Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 7. Ties of Fate (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
E-Rank link.
It might be a laughingstock to hunters, but to ordinary people, it was nothing short of a disaster.
“Aaagh!”
“Argh!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
The Lizardmen that appeared out of nowhere, shattering everyday life, massacred people indiscriminately, turning normalcy into hell. If Yeon Woo-bin had been caught in such a situation, would he have stepped up just because he was a D-Rank hunter?
No question about it.
He absolutely would not have.
Mages were weak in close combat, but an E-Rank link wasn't just about facing a single E-Rank—it could mean dealing with dozens. A soldier with a duty to protect people might, but for an ordinary person like him, there was no reason to risk his life for strangers he'd never met.
And yet.
Kang San stepped forward willingly.
He plunged into the hellish scene against the flow, activating his aggro skill toward the monsters swarming everywhere.
“Gasp.”
On the monitor.
An astonishing sight unfolded.
Dozens of Lizardmen charged at him all at once, but Kang San didn't retreat a single step—he met them head-on. From that moment, a fierce battle ensued. Kang San slashed the Lizardmen indiscriminately, but every time he felled an enemy before him, wounds appeared on his own body. As expected, taking on multiple monsters of his level was beyond him. He looked on the verge of collapse at any moment, yet there was no trace of fear or intent to fall back in Kang San's demeanor.
Her eyelids trembled.
Even amid the spray of blood, the sight of him gritting his teeth and thrusting his sword into a Lizardman's neck was utterly shocking.
It was just like the ant cave incident.
Back then.
And now.
Kang San was risking his life for others.
Not because anyone forced him to, but because he took on others' pain as his own.
Why on earth.
Why did Kang San bring this insane sacrifice upon himself?
The outcome of such sacrifice only devoured the person himself, yet she couldn't understand Kang San fighting on, drenched in blood. If he died like that, it would be a dog's death. The news wouldn't hail him as a heroic savior—they'd mention him days later as just another forgotten victim. Some might even condemn him as a foolhardy idiot without the ability, but Kang San's choice showed no hesitation.
It was pure goodwill.
There was no other explanation.
And not the goodwill of the powerful, but of the weak who had no power.
Emotions surged within her.
‘If only someone like Kang San had been there back then...’
A moment from the past.
Yeon Woo-bin's mind dredged up a memory she'd desperately tried to ignore.
First grade in elementary school.
She still remembered it vividly.
After school ended and she was in her mother's arms, Yeon Woo-bin suddenly caught sight of the sky turning red.
That day's disaster struck without warning.
Sirens blared, tearing at the ears from every direction. According to the shocked shouts of the adults, an A-Rank link had occurred. It was a catastrophe beyond handling. Even with preparations, an A-Rank disaster was unavoidable, so people screamed and fled from the gate as fast as they could.
Yeon Woo-bin's mother was no different.
She scooped up Yeon Woo-bin in a panic and ran in the direction the crowd was fleeing.
And then.
The screams of people rang out.
At the sound of lives fading quickly, Yeon Woo-bin couldn't lift her head amid her mother's forceful grip. As if telling her never to look up. As if telling her not to look around. The only thing Yeon Woo-bin could do in response to her mother's fierce determination was squeeze her eyes shut to hold back tears.
That was when it happened.
Thud—
The world spun wildly.
Crash!
Yeon Woo-bin, who hit the ground, saw through the pain her mother collapsed on the floor.
“Woo-bin! Woo-bin!”
Her mother screamed.
She tried to scramble up and grab Yeon Woo-bin, but she couldn't stand properly—something was wrong with her ankle.
And then.
“Aaagh!”
“Run!”
“Get out of the way! Move!”
The crowd swept over her mother.
Terror-stricken people trampled right over her without a care, whether she was on the ground or not—they bulldozed through brutally. It was a shocking scene. Yeon Woo-bin wanted to open her mouth and desperately call for her mother. But no sound came out. The surging crowd blocked the view of her mother, and a first-grader's frail body was pushed backward relentlessly by the masses.
She learned later.
That day.
The reason her mother fell was because someone shoved her aside for blocking the way.
And that was her last memory of her mother.
Yeon Woo-bin lost consciousness.
When she came to.
She saw her father clutching her broken body, sobbing as if the world had ended.
“Huff, huff.”
Her breath suddenly grew ragged.
As the buried memory spread through her mind, Yeon Woo-bin hurriedly rummaged through her inventory.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
She grabbed a bottle of pills with familiar motions and dumped a handful into her mouth. Only then did the trembling in her body begin to subside.
“...Mom.”
Her eyes reddened.
Her mom.
