Chapter 440. Seosun’s Attack (2)

Chapter 440. Seosun’s Attack (2)

What on earth did all that mean? Jung Haseong peered over Kim Giryeo’s shoulder to get a better look at the phone.

‘This is long.’

Because there were so many characters, the message didn’t immediately catch his eye, but judging by the presence of blue text indicating hyperlinks, it didn’t seem to be a casual chat.

‘Could it be a spam message? Ah, no. Now that I look, it’s from the National Tax Service.’

For reference, even a seemingly perfect national hero is, in the end, just an ordinary person. When a long letter is placed right in front of them, most people can’t help but feel curious. So the dark-haired man found himself unconsciously drawn in, scanning the message sent to Kim Giryeo.

‘But… in the middle of summer, is there really any tax notice that an awakened like this would have to receive?’

Exemption. Reclamation. With just these fragmented words, there was absolutely no way to grasp the overall context.

“Hmm.”

Jung Haseong almost looked at the text message in more detail, but then, realizing that peeking wasn’t a good idea, he belatedly consciously looked away. Still, his curiosity remained, so he couldn’t help but call over the person involved to demand an explanation.

“What on earth is it that you’re staring at so intently?”

The serious face of a blond retiree was filled with this concern.

“I just got a text from the tax office.”

“Yes, yes.”

“They’re saying over there that I recently received improper tax benefits, so I have to pay a fine of about five million won for certain violations…”

“A fine?”

“But in the message, it only mentions which part was violated by listing the law’s name. Do I need to click this link to find out the exact violation?”

For reference, it was common sense not to recklessly touch a hyperlink included in a text message. Therefore, Jung Haseong took this opportunity to formally ask for permission and reviewed the contents of the message directly with the cell phone’s owner.

“Ah~ the law they’re referring to as being violated here is probably this one.”

Thankfully, the tax office’s notice this time was about something the national hero was familiar with.

“Now that I think about it, Kim Giryeo-ssi, you briefly established a guild before, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“But since you, as the guild master, quit working as a hunter before filing for closure, it seems that violated the hunting-related law, which is why the fine came up.”

“Uh…”

“It’s really a situation that came from a tiny mistake. Haha. Still, well—for a fine of this size, couldn’t we just think of it as a small donation to the country?”

Five million won. For an S-rank hunter, that was pocket change—money that could be earned in an hour’s work. How could something so trivial ever become an issue? From the perspective of the nation’s top-ranked hunter, the matter was utterly insignificant, so Jung Haseong explained everything in a calm, even tone.

[Text Message Inbox]
[-Hunters who have violated the above requirements will be subject to a recovery of the previously applied tax benefits.]

However, the problem was that one person in this room hadn’t been an S-rank from the very beginning.

“I see. So it was against the rules for a guild master to quit before officially closing the guild…”

To hide the fact that he was a forsaken weakling of F-rank, he had spun a web of bluster, lies, and deceit. Looking back on it now, he couldn’t help but wonder—just how many sins had he committed with his tongue to cover up all those acts?

Having finally come to terms with his situation, Kim Giryeo calmly gathered his thoughts. And at last, he spoke.

“Haseong-ah. For now, make sure you have a good meal with your mother today, and get home safely on your own.”

“Yes?”

“The sun’s still up, so… I think I need to stop by somewhere for a bit before coming back.”

Elixir! The man who had so generously handed over that eternal treasure—the benefactor of the century—was just leaving? Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Jung Haseong’s expression changed in disbelief.

“Y, you’re leaving just like that?”

Of course, the one feeling restless wasn’t just him. It wasn’t as if the man was some neighbor dropping by to hand out rice cakes on moving day. After being cured of what was practically an incurable illness, how could anyone just sit back and let this go?

“Please don’t go like that. Kim Giryeo-ssi , why don’t you at least stay and have a m, meal with us?”

Before long, the two Earthlings—whose features bore a strangely similar impression—pleaded earnestly, insisting they wanted to repay him somehow. But the one standing before them was no Korean. Strictly speaking, Kim Giryeo wasn’t even a soul that belonged to this Earth.

