On the evening of the day Hong Yesung returned to the mortal realm with a roar, an anonymous post appeared on HunterNet, sharing an account of his sighting.

Title: [Anonymous] What? Did Hong Yesung come down?

Why is he here?

Comments (99+)

— Huh, already?
— Did he really come down? I didn’t see any news.
— Did they finally make an escape button…
— Ah~ The Craftsmen Exhibition is in a week, so it’s time for him to come down, lol.
    └ Last time, he came down the day before… Yesung must have exerted himself a lot…
    └ For real, lol.
— Anonymous, where are you right now?
    └ At a chicken place.
    └ ?? lol.
    └ So he came down and immediately went to a chicken place?
    └ Ah, lol, even ranked 8th can’t resist chicken, lol.
    └ Share some stories, damn it.

Hong Yesung’s sudden appearance turned HunterNet upside down in a good way. With the Craftsmen Exhibition just a week away, the hot topic in the Hunter community was Yesung and the gear he created. As everyone waited for detailed accounts, fortunately, the Hunter who started the sighting thread reappeared quickly.

Title: [Anonymous] I’m the one who asked if Hong Yesung came down.

I went to the chicken place after work, and it was super busy.

I checked to see if there was a soccer game today, but there wasn’t.

When I asked, they said some guy was doing unlimited chicken refills, damn it.

So, I discreetly looked at who it was, and—

Hong Yesung was crying while holding a wing in each hand, taking bites.

He was also wearing colorful hiking gear like some kids’ Lego set…

I felt solemn and turned around.

It’s not easy.

I just paid 10,000 won for delivery.

Comments (99+)

 

— Hahahahahaha
— Crying < Hahahahahaha
— Why is this rich guy not using both hands for legs but holding wings in both hands?
— I guess he wants to fly… holding wings in both hands.
    └ Isn’t he making artificial wings for his next gear? To be able to fly?
    └ Wow;; I hope he really does.
    └ Starting today, let’s just feed Yesung wings, okay?
    └ Ah, lol, I’ll send him a thousand wings. Just wait, Yesung!
— Doesn’t Yesung have to give this guy 10,000 won for delivery?
    └ Yesung, you have money, so please transfer 10,000 won to NongHyup 30247…

The number of Hunters increases every year, while equipment becomes increasingly rare. This was a natural result of rising demand. Moreover, even if one risked their life to clear an S-rank fracture or dungeon, S-rank equipment rarely dropped.

In this situation, the value of Hong Yesung, who could steadily supply S-rank gear, even if slowly, was bound to soar. Perhaps that’s why, during the Craftsmen Exhibition season, high-ranking Hunters from not just Korea but all over the world flocked to Korea.

“Craftsmen Exhibition 匠人展.”

To summarize briefly, it’s an auction event for the gear made by Craftsman Hong Yesung held in Songdo once every two years.

This was also the reason the government particularly valued Yesung. Just his existence raised national power, and every two years, they even organized a festival for him! Promoting the tourism industry! A major source of foreign currency!

Of course, the government Hunter officials assigned to the Awakener Management Bureau were dispatched for city security and Yesung’s protection during this time. With so many Awakeners gathered in one place, they couldn’t ignore security concerns. Thus, Jungbin was today biting the edge of a paper cup while receiving situation reports.

— Team Leader, I’ve emailed the personnel deployment near the convention center.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll check and reply. What’s Hong Yesung’s current location?”

— He finished off 11 chickens at a chicken place and is now moving to a premium beef restaurant.

“…Did a dead spirit attach itself to him because he couldn’t eat meat?”

As Jungbin muttered, he heard a small sigh through his earpiece.

Hong Yesung had become a meat slaughterer as soon as he returned to the mortal realm. While he was confined in Jirisan, did the Awakener Management Bureau only feed him temple food? No. While he was imprisoned, was he not given meat? That wasn’t the case either.

Balanced meals with perfect nutritional content were provided at every meal. Despite that, Jungbin held his throbbing head while answering kindly.

“Well… Since a sighting report has appeared on HunterNet, please pay a little more attention to his protection.”

— Understood.

As the Craftsmen Exhibition approached, Songdo became more active than ever. Hotels in the vicinity were fully booked a month before the exhibition, and broadcasting stations, journalists, and fans of Hunters flocked in. They needed to pay a bit more attention to the safety of the legendary figure who had become a meat-eating hippo.

Jungbin opened his email on his tablet and let out a short sigh again. The days leading up to the exhibition felt like they would be very long.
 

The ripple effect of the Craftsmen Exhibition had reached even the peaceful hangover soup restaurant. Baewonwoo, having easily finished two bowls of hangover soup, switched on the TV with the remote while holding a spoon in his mouth. Another Hunter, busily flipping through channels, asked him from behind.

“What’s on TV today?”

“That show, WeQuiz. They’re re-broadcasting the episode with Hong Yesung. I missed the original airing.”

In the kitchen, Uijae’s hands, skillfully chopping green onions, paused. Another Hunter gasped in admiration.

“Wow, he came down?”

“You must not have seen HunterNet. There are already sighting reports from both the chicken place and the beef restaurant.”

“He must have gone crazy just foraging for wild greens in the mountains. Now he’s only hunting for meat.”

“But I think if it were me, after doing a temple stay, I’d want to eat chicken first when I got to Seoul.”

“True. That makes sense.”

Uijae was aware that Hong Yesung was in Jirisan. He couldn’t have missed it while spying on Yesung’s InHeart.

