"Ah, seriously annoying."
I spat out a dry curse.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my gray tracksuit and clicked my tongue.
I stood in front of the main entrance of the Hunter Association Headquarters, towering in the middle of the city.
The old man had finally pressed the direct call button.
The automatic doors opened.
The gazes of armed Hunters and suited Association employees in the lobby all locked onto me at once.
"Hunter Kang Tae-ho! Welcome, sir!"
The receptionist shot up and bent at a 90-degree angle.
Even the burly Hunters from major guilds passing by stopped in their tracks.
They all cleared a path and bowed their heads respectfully.
On internet communities, people call me by friendly nicknames and fawn over me, but reality is different.
In reality, to Hunters, I'm a walking strategic nuke that slices through calamities in one stroke.
It was only natural they couldn't even make proper eye contact and showed reverence.
I gave a light nod.
I went straight to the VVIP elevator.
I pressed the button for the top floor—the Association President's office.
Without knocking, I used mana to fling open the massive double doors.
"Old man. You called for me?"
Deep inside the spacious office.
A man in his mid-fifties, buried under piles of documents, lifted his weary face.
Park Jin-cheol, President of the South Korean Hunter Association.
An old comrade-in-arms who rolled through blood-soaked battlefields with me during the first year or two of the Gate Shock.
"Oh, Tae-ho's here. Come, sit down."
He smiled with his wrinkled face and gestured toward the reception room sofa.
I buried myself deep into the opposite sofa.
As I sank into the plush leather seat, my legs dangled in the air.
The old man skillfully mixed two cups of instant coffee and set them on the glass table.
I picked up the paper cup and slurped.
Sweet.
"So. Where did a Gate break out this time?"
"No. I didn't call you for a deployment today."
The old man sat across from me and let out a heavy sigh.
He took a sip of coffee, then casually broached the main topic.
"Have you thought about returning to active duty?"
"Nope. I have no intention, so give up early."
I answered without hesitation.
"I already saved the country by myself, shitting blood. Let me live my life comfortably now."
The old man gave a bitter smile as if dumbfounded.
He slid a thick file folder across the table.
"Take a look at this. It's a recent global situation report."
I set down my paper cup and flipped through the documents casually.
Damage reports from major countries overseas were densely filled with red graphs.
"U.S. West Coast Third Defense Line completely collapsed. Three major Chinese coastal cities vaporized. The European Union's national functions completely paralyzed..."
I read the text in a flat tone.
During the massive Gate Shock three years ago, major nations were half-destroyed.
Korea only became the safest country because I and five other S-Rank Hunters risked our lives to block the front lines.
"Tae-ho. The things coming out of Gates lately are a bit strange."
"How so?"
"Species diversity, I guess you'd call it. They're not the beast-type monsters we used to see. Bipedal creatures, sapient beings wielding weapons—mutants keep getting reported. Creatures from ecosystems we've never seen before keep popping out."
I tapped the rim of my paper cup with my finger.
"So. Are they strong enough to chew up buildings right now? Are they dangerous?"
"No. Their combat power isn't that strong yet. They're only as strong as their Gate Rank would suggest."
The old man rubbed his face wearily.
"I'm anxious. These unknown mutation phenomena keep piling up, and I'm worried that, like three years ago, another massive global chaos might erupt. We need to prepare in advance, don't we? If another Gate Shock hits like back then..."
His voice trailed off, trauma lingering in his eyes.
This man had seen too many horrific hellscapes over those two years.
The scars of watching comrades torn apart right before his eyes remained.
I lifted my back from the backrest.
I leaned forward over the table and met the old man's eyes.
"Old man. You worry too much about useless things."
"..."
"I'm here, aren't I? What's the problem?"
I spoke flatly but firmly.
"Whether sapient beings come out or aliens show up. Any bastards loitering in my front yard, I'll slice them up myself. Old man, you just take care of Association paperwork in the back. Don't be scared."
It was plain sincerity.
If the country gets destroyed, my peaceful unemployed life gets destroyed too.
The internet would go down, and delivery apps would stop working.
I can't tolerate that.
At my indifferent answer, the old man's stiff expression gradually relaxed.
A faint smile spread across his lips.
He seemed to have realized that my will to protect the world hadn't left.
"Right. With you here, this old man was being foolish."
The old man stood up.
"How about drinks tonight? Let's oil our throats after a long time."
"Sounds good. The usual place?"
"Yeah. Come to the pork belly place. I'll set it up in advance."
I hopped off my seat.
I waved my hand casually and left the president's office.
I exited the Association building.
I drew out a thin layer of mana and wrapped it around my entire body.
Perception-Obscuring Field.
A basic mana application that blurs my presence and appearance from ordinary people's vision.
If I walked through the middle of Gangnam without this, I'd be surrounded by reporters and citizens within ten minutes and crushed to death.
