Dodging a tearful Bora and the swarm of scouts trying to close in, I fled the academy grounds.

"…Ugh, I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to collapse."

-Suggestion. Your mana has reached its limit. You must return to the tower and rest.

"Just a minute. I have something to wrap up first."

The words had barely left my mouth when my phone rang. It was the Association President.

'Here we go.'

I answered, and a low voice immediately cut through the line.

—"Where are you?"

Just those three words sent a shiver down my spine.

"I was just about to head home."

—"Come to the Chancellor's office! Alone! Right now!"

'Click.'

She hung up. It wasn't like I had a choice. I pulled my hat down low and slipped back onto campus, making my way to the Chancellor's office in the university building ten minutes away.

'Knock, knock.'

"It's Kim Yusin."

"Come in," the President's voice called out. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"You called for—"

Before I could finish, my abdomen exploded in pain, as if I'd been rammed by a five-ton truck.

"You did it, Student Council President! You magnificent punk! Mwahahahaha!" she roared with joy, crushing me in a hug. I heard a distinct cracking sound from my spine.

"P-please, let me live!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry." She slapped my shoulder hard. "Stop being such a baby." She then returned to her spot. Great, add a dislocated shoulder to my back injury.

"I skipped the weekly meeting to watch the whole thing. That was incredible."

"I told you I'd win."

She beamed as she sat down at her desk. "Ahhh, I'm so relieved! You did great."

"She won't have a complete mental breakdown, will she? She seemed to have a lot of pride."

"It'd be better if she did," the President said, her tone suddenly serious. "She needs to be broken down and shattered into dust. If she breaks, at least she can be rebuilt. Once sloth and arrogance latch onto a person's soul, they never let go, not even in death."

She fell silent.

She rummaged through a drawer and tossed a file onto the desk. "This is the research foundation contract you asked for."

This was my reward. From this day forward, the Magic Tower would have the full backing of the Hunter Association. My potion business would operate under the umbrella of their research foundation, leaving no room for thugs like the Calam guild to interfere.

The benefits didn't stop there. I would have access to the foundation's facilities, including their top-tier security systems. Furthermore, by putting the foundation's official seal of approval on my potions, I could instantly solve the credibility issues we'd been facing. Selling an item certified by the Association itself was the perfect move, granting me power, security, product reliability, and public recognition all at once.

"You know, this wasn't easy. I had to push this through and take the heat for playing favorites."

"…Haha."

The reward was, admittedly, disproportionate to the task. To balance the scales, I agreed to her new condition. It was nothing major. Going forward, I would grant any requests she made concerning Yeon, within reason. It was clear she intended to use me to control her sister's development completely.

While I reviewed the contract, she sat across from me again, crossing her legs. "Anyway, congratulations on graduating, Mr. Student Council President."

"…Ah."

"Your term only lasted a week, but you did well."

"Thank you."

Her words finally made it sink in. By defeating Yeon and reaching the semi-finals, my early graduation was guaranteed, regardless of the tournament's final outcome.

"What are you going to do after you graduate?"

I just smiled and waved the contract at her. "Make money."

"You're an official hunter now, and you're thinking about business? You can do that after you retire."

"I'll keep hunting, of course. I'll work two jobs."

"Have you looked into any guilds?"

"No, not yet."

She rested her chin in her hand, studying me. "Kim Yusin. How about joining the Association?"

"…What?"

My mind went blank. Where did that come from?

"If you want, I can put you in the Enforcement Bureau."

The Enforcement Bureau was infamous as the attack dogs of the Association, the hunters who hunt other hunters. They had jurisdiction over all player-related crimes and wielded near-absolute authority. In essence, she was offering to put me in the most powerful law enforcement body in the country.

"Interested in working for the public good?"

It was a path of power, not wealth. After defeating Yeon, my market value had skyrocketed. Joining a guild would mean a massive signing bonus, but joining the Enforcement Bureau meant gaining transcendent authority. Even a rank-5 official from the Bureau could make guild masters grovel. It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.

