Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Reunion and Reflection
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Lee Ha-na, who had passed out, woke up not long after.
Yeon Sung-hun calmly explained the situation to her as she looked utterly bewildered by the fact that she'd fainted.
She was stunned to learn that while she was out, he had single-handedly completed all the trials. At the same time, she felt terribly sorry about it.
Seeing her like that, Yeon Sung-hun smiled gently and told her it was fine.
In fact, he hadn't told her about the high elf guardian or anything about his previous world, Aia.
From the start, since the high elf had intervened, she—who lacked the qualifications—couldn't have done anything even if she'd wanted to.
'And above all, this whole mess probably happened because of me in the first place.'
He'd initially thought the mechanism activated because Lee Ha-na had gone deep into the passage, but after it was all over, it seemed far more likely to have been his fault.
Thinking back, the device had triggered right around the time he—the qualified one—had entered the passage.
From that perspective, it was Lee Ha-na who'd gotten caught up in it, not him.
Besides, in all the trials before the last one, she'd done more than just carry her weight—she'd super-carried them. There was no need for her to feel sorry at all.
After briefing her on everything, Yeon Sung-hun quickly helped her up and exited the rift.
It was the dead of night outside.
The two let out sighs of relief at the fresh outdoor air they hadn't breathed in so long.
"We're out, Sung-hun-ssi."
"Yeah, we made it safely. You did great, Ha-na-ssi."
Lee Ha-na, who had been staring blankly up at the night sky, flashed a bright smile at Yeon Sung-hun.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something—
Something approached them at high speed.
A presence that felt extremely familiar.
Before they could even prepare themselves, the presence suddenly enveloped them both in a hug.
"Yeon-ah-ssi?"
"Unni?"
Even as they called out in surprise, Choi Yeon-ah gave no reply.
Instead, she hugged them even tighter.
The two stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do, when they spotted the other raid members rushing toward them from afar.
"Oppa!"
"Raid Leader!"
"Ha-na unni!"
The two beamed as they watched the raid members sprint over, calling out to them.
"I'm just glad everyone's safe."
"That's what we should be saying! We were so worried! Especially Yeon-ah unni...!"
Han So-yul, who had started to continue thoughtlessly, suddenly let out an "Ah" with a sigh.
Her gaze subtly shifted to Choi Yeon-ah.
"What's wrong?"
"...Well."
"I'll explain. No point hiding it anyway."
Choi Yeon-ah, who had been checking Lee Ha-na for injuries, approached with her usual calm expression.
Yeon Sung-hun watched her curiously and soon realized her appearance was slightly different from normal.
His face crumpled in shock.
"Yeon-ah-ssi! Your arm...!"
Choi Yeon-ah's left arm was empty below the elbow.
The prosthetic that should have been there was completely gone.
As Yeon Sung-hun stared in quiet horror, she gave an awkward smile and subtly hid her empty sleeve.
"I got a little carried away, and this happened. No need to worry too much. It was just a prosthetic anyway."
"...How on earth did this happen?"
Choi Yeon-ah began her story in response to Yeon Sung-hun's question.
The raid members, suddenly separated from the two, had responded quite calmly under her directions.
Right after the passage Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na entered sealed off, the other passages closed too. The problem arose while they were checking the walls blocking the passages.
The wall they'd tested by attacking it with Han So-yul didn't budge at all, and that seemed to trigger something—monsters suddenly poured out.
Including a Minotaur, they fought the same monsters Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na had faced in the second Trial of Valor.
The monsters themselves weren't a big issue, but the real problem was the statue that appeared with them.
"...A statue?"
"It said it was eliminating unqualified intruders."
Yeon Sung-hun let out an involuntary groan at Choi Yeon-ah's matter-of-fact explanation.
"Was it your arm...?"
"Yeah. It was ridiculously strong. I figured we'd get wiped out before rescuing you two, so we retreated outside first."
Then, to rescue them, she'd immediately contacted everyone she could think of for help.
Starting with Seong A-reum and Lee Ye-rang, she'd reached out to quite a few high-rank hunters.
"That's when you two came out, while we were waiting for the others."
"...I should contact the others right away. Tell them there's no need to come."
"Yeah, you should."
Choi Yeon-ah gave a wry smile before suddenly bowing her head deeply.
Yeon Sung-hun was taken aback by her sudden action.
"Why are you doing this all of a sudden, Yeon-ah-ssi?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
Choi Yeon-ah spoke calmly to the puzzled Yeon Sung-hun.
"Truth be told, I'd quietly given up on you two."
"...Because the monsters were too strong?"
"Yes. Judging by the ones we faced, it would've been impossible for just the two of you."
"Hmm."
Yeon Sung-hun let out a groan.
