Why does it feel like the decoration has changed to red?
"Hmm?"
A pink object with a hard, shell-like surface, fashioned into a geometric shape.
Even on a second look, the item resembled a cute, playful toy straight out of a children's animated show. Put simply, it looked like the kind of thing a child under ten would beg their parents to buy.
The guard known as Chief Kida stood there for quite a while, staring at the item behind him.
"Hmm."
But the feeling lasted only a few seconds. The Japanese man dismissed the strange sensation as nothing more than a fleeting sense of déjà vu.
"I probably just remembered it wrong, right?"
Besides the central emblem stone, the item was decorated with numerous colorful gems. Because of that, Chief Kida ultimately couldn't be certain what color it had originally been.
Before long, he turned his gaze forward again.
"There's really nothing to do. Maybe I really should play word chain or something."
What followed was nothing more than idle chatter.
"Oh, word chain?"
"Want to play together?"
"The loser buys a late-night snack after work. It's more fun if there's something on the line."
"OK. Then you go first."
The two guards stationed on the eastern side of the room began chatting among themselves.
But at that moment, the senior guard who had just been showing off his phone and freely jumping from one topic to another suddenly began glancing toward them, cautiously observing their behavior.
And while the attention of everyone in the room was scattered in different directions, the man casually brought a hand to his stomach—
and firmly pressed down on the object hidden inside his jacket.
Flash.
That was the beginning.
From that moment onward, the artifact at the back of the room underwent another subtle change.
And come to think of it, every guard stationed here had been required to undergo a mandatory belongings inspection before beginning their shift.
Which made the fact that the man in the front row possessed some suspicious object other than a communication device highly inconsistent.
***
"This is a disaster."
A few minutes later.
"They say the really expensive items in the Highlight Auction aren't revealed in advance for security reasons. If that's true, does that mean I'll have no choice but to wait an entire day just to see the actual items on this list?"
Inside the Tokyo event hall.
"That's annoying. When I asked for a rough estimate of how much they'd sell for, they were definitely way beyond my budget."
It was now 3 PM.
The area around me was in complete chaos, packed with crowds from all over the world.
"Trying to threaten them into giving me one for free... Well, today I don't even have the [Infinite Power Core], so honestly, bluffing against four S-ranks would be way too risky."
Chattering.
It was a festival overflowing with Earthlings, where laughter and cheers could be heard from somewhere every few moments.
Even amid all that noise, I somehow managed to concentrate and continue thinking.
But even an Archmage had limits when it came to losing himself in thought in a place like this.
More importantly, my identity had already been exposed.
"Excuse me..."
"..."
"Excuse me!"
"Ah, yes?"
Come to think of it, the name "Kim Giryeo" was actually quite famous and enjoyed a respectable reputation among the public.
"Excuse me, but... aren't you that S-rank Hunter from Korea?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Ah, um, I'm so sorry to bother you, but... could I please take just one picture with you? I'm a huge fan! I've been running a fan club ever since you came to Japan!"
That was when things started going wrong.
Until then, things had remained relatively quiet.
After all, this was a foreign country.
But the moment one woman recognized me and shouted, the attention around us surged all at once.
Once one person recognized me, the people beside her started confirming it.
And once I began taking photos out in the open, even uncertain bystanders quickly caught on, certainty spreading through the crowd like falling dominoes.
"Why are people gathering over there?"
"Who are they taking pictures with?"
"Is it some influencer?"
A murmur spread through the crowd.
This won't do.
Before the crowd could grow any larger, I hurriedly slipped away under the pretext of going to the restroom and escaped somewhere quieter.
[Event Hall A Exhibition Hall]
Looking around, I noticed that this area had fewer lights and was considerably dimmer.
Compared with Buildings B and C, there were far fewer people passing through here.
"Of course, the exhibits inside are probably boring too."
I kept searching for somewhere out of sight and eventually reached a corner of the building.
It was a dark corridor in front of the staff room, with no lights on at all.
"Hmm."
Alright.
Let's organize the plan for a moment.
"How on earth am I supposed to steal that item?"
I crouched down and began thinking.
First of all, if I wanted to get my hands on that black fabric called [Fragment of the Midnight], several preparations would be necessary.
The most important thing was clearing all the visitors out of Hall 1 in Building A.
"Even to me, that room looks like it's got nothing but a lump of dark, seaweed-like cloth standing in it. There are already so few visitors you could count them on one hand, but still..."
If I didn't want to have the flesh stripped from my bones after getting caught stealing, then obviously I needed to know the locations of Japan's S-rank Hunters before putting any plan into action.
"If I had to estimate how many visitors I'd need to drive out, there'd be about five."
Even assuming I somehow managed to get all the visitors out...
What the hell was I supposed to do about the alarm system protecting the artifact exhibition?
"Hmm."
A memory belonging to this body's original owner flashed through my mind.
