I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

The phone that Iare showed me displayed a photograph.

In the picture was Iare, looking slightly younger than she did now, smiling shyly.

Standing next to her were people I had never seen before.

There were six people in total.

However, aside from Iare, I could tell at a glance that the others—smiling brightly—were quite different from her.

Unlike Iare, who was Asian, the others had distinctly Western features: blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

“This is my family in America. The tall man next to me is my father, and the woman smiling beside me is my mother. And… all three of the younger ones are my little brothers.”

“Ah…”

Hearing those words, I finally understood Iare’s past more clearly.

The reason why Sooyoung-noona and her sisters had only appeared two years ago.

The reason why Iare had a different last name from Sooyoung-noona.

Iare had been sent to the United States for adoption almost immediately after she was born.

“At the time, my parents had been married for five years without having any children. Because of that, they believed they couldn’t have children and adopted me. I never imagined they would have so many kids afterward, though…”

“I see. Still, looking at the photo, it seems like your younger siblings followed you well.”

Looking at the family members smiling brightly, clinging closely to Iare, I spoke in a cheerful voice.

At first glance, I would have expected some level of racial discrimination, considering Iare looked different from them as an Asian. But there was no sign of that in the picture.

If anything, it seemed like Iare, who looked a little awkward, was the one comforting them.

But then—

In response to my words, Iare’s smile grew a little heavier.

“Yes… that’s right. For me, they were a truly wonderful family. Even though they’re no longer in this world.”

At her words, a wave of regret washed over me. I realized I had unintentionally touched a painful memory.

“…I… I’m sorry…”

“No… it’s okay. There’s no need to apologize.”

Iare responded in her usual expressionless tone.

After retrieving her phone, she stared at the photo—at the family still captured there—as if unable to look away.

“It was an accident… just an accident. The Abyss, brought through a shipping container by mistake. My family was nearby… and they died without even having a chance to resist. Leaving me all alone.”

“… “

Her voice wavered slightly, and she paused, taking a moment to steady her emotions.

Watching her, I felt a sharp ache in my chest.

I understood.

Just like her, I had lost my parents in an accident when I was a child.

Even now, a part of that sorrow remained tucked away in a corner of my heart. And at this moment, I could grasp—if only a little—the depth of the pain she was feeling.

“Immediately after that incident… I was delirious for a while. By the time I finally came to my senses, I had already become a U.S. Army Hunter, aiming a gun at the Abyss invading the Middle East.”

With those words, Iare slipped her phone back into her pocket.

At that moment, I noticed how the sadness that had clouded her face shifted—turning into flames of hatred.

“To get revenge on the ones who took my family… At that time, that was all I had left. Sometimes, the screams and deaths I witnessed on the battlefield felt like prayers sent to my family. The thought of dragging the Abyss further into the depths of hell… that’s all that kept me going.”

“… “

Her words, spoken with a quiet intensity, burned with hatred.

And in that moment, I finally understood what lay behind her typically expressionless face.

It was hatred—hatred so fierce it burned until there would be nothing left but ashes.

The remnants of a woman who, consumed by vengeance, had been killing not only her enemies but slowly, piece by piece, herself on the battlefield.

However, after speaking those words, Iare gradually regained her composure. The flicker of rage in her eyes faded as she calmed the emotions that had briefly surfaced.

And within that regained calm, I noticed something.

A different emotion.

No sadness. No hate.

A faint but unmistakable glimmer of something else—something softer.

Then, with a voice gentler than before, she spoke.

“In the midst of all that… that person appeared in my life. By pure coincidence… through a picture sent by a colleague who had moved to Korea.”

As she said this, Iare gently lifted the pendant hanging around her neck.

The moment I saw what was inside it, I immediately recognized the people in the photo.

“Sooyoung-noona…”

“Yes, the sister I was separated from when I was young… the sister who shares the same blood as me. When I found out that someone like her still existed, I flew to Korea immediately, as if possessed. And when I met her… well, maybe you already know what happened next. Our older sister… she’s truly an amazing person.”

“…Yes, I know that. I really do.”

The only person who became my family after I lost my parents.

The one who became the only place of rest in my life—a life that had felt like a thorny path of hardship.

Sooyoung, that kind of sister, had lost her long-lost sibling.

And I could easily imagine how she must have reacted when she finally reunited with her younger sister, who had been suffering alone after losing her family.

“After meeting my sister and my lovely nephew, I had one goal: I have to live. I must live. My purpose became protecting the precious people I still have left.”

As Iare spoke those words, a flicker of determination appeared on her face.

Then, as if feeling a bit parched, she lifted her glass and drained it in one go.

She opened her mouth again.

From this point on, as if the tension had eased, she began to look slightly more intoxicated than before.

“But you know… everything was great up to that point. Really great. But then… my proud U.S. Hunter Guild refused to let me go to Korea. Said they were already full or something. Even when I begged them—begged—telling them my only family was there, they wouldn’t budge.”

Iare’s voice carried a clear note of frustration.

From the look on her face, it was obvious how bitterly disappointed she had been. After all the struggles she had faced, to be rejected by the very guild she had given everything to—it must have stung deeply.

“It turned out that way. In the end, I had no choice but to apply for military service. After that, as you know… I’ve been living as a Black Hunter like this—watching my sister and Ran from the sidelines. Seeing them doing well and living happily.”

“I see… it must not have been easy to share this. Thank you for telling me.”

“It’s okay. Like I said, it was a story that had to be told sooner or later.”

With those words, Iare gazed at the pendant in her hand, once again engraving the image of her precious family into her eyes.

Even though her eyes were slightly glazed from the alcohol, I could still sense a quiet determination radiating from her expression.

“And… even though bad things happened, I think this story still has a happy ending. In the end, I found my precious family again. And… you… c—”

—Thud!—

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, Iare collapsed, her head hitting the desk with a dull thump.

Startled by her abrupt fainting, I shot up from my seat.

But just as I was about to reach out, Kwonsoon raised her hand slightly, motioning for me to stop. She leaned over to check Iare’s condition and spoke calmly,

“It’s okay. She’s just drunk and asleep. No need to panic.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Honestly… neither of you can handle your drinks, yet you keep overdoing it…”

Kwonsoon clicked her tongue in mild exasperation as she looked at Iare, now fast asleep from the alcohol.

It was only then that I realized—Glass, who had been sitting beside me, had also slipped into a deep sleep at some point.

[TL Note: Apologies for the recent break. I’ve been busy and had to take a break. I’ll aim to post 1 or 2 chapters daily from now on. Feel free to share any feedback you have. Thanks for reading!]