Before that, I gently tested Byeon Jeong-tae once.
"I see. It seems the mayor's purpose is to have a different kind of discussion."
But Branch Chief Byeon Jeong-tae didn't readily agree with what I said.
"How often do two people meet with the exact same purpose?"
If you're lucky, both achieve their goals. Usually, only one does. And if you're unlucky, neither achieves anything.
"We can't keep the mayor waiting. Before that, may I have your business card?"
He doesn't seem like a bad person. Well, he could just be putting on a front and be rotten to the core… but that's something you find out by dealing with them.
"Oh, my business card?"
Byeon Jeong-tae rummaged through his pocket and handed me a card.
"Thank you. You already have my contact information, right? If you ever think you'd like to work with me, feel free to reach out anytime."
Now then, shall I go meet the mayor of Incheon? I'm curious what kind of person he is. While riding in the moving car, I casually looked up information about the current mayor of Incheon on my smartphone.
"We've arrived. Incheon City Hall."
When I got out of the car, people were gathered in front, waiting.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Pil-je, Director of Communication and Cooperation."
"Yoo Chan-seok."
I was told the mayor was waiting in his office.
"The mayor is really looking forward to this meeting. I got the report at dawn and nearly jumped out of my skin."
Lee Pil-je said that, then lowered his voice with a smile.
"He even canceled his entire morning schedule today."
"Is that so? We could've just met at a relaxed pace. It's not like I did something that incredible."
At my words, he made a sound like "oh come on" and waved his hands vigorously.
"Please don't say that. A first-time hunter single-handedly destroying an Erosion Source—on top of that, a Grade 3? There's only been one precedent for that so far."
I suppose so. If it hadn't been for the unique nature of the Contradictory Flame, that Erosion Source would've been beyond what I could handle alone at my current level. But still—only one precedent? That guy must've been a monster.
And they're really rolling out the red carpet for me. I have my own guesses as to why, but I'll only know for sure whether I'm right once I meet the mayor.
"Oh my, you've come a long way."
The door opened, and when I went inside, a middle-aged man in a suit stood up from his desk and extended his hand to me with a smile.
"I'm Park Geon, Mayor of Incheon."
"I'm Yoo Chan-seok."
"Well then, let's sit down and talk."
With those words, he offered me a seat on the sofa.
"Let's get some coffee in here."
At Mayor Park Geon's instruction, Lee Pil-je stepped out to prepare the coffee.
"What you did this time was a tremendous service to the nation, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. As soon as I received the report, I canceled all my appointments and waited for you."
I gave a simple reply to the mayor's words.
"With everyone evaluating it so highly, I honestly feel a bit overwhelmed."
At that, he burst into hearty laughter.
"As the mayor of Incheon, Gyodong Island was truly a thorn in my side. It needed to be dealt with, but mobilizing a large number of hunters would've been a burden."
"It's fortunate it was resolved through this opportunity. A problem was handled at a relatively low cost."
At my words, Park Geon nodded.
"And how gratifying it is that the safety of our citizens has been secured. It seems my eye for talent wasn't wrong after all."
"I'm grateful that Hunter Lee Se-eun gave me the opportunity."
At that, Park Geon immediately nodded.
"The company Jannabi has made outstanding contributions to the defense of Korea's Erosion Zones. Hunter Lee Se-eun is a pillar of Jannabi and one of the sturdy walls protecting the Republic of Korea."
Clap. With a sharp sound, Park Geon applauded once.
"However, this isn't a meeting to talk about Hunter Lee Se-eun's merits, is it?"
After finishing his words, Park Geon fixed his gaze on me.
"There are several reasons I arranged this meeting and asked you to come today. First of all, I heard that this was your very first assignment, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok."
"Yes, that's correct."
At my reply, Park Geon nodded with a thoughtful "Hmm."
"For someone like you to appear in Korea at a time like this is a tremendous blessing for the country. And the fact that your first step began here in Incheon is something I take pride in as its mayor."
Having said that, he spoke with eyes gleaming.
"I have no doubt that you are capable of accomplishing far greater things. I'm not ignorant of how harsh and arduous the path of a hunter can be."
He says that so confidently, even though he's never walked it himself.
He stood up from his seat and looked at the map of Incheon hanging on the wall.
"The safest nation in the world, the Republic of Korea. And this is Incheon. From the start, it has had the excellent infrastructure that is Incheon International Airport."
Incheon Airport had now become one of Korea's core regions, through which countless goods and materials flowed.
"On top of that, thanks to the long-running Free Economic Zone project, international cities like Songdo and Cheongna are so flooded with foreigners eager to invest that it's hard to even choose among them."
Contrary to the original purpose of establishing those international cities, things had now degenerated into something akin to foreigners throwing money around to buy permanent residency in Korea.
"It's already been seven years since there ceased to be any currency with greater credibility than the Korean won, aside from gold."
The emergence of Erosion Zones had literally turned the world upside down, and the economy was no exception.
The title of being the single country completely free from such threats brought with it immense credibility, which naturally extended to Korea's currency.
It had even reached the point where you could use Korean won abroad without exchanging it first, and encounter no problems at all.
"The enormous capital flowing in through Incheon's international cities, and the goods transported through its airport."
After finishing his words, he ran a hand over the map once more and then looked back at me.
"I can help ensure that the path you walk as a hunter, Mr. Yoo Chan-seok, is a smooth one."
"In return, there's something I should do for you as well, right?"
