The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

Soon, we entered the Mermaid Pass. The interior was quite a familiar sight to me. 

The horizon was filled with deep blue water, and the humid air could be felt against my skin. 

At this rate, I could probably bring an Alphauri people  to live here comfortably… 

‘Is this the bottom?’

But strangely enough, the water here was structured in such a way that people could walk on it as if it were transparent ground. 

Water that you can’t sink into? Looks like I got excited for nothing. 

‘Tsk.’

But well, whether I can get into the water or not isn’t what matters right now. 

“Uh? Wait a moment, Hyung-nim. I think I hear something strange…” 

A few seconds later, we listened closely to the noise coming from the north. This place was the mysterious home of the mermaid—in other words, the space where the song of the Siren echoed.

‘Hmm.’

A typical song brings peace to the mind. However, the sound echoing through this dungeon confused the human brain—just like it was doing right now.

“E, excuse me. Kiryeo Hyung! I know I’m saying something strange right now, but still… I have this really strong feeling that there’s someone in that fog who needs help.”  

However, it’s fine. Usually, this type of magic varies in intensity depending on the distance. As long as we don’t get too close to the fog, it shouldn’t worsen significantly.

“How about Kang Changho-ssi?” 

“It’s better than the person next to you.” 

“But the song does have an effect, right?”

“That’s right.” 

I checked the condition of the hunters who came with us and spoke up.

“Then I’ll proceed as I mentioned before coming in. I’m pretty good at enduring this kind of attack.” 

Honestly, this place was just an A-rank gate if it weren’t for that troublesome ‘Siren’. Even if An Yoonseung struggled a bit, there was no need to worry about clearing the gate with an S-rank hunter present. As long as I could handle the Siren well, everything would go smoothly.

“Will you be okay alone?”  

The owner of that dragon’s eye seemed worried that the human skill stone he had put his spit on might go wrong.

“It’ll be safer than going with Hunter Kang.”

“What?”

“They said that if you get hit by the [Confusion] status effect from the Siren, you might end up attacking your own allies.” 

Kang Changho soon understood after hearing this explanation. Now that we had reached an agreement, it was time for me to do my part. 

‘Damn it, how thick is the fog.’

While the team members waited at the entrance, I walked into the fog where the sounds were emanating from. It was difficult to see even a step ahead, and for a moment, I felt scared, but that feeling didn’t last long.

Before long, I found the source of the sound.

-Ah~ ahhhh~♩

The beings that produced the beautiful harmony were, as humanity had expected, a species related to fish.

-Lalala~…

However, unlike the mythical beings that resembled beautiful women, they had quite unique appearances. Rather than being half-human and half-fish, it was more like…  90% of them were fish.

“??”

“…?”

“…!”

I looked at the monsters that looked like fat gobies, and they stopped singing because they were quite surprised to see the humans that appeared before them. 

Blub, blub.

They were flustered, just gulping in air for no reason. And well, as for their next actions, you can see for yourself…

-La, lalala~♬

The Sirens, now breaking into a nervous sweat, began to sing even more passionately. But of course, I remained completely unaffected. No matter how powerful their mind control was, their level was focused on primitive Earth. 

‘To me, it’s just noise pollution.’

And let me clarify at this point. Natural creatures that specialize in mental attacks are usually weak in close combat. Actually, calling them ‘weak’ is an understatement—they almost have no capability in that area at all. If they were good at physical defense, they wouldn’t need to rely on such trickery to survive in the first place.

‘The Flower Baron was exactly like that.’

A typical cowardly evolutionist. Even though I had approached them this closely, the Sirens showed no intention of engaging in a fight. Everything was going exactly as I had expected.

-Aaaaaaaaaa~♬

Well, since I don’t have to worry about getting hit, now all I need to do is stop their singing… But how exactly am I supposed to do that?

“Hey, over there. Guys. Can you stop?”

Lala~ La~

“Stop singing.”

Lala~

“Oh my, I can’t do this with words… Kkeuk!”

I tried to stop them, but I ended up straining my wrist. After all, they’re A-rank monsters, while I’m just a weakling at F-rank. With this frail body, even if I swung my fists, I wouldn’t be able to leave a scratch on them.

“Ugh…”

I clutched my swollen hand and thought. 

The song. How on earth do I stop that cursed song?  

For a moment, I considered using [Surprise Box!], but it has more limitations than it seems.  

At most, I can only use it once or twice a day, and that’s it.

“As expected, is that the only way?”

I closed my eyes and pondered for a moment before finally pulling something from my pocket.  

It was a long dagger with an antique wooden handle.

[Screaming Stake]

[Rank: Unique]

[Description: Inflicts [Pain] status abnormality on the target.]

[※Caution: This is a special equipment that cannot inflict physical damage.]

I held the equipment I obtained after defeating the Inevitable Malice. It was a magical tool designed to maximize the target’s pain. Originally, it was meant for torture rather than combat, but…

Well, there’s no other way now.

“Hey.”

Sparkle.

I raised the dagger in my hand high.

“I clearly said we should talk it out.”

***

– Kyaaaah!

– Kyaaa…!

– Eugh! Kaaah!

What was Hunter Kim Kiryeo doing at this moment? The A-rank Awakened, who had been waiting, raised an eyebrow at the strange sounds coming from the other side. After listening closely, it sounded like something screaming. Yeah, ever since earlier, rough cries had been leaking out from within the fog.

