The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood - Chapter 20

“You have advanced appraisal skills but aren’t affiliated with anyone?”

Esther jumped up from her seat.

“No, you should have said that earlier!”

“Yes?”

“Come to the Magic Tower. I will hire you right here! Then, what is the gate entrance? I will give you that gate!”

What kind of windfall is it?

As soon as that S-Class hunter heard that I wasn’t affiliated, she went crazy.

As I was dumbfounded at the sight, Ahn Yoonsseung quietly whispered to me.

“Large guilds have a huge distribution of magic stones and equipment. They try to steal people with analysis skills from each other.”

Ah, that’s right.

These primitive people couldn’t even check the purity of magic stones with their own eyes.

‘If you don’t want to get scammed when trading magic stones, you’ll need to bring an appraiser with you…’

There are many places where appraisal is needed, but there are only a few awakened people of that type. There is a natural manpower shortage.

“The down payment is 500 million won!”

But I didn’t expect her to turn a blind eye and rush at me like this.

“What did you just say?”

5… 500 million won?

Did I hear something wrong?

“Why? Is it too little? These Neo Sisters xx say they give 700 million won? They even took Ahn Yoonseung, so why are they always giving xx to the hunters I have chosen!”

“Representative, please calm down!”

While the secretary of the Korea Magic Tower was trying to stop Esther, I reflected on the amount offered.

500 million won.

How many bowls of soup is this!

‘If I work here, will I get paid 500 million won?’

My salivary glands are in trouble this time.

Slurp. I took a deep breath and checked Esther’s suggestion once again.

“Do you want to hire me as an appraiser? For 500 million won?”

“Of course!”

All I have to do is classify items at my desk, and I can sit on wealth.

Then there is no need to do the difficult and tough work of being a hunter.

“Furthermore, since we at Korea Magic Tower already employ many excellent appraisers, the workload for Kiryeo-ssi is not high.”

‘Oh oh!’

I only needed to take one more step before I gave in to the temptation of the money in front of me.

However…

“The analysis department aims for a flexible work system of working 4 days a week!”

Going… to work?

“Ah, but sometimes there are important gate raids on weekends, so just for a little while…”

Going to work.

My eyes began to spin as soon as I heard the two-letter word, and every bone in my body hurt with pain.

Ugh, my head…

“Hyung?”

I suddenly lowered my head and touched my forehead, and Ahn Yoonseung gave me a worried look. But I couldn’t move until this nausea subsided.

‘Heuk, going to work…!’

It’s a severe flashback.

The word ‘going to work’ became a trigger, and I ended up thinking about the past when I was abused at my previous job.

Going to work, working overtime, and greeting my boss in the morning. The reality of civil petitioners…

‘I don’t want to go to work!’

At this point, I would like to point out that I was reincarnated solely for the sake of retirement.

But are you telling me to sign the contract on my own and go back to work at the company?

Now, whenever I hear work-related words, I get chills all over my body.

Because of this traumatic experience, I naturally changed my decisions on everything.

‘Y, y, yeah. Wouldn’t it be too early for me to decide to join a company on Earth? I haven’t gotten used to this planet yet, and I’m sure they’ll find out I’m an alien.’

Ah, right! I also have an important mission to regain my magic.

If I live among humans, I will run out of time for personal research.

There’s even more reason not to join the company!

As soon as I made up my mind, I took my hand off my eyes and raised my head.

“Kim Kiryeo-ssi! How about incentives like this? Not bad, right?”

When I looked up, the first thing I saw was a contract with an enormous price.

“I’m sorry.”

I turned down the offer ruthlessly.

“How much do you want?”

“Money isn’t the issue. I have no intention of joining a guild.”

Perhaps because it was shortly after experiencing a flashback, the words came out somewhat sharp.

Esther watched my reaction and closed the contract with a look of disappointment on her face.

“If that’s what you think, the awakened-nim…”

With this, the scouting case was over.

But we still have topics to discuss.

“But are you sure you don’t mind? To abandon this offer means you’ll end up paying the gate entrance fee.”

