GM Ch76

Minjun covered his flushed face with his hand. He hadn’t realized his old colleagues thought of him that way. This time, it truly felt like his soul was escaping.

Fortunately, the arrival of the ordered food put an end to the notion that Kim Minjun, who appeared cold, was actually a warm person. The S-rank hunters focused on eating for a while.

As time passed, Seo Wooju started the conversation by mentioning that the date for the hunter tournament had been set. Following the tournament was the regular auction at the hunter market. The S-rank hunters shared information freely.

The information Minjun wanted came up at the end.

“How’s the physical examination going? Has anyone been found with vine patterns on their chest?”

While everyone was saying they were fine in response to Seo Wooju’s question, Lee Hana raised a hand.

“Our guild members are fine, but there’s someone among the former members who isn’t.”

“Tell us more.”

Lee Hana, with a frown, began to explain. A guild member who had left a few years ago had formed a one-person guild and had recently lost contact. They hadn’t thought much of it, but the symptoms related to the Whispering Poison came to mind, so they deliberately searched for the person’s whereabouts.

The guild member they found was lying in a hospital bed, emaciated, with a distinct vine pattern on their heart.

“An acquaintance they knew recommended a potion that boosts abilities. The name ‘Whispering Poison’ made them hesitant, but the effects were so good and the side effects minimal that the acquaintance even drank it in front of them. So, thinking they might as well try it, they drank it and found it very effective. They invested all their savings, but as time passed, they hit a plateau and lost contact with the acquaintance. Their health deteriorated, and although the hospital found nothing wrong, they kept losing weight and now spend most of their time in bed.”

“And this acquaintance?”

“I checked, and they were already dead. A hit-and-run. I don’t know if it was an accident or a cover-up.”

“It’ll be hard to find who’s behind it.”

“Exactly. Oh, and when asked if they’d take an unproven antidote, they said they’d take it no matter what. Does anyone have a prototype?”

In response to Lee Hana’s question, Seo Wooju, Soohyuk, and Choi Euiseong raised their hands. They agreed to verify if the antidote worked properly before providing the information to the government.

Having listened up to that point, Minjun sighed in relief. Fortunately, it seemed that the method to counter the Whispering Poison was being properly disseminated. The S-rank hunters were getting along well, just as before.

“Guild Leader Yoon June. Why don’t we really collaborate? With hunter Kim Minjun included. What do you think?”

Minjun, who was about to dismiss the wind spirit, hesitated. He hadn’t expected the conversation from just before the opening ceremony to resume now.

When Lee Hana brought it up, the S-rank hunters, except for Seo Wooju, jumped in again. They clamored about collaborating, claiming dibs, and preparing dungeons, but Soohyuk remained steadfast.

“I’m not doing it.”

“You should. When the third catastrophe hits, we’ll be the first to get buffed, right? You can’t hide it forever. And we need to experience it once to be mentally prepared. Don’t you think?”

Lee Hana’s assertion brought a brief silence to the room. Soon after, the S-rank hunters began to clamor in agreement.

Though not physically present, Minjun, who was listening to their conversation, froze momentarily before breaking into a smile. As Lee Hana had pointed out, the “Favorite’s Kiss” would indeed be invaluable on the day the third catastrophe struck.

“I don’t think collaboration is necessary.”

Minjun tilted his head slightly and murmured quietly. There were ways to test his skill without needing to collaborate. The easiest method was to discreetly apply a buff before the other S-rank hunters entered a dungeon.

Minjun assumed Soohyuk would find a reasonable compromise. However, Soohyuk’s response was entirely unexpected.

“I agree with Guild Leader Lee Lucky’s (Lee Hana) point about preparing for the third catastrophe. However, there are four of you wanting collaboration. Yet, we only have one hunter Kim Minjun. And not all four of you need to have this remarkable experience. We only need testers. So, we’ll collaborate just twice. It’s not first-come, first-served. Only two who bring items suitable for hunter Kim Minjun will get the chance. I’ll choose the items. Please make sure they’re excellent. Oh, and just bring one item each. I’ll return the items to those not selected. I do have a conscience, after all.”

Despite Soohyuk’s calm tone, the S-rank hunters’ reactions were explosive. They threw around accusations of being a scammer, questioned if he couldn’t afford to buy gifts for his lover, and claimed his intentions were transparent. However, they soon began seriously asking whether weapons or armor would be better. Kwak Jonghoon was particularly enthusiastic. As Choi Euiseong kept fueling the fire with suggestions of good items, Lee Hana and Hwang Sujin also became animated.

Minjun was impressed by Soohyuk’s skillful handling. The man was the type to emerge from the water with his hands full of pearls.

