right now I'm undisputedly Korea's strongest hunter.

At my provocation, Shin Ji-yeon launched her spear into the air.

Flash-

The magic spear sliced through space. I reached out and caught the spear aimed at me mid-flight.

Pak-

With my current body, reacting to this level of attack is easy. I crushed the trembling magic spear in my grip.

Crash-

Particles of magic power scattered in the air. I brushed off the magic residue on my hand and shrugged. Seeing this, Shin Ji-yeon's eyes flashed.

"You said you were hurt but your skills haven't dulled at all."

Having withdrawn her killing intent, Shin Ji-yeon brushed past me with a warning.

As she passed by, a waft of fragrant perfume hit me.

"Anyway, don't declare a suspension of activities going forward. I won't be able to stop my guild members."

"Are you worried about me?"

At my question, Shin Ji-yeon let out a shriek.

"Are you crazy? Why would I care about a man like you? This is a macro-level judgment considering Korea's interests."

So she is worried about me after all.

"You know, right? About the international competition in two months."

"!"

I had actually forgotten about it. I've been so preoccupied lately.

"I'll be going now. If you don't want to die, take care of yourself."

Click- Click-

Stretching out her long legs and walking like a model, she soon disappeared into the elevator.

'What's with that crazy woman.'

I watched her retreating figure before heading inside.

When I returned home, Yuria greeted me.

[Ah, you're back? Did you take care of everything?]

Yuria flew over and perched on my shoulder.

"Yeah."

Ting-

I manipulated the app to return to my boy's body. No need to waste points when I'm just in my room.

My tall frame with lean muscle disappeared, replaced by a slender, delicate body.

Back in my room, I lay on the bed and turned on the TV. I took a short break while snacking on chips and soda.

I'll head back to the parallel world after resting a bit. Time is of the essence.

Yoon Joo-young can only cover for me with her authority as Association President for about a week. By then, I need to gather enough points to maintain some public activities.

Looking further ahead, I should also prepare for the international competition in two months. While I may be the strongest in Korea, that's not necessarily true on a global scale.

[Yesterday at 8 PM, in a dangerous zone near Seoul, an unusual rift...]

I half-listened to the TV while manipulating the app.

When I opened the app, a list of parallel worlds I could clear appeared.

'This is...'

Among them was a second playthrough of the Demon King's Castle. It seemed I could continue from where I left off last time.

Sylvia, Seril, Hilda. Helena. And... Elizabeth too. I could meet them all again.

But it was currently locked, apparently having some kind of cooldown period between playthroughs after clearing it once.

As I was browsing through the list.

Ding-

"?"

A notification popped up on the app.

[A special event has occurred. Would you like to participate?] [Reward: ???]

A strange notification I'd never seen before. Before rashly clicking it, I asked Yuria.

"Yuria. What's this?"

[Ah. It's exactly what it says - a special event. They're usually quick to complete and have good rewards, so it's generally worth doing.]

"Really? Then I should do it now."

Crunch-

After finishing off my snacks, I lay down comfortably on the bed.

I already cleared the highest difficulty Demon King's Castle without much trouble. I can finish an event quest quickly.

After letting out a sigh, I clicked the notification that appeared on the app.

Flash-

A bright white light filled my vision. My consciousness grew hazy and began transferring somewhere.

*

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a dark corridor. Soft moonlight shone through the windows. And somehow familiar hallways and doors.

I got up and looked around. Could this be...

'The Hunter Association?'

Yes. This was definitely the Hunter Association. Specifically, the corridor leading to the Association President's office on the highest floor.

With an eerie feeling, I looked up to see a nameplate hanging on the door at the end of the corridor.

[Republic of Korea Hunter Association President - Yoon Joo-young]

'...'

Having quickly processed the situation, I searched for my smartphone to end the event. Never mind anything else, this event is a no-go. Quest termination.

But I couldn't find my smartphone anywhere in my pockets.

'Shit. Where's my phone?'

Just then, as I was frantically searching my clothes.

[Abnormal behavior detected. Initiating forced execution for event progression.]

As a strange notification appeared before my eyes, control of my body was instantly taken away.

"!"

After that, my body began moving on its own, separate from my will.

My feet walked steadily to the door, and my hand knocked on the Association President's office door.

Knock- Knock-

The clear knocking sound echoed.

'Shit. I'm fucked...'

But to me it sounded like Death itself knocking at the door.

However, fortunately among the misfortune, there was no response from inside despite the knocking.

Thump- Thump-

'Please don't come out. Don't come out.'

There's no way she'd be in her office at this hour. She must be home resting comfortably. No, she absolutely has to be.

I wanted to run away immediately, but my body wouldn't move as I wished. As I stood there sweating in front of the door waiting for a response, that's when it happened.

Crash-

The sound of something falling came from inside, followed by a voice.

"Ah. My knee. Shit."

At the same time, the door flew open and a woman with an annoyed expression stuck her head out.

"Who is it, dammit. At this hour."

Messy hair and dark circles under her eyes. A beautiful black-haired woman exuding a decadent aura. The Sword Ghost, Yoon Joo-young. She had appeared before me again.

Looking around at her eye level, Yoon Joo-young eventually lowered her gaze and discovered my frozen form.

"...!"

She flinched in surprise and stepped back slightly when she saw me.

Slam-

Then she quickly closed the office door and went back inside.

"..."

What was that? What just happened? Thank goodness. Whatever it was, thank goodness...

As I let out a brief sigh of relief, wondering if the event quest would end like this.

Bam-

The Association President's office door opened again, and her hand shot out like lightning from inside.

"!"

Then.

"Oof!"

She grabbed my neck and dragged me into the room.