With the mana field active, I walked leisurely through the city.
I like walking without a destination.
College students crossing the crosswalk with earphones in.
Office workers chatting while holding coffee.
Housewives carrying shopping baskets.
It was peaceful.
This is the world I protected for two years, covered in blood and flesh.
Every time I take in this everyday scenery, I feel a strange sense of relief.
Of course, I don't show it outwardly.
As I passed through the commercial district, I saw several large vans parked on the roadside.
Hunters wearing mid-sized guild emblems were checking their equipment, preparing to enter a D-Rank Gate.
The tank holding a shield had hands trembling slightly.
They patted each other's shoulders with tense faces, shouting encouragement.
"Good times."
I muttered dryly.
The fact that they still had that level of tension and passion meant they hadn't yet experienced the real hell where bones and flesh separate.
I quickened my pace, leaving them behind.
I opened the front door lock and entered the penthouse.
"I'm back."
"Oh! The pillar of our household! Our Tae-ho's home!"
My father, who had been lying on the living room sofa, shot up.
Kang Seong-il, sixty-two this year.
Outside, he's a severe fawner who brags about me like breathing.
"Dad. Where's Ha-eun?"
"Our Ha-eun's still at work. She said she's working overtime."
Thank goodness.
I avoided the annoying doll play today.
"I'm having drinks with the old man tonight. Don't prepare dinner for me."
I tossed off my tracksuit jacket and flopped down next to Dad.
On the massive wall-mounted TV screen, a trot survival audition program was in full swing.
Every time a contestant showed off their vibrato technique, Dad slapped his knee.
"Wow! Tae-ho, isn't that vibrato amazing? But no matter what, our hero slicing monsters with mana is more artistic, right!"
"Dad, please stop talking about me outside. I'm dying of embarrassment."
"This kid. When I go to the neighborhood hiking club and tell them our Tae-ho closed a Wave-Type Gate in one go, everyone faints! My shoulders get as big as Namsan Mountain!"
Dad patted my shoulder and laughed heartily.
Mom chimed in from the kitchen while cutting fruit.
"That's right, our youngest daughter saved the country, so I can brag a little. Want some apple?"
"No thanks. I'm eating meat later."
I half-closed my eyes, using the family's noisy chatter as a lullaby.
The languid, ordinary atmosphere wasn't bad.
I killed time buried in the sofa, then left the house at the appointed time.
The sun had already set.
The pork belly restaurant, our meeting place.
Since it was a regular spot, they'd rented out the entire corner room.
I slid open the door and entered to find the old man finishing the setup and grilling meat.
"You're here. Come sit."
Thick pork belly sizzled on the grill.
The savory smell of oil hit me.
I plopped down in my gray tracksuit.
The old man skillfully poured soju and filled the glass in front of me.
If a third party saw this room from outside, they'd be horrified.
A man in his fifties pouring soju for a 140cm silver-haired girl.
We didn't care.
I also filled the old man's glass to the brim with soju.
"Cheers."
With a dry toast, the sound of clinking glasses rang out.
The bitter taste of alcohol sliding down my esophagus.
This is it.
"Tae-ho. The meat's burning. Hurry up and eat."
I picked up two pieces of well-done pork belly with chopsticks and dipped them in ssamjang.
Greasy juice filled my mouth.
"Delicious."
"Good. Eat plenty. You worked yourself to the bone saving the country, so you should at least eat meat until you're full."
The old man wrapped a big lettuce wrap and shoved it in his mouth, grinning broadly.
He's supposedly one of South Korea's top power holders, the Hunter Association President.
In private, he's just a worn-out, tired old man.
We'd crossed the line between life and death countless times on the battlefield together.
We understood each other without many words.
One piece of meat with one shot of soju.
We silently emptied bottles, using meaningless small talk and old stories as side dishes.
Five empty soju bottles rolled around on the table.
My stomach was full and a pleasant buzz rose.
I stood up.
Outside the restaurant, the night air was cool.
The old man got into a car sent by an Association employee and left first.
I walked slowly toward home again, wrapped in my mana field.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked up at the night sky.
Because of Gangnam's brilliant neon signs, only a few stars were visible.
Instead of the vicious red Gate rifts that used to tear the sky apart, being able to look up at the clear black night sky itself was a miracle and luxury for me.
I took a deep breath.
The smell of soju mixed with the city's cool air entered my lungs.
"Phew..."
I let out a quiet breath.
Good.
Whether this damn System remodeled me into a 140cm girl or not.
Whether the world calls me a physics-specialized magical girl or not.
A world where my stomach is full, my family is safe beside me, and I can comfortably look at the night sky like this.
As long as this peace is maintained, that's enough.
My steps grew lighter.
With a faint smile on my lips, I hummed a tune as I headed toward the penthouse.
Tomorrow, my sister's annoying doll play would start again.
Still, it's not a bad night.
