Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Great One's Trial
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The story returns to the moment Shim Young-jin screamed and made eye contact with the examiner.
Do-jae had left the scene immediately.
‘That’s the examiner?’
He recalled the scene he had just witnessed.
Overwhelming martial power.
Speed, strength, destructive force—it lacked nothing.
‘Just how skilled is he? An A-Rank Hunter?’
The strongest hunter Do-jae had ever seen was the A-Rank, Song Deok-hoon.
And even then, he had only seen him, not his skills.
The people he saw daily were E or D-Rank at best. Now that he himself had reached C-Rank, all he could do was guess.
‘But why did I run?’
After the examiner had dispatched the monster in an instant, Do-jae had hastily fled.
For some reason, he had wanted to get away from there.
Thinking back on it now, it might have been because he didn’t want to get involved with Shim Young-jin.
But that didn’t make sense.
Hadn’t he made a promise to himself?
That he wouldn’t harbor any ill feelings toward them.
‘Then what was it?’
He replayed the memory.
Hearing the scream and heading toward it.
The chunk of metal falling toward Shim Young-jin’s head.
The examiner blocking it.
The boss monster, its body and head promptly separated.
And the examiner’s expression as he licked the blood from his lips.
‘Right. The aura coming from the examiner was just too sinister.’
It wasn’t that his appearance was menacing or his actions were cruel.
It was a sense of repulsion emanating from his very existence.
It was his instincts telling him not to get close.
Do-jae tended to trust his intuition.
Hadn’t he relied almost entirely on his gut to find mana stones?
Even if his intuition was wrong, it was best to avoid that examiner.
There was no need to be foolish enough to pick a fight with him.
‘This isn’t the time for this. How much is that thing I just picked up worth?’
Do-jae took out the point necklace to check.
On his way to Shim Young-jin, Do-jae had been coming from the top of a cliff.
As he was about to turn back and descend, he had spotted a small, glittering object.
It was a gold coin engraved with the Suppression Corps mark.
[1280]
‘A thousand points?’
It was truly worthy of being called a treasure.
He had surpassed the passing score in one go.
‘Luck is a skill, too.’
With this, he had at least achieved his minimum goal.
But he couldn’t stop here.
Do-jae set off to acquire more points.
***
After the three-day, two-night survival test ended.
Do-jae received a call from his brother’s doctor and rushed to the hospital.
"He’s gotten much better. Still, I recommend continuing with mana treatments for the time being. We can probably move him to a general ward in about a week, after we’ve monitored his progress."
Money was a fearsome thing.
His brother’s condition, which had been stagnant for years, was improving drastically with a few hundred million won.
A feeling of guilt washed over him for making his brother suffer for so long when a cure had been this simple.
*Creeak—*
His brother was still in the special care ward.
He had always watched as other patients his age recovered and left, but soon, he would be the one leaving.
"Your big brother’s here."
"Hyung-ah!"
The treatment was clearly effective; his brother had put on much more weight than before.
He was still small and thin compared to other kids his age, but to Do-jae, the difference was stark.
"I told you, didn’t I? Just three more treatments."
"Yeah! But I got a new doctor! He’s super nice and handsome!"
Do-jae chuckled.
That’s how his brother saw him, apparently.
It made sense. A good income would give a person a sense of ease, and they’d have the means to take care of themselves.
"But there’s something I need to tell you."
"What is it? Don’t tell me you didn’t bring the Metallic Hero?"
"Ah, the Metallic Hero… Ta-da!"
Do-jae pulled a large box from his bag.
Metallic Hero Mark Eleven.
It was the eleventh suit, modified to allow free movement even underwater.
The color scheme seemed to represent the ocean, with a blue base and white stripes in a wave pattern.
"Whoa! Hyung-ah! You know I saw this just the other day? He lifted a ship out of the sea and saved everyone!"
"You punk, I saw that ages ago."
"What? When? So what happens? How does he fight that Naga-looking thing?"
"Huh? Naga? How do you know about Nagas?"
At Do-jae’s question, his brother pointed to a bookshelf.
There sat a book titled ‘Encyclopedia of Aquatic Monsters.’
Do-jae had brought a few of his books, and it seemed his brother had read one of them.
"Don’t get interested in monsters. You’ll never have to see things like that."
"Why? When I get better, can’t I be a hunter like you?"
"No!"
"Hmph."
Do-jae’s stern expression made his brother pout.
He had only said it out of admiration and affection for his brother, but Do-jae’s reaction was so cold that he feigned being upset.
Realizing he had been too harsh, Do-jae spoke in a much gentler tone.
"Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about… Do you want to go stay with your aunt?"
"Auntie?"
He had secured a house for them to live in, and his brother would be discharged soon.
But the moment he received the acceptance letter yesterday, he had to change his plans.
Because the letter stated his third choice unit, not his first.
[Acceptance Letter]
[Name: Lee Do-jae]
[Assigned Unit: 3rd Suppression Corps]
[Training Unit: 3rd Suppression Corps Training Battalion]
…….
After all that hardship for three days and two nights, he ended up in the 3rd Suppression Corps.
One of the reasons he needed to be at the Suppression Corps Headquarters was its location in Seoul.
