Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Aftermath (1)
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I planned to meet an alchemist in person.
The request I'd made to Kang Jiwon hadn't gotten a response yet. On top of that, my alchemy materials were running low, so I decided to take another approach as well.
I got dressed and, after some hesitation, slung on a hiking backpack. A pouch might draw unnecessary attention.
I headed to the gate I'd scheduled in advance. A cleared gate whose core had been destroyed, just waiting to dissipate. This was the spot I'd chosen for gathering.
A man had already arrived.
"You're the newbie, right? First time on a group gathering trip? No need to be so tense."
The man, Woo Changho, approached with a friendly grin. He was carrying a large backpack just like mine.
He was the 3rd-grade alchemist accompanying us on this gathering trip.
He stuck out a rough hand with a quick suk.
His oddly warm attitude for a first meeting left me awkwardly shaking it.
"Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you. Have the others not arrived yet?"
"Come on, drop the formal talk. I don't plan on lording it over you as a senior, so speak casually. The two escorts are on their way."
How was he already acting like a senior? He probably just wanted to look out for the newbie. It wasn't a bad misunderstanding. For someone like me with a bunch of questions, his clueless vibe was actually advantageous.
Soon enough, the hunter escorts arrived.
Even if the gate was cleared, it wasn't entirely safe. There could still be untamed monsters left, so these were precautions against that.
Two D-rank hunters, and one of them was a familiar face.
"Huh?"
Lee Seonwoo's eyes went wide upon spotting me. I quietly pressed a finger to my lips. His mouth, about to greet me, snapped shut.
Today, I was a fresh 3rd-grade alchemist. Sorry, Seonwoo, but I couldn't return his greeting.
"Alright, let's head in!"
The four of us entered the gate. Just two combatants, even if they were D-rank. But none of us, myself included, were worried.
We'd brought escorts just in case, but actual combat was unlikely.
In fact, we encountered no monsters on the way to the gathering spot. While we gathered smoothly, Woo Changho grumbled softly at the two standing guard.
"The world's so fucking unfair. Some of us bust our asses just to scrape by, while those bastards make money breathing."
His voice dripped with blatant awakened disdain. In truth, escort pay for a D-rank gate on the verge of dissipation wasn't much different from minimum wage. And even that paltry sum rubbed him the wrong way?
"Aren't alchemists pretty well-off?"
"What bullshit... Oh, you don't know how this world works yet."
Woo Changho shook his head with a deep sigh, looking at me like an ignorant little brother.
"Everything those academy folks spout is nonsense. Even 2nd-grade barely makes ends meet. 3rd-grade? They don't even treat you like a person."
"Why? Can't 3rd-grades sell potions privately without issue?"
"Kid, all we can make are basic potions. Those are everywhere—who's gonna buy that crap?"
Woo Changho turned back to pluck full leaves, muttering gloomily.
"In the end, to learn real recipes, you gotta join a workshop. But why would a proper workshop take in guys like us?"
He clicked his tongue, saying getting into a private workshop was like winning the lottery, while most ended up in the 'factory.'
"Factory?"
Factory? Out of nowhere. Alchemy couldn't be automated, could it?
Seeing my confusion, Woo Changho gave a wry smile.
"I mean the workshops under alchemy conglomerates. Fancy name for 'workshop,' but they're just churning out volume by grinding through apprentices."
They treated people like machine parts, no different from a real factory.
Eutcha. Woo Changho stood after finishing gathering, brushing dirt off his knees. He gestured for the escorts to head back.
"You don't have a spot lined up yet, right? Hit me up if you need. You're factory-bound soon anyway—better to know a familiar face."
We started retracing our steps.
Unlike the way in, we ran into monsters, but nothing major.
Watching Lee Seonwoo fight, a sigh of relief came from beside me.
Woo Changho was smiling faintly, inwardly pleased the escorts were earning their keep.
Crossing the gate returned the world to normal.
We exchanged light farewells and parted ways. As the escorts split off, I sidled up to Lee Seonwoo.
"You holding up?"
Lee Seonwoo flinched and glanced around. Realizing it was just me, his tense expression finally softened.
"...Dude, I thought you'd cut ties for real."
"As if I'd ditch you like that. Had to play dumb—being a hunter would complicate things."
No point advertising it in front of mostly non-awakened alchemists.
Woo Changho had treated me kindly precisely because he saw me as a 'regular junior alchemist.' If he'd known I was a hunter, I'd have gotten hostility instead.
"Anyway, how've things been?"
Lee Seonwoo started to reflexively say 'fine,' then hesitated. He glanced at me before dropping his head.
It was an obvious question—I'd asked knowing he wasn't okay.
If he had a solid fixed party, he wouldn't take an escort gig like this, no different from odd jobs. Picking up even one more mana stone in a gate would pay better than this pittance.
"...The guy who threw his teammates as bait and bolted solo. That's the rumor about me."
Lee Seonwoo spat it out self-mockingly.
