Chapter 74
Even pooling every last credit from me and Namgung Hyuni, buying that entire apartment complex was realistically impossible.
But think about how they were selling it.
An auction.
If the competition vanished, it meant we could swoop in and snag it for the bare minimum price.
"Guild master."
"Y-yes... s-sir...?"
"What's the best investment in our country?"
"R-real... estate."
"Let's buy it. It'll definitely go up."
Of course, this wasn't about getting rich.
There was no doubt that apartment hid their secrets.
I would take the nest they'd built with their blood and sweat...
...and transform it into our fortress.
Namgung Hyuni sat on a bench with a clear view of the Hunter Bank.
...Seo Wonseok.
He seemed busy, hurrying off somewhere on his next schedule.
Fleecing the Hunter Bank and jumping straight to the following appointment without so much as a change in expression. Seo Wonseok was utterly unflappable.
Not just today—it's always like that.
Greenbelt Gate. Geomdan Gate.
Even in desperate, do-or-die situations, Seo Wonseok stayed composed. Namgung Hyuni couldn't even imagine him showing fear.
That composure came from the Surprise Texture Mask and Hemo, but...
Namgung Hyuni didn't know the details.
In his mind, Seo Wonseok was etched as a hunter with superhuman mental fortitude.
How did a monster like that only show up now?
He must've awakened recently...
Even so, that unshakable calm didn't add up. Awakening didn't suddenly make you master your emotions. That kind of temperament was innate.
It's like...
...he was born to be a hunter.
A heaven-favored prodigy destined to become one of the absolute elite.
Rumble rumble rumble.
City pigeons swarmed around Namgung Hyuni. Ignoring them, his eyes replayed events from days ago.
At the end of the Geomdan Gate, I felt this massive presence...
But he'd blacked out right after the shiver hit.
That overwhelming pressure, shaking him from toes to scalp, was seared into his soul.
Back then, he'd chalked it up to exhaustion from finally escaping the ∅∅-grade gate. But...
As one eye fluttered shut, Namgung Hyuni had glimpsed it. Seo Wonseok, standing firm in the corridor. Still expressionless.
And right before consciousness faded.
Sparkle!
He remembered a cluster of stars twinkling in unison beyond the corridor railing. So dazzling, it was like Yeouido fireworks.
He'd passed out unconsciously, then snapped awake moments later.
Seo Wonseok was right there, unchanged.
So Namgung Hyuni had demanded answers.
What the hell was that?
A Ruler drops dead in the blink of an eye.
Then suddenly everyone's passing out again.
These bizarre phenomena were a first in his hunter career. Naturally, he was curious.
Besides, Namgung Hyuni had taken down Jangsanbeom. He'd earned a major stake in clearing the gate. He had every right to ask.
But Seo Wonseok shut it down.
Do I have any reason to explain?
Recalling that sharpness...
"Hngh."
His hand trembled on his thigh. His knuckles turned white.
Flutter!
The pigeons kept their distance. Even with one eye, embers flickered in his pupil.
Was this anger?
Or fear...?
"Damn it."
The latter.
He was scared of Seo Wonseok.
Ever since that day, Namgung Hyuni hadn't slept well.
He'd cleared the Geomdan Gate without a scratch, but...
A hunter who instantly killed a Ruler.
That chilling line—"Your flesh will crawl"—had robbed him of sleep.
What did I do wrong?
Was there a trigger for that hostility?
Nothing specific came to mind.
Too many possibilities...
Their first meeting had been a disaster.
I thought he was the type to let bygones be bygones.
In truth, Seo Wonseok held no particular grudge against Namgung Hyuni anymore.
Separate from his personality, Namgung Hyuni was refreshingly honest about money, which put Seo Wonseok at ease traveling with him.
So why?
Simple.
The one who'd treated Namgung Hyuni so coldly was Jangsanbeom. And for good reason—Jangsanbeom had been subjugated by him.
It had just taken a stab to the vitals. Jangsanbeom's lingering resentment toward Namgung Hyuni was vivid. When impersonating Seo Wonseok, its speech was petty revenge.
Anyway.
After emerging from the Geomdan Gate, Namgung Hyuni had suffered cold sweats for two straight days.
Then yesterday, out of nowhere, a message from Seo Wonseok: Come to Majeongdong for meat.
He's gonna settle the score.
Namgung Hyuni refused. He made an excuse about picking up verification docs from the Association.
Seo Wonseok read it and ghosted.
That was it. Night passed, and they met in the morning.
And the Seo Wonseok he faced...
Why is he scheming things to my benefit?
