Chapter 8 Pain
Chapter 8: {Phantom Pain}
{Phantom Pain}
Yu Ha-rin and Yu Ji-hu, the siblings, had stepped into the rift together.
The interior resembled a cave, and though the terrain varied from rift to rift, they all shared one common feature:
A boss and a boss room.
Defeating the boss would allow immediate exit from the rift, and five minutes after the boss's defeat, the rift would vanish.
If the rift disappeared, those inside would be automatically ejected, so there was no risk of being trapped.
"This rift isn't particularly high-level. Ji-hu, what do you want to do?"
As soon as they entered, Ha-rin posed the question to her younger brother.
In response, Ji-hu observed the scene before him—a goblin shaman screeching, "Keeek! Kik-kik!" as it rallied a horde of goblins.
They were clearly gathered here, waiting to ambush anyone who entered.
"I'll handle them all."
"Alright. If it gets too hard or annoying, just say the word. I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, but I've got this."
As he answered, the Holy Sword materialized in Ji-hu's grip.
For some reason, the sword hadn't remained in the other world—it had followed him back to Earth.
With a single, effortless swing—
Whooosh!
A surge of energy erupted forward.
And just like that, the entire goblin horde was annihilated in one strike.
"You've gotten pretty strong."
Even after witnessing such an overwhelming attack, Ha-rin's reaction was merely this.
"Still not impressive enough for you, huh?"
Ji-hu chuckled wryly.
He had grown significantly stronger during his time as the Hero in the other world, but he was still far from matching his sister.
"But this is good enough. At least you've caught up to where I was five years ago."
Ha-rin smiled, offering what sounded like encouragement.
Yet, Ji-hu's lips twisted bitterly at the mention of five years ago.
'Six years in that world, and all the power I gained there only matches my sister's strength from five years ago?'
Ha-rin had also spent four years in the other world before returning.
By that logic, Ji-hu had surpassed her pre-isekai self—but that was it.
'As expected, my sister is on another level.'
He glanced at her, unable to gauge just how much stronger she had become.
Even standing this close, her power felt unfathomable—like staring up at an insurmountable peak.
"Ji-hu, you're taking all these, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Got it."
At his confirmation, Ha-rin extended her hand.
Something surged out from the goblins' corpses—
Mana Stones.
Though they were low-grade F-rank stones, they still held value as energy sources.
The government bought them for 100,000 won each, though every Awakened knew their true worth was far higher.
It was an unfair system, but it had long been set in stone.
"Hey, sis. Is the government still buying Mana Stones for dirt cheap?"
Ji-hu had been gone for six years, but even back then, at seventeen, he had been aware of this exploitation.
Other countries, like the U.S., offered slightly better prices, but budget constraints kept the rates low everywhere.
Considering the immense energy and benefits Mana Stones provided, the governments were profiting massively—yet the Awakened saw only a fraction of that.
"Yeah, the government's still lowballing."
"Figures."
"That's why the guilds have grown even more powerful. They deal directly with corporations that need Mana Stones, selling them at higher prices and splitting the profits."
As she explained, Ha-rin gathered the stones into a pile.
She seemed pleased that her brother, who had shut himself away like a recluse, was slowly showing interest in the world again.
"For example, if the government buys an F-rank stone for 120,000 won, guilds sell them directly to corporations for 300,000. They pay their members between 200,000 and 250,000 and pocket the rest as commission."
"And the government doesn't say anything?"
"Nope. The guilds have too much influence now. They rally Awakened for protests, and the government has to tread carefully because of public opinion."
It wasn't just protests, though—this was a global trend.
Ha-rin's televised display of overwhelming power had also played a role.
Governments worldwide now feared the possibility of another Awakened like her emerging—one who might turn against them if mistreated.
Ironically, though the Korean Guild Alliance had tried to strong-arm Ha-rin and been crushed in return, her existence had inadvertently secured more freedom and benefits for guilds everywhere.
With research showing that children of Awakened were almost guaranteed to inherit abilities—and artificial Awakening methods advancing—power structures worldwide were shifting.
Even the elites were beginning to awaken.
"Six years really changed a lot."
"Anything you don't like about it?"
Ji-hu shook his head.
"No. I can't change everything, and I don't want that responsibility anyway."
"If you ever want me to fix something, just say the word."
Ji-hu smiled faintly.
Of course his sister would say that.
"Nah. Helping people who need it is enough. Anything more would just cause problems."
One person solving everything might seem ideal at first, but the aftermath would be chaos.
"Let's deal with the boss first."
"Sure."
Though the goblins had been wiped out, the rift was still teeming with monsters.
Those had just been the vanguard.
"Keeek! Kik!"
Every time more goblins appeared, Ji-hu cut them down effortlessly.
Ha-rin extracted the Mana Stones, and the cycle repeated until they reached the boss room.
"Kieeeek!"
A massive, mutated goblin stood before them.
"A mutant."
Ji-hu swung his sword without hesitation.
Whoosh!
"Keeek!"
With a final shriek, the boss collapsed.
Thud.
For something so large, its death felt almost pitifully anticlimactic.
But the siblings weren't surprised.
Even before being summoned to the other world, Ji-hu could've handled this easily.
And now, as the Hero who had defeated the Demon King, this was child's play.
"Done. What now?"
"It was too easy. We should clear more. Leaving them unchecked would just endanger people."
"Alright."
Ha-rin nodded.
'If I can reduce the suffering around me, even a little, that's enough.'
For a moment, Ji-hu felt a sliver of peace.
But it didn't last.
Memories of the past few days—of the despair that had turned him into a recluse—resurfaced.
The shock of being stabbed and attacked by those he had trusted as much as his sister still haunted him.
He had loved them.
That was why their betrayal hurt so much.
Yet, he didn't want revenge.
'I don't want to kill anyone.'
Ji-hu had never taken a human life.
Even with the worst of criminals, he stopped at disabling them—severing limbs if necessary.
Resisting the Demon King's temptations had been partly for this reason, too.
'And I don't want to kill them, either.'
No matter how they had betrayed him, he couldn't bring himself to kill the women he had loved.
That was why he had fled back to Earth.
'Yeah, "fled" is the right word.'
Mocking himself, Ji-hu felt the rift dissolve.
In an instant, they were outside, where soldiers approached to thank them.
But Ji-hu's expression stiffened.
"Sis, let's go. Somewhere with fewer people."
"Okay."
Ha-rin, sensing his discomfort, immediately grabbed him and teleported away.
They reappeared deep in the mountains, where no one else was around.
Ji-hu exhaled in relief before apologizing.
"Sorry about that—Ugh!"
He clutched his chest, a pained groan escaping him.
Though his wounds had long healed, the spot where Iris had stabbed him burned as if freshly pierced.
Then came the phantom pain—
Mine's Holy Power searing his flesh.
Yenia's arrows piercing his body.
Scarlet's magic scorching his skin.
Every injury they had inflicted flared up at once, wracking his body with agony.
This was undeniably phantom pain.