He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 17
Inspection Bureau:

10th floor of the Korean Hunter Association building.

An ordinary hunter would rarely visit this place.

That’s because the Inspection Bureau of the Korean Hunter Association was located on the 10th floor.

This was the department that investigated reports of issues or incidents involving guilds or hunters.

As a result, the employees of the Inspection Bureau were either capable hunters or exceptionally talented individuals in other areas.

Currently, members of the Black Tiger Guild, along with Shi-hyun and Eunhye, were summoned here for questioning.

It was a case where two hunters had died, and it wasn’t a typical murder case.

As witnesses, they had no choice but to undergo questioning.

“Anything discussed here must not be disclosed outside.”

Contrary to the image of the Inspection Bureau, a man with a relaxed demeanor entered the interrogation room and said that first.

Shi-hyun was alone in the room.

It seemed the others were being questioned in separate rooms.

The man sat down across from her.

He placed a laptop in front of him, seemingly preparing to take notes.

“Are you Hunter Lee Shi-hyun? I heard you filled in for a guild member today for a raid.”

“Yes.”

“Your job is a correctional officer, right?”

“…That’s correct.”

Shi-hyun’s lips twisted slightly, as if uncomfortable.

She was worried that her side job might be revealed.

Initially, it would only result in a pay cut, but the thought of losing her accumulated performance evaluations and promotion plans was troubling.

Seeing Shi-hyun’s expression, the man smiled and spoke in an understanding tone.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m also a public servant, and I know how the pay is. There are even some people here who work part-time on weekends. I won’t report anything, so please just focus on the investigation.”

Of course, Shi-hyun knew that it couldn’t be the same. Even if the employees weren’t part of a guild, it was well known that specially hired talented hunters earned significantly more than regular guild members. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to gather such talent.

Still, it was a relief.

“Thank you.”

Shi-hyun’s expression relaxed again.

“Now, please tell me what you witnessed step by step.”

“Yes.”

Shi-hyun began to explain what had happened at the gate slowly.

Of course, she omitted details that she had learned through skills or Poahim’s help. She only talked about what she had seen with her own eyes.

The man listened intently, rapidly typing on the laptop.

Once Shi-hyun finished her account, the man spoke.

“I have a general idea of what happened.”

He had checked other people’s statements outside and found that there were no significant discrepancies.

It seemed everyone had witnessed similar scenes.

Still, the man asked a formal question.

“I have a few things to confirm.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure that the woman in the cat mask appeared inside the gate before the boss monster was defeated?”

“She directly defeated the boss of the gate, so there’s no way I could be mistaken.”

Shi-hyun answered firmly and then posed a question of her own.

“But is it even possible for someone to enter a closed gate? I’ve never heard of such a thing. At the time, I was too flustered to think much about it, but looking back, it seems absurd.”

“Hmm.”

The man made a slightly troubled expression.

After thinking about how to respond, he began to speak.

“I was going to explain this, but first, could you sign here and put your fingerprint?”

He took out a document from a folder on a shelf in the interrogation room and placed it in front of Shi-hyun.

“What is this?”

“Please read it.”

Shi-hyun turned her gaze to the document.

As she skimmed through it, she realized it was a confidentiality agreement.

It stated that she must not disclose any secrets to the outside and that doing so would result in severe consequences.

“Wow, I’ve never encountered something like this in my life. It’s a bit intimidating.”

“Haha? I’m not sure, but I think there are confidentiality obligations in prisons too, right? I believe you’re not supposed to talk about what happens inside.”

“I’ve heard that’s the case, but this feels like a different weight altogether.”

“Security is quite important in this line of work. You know about the occasional awakening terrorist incidents, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

Shi-hyun nodded.

Of course, she was aware.

We are no longer in an era where terrorism is carried out solely with bombs or firearms.

Just a few months ago, there was a major incident in France where an awakened individual murdered employees of a newspaper that mocked the prophet Muhammad. Over ten people died, and more than twenty were injured.

Most incidents were related to Islamic fundamentalism, which contributed to the negative perception of Islam in foreign countries.

Thus, the public perception of awakened individuals varied greatly between the West and the Middle East.

“But you see, the woman you hunters saw, the Nameless one, is not on that level.”

“Excuse me?”

“If she wanted to, she could easily blow up the Blue House or the National Assembly. The system of an entire country could collapse. Missiles can be tracked, but there’s a high possibility that such terrorism could go untraceable. Do you understand how dangerous this is?”

“Ah… yes.”

With that explanation, Shi-hyun realized anew just how dangerous an S-rank awakened individual could be.

There was a reason why most countries did not allow S-rank individuals to belong to guilds and instead managed them directly.

In short, they were treated like tactical nuclear weapons.

“Thus, the National Intelligence Service and the Hunter Association’s Information Bureau cooperate to closely monitor the movements of known S-rank awakened individuals entering the country. However, this nameless woman is not on the list. There hasn’t been a report of a female S-rank awakened individual entering the country for six months. If there were, we would have been notified immediately.”

“I see.”

It meant that there might be S-rank awakened individuals hidden in other countries.

It seemed that the information warfare surrounding S-rank awakened individuals between nations was fierce.

“But to think that woman is that level.”

Even though Shi-hyun knew she was the unspoken archmage Hyris, she hesitantly spoke up.

The man smiled bitterly and said, “Do you know how she entered the closed gate?”

“Do you know? But then why did you ask earlier if it was certain she entered the closed gate?”

“That was just a formality. There was a Hunter Association employee at the gate entrance, right? That employee was the first to witness her and report it. They said she just forcefully broke through the closed gate. Well, not forcefully, but with magic.”

“…What? Is that even possible?”

“I learned about it for the first time this time.”

Shi-hyun looked incredulous.

Is she even human?

Is she some kind of dragon or something?

“So, please keep this a secret. We’re already overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of this monster. Please remember that there will be significant consequences if you violate the agreement.”

As he said this, the man gestured with his hand across his throat.

It didn’t seem like a joke, and Shi-hyun couldn’t take it lightly.

<0x18> <0xCD> ◈

“Please educate your son properly.”

It was Lin Shue’s voice.

She had just finished showering, wrapped in a towel, holding a phone in one hand.

With her other hand, she took out a thin white menthol cigarette.

Huff.

She lit it and exhaled the smoke.

I have nothing to say. I clearly instructed you, yet I didn’t expect him to do something like that.

“Is it because he’s your only son that you’re being too soft? I almost killed him, but if you want to see him for a long time, you need to educate him properly.”

-…

“And I’m not doing what you mentioned earlier. I told you I came here for vacation, right?”

In China, there were very few people who could refuse orders from men like him.

But Lin Shue was one of those rare individuals.

“Killing Ryu Geon-woo… If there’s a diplomatic issue, just do what you usually do and initiate a boycott. It may sound petty, but that’s how great powers operate.”

Ryu Geon-woo was an S-rank awakened individual and also the president of the Korean Hunter Association.

– Hmm.

The man felt displeased but suppressed his feelings.

An ordinary S-rank would not have tolerated this level of disrespect.

But not all S-ranks were the same.

Even an 8-class magician is S-rank, but she was 9-class.

She was not someone who could be suppressed by power.

“I’ll have my son return immediately, so keep that in mind. I’ll be relaxing in the Maldives, so don’t try to contact me.”