Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 95
"Finally, Korea~!"
The long journey was coming to an end.
With about two hours left until landing, Se-ra stretched her arms out wide.
"Your face is all shiny and smooth. Did you steal something good?"
Kang Se-jun eyed her egg-smooth complexion with curiosity.
"Steal? It's just my rightful compensation."
"Guess we'll get a look once we head into the labyrinth."
"Before that, I need to test it out in some dungeon first. Gotta get the feel for it."
"Is that right? Then if a decent new Grade 3 dungeon pops up, it's yours."
Se-ra clapped her hands at the association president's generous offer. Monopolizing a Grade 3 dungeon. Whew. Just selling the byproducts would bring in a fortune...!
"It's listed as F-rank, so I can't send you in alone. Let me think. Ah, now Seong Ja-rim can be your support."
Seong Ja-rim, who had just woken up and was still half out of it, widened her eyes at the sudden heavy responsibility dumped on her.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"We have to look out for each other. Se-ra took such good care of you. Now it's your turn."
"Oh dear. Looking forward to working with you, Seong Ja-rim."
"You two make a good pair."
"Hang in there, Saint Hunter!"
"Aja! Aja!"
Everyone here was in on it together. Seong Ja-rim wanted to pass out again the moment she opened her eyes.
"We'll be heading into the labyrinth together soon, so it might be good to keep syncing up. Oh, and on that note, how about Kang Se-jun joins too?"
"I'll pass."
Yoon Se-ra was already a handfulnow Seong Ja-rim too?
Kang Se-jun waved her off in horror. But someone else's suffering is my entertainment, so everyone cackled and shoved him straight into the pit of despair.
Rumble!
Right then, the plane started shaking violently. Turbulence? As the laughter died down and everyone moved to head back to their seats...
An absurd message flashed before their eyes. Every awakener on the plane bulged their eyes.
"A gate? Inside the plane?"
No way. There had never been a single case of a gate bursting open in something moving without being fixed in place. So where...?
At the emoji pointing outside, Se-ra hurriedly peered out the window. It was a clear day without a cloud in sight, and with the altitude low, visibility was excellent.
A vast expanse of blue ocean stretched out. At one spot above it, a gate boasting an even brighter blue than the sea was bubbling into existence.
"Over the ocean."
Had there ever been a dungeon spawning at sea? Even as part of the association, they didn't know the location of every dungeon in the world, so it was confusing.
"At least it's not inside the plane."
Before they knew it, everyone was peering out the windows. Song Han-na confirmed the coordinates of the gate's location.
"Looks like we don't need to worry about it. It's not in our waters."
Still, since it was over the sea where things could be overlooked, Song Han-na immediately got in touch with the Japanese side.
It seemed there was no major cause for concern, so everyone relaxed and returned to their seats.
They would be landing soon. The press would be waiting, so it was best to brace themselves ahead of time.
"...But that bracing wasn't for this."
She could tell something was off with the reporters' vibe the moment they stepped off the plane. With no prior heads-up, she wondered what was going on.
"Association President Song! Have you heard? A Grade 1 dungeon gate has appeared in Japan!"
Even on a private jet, calls weren't possible during landing, so she hadn't heard yet.
It was exactly the kind of news that gave her a headache just hearing it.
* * *
"The USA mess is already a headache to clean up, and now this."
In the association president's office, Song Han-na flopped into her chair with a groan of irritation. Do Jun-young asked in a tense voice.
"Is Yoon Se-ra all right?"
"No injuries, no problems at all. I told her to ignore the Japan sea dungeon and get some solid rest, so she's probably sleeping by now."
"You're not sending her, then. That's a relief."
Do Jun-young's gaze drifted to the documents on the desk.
An official letter from the Japan Association.
It was a request for assistance in conquering the newly emerged Grade 1 dungeon.
"Obviously not. How could I send kids who have to enter the labyrinth in just three weeks? And the contents rub me the wrong way besides."
Song Han-na and Do Jun-young's gazes both turned icy.
Japan currently had zero L-rank awakeners. Conquering a Grade 1 dungeon required at least three, so they had desperately reached out to neighboring countries for help.
Korea was, of course, includedbut the problem was...
"Picking out Se-ra specifically to send over. They're asking for help and saying the most ridiculous things."
The nominal reason was that they hoped the Headbangwho had made the greatest contribution to clearing the Cheorwon Dungeonwould be there, but their true intentions were so transparently obvious it was laughable.
"They just wanna see the face of that famed Headbang first."
Background check on the side, and if she seemed like a safe bet with no issues, recruit her to their country.
With so few S-ranks, Korea had been behind themnow it had surged ahead in one go and was pulling way out in front. No wonder they were panicking.
"No need to even ask those three. Send back a refusal."
She had zero intention of tormenting the kids who had to walk into the worst hell in three weeks any sooner than necessary.
"Yes, understood."
Do Jun-young agreed with her sentiment.
It was only natural. Just a few days ago, Yoon Se-ra had nearly been kidnapped in America. She had returned without a scratch, but that didn't matter.