A mammalian spy in skintight clothing twisting through red laser beams like a mollusk in some movie scene.
Apparently, Earth had its own unique security systems for museums and banks.
And looking closely, I could see devices here that seemed to serve a similar purpose.
"All the display cases are protected by magical barriers."
There was no way the Japanese had wrapped the items in magical blankets just to keep them warm.
Obviously, they were there for security.
I racked my brain.
And after thinking it through as hard as I could, I finally decided how I would reveal my true nature as a full-fledged thief.
[Overview: Magically ignite a small flame on the paper poster in the corner of Hall A1 near the window, where sunlight reaches — Trigger the fire alarm in the hallway directly outside — Once the alarm sounds, encourage evacuation before people fully understand the situation.]
Clear out the visitors like this.
[Overview: Additionally, determine the locations of the S-rank Hunters in advance — Once Hall 1 is sufficiently empty, quickly re-enter after disrupting the CCTV — Since the protective barriers in the exhibition take time to restore once disabled, attempt to pass through them during that interval and swap the item — If the glass case cannot be opened easily, use magic such as [Cutting] — (Assuming everything proceeds according to plan, estimated total time: approximately 3 minutes.)]
To summarize, a rough plan like that had taken shape in my head.
But to be honest, I wasn't sure whether it would actually work.
Back in my prime, if I wanted something, I simply accomplished it with magic.
I'd never needed to bother with petty, roundabout tricks like these.
"Earth-style barriers are so flimsy that, honestly, if I can just deal with the glass wall, the rest might actually be easy."
The event lasts for three whole days.
Should I take another day or two to think about it?
The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly rejected it.
The Artifact Expo held its Highlight Auction on the second day, allowing only on-site bidding and attracting large numbers of S-rank Hunters from overseas.
Even more spectators were expected to gather just for the chance to catch a glimpse of those top-tier Hunters.
And naturally, the final day wasn't ideal either.
"Since I was planning to leave the country before nightfall, Seonwoo Yeon would definitely come looking for me."
Even setting that aside, the biggest problem was that the exhibition would be dismantled that day.
Even if I successfully swapped the item, there was a chance the theft would be discovered within twenty-four hours.
"If I'm really going to do this, today gives me the highest chance of success."
Strike while the iron is hot.
I'm not sure whether that Earth expression really applies here, but anyway, I made up my mind.
As expected, no matter how many times I thought it over, I simply couldn't give up on that fabric.
"Earthlings think it's nothing more than a single-use defensive item, but it's actually an artifact with tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities at the same time!"
Who told them it was a good idea to half-heartedly threaten an Alpha+?
No.
That so-called representative was the one who screwed everything up.
In that case, the entire Japanese hunter community should take responsibility together, like the comrades they claimed to be.
I rose from my crouched position.
For reference, one element naturally included in the outline of my plan—
in other words, creating a 'fake fabric' to deceive the authorities—
was something I could do as many times as necessary.
"It's not like I dressed up for this."
Fortunately, my current outfit contained plenty of black fabric.
The suit I was wearing was one I'd bought from a store owned by someone named Seo Yohan.
Esther had taken me there around the time of that unfortunate incident, and since I'd received several deliveries from the shop afterward, it was one of the few addresses I actually remembered.
So when I needed new clothes, I bought them there.
"I should at least prepare the magic beforehand before I go in."
Fragment of the Midnight?
Fine.
I'll reproduce even the thickness of its threads exactly.
And to prevent anyone from tracing it through its material composition or blend ratio, I'll mix in various impurities too.
For example, some of the fabric from the ice packs they keep handing out at this event.
That way, even under a microscope, it won't be easy to determine whose clothing the material came from.
"Good thing it isn't shiny like leather. The textures look pretty similar too."
Alright.
Now that I've gone over everything once more in my head...
Should I really try it?
"Luckily, there isn't a single S-rank Hunter anywhere around here either..."
When I sharpened my senses, the closest presence I could detect belonged to Hunter Iori, who seemed to be in the neighboring building.
Even if the fire alarm or security alarm went off, they wouldn't be able to arrive immediately.
I headed straight for the exhibition hall where the [Fragment of the Midnight] was displayed and began putting the plan into action.
After all, one of this great Archmage's strengths was flawless execution.
"By simple calculation, it should take around two minutes to drive all the visitors out."
Only one attempt.
The preparations were complete.
Swish.
As though sunlight had spontaneously set it ablaze, I began the plan by igniting a poster on one side of the exhibition hall.
If the fire spread too quickly, civilians could get hurt, so I started with only a tiny spark.
The immediate goal was simply to trigger the alarm.
Then, on my way back—once everyone was already evacuating—I would allow the fire to grow larger.
That way, it wouldn't seem strange if an S-rank Hunter took the initiative in guiding the crowd to safety.
"And if anyone questions me afterward, I'll just explain that the first flames startled me so much that I instinctively went looking for the fire alarm, just like I'd been trained to do, which is why I responded late."
