Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: 16. Fragments of Memory (6)
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Kim Min-young spoke.
"At first, I never even considered it. I knew that someone named Kang San had saved you, Mr. Kim Chun-sik, but the timing between that incident and the E-rank link was so close. No one—not even me—would believe that a person who risked their life against an F-rank ogre could hold out against dozens of E-rank lizardmen. But then, in this isolation incident, I spotted an unexpected name. There was a familiar name on the Ranger team."
"………."
Kim Chun-sik didn't react.
In truth, it didn't matter what response came back.
This incident.
For reporters, it was captivating material.
An A-rank Werewolf Lord had appeared out of nowhere, yet everyone survived thanks to the exploits of a D-rank team member. For Kim Min-young, dubbed the Hero Maker, there was no way she could stay out of it. Especially since she always wrote favorable articles about the Rangers—this time would be no different.
And in that process, she gained 'certainty.'
The person she initially dismissed as a namesake might actually be the very one she remembered.
"Twenty-five years old, name Kang San. Until recently an F-rank, but he's shown steep growth and just ranked up to D-rank. He formed a connection with Team Leader Kim Myung-min during the promotion exam by chance, and as a Ranger, he participated in this isolation incident. With the main tanker down, he showed selfless devotion by burning himself to buy time. The question is, when exactly did Kang San acquire such skill? When you hid the identity of the 'Wangsimni Tanker,' I couldn't connect it to him because his abilities back then didn't seem sufficient. But if he's reached D-rank or higher in that short time, then the hypothesis that Kang San was the one who held off the lizardmen gains weight."
Having gathered the information.
Kim Min-young's mind raced.
Scattered pieces of info clung together, forming a single picture.
"That explains your reaction too, Mr. Kim Chun-sik. Risking your life to save Kang San. It could be simple repayment for the 'hospital bills,' but the fact that the blurry CCTV silhouette matches Kang San so closely is an undeniable truth. Now everything fits. The Kim Chun-sik I've come to know is someone who'd gladly risk his life for his benefactor. And the reason you didn't tell me the truth even after getting the info on the person who paid your bills? Because now you had every reason to protect it. What do you think? That's why I believe Kang San is the Wangsimni Tanker."
Their eyes met.
His gaze was calm, but it couldn't hide the faint tremor beyond.
"Am I wrong?"
"Hoo... ."
Kim Chun-sik let out a sigh.
Realizing his expression had given him away, he rubbed his dry face and put on a cold expression.
"I knew a day like this would come. Reporter Kim Min-young, from what I've seen, is sharp. It was only a matter of time before piecing together info related to me revealed Mr. Kang San's name. But here's the thing. If you plan to use him as material for your articles, I'm sorry, but I can't just stand by."
"………Does that mean you'll rough up a reporter?"
"Yes, if necessary."
Kim Min-young's expression hardened too.
Kim Chun-sik said,
"Lately, people seem to view me too favorably, but I'm just like anyone else. I get angry, I'm selfish, and if needed, I'll harm others to protect what's mine—a regular person. Mr. Kang San has had plenty of chances to reveal his deeds. Yet he chose not to. If he ends up in a tough spot because of me, it wouldn't sit right with me as someone who's received his grace. Of course, I don't think you have malicious intent, Reporter Kim Min-young. Your aim to create heroes is admirable as a journalist. But everything needs the person's own will."
It was sincere.
The civilian rescue last time.
And this incident.
Whether inside the military or out, Kim Chun-sik was trending toward being seen as the epitome of a soldier—a 'hero.'
It was all superficial.
Kim Chun-sik's actions stemmed from Kang San; like anyone, his elbow bent inward.
If Kang San and some stranger were before him, he'd save Kang San first—no matter if there were dozens of strangers. Accusations of selfishness? He didn't care. The one who stayed to save him when facing death against an ogre, unlike the fleeing mage, was precious—that was only natural.
Thus.
He didn't want to burden Kang San.
Even if it meant earning a reporter's enmity and losing much.
"This is a warning... ."
"Pfft."
Kim Min-young laughed.
As Kim Chun-sik's eyebrows twitched with seriousness, she looked at him with incredulity.
"Mr. Kim Chun-sik, you're more dangerous than I thought? Well, I did give you reason to react sensitively, so I'm truly sorry about that. But I can say clearly: I just want to confirm the facts. I have no intention of publishing an article."
"Is that really the end of it?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you so obsessed? Honestly, the Wangsimni incident alone isn't that big a deal."
