A Visitor at the Base Camp
The conference room was quiet.
Maybe it was because everyone had just come back from lunch.
Most of them looked half-asleep, weighed down by that drowsy post-meal haze.
Even the S-rank hunters were no exception.
Aladin Miller, Li Lianzhe, Maxim Danilovich Smirnov.
Their eyes were half-lidded too, as if they were all drifting on the edge of sleep.
In a weird way, I felt an odd sense of kinship with them.
“……”
Apparently I wasn’t the only one looking around the room and taking stock of everyone else.
It was Kim Tae-seok from the Hwayeomsan Dungeon investigation team.
As the leader of the Korean investigation team, he’d been chosen to run this meeting.
Unfortunately, it was obvious he didn’t have much experience attending gatherings this big, because he looked tense enough to snap.
And even though he was the one supposed to be running things, he looked completely unable to actually start the meeting.
He kept swallowing hard, and he looked exactly like a man wondering whether he was really allowed to wake the dozing S-rank hunters.
If only there’d been a senior officer here to back him up, he might have found his footing, but…
That man was currently laying a barrier over the Seoul World Cup Stadium so random spectators and paparazzi wouldn’t be able to waltz in.
The one person who might have been useful, Jo Joo-hyun, had gone after that senior as well.
“Ah, right….”
All at once, Miller leaned toward the microphone in front of her.
Everyone in the room turned to look at her.
“I forgot to mention this earlier, but Gwicin won’t be able to attend today’s meeting due to personal circumstances.”
“Per—!”
Kim Tae-seok tried to reply, but the word came out mangled.
He immediately bowed his head and apologized several times before asking his question again.
Poor guy. He really was having a rough time of it.
“If it’s personal circumstances… um, may I ask what happened?”
“Oh. When I went to see him because he hadn’t come out this morning, I found that he’d started meditating.”
“Meditating…?”
My head tilted on its own.
Was that really a thing? Missing an official meeting because of meditation?
And I wasn’t the only one wondering.
Even Li Lianzhe, the oldest person in the room, showed visible discomfort.
He made a strange sound—something between a chuckle and a click of the tongue.
Miller gave him a slight bow of her head.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Li. But… I couldn’t interrupt his meditation.”
“Couldn’t interrupt it?”
“No. I’ve seen him like that before. It wasn’t ordinary meditation.”
“I do not understand.”
Li Lianzhe’s long white eyebrows twitched.
It was his way of showing he didn’t like what he was hearing.
And right on cue—
The World Tree’s sapling warns the Manager.
Saessak sounded another warning, just like it had yesterday.
There was one small difference, though.
It wasn’t telling me to leave my seat.
It knew I wasn’t going to get up even if it warned me.
Our little Saessak really did know me so well.
My, my, so smart.
“I’ll explain.”
Sensing the mood had gone south, Miller nodded.
Her expression suggested she understood why Li Lianzhe was upset.
“Gwicin often appears different after he finishes meditating.”
“……!”
Li Lianzhe’s eyebrows trembled.
His face barely changed, but the surprise and shock rolling off him were unmistakable.
So the old man had understood Miller’s words…
Too bad I didn’t understand a damn thing.
Appears different after meditation.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
There were others who didn’t understand either, and for their sake Miller went on.
“To put it simply, when he finishes meditating, it means Gwicin will ‘have become stronger.’”
“Wha… no?”
Kim Tae-seok stared at her, dumbfounded.
He wasn’t the only one.
Li Lianzhe’s disciple, Liu Yiho, also went wide-eyed.
The look on his face said plainly enough that he wanted to ask whether it made any sense to get stronger just by meditating.
I was surprised too.
Just not for the same reason.
Getting stronger through meditation wasn’t new or shocking to me at all.
Someone I knew could, absurdly enough, get stronger just by tapping at a smartphone screen.
Not only that, but he could also grow stronger by burying trash in the ground.
“That’s why I couldn’t possibly interrupt his meditation. Sorry.”
What shocked me was the fact that Gwicin was going to become stronger than he already was.
Even now, he was known as the “strongest man alive.”
The world believed he was stronger than Li Lianzhe, Smirnov, and Miller—the other S-rank hunters in the room.
And yet…
The man already held that kind of reputation, and according to Miller, he was going to arrive even stronger.
“……”
Silence fell.
Li Lianzhe squeezed his eyes shut.
