The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

It’s time for the flattery I’ve done so far to shine. 

Handing over the magic absorption, which is an asset for the future. Rescuing her from the mud with a rope. And the kindness I generously showed every time we met.  

What do you think I put in all this effort for? 

‘Hahahaha!’

On the day I decided to deal with Su Yehwi, the first thing I did before making any plans was visit the Magic Tower. And there was only one reason I went there. 

“Oh my, I’m not late, right?”

I begged Esther for help with clasped hands. I had brought a strong ally to capture Su Yehwi.

‘It was worth the investment!’

In fact, I had already sensed that Esther was favorable toward me. Back when the appearance of the grown Imoogi was imminent, she easily agreed to my request to refrain from attacking the gate. 

Hohoho.

Is there really a need to explain the events that occurred after visiting the Magic Tower? 

Golems control magic. After that, I just followed the Rakshasa Temple’s movements using that magic. 

‘After finding Mr. Heo, the information gathering went smoothly. Anyway, it’s convenient that no one on Earth knows about golem control magic.’

I reflected on the past few weeks I had spent engrossed in tracking. 

The Rakshasa Temple’s meetings were mostly at night, so I often stayed up all night… This body has had to work overtime countless times, so I definitely can’t let Su Yehwi live. Well, anyway. 

– Kiryeo-ssi, about that Awakener named Su Yehwi… 

– Yes.

– If they’re the same S-rank as us… wouldn’t I also be somewhat affected by the brainwashing?

– Ah, that. 

– I’m worried because there isn’t any decent brainwashing resistance equipment available…

It wasn’t Kang Changho or Jung Haseong. There was a reason I specifically chose Esther as my ally among various S-rank Hunters. 

Before coming here, Esther had been quite concerned about how to fight the opponent. To be honest, if Esther was going to be brainwashed, would I have brought her to the warehouse? Essentially, the battle was entirely her responsibility. 

‘Fighting.’

To get straight to the point, Hunter Esther had a perfectly superior position over Su Yehwi. 

– Don’t worry, Esther-ssi.

– Because you’ll win overwhelmingly.

Curse attribute. Thanks to her innate awakening ability, she possesses strong resistance to mind control. 

“Hey there, Mr. Cultist~ This is a 2-on-1 fight, and it seems like you’d lose if we go head-to-head, so how about you just raise your hands and surrender?” 

“Shut up! You worldly, corrupted woman!” 

“Oh my, this criminal has a loud voice.” 

Brainwashing.

Curses.

These types of mental-based magic follow a particular set of rules. When sorcerers of the same type clash, their battles strictly adhere to the principle of “strike first, win first.” 

Let’s assume that two wind sorcerers are fighting each other. As they clash, both would gradually sustain injuries, right? Whether they’re cut by the wind or knocked back. Generally, when elements of the same level clash, both sides tend to suffer some degree of damage. 

But the sorcerers standing before me are a different story. Since they specialize in invading the realm of the mind, they protect their own consciousness very firmly. 

‘That’s why Esther is also immune to the [Siren’s] song. She has excellent defense in that aspect.’

But what does this have to do with the ‘first strike wins’ principle? 

‘The stronger it is, the greater the impact when it breaks.’

To explain in more detail, the fights between such sorcerers usually depend on who can penetrate their consciousness first. Once their consciousness is invaded, it becomes difficult for the sorcerer to counterattack. I’ve heard that while they’re busy meddling in someone else’s mind, they suddenly find their own home being robbed, causing all their focus to shift and leaving them unable to complete their magic… 

‘I’m an all-rounder, so I’ve never experienced it.’

Thanks to this, the specialists in mental attacks were quite absorbed in studying ultimate techniques. For them, it was impossible to say something like ‘I lost, but I fought well.’ The situation was such that whoever managed to strike first would seize all the advantages. 

First of all, this system made Su Yehwi an incredibly threatening opponent. That mind-controlling sorcerer fell into the S-class category, which meant he held almost absolute authority within the same realm. 

‘No matter if 100 or 1000 mind-controlling awakeners charge at him, they’re nothing more than an ant swarm to Su Yehwi.’ 

Therefore, there was only one way to minimize the damage from this battle. Even if it was just a little bit, I need to somehow bring in a mental sorcerer who is stronger than Su Yehwi. 

And fortunately…in Korea, there was exactly one hunter who met that condition. 

“Anyway, I hate people like you the most.” 

Tak, tak. 

Esther, who was facing Su Yehwi, stepped forward and spoke slowly.

“Just because you’ve learned a few tricks, do you think you’re something special? You commit crimes as if you’ve been waiting for this moment.” 

 A smooth voice and a smiling face. The overall atmosphere was light, but the sentences she uttered contained clear emotions. 

“I wish Su Yehwi would be torn to pieces as many as the number of believers in the Rakshasa Temple.” 

Disgust. 

“That’s right. Just die quickly.” 

Soon, the magical power swept over. Esther glared at her opponent and unleashed a powerful curse. Su Yehwi responded to the attack directed at him by activating his mind control, but I already knew the outcome that would follow. 

“Keugh!”

Both Su Yehwi and Esther are S-rank. However, when closely examining the innate strength of each, one side demonstrates a slight advantage. 

“This can’t be happening, wait! This is…”

The expression on Su Yehwi’s face twisted increasingly. The sorcerer resisted the curse by tearing off the raincoat she was wearing. However, Esther’s magic began to creep into his mind, consuming it even as he attempted to fight it off… 

“────!”

Soon, a scream pierced the air. Su Yehwi was overwhelmed in the direct confrontation with the curse sorceress. Just a little— that slight difference in power had clearly determined their hierarchy. 