That explanation shouldn't sound unnatural to Earthlings.
Immediately after starting the fire, I hurried into the hallway and manually activated the red alarm.
"Wait a minute. What if this thing is just some decorative prop..."
For a moment, the thought crossed my mind.
But contrary to my worries, the alarm activated without any trouble.
.lingring----------!
Up to this point, everything had gone according to plan.
"What's wrong?"
But immediately afterward, an unimaginable catastrophe began unfolding in Building A1, where I was standing.
***
"Ha... Oh my God."
Tak, tak, tak.
A corridor lined with white marble.
A short figure trudged weakly through it.
The person was none other than the S-rank Hunter, Iori.
"How am I supposed to get that item out of the Technology Bureau? Of all people, Kim Giryeo is the one who wants to buy it."
Since he had been brought in to ensure the safety of the event, he had several responsibilities.
One of them was protecting the items that would later be auctioned.
Having already spent some time guiding someone around the event, Iori was now using his free time to patrol the area.
After all, this corridor connected directly to the storage room where the auction items were being kept.
"Whew."
What should have been a boring break was instead filled with crushing tension.
Kim Giryeo's request regarding the [Fragment of the Midnight] wasn't a problem Iori could solve simply by worrying over it.
All he could do was keep walking and silently hope that Ito's negotiations would somehow go well.
"Ah, it's the storage room door."
Before he realized it, he had arrived at the storage room where the auction items were being kept.
For reference, the room was located on the third floor of one of a pair of connected buildings.
It wasn't even marked on the map, and the building itself was linked rather precariously to Hall A of the event venue by a skybridge on the second floor.
Naturally, since this was a restricted area, visitors would not be allowed inside even if they somehow discovered its location.
"I ended up here just from wandering around aimlessly. Since I'm here anyway, I might as well check whether the security personnel are doing alright..."
As was well known, the Hunter named Iori was sociable by nature.
So he casually approached the storage room, thinking he might as well familiarize himself with the faces of the newly rotated personnel.
"Excuse me..."
Drrrk.
The moment he slid the door aside—
something unexpected happened.
"Huh?"
The five security guards inside were all hunched over like zombies, staring down at the floor.
"No, what kind of scene is this? What kind of game are you playing?"
"Y-you scared me!"
Looking more closely, their eyes were unfocused.
Worse still, their eyeballs glowed a vivid red, as though they had all contracted some bizarre disease made of light.
Startled by the sight, Iori tried to speak to them in a flustered voice.
But at that exact moment, one of them suddenly made an unexpected move.
Boom!
"Aaack!"
The A-rank awakened guard standing in the front row—
Kida—
unleashed his ability.
In an ordinary security company, employees would have been trained in proper restraint techniques.
But the situation was different when it came to awakened personnel.
With talented individuals in such desperately short supply, those recruited for special assignments like this were chosen according to one criterion above all else.
Strength.
The security team captain's ability was physical enhancement.
Stepping forward, he forcefully shoved Iori backward while the S-rank Hunter still had one foot caught against the doorframe.
"What the—! What are you doing?!"
What followed was a rapid series of shocking events.
The second and third guards behind Kida opened their glowing red eyes wide and activated their own abilities before dashing out of the room.
Only after the people moved away did the abnormal state of the room become immediately obvious.
'Artifacts!'
As an S-rank Hunter, Iori had personally transported those items inside an item box while keeping them close to his body.
So he could tell immediately.
The pink artifact placed on the right side of the room had clearly changed shape.
"How did that activate?"
But even Iori hadn't expected the artifact to cause an incident like this.
The owner of that Epic-grade item had refused to reveal its information cheaply, insisting that the new artifact's [Appraisal] details only be disclosed to participants in the auction.
"Everyone, stop!"
"What on earth is that thing? Is it some kind of artifact that causes confusion?"
"It's too dangerous."
Iori instinctively tried to stop the guards rushing out of the room.
Using his first skill, he managed to restrain three of them.
However, because he deliberately weakened the force so as not to injure anyone, one of those three soon managed to break free.
And that wasn't the only problem.
"This idiot..."
Iori pulled out the radio he was carrying and shouted into it.
"Emergency! This is the storage area in Building D. The awakened guards suddenly lost their minds and..."
Even while speaking, he tried to restrain another guard within reach.
But while he struggled to control his strength without harming anyone, the three awakened individuals who had escaped were already completely out of sight.
Bam!
Then, in the distance, an ominous roar echoed through the building.
"Moritaka! If you can hear me, get to Building D right now! Whatever you're doing, stop and get to the perimeter to block them..."
Startled, Iori increased his speed.
And moments later, this was the sight that appeared before him.
"Ugh!"
A massive hole had been torn through the floor of Building D, as though an enormous piece of iron had smashed straight through it.
Due to the need for—
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