Not vaguely puzzling—completely baffling.
That lingering doubt kept Namgung Hyuni glued to the bench.
Then his phone rang.
He flinched, thinking it was Seo Wonseok, then checked.
"......"
Shock drained from his face.
The caller was his true self, Namgung Hyunil. He was stuck doing unwanted volunteer work in Paju.
With a sigh, he plugged in his earbuds.
"Yeah, it's me."
-You bastard!
This guy's at it again.
Namgung Hyunil frequently called Namgung Hyuni to vent.
-You went into the Geomdan Gate recently, right?!
"Yeah."
-Are you insane? Something that big happens, and you don't report to me?
"Sorry, I was wiped. It was ∅∅-grade."
-Hilarious. A clone that doesn't watch its back or stay healthy. Acting like the real body's running the Seoul branch?
"You know that's not it."
-Get your head straight, punk. You're just a big chunk of cells that split off my body.
I'm sick of this.
-Don't get cocky just 'cause I'm stuck in this backwater. Do exactly what I tell you. No funny business.
"......"
-Answer me.
"Got it."
-Anyway.
Namgung Hyunil growled metallically.
-That bastard I dumped here—seen him since?
Namgung Hyuni was about to reply.
Ding.
A text arrived.
-Hey!
As soon as it popped up, Namgung Hyunil prodded.
"......No."
Namgung Hyuni replied.
"Haven't seen that hunter since Greenbelt Gate."
-For real?
"Scouts are going nuts looking with both eyes, and they can't find him. What chance do I have with one?"
-You spot that guy, you tell me, got it?
"Yeah."
He hung up.
Suddenly, a flock of pigeons soared into view.
Crunch.
For some reason, it felt like a tight undershirt was choking him.
Namgung Hyuni seethed at his pigeon-level freedom.
He jabbed the screen irritably.
I took Line 5 to Yeouido.
Golden buildings gleamed, asserting their presence. The 64 Building, Hunter Association HQ.
"When I was a kid, this was the tallest in the country..."
It felt strangely nostalgic.
I gazed beyond the skyscrapers.
That building was visible from anywhere in Seoul.
It was the city's skyscraper, its trademark.
Until that day.
The Millennium Gate.
A future that once felt distant.
Not anymore.
Maybe because I'd felt the constellations' presence firsthand. A chill already crept up my spine.
I dropped my gaze to street level.
People rushed by, too busy to even glance at each other despite brushing shoulders.
Blending in, yet I felt like an invisible man, glassed off from them.
Only I...
Only I knew the future.
That's why I'd prepare for that crisis.
Revenge on the major guilds was priority one, but I had to gear up for that day too.
This life was my desperate struggle to fix everything.
And one Millennium Gate would topple that golden tower.
Purge the major guilds first, then tackle the Millennium Gate head-on.
As I steeled my resolve inwardly.
"I-it... can... do it... p-please tell... her that..."
Jangsanbeom mumbled at my feet.
Pretending to be a stray cat, it trailed me jauntily.
Also doubling as Hemo's interpreter.
I sighed.
"You don't have to translate everything Hemo says to me."
"B-but..."
"Even non-verbal stuff—I get all of Hemo's messages."
"...Y-yes, s-sir."
Jangsanbeom shrank back.
No Eternal Blessing intimidation effect, yet...
I asked.
"Hey, Jangsanbeom."
"Y-yes...?"
"Why's your personality so different now?"
"...I-I w-was... always... l-like this..."
"In the gate, you were all skreeeek, skreeeek, scraping metal like a pro."
"Th-that w-was..."
Its cat nose wrinkled. Whiskers drooped.
Apparently, it had a toxin contract with Ruler Mephistopheles, binding it to the Geomdan Gate.
Lure in ten or more Awakened, and it'd be freed.
"I see."
"Sniff... T-ten people... H-how c-could I... lure... i-innocent f-folks... T-ten of 'em... It's l-like p-prison..."
"Aw."
Unlike me, literally bound by eternal contract.
I changed the subject.
"Why're you following me?"
"Th-that's..."
Jangsanbeom pawed its neck.
Jingle.
A red collar with a central bell.
"M-master... p-put it on... w-while I s-slept... y-yesterday..."
"The bell's from Baridegi, right?"
"Y-yes..."
"Don't tell me the leash."
I instinctively checked my sleeve. Hemo's head poked out to a size invisible to others.
"Hemo, you tied it up."
My jacket shoulder twitched.
Hemo's shrug signal.
Hemo, you're the best.
I chuckled briefly.