Chapter 108
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Awakener Jeong Jin-yeong - [1]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day after Kang Jun-chi's return was officially announced, the KOSPI, which had plummeted to unprecedented lows since the Behemoth incident, skyrocketed.
Behemoth's tail, which had seemed on the verge of full regeneration, slowed dramatically the moment Kang Jun-chi returned to Seoul. It was speculated that the beast had sensed the comeback of a formidable foe and lost its enthusiasm to charge back into the city, dialing back its regenerative efforts as a result.
And right around the time Kang Jun-chi resettled in Seoul, even the real estate prices in the capital, which had crashed hard earlier, began to recover. From what I'd heard, the banks had been on the brink of bankruptcy due to the Seoul property crisis, so this at least put out the immediate fires.
All of this had happened through the efforts of the masses and had nothing to do with the government's decisions or policies.
It was the result of a single Awakener leaving home and coming back...
One person's actions had shaken the entire nation, leading to countless deaths—or narrow escapes from death.
Yet the actions of that Awakener, which affected hundreds of millions, weren't driven by any rock-solid conviction or sense of duty.
Who could believe that it had all stemmed from and ended with Kang Jun-chi's impulsive decision?
Baby Mushroom is back home!!!
Hello, big sis opbars and ajusshi opbars! Your idol Baby Mushroom has returned from her Sword World adventure, nyang!
Hero Baby Mushroom! Teamed up with Ice Princess Baek Dam-bi unnie! To rescue captured Prince Jun-chi, and now we're back, nyang!!
Before leaving on the adventure, Baby Mushroom was bursting with dreams of spreading her cuteness to everyone in Somoon! But when she got there, there weren't as many people as expected, so she was sad, nyang
Still, all the Somoon unnie opbars Baby Mushroom met fell head over heels for her cuteness, hearts in their eyes, so Baby Mushroom is plenty satisfied, nyang!
And hearing that Somoon's unnie opbars love Baby Mushroom too, don't you feel a little crisis creeping in, like she might get stolen away to Somoon, nyang?
But rest easy, nyang! Baby Mushroom didn't just come back—she brought Prince Jun-chi all the way home to Korea with her, nyang!
Isn't Baby Mushroom who didn't abandon everyone just the best, nyang? So brave, nyang? Gotta pat her head, nyang?? Ehehehe...
Expect the full adventure details in the theater edition, nyang!
It's been so long, unnie opbars—Baby Mushroom loves you all, nyang!
It had been two months since I'd last logged into HuntWeb.
I posted one cute little update, and the comments and likes started pouring in at an insane rate.
Baby Mushroom! You're back!!
Oh, articles about Kang Jun-chi returning, and sure enough, Kim Geuk too lol terrifying
Savior of Incheon and Seoul! Korea's redeemer Kim Geuk returns!!!
Finally! You all worked so hard—truly welcome back!
How the hell did this guy hold out without HuntWeb in Somoon? Anyway, welcome back.
The comments were mostly welcomes and praise. Things like "welcome back" or "you saved the country again."
But amid the crowd greeting me, no sign of the usual suspects like Blockhead Youth, Elma Yacayo, or Seoul Tobagi.
I scrolled through, feeling a mix of joy and bitterness, when I spotted something.
Ugh, gross... Who's liking this shit? Can't be the only one who hates it, so you all mashed like out of spite?
The guy who bought five Kim Geuk tees can't recognize Baby Mushroom?
This is Kim Geuk? For real??
Heard Kim Geuk Hunter acts like this here, but seeing it myself is dizzying;;
Seeing Kim Geuk's pic next to this post doubles the shock lol
Clear influx of newbies. Regular HuntWeb users were chill, but the ones freaking out stood out. No doubt about it.
A bunch of new A-badge holders caught my eye too. Why?
My heart raced as I asked.
So many new faces, nyang! Why have all these strangers shown up, nyang? Did they advertise HuntWeb on Naver to make new friends, nyang?
Nah, it's new Hunters and Awakeners joining, bringing fresh traffic to HuntWeb.
New Hunters make sense, but more Awakeners? What does that mean, nyang?
Plenty awakened during the Behemoth crisis. Lots got Force Field Exoskeleton powers, from what I hear?
Anyway, chatting with Kim Geuk feels amazing lol terrifying. Screenshotting this to brag at the Association hehe.
Ah, now I got it.
Just like how a gate opening in the cold winter led to a flood of Ice Awakeners in Korea, the Behemoth crisis must have produced several cases like Jeong Jin-yeong.
Not everyone survives existential threats unscathed. Plenty must have felt soul-shaking stress that day, awakening to Force Field Exoskeleton as a result.
Should I pity their suffering or celebrate the new kin? As I pondered their nicknames one by one with mixed feelings...
Another new A-badge holder commented on my post.
Kim Geuk-ham? You're back!!
It was Jeong Jin-yeong. The 35-year-old guy this year.
