Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Connection in the Ruined City
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Guu’s reaction upon seeing Sasa was no different from Cheon Doun’s.
What in the world was this? It looked so… underwhelming. But as underwhelming as it was, it must have some incredible function, having gone through a life-risking metamorphosis.
“My guess? It probably sprays poisonous pollen. Like the Oblivion Dust Flowers in the cliff region.”
-Hmm. We can't rule out the possibility that it secretes hydrochloric acid instead of honey. It must possess a rather dangerous type of ability.
The two debated with serious faces as they looked at Sasa's snack.
They soon arrived at the log cabin. The yard was still quiet.
“Are Kim Nari and the chimeras still at the waterfall valley?”
Nam Giseok was also gone. A memo he had left was stuck to the wall of the log cabin.
-What does it say?
“He’s gone to purify his demonic energy. Looks like he had a sudden nosebleed.”
It was about that time, so it wasn't particularly strange.
“It’s quiet with everyone gone. Should we wait until Sasa wakes up?”
Cheon Doun placed Sasa on top of Guu’s head. Placed in its usual fluffy nest, Sasa let out a purring sound.
Might as well build the fence while I have the time.
Cheon Doun picked up the yellow ore. Guu sat on the doorstep and watched him work.
-There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask. May I?
“What is it?”
-Do you not have a family?
“I don’t.”
Guu nodded at the immediate reply. It was what he had expected.
Guu had never been outside the Gate, but he had seen much through the memories of Hunters.
Humans form groups and live through blood ties. That was the norm.
But Guu had never heard Cheon Doun speak of his family.
Even after he started traveling beyond the Gate, there was no sign of him going to meet any relatives.
“Why the sudden question?”
-It might be a misunderstanding since my knowledge of humans is rather one-sided… but you seem to be quite helpful to those around you.
“I do?”
-I was wondering if it was because you longed for the affection of a family.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that. I’ve never particularly longed for it.”
The affection of a family. Such words were foreign to Cheon Doun.
If he’d had it and lost it, that would be one thing. But there was no reason to miss something he’d never had in the first place.
“I think this is also the first time I’ve heard that I’m helpful to others. Am I?”
The director of the orphanage had given him a name with that meaning.
To live helping a thousand people, was it? Cheon Doun, from that sentiment. He had lived his life scoffing at the strange name. He had never consciously tried to help others.
-Whether you’re aware of it or not, your actions seem to ultimately lead to good outcomes for everyone. That’s why I find it curious. The Hunters I know are fundamentally selfish.
But he didn’t sense that from Cheon Doun.
The Hunters Guu knew were selfish and dogmatic. Of course, not all of them were like that, but the majority were.
A Hunter could die at any moment. As such, an atmosphere of only looking out for oneself had spread throughout the industry.
A good example was how they had turned a blind eye when O Bongsu was being used and left to die.
The memories Guu had seen were all of the same nature.
-But you are different. Whether it’s to use them or for some other reason, in the end, it seems you give back as much as you receive.
“That’s high praise. Thanks.”
Cheon Doun replied as he carved the ore.
“Ah, right. Come to think of it, there was someone who said something similar to you when I was younger.”
He was fifteen. The time when he had just begun to be leased out as a Chimera Hunter.
At the time, Cheon Doun was registered and worked as a regular Awakened, not a chimera.
The reason was that his sense of self was too distinct for him to be seen as a chimera.
The institute wanted to avoid leaving any trails of their illegal research if possible.
Cheon Doun’s Awakened rank was B.
In the early days, they had him operate under a forged, moderate rank to avoid drawing too much attention, and the institute pocketed the money.
It was possible because the Hunter industry at the time was not as systematic as it is now.
His young age for a high-ranking Awakened wasn't an issue either.
It was a chaotic period when statistics on the Awakened had yet to be established, and it could be passed off by saying he had a unique constitution.
[Ah. I ended up somewhere strange.]
It was a time when everything was a mess. Naturally, many of the return stones made in the early days were defective.
The return stone issued to Cheon Doun for a subjugation mission happened to be one of those defective ones.
He broke the return stone upon receiving the retreat signal, but it sent him to an entirely different place than he expected.
