Chapter 465, Unusual (2) |
Chapter 465, Unusual (2)
Kim Giryeo merely kept his thoughts to himself, showing no further reaction. After all, talking about a cosmic entity like a Gismiche would do ordinary people no good.
“There was no need to give innocent Earthlings a headache for no reason.”
The archmage had remained silent out of a certain consideration for the locals. Seonwoo Yeon, staring quietly at the guest whose expression had frozen, was the first to utter a single remark.
“Hunter Kim Giryeo.”
“Yes, yes.”
The conversations they had throughout the day covered many absurd topics.
“By the way, this is something I’ve actually been thinking about for quite a while.”
“What are you trying to say?”
She felt she needed to address this one point and spoke as she adjusted her grip on the chopsticks.
“But honestly, I think this level of conversation could’ve been handled over phone messenger. So why did you feel the need to come to my place today...?”
For reference, the marine being was in the middle of eating the rolled omelet she had prepared.
“Is it true that an alien barging into someone’s residence tends to feel aggressive?”
Just by the sound coming from this mouth, you could tell it was an alien, even though it looked perfectly normal on the outside.
“No, actually, what I said wasn’t meant to have any hint of caution or suspicion.”
While Seonwoo Yeon hesitated, Kim Giryeo swallowed the food in his mouth and then spoke.
“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, just so you know, I really like Earth’s wireless communication culture. I’d even go so far as to call the system you’ve built artistic—it’s remarkable.”
“Suddenly giving me a compliment?”
“But this is like... not trusting a spreadsheet and insisting on using an abacus instead, that kind of situation.”
“Ah.”
“I’m not native to Earth. So, it’s true that I have a bit of resistance to unfamiliar customs, one way or another.”
Clank.
Chopsticks clinked against the bowl.
“When I’m talking about something that others really shouldn’t hear... specifically, the fact that I’m not truly ‘Kim Giryeo,’ I prefer to meet someone in person rather than discuss it over the phone.”
Kim Giryeo quickly apologized, saying he was sorry for revealing such outdated thoughts.
“Am I being unreasonably stubborn?”
However, what was just said was something Seonwoo Yeon could somewhat understand.
“I see. He must always be worried about things like wiretapping or hacking.”
It was a concern Earthlings worried about from time to time as well, so in the end, it wasn’t an unreasonable point.
“No, in that case, it’s fine.”
“You understand me?”
“Then next time, please make sure to set up an appointment at least a day in advance.”
Though he lived on a planet no bigger than a speck of dust, this alien’s heart was truly as vast as the ocean... Kim Giryeo felt a brief wave of emotion as he looked at the human who understood his situation.
“I will.”
And the conversation continued smoothly.
“Then, since the topic has come up, I have a question: do most people on Earth generally prefer to make appointments in advance?”
“They probably don’t like people barging in without warning very often, right?”
“Aha.”
But then, it made sense why this question had suddenly come up.
“Then I should definitely send a message before visiting Seo Esther...”
Seonwoo Yeon let out a voice full of curiosity as Kim Giryeo took out his phone at the table.
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, you mentioned earlier that you might end up fighting Hunter Esther.”
“Yes.”
“So I can understand being upset that Hunter Choi Jin didn’t follow your instructions. But why on earth are you going to fight with Esther?”
But all that returned was the expressionless face of the aquatic creature.
“Logically speaking.”
“Hmm?”
“Imagine a rival company suddenly starts gaining momentum, but whenever they contact you, they always beat around the bush saying, ‘Don’t worry, we won’t be property run the company.’”
“...”
“But you waited patiently because they told you to trust them, and now that annoying company is even receiving a major award from the government?”
“...”
“On top of that, the guild master is an S-Rank Hunter, which already makes them a thorn in the side, and now there are even employees within the Korean Magic Tower who want to transfer to that guild?”
“...”
“All I did was survive because I was strong. If I’d been weaker than Seo Esther, I’d have had my limbs torn apart by that hunter long ago.”
“Ey, you’re worrying too much. Director Seo isn’t the kind of person who’d go around laying hands on others anyway.”
“...Wait, what was that supposed to mean?”
A brief, harmless misunderstanding crossed the human’s mind—but at this point, was something like that really important?
“Well, anyway. It’s not like I actually want to harm the Magic Tower’s representative either.”
“So you’re saying you have no intention of backing down.”
The alien put on a rather pitiful air.
“So I’ll find some way to turn my relationship with her back in a positive direction.”
“Exactly how?”
“Maybe by giving Hunter Esther something she’d like... or by teaching her lessons with extra effort...”
Thud.
Kim Giryeo rubbed the bridge of his nose as he spoke.
“But that curse mage is someone who already has so much. Honestly, I can’t help wondering whether a magician with such a high threshold for happiness would even feel satisfied by something as simple as a gift.”
Money. Prestige. Age. Even a sleek, urban look that people find attractive.
“Wait a minute.”
When Kim Giryeo asked about a person who possessed all of those qualities, Seonwoo Yeon replied.
“Now that you mention it, Hunter Esther’s birthday is actually coming up soon.”
It was an everyday topic you rarely heard about in the chaotic era of dungeon shock.
“Hunter Seo even posted what she wants to receive on her birthday on social media. But the contents are a bit...”
“Do you happen to know Hunter Seo Esther’s SNS account?”
“No. It’s not like I personally follow her. It just came up in a brief segment on YTV news that I watch every day.”
“Let me take a look.”
“Yes.”
Soon, on the phone screen that Seonwoo Yeon held out, a large selfie came into view. A woman with purple hair had taken a photo of herself with a fading gate in the background, and it seemed she had added a separate caption beneath it.
