Chapter 626 – Gate of the Abyss (1)
When I returned to Korea after a long time, many people welcomed me.
“Hey, you bastard!”
Poop!
“Ugh…!”
Isn’t it?
This seems like they’re just pushing me to go to hell.
Shin Yu-jeong, who showed off his punching power that became even heavier while we were not looking, delivers a follow-up blow.
“Hey.”
I hurriedly hug the body before I get hit again for no reason.
“Let go, won’t you let go of this!?”
If it were you, would you let go?
That’s what love is.
According to the logic of power, there is absolutely no reason for me to get hit by him, but that’s not true.
If I did something to make you feel bad, and you felt bad again, you should give me a good slap.
I can’t go any further than that because it hurts too much.
He asks while lightly brushing the head of Shin Yu-jeong, who is struggling in his arms.
“It’s been a while since I last saw you, why are you so angry, huh?”
I thought I was dying to see you.
Then he stabs her in the side with much less force than before and shouts.
“You just said it with your own mouth!”
“Me?”
“Yes!”
What did I just say?
“Ah.”
I understand.
The fact that I haven’t seen you in a long time is a problem in itself.
The guy is crying.
“If you’re going to leave us like this all the time, why on earth are you working together?”
“That’s…”
“I know, I know! We’re so fucking weak that you won’t like us!”
It’s not that I’m not satisfied.
Everyone, including Yujeong, is growing rapidly.
It even exceeded my expectations.
I was sure that it would become prosperous someday, but I didn’t know that it would grow this fast.
But it wasn’t enough.
The absolute amount of time spent on growth is enough to erase the presence of the existing S-class hunters.
The guy holding my collar complains in an angry voice.
“But shouldn’t you give us a chance? You haven’t even seen how much we can do! You’re neglecting us as if you know you’re so great!”
It’s not that I neglected them at all.
Cracks pouring out every day.
They are the ones who stand by my side every time I attack a dungeon created within it.
But, yeah.
When it comes to very dangerous or important matters, I unconsciously erase their names from my mind.
Because you lack skills?
That is also an important issue, but the real reason is different.
“It’s because I’m scared of losing you.”
I am an emotional person.
However, when working as a hunter, I try to suppress those emotions as much as possible and make rational decisions.
And I think I’ve done well so far.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to survive until now.
I always think about it.
As long as you choose the job of hunter, it won’t be strange if you die at any time.
Not only for me, but also for the person next to me.
I know that it won’t be strange no matter when or how I let go, and I live with my own determination.
“But you said you couldn’t do it.”
The body changed, but the scars left behind from losing loved ones did not disappear.
So you can be sure.
These are my last thread of reason.
If I lose even one more person, I will destroy everything.
Even me.
After hearing my sincerity, his struggles gradually subside.
“… It was you who told me I could die at any time.”
“You know.”
“It was you who said that I should be prepared to accept the death of my colleagues and I at any time.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“The bastard who said that, haha…”
I have nothing to say.
But what can I do?
The person I was when I said that and the size of my heart now have changed.
The guy who had been in my arms for a while lifted his head and asked.
“So you’re going to keep leaving it like this?”
“No, that’s not true.”
I want to do that, but I know it’s something I shouldn’t do.
They are also decent hunters, and they should decide the direction their lives will take.
But it’s also true that I don’t feel at ease every time that happens.
“I’ll give you one homework.”
“… Homework?”
“Okay, homework. If you do it, you go with me. If you don’t, you go with me.”
“If I can’t do it, well.”
“You can’t work with me until you do it, right?”
A passionate gaze that seems to melt everything it touches.
The strong enthusiasm and desire felt within it.
“Tell me. I’ll do anything as long as it’s not absurd.”
I expected a day like this to come someday.
I rejected them so blatantly, and every time I did that, I received disgruntled looks.
So I was worried.
How can I trust them a little more and put my mind at ease?
There was only one correct answer.
“Promote to S class.”
“…”
Recently, as the number of S-class hunters increases, many stories are being discussed.
The promotion standards need to be raised, it is time to create a new grade above S grade, etc.
As a result, some are even saying that the status of the current S class has decreased compared to the past.
But S-class is still S-class.
A superman who has clearly begun to break away from human standards.
It’s hard to believe for those who are still within human limits, but it’s a different story for S-class people.
“At least you have to be like that to work with me.”
From now on, none of the people I have to deal with are non-S class.
There will be some who are so strong that we cannot afford to protect them.
To survive against them, of course, they must also remain at least at the same level.
The guy who was contemplating something with a frown said.
“I promise.”
“What?”
“The moment you are promoted to S-class, I will take you wherever you go.”
“Okay, I promise.”
I made a promise without thinking too long.
Since the other person has shown their will, wouldn’t it be right for me to reciprocate as well?
“Whoa.”
After exhaling briefly, he sticks his nose into my chest and takes a deep breath.
“Seuuuuup.”
The guy who took a deep breath of the air containing my scent spoke firmly.
“Let go now.”
“Uh, okay.”
The guy who naturally fell out of my arms pointed at me with his index finger and declared.
“I’m just waiting. I’ll hold a promotion ceremony soon and invite you.”