'I promised I would protect her...'
Do Jun-young rubbed his face. It was from so long ago, back when she was little, that Se-ra seemed to have completely forgotten.
But that was fine. He remembered it crystal clear.
'What a ridiculous promise. I never once kept it properly.'
What had he even been doing while that child grew and grew, eventually reaching the top peak through her own power?
He gave a bitter smile.
It was pathetic how, even amid all that, he felt relieved she hadn't followed her big brother to Athena.
* * *
At that very time, as each of them let out sighs of worry for Se-ra.
Se-ra was having a private meeting with that damn regressor.
If Song Han-na and Do Jun-young found out, they would have throttled Kang Se-jun.
"You have to join the Japan dungeon raid?"
Thoroughly contradicting their resolve to absolutely not send her, Kang Se-jun was insisting right now that she had to resolve this very issue.
"You remember we're entering the labyrinth in three weeks, right?"
"It's fine. Floor 8 isn't as tough as you might think."
"Not tough? It's the labyrinth."
"Sure, the base difficulty is high, but compared to the other floors, 8 is easy. I've regressed so many times, and the inside of the labyrinth has never changed, so you can trust me on this."
"Well, if you say so. But why the Japan dungeon?"
"You have Mental Barrier, right?"
Mental Barrier. Just hearing that gave her the gist.
"Don't tell me the monsters in the Japan dungeon are spirits?"
"The boss is even a magical beast. It's Grade 1, so no ordinary mental barrier will hold it off. But you've cleared that guild rift dungeon, so you should be fine."
The boss mob back then had been taken down by Jeong Ho-young, but the one who saved the guild members was Se-ra. Kang Se-jun must have heard how they survived getting shot in the head.
"Even a Grade 1 should be no problem."
The mental barrier Se-ra possessed wasn't a skillit was the administrator's blessing. No magical beast could pierce it.
"Please help, then. To spectral types, the sea and borders mean nothing. If there's a dungeon break, it'll be dangerous."
Ah, so that was the issue. Japan and Korea were so close, and that distance was nothing to spirits floating through the air.
"Your face is way too serious, though. Don't tell me someone dies because of that dungeon?"
At that moment, Kang Se-jun swallowed hard. She let out a sigh.
"With your terrible acting skills, you couldn't fool a five-year-old."
"Not everyone is a natural performer like you."
"I've got a gift for it. So, who dies?"
She felt uneasy. She'd heard Song Han-na and Yoon Yoon Jae-hun had nearly lost their minds after her deathsurely not those two...
"Yeongwon Guild's Master Joo Eun."
But the name from his mouth was one she hadn't even considered.
"Joo Eun? As in the Joo Eun? He can kill spirits."
"Trying to protect his daughter from the magical beast that crossed over to Korea..."
Ah. So that good man ends up...
"I tried to block it several times, but on my own, it was impossible. There were times I failed to protect him, and times I even died myself."
Now she understood why he always bit his lip whenever he met Joo Eun.
In his five lives, how many deaths had he endured alone? His mental fortitude was incredible, repeating his life over and over while bearing that pain.
"I can't just let someone I care about die. Fine. I'll help."
Too hard for one person? Then pool the strength of two or three and pour it on.
"...I'm sorry it always seems like I'm asking you for favors. I have no face to show."
"Think of it as the price for knowing about the regressor, like in every novel."
She flashed a bright smile, and the flustered Kang Se-jun bowed his head. Se-ra giggled and patted his back.
He grumbled and complained now and then, but truth be told, she didn't hate Kang Se-jun at all.
He wasn't some selfish regressor chasing his own desires, and there wasn't even a hint of personal motive in his requests. How could she hate him?
This was someone who had repeated his life six times to eliminate dungeons and restore peace. If anything, he could stand to be a little more selfish.
"Kang Se-jun, no more regressing. An unremembered sacrifice is no different from a dog's death."
Of course, even a remembered one was the same, but Se-ra still hadn't fully shaken off her parents' deaths.
"Think about the people who cherish you. They'd rather die together than watch you sacrifice yourself alone."
Her mom was gone now.
But Kang Se-jun was still here.
That's why she couldn't stand by and watch him walk that same lonely, painful path alone. She knew too well the isolation and suffering at its end.
"I told you before. I decide where I fight. I'll do my part too. Unlike your past lives, you haven't lost anything in this one, right? Perfect timing. If you never want to regress again, give it everything you've got right now. I'll put in the effort alongside you."
She had no memory of the times he had lived before. Remembering only this single life, it was natural to give her all for this moment.
"......"
That was why she didn't know. How deeply those words sank into Kang Se-jun.
'Nothing...'
He was right. Song Han-na, Yoon Yoon Jae-hun, Do Jun-young, Joo Eun. Nothing had been lost. Despite not shouldering it alone, the world flowed more peacefully than ever.
The only change.
Yoon Se-ra's existence.
And so, Kang Se-jun couldn't tear his eyes away from her face for a very long time.