“Then all that’s left is how to deal with these guys~”

I turned to the hunters who were kneeling. They were covered in blood, already scratched by Semo. Semo could easily have taken their lives if it wanted to, but it seemed to have controlled its strength. It felt like a tamed Awakened Beast wouldn’t cross the line without my permission.

“Please forgive us!” “We’ll never step foot on this land again!”

“It’s too late.”

I looked back at Kim Kyung-soo. He spoke for my heart.

“Now that you’re connected to SG, it’s safe to say this place has been exposed. They’re not the type who leave any room for error.”

“I’m sorry, Hunter! We really didn’t know!” “If you spare our lives, we’ll give you anything you want!” “We’ll do whatever you say! Hunter!”

“Really?”

Looking at the hunters bleeding profusely, I thought it would be better to let them go if I wasn’t going to kill them.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Kim Kyung-soo was even more surprised to hear what I was saying.

“No, Hunter. Is it necessary to do that?”

“Why? Are you worried about getting caught in the crossfire?”

“No~~ I actually dislike those guys. I’d welcome it if they initiated terminating the contract. I can get my daughter back too.”

“Then it’s settled.”

I said to the hunters, whose faces were getting paler by the second.

“Get lost. I’ll watch the progress on the news.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you!”

The five hunters left in a hurry, without looking back.

“The kids have regained their senses!”

Kim So-mi said happily. As she said, the wolf pups I had given potions to were regaining their strength. However, they were still scared and shivering, which was pitiful.

I approached them. I gave each of them experience points, raising their ranks to B.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The two creatures, who had grown larger and had healthier fur in an instant, barked happily and jumped up and down.

“No… what happened?”

Kim Kyung-soo, who had been watching me, spoke in a surprised voice. I didn’t reply, but got on Semo’s back.

“I’m tired. It’s late tonight, so why don’t you stay over. We can talk tomorrow.”

Leaving Kim Kyung-soo, whose face was blank, I went down the hill, thudding thudding. The two Awakened Beasts, who had grown to B-rank, followed, barking lively, “Woof! Woof!”

“Ugh, jealousy…”

I heard Kim So-mi’s words carried by the wind.

. . .

“A-ah-hm~~”

I stretched and came out into the living room, and I saw a lone human shadow.

“Huh? You’re not asleep?”

Kim Kyung-soo was sitting alone, with a serious expression.

“Are you awake?”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“When I’m engrossed in research, I sometimes don’t sleep for days. It’s become a habit.”

“You wouldn’t have spent all night researching. Why are you looking so serious?”

“I was thinking about what I saw yesterday. And about the Professor’s path. At first, I was so disappointed that I thought he had given up on the world. But now, it seems he came here for another reason.”

He was a sharp person. It seemed like he was naturally insightful, rather than just being a scholar. So, he must have felt something strange and came to me to discuss his daughter’s problem. I had a falling out with Alpha Academy, and I had actually taken action. It was only reported in the media that the chairman and a professor died, but their deaths were related to me. Someone who could look at the whole situation with insight could deduce that. Of course, the premise was that they had to see me as more than just a professor.

“Well, I did think this place was a bit different. I didn’t expect there to be Awakened Beasts.”

“Awakened Beasts… you call them that. I think that’s accurate. Seeing those wolves, it doesn’t seem like they’re monsters, and it’s more natural to think that wild animals have awakened.”

“I thought about it before going to sleep, and I still think I can’t help with your daughter’s matter. When I left Alpha, I decided never to teach students again. It’s more accurate to say that I’ve lost my affection for humans. I don’t want to make any exceptions for anyone.”

“Professor! Isn’t your ability too precious to just leave it like that?”

“You saw it. I can raise more than just human hunters. It’s even better that there are Awakened Beasts here.”

“Please, my daughter is everything to me. I promised Yeon-seo’s mother before she died! I’ll raise that child upright and strong no matter what.”

“It’s not like she’ll only become upright and strong if I teach her. Unlike its early days, Alpha now has many skilled professors. Wouldn’t they take extra care in teaching an SG scholarship student?”

There was discrimination within Alpha. Based on their parents’ status and wealth. Other professors, excluding me, acted as if it was natural. Whether they were skilled professors or not. The only way to overcome that was to become S-rank or show that you had amazing potential. I used to pay more attention to the students who were discriminated against. Because it felt fairer that way.