Even Smirnov, who’d worn the same blank expression from the start, let out a sigh and shook his head.
I figured they were probably thinking the same thing I was.
Maybe that was why the conference room no longer had the right atmosphere for a meeting.
Kim Tae-seok looked frantic, like he had no idea what to do.
Hmm. Maybe I should help a little.
I glanced at Tae-cheon, who was sitting beside me with his eyes half-closed.
If I nudged him, he’d probably do exactly what I wanted without complaint.
“Hoo… aaahhh.”
I yawned on purpose, loudly.
Yawns were contagious.
Tae-cheon yawned too.
Just as I’d expected.
He’d been dozing off, so of course he’d react the moment I did it.
“Haaaaaahm…!”
It was a yawn so huge it looked like his jaw might split.
Thanks to that, everyone’s eyes turned toward us.
Feeling the attention on me, I yawned again.
Seeing how I wasn’t even trying to hide it, everyone looked flustered.
Only Li Lianzhe stared at us like he’d just seen something interesting.
Please stop looking. Seriously.
“Hooam….”
I’d done it on purpose, but my eyes watered a little anyway.
Wiping away the dampness at the corners of my eyes, I said, “Oops. Sorry. The atmosphere was so dull I almost nodded off.”
“What the…. Isn’t the meeting over yet…?”
“Over? We haven’t even started.”
“Damn…. Wake me up when it’s done….”
With that, Tae-cheon shifted in his seat.
He had stopped half-dozing and decided to commit properly to sleep instead.
How did he keep doing exactly what I wanted without me even saying anything?
It was just like going back to high school.
Do-hee, who had caught on to my intention, said to Tae-seok, “Let’s begin the meeting.”
“Huh? O-oh! R-right, then—let’s begin the meeting!”
Kim Tae-seok immediately bellowed the words as loudly as he could.
And just like that, the meeting in the conference room began, centered on the Hwayeomsan Dungeon investigation.
I’m definitely going to collect a reward for this. Yaaawn.
…Ah.
I should probably just go to sleep too.
I sent Yu Jae-i a text.
It was the result of the meeting earlier that day.
The four nations had agreed to conduct the investigation at the same time.
Korea would search the east, the United States the west, China the south, and Russia the north.
I checked her reply and then switched the screen.
Saessak, now in its sapling state, and the elves came to mind.
On the screen, the elves were eating whole roasted pig.
Looked delicious.
Maybe I should sneak over and eat with them….
“Um….”
Kim Tae-seok approached us.
He wasn’t here for me, though, but for Tae-cheon on my right.
His gaze settled on Tae-cheon.
“What is it?”
“We just received contact from Russia.”
“Russia? Don’t tell me….”
“Yes. Smirnov says he’s coming here.”
“Ah, shit….”
Tae-cheon’s face twisted.
What was wrong with him?
The World Tree’s sapling is flustered by the profanity.
Ah…
Cover your ears, Saessak.
The sapling says it doesn’t have ears.
Right, that was true.
“…What. Did something happen yesterday?”
“Hah. I wish something had.”
What was that supposed to mean?
I looked over at Do-hee, sitting on my left.
She shrugged as if she didn’t know either.
Tae-cheon let his shoulders slump.
“Nothing happened. Nothing at all. That bastard just sat there like he’d swallowed honey.”
“What, even at the banquet?”
“Yeah. I’m serious.”
“Well, damn…?”
Tae-cheon said that during the ride over in the car, Smirnov had only stared at him.
At the banquet he’d figured it would be different, so he’d made room for him…
But if they weren’t even going to talk, then what was the point of moving aside?
And yet, thanks to that, he had at least gotten to meet Gwicin, who’d been resting.
“Do-hee was chatting happily with Miller, but that bastard just kept staring at me eating. Kept it up the whole time! Man, it gave me the creeps.”
“Wow. Yeah, I can see that.”
If someone sat right next to me and just stared without saying a word, I’d get the creeps too.
If he hadn’t even spoken to him, then why did he keep coming around?
Was he some zoo animal or something? Was staring the point?
“Can I say I’m not here?”
“Hah, ha….”
Kim Tae-seok only gave an awkward laugh.
That was his roundabout way of saying no.
“As if. It’s Smirnov. Go meet him.”
“Damn it.”
Tae-cheon looked at Do-hee.
It was a pleading look, but…
Do-hee’s voice was firm.
“Go meet him.”
“This is bullshit….”