[Where am I?]
A random teleport due to a coordinate setting error. Cheon Doun had been transported to ruins that looked like a ghost town.
It was a city that had been swept over by monsters after a naturally occurring Gate opened.
[This is a problem. There’s not a single person here.]
He wanted to ask for directions, but the city was silent, as if the evacuation had long since ended.
If he failed to return by the date designated by the institute, he would die due to the explosive spell engraved on his body.
Considering that, he had to get out of here quickly, but everything had collapsed as if it had been bombed, making it impossible to get his bearings.
Which way should I go? As he walked, looking around, a hand emerged from under a pile of concrete and grabbed his foot.
[He-help... someone there... please, help me....]
The person trapped under the rubble saw someone passing by and stretched out an arm to ask for help.
Cheon Doun grinned. He had found someone to give him directions.
[So there was someone here.]
Cheon Doun lifted the pile of concrete.
Pushing aside the rubble revealed the person trapped underneath.
[You were lucky. The sign next to you acted as a pillar, so you weren't crushed.]
Trapped underneath was a young man who looked to be just twenty years old.
Having starved for three days, the young man had no energy to reply. Tears welled in his eyes with the relief of being alive.
*Thank you, God.* He was an atheist, but at this moment, he found himself calling out to a higher power.
[Your eyes look glazed over. What’s wrong? Snap out of it.]
Cheon Doun took a water bottle from his bag. As he tilted it to the man’s lips, the man’s eyes shot open.
[Wa-water…!]
For three days, he had survived by licking the morning dew. The man snatched the water bottle and began to drink.
He was truly alive. He hadn't died. As that reality sank in, the tears he had been holding back burst forth.
But that was only for a moment. After drinking his fill, he belatedly came to his senses and was horrified.
[S-sorry! I drank all the water…! My god, what was I thinking!]
A collapsed city. A ruin where everyone had evacuated.
The young man knew just how precious food and water were in a place like this.
[It’s fine. Drink it all.]
Cheon Doun smiled pleasantly at the young man.
[But you’ll have to pay the price for the water. You’re going to be my guide until we get out of here.]
[A-a guide?]
[I don’t know the geography around here. I was suddenly transported. I need to get to Sector A_17, where the temporary Hunter Association is. Do you know where it is?]
[The temporary Hunter Association?]
Only after hearing those words did the young man properly look at Cheon Doun.
A child. He had desperately called for help when he sensed a human presence, but his rescuer was a boy who couldn't be more than fifteen.
Yet, he felt no disappointment. Nor did he feel any sense of condescension.
‘To be so calm in a place like this, he’s either crazy or he has the power to afford such composure. It's one of the two.’
The boy before him was the latter. He had a gut feeling.
[A-are you an Awakened? A mercenary… a Hunter…? Are you a Hunter?]
It was right after that his eyes fell on Cheon Doun’s attire.
Black combat fatigues. A dagger strapped to his thigh. A gun at his waist. A backpack on his back.
This was not the attire of a child.
That gun was real. That dagger, caked with dried monster blood, was also real.
The clothes were black, so it wasn't obvious, but those stains were undoubtedly bodily fluids from battles with monsters.
‘That’s the gear of Hunters who go on long-term subjugations beyond the Gate.’
Being able to pass through a Gate meant he was a fairly powerful Awakened.
‘A kid this young?’
The thought crossed his mind, but he found it strangely convincing. The boy's unshakable composure in these ruins spoke of his experience.
[O-okay. Then I’ll be your guide.]
Even though the city had collapsed, a native could still see the locations of each building. He could find his way based on that without a problem.
[But my leg doesn’t move well. I think the bone is fractured.]
The man rolled up his pants. His ankle was swollen, and it was obvious he couldn't walk.
[What a pain. I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick.]
Cheon Doun slung the young man over his shoulder like a sack of luggage. The startled young man flailed his large body, but Cheon Doun didn't waver.
[Stay still. You said you can’t walk. Should I leave you behind?]
[N-no! I’ll stay still.]
[Good. Which way do I go?]
[F-from where you’re standing, two o’clock. If you go straight that way, you’ll hit National Route 98. Follow that road and you’ll reach a junction.]
