Un-jeop-bi-jang Returns
Srrrng.
Tak!
The moment he slid the blade home, it became a magic staff once more.
"It's been a while, Un-jeop-bi-jang."
Baek Do-ha smiled down at the weapon. Holding his own staff again sent a rush of feeling through him he hadn't expected.
"I never appreciated you when I had you. Turns out you're the best after all. You really do have to treat something right while it's still yours."
"True enough. So treat me well while I'm here."
While he was still savoring the recovery of his sword, Canteas stepped out from behind a tree. He had stayed carefully hidden so he wouldn't get dragged into the fight.
"You heard that, right? Treat me well while I'm around."
"Is that code for 'beat me harder while you've got the chance'?"
Swoosh.
Do-ha lifted a fist and fixed Canteas with a look.
"Ugh, what am I supposed to do with this thug… Anyway, you cleaned it up fine without me."
Canteas glanced at Wei Chen's lifeless body. He had been ready to jump in if Do-ha started losing ground. The worry had been completely unnecessary.
"You saw him too. What that guy was."
"Yeah… Not every Awakened on Earth is like that, right?"
"No. I've seen a few mages who actually cast properly. But if problems like this keep cropping up…"
The road ahead was long. He had learned that in Belhart. Protecting something required more than one person's strength. A defensive fight was always the harder kind. If the goal was pure destruction—like the Demon God—he could handle it alone. Guarding something, though, needed comrades at his side. That was exactly why he had chosen Paju as his base.
"Destroy the corpse."
"I can't use it?"
Canteas looked at him. The material was far too good to simply erase.
"Turning that guy into an undead would make everything complicated."
"Come on, I wouldn't make him undead. Just research. Demon blood is always worth studying."
"Hmm… Fine."
"Oh yeah~!"
Grinning, Canteas stuffed Wei Chen's body into his magic circle.
"Ugh, finally."
"I'm dying here."
Having wiped out every last monster and Gate inside Paju, Do-ha and Canteas stretched until their backs cracked. It had taken longer than expected, but at last the city was clear.
Swoosh.
"You've worked hard, Mr. A."
The Association President stood waiting at the Paju access road, calling Do-ha by his alias as he held out a cup of coffee. He had received word that the operation would finish today and had come out early.
"What brings you all the way out here?"
"I heard today was the final day of the Paju purge. I also wanted to see you, Mr. A…"
"Me?"
Do-ha sipped the coffee and tilted his head. Why did the man look so restless?
"Did returning citizens start looting other people's houses or something?"
"No. We're supervising that side extremely carefully. We only let people back in once they prove they used to live in Paju."
Areas already cleared had been opened early. When the monsters overran the city, residents had fled with nothing, abandoning everything they owned. Because Do-ha—the city's new master—had reopened it, those same people were able to return and reclaim whatever was still intact.
"Your decision has the internet on fire right now, Mr. A."
People had recovered keepsakes of parents, siblings, and friends; some had even found remains. Not everything, of course. Too much time had passed with monsters nesting there, and the military had bombed the place back then. Still, enough traces had survived that the web was filling with praise for Do-ha.
"They're calling you a Cheon-oe-cheon who actually thinks about ordinary people. The compliments are endless."
"Thinking about people, my ass…"
Thud.
"Ghk—!"
Canteas, muttering under his breath, took a solid hit and retreated to a corner, trembling.
"So nothing's wrong, then. Why the long face?"
"Ah, well… because of what happened two days ago…"
"Two days ago?"
"Yes. When Divine 200 Hunter Wei Chen arrived, I made a number of mistakes in front of you, Mr. A…"
"Ah."
Do-ha snorted and nodded. So the man had come all this way, fretting like a dog that needed to go, terrified that a Cheon-oe-cheon might still be angry.
"Then why hide your identity? If you'd just said you were Cheon-oe-cheon, everyone would have bowed on their own."
"I simply didn't feel like announcing it."
That was the truth. If Wei Chen had known he was facing a Cheon-oe-cheon, he never would have followed him into the Gate. He would have bolted straight back to the cult, reported everything, and vanished.
"I was worried Wei Chen's behavior might have made you angry."
Angry? Not even a little…
Do-ha scratched his head. The whole scene had been bait he set himself, and he had ended up killing the man. Far from angry, he was in excellent spirits—one Demon God Cultist dead and his own weapon recovered.
"I wasn't angry, so don't worry about me."
"Uh… so you really are a fan of Wei Chen, then?"
"Absolutely not. No chance I'd be a fan of that bastard. But I truly wasn't angry. You don't have to walk on eggshells."
"Haa… If that's the case, I'm genuinely relieved."
Only then did the Association President exhale and nod. He had been so afraid Baek Do-ha might explode and take it out on someone that he hadn't even been able to eat properly. Hearing it officially from the man himself finally let him breathe.
This… once he finds out Wei Chen is gone, the stress is going to hit him even harder…
Watching the man's face, Do-ha felt a twinge of sympathy and narrowed his eyes. He still couldn't be certain the Association President was a true ally, but at least the man had no connection to the Demon God Cult. A little warning was in order. Getting hit after preparing for the blow always hurt less.
"Mr. President."
"Yes, please go ahead."
"If China ever comes asking about Wei Chen's whereabouts, just say you don't know."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that…?"
"Just say you don't know. Don't stress yourself out over nothing."
"…"
"Understood?"
"S-su… surely not…"
The Association President's face went paper-white. Was the thing he was suddenly imagining actually true? Wei Chen had left in a rush, claiming he had somewhere urgent to be—could it really be…?
"I'm leaving."
"D-Do—no, Mr. A!"
