“...I suppose it was time to go.” He plans to leave before he turns forty. Next year is his last year in his thirties, so I can understand. Thirty and forty really feel different. Yes—better sooner than later. Sudden as it is, it’s plausible... except he wasn’t married before my reset. Who on earth is he marrying? He never dated anyone, did he? January 1st is almost here—how can someone rush into marriage like a lightning strike? Is this skill attribute showing itself in the form °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of sudden nuptials? Gyeol parted his lips, as if to speak. Sanchez, still staring at the TV in shock, spoke to us. “Wasn’t it broadcast that the fairy dragon can speak? So....” She trailed off, furrowing her brow. She’d clearly seen it but her memory was fuzzy. At Sanchez’s words, Gyeol tugged at my cloak and cried: “Well... who can say? There was no hint of a romance. Could they have—connected eyes during the party?” Could that be it? But with whom? I racked my brain; no candidate for Seong Hyunjae’s partner came to mind. Someone he’d ever shown interest in... Chief Song? No way. Surely not. But no one else fits. Maybe possible in America? Both are Korean, so Korean law should apply. Unless one gained American citizenship in five days—an S-rank hunter could easily obtain dual nationality. ...Then where do I send the wedding gift? Seong Hyunjae is wealthy; Chief Song again? But those two would never marry! Chief Song wouldn’t do that! “Yeah... but who’s bold enough to—fall for his face alone? You can’t marry just because someone’s handsome. Well, he does have plenty of wealth.” A wedding—Seong Hyunjae’s wedding. Will it be a buffet? Who sits in the parents’ seats? I’ve never heard of his parents. We’re fairly close; should I emcee? Usually the groom’s friend does it—but who among Seong Hyunjae’s friends? Chief Song seems awkward for that role. [“Details remain unconfirmed, but she’s reported to be an S-rank awakener.”] The announcer’s voice came through. What? S-rank? Surely it’s not really Chief Song?! [“Witnesses say she’s a woman in her twenties, though precise...”] “Have you any shame?!” Even late twenties is a ten-year gap! I can’t emcee! If she were in her early twenties, I’d overturn this wedding myself in the name of business honor. No other information followed; the broadcast dropped it as one side note. An S-rank hunter’s wedding as breaking news... Well, a foreigner marrying and leaving would be a national matter. I turned to Sanchez, full of pleading. “Don’t you wonder what’s going on? I have Guildmaster Seong Hyunjae’s direct number—please let me make exactly one call!” Yuhyun’s rescue was more urgent, but they wouldn’t let me call, so I probed about Seong Hyunjae’s wedding. Sanchez shook her head firmly. She only told me to wait here, then stepped back outside. Myeong-woo had a spare phone in his pouch, but... I surveyed the room. Of course there’d be surveillance cameras. Better to endure than get caught and re-bound before even dialing once. ‘This can’t be a simple wedding.’ I calmed my excitement and organized my thoughts. Seong Hyunjae holding a normal wedding was almost impossible. He was the sort to do anything, anywhere—but still, this felt off. And as Gyeol said, Seong Hyunjae couldn’t be in normal condition; he might be groaning somewhere mid-illness, yet a wedding? I sat on the sofa watching the TV. After the breaking news, hunter coverage resumed: [“It has been five days since Director Han Yujin’s disappearance. S-rank hunters worldwide are on high alert about her whereabouts, with many suspecting the self-proclaimed ‘Prophet’ and his anti-hunter group...”] The Prophet had certainly been in league with Chatterbox. He’d launched Chatterbox’s channel to draw in power-hungry viewers eager for glimpses of the future, then used it to fund the party. And Chatterbox died by my hand. To the Prophet’s faction, I was their enemy. ‘Is Yuhyun causing trouble for them?’ Or the Prophet’s group might’ve kidnapped me, so Yuhyun attacked preemptively. Either way, the past five days hadn’t been peaceful. The TV cut to footage of Yuhyun. At the New York Hunter Association, with Peace in battle form beside him. Yerim and Hyunah, and Chief Song talking with association officials. ‘Is Noah operating separately?’ Noah would know this locale. Seong Hyunjae wasn’t visible—he wasn’t there. Unwell as he was, he was apart from Chief Song. ‘...Something’s definitely wrong.’ What had happened in five days? That Chatterbox bastard caused all this trouble. The time difference was huge, the location totally off. I watched intently when someone entered. Gyeol pressed close to my shoulder. Clear Korean—not his lips, so he used a translator. A tall, dark-skinned, handsome man tossed the Cat Set toward me. Huh? “I’m Samir. Custom gear—even F-rank—grants strong stat boosts. These look beyond F-rank. Put them on, quickly.” That was thanks to Grace, but still—if they returned it, I was grateful. I began to ask— “Excuse me—” Chapters fırst released on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵 But before I could speak, a thud from outside. “Put on your gear,” he meant, “Trouble’s here.” No sooner had Samir drawn his long spear than several hunters charged. His boot stepped forward as he spun elegantly. The spear tip drew a large circle, stirring the air. With a screech, grooves cut into the wall by the wind alone, and the charging hunters were whirled away by the spear’s circle. No scan needed—an S-rank’s prowess, damn! Samir hoisted me onto his shoulder. “There was a mole, it seems.” Striding down the corridor, Samir vaulted through an open window. Exotic trees came into view; I heard water splashing in the distance. Rat-a-tat-tat—gunfire. The