《My Younger Brother is a Hero》 CH 1 Ji Seon-woo. the world''s strongest man called the hero of the century! The second-generation returnee! The first 10,000 people disappeared. Their disappearance was not greatly known, as there were so few numbers compared to the total population. However, after more than 100,000 people disappeared, the problem began to be visible. And by that time this problem was noticed, the portals opened. From these portals, that connected with the other world, mythical monsters poured out. At first, people were trying to defeat them with an army. However, the gun did not work against them with a biological shield. Even the strongest weapons were used more often to try defeat the monsters, but it was all useless. Even the nuke, which was considered a last resort, did not work. Many of humanity died disastrously, and those who appeared just on time were the second-generation returnees! They were an awakener. As soon as they returned, they used their awakened abilities to kill monsters. And the one who stood out the most among them was Ji Seon-woo! With a good heart and excellent skills, he was worthy of the name ¡®Hero¡¯. But there was a torment (severe physical or mental suffering, etc death) in him. ¡°Light the lights.¡± It was that he had lost his one and only brother before his disappearance. For Ji Seon-woo, who had been living without his parents, has only one family to support him. But now he is not here. The camera mirrored Ji Seon-woo holding a white chrysanthemum in front of the tomb. When a sad look came to his face, the people around him uttered a sigh without knowing it. He was such an attractive man. "Do you still miss your brother?" PD asked, and Ji Seon-woo answered in a sad voice. "Yes, I miss him." It was a heart-throbbing voice. ¡°What kind of person was your brother?¡± "He was sincere and kind.¡± On saying that, Ji Sun-woo smiled bitterly. "He was a good man.¡± "Yes. If he was alive, he would have been a better hero than me.¡± Everyone sighed sadly at the words. And at that time, some place in the demon realm (or the magic world). A man felt his ears were itchy and exclaimed: "Fuck, who''s swearing at me!¡± It was Ji Seon-woo''s only big brother, Ji Hyeon-woo, who is known to have died on Earth. He put his hand up and slammed the back of the monster, which was squatting right next to him. Cuckoo! With a loud sound, the scream of the monster in pain followed. "Khwaang!¡± He shook and rubbed his back, but the man, who hit him, did not even nod. ¡®I was just asking.¡¯ ¡°Is it you?¡± The monster, Balrog, shook his head, left and right desperately. Then this time, his hand turned to the other back. Kerberos, who was acting as a chair in a doze, screamed in a second ringtone. "Whack!¡± "Is it you?¡¯ "Woof woof!" Kerberos shook his head desperately. "If not, then¡­¡± Ji Hyeon-woo¡¯s gaze turned to the thin air, where there was nothing. "Is it you?" As soon as his words were finished, the air swayed a bit and a little fairy appeared. "Oh, I''m not. I¡¯m innocent.¡± "I¡¯m tired of being here alone. Is there anyone else here who can curse me besides you?" ¡°Why would I curse my one and only master?¡± ¡°Is that all you have to say to my face?¡± ¡°Please speak softly.¡± "What did I do to be sweared on?" "You''re like a greedy old lady, aren''t you?" The fairy murmured. "Who''s the old lady? Who?" Ji Hyeon-woo did not touch the fairy even though the grumbling fairy was infront of him. Because he knew what kind of a fairy it was. The person who dragged and killed many Earthlings in the Demon Realm (or the magic world) ... Ji Hyeon-woo wonder just how many people were killed. The fairy said in his own words that it was all for the sake of the planet, but it was difficult to agree when he thought about the faces of the people who died. "It was just a failure to adjust the difficulty. Thanks to the success in properly adjusting the difficulty section in the second and third time, many people returned alive. Now, they will save earth.¡± ¡°Then what about those who were taken away without knowing the English language and died and became manure for the demon realm?¡± ¡°I couldn''t help it. It was just unlucky. Isn''t that common?" "Yeah, that is unlucky." Ji Hyeon-woo snatched the fairy who was making noises in the air. In the meantime, he kept it alive because it was a life-related problem, but today somehow, he felt terribly angry. He felt like he didn¡¯t want to let go of the fairy. "Hahaha, sir?¡± The fairy, held tight in his grasp, looked perplexed. "Hey, you can''t do this!¡± "Okay!¡± Gradually, strength entered his grasp. The fairy struggled to get out, but it seemed like it would crumble in the palm of his hand at this rate. ¡°I have good news! that''s great news for you!¡± The fairy desperately squeezed her voice. However, Ji Hyeon-woo did not withdraw his strength from his hand. He can''t believe the fairy''s words at all. ¡°You can! Return, return!" The fairy hit my hand with a small fist and exclaimed hurriedly. Then, his hand lost some strength. Of course, Ji Hyeon-woo didn''t lose his strength enough to let the fairy escape. ¡°Return who?¡± ¡°We are able to return!¡± "Where?¡± "To earth. Earth!" "Really?¡± "I swear everything on my master''s name.¡± It was then that his hand completely lost strength. The fairy fell to the floor and rolled over, barely standing rightup with its body. He was surprised by the answer of the fairy. ¡°Can we really go back?¡± Ji Hyeon-woo quietly looked down at the floor. Long days of suffering and being dragged in the demon realm (or the magic world). During that time, there is only one thing that he has kept trying not to forget. One family. My dear brother. Ji Seon-woo. Among the relatives who lost their parents at a young age and were looking for fortune, there was only one place to lean on. A small, cute little brother, who always laughed saying that he likes his older brother the best. He had a hard life, being only looked after his younger brother. Although he was brought to this fucking place and suffered, he never forgot. How could he forget? ¡°Are you going back?¡± Ji Hyeon-woo looked at the fairy with red eyes. A lot of time has passed since he came to the underworld. Too much time had gone by. What happen to his younger brother by now? Is he still alive? He wasn¡¯t sure of anything, and yet he wanted to go back. ''I miss you.'' I missed him. Ji Hyeon-woo replied with that longing. "I''ll go back.¡± As soon as the words came out, the fairy laughed, tearing her mouth open. ¡°I thought you would say that!¡± A black dot appeared right in front of him, and it gradually increased in volume. It was a portal to another place. Is this really the way to Earth? Although JI Hyeon-woo was suspicious of the portal, he could not turn away from it. He thought maybe he could see his brother, so he couldn''t turn away. "Krug!¡± Seeing the portal, Balrog panicked and flitted. "Krug!¡± The owner (most likely the fairy) told Hyeon-woo to stay by his side no matter what he did and to let him know everything, but time was running out. Damn it! that Fairy! Balrog shouted inwardly and hastily called his master. It was Albert, the number one rank in the Demon Realm! In the meantime, you''ll be a great figure with Hyeon-woo from time to time. But it is already late. Hyeon-woo was stepping into the portal. No! (he¡¯s already going) Balrog grabbed Kerberos with a quick look and threw him behind Hyeon-woo. "Whack?" Why am I? Kerberos fell into the air and fell towards Hyeon-woo''s back. Then Hyun-woo reached out and grabbed Kerberos'' neck, and the portal that swallowed them both was closed. "Eh? Kerberos? That¡¯s unexpected.¡± The fairy puffed her cheeks and looks at Balrog. "Woof woof?¡± Balrog desperately pretended to look elsewhere, trying to avoid the fairy''s gaze. Hyeon-woo was handled the fairy like a fly, but it was a disaster for others. So it was natural for Balrog to do this. And then, the owner of Balrog arrived. 1st place in the demon world, Albert! He was a handsome man with long black hair hanging down to a height of 2 meters. His dark eyes looked around him. ¡°Where¡¯s Hyeon-woo?¡± ¡°He went back to where he was.¡± ¡°This is the only place he has. He has nowhere else to go.¡± "No. He must return to Earth. Don''t you know?¡± The fairy pulled out her glasses somewhere and handed over the documents that appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Although we borrowed the Demon Realm as a training ground for Earthlings, the first rental period has just ended. At first, I didn''t know what it was, and it took a long time. That¡¯s why Ji Hyeon-woo stayed in the demon realm longer than expected.¡± "...I know.¡± ¡°Why do you know that?¡± "I don''t like Hyun-woo going back.¡± "He has already gone back.¡± ¡°I''ll bring him back.¡± ¡°No. Have you forgotten the oath of Earthlings (kinda like a pledge to ensure that every earthling returns to earth, of course the ones who survives)?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over. What''s going to happen?" But it''s doesn¡¯t work that way! The fairy let out a deep sigh. Such a reckless author is the Demon King of the Demon Realm. However, one thing that cannot be ignored is that his fighting power is incredibly terrifying, and he is a bit nimble compared to what he looks like. So, he had to calm down. If the fairy doesn¡¯t want to be caught again like how it did by Hyun Woo. The fairy was determined and looked at Albert. Now is the time for persuasion! ¡°Ek¡± After Hyeon-woo went through a long black portal, his heart felt a little burning sensation. How long has it been since he felt this sensation? This feeling I never feel when I was working with Albert. Hyeon-woo looked up, wiping away the cold sweat. ¡°Where''s this place?¡± It was surrounded by metal walls everywhere, so he couldn''t tell where he was. Is this some sort of factory? Hyeon-woo staggered and walked out, stroking the wall. Where''s the door? As he was looking for the door, he felt a gaze from somewhere. ------ Demon realm in Korean also has the meaning ''Magic World''. CH 2 ''Where?'' When Hyeon woo turned his head to the place where he could feel the gaze, he saw CCTV. Someone was looking at him through the lens. He felt bad as he was preparing to destroy the walls. Unlike the Demon Realm, here on Earth you cannot do that. Hyeon woo sat down on the floor and waited for someone to come. ¡°kee-ing¡± A small warmth clung to Hyeon-woo''s leg. A black and fluffy little puppy. At first glance, it resembles Earth''s Pomeranian. ¡°What are you?¡± The big eyes are somehow familiar. It didn''t take long for the memory to come to his mind. ¡°Oh, Kero.¡± Kerberos, who was with him all the time in the Demon Realm. ¡°Keeing!¡± As Hyeon woo seemed to recognize it, Kerberos got excited and flapped his front foot. But why is he so small? Why are his other heads? ¡®You''ve gotten so small that now I can''t even hit it by mistake.¡¯ So, he hugged him. A small, warm body was gently clung to his body. It was a feeling he didn''t want to let go of. So, while holding Cerberus silently, the wall suddenly opened, and several people appeared. They were fully armed and holding guns, and approached Hyeon woo carefully, looking at him as if he was a dangerous being. The black hair and the skin at first glance were that of an Asian. Hearing their voices, this was not China or Japan. ¡®It¡¯s Korea.¡¯ Fortunately, the fairy did not make a mistake in sending Hyeon woo back. ¡°Don''t move!¡± People, he hasn¡¯t seen in a long time, were really rude. How long has it been since he saw these kinds of people? Unknowingly, his hand trembled (with the urge to hit them in their faces, is what that meant). ¡®Let¡¯s build a good relationship.¡¯ ¡°Hello, how are you?¡± A man calmly greeted Hyeon woo. ¡°My name is Choi Moo-hyuk from the Hunter Management Bureau.¡± Choi Moo-hyuk. A flowering(growing) S-class hunter that the Hunter Administration is proud of. Many of the conditions they proposed to attract S-class hunters were still being talked about here and there. A lot of wealth and power. However, they did not regret having brought Moo-hyuk here. Afterall, he was doing his job well. ¡°What is your name?¡± At Moo-hyuk''s question, Hyeon-woo threw his name out loud. ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo.¡± That was the first conversation he had with humans after he returned to Earth. ¡°It¡¯s cold here, so shall we go to another place and talk?¡± And then, Moo-hyuk held out his hand. He seemed to have no boundaries at all. Hyeon-woo stared at his hand, then stood up from his seat. (Without taking his hand) ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Moo-hyuk) Moo-hyuk took the lead with an awkward smile. The changed place was a lot better than the first, but there is no difference in terms of how closed it was. The room had no windows, only a large front glass. Behind the front glass, people were standing and looking at this place. Slowly, he started feeling worse. ¡®Should I try to escape?¡¯ They knew as to why they were doing this. Because he was the only first-generation returnee to return. They would be suspicious and were curious about him. But there was no reason for Hyeon woo to care for them. His hand touched the heavy desk in front of him. Seeing him, Kerberos stooped and stepped back. He knew what was going to happen, so he stepped back. And just as Hyeon woo was about to escape, Moo-hyuk pushed a glass in front of Hyeon woo. ¡°I don''t drink coffee. Give me something else.¡± (Hyeon-woo) Moo-hyuk asked with a dazed expression. ¡°You don''t like coffee. So, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Fruit juice.