A confident statement.
I respond to this.
“Then I will prepare a suitable gift.”
I originally planned to give it away right away, but I decided to hide the existence of the equipment a little longer.
Then the guy flared his nostrils and asked me.
“A gift? What is it? Are they giving me a sex ticket for the whole day or something?”
I answered in a tone of bewilderment.
“… I can still give that to you?”
“Oh, really? Then should we go right away?”
“I feel like I was somehow caught.”
“It’s my mood, it’s my mood.”
Afterward, we went home and had sex until the sun rose the next day.
Also with her mother and daughter.
* * *
A particularly dark night.
Even the moonlight flies through the dim sky, enters the previously opened window, and reaches the top of the Magic Tower.
“Welcome.”
Han Joo-hee stands up from her desk filled with piles of documents and greets me.
I look around her and ask her.
“I guess I came faster?”
“Yes. They said they would arrive in a moment, so please sit down.”
Today is the day of promise.
It was hard to find…, No, I decided to hand over the replica of the Black Stone I made to Hexagram.
Before handing over the goods, I placed one condition on them.
If you want to receive it, come in person.
It was a natural thing for me.
In any case, didn’t they just go into the heart of the Orthodox Church and steal the things that the saint kept?
You hand me something like that, but you can’t even face me?
This is truly an act of ignoring people.
When I expressed this justification, he also responded to my suggestion, saying it made sense.
Perhaps thanks to accomplishing a ridiculous mission, the blond-haired guy who seemed the most powerful among the executives who introduced himself to me said he would come in person.
The appointment time is 2 a.M.
The time has come…
Shwaak!
Did you say that even tigers will come if you tell them?
The moment the second hand of the clock on the wall pointed to exactly ‘2’, a crack appeared in the air.
The power that Sloth once showed when he ran away from me.
From there, a man walks towards us at a leisurely pace.
Brilliant blonde hair that sparkles even without receiving the slightest light.
Blue eyes that shine brightly and full of life.
Skin as white as flour and a cheerful smile to match.
“This is the first time we’ve met in person, right?”
He holds out his hand and spits out his name that he had kept hidden.
“This is Chris Emir.”
“… Kim Do-jin.”
I can finally feel it when I hold his hand.
A ferocious, gigantic force crouching behind a fresh smile like a fresh-faced boy.
It’s definitely not everything, but it’s this much.
The guy sitting across from me.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have much time. Could you show me the items first?”
“Sure.”
With a single hand gesture, he opens a subspace and takes out the Dragon Stone that was lying there in the palm of his hand.
A wave of intense power that begins to spread as soon as it goes out into the world.
When Chris felt this, ripples appeared on his otherwise calm face.
“You really did it.”
“I wonder if I brought you here with a lie.”
It’s as expected.
When he sees the Dragon Stone I made, he firmly believes that it is a Black Stone.
There are still doubts.
How did he know the location of the Black Stone, which was passed down only to saints?
I thought at the same time.
He only knows the location, but he probably hasn’t seen the Black Stone with his own eyes.
If he could have seen it, he wouldn’t have left it there.
The button was inserted properly.
Now all that’s left is to push on.
“I guess this proves my will, right?”
“Of course. You performed a mission that was almost impossible, so of course I have to trust you.”
The inside is obvious.
Even if I had failed, they would have accepted me, even if it was undesirable.
But if I go in like that, my position will be greatly reduced.
No, it would have gone beyond shrinking and become nothing more than a tool.
Because he was a major criminal who broke into the Vatican Orthodox Church, he could have grabbed me and swayed me.
In short, it was an offer they had nothing to lose.
If you succeed, you will get a Black Stone, and it will be good to have a highly skilled colleague.
If you fail, it’s good to have a hand that you can use in various ways.
I warn the guy who is smiling brightly.
“Keep in mind. This is only a one time request like this. If it’s like this again, you better be prepared.”
Maybe I didn’t like the harsh warning?
The guy’s eyes, which were covered by a smile, shine coldly.
“By resolution, what do you mean?”
That’s what it sounded like to me.
What can you do?
Look at this guy.
His face looks like a soft-spoken boy, but inside he’s completely macho?
In the tug-of-war that has begun once again, the momentum is raised to the fullest.
“If you want to know, give it a try.”
A sharp gaze that becomes entangled.
The atmosphere was starting to get rough, as if it wouldn’t be strange if the hand went out at any time.
“Haha, don’t worry. I have no intention of doing anything unscrupulous against my colleagues.”
“If that’s the case, I’m glad.”
We will once again capture the momentum we have gained.
“Here, take it.”
Having given her a reasonable warning, she threw the Dragon Stone she was holding in her hand at him.
The smile on the face of the guy who took this lightly becomes even deeper.
I asked the guy.
“Let me ask you just one question.”
“Please speak.”
“What on earth do you plan on doing with that?”
“Aha… I didn’t tell you that.”
The guy who brushed the dragon stone in his hand as if stroking the head of a lover answered.
“I plan to open the door with this power.”
I feel a strange sense of discomfort.
“… What door?”
“A door to a world where all kinds of dirty and ugly beings live.”
The guy continues speaking.
“I will bring them into this world.”
