The Absolute Being's Lover
Flash! Flash!
"Hey, don't push!"
"Mr. A! Just one look this way, please!"
"C-could we get a quick interview?!"
At the scene of the massive dragon corpse, throngs of reporters swarmed in, cameras firing nonstop at Do-ha.
Just moments earlier, every reporter gathered nearby—no, not only the reporters, but the civilians and hunters as well—had witnessed Do-ha's feat with their own eyes.
They had watched him snatch a bolt of lightning falling from the sky with his bare hand and drive it straight through the dragon's skull.
The sheer, overwhelming spectacle left every onlooker standing with their mouths hanging open, unable to shake free of the shock for several full minutes.
And because the footage had been streaming live, Do-ha's image spread across the entire world in an instant.
Countless people poured out opinions in the comments, debating fiercely.
Yet unlike the ordinary civilians, every awakener shared the exact same conclusion.
A is far stronger.
Those who actually fought on the front lines—unlike powerless civilians—were unanimous. They judged A to be overwhelmingly powerful.
Hmph. Of course he is, you idiots.
Canteas snorted as he watched the reactions roll in.
No matter how much of an SSS-rank awakener someone might be, they could never stand on equal footing with the Absolute Being, Baek Do-ha. Comparing him to anyone after he had fought the Demon God itself was pure absurdity.
Now that I think about it, Do-ha only registered as SSS-rank because of the measuring device's limits.
Canteas finally realized the truth and nodded to himself. He had found it strange back when Do-ha first received an SSS ranking. Looking at him, it had never made sense that he belonged in the same tier as the other Cheonwaecheon.
In his prime, Baek Do-ha had been a walking catastrophe. Mountains crumbled, the sky split, the earth tore open. Even now—still far weaker than his peak—he had casually taken down an entire dragon.
"What are you thinking about that has you looking so worked up all by yourself?"
Selenia tilted her head at Canteas beside her. Why did he keep snorting and grumbling alone?
"Because people keep spouting nonsense."
"Pfft!"
When Canteas jabbed a finger at the comments and launched into criticism, Selenia burst out laughing. Anyone watching would have thought he was a fanatical devotee of Do-ha. The two of them bickered and fought every day they spent together, yet the moment something like this happened he always took Do-ha's side.
"At this rate you look like a bigger Do-ha fan than anyone…"
"Ah, what garbage are you talking about!"
"Is this what they call the denial stage of becoming a fan?"
"For fuck's sake…"
Selenia teased him mercilessly.
"It's not that! I just hate that the Baek Do-ha who beat me is being treated as equal to mere Cheonwaecheon!"
"Ahh~ so you hate it when your favorite celebrity gets disrespected!"
"Ah, get lost. I'm not talking to you."
In the end Canteas sulked and turned his back on her.
While the two of them were goofing around, Do-ha stood with the Argentine government and the Argentine Hunter Association.
"We truly thank you, A."
"I didn't fight alone. The other hunters fought alongside me. Especially the Argentine hunters—they worked incredibly hard."
The moment Do-ha's words went out live, the internet erupted all over again. Other Cheonwaecheon tended to fight half-heartedly and then crow about how nothing would have been possible without them. In contrast, A was sharing every bit of the credit.
"'Model of a hero,' my ass… Ahh, people need to learn Do-ha's true nature already!"
"This is how obsessive fans show their twisted devotion…"
"Ah, for real, it's not like that!"
Kang Ji-hwan and Han Se-ah approached Selenia and Canteas. They had been looking for the pair, only to spot them bickering from a distance with perfect clarity.
"You two worked hard. Are either of you hurt?"
Selenia looked at them and offered a gentle smile.
"We're fine. Are you all right? You fought a dragon…"
"We only handled the monsters. Do-ha took care of the dragon by himself."
"…"
"…"
At Selenia's words the two of them once again felt the wall between them. Taking down a dragon alone…
With a soft rustle, Argentine President Rodrigo Gardel held out a small bag to Do-ha.
"This is a modest reward from us. For now we can only offer this much; we will compensate you far more generously later."
It was a spatial bag, and inside it lay an enormous sum of money.
"Ah… please use this for the Argentine citizens. There are so many collapsed buildings."
Do-ha accepted the bag and immediately held it out to Marco, chairman of the Argentine Hunter Association.
"W-wait, no. The buildings are perfectly fine thanks to the shields you put up, Mr. A."
Marco looked thoroughly flustered. Was this because the dragon had fallen into the city? But before the dragon ever hit the ground, A had already protected the buildings with magic. There was no need for him to hand over money.
"Monsters came out as well, not just the dragon. Use it for that. In exchange, I'll take the dragon."
"Of course the dragon is yours to take, but…"
In the end Marco accepted the money bag. He glanced at the president for guidance; Rodrigo Gardel simply nodded, so he took it.
"You two—I'll give you the dragon byproducts. That work for you?"
"Of course!"
"We'd much rather have those."
Kang Ji-hwan and Han Se-ah smiled and nodded. Receiving dragon byproducts was far more profitable than cash. In fact, dragon byproducts were money. Selling the scales alone would bring in tens of billions.
"Selenia."
"Yes."
At Do-ha's call she stepped closer.
"Later, recover all the monster corpses we took care of as well."
"Haha, we already knew you'd say that and packed them all up."
Marco smiled and held out another spatial bag. After they had hunted a dragon for them, there was no way he would make them collect the monster corpses themselves.
"Thank you."
Selenia accepted the bag with a smile.
"Ah, I'm Marco, by the way."
"I'm Selenia."
The association chairman offered a handshake in greeting. And as her image went out on the broadcast, the internet blazed even hotter.
It was only natural. Selenia was extraordinarily beautiful. Elves as a race already produced many handsome men and beautiful women, yet even among them Selenia stood out as uniquely radiant.
"I've seen articles of you with Mr. A from time to time, but this is the first time we've met in person."
"For someone like me—just an ordinary elf—to be remembered… I'm honored."
"Oh please, 'ordinary elf'? You're far too modest. But the gentleman over there and you, Miss Selenia, always seem to be with Mr. A… Have you perhaps founded a guild of some kind?"
Articles always featured photos of them together. Because of that, people had speculated that A might have established a new guild. Until now, A had been the only Cheonwaecheon without one.
"No, not a guild. Canteas over there is Mr. A's comrade, and I'm his lover."
"Kh—!"
Do-ha, who had been sipping coffee, sprayed the drink at her sudden bombshell. To drop something like that so abruptly…
And at her words the internet erupted so violently that sites momentarily went down.
So many comments flooded in that the sites truly teetered on the brink of crashing. Technology had advanced so far with the changing times that traffic overloads almost never happened anymore—yet right now the sites were one step away from going down the way they used to.
"Oh… so you two are lovers. I thought as much. You seemed close."
Marco laughed heartily and clapped. He had wondered if they might be a couple, but he already knew Selenia was a princess, so he had decided it was unlikely. Yet they truly were lovers.
"Congratulations, Mr. A."
"…Th-thank you."
A flustered Do-ha and a softly smiling Selenia. Kang Ji-hwan and Han Se-ah watching the scene with warm satisfaction. And in the corner, Canteas trembling with a mix of irritation and secondhand embarrassment.
Once the work was finished, they took the dragon corpse and returned to Korea.