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Suddenly, a hand (like the crawly ones in the toy machine, maybe more advanced to take the coffee cup) that was under the desk came up. And after waiting a while, the closed door opened, and fruit juice came in. It was strawberry juice. Hyeon-woo''s heart throbbed violently. He hadn''t starved since he got stronger, but that was it. The food in the Demon Realm tasted all the same and it was only enough to fill his stomach. But strawberries! Strawberry juice. A trembling hand grabbed the glass of juice. And a sip. The sour-sweet taste wrapped around his tongue. Yes, this is delicious! Hyeon-woo was delighted as he drank strawberry juice sparingly. ¡°Do you like juice?¡± Hyeon-woo chose to immerse himself in strawberry juice instead of answering. ¡°Do you want more?¡± Moo-hyuk asked kindly. It was because his thin and small body aroused sympathy. Besides the fact that it was beautiful (why.../ he did he just call it beautiful?), his body was too thin to be strong. Hyeon-woo shucked his head violently. He doesn''t know how many juice glasses he emptied like that. He drank enough juice to fill himself up, and he felt very tired. (kinda like sleepy, when you eat a lot) ¡®Okay, I will take special care of this matter.¡¯ (Hyeon-woo) He changed his mind to deal with this in moderation rather than play escape. All because of the fantastic juice taste. ¡°Then I''ll ask you a few questions.¡± Moo-hyuk said and pushed the plates of cookies in front of him. After juice, it¡¯s sweets! (He is sweet like a young child, www~) His mouth was strong (to eat more stuff). Hyeon woo ate the cookies while tasting them slowly. It was for saving. The sweet thing he hadn''t tasted in a long time took away his thoughts from his mind. ¡°Your name is Ji Hyeon-woo?¡± Hyeon-woo nodded his head. ¡°Your Age is twenty-five years old?¡± Again, he nodded. Actually, he doesn¡¯t remember his age. It was because the flow of the Demon Realm was different from Earth and faster. ¡°Do you have a family?¡± He nodded. ¡®Yes, my little, young, and lovely little brother, Ji Seon-woo. Does the child resent his older brother who did not keep his promise?¡¯ He cried a bit. Just thinking about it made his heart ache. At the same time, he was scared. (As to seeing him again, for the broken promise) He feared that his one and only loving family would hate him, having him back. With the thought of his younger brother, He continued to struggle through the demon realm. It was also true that he broke the promise that he said he would keep and always be by his side. ¡°Do you think that family is alive?¡± The moment Moo-hyuk opens his mouth again, Bang! A loud sound was heard. The sound didn''t end with just one. thud! thud! thud! It echoed several times and came closer and closer to this place. Moo-hyuk put his hand on his forehead. He tried to prevent the news from leaking as much as possible, but that seemed to have failed. Wow. Moo-hyuk clutched his teeth together. ¡°Let¡¯s move to another place one more time¡±. ¡®Why do I feel something this way?¡¯ Hyeon-woo looked down at the water with such a meaning, and Moo-hyuk gently comforted him. It''s okay to drag him away by force, but he felt the urge to go out this badly. Moo-hyuk clicked his tongue. ¡°I will bring you anything you want to eat. How about banana juice?¡± Hyeon woo got up from his seat. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± (Moo-hyuk) Moo-hyuk hugged Hyeon-woo as soon as he stood up. ¡®To be held in a man''s arms!¡¯ Without realizing it, his fists clenched. If it hadn''t been for the fact that he was given something to eat and drink, he would have hit him sooner. Kerberos, who was looking at this, also hung on his owner''s leg. It had the appearance of a small dog, but the original body was of a terrifying beast. Hanging around the leg was easy. So, Moo-hyuk quickly left the room with Ji Hyeon-woo. Immediately, the wall of the enclosed space-interrogation room finally collapsed. And it was a tall man who revealed himself. Dressed in a neat suit, he was the most famous person in Korea. The Hero of the century. Ji Seon-woo. ¡°Fuck, why is nobody here?¡± (Look at him cursing, it might be the last time you will see this much cursing) It was him. Black eyes scanned the inside of the interrogation room with a cold gaze. There were traces of who had just been there. The information received was not wrong. ¡°What is this!¡± Seon-woo raised the corner of his lips as he watched the hunters, rushing to the room. ¡°Well, what are you doing standing there?¡± A large drop of water the size of a head that had emerged from the raised hand, began to spin frantically from his hand. Water that may be the weakest element in the world, but conversely, may be the strongest under certain conditions. Seon-woo was a hunter, who freely handled such water. As the water with the size of a head began to split into several parts, the hunter''s complexions gradually turned blue. Some of them started taking a step backwards without realizing it. But Seon-woo had no intention of letting them go easily. Because the more hostages he could get, the better it was. The foot of the people, who were about to retreat slowly began to stop. ¡°You''d be better off not moving. If you move it, it will break.¡± Don''t say such terrible words in a gentle voice! The Hunters of the Hunter Administration could not even move and trembled at their spot. What, is that person Ji Seon-woo? Ji Seon-woo is the hero of the country. Some of the hunters bowed their heads at the words of the person, who had just entered. There was a hunter who had a useless fantasy behind him to keep his fame. On the outside, many admired Ji Seon-woo as a hero, but the hunters who had been in contact with him knew what he was like. He''s actually a crazy bastard. The appearance on the show was nothing but camouflage of his personality. ¡°Well then, answer me. Where is he?¡± ¡°There, there.¡± The Hunter in the front opened his mouth. As soon as he noticed his face, water drops pierced his body relentlessly. ------ Ji Seon-woo is scary and nice to his brother. wwww *a little spoiler but it''s okay. i think. CH 3 "Uh, uhhh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an arm, isn''t it?¡± ¡®It''s just an arm.¡¯ Only one drop of water had passed through one of the hunter¡¯s arms, but he was rattling as if it would fall right away. He swallowed a scream and grabbed his arm. Terrible pain followed, but if he didn¡¯t grab onto his arm, it felt like his arm would fall off at any moment. ''This is boring.'' Seon-woo split the water droplets into smaller pieces and lowered the temperature. He didn''t even notice the condition of the other hunters around him right now. He just wanted to quickly meet the person who was in the interrogation room. For the outside world, it was reported that the portal had opened after the second generation of missing persons returned, but this was not true. The portal has existed since the first generation of missing people. The first portal was created when the first generation of missing persons disappeared. The portal did not spit out any monsters, but no one could go in. While the government was researching the first portal, the second generation of missing people appeared, returning through a new portal. After that, a large number of portals were created, but vomited monsters instead of people. Naturally occurring awakeners began to appear. Even after that point of time, the purpose of the first portal was still unknown. As soon as Seon-woo found out about the first portal, he planted a person in the Hunter Association. And they began to spy on the first portal that the government had been hiding. He was anxious that his missing brother would come back by chance. Or even a person who knew him might show up. Seon-woo waited 10 years like that. But today, new information arrived. A person had come out of that portal. As soon as he heard the news, Seon-woo headed to the Hunter Association without hesitation. Seon-woo was only eleven years old when his older brother passed away. Growing up without his parents, his older brother was his only family. But his older brother disappeared overnight. At first, he couldn''t believe it. He didn''t want to believe it. So, he went looking for his brother. Even when he went to an orphanage. Even when he was taken to the Demon realm. Even when he came back, and established a guild, he still continued. He kept going till he found him again He was desperate, and searched for him endlessly. And now, even after a long time, he still had hope. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to talk, don¡¯t.¡± He would kill them all and go find him. Without any hindrance. He did not consider any protests that would come later from the Hunter Association. The drops of water that had stayed on his hand split into dozens then hundreds and hovered over the air. It looked beautiful on the outside, but it would not be so in the end. ¡°I-I will tell you everything.¡± It was already too late. Seon-woo looked at them with a bored expression. He must find his brother quickly, but he wasted his precious time because of these bastards. So, he thought of shortening the time now. The tension grew, but at that moment, the opposite wall burst and Moo-hyuk arrived. ¡°When are you going to stop?¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to stop?¡± ¡°We will respond by force.¡± Spark. A flame began to burn in Moo-hyuk''s hand. The two had a bad relationship. He dealt with fire, an opposing element to Seon-woo. Was it because of that? But, how come he ran into a situation at a time like this? As water from one side clashed with the fire from the other that began to burn even brighter, the complexion of the hunters of the Hunter Association in the middle only turned white. Apparently today was Memorial Day. ¡°Wait for a minute.¡± Moo-hyuk pushed Hyeon-woo into another room and closed the door. ''Something seems to have happened.'' Hyeon-woo tapped his chin with his finger and put his hand on the door. He was quiet, and didn¡¯t leave as he was provided something to eat, but his reason to leave this place slowly returned when he was full. Was he really needed to be tied up here? The answer was no. ¡®I have to find my brother too.'' Bang! As soon as Hyeon-woo slapped his hand on the door lightly, the thick iron gate fell apart. ''That was easy enough.'' Hyeon-woo shook his hand a little and headed to the place where the commotion was occurring. He was only going to check what was going on before he left this place. Behind him, Kerberos followed eagerly, panting. It bothered him. When Hyeon-woo grabbed him by the nape, he barked at him. "Kee-ing kee-ing!" ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Hyeon-woo walked out of the hallway. It wasn''t difficult for him to find the room he had come from. Because the only thing Moo-hyuk did was run in a straight line while holding Hyeon-woo. When he looked inside through the open wall, he said some words, as if exclaiming. ¡°This is bullshit.¡± The two tall men and the hunters who were facing each other, looked back at the direction of the voice at once. ¡®The tall man was the Moo-hyuk I had met earlier, and the other?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know. I don''t know, but he¡¯s strangely familiar. It''s definitely the first time I''ve seen him though.¡¯ So Hyeon-woo asked straightforwardly. "Who are you?" At the same time, all the water floating in the air fell to the floor. Then the familiar man started walking slowly towards Hyeon-woo. ''Damn, your face looks really good.'' If Moo-hyuk had a warm-hearted appearance of a man, the other man was more like a beautiful doll. But that didn¡¯t mean he was feminine. He was tall and had a pretty solid body. ¡®But he''s really familiar.¡¯ Since Moo-hyuk said he was 25 years old earlier, it seems like 10 years had passed in Earth''s time. Then that man was a person who knew his face. ''I don¡¯t know.'' Hyeon-woo blinked slowly as he looked at the man approaching him. His eyes were stinging. If he behaved in his usual temper, he would have poked his eyeballs earlier, asking where he got his eyes coloured like that. But, he strangely did not want to do that to this man. "Ji Hyeon-woo." The man knelt in front of Hyeon-woo. The floor was dirty and messy, but he didn''t seem to care at all. ¡°How do you know my name?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± The man rolled his eyes and smiled. Then, immediately, tears began to fall from his eyes. The sight of a crying beauty was so intense, that Hyeon-woo unconsciously stretched out his hand and wiped away his tears. ¡°You are still kind too.¡± ¡®Do you think I am kind?¡¯ It was a creepy thing to say (keeping in mind that Hyeon-woo is very scary and not at all kind). Kerberos, still held by the nape of his neck, could feel his body trembling. "So¨C" ¡®Who are you?¡¯ Just as Hyeon-woo was about to ask that question again, the man carefully grabbed his hand that had wiped his tears away and he said, "Hyung." Hearing that friendly voice calling him, He remembered a little boy from 10 years ago. "Ji Seon-woo?" ¡®My soft, and lovely little brother.¡¯ "Yes." 10 years had gone by in Earth time. Decades had gone by in Demon Realm time. But Hyeon-woo has never cried through that period of time. He left his little brother on Earth, but would only clench his teeth even when his heart broke every time. He said he would somehow return to Earth alive. Until then, as he endured, and never cried, his emotions gradually died out. Even if his leg was broken or his arm was torn off, he could fight with a smile. But now he did. His eyes were blurred with tears. It was blurry and he couldn''t see clearly. This shouldn''t be the case (his eyes should be able to see clearly). He had to look at Seon-woo properly. Hyeon-woo wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. It looked like his eyes were broken. Tears didn''t stop flowing. ¡°Seon-woo, are you really Seon-woo?