After speaking, I leaned back against the sofa and said,
"Re-election?"
From what I'd looked up, Park Geon's term was set to end early next year. And judging by the general atmosphere, the prevailing opinion was that re-election would be difficult.
At my words, Park Geon laughed and turned his gaze toward the window.
"You're very direct. In fact, didn't participating in this assignment require approval from Incheon City Hall?"
Since Incheon City Hall had granted permission, and I had successfully carried out the mission on Gyodong Island, it could be framed as though I were a talent Park Geon himself had discovered.
It seemed he wanted to tie me into that narrative, then place his spoon at the table already set.
"Thanks to infrastructure like the international cities and Incheon Airport that I mentioned earlier, as mayor of Incheon I maintain close ties with many overseas and domestic companies."
Fiddling with the watch on his wrist, Park Geon continued.
"Those companies often need hunters to protect their assets."
"You're saying you'll introduce me to them?"
At my question, Park Geon nodded.
"Recommending someone without ability would be a problem, but giving wings to someone who's already proven themselves isn't a crime, is it?"
As we spoke, the door opened and two cups of coffee were set down. Alongside them, a box of instant mix coffee was deliberately placed nearby.
Smiling, Park Geon pointed to the box. A pretty woman was printed on it.
"This is a hunter under an exclusive contract with this brand. She's someone who maintains a very close relationship with me."
After finishing his words, Park Geon plopped back down onto the sofa and continued.
"I understand her contract period doesn't have much time left. I could introduce you, and if that happens, the person printed on this mix coffee box afterward would probably be you, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok."
Listening to him, I smiled and took a sip of coffee.
"I think I understand the extent of your power, Mr. Mayor. It's quite impressive."
"An open declaration of support would look too political. What I want is merely a show of personal ties."
Park Geon showing off his connection to a super rookie who had single-handedly dealt with a Grade 3 Erosion Source.
That alone made for a compelling picture. The problem was—
I looked at Park Geon and said,
"It seems you think I'm cheaper than I actually am."
"What?"
I set my cup down and continued.
"What Mayor Park Geon can do, I can do on my own."
Simply put, Mayor Park Geon was in too much of a hurry.
"The Erosion Source on Gyodong Island was dealt with just last night. Yet here I am, meeting you one-on-one this very morning."
The value of what I had done could be inferred from the reactions of everyone else.
"Lately, if you look at the newspapers or the news, they're full of dark forecasts."
Would Korea really just leave someone like me, who popped up out of nowhere in times like these, alone?
"The world needs a new face capable of refreshing this gloomy atmosphere."
And then I suddenly dropped from the sky with a thud—a guy who single-handedly crushed a Grade 3 Erosion Source that normally would've required ten to fifteen hunters working together.
"What Mayor Park Geon said he could give me is something I'd naturally secure for myself anyway, as long as I keep working as a hunter."
Trying to take credit for that is a bit much, isn't it?
"I can selectively provide Hunter Yoo Chan-seok with safe, high-paying assignments. I also have access to information that isn't deliberately shared with hunters."
"That's an offer I'm not interested in."
Reputation isn't something you build by taking the easy road. You earn recognition by taking on difficult jobs and seeing them through.
After finishing my words, I glanced at the coffee and smiled.
"The hunter who has an exclusive contract with this brand must be happy. It looks like they'll be able to renew their contract."
It was my indirect way of saying I had no intention of working with him.
"I enjoyed the meeting. I'm quite tired, probably because I stayed up all night during the hunt. If there's another good opportunity in the future, I look forward to meeting again."
After exchanging farewells, I stood up from my seat to leave the office.
"Other hunters would accept this opportunity without a second thought. You may come to regret this later."
"Is that supposed to be a threat? That's how it sounds to me."
At my words, Park Geon didn't reply. I continued, looking straight at him.
"There have been people who told me I'd regret things later. But without exception, once enough time passed, the ones who said that ended up being the ones who regretted it."
Park Geon finally responded.
"To me, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok's words sound more like a threat."
"I'm glad it sounded that way."
Because it is a threat. And what are you going to do about it?
Instead of listening to anything further, I opened the door and left the office.
In a dark back alley, a man with his hood pulled up leaned against a damp wall.
"What's the result?"
"I'm sorry."
The man giving the report deliberately avoided using the word "failure."
"It can't be helped."
"But there is good news."
The reporter handed his smartphone to the hooded man with both hands, as if offering tribute to an emperor.
"What's this?"
"I think you should take a look. It's part of the footage from the Association's hunter certification exam."
The hooded man examined the contents.
"…"
It was a scene of a man taking the hunter certification exam sparring with Lee Se-eun, who was famous as one of the pillars holding back Korea's Erosion Zones.
"Excellent."
The reporter, who had been bowing his head, nearly looked up in shock. Praise from this man usually amounted to no more than "good work" or "you did fine."
"Is it that impressive?"
For the word "excellent" to come out of his mouth?
"Then it truly is good news. I'd already been hearing about him quite a bit."
"Yes. Given the circumstances, there was a sense that continuing the tests might be best restrained."
The purpose of the tests themselves was something even the Korean government considered necessary. But with the economy under threat due to the Erosion Zones, conducting such tests had become a burden.
"It's also said that the Alpha on Gyodong Island rapidly evolved into a Grade 3 Erosion Source as a result of a failed test—and that this hunter named Yoo Chan-seok dealt with it. Apparently, that was his very first assignment."
A smile formed on the hooded man's lips.