Esther’s expression suddenly turned cold.

“I don’t know if an individual like you can afford such a large consultation fee!”

Hmph.

The representative of the Magic Tower crossed her arms and began to look unhappy.

Judging from her playful tone, I don’t think she’s truly angry.

There is nothing good about offending an S-Class hunter, and especially a curse magician.

“I’d like to negotiate with you.”

I quickly got to the point of the story.

“I know amazing material.”

Everyone in the room’s eyes shifted when I said these words.

“If you mix this with metal or concrete to create a mixture, the exterior walls of the constructed building will be somewhat resistant to the skill.”

“….!”

“It means that even if a monster attacks, the building doesn’t collapse and stands up. It absorbs mana.”

I said this and glanced out the window.

A panoramic view unique to high-rise buildings. Ordinary people will probably only see that blue sky, but…

“Isn’t it a waste to put the barrier all over the tower like this?”

I immediately figured out the spell that hung on the magic tower and tried my luck.

Then Esther lowered her posture as if she were interested.

“Well, if we had that item you mentioned, this waste should be reduced.”

Did he say that Esther hates unnecessary negotiations and procrastination? So, I decided to reveal the terms of the transaction honestly.

“Then take as much as you want.”

“What?”

“I am the only one who knows the location of that item, but now I want to share it with Esther-ssi.”

“….”

“I don’t know how much it costs to maintain the barrier, but I hope this is enough for the gate entrance fee.”

Esther gaped at these words and slammed one hand on the table.

No way, does she hate the terms of the deal?

“If that’s the case, I’d rather beg you to make a deal. Assuming what you say is true.”

I suspect it’s too good negotiation material.

Without delay, I took out the small zipper bag I had prepared in my jacket pocket.

“Ah! That was last time…!”

Only now did Ahn Yoonseung react.

This is because it is material that he has seen once before.

‘Absorbent.’

A new material sleeping at the bottom of an F-Class gate that no one pays any attention to.

This was my negotiation card.

‘Although it is the only trick.’

I can’t believe I’m letting the Earthling know about the existence of this precious soil.

Some people might think it’s a waste. It is an inevitable choice.

‘This is an item that has value only in a society where magic civilization has developed to some extent.’

In fact, there wasn’t much that could be done with a pure absorbent.

In order for this dirt scrap to be worth its price, at least a refinery that specializes in absorbents is needed.

Moreover, people here often go in and out of the gate…

Wouldn’t the raw materials have naturally been discovered over time anyway?

So I decided to just disclose it when needed, before the value of the information becomes trash.

“Does this soil really have that kind of effect? No, more than that, you’re using this much bigger information to get into that gate?”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps you plan to disclose the information to other places as soon as you complete the transaction with us…”

“Why would I? Then, should I promise to keep it a secret?”

“If you do this, you’ll lose too much.”

She used to pretend that it was expensive, but now she’s telling the truth when she says that it’s just that kind of gate.

“That’s enough change.”

The deal has reached its final stages. I didn’t forget to drive a wedge, either.

“It’s about helping others with the same rare attributes.”

And for the reason I’m giving to Esther like this, there was some kind of reason.

A few minutes after that.

By the time we successfully concluded our negotiations.

Knock knock. A neat knock was heard.

“Ah! You’re finally here. I thought I was dying of thirst.”

This knock was the sound of a staff member bringing a drink.

Esther said with a smile that she was satisfied with my present.

“Everyone, please drink this and leave. This coffee is only served to precious guests, and I spent some money at the auction to buy this collection.”

“Wow, it smells really good.”

“Yoonseung-ssi, you know it!”

I guess I got the gate entrance ticket safely. I tried to enjoy the drink she gave me.

‘She says it’s the earth’s most precious drink, so I can’t not drink it again.’

But the smell of this black water stimulated my second trauma.

‘Hmm?’

The unique, rich, and strong smell of coffee.

I’ve smelled it a lot somewhere…

‘Ah.’

Damn it! This smells the same as the industrial adhesive commonly used at Alphauri.

