‘These amateurish bastards.’

Hong Woo-jin was at his boiling point. If he’d been inhabiting a cat’s body like last time, he would have raised his fur and hissed.

But now he was a rice weevil smaller than a fingernail. Wriggling in the crack beneath the refrigerator was the maximum expression of rage he could manage.

Waaaang.

‘That bastard’s coming in again.’

The object of his fury was a fly that kept entering the house.

He didn’t know which of them it was, but they were being somewhat cautious, slipping in one at a time—which only heightened Jin Tae-kyung’s vigilance.

“Ugh, this fucking flies.”

Whoosh. Smack!

A predictable end. Hong Woo-jin froze, terrified that Jin Tae-kyung might notice him.

‘These types always have no professional ethics and are stupid to boot.’

Most hunters wouldn’t notice, but he recognized it immediately. That fly was a familiar controlled by a magician. The extremely faint mana that only another magician could sense was proof.

‘Who hired them? The Sangdong Guild again?’

If that were the case, this assignment needed to be abandoned immediately. He was a professional with immense pride in his skills.

He couldn’t tolerate interlopers in his sacred workspace.

‘I specifically requested… No matter how well someone handles a job, there are times when an impatient client releases one little mudfish that muddies the waters. Just like now.’

“Are flies these days all like that?”

“W-well, they could be, right? Anyway, give me 100,000 won.”

“I will. I am, but… doesn’t that fly seem strange?”

Damn it, I knew this would happen.

Hong Woo-jin swallowed his curses and worked his body diligently. Wriggle, wriggle—as he crept deeper into places beyond human sight, it happened.

Zzzzt.

‘Huh?’

He was seized by a strange sensation of his body floating. This had never happened since he began using familiar magic.

‘What’s this? Is it because this familiar is too small?’

Though it lasted only an instant, Hong Woo-jin couldn’t shake the uneasiness. For a moment, he suspected a detection spell, but quickly dismissed the thought.

‘It can’t be magic.’

Not just because Jin Tae-kyung was an anti-magic hunter. In this world, anyone with money could get magical equipment, couldn’t they?

But like knows like. As a B-rank magician, it was impossible for him not to recognize a detection spell.

‘The connection probably weakened momentarily. Yes, that must be it.’

The decisive factor that made him think it was a simple misconception was Jin Tae-kyung’s reaction.

“Maybe its wing is injured? The fly seems pretty weak.”

Slap!

With that sharp sound, Jin Tae-kyung returned to the living room and flopped down on the sofa.

After chuckling at a variety show for a while, instead of laughter, loud snoring filled the house.

Snore. Snore.

Only then did Hong Woo-jin’s nerves begin to relax.

‘That’s more like it. A C-rank hunter who was F-rank until recently—what would he know? Everything that happened two days ago must have been a coincidence.’

Two days ago, he’d been surprised while observing Jin Tae-kyung through a cat familiar. Somehow, it had been nagging at him ever since, but now he felt he could finally put it to rest.

‘If he can’t even detect such a pathetic familiar, well, that says it all.’

The only problem was that the lazy bastard showed no signs of moving…

‘I need to monitor more aggressively now.’

Hong Woo-jin had chosen a rice weevil as his familiar from among countless creatures due to a lingering wariness of Jin Tae-kyung.

But now it seemed safe to leave this small, sluggish insect’s body.

‘Tomorrow, let’s meet in a different form, Jin Tae-kyung.’

Pop.

Hong Woo-jin released the link. The creature hiding in the refrigerator crack was no longer a familiar. Just a small, fragile rice weevil.

***

And the next moment.

Snore…

Jin Tae-kyung’s snoring gradually subsided before stopping abruptly.

A subtle energy disappeared. It was a change I could detect only by mobilizing all my senses.

‘Has he gone?’

I opened my eyes, pretending to stretch. The first place my gaze went was the crack beneath the refrigerator.

[Lv.1 Rice Weevil]

Just ten minutes ago, the level window had the “familiar” tag attached to it. Not anymore, now that the link was broken.

“Yawn… anything to eat…?”

I got up from the sofa and casually walked around the house. Only then could I be certain.

‘There are no more familiars.’

Only a few ordinary insects were caught by my [Qi Sense]. None of them were familiars.

The constant buzzing of fly wings had also stopped.

Those guys must have been startled by what just happened, so they probably won’t dare show up for at least today.

‘Damn it, a familiar.’

Familiar magic.

It’s a type of mental magic used by magicians. The caster’s mind connects with the creature they’ve made their familiar, and depending on their level, they can even control it according to their will.

‘This is my first time experiencing it firsthand.’

Just as a close-combat hunter isn’t a master of all weapons, the same applies to magicians. Among magical disciplines, mental magic is considered quite difficult.

‘Why would they target me?’

The reason I say “they” rather than “he” is because there were two familiars. They might be working together, or they might not.

But I had a pretty good idea of who sent them.

‘Who else but the Sangdong Guild?’

The only place I’ve formed some kind of grudge with in the real world is the Sangdong Guild. Or more precisely, Lim Changsoo.

‘When you touch the child, the father comes running.’

Lim Chunsoo, an A-rank hunter known for being cold-blooded and foul-tempered.

If today’s events were under his orders, this wouldn’t end easily.

But…

‘I can’t just sit back and take it either.’

I could tolerate them following me two days ago. I can bear that.

But today’s incident is unacceptable.

This is my home, where my beloved family lives. They’ve touched my reversed scale.

‘How should I make these bastards pay…’ While I was contemplating this, Ha-yeon’s door suddenly flung open.

Her face was hard as stone. Did they try something with the familiar without me knowing? My heart raced with urgency.

“Oppa.”

“What is it? Something strange in your room?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

“Why haven’t you given me the 100,000 won?”