“Sorry, but now isn’t the time for me to be sitting around eating rice or anything like that…”

“Y, yes?!”

Koreans run on rice. Even Geumgang Mountain should be seen after a good meal.

In the end, all those sayings were nothing more than alien words to the Archmage. Thus, Kim Giryeo coldly rejected their offer to at least share a meal, and promptly hurried outside.

***

Anyway, what kind of bolt from the blue was this supposed to be?

‘First of all, I need to get a grasp of the situation.’

A short while later, Kim Giryeo arrived at a tax accountant’s office in the city center. The accountant there was a seasoned professional who had previously handled his tax issues. Moreover, the man was known for his kindness—the sort who personally brewed coffee for his clients as a gesture of hospitality…

“Yes, yes! So what brings you here today?”

“Because of this text.”

For reference, upon hearing that a former S-rank Hunter would be visiting, the accountant’s office had hurriedly bought an Americano from a popular café. And, just as the client usually preferred, the drink contained about two pumps of syrup. In other words, to an Alphaurin, it was the equivalent of a “sugar-diluted adhesive solution.”

“Oh! Sir, why are you only bringing this to me now? You should’ve received a notice about this issue quite some time ago!”

“I was a bit out of it for a few weeks, so I guess that’s when the agency must’ve called…”

Strangely, however, Kim Giryeo didn’t even think a single word about the horrendous drink. With his mind and body in utter chaos, it was hardly surprising.

“I haven’t saved the numbers for the tax-related agencies, so it’s hard to check right away whenever they call…”

All he ever wanted was to be happy.

Besides, he had achieved his dream through retirement—a way that didn’t harm anyone—so how could the importance of protocol suddenly become such a pressing issue?

‘Somehow, ever since summer began, there hasn’t been a single day without tears.’

The situation of South Korea’s fourth S-rank hunter could be summed up like this.

Kim Giryeo had received significant tax deductions through the benefits of founding his own guild.

The government had called it a hunting industry promotion policy or something along those lines. There had been all sorts of interests tangled up in those tax benefits, but there was no need to recall them now.

[Dictionary Search Result] — Guild:
An organization, or company, that generates monetary profit by hunting monsters.

Surprisingly, it was this simple fact that had caused the current problem. Just like any worksite where appointing a safety manager is mandatory, the hunter industry also required meeting certain prerequisites before being allowed to make money. A guild—a company engaged in the monster-hunting business—was legally obligated to employ at least one legitimate “hunter.” In other words, the world did not recognize any gate-related enterprise made up entirely of civilians.

The head of a certain guild suddenly retired mid-operation, becoming a civilian.

But then—things just had to turn out like this.

To make matters worse, that guild—with a name as plain as any run-of-the-mill diner you’d see on the street—hadn’t even hired any regular staff for various reasons. It was basically an empty shell with only the representative left on paper, and that’s precisely how all this trouble started.

‘This is a state of emergency.......’

The Kim Giryeo Guild had no hunters, rendering the company’s establishment invalid. However, this Alphaurin had already taken full advantage of every possible startup benefit. Once the government realized the situation, it belatedly classified him as an improper beneficiary—and was now demanding that he return all the tax benefits he had received so far.

‘You Earthlings… when I really think about it, you’re always a little too harsh on helpless immigrants.’

However, it was also hard to say that this entire mess was 100% the retiree’s fault.

“Anyway.”

The tax accountant sitting on the sofa explained calmly.

“This wasn’t something Mr. Kim Giryeo did with any particular malice, was it?”

“Of course. It’s just that the order of things got a little mixed up.”

“Actually, this incident also happened because there haven’t been many cases of a hunter retiring and becoming a civilian, so the related administrative procedures are still pretty rough around the edges.”

“I see.”

“So if you just call the department and briefly explain that there was no malicious intent, it really won’t turn into a big issue. Things like this usually don’t.”

