Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: A Warm Family Evening
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Watching their daily routines, a day slipped by on Seodal Mountain.
Deep darkness settled over Seodal Mountain.
"Did they run away?"
In the end, the one connected to the signal never showed up.
It seemed the ones who had fled had warned their backer.
"It's a shame, but what can we do?"
The right moment to move would have been once all misunderstandings were cleared.
That way, they could chase down the fugitives and uncover the truth.
Yet even for Yong-un, it wasn't always possible to find the perfect answer.
Choosing to wait had ended up giving those guys a chance to hide.
"Or maybe they figured you were all dead."
At Yong-un's words, the Hogun crew wore dark expressions.
"I'm sorry."
Hogun bit his lip and apologized.
But Yong-un responded to Hogun's apology with a smile.
"It's fine. Thanks to you, the misunderstandings are cleared, and I even gained the Poison Witch. That's more than enough."
Hogun bowed his head deeply at Yong-un's words.
"If they show up, I'll contact you through Jeongwon."
"Keep your temper in check. Stirring up those guys would only cause trouble."
"Not sure if I can manage it right now, but I'll try."
It was just like the guys who held the righteous energy.
True to their nature of not tolerating injustice, Hogun ground his teeth and clenched his fist tight.
But seeing the Poison Witch sitting cross-legged, calming her toxic energy, Hogun's fist relaxed, and the tension drained from his body.
Reading the emotions in Hogun's eyes, Yong-un tossed out casually,
"You won't feel sorry anymore. She's already beyond your hands now."
"Heh."
Hogun let out a wry chuckle at Yong-un's words.
"If anything, I want to thank you. If she'd stayed with an inadequate master like me, she'd have kept living in danger."
Yong-un and Hogun's gazes fixed on the Poison Witch.
Dark blue toxic energy swirled around her body.
Unlike the poison that had corroded everything nearby and dragged it toward death, the energy rippling around her now didn't lead anything to ruin.
Even Hogun's efforts hadn't stopped the poison seeped into her bloodline from killing her bit by bit.
But now, under the moonlight as she circulated her energy, the Poison Witch looked different.
Flowing perfectly through her meridians like pure inner energy in a complete minor circulation, she hardly seemed like a poison human anymore.
The comfort of the toxic energy was no different from that of any ordinary martial artist in meditation.
"Thank you."
The walls she'd built to escape death were crumbling under Yong-un's guidance.
Tears welled in Hogun's eyes as he watched the Poison Witch push toward higher realms without fear of death.
"Truly, thank you."
It was the moment his cherished disciple Byong-ho's wish came true.
Yong-un placed a gentle hand on Hogun's shoulder with a soft smile.
"Sorry, but I'm not satisfied with just gaining the Poison Witch."
Hogun looked at Yong-un with puzzled eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven't you hit a wall yourself?"
"......"
"You and that kid called Jeongwon. How about they both become mine?"
Hogun's eyes widened.
Yong-un met his gaze and continued.
"Among the people I knew, there were those who wielded righteous energy like you. And they always stood at the pinnacle. What do you say? Become mine. That wall keeping you from higher realms... I'll break it for you."
Hogun stared at Yong-un in shock, his eyes still wide.
= = =
A seismic shift in South Korea's hunter world.
Just as Minister Baek Myung-hee had predicted, Yong-un's actions were nothing short of revolutionary.
Myung-su, whom Yong-un had sent as his disciple, was clearing gates alongside a new hunter named Cheon-il under the peculiar name "Soul-Reaping Annihilation."
And that was just the beginning.
Sword Tiger, revealed as another of Yong-un's disciples, cleared countless gates not under Garosu Guild but as the "Demon Dragon Squad."
Unwoo Guild, too, was racking up clears far beyond what you'd expect from the lowest regular guild, steadily increasing their numbers.
It was growth sparked by a single hunter named Yong-un.
A gift from the heavens in the form of Yong-un.
It brought a smile to Minister Baek Myung-hee's lips with each passing day.
"How many have they cleared?"
At the minister's question, the Gate Statistics Agency officer kept his surprised expression as he replied.
"Five under Soul-Reaping Annihilation, seven under Demon Dragon Squad, and eleven under Unwoo Guild."
"That can't just be for today, right?"
"It's just for today."
Soul-Reaping Annihilation's clears had jumped from about two per day to five.
The Demon Dragon Squad's were just a bit more than what Sword Tiger handled alone, but Unwoo Guild was a different story.
Unwoo had barely managed two or three clears a day at most.
Now, they were settling in as a mid-tier guild surpassing eleven.
"Unwoo Guild hitting eleven in a day... They'll show something different in the guild competition this time."
"Their member count is growing by the day. Must be thanks to Hunter Yong-un..."
The officer assumed Yong-un was directly involved, but Minister Baek shook her head at the remark.
"Look closely. Yong-un's name won't be on any of Unwoo Guild's clears."
The officer rifled through the stack of documents and froze.
"It's... true."
Not a single one of the eleven gate clear lists had Yong-un's name.
How could a guild grow like this in just one day?
Even with a hunter like Yong-un's buffs, this was absurd.
"Growing a guild like that can't be easy..."
The officer blurted out his thoughts in astonishment.
But Minister Baek tossed it off casually, as if she'd known all along.
"Think it's random which guild Yong-un picked? There must be something special about it."
"All I can say is it's impressive."
Mid-conversation, Minister Baek gazed at the darkening sky outside the window and murmured softly.
