Chapter 51: Everything is Mine (4)
“I am a freelancer. A friend dragged me along.”
“Ah…Then you don’t belong to….”
“Strictly speaking, yes.”
Min-Jae Kim kept asking about Zhang Wei’s life. Being a healer, he was very valuable to the Association. Just his presence had turned the tides of battle in our favor.
When assessing pure talent, Min-Jae Kim had no extraordinary abilities or affiliations.
Zhang Wei was very blessed.
“Mr. Vice-president, you are a civilian, it is best for you to go to a shelter.”
“No, how can you even say that? My hunters are struggling for their lives, as their president, I shouldn’t be in a shelter.”
“……”
Han Yeon-soo was quite aware of Min-Jae Kim’s personality. She tried to say something, but decided not to interfere and quietly turned away.
“So, won’t you be taking up arms and joining the soldiers?”
Han Yeon-soo took a step back at this remark. Upon hearing Min Jae-Kim’s sarcastic remarks and watching him sip his coffee, she lost her patience. Jeong Si-woo not being around had made her patience wear thin.
“Sorry. Let’s continue our conversation then… How much have you been paid? I remember hearing that hunters aren’t treated well in China, but Korea on the other hand is famous for how well we take care of our hunters.”
‘Come on… Please be patient.’
Kwaahang-!
“Uh, ha… Hunter Han Yeon-soo? They seem to be a bit stronger than before…”
“And what should I do about that? Should I tell the monsters to hold back?”
“Ah… no. Of course…”
Han Yeon-soo, looking for an outlet for her anger, began to hit the monsters even harder.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Are you living with your old mother? Then…”
Despite Min-Jae Kim’s attitude, the attack went smoothly. The soldiers were a bit nervous, listening to the conversation, but most of the hunters around them were from the Association. Those who held the Association’s president in high esteem had no reason to be displeased about the conversation.
“Another fish over there!”
The assault continued with ease.
“Focus your firepower! There is someone still in there.”
The running fish was smashed instantly.
“Gosh! Everyone has a hard time. If you keep focusing the monsters one by one, it will be over soon.”
It was Jeong Si-woo who had come out of the crack.
Han Yeon-soo’s expression became remarkably bright. The discomfort that she had just felt melted away like snow on a warm day
Everyone’s faces brightened up.
Drip. Drip.
He was covered in monster blood from head to toe. No one thought he was dirty; it was rather glorious to be honest. The blood and dirt were proof that he was a hero who concerned himself with protecting the people.
He shot a disgusted glance toward the approaching Han Yeon-soo and soon walked toward Zhang Wei and the Association’s president, who were still talking.
“Good job, Mr. Zhang Wei.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“But looking at the situation, I think you have to work a little longer…I only have a few words to say. Would that be okay?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Wei’s expression upon seeing Jeong Si-woo was funny to see. It was like a child meeting his hero. Min-Jae Kim had a sour expression on his face.
“I want to work with Mr. Zhang Wei. This is my contact number, and I will come to this place after work, or if Mr. Wei contacts me and tells me a place that’s convenient for him, I will come there.”
“……”
“You said that you had a family that needs to be looked after, right? We will help you if you stay with us. We will support you, and we will make everything as convenient as possible. Or you can stay in China. If you preferred to keep working as a freelancer, that wouldn’t be a problem either.”
“Ah…”
The words were straightforward, yet conveyed greater need.
“Please contact us as soon as possible. I don’t think the current environment is suitable for a conversation like that. Thank you very much for your hard work, I hope you can assist us more. Thank you again.”
Jeong Si-woo bowed his head, expressed his gratitude, and then went his own way.
“……”
Min-Jae Kim looked like he wanted to say something, but kept quiet as he saw Zhang Wei’s changed expression. It looked like his heart had skipped a beat.
Zhang Wei sat in his chair, playing with the card Jeong Si-woo had given him. Han Yeon-soo continued killing monsters with a cheerful expression on her face. It was much easier to concentrate on dealing with the monsters, now that Kim had finally stopped talking.
* * *
After returning to the Academy’s accommodations, I slept for 10 hours. The ‘Great Heart’s’ effect was tremendous, but the resulting fatigue was annoying. Well, that didn’t change the fact that it was a handy skill.
Lying on the bed, I looked at the pattern on the back of my hand. A tattoo shining in five brilliant colors had taken the place of the old, black one.
[Name: Mirage]
[‘Orichalcum’ and ‘Nightmare’ fused.]
[*User can change the shape to their preference.]
[*Indestructible.]
[*Has excellent magic resistance and defense.]
[*Contains Mana of the Sea and corrects all Magic.]
