Chapter 9: The F-Rank Returnee

“An F-rank?”

Sagyeol, having just received the new report at the hotel, was utterly dumbfounded.

Lee Hyun-su offered an explanation.

“The report I received clearly stated A-rank.”

“I know that, since the report you saw is the same one I saw. What I’m curious about is how an F-rank individual transformed into an A-rank.”

“It seems there was an error somewhere along the line. I’ve already given instructions to investigate…”

“So, an F-rank after all.”

His words were sharp, carrying a distinct edge.

Lee Hyun-su, for his part, found the situation exasperating. Such errors were exceedingly rare.

Measurement devices had become so widespread that most obstetric clinics even possessed them. While their precision might not be absolute, they typically fluctuated between E and F, never mistaking an A for an F.

Moreover, an F-rank, even if they died and came back to life, could never be the ‘Returnee’ they sought.

“We’ve wasted our time needlessly.”

The temperature displayed on the wall panel plummeted from 25 degrees to 18 degrees in an instant.

It wasn’t a malfunction. Lee Hyun-su held his breath as the cold air touched his cheek.

‘I told you to come once it was confirmed, didn’t I?’

…But he couldn’t actually say that. There was a time and place for snarky remarks.

Sagyeol tapped the armrest with his fingertips, a habit he always fell into when lost in thought.

“The return is on hold.”

“Pardon?”

“Having come all this way, I feel I should at least see their face, if only out of spite.”

“…Perhaps we should just head back and board the airship?”

Even now, cries of “When will the Guild Master arrive?” flooded Lee Hyun-su’s comms every minute.

He nervously attempted to persuade Sagyeol.

In response, Sagyeol offered a languid smile. Yet, contrary to his smile, which resembled spring sunshine, the panel’s temperature plummeted further, nearing 5 degrees.

Now, every breath he took produced a visible plume of white mist.

“Have the car ready.”

When Sagyeol adopted such an unyielding stance, Lee Hyun-su had no recourse.

Resigned, he operated his device. A polite reply came back from the knight, confirming the car would be brought to the front of the hotel.

“They say it will be here in five minutes.”

Sagyeol offered no reply. Instead, he simply beckoned with a hand.

Understanding the unspoken command, Lee Hyun-su, who had been forcibly co-opted—no, *chosen*—for this journey, opened his briefcase, pulled out a file, and handed it over.

Sagyeol, crossing his legs, once again perused the report he had seen yesterday.

Lee Hyun-su had expected him to verify the contents, but that wasn’t the case. Sagyeol merely stared intently at the photograph at the top of the page.

‘…There’s no need to examine it *that* closely, is there?’

Lee Hyun-su had also seen that photo. His impression at the time had been simple.

‘Looks like a mercenary.’

Hunters who had committed crimes, served time in hunter-exclusive prisons, and then returned to society faced numerous restrictions.

The only guilds willing to accept them were those of poor quality or those offering absurd contracts. If they tried to obtain work from the Association personally, their waiting number would be so far down the list that it would take at least three months.

While it wouldn’t matter if they weren’t desperate for money, most individuals who had been to prison had a good reason to be. Such people inevitably became ‘mercenaries.’

They primarily undertook tasks that even ten hunters would find insufficient to complete, such as venturing into disaster zones for wealthy individuals in urgent need of magic stones, or being dispatched to sites where new cities were under construction.

Lee Hyun-su had once entrusted work to such a mercenary.

The mercenary he met in person was far rougher than anticipated. It wasn’t their speech or demeanor, but the palpable aura they exuded.

He was missing one ear and an eye. All his fingers were intact, but his wrists and forearms were covered in scars.

The areas concealed by his combat uniform were likely even more scarred, if not equally so.

The rugged impression Lee Hyun-su received was born from the accumulation of such wounds.

For mercenaries who lacked the protection of the Association’s system, combat was a gamble with their lives.

They could only ascertain whether an attacking monster was stronger, weaker, or equal to them by blocking its fangs.

In contrast, hunters within the city, who safely confronted gates that opened at regular intervals by lowering their rank by one or two grades, were merely herbivores grazing on grass.

Those who had become monsters to face beasts.

The man named Cheol-su exuded the aura of such a mercenary—a seasoned veteran who had traversed disaster zones dozens of times.

That aspect was certainly suspicious. It was not the impression a typical F-rank would possess.

Of course, the world was full of bluster and countless swindlers, but still…

“What are you spacing out for?”

Sagyeol’s chiding brought Lee Hyun-su sharply back to reality.

Sagyeol had already risen, collected his overcoat, and was standing by the entrance. Uncharacteristically flustered, Lee Hyun-su scrambled to follow him.

The bus to the outskirts only ran once an hour.

Left with no choice, I boarded the bus that arrived a little earlier.

I leaned my head against the window, curling my body inward. My eyes remained open.

