I wasn’t sure at first, but it seemed they wanted to make a direct deal rather than go through the auction.
Apparently, there are people like this during online auctions—buyers who contact the seller directly to try and get the item for a lower price.
I immediately replied.
[Buy it through the auction.]
Of course, if they offered the right price, I’d consider cancelling the auction listing and selling it directly to save on fees.
But matching the auction price was almost impossible. Besides, I had a feeling the final bid would be quite high.
I put my phone away and walked to the fridge, grabbing a can of beer. Just then, my phone buzzed again.
[How much do you want?]
“…Persistent.”
[I don’t do direct deals. Unless you’re offering 10 billion.]
[10 billion is fine?]
“…Huh?”
They were actually offering 10 billion?
I blinked at the screen in disbelief. Another message arrived.
[I need to see the weapon with my own eyes.]
“Hmm.”
10 billion, huh.
[Alright. When?]
The deal was set for four days later, on Thursday.
The buyer said they needed time to gather the cash.
Coincidentally, that Thursday was also the start of the semester at the Mage Academy.
So, we scheduled the meeting after all my classes were done, during a relaxed period.
For now, I had plenty of free time. The delay in the deal had pushed back my planned activities by about a week.
So, with four days left before the semester started, I found myself near Bukhansan Mountain, meeting a familiar face for the first time in a while.
“Sunwoo!”
Yoon Hayoung ran up to me with the same bright smile she always had.
“How have you been?”
“Good. You?”
“I’ve been good too.”
It was about time I started looking after Yoon Hayoung again.
After the events of “Night of the Pioneer,” the Jaun-related storyline was taking a brief pause, and the demon-related arc was about to begin.
In the original story, this was around the time Hayoung awakened her “Demon Slayer” power—during the second semester of her second year.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a dungeon.”
She murmured in a nostalgic tone.
“It’s only been a month.”
“Hey, a month is a long time.”
“Is it? By the way, did you train hard over the break?”
“Of course! I spent my time in the Monster Field, constantly training. I gained tons of real combat experience.”
She spoke proudly.
“Monster Field?”
“Yeah, there’s one near my house in Gangwon-do. There are a lot of monster zones in that area.”
“Ah.”
Gangwon-do was known for its mountainous terrain, which meant lots of Monster Fields and dungeons.
The natural mana concentrated in the mountains often led to magical disasters like the “Nightmare Fog,” making it a dangerous region.
Of course, human settlements had designated safe zones, so her home wouldn’t be directly threatened by monsters.
“But… you didn’t go alone, did you?”
Hayoung blinked.
“Huh? I went alone.”
I frowned.
Was she out of her mind?
“What? Are you serious? Who in their right mind trains alone in a Monster Field?”
“Uh… huh?”
She looked genuinely confused by my reaction.
She clearly hadn’t expected me to get this serious.
I felt a little bad seeing her like that, but this was something I had to address.
“What would you have done if you got hurt?”
“N-no, it wasn’t that dangerous.”
“Not dangerous? Name one safe place in Gangwon-do’s Monster Fields.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“Haa.”
I let out a deep sigh.
Gangwon-do’s Monster Fields were notoriously difficult, even for professional mages.
The thought of Hayoung wandering around there alone made my heart sink.
If something had happened to her… I didn’t even want to imagine it.
This must have been another butterfly effect caused by me helping with her training.
I looked her straight in the eyes.
“Training is good. But you have to do it in a safe environment.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
“Promise me you’ll never go into a Monster Field alone again.”
“…Okay.”
She lowered her head, looking dejected.
She seemed so pitiful that I patted her on the shoulder. She glanced up at me with a faint smile.
“Hehe. I got scolded.”
“You’re smiling, which means you haven’t learned your lesson.”
“I just… haven’t been scolded by anyone in a long time. It’s kind of refreshing.”
She actually looked a bit excited.
“…Whatever.”
I started walking forward.
“Come on, let’s start training.”
Meanwhile, Han Se-yeon returned to her family home after being summoned by Han Dae-hyeon, the chairman of Hanseong Group.
Due to the recent “Night of the Pioneer” incident, she had been living an increasingly hectic life.
Just what was going on?
As Kim Jinwoo had predicted, the Night of the Pioneer turned into utter chaos.
Because of this, Hanseong Group’s reputation suffered greatly, drawing public hate from all directions.
As a member of the Hanseong family, this was by no means a favourable situation for her.
However, considering her older brother Han Se-jin, who had invested heavily in the event, she had actually gained a significant advantage.
The more her brother’s influence diminished, the higher her own standing would rise.
“…The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.”
Kim Jinwoo. Just who was this man?
He had pulled off so many astonishing feats that she thought nothing could surprise her anymore, yet he always managed to exceed expectations.
This time, he had even predicted Jaun’s terrorist attack.
Even Hanseong Group, which owned the world’s most powerful intelligence guild, found it difficult to obtain information related to Jaun.
So how could an individual like him possibly know such things?
“Sigh.”
Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
Too many people had been injured in this incident.
Even if she wasn’t directly involved, as a member of the Hanseong family, she couldn’t help but feel a heavy heart.
“Se-yeon.”
A voice called out from behind.
It was Han Se-jin, a handsome man in his thirties.
“Oh, oppa.”
“Were you summoned by Father as well?”
“Yes.”
“…I see.”
Han Se-jin spoke with a bitter expression.
Seeing this, Han Se-yeon smirked internally. Then, concealing her ambition, she pretended to show concern.
