Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Fragments of the Past (3)

He had somewhat anticipated that the road to Ae-wol would be rough.

The monsters pouring out from the gate would naturally target the people out on the streets.

"Manager Park Jung-woo. At this rate, we're going to be surrounded by monsters. There are way too many gates that opened nearby, more than I expected!"

At the leader of Team B, B-rank hunter Cha Eun-soo's words, Jung-woo frowned.

Indeed, as she said, there were simply too many monsters converging nearby to just recklessly break through as is.

"How many hunters are currently escorting Team B?"

"A total of twelve."

With mainly twelve hunters, almost all under C-rank, it was difficult to handle the number of monsters present in the area now.

And most of the people moving were already exhausted.

'At least the good news is that no additional monsters are spawning.'

There was a limit to the number of monsters that could come out of a gate.

A lower-ranked C-rank gate would spit out about twenty monsters, and most of the gates around here were those kinds of C-rank gates.

The level of the monsters wasn't high either, but with so many gates opened, there had to be well over a hundred monsters in the vicinity.

"Are we all going to die here?"

"If I'd known it'd be like this, I should've just joined Team A going to Han-rim after all."

People's anxiety kept growing.

Accordingly, their footsteps grew slower, and at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they were surrounded by monsters.

"Wouldn't it be better to find somewhere nearby to hide and hold out?"

"......"

That was one option, but could a place be found where hundreds of people could hide?

Besides, who could say how long this situation would last—trying to hold out without any food was an option better avoided.

"We'll use bait."

After a moment's deliberation, Jung-woo reached an answer.

"Sorry, bait?"

"If we keep going like this, as Hunter Cha said, we'll end up surrounded by monsters."

"So... You mean to use someone as bait to draw the monsters away?"

Cha Eun-soo asked, as if checking if he was serious, and Jung-woo nodded.

"There are a lot of monsters, but if we scatter them, we'll avoid being surrounded, and with the current number of hunters, we should be able to manage."

"That may be true, but who would volunteer to be the bait? It's basically suicide, isn't it?"

No matter how low-ranked the monsters, with these numbers, even an A-rank hunter couldn't guarantee survival.

But except for Cha Eun-soo, who was B-rank, most hunters present were C-rank.

There were two other B-rank hunters, but even for them, it would be suicide.

"I'll do it."

"... Excuse me?"

"You have signal flares, don't you? Give them all to me."

The signal flares Cha Eun-soo carried were strong enough to be seen from several kilometers away.

If fired in bulk, it was certain they'd draw the monsters' attention.

"Wa-wait! Are you out of your mind? Manager Park Jung-woo, you're not even an awakener!"

A civilian doing something even an A-rank hunter couldn't guarantee survival from?

It was simply absurd.

He wouldn't even be able to really escape properly.

"If not me, does anyone else volunteer? Or maybe someone has any other solutions?"

"......"

At Jung-woo's firm words, Cha Eun-soo was at a loss for words.

Indeed, no one would ever volunteer for this.

***

There were several reasons I volunteered to be the bait.

If I went with them to the shelter in Ae-wol, I'd only get stuck there and it would become difficult to move separately—that was certain.

'And this is better than moving as a group.'

As long as I could divert the monsters, there would be no particular threat to the refugees.

There were a handful of monsters left, but the remaining hunters could manage that well enough.

'Should I finish this quickly and go to Ah-yeon...?'

That thought crossed my mind, but the area around the beach bothered me.

With multiple gates manifesting, most had opened, but the gate at the beach remained unopened.

Usually in such cases, it was one of two things.

Either the gate didn't have enough magic power to open, or it was something that surpassed ordinary gates by far.

It was fine if it was the former, but if it was the latter...

'For now, shaking off the monsters comes first.'

BOOM! BOOM!!

I kept firing signal flares, luring monsters from the area.

The plan was to draw them near the beach, then finish them off somewhere out of sight of people.

"Kyahh!!"

The monsters howled as they roughly gave chase.

Judging by eye, there were over a hundred monsters chasing after me.

An ordinary person would have buckled and collapsed on the spot.

Of course, even for me, this wasn't easy.

'I don't know if anyone is still watching, so I need to keep a reasonable distance as I move.'

Just losing them wasn't hard, but keeping it tense and at a convincing distance while luring them was quite tough.

Feigning as if I barely dodged the monsters' blows, I rolled between a troll's legs as it lunged.

Staying constantly on edge, dodging their attacks and provoking them so they would chase after me.

If any tried to ignore me, a few kicks would always rile them up to rush at me anew.

How long did I run like that?

The signs of people that I'd sensed just a little while ago were now gone.

"This should do."

I finally turned at the cliffside near the coast.

The monsters, shrieking, came into view.

"Hoo."

I slowly clenched my fist, facing the monsters now right in front of me.

Since returning here, the only time I'd properly used my strength was during the "Super Hunter K" incident against the titled demon.

So this felt exceedingly unfamiliar.

'I never wanted to use it unless I had to.'

But now that demons had appeared in this world, eventually, I would have had to.

So, even if the time had come a little earlier, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing...

"Hm?"

Tatatatata!!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from overhead.

Looking up, I saw a helicopter flying quite low—when had it arrived?

A camera and some man were visible at the open helicopter door.

I realized they were reporters who'd flown in to cover the situation in Jeju.

"... Ha."

Seemed like I'd have to give up on killing the monsters.

At least if there were only witnesses, it was fine, but if I was caught on camera and broadcast, it would be mayhem.