But.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to refuse."

I had my reasons for turning down Snow, for becoming one of the President's people, and now for rejecting the Bureau. I had the Magic Tower. And I had bigger ambitions. The Bureau's power wasn't my own; it belonged to the organization. A powerful attack dog is still a dog, and a golden leash is still a leash.

More importantly, joining the Association would make me a public servant. Private business ventures would be impossible, and all my activities would be restricted. That just wasn't my style. The prestige of the Enforcement Bureau wasn't worth giving up my potion business.

"Well, if that's how you feel, I can't force you," she muttered, smacking her lips. I neatly tucked the contract away.

"But why are you so set on using our foundation's distribution network?"

"Because this business is going to have a massive impact. There's no telling what other factions might try to pull."

I had already told her about the potion business—with limited details, of course. The existence of the Magic Tower and the identity of the potion maker remained my secrets. I stuck to the story that I had an exclusive contract with a potion maker and was simply handling distribution. She crossed her arms.

"You're more thorough than you look. Preparing for the worst-case scenario?"

"Actually, I'm already dealing with a guild that's latched on and won't let go."

"Which one?" she asked simply.

"Calam," I replied just as simply.

She rested her chin in her hand and gave a slow nod.

* * *

After Yusin left, the Chancellor leaned back into her sofa and made a call.

"Yeah, wimp. It's me."

When the voice on the other end asked her purpose, she replied, "The Calam guild. Take them out. I want a report by the end of the day."

—"So suddenly, ma'am?"

"Yes."

—"May I ask why?"

She grinned.

—"They messed with my kid."

* * *

Yangpyeong-dong. The Madan Mansion.

A party was in full swing. The room was filled with expensive food and liquor. Men lounged on antique sofas, laughing as they clinked glasses.

"How's the job coming along?"

"Smoothly, boss."

The man with slicked-back hair in the center of the group nodded and drained his glass. He was Giltae Kim, the guild master of Calam. Before the Overlay, he was a low-level gangster. After awakening as a player, he gathered powerful figures from the criminal underworld, formed a faction, and eventually established a guild. He did the dirty work other guilds wouldn't touch. He specialized in hunting humans, not monsters, and built his fortune running illegal gambling dens and drug rings rather than dealing in magic stones.

"Ah, right. Speaking of which." Giltae set down his wine glass and glanced at the man beside him. "How's that other matter progressing? The, uh… what was it called again?"

"Potions, boss."

"Right, potions. Find the creator yet?"

"Not the creator, but we've identified a few suspicious individuals who might be backing them."

The man handed over a file. Giltae's expression turned serious as he scanned the list. "Yuseong Kim? Who the hell is this?"

"Ah, yes. About that…"

Giltae tapped the document, his face hardening. "Are you sure about this? This guy is from the Royce guild! Is he someone we can handle?"

"Don't worry, boss," his subordinate said quickly. "We recently secured access to the same dungeon as Royce. The timing looks natural. We can ambush them without much trouble."

"Still, be careful. Getting tangled up with their Guild Master would be a headache."

"Understood."

Giltae was cruel and relentless, but he was also a coward. He was cautious. He knew better than anyone when to advance and when to retreat, when to get involved and when to stay out. He could objectively analyze his strategies against his current situation. It was the single biggest reason he had survived this long.

"Hmm, what's this? There's a kid from the academy, too?" he said, opening another file.

"We have intel that she used an item suspected to be a potion inside a dungeon."

"Her profile says her Unique Ability is 'Enchantment'."

"She might not be the actual potion maker, but if we assume someone gave her the potions, she could be the lead we need to track them down."

Giltae nodded sullenly and read through the remaining documents.

"What's the plan, boss?"