Objectively speaking, Choi Yeon-ah was right.
Even with her and the other capable raid members, they'd had to retreat because the rift's difficulty was so high.
If he thought coldly about it, expecting Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na to survive that level would have been the real problem.
'So that's why she reacted so unlike herself at first.'
What must it have felt like to see the people they'd nearly given up on emerge alive?
Recalling how Choi Yeon-ah's eyes had even glistened with tears, Yeon Sung-hun nodded firmly.
"You don't need to apologize. I completely understand how you felt, Yeon-ah-ssi."
"...But."
"You say you gave up, but you did everything you could, didn't you? I'm actually grateful you apologized so honestly."
She didn't have to bring it up at all.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled quietly at Choi Yeon-ah's earnestness.
Seeing him like that seemed to ease her mind, and she smiled softly too.
"So, what happened on your end, oppa?"
Was the mood getting a bit heavy? Han So-yul, who had been quietly listening, suddenly cut in.
"Yeah, I'm curious how you two got out."
"Well, Ha-na-ssi helped a lot, actually. I would've been in real trouble alone."
Yeon Sung-hun glanced at Lee Ha-na before briefly explaining what they'd gone through.
"I see. Some kind of test... Still, it's surprising you were qualified, Sung-hun-ssi. How'd that happen?"
"...No idea. I'm not sure about that part myself."
"Hmm."
Yeon Sung-hun gave a wry smile at Choi Yeon-ah, who seemed lost in thought.
Unable to reveal the full truth, he quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, are you okay?"
Choi Yeon-ah gave a bitter smile at his glance toward her empty sleeve.
"It looks bad, huh?"
"No, not at all."
"Thanks... Well, no major issues, but it just feels really awkward. Sorry, but I probably can't join explorations for a while."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded slowly.
It definitely would be problematic joining rift explorations without one arm.
"Can you get a new prosthetic? I heard last time they're not cheap."
"Yeah... I hadn't even thought about that. It'll be tricky. Might have to take out a loan with my savings."
"...I'll cover the cost."
"Huh? You, Sung-hun-ssi?"
Yeon Sung-hun nodded firmly to the surprised Choi Yeon-ah.
"But it's not a small amount..."
"It happened during a guild rift exploration, so it's only right the guild takes care of it. Don't refuse."
"...If you insist, then thank you. It's insanely expensive, so this is a huge relief."
Yeon Sung-hun asked as she smiled brightly.
"Where do you order them? I haven't heard of any artisans in Korea who can make that level."
"It's from 'Makers' in the US."
"Makers... The famous crafting guild. They'd definitely make something that good."
"And it's a custom order, so super pricey. Don't complain about the cost later."
"No way I would. Rest assured."
Choi Yeon-ah smiled gently at his assurance.
Despite losing an arm, her demeanor was as steady as ever, and Yeon Sung-hun quietly felt relieved.
After exchanging stories about what happened, Yeon Sung-hun and Choi Yeon-ah hurriedly made calls to update everyone.
They needed to inform those rushing to help.
In cases like Seong A-reum and Lee Ye-rang, they even arrived on site before the corrections could go out.
They'd dropped everything and raced over upon hearing Yeon Sung-hun was in danger.
"I'm so glad you're safe."
"I was shocked when unni first told me! If anything bad happened to the alchemist...!"
Seong A-reum sighed in relief calmly, while Lee Ye-rang fussed as usual.
Yeon Sung-hun quietly expressed his gratitude to them.
He was thankful, sorry, and above all, deeply reassured.
At least he knew there were people who'd have his back no matter what.
Beyond the two, quite a few others had mobilized upon hearing the news.
Choi Yeon-ah must have contacted them diligently, as there were dozens more to notify.
Just calling them one by one and thanking them was a task in itself.
Choi Yeon-ah apologized again seeing him glued to his phone without proper rest, but Yeon Sung-hun brushed it off.
It was all for him, after all.
"I'm fine, so no worries. And thank you again."
After thanking Oh Young-taek from Our Factory last, Yeon Sung-hun finally set his phone down.
Yoon Ji-su from the preliminary investigation team approached the sighing Yeon Sung-hun.
Having rushed over upon hearing the news, she bowed deeply right away.
"I'm sorry, Guild Leader! It's my mistake!"
Her face was pale as she apologized profusely.
As part of the prelim team, she saw the whole incident as her fault.
Given it could have been disastrous, her guilt was beyond words.
Yeon Sung-hun didn't reprimand Yoon Ji-su harshly.
He knew well the efforts of her and the prelim team.
If her team had encountered that situation instead of him, they'd likely have been wiped out.
This outcome was far better.
Given the rift's nature, anyone but the qualified Yeon Sung-hun might have been fine entering.