If he could commute, he could take care of his brother on his own, but the 3rd Suppression Corps was too far.
Cheorwon.
The 3rd Suppression Corps was in Cheorwon, where he had taken the second practical exam.
He had earned a final score of 4,910, which he thought would place him high in the rankings.
After much deliberation, Do-jae decided to leave his brother with their aunt for a while.
After all, he had to be inside the Suppression Corps to even have a chance.
He would find a way to transfer to the headquarters and bring his brother back as soon as possible.
"Auntie will cook you delicious food and buy you nice clothes. I’ve already told her everything."
He rarely, if ever, contacted his aunt.
After their parents passed away long ago, they had lived with her for a short time, but since then, he hadn't cared whether she was dead or alive.
His memories of that time were far from pleasant, but for his brother’s sake, he had no choice.
Of course, he had taken precautions.
Money.
When Do-jae called his aunt, the first thing he brought up was money.
And for the first time, Do-jae heard his aunt's voice sound so sweet.
"No! Can’t I stay with you?"
"I don’t think I’ll be able to come home often from now on. I might be away for days at a time."
Being stationed in Cheorwon would make commuting to and from Seoul difficult.
Furthermore, if he were to go on a suppression mission, the time he spent away from home could continuously increase.
Suppression was a completely different beast from dungeon raids.
His brother was at an age where he needed someone to look after him.
No matter how poorly his aunt had treated him, an adult was necessary.
"Hyung-ah, I’m always alone anyway, you know? The nurses and doctors only stay for a little while. I can just wait for you while watching TV or reading comics, just like today."
His brother grabbed Do-jae’s arm.
He looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
"Hyung-ah, can’t I live with you?"
Do-jae stared at his brother.
All his past struggles were being replaced by a single emotion—guilt—that stabbed at his heart.
"Alright, let’s do that."
A bright smile bloomed on his brother’s face.
That’s right.
Do-jae had endured everything up to this point just to see this smile.
***
A few days later.
There was still some time before his official commission.
Do-jae decided to tackle the quest that had been harassing him daily like spam mail.
[Quest]
Classification: Main
Content: A Great One is watching you closely. The Great One wishes to test if you are worthy of its expectations. Should you fail to meet these expectations, you must offer up your heart.
Restriction: None
Reward: Acknowledgment from the Great One
Failure Penalty: Destruction of the Heart of the Golem
‘Why is everything so obsessed with breaking my heart?’
A quest that openly demanded his heart.
It was starting to get on his nerves.
He resolved that no matter what happened, he would survive to the end and find out what this quest truly wanted.
He looked at the last sentence.
[Do you wish to accept?]
Do-jae was fully prepared.
Though, since everything was stored in his subspace, he looked no different than usual, but his expression was resolute.
"I accept."
The moment Do-jae finished speaking, his surroundings blurred.
He felt his body float up.
When his feet touched the ground again, he was in a completely different place.
"A temple… is it?"
Do-jae now stood inside a massive structure from which a cool breeze was blowing.
A high ceiling that gave a sense of open space, and thick pillars made of stone.
Intricately carved ornaments, lifelike paintings of monsters, and runes of unknown meaning.
It felt strangely familiar, similar to the dungeon where he had first gained his powers.
*Dong—*
A bell chimed, sending a shiver through his entire body.
A deep but feminine voice echoed in his ears.
- I do not yet acknowledge you.
The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.
But her tone was blunt, as if she were displeased with Do-jae for some reason.
"Are you the Great One?"
Do-jae asked cautiously.
The Great One mentioned in the quest.
He wanted to confirm if the voice belonged to that being.
- I am. I am the one who sees all for what it is. I can see everything. Even your weakness.
What kind of being could utter such lines?
Do-jae once again asked politely.
"Are you a god?"
It was a thought that had been lingering in the back of his mind.
The idea that perhaps a god had bestowed these powers and abilities upon him.
It was a natural thought for any human.
About miracles and transcendent beings.
It was just that in this world of conflict between Awakeners and monsters, no being worthy of the title "god" had ever been confirmed to exist.
- A god? Yes, if that is what your kind would call such a being, then I suppose I am a god.
Do-jae flinched in surprise.
He was in awe that gods truly existed.
Reverence, mystery, elation, glory.
A whirlwind of emotions churned within him, making his chest feel tight.
But how fickle is the human heart.
Soon, countless questions flooded Do-jae’s mind.
And the owner of the voice, having read his thoughts, answered.
- How foolish. What is it you desire? Do you seek answers?
Why had this god made his life so difficult?
Why had his brother been made to suffer such pain?
His feelings toward the god had already turned to resentment.
- Do not be swayed. I am not your god, weak one. I shall seal your golems. But if you prove your own worth, then we shall become your gods!
Do-jae snapped back to his senses.
He tried to open his subspace, but the golems wouldn't come out.
More importantly, if she wasn’t his god, then whose god was she?
Did the voice’s mention of "your god" refer to a diversity of religions?
That didn’t seem to be the meaning.
Thus, Do-jae focused on a single word.
‘We?’
Did that mean there was another god?
No further answers came.
Instead, a massive stone slab rose from the floor in the distance.
*Thud—!*