A maid was sent to take me to a room. The two of us walked through a long corridor. As we walked, I glanced around. The atmosphere was unusually quiet—so quiet that even the faint sound of footsteps could be heard clearly. And the woman who was leading me to the room… judging by her physical appearance, she hardly seemed like an ordinary maid. She was walking ahead of me. I looked at her for a moment… then slightly nodded my head.
"At least tonight I have a place to rest my head," I thought to myself.
"But… I don't know why… something feels strange here."
After a few moments, we reached room number nineteen. The woman stopped… turned toward me… and with a slight smile said,
" Sir… this will be your room."
I nodded and stepped forward to open the door. But then… suddenly, a suspicion rising inside me stopped me.
I turned. The woman was walking away.
"Madam…" I called out.
She stopped. Slowly turned toward me.
"Do you work here?"
I had not asked that question without reason.
There was something hidden in her smile—some secret… which my instincts had already sensed.
Looking into my eyes, she replied,
"You will get that answer… very soon."
After pausing for a moment, she continued,
"The famous man of the Black Market… Giroult wants to meet you. And you can think of me as… his wife."
A slight surprise flashed in my eyes.
Giroult and his wife.
I had heard this name before. He was not just a thief… rather, he was a well-known figure in the underworld. A man about whom it was said that he could infiltrate even places… where shadows themselves were afraid to go.
The woman gave a faint smile and said,
"Please… wait for a few moments. He will come to you very soon. He only wishes to make a deal with you."
I asked, "A deal? What kind of deal?"
The woman stretched slightly and replied,
"I don't even know that much. It is only a matter of a few moments."
Her voice softened toward the end. Then she said, "I should take my leave now."
I stood there silently, watching… until she turned and disappeared down the corridor.
I took a deep breath… then stepped into the room. For lighting, there was a bulb installed there— the kind usually seen in large guilds, since advanced technology was gradually increasing. A large mirror was fixed in front of me. I looked at my face in that mirror… and was completely shocked.
My hands instinctively moved to my face. I touched it. It had completely changed— and looked far more attractive than before.
A question arose in my mind, "Is… this body really this good-looking? I never thought so…"
Then I looked at my hands and muttered—
"This is extremely strong too… maybe as strong as an S-rank hunter…"
Honestly… it felt like a dream to me. With slight excitement, I summoned my magical status screen. But the moment the screen appeared… I was shocked again.
Magic — 16
Speed — 15
Stamina — 15
Doubt still lingered in my mind.
Because… unlike other hunters, my rank was not displayed. Nor was there any other information. As if… this power existed outside the rules themselves. There was a knock on the door.
The sound was very soft… but even before that, I had already sensed the presence of the person outside. His mental power was unusually strong—so strong that I could feel its pressure just from him standing outside the room. At that very moment, I understood… this could not be an ordinary person. He must be a great magician.
I had just composed myself when there was another knock from outside. I slowly walked to the door… and opened it.
In front of me stood a tall man—black, thick hair falling to his shoulders… a long dark coat covering his body… and a confident smile on his face. With him was the same woman who had led me to the room. She was standing close to his shoulder—almost clinging to him, as if asserting some kind of claim. Or rather… as if she truly were his wife. And at that moment, my suspicion was confirmed.
This… was Giroult.
He smiled and said, "How are you? Everything alright?"
His tone was as if we were old friends. But I understood—this politeness was not without reason. Surely… he needed something from me.
I stepped aside and said,
"Please, come in."
Without any formality, he walked inside… and sat directly on the chair. His wife remained standing beside him—calm… yet alert.
For a few moments, silence filled the room. Finally, I was the one who spoke.
"What did you need from me?"
Giroult tossed his hair back… and in a slightly playful tone said,
"You're a strong hunter. If you can help me retrieve one of my items… I'll give you a lot of money."
I immediately asked,
"And what item is that?"
