Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Aftermath
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One day later.
The Chief of the Busan Regional Hunter Administration stepped forward and bowed his head.
*Thwack—.*
*Splat—!*
Eggs, water bottles, all sorts of trash.
People threw everything they were holding at the Chief, Kim Hak-seong.
"This is all my fault. I will take responsibility and resign."
*Thud—!*
*Crash—!*
A glass bottle flew through the air and struck Kim Hak-seong on his bowed head.
Red liquid, perhaps tomato juice, trickled down through his hair.
But Kim Hak-seong remained silent, his head still bowed.
"Don't give me that shit! Fuck! My brother is dead because you bastards couldn't do your job! How are you going to take responsibility? Are you going to bring my brother back to life?!"
As the man who threw the bottle screamed and thrashed, two burly men appeared and dragged him away.
In principle, he could be arrested for assault and defamation, but Kim Hak-seong wouldn't let that happen.
This was because putting on such a display was the only way to offer even a small measure of solace to the victims' families.
"I will say it again. The dungeon break that occurred three days ago was the result of my incompetence and error. I sincerely apologize to the citizens and will step down from my position as Chief of the Hunter Administration."
Amid a storm of boos, anger, and accusations, Kim Hak-seong stepped down from the podium.
This dungeon break was neither the fault of the Busan Regional Hunter Administration nor Kim Hak-seong.
A dungeon break was a disaster that could happen no matter how hard they tried to prevent it.
And the victims' families present here knew that as well.
They knew that even now, dungeons were appearing somewhere in the country, that some were difficult or impossible to observe, and that dungeon breaks were imminent, causing damage both large and small.
Everyone knew this, but with no other way to handle their emotions, they held this performative press conference.
*Trudge, trudge—.*
"Here you are, Chief."
Deputy Chief Hwang Tae-geun handed Kim Hak-seong a handkerchief.
He then walked up to the podium to brief everyone on the current situation.
"I will now report the number of casualties. A total of 5,210 people..."
***
At that moment.
At the joint memorial altar set up outside the quarantine line.
And at the third joint memorial altar for the fallen members of the Suppression Corps, the sound of wailing echoed from all around.
"Here."
Do-jae handed a warm drink to Ji-yoon.
Ji-yoon, her eyes swollen, took it and gave a slight nod.
"Kim Moon-hwan, Kang Eun-taek, Son Jeong-gyu, Park Jin-ho, Kim Jun-seo, Lee Seung-han..."
Ji-yoon slowly read the names.
The nameplates, bearing only names and no photos, listed the six members of Chilgok Unit's Squad 3.
"Hyun-jae, Ji-woong, and Pil-ho... not yet, I suppose..."
Do-jae moved to Ji-yoon's side and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The names of Yook Hyun-jae, Lee Ji-woong, and Jang Pil-ho were not yet listed, but there was no hope that they were still alive.
They had been burned so completely that nothing remained, listed as missing for now, but their names would likely be added here soon enough.
*Grit—.*
Do-jae bit his lip.
The inside of his lip split, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood.
"Ji-yoon, go get some rest."
"...I want to stay a little longer..."
Do-jae removed his hand from the shoulder of Ji-yoon, who was staring blankly at the nameplates.
Although it hadn't been a long time, even Do-jae, who had eaten and slept alongside them, found it hard to bear the surging grief.
So how much worse must it be for Ji-yoon, who had spent so much time with them?
Do-jae turned and left the memorial.
"Eun-hee."
Eun-hee approached, holding a blanket and some porridge.
"This is for Ji-yoon."
"Ah... yes... thank you."
"Shouldn't you get some rest too, Do-jae...? The other S-rank hunters have all gone back."
"Yes... I will..."
Do-jae walked past Eun-hee.
She looked extremely worried, but Do-jae still turned his steps back toward the battlefield.
Jeong Hoon-hyeon and the Park Ha-gong trio were still hunting monsters, and the dungeon break zone had not been fully cleared.
The more the faces of Chilgok Unit's Squad 3 came to mind, the more he wanted to kill every last monster he could find.
That was his revenge for Squad 3 and a way to convey his will to Gellahan.
"You should lighten up a bit."
A man stepped out of a luxury sedan.
Kim Hwan-soo appeared, dressed in a black suit.
"Captain Kim Hwan-soo. You must be busy. What brings you here?"
"I am busy. But I had to come, didn't I? They're my men."
Kim Hwan-soo approached and firmly grasped both of Do-jae's hands.
Then he pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you. I heard you took down the dragon, Squad Leader Lee. And that you were the one who saved the first survivors."
"I only did what I had to do..."
"No, you did something incredible. I hear your golems are still hard at work inside. You're working hard."
"That's why I'm heading back now."
*Pat, pat—.*
Kim Hwan-soo patted Do-jae's arm.
"Just a little more effort. I need to go see my men's faces. Let's grab a drink when this is all over."
"Yes, sir. I'll be on my way."
Do-jae saluted Kim Hwan-soo and headed for the quarantine line.
He would begin a tedious slaughter that would not end until not a single living monster remained.
***
"You're back?"
A man with reddish-brown hair greeted Do-jae.
It was Briareus, leaning against a half-burnt tree.
"If you're done, give it back."
Do-jae snatched the smartphone Briareus was watching.
Right after returning yesterday, he had given Briareus the phone and told him to learn about this place, Earth, by watching MeTube.
As a result, Briareus could now speak fluent Korean.
"Ah, you took it just when it was getting damn interesting."
"You've seen enough."
"Tch. Lying around watching MeTube was the best."
Briareus got up and stretched.