“Kiryeo Hyung?” 

And a few minutes later. Kim Kiryeo returned through the fading fog. Even after he returned, an unpleasant cry was still echoing through the air.

“Since they’re still breathing, the fog hasn’t completely disappeared yet.”

“Yes?” 

“Ah, everyone, grab your gear and follow me.” 

Ahn Yoonseung and Kang Changho followed the man’s call, moving toward the center of the fog. What they soon encountered were monsters in an utterly pitiful state.

“Keuk, kaaaaak…!”

“Keuggh!” 

The monsters, presumed to be Sirens, were all coughing with harsh, metallic sounds. It was at this moment that the truth behind what Kiryeo had done became clear.

“Hyung-nim, what on earth did you do?”

“Torture.”

“Yes?” 

“They won’t be able to sing while they’re screaming.”

Kiryeo said that and adjusted his grip on the dagger in his hand. He was ready to drive the Screaming Stake into the Sirens at the slightest hint they might produce another note.

“Kyaaak!” 

Srrrk!

The moment the torture dagger touched their bodies, the monsters let out painful scream.  

By now, their voices were so hoarse they wouldn’t be able to sing anymore. Only after completely neutralizing the Sirens did Kim Kiryeo finally turn around to look back.

“Now that we’ve stopped the singing, you can all proceed with the attack, right?”

However, the response he received was cold. Ahn Yoonseung stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the sight of the monster being tortured.

“Uh… K, Kiryeo Hyung.” 

Yoonseung looked at the monsters writhing in pain and soon asked. 

Why did he torture the Sirens?  

Why not just kill them?

In a way, these are natural questions.

“….”

But, I couldn’t just admit that I was an F-rank who couldn’t even scratch the Sirens and had no choice but to make them scream…. It wasn’t something he could honestly confess.

“That’s.”

Kiryeo rolled his eyes and soon said in a small voice.

“Why do you think I did that?”

Passing off the interpretation! It was a typical evasive statement.

“Why do I think Hyung-nim did that?” 

However, Ahn Yoon Seung started to think seriously after hearing this one word from Kiryeo.

“Uhm.”

Siren and screaming… Ahn Yoonseung put his hand on his chin and thought about it for a while. Kiryeo glanced at Yoonseung for a moment before turning his gaze downward. He looked down at the Sirens.

“Now that I think about it, what is Siren’s weakness?”

What followed immediately was a brief reflection on monsters.

In fact, there was no big meaning behind it. Like any other hunter, Kiryeo was simply contemplating how to make his job easier. 

“As expected, their throats must be weak, right?”

At first glance, those were just ordinary words any hunter might say. However, there was one significant problem with this scene. Kiryeo showed not the slightest flicker of emotion on his cold face.

‘Heuk!’

How could he be so calm in front of a writhing creature?

At that moment, An Yoon-seung had a thought. Perhaps Kim Kiryeo had been doing things like this every time he encountered a new type of monster.

‘…!’

Looking back, Kim Ki-ryeo knew a lot about golems. Golems have a weak heart connection. They stop after a few seconds of lasers. These were all weaknesses that could never be known through normal hunting.

‘Ah!’

So, Kim Ki-ryeo must have tried various things to find out information about the monster before. With this premise in mind, the current situation started to make sense. As an S-rank hunter, he could easily kill such lowly creatures, yet he chose to use the Screaming Stake to provoke them…

‘Was this the process of obtaining information?’

An experiment.  

Yeah, Kim Kiryeo was conducting an experiment on the monsters. He wasn’t just hunting; he was trying out various methods to observe their reactions.

‘To analyze the enemy a little more.’

While others struggled to survive in the face of cataclysm, was this person making the enemies into test subjects?

Yoonseung was deeply impressed. However, on the other hand, he couldn’t even dare to consider attempting such a method himself.

“Keuuk, keeeuk.” 

At this point, with no S-rank gates open, these A-rank monsters were essentially the most dangerous beings around. But Kim Kiryeo treats these monsters like mere guinea pigs.

‘As expected, Hyung-nim.’

Curiosity.  

Absolute skill.  

And a touch of… coldness.

Ahn Yoonseung carefully considered the qualities needed for studying monsters and came to a conclusion. He once again recognized that Kim Kiryeo was an extraordinary hunter.

“Huh? You were just trying to sing again?”

“Kaaaak!”

Srrrk!

Of course, seeing him handle the Sirens so ruthlessly was a bit scary…

“Hmm.”

Let’s pretend not to notice this. After all, the more intimidating a person is, the more reassuring they can be once they become an ally.

‘Ha, anyway, it’s fortunate that you’re on our side.’

Ahn Yoonseung quietly collected his thoughts. 

At the same time, what was the main character of this speculation doing?

‘What is this?’

Meanwhile, Kim Kiryeo, who was dealing with the Sirens with Kang Changho’s help, kept glancing over this way. Ahn Yoonseung had suddenly fallen silent.

‘Why isn’t this guy answering? If you say something, I’ll make an excuse or not!’

Kim Kiryeo was still waiting for an answer to his earlier question, “Why do you think I did that?”  

But no matter how long he waited, Yoonseung remained silent. Because the other person didn’t insist on sharing his own light guesses.

‘What on earth is he imagining right now? If he’s feeling anxious, it would be great if he could just share his thoughts…’

Like that, Kiryeo fought against the unrealistic fear, thinking of tens of thousands of possible scenarios.