The day of the formal departure ceremony.
“When are they coming out?”
“I thought they were departing at ten.”
“Only the attendants are visible so far.”
Gangwon Province, where the aftermath of the Great Disaster had yet to be fully contained. Near Hwanseon Cave in Samcheok, one of the few places that still served as something resembling a human settlement, people gathered beyond the barricades of a hazardous zone.
Even in such a harsh region, it was common for reporters and spectators to flock toward a clear undertaken by famous guilds. Some of those carrying cameras were journalists, but others had come all this way out of devotion to a particular Hunter.
“……”
Choi Raon, once known as the Face-Plant Woman, was one of them.
“…Have the Collectors not come out yet…?”
As she waited anxiously, a woman who recognized her called out.
“Oh! Unnie!”
“Gasp…!”
“What the heck? It’s been ages!”
“Ah, you startled me.”
Choi Raon clutched her pounding heart. Perhaps her body was tense because she had left the safe zone of Seoul alone and traveled to the infamous Gangwon Province.
Fortunately, the person who had spoken to her was a fellow fan who had once toured the country with Choi Raon to take candid photographs of Hunters. The woman, who was also carrying a camera, grinned as she looked Choi Raon over.
“You deleted your account and vanished after that Hunter Black Cloak dragged you away. Looks like you found a new light of your life, since you’re here. Another Hunter?”
“Uh… Yeah, a Hunter. But why are you here? What happened to the one you used to follow?”
Fans like Choi Raon, whose interest cooled quickly, were not the sort ordinarily welcomed by a…