Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

Before the potion could be commercialized, it needed to pass an initial evaluation from three state-certified Awakeners. Once it received approval, we immediately transported the potion to the hospital, calling in the Awakeners to perform the inspection so it could be distributed to patients right away. 

 

Watching the line of potions I had worked tirelessly to produce with Seung-yeon being delivered, I couldn’t help but notice a few curious glances in our direction. 

 

At Jeong-hyuk’s suggestion, we hadn’t yet told the patients about the success of the treatment—news that could easily create chaos with everyone clamoring to receive it before the official approval. 

 

Even so, people hovered nearby, occasionally stopping by to thank us for the mana potions we’d previously provided.

 

Jin-myung, who had come to help in place of off-duty mercenaries, dusted off his gloved hands and walked over to me.  

 

“Boss, we’ve moved the last box.”  

 

“Good work. Let’s head back. Hop in.”  

 

I nodded toward the car, and Jeong-hyuk and Ha-yan, who had been walking with us, looked at me in surprise.  

 

“You’re leaving already? Aren’t you going to stay to see the results…?”  

 

“Yes, everyone will be so grateful.”  

 

“No need. It’ll just be a lot of commotion.”  

 

I waved my hand dismissively. I’d already heard enough gratitude from Ha-yan’s family to feel appreciated, and the rest, well, they’d be grateful too, of course.  

 

I patted Ha-jeong on the head, as she clutched the hem of my coat.  

 

“We’re leaving.”  

 

“Hunter, um… can I come visit your workshop sometime?”  

 

“Of course! You can come a lot, not just a little. Come often and hang out with Da-hye too.”  

 

“Then I’ll bring lots and lots of candy and cake!”  

 

“Good kid.”

 

With a last glance at Ha-yoon’s family, I turned away. On the way back to the workshop with Seung-yeon, Jin-myung, and Da-in, I invited them to stay for a meal. 

 

Suddenly, Jin-myung, who was driving, gave an awkward jolt.

 

“Uh… well, actually, I… I have a prior engagement…” 

 

Jin-myung stammered, his face turning bright red as he broke into a nervous sweat. His strange response made me raise an eyebrow, while Da-in, seated beside him, gave a soft laugh.

 

“Actually, Jin-myung and I had plans to have lunch today. That’s why we were already out and ended up stopping by the workshop.”

 

“Ohh—so it was a pre-arranged plan? Great, then we can all eat… together?” 

 

I began excitedly, even thinking about some restaurants around Wolgye Naru where we could go. But as I looked over and caught Jin-myung’s nervous, arched eyebrows in the rearview mirror, I finally understood the situation, and scratched my head awkwardly.

 

Ah… I get it now. Never mind…

 

“Would you both like to join us? The place we’re going to is reservation-only, but it’s a weekday, so I’m sure there’ll be seats.”

 

“No, no. Seung-yeon and I will eat together. We might get customers at the workshop, too… Anyway, thanks again, both of you. I know you’ve been busy lately, so I really appreciate you taking the time to help out.”

 

Jin-myung’s face brightened immediately, and he replied energetically.

 

“No worries at all! Whatever the task, the boss always comes first!”

 

“It’s really no trouble. I’m not as busy as I was before—it’s just that things were pretty quiet back then.”

 

“Are you working somewhere full-time now?”

 

Baek Da-in shook her head in response.

 

“It’s not exactly that. But these days, all the independent gatherers around Wolgye Naru are busy. There’s a huge demand coming from the west side of the district.”

 

“The west side?”

 

“Yes, noona’s right. The wholesale market’s bustling, too. It looks like someone big is moving in.”

 

I hadn’t been around that area in a while, so I hadn’t noticed. The west side of Wolgye Naru… it was originally where I’d planned to set up my workshop. I remembered the middleman mentioning that someone was buying up all the properties there but never seemed to move in.

 

‘Finally moving in, are they? I wonder who it is.’

 

We were passing through Wolgye Naru, and a quick look out the window showed the western part of the district bustling with what looked like workers. Seeing the dust being kicked up, I closed the window and stretched. The Illumital incident was finally over. It felt like a weight had been lifted.

 

***

 

We closed the shop today without any customers. As Yeon Seung-yeon locked the door, he found something in the mailbox and came rushing over with a letter.

 

“H-Ho-hyun nim! The Hunter Association sent an invitation for the Awakening Tournament awards ceremony!”

 

“What? Let me see that.”

 

Taking the letter from him, I opened the envelope and found an invitation to attend the 25th Anniversary Awakening Tournament Awards Ceremony. The date was…

 

“Tomorrow?”

 

“I’m so sorry. I only checked the mailbox after a few days… I must have missed it until now.”