“It’s a shame. You put so much effort into preparing for the event.”
Han Se-jin nodded at her words of consolation.
“…Yeah. Just bad luck. Who could have predicted that Jaun would cause such a mess with such precision?”
“Yeah, it was just bad luck.”
After offering such insincere words of comfort, they entered the study in the Hanseong family chairman’s office.
“You’ve arrived.”
A deep, resonant voice greeted them as they stepped inside.
Han Se-yeon slowly turned her gaze toward the source of the voice.
An elderly man, frail and bedridden, was covered in numerous medical magic devices. Despite his deteriorated health, his eyes still gleamed with a piercing intensity.
He was Han Dae-hyeon, the head of Hanseong Group, the world’s most powerful corporation.
Han Dae-hyeon raised his voice and scolded Han Se-jin. The latter hung his head in dejection, looking utterly defeated.
He feared neither Jaun nor demons, but his father, Han Dae-hyeon, was the one man he truly dreaded.
“You worthless fool. You talked big while running the business into the ground, and now you’ve utterly destroyed everything.”
“Father! This was beyond my control. How was I supposed to foresee a terrorist attack during the event?”
“Hmph! Have you already forgotten that Se-yeon advised against holding this event?”
At his father’s words, Han Se-jin glanced warily at Han Se-yeon.
Now that he thought about it, she had indeed opposed the event during their last family meeting.
She had argued that the timing was poor for several reasons. However, her reasoning had seemed weak, so he hadn’t taken her words seriously.
“You have tarnished Hanseong Group’s reputation. You went around advertising the event to the whole world, only to bring disgrace upon us.”
“F-Father.”
“Enough. I don’t even want to look at you. Leave!”
At Han Dae-hyeon’s resolute command, Han Se-jin bowed his head and turned to leave the room.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Han Se-yeon attempted to follow him out.
But then—
“Se-yeon. You stay.”
“Huh?”
What was this?
Why was she being told to remain? A brief moment of confusion flickered in her mind, but she quickly nodded.
Han Se-jin shot a glance filled with suspicion and unease toward his father and sister.
“…Then, Father, I’ll take my leave.”
Thud.
The door closed behind him.
In the vast mansion, only Han Se-yeon and Han Dae-hyeon remained.
“I hear that unlike your incompetent brother, you’ve been thriving lately.”
“No, it was just luck.”
“Enough. I’ve also heard that Hanseong Pharmaceuticals, which I entrusted to you, is growing rapidly. Word has it that you played a major role in that.”
At her father’s unexpected praise, Han Se-yeon felt both surprise and a rush of excitement.
Had he finally begun to recognize her true worth?
“More than that, what intrigues me is how you handed off the failing dungeon business to your brother and opposed his grandiose, foolish event—as if you had foreseen disaster.”
Han Dae-hyeon scrutinized her with sharp, probing eyes.
“Whose idea was that?”
His question caught Han Se-yeon off guard, sending a wave of alarm through her.
As expected of her father.
Han Dae-hyeon had not risen to the top of the global business world through sheer luck alone.
His keen intuition and judgment were what had made Hanseong Group the best.
Feigning innocence, Han Se-yeon replied, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I know you’re intelligent, Se-yeon. And I also know that you never make a move without solid reasoning. But lately, your actions seem to lack any clear foundation.”
He had struck a nerve.
Though bedridden for most of the day due to his illness, he remained fully aware of the state of the company and his children.
How should she respond?
A clumsy lie would be easily exposed. If she didn’t answer properly, he would stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
That left her with only one option: to tell the truth.
But would revealing this disappoint her father?
“…I received advice from a mage I’m acquainted with.”
“A mage?”
“Yes.”
“You abandoned the dungeon business based on this mage’s advice?”
“Yes.”
Han Dae-hyeon stroked his chin in contemplation.
“I see. For you to trust this person, they must possess something extraordinary.”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. What is this person’s name?”
“Kim Jinwoo.”
Han Dae-hyeon fell into deep thought for a moment before nodding.
“Is that so? Intriguing. I’d like to meet him.”
Han Se-jin stormed out of the Hanseong family mansion, his footsteps heavy with anger.
He had no idea what kind of conversation his father and sister were having, but it was definitely not a good sign.
If their father had taken an interest in Se-yeon, it meant her standing in the company was rising.
That could become a major obstacle in his future bid for control over the Hanseong family.
“…No, I shouldn’t worry.”
Se-yeon was intelligent, but she had never shown any ambition for management. She had never once expressed a desire to take over as chairman.
There was no need to be concerned.
After all, he could trust his sister.
For now, something else burned inside him more than anything else.
“Jaun….”
Those bastards had ruined everything he had worked for over the past few weeks.
Nothing could be more humiliating.
“Secretary Jung.”
At his call, a man appeared, moving swiftly with magically enhanced speed.
“You called for me, Vice President?”
“Investigate Jaun.”
“You mean the terrorist organization?”
“That’s right. Deploy all our resources. Hire mercenaries who are willing to risk their lives.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man disappeared like the wind.
Left alone, Han Se-jin’s eyes burned with fury.
“You dare lay a hand on the Hanseong family?”
He would never forgive them. He would make sure they paid.
But first—
He needed to calm the rage burning in his chest.
Han Se-jin headed toward a secluded alleyway.
A place where he could indulge in his secret hobby—one the world knew nothing about.
Tonight, it was time for a long-overdue hunt.
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