8 p.m.

Instead of Jang Hayun, another Peacekeeper drove me to the appointed location.

“Welcome.”

Stepping inside, I found myself in a restaurant styled after a traditional hanok. A suited employee greeted me with a polite smile.

“Do you have a reservation?”

“It should be under Chairman Riyu Homar.”

“Yes, right this way.”

The staff led me deeper inside. Through the window, I caught sight of a serene courtyard, a small pond illuminated by soft lights.

Knock, knock.

“Your guest has arrived.”

“Send him in.”

The sliding door opened, and I saw Riyu seated at the table. He already had food and drink in front of him, clearly enjoying a light meal before I arrived.

The staff bowed and quietly slipped out.

“So that’s the transformed appearance you mentioned? Using the item?”

Riyu asked with a faintly flushed face.

“Yes. But it only changes what others see. My body itself remains the same.”

I answered while taking out the Doppelgänger Mirror and canceling the disguise.

“Hmm. Hand it over for a moment.”

I passed him the mirror. He turned it this way and that, then activated it.

The figure sitting across from me changed—into none other than Mayor Cheon Jiweon.

“Heh. Interesting little item. Where did you find this?”

“If you need one, I can give you this. But how I obtained it… that’s a secret.”

I smiled as I spoke.

Riyu—wearing Jiweon’s face—grinned and then burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Quite right. A Hunter should never give away information lightly. Here, take it back.”

He tossed the mirror over. I caught it and slipped it back into my inventory.

Just then, another knock.

“Your other guest has arrived.”

“Send him in.”

The door slid open, revealing Ahn Hyunggi.

“Chairman, good evening.”

He smiled warmly at Riyu.

“Ah, good evening indeed. And you, how have you been?”

“Well. Considering I’m supposedly being hunted by Forward, I can’t complain.”

“Hah! What a funny fellow.”

Riyu laughed again.

Once Ahn Hyunggi and I took our seats, the servers brought in dish after dish. Every plate was so artfully arranged it looked like something out of a picture book.

Tonight’s centerpiece was beef.

Wow…

The marbled cuts gleamed like jewels, red flesh intertwined with veins of white fat.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked at meat and thought it was beautiful before.

As the staff began grilling the slices tableside, the room filled with an irresistible aroma.

My mind wandered for a moment to the kids back at the safehouse. They were probably eating boxed meals again tonight.

I’d have to bring them here someday. I had plenty of money from selling gear, after all.

“President Ahn, shall we have a drink?”

Riyu raised a sharp-edged glass bottle of traditional soju.

“Of course.”

Ahn lifted his cup.

As Riyu poured, he spoke.

“You must be enjoying yourself these days.”

“Enjoying myself? How so?”

“The enemy’s been stumbling into misfortune after misfortune, hasn’t it?”

Ahn let out a soft chuckle at that. The two clinked glasses and drank.

“Phew. Those aren’t misfortunes. That’s retribution,” Ahn said.

“They’re just reaping what they sowed.”

“True enough.”

“And if there has been a stroke of fortune, it’s the existence of Nam Yein.”

Ahn’s gaze turned toward me.

“I doubt that arrogant little heir ever imagined you’d slip free of Black Hound by leveraging All Around’s strength.”

“I was just lucky.”

I replied modestly, then tasted a piece of beef hot off the grill.

It barely needed chewing before melting on my tongue, leaving behind a rich, lingering flavor.

I’m definitely bringing the others here someday.

Meanwhile, Riyu and Ahn continued to drink and trade small talk. Their faces grew increasingly flushed, and for a moment I wondered if they’d drink themselves into a stupor before we got to the real discussion.

Thankfully, they didn’t.

“Well then,” Riyu said, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. “Shall we discuss how to organize this little gathering of students?”

Ahn’s expression shifted instantly to one of seriousness.

“First, we’ll need the students from each academy. That means convincing the principals.”

“As I told Yein earlier, I can handle Crystal Academy.”

“Then I’ll approach the others.”

“But tell me, Yein,” Ahn said, turning to me. “What exactly is your vision for this gathering?”

“As autonomous as possible.”

“Autonomous?” Riyu raised an eyebrow.

“A group that grows according to its own goals—not one that moves according to someone else’s agenda.”

“An agenda, is it?”

Riyu chuckled.

“You hear that? How amusing, being lectured by an aspiring Hunter. What do you think?”

“I never imagined I’d live to be dismissed by a Hunter student,” Ahn said dryly.

Blunt man, I thought, studying his stiffened expression.

“I say this because I don’t believe either of you intend to use us.”

I didn’t back down. This needed to be said clearly, here and now.

“A gathering of students from every academy—students skilled enough to compete in HAUT—will naturally attract attention. Many will try to exploit that. Companies will see it as a branding opportunity. Politicians will try to inject their agendas. But you two are different.”

I looked at Riyu.

“Chairman, you’d like us to be a continuation of HAUT. Not just a single event, but the start of something greater. Am I wrong?”

“Heh.”

Riyu snorted.

“You’re a cocky one. But… you’re right. I’ve always wanted that. To help kids with talent grow even more. But keeping HAUT running alone is no easy task.”

I nodded.

“We come from different academies, with different sponsors. That makes cooperation difficult. But when you think about it, those are adult problems. They’re matters of politics and interests, not reasons in themselves.”