“#SeptemberIsComing For my birthday this year, I’d like to receive world peace as a gift....... Because....... the game TRIANGULAR HEART (a once-popular dating simulation game) has been rotting away in my purchase list for years now.......”
The alien couldn’t understand most of what was conveyed in that single photo.
“So in the end, does that mean she just wants to have some free time?”
However, this particular message was easy to understand.
“Time, huh?”
World peace, world peace. In the past, it might have been a concept humans could pursue by curbing their greed or putting an end to wars among themselves. But in this era, after the Dungeon Shock had already erupted, achieving that would probably require...
***
Tak, tak, tak.
Somewhere, the sound of human footsteps echoed. In the past few days that had passed, on a day when the rain had stopped, a hunter dressed in white had just finished arriving at work.
“Hunter Jeong Haseong!”
“Which floor is the conference room on?”
“Please follow me this way.”
The nation’s esteemed hero had been called upon a long time.
Jeong Haseong. The man with the sharp features walked down the long corridor of the association building, lost in the light.
“I’m sure Mom is resting well in her apartment, right?”
As the saying goes, ever since the [Elixir] transfer, one family had safely returned to its original state. After reuniting with his mother, Korea’s number-one ranked Hunter had abruptly gone off the grid, prompting a fair share of criticism for a while. But as could be easily seen from his appearance on the way to work, Jeong Haseong had already fully resumed his activities.
“For the sake of Mom’s safety, I need to start saving money properly. From now on, the cost of defensive gear is going to be really high.”
The golden-haired mentor had given him an elixir, telling him to be happy... yet, surprisingly, the Pyromancer didn’t find joy in a life of idleness.
His mother. Or the many or convades he had gained through work, and so on. Jeong Haseong, for a few seconds, had a world where all those precious to him were gone. And he quickly arrived at the conclusion that it wasn’t a place he would want to live in. After all, during the period when his only family lay asleep, he had truly thrown himself into reckless hunts, even harming himself in the process.
“If you wait just a little in the conference room, the Association President should be here soon.”
“What about the other S-rank Hunters? Have they gathered?”
“One of them has arrived, but...”
It was ironic. Jeong Haseong, in order to maintain his own happiness, had once again donned his gear. And thus, fully armed, he arrived at the familiar association meeting room—
“Gasp!”
Suddenly, Jeong Haseong bent at a 90-degree angle. Even though he had been off work for nearly two months, his accumulated achievements were so immense that his hunting rank remained unchanged—and yet, he bowed deeply in respect like this.
“Hunter Kim Giryeo!”
The person whose name had just been called was pressed up against the color printer, closely watching the machine as it operated. Dressed in a summer suit, he almost looked like an ordinary office worker.
But the moment he looked back at Jeong Haseong, the words that came out were...
“What... wait, is this guy supposed to be part of the meeting too?”
Kim Giryeo and Jeong Haseong both widened their eyes in surprise.
“Haseong-ah, you’ve really returned already?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Shouldn’t you take at least another ten years off to make up for all the memories you postponed with your mom?”
“Your sense of time... seems a bit off.”
Since it’s not a very large industry, everyone had already heard each other’s news through word of mouth.
“Well, true. Having already announced my retirement, I’m even less in a position to argue against such a choice...”
The person in front of the color printer spoke up.
“Still, it’s a bit disappointing that you insist on continuing such dangerous hometown defense work.”
“After all, no matter which country you go to, dungeons exist.”
“Got it. Then don’t wait too long to get married, and always work as safety as possible.”
“Yes!”
Since the conversation flowed so naturally, Jeong Haseong’s reply was equally straightforward.
“...”
But as he sat quietly by the side table, mulling things over, he realized there was one point that didn’t quite sit right.
“...?”
Though the young man still had his streak of gray hair, the shadow that always lingered under his eyes made his expression look somewhat dazed. Yet the office workers here paid no mind to the hero’s reaction and continued with their tasks without pause.
“Rustle.”
The world had once again set off an incident that captured the attention of hunters.
“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the S-rank Hunters gathered here today.”
“No, not at all. Actually, it was a bizarre award ceremony I almost had to endure, so I also happened to want to be away for a while...”
“The information I’m about to share must not be made public yet, so please keep it confidential.”
The discussion was classified as top secret. This meant the information could potentially cause great fear among the public. Consequently, most of the attendees at the meeting wore serious expressions as they examined the distributed documents—and it was there that they discovered the attached image.
“Is this a real photo?”
“No, not exactly. The monster is still alive inside the dungeon, so this material is a composite based on eyewitness accounts.”
Its lower body was soft and gelatinous, like that of a mollusk. Perched atop the massive main body was something resembling a jockey gently waving its hand. However, upon closer inspection, what appeared to be a jockey wasn’t even a corpse of a living creature. It was merely a bioluminescent lure, like that of an anglerfish, designed to bewilder and attract weak prey.
“Currently, overseas, the [Nuckelavee] has appeared.”
Kim Giryeo confirmed from the materials provided by the humans that it was also called the “Devil of the Sea.”
“The shell color is quite different from before. It’s orange.”
However, this detail couldn’t be overlooked.
“By the way, why are the gates always so half-hearted? It’s always just a color game.”
The alien eventually let out a dispirited remark.
“The monster’s form is exactly the same, but they just change the color and a bit slap on a name like [Enhanced Nuckelavee]—sometimes it’s just ridiculous.”
“In technical terms, it’s also called a palette swap.”
Still, thanks to that, the sense of dread that hung over the conference room was somewhat eased.
Author's Thoughts: Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so for:)