"What do you think? Grab them all," he said, tossing the files aside. "The Academy and Royce guild are a bit tricky, though. Make it clean. Disguise it as a dungeon accident."

"Understoo—"

At that moment, every light in the building went out.

"W-what was that?"

"Power outage?"

Giltae shot to his feet. "Shit, it's not a power outage! We have company! Everyone, stay sharp!"

He activated his suit, and a small, light-emitting drone rose into the air, re-illuminating the room.

He was too stunned to speak.

The guard who had been standing by the door was lifted off his feet, legs flailing wildly. Holding him was a man in a black coat and a mask.

The guard made a choked, guttural sound as his body instantly shriveled like a mummy, then disintegrated into a pile of fine sand.

"Who sent you?!"

The guild members drew their guns and hunting devices. The masked man ignored them, walking calmly to the window and throwing it open.

"Aaaaah!"

One of the guards circled behind him, swinging a greatsword-like hunting device.

'Thwump.'

Without even looking back, the masked man caught the massive blade with his bare hand. The weapon, forged from monster bones and byproducts, hardened like stone and began to crack. With a squeeze of his hand, it shattered into a thousand pieces.

"…Are you... from the Enforcement Bureau?" Giltae asked.

Only then did the masked man turn to face him.

"With that level of petrification, you must be the rank-2 official, Namjin Im."

The man took off his mask with a bitter smile. "This is why it's a pain when your ability gets too well-known."

As Namjin unleashed his killing intent, the surrounding guild members charged.

"Everyone, back off!" Giltae roared. They were no match for this man. As his men hesitated and retreated, Namjin smirked.

"Smart move."

"…I don't get it. Why is the Association coming after us now?"

Namjin strode over to the sofa and dropped into it. "That's what we'd like to know."

"What?"

"I thought Calam's whole deal was being cruel to the weak and kissing the asses of the strong."

"What the hell is that supposed to—!"

"You people," Namjin continued, his voice grim. "Who in the world did you mess with?"

A cold sweat beaded on Giltae's forehead as his mind raced. Had they provoked someone important enough to bring a top agent from the Enforcement Bureau down on them? He couldn't think of anyone. All their recent jobs were small-time, things their guild could easily cover up. He was certain they hadn't done anything to attract the Association's attention.

Just then, Namjin stood up. "As of today," he declared, "the Calam guild will be erased from existence."

At that very moment, Calam members on missions elsewhere were meeting the same fate. They would be killed inside dungeons—judged and executed in the same manner they had dealt with so many others.

'Clank! Clank! Clank!'

Suddenly, every window in the room rattled open. A cold night wind blasted through the mansion, and the remaining men looked around in alarm.

"This was a popular trope in old movies. Remember?" Namjin said, snapping his fingers.

In an instant, the bodies of the guild members turned a deathly gray. Before they could even scream, all six of them crumbled to dust and were scattered by the wind. Only Giltae remained, trembling violently.

"Y-you crazy bastards! The Hunter Association is wiping out a legally registered guild? Are you insane!"

"That's just how our President is. I'll pass along your regards." Namjin walked steadily toward him.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Giltae Kim threw his arm back, and his suit clicked and whirred, transforming into a heavy combat gauntlet. Blinding light poured from its seams as he swung with all his might.

Namjin simply raised his right hand.

'BOOOOOOOOM!'

The collision was deafening. The intricate gauntlet began to disintegrate into dust where it met Namjin's palm. Giltae roared and pushed forward, but eighty percent of his weapon turned to sand, and his bare fist was caught in Namjin's grip.

"That's why you pieces of trash," he said with a crooked smile, "Should have been more careful about who you mess with."

"Guh, g-gaaaah!"

Giltae's entire body shriveled like a mummy. Finally, he too crumbled into sand and was carried away by the wind. Namjin clicked his tongue and raised his radio.

"This is Ozone-1. All targets have been eliminated. Clean up the scene. Leave no trace."

* * *

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