¡± "Yes." Tears burst out again at the answer. ¡°Why, why are you crying?¡± This time, Seon-woo wiped Hyeon-woo''s eyes. It was a man''s hand that he thought big before, but now it felt different. Seon-woo was still his only little brother. Hyeon-woo placed his hand over the hand that wiped his tears. Kerberos, who he had been holding in his hand the whole time, had long since fallen to the floor. Fortunately, Kerberos landed properly on the ground with his legs, but opened his eyes wide. ¡®Oh my gosh! That madman is crying!¡¯ Kerberos thought Hyeon-woo was a human without blood or tears. Kerberos put his small ass on the floor and looked up at Hyeon-woo, who was spilling in tears. It wasn''t just Kerberos, who was suspicious. The Hunters and Moo-hyuk, who were in the same space, were also looking at Seon-woo, with suspicion in their eyes. ¡®Oh my gosh! That Ji Seon-woo is on his knees and crying! Is that person not actually Ji Seon-woo? Or was it all just an illusion now?¡¯ ¡°?¡± Moo-hyuk even tried to injure his own hand. However, the situation in front of him did not change. Seon-woo was still on his knees crying non-stop. Hyeon-woo shed tears for a while, then knelt on the floor like Seon-woo. "Hyung?" "Sorry. I''m really sorry, Seon-woo.¡± Seon-woo''s heart grew cold at Hyeon-woo''s apologetic words. He doesn¡¯t understand why his older brother apologized. A cold wind blew through his heart, thinking only of his older brother the whole time. Maybe, Hyung didn''t want to be with him? "Why¨C" ¡®Why are you apologizing?¡¯ At the moment Seon-woo was about to continue his question, Hyeon-woo continued. ¡°I said I would be by your side.¡± He couldn¡¯t. How did his younger brother, who was only 11 years old, grow up in this harsh world? On the day his parents died, he made a promise to protect this delicate being from all the scars of the world, but then left him alone for 10 years. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I broke my promise.¡± Even if Seon-woo couldn''t forgive him, he wouldn''t say anything. (as in if he doesn¡¯t forgive him, Hyeon-woo was okay with it). ¡®You''re still kind.¡¯ That was an exaggeration to begin with. After hearing Hyeon-woo''s words, Seon-woo was relieved. While they were apart, he had been thinking of Seon-woo too. He hasn''t forgotten him, and he felt guilty of himself as the years passed. While he was struggling with the waves of emotion that were flowing out from meeting his older brother, he was confident in his calculations. So, it wasn''t Hyeon-woo¡¯s fault. ------ THIS SCENE!!!! was the one I awaited for~ Really love him for dramatically crying but it''s so good. sniff. sniff. CH 4 ¡®It¡¯s Hyung¡¯s fault, as he had abandoned his young brother and disappeared.¡¯ Seon-woo instinctively chose the words that could most provoke his brother''s guilt. "It''s okay." As he said that, tears welled up again in his brother''s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay? What¡¯s okay?¡± Hyeon-woo was taken to the Demon Realm and lived there, but he knew roughly what was going on Earth. That damn fairy sometimes gave him the news. He should have threatened the fairy a little more. During the flood of monsters and the world changing, that child was left alone with no one to depend on. It must have been very difficult. ¡®But it¡¯s, okay?¡¯ Seon-woo''s lie made Hyeon-woo feel even worse. ¡°No, I was really fine. Although it was very difficult and very painful.¡± Seon-woo spoke to his brother in a low voice. Hyeon-woo''s guess was not wrong. Seon-woo had a hard life until he awakened. Even after awakening, he persevered in a place where there was no one to trust and took his present position. Still, he said that he was fine. ¡°Because I believed my brother would come back.¡± That calm voice made Hyeon-woo even more distressed. ¡°Look, you¡¯re finally back.¡± Hyeon-woo collapsed. He came back, did that happen? He didn¡¯t know why his younger brother was still so kind. Seeing his younger brother speaking kind words to a person who he had resented so much, it became clear what he had to do in the future. ¡®I will protect you. so that no one can harm you.¡¯ The moment Hyeon-woo was about to put out what he was thinking, Seon-woo brought out his words first. ¡°So now I will protect you.¡± ¡®Yes, you now protect your brother. huh?¡¯ Hyeon-woo did not cry but raised his head and looked at Seon-woo. He seemed to have heard something strange. ¡°Because my older brother protected me in the past. Now it''s my turn to protect you." ¡®No, I''m really strong. You cannot protect me. I look so weak.¡¯ (he just realized that he looked weak.) Hyeon-woo made an embarrassed expression. ¡®I don''t know the standards of power on Earth, but at least I¡¯m strong enough to compete with the No. 1 in the Demon World. I don''t know why you would say that.¡¯ (Hyeon-woo is thinking this.) ¡°Wonderful.¡± Kerberos, who had been watching Hyeon-woo and Seon-woo''s meeting the whole time, could not bear it and made a sound. ¡®Hey human, maybe not (as you can¡¯t protect him). That person in front of you even had a fight with Albergo, who is number one in the demon realm. It was also said that no ordinary human can defeat Hyeon-woo.¡± "Keeing, keeing" Kerberos stepped forward to make the stupid human (Seon-woo) aware of reality, but Hyeon-woo pressed his head down. ''Shut up and stay still.'' At the intense intention that was conveyed, Kerberos became quiet again. Hyeon-woo thought. ¡®Yes, if Seon-woo wants it. I can do anything. I was tired of living with all my strength anyway.¡¯ After the death of his parents, he has been running diligently for his younger brother, but his true nature was being lazy. He wanted to rest. "Yes. Protect me.¡± ¡®I can''t do anything if you want to protect me¡¯ (Hyeon-woo) Seon-woo smiled brightly at Hyeon-woo''s words. It was a smile like the sunshine. ¡°Yeah, Hyung.¡± Then, Hyeon-woo, who was kneeling on the floor, stood up at once and hugged him. It wasn''t a hug of disgrace, though it felt humiliating to the others who were watching. The moment he saw it, Kerberos, covered his head with his adorable feet and looked down. But after waiting for a long time, nothing happened as he was looking down. No, something did happen. Seon-woo was walking away in the distance, carrying Hyeon-woo in his hands. ¡°Waang!¡± (Sound that dog made) ¡®I have to follow him!¡¯ Kerberos ran out hastily. And the remaining hunters and Moo-hyuk were still standing there in their same spot. ¡°Can I go then?¡± Hyeon-woo barely opened his mouth after remaining silent for a long time. ¡°What if I don¡¯t let you go out?¡± Moo-hyuk replied. Actually, he didn''t intend to let him go, but the tears of the two of them made him think a lot. His body didn''t move the way he wanted. He patted his clothes to shake off the dust and turned around. He had lost this one and only first-generation missing person to Seon-woo, so he had to follow up on all the information he could get from him. ¡®It would be better to let the once long-distance brothers reunite.¡¯ Moo-hyuk thought so. Hyeon-woo was willing to do whatever his brother wanted. He made up his mind to do so, but this was still not the case. Hyeon-woo still has a clear childhood memory. It took some time to match the strong tall man, who appeared before him with his younger brother he saw back then. That was why the first thing that came to his mind now was his younger brother, who was weak and fragile. It felt as though he was putting his brother through too much. (He felt worried about his brother, who went through a lot of things when he wasn¡¯t around.) ¡°Am I not heavy though?¡± "Not at all." Seon-woo said firmly. It was true that his older brother was too small and skinny. ¡®How much trouble did he go through to survive with a body like this?¡¯ His throat was suffocated by these thoughts. "You¡¯re not heavy at all." Then he gave strength to the arm that was holding Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo took some power from his body to make it more comfortable. ¡®Let¡¯s trust my brother for now.¡¯ It was with this thought he chose to stay in that positions. ¡°My brother is too skinny.¡± (Seon-woo) ¡®Can you not see properly? It is true that the food of the demon world did not suit my taste, so I ate the least. Still, it''s a pretty muscular body.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s too small though.¡± (Moo-hyuk) ¡®I can put up with him saying I am skinny, but I can''t stand it if you say I¡¯m small.¡¯ "It''s not like that." (Seon-woo) ¡®I''m over 175cm, but that''s still small.¡¯ To be precise, it wasn''t that he was small, but Seon-woo was big.¡¯ ¡°You are too big.¡± (Hyeon-woo) ¡®My little and cute little brother has really grown up a lot.¡¯ ¡°The higher the level of the Awakener, the better his physical condition. Naturally, he grows taller and has a stronger body. Hyung, I am an S-class Awakened.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Hyeon-woo widened his eyes. This time he was really surprised. ¡®Wasn''t this saying that the stronger the body, the bigger the body grows? Then why am I here?¡¯ His body trembled with anger. ''You bastard! Fairy bastard!'' (I love him for saying this, wwwww¡­) There were so many things he wanted to ask the fairy. But the problem was that there were no fairies here. It was said that fairies meddle like crazy in other worlds, but they couldn''t come out in the human world, so as to maintain the balance in the world. ¡®I should have exploded earlier.'' In the midst of trembling from anger, Seon-woo was misunderstood. The older brother, who was bigger than him and always looked strong, was now smaller and weaker than him. Even his body was trembling right now. Hyeon-woo felt strange about being in a completely different position from before (he meant the protecting. When he was young, he was strong, but now his younger brother wants to protect him.) Of course, it wasn''t that he didn''t like him or that he was being mean. No matter how much he changed, he was still Seon-woo''s favorite person, and he was the only one in the family. Hyeon-woo must protect him too. It wasn''t until that moment when the thought became firmer. Seon-woo passed through a broken-down building and came out. Suddenly, the bright sun was rising in the sky, and a pleasant warm wind blew. Seeing the environment that was completely different from the Demon Realm, what Hyeon-woo had been thinking about the whole time came to mind. ''You''re back.'' ¡®I really came back¡¯ Hyeon-woo wanted to cry. ¡°Now put me down.¡± Hyeon-woo wanted to enjoy the environment of the earth a little more. As if he knew that, Seon-woo lowered him to the floor. The breath he inhales felt sweet. It was completely different from the stinging atmosphere of the demon realm. Come to think of it, fifteen was not that old. So, Hyeon-woo was the youngest among those who were taken away. ''Now I''m out of that fucking place.'' Hyeon-woo raised the corners of his lips and smiled softly. ¡®I don''t know how long it''s been since I smiled properly.¡¯ And then, a stranger''s voice was heard. ¡°Guild Leader.¡± A tall, slender man approached those two. Dressed in a racing suit that clings to his body, he ruffles his curly light brown hair with his hands. Then he spoke to Seon-woo again. ¡°Oh my¡­Are you done already?¡± He looked towards Hyeon-woo this time. ¡°Is he the first-generation returnee?¡± His gaze was on Hyeon-woo, but his words were on Seon-woo. It was an act of completely ignoring Hyeon-woo. Seon-woo''s hand naturally went up and grabbed his curly hair without mercy. Clutch! (Tight!) It sounded like his head was falling apart. "Damn! My head!" The man hesitated in his place and looked down, touching his head, that was grabbed on. ¡°He is my Hyung. Be courteous.¡± As soon as the words came out, the man raised his head. "Yeah?" ¡°Do I have to say it twice to understand?¡± Seon-woo raised his hand again. Then the man threw out both hands and said, ¡°No, no. understood." Then he blatantly glanced at Hyeon-woo. "You look weak." Power went into his fist. But before Hyeon-woo could do anything, a bundle of black fur jumped out from behind and hit the man. It was like a cannonball. "Ouch! What is this hairball!" It was a small puppy, the size of two palms. But in reality, it was Kerberos, a famous beast in the Demon Realm. Hyeon-woo¡¯s forehead tingles when he hits it with determination. "Keeing Keeing!" Kerberos punished the rude person and stretched his chest. ¡®Look, Hyeon-woo. I punished a rude man!¡¯ When Hyeon-woo gets angry, his surroundings become destroyed but this rude person didn''t seem to know that. He probably didn''t want to be tied up and beaten up by him. ¡°What is that?¡± Looking at Kerberos, Seon-woo asked. ¡°Oh, Kero?¡± In fact, it could not be told to Seon-woo that Kerberos is a demonic beast from the Demon Realm. He didn''t want to lie either. He decided to reveal only the parts that he could reveal as much as possible. ¡°It¡¯s a puppy.¡± "Puppy? It''s not like an ordinary dog though?¡± "That''s fine, but if you tame it well, it''ll be fine." He has been taming it with his fists all this time, so he couldn¡¯t stop it. (it meaning the attack; he did the attacks on purpose.) ¡°But who is this guy?¡± ¡°Deputy Guild Leader.¡± ¡°Hello, my name is Seo Chan-young. I am the deputy head of the Seon-hyeon Guild.