“…When you become a hunter, more people will come into your view.”

Rud, who pushed aside concerns about potential problems, looked out of the car window.

“Anyway, unless he really achieves something like being the 3rd in the domestic rankings, there won’t be any troublesome matters!”

“Haha, that’s right! Becoming 3rd in the rankings is not an easy task.”

“Yeah, right. A high schooler who hasn’t undergone any training won’t become the 3rd in the rankings.”

Unaware of the events to come, they left, happily laughing and enjoying their break, each driving towards their own homes.

And the next day, Minjaeyoon confidently secured his place as the 3rd-ranked S-rank hunter in South Korea.

And after the honey-like break ended.

“Mr. Rud! You know I’m ranked 3rd now!! Now, there’s really no one stronger than you, Mr. Rud!! Kyaa!”

Minjaeyoon, who said this to the guild leader with a bewildered expression, handed it over and rested at home all day after the rest, but when he returned to the guild, there was really a pile of work waiting for him.

“Is this only for decay types? Please tell me that’s not true.”

“…….”

“Why are you silent…”

“Well, even if it’s not a decay type, when a high-level gate opens… there’s nothing we can do…”

At Hyun’s weak response, Rud scratched his head a few times with a groan.

The A4 papers were continuously coming out of the printer that Kang Ihyun had installed in the office himself, as it was too bothersome to go to the corridor.

It was the result of the messy paperwork for usual tasks piling up. Fortunately, the guild was a company that paid its dues diligently, so if not for that, he would have quit long ago.

With a sip, Kang Ihyun, who sucked in a sip of coffee from under the ice, shook the tumbler once.

“I’ll buy coffee.”

“Get mine too.”

“Mr. Rud, no coffee for you. The doctor said not to drink coffee.”

“I can’t help it. I can’t live without coffee. I have to at least pretend to drink it even if I don’t.”

“Then I’ll buy decaf.”

Kang Ihyun took Rud’s tumbler and left the office. Rud, hiding behind the partition so that his face was not visible, smirked with his lips exposed.
[Our Nari is really caught tight, the chaos controller laughs heartily.]

Although the doctor was deceived, Kang Ihyun, who monitored closely every day, couldn’t be fooled. Rud, leaning back on the office chair for a little break, looked up at the ceiling.

Over the past two days, there has been tremendous public attention on the gate that appeared at school.

Perhaps because the incident occurred at an educational institution, everyone’s attention was focused, and the investigation gained momentum.

It was reported that someone intentionally stole the school’s magic stones and sold them on the black market. The incident was attributed to a combination of factors, including the aging of the school building, low safety ratings, and malfunctioning devices.

Moreover, the birth of the sixth S-rank hunter in South Korea. The internet was abuzz with excitement. At times, they even turned off their phones and lived without them, following the advice of the chaos controller.

“That’s right. It’s not like there will be hundreds or thousands of people like me and Kang Ihyun.”

Rud, frowning, focused on the documents again. At the sound of a sharp knock, Rud absentmindedly spoke.

“Come in. I’m here.”

Creak, the sound of the door opening was heard. Rud, who fixed his gaze on the monitor inside the partition, immediately spoke.

“You came very quickly? Leave it on the desk and go. Next time, I’ll buy.”

“Hunter Rud.”
And at the polite, middle-aged voice that reached him, Rud widened his eyes and withdrew his body from the partition.

With his hair swept back and wearing glasses, Hunter Min Jaewon stood there with an uncertain expression.

“I have something to say, may I ask if you have a moment?”

“Oh, yes, sure. I’m fine now. What’s the matter?”

Rud, looking bewildered, stood up from his seat. Min Jaewon, who had been facing Rud inside the office, hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head. A 90-degree bow, commonly known as a formal greeting.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

Seeing Hunter Min Jaewon speak with a sincere voice, Rud blinked.

After the gate subjugation, Rud thought that if he met Min Jaewon, they would smoothly pass by each other, and he never imagined Min Jaewon would come and apologize.

Min Jaewon continued speaking.

“I shouldn’t have done that. Just seeing Mr. Rud, who has a malicious temperament, brought back old memories, and I couldn’t control myself. At this age, I couldn’t endure it. I really did something shameful.”

“Oh, no. Please, have a seat for now.”

Rud, seeing someone much older than himself bowing before him for the first time, fumbled in response.

Rud could handle someone showing ill intentions towards him, but he was inexperienced in dealing with people approaching him with other intentions.
Even having received such a sincere apology, Rud had never experienced anything like it before, so he didn’t know how to respond.

“…This uncle is really not someone you can’t communicate with.”

Thinking that both Kang Ihyun and Min Jaeyun, who grew up under Min Jaewon’s guidance, didn’t fundamentally seem like bad people, Rud, who reconsidered this fact, looked at Min Jaewon, who was stumbling through his words.

“No, it’s not like that. Even though you had nothing to gain, you saved both my grandsons. I belittled and criticized you with really careless thoughts.”

‘He probably includes Kang Ihyun in the term “grandsons.”‘

Inadvertently finding himself in a position where he had saved Min Jaewon’s family members, Rud awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair. Min Jaewon lifted his head and met Rud’s gaze directly.

“I should have known that you’re the one who spoke to Lord Hyun beforehand. Since Lord Hyun didn’t mention it, I didn’t know. I had a narrow perspective…”

“Oh, right. Speaking of that.”

Rud interrupted the surely forthcoming apology and lightly touched the back of his head. It was about ‘that’ remark Kang Ihyun heard from him. Hearing such nuanced comments for the third time was starting to get on his nerves.

“I really can’t remember what I said. Did I say something? Do you remember what I said?”

“Did Lord Hyun not tell you?”
“I was told to remember it myself, but I don’t remember, and I probably won’t. But since people around me keep reacting like this, it bothers me.”

Min Jaewon, who was silent, soon raised his glasses.

His eyes behind the glasses looked contemplative. Seeing that he seemed to be thinking about whether it was okay to talk about Kang Ihyun’s past as he pleased, Rud quickly added.

“Kang Ihyun told me everything about his parents and his past, so don’t worry.”

“Oh! Then it’s a secret that I told Lord. Hunter.”

Nodding vigorously, Rud widened his eyes and shook his head a couple of times. Watching Rud’s reaction, Min Jaewon chuckled and raised his glasses.

“One day, Lord Hunter came to my house and said he met a benefactor. He was usually reserved and lacked confidence, making him look gloomy, but on that day, he seemed unusually bright.”

“Him?”

“Yes, since he hadn’t received such good treatment from his family, he looked different. Now that I think about it, my education policy, which only forced roles on him, was also a mistake. Anyway, when I asked why he wanted to live, he said he was curious and got the answer from the benefactor.”

Rud, who heard the story, turned his gaze to the side for a moment. Why one should live, school. Something felt like it would come to mind. Min Jaewon continued his story.

“He said he didn’t know either.”

“Ah…”

At that remark, Rud’s eyes widened. A flash of light flickered in his mind.