The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood – Chapter 45

Ch 45: If I Could Be Invisible for Just One Day

CCTV, on-site investigation technology, DNA.

An era has come where it’s hard for criminals to make a living.

Because with the advancement of science, a society has arrived where it’s impossible to create so-called ‘gaps in one’s tracks.’

But then one day.

Something called a gate appeared in the world.

And after that, many things changed.

A concept that arose along with monsters from another world.

Awakened abilities. It created a hole in the safety net that humanity had built up over many years.

“Ugh, I’m tired. I went through all sorts of trouble since dawn trying to catch that trash serial killer.”

Korean Magic Tower Headquarters. The Representative’s office.

A certain hunter, sitting on the top floor of a tall building, stretched out her arms and yawned.

“If you’ve become an Awakened One, you should just quietly do your hunter work. Why are you bothering innocent civilians?”

Esther’s complaints continued for a while.

Today’s society was a sea of instability and chaos.

Because various bizarre incidents occur due to the power of awakening.

Among them, what is particularly difficult to deal with is the crime of high-rank Awakened Ones.

Investigative agencies are experiencing a serious manpower shortage, making it difficult to even find B-ranks, so the arrest process is already arduous.

Even if they manage to catch the culprit safely. There is a lack of institutions to punish and reform them…

To put it simply, there have already been several escapes by A-rank Awakened criminals in Korea.

Using items, capital punishment is somehow possible, but isn’t it already several years since this country’s death penalty system became a mere formality?

“Representative-nim, are you still working on the report?”

“Uh-huh, there were a few things missing from the text I sent yesterday.”

Therefore, the government made a certain deal with an S-rank hunter.

Until the system stabilizes, to use an S-rank hunter to purge heinous criminals from the shadows.

Even Esther herself was very happy to accept this.

“We can’t let the perception of Awakened Ones get any worse than this. Otherwise, the advertising offers will suddenly stop.”

“Hahaha.”

“Ugh, these serial killers quickly tarnish the image.”

Of course, even though she says this, Esther’s biggest goal is the protection of citizens.

She has always had a righteous personality that hated evildoers and stood on the side of the weak.

It’s just that, the problem is that her tendency became quite extreme after she took up the sword.

“I need to rest a bit.”

Esther leaned back on the sofa and turned on YTube on her tablet.

Then, this news appeared at the top.

『‘Invisible Man’ Alert… Sharp Increase in Theft Damage in Department Stores, etc.』

“Invisible man?”

She clearly turned it on to rest, but somehow it feels like she’s more tired.

‘What is this now.’

Esther listened to the announcer’s voice for a moment.

Listening to the details, it seems that some stealth Awakened One has been going around stealing things lately.

It’s just a petty thief, so it’s not something she needs to deal with, but Esther couldn’t hide her displeasure.

‘Another Awakened One is the culprit?’

Moreover, it’s a troublesome crime.

Who would have imagined that an invisible man would appear in modern society?

‘Ugh.’

Esther felt like her head was throbbing, so she turned off the news.

It needs to be resolved quickly…

◈◈◈

Meanwhile, at the same time.

『…Based on the list of stolen items, the police are estimating that the culprit is an adult male.

△△ Department Store, which suffered damages, has decided to install mana detectors at the location afterward.

However, small business owners are in a situation where they are stomping their feet because they don’t have a proper countermeasure…』

The announcer’s clear voice spreads in Kim Giryeo’s one-room.

“Slurp.”

I focused on my meal, half-listening to the news.

Because the ramen is getting soggy even while I’m doing this.

『…We have invited an expert. Hello, Professor ○○○. What do you think about this invisible man incident?』

『Ah… The culprit is very meticulous. Because no DNA was detected at the scene. Perhaps he has been planning the crime for a long time.』

『Then what kind of technology is needed to catch this invisible man? Perhaps analysis-type hunters will be active.』

『That’s a bit difficult. Since it’s important for analysis skills to first ‘recognize’ the target, it’s not really suitable for detecting stealth.』

『So you’re saying that hiring an appraiser additionally won’t be of much use.』

『Yes. So, in order to prevent this type of theft…』

Clatter.

After finishing my meal, I turned off my phone and got up right away.

‘If I mess this up, I’ll be late? Aish, if I knew this would happen, I should have just skipped eating.’

Washing the dishes, brushing my teeth, changing clothes.

I was busy for a while getting ready to go out, but fortunately, I wasn’t late for the appointment.

A little while later.

I arrived at a fountain near the Hunter Association.

After waiting there for about 5 minutes, a welcome face approached.

“Hyung-nim! Hup, you were already here! How could I dare make Hyung-nim wait! I have committed a truly unforgivable sin…”

“Oh, yeah. Calm down.”

What day is it today?

Good news. That enormous appraisal fee was finally deposited.

‘Hahahaha! Ten million won just for appraising a crappy sword!’

A huge sum of money that I had never touched before had entered my bank account.

What’s the point of just holding onto this?

Am I going to take it with me as funeral expenses when I die? That’s not it.

‘Money is meant to be spent!’

Getting caught up in gate terror.

Getting kidnapped.

Speaking from my experience of going through all sorts of hardships since coming to this planet, what I need most right now is a magical tool.

‘I need to be alive to do anything.’

I didn’t care if I was criticized for relying on item power.

Because for a trash who was reincarnated as an F-rank, this was the only method left…

“The road is really clean and well-maintained. Is that big building all a shopping center?”

From now on, I plan to look around a place called the Hunter Market.

