The Frontline of Livelihood
Her teleportation ability was truly spectacular, but...
'He isn't surprised.'
Strangely, Demian didn't look surprised at all. He acted as if he had already known, which made Taejun tilt his head in curiosity.
“Anyway, what's important is...” Demian was still dazed after witnessing the shocking, terrifying manifestation of Kadmus on the plane, but he had to deliver his message. “A massive portal is opening on the seabed near Sumatra. It has been quieter than the others, so we didn't notice it in time, but we must strike first and destroy it.”
In other words, they had to eliminate the Demon King Kadmus before he could manifest his true form.
“Hmm.” But Taejun's reaction was lukewarm. “If we destroy it, what's our reward?”
The Blast Guild was an organization that moved strictly for profit. Since the very foundation and rule of their association was the distribution of spoils among top-tier hunters, there was no way they would court such danger without a guaranteed return.
'As expected, this won't be easy.' Demian's thoughts naturally drifted back to Slender Forearms.
'He said he could solo it in an hour?' If that was truly possible, he wouldn't have to suck up to the Blast Guild like this!
Flash! Right at that moment, Akemi, who had gone to search for Slender Forearms, materialized once again.
“He's gone. I searched the entire airport, but there's no sign of him.”
“Has he already left?!” Seeing Demian's profound disappointment, Taejun found his own curiosity piqued.
The name was bizarre, but for a man of Demian's caliber to be this desperate to find him...
'He must be no ordinary hunter.' If so, recruiting him first to expand the guild's influence would be the ultimate business move.
“Akemi, it seems Mr. Lewis here desperately needs this person. Go find him.”
“Slender Forearms?”
'What on earth does that even mean?' Akemi muttered, staring blankly at her own slender forearms once again.
“Ah, no! That's not what it means...!” Why do you keep looking at your own arms?! Demian wanted to scream, but he couldn't find the words to explain. “You'll know it when you see him.”
“Eee~? Now I'm really curious!” While Demian stammered in embarrassment, looking at Akemi who still had no idea what kind of person Yunjae was,
—Find him, test his skills, and recruit him to our side first, Akemi.
Akemi received Taejun's telepathy. She blinked a few times, then nodded.
“Mmh. 'Slender Forearms' over his head. Got it, I'll go look for him!”
On the surface, she seemed to be agreeing with Demian, but she was actually acting on Taejun's covert instructions.
Whoosh! As the Gothic Lolita-clad Akemi vanished, Taejun smiled, feigning ignorance.
“Well then, shall we go somewhere quiet to have a proper chat, Demian?”
“Ah! This can't be. My house... became a portal?”
Yunjae, who had traced his memories back to his old neighborhood, fell into deep shock.
“I'm sorry,” Mari, who had accompanied him, said softly. She hadn't expected his old home to have turned into a portal either.
Korea was a country with an unusually high density of portals; even in Seoul, they were scattered everywhere.
Since access was strictly restricted within a five-kilometer radius of any active portal, Yunjae couldn't even get close to his old neighborhood.
“As expected, reality is harsh.” Of course, if he truly set his mind to it, he could bypass the barriers anytime. But the grim reality was that fifty-seven years had passed. There was no way his home, let alone his family, would have remained intact inside a designated portal zone for over half a century.
“Cheer up, Yunjae.”
“I'm fine.”
“Hmm?”
“Actually, I was prepared for this to some extent.”
Five hundred thousand hours—about fifty-seven years. Even if his parents were somehow still alive, they would be well over a hundred years old. It was difficult enough to reach that age in a peaceful era, let alone in a world ravaged by monsters.
“So it's not as shocking as you might think. Though my heart is heavy because I feel like I only ever caused them worry and never got to repay their love...”
Perhaps because he had been preparing himself mentally ever since he first got trapped in Mamon Saga, the blow wasn't as devastating as it could have been.
“You don't have to force yourself to be strong,” Mari said, her expression serious. Having lost her own family, she knew exactly how he felt. But Yunjae shook his head.
“No, really! I'm not some fragile twenty-year-old kid. I'm technically in my seventies! I can handle this much, Mari!”
At his claim that he could endure it because he was in his seventies rather than twenty, Mari gave him a slightly dubious look.
“I don't think that's a particularly comforting reason... but sure, overcoming it is what matters!”
