Breaking news. Around 7:00 this morning, a Burst Gate appeared near Yeouinaru Station in Seoul. This is reporter Lee Seyoon.

Exit 2 of Yeouinaru Station is strictly controlled by the police. At 7:13 AM, a report from a citizen—.

The voice of the anchor on the TV abruptly cut off.

With a flick of the remote, Siwoo turned off the TV and roughly dried his wet hair with a towel. The dark blue strands that looked black in dim light were dripping water under the fluorescent light.

“……Sigh.”

Siwoo, who let out a short sigh, casually touched his cell phone, and the latest received message popped up on the screen.

A Burst Gate appeared in Yeouido this morning. The expected difficulty level is Aclass.

Highdifficulty gates of Aclass or above were much more fiercely auctioned than other lowlevel gates. Naturally, one could expect valuable resources, hence the high price.

Legions or wealthy guilds like wolves would often pay enormous amounts of money, completing the auction in less than an hour.

But if such big players didn’t participate, the auction could last up to five days.

So, would the gate be left unattended during that time?

No. The Association would send agents in the following cases:

If the auction is not decided within 2 hours after the appearance of the gate.

If a report comes in that a civilian has been swept into the gate.

It was exactly the case today.

Brrrr—

The cell phone vibrated. A new message sparkled up on the dark screen. Siwoo seemed to be waiting, and he immediately checked the message.

If there is a shortage of agents, the Association may request a special deployment of a few hunters from the general guilds, according to special law.

Especially in the case of a highdifficulty gate like this, it was common to request special deployment from largescale guilds like wolves.

However—.

‘Why senior?’

Siwoo, who had put down the wet towel, plumped down on the bed and sat motionless for a while.

The Princess of Black Flame was Fclass. She was even a concept hunter. The Association knew that, so why did they specifically request her for deployment? Siwoo couldn’t understand.

‘What’s the trick?’

Siwoo, furrowing his brow, propped up his chin. A cold droplet fell from his stilldamp hair with a plunk.

‘It can’t be the Legion playing tricks, can it?’

At the request for the Princess of Black Flame’s deployment, Jehwi seemed to doubt them first.

But Siwoo’s thoughts were different.

The Legion, the Tricksters’ side, had not yet recovered the gate core taken by Eunha.

Judging by their character, they would have either considered the gate core lost or taken revenge themselves. They would not have chosen a troublesome method like causing trouble through the Association.

‘Then…….’

Blue eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, a blonde man flitted through his mind. As he recalled that leisurely smile, his neat eyebrows twitched.

──No, that can’t be.

Siwoo shook his head.

Even though he’s a firstgeneration hunter in Korea, he’s now a hunter affiliated with the United States. He can’t possibly influence the Korean Hunter Association.

He sat on the bed, lost in thought for several seconds.

Biting his lower lip, Siwoo quickly grabbed the upsidedown cell phone.

“Yes, sir.”

The call connection sound ceased, and Jehwi’s voice came through from the other end.

“The senior?”

“She’s waiting in the car. What’s the matter?”

“If someone seems to approach senior, report to me immediately.”

A droplet of water that had been clinging to his wet hair slid down his sharp jawline.

Siwoo slowly lifted his blue eyes. As if holding something inside, a faint and sharp gleam flickered in his terribly sunken eyes.

“……I need to know.”

That was a warning.
Perhaps even Siwoo himself didn’t know of something else.

(This is a time delimiter.)

‘He must be feeling bad again.’

Jehwi let out a short sigh as he stared at the disconnected mobile phone.

He had been with Siwoo since before Silvermoon was founded. Although he had upgraded from a nanny to an executive assistant, he still couldn’t escape the desperate situation of a shrimp’s back bursting.

He thought he had become accustomed to Siwoo, who sometimes fell into a mood as gloomy as a mud puddle.

‘Lately, he’s become more sensitive.’

At times like this, it was beneficial for both to strictly carry out only the work commanded in silence like a dead mouse.

After hanging up the phone, Jehwi returned to the parking place, where he saw Eunha in a black dress. Whether she had already gotten out of the car while waiting, or was leaning diagonally against the car, holding her umbrella open.

“Is the call over?”

“Yes. Thank you for waiting. The umbrella is black, so it will be good for blocking the sunlight.”