♦♦♦♦

Azaroth emerged on the corridors of the association with Senior Choi and Jong-in following him with pride and joy in their eyes.

He was looking at his Hunter's Licence.

<

Hunter Licence

Name: Azaroth Morningstar

Rank: S

Class: Mage

>

As Azaroth emerged from the Hunter's Association building, cheers erupted from the gathered crowd. Dozens of cell phones filmed and photographed him holding up his newly minted S-Class Hunter license.

"Azaroth, over here!" News reporters jostled to get his attention, shoving microphones in his direction. Flashes blinded him momentarily from countless cameras.

Many mob reporters tried to talk to him but he looked for the pretty ones and didn't bother looking at them.

He lifted a hand and smiled politely at the clamoring mass.

Reporter Vicky: "Mr. Morningstar! Now after becoming an S-Rank, will you stay here or come back to the US?" 

Azaroth thought to agitate the chairman and give him more motivation to treat him like a spoiled king...

Azaroth: "As long the people treat me with kindness, why would I ever leave Korea?"

A loud cheer came from the crowd hearing his response.

Reporter Chirin: "Mr. Azaroth, you don't have to worry! You belong here! You are our own!"

Crowd: "Hell Yeah!!"

Reporter Vicky: "And what about your parents? If your father asks, will you be willing to consider going back?"

The whole crowd as well as the wifus and people in front of TV became quiet.

Azaroth: "Heh, I know you miss Vicky. You are the one who had wrote those articles about the scandals including me right..?"

Reporter Vicky: "Eh.. hehe.. T-Those.."

Azaroth: "Oh don't worry, I like honest reporters like you. And coming to your question..." he took a long pause.

Reporter Vicky: "...Yes..."

Azaroth's eyes sharpened and he straightly looked at the camera.

He wanted to say- if Lucus Morningstar publically apologizes- then he'll try to 'think about it'.. but.

His heart became heavy again, like every other time he remembered his parents.

"... Let's just say, I like it here." He said with a pained smile.

"Azarot..." Jin-ah clenched her pillow tightly looking at his expression from the TV. She didn't know why, but she felt an urge to hug him and calm his heart.

More shouts arose for comments or questions.

After answering some more questions he declared, "Thank you all for your support. I aim to live up to the people's faith in me." and left toward his car.

♣♣♣

The scene shifts to the same luxury penthouse atop a gleaming skyscraper in California.

Lucas Morningstar switches off the large television,

His cell phone buzzes insistently on the granite counter. The caller ID reads 'Guild Master'. 

He picks up the call with a sigh.

A gruff voice came from the phone "...Lucas, I need you to come to my office."

Lucas gazes out at the sprawling city below, a multitude of lights glittering in the dusk.

He nods once, decisively, "I see... very well, I'll be there."

The scene shifts again.

In a towering building adorned with a crest of two crossed swords behind a rampant lion, Anthony Evans Blake sat in his opulent office atop the spire.

As Guild Master of the renowned Berserkers Guild, his word held tremendous weight.

Before him stood Lucas Morningstar, distinguished S-Rank hunter, and Vice Guild Master. They gazed out grand windows overlooking the bustling city below.

The Guild Master finally says.

"Lucas, it seems your son Azaroth has awakened as an S-Rank hunter."

Lucas considers this in silence. 

"His mana density is 215. You know what that means, right?" the Master continues.

"Contact Azaroth, urge him to return to the US" 

He looks at Lucas' empty eyes and says, "We are ranked 3rd in the USA. for a long time. We don't have a National Rank hunter... but with your son's potential, I'm sure we can train him. It'll be better for him than to rot on that backward country anyways and we will need every advantage in the future ahead.."

♣♣♣

Two days later...

Hwang Dongsuk frowned before picking up the new set of nail polish and some red and velvet bras and panties. 

