"Hah! Hah!"

I hit the ground running, but after a while, there was still no sign of the creature. I had no idea how something so small could be so fast.

-Tower Master, multiple mana readings detected beyond the corner.

"Okay."

Had I finally caught up?

The moment I rounded the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What is all this?"

Countless plant-type monsters had taken over a fountain park, turning it into a jungle. People were screaming and running away. From a nearby alley, the portal goblin peeked its head out, made eye contact with me, and then vanished.

'…You're so dead when I catch you.'

"Ea."

-Search complete. 18 individuals. 7 species of plant-type monsters confirmed. Marking weak points with the Sage's Eye.

Before she even finished speaking, various parts of the monsters' bodies were marked with blue targets. I raised my concentration.

<Copy Magical Position>

<Spin Guide Arrow>

Dozens of Spin Guide Arrow magic circles blazed with brilliant light behind me. I began to walk forward slowly, continuing the deployment. As I took a step, the plant monsters opened their mouths and charged at me.

'Begin firing with the completed magic circles.'

The air was filled with spinning Guide Arrows. They seemed to be flying randomly, but each arrow struck its target with precision. I walked through the plant monsters, continuing to focus on my casting. They lunged at me, but Guide Arrows flying from somewhere would sever their stems, strike their bodies, and shatter their roots, causing them to collapse.

There was no need for a shield. The plant monsters around me were being torn to pieces and falling apart.

[Mobile Casting trait has reached Lv. 2.]

[Magic Power has increased by 3.]

'Yesss! Perfect.'

This was actually just practice to level up my Mobile Casting proficiency.

Breaking my state of mana immersion, I opened my eyes and resumed my chase of the goblin. I passed through the alley where it had been and came out onto the road.

'VROOOOM!'

A truck sped past me. And on top of that truck was the creature.

"You've got to be kidding me."

A car chase now? I needed to end this before it turned into a messy pursuit. Pushing my Focus trait to its peak, I simultaneously drew half a magic circle on my right hand and another on my right foot, then touched my hand to my foot to complete it.

Black smoke rose from the sole of my shoe. I mentally calculated the output of the new spell, took a rushing stance, and activated the magic.

<Devastar>

Leaving a skull-shaped mark on the ground, my body shot forward. Even as I flew at a terrifying speed, my concentration was at its highest, making the world seem to slow down.

In an instant, I reached the top of the moving truck. The goblin was off-guard, rummaging through its sack, deciding what to use next. I gritted my teeth and reached out my arm.

As my hand closed around the scruff of the distracted portal goblin's neck, I threw it without hesitation.

Time returned to normal, and I saw the portal goblin flailing its limbs as it flew through the air.

'CRAAAASH!'

It slammed into a building wall. The recoil sent me flying too, but Ea's multiple cushion shields minimized the damage.

"Ugh, haaah."

It felt like my insides had been turned upside down. I quickly got to my feet and ran toward where I had thrown the portal goblin.

"Krieee!" The creature was lying on the ground, coughing up blood.

"I've finally caught you."

I raised my index finger, and an Earth Claymore activated from the ground, piercing both of its shoulders.

"Scrieee!"

"You really put me through a lot."

—"Please wait a moment, Tower Master," Seojin's voice came through my earpiece.

"What is it?"

—"The portal goblin's body is a valuable material. We must secure it with as little damage as possible."

"Tsk, alright."

I chanted an Ice Javelin magic circle above the creature's head. "I'll make it painless."

The portal goblin trembled, as if sensing its impending death. Hmm, but something felt off.

Wait.

Where was the sack? The sack the creature had been carrying was gone. The most important thing about the portal goblin was missing.

I quickly turned my head. The leather sack was flying toward the side of the road.

'…When did it—!'

The knot on the leather sack came undone and opened flat like a mat, and a black, portal-like void spread across its surface.

'FWOOSH'

It was too bizarre to be called a portal. It looked like a black lake had opened up in mid-air. And from within it, monsters began to climb out one by one.

My Ice Javelin had already snuffed out the portal goblin's life, but that thing didn't stop.

—"Tower Master, danger! There are rank-4 gigantes, rank-5 nests, rank-5 odellas, and multiple other rank 5s!"

The portal goblin summoned rank-5 monsters? What was happening?

'Thud, thud!'

Just then, the first monster emerged from the portal. Its entire body was covered in what looked like teeth, and it wore a pure white skull helmet on its head.

—"Rank-6 grannel! You must retreat, Tower Master!"

I broke out in a cold sweat and gathered my mana. Just as the grannel spotted me and started to approach…

'SLASH!'