But since I don’t know much about Earth’s culture, I asked An Yunseung for help in advance.

“Yes! From the 5th floor above ground to the 2nd floor below ground, they all handle items. The auction house is across the street.”

And I don’t know if it’s just my imagination.

An Yunseung seems to be getting friendlier day by day.

Shopping center guidance. Frankly, this kind of thing would be a bit annoying, right? But why is he accepting it with a smile?

‘I even saved him from almost getting his item stolen. Now, we really don’t owe each other anything.’

There are some questionable parts, but I decided to just let it go.

‘That’s right. He’s just a pushover.’

If he’s offering to be taken advantage of, why would I refuse?

“By the way, this is the first time I’ve seen someone who hasn’t used the Hunter Market before. It seems like you haven’t been in Korea for very long?”

“Uh-uh, that’s why I’m still adjusting to the time difference.”

I made up a nonchalant excuse and entered the building.

Then, the open view of the shopping mall came into view.

‘Kim Giryeo doesn’t seem to have been to the market either. I don’t particularly recall any memories from the original body.’

Somehow, all the stores are huge.

Let’s see, it seems like the first floor sells relatively low-value monster processed goods.

“From the second floor, you need to present a hunter’s license to enter?”

“They sell weapons there in earnest. And the fifth floor is a VIP floor, and I have access.”

“Oh~”

There are definitely a lot of strange items.

A coat made from the skin of a reptile monster.

A lamp that never goes out.

A potion that makes you smaller.

‘What principle is it made with?’

If I had a lot of money, I would buy one of everything for research purposes!

The soul of a madohakja is crying. I swallowed my sadness and painstakingly chose survival items.

『Ice Bomb』

『Effect: A powerful bomb that freezes nearby enemies.』

Yeah. Something like this is worth using as a weapon.

Okay, then the price is…

“Pffft!”

The lemonade that An Yunseung bought me during shopping sprays into the air.

“Gasp! Did you choke?”

Since I was frozen, Yunseung hurriedly got some tissues and wiped my clothes, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off the product catalog.

They’re selling this kind of effect at this kind of price?

‘Isn’t that completely a thief’s mentality!’

The price of a disposable ice magic exceeds my bank balance.

I couldn’t believe reality, so I moved to the next floor of the shopping center, but the result was the same.

『Black Mamba』

『Effect: When an attack hits, it poisons the opponent.』

This too!

『Shield Capsule』

『Effect: When the capsule is broken, a disposable shield is created. Defense strength limited to B-rank or lower.』

This too!

『High-Grade Mana Potion』

『Effect: Restores mana when consumed.』

No, this lukewarm water that restores mana by the size of a fingernail is this price?

‘There’s nothing I can buy!’

Is this that…

Something called hyperinflation that I vaguely saw on the internet.

The prices of mado-gu on Earth were truly beyond imagination.

“Wow, Hyung-nim has a great eye! You’ve been looking at only the incredibly expensive things since earlier…”

In a way, An Yunseung is right.

This was a problem caused by high standards.

My hometown was an advanced country in madohak, so if it’s good enough to satisfy me, it would naturally be a high-end product.

“Huh? You don’t like the potions either?”

In the end, I ended up leaving the store again, dragging my feet.

Yunseung-a.

It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that I can’t buy it because I don’t have money.

“Even our guild members think twice before using a potion of this level, so it’s not enough for someone like Hyung-nim!”

It’s not that, it’s that I don’t have enough money…

“Hoo.”

If I knew this would happen, I shouldn’t have wasted my energy and just stayed home.

I sat on a chair in the hallway and stared blankly at the wall.

I’m losing energy.

“Let’s take a short break.”

“Ah! Okay. Hyung-nim! If you’re hungry, I’ll get you some snacks…!”

“You sit too.”

“Yes.”

When the commission fee was deposited, I felt like I had become a tycoon.

But when I realized that there was nothing I could buy, a kind of emptiness washed over me.

See, I must be so shocked that even the empty wall looks like it’s swaying.

Now even my eyes are getting weird…

‘Huh?’

I was chewing on the straw of the finished lemonade, when I felt something strange and stopped moving.

‘What is it?’

An alien flow of mana was rippling in front of the weapon shop.

I could tell at once that it was a distortion caused by light magic.

This shopping center is overflowing with Awakened Ones, but no one noticed that?

“Hmm.”

Judging by how An Yunseung isn’t saying anything, it seems like that’s a pretty high-level stealth here.

‘What the heck is he doing?’

I became curious about the identity of the sorcerer for no reason.

I narrowed my eyes and focused on his mana.

Then, the distortion gradually cleared, and I began to feel the outline of the Awakened One.

An adult male who looks to be in his 20s or 30s.

He’s holding a large bag in his hand, and what’s sticking out of the bag is the leather coat item I saw on the first floor earlier.

“……..”

This is something I’ve seen a lot.

“Yunseung-a, did you see the news today?”

“What news?”

“The invisible man thief.”

“Ah! I saw it on SNS.”

Even if he’s just a petty thief, he’s still a magician.

If I attacked him with an F-rank body, I would get utterly crushed.

So, I gave up on arresting that criminal.

‘I’ wasn’t going to do it.

“I think I’ve found that invisible man… It would be good to catch him, right?”

“Yes?”

“Yunseung-a, can you use any area skill in front of that equipment store?”

Oh, that’s right, there was a really fun game on Earth.

“Fighting.”

“Yes?”

Something called PoXmonsters.