(Hwang Dongsuk is the one who had betrayed Jinwo inside the C-rank dungeon with the Spider Boss monster in the canon)

He went to the counter to complete his purchase, not minding the strange gaze of the teenage girl on the cash counter.

He really didn't mind. After all, anyone would find a bulky 6'3 bearded guy with a sword on his back carefully examining the nail paints and women's underwear a bit creepy.

Plus the look in his eyes makes the cashier girl even more cringe.

Three days back, he had cleared a C-rank dungeon with billions of wons of worth of mana stones, and had looted and sold the armor of a D-rank kid from a well-off family for 900 million won.

The funniest part...? being the older brother of an S-rank from the Scavengers, the hunter association's guys closed the case of Yoo Jinho.

And now his beautiful hot girlfriend is waiting in his room for some BDSM.

Kekeke, could his life become more merrier than this? He didn't think so.

Now with this kind of money plus his previous savings, he'll be able to make a good team with nice types of equipment.

A wide grin was ever present on his hyena-like face as he handed the money to the cashier and headed out of the store.

It was almost evening.

He got inside his car and turned the headlights on.

'Heh heh, should I confess to her..?'

He thought while driving back toward his home. He is feeling happy... very, very happy.

It had already been two years of them together in a live-in relationship, she had asked him many times for marriage, but his answer was always something vague always surrounding the amount of money in his bank account.

'Heh, I'm ashamed to admit, but I really love her' The man who could let innocent people die inside the dungeon was deeply in love.

Now he thinks that he shouldn't let his beautiful girlfriend wait too long.

He took out the small ring from his pocket and looked at it lovingly.

Well, they say that love finds its way.

He put it back and accelerated the vehicle.

....

"Babe, I am back!" He said in a happy tone.

"Babe?" He knocked at the door again.

'Why is she not answering..?'

Nobody answered so he had to enter by using his own keys. 

For some reason his heartbeat increased, he looked at the dim corridor with flickering lights.

The silence was terrifying.

He looked at the ring and clenched it tightly.

With slow steps, he moved through the corridor when his nose suddenly twitched..

"This smell..?"

His breathing grew heavy.

All sorts of terrifying thoughts came to mind.

He, with his now shaking hand, opened the door of the room from where the smell was coming.

His sharp eyes trembled and his pupils shook looking at the headless corpse of the woman he loved on the floor.

"No... this... No... Minghu... No..." He fell to his knees with a soft thud.

The ring fell off of his hand as he continued muttering with a blank unfocused stare,

"No... No... No, No, No, No... No... Wh-" 

The man deeply in love let his guard down.

Swish!

His head fell to the ground and his body engulfed in flames slowly turned to nothing, revealing Azaroth standing behind him with his nanotech dagger and alchemy gloves.

He looked at the headless body of the sexy woman he had played a bit before killing.

Then, his gaze fell on the shining ring on the ground and he tilted his head.

He took out a cloak from thin air, wore it, and vanished from the spot.

Nothing personal Dongsuk.. You being alive will make some things uncertain.

I hate uncertain things in my planning.

Let's see how your brother reacts to this plot progression.

....

After returning home, Azaroth takes out his phone.

Yoo SooHyun's trembling voice came from the other side,

"Azaroth, i..it's terrible," she cries, voice shaking.

 "Jinho's case.. Association... t..they said it was an a..accident and closed my brother's case, but I know.. I know something is wrong.."

Azaroth listens calmly.

"I..I looked at their records and I think that the association is hiding something... P..please... believe me.."

"Don't worry, I believe you," Azaroth reassures in a gentle tone.

"Leave this to me. I will personally contact the Hunter's Association and look more deeply into Jinho's case, I promise"

SooHyun lets out a shuddered breath, "T..Thank you"

Azaroth cuts the call after soothing her some more.

"Haa.. haha.. hahaha... I'll surely help you, Miss Yoo, in more ways than you can imagine."

He said to no one.

♦♦♦♦

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