He was addicted to InHeart, and sometimes, on nights when he stayed up late, he would post pictures of the sunrise in Jirisan to match the sunrise time. Those pictures somehow felt lucky, and even though Uijae harbored considerable resentment toward Yesung, he quietly saved those photos.

‘That bastard… he’s come down.’

Uijae felt an obligation to smack that good-for-nothing’s head. He stealthily set down his knife and stepped out of the kitchen. Just then, Baewonwoo, who had been diligently flipping channels, froze. The program had already started, and the national MC was welcoming someone with applause.

“Wow~ He was in Jirisan this time and came to visit right after coming down. The only S-rank creator! Korea’s pride, Hunter Craftsman Hong Yesung!”

“Ha ha, hello, hello.”

The neatly groomed Hong Yesung had plump cheeks and a face that glistened with health. Someone murmured,

“He must have been eating really well since he came down.”

‘That’s true.’

The MC, while exchanging greetings and praising Yesung, cautiously asked,

“You’re famous for always making excellent equipment. What kind of gear have you made this time?”

“If I tell you here, it might reduce the anticipation… I’ll show you on auction day.”

“Oh, can’t you give us a small spoiler?”

“Ha ha, I can’t.”

Hong Yesung smiled charmingly. A Hunter slammed his fist on the table but hit his knee instead.

“Ha…. I really want to go.”

“Even if you want to go… you need a black ticket to enter.”

“How much is the ticket going for now?”

“I don’t know; they say it’s being traded in the tens of billions, but supplies are running dry.”

“When will I ever get to go to the auction?”

The gloomy conversation among the Hunters pricked Uijae’s ears. He glanced around the restaurant. It was just about time for the lunch business to wind down, and it seemed no more customers would come.

<Silent footsteps!>

Uijae activated his stealth skill and quietly entered his small room. Fortunately, everyone’s attention was glued to the TV, so he was able to sneak in unnoticed.

He carefully pulled aside the neatly arranged blankets. The coveted black tickets that every Hunter longed for were sleeping soundly between the pink floral blankets. Not just one, but two of them. Uijae stared at the tickets, which maintained their stiffness and shine even in the blanket.

Nam Woojin… had cursed me.

Not just any curse, but a massive one.

‘That guy trapped me with his words, and before I knew it, I accepted them…’

Uijae pressed his forehead and let out a long sigh. The moment Nam Woojin was alone with him, he had started rambling about Lee Sayoung’s past, and he found himself helplessly caught up in it.

In a moment of frustration, Uijae silently punched the floral blanket. Why did that guy suddenly bring up Lee Sayoung’s past to Cha Uijae? It was annoying.

Uijae gazed at the tickets worth tens of billions. With a premium, they could be sold for even more. However, he had learned a lot from the Masuk incident.

‘I shouldn’t act recklessly.’

Of course, up until now, he had let himself get carried away… doing various things, but no more. He had decided to live quietly and had caused too much trouble already. It was not too late to live quietly now.

‘Let’s earn money by working diligently.’

Thinking back, that was true. Hunters lived by selling dungeon byproducts. But hadn’t Cha Uijae resolved to live as an ordinary person, not a Hunter? Of course, he had received a Hunter’s license, but he had no intention of doing anything with it, so it was just a license collecting dust.

Even if you get a driver’s license, if you don’t drive, you’ll just get a certificate with 12 more numbers, right? It’s useless except for when you need to verify your identity.

After all, how could an ordinary person living a quiet and normal life sell dungeon-related items? The recent Tomato Market EZ incident was merely a foolish act driven by momentary greed.

‘Yeah, caterpillars should eat pine needles to survive.’

Of course, considering his status, he was closer to a dinosaur, but Uijae began to brainwash himself into thinking he was a caterpillar. Such precious black tickets didn’t suit a caterpillar. So, he had to think of a proper way to handle them. He had three options.

First, go to Songdo and participate in the auction.

Second, dispose of the tickets.

Third, simply pretend they don’t exist.

First, participating in the auction in Songdo.

As soon as he set foot near Songdo, it would mean saying goodbye to his quiet life. According to the stories he had heard from Hunters, all the prominent Hunters would gather in Songdo for the Craftsmen Exhibition, including Hong Yesung and Jungbin. They were all Hunters who could easily purchase black tickets.

‘Am I crazy?’

Of course, the characters gathering at the hangover soup restaurant were not ordinary either, but since this was his home ground, he had countless ways to deal with things. However, Songdo was an unknown territory. Uijae vowed not to turn his head toward Songdo. The first option was discarded.

Second, disposing of the tickets somewhere. This also posed a problem. There wasn’t a suitable method for disposal!

Selling and transferring them were obviously impossible. After the Tomato Market EZ incident, he had no dreams of making it into the Hall of Fame of Thunder Market. So, he had to dispose of them…

In fact, he had briefly held the tickets over the stove boiling hangover soup, but that cursed ticket didn’t burn with regular fire; he had no idea what it was made of.

‘Should I just tear it up?’

Uijae could tear it, but unless he shredded it into tiny pieces, it would be dangerous as it could be discovered. This ticket would have to be disposed of as non-flammable household waste, and there was no way it could be turned into powder.

In the end, the last option remained: to convince himself that these tickets did not exist. He could just tuck those two pieces of paper somewhere and forget about them. Uijae pushed the tickets deeper into the blankets, desperately turning his back on them.

‘Stay there until the Craftsmen Exhibition ends.’

He prayed a prayer that would never be realized.

Of course, as always, Uijae wasn’t the type for prayers to work well.

“…….”

“Have you been to Songdo?”

Looking at the dark gas mask that appeared late at night holding out a black ticket.