Chapter 161. Spectrum
Incheon Jung-gu International Airport.
Is there some kind of event going on? From early morning, people are lined up in an endless queue.
Click, click, click.
Soon, countless shutter sounds are heard.
Emerging beyond the overwhelming noise is none other than a blond foreign woman.
The perfect figure surrounded by sparkling lights looks like a scene from a red carpet at an awards ceremony.
As Earthlings are suddenly faced with the threat of monsters from another realm, they tend to show great interest in hunters, the only countermeasure against them.
Especially if the opponent is someone deemed to be close to the world’s best, the level of interest borders on idolization.
“Wow, I’ve traveled to many countries, but I’ve never received such a warm welcome!”
Waaaah!
The blond woman, wearing sunglasses, smiles as she surveys the crowd in front of her.
However, her smile sharply contrasts with the cynical atmosphere surrounding other S-Class hunters.
She possesses a warm gaze and impressive abilities to be worthy of the grand nickname ‘Angel.’
“Hello!”
The blond hunter loudly addressed the gathering at the airport.
“Thank you for welcoming me! I love you!”
As the hunter beams, onlookers of all ages return her smile.
At that moment, a media outlet that had received prior consent for an interview approached, handing her a microphone.
“What’s the reason for your sudden visit to Korea as a representative of your country?”
The foreign Awakened adjusted the translator in her ear and replied loudly.
“I’m here for tourism!”
With a bright expression and a light tone.
“I really love Korean bibimbap and bulgogi!”
Who would have thought that a national hero and the only S-Class healer in this world would set foot in Korea for such reasons?
Thus, Brooklyn Morgan completed her whirlwind morning interview.
The soft impression of the celebrity graced the front page of a prominent newspaper.
*
“Ms. Morgan, this hotel has bibimbap on the room service menu. Should I order it for lunch?”
Thud.
Upon arriving at her accommodation, Brooklyn carelessly tossed her suitcase aside.
Since she’d rented the entire five-star hotel for security, she could finally remove her social mask here.
“Well, I’m not sure. Actually, I haven’t tried much Korean food, so I’m not sure if I’ll like it. Is there something like bread?”
“Let’s see. Beef cheeseburger, chili chicken fries, eggplant sandwich…”
“I’ll go with the sandwich.”
Contrary to her explanation to the reporters, Brooklyn was actually here to handle an important matter.
In the meantime, her guild, [Spectrum], had issued a new directive.
“Well, now that my friends have all arrived, let’s get started.”
Brooklyn turned with a calmer smile to her nearby agents.
“Bring me Korea’s fourth S-Class.”
.
.
.
And there was one thing that had not been revealed until now.
[1.4.43 Changes]
●Improved Emotional Expression Ability
I’m not sure if I should call this good news or bad news.
Perhaps due to the process of recovering a massive amount of memories from my past life, my senses have returned. Suddenly, I seemed to remember how to make facial expressions.
Smile when happy.
Cry when sad.
Kim Gi-ryeo can now involuntarily express his emotions based on his feelings.
Recently, when dining with Jeong Ha-seong, he had displayed quite natural expressions because of this.
“Um……”
However, the drawback is that if this ability is turned on, feelings like embarrassment are clearly readable.
So, just in case, Gi-ryeo had been keeping his facial muscles fixed in a neutral expression.
Today, he felt that such a choice was indeed the right one. If he hadn’t prepared, he might have revealed a silly expression by now.
“Just a moment…”
After a few seconds of silence, he removed his hand from his nose and asked the agent in front of him.
“I think I heard something wrong. Could you please repeat what you just said?”
The suited Earthling answered immediately.
“I’ve come to make a good offer for Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo. Representing the United States.”
Why would the name of this superpower suddenly pop up in this peaceful daily life?
The person in front of him had introduced himself as someone from the United States Gate Management Agency.
Since they had found him so accurately while he was wandering around a deserted street, it was clear he possessed a skill similar to Seonwoo-yeon’s.
Plus, combined with tracking magic to make such an offer.
To be honest, he had only recently arrived on Earth and wanted to avoid contact with foreigners as much as possible…
“I haven’t even properly adjusted to Korean culture yet.”
As Gi-ryeo remained silent, the person more politely requested a favor.
It was fine if it wasn’t right now. He could contact them whenever he felt comfortable.
But if he agreed, they would pay a price that matched the precious time of an S-Class hunter.
This meant that simply conversing with him would offer some perks.
Looking at his tone, it didn’t seem like he had come for anything bad, so he thought it might be fine to listen for a moment.
He was merely curious, like a scholar.
“Okay. I’ll hear what your proposal is.”
“Thank you! Then shall we move for a bit?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a bit lengthy, so we’ve prepared a place for you.”
Of course, there was a possibility this foreigner was a scammer impersonating a U.S. agency. So he decided to take minimal safety measures.
“Let’s go.”
Gi-ryeo took out his mobile phone and sent a text to someone before getting into their vehicle.
*
…However, seeing the types of people waiting, it seems they weren’t here to scam him after all.
“Welcome!”
A little later, upon arriving at a hotel in Seoul, Gi-ryeo instinctively stiffened in a suite room.
Overflowing magic that easily filled the large suite.
Wasn’t this the mage he had met at the founding party?
“An S-Class hunter from America?”
Brooklyn Morgan.
Gi-ryeo was surprised to see the Awakened’s face that was suddenly thrust into view, while the opponent greeted him with a bright smile, as if meeting a dear friend.
“Sorry for the late introduction! I’m actually a hunter from the guild called ‘Spectrum’… Well, to put it simply, I belong to the top cooperative organization of the government.”
She held out her hand in a cordial handshake, just as she had during their previous encounter.