Having gathered all the necessary information, Minjun dismissed the wind spirit. Everyone was aware of the seriousness and was making preparations, which was enough for him.

With a satisfied smile, Minjun stood up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Ahhh.”

He let out a sound of appreciation as if he had just taken a sip of alcohol. Everything was falling into place. The information about the Whispering Poison had been properly disseminated among the S-rank hunters. There were only a few more attacks left on the dungeon boss to reach 99. Moreover, he had identified who the cursed sorcerer was.

Now, it was time to focus more on how to deal with Joo Myunghwan quietly and without a trace.

Minjun didn’t hesitate over the fact that he had to kill someone. It wasn’t just monsters he had fought as a demon hunter in another world. Just like on Earth, hunting monsters and demons in that world was entangled with vested interests. It was common for hunters to clash with each other in places beyond the reach of the law. Sometimes, they were even mobilized in disputes between countries.

Recalling these heavy memories, Minjun took a deep breath and drank more water. Though he had lived a fierce life without regrets or shame, he couldn’t help but feel complicated emotions from time to time.

“That bastard needs to be taken down.”

He didn’t forget his priorities. The important thing was to properly lift the curse.

After tossing the empty water bottle into the recycling bin, Minjun slowly prepared to go out. He had a dinner appointment with Park Hanyoung.

On the way back to the dormitory from the opening ceremony of the Kim Minjun Memorial Hall, Minjun hitched a ride with Park Hanyoung. They chatted about various topics and decided to have dinner together.

Just as he was about to put on his shoes, his phone vibrated in his pocket. The caller was Yoon Soohyuk.

He wondered what was going on, as Soohyuk was currently dining with the S-rank hunters.

“Hello, this is Kim Minjun.”

“What are you up to?”

“I’m heading out for dinner. Is something up?”

“I have something to tell you. It’s interesting. Are you on your way to a restaurant?”

“Oh, I’m having dinner with Hunter Park Hanyoung. We’re having sushi.”

Without much thought, Minjun shared his dinner plans with Soohyuk. Park Hanyoung had boasted that the sushi place they were going to was a real gem, so Minjun was looking forward to it.

“Really? Hunter Park Hanyoung gave you a ride back to the dorm today too, right? You two must be getting close?”

“He’s been very kind.”

Minjun didn’t notice the overly gentle tone in Soohyuk’s voice and chose his words carefully. He had been in frequent contact with Park Hanyoung lately. Ever since they agreed to attend the hunter market auction together, Park Hanyoung had been looking out for him.

“I see. It’s good to get along with your team members. What are you having with Hunter Park Hanyoung again?”

“Sushi.”

“Sushi, huh? Is it Daeil?”

“Yes, that’s right. How did you know, Guild Leader?”

“It’s a place Team 1 hunters often visit.”

“Hunter Park Hanyoung said it was a great spot. But didn’t you say you had something to tell me? Something interesting.”

Minjun was curious about why Soohyuk had called. He couldn’t guess what the interesting thing might be. Then he heard Soohyuk’s laughter over the phone.

“Oh, that? The youngest member of June Guild’s Team 1 made their debut on national TV.”

“What? Debut? Me?”

“Everyone’s kindly sending me video links. I’ll send them to you too. Take a look.”

“Uh… I’m on TV?”

“You look incredibly handsome.”

“Why am I going to be on TV?”

Minjun was bewildered. He had no reason to be on television.

“You’ll see when you watch.”

“Okay.”

“Enjoy your dinner. Make sure to tell me what you think.”

“Goodbye.”

As soon as the call ended, several video links sent by Soohyuk arrived. Minjun read the titles of the small thumbnails and couldn’t believe his eyes.

[“The Cute Youngest and Whispering Hunter Yoon Soohyuk”]

[“Korea’s Most Handsome Hunters Make China Cry and Japan Scream”]

[“A Handsome Man Joined the June Guild?!”]

[“The Only Elementalist in Korea Has Appeared”]

[“The New Hunter Joined June Guild Because of ‘This’!! (New Hunter Appears)”]

The thumbnails of these videos all showed Minjun and Soohyuk standing side by side, facing the camera. Judging by their guild uniforms, it seemed to be footage from the Kim Minjun Memorial Hall opening ceremony earlier that afternoon.

“Could it be?”

Minjun quickly played one of the videos. The vivid footage focused solely on Soohyuk, showing him stepping off the stage and engaging in conversation with Minjun, zooming in on their interaction.

Minjun was captured on video looking directly at the camera, then at Soohyuk, and back at the camera again, all prompted by Soohyuk’s gestures.

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