* * *
The beads were hunting for a specific prey: items.
Like a hawk snatching a rabbit hidden in the brush of a vast wilderness, the beads discovered every single item—even those buried deep underground—and burrowed into them.
Skill: [Decline and Fall].
A mental-type skill, [Decline and Fall]was essentially a version of [Silent Night]specifically for items. Considering it could be used regardless of the time of day, it could even be considered a superior version.
An item possessed by a bead is controlled by that bead, much like a mantis controlled by a hairworm.
It cannot be used on living beings; it only works on items imbued with the power of the System.
Since even S-rank items fall within its range, it was truly the natural enemy of all artifacts.
With the security items failing to do their jobs, the doors opened easily.
The server room was as cold and chilling as the polar regions.
The cooling facilities were a product of scientific technology, so they were not stopped by [Decline and Fall].
However, the security items monitoring for intruders were all neutralized.
Transparent computers filling the entire wall of the server room whirred as they processed data rapidly.
The network computers, being special storage devices developed by Alpha N rather than System items, remained functional.
“The closer you get to the computers on the right side of the north wall, the more recent the records are. When a new Awakened person who hasn’t been recorded in Korean territory appears, a green dot is created.”
Inside the storage units of the transparent computers, dots floated instead of complex mechanical parts.
They were literally dots, but they were three-dimensional, and if you opened the case, you could touch them.
This meant they could also be destroyed.
“I never imagined it would look like this. It’s too easy to delete.”
“That is why it is one of the Ministry’s greatest secrets.”
“What are the blue ones? There are so many.”
“Twenty-four hours after a green dot appears, it turns blue. Unless something special happens, the color remains.”
“What counts as something special?”
“It turns white when entering a dungeon, black upon death, and red when leaving Korean territory.”
“Lee Yuje died outside of Korea, so what color is he? Dark red?”
She meant it as a joke, but Kang Yigeon seriously pointed to a dark red dot on the far right.
“This is likely Lee Yuje.”
When she touched the dot, a hologram popped up showing his profile—age, Rank, traits—along with a color-change history.
The profile was written by the Ministry, but the color history was detected by the network.
Special Note:Once ate an entire colony of poisonous mushrooms to get rid of them.
Whoever was in charge of this had recorded some truly useless information.
“It will soon be moved to the south server.”
The south server was filled with black or dark red dots.
“It’s like a dot cemetery. Why don’t they delete the dead dots?”
“They might eventually, but for now, there is plenty of space, so there is no immediate need.”
“I suppose… Where is yours, Mr. Kang Yigeon?”
“Mine is in the west server. Those with A-rank or higher, or those with rare traits like Mages and Covenanters, are gathered there.”
She wanted to look for Kang Yigeon’s dot in the west server, but they didn’t have time to dig through them one by one.
“If a dot is ever created for you, it will surely be moved to the west.”
“Probably. Someone like me is a person of interest among people of interest.”
Since the rejection of the timeline was weakening, a green dot might eventually appear. If so…
‘That’s a problem.’
If she succeeded in her suicide, Kang Yigeon would find out.
She didn’t want to hurt this man.
She had already hurt him so many times.
It seemed better if a dot never appeared, so Kang Yigeon would never know whether she was alive or dead.
She thought that, but then immediately corrected herself.
Not knowing would be painful in its own way.
‘Either way, it’ll be a wound for Kang Yigeon.’
Could there be a happy ending for everyone?
Seohwa smiled bitterly and released her Prana.
Using Skill [Stooge].
[Stooge]is usually designed with a plain appearance.
An actor used in a magic show must have a face that doesn’t stand out to the audience.
However, for this [Stooge], Seohwa gave him black hair and a fairly handsome face.
Now, he wouldn’t be called “plain.”
‘Plain.’
It was an expression she had never heard in her life, something she thought she’d hear even less than the sentence ‘Seohwa is a person of modest words, quiet actions, and deep thoughts.’
It had been a bit of a shock, so this time, his appearance would definitely not be judged as plain.
As soon as she created the new identity, a green dot popped up in the network.
Kang Yigeon opened the case, picked it up with his finger, and brought it out.
“Quick, rub it away.”
A deep furrow appeared between Kang Yigeon’s brows.