“Good to see you again, Kim.”
While he was grateful for the warm welcome, he couldn’t fathom why such an illustrious S-Class hunter was in a place like this.
“By the way, I came to Korea solely for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“If a famous hunter from the United States comes personally to make a polite offer, it surely conveys a bit of our intentions towards you.”
Ah, now he understood. Brooklyn was here in the negotiation seat, wanting to express that they had put thought into their treatment…
Wait, what did she just say?
“Offer?”
Gi-ryeo’s eyes widened slightly at the words flowing from the translator.
“Yes. An offer. But the conditions we’re presenting are something you won’t have heard anywhere else,” she replied, her tone shifting.
“…!”
“Honestly, at our level, money is no longer an issue. It’s only natural to know that I wouldn’t be swayed by such a trivial payment. After all, I’m also an S-Class.”
What she didn’t realize was that someone, unbeknownst to her, happened to be someone who could be swayed quite well by money.
“There are quite a few S-Class hunters in this world. No matter how small the country they come from, typically, they don’t want to leave their cozy hometown where they grew up.”
While Gi-ryeo remained silent, hiding his inner thoughts, Brooklyn walked over to the desk in the room and continued the conversation.
“But if we offer ‘something like this,’ people tend to change their minds.”
Now that he noticed, there was a box sitting in the center of the room.
Like Baron Hwa-won’s barrier, the cube radiated a green light from each side.
“We, the Evolvers, always harbor a desire for higher places and greater strength.”
Soon, Brooklyn moved the glowing box to stand in front of Gi-ryeo, whose eyes locked onto the contents clearly visible through the transparent globe inside.
It pulsed rhythmically with a red substance that resembled a living creature’s heart.
“Perfect. Kim, since you have skills in the analytical channel, you can probably figure this out without an appraiser, right?”
Inside that box was a substance that beautifully resembled a dragon’s heart.
Yes. This was the only Epic-rated item among the dragon’s organs.
【Dragon’s Heart】
Gi-ryeo was finally witnessing the original dragon organ at this moment. He was stunned, standing still as he gazed at the Sorcery Tool of Earth.
“In this country, a holder of the Dragon’s Heart exists, so you probably know already—”
Brooklyn’s low voice followed.
“This is an item that can fundamentally change the rank that Awakened possess by nature.”
Gi-ryeo’s gaze remained fixed on the object within the box.
“The amount of magic power will explode, new skills will be learned, and even the weakest person will have skin as tough as diamond when using the [Dragon’s Heart].”
“……!”
“If you could just gulp this down, wouldn’t that be the very definition of magic?”
Indeed, as Brooklyn said, the object contained in the box resembled a fairy tale’s magic.
Most equipment that boosts magic power only temporarily increases skill effectiveness at the moment of wear.
But the [Dragon’s Heart] actually changed the mana within the Awakened’s body.
And to what extent, you might wonder?
In the past, a hunter named Choi Jin, who was regarded as a B-Class, rose to the top of A-Class due to this item.
Anyone who truly understands the gap between A-Class and B-Class would recognize how shocking this incident was.
The [Dragon’s Heart] was an incredibly valuable Sorcery Tool that couldn’t even be compared to a Sealed Magic Book.
It put a person right on the edge of becoming a half-dragon, smashing through the seemingly unbreakable limitations of birth.
So, you would wonder how many wanted this.
“This robust heart will certainly aid frail hunters, but for someone like us, it would create even more dramatic results—gaining a small lead over similar S-Class hunters.”
With that, Brooklyn hugged the box containing the Dragon’s Heart closer to her.
“So, I too desperately want to gulp this down… but there’s nothing I can do. I promised to reserve it for my future companion from the moment I obtained it.”
Not just any lizard’s lung, but a Sorcery Tool that you couldn’t possibly acquire even with state budget-level funds.
If such treasure was suddenly present in Korea, it could only mean one thing.
Gi-ryeo anticipated the proposal before Brooklyn could continue.
“Ms. Morgan, if you would be willing to let me become a citizen of the United States, I will gladly hand over this item to you.”
Brooklyn had received an order to recruit the blond man, bearing the long flight to do so.
Since the United States had kept an eye on the possibility of scouting Kim Gi-ryeo from the moment he emerged as a hunter.
The eradication of the ‘Unavoidable Malice’ and the defeat of the Siren—these unique accomplishments.
Plus, being a freelancer with no ties to any Korean agency was something that any nation would drool over.
“Could this hunter truly be of the same S-Class as me?”
Though Brooklyn remained suspicious of her opponent.
Now the situation had changed.
A heroic tale of having overwhelmed the Demirich would be enough to make it worth recruiting him regardless of rank.
Of course, after confirming the effects of the [Dragon’s Heart], there had been instances of murder among top hunters over ownership.
Furthermore, this wondrous item had been chosen with Gi-ryeo’s most desperate desires in mind.
“So, what do you think? All it takes is a small change of letters on your passport. Then this item will be yours.”
She confidently tempted him, presenting the Sorcery Tool.
“Someone like you would surely benefit more from operating in the United States…”
However, before Brooklyn could finish, the oriental hunter abruptly answered.
The curious glint in his eyes was gone, now replaced with a solid mask of expression.
“Thank you for your offer, but no thanks. I’ll decline.”
Brooklyn was left completely stunned as Gi-ryeo made his decision in just three seconds. It was unsurprising, yet still shocking.
“Excuse me?”
She had anticipated he might refuse her out of fear of being exposed as a scam, but…
This was far quicker than she had predicted.
‘Three seconds?’
Gi-ryeo glanced at the offered heart as if it were just scrap lying on the sidewalk.
