Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Side Story, Song of Ice and Fire (3)
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4.
“No. I’m telling you, it really happened.”
Shin Tae-yeop grumbled.
Then a soothing voice came from the kitchen.
“That must’ve really hurt your feelings.”
Had the cooking finally finished?
Lee Sung-mi brought over a pot and set it on the table.
“But I’m sure there was no malice.”
Gulp.
What a rich, savory aroma.
“You know how Unnie has that fourth-dimensional sense of humor.”
What Lee Sung-mi had prepared was simple rice and doenjang jjigae. But… its appearance and fragrance were anything but simple.
“She’s not a bad person at all.”
His mouth was watering so much he could barely breathe.
He finally tore his gaze away from the heavenly dish, and Lee Sung-mi flashed a bright smile.
“Let’s be understanding. Okay?”
Lee Sung-mi.
This female hunter, always wearing a faint smile, had an ordinary appearance.
“Not like Do Su-jin with her delicate features.”
She didn’t have the charming playfulness of Seo Hwa-yun.
“Got it. I will.”
Nor the cold, decadent allure of Jeong Ha-kyeong that pushed people away even as it drew them in.
“Really?”
But for some reason.
Shin Tae-yeop felt a great attraction to Lee Sung-mi.
Mature beauty!
Maybe because all the women around him were so immature? In any case, Lee Sung-mi was the Kim Baek-jun of the women’s world.
“Then eat this and go apologize to Unnie.”
“Yes.”
“Good! Then you deserve a reward.”
Only then did Lee Sung-mi hand him the chopsticks and spoon.
“Finally…!”
Shin Tae-yeop took the sacred utensils in both hands and immediately scooped up a spoonful of doenjang jjigae.
“…It’s heavenly.”
The rich aroma bloomed into a savory flavor that filled his mouth!
“Tasty?”
“Yeah!”
Lee Sung-mi smiled gently.
“As expected! Noona’s cooking is the best!”
Currently 29 years old.
Former Korean restaurant chef.
Her culinary skills were second to none in Seodaemun-gu.
“Eat slowly… You’ll burn your mouth. I’ll handle some work while you eat.”
Lee Sung-mi brought over her typewriter and sat across from him at the table.
She loaded paper into it.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, she began typing away.
“Training materials for the recruits?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Sung-mi answered without taking her eyes off the typewriter.
“Isn’t the deadline still a ways off?”
“Noona knows from her college days. It’s always better to get these done quick.”
Lee Sung-mi grinned.
And the boy, who’d never had a chance to enjoy campus romance, smiled back.
“Noona. What do you think? Could I have been student council president if I’d gone to college?”
“Hmm… Probably?”
Lee Sung-mi kept typing.
Almost done now.
Above all, multitasking was a chef’s essential skill.
“Tae-yeop stands out so much… And your leadership is top-notch.”
Ding… The typewriter carriage returned, and Lee Sung-mi looked up.
Finally… done.
Across from her, Shin Tae-yeop had just finished eating.
“Give me that.”
“What? This?”
“Yeah. I’ll take it to the print shop to get copies, then drop it off at the recruit training center. I was heading there anyway.”
“Awesome! That’d be perfect for Noona.”
As she gathered and organized the typed sheets, something caught Lee Sung-mi’s eye.
“So that ice lump… reminds you of an old friend?”
At that moment, a sharp pang of sorrow stabbed at Lee Sung-mi’s heart.
The Exalted Ones raid.
She had lost Yu Seong-deok there.
Everyone in the association knew they’d been deeply in love.
“Yeah… I don’t get why the gear melted like that.”
“I don’t know… probably not. But maybe? There’s got to be some meaning to it.”
“Meaning?”
Lee Sung-mi hurried over, pouring water into a glass as she continued.
“Something I felt as a chef: nothing in this world happens without meaning.”
“…?”
“For example, I once messed up the seasoning, but it turned out even tastier.”
Lee Sung-mi smiled softly.
“There was this cold senior chef. But when I kept being nice, they ended up being a great mentor.”
“Wow.”
“That doenjang jjigae secret? They taught me.”
“Was that person… the Cooking King Kim Bi-ryong by any chance?”
Lee Sung-mi laughed in disbelief and pushed the glass of water toward Shin Tae-yeop.
“What I’m saying is, there’s definitely meaning to this too. Especially something this weird.”
“…………!”
“So don’t be too downhearted. You’ll figure it out someday. Got it?”
Why was it.
Those words felt like they were meant for Lee Sung-mi herself.
“Yeah.”
5.
“There’s meaning to it…?”
Shin Tae-yeop sat with his arms crossed, lost in thought.
<Association> Gyeonghuigung headquarters barracks.
On the table before him, the ice sphere gleamed in the lantern light.
“…I just don’t get it.”
A deflating sigh.
Shin Tae-yeop glanced at the documents Lee Sung-mi had given him.
The world the Subordinates belonged to.
His eyes stuck on that sentence.
‘I can’t understand it.’
What did the [Nameless Demigod] want?
Why deliberately merge the ruined world?
Just bring the Subordinates—that’d be enough, right?
There had to be… a reason.
“So what the hell is that reason…?”
- Keark.
He was muttering to himself, hands clutching his head, when.
He thought he heard a voice.
His gaze instinctively snapped to the ice sphere.
- Kerak, Kerak, Kerak.
The ice sphere hadn’t moved.
But suddenly, his heart ached with a sharp twinge.
I…
Somehow, I knew Scesari.
Roheiritz and Scesari both knew me… From that, one fact could be inferred.
- How are you, how are you alive?
I fought in that world.
- I saw you die.
What the hell did I fight?
What could be so powerful that even Roheiritz lost to it?