¡± The greeting was polite, but that was all. ------ The fact that he looks weak will be repeated a lot in the other chapters as well. At least till like 25 chapters. So please wait with me. Of course, the fact that he''s actually strong is a secret. CH 5 Seo Chan-young didn''t seem to like Hyeon-woo and Hyeon-woo didn''t feel the need to care about such a person, so he greeted him with only a nod. At least he didn''t say hello with his fist; that guy was fortunate enough. ¡°By the way, what is a guild?¡± ¡®Did he build something in my absence?¡¯ Seon-woo answered Hyeon-woo''s question. ¡°It¡¯s just a group of people.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it great to be a Guild Leader?¡± At Hyeon-woo''s words, Seon-woo smiled shyly. Watching the situation in real-time, Chan-young flinched. The Guild Leader had always had a cold aura wherever he went, and his speech had always been formal. But now, he was smiling. ¡®You never spoke to me that way!¡¯ He wanted to ask Seon-woo why he didn''t use his usual vocabulary when he saw this scene. He had always spoken to anyone in his stern voice until he got to know them. But to a person like his Hyung, he was naturally open with everything. ¡®Wait, I know why.¡¯ The story of how Seon-woo lost his older brother when he was 11, and how he struggled to establish a guild had been published in a documentary. So, Chan-young knew the situation, but he was still not convinced. ¡®But doesn¡¯t he look really weak?¡¯ He must be a First-generation missing person but Chan-young didn''t feel any power in him. Remembering Hyeon-woo''s position in the Seon-woo¡¯s heart almost made Chan-young fall to the floor. ¡®I wanted to be stronger, so I joined Seon-woo''s guild and struggled to get up to this position. But why are you standing next to him just because you are his older brother? It''s unfair.¡¯ Chan-young frowned without realizing it. ¡°Is the car ready?¡± ¡°Yes, I have it ready.¡± Chan-young replied to Seon-woo. "Then let''s go, Hyung." Seon-woo tried to carry Hyeon-woo again. "No, it''s okay. This time I want to walk.¡± ¡°But it would be hard for you to walk right now.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not hard at all.¡¯ Next to Hyeon-woo, Kerberos was staring at Seon-woo as if he was talking nonsense. Hyeon-woo lightly hit Kerberos¡¯s head. Then he rolled to the floor with a sound as if he was dying. ¡°Kaegaegae gaeng!¡± ¡®It hurts severely.¡¯ After rolling for a while, Hyeon-woo grabbed the neck of the drooping Kerberos. He said, ¡°It¡¯s really okay.¡± "Then let''s walk slowly." "Yeah!" The two walked to the car while enjoying the warm breeze blowing at the beginning of summer. The car was a large and luxurious car that he had never seen before. ¡°That¡¯s my car.¡± Seon-woo smiled shyly as he said that. ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Hyeon-woo disappeared without doing anything, but Seon-woo had grown up so well. For a moment, he was stunned by that fact. ¡®I feel like all of this was my fault. It must not have been easy to come this far, but how did you grow up so well? I am really sorry.¡¯ "Hello?" Seon-woo took the steering wheel, and Hyeon-woo got into the passenger seat next to him. ¡°Guild Leader, what about me!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you can ride on?¡± ¡°Yeah, but!¡± ¡°Go back on your own.¡± So Seon-woo fiercely rejected Chan-young riding in the same car. Chan-young, who was denied boarding, hurriedly got on his bike that had been placed in the corner. He then started to follow Seon-woo''s car, which had already departed and was far ahead. Usually, Seon-woo was not kind to Chan-young. ¡®Even though I knew about his relationship, strangely, my heart is tighter than usual.¡¯ (Chan-young) ¡®Oh, it¡¯s a bike.¡¯ (Hyeon-woo) A distinctive black and sleek looking bike followed. As Hyeon-woo was staring blankly at him, Seon-woo asked. "Do you like it?" "Huh? What?" "That bike." ¡®You should like it.¡¯ As he watched the bike, he remembered the dragon he used to ride in the Demon Realm. Somehow, he missed it. ¡®You''ll be fine, my bike number one.¡¯ ¡®Of course, there are bikes number 2 and 3 as well.¡¯ Their bikes were fueled by the magic of the Demon Realm, and their fists were enough to start moving anytime. But he couldn''t tell Seon-woo right away, so he answered with a shy smile. ¡°It¡¯s cool.¡± At that, Seon-woo quietly shut his mouth. ¡®If my brother wants a bike like that, I can get him some. But there''s only one thing I''m worried about. I''m afraid that my brother, who still looks weak, would get hurt while riding the bike. What if I wasn''t able to save you?¡¯ Still, he thought about taking the bike from Chan-young. ¡®It''s no wonder that Hyung wants to ride it after seeing the bike. I''ll give Hyung another car instead.¡¯ If Chan-young heard this, Seon-woo thought he would be startled. Meanwhile, he gently turned the steering wheel. Seeing his younger brother driving beside him, Hyeon-woo immersed in the scenery before him. ¡®Straight roads, tall buildings, and people filling the streets. They were all long forgotten things I have missed in the Demon Realm. Is it because of this that everything I see seems amazing?¡¯ Finally, the car stopped in front of a building. After stopping in front of the building, which was much larger and flashier than the other ones, Seon-woo first loosened Hyeon-woo''s seat belt. ¡°Let¡¯s get off, Hyung.¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± Seon-woo answered Hyeon-woo''s question. "Our house." No, their house was a little smaller and more compact. A small rented room in the corner of *Dal-dongne (*it¡¯s a crowded place like a slum, combined town). The room, which would leak in the summer when raining and feel cold in the winter, was their home. But this was now their home. He was led into the tall building by Seon-woo. Upon entering, all the people¡¯s eyes turned his way. But for a moment it was as if everyone had felt something and they turned away. He turned his gaze down to the floor. Before Hyeon-woo could even feel a sense of wonder at what had happened, the two got on the elevator. The elevator stopped at the top floor. The door opened, and another door appeared. A silvery thick door that looked different from the usual. Hyeon-woo came closer and touched the door with his hand. ''I think I can break the door.'' Judging from the feeling, it seemed to be a door made using the bark of a beast. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Seon-woo scanned the card and the door swung open. Then, seeing the exposed interior, Hyeon-woo widened his eyes. The elegant and luxurious interior was something he had never seen before. Well, he lived in a single room when he was young, and when he grew up, he stayed in the Demon Realm. It was natural for him to be surprised. ¡°So, this is our house.¡± Seon-woo spoke again as if emphasizing. "There¡¯s also a room for Hyung." At those words, his heart ached again. It was because he was touched by the intentions of his younger brother who had made a room for him, whose reappearance in this world would have been only a possibility. ¡°Okay, I want to see it.¡± Hyeon-woo stepped in with Seon-woo. He admired it again. The room he showed to him was so big and beautiful. He couldn''t help but exclaim at how big and luxurious it was. ¡°Wow.¡± After admiring it for a while, he finally came to his senses and asked Seon-woo. ¡°Isn¡¯t this expensive tho?¡± No matter how much he lived in the Demon Realm where price didn''t exist, he knew this much. "It''s okay. This whole building belongs to me." However, Hyeon-woo opened his mouth again to Seon-woo''s reply. ¡®Does this building really belong to Seon-woo?¡¯ He thought about the size of the building he saw from the outside. ¡®Wasn''t it much bigger than the surrounding buildings? And there were several similar buildings, although smaller than this one, in the surrounding area. So, what the hell is the price for this building?¡¯ ¡°There are other places. If you don''t like this place, just tell me." But it¡¯s not about liking this place. What on earth did his younger brother do while he was away? ¡°No, I like it!¡± Hyeon-woo quickly shook his head. ¡°Keeing keeing?¡± Kero, whose presence had been long-forgotten, barked at this moment. Then he stood in a stern pose and started looking around the room. Now, this was the room where Hyeon-woo would live. For Kero, he had no choice but to thoroughly check just in case. If Kero bothered him with a trivial matter, he would be very angry. So, he couldn¡¯t neglect checking. "By the way, pets are not allowed here." When he saw Kero, Seon-woo smiled wildly. "Keeing?" ¡®Who said pets!¡¯ The moment Kero was about to glow, Hyeon-woo looked up at Seon-woo and asked. "No?" The words remain the same. ¡°No way.¡± ¡®Hey, I just said no.¡¯ (Seon-woo) Kero looked at Seon-woo with cold eyes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if you don¡¯t want it.¡± The brothers, who had not seen each other in a long time, looked at each other and smiled affectionately. The atmosphere suddenly became cozy. ¡®Oh, this is happiness.¡¯ Hyeon-woo thought. *** ¡°A first-generation missing person.¡± The man who spoke out had a unique appearance. One of his eyes was white, and he had a cut across his eye. Because of that, his expression that was cold originally was even more so. His name was Do Ga-jun. He was also the Guild Leader of the Baekho (??) Guild, which was pushed to second place by the Seon-hyeon Guild. ¡°**Ji Seon-woo swallowed it alone. (**He meant he took it for himself) He has too much greed. He has to share that with others too.¡± However, if he asked Ji Seon-woo to share the first-generation person. Ji Seon-woo wouldn''t hear it even with the back of his ear. But he couldn''t force him to listen to it. ¡®So, what do you want to do?'' ¡°It will be okay if we meet him.¡± Ga-jun chuckled. ¡°Spread the news to other guilds.¡± ¡°Are you really going to spread it?¡± Deputy Guild Leader, Min-young asked with a worried expression, but his words remained unchanged. Currently, the Awakenings in the country had slowed down. The First Generation of missing persons had appeared in such a situation. Wasn¡¯t that a coveted material? Of course, there was a possibility that it could be a disaster, but there was also a possibility that it wasn''t. It was also annoying to leave Ji Seon-woo alone with whatever it was. ¡°Good things should be shared.¡± Ga-jun muttered with his poisoned eyes. As Ga-jun made up his mind to move up with his plans, it was not long before the rumors about the first-generation missing person were circulating in each guild. ¡°So, where did the source of the information spread from, Do Ga-jun?¡± The gentle-looking young man had a troubled expression on his face. ¡°Besides, the person who once was with you was Ji Seon-woo. So, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± The young man (The Deputy Guild Leader) who knew the difference between the two, looked frustrated. CH 6 ¡®It looks like Do Ga-jun has something on Ji Seon-woo, this is going to be interesting it seems¡­? The existence of the First-Generation missing person was also informed to him by Ja-yun, so I wonder what he¡¯s gonna do.¡¯ (A-yun) "What, what?" (A-yun) As Do Ga-jun was thinking deeply, a woman of the same age as Ja-yun put her buttocks on her desk. It was A-yun, Ja-yun''s younger sister. Although they were not awakened together, she was so smart that she played an important role in the Arthur Guild. ¡°A First-Generation missing person has appeared.¡± (Another person, who doesn¡¯t reveal his face) ¡°A First-Generation missing person? Aren¡¯t they all dead though? Really?" ¡°Yes, but the source of the information is from Do Ga-Jun after all." ¡°Oh, that old man?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make much difference between me and you.¡± ¡°Everyone in their late 20s is an old man anyway.¡± ¡°You are like a small stone on the road compared to him then.¡± (Idiom: that she is still growing) ¡°Who dares to call me a stone on the road? I¡¯m the younger sister of Ja-Yun of the Peace Guild.¡± ¡®With that said, I can''t be more careful with my words.¡¯ (That other person) A-yun had a good head, but her weakness was that she sometimes talked really easily. "In any case, if this happens, are you going to target the Number 1 Guild with all the guilds together?¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, the Seon-hyeon Guild is Ji Seon-woo''s, so the second place is the Baekho (??) Guild. Third place is our guild. Then, River Guild of Hye-sun in 4th place. 5th place, who had the 5th place in the Strongest Guilds list? The recent guild rankings have been going up and down. Oh right! Peace Guild. That was very rude of me. Who is the Guild Leader? Let''s see¡­It seems that there is not much information about him." It was a guild that had recently risen in the list, but there was not much information about the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild. He had never participated in a contest to compete for power among the awakened, and he had always sent a representative to the guilds'' meeting. So, she didn''t know what Generation Awakener he was. ¡°Still, it could be the Second Generation or the Third Generation.¡± As the generations went up, the power of Hunters grew stronger. As for the guilds most people have heard of, the guild leaders were usually the Second or Third Generation hunters. ¡°I''ve only seen his face once, but it was hard to see.¡± Her body was curled up and the hoodie was pressed in deeply. The other person didn''t want to approach her because the clothes also somehow felt dirty. ¡°I think it would be okay if I go with the clothes I am wearing right now, but I don¡¯t know why I wear the same clothes every day.¡± ¡°You still wear the same dress code even when you don¡¯t have to?¡± ¡°Yea~ and if you have the right posture, you will be taller than me.