Chapter 179: The Seeker Who Heralds Ruin (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: The Seeker Who Heralds Ruin (7)
A smell all too familiar, yet the one she hated most in the world, pricked at her nose.
“Ugh…!”
Her face, which had been peaceful in her sleep, crumpled.
‘The smell of disinfectant…’
It was unmistakably the distinct smell of a hospital.
‘The smell… I hate most.’
Her childhood was a time she could barely remember.
She had been a frail child, causing her parents endless worry, and if there was one thing she remembered from that time, it was this smell.
Every time she collapsed and woke to a white ceiling and the anguished faces of her parents, who looked as if she might die at any moment, this smell had assaulted her senses.
As her eyes fluttered open, a familiar ceiling came into view.
A white ceiling and a white halo of light.
And the hospital’s disinfectant smell… and the face of a strange woman, not her father.
Unsure why, but met with a sharp gaze that seemed to be glaring at her, she asked with a bewildered expression.
“Who…?”
“…You’re awake.”
The woman with the sharp gaze, Yoon Ji-an, replied in the calmest tone she could manage.
“I’m Yoon Ji-an from the Hunter Association. You collapsed in a dungeon, and I had you transported to the hospital.”
“Ah…!”
The word “dungeon” connected the pieces of her fragmented memory.
‘I’m sure I fought the Seeker and lost…?’
The image of a broad back she had seen beyond her collapsing vision right after her defeat flickered in her mind.
As she tried to sort through her chaotic memories, she felt a sharp pain as she attempted to sit up.
“Ngh…!”
Her entire body ached.
It felt as if someone had beaten her from head to toe.
Biting her lower lip, she managed to push herself up and asked with a sense of urgency.
“The, the friend who entered the dungeon with me…!”
Instead of answering, Yoon Ji-an pointed to the side with her index finger.
Son Seo-yeon’s gaze followed her finger to a bed about three meters away, where Elena lay as still as death.
“Haaah…!”
Just confirming that she was alive was enough to release the heavy weight crushing her lungs, and she let out a breath all at once.
As relief washed over her, Yoon Ji-an’s explanation reached her ears.
“One wrong move and she could have died. She was left in the cold, so she had hypothermia, of course, but the excessive bleeding from the stab wound in her abdomen was also severe.”
“……”
A heavy sense of guilt settled on her like a stone, and she couldn't bring herself to say a word.
It was all her fault.
Her unwitting arrogance and complacency had nearly sent her friend to her death.
No, it was no different from having sent her there.
If the owner of that broad back she saw just before losing consciousness hadn't saved them, she and Elena would have been on a one-way trip to the afterlife.
As she kept her head bowed, unable to lift it from the guilt, Yoon Ji-an continued.
“…Ms. Elena left a message after she recovered in the intensive care unit.”
Son Seo-yeon’s shoulders flinched.
What could she have said?
Did she resent her for almost getting her killed, or…
“It’s not Seo-yeon’s fault, so don’t blame yourself, you idiot.”
The tone was stiff, but for some reason, it sounded to her as if Elena’s own halting speech was playing in her head.
As she stood there, torn between apology and gratitude, not knowing what to do…
“That’s what Ms. Elena said… but in fact, it is your fault, Ms. Son Seo-yeon.”
“……”
Yoon Ji-an’s words cut straight to the bone.
“Inadequate preparation of winter gear, an insufficient number of party members, lack of information, and an excessively difficult dungeon.”
With each point she listed, Son Seo-yeon seemed to shrink.
“Ms. Son Seo-yeon.”
“…Yes.”
“There is no next time after you die.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
It was a stroke of sheer luck.
To have survived a situation where ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred, would have died.
Then, the image of that reliable back came to mind again.
After taking the verbal beating, Son Seo-yeon finally raised her head to get a better look at Yoon Ji-an.
Her build was quite different from the back she remembered.
“Excuse me… would you happen to know who it was that saved Elena and me?”
She was curious.
Who was the person who had saved her?
And why did his back look so familiar?
Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Yoon Ji-an shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“…Is there a reason?”
“He said he doesn’t want things to get noisy over something he did by chance.”
“Is that so…”
She had really wanted to meet him at least once to thank him.
While she was feeling disappointed, Yoon Ji-an stood up from her seat.
“I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I should get going. I’ve already contacted your home, so your family should be here soon.”
“Ah, yes.”
At the word “family,” Son Seo-yeon’s expression turned sour.
“Please take care of yourself. I’ll be on my way.”
Son Seo-yeon stared blankly at the woman who was slowly walking away after a slight bow, then hastily called out to her.
“W-wait a moment.”
“…Is there something you’d like to say?”
“Well.”
She took a short breath, then let out the words she had been holding in.
“Please be sure to tell the person who saved me thank you. And… the advice you gave me, I’ll take it to heart and study harder. Thank you.”
Son Seo-yeon bowed her head deeply.
“That’s a good attitude. I hope you don’t lose that resolve.”