[*It contains the Will of the Sea.]
[*When ‘Automatic Combat’ is activated, it supports the user’s fighting with willpower.]
[*The toughest of all metals.]
I couldn’t help but smile when reading the notification.
“Automatic Combat.”
[*Enabling ‘Automatic Combat’]
Accompanying this, the five-streaked pattern on the back of my hand now divided into six and spun around me. It looked like a firefly chasing a light. There was also a modifier called ‘Firefly’, which helped defend against magic and physical attacks.
[You got a great treasure?]
Travelers had always been fascinated by this. It was nothing more than an ability that rendered arrows or mana missiles ineffective.
“Yes. It’s a great ability.”
[When you get something like this, it’s okay to be excited.]
“I’ll have that reaction later, when I get better stuff.”
[Hahahaha.]
At the sound of the laughter, I tore myself away from the tattoo and got up from the bed. I hadn’t expected to receive such an amazing power either.
[What are you going to do now? It would help if you had a plan. The hole the monsters are pouring out from…won’t it appear in a week?]
“Yes.”
[Do you plan on asking for the Association’s assistance again?]
“No. I don’t think I will need a lot of help this time.”
With this amount of strength and a bit of support, he wouldn’t have too much trouble stopping the second wave. The last wave, however, was going to be a problem.
‘Even if you called all the heroes together, there will be unavoidable damage. The last wave is on a whole different level.’
Perhaps after experiencing the third wave, the world’s way of looking at the disasters will change. After witnessing that one, you couldn’t help but take the matter much more seriously.
Gather them, form your group, and collect all five heroes as you did before.
It was important to stop all disasters, but it was crucial to end the attacks once and for all. I didn’t want a world where everyone around me died. Moreover, countless people had already lost their families.
For some, the end had already come.
‘The one death I experienced before my return was more than enough.’
This time, I would wipe out the monsters and erase the rifts from this world.
Exhausted, I finally closed my eyes.
* * *
“You don’t know who sent it yet??”
“Sorry, not yet… Heeup!”
Wrinkled hands grabbed hold of the man’s neck. The power of that grip was enough to tear a man’s head from his body, not at all what one would expect when they saw these spindly arms.
She used to be one of the legends among the heroes of old. The river of time had done its job on the frail, older woman.
The man struggled to breathe, and the woman finally released her grip when his face had already turned pale.
“I don’t know who sent this letter… If I ever find out, they won’t escape my wrath.”
With her piercing eyes, the older woman, who appeared to be over 70 years old, stared at the letter on the table.
A Great Rift, of a scale, that the world had never seen would appear in a week. Endless waves of monsters would rush to consume everything, and the world would call on their heroes.
Hidden in that fissure will be the entities responsible for your husband’s death.
“How dare they speak that name…”
Ka-dunk.
Unbelievably, the woman smashed her hand on the marble table, and it broke in half.
“……”
The woman picked up a chunk of marble and ground it to dust.
The man gulped at the sight.
“Find more! Find out more about who sent this letter….”
The older woman sat back down, wringing her hands furiously.
“In a week, if this Great Crack occurs, contact me immediately.”
She did not want to believe that letter, but she had lived for long enough to take such threats seriously. The older woman had enough confidence to throw herself into the fires of hell if ever there was a need for it.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The man hastily retrieved the letter and rushed out of the older woman’s room.
The older woman stared out of the window, concerned.
* * *
Baths.
“Well, it’s been a long time. You, but… do you think you’ve changed?”
“You think I have changed?”
“Uhm. What should I say… you have become more…mature? Hehehe.”
Yoo Ji-Yeon, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time, had the beautiful smile on her face I remembered.
“I’m not so sure… haha.”
“What did you mean, you had something to tell me?”
“Oh, right.”
I smiled brightly and looked at her.
“You will graduate from the Academy in a year too… I was wondering if you had any interest in gaining experience?” I said in as normal a voice as possible.
“Experience?”
“Huh-uh.”
I wanted to give Yoo Ji-Yeon another chance.
“Would you like to participate in the attack on the crack?”
For the second wave, we would need a bit more power.
Only
‘When I graduate, I have every intention of including those who worked under me.’
Unlike me, Yoo Ji-Yeon did not need to grow up elsewhere. I thought we’d advance together. I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for her to get some battle experience.
“It’s easy.”
I lied shamelessly. Yoo Ji-Yeon put her hand on her chin and thought about it.
And how long had it been?
“Okay…Okay!”
I smiled proudly. Let’s suffer a little together. Upon our return, I would promote her to a rank that better fits one of the five heroes…
The first member of the <Jeong Si-woo Division> would be Yoo Ji-Yeon.