Even as the crowd swept her away, she'd desperately called Yeon Woo-bin's name. Later, she was found trampled to death by the masses. She never got back up. People had used her as a stepping stone to push forward, and from that moment, Yeon Woo-bin lost faith in humanity. Humans were the type to sacrifice others without hesitation when their own safety was threatened.
Her father was the same.
From that day on, he obsessively protected and sheltered Yeon Woo-bin.
He hired bodyguards at great expense and drew strict lines to keep her from ever leaving the safety net he'd built.
Then one day.
When Yeon Woo-bin awakened to her innate talent, her father said with a hardened expression,
“...The power granted to you now isn't a blessing. The moment you think you can protect yourself with it, your complacency will bring a disaster you can't handle. Woo-bin, you just need to live like everyone else, ordinarily. You don't have to do anything—nothing will go wrong. Believe Daddy, okay?”
His eyes were bloodshot red.
She nodded.
She lived under that overprotection, but a knot of doubt lingered in Yeon Woo-bin's heart.
What if.
Another unavoidable disaster like the day her mom died struck?
How was she supposed to survive?
Jo Han-byeol had said her innate D-Rank talent was truly special.
If she honed it, couldn't she gain a trump card for emergencies?
Just as her father's trauma led to overprotection, the image of her dying mother replayed endlessly in Yeon Woo-bin's mind. Her mother collapsing, her cries echoing from beyond the crowd. From then on, Yeon Woo-bin considered the path of a hunter. But contrary to expectations, when she secretly visited a training ground with Jo Han-byeol, facing monsters triggered her trauma, preventing her from casting magic properly. The spells' power was befitting a D-Rank, but the trauma choked her, rendering her helpless.
She resented the heavens.
If only she had no talent.
She could have accepted life within the shelter.
Knowing she held great power in her grasp but unable to use it filled her with growing self-loathing day by day.
And then.
She met Kang San.
When even she couldn't trust herself, under Kang San's protection, she cast magic perfectly for the first time as a mage.
“...So that's why. Because he's this kind of person, I could trust a stranger and use my magic.”
It wasn't coincidence.
The sight Kang San showed in the ant cave wasn't fabricated—it was his true heart. Otherwise, there'd be no reason to risk his life when no one would acknowledge it. Ordinary people would boast if it made the news, but Kang San hadn't even revealed his involvement.
Her heart settled.
Whether from the medicine or Kang San.
A sudden calm washed over her.
Yeon Woo-bin kept replaying the video.
His steady stride toward the monsters, the aggro skill against dozens, gritting his teeth while covered in blood. She'd watched it so many times—dozens, hundreds—that she had it memorized, but she kept looping it, determined to etch every moment into her mind.
The sun set.
Darkness filled the window outside, yet.
Yeon Woo-bin's eyes never left the monitor.
A few days later.
Kang San visited the hospital.
Since Jo Han-byeol hadn't told him the room number, he went straight to the reception desk to ask for Yeon Woo-bin's room.
But.
“...Please wait a moment.”
The staff's response was oddly hostile.
They eyed Kang San suspiciously, and soon a group of people appeared.
“What brings you here?”
“I'm the one who raided with Yeon Woo-bin. We have some settling up to do, and I wanted to check on his condition.”
“Your name?”
“Kang San.”
On their chests.
Security Team badges were visible.
It felt overly strict for a simple visit, but Kang San waited for them to handle their procedures.
The security officer said,
“I have a few questions. What was the reason you ended up raiding together?”
“...Do I need to explain that too?”
“It's necessary procedure.”
“Jo Han-byeol asked me. We'd taken the promotion test together before, and he suggested raiding as a team. He said he'd bring his party member, who turned out to be Yeon Woo-bin. Is that explanation enough? Now you explain. Why interrogate someone just visiting a patient like this?”
Kang San couldn't make sense of it.
He'd been to hospitals before, and this handling was extremely unreasonable.
Moreover, this place.
The Hunter Emergency Center was Korea's premier hospital, the best in the country.
Kang San, having used it himself after injuries, questioned the irrational process.
For a moment.
The security officer looked flustered as well.
“...You really don't know?”
“Know what?”
“Ah, sorry. If you don't know Young Master Woo-bin's identity, your reaction is understandable.”
Young Master Woo-bin.
An bewildering title.
Jo Han-byeol had never mentioned it.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have questioned the security procedures.
“He's the only son of Director Yeon Gyu-seong, who founded the Hunter Emergency Center. Given it's a VVIP room visit, we had to verify the situation precisely. We'll contact him right away. Kang San, who raided with him, is here at the hospital.”
That was it.
Korea's top hospital.
Yeon Woo-bin was, as they say, a golden spoon.