He took out a cigarette pack and a lighter from his pocket. Calmly lit the cigarette… released a ring of smoke into the air… then said,
"A sword. An extremely powerful sword. It used to belong to me… but now it's with the North Hunter Guild."
I thought to myself,
"A thief… will always talk about stealing."
Then I said calmly,
"Stealing any magical item from the government or a guild is not easy."
Giroult smiled.
"I can't go myself… but you can. If you succeed in stealing it… I'll give you one million gold coins."
I was genuinely shocked.
"One million?… What's so special about that sword?"
He laughed. "How would I know?"
At that moment, his wife spoke,
"Someone is ready to buy it for two million. So we'll split it half and half."
Giroult immediately looked at her—his gaze sharp, as if she had said something she shouldn't have. For a moment, an awkward silence spread through the room.
Then he looked back at me and asked,
"So… what do you think?"
Without hesitation, I said,
"I can't do this."
My words were calm… but final.
Giroult's face hardened for a brief moment. He clenched his fist…Cigarette thrown on the floor, then suddenly stood up… and walked toward the door without saying anything. His wife quickly followed him out. The door closed.
Silence filled the room once again. I took a deep breath of relief.
But one truth was clear in my mind— A man like Giroult… doesn't let someone go so easily… after they've learned this much.
And that meant— The trouble was far from over.
I thought, "It's not appropriate to stay here anymore."
Just then, my gaze shifted toward the window. When I looked outside, I realized that I was on the second floor of the building. Darkness was spread below… but the distance meant nothing to me. I didn't delay even for a moment.
The very next instant… I had already jumped out of the window.
The air whistled past my ears… and thud— I landed on the ground without any injury.
The stone road beneath my feet cracked slightly… but there wasn't even a scratch on my body.
"This strength… really is different…" I thought to myself.
I moved forward quickly… and within a short time, I reached the dark, deserted alleys of the city. There was silence all around— only the distant sound of dogs barking could be heard somewhere far away.
As I walked, I stopped under an electric pole. A piece of paper was pasted on it. Old… but clearly visible. My eyes fixed on it.
There was a face drawn on the poster.
And below it was written—
Giroult — Most Wanted Hunter
Reward — one Lakh Gold Coin
A glimmer of understanding appeared in my eyes.
"So… that's how it is…"
I let out a soft breath.
The meaning was clear— Across the entire North Island, Giroult had been declared the most wanted criminal.
And that was exactly why… he didn't dare to go to the North Hunter Guild himself. He wanted— someone else to do the job for him.
And that "someone"… was me.
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
"But… he chose the wrong person."
The cold night air brushed against my face… and I could clearly feel— the trouble was only just beginning.
Just then, a faint breeze passed… and two women were standing in front of me.
One of them was the same woman who had spoken to me when I first arrived at the Black Market— "To wash away the exhaustion of a long day's hard work… you won't find a better place than this."
The second was Giroult's wife.
Now her physical presence pierced my eyes even more sharply… because I had already understood that to remove them from my path, I would have to fight.
But another question rose in my mind— "Giroult… he should be somewhere nearby too."
Yet… I couldn't feel his presence at all.
Then… suddenly, a cold, mocking laughter echoed in the air.
The laugh was so clear… as if someone was standing right beside my ear and laughing. I immediately looked around.
Dark alleys… the yellow light of the electric pole… and the two women standing in front of me.
But… Giroult was nowhere to be seen. My eyes narrowed slightly.
"Concealment skill…" I thought to myself, "or some kind of illusion magic…"
Now everything was completely clear. This was not an ordinary meeting. This… was a trap.
I slowly exhaled and focused on my mental concentration. I tried to sense magic. And at that moment, I realized— Even if I wanted to escape… it wouldn't be easy. Giroult's mental power was at least at the level of a C-rank Hunter. And these two women… were not weak either. At least E-rank.
Which meant— I was prey… surrounded from three directions.