Still, he didn't forget to gently remind her that the prelim survey had been a bit insufficient.
"The rift..."
"It's disappearing...?"
Unlike normal rifts that lingered after conquest (all monsters cleared), this one began vanishing shortly after Yeon Sung-hun's group exited.
No time to call a cleanup crew.
As everyone panicked at the slowly fading rift, only Yeon Sung-hun watched silently.
He couldn't forget the guardian's gaze at the end.
No real bond between them, yet strange feelings lingered.
Was it because they shared the connection of reincarnation?
After watching the vanishing rift for a moment, Yeon Sung-hun assigned cleanup to Gye Cheong-san and dismissed everyone.
With the rift cleared, it was time to rest again.
Plus, with Choi Yeon-ah's prosthetic issue, he planned to schedule more loosely.
Yeon Sung-hun holed up in his workshop in the basement of his house.
Not for his usual potion-making.
He'd make potions too, of course, but today's main goal was different.
In front of a workbench—not the alchemy circle—Yeon Sung-hun groaned.
Before him lay the golem core, the magic stone from the wyvern he'd processed earlier, and the newly acquired spirit stone.
"...Using these, I could make something pretty decent."
He couldn't match lifetime golem specialists, but his knowledge far exceeded most.
He probably knew more about golems than anyone on Earth right now.
Judging that relying solely on potions as an unawakened hunter was hitting limits, he'd been working to boost the golem's output since acquiring it.
The S-rank wyvern magic stone and spirit stone would surely help.
The issue was, despite basic knowledge, he wasn't as expert in golems as in other alchemy fields.
Golems were a major branch of alchemy, but sadly, not one Faust had delved deeply into.
"Mess it up, and it could end up worse than before..."
If he had more materials beyond the magic and spirit stones, he wouldn't worry.
Even in unfamiliar fields, enough materials would yield results.
"First, boost base output with the wyvern magic stone... then use the spirit stone for..."
After much deliberation, Yeon Sung-hun settled on a rough enhancement plan.
The new spirit stone was pure, attribute-less.
No standout abilities for specific elements, but versatile for various situations.
"Depending, I could add different attributes as needed."
Having no attributes meant it could become any.
He hadn't thought much of it at first, but now he was glad for the neutral spirit stone.
'...Maybe that high elf considered me and gave it on purpose.'
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled at the thought.
Even he found it amusing.
As if that emotionless high elf would.
She'd probably just handed over a random one.
"...This confirms rifts connect to Aia."
A high elf, no less.
Though just a bodiless mental construct bound to the labyrinth, it stirred many emotions in Yeon Sung-hun.
Now confirmed: rifts could bring over specific places, monsters, and more.
"...Maybe some exist already, undiscovered."
He absently tapped the table, lost in thought.
'If relatively human-friendly ones like elves, dwarves, or beastkin come through, that'd be lucky?'
Aia teemed with intelligent life.
Beyond elves, dwarves, beastkin, there were many subraces.
"...Demons or celestials coming through would be chaos."
Individuals varied, but most demons were aggressive.
Celestials seemed holy and good but were just as belligerent.
Either showing up would spell big trouble.
No proper talk—just immediate fights.
"...Worst of all is dragons, though."
Synonyms for brutality and arrogance.
Even "docile" gold dragons saw themselves as supreme—Aia's top tyrant race.
Practically living calamities. Yeon Sung-hun sighed softly thinking of them.
Then a sudden realization made him clamp his mouth shut.
If dragons and subraces could come, so could Aia's humans.
Including, naturally, people from the Empire.
"...Not sure on timing, but at least after my death."
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue unconsciously.
As a human, he couldn't help but wonder about after his death.
Curiosity was huge, but so was fear.
The Empire might not even exist anymore.
He knew reality's harshness well.
Even an empire he and his friend built with devotion wouldn't last forever.
Nations naturally fall with time.
New ones rise in their place.
Just a matter of when—inevitable truth.
Yeon Sung-hun wouldn't deny it.
He could accept the Empire's fall calmly.
But his heart still felt unsettled regardless.
"...Seeing Mephisto's face recently stirring this up?"
The feeling was stronger for some reason.
Yeon Sung-hun sighed lowly and let out a sigh.
"Tch. My mistake."
The table was littered with messed-up materials.
Thankfully, the key magic stone and spirit stone were intact, but others were wasted.
"Hard-to-get stuff... What a shame."
Tsking softly, Yeon Sung-hun cleared the failed materials.
Even lost in thought, he hadn't expected such a blunder.
It showed his inexperience with golems—and how rattled his mind was post-rift.
With another quiet sigh, Yeon Sung-hun pushed distractions aside and focused fully on enhancing the core.
Quite some time passed.