Chapter 153: Curiosity Killed The Cat
Chapter 153: Curiosity Killed The Cat
In the end, Dal-soo had to obey Gang-ho's orders. As for the trouble that would follow, he thought about it later. The safety level of the Demigod guild members, which increased with Ji-woo's presence, was essential.
It wasn't only the Demigod guild who were busy taking care of their business and talking about Ji-woo. The Shadow Guild was also in a similar situation.
"Besides, why did you guys make such a fuss yesterday? It's just embarrassing in the end." Replied Dong-hae, the S-rank hunter. He was one of the hunters who didn't attend Ji-woo's show. To him, no matter how rare and precious the Spatial Bag was, it was not a magic item that was practical in a fight. Instead, it could sometimes hinder movement in close combat.
It also happened in several other countries. They had received information about the presence of the Spatial Bag. But, the news was not too shocking. And it only applied to brokers who wanted to make a lot of profit, whereas the top-class hunters were more interested in the Spatial Ring.
"Yesterday, you weren't joking. Right? Who is this young man? Demigod guild's new S-rank hunter?"
Tae-so's voice came after Dong-hae. They couldn't believe what happened in the video. If they were indeed on the same level, the battle should have escalated into a fierce one. But, in reality, Dal-shik and In-sung were held back easily without breaking a sweat by a young boy who still looked wet behind the ears.
How could it be!?
Hearing the words of the other two S-rank hunters, Dal-shik and In-sung, could only bite their lips. The Headmaster and Vice-headmaster of the Shadow Guild, one of the best in South Korea, couldn't beat the snotty brat in a two-on-one situation. It was quite an embarrassing thing to see.
The Shadow Guild felt like a stepping stone for Ji-woo to become famous and establish his power in front of the people. Of course, it made Dong-hae and Tae-so unhappy about it.
"Should we teach that kid a lesson? Let's just say it's a spar between seniors and juniors. Gang-ho Hyung~nim will definitely understand that."
"No need. Let's see how it goes first." Dal-shik replied to Tae-so's suggestion.
But, Dong-hae was dissatisfied with that and opened his mouth in annoyance. "Since when do we have to take a step back when it comes to the Demigod Guild!? Those are the hunters who are always behind us! Why suddenly become such cowards!?"
"Shut up!" This time Dal-shik voiced his displeasure at the endless talk between his guild members.
"There's no need to get heated about this. I also have no intention of letting this matter pass. That child needs to be taught manners in order to respect his elders. Let's calm down first."
Dong-hae and Tae-so finally calm down while grumbling. In-sung also tightens his grip. They want to pay back the humiliation the Shadow guild received from Ji-woo. Although, they were only planning to teach Ji-woo a lesson without any intention of killing him.
Meanwhile, the Artates guild was not much different from the two previous guilds. They were busy discussing yesterday's events. And there was one female hunter who didn't talk about Ji-woo's fight with Dal-shik and In-sung. She instead went to see Seo Ji-soo, the Vice-headmaster of the guild.
"Unnie, I've met this young man before," Jo-hyun said.
Hearing these words made Ji-soo not continue her work. She was actually dealing with the matter of the losses suffered by the Artates guild in the battle with the four Red Gates. She was arranging which team could carry out a dungeon hunt in a situation of reshaping their power.
Jo-hyun then recounted the beginning of their three-way encounter with the Demigod guild's A-rank hunter, Choi Min-ho.
Ji-soo frowned when she heard that. It was related to what happened to Jo-hyun and Min-ho long ago. She became interested due to the use of Magic Manifestation.
'Are the two of them related? The man who attacked Jo-hyun was confirmed to be Ma Dong-seok. And it just so happened that Kim Ji-woo was there before.'
Surprisingly, curiosity had arisen in Ji-soo's heart about who this Ji-woo really was. Coupled with the strangeness of Mana, it became an intriguing reason to investigate.
"Jo-hyun~ah, what was your first impression of that young man named Kim Ji-woo? He's your age, right? What do you think? Especially about Mana. Even though you're not a pure healer, you still have some sensitivity about Mana, don't you?"