[Let’s get there first. Tell me again when we reach the junction.]
Cheon Doun began to run, carrying the young man.
Every time he leaped over the rubble of collapsed buildings, the young man slung over his shoulder screamed.
No rollercoaster could ever be more intense than this.
[Th-there’s a monster…!]
When a lingering monster jumped out, he screamed, thinking he was going to die.
He squeezed his eyes shut without realizing it, but there was no pain. All he felt was the jarring motion of running forward.
[Uh… uhh?]
When he opened his eyes, he saw the monster lying on the ground.
He had closed his eyes, so he hadn't seen what happened.
One thing he could tell was that this boy was a high-ranking ability user, far stronger than he had imagined.
[K-kid. What… what’s your Awakened rank?]
[B.]
[B-rank? Really?]
He wasn’t surprised because it was high. The young man looked at the monster’s corpse in the distance.
‘That was an A-rank monster, wasn’t it?’
It was a monster that had been on the news, so there was no mistaking it.
A creature that took a dozen Awakened to barely subjugate had been dealt with in the blink of an eye by this kid.
And this kid said he was B-rank. Was that right?
[Kid. You… ugh!]
[Shut your mouth. You’ll bite your tongue.]
It would be nice if you told me that before I bit it. Amidst the dizzying shaking, the young man realized one thing.
‘This speed is insane. Is this a person or a horse?’
This kid was definitely not B-rank. Once they got out of here, he would have to suggest the boy take a rank promotion test. The young man thought to himself.
* * *
“Thanks to that guy, I was able to return to the institute safely.”
Cheon Doun looked at Guu, recalling the events of that time.
“Come to think of it, when we parted ways, he said something similar to what you did.”
[Thanks, kid. You saved my life. If I had stayed there, I would have definitely died.]
The young man, having arrived at the refugee shelter, said with a look of relief.
[You’re my savior.]
[Savior? Don’t be ridiculous. I needed a guide, too. We both got what we needed, so it’s fine.]
I know the way from here. I can go alone. Cheon Doun replied nonchalantly, looking at the city in the distance.
The young man took a business card from his suit’s inner pocket.
[How can a guide be worth the same as my life? If you ever need my help later, come find me. I’ll help you with anything.]
Cheon Doun looked at the text on the business card.
【I Unsu, Chairman of the Temporary Hunter Association】
It wasn’t a title that should be on the business card of a young man who had just turned twenty.
When Cheon Doun stared at it, the young man scratched his head.
[Well, I’m more of a figurehead. My grandfather is influential in that area. As you know, the Hunter Association was established not too long ago. It’s being run in a haphazard way.]
The young man smiled.
[But I do have some power. Since I have my grandfather’s backing. If you need help, contact me anytime.]
The young man waved. Cheon Doun turned away without another word. He ran towards the institute and threw the business card away.
He would never contact the young man. Though young, Cheon Doun knew the reality of the world.
The Hunter Association. He didn't know what it would become in the future, but right now, it was just a gathering of nobodies, a name without substance.
Asking for help from such a place would only lead him to another experimental table. If they found out about his unique constitution, they wouldn't leave him alone.
[I’d be lucky if they don’t try to dissect me.]
He knew the young man was favorable towards him. But as the man himself had said, he was just a scarecrow in a position of power.
It was obvious he wouldn’t be of any real help. And so, his encounter with the young man passed as a fleeting connection.
Cheon Doun thought it was an ended connection, but Guu disagreed.
-See? No matter what, that man survived thanks to you. Your actions led to a good result.
“Really? Then let’s just say that. It doesn’t feel bad.”
The siblings and the Mandragora he knew 60 years ago were still alive. There was no rule saying the man he met back then couldn't be alive too.
Cheon Doun smiled as he put the finishing touches on carving the ore.
-If he’s alive, he might not be a figurehead anymore but the real chairman. Considering his age, it seems plausible. What’s the name of the current Hunter Association Chairman?
“Beats me. I don’t know. What was it again?”
-Didn’t he say he’d help you with anything? You’re his savior, after all. You should think about what you’ll demand when you meet him.
Cheon Doun laughed at Guu’s playful words.