 

It wasn’t really Seung-yeon’s fault. Since opening the shop, this was the first piece of mail we’d actually received. I thought the mailbox was purely decorative, but they’d actually left it there.

 

“No worries. It says here it was supposed to be certified mail. They should have delivered it directly, but I guess they just left it in the mailbox.”

 

Recently, there had been some small buzz when it was revealed that the Illumital circulating on the market wasn’t actually made by Kang Eui-jin but was a fake, and all the patients affected by it had been treated. I hadn’t expected to win an award over it, though.

 

Since the treatment was registered in Yeon Seung-yeon’s name, he was listed as the award recipient. He had been my research partner and ultimately found the missing piece, so it was only fitting. But when he first heard about registering it under his name, he’d flatly refused. Only after I threatened to put Han Seo-jin’s name as the second contributor did he reluctantly sign the paperwork, albeit with a grimace.

 

“W-what should we do? It’s already tomorrow…”

 

“Of course, we have to go. It even says here, ‘Failure to attend will result in forfeiture of the award.’ If they’re giving us a prize, we should definitely take it. Who knows—we might even win the Presidential Award.”

 

It didn’t specify what award we’d be receiving, just that it ranged from an honorable mention to the top prize. The treatment itself was a major contribution to humanity, so aiming for a high award wasn’t unreasonable.

 

‘Since the title of ‘Potion Master’s Workshop’ got taken away, I might as well stack up some awards to display here instead.’

 

I thought, glancing around the workshop while humming. I was already picturing where Seung-yeon’s award would go.

 

***

 

Of all times, Han Seo-jin had taken my ring with him on his latest mission. He’d said he’d be back first thing in the morning, but just in case, I’d set aside a cloak to cover my face. The awards ceremony would probably be crowded, so I planned to watch Seung-yeon accept his award from the sidelines and leave early.

 

After preparing everything, I lay down on the bed. The streetlight outside cast a dim glow into the dark room.

 

‘Not having my ring feels strange. I’ll have to get it back as soon as Seo-jin returns.’

 

I thought absently, when suddenly, I heard a faint tapping sound nearby. Assuming it was just a stray cat, I glanced over casually—only to jump in shock at the silhouette outside my window.

 

“Damn it, you scared me! What are you doing here?”

 

Standing on the terrace was Seong San-ha, who gestured to the window, tapping it again. Startled, I rushed over and opened the door to let him in.

 

“What’s with sneaking around like this? There’s a perfectly good door.”

 

“Shh. Keep it down at night,” he whispered, bringing a finger to his lips. 

 

I found myself quieting down along with him as he slipped in and shut the door like he belonged here.

 

“What are you doing here so late?”

 

“I wanted to see you.”

 

“…W-what?”

 

“I said I came because I missed you. It’s been a while since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? I came to see you the moment I landed in Korea, and all I get is this chilly reaction? You could at least give me a hug and smile.”

 

I stared blankly at Seong San-ha, thrown off by his ridiculous words. Missing me after not seeing me for a while—he must mean Hamal. That had to be it. But even if that were the case, showing up in the middle of the night like this was a move only a lunatic would make. Right. He was a lunatic.

 

“You’re practically living on airplanes. Are you done with work yet? I heard another Constellation went down.”

 

“Not even close. It’s just starting. I just dropped by for a moment—I’ll have to head out again before dawn.”

 

Now that he mentioned it, I could see the exhaustion etched on his face. I considered calling Cloud over to help, but instead, I just asked, “How long will you be gone this time? Another few days?”

 

“Yeah. Don’t forget to keep sending your reports while I’m gone. Do well without me.”

 

I frowned at the mention of “reports.” The endless reports. I never missed a single one, and yet Seong San-ha, with his constant excuses of busyness, travel, and meetings, often didn’t even reply. Out of ten times, he’d ignore me at least eight. It felt annoyingly unfair, considering how he expected me to report regularly, yet seldom answered.

 

‘Why should I have to report when he doesn’t even reply? This is messed up.’ 

 

“If you’re not going to answer, can I stop sending them? It’s infuriating, like talking to myself.”

 

“No.”

 

“Damn it.”

 

I’d figured that would be his answer, but the absolute finality in his tone made my blood boil. Still, since I’d promised to report as part of our contract, I couldn’t argue further, only pouting in frustration. Then, I heard him sigh softly.

 

“Oh… what am I going to do? I really can’t hold back.”

 

“What?”

 

I turned toward him with a sharp look, and in one swift step, Seong San-ha pulled me into a tight embrace. Startled, I opened my eyes wide as he ruffled my hair with his big hand, then pulled me even closer, burying his face against my neck.

 

“What are you doing? Hey! Stop it, let go!”

 

“I want to take you with me. Want to come along? Let’s go. Hmm?”

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