"…Sorry, but I'm not Seo Chaeyoon. Take a look around. Seo Chaeyoon might be lurking in disguise, listening in on his own name."
"Thinking about it like that makes my heart feel like it's going to jump out. Huff, huff."
Soo Jaehee's eyes gleamed as he looked around. The Awakened frowned and avoided the gaze of the madman.
As Yoon Seo watched the scene with satisfaction, Kwon Jihan curled his lips into a diagonal smirk beside him.
"'Thought he left it in the dungeon,' huh…."
"...."
Yoon Seo flinched.
T-That level of guesswork… Anyone could make that kind of guess, right? Unable to shamelessly meet those gray eyes, Yoon Seo turned his head away.
***
With about ten minutes left until the exhibition started, the VVIP hall was packed. As more people gathered, the murmuring grew louder.
"Those people are hunters from Seokyoung?"
"Yeah, word's already spread that three of them came. I tried using a detection skill, but it bounced right off both of them."
"Then why is Hong Euiyoon sitting separately? They merged, didn't they?"
"Maybe he got his ticket from somewhere else. More importantly, that tall guy… Don't tell me…."
"If you're talking about Kwon Jihan, it's not him. Alec posted on SNS that the other S-ranks from Seokyoung are coming tomorrow."
"Oh, I see. Then that tall guy must just be an A-rank hunter. His presence is no joke."
"The one next to him seems at least A-rank too, but who is that beauty? Oh, the detection skill works on him. His system profile doesn't say much, though."
"He must be an executive from Seokyoung."
"He looks too young to be an executive… And he's… really pretty."
"Then he must be Seokyoung's precious youngest heir. Just look at that skin, like someone who's never known hardship."
Since no one in this hall was an ordinary person, their conversation was heard by everyone present.
Soo Jaehee looked a little awkward but also accustomed to this kind of talk, while Kwon Jihan didn't seem to care, perhaps because his identity hadn't been exposed.
And Yoon Seo, who had endured the worst hardships among everyone here yet possessed skin that looked like it had never known suffering, subtly shifted his chair away from the two.
['Thomas Alfred' has activated the
['Aila Ilu' has activated the
A flood of insight skill notifications poured in.
Upon confirming that Yoon Seo's profile was unimpressive, the onlookers smirked and lost interest. The only topic that remained was their observations about his appearance.
As the exhibition time arrived, the soft background music faded.
All the lights went out, leaving only a single spotlight illuminating the center.
From the entrance on the left side of the hall, a middle-aged man, presumably the host, entered.
"Honored guests, thank you for attending despite the sudden invitation."
As he bowed politely, guards followed behind him, pulling in a tray draped with a black cloth.
Every gaze immediately locked onto that black cloth.
This was what they had all gathered to see.
In truth, it was the people here who should have been receiving thanks.
Yoon Seo felt his heart thudding in his chest and placed a hand over it.
Was it fake?
Or real?
"I usually have a long preamble, but today, I must keep it brief. You have waited long enough. This is Revenger Hunter Seo Chaeyoon's 'Existing Spirit.'"
The middle-aged man lifted the black cloth. The hall fell into dead silence.
Beneath a transparent dome lay a dagger.
It was roughly 30 cm long, with a visibly worn blade. There was no sheath, and the jewel embedded in the hilt emitted a faint blue glow. Even if this dagger had been discovered in a rural barn, one would immediately recognize that it was something special, it carried a unique presence.
"Ah…."
Without realizing it, Yoon Seo let out a breathless exclamation and stood up. A guard immediately became wary of him, but Yoon Seo didn't notice. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who had jumped to his feet; a few other hunters had done the same, so attention wasn't solely focused on him.
Yoon Seo clenched his fist at his side.
It was 'Existing Spirit.'
Ten years ago, it had always been by his side. The blade now looked far more worn than before, and its blue glow had faded, but he didn't need insight skill to know, it was his spirit. His spirit had been waiting for him all this time.
['Existing Spirit' has recognized you.]
['Existing Spirit' resonates with you.]
Ziiiing.
A blue light flickered in Yoon Seo's brown eyes. At the same time, the dagger's hilt jewel began to glow.
"Huh…?"
"Why is it suddenly glowing?"
"What's going on?"
The hall erupted into chaos. Yoon Seo quickly covered his eyes with his palm and sat back down.
"Hyung?"
Soo Jaehee asked, puzzled. When he asked what's wrong, Yoon Seo replied as indifferently as possible that it was nothing.
['Existing Spirit' is waiting for you.]
Yoon Seo bit his lip. His spirit was right there, waiting. And yet, he was stepping back. Pretending not to notice in this situation…
What was the point of abandoning Seo Chaeyoon?