This hyung, six years my senior, calling me "ham" still didn't sit right.
Uuuung? Baby Mushroom doesn't know any Kim Geuk-ham opba, nyang♥! But yeah, Baby Mushroom is back, nyang!
I replied but felt uneasy all the same.
Because I still vividly remembered seeing this hyung on HuntWeb before I left for Somoon.
How had he acted back then? He'd snapped at someone in a minor debate, calling them "non-Awakener trash" out of nowhere, right?
Two months later, the shock lingered. Surely he wasn't still like that?
Just to check, I looked at Jeong Jin-yeong's posts. A sigh escaped me.
Low IQ means no awakening? Why do non-Awakener anon posts feel dumber than sewer rats?
Porters whining about lower dispatch fees? Have some shame. While A-ranks handle the real work, you just carry bags—what more do you want?
Seeing non-Awakener trash crawling everywhere makes me nauseous—upvote if you're an Awakener.
Why was this hyung still like this?
Two months ago, I'd chalked it up to trauma from losing comrades. But now, not only had he not recovered—he'd gotten worse.
I clicked one of Jeong Jin-yeong's posts.
The comments there were predictably negative.
Conservation of assholes law? CyberMagnet dies in Behemoth mess, and now this guy's popping up? Committed to carrying the racist torch?
This guy's worse than CyberMagnet?
CyberMagnet was only venomous at the start. Last year or so, you could see the poison draining away...
Yeah, half a year ago he mellowed too much? Seemed like he was just forcing the gas chamber shtick for the concept. Got boring—now here's a worse asshole.
Non-Awakener trash bunching up and shaking with rage~ Is this a dump? Should I incinerate it all?
That damn "non-Awakener trash" crap. Why?
I mutter it to myself sometimes. But I'd never say it out loud. So why was Jeong Jin-yeong?
Even with his identity doxxed, no less. What was he thinking? Had that day driven him mad?
Clicking my tongue, I got dressed.
Today was the day to meet my Hunter team. Teleporting to the spot, Baek Dam-bi was already waiting.
She spoke as soon as she saw my face.
"You look troubled. Something with your little sister?"
No idea why she'd bring up my sister, but I shook my head.
"Nah, Jeong Jin-yeong hyung's gone off the rails."
"Jeong Jin-yeong? Off the rails how...?"
"Saw on HuntWeb—he's ranting about non-Awakener trash."
My round girl put on an ex-celebrity-worthy act of ignorance.
"Non-Awakener trash? What's that...?"
"Remember that psycho CyberMagnet who harassed me before? That was his catchphrase. Looks like hyung's imitating it now. Why copy that guy of all people?"
Baek Dam-bi's eyes wavered behind her sunglasses.
"That's... bad."
"Obviously! He needs psych help, but you know how local govs slash Awakener payouts at any flaw like a record? Can't just shove him into therapy. What to do..."
"True... But posting online doesn't mean therapy, right...?"
"Anyway, once I ID that CyberMagnet creep, I'll teleport over, grab his collar, and chew him out. Scream why he corrupted a good hyung."
Baek Dam-bi fidgeted with her jacket anxiously. Worried about getting collared?
"Even so, it's not CyberMagnet's fault, is it? Sounds like just an internet troll. No way Jeong Jin-yeong was swayed by someone that far removed..."
"Then someone close? But no psycho like that near hyung. What happened...?"
As Baek Dam-bi murmured "Yeah..." in a shaky voice, the gossip subject arrived.
"Two months for both of you? Great to see you!"
It was Jeong Jin-yeong. He still wore gloves, and a glimpse between his cuffs showed an empty wrist, so I asked.
"Jin-yeong hyung, limbs not regenerated yet?"
"Yep!"
"Why? Should be treatable now. A Healer could fix it."
During the crisis, too many emergencies delayed his turn, or so I'd thought.
But now with time and gov footing the bill, why not?
"Well... No real inconvenience like this, and... it's unique?"
I narrowed my eyes at his words.
"Unique?"
"Yeah, stands out, right? Kinda cool."
I got it. Flaunting his Awakener status by keeping the amputations.
"Fair, but isn't it uncomfortable? Balance off with missing limbs."
"It's fine! Style first..."
Seong Mun-yeong arrived last.
His face lit up seeing us.
"Whoa, you really came? Saw the TV coverage of your ordeal yesterday. Kim Geuk hyung, Dam-bi noona. You all worked so hard!"
After greeting just us two, he sat.
I twitched an eyebrow—he'd skipped Jeong Jin-yeong.
Accident? Should I call it out? Hyung was so sensitive, he'd probably stew over it...
But the next moment, I realized it wasn't a slip.
Seong Mun-yeong met Jeong Jin-yeong's eyes briefly.
Instead of a belated nod, he deliberately turned away, treating him like he didn't exist.
Jeong Jin-yeong did the same. Stone-faced, he looked away to just me and Baek Dam-bi.
The air between them was icy. Why?