“No! Alpha is inferior to other academies without you, Professor. You know! Those guys only think about themselves! Other children will be discriminated against and even ostracized in the process. They will learn to give up before they learn to have ambitions!”

“Hmm~”

I scratched the back of my head.

“I understand your feelings, sir, but there’s no way. How can I take Yeon-seo out of that place? Besides, you said you’re working for SG. It’s not good to do something that’s harmful to yourself.”

“I’ll do anything for you, Professor, as long as you help!”

“What?”

Kim Kyung-soo turned on the tablet that was on the table. The picture that appeared on the screen was familiar. It was a map of this land. When he touched the screen, red marks were added to the map. Some areas were darker, while others were lighter.

“I spent all night researching this place. The three abandoned dungeons in this area were all A-rank before. This is a remote area, so hunters don’t come here often. On average, the number of times they were cleared was significantly lower. The three dungeons, which shouldn’t have expired, all stopped their activities at the same time, as if they had made a promise. I researched to see if there were any similar cases, and only one came up.”

“Where is it?”

It was an interesting story, so I sat across from Kim Kyung-soo.

“In the Texas area of the United States. There’s a case where two A-rank dungeons suddenly stopped their activities, and then they suddenly revived two years later.”

“Revived?”

“The land rose up as if the two were one dungeon from the beginning, and it became S-rank. Simply put, two A-rank dungeons merged to become S-rank. In terms of DM, dungeon mana index, it jumped tenfold or more. The time they stopped their activities was a kind of incubation period before the S-rank dungeon appeared.”

“Hmm...”

I crossed my arms and thought. S-rank dungeons. There are two in Korea, and there are less than 50 in the whole world. Countries with S-rank dungeons and those without have a difference in economic power. Korea was envied by many countries because two dungeons were created here.

“In terms of DM index, the dungeons here are much higher than the A-rank dungeons that existed before the Texas S-rank dungeon. Each of them is. Besides, I see some abnormal signs that couldn’t be found there. I’m not saying that an S-rank dungeon will definitely appear here. But it’s certain that something will happen. To be honest, I’m very interested as a scholar. If it weren’t for my daughter’s problem, I would want to bury my nose in research right now.”

The abnormal signs I found in this land were two: the ‘mana berry trees’ and the ‘Awakened Beasts’. They were both phenomena I learned about after experiencing them. If I could find more signs in advance…

Although I had a lot of knowledge and abilities that others couldn’t imitate, I couldn’t research this land and uncover something like Kim Kyung-soo. I couldn’t focus on that either, since I had other things to do.

‘It’s a good opportunity.’

If Kim Kyung-soo would grind his brain and time and research in my place, it would be a great help.

“Would you consider working with me instead of SG? I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”

“Money isn’t important. All I want is to get my daughter back. I have nothing more to wish for if the Professor would mentor Yeon-seo.”

“Ha-aa-ah…”

I scratched my head.

“Alright. Let me think about it for a little while.”

. . .

Alpha Academy, where the chairman and a professor died, had a quiet atmosphere, considering the seriousness of the incidents that occurred. Academies are often isolated from the outside world. Especially Alpha Academy was stricter in that regard since all students lived in a boarding school.

Many students couldn’t participate in classes for days and were confined to their dorms. The reason was that they suddenly became unwell on a large scale. The academy still hadn’t found the cause, and it was considered a bigger problem than the deaths of the chairman and the professor.

A temporary chairman was assigned to the academy today. She was only in her twenties, but she was able to take on the important role thanks to her status as an S-rank hunter and her special connection as a graduate of this academy.

“Are the students’ conditions still the same?”

Upon arriving at the academy, she met the dean of the healer department and asked that first.

“Yes, their treatment is still not going well.”

“You can’t find the cause even with this medical facility, which is said to be the best in Korea?”

“There are so many strange things that happen in this field. It’s not like we don’t have any guesses… ”

“What is it?”

The dean of the healer department whispered the reason he thought to the temporary chairman.

“No, that’s not it.”

“What? Do you have a reason to be certain?”

“Anyway, that’s not it. Are there any other possible causes?”

“That’s… ”

The dean of the healer department said with an awkward expression.

“It’s just a hunch, but the students’ symptoms started coincidentally right after Professor Han Hyun-ho left the academy. And all those students had at least one class with Professor Han Hyun-ho. So… ”

Lee Seung-hee, the temporary chairman, chuckled, looking at the dean of the healer department, who was looking around nervously after saying that.

“As expected, that seems to be the reason.”