“Ahhhh! Ugh… What, what’s happening, my, my, my head. My head…!”

Su Yehwi began to scratch his ears frantically, like someone with bugs crawling on them. It seemed that the sensation of being affected by the curse was extremely unpleasant. 

“Oh my! It’s exactly like Kiryeo-ssi said! I only broke it once, but all the skills were cut off?” 

Esther pointed at the writhing enemy in pain, exclaiming with a tone of fascination. 

However, my revenge for all those overtime hours starts now. Do you think I came all this way just to demonstrate the principles of some mental magic?

“Hunter Esther.”

“Yes~ You mean that, right?” 

Esther immediately changed her expression upon hearing my call. To be exact, her eyes seemed to be concentrating on something. 

“What, what are you trying to do…” 

Since curses are magic with various effects that can be specified, there are many techniques derived from them. They can cause inflammation or paralysis. Among them, one of the most unique classifications of curses has even been given a new name on Earth. 

“As expected, there’s no better punishment than this, right? Hey, Su Yehwi, have you ever heard of the skill called ‘incitement of hatred’?” 

Since there are so few curse spellcasters here, it seems that some skills haven’t even been properly translated. 

“Enough.” 

Su Yehwi turned pale and shook his head as soon as he heard Esther’s words. 

“W, wait, just a moment. There’s really no need for this. You haven’t even seen with your own eyes whether I’ve committed a serious crime or not, have you? Right?” 

The believer wearing the raincoat then continued to speak in a prayerful posture.

“Just a moment. Please wait. I’ll explain everything. The truth is, I have my reasons…!” 

However, no matter how much he tried to persuade her, Esther’s attitude remained unchanged. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t like villain characters with backstories.” 

A few seconds later, Esther roughly grabbed Su Yehwi’s eyelid with her hand and poured her mana into it without hesitation. It was the activation of her awakening ability. 

“Ugh, ugh… Ack!”

Su Yehwi struggled desperately to escape Esther’s grasp, but it was in vain. How could she possibly have such great strength as a brainwashing magician? 

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

And what magic was activated at that moment?

“Hic…?” 

Swish.

Esther slowly lowered her hand that was pressing down on her opponent’s face. However, when Su Yehwi opened his eyes, he displayed an even greater expression of despair than before. 

“Ah, ahhhhh…”

This was none other than Esther’s second skill. It was to give a target a random phobia. 

“Kiryeo-ssi, is this really okay?” 

And the new phobia that Esther inflicted was none other than fear of humans. While it might seem trivial when expressed in words, the intensity of the emotion granted by the skill was beyond imagination. Upon seeing us, who took on human forms, Su Yehwi began to crawl on the ground and vomit. 

“Yes. He won’t be able to use his awakening ability anymore.”

I said, watching the fate of the sorcerer who founded the cult. 

“[Brainwashing] is the ability to control others, so there’s no way you can get on top of the head of someone you fear.” 

The source of magic has been completely sealed off. Moreover, in such a state, all the brainwashing that had been maintained until now must have been lifted as well. 

“Eek, eek, hic.”

Now the Rakshasa Temple is finished! I whispered into Su Yehwi’s ear to celebrate the success of my plan. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to look down on others?” 

However, I couldn’t hear a response. After that, Su Yehwi was so shocked that he foamed at the mouth and fainted. 

“He really fainted from this.” 

“What should I do?”

“Let’s just leave it. Anyway, if Esther wants to, that skill will continue to be maintained. Now, we can just hand him over to the police.” 

Esther and I stayed in the warehouse and had a short conversation.

“Anyway, thank you for helping me today.”

“Well~”

However, just as we were about to wrap things up and leave, Esther asked me a strange question. 

“Right, Kiryeo-ssi.” 

“Yes.” 

“By the way, Su Yehwi… as I explained before, if he stays like this, he won’t survive for long. These days, wherever you look, there are people everywhere. Even in the mirror.” 

“Ah, yes.” 

“I’m saying that Su Yehwi is going to become a cripple and die, but your reaction is surprisingly boring, huh?” 

Dealing with a curse magician is tough. Especially when the opponent is an alien, I have no idea how to please her.

“Hmm.” 

I was silent for a moment and then said.

“Then how should I react here?”

I was asking for advice in a serious way, but all Esther did was look surprised without saying much. Judging from the corners of her mouth, she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. 

“Oh, I don’t know.” 

It’s hard to know the minds of aliens, so let’s just move on for now. 

*** 

With this, the history of the cult terrorists came to an end. As Su Yehwi, the mother of the brainwashing that had been connected like a spider web, collapsed, 15% of the higher-ups regained their self-consciousness one after another, effectively disintegrating the group.

However, the chaos is unlikely to be too great. Although it’s somewhat different…from the state of intoxication. The law here tends to judge that it is difficult to punish crimes committed while mentally unstable. 

‘It’s different from the inflexible Alphauri.’

In the end, only Su Yehwi faced total ruin. It’s a happy ending. 

“Heh, who would mess with archmage like me?” 

Then, since we’ve uprooted the lurking danger, can I now just enjoy my life in Korea comfortably? 

“Ahem.” 

I stuck my head out and checked outside the window. 

It’s mid-February now. After taking care of the matters with the Rakshasa Temple, spring has arrived outside. With the weather improving, it might be a good idea to go out for a little trip… 

-Tiring♪ 

At that moment, a new notification suddenly appeared on the screen of my phone that had been off.

<Text message>

[Sender: Seo Esther]

What could this hunter possibly want to text me about so early in the morning? I tilted my head as I checked the received message. 

[Kiryeo-ssi! Can I meet you for a moment? ε=┌( >_<)┘]