With that, Yoon Ji-an quietly left the hospital room.
* * *
“Grrrk…”
The charred corpse of a Seeker, burned black by the flames swirling and surging around it, fell to the ground and immediately crumbled to dust.
[Remaining Individuals: 82/300]
[Time Remaining: 12:13:48]
Seeing the number of individuals had finally dropped to double digits, I estimated how many Seekers I’d killed so far.
“I’ve taken down about eighty of them.”
If I spent the remaining time clearing the dungeons in Chungcheong Province, I felt like I could break the one-hundred mark.
“…I wonder if I can get them all.”
The rate at which their numbers were decreasing was starting to slow down.
It couldn’t be that people were thinking, I’ve killed enough, so I’ll take it easy now.
Even excluding the special rewards for the top five ranks, the mana stones dropped by the Seekers were valuable enough to keep everyone fired up until the very end.
Which meant…
“Most of the regular dungeons are cleared out, so they must be in some hidden dungeons.”
Unregistered dungeons not on the Association’s list, or perhaps undiscovered dungeons.
It meant there was a high probability they were hiding in places people didn’t easily reach.
After collecting the mana stones from the Safety Room as my C-rank dungeon reward, I left the dungeon.
I opened my eyes to a gentle sensation of floating.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Yoon Ji-an, who had finished her business and returned at some point, was standing there with a towel.
“When did you get here?”
“It hasn’t even been ten minutes since I arrived.”
I had asked her to do something else for me.
To stay by Seo-yeon and Elena’s side at the hospital as their guardian, ensuring they received proper treatment.
She had said she would return once their treatment was complete and they had both woken up…
“Are they both awake?”
“Yes, as I already told you on the phone, they are both healthy.”
“I see…”
Even though I already knew they were safe, hearing it again in person put my mind at ease.
At the same time, worry and anxiety began to creep up my spine.
“My identity…”
“Fortunately, they didn’t seem to know. I also refused their request to know who you were, so you can rest assured.”
Phew.
I couldn’t describe how anxious I’d been when the kid had uttered the word “Dad” just before she lost consciousness.
I was worried she might have recognized me.
“…This is why habits are so scary.”
My body had automatically chosen the sword over magic.
Well, it was only natural.
I had been learning magic for less than a year, while I had been swinging a sword for nearly thirty.
“I also gave them a stern scolding.”
“Good job.”
I had asked one more thing of her.
To scold the two who had recklessly challenged a dungeon and nearly died.
“…I said it to make them feel bad, but they took it quite well, hmph.”
“Huh?”
What did she just say?
“I was just saying that Ms. Seo-yeon is smart, so she understood everything perfectly, wasn’t I?”
“…Ah, right.”
What?
I don’t think that’s what she said.
“Um… may I ask you just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a little… no, a very personal question.”
As she said this, she glanced at me cautiously. I replied in a friendly tone.
“Between us, what does it matter if it’s professional or personal? Just ask comfortably.”
“B-Between us… ahem.”
Look at the corners of her mouth twitching up.
She was trying to force it down, but it wouldn’t stay. She must be really pleased.
“Well… I’m asking just in case.”
She quickly wiped the smile from her lips and asked with a rather serious expression.
“The two people you saved this time… are you sure you have no relationship with them…?”
It seemed that had been bothering her all this time.
To be fair, my actions had been a bit strange.
Suddenly asking for their entry records, dropping everything to rush over and save them.
And after saving them, I even asked her to hide my identity. Putting myself in her shoes, it was only natural for her to be suspicious.
“They’re just friends. One is a sunbae. We were on the same team, so I know them well. They’re both skilled, but they’re still lacking in many ways.”
“So you checked their records just in case…?”
“That’s right. They were my teammates for a whole semester. I couldn’t help but worry.”
“Hmm…”
Her head bobbed up and down slightly.
A sign that she had more or less accepted my explanation.
Maybe it was time to change the subject.
I moved closer to her, wrapped an arm around her, and asked in a soft voice.
“Why, were you jealous?”
“N-No, it’s not that. I just… thought it would be good to know, as the one in charge of your care, Mr. Do-jin…”
It was obvious she was lying.
“That’s a shame.”
“What part is…?”
“I was getting excited, thinking you were jealous.”
I casually tossed out some bait, and with a sharp exhale through her nose, she took it.
“A-Actually, I was jealous.”
“Really?”
“Yes…”
“How were you jealous?”
“Because… because those two are younger and prettier than me.”
It seemed this woman didn’t quite grasp her own value.
In that case, I had no choice but to show her.
“Just wait twelve hours.”
“For what… might I ask.”
She knew exactly what I meant but was playing dumb.
I tickled her crimson earlobe with my breath.
Then, I continued in a low voice.
“I’ll show you. That your charms are in no way inferior to theirs.”
Just telling her with words would be a little boring.
“With my body.”
Her face, a shade of red on the verge of exploding, replied in a heated tone.
“L-Let’s go, quickly.”
Her enthusiasm was soaring through the roof.