¡± "Than you?" "Yes." At those words, Ja-yun was amazed again. It was someone she had just glanced at, but how did she remember that? There was no way her sister couldn''t be so lovely. ¡°You looked through the documents correctly, right?¡± ¡°I looked at it carefully.¡± A-yun replied with a smile. ¡°Now then, shall we also aim for the First-Generation missing person?¡± ¡°Although the opponent is Ji Seon-woo, Ga-jun said that we should gather the power from all the guilds together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no chance of winning after all!¡± ¡°No matter how big and strong the Seon-hyeon Guild is, even if Ji Seon-woo is right, it would hard for him to keep that person to himself.¡± ¡°Several guilds are gathering strength to get the first-generation person, and you can¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t know at all.¡± "That''s right!" The two smiled and looked at each other. She was excited about what she could learn about from the First-Generation missing person. *** Sunlight poured in from the large window. But it didn''t feel hot, because the air conditioner was working hard inside. As Hyeon-woo lay down on the sofa for a long time in that state, he felt there was no heaven that is like this. ¡°Kwanng Kwanng!¡± Kero was also lying on the floor with all four legs stretched out, but occasionally barked a little. He was in a good mood. After all, the weather in the Demon Realm was shitty, and there were so many things that interfered with a peaceful nap. As he was enjoying the peace of lying down, Seon-woo came over with a cup. "Hyung, please drink this." The pale scarlet juice looked delicious but had a rather strange presence. ''Is the juice shining?'' He thought it was because of the sunlight, but it didn''t seem to be that. ¡°I added a little bit of something that¡¯s good for your body.¡± Seon-woo said shyly and handed the cup to Hyeon-woo. ¡®How can he be so kind?¡¯ It was enough for Ji Hyeon-woo that Seon-woo didn¡¯t resent his older brother for leaving him for a long time. But seeing him do something like this made his heart flutter. ¡®I guess I should do something back for him too.¡¯ As soon as Hyeon-woo thought that, Seon-woo opened his mouth as if he had read his mind. ¡°I am happy just to have you by my side. So, you don''t have to do anything in return.¡± ¡°Seon-woo.¡± In the end, Hyeon-woo, who was struggling with waves of emotion, hugged Seon-woo tightly. He had a habit of taking care of Seon-woo when he was young, and Seon-woo had really liked his older brother hugging him. "Hyung." Seon-woo embraced his older brother. The relationship between the two of them who had met after a long time burst out like a light explosion. Kerberos looked at them with white eyes. ¡®I don''t want to see it, but as this comes into my eyes from time to time, I can''t help but look at it.¡¯ (Kero) ¡®No, why does that person hug him so often?¡¯ It was a feeling that was not understood by Kerberos, who had no brothers. "Didn¡¯t he say that you were a Guild Leader? Even if you don''t work, are you really allowed to stay here and be lazy?¡± With him saying that, he already searched for information on the phone that Seon-woo gave him. You see, Seon-woo''s guild was one of the largest guilds in Korea, and it was like a big management company, which meant that it was an important place. ¡°I decided to take a few days off. Because I have been running around all this time.¡± "Well! When you take a break, you should rest." Kerberos now began to gnaw the table legs with his teeth in disinterest. Naturally, Hyeon-woo kept speaking to Seon-woo and commended him, ignoring Kerberos. ¡°Would you like to lie down here then?¡± The sofa was so big that it seemed like it could be enough for both to lie down. ¡°Is that really, okay?¡± "Of course." Hyeon-woo laid down again, and Seon-woo laid right next to him. Seon-woo was bigger and part of his large body protruded out of the sofa, but no one pointed it out. Even so, Hyeon-woo was afraid that his brother would fall, so he wrapped his arms around Seon-woo''s waist. Bit Bit. The sound of Kerberos gnawing at the legs of the table grew louder. But the two didn''t seem to hear that either. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Mr. table¡¯s leg,¡¯ Kerberos sighed, and leaned back against the leg of the table he had been gnawing at. Hyeon-woo was quickly worn out with his tiredness. Seon-woo looked at his older brother quietly. He knew Hyeon-woo seemed to be sleeping well now, but in reality, he hadn''t gotten any deep sleep all this time. He understood that as he too was taken to another world, and was abused by a fairy, who kept giving him challenges. Even so, Seon-woo couldn''t sleep properly every day. He would stay up all night with his eyes open because of the demons and the people who went crazy. Was it because of that? Even after returning to Earth, he couldn''t sleep properly for a long time. Because of that, he felt sorry for his older brother who closed his eyes, and had a pale complexion. ¡®How hard was it to be alone all that time?¡¯ Seon-woo hugged his older brother with his eyes closed. ¡®Now I will never leave my brother. I will protect my brother. Now that I have the strength and the ability to do so.¡¯ With that, he laughed wildly. ¡®Do Ga-jun, you fucking bastard.¡¯ Rumors circulated that the First-Generation missing person had returned among the guilds. From the result of digging, the source of the rumors was most likely the Baekho Guild. He (Ga-jun) was also a Second-Generation Awakened like Seon-woo. The two, who had been fighting each other when they were in the other world, had a bad relationship even when they returned to the real world. ''I was just wondering who it was as I was scratching my ears earlier.'' ¡®How dare you aim for my brother? How did they know the information? But it couldn''t easily be passed on to others. I didn''t want to make it hard for my brother. Now is the time to respond to them.¡¯ While thinking, Seon-woo''s expression turned cold. But after a while, his expression relaxed again. ¡®But for now, it is time to focus on my Hyung, who is here.¡¯ Seon-woo closed his eyes like his older brother. *** As time passed, the pressure applied to the Seon-hyeon Guild did not decrease at all. Even if it was the No. 1 Guild, it was not easy to hold on due to the other guilds gathering and joining forces. The person who felt it the most was Chan-young, the Deputy Guild Leader. Chan-young, who was dealing with all the things that the Guild Leader, Seon-woo put off, grinned at the news coming from all over the place. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡®I know that something will change when the guilds gather. I don''t know what the fuss is about though. Is it about that First-Generation missing person?¡¯ Guild Leader, Seon-woo had been delaying his work for several days, and other guilds were arguing with the Seon-hyeon Guild to share the missing person with them. Fortunately, the Hunter Administration took a step back and only looked at it, without saying a single word. ¡®I wanted to throw the First-Generation missing person. But I can¡¯t. No matter how weak and useless they appear; they are the family of the guild leader. The family of the guild leader, who ranks first in the ranks of Korea. Even if I didn''t like it, I couldn''t let it be taken by others. It is also related to the authority of the Guild Leader.¡¯ Chan-young closed his lips and spoke with a firm voice to the staff at the meeting. ¡°We can never turn over the First-Generation missing person. Stay seated no matter what the other guilds say. This is also related to the status of the Seon-hyeon Guild. Anyone who recklessly leaks information or agrees to the other guilds will be severely punished.¡± Although he seemed to have a commanding personality, it was because he spent several years under Ji Seon-woo. As experience slowly changes a person, Chan-young became more suited to be the Deputy Guild Leader of the Seon-hyeon Guild than anyone else. //Your offer is not accepted. // Do Ga-Jun turned over the envelope that had arrived from the Seon-Hyeon Guild. But nothing was found except the paper, on which that one sentence was written. ¡°Was Seo Chan-young the one who sent it?¡± That was the Deputy Guild Leader of the Seon-hyeon Guild. Ji Seon-woo was a bastard who wouldn''t use his four legs. (idiom meaning that he doesn¡¯t do the work himself.) ¡°Hey, what letter is this one?¡± ¡°This is the third one!¡± A subordinate, who was standing next to Do Ga-jun answered, standing still with his strength. "Yes. Third one. How many proposals did we put in?" ¡°Five.¡± ¡°You mean that they didn¡¯t even reply to those?¡± ¡°......Right." The subordinate, who was standing next to him, noticed his stare, looked at him and nodded. Do Ga-jun took a deep breath. CH 7 ¡®That cheeky jerk, Seo Chan-young. Under Ji Seon-woo, he thinks he can do anything. He is a man who believes entirely in Ji Seon-woo. He did everything he could do, but he restrained himself by not sending any swear words. I¡¯ve known that for a long time.¡¯ Now, the tides have turned. So far, Ga-jun¡¯s words had worked against the number one guild to this extent. No matter how much he had done on his part in the Korean civil war, even the commanding-general won¡¯t last long when besieged by enemies. Ji Seon-woo knew that too. So, to some extent, he accepted the opinions of other guilds. But this time he didn¡¯t try to give in ¨C not a single bit. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s really something important about that person?¡± Do Ga-Jun raised the corner of his lips and smiled. It was a cruel laugh. Even though the Seon-Hyeon Guild was in a precarious situation like this, he still wanted to stab him more. If he didn¡¯t accept his proposals through the formal route, there were always other ways to get through. ¡°I guess I have to stay still just for a little bit longer¡­¡± The truth was progressing slowly while there were some who were pretending that it wasn¡¯t. Even the Hunter Administration, a government agency, was pretending to not know of this. Then, why did they give the First-Generation missing person to only one guild¡¯s hands? ¡®If you can¡¯t do it yourself, then don¡¯t. We¡¯ll take care of it at a safer place. You should just move on about what you happened to do at that time.¡¯ Meanwhile, Do Ga-jun made a new plan. ¡®Go round here, go round that way.¡¯ Hyeon-woo, who was rolling on the living room carpet, poked Kero, who was sleeping calmly. ¡°Khungk!¡± When poked at its belly, it made a strange noise but did not wake up. Originally, he was a vigilant beast, but it looked like he was already sleeping in peace. While Hyeon-woo was teasing the innocent Kero, Seon-woo, who was sitting on the sofa looking at his older brother with a happy face, asked. ¡°Bored?¡± ¡°Eh? No. I¡¯m not really bored or anything!¡± The words did say that he wasn¡¯t bored, but on his face was written that he was bored to death. He was just locked up in the house the whole time, but it wasn¡¯t too much. ¡°Is there something you want to do?¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Hyeon-woo was speechless for a moment. ¡®What did I want to do?¡¯ In the early days of going to the Demon Realm, there were times when he was holding on to the things he wanted to do, but it was way back then. His memory of what he even wanted to do gradually faded. All that remained was about his one and only family, Seon-woo. Others were long gone since they had given up. ¡°Shall we go shopping then?¡± Seon-woo asked calmly. ¡°Can I really go out?¡± Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t stupid either. He had roughly guessed what situation Seon-woo was in. He was the one and only First-Generation missing person, and the Seon-Hyeon Guild had embraced him. It was roughly expected to be treated this way. ¡°Is that something that can¡¯t be done?¡± ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be easy to talk about going out so why was he...¡¯ Hyeon-woo looked at Seon-woo with a worried expression. Seeing Hyeon-woo like that, Seon-woo laughed. ¡°Hyung, do you know why I made a guild?¡± ¡°Why did you make it?¡± ¡°Because I realized it was easier to find Hyung with a group of people rather than with only myself. The Seon-Hyeon guild exists for Hyung. So, with the Seon-Hyeon guild, Hyung can do whatever he wants. Hyung can do anything you want, even if you need something more than I can give.¡± Hyeon-woo slowly blinked his eyes. Why was Seon-woo giving this much for his Hyung? He was an ugly older brother who had gone missing for 10 years. Tears felt like they were about to come out any second as he thought to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Hyung.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crying?¡± ¡°Yes. Okay. Shall we go then, Hyung?¡± Hyeon-woo got up, rubbing the tip of his nose. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go! Where are we going to go?¡± ¡®This is my first outing with my amazing younger brother. If a disturbance appears, I will crush it!¡¯ Hyeon-woo smiled as he faced his younger brother, thinking bloody thoughts. ¡°Whang!¡± When Hyeon-woo stood up, Kero stood up from his seat with a whimper. ¡®I have to follow.