Do-ha vanished from the spot. The Association President stretched out a desperate hand after him. What kind of bolt from the blue was this? Had he really fought Wei Chen? Had he actually killed him?!
The Association President's expression remained tangled and complicated for a long time.
Tap.
Tap-tap.
Hmm, which one would be good…
Inside his room, Do-ha frowned at the laptop screen. With the Paju purge finished, it was time to put up buildings. That meant finding a construction company, yet he had no idea which one to choose. He was a complete outsider to the field; he didn't even know what criteria mattered.
Then—
Knock, knock.
"Yes, Grandfather."
At the sound of the knock Do-ha sprang up and opened the door.
"Busy?"
"No. Just resting."
"Then can we talk for a moment?"
"?"
Do-ha tilted his head at his grandfather's words. Why did Baek Chul look so full of worry?
Creak.
"Is something wrong?"
Seated at the table, Do-ha looked at Baek Chul. Whatever it was, if his grandfather needed help, he would give it without hesitation.
"It's nothing big… but is this you?"
Swoosh.
Baek Chul held out his phone. An article filled the screen.
"It said 'Interview with Korea's First SSS-Rank Hunter,' so I took a look… is this you?"
It was the interview Do-ha had given not long ago. They had recorded it on a phone at the time, and now his grandfather had found the article.
I thought Grandfather never paid much attention to Awakened news, so he'd never notice…
He had been found out earlier than expected. Do-ha had misjudged. From the day his grandson announced he was becoming a Hunter, Baek Chul had been quietly searching every accident report, terrified he might one day see Do-ha's name among the dead. That was how the related article had appeared.
"Yes. That's me, Grandfather."
Realizing further concealment was useless, Do-ha met Baek Chul's eyes and spoke honestly.
"I had my Hunter rank re-evaluated a little while ago and came out SSS-Rank."
"…So it really was true."
Baek Chul stared at his grandson's face in the article, expression troubled. Mask or no mask, how could he fail to recognize his own grandson? He had hoped it wasn't so, yet Do-ha truly was a Cheon-oe-cheon.
"Aren't you happy? Your grandson is Cheon-oe-cheon."
Seeing his grandfather's face, Do-ha looked puzzled. Why so much worry over something like that?
"How could I be happy?"
Being Cheon-oe-cheon meant entering more dangerous Gates. It meant fighting monsters that could wipe out cities, not low-rank trash. How was that something to celebrate? Other people might praise the title, but to Baek Chul it was nothing but an empty name that put his grandson in harm's way.
"Don't worry. I don't get hurt and I don't die. You saw the article—Paju's purge finished without a scratch."
"…No wonder. You suddenly started bringing my things back."
"I'll stay just as unharmed from now on, so stop fretting. Just cheer me on."
"You little brat. Of course I'll cheer you on! My grandson is Cheon-oe-cheon—how could I not?"
"That's all I need."
Swoosh.
Baek Chul tightly clasped Do-ha's hand.
"Please don't get hurt. And if it gets too dangerous, you have to know how to run."
The world called Do-ha a national-level strategic asset, but to Baek Chul he was still a child. Like a child left by the water's edge, he was a constant source of worry and unease.
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
Do-ha held his grandfather's hand in return and smiled.
"Good."
Swoosh.
Scrape.
Baek Chul nodded with a smile and rose from the table.
"Are you going out?"
His grandfather was dressed rather neatly.
It's not the day for Grandmother's columbarium…
Besides, if that were the destination he would never leave Do-ha behind.
"Going to meet a benefactor."
"A benefactor?"
"When we fled Paju, there was an older brother who shoved fifty million won into my hands and told me to find a place to live right away. I'm going to see him. This old man still hasn't paid that money back."
At those words Do-ha's expression turned serious. He was the sort who always repaid both kindness and grudges.
Someone who treated Grandfather that well exists…
This had to be repaid no matter what. Even if his grandfather settled the debt, Do-ha would settle it again. Without that man, Baek Chul would have wandered homeless.
"The money you risked your life to earn… is it all right if this old man spends a little of it?"
"Come on, what kind of talk is that? Of course it is."
"Thank you. At last I can pay it back. For ten years he never once asked for it, but it always weighed on me… Stay home, then. I'll be back soon."
Baek Chul nodded with a smile. Then something in the corner caught his eye.
"Whatever Canteas did wrong, forgive him already."
Tremble.
In the corner of the room, Canteas—head buried against the wall—shook. They had lived together for months now; Baek Chul knew perfectly well that Canteas was a skeleton. The first shock had long since faded. These days it simply felt like he had gained another grandson.
"This bastard keeps stealing, so he needs a good scolding."
"It wasn't… stealing…"
"Quiet."
"Canteas, I bought the drinks you like and put them in the fridge. Go have some."
Whoosh!
"Oh, thank you! Grandfather… it was so hard…"
Seizing the chance, Canteas shot to his feet with a pitiful face and bolted for the refrigerator.
"That damn bag of bones…"
He only ever played the weakling when Grandfather was around. The same guy who normally bragged about being older suddenly turned into a freeloader the moment it was convenient.
"Don't fight while I'm gone."
"Yes. Have a safe trip."
"Come back early. I'm going to die…"
Creak.
Thud.
Whoosh!
"Aagh! It wasn't stealing—I got it from hunting on my own!"
The instant Do-ha stood, Canteas screamed in terror of a beating. But Do-ha was simply gathering his clothes.
"We're going out."
"Where to?"
"We're following Grandfather."
"Ah, to meet that benefactor? Makes sense. He's your benefactor too, then."
Knowing Do-ha's personality, Canteas had expected him to move immediately. Even back in Belhart, Do-ha had been famous for always repaying kindness—and for repaying grudges many times over.