Following the bus’s movement, the deep blue-grey streets, still steeped in dawn, flowed past. Even looking at the well-maintained roads and unlit signs, there were times when it didn’t quite feel real.

Even now, if I closed my eyes, I could see the Ice Dragon with its white mane.

Whenever its mood soured, it would hang me like a chandelier and feast beneath me. Only after it had leisurely indulged in its gourmet meal and departed could I finally descend to the ground the next day.

For helping an attendant who had stumbled, for sparring with a knight, for my fingertips brushing against the librarian’s while exchanging books in the library.

The criteria were always different and ambiguous. If he declared it wrong, then it was wrong.

My personality was detached, almost to an extreme degree in the eyes of others. It was a concoction of my inherent nature blended with my surroundings.

Even with such a disposition, enduring the Ice Dragon proved difficult.

The very embodiment of cruelty.

The limbs of a knight, with whom I had exchanged only a few words, were severed. Piece by piece.

The knight, dismembered at every joint, screamed in agony until, by the time all his limbs below the shoulders and hips were gone, he simply gave in to despair and burst into laughter.

Unable to watch any longer, I seized an axe and struck off the knight’s head.

Kratus raged. Blades of ice pierced through my shoulder and thigh.

‘How dare you interfere? Do you wish to die?’

‘No. I want to live.’

‘Is that not why I followed you, even etching a contract of subjugation onto my heart?’

When I looked up at him with that unspoken meaning, he, who had been raging like waves in a storm, suddenly quieted. I had no idea why his mood had abruptly softened.

I simply felt relief that it was finally over and collapsed forward.

Upon awakening, my injured body was perfectly healed. Kratus couldn’t tolerate even the smallest scar on my body, so he always kept magic stones inscribed with ‘Recovery’ or ‘Regeneration’ at the ready.

It was ironic that Kratus was the only one who inflicted wounds upon me.

He sought to control every aspect of my being.

I had to empty my already desolate inner self completely, even surrendering my voice, just to barely endure his presence.

However, a limit eventually arrived.

I searched desperately for a way to sever the contract of subjugation, avoiding Kratus’s gaze.

When Kratus was present, I would scour the study in his office; when he was busy or away, I would seclude myself in the library.

Buried amidst piles of books in a space where I met no one, Kratus was content.

Conversely, I grew increasingly anxious.

The contract of subjugation itself wasn’t rare, so finding information on it wasn’t difficult.

However, no matter how many ancient texts I scoured, there was only one method of termination: Kratus’s death. Everything else was merely a temporary illusion.

Only precious time slipped by, with no progress made.

Just as I was about to succumb to my habitual resignation, I found that book—a moment as fated as people described.

Truthfully, even as I attempted it, I never expected to succeed.

The sensation of pushing through a gigantic, solid jelly was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness.

I awoke in a grimy alley in Baekdam, curled up like a fetus in a spot untouched by light or observation.

A relentless drizzle beat down on my entire body.

I staggered to my feet, tearing off my tattered clothes. Naked, I leaned against the wall and began to walk.

My chest burned as if seared by fire.

As I moved forward, guided only by the streetlights illuminating the spaces between the alleys, people screamed. In that moment, I knew I had succeeded.

I lost consciousness and awoke in a hospital.

Naturally, my arm, which had once been severed and then regrown, bore no ID chip.

Men in suits came to question me, but I consistently replied, ‘I don’t remember anything.’

They asked no further questions, instead thrusting a measurement device at me.

My face hardened. The suddenness of the situation left me slow to react.

Beep.

“Uh, what?!”

“Why, what’s… Agh!”

Sure enough, the two startled individuals whispered amongst themselves. I faintly overheard the words ‘A-rank.’

Yet, perhaps due to my reflexive gathering of magical energy, it didn’t display ‘measurement impossible.’ Should I consider this a blessing in disguise?

As I stood there, flustered, the man in the suit pushed the device toward me again.

“I-I’ll measure again!”

It was a relief. I gathered all the magical energy spread throughout my body and meticulously concealed it.

I pushed it into a depth where no matter how sophisticated the device, it wouldn’t be able to find it.

Beep.

“Hmm?”

“Oh.”

“……”

“Excuse me, I apologize, but just one more time…”

After that, there were five more measurements.

However, no matter how many times it was tried, the device could only detect a minuscule amount of power.

The man in the suit awkwardly stated, “It must have been a device error.”

Just as in the distant past, I became an F-rank hunter once more.

Thump.

The bus jolted violently.

The ground beneath us transformed from asphalt to cracked cement. I blinked, and the densely packed buildings vanished, replaced by a lush, verdant forest.

[This stop is Yerong Columbarium. The next stop is…]

I pressed the red bell and rose from my seat.

As I stepped off at the stop, a bird with flamboyant feathers soared overhead. Its appearance didn’t suit this environment; someone must have lost their pet.

After watching the winged creature disappear beyond the mountain for a long moment, I resumed my walk.

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