Chapter 40: The Clue
On his way home, Sun Yuhan checked the time.
05:08.
A good amount of time had passed.
He scanned his surroundings.
"Hey, what's with all the police?"
"I heard a crack opened up nearby."
"A crack? Good lord, and I thought property prices couldn't get any worse."
Sleepy-looking residents were staring towards the residential complex.
A large number of police officers had cordoned off the area and were controlling the crowd.
At that moment, one of the officers looked in Sun Yuhan's direction.
"...Hmm?"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Ah... it's nothing. I just felt like someone was watching me."
Sun Yuhan's eyes gleamed as he watched the officer.
Sharp senses.
A police officer radiating a C-rank aura.
He seemed to have an unusually sensitive constitution for spiritual energy.
Maintaining his stealth technique, Sun Yuhan left the area.
A short time later, he was back inside his home.
"...It doesn't look like anyone broke in."
He glanced at the talismans attached all over the house, then rummaged through his storage bag and took out a new one.
Shhhhh—
"As long as they're not in the Foundation Establishment stage, there's no way they'll notice."
Attaching a higher-quality talisman made him feel much safer.
Sun Yuhan looked at his mother, who was sound asleep.
Thanks to the medicine he had given her, she hadn't woken up despite the commotion outside.
"I'm a little tired."
His spiritual power was fine, but his mental energy was completely drained.
He sat cross-legged beside her.
Woooooong—
The spiritual energy of the world gently swirled and seeped into his body.
About two hours later.
"Mm."
Sun Yuhan slowly opened his eyes and checked on his mother.
He placed a talisman on her forehead.
It seeped into her skin as if it were melting.
Now, if any harm came to her, Sun Yuhan would know immediately.
"Let's see... is this the number?"
After that, Sun Yuhan checked her phone.
He already knew the password, so unlocking it was no problem at all.
"[Supervisor Jin Mi-ok, born in '83]. This is it."
He dialed the number.
A moment later, a veteran woman's voice came over the phone.
[Kyeong-ae? What's up? We're going to see each other soon anyway....]
"Ah, yes. Hello. This isn't my mother; I'm her son."
[Her son? Ah, right, I remember Kyeong-ae has a child. So, what's up?]
"Well, it's about...."
Sun Yuhan informed the woman that his mother would be quitting her job.
She was flustered for a moment, then asked for the details.
Sun Yuhan calmly explained everything.
[I mean, isn't this a little inconsiderate? So suddenly....]
"I apologize for that. If this sudden resignation causes any damages, please contact me. I will compensate you."
With that, Sun Yuhan hung up.
Since he had offered to compensate them if they wanted, there was no downside for them.
"There's nothing money can't solve."
Feeling his heart much lighter, he left the house.
Sun Yuhan headed straight for the Hansung Guild.
Inside the moving taxi.
The news was playing on the car radio.
[This is a breaking news. An unidentified monster is reported to have appeared in southern Spain.]
[The monster has caused the deaths of 98 hunters, 521 soldiers, and 1,291 civilians. The number of seriously and lightly injured is....]
"Tsk, tsk, where is the world heading? To think a country could end up in such a state because they can't stop one monster...."
The taxi driver scowled, listening intently to the announcer's voice.
[Sob, sob... my mom disappeared right in front of my eyes....]
Listening to the child's interview, Sun Yuhan thought to himself.
I should visit Spain later, too.
A monster of that power would surely give a large amount of karma.
At any rate, the taxi continued on its way.
A short time later, it arrived in front of the guild building.
Whoosh, Sun Yuhan entered through the revolving door.
The employee at the desk saw him, and her eyes widened slightly.
Sun Yuhan asked:
"Is there a problem?"
"...The strategy manager is looking for you. You should go see him."
"Strategy manager? Ah, yes."
He had a rough idea of what it was about.
He got on the elevator.
Then, as the elevator doors were about to close.
"Wait, wait! Hold it!"
A voice called from a distance.
Sun Yuhan's eyes shifted.
A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties was approaching with a leisurely gait.
He's oozing with confidence, isn't he.
He let out a small sardonic smile and did nothing.
As the elevator doors were about to close completely, the man flicked his eyebrow and waved his hand.
Thud—
The doors stopped.
"Didn't you hear me say wait? Tsk, rookies these days have no fucking manners."
The man approached with a sly smile.
Sun Yuhan looked at him with a flat expression and said:
"I heard using special abilities outside of cracks is illegal."
The man's eyes went cold.
"...Don't talk down to me. And the guild premises are exempt from that law."
"Oh, really?"
"I said, don't talk down to—"
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Because as Sun Yuhan smiled brightly and stomped his foot, the man's telekinesis dissipated.
"What—!"
"You should have said so sooner."
Thump, the elevator doors closed.
"What a waste of time."
Sun Yuhan's voice drifted through the small gap.
"......"
The man stared blankly at the closed doors for a moment before quickly turning his head.
"Hup!"
"Ahem!"
The guild members who had been watching nearby quickly turned their faces.
The man, his face flushed red, glared at them before turning his gaze back.
"...Fifth floor."
Right after that, he stared at the emergency staircase.
Knock— Knock— Knock—
"It's Sun Yuhan."
"Come in."
He entered the room.
A middle-aged man with sharp features was standing there.
He could feel the aura of an A-rank hunter from the man.
The middle-aged man extended a hand covered in old scars.
"Thinking about it, this is the first time we've met. I'm Ahn Jin-soo, the strategy manager of Hansung Guild."
"I'm Sun Yuhan. I joined yesterday."
"I've heard a lot about you. Have a seat."
"Yes."
As soon as Sun Yuhan sat down, Ahn Jin-soo spoke.