¡¯ Preparations for going out were over soon. There wasn¡¯t much to prepare in the first place. It would be over if he just changed clothes that he had been wearing and was rolling around with. Hyeon-woo and Seon-woo walked side by side and got on the elevator. The number of floors gradually went down, and when they reached the first floor, the door opened. And at the scene that followed, Hyeon-woo opened his eyes, and without realizing it, he blinked. The large first-floor hall was full of people. Each of them wore suits and were Awakeners, carrying weapons. A familiar person approached them. It was the young man in the racing suit he saw last time, the Deputy Guild Leader, Chan-young. But today, he was wearing a suit like everyone else. Although it was dark under his eyes as though he was tired, he was still pretty handsome when dressed neatly. He wasn¡¯t as good as Hyeon-woo¡¯s younger brother Seon-woo, but Hyeon-woo had yet to see a better-looking person than Seon-woo. There was a non-human being, but Albert was a being he would never meet again, so it was a pass. ¡°Are you here?¡± ¡°Are the preparations to go out made?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready. The department stores have also been checked properly, and we have sent people to check them out in advance. It will be over by the time we arrive.¡± ¡°Do it thoroughly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± After their conversation, Seon-woo turned to Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo then shrugged his shoulders and asked. ¡°But what are these people around us?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just bodyguards.¡± ¡°Bodyguards?¡± ¡°It is dangerous for just the two of us to move, so a few people will be around us.¡± Seon-woo said that, but the number of people was quite large if that was supposed to be just a few. Moreover, although Seon-woo was not short of his own strength or anything, they were quite useful by their numbers. ¡°Are you fine with it?¡± ¡®I thought it was just the two of us going out, but there are a lot more people than I thought. ¡®His eyes twinkled as he looked at Seon-woo. He wondered if it would be better to go back to their house and roll around. He couldn¡¯t go back there now that the preparations were already done. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± In the end, Hyeon-woo decided to do what Seon-woo wanted. As they passed the people lined up on both sides and boarded the car, the car was surrounded by some cars in front and behind. It was a little embarrassing for some reason, but he endured it while looking at Seon-woo. Who the hell was it? The team members from Team 1 to Team 3 in charge of security could not hide their curious expressions. When asked who the escort was, the Deputy Guild leader, Chan-young, gave a brief explanation. ¡°He is a valuable person to the Guild Leader.¡± Chan-young said only the least there was to know. Because he couldn¡¯t reveal this information to them just yet. But that alone made the team members overflow with enthusiasm and motivated them. They were now able to do something for their Guild Leader, who was not normally someone they could see. His protection was now in their hands. There were many problems with his personality, but they couldn¡¯t help but admire the person who had led them to this point. ¡°Leave it to us!¡± They shouted. After all, Seon-woo did not prevent them from joining. It was because he knew that there could be a chance of an emergency no matter how careful he was. The moment they saw Hyeon-woo for the first time, they looked surprised. Secondly, it was because of the attitude the Guild Leader showed. The Guild Leader, who had always seemed heartless, was whispering sweetly to that person. Some who saw him even doubted their own eyes. But the sight did not change. ¡°Isn¡¯t what I¡¯m seeing now an illusion or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Oh my god. Guild Leader!¡± Although his abilities were excellent, he always portrayed a manipulative behavior that he showed on the outside. However, he actually had a very open personality, and it was a miracle that he showed such an attitude to this person he was with. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I also wanted to say.¡± The team members¡¯ eyes twinkled like stars. ¡°For today¡¯s mission, we need to do it right.¡± With the strength gathered onto their shoulders, they cheered and started moving. Seon-woo whispered in a sweet voice. ¡°Hyung, where do you want to go?¡± ¡®I¡¯m excited.¡¯ It seemed that it was Seon-woo who wanted to go out more than himself. From the moment Seon-woo came out, he seemed excited the whole time. On the other hand, Hyeon-woo was suppressing his disturbing thoughts. They weren¡¯t strong by his standards, and when dozens of such people started sticking around, they started to get annoying. Even though they were escorting them at a certain distance, Hyeon-woo, who had sensitive senses, would feel their presence. ¡®Let¡¯s put up with it if that¡¯s what my little brother wants.¡¯ Hyeon-woo clasped his hand tightly. ¡°We¡¯re going to the department store now, so what do you want to buy? Is there something you don¡¯t have?¡± Seon-woo smiled and asked to know Hyeon-woo¡¯s opinions. Yes, he went out with his brother after a long time. ¡®Let¡¯s try to forget the presence of others.¡¯ ¡°Oh, then. Clothes?¡± When it came to clothes, Seon-woo had been buying a lot, as he couldn¡¯t think of anything else. ¡°Clothes? Okay. Let¡¯s pick one that suits you. Then, do you want to wear new clothes and go to a caf¨¦ for tea?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The car stopped in front of a large department store. ¡®It was an unknown place that I had only seen passing by when I was a child but had never been inside. Is it because of that?¡¯ Hyeon-woo got a little nervous. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Seon-woo grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand. ¡®Then what is this?¡¯ The shutters at the entrance to the department store were shut down. ¡°Isn¡¯t the door closed?¡± ¡°On the surface it is.¡± Seon-woo moved backwards. Then the door opened as if welcoming, and the department store employees bowed their heads. ¡°Welcome!¡± Under the dazzling lights, a large space was revealed. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Seon-woo grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I borrowed it all day here today. You can do whatever you want to do.¡± Did he hear that correctly? Hyeon-woo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡®You borrowed this big department store all day? Is that possible?¡¯ Hyeon-woo, who was taken to the Demon Realm when he was young and lacked some modern common sense, did not even know if that was possible. ¡®No, I would have done it if that was possible.¡¯ His heart started to pound. A woman approached him and introduced himself with greetings. ¡°Hello everyone. This is Yoo Jin, a personal shop assistant from H Department Store. Thank you for coming back. From start to finish, we will do our best to ensure a satisfactory shopping experience for our customers.¡± ¡°What is a personal shop assistant?¡± When he glanced at Seon-woo¡¯s eyes, Seon-woo explained it as a whisper in his ear. ¡°They¡¯re the ones who help with shopping.¡± ¡®Was there such a person like that in the original department store?¡¯ While Hyeon-woo was in doubt of his own, Seon-woo asked the personal shop assistant. ------ Hyeon-woo didn''t know that renting an entire department store was possible. I only know it after a youtube artist rented a shopping mall for a music video. haha... Before you go hating Do Ga-jun, his past story is a sad one. Don''t wanna spoil it any farther. CH 8 ¡°How many floors are the men¡¯s clothing stores on?¡± Seon-woo asked the shop assistant. ¡°It is on the 3rd and 4th floors. The 3rd floor is for everyday wear, and the 4th floor is for suits.¡± Seon-woo then turned towards Hyeon-woo, ¡°Is that so? Where are we going?¡± ¡°3!¡± ¡°Great. Then take the elevator? if not¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take the escalator.¡± Hyeon-woo responded coldly. ¡®It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been to a place like this. It¡¯s only natural for me to be so excited.¡¯ He decided to think so. He didn¡¯t really want to buy anything, but it was quite fun to look around. His brother looked good no matter what he wore, so it was worthwhile to see Seon-woo wearing it. ¡°Try wearing this too!¡± ¡°Yeah, Hyung.¡± Seon-woo quietly picked up his clothes and entered the changing room. Then he stuck his face out through the door as if to say something. ¡°Are you not going to try out anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Then, Seon-woo¡¯s eyes drooped. ¡°I¡¯ll try it on!¡± Hyeon-woo took the clothes Seon-woo had chosen and went into the dressing room next to him. When he came out wearing a light ivory knit, his younger brother, who was wearing the same clothes, laughed next to him. ¡°It looks great.¡± ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Do you want to wear it like this and go?¡± Seon-woo put his head on Hyeon-woo¡¯s shoulder and whispered. Hyeon-woo must have been uncomfortable because of the height difference, but once Seon-woo leaned his head on him, Seon-woo¡¯s height did not come into his mind at all. Hyeon-woo gently stroked Seon-woo¡¯s hair with his hand. ¡°Is that okay?¡± After Hyeon-woo spoke, Seon-woo replied with a small laugh. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m happy.¡± Seon-woo said so and lifted his head as if regretfully. And he said to the personal shop assistant, ¡°Give me everything we have worn so far.¡± Hyeon-woo blankly blinked his eyes. ¡°Everything?¡± While changing clothes, he glanced at the price tag. It was a frightening price that would have been unimaginable in the past. But now that he had a younger brother who even had a freaking tall building, he might as well get one. That was what he wanted to think, but he felt like a bum. Hyeon-woo panicked. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Without realizing it, his voice rose. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s expensive!¡± When Hyeon-woo shouted that, the personal shop assistant¡¯s expression became strange. Seon-woo, one of the best hunters in Korea, was an Awakener who closed dungeons while traveling around the world. Each time you closed a dungeon, the base income was 2 billion units. Of course, it was not just a few billion. For him, clothes like this wouldn¡¯t even be the price of a snack, but it was expensive. He really didn¡¯t know anything. ¡®What kind of person are you really?¡¯ The personal shop assistant pressed her fingernails to the back of her hand, keeping her mouth from being itchy in curiosity. ¡°Not expensive.¡± ¡°Expensive!¡± Seon-woo corrected his words. ¡°It¡¯s not expensive for me.¡± ¡°Still don¡¯t buy it.¡± Hyeon-woo said firmly. It was the money he earned through hard work, so he shouldn¡¯t spend it easily. Hence, he refused, but Seon-woo didn¡¯t seem to know that kind of feeling. There were wrinkles on his forehead. ¡°I can¡¯t buy it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hyeon-woo bit his lip. ¡°It¡¯s your hard-earned money.¡± Seon-woo¡¯s wrinkles disappeared and the corners of his eyes drooped. ¡°Hyung.¡± Remember. Although now the dragon can be easily tamed, the road to get there was not easy. Hyeon-woo, who was young among the First-Generation missing persons, was one of the weakest. All he experienced was poison. But how hard must it have been for Seon-woo who was younger than him? ¡°I¡¯d rather earn money and buy it.¡± ¡°No.¡± This time, Seon-woo cut it firmly. ¡®I want to keep his hands maintained finely without a drop of water, but it will be hard. How could my weak older brother earn money?¡¯ ¡°Then I won¡¯t take it either.¡± Hyeon-woo insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can live without them anyway.¡± Seon-woo insisted on being Seon-woo then. ¡°Send them all to the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± The moment Hyeon-woo, bewildered, was about to call Seon-woo¡¯s name, he suddenly hardened his expression. ¡®Did I go too hard on him?¡¯ Hyeon-woo regretted it, and wanted to withdraw his opinion, but he felt an unfamiliar presence from somewhere closeby. The energy of the Awakeners who were lined up at a distance felt stronger. He heard a knock from somewhere. ¡®Be smart.¡¯ There was only one entrance, and a long sheet shut it close. Seon-woo opened it and said to Hyeon-woo. ¡°Hyung, stay here for a moment.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh.¡± Seon-woo got up and went forward, and then said to the personal shop assistant, ¡°Just leave the bill in front of the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± There was a sudden silence, and the ceiling crumbled down. At the same time, a person fell and Seon-woo quickly moved away. That was when a crouching beast jumped in front of Hyeon-woo¡¯s body. ¡°Wooong!¡± Kero, who had been sleeping in a corner the whole time, stood proudly on four legs and blocked Hyeon-woo in front. Thud! A fierce battle began with a loud ring. The opponent was attacking with evil intentions, but Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t too worried. It was because Seon-woo was facing him without being pushed back at all. Besides, the guild members of the Seon-Hyeon Guild, who had been guarding the surroundings, were gathering. The moment they got closer, victory or defeat would become certain. At best, nothing would be lost except for the ceiling that was struck on. ¡®I don¡¯t think this is all.¡¯ As Hyeon-woo calmly looked around, he felt the presence of another stronger person. As soon as he appeared, he immediately attacked Seon-woo. Seon-woo threw the person he was dealing with and started to fight him. This time, they could not easily gain an edge over each other. ¡®Huh? Who is that?¡¯ Hyeon-woo shrugged his shoulders and swallowed loudly. No matter how much power he hid, in this situation, he did not intend to stand still. Just as he was about to get up, he made eye contact with him. Sharp, but the outstretched eyes were somehow familiar. ¡®Where?