“Yes! Anyway, since my old home is gone, we should find a place to stay first.”
At Yunjae's quick return to reality, Mari still looked a bit dumbfounded. 'How is this guy adapting so fast?'
As if reading her thoughts, Yunjae replied with a determined face.
“I don't have much time left to live, after all. I should make the most of the years I have left. I already lost my parents to a video game!”
Reading her gaze, he answered with a solemn face.
“...And that 'valuable time' involves working a part-time serving job and finding a romance?”
“Ah! That's just a bucket list item! Even though I'm in my seventies and it's shameless of me, I still want to experience a little romance!”
“You probably won't even find anyone who meets your standards anyway. Can you even date? You said everyone is uglier than Rosa.”
Perhaps still harboring a grudge over his implication that she was uglier than Rosa, Mari narrowed her eyes and delivered a sharp jab, making Yunjae sigh.
“That is my biggest worry. Why did they make Rosa so sexy? Why make a general store merchant look like that?”
This might actually be a major obstacle! At his incredibly serious concern, Mari got even more annoyed.
“Stop worrying about stupid things like that!”
“Ah, but I'm genuinely curious.”
He was strangely stubborn. Seeing this, Mari shook her head.
“...Let's just find a house.”
Mari, who had no desire to talk about that cursed game, spoke, and Yunjae nodded.
“First of all, we need at least a two-bedroom place. Privacy is important.”
“Of course!”
In any case, she hadn't expected to end up living with him. But living together didn't mean that much to Mari. Since hunters didn't have fixed residences, it was common for men and women to share quarters to save on expenses.
“Then how do we find a room? Should we look online?”
“There's one right in front of us.”
No matter how many portals opened and monsters poured out, the frontlines of livelihood never disappeared! Seeing an active real estate agency, Yunjae hesitated.
“B-but I'm easily swayed and gullible, so I prefer looking online...”
“Oh, come on, I'll handle it!”
“Ah! As expected of you, Mari!”
This guy, he seems to be subtly dumping all the annoying chores on me. Thinking this, Mari stepped into the real estate office.
“We're looking for a reasonably priced two-bedroom apartment.”
“Oh my, are you newlyweds?”
At those words, Mari flinched and looked at Yunjae. “Ugh!”
Married to this guy?!
“Mister, do we look like a married couple to anyone?”
“Haha, Korea is very open-minded these days, so it's fine! What's wrong with two women living together?”
“What? Ah! I'm not a woman!”
At that, the owner flinched. “But you have the forearms of a girl?”
Then Yunjae flinched and replied, “Ah! It's not just my forearms that are thin, I'm skinny all over!”
Seeing him hide his slender forearms and protest, the real estate agent's eyes shook. 'W-what is this?'
Having operated near a portal, he had seen all sorts of things, but he had never seen a guy like this.
“Don't mind him. And please stop saying weird things and just show us some rooms...”
“Ah, yes! Yes!” But he couldn't help but stare. 'Slender forearms!' He glanced down.
“Mari, the owner is trying to steal a glance at my arms!”
At Yunjae's whisper, Mari let out a deep sigh. “Because you're hiding them, he wants to see them more. Right? Just show them proudly!”
“Ah! But...” At her shout, Yunjae, feeling that she might be right, slowly brought his hidden arms forward.
The owner's eyes shook wildly. “They really are thin! Just like a skinny middle school girl's!”
“Ah! To give such a detailed review!” Yunjae looked at Mari resentfully, as if feeling humiliated by the owner's commentary.
“Well, they're similar to mine.” Mari was also tall and slender, so her arms weren't thick either. In fact, her physique was more suited for a model than a hunter...
“Ah! Thank you, Mari! Now I've become a cursed game character with arms thinner than a woman's.”
“Oh, seriously!” That cursed grudge!
“I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry! Okay? What can I do to make you feel better?”
At her words, which made her want to cry, Yunjae finally smiled brightly as if his mood had cleared up. “No, it's fine! Let's just find a house!”
Meanwhile, the real estate agent, who was dazed by what he thought was a very peculiar couple, spoke up.
“What's your budget?”
“What's the average price for a two-bedroom?”
Mari, who had come from America, and Yunjae, who had been trapped in a game for fifty-seven years, had no way of knowing.
“Well, for a small two-bedroom, it