"I heard you cleared the crack that appeared suddenly yesterday. And you did it alone. Is that true?"
"It is. Did you hear that from the Jinhwa Guild?"
The guild of the middle-aged man he had met at dawn was the Jinhwa Guild.
Ahn Jin-soo nodded.
"That's right. Why did you do something like that? Even if it was a C-rank crack, it would have been difficult for anyone less than a full-fledged A-rank."
Sun Yuhan didn't bother to hide the truth.
"My strength increased a little. I can now produce A-rank level firepower without much trouble."
Ahn Jin-soo's expression turned strange.
"...Weren't you at the peak of B-rank just yesterday?"
"That's right."
Ahn Jin-soo chuckled—heh heh—and stroked his chin.
"That's a funny joke."
"It's not a joke. I have proof."
"Proof?"
Sun Yuhan took out a random tooth from his storage bag.
He deliberately avoided taking out the stronger monster's tooth.
It was too dangerous for just an A-rank hunter, and besides, he wouldn't be able to sense the spiritual power anyway because of the wooden box and the restriction talisman.
The ordinary villains were also quite strong, so this should be enough proof.
Ahn Jin-soo's eyes gleamed.
A sub-space bag? Where did he get that? Those things aren't cheap.
However, his question quickly faded.
The energy emanating from the tooth was extraordinary.
"This is...?"
"It's a by-product from the villains I caught in the crack this morning. It was embedded in their bodies."
For the record, the lizard-like monsters had melted without a trace by his fireballs.
In other words, there were no suitable by-products to bring from them.
"Villains? Did you misspeak and mean to say monsters?"
"No. There were people inside the crack. Not hunters. I think they were the ones who opened the crack."
"Opened the crack...? What on earth does that mean?"
After that, Sun Yuhan explained the events of that morning in a calm tone.
Ahn Jin-soo was a little skeptical, but fortunately, he listened silently.
He asked a few questions here and there.
After some time had passed, Sun Yuhan's explanation finally ended.
"Hmmmm...."
Ahn Jin-soo tapped his armchair with his finger.
"Don't you believe me?"
"To be honest... yes. But your explanation is so detailed that it's also convincing. And the proof is right in front of my eyes."
That was perfectly understandable.
Sun Yuhan understood Ahn Jin-soo's position.
At that moment, Ahn Jin-soo pressed his temples and spoke.
"There were villains inside the crack? Plausible. Those villains opened the crack? There are all sorts of special abilities in the world, so that's also plausible. However...."
Ahn Jin-soo's eyes gleamed sharply as he looked at Sun Yuhan.
He released his A-rank aura without restraint.
"If the leader of those villains possessed power rivaling S-rank, how did you manage to come out of there alive?"
Ahn Jin-soo leaned forward.
"Surely you're not going to tell me you reached S-rank in one day? I trust that's not the case."
"That's right. I reached S-rank in one day."
A calm reply.
Ahn Jin-soo sneered and released his aura at full force.
He thought to himself:
Tsk, a madman has joined the guild. No matter how good his abilities are, a man like this must be fired immediately—
That thought was short-lived as Ahn Jin-soo's expression slowly changed.
No matter how much aura he released, Sun Yuhan maintained his calm demeanor.
In the end, Ahn Jin-soo found himself speaking:
"...You, are you completely unaffected right now?"
"Yes."
Even for someone at the peak of B-rank, how could he be so calm?
Don't tell me, everything he just said was true?
Ahn Jin-soo shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Sun Yuhan spoke with a slight smile.
"I can prove it anytime. I believe there's a training hall in the basement. Would you like to go take a look?"
As Ahn Jin-soo was about to reply, Sun Yuhan looked towards the door and spoke:
"And it seems we have a suitable sparring partner."
"A sparring partner?"
Ahn Jin-soo's head turned to follow his gaze.
Right after that, he let out a dry laugh as if he had realized something.
"Hah, I see. We'll do it that way. Follow me."
"Yes."
Ahn Jin-soo strode towards the door.
And opened it wide—
"Lee Gyu-hyeon. What are you doing in front of the door?"
The man who had picked a fight with Sun Yuhan downstairs was there.
The man, Lee Gyu-hyeon, said with a sly smile:
"Oh, department head. Is the interview over?"
"Haaah, what are you planning this time? I thought I told you to stop harassing new guild members."
"I'm not trying to harass him. If you're done talking, I'll take the new kid with me. I have something to say to him."
Ahn Jin-soo's expression twisted.
Ahn Jin-soo looked back.
Sun Yuhan was muttering words with a slight smile.
[I'll spar with him. Please act as the referee.]
Sun Yuhan's telepathic message pierced Ahn Jin-soo's mind.
What in the.......
It was a strange talent.
Ahn Jin-soo, flustered for a moment, gave a weak nod.
"Lee Gyu-hyeon."
"Yes?"
"What do you think about a spar with the new kid? I want to test his skills."
The corners of Lee Gyu-hyeon's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
"Haha, it's my duty as a senior. Shall we do this now?"
"...I'll be the referee. Let's go down to the underground training hall."
"Excellent!"
Lee Gyu-hyeon stretched his neck to the side—to look at Sun Yuhan.
He mouthed:
You're dead.
Sun Yuhan didn't even glance at him.
"Hah......!"
After that, the three men headed to the guild's basement.
Lee Gyu-hyeon announced the spar to every guild member he came across.
"Hey! Hyeon-seob! I'm sparring in the underground training hall, so come and watch."
"A spar, you say......? I have some work to take care of right now─"
"Does it look like I'm asking?"
"......I'll be there."
Watching the scene, Sun Yuhan let out a faint laugh—
He's just like Beom Jin-woo.
The outcome will likely be exactly the same.
A short time later, they arrived at the underground training hall.
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