“But any group will struggle to stay pure once it grows,” Ahn interjected.

“Running something like this costs money. The gear, the repairs, the potions, the instructors from outside. Even if it’s just students entering a dungeon together, regulations demand a supervisor. Hunters won’t volunteer without pay. In the end, you’ll need support from somewhere—and once you accept that support, outside influence is inevitable.”

His face had hardened even more than before.

“Just so we’re clear, don’t expect that sort of thing from me,” Ahn Hyunggi said firmly. “I’m a businessman. I don’t do anything that doesn’t bring profit. The only reason I’m supporting this gathering is because I asked you to include my daughter. As I said before, what I can provide is limited—some financial assistance, and persuading the president of Crystal Academy. Anything beyond that, I’d expect something in return.”

“That’s fine, then,” I said.

“…What?”

“To be honest, I’m asking for far less than you just listed.”

I smiled brightly.

“All I’d like from you, President Ahn, is to convince the Crystal Academy president—and to allow Iris to join our gathering.”

“You mean you don’t need financial support?”

“That’s right.”

“Why not?”

This time, it was Riyu who asked.

“Don’t tell me someone’s already sponsoring you?”

“Yes.”

“And who might that be?” Ahn demanded.

I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from lifting. What I was about to say sounded ridiculous even to me.

“Do you two know of the Mysterious Craftsman?”

Both Riyu and Ahn’s eyes widened in shock.

“…So that’s it,” Ahn murmured.

As expected, he knew of the so-called connection between me and the Craftsman. Not the real connection, of course, but the one the world believed.

“The Mysterious Craftsman… that new figure who supposedly created over a hundred rare items in just one week?” Riyu asked.

“That would be him.”

“I’ve heard you and that Craftsman are friends,” Ahn added.

“Friends?”

A wrinkle formed between Riyu’s brows.

“Yes.”

“Then are you telling me the Craftsman is the same age as you, Nam Yein?”

“That’s a secret.”

“What?” Riyu’s brows knit tighter.

“My friend doesn’t like revealing personal details.”

“Hah, unbelievable. I’d heard the rumors, but it still makes no sense. A craftsman hiding his identity of all things.”

“I think it’s just another form of marketing,” Ahn interjected. “With that level of skill, deliberately hiding himself only makes him more mysterious. It stirs more interest, makes it easier to attract attention.”

I had considered that myself. Of course, the real reason was to avoid the endless headaches exposure would bring me.

“The items for our gathering will all be supplied by my friend,” I explained. “He’ll cover the costs too.”

“…And why is that?” Ahn pressed.

“Why, you ask?”

“Yes. Why would your friend support a group like this?”

“He said it sounded fun.”

Ahn’s face twisted at that answer.

“Hah!”

Meanwhile, Riyu burst out laughing.

This old man really did laugh easily.

“Fun, eh? Well, that is a powerful motivator.”

“I can’t say I understand it at all,” Ahn muttered. “Introduce me to him. I’d like to hear it from his own mouth.”

“My friend won’t meet anyone. He wouldn’t even meet the Mayor. He entrusted the items to me instead.”

Ahn’s expression grew darker by the second.

“Now, now, calm yourself, President Ahn,” Riyu said with a chuckle. “This works out for you. All you need to do is persuade your family, without spending a single coin.”

The president of Crystal Academy happened to be Ahn’s elder brother.

“You trust someone you’ve never even met?” Ahn asked incredulously.

“Better that than being tied to a corporation,” Riyu replied. “And if worse comes to worst, I can always provide funding myself.”

Ahn let out a weary sigh.

“You needn’t worry,” I assured him. “My friend’s already eager, planning what kind of equipment to make for the students. He seemed quite enthusiastic.”

“…Fine. Since this all began with Iris anyway, I suppose I’ve nothing to lose.”

Good. That settled it.

With Ahn persuading the president of Crystal Academy, the rest was only a matter of time. Even the head of the world’s top academy couldn’t refuse the foundation’s owner—not when the founder and chairman of HAUT himself, Riyu, was also in favor.

It was practically done. The other academies wouldn’t resist, either.

The best students from the world’s best academies, HAUT’s top performers, all gathered in one place. And providing them gear would be the Mysterious Craftsman, the most sought-after name in the Hunter Market.

Other academies would be clamoring to send their students.

“But Nam Yein,” Riyu said, turning to me. “Have you thought of a name for this gathering?”

“Not yet,” I admitted. I had been planning to throw together something simple, like ‘Pan-Academy Study Group’ or ‘HAUT Alumni Circle.’

“Then… may I name it?”

“Of course.”

Riyu nodded, thought for a moment, then declared:

“Demon’s Class. How about that?”

I froze.

What was with that name? It reeked of middle-school edge.

“Demon… as in a class of prodigies?” Ahn asked.

“Yes. What do you think?”

“I don’t mind.”

“And you?” Riyu’s gaze shifted to me.

“…It sounds fine.”

“Good. Then from this moment, the gathering shall be called Demon’s Class.”

I swallowed a groan.

I’d need to prepare what to tell the others later: This wasn’t my choice. It was named by the HAUT Chairman himself.

After all, who was I to refuse the Amethyst Sage?

Demon’s Class… urgh.

I gulped down a glass of cold water to wash away the goosebumps.

(End of Chapter)