Right. I’ve underestimated you far too much.

The next morning, I left home as soon as day broke.

Though my eyes were dry from using [Qi Sense] all night to guard against familiar intrusions, I relieved my fatigue with energy-regulating breathing.

“Where would you like to go?”

“Ilsan LaFesta, please.”

The taxi sped down the empty road without any traffic, and we arrived at the destination much faster than I’d expected.

‘Is this my first time at the Store since I visited a few years ago?’

The Store located in central Ilsan was conspicuous even from a distance. For one, it was overwhelmingly larger and more lavish than nearby shops.

There was another difference from other stores. At the entrance, a security guard in a suit was filtering out customers.

“Mister, we’re adults, really!”

“Not allowed.”

“We’re adults, so why can’t we enter?”

“The fingerprint scanner says you’re not adults.”

“Isn’t that machine faulty?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Come on, just let us in!”

“What did you just say?”

At the guard’s words, the group of clearly teenage kids, five or six of them, flinched and backed away.

“…What?”

“Is this how you treat customers?”

“Customers? Ha, these damn kids, really.”

The security guard rubbed his eyes with a tired expression. He wasn’t an ordinary adult male but a hired security hunter.

He couldn’t be breached even if a group of martial artists came instead of half a dozen minors.

“To me, customers are hunters or registered adult civilians. Not snot-nosed brats like you.”

“Want to leave nicely, or should I call the police?”

There are always guys like them wherever you go.

Especially at the Store, which is filled with all sorts of items inaccessible to ordinary people.

“…Hey, let’s go.”

Only after the loiterers retreated did the guard notice me and ask in a friendly tone.

“What brings you here today?”

“I’m here to purchase some items.”

“Please present your membership card or hunter license.”

“Here.”

“I’ll need to verify this.”

Only after license verification and fingerprint recognition was I given an entry pass.

“As a C-rank hunter, you have access up to the third floor.”

Each floor of the Store stocks different types of items. I visited just once when I was an F-rank hunter, but with my rank at the time, I couldn’t go beyond the second floor.

“Enjoy your time with us.”

“Thank you, keep up the good work.”

Passing through the doors, I saw endless rows of glass display cases.

The space was incomparably larger than an ordinary store. However, there weren’t many customers in sight.

‘Well, it would be strange if it were crowded.’

Only a select few can use this place. Hunters, who make up just 0.1 percent of South Korea’s total population, and civilians influential enough to be issued membership.

They are the Store’s primary customers.

“This product is manufactured by domestic company S and has built-in alarm magic, useful for security…”

“This brooch is made by overseas company M. With its beautiful, sensational design and built-in shield magic, it’s ideal for your wife’s protection…” Staff members were busy explaining products to customers.

Right. The Store is a kind of luxury department store where you can purchase high-priced magical items difficult to obtain in the private sector.

“Then I’ll take that one, and this one. Give me that too.”

“Don’t you have anything better? Don’t worry about the price, just bring it over.”

The number of customers might be small, but their purchasing power is unmatched.

I was staring blankly at people buying items worth millions of won when a pretty female employee approached and bowed.

“Hello. I’m Kim Sunhee, deputy manager at Ilsan Store, here to assist you.”

“Ah, yes.”

They were respectful during my last visit too, but not to this extent.

Being C-rank certainly gets you more attentive customer service.

“Is there a specific product you’re looking for?”

“I’d like to buy some raid equipment.”

The employee’s expression brightened. While the Store has numerous magical items, hunter equipment ranks among the most expensive.

Moreover, I’m a C-rank hunter. For a mid-level hunter, even a single piece of equipment can cost tens of millions.

So from a sales employee’s perspective, the prospect of boosting her performance must be exciting.

“I’ll guide you to the third floor.”

As she turned toward the escalator, I said:

“No, please take me to the second floor.”

“Pardon? But if you want to purchase C-rank hunter equipment, you should go to the third floor…”

“It’s fine. What I want to buy is a low-rank hunter weapon.”

Ignoring the employee’s slightly darkening face, I stepped onto the escalator first.

‘I wonder if they have anything suitable for catching rats.’

It’s time to fill my inventory.

“It’s fine. What I want to buy is a low-rank hunter weapon.”

Deputy Manager Kim Sunhee secretly sighed at the customer’s words. This was unwelcome news for someone particularly concerned with sales performance.

‘I need good results this month to get promoted.’

Her colleague who entered the company at the same time but works at the Seoul branch has already become a team leader. Whether due to luck or skill, every customer they get seems to be a big spender.

Compared to that, she…

“This looks nice.”

“Ah, yes. This product is made from F-rank magic stone…” Kim Sunhee quickly collected herself and began her explanation. The customer had picked up a dagger with a blackened blade.

Compared to other weapons, it was neither special nor embedded with magic—just an ordinary consumable item.

“How much is it?”

“It’s currently on summer special discount at the low price of 520,000 won.”

“Hmm. That’s expensive.”

What was a C-rank hunter’s annual salary again?

Wasn’t the basic allowance alone several hundred million won? Kim Sunhee was incredulous but silently waited for the customer’s decision.

“Well, can’t be helped. I’ll take it. Give me one.”

“…Yes.”

His face screamed that he was dying to save money, which was thoroughly irritating. Just as Kim Sunhee was swallowing her annoyance and reaching for the dagger:

“No, not that one.”

“Pardon?”

“The one next to it.”

Her gaze shifted to the side. There were 100 daggers neatly arranged in a storage box.

“They’re the same product, sir.”

“I know. Please give me that one.”

“…You couldn’t possibly mean the entire storage box?”

“Yes. Give me one box of those. And one box of those too, and that as well…” It was the moment Deputy Manager Kim Sunhee’s performance worries vanished.