The mayor was waiting for us just outside Seoul’s borders.

We drove down a road that hadn’t been maintained for years, potholes and cracks everywhere, until we spotted a lone shack and a parked car at the roadside.

“That’s… really random.”

Meiling muttered as she got out of the car, eyeing the shack.

“There aren’t any CCTVs around here at all. Black Hound can’t see this place,” Jang Hayun explained.

She walked up to the shack and knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.”

The mayor’s voice came from inside.

When we stepped in, we found the mayor and Riyu sitting across from each other on the sofa.

On the worn-out table between them sat two disposable cups with a franchise logo. The coffee inside was already half gone.

“Good day, Mayor. And greetings to you as well, Chairman.”

I bowed politely.

“You’ve surely been through a lot, yet your face looks surprisingly bright,” Riyu remarked, looking at me.

“We survived another day dodging Black Hound. That streak of luck is something to be grateful for.”

At my reply, Riyu laughed heartily.

“You’ve got quite the tongue on you. You really don’t seem like a first-year academy student.”

Of course—what’s inside me isn’t some kid, but an old gamer.

“Sit here, all of you.”

The mayor rose and took a seat beside Riyu.

“Hayun, I’ll have you keep watch outside.”

At that, Jang Hayun’s ever-smiling face grew even brighter.

“Understood, sir! I’ll carry out your orders!”

She snapped a salute and marched outside.

‘Definitely just an excuse to keep her from butting into the conversation.’

It wasn’t like there was anything out here that needed guarding.

Once we’d sat down on the sofa, Riyu looked over at us and began.

“I watched your story on TV. When I saw Chairman Oh Sungcheon’s reaction that day, I wondered if it was true—but you really went through with it.”

He was referring to HAUT’s graduation ceremony. That day, in a separate room, we’d heard offers from Oh Sungcheon and Ahn Hyunggi one after the other.

“The first thing I can give you is testimony. I’ll testify that Oh Sungcheon tried to recruit you into Black Hound, failed, and lost his temper. He may have disguised it, but he essentially threatened you by talking about giving you a chance to ‘reconsider.’”

“That’s very generous of you. But are you sure it’s alright? Forward receives a great deal of HAUT’s support—one of only three tickets, after all.”

At my question, Riyu burst into another laugh while the mayor only gave a wry smile.

“You’re too considerate. We’re offering you help, and you worry about us?”

“I’d just like to understand your reason, sir.”

I put on a serious expression.

“As the HAUT Executive Chairman, you’d be risking Forward’s support by backing us. Why take such a risk?”

“So, you want to know my true motive.”

Riyu nodded.

“It’s simple. What did you call me just now?”

“I addressed you as HAUT’s Executive Chairman.”

“Exactly. That’s the reason.”

He grinned.

“I created HAUT to open the eyes of talented youths who would otherwise be stuck in the frog-pond of the academies. To give seeds of potential new soil where they could grow. And what is Forward doing now?”

The smile faded from his face.

“They’re trying to crush, with their own hands, young people with promise unseen since the Seven Pioneers. To kill them before they can bloom.”

Lumina gasped softly. Meiling’s lips curled upward. Seo Yui alone kept her usual calm expression.

“Calling us Seven Pioneers… that’s a bit much, sir.”

I glanced toward Cheon Jiwon.

“No. I agree with Riyu,” Jiwon said. “I have a feeling you will one day stand on the same level as me—and the others.”

There was sincerity in his voice.

And he was right. To defeat the hidden boss, everyone needed to reach max level. Raising the squad to that point was one of my clear goals—though with only Phase 1 dungeons so far, that wasn’t possible yet.

“That’s why I can’t forgive Forward. I’m no fool who confuses means with ends. Their funding? Replace it with more live dungeon runs instead of robots. As for the cost of inviting guest instructors next year—Jiwon’s here. We’ll manage.”

“Wait, Riyu, what are you saying? The city budget can’t—”

“Did I say I wanted money? You come as an instructor. That solves it.”

“Me!? As an instructor?”

Lumina cried out in shock.

“Honestly… no one could complain. HAUT, taught by the mayor himself. Makes me regret participating this year instead of next,” I said with a smile.

“Hold on, Yein. I never said I’d participate in HAUT…”

“I’ll also help with the Forward matter,” Riyu cut in, casually.

“…Understood.”

From the flow of the conversation, it was clear the mayor had already asked Riyu for something before we arrived.

“And the other thing I can give you is dungeon access permits.”

‘Permits?’

I turned to him.

“I originally wanted you to be issued hunter licenses. Your skills already surpass academy graduates. You’re on par with pros who’ve been dungeon-diving for ten years.”

He meant every word—Riyu truly thought highly of us.

“But Jiwon said that wasn’t possible.”

All eyes turned to the mayor. He gave a strained smile.

“Don’t misunderstand. I agree with him. At HAUT, you proved yourselves on par with pro hunters. But fairness matters.”

And he was right.