And if I died, how am I alive now?
Endless questions rising.
If only my memories would return…
Then, like fog lifting, all the mysteries would clear up cleanly…
A chill swept over him, making him shiver.
It was summer, but the night air was cold. That was this world.
I don’t… know anything…
Shin Tae-yeop hugged the ice orb.
He shuffled to the bed, pulled up the blanket, and collapsed onto it.
- AIEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….
That final scream.
So heartbreaking, it still wouldn’t fade from memory.
- Maybe Scesari said something like that back then?
What did it mean? Kim Baek-jun interpreted it this way.
- I’m happy you remembered me and came looking…
Shin Tae-yeop opened his eyes halfway.
He stared at the ice sphere, clearer than a glacier, for a long time.
Was that it?
Did she really say that?
He didn’t know. But one thing was clear.
Holding this… for some reason… it made Scesari’s presence feel real, and his heart swelled with comforting warmth.
“…Scesari.”
That’s why he hadn’t given it to the Star Messenger, or Jeong Ha-kyeong, or Seo Hwa-yun.
“Sorry…”
6.
- Yu Seong-deok’s Campaign Diary, Page 17
7.
“Recruit training will last 9 nights and 10 days from now on.”
Old Gusin High School gymnasium.
Current <Association> recruit training center.
“During that time! This instructor may be a friend-like instructor or a devil-like one.”
On the platform in the gym.
A hunter putting all his strength into his voice… Wasn’t that Heo Cheon-gyeom?
“It all depends on how you act. Understood?”
Instructor shades.
A <Association> uniform coat styled with some flair.
“Look at that response. Can’t you answer properly?”
“Yes, sir!”
“What do you understand! You’re… the worst recruits I’ve ever seen!”
What… was this like some retreat?
“Can’t you shout louder?!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Shin Tae-yeop let out a hollow laugh.
It was ridiculously funny. Then someone approached.
“T-Tae… Tae-yeop oppa!”
A slightly flushed voice.
Very familiar, so he turned to see a girl approaching with shy steps.
“Oh… hey? H-Have you been well?”
Straight hair down to her shoulders.
Slightly bowed posture, anxious rolling eyes and lips.
“Yeah. Hyun-ji, you too?”
Hidden by those traits.
This girl, Ryu Hyun-ji, was actually quite cute.
「Idiot. Found the idiot.」
「Idiot. Dumbass. Idiot.」
The wolf-type divine beasts teasing around her. Black & White.
“You guys look healthy too.”
“I… feed them well. But what’s up? No warning?”
“Does there have to be a reason?”
Shin Tae-yeop lowered his voice for a moment, then leaned in close to Ryu Hyun-ji’s face.
“To come see you?”
Three seconds of silence.
Suddenly, Ryu Hyun-ji’s face flushed beet red, like it might explode, and her eyes rolled wildly.
“Uh… y-yeah… N-No… D-Do you… have to… No need… right…?”
At that adorably cute reaction.
Shin Tae-yeop chuckled and teased.
“Kidding, did I scare you? You’re scared!”
That led to his death.
“A-Attack, Black!”
“Huh?”
“D-Don’t hold back! Bite him! Turn him into a corpse!”
Huh?
What?
Then White bit down.
「For real? For real? For real?」
Ryu Hyun-ji nodded frantically. Black snickered.
「Hey, Shin Tae-yeop.」
In an instant, it transformed into a massive one-eyed wolf elegantly shaking its dark fur…
「I’ll eat you.」
Nightmare Zone’s two types.
1. Subordinate Control Type.
Type 1 is simple.
The battlefield is usually a modern cityscape.
The Subordinate establishes a base in one spot, turning corpses into Heteromorphs and controlling them.
Examples: Muak-dong, Gyonam-dong, Sajik-dong, Buam-dong, Pyeongchang-dong.
2. Otherworld Merge Type.
Type 2 is highly complex.
The battlefield varies by region: deserts, wastelands, medieval cityscapes, etc.
A portion of the Subordinate’s world transfers over, requiring extreme caution in raids.
Examples: Cheongun-hyojadong, Samcheong-dong.
A portion of the Subordinate’s world transfers over, requiring extreme caution in raids.
“Chinese descent?”
What?
I cleared my throat gruffly on purpose.
“You don’t know the legend Yu Seong-deok?”
“Nope.”
“Heard there’s a legend in Seodaemun-gu? That legend’s me.”
“First I’ve heard.”
What the hell is this crazy bastard?
That was the expression on the hunter couple’s faces.
“Hahaha, that was just banter. Let me introduce myself properly.”
Had to recover.
“Know Han Gaozu Liu Bang? Not sexual harassment. It’s my name.”
“………….”
“One of his 40th-generation descendants was Liu something, came to Korea and left progeny. That started the Gangneung Yu clan.”
“………….”
“And who am I? A direct descendant of that Gangneung Yu clan!”
Did awe strike them?
They shut their mouths for a moment. After a brief silence, the man cleared his throat.
“…I see. Get to the point. Why’d you seek us out?”
“Heard you two are skilled.”
“…?”
“Check my level. [Lv: 15].”
“Impressive.”
“Right? Wanna form a raid party with me?”
Raid party.
Yesterday, frontline raid party GodSpring hunted the First Subordinate.
Maybe because of that.
Even Nightmare hunters who preferred solo were starting to form parties one by one.
“Hmm… Your level seems trustworthy, but…”
The man said that, and the woman asked.
“If we do, what’ll we name the raid party?”
[Jordan River].
Yu Seong-deok answered.
“Let’s send all those Heteromorph bastards across the Jordan River.”
That was the legend Yu Seong-deok, the beginning of that myth.