¡¯ ¡®Where have I seen those eyes before?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t remember. Even so, his eyes understood the meaning, and he turned to that side. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ Hyeon-woo slowly blinked his eyes. A bittersweet expression appeared in his eyes. It was then. The black dots started to appear on the wall, but the dots grew larger and stopped expanding until they reached the size of a human. Then a person walked out of it. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re taller than me again.¡¯ His mood was bad. He blamed the fairy for not being here again. The man who came out of it smiled brightly. He was not bad looking, but strangely, one eye didn¡¯t look right. He also seemed too cold-hearted. ¡®After all, Seon-woo is the best.¡¯ While he was smiling happily, the man approached Hyeon-woo. ¡°Wang wang!¡± Kero grew in size and ran towards the man. Then the man grabbed Kero, glanced at him, and threw him away. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean Kero would fall quietly. Kero skillfully kicked the wall with his hind feet and landed properly on the floor. In every way, it was not the ability of an ordinary dog. Kero growled and tried to run towards him again. If only that man hadn¡¯t talked to Hyeon-woo. ¡°Now, would you like to go with me, princess?¡± ¡®Are you crazy?¡¯ Kero¡¯s fur grew goosebumps, and his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. He even started shaking his body. ¡®I¡¯m next to you for nothing.¡¯ Kero hid behind the seemingly weakest person, the personal shop assistant. Even so, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t want to pretend to lose as if he didn¡¯t have any strength. But he would continue to do so until he met him. ¡®I know you won¡¯t die if you get beaten to an extent, so I am going to beat you.¡¯ ¡°What?¡± Hyeon-woo was amazed. What was this bastard talking about now? Princess? He realized today for the first time that a person¡¯s body hardens when he or she goes through something absurd. ¡®I thought it would be amazing to see if he was a First-Generation missing person. But what I saw was small and thin. I mean, I¡¯ve been trying my best to protect something like this.¡¯ Ga-jun smiled and put his leather gloved hand on the body of the First-Generation missing person. ¡®There is no need to persuade or force him to leave with me, as he has hardened in fear.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s going to be easy.¡¯ Of course, it was not easy to capture Seon-woo¡¯s attention, but Hye-sun, and Do-jin, the leader of the Peace Guild, worked well together, which was not expected. Seon-woo did not arrive on time. By the time he arrived, Ga-jun and the body of the First-Generation missing person had already passed through a large black dot, to be exact, the teleporting portal. ¡°Do Ga-jun!¡± An urgent voice was heard. ¡®Wow!¡¯ Ji Seon-woo was always thought to be a nice person by Ji Hyeon-woo. It was the first time he heard him raise his voice like that. The corners of Ga-jun¡¯s lips went up. ¡°Success!¡± Ga-jun exclaimed in a joyful voice as the other Awakener stepped out from the portal. Then the Awakened, who was struggling to maintain the portal, took a deep breath and sat down on the spot. It was worthwhile to spend a lot of money to make the teleporter join the guild. Since he had been recently signed up secretly, Ji Seon-woo must have been unaware of it. ¡®Had I known it, I would have dealt with it.¡¯ Seon-woo thought. A burst of laughter erupted. ¡®It¡¯s been a long time since Ji Seon-woo was defeated and done with me. Isn¡¯t this going to be fun?¡¯ ¡°Well then, the First-Generation missing person.¡± Ga-jun let go of his small shoulder, he was holding and turned around. And for the first time, he got a closer look at the face of a First-Generation missing person. His pretty face looked as gentle as a deer, but the tear mole under his eyes seemed to give it a strange color. But it wasn¡¯t to Ga-jun¡¯s taste. He loved a sensual woman with a voluptuous body more than a man with a small body like this. ¡°From now on, I want to know whatever that information is.¡± Do Ga-jun said sarcastically. Ga-Jun wanted to know all the information Seon-woo had dug up from the First-Generation missing person. ¡®So, if the mild method doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m thinking of going violent, to give him a little scare.¡¯ ¡°Do you like being sick? Biting your nails or scraping your eyes with a needle?¡± He said, squinting and tearing his mouth to form a smile. ¡®It¡¯s still a cool impression, but if you smile like this, you look even scarier. Don¡¯t you think so?¡¯ The shoulders of the First-Generation missing person standing in front of him, started to tremble. ¡ª¡ª TL note: bum - A lazy or shiftless person, especially one who seeks to live solely by the support of others. CH 9 ¡®He¡¯s really like an herbivore [1].¡¯ Ga-jun tapped his chin with his finger. Then, a low voice came from his mouth. ¡°Hey.¡± Hyeon-woo doubted his ears for a moment. Then, just in case, he looked around. There was only the one teleporter who had fainted, and two guild members who were guarding the door from a distance. Other than that, the only people in this space were Ga-Jun and the First-Generation missing person. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The First-Generation missing person revealed himself by saying this while glaring at Ga-jun. ¡®Yes, cute fangs. He wasn¡¯t a threat at all.¡¯ ¡°Ha?¡± ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Ga-jun looked down at the First-Generation missing person with an absurd expression. ¡®What did this little thing say now?¡¯ ¡°Do you like being weak?¡± The First-Generation missing person smiled softly and said, ¡°I think at least you like it? Let me know if you don¡¯t.¡± The First-Generation missing person rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists. Then there was the sound of pounding like a beating heart. At the same time, Do Ga-jun felt a burning pain in his stomach. ¡°Kuluk!¡± Ga-jun coughed and collapsed on the spot. ¡®What? What just happened? It was a pain that seemed as if it was going to crush my organs.¡¯ He endured the pain and looked up to see the gentle face he thought was like a deer. Hyeon-woo was smiling. ¡®What is this bastard talking about?¡¯ Hyeon-woo felt the heat rising in his head as he looked at the person, who had casually threatened him a while ago. ¡®It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been this angry. In the Demon Realm, there was no one who would attack me. So, it is a fresh experience fighting someone after a long time.¡¯ ¡®Maybe I should repay the person who gave me this new experience?¡¯ Hyeon-woo thought as he clenched his fists and hit his stomach vigorously. Still, the thought that murder was not allowed in the modern world remained, so he only beat him to the point of near death. The man¡¯s tall body was lower than that of Hyeon-woo, and he coughed. Hyeon-woo asked while growling. ¡°Does it hurt? It hurts, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The man immediately moved without an answer. He was falling like water, until his collapsed body immediately stood up straight. The man moved a safe distance from the First-Generation missing person and sprayed poison. He was a skilled person, although it didn¡¯t seem like it. ¡°You can use poison, bastard?¡± ¡°What are you talking about! Who used poison?!¡± The poison became stronger. Unfortunately for the man, Hyeon-woo had a body that was resistant to a lot of poison. In addition, at the beginning of his trip to the Demon Realm, he suffered from so much poison that he hated it. Suddenly, his fists were filled with emotion. Swing! His fists swung with a terrifying sound, but the man escaped it! ¡°Wow, are you avoiding this?¡± ¡®Normally, it is right to avoid a hit after seeing it. But why did you avoid it in advance? It is as if I have met a guy with a taste to get hit.¡¯ Hyeon-woo clenched his fists, and cracked his neck left and right. Then, as soon as Hyeon-woo swung his leg through the air, the force of the blow struck the man. The man was knocked onto the wall, and the impact broke the wall with him. But leaving him as he was, would be no fun. Hyeon-woo revealed his teeth and laughed like a bloodthirsty animal. The man pulled himself out of the wall through which he had broken through, revealing an alleyway behind it. Then he saw the man running out into the street where the light was pouring out. Hyeon-woo quickly followed behind in flight and grabbed his back. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Thud! It sounded unbelievable that that weak person was crushing people. ¡°Fuck!¡± Ga-jun was affected by the poison, so even if Ga-jun tried to counterattack, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. There was already a big difference in skill between Hyeon-woo and the man. ¡°Kaaakk!¡± Just then, a passerby screamed. Hyeon-woo woke up from his frenzy by the sound, although late, and lifted his head. Meanwhile the man twisted his body and escaped. Then he quickly kicked off the wall of a nearby building and climbed up. But if he could do it, Hyeon-woo could too. Hyeon-woo quickly pulled himself up and floated in the air. ¡°Why are you running away?¡± ¡°Fuck, what are you!¡± Teh. The man spat out blood. ¡°What do you know about me?¡± ¡°The First-Generation missing person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But how tall are you? The second and third generations are not that different!¡± ¡®How do I know?¡¯ Hyeon-woo tilted his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not something I decided. Let¡¯s beat you a little bit more, what do you say?¡± As soon as the words were uttered, the man jumped to the next building. There was quite a bit of distance, but he was not hesitant to move quickly. Hyeon-woo felt his heart beating as he ran after him. He remembered the excitement he felt when he first visited the department store. But this feeling was a bit different from that. It was the intense emotions he felt while hunting in the Demon Realm. ¡°Haha!¡± Laughter erupted from his throat. Hyeon-woo moved quickly to catch that man again. ¡°When!¡± The man kicked Hyeon-woo and spoke. ¡°Foot!¡± He immediately rolled over and avoided Hyeon-woo. He tried to grab Hyeon-woo¡¯s foot, but it didn¡¯t work. Hyeon-woo made a loud sound as he kicked him again. Hyeon-woo raised his finger and tapped his forehead. ¡°What did you say earlier? Should I rip your nails or scrape your eyes with a needle?¡± Hyeon-woo pulled off the man¡¯s leather gloves and threw them. ¡°Did you say that you want your cornea removed?¡± ¡®It seems that he is not scared. Do you know who your opponent is before saying things like that?¡¯ Hyeon-woo decided to give a small lesson to this foolish man. ¡°Damn it! If it¡¯s that difficult, I can choose for you too.¡± His raised eyes were still fierce. ¡®Oh, I might lose it. There was a person like this in the Demon Realm. He broke his body while I was attacking him, and he tried to attack me even by crawling. I was annoyed by that, so I beat him a little more, but he didn¡¯t give in. So, what did I do? I ended up putting my hands on the man¡¯s neck.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right, I was going to kill you.¡¯ ¡®But no.¡¯ Small lessons should be limited to being small lessons. He must not forget that this was not the Demon Realm. Hyeon-woo withdrew his hand with a sad expression. Then he slapped the man on the forehead with his palm. The man he was holding onto fell on his back, and his nose bled. His already blood-stained face became even more messed up. ¡°You, what¡¯s your name?¡± The man, the poisoner, strained his voice and asked. He asked very quickly. Hyeon-woo wondered if he should let it go like this but scratched his head and answered. ¡°Hyeon-woo.¡± ¡°Are all of the first-generation people as strong as you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Strong or whatever, the first generation was only left with Hyeon-woo. So, there was no one to measure his strength. ¡°Damn it, thank god.¡± ¡°Stop cursing.¡± When Hyeon-woo raised his hand again, Do Ga-jun¡¯s mouth closed. ¡®What do I do with this?¡¯ There was a commotion on the ground it seems. Two people flew over the building and had been running around wildly. Hyeon-woo scratched his head and looked back at the poison-man. ¡°What are you going to do about this?¡± ¡°What?¡± As Hyeon-woo pointed down, the poison-man wrinkled his face. ¡°Can you fix it?¡± Then, as he waved his fist, he nodded his head. It wasn¡¯t even an exercising distance, but it was refreshing to move after a while. Hyeon-woo wiped the sweat that hadn¡¯t come out and stretched himself comfortably. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve loosened up my body.¡± After hearing those words, the poison-man who was lying on his background gritted his teeth. Hyeon-woo, who approached him and sat down right in front of him, said with a smirk. ¡°Oh, by the way, are you going to keep this secret until you go to the grave?¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± [2] ¡°It¡¯s here. No?¡± Hyeon-woo clenched his fist and shook it. He slashed people up like a dog, but there was not a drop of blood on his hands. That was even more creepy. ¡®What the hell is this.¡¯ Ga-jun sighed deeply. He came to catch the First-Generation returnee, and he was beaten. His body was trembling so much that it was hard to get up. ¡°My name is Do Ga-jun. Remember.