"Mr. Park Jung-woo!! We'll lower a rope now!!"

But, as much as I wanted to blame them, they were, after all, risking their own safety to help me, lowering the helicopter despite the monsters milling around—quite courageous...

'What do I do...'

Even if I didn't kill the monsters, it was already too late for them to chase the refugees, who should have reached the Ae-wol shelter by now. With time, these monsters would be hunted down by other hunters.

With that decided, I acted immediately.

"Graaaah!!"

Pretending to stumble as I dodged the attack of a werewolf swinging its razor-sharp claws, I twisted my body as if I'd lost my footing.

"No!!"

Hearing the scream from above, I rolled toward the cliff at the coast.

Making it look like I accidentally lost my balance and tumbled.

I did feel sorry for those who'd come all this way to help me, but if I got rescued here, I would have lost the very reason for breaking off on my own.

However, there was one thing I overlooked.

My actions—the way I drew off the monsters—had been caught on camera the entire time and broadcast live.

And I had far underestimated how people would interpret what they saw.

***

A genius who carried the potential to advance modern magic one step further.

A star that would illuminate the dark world of magic.

Hence the nickname: Great Mage of Stars.

Ivan had heard stories about Ah-yeon countless times.

Ah-yeon herself might not have known, but overseas, Ivan and Ah-yeon were often compared.

'Which of them is the greater genius?'

Was it Ivan, who created his own magic and advanced the field until he became a criminal?

Or Shin Ah-yeon, who was named Great Mage at only twenty years of age?

But such debates always ended in Ivan's favor.

It didn't matter that he had turned criminal—his achievements were immense, and in the end, Shin Ah-yeon was deemed merely someone who walked on the path Ivan paved.

'Besides, it's all probably puffed-up praise anyway.'

He had lived for over a hundred years.

He had seen countless so-called "geniuses" and knew how they fell from grace.

It was an unprecedented feat, to become a great mage at twenty—but to him, that only seemed laughable.

'After I left, there really isn't anyone among great mages worthy of being in the spotlight.'

It might be excessive promotion from Korea, or perhaps a directive from the Magic Tower, the very core of the world's magic community.

"Great Mage of Stars."

Just as her nickname implied, Ivan thought she was an idol created to usher in a new era for mages.

Yes, up to now.

BOOOM!!!

The earth erupted with booming explosions.

Flames starting at Ivan's fingertips coiled serpent-like around, rapidly shrinking into a tightening ring.

To counter such wide-area magic in today's world, you'd have to use a similar kind and overpower it with stronger magic power. Thus, with less magic power than Ivan, Ah-yeon should have been overwhelmed by the wave of fire.

"Blink."

With the brief incantation, Ah-yeon's form vanished without a trace.

Blink, a 4th-circle magic. It let the user teleport up to five meters.

Not an impressive spell.

But it was outside the framework of contemporary magic.

'What kind of magic are these?'

No matter how he looked, they weren't elemental-based spells.

It was magic of a completely different system—one that transcended the elements, not unlike the artifact he had acquired.

Had magic advanced this far while he was away from the magical community?

'That can't be.'

If that were so, those relic great mages would hardly be keeping so quiet.

They'd be scouring the earth to kill the one who'd made fools of them—Ivan.

"Amazing."

Ivan had to admit it.

With the elemental magic at his disposal, it was hard to do anything to Ah-yeon right now.

No matter that he hadn't gone all-out due to the client's request—Ah-yeon's magic and her application of it far exceeded his expectations.

'So, she too is beloved of magic power.'

He'd always thought that was a gift reserved for himself alone.

But seeing Ah-yeon, he realized he had been arrogant.

"For your level of skill, you're lacking in magic power."

With Ah-yeon's skill, she should have a supply of magic far beyond an 'ordinary great mage'.

"Oh my, have you been too busy committing filthy crimes to hear the news? My mana hall was wrecked while closing a rift, you know."

"Haha! Am I supposed to believe such nonsense? If your mana hall was broken, you wouldn't even be at your current level."

"Jeez, must be because you're so old—so suspicious, impossible to convince."

At Ah-yeon's jibe, Ivan gave a hollow laugh.

There was something in Ah-yeon's words that fundamentally twisted the listeners' mood.

"If I may advise you, it's best to watch your tongue. Otherwise, a day will come when you regret it."

"Come on, really. What do you fight with, grandpa, your mouth? Why the endless chatter?"

"......"

Ivan's appearance was, at most, that of someone in their mid-thirties.

So Ah-yeon's words were pure provocation, but Ivan wasn't someone easily goaded.

"Indeed, that confidence isn't so bad."

Ivan smiled faintly and melted once more into the shadows.

'Well then, let's see how long you can maintain that confidence.'

Vroom, vroom.

It wouldn't have been bad to keep fighting with magic, but unfortunately, the client had made a request—so he couldn't.

The client had wanted Shin Ah-yeon's body to remain as unscathed as possible.

That was why the client had given Ivan these gloves.

The glove-shaped artifact he had received from the demons wasn't originally just for illusions.

'The power to interfere with an opponent's mind, provoking and amplifying deeply buried trauma.'

It did not end with simply recalling such memories; it broke down the mind and left the person submerged in them.

Those afflicted would have their minds utterly destroyed—left as mere dolls, only technically alive.

Hence, the client called this artifact:

Doll Maker.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Jung-woo's death will probably get blown out of proportion.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】