For the reason that accident, time has appeared to fly by. I turned twenty-three this 12 months. I survived seven years with out loving anybody, similar to I made a decision that day. I solely have one 12 months left to reside, however I’m attempting to make one of the best of it.

If climbing a cliff in broad daylight with a ‘fall hazard’ warning signal resides arduous, then so be it.

“What the hell is on this mountain valley….”

At the moment, I’m mountaineering on a fee. There’s a herb that solely grows on the highest of the mountain, so I climbed the steep cliff time and again. After I reached the highest, drenched in sweat, a cool breeze blew in. However there’s no time to admire the view. I squatted down and scanned the world for potential medicinal vegetation.

I regarded below the rocks and located a clump of grass so long as my finger. I dug up the encompassing soil to keep away from damaging the roots and punctiliously pulled out the herb. I put it in a plastic bag, took an image, and that was it.

[I’ll leave it in the locker at Exit 1 of Gangnam Station].

It was solely after I despatched him a tweet with the picture that I lastly breathed a sigh of aid.

“Haha, what a morning.”

I want I might have used my cursed physique to my benefit and grow to be a hunter like my mother, however I gave up as a result of I needed to disguise my capability to see different individuals’s waking situations. In fact, there was additionally the anxiousness of turning into a hunter and working into Heo-sang.

For now, I’m proud of my job. I’m getting extra requests than I assumed I’d, and I’m making good cash. After paying for my dwelling bills, I ship nameless donations to Jeongdong Cathedral.

It’s not purely a donation; it’s a repentance for the false picture I dropped at the cathedral that day.

tiring-

Within the meantime, a brand new open chat was opened. I opened it, considering it was one other request, and frowned.

[Do you accept requests to take pictures of hunters?]

This man can’t inform me when he’s seen me. For a second, I used to be livid, however then I noticed that he was a buyer.

[Let’s see who it is].

[You know the Apostle’s Guild, right?]

[Yes, I know.]

[Simeon, the guild leader there.]

…Simeon?

As quickly as I heard the identify, I couldn’t assist however chuckle.

Even I, who don’t know a lot about hunters, find out about ‘apostles’.

[That would be difficult.]

Arthur, it will do you no good to tangle with such a harmful man.

In addition to, I’ve heard rumours about him earlier than. A reporter was caught snooping round behind him, and he disappeared and not using a hint. He nonetheless hasn’t been discovered, so he was taken away by the Apostle, and he’s being held at his dwelling base… Solely ugly hypothesis abounds.

I’m simply taking a number of photos, not a full investigation, however I didn’t wish to take any possibilities.

Nonetheless no…

[I’ll get you three big ones.]

…however there’s lots of people getting cash taking photos of hunters as of late, so I’m certain I’ll be advantageous.

[What’s the deadline?]

[In a month.]

[I’ll need a 30 per cent down payment first.]

After sending the textual content, I received a deposit alert nearly instantly, which made me smile on the dimension of the deposit.

[Okay. ^^ but where are you going to use the photo?]

The consumer, who had been texting continually, learn and chewed for as soon as.

“An errand boy doesn’t have to know that a lot… That’s it.”

Meh. So long as the cash is available in on time, I don’t care.

As quickly as I received down the mountain, I hopped on a bus to Gangnam Station, dropped off the vials of herbs on the pre-determined locker, and gave the consumer the password. I hummed to myself after I realised that I had acquired the stability.

That was one job completed. The following, and extra vital, request had begun.

“The place can I discover Simeon….”

If you wish to take an image of a tiger, it’s a must to go into the tiger’s den, however I don’t know the place it’s. In contrast to different Hunter Guilds, the Apostles are shrouded in thriller, even their dwelling base. So, if I wish to discover Simeon, I’ll must depend on luck or Nogada.

I selected the latter, as I’m not very fortunate.

[Location of the Seoul Hunter’s Association].

Even probably the most elusive Simeon will seem at the least as soon as close to the Hunter’s Affiliation.

From that day on, I stayed close to the constructing day and night time. I feel I’ve seen all of the Hunters I’ll ever have to see, however Simeon hasn’t come. I assumed I’d even see a member of the Apostles’ Guild, however there was no signal of a black masks.