“If we got licensed before graduating, plenty of trainees would demand the same.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“What? Then can’t you just set up a separate certification exam? So people can be tested without going through an academy?” Meiling grumbled.

“You’re an exceptional case. If such an exam existed, only you would pass. And I’d make sure the difficulty was set that way.”

The mayor added, “For all the academies’ flaws, at least they teach basic survival. No one becomes a hunter on innate power alone.”

Riyu nodded.

“That’s why I suggested something else. With my recommendation, you could be issued temporary dungeon access permits even without academy enrollment.”

Of course, that was what he meant.

“But there will be one condition—you’ll need a pro hunter to accompany you,” Riyu added.

“That’s fine. We’ll ask members of the All Around guild to accompany us.”

No matter how much Black Hound was chasing us, we still needed the proper qualifications to enter a dungeon. Even for dungeons owned by All Around on the outskirts of the city, access permits were mandatory.

“So, you’ve joined All Around?” Riyu asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you rejected Chairman Ahn Hyunggi’s offer as well?”

He probably didn’t know about my transfer or Iris. No need to bring up the unnecessary—better to stick to the important points.

“I did reject him, but I also agreed to accept a different condition and secured Chairman Ahn’s cooperation.”

“Cooperation?”

“Yes. I plan to gather the HAUT participants and form a group.”

Riyu’s eyes widened to the size of fists.

“Explain in detail.”

His tone had dropped low.

“Yes. During HAUT, I realized something. Each academy teaches different things, and just by being together, we gave each other fresh stimulation.”

I suppressed a smile as I went on.

“So I thought, what if HAUT graduates—or anyone interested—could meet regularly? To explore dungeons together, spar with each other, or even invite pro hunters and experts to teach us. You could call it a permanent version of HAUT.”

The moment I finished speaking, a sharp jolt like an electric current shot through my whole body.

“Ah!”

“Ugh.”

Lumina, Meiling, and Seo Yui flinched as well.

Riyu was staring at me wide-eyed. A violet aura of mana leaked from his body—so absorbed that he hadn’t even realized it.

“Sir, calm yourself. You’ll hurt the kids,” Cheon Jiwon said, resting a hand on Riyu’s shoulder.

“Oh.”

Riyu blinked, then his body relaxed.

“My apologies. Your idea excited me more than I realized. Ahem.”

He cleared his throat, his face turning serious as he fixed his gaze on me.

“So… what did Chairman Ahn say when you told him this?”

“He said it was interesting, but difficult. That HAUT itself had taken long negotiations to establish. Still, when I offered to explain in more detail later, he agreed to listen.”

“Take me with you.”

“…Sir?”

“Bring me along when you meet Chairman Ahn.”

Excitement still flickered beneath the expression on Riyu’s face.

“I’ll help you make this group a reality.”

“Truly?”

Riyu didn’t answer in words—he held out his smartwatch.

“Add my contact. And before you meet Chairman Ahn, you call me. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

I brought my smartwatch close to his. With a beep, the number was registered.

“Riyu, isn’t it about time?” Cheon Jiwon asked.

“Yes. I need to return to Seoul.”

“I’ll have a subordinate escort you. I still have matters to discuss with these students.”

Riyu nodded.

‘Hope Jang Hayun doesn’t get struck by lightning while driving him.’

The thought crossed my mind.

After Riyu and Jang Hayun left the shack, Cheon Jiwon turned to me.

“About those mana stones you gave me—I’ll be needing more soon.”

“More, sir?”

He nodded.

“I plan to build a small-scale mana stone power plant as a test. I’ll need them for that.”

“The city is building a power plant?”

“No. Because of costs, we’ll be working with a company. I’ve spoken with Chairman Porter. You’ve met him—you know he’s not your typical businessman.”

I nodded. Just as I suspected.

“By next month, I want a prototype plant and transmission facility up and running. For that, I’ll need at least ten more mana stones.”

“Understood.”

I pulled items from my inventory and laid them across the table.

As the smoke cleared, the shack was filled with rainbow light.

“A total of twenty-five.”

I glanced at the mayor, jaw agape.

“My friend predicted you’d need more mana stones and entrusted them to me ahead of time. Please take them all and use them.”

“……”

The mayor picked one up, examined it, then looked at me.

“They didn’t ask for anything in return?”

“My friend asked only that you help him become free from Forward.”

The mayor smiled.

“Tell your Craftsman friend this: I’ll make sure of it.”

I nodded.

“And, sir—there’s something important I must warn you about.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Soon, Black Hound will attack City Hall.”

The mayor’s face hardened.

He quickly swept the mana stones into his inventory and said,

“Explain in detail.”

----------------------------------------

Three days after TBS aired the HAUT champions exposing Forward’s corruption—Friday.

A group of hunters in masks appeared around Seoul City Hall.

“It begins.”

The leader pressed a switch in his pocket.

A moment later—

KWAANG!!!

A meteor crashed into City Hall.

(End of Chapter)