They were in the middle of a monster-infested area, but not a single monster dared to approach the dragon.
"I still don't know how I should treat you. When I think of my comrades who died at your hands..."
"Hey, is that my fault? I couldn't help it because of Gellahan. Just thinking about how Gellahan messed with my head is infuriating."
Briareus said, scratching his head.
Do-jae, dumbfounded by Briareus's way of speaking, replied.
"What's with that way of talking?"
"Is it weird? Everyone talks like this. Anyway, give me a lunch rec!"
"A lunch rec? What's that?"
"You don't even know what that is? It's a lunch menu recommendation. Ugh, what am I going to do about this cultural lag?"
"..."
Do-jae shook his head, moving past disbelief into sheer bewilderment.
The majestic presence he had in his dragon form was gone, replaced by an endlessly flippant demeanor.
He was even wearing a tracksuit Do-jae had lent him, making him look no different from a neighborhood bum.
"Ah, damn, I'm hungry. What should I eat... Oh?"
Briareus grinned, looking past Do-jae.
In the distance was a lone orc, separated from its group.
It looked stupid enough to have clearly been left behind by its pack.
"Hey! You, get over here. Yeah, you, you bastard."
When Briareus called out, the orc tilted its head and stared.
Then, realizing what had called it, the creature began to tremble before waddling away in a hasty retreat.
"Huh? That son of a bitch?"
Briareus's eyes widened.
The fleeing orc suddenly lifted into the air and flew toward them.
"I choose you for lunch today."
"Kueek? Kwik!"
*Fwoosh—!*
Fierce flames erupted around the struggling orc's body, and it was quickly charred black, steam rising from it.
Briareus sank his teeth into the orc's torso and began to eat, remarking on how delicious it was.
"You...!"
Do-jae grabbed Briareus by the collar and shoved him.
*Crack—!*
Briareus was thrown back with enough force to break a tree.
However, he stopped after being pushed back about five meters.
And this time, it was Do-jae who was pushed back.
Briareus had grabbed the arm holding his collar, squeezing with enough force to make Do-jae's wrist ache.
"Don't do anything foolish. Even though I've lost most of my mana, devouring someone like you would be no trouble at all."
"Briareus...! Do you have any idea how many humans died because of you!"
"Don't make me repeat myself. Didn't we agree I wouldn't kill humans, just as you asked? To me, the orcs here and humans are no different—they are all insignificant creatures. Don't forget that it's only because of the Ascetics behind you that you and your kind are being shown any respect."
"Fuck! Gellahan!"
Do-jae cursed and let go of his collar.
The sight of the charred orc had reminded him of the members of Squad 3, and he'd been overcome with emotion.
That's why he had impulsively grabbed Briareus, but he couldn't take it any further.
He had promised not to kill humans and to fight the Apostates alongside Do-jae.
Killing Briareus wouldn't bring his comrades back, and a real fight here could lead to new victims caught in the crossfire.
"I understand how you feel, so I'll be more careful from now on."
"Please do..."
Briareus returned to the roasted orc and began tearing at the deliciously cooked meat again.
Do-jae watched him with a frown before walking toward the sinkhole.
"Briareus! Stay out of sight until I get back!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
***
"As of this moment, I declare the Busan Suppression Operation complete."
*Waaaaah—!*
The commander of the 3rd Suppression Corps announced that the operation was officially over.
Total duration: ten days.
The suppression was completed faster than ever before.
It was only possible because Do-jae and his golems had hunted monsters relentlessly.
Of course, Briareus had also secretly helped Do-jae, but no one knew that.
*Thud—.*
Do-jae, Young-jin, and Ji-yoon paid their final respects at the memorial, offering flowers.
In the end, the Chilgok Unit was wiped out.
Not a single survivor could be found.
"Thanks."
Gwak Ji-hyeok came over to greet Do-jae.
He then leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"The dragon really went back, right? You're sure?"
"Yes."
Do-jae had told the S-rank hunters that Briareus had died and returned to the other world.
It was obvious what they would do if they knew he was alive and well.
Of course, Gwak Ji-hyeok and Kim Se-hoon understood immediately, but Kwon Ran-hee, who hadn't heard the story about Gellahan, couldn't comprehend the dragon's sudden disappearance.
He had to explain it again, but she refused to accept the truth about Gellahan, stormed off in anger, and went straight back to Seoul.
After that, Kim Se-hoon also returned to Seoul, leaving only Gwak Ji-hyeok, who was based in Busan.
"What a waste..."
Gwak Ji-hyeok lamented Briareus's disappearance.
Do-jae could instantly read his mind.
A dragon's corpse could be sold for an astronomical sum. After all, four S-rank hunters had taken it down, and even splitting the profit four ways would mean an enormous amount of money.
But with the body gone, how could it not be a waste?
"See ya around!"
With that, Gwak Ji-hyeok left.
The Guardian Guild members gathered by Young-jin's car and the guild vehicle.
"Everyone worked hard. Too bad your vacation got ruined, huh, Manager Young-jin?"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon said with a cheerful expression.
Young-jin scratched his head and gave a bitter smile.
"Haa... what can you do? I just want to go home and collapse."
Everyone agreed with Young-jin.
All they could think about was getting home and resting.
"Have a good weekend, and I'll see you at the new building!"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon exclaimed happily, and Do-jae put their collected luggage into his Subspace.
"Alright, let's head back. To Seoul."
Do-jae got into Young-jin's car.
The Guardian Guild was finally returning to Seoul.
But high in the sky, someone was watching this scene with utter disbelief.
It was Briareus.
"Are you really leaving me here like this?"