According to the tax accountant’s follow-up explanation, there was also a high chance that the fine would be canceled.

“Hmm…”

However, since there was indeed some fault on his part, it was clear that a simple apology alone wouldn’t be enough to resolve everything.

“But as I mentioned a few months ago, sir—I think you really should hire another hunter as soon as possible.”

The tax accountant explained that the hunting industry benefits are usually plentiful only in the first year. From the following year onward, a guild’s profits change drastically depending on factors such as the number of employed hunters and the number of conquered gates. In other words, the system was structured so that only by actually contributing to national safety could the business see positive results—meaning that leaving the company idle like this was far from the best option.

“In my opinion, it would still be much better to try recruiting some members and keeping the guild running somehow.”

Kim Giryeo took a moment to think.

‘Come to think of it, Seo Esther handles only the [Korea Magic Tower], yet she’s one of the wealthiest around… Doesn’t that prove that the guild system is actually quite profitable?’

If he were to look at things purely from a financial standpoint, just as he had lived so far—well, then maybe running the company according to that advice wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

“But I still don’t feel like it.”

By now, he had become someone so devoid of selfish desire that he could impulsively buy something like the [Fairy’s Promise] just to give it away. These days, all that occupied his mind was the cosmic parasite known as Gisimche, and he spent every day researching ways to keep that pest at bay. After much deliberation, Kim Giryeo finally spoke his mind.

“I don’t really feel up to running something like a guild right now.”

After all, the guild’s lacking qualification requirements would all be resolved if he, the representative, simply returned to being a hunter. The alien didn’t particularly dislike a solitary life, anyway.

Having lived through countless ages as an archmage, he even knew how to enjoy solitude. Thus, Kim Giryeo once again decided to leave the carelessly named company as it was.

‘For the time being, I’ll just focus on my personal research.’

However, as time went on, the S-rank Awakened’s thoughts began to change drastically. After all, life is something you can never predict. Even if the one living it was an alien, the truths of the universe were not all that different.

***

Some time after that.

-Tak, tak, tak.

Around the time when countless office workers were hurrying home, their footsteps echoing through the streets.

‘Today, the day feels unusually long.’

Likewise, a certain civil servant who had just left the Association building got into a navy-colored used car in the parking lot. Then, operating the car’s old manual transmission, she headed toward her home.

‘I wonder if they’ve already arrived and are waiting for me?’

She had received that alien’s message while she was still busy working at the office, after all.

[Sender: Kim Giryeo]
[Are you available to talk right now?]

A human named Seonwoo Yeon had replied to the alien’s message.

[Honestly, it’s difficult unless it’s important.]

At the time, she had been diligently fulfilling her duties as a public servant for the people. Being a responsible official, she didn’t bother to engage in idle chatter with an acquaintance.

[I see. Well, I don’t think this is an extremely urgent matter… Then, could you spare me a moment after work?]

[Yes, yes.]

However, when an acquaintance reached out so politely to arrange a meeting, how could a flesh-and-blood human possibly turn him down cold?

‘I wonder what he’s looking for me about this time.’

Not long after, Seonwoo Yeon arrived at her apartment. After pressing the elevator button twice, she soon reached the sixth floor—the one where her room was located.

‘He really is.’

For reference, the moment the elevator doors opened, the first thing she saw was that very retiree.

‘Now that I think about it, I never gave him the code for the main entrance. Could it be that he used some kind of magic to get in here?’

His posture was mostly upright, as if trying to emulate an ideal human form.

– Bow.

Moreover, being an alien who knew how to bow politely when meeting people, Kim Giryeo hardly displayed any oddness for an extraterrestrial of cosmic scale.

“Hello, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi.”

But that ordinary atmosphere lasted only for a moment. Soon, the alien at the entrance spoke.

“I just came to ask you a quick question today.”

As soon as the greeting had loosened their vocal cords, the other party immediately launched into a peculiar question.

“Pardon me, but do you have any plans to quit your current civil service job in the near future...?”