I received three devices from Dr. Jin.
One of them was a corneal implant-type device, just like the one Kiril had given me.
Dr. Jin removed the device fused to my eye and installed an upgraded version.
A practical model, unlike the prototype I had before.
Maybe that's why it displayed information I couldn't see previously:
"Whoa…"
I already knew my physical capabilities were roughly on par with a low-tier Knight.
But after putting on this new device, it seems my healing abilities were also being measured.
Despite not being able to neutralize most of the toxins still in my body, my self-healing was ranked S.
What kind of body do I have?
And then there was something called the "Poisoner Class Level."
What was that supposed to mean?
I had so many questions, but I had already left Dr. Jin's… home.
Until he tells me his new location, there's no way to contact him.
So I have no choice but to figure things out on my own.
Once I get home, I plan to run a few tests.
If things go the way I'm imagining, I can make myself appear to be a Healer.
And to pull that off, this little guy is going to be more important than anything else.
"You think you can handle it?"
—Kkuwang!
Ppori flapped his wings and let out a roar, as if to say "Don't doubt me."
…Though calling that a "roar" is a bit of a stretch.
When Kiril had just awakened, she apparently had red rashes all over her body like I did.
That meant she, too, couldn't fully control the toxins in her system.
Amazingly, Ppori had devoured all of the residual poison in her.
Considering how powerful she was, I can't even begin to imagine how much toxin that must've been.
Which leads me to one conclusion:
Ppori can absorb poison in virtually unlimited quantities.
That sky-high pride of his must come from that confidence.
"I debated whether to tell you this or not…"
Before we parted ways, Dr. Jin told me one last thing.
He was the one who originally built the backbone of the communication network that Hunters use.
Though the system had evolved over time, he still had the ability to eavesdrop on messages between the Hunter Association and the guilds—if he so desired.
"I never had a reason to use it before. Stick your neck out too far, and someone will cut it. Besides, I've had enough of Hunter business."
But the unprecedented dual-gate incident had stirred his curiosity.
He tapped into the communications between the Glory Guild and the Hunter Association for that district. What he found was this:
"Contrary to public reports, the Poisoner Task Force deployed to Old Padong suffered minimal casualties. Had they been sent to Gaebangdong—even a little late—the loss of life there could've been cut in half."
"...!!"
It was confirmation.
The media's narrative that "there was no other choice" due to simultaneous incidents was a complete lie.
They could have helped Gaebangdong. But they didn't.
The Association turned a blind eye.
They didn't just weigh lives on a scale—they flat-out threw one side away.
Why?
Because Gaebangdong was a poor neighborhood. There was no money in it.
"That's when people start to seem scarier than monsters."
—Kkuwang.
Ppori nodded hard, as if to say "Now you're talking."
I patted his head as we descended from Mount Cheonggye.
Land in Seoul is expensive.
And among the most expensive areas is the famed Cheongdam-dong.
Right in the heart of it stood the Glory Guild headquarters—Glory Tower.
A massive, grandiose, newly built structure made only from the most luxurious materials.
It was a declaration of power: We are the most elite force in Korea.
In the reception hall of Glory Tower, two men sat facing each other.
"Thank you for your time, Director. I appreciate the invitation."
A wiry old journalist with graying hair bowed politely to a massive man across from him.
Despite looking at least fifteen years older, the journalist showed no hint of seniority or superiority.
Because the man seated across from him—
Was Koo Gun-yi, the head of the Glory Guild and Korea's greatest Tank Knight.
A man widely praised as a national treasure.
"Hehehe. No need for such formality. I just hope our sincerity comes through."
"I'm sure it will, without a doubt."
Koo Gun-yi conducted an interview with the editor-in-chief of Joongan Daily for an hour.
The topic was the recent unusual incident involving a dual gate and the appearance of a poison-type monster.
Given Koo Gun-yi's status, Joongan Daily couldn't send just anyone.
The editor-in-chief himself, an older man, made the visit as a gesture of respect.
The two had maintained a friendly relationship like that for a while.
The media and major corporations—groups that needed to get along.
"Sincerity, huh… Sincerity…"
Even after leaving Glory Tower, the editor-in-chief kept repeating the word.
Sincerity.
He knew exactly what Koo Gun-yi had meant when he said it—like looking into the palm of his hand.
Something like: "Glory Guild did its best during the dual gate incident, and the casualties were unavoidable."
That's probably what it boiled down to.
What really happened behind the scenes, the so-called truth, didn't matter.
Koo Gun-yi wasn't asking for the truth. He wanted sincerity.
And from now on, the editor-in-chief would only be writing about that sincerity.
Glory Guild ads were plastered all over Joongan Daily's newspapers and website almost daily.
They accounted for more than 30% of all ad revenue—a staggering amount.
At that level, even if he were the editor-in-chief's grandfather, he'd have no choice but to turn a blind eye to the truth.
"Well… I guess he's not technically wrong either. They did protect Old Padong at least…"
The editor-in-chief clicked his tongue and convinced himself of that rationale.
Koo Gun-yi.
He didn't grow Glory Guild solely because of his talents as a hunter.
No—if anything, his business acumen may have far exceeded his hunting skills.
Smooth talk, a reliable public image, a trustworthy face masking a mind built for scheming.
And on top of that, the tactical intellect to steer a conversation toward his desired conclusion without ever stating it outright.
Naturally, he was the most influential figure in the Hunter Association.
So even the biggest news outlet in the country had no choice but to print stories that matched his preferences.
With money, power, and media in his grasp—who could possibly stand against Glory Guild?
Shaking his head slowly, the editor-in-chief started his car.