spear spun and deflected bullets. “If the bullet hits you, does it hurt?” “It does, but not seriously.” Hoisted as I was, I could see nothing. I hastily cast Teacher skill on Gyeol. Before I could speak, perceptive Gyeol spun on my other shoulder, peering ahead. A long outdoor pool appeared, people fighting around its edges. Samir strode forward, thrusting his spear. A man swinging a sword seemed magnetically drawn to the spear tip—“clunk”—and collapsed. A turbaned hunter lunged at Samir. English mercenary? Odd. More startling: “In my land, there are thousands of princes.” Cheap royalty indeed. “All S-rank awakeners are adopted into the royal family. Report?” I caught snippets of English mentioning S-class; his expression wasn’t grim, so likely “No S-ranks among the enemies.” “Contact Isabella. Tell her to hold them off a moment.” My feet touched ground as Samir leapt forward, drawing back his spear arm. Mana gathered around it. His foot struck, cracking the stone floor; “thwang!” The spear flew. Whoosh—the pool water split into twin waves. Something exploded. More blasts—perhaps a tank or heavy weapon. The waves swept aside the combatants, and Samir lifted me again. “My mother remarried as a second wife; I’m from that union.” “Is Isabella S-rank?” “Bella is the adopted daughter of my stepfather’s younger brother.” His cousin, but unrelated by blood. In a world with royalty and nobles, child-tier awakeners would be adopted or wed for politics. If Yuhyun were born there, he’d be a prince too. Samir crossed the nearly dry pool swiftly. The spear lodged in the ruins ahead flew into his hand with a “thock.” Hunters near the jeep scattered. Samir kicked one aside, pulled the cloth from his head, and tossed it to me. “Cover your face roughly.” “I don’t know what’s happening, but I just want to go home.” “You’ll vanish—explode or disappear—before the plane even takes off.” “Isn’t that already what happened? I’m still missing.” You’re one of my kidnappers, too. I draped the cloth over my head. Samir set me in the passenger seat of the open jeep and climbed into the driver’s seat. I’d ridden many vehicles, but never one driven by a prince. He signaled and floored the gas. “Explain, Your Highness.” His dark navy eyes glanced at me. “Whether you truly came from five years in the future—that’s the issue.” Talking of five years back made me blush. Even if I didn’t remember everything, I’d seen many things. “Well... your lands shun magic-stone energy, yet S-ranks are treated well.” “Dungeons must be contained. And you can’t stop a changing world. We lobby to buy time, but behind the scenes, we hoard magic stones.” “Of course. And no matter how clean and remarkable magic stones are, you can’t switch overnight. Oil still holds value. Dungeons may not last forever, so parts of the world will still use old energy sources.” True enough—suddenly appearing, suddenly disappearing. As long as instability remained, old methods had to persist. “That’s why a five-year guarantee is vital. If Han Yujin nearly died and returned five years later, it means dungeons will remain stable for at least five years.” A five-year guarantee—so my reset carried that meaning. An arrow shot at the pursuing jeep. Samir turned the wheel sharply; the vehicle jolted, cracking the road beside us. “You can drive, right?” Rather, I drew my gun and fired backward. With two shots—bang!—the tire burst. My sharper senses boosted my accuracy. Samir winked—“You drive.” “Even after four years, many investors still doubt dungeon stability. They expect dungeons and awakeners could vanish any day.” “If there’s a five-year guarantee...” “Money will pour in. They’ll invest wildly for at least the next three years.” My god. That made sense. I only thought of stocks or lotteries—never this. It’s like saying, “This stock is guaranteed to rise for five years.” I should’ve told Seok! He could’ve done so much. Maybe Yuhyun hinted at it? As Guildmaster, he must have learned from Chief Seok. I trust you, brother. Surely Seong Hyunjae hasn’t done it all alone. “Of course, some won’t like it. And only S-ranks reliably recall the past five years, so persuading others is tough.” Samir said that, but I’d heard that emotions linger even when memories fade—so acceptance might be easier than expected. “So you brought me here to ask about my reset?” “Partly. All S-ranks are curious. Me included. And as a bonus—to arrange a betrothal.” Wait—betrothal? Why more marriage talk?! “Among my blood-unrelated cousins—” I brandished Grace. Samir ignored me. “It’s fine. In my land, you can have up to four wives.” “I’m Korean; we’re monogamous—and I want a sweet life with just one!” “Just get dual citizenship and have a brief ceremony. First meet Isabella. She said a political marriage with separate lives is fine.” “Once married, you’re family—we can safely publicly repatriate you.” That was tempting. But... “And as royalty and a special-class hunter, you’d receive S-rank privileges: cost of living plus at least ten million dollars per month for maintenance.” ...Monthly? No, I can’t be swayed by money—yet. Ten million per month as maintenance? Black gold from the earth or not, that’s insane. A mere political marriage with a monthly billion won... “No, no! I can’t! Even so, it’s marriage!” “Bella’s not kind, but she’s good... And since you’ll live in separate countries, it’s fine.” The jeep stopped at a quiet alley entrance. Samir climbed out. Turning toward the alley, he said: “Think it over. After all—huh?” His eyes went wide. He scanned around in surprise. No matter how high his stealth rank, vanishing from an S-rank’s senses so close was nearly impossible. Partly hidden behind a stone wall, I met his gaze. I turned around boldly. But marriage? No way.