"Basically blacklisted. No one wants to team up."
The fact that he'd been the weakest in a three-man party and survived alone.
Even if it wasn't his fault, no one would see it favorably.
I'd vaguely worried he'd struggle. But not like this.
I opened my mouth, then closed it. Conversation stalled. We descended the slope in silence.
Whiiiing
A fierce wind whipped past us. Amid the howl, Lee Seonwoo muttered flatly.
"Thinking of quitting hunting altogether."
One step. He trailed half a beat behind me. Glancing down, his gait looked so precarious.
I found myself speaking.
"Your talent's one of a kind."
We stopped. We'd reached the bottom of the slope without realizing. Time to part.
Lee Seonwoo forced a smile onto his clouded face.
"Thanks for saying that, hyung. Good seeing you."
He waved weakly and walked away.
I stood there for a while. Only after his back shrank to a dot and vanished could I turn away.
On the way home, my steps felt heavier than ever.
My mind was a mess. Sighing repeatedly as I walked, I was forced out of my thoughts.
Kiiiiik—!
A black sedan screeched to a halt, blocking my path. Someone stepped out the opened door.
*
Arang Guild building, first-floor lobby.
A grand space befitting one of Korea's top four guilds, but now it was dominated by suffocating silence and tension.
Dozens crowded the edges, holding their breath. Not just regular staff—even skilled guild members dared not step toward the center.
The epicenter of invisible pressure crushing the air. At its heart, a man and woman faced off.
The uninvited guest from outside, Yeom Jehyun, spoke as he eyed the transparent barrier blocking him.
"I said just a few questions."
His low voice carried enough intimidation to shake the entire lobby.
But the woman barring him didn't budge.
A cold sneer curled Jin Seohyun's lips as she stared down the Association's S-rank hunter.
"I told you the guild master isn't here. Follow procedure and come back later."
"Not interested in your master. I want the 'absolute contract' victim. Open it."
"No outsiders allowed."
Jin Seohyun's reply was firm. She couldn't let an unauthorized outsider—let alone the infamous mad S-rank—wander the guild like it was his home.
Futile talk. Yeom Jehyun reached out without hesitation.
Tuk. His hand touched the transparent barrier.
Chiiiiiik—!
A chilling sizzle as densely compressed mana clashed and burned each other.
Centered on where his hand touched, the transparent air glowed red-hot and began melting away.
The perfectly balanced cubic force field screamed. Its structure warped under sudden heat, reaching its limit and collapsing.
Pachang—!
The sturdy shield shattered into harmless light particles. A wave of scorching heat tousled her bangs. Jin Seohyun's brow furrowed.
Yeom Jehyun stepped forward through the melted barrier.
"Don't misunderstand. I respect Cheon Seungsu personally—not this Arang Guild nonsense."
Striding. As he moved to enter, another massive barrier blocked him. This one carried a far more menacing aura.
Jin Seohyun glared up at him with venomous eyes. No intention of yielding.
Seeing this, Yeom Jehyun's eyes narrowed.
A brief silence passed, then he spoke in a calmer tone.
"Jin Seohyun. I heard the raider's target was you."
"..."
"Explain what happened that day, and I'll leave peacefully."
Jin Seohyun tapped her finger against her lips. She feigned weighing the offer seriously, then curved her eyes slyly.
"Nah, don't think so."
She deliberately twisted her lips upward. Clear mockery.
For a moment, killing intent flickered in Yeom Jehyun's eyes.
The lobby air heated rapidly.
Heat haze rose around Yeom Jehyun. Marble tiles blackened and smoked; distant staff choked as if oxygen were burning away.
An S-rank clash.
If either lost restraint here, the whole building would go up in no time.
A powder keg. Crushing silence bore down.
But Yeom Jehyun withdrew first.
The oppressive heat faded slowly but surely.
He forcibly suppressed his boiling emotions and glanced around. Floor tiles pitted from mere flashes of anger. Terrified, helpless guild staff.
Tak. Yeom Jehyun turned away without regret.
Only then did Jin Seohyun unclench her fist. Her palm was slick with cold sweat.
Her heart pounded wildly. Even as an S-rank, the pressure from a monster of his caliber was unavoidable.
She wiped her hand roughly on her clothes, about to exhale in relief.
That's when Yeom Jehyun muttered as he exited the lobby.
That low voice pierced her ears with unnatural clarity.
"...Better to meet the other survivor..."
Other survivor.
Someone else who could be called a survivor of this incident.
The only other person besides her.
A man's face flashed in Jin Seohyun's mind. The one who'd leaped into the Endless Abyss to save her. The one who'd just risen from his sickbed, returning to daily life.
And the one she'd promised to protect.
In an instant, expression vanished from Jin Seohyun's face.
A murderous aura incomparable to before surged toward Yeom Jehyun's back as he turned.
The transparent force field sharpened into a blade, aimed at his throat.
"...Stay right there."
Jin Seohyun intoned in a chilling voice.