He was right.
Merely an E-rank.
Compared to the countless incidents in the world, what Kang San did wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Yet Kim Min-young's obsession had one reason.
"Call it personal curiosity. I wanted to show the world that selfless good exists. Of course, if he doesn't want it, I have no intention whatsoever of wounding that devoted heart. That's all. Even if it doesn't make sense to you, just accept it that way."
Click-clack.
Kim Min-young walked.
Her steps felt unusually light on the way back from meeting Kim Chun-sik.
'What an interesting guy.'
Kang San.
A man beyond common sense.
At first, she thought he was just overly nosy.
Not content with saving Kim Chun-sik when others ignored him, he'd even paid over 100 million won in hospital bills for a stranger. But that wasn't all. During the E-rank link—when his abilities weren't yet impressive—he'd risked his life to help people. Yet he never boasted about it, and now he'd shone again in the isolation incident.
Repeated acts of kindness.
The same name cropping up each time.
Plus, internal sources said he'd even turned down recruitment as a Guardian.
'………Because he wanted to keep working as a Ranger, was it?'
"Pfft."
Laughter escaped.
Her heart softened.
In this bleak world, encountering someone irrational enough to be called absurd always lifted her spirits.
The job of reporter.
What some might call amazing had been utterly repulsive to her when she was a rookie. Learning world events before others? It wasn't always thrilling. In a world where death was routine, the stories reaching ordinary reporters first were mostly atrocities born of selfishness. What steadied her resolve? Realizing that, despite it all, people had to keep living.
The dark underbelly of the world.
Even now, people were dying.
Perhaps the peril of annihilation loomed every second—maybe fire would engulf the world in a year.
That was why.
Since they'd been born into it.
Just as those born in eras of war endured hardship, and those in peaceful times complained of their own struggles, humans had to live simply for existing in their time. Kim Min-young had that epiphany and wanted to give people reason to live.
Hero Maker.
She created heroes.
Even if the truth differed, such stories gave people a sliver of hope.
Of course, Kang San was different.
Pure goodwill.
She respected Kang San for it.
If he didn't reveal it himself, she had no plans to expose him deliberately.
'But someone like Kang San is bound to come to light eventually.'
A needle in a bag.
It will poke through.
When that day came.
The world's selfishness wouldn't embrace pure goodwill cleanly—it would attach labels and doubts.
Then.
'I'll prove to everyone what kind of life Kang San has lived. That he's someone deserving of respect. Selfless goodwill must never be doubted.'
Her heart raced.
The list Kim Min-young held.
Within it, a few names like Kang San awaited their moment.
Director Yeon Gyu-seong was devoted to the end.
After multiple expensive tests confirming he was normal, he finally told Kang San he could be discharged.
"The Hunter Emergency Center is always open to you, Mr. Kang San. Visit anytime you need help, and for personal matters or favors, just contact me."
It was an overly gracious response.
It had to be.
Kang San was essentially a safety net for his only son, and blocking an A-rank Werewolf Lord to protect his team added another layer of gratitude. Thanks to that, Kang San left the hospital with a much lighter body.
'No time to slack off if I want to prepare for what's ahead.'
Anytime.
Anywhere.
Trials could strike.
Especially now, with his safety nets gone, Kang San had to brace for what was coming.
'If I face a monster I can't handle alone again like this time, I can't hope for someone else's help to survive. Optimism will only put me in danger.'
A life preparing for misfortune.
It was familiar.
Truth be told, Kang San's life had always been that way.
Accepting trials just let him see their shape firsthand, but even before, sudden ordeals had nearly killed him more than once. Was facing the A-rank Werewolf Lord the most dangerous? No. Actually, as an F-rank arrow sponge heading out to hunt, getting isolated and chased by dozens of goblins was worse. Paralyzed by poison, barely moving, dizzy and on the verge of collapse.
Back then, no one helped Kang San.
His party was dead or fled, so gritting his teeth, he fled into a swamp, plugging nose and mouth.
One minute? Five? Ten?
He didn't know how long he held out.
Thinking he’d die if he didn’t, he endured until emerging—face nearly bursting—to find the goblins gone. Was that different from this incident? F-rank or A-rank, both were trials he couldn't handle alone.
He'd just returned to the norm.
A life without safety nets was his original state, and while in the hospital, Kang San accepted it mentally.
He started walking.
The plan he'd thought up.
As he moved to execute it.
Chapter 86