He couldn’t move his finger, looking as if he were holding a pitiable, tiny insect.
“It’s trembling…”
Seohwa burst out laughing.
Ah, cute.
It’s not even alive, what does he mean “trembling”?
Seohwa reached out and crushed the dot with her own fingertip.
Kang Yigeon flinched and looked up.
“What are you looking at?”
“……It was your dot.”
“Good grief. Stop being so cute and let’s go.”
“Use the skill one more time. We need to confirm that a dot does not regenerate.”
He was a thorough man, even in his moments of being “hurt.”
“Do dots reappear even after being deleted?”
“They are resurrected if you leave the network range and enter it again.”
“So if I go on a trip abroad and come back, it’ll be created again.”
“Yes. Normally they are never deleted unless it is a special case, but Ministry agents used to call it another form of health insurance premium.”
Haha! Seohwa laughed.
The way he delivered jokes with such a serious face was adorable.
Seohwa deactivated the skill and then reactivated it.
After confirming that the dot did not reappear, she deactivated it immediately to save Prana.
The two closed the case to restore it to its original state and left the server room.
There was one last thing to do before leaving the Hunter Headquarters entirely.
Seohwa released the [Silent Night]applied to the agents, and Kang Yigeon clenched his hand.
The black beads that had seeped into every item near the server room were pulled out.
The items began functioning again the moment the beads left, as if they had never stopped. It was a perfect crime.
After climbing over the wall of the headquarters, Seohwa took off her mask and spoke.
“Our chemistry is too good. Want to be a thief couple when we retire from being hunters?”
“I would like that.”
“No… you’re supposed to say we can’t do that.”
“It is difficult for me to say no for the time being, as I have lost my reason to the love I’ve reunited with after three years.”
Seohwa felt embarrassed yet slightly taken aback.
“When did you get so cheesy? I thought you were always a rational and precise person.”
“Did I not tell you? I have lost my reason to love.”
He was like a bulldozer.
Just as Seohwa was struggling to find a comeback, she sensed a presence in the darkness.
It was a familiar energy.
Kang Yigeon immediately hid Seohwa, who was wearing a hat and mask, behind his back.
“Oh. If it isn’t Vice Guild Leader Kang Yigeon. What a huge coincidence to see you here.”
Under the moonlight, a foreigner with curly gray hair and blue eyes appeared.
Even with just the hair, he was a famous figure that anyone would recognize, yet he was absurdly wearing a black mask.
“Hunter Wolf.”
Kang Yigeon greeted him coldly without even a nod, and Wolf lowered his mask with a smirk.
“I’m very glad to see you again after we parted at the Market, but the Vice Guild Leader only blows cold wind. You are truly a heartless man.”
“What business brings you here at this hour?”
“What about the Vice Guild Leader? Who are you enjoying a midnight tryst with? The front of the Hunter Headquarters isn’t exactly a charming date spot.”
Wolf craned his neck to see who was standing behind Kang Yigeon.
Seohwa stuck close to Kang Yigeon’s back, and Kang Yigeon made his already door-sized frame look even larger.
“I asked what business brought you here.”
“I, of course, came to delete my dot. I went through the trouble of getting rid of it, but because I went to the Market… Anyway, who is the person behind you?”
Seohwa pulled the brim of her hat down low.
Fortunately, she had tied all of her shoulder-length white hair and hidden it inside the hat.
During her “Hate” days, she had stuck to a half-up style.
Hairstyles have a significant impact on one’s image, so if it were slightly different, it would be difficult to assume she was Seohwa.
“Your protection is excessive. I’m getting more and more interested. You’ve never cared about anyone but Hunter Seohwa, so this surely isn’t a date—so who exactly is it?”
“Go tend to your business.”
“I can’t leave like this.”
Wolf smirked and lowered his arms. It was a combat stance.
“The way you’re hiding them means it’s a face I know. I have to check.”
‘Is this crazy guy trying to have a duel in front of the Headquarters?’
Seohwa tugged on Kang Yigeon’s clothes.
She meant for them to just leave first.
But Kang Yigeon didn’t budge; instead…
Fwoosh!
He used a skill without hesitation.
A ring made of blue flames surrounded Wolf.
* * *