However there have been so many black-haired Hunters. Even those with calmer hairstyles and taller stature appeared to be Heo-sang. Someday, I noticed a Hunter whose bottom was actually much like his masks, and I instinctively adopted him and grabbed his wrist.

”Hey.”

The person whipped round and frowned as quickly as he noticed me.

“What’s it?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I received the unsuitable particular person.”

As quickly as I met his disagreeable gaze, I snapped out of it.

What the hell was I doing? What if he’d been Heo-sang, and I’d grabbed him earlier, and now I used to be going to fake to know him with a metal plate in my face and say, ‘It’s me, John, the brother who disappeared and not using a phrase seven years in the past.’

“I’m loopy….”

Per week handed with no signal of progress, and I used to be about to surrender.

[Simeon moxibustion under Mapo Bridge.]

The hunter group that I’d been dipping into for data lastly received wind of it, and I hailed a taxi and headed to the Mapo Bridge. I had no thought why he was all of the sudden in the course of the town centre, however all I might take into consideration was taking an image of Simeon.

“Preserve the change!”

With out even taking a look at how a lot I had, I pulled out all the ten,000 gained in my pockets and received off. As I hurriedly ran to Han River Park below Mapo Bridge, I might see individuals gathering within the distance. After I lastly broke by means of the group, I used to be met with a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

“Superior….”

An A-list salamander that burns the whole lot in its path was pinned down below Mapo Bridge, and standing in opposition to him had been two black-masked Hunters. With out even checking to see in the event that they had been Simeon, I raised my digital camera and began filming.

The primary to maneuver was a hunter carrying a frilly costume that got here all the way down to her ankles. She leapt misplaced, barefoot, and landed on a lamppost. Her iron prosthetic leg gleamed sharply beneath the fullness of her skirt within the night time breeze. The following second, she was hovering like a butterfly, mercilessly slamming the salamander in opposition to the bridge.

The lizard squirmed and screamed because it hit the bottom.

KEEEEK-!

Because the enraged Salamander breathed fireplace, one other Hunter ready beneath shortly reached out. It was an enormous tree that held the flames at bay. With a wave of his hand, an odd avenue tree grew as tall as a wall.

A tree that would not be burned. It might solely be described as a miracle created by Hunter’s distinctive capability.

I watched in fascination for some time, and solely then did I discover one thing unusual.

“Huh…?”

Certain sufficient, the report stated Simeon was right here, however there have been solely two hunters in sight. I regarded round frantically, considering I hadn’t discovered him. Simply then, the hearth from the Salamander hit the signal for the Mapo Bridge.

BANG!

An enormous ball of iron fell in direction of the onlookers. The realm shortly became an abyss. Folks began to run like loopy, as in the event that they knew the hazard at any second.

Because the smoke cleared, I might see In-young in all his glory. Black masks, black go well with. The hunter I’ve been in search of.

“Simeon…!”

I instantly locked on to his determine.

In contrast to the 2 Hunters, who had been furiously attempting to cease the Salamander, Simeon merely stood in place. He was far too calm to be frozen in worry. Then he started to slowly transfer his palms within the air. His swish actions had been like conducting.

I stared, questioning what he was doing, after which realised. That’s not conducting, that’s chess. With the fire-breathing Salamander behind him and his colleagues struggling to subdue it, the Guildmaster is leisurely enjoying chess. However as an alternative of blaming him, individuals had been holding their breath and taking a look at his hand gsture.

Earlier than I knew it, I used to be drawing a chessboard in my head as my lengthy fingers moved.

White strikes a pawn to e4, and Black responds with a pawn to e5. If White places a knight on f3, Black will counter with a knight on c6. From there, White places his bishop on c4 to take management of the centre and put strain on Black. It was a well-liked ‘Italian sport’ utilized by White.

It didn’t take me lengthy to recognise it, because it was the primary opening I taught Heo-sang.

”It have to be a coincidence….”

There have been a number of extra exchanges after that. Each time I watched Simeon’s palms transfer, I felt a wierd sense of foreboding, however I attempted to disregard it. However as quickly as he tapped the air, goosebumps broke out throughout my physique.

It was Heo-sang’s behavior when he was certain of victory.