"I thought he'd turn South Korea's hunter world upside down, but this fast..."
A grin spread across her face.
"The scariest part is that this is just the beginning."
Minister Baek could guess that Yong-un's faction-building was only getting started.
Her smile faded as she turned to the officer with a serious expression.
"Then it's time for our work. Call Inspector General Lee Jong-min from the Inspection Department."
"Yes, understood. What about the lab director?"
"Call him too."
"Got it..."
The officer left after speaking with the minister.
= = =
Yong-un finished his day's work and only made it home around early evening.
With only his mother Mi-hwa at home, he had no choice but to ask where his father Jung-hwan and sister Sena had gone.
Mi-hwa's sigh-laden response followed.
"Sena used up all her vacation days, so she went back to work. The problem is your father."
A problem with Dad?
Yong-un's expression hardened as he asked,
"What's going on?"
He asked ready to smash whatever fool had caused it.
But the reply turned his killing intent into a smile.
"It's barely been any time since he recovered, and he's already found work. He left early this morning and still hasn't come back. Who knows if he'll even eat dinner. I can't take it. You Lee bastards."
"Hahaha!"
Yong-un burst into laughter at his mother's words.
"You think it's funny!? He thinks he's top-rank hunter material now, parading around like that!"
"Sorry, my bad."
"Whatever! He's almost here. Go drag him back or whatever."
"Got it, hahaha!"
He couldn't help laughing.
How long had he waited?
Since childhood, he'd counted the days for this normal family life from his memories.
That day arriving sooner than expected, Yong-un smiled and dashed outside.
"Told him not to worry about money, but he's a father through and through."
There was even a saying in the martial world.
Telling someone who'd worked their whole life to stop because of age was like telling them to die.
It was like telling a martial artist who'd pursued sword and martial arts their entire life to quit training.
He sensed his father Jung-hwan's presence from afar.
Seeing Jung-hwan approach, arms full of something with obvious joy, Yong-un smiled.
"Oh! Look who it is!"
"Let me take that."
Spotting Yong-un, Jung-hwan flashed a bright smile and pulled him into a tight hug.
Yong-un snatched the bags from Jung-hwan's hands and supported him.
"Did you have some liquor?"
"You wouldn't know how long it's been since I could drink. Felt good to get back to work, so I had one."
"Do whatever you want now. I've got you covered."
Top-rank hunter and South Korea's hero Yong-un.
How proud must Jung-hwan be to have such a son?
"Hahaha, my boy~"
Jung-hwan hugged Yong-un tight, slyly wiping away tears.
"Do you know how much I missed you?"
Yong-un's smile turned bittersweet.
Jung-hwan pushed him back, wiped his eyes, and said,
"Enough! You're here now. You know how much I bragged about you? They didn't believe me, kept asking for pics—I scared 'em straight."
Nothing beat a father bragging about his son.
The genuine happiness in that bright smile warmed Yong-un's heart.
"As long as you're happy, that's what matters. Mom's waiting."
Phone out showing off photos, Jung-hwan startled and glanced at the house.
"Mom's?"
"Yeah, she said she's not letting you off easy. All you Lee bastards."
"Let's hurry in. Oh, Sena's coming soon too. Go pick her up—the roads are dark. Got it, son? I'll go take the heat first."
"Hahaha, sure."
The word "mom" wiped the smile from Jung-hwan's face as he steeled himself.
He waved Yong-un off, straightened his clothes, and opened the door with a resolute expression.
"Honey, I'm home."
"What time is it!?"
"Eek!"
The door shut, blending Mom's sharp voice with Dad's deflated tone inside.
Their banter brought an unstoppable smile to Yong-un's face as he looked up at the night sky.
"This is bliss."
It was happy and joyful.
An ordinary day for others, but for Yong-un, how long he'd waited for this.
Unwoo Guild and his A-rank hunter license.
World rankings and top-rank battles.
From the Night Slaughter Society to the Reaper Guild.
The Poison Witch and whoever poisoned her under false pretenses.
Since returning to reality, things had moved too fast, he realized.
"Even forgetting Sis was back at work."
Only after talking with his father did Yong-un realize he'd overlooked something crucial.
The most important thing was family.
"Hey! Yong-un, right?"
Sena appeared in the distance, walking in a suit.
Struck by her unfamiliar look, Yong-un realized his neglect toward his family under the excuse of protecting them, and smiled.
"Yeah."
"Waiting for me? Whoa, you've grown!"
"You bragged about me too?"
Sena burst out laughing at Yong-un's words.
"Maybe a little, but I'm not one to blab."
She crossed her arms and turned away haughtily, prompting a gentle smile from Yong-un.
Then she charged, leaping with a mighty hug around his neck.
"Gotcha."
Even Yong-un's sturdy neck bent under his ordinary sister's strength.
His head trapped between her arm and side, Yong-un yelped.
"What're you doing!?"
"Pfft, top-rank hunter my ass. Sis is stronger."
"What?"
"C'mon! Mom's waiting."
Led by Sena's hand, Yong-un smiled as they entered the house.
"Hurry up! Dinner's getting cold!"
Mom's booming voice—from years of raising kids—rang out to Sena and Yong-un.
"Yes!"
"Coming!"
The lively family dinner began.
Thus, the day that had given Yong-un a moment of respite amid his hectic reality drew to a close.
Of course, excluding Myung-un, who was crashing at the office per Yong-un's orders for the guild competition.