His spirit was here.
What meaning was there in hiding his identity?
Maybe…
Maybe he should just reveal it.
Forget about keeping his identity secret, just reclaim his spirit.
Say it outright. That he was Seo Chaeyoon, and that it was his family.
"Yoon Seo."
A deep voice snapped him back to reality, as if a switch had been flipped. Kwon Jihan was holding his wrist. His grip wasn't tight, it didn't hurt. Taking a deep breath, Yoon Seo shook off Kwon Jihan's hand and lowered his own. His eyes had returned to brown, but in contrast, an unusual glint flickered in Kwon Jihan's gray eyes.
"You just resonated with that dagger—"
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the air. Screams rang out, sharp enough to pierce eardrums. Something had exploded. Even the spotlight flickered off, plunging the hall into sudden darkness.
"Wha—Hyung, are you okay? Come over here!"
Soo Jaehee grabbed Yoon Seo's arm. Having cleared S-rank dungeons dozens of times, he wasn't frightened by something like this. Instead, he moved to protect Yoon Seo, if Yoon Seo wasn't truly S-rank, he could get hurt.
"Phantom Thief…."
Kwon Jihan muttered. Almost simultaneously, a light shone on the ceiling. A shadowed face, smiling. People who recognized the emblem shouted.
"It's the Phantom Thief! The Phantom Mask Thief!"
"Protect the dagger!"
"Defend Seo Chaeyoon's weapon!"
Cries erupted from all around, followed by the activation of numerous skills. Light returned to the hall. Yoon Seo's dagger was still there, but the guards lay collapsed on the floor. Several hunters had stepped forward, standing in place of the fallen guards to protect the dagger.
As the Phantom Thief infiltrated, Yoon Seo activated
'So he is the Phantom Mask Thief…?'
One particular message caught his eye, and he let out a brief sigh. Kwon Jihan spoke quietly.
"The Phantom Mask Thief isn't the only one after Seo Chaeyoon's weapon."
['Yakov Rumow' has activated the
[It has no effect on you.]
Before Kwon Jihan could finish speaking, system alerts popped up. A group of masked figures crashed through the ceiling.
"We can't let the Phantom Mask Thief take it! Seo Chaeyoon's weapon belongs to us!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Everyone, get down!"
The masked intruders were using simultaneous translation devices. The moment Yoon Seo spotted the eagle insignia on their clothes, he recognized them. 'The Hunt.' A notorious international organization of rare-item hunters. A group so infamous that they didn't hesitate to kill for artifacts.
"Damn it, my A-rank skills are all locked. What's that guy's rank…?"
Soo Jaehee threw an arm over Yoon Seo's back, pushing him down.
"If it's Yakov Rumow, the leader of 'The Hunt,' he's an S-rank hunter."
"Ah, I see."
A few hunters activated A-rank skills and charged at The Hunt, but their skills failed to activate, leading to them being overpowered instead. The hunters who had entered with shields before
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
"You fucking bastards think you can just steal Seo Chaeyoon's weapon?"
Hong Euiyoon activated his S-rank skill, flames engulfing his entire body as he charged forward. Something about his words felt off to Yoon Seo. 'Think you can?' Didn't he hate Seo Chaeyoon?
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Before Hong Euiyoon could even get close to the assailants, he stopped in place.
"I knew there'd be an idiot like you. If you don't get down right now, I'll kill this civilian."
One of the hunters had restrained the middle-aged host and was holding a knife to his throat.
"You'd resort to cowardice like harming a non-Awakened…!"
"So you're that Hellfire Hong Euiyoon. Dispel your skill and get down. Otherwise, he dies on the spot."
"Damn it!"
Hong Euiyoon clicked his tongue and lowered himself. The flames vanished. The other hunters whose skills had been sealed followed suit. Yoon Seo worried that Kwon Jihan might refuse to comply, but to his surprise, Jihan also slid his chair back and sat down without resistance.
"Phantom Mask Thief, where are you? Show yourself and fight me fair and square!"
The Phantom Thief's emblem was still projected on the ceiling. If the hunters wanted to take Seo Chaeyoon's dagger, they would have to fight the Phantom Thief first. While the hunters fired their skills into the air, trying to flush out the Phantom Thief, Yoon Seo and his group kept their heads down, whispering among themselves.
"What should we do? If I summon
"I'm not making a move yet."
"Huh?"
Kwon Jihan furrowed his brows and activated
As he scanned the surroundings, his eyebrow lifted slightly in surprise. Yoon Seo saw his expression and realized, Kwon Jihan had figured out the Phantom Thief's identity.