A crimson claw mark was slashed through the air.

I was stunned.

The overwhelming red blade sliced the black lake into three pieces, scattering them into the atmosphere. The severed body parts of the monsters that had come out rained down from the sky.

I was speechless, filled with a sense of awe. I had never felt such an immense amount of magic in my life.

Even the grannel stopped, looking at its dismembered comrades.

'Whoosh.'

A gust of wind blew past. A woman with flowing crimson hair walked past me. The grannel raised its claws and swung its arm, but…

As if she had teleported, she was now standing on the opposite side of the claw. With a fluid motion, she raised her palm and gently tapped the grannel's cheek.

'BOOOOOM!'

A crimson light erupted, and the grannel's body disintegrated into nothing, not even a single cell remaining. The delayed shockwave slammed into a distant mountain, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

I was left speechless.

Overwhelming.

The woman who had annihilated a rank-6 monster in a single blow turned to look at me. The moment our eyes met, her intense golden gaze felt like it would drive me insane.

I knew who this person was.

"M-Ms. President! What are you doing, running out in the middle of a meeting!" hunters appeared from all directions.

She looked up at them. "Why are you all swarming over here like a bunch of losers? Get lost."

The moment she spoke, the hunters vanished like ghosts. I was still in a daze. Then she turned her head back to meet my eyes. She wore a well-fitted, dark gray pinstripe suit. The sleeve of the arm she had just swung was torn off and draped over her shoulder, revealing skin wrapped in glowing blue magic bandages that covered her entire upper body.

"So we finally meet, huh?" she grinned. "Student council president."

The chancellor of the Hunter Academy, the current president of the Hunter Association, and, above all, the strongest hunter in the Republic of Korea was standing right in front of me.

* * *

I was in a nearby cafe. Through the window, I could watch the mess I had made being cleaned up in real time. The Association's Urban Restoration Team and Scavenger Teams were moving with practiced efficiency. I'd always wondered why there were so few traces left after hunters went on a rampage, and now I realized it was thanks to the unseen efforts of people like these.

And then there was the woman sitting across from me. She was looking at me with her arms draped arrogantly over the back of the sofa, her legs crossed.

"You did good work today," she said. "The portal goblin's byproducts and mana stone are yours. I'll throw in a few from the rank 5s, too."

"Thank you."

She stared quietly out the window for a moment before turning her head. "I'm late with the introductions. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course, I do." 'Who in this day and age wouldn't know who she was?'

"Unprecedented in human history…"

"Hey, hey. Flattering me won't get you anything." She waved her hand, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"The strongest spinster in history—"

'SLAM!'

The table in front of me flew at the speed of light and shattered the window behind me. Feeling my hair stand on end, I turned to look back and saw the table, which had instantly shot hundreds of yards into the air, disappear into a speck of light in the sky.

She crossed back her outstretched leg and smiled sweetly. "Do you not value your life?"

"…My apologies. I don't know what came over me."

I apologized. Apologizing was the only way to live. I hadn't just acted out for no reason; I'd heard the president liked this kind of bold approach. 'I guess you can't trust information from connections.'

"You're lucky you're a student at my school. If you were any other junior hunter, I would've beaten you half to death, you little punk."

What was scarier was that she wasn't joking. She waved her arm toward the counter and yelled, "Hey! Get me another espresso over here!"

Of course, no one said anything about her fit of anger. The clerk just nodded, trembling pitifully. I could vaguely understand why someone with such ability, money, and good looks was still single at her age. What man could handle that temper?

"Anyway, it's good to meet you, student council president. I've been hearing a lot about you." She switched her crossed legs and continued. "First, I should thank you."

"Pardon?"

"For teaching my little sister a lesson. I looked up the video, and it was hilarious! Puhahaha!"

I had to remind myself again that Yeon's older sister was this very president. But here she was, clutching her stomach and roaring with laughter about her own sister's defeat.

"…Is that something to be thanked for?"

"Of course it is!"

Just then, the clerk approached, trembling. He bowed low and muttered in a tiny voice, "Your espresso is ready, ma'am." Small tears were even welling up in his eyes. Without looking back, she picked up the coffee cup and waved her hand dismissively. The clerk vanished with the haste of a newly freed slave.

"Honestly, what my sister needs right now isn't victory, but a crushing defeat," she said, her eyes growing calmer. "She's… what you call... A genius. To the point it's getting out of hand."

"Getting out of hand?" I asked.

Sipping her coffee, she gave a twisted smile. "You want to know how much of a prodigy she is?"

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