“I don’t think he’ll just sit there staring at you today.”
Kim Tae-seok offered his own guess.
“Why’s that?”
“The person who relayed the message was a Russian interpreter.”
“An interpreter?”
“Yes. He said one would be coming with him.”
“Oh.”
A murmur of appreciation slipped from Tae-cheon’s mouth.
Like Kim Tae-seok had said, it seemed he wouldn’t just be sitting there staring this time.
Had he only done that at yesterday’s banquet because Do-hee and Miller were sitting beside him?
He could’ve just suggested moving to another seat…
The man really was a little dense.
“Fine. Let’s see what he wants.”
“Go and talk nicely.”
“Yeah.”
“And don’t ruin the mood with some weird line.”
“What are you talking about? Do you think I’m you? I’m great at reading the room.”
“……”
Well. I had no rebuttal for that.
To be fair, Tae-cheon really was better at reading the room than I was.
Which was already a problem, considering the comparison was me.
The sapling agrees with the Manager’s statement.
No, that’s not something you should agree with.
“I’ll be back.”
“Go on.”
“See you later.”
I saw Tae-cheon off, then rested my head against Do-hee’s shoulder.
Kim Tae-seok returned to his place as well.
“…Brother.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve got a call.”
“A call? Ah.”
The smartphone in my hand wasn’t vibrating.
Only the caller’s name was displayed on the black screen.
I’d forgotten to switch it to silent mode while we were meeting.
Putting it on vibrate, I answered.
“Hello?”
- Hello? Baek Do-woon. Can you come out now? We’ve arrived at the front gate.
“Arrived…? Huh? You came in person?”
- I thought the delivery fee was a waste.
“……”
Delivery fee…
Well, to be fair, this place and Jae-i’s Blacksmith weren’t that far apart.
Kim Tae-seok had managed the round trip on foot in no time at all.
And he’d done it in a suit, too.
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
- Okay.
I ended the call and stood up.
Do-hee got up as well.
“…Why are you standing?”
“What about you, Brother?”
“I’m heading to the front gate for a second. Someone I know is there.”
“Oh my.”
Oh my?
Oh my my?
What was with that painfully forced dramatic tone?
“If it’s an acquaintance, introduce me.”
Warning! Warning!
I had the strange feeling that Saessak had just sent me that message.
I glanced sideways, but there wasn’t any new message in sight.
It was just my instincts screaming at me.
“Brother?”
“……”
What exactly was this?
This ominous feeling, like a snake was winding itself around my body.
The moment I said, “Sure, let’s go together,” something terrible felt like it would happen.
“It’s just a blacksmith I know.”
“A blacksmith you know….”
Why was her voice getting lower?
It wasn’t strange for a hunter to meet a blacksmith.
“I’m not planning anything weird.”
“Huh? Oh my. I never thought that.”
“……”
Wow.
Look at her.
Not even bothering to wet her lips before lying.
Two years ago, whenever she lied, it showed all over her face.
She’d go red in the ears and stammer.
Where did that two-years-ago Do-hee go?
I miss her.
“It’s the shield delivery. The shield.”
“Ah.”
“You remember, right? Tae-cheon’s shield.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“That’s all it is. I’ll be back soon.”
“Still….”
“Do-hee.”
At some point, Kim Tae-seok came over.
Oh?
Could it be…
Do-hee’s expression turned icy in an instant.
“Don’t say it.”
“…Sorry.”
“I said don’t.”
“Miller… will be here soon.”
“Haah….”
Do-hee let out a deep sigh.
So much for chatting happily together…
From the look on her face, Tae-cheon had clearly mistaken things.
Apparently Do-hee treated Miller like a subordinate who had been seized by a superior and couldn’t get away.
Well, that worked out well for me.
She wouldn’t be following me out.
“Just say I’m not here—”
“Nope. Didn’t you tell Tae-cheon to go meet Smirnov? Who was that again?”
“Haah….”
Do-hee sighed and sat back down.
Perfect. Now was my chance.
“I’m heading out!”
“……”
I cheerfully said my goodbyes and slipped out of the base camp barracks.
Do-hee kept staring at me, but a guest was about to arrive for her too, so there was nothing she could do about it.
Thank you, Miller!
The moment I stepped out of the base camp, mentally offering my gratitude, my phone buzzed in my hand.
It was a text from Yu Jae-i.
Huh? Something annoying came up?