Jo-hyun was surprised by Ji-soo's question. She didn't have much of an impression of Ji-woo and only thought of him as just a passing hunter. But, on second thought, Ji-woo might look like an ordinary hunter. Anyhow, the absence of Mana made the young man different from the others.
"I think…, he looks like a good young man. However, his carefree attitude makes him look like a person with no manners. He doesn't look like a strong hunter either. Anyway, he doesn't make us feel threatened at all.
"About his Mana, I also don't really understand. But, what was certain was, there wasn't the slightest Mana from him. That's what I feel."
"Is that true?"
Jo-hyun then replied by nodding her head repeatedly, sure of what she said.
What Jo-hyun said was clearly different from what Ji-soo felt yesterday. The aura that Ji-woo displayed was something that overwhelmed her.
Not threatening!? What a load of bulls**t!
Ji-soo could only shake her head. "In that case, is it possible that there is no Mana in Kim Ji-woo due to the use of Magic Manifestation?" She tried to connect Ji-woo with Ma Dong-seok.
Jo-hyun instead tilted her head at Ji-soo's question. "Ai, I don't think that's possible, Unnie." She replied. But, it was not long before she changed her mind. "Eh? But I'm not sure about that either. Maybe yes or maybe no. Unnie, you can ask senior Oh about this. He might know more about this."
Ji-soo was disheartened to hear that for a moment. But, upon hearing Dal-soo's name, she immediately opened her eyes wide. 'Right! Oh Dal-soo. I noticed that he always sticks with Chairman Yu and looks close to the young man named Kim Ji-woo. He must know something!'
Meanwhile, Dal-soo was in front of Ji-woo's house after visiting Elijah's food stall. He found no one was there and tried to make a call to Ji-woo. Fortunately, the call is connected.
"Oh! Hello, Ji-woo~si. Sorry to disturb your time. It looks like you're on vacation with your family. I hope this doesn't mess up your relaxing schedule."
…
Dal-soo became awkward and could only chuckle at the absence of a response from Ji-woo, even though the call did not get closed.
"Forgive my impoliteness…"
Before Dal-soo continued his speech, Ji-woo interrupted him mercilessly.
"Get to the point. Don't beat around the bush."
"Ji-woo~si, do you still remember our agreement regarding the tier-5 Portal Gate? You certainly haven't changed your mind, have you?"
"Why ask? Isn't it past time?"
"That's because the hunting operation will take place next week."
Ji-woo was silent for a moment then continued. "You're asking this because my name is not get included in the team that will enter the tier-5 Portal Gate, right? So, you want to know if I still want to or not."
Ji-woo believed he hit the mark hearing Dal-soo said nothing. He had expected this because Dal-soo was closer to the Hunters Association than the Demigod guild itself. That meant, when Dal-soo made a deal with him well in advance, it was only between the two of them without any formal written agreement.
Dal-soo certainly didn't want the Demigod guild to know about Ji-woo's capability. On the other side, he also wanted an additional strong hunter that could conquer the tier-5 Portal Gate. Thus, it was led him to the decision he made a long time ago with Ji-woo.
"You must think of me as just something that doesn't need to get disclosed even when we're in the dungeon later. But, since yesterday's show revealed what I can. You want to confirm the deal one more time so you can write my name on the team roster officially."
Dal-soo was speechless, hearing what Ji-woo said. He was greedy about it. Even when Ji-woo's strength had been seen in the eyes of many people. He still wanted to cover it up. Therefore, he insisted not to write down Ji-woo's name and not reveal his and Ji-woo's agreement to Gang-ho.
But, what was there to say!? The Demigod guild Headmaster had spoken, and he also wanted the safety of his guildmates. So, there was nothing to hide anymore.
"The deal will still happen. I will also make sure all the Spheres found by the team will get handed over to you."
"No need." Ji-woo stopped Dal-soo from speaking further. "Cancel the deal."
"But…!"
"No need to worry. Listen to me to the end.
"I'm still going on the hunt for that tier-5 Portal Gate, and I don't need the things in the deal. Instead, I want this as the exchange for my withdrawal from the guild.. That should be something you can handle easily."