‘Heuk!’

I spat out my coffee in shock as soon as I took a sip.

‘How dare you give me something like this?’

And because of the dirty taste, I got angry and looked back at Esther, who offered me coffee, reflectively…

‘Heuk!’

Is it a coincidence?

At that moment, Esther and I made eye contact.

With that shocked look on her face, I felt like I had been caught spitting coffee at her.

‘I am not an alien. I’m not an alien. I am not an alien.’

I sip my coffee again in a hurry.

My entire esophagus and mouth were covered in a disgusting scent, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

“Do you perhaps not like coffee?”

“No.”

Anyway, I don’t have any business in the Magic Tower anymore, so I’ll have to go outside quickly and vomit.

“It’s delicious. Thank you.”

Thinking like that, I barely finished the last sip of coffee and said goodbye to Esther.

***

All the guests have left.

When the warmth of people disappears, this spacious representative office sometimes feels even more empty.

Esther, who was left alone, sat at her desk and drank her second cup of coffee.

But her expression wasn’t bright at all.

“Is something bad happening?”

The Magic Tower’s assistant looked at her boss’s face and asked a short question.

The guild leader then began to answer with suppressed laughter.

“It’s not that something bad happened, but I played a prank on those guests earlier…”

The secretary who heard this was startled and raised her voice.

“Did you curse the visitor again? Ah, boss! You say you won’t do that anymore?”

In fact, Esther had a nasty hobby.

When she met new hunters, she liked using her skills on them and watching them get into trouble.

Of course, it’s a curse. Although it had only small effects, such as pounding their toe on the edge of the furniture.

“So what? It’s fun.”

Esther couldn’t quit this bad hobby for a long time.

“What was the curse this time?”

“Sneeze for 30 seconds!”

“Phew, it’s insignificant.”

At this time, the secretary suddenly felt a sense of incompatibility.

“Huh? But they never sneezed.”

Esther was silent for a moment.

Yeah, actually.

This S-Class hunter, a while ago. While the guests were drinking coffee, she quietly activated her skill.

The subject of the application is Kim Kiryeo.

She wonders how those scary eyes will frown when they sneeze. So she targeted him first.

But everyone knows the consequences of this curse.

“That’s right. He didn’t sneeze.”

Failed.

This was not a simple failure. Seo Esther is the only one among the curse attribute hunters to have received an S-Class.

Has she ever missed her curse until now?

Never.

Even the unmovable No. 1 ranking. Even S-Class hunter Jung Haseong fell because of this curse.

“The guild leader didn’t make a mistake…?”

The secretary, who understood the situation, began to harden her expression.

However, Esther’s answer was cold.

“No at all. Just in case, I increased the intensity and cursed again, but the reaction was terrible.”

Seo Esther recalled the situation from earlier.

As soon as she thought Kim Kiryeo wouldn’t notice, she quietly used her unique skill.

The man who normally should have coughed helplessly.

However, he remained motionless for a while, then suddenly turned his head and looked at her.

“….”

Esther still can’t forget about it.

The face of the man, with his eyes wide open like a poisonous snake, was silently staring at her.

“I got caught. He obviously knew from the beginning.”

However, Kim Kiryeo remained silent in the end.

He calmly praised the taste of the coffee, as if he could get away with such a ridiculous prank.

Does Kim Kiryeo know? For Esther, the calm atmosphere was what scared her the most.

“He is an awakened person who ignores my curse, which I also used on my fellow S-Class people.”

A new fact has been revealed here.

Kim Kiryeo’s way of moving his body was different from that of ordinary people.

A condition in which the brain is not the focal point, but an alien soul uses magic to control the body.

Kim Kiryeo’s body is always controlled by delicate and powerful magic.

Unless they are better at magic than this alien, it is impossible for them to take control.

Therefore.

“Huh, where on earth did this monster come out?”

Kim Kiryeo had absolute immunity to abnormal conditions such as sleep, fainting, paralysis, and curses.

Like white blood cells in the human body.

Even minor spells have been nullified without even realizing it.