Meanwhile—
As soon as the editor-in-chief left, Koo Gun-yi roughly yanked off his necktie.
"What's with all the damn questions? Sh*t. Guy's so old, I bet he couldn't even hear half my answers."
The friendly smile he'd worn during the interview was nowhere to be seen.
In its place remained a vicious warrior, the kind who crushed monsters on the battlefield without mercy.
The way his trapezius muscles bulged and his short hair bristled spoke volumes about his true nature.
"How's the new recruitment batch looking?"
He asked his chief of staff as he exited the reception room.
"We secured half of the top 30% of hunters who passed the qualification exams."
"Half, huh… What's the average tier?"
The chief's face stiffened a little.
"B-tier… We've got about five A-tiers. But… we also had to include a few C-tiers."
"C-tier?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But even with that low, subdued tone, sweat started beading on the chief's forehead.
From experience, he could tell Koo Gun-yi was not pleased.
And with a title like that—S-rank Knight—who could stand up to his wrath?
Frantically searching for the right words, the chief explained the situation.
"That was the best we could do. There were no promising S-ranks this quarter, and the C-tiers we accepted are all healer-types."
At the word healer, Koo Gun-yi's sharp gaze softened slightly.
"Right… In a world where anything can pop up at any time, we need more healers.
Speaking of which—Maria, is she still in that state?"
"Yes… She's currently in the exclusive healing ward."
"Tsk tsk… How long is she planning to keep up this foolishness?"
Koo Gun-yi clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Just like in the past, the world now—more than ever—needed healers.
And Glory Guild had one legendary healer who had been with them from the very beginning.
Maria.
A founding member of Glory Guild like Koo Gun-yi himself, she was an S-rank hunter, ranked among the top three worldwide.
The public's affection for Maria bordered on religious devotion.
Her healing abilities, combined with a face that looked as though it had been sculpted by divine hands, made her something of a saintly figure.
Her gentle, kind smile made people feel healed just by looking at her.
People nicknamed her "The Holy Mother."
Not exactly a fitting name for someone still in her early twenties—but the adoration toward her was nothing short of worship.
And just like her public image, Maria truly had a kind and gentle heart.
The problem was… her compassion often became a crushing burden of guilt.
"Let's go in."
"…Yes, sir."
In front of Maria's private healing chamber, Koo Gun-yi scratched his head, visibly reluctant.
Meanwhile, his chief of staff looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Though it was called a healing chamber, the place was the farthest thing from peaceful.
It was a space where dark, unspeakable acts were quietly repeated.
"Ugh…"
The moment they stepped inside, the chief of staff clamped a hand over his nose.
The overwhelming stench of blood hung thick in the air.
Even Koo Gun-yi furrowed his brow deeply, but his voice turned soft—like during the interview.
"Ria, this one's taking a bit longer than usual, huh?"
"…You're here."
A woman drenched in blood knelt in the middle of the room.
A far cry from the image of the Holy Mother—an image that didn't fit her appearance in the slightest.
"Let's stop now. We did everything we could."
"…"
Maria stayed silent for a moment.
Then, with her delicate hands, she suddenly sliced open her own carotid artery.
Splurt.
"Ugh… ahh!"
As blood poured like a waterfall, the chief of staff let out a groan he could no longer suppress.
Koo Gun-yi quietly ushered the shaken man out, then took Maria's bloodstained hand in his.
"Ria."
Shockingly, her neck was already smooth and unblemished.
Though her blood still soaked the floor, her exceptional healing ability never left a wound unattended.
"President Koo… I still don't know. Did we really do everything we could?"
Her warm, kind eyes now shimmered with a chilling cold.
For just a moment, Koo Gun-yi's brow twitched—but he nodded firmly.
"Yes. Unless we had two bodies each, there was no way we could've covered both gates as one team."
"What if we had split the team? Or even arrived late to Gaebang-dong…?"
"Ria."
Koo Gun-yi's voice turned sharp.
"If we talk like that, you're basically saying I'm unfit to lead this guild."
"That's not what I meant… It's not, but…"
"I know. You always torment yourself thinking about the ones we couldn't save.
But I swear on everything I have—we did our best. You did your best. Even this time."
So please, stop this pathetic self-torture.
That's what he really wanted to say, but he held it in.
What he feared most during this dual gate incident wasn't the media, nor protests from victims' families, nor the government.
It was Maria, kneeling in front of him, soaked in blood.
She was kind—but not naïve.
A healing ritual that should've taken a day had been dragging on for several.
That alone was proof she was doubting their response to the incident.
"I know you're grieving. I'll grant you some time off.
So leave this dark, damp room and get some fresh air, alright?"
"Yes… I'll do that."
She answered, but her voice still sounded hollow.
He needed to find something to help her reset mentally.
As he mulled it over, a satisfying idea clicked into place.
"I'll be contacting you later. Head to the Hunter Association's headquarters."
"The headquarters?"
"Yeah. The newly recruited hunters are in pretty bad shape.
Next time, I'd like you to personally evaluate promising healers and create a list."
Maria was so kind-hearted she even felt compassion for monsters.
Rather than dragging her back into the battlefield, letting her nurture the next generation would do wonders for her peace of mind.
It wasn't common for a private guild to participate in official hunter selections—but if it was Glory Guild, and if the judge was Maria, no one would question it.
Once again, Koo Gun-yi's cunning mind—hidden behind his calm demeanor—sparkled.
"Yes. I'll do that."
Maria gave the same answer as before, but this time, there was a lightness in her voice that hadn't been there.
She'd be out of this damned place soon.
With a satisfied expression, Koo Gun-yi offered a parting word.
"I hope you find someone special at the next qualification exam."