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Ga-jun swallowed the curses that came up his throat. It was because he had just been swearing and had gotten one hit from him in return. Even though that fist was small, it was still dangerous. That¡¯s right, the goal was shaky. After sitting idly for a while, Ga-jun struggled to get up. His legs were trembling so much that unless he put his hands on the ground, he could barely get up. Ga-jun slowly stood up with a blood-stained face and trembling hands. ¡®So, this is what it feels like to taste death.¡¯ ¡®It looks like my organs are a bit damaged.¡¯ He felt like he was going to vomit blood even if he was vigilant then. ¡®I didn¡¯t get hit like this when I was fighting Ji Seon-woo.¡¯ Ga-jun felt like a dog. Ga-jun, who was tidying up his clothes, suddenly felt Hyeon-woo¡¯s gaze and said sarcastically. ¡°Why, want more?¡± ¡°No.¡± Hyeon-woo answered briefly. ¡°I¡¯ve already beaten you to the brink of death. If you want more? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± The innocent-looking face felt frightening again. He might seem gentle, but with those deer antlers, if a deer had the urge to kill someone, the whole ecosystem would be destroyed. Ga-jun looked around. Then he found the locked door to the roof and ripped it off. He had climbed up the wall when he came up, but he didn¡¯t have the energy to go down the same way. As he was going down the stairs helplessly, Hyeon-woo was next to him. ¡°You.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you have any money with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then give it to me.¡± ¡®Now, you are ripping me off?¡¯ Without a word, he handed the wallet to Hyeon-woo who returned it to Ga-jun after taking one bill worth 10,000 won. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make much difference though.¡± Hyeon-woo spoke calmly after folding the 10,000 won bill and putting it in his pocket. ¡°Do you know the way?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough to know the guild name? The Seon-Hyeon Guild is far from here.¡± At those words, Hyeon-woo scratched the back of his head and stood back. ¡°Does it take a lot of time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really far away.¡± ¡°Then take me there.¡± ¡°What if you don¡¯t like it there?¡± At those words, Hyeon-woo raised his fist. ¡®I don¡¯t know why saying even the little things gets me so violent.¡¯ Ga-jun was not someone who used violence everywhere. ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll take you.¡± It was Ga-jun who raised his hand first in surrender. However, it was only an outward appearance. He had lost to Hyeon-woo a while ago, but this was only a one-on-one situation. ¡ª Translator¡¯s note: [1] Do Ga-jun compares Hyeon-woo to an herbivore, which means that he is harmless. [2] The grave. He says, ¡°Where is that?¡± Unconsciously. CH 10 In habit, Ga-jun tapped his chin with his finger. Then he groaned. ¡®Shit, my jaw hurts.¡¯ He was so sore that he felt no pain in every part of his body. ¡®What if there were more people?¡¯ Fortunately, the electronic devices he had were pre-equipped and not damaged. ¡®You were lucky.¡¯ ¡®I think I can mobilize more people. No matter how strong you are, if there are too many of them, you will eventually be exhausted. If I were with those people, maybe it would be possible to lead an advantageous fight.¡¯ As he was thinking about that, he felt a gaze from behind. When he turned his head towards it, Hyeon-woo was looking at Ga-jun silently. Those eyes and that gaze were too creepy. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± (Hyeon-woo) A quiet voice echoed through the stairs. ¡°Die.¡± Suddenly, his heart tightened after Ga-jun heard that word. It felt like an unknown fear pressed Ga-jun on his knees. When he unknowingly took his hands off the device, the pressure diminished. Ga-jun said, trying hard to pretend that he was calm. ¡°Do you have to go there? I don¡¯t know what conditions they gave you when you signed with Seon-Hyeon Guild, but I¡¯ll give you twice of whatever they promised.¡± At those words, Hyeon-woo looked up at him with cold eyes. ¡°Does anything come to mind when you look at my face?¡± Ga-jun answered without hesitation. ¡°Deer.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It reminds me of a deer.¡± ¡°Who is the deer?¡± ¡°You. You¡¯re like a little deer.¡± In this part, Ga-jun was confident in his words. ¡°What is the height of an average adult male compared to mine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the small side compared to the Awakeners.¡± ¡°I am older than you.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with appearance and strength.¡± ¡°Ah-oh!¡± He flinched in fear that he might get hit more for a moment. However, he didn¡¯t want to avoid others to such an extent, so he straightened his back and endured it. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Find out for yourself later. I gave you all the hints.¡± ¡®What hints did you give?¡¯ While Ga-jun was stunned, he arrived on the first floor. When Ga-jun went downstairs, some members of the Baekho Guild were waiting for him. And among them, Min-young, a healer and Deputy Guild Leader, ran to Ga-jun with a terrified expression. ¡°What is this? Did you have a head-to-head match with Ji Seon-woo?¡± ¡°Bullshit. Is there any way I could get hurt like this because I had a head-to-head fight with Ji Seon-woo?¡± ¡°Then why are you in this state?¡± ¡°Okay, just treat me right now.¡± Min-young sighed and placed his hand on Ga-jun¡¯s wound. Then his messed-up body began to recover quickly. He changed his clothes and he felt much better than before. ¡°To the Guild branch. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± At those words, Hyeon-woo, who was sitting in one corner, jumped up and followed. ¡°Wang?¡± Kero looked blankly at the place where Hyeon-woo had disappeared. ¡®Oh my God, a human took Hyeon-woo away. He made the impossible possible with a single word.¡¯ ¡®Princess.¡¯ ¡®The keyword is that. Princess, I have to memorize it. Well, first of all, that¡¯s all the clues there are but the main problem lies elsewhere.¡¯ As soon as Hyeon-woo disappeared, Seon-woo, who appeared here to find him, was in a very strange state. He wasn¡¯t originally much of a kind person, but his cold, sunken figure gazing downwards reminded Kero of the Demon King of the Demon Realm. ¡°Hyung.¡± Seon-woo raised one hand to cover his face and spoke again. ¡°Hyung.¡± At first glance, the brightness in his eyes was half gone. ¡®This is not going to be a big deal, right?¡¯ Kero looked at him, then went to Seon-woo¡¯s side and barked. ¡°Wang Wang!¡± ¡®Wake up [1]. Hyeon-woo will come back!¡¯ However, the sounds of what he wanted to say were not conveyed to him. What should he do about this? Those who were precious to Hyeon-woo were also precious to Kero. It was because he knew Hyeon-woo¡¯s fierce temper. Who would be the first to be scolded if Hyeon-woo had his bones broken or got hurt? Isn¡¯t it himself! Kero hurriedly pulled the hem of Seon-woo¡¯s pants. ¡°Wang!¡± He knew. Kero was the watch dog that guarded the entrance to the Demon Realm. He knew he looked like this now, but it was said that the power of the deity was great. In addition, Hyeon-woo and he had known each other for quite a long time in the Demon Realm. With that being said, it meant that they could track each other. Kero spun around in place, pretended to smell something, and then pulled the hem of Seon-woo¡¯s pants again. He would do that until Seon-woo understood. He repeated calmly. ¡°Do you know where my Hyung is?¡± At that, Kero vigorously nodded his head. Afraid that his head might fall to the floor, Seon-woo grabbed Kero¡¯s neck. ¡°Guide me.¡± ¡®No, you shouldn¡¯t grab the nape of a young animal carelessly.¡¯ Kero grunted inwardly and barked vigorously in the direction where Hyeon-woo was. ¡°Wang Wang Wang!¡± At the same time, Seon-woo¡¯s body quickly moved forward and jumped through the wall. ¡®Isn¡¯t there another entrance though?¡¯ That was amazing, but there was no other way to get in, so Kero was caught in Seon-woo¡¯s hand and moved quickly. ¡®I think it would be better if I just run in my main body.¡¯ He still didn¡¯t know what was going on. So Kero kept going till he reached Hyeon-woo. ¡°Guild Leader!¡± He heard a voice calling Seon-woo from behind. However, he didn¡¯t look back. ¡®How long have I been running like that?¡¯ Finally, they found a car carrying Hyeon-woo on the road in a remote place. Seon-woo, who found him, immediately took action. He came to the side of the car, ripped the door open, and hugged his Hyung, who looked at him with a surprised expression. As the door fell to the ground, the car came to a stop, which had been moving for a while. ¡°Hyung, stay behind me.¡± ¡®I finally found you.¡¯ Kero opened his mouth and yawned. Then he stepped back together with Hyeon-woo. ¡®Oh, the smell of blood.¡¯ ¡®I think you¡¯ve already done it,¡¯ Kero thought. It seemed that Seon-woo who was standing there, was also a human being, who didn¡¯t know that. ¡®He is full of anger, so what¡¯s the point of you coming here?¡¯ Seon-woo looked like he was going to turn it around. He vowed to protect his Hyung, but he failed. He knew that the other guilds would unite to kidnap his brother, he knew for sure. Kero guessed that was why he was on alert. Seon-woo clenched his teeth. Fortunately, his Hyung¡¯s little dog was able to find him again because he could smell his scent, but the anger that ran through his head did not subside. ¡°Do Ga-jun.¡± A cold voice came out of nowhere. ¡°Ji Seon-woo. Do you know how hard it is to get this car? How could you just break the door?¡± Do Ga-jun said with a smirk. ¡®I want to rip off your throat. Then you will never be able to say that again.¡¯ Seon-woo unfolded his hand back and forth. ¡°You have a lot to talk about.¡± ¡°Whether I talk a lot or not doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°It is determined on the fact that I believe you did this.¡± ¡°Then, what are you ready for?¡± Ga-jun laughed bitterly. ¡°I am ready to die.¡± At the same time, Seon-woo attacked Ga-jun and entered into a fight. In an instant, the road petrified, and rapidly rotating water droplets exploded in one direction. Ga-jun threw a car to block it, and immediately used poison. However, the water droplets that appeared in the air immediately absorbed the poison and trapped it. Then he started attacking Ga-jun in that state. This was why fighting with Seon-woo was annoying. It was not a particularly powerful ability, but it didn¡¯t match well against his. Poison was useless against it, so he had to use his physical body. Of course, he had great abilities to use in a fight other than poison. ¡®I thought he had already fought quite a bit while rolling the floor. I¡¯ve never defeated Seon-woo, who looks like a finely grown young master.¡¯ Ga-jun threw the fragments of the car he had broken and rushed to Seon-woo. However, he was not the type of person who would let him do as he wished easily. He cleared away the flying debris and swung his hand at Ga-jun, who was rushing in. His legs began to freeze. But he didn¡¯t want to lose, so Ga-jun clenched his teeth and moved. But, as always, Ga-jun couldn¡¯t surpass Seon-woo. As the cold gradually slowed his movements, the number of hits he endured increased, and he eventually collapsed on the spot. ¡®It was a bad day.¡¯ ¡®I was just beaten all day long. As soon as I was treated, my body throbbed after I had to move forcibly.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not here for this today.¡± Ga-jun stopped and spread the strongest poison he had. At the same time, he retreated back. Usually, Seon-woo would have to deal with him when he was nearing his limit, but he was on the good side to some extent. Because the human world was different from the Demon Realm, which had brought about awakening. ¡°Where are you going?¡± A blunt voice followed, and Seon-woo reached out to Ga-jun¡¯s neck. His fingertips were barely passing through, scarring his neck. A groan escaped from the burning pain. But he clenched his teeth and stepped back even further. He would have ripped off his neck if he had been a little late. ¡°Wow. Are you usually active today?¡± Seon-woo, who had cold, sunken eyes, glared at Ga-jun. ¡°Well, you brought this upon yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it until we die.¡± Ga-jun smiled and straightened his posture again. Blood dripped from his neck and soaked his shirt. And just as the two of them were about to collide again, a quiet voice was heard. ¡°Hungry.¡± It was from Hyeon-woo who was standing on the sidelines from the distance. ¡°Wang wang!¡± ¡®Hyeon-woo is hungry! Be a gentle man and serve him right now!¡¯ Kero also barked. ¡°Hungry?¡± Seon-woo¡¯s half-turned eyes gradually returned to their original state. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go eat.¡± Hyeon-woo, who was accustomed to grabbing Kero by now, grabbed Kero and picked him up. Seeing that, Seon-woo hesitated for a moment and then lowered his hand. ¡°Huh?¡± Ga-jun, who was standing on the other side, was amazed to see Seon-woo say such sweet words. As one of the respected people in the country, he listened to what other people had to say and took a different attitude. What he just said has to be unreal. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°I want chicken.¡± ¡°I know a good chicken house.¡± [2] Looking at it, it seemed that Hyeon-woo took the initiative. No matter how strong the First-Generation missing person was, Seon-woo was not a person who would act like that. That was when Ga-jun started to have doubts about what was going on between them. ¡ª TL note: [1] though it¡¯s translated to Wake up accurately. It means Open your eyes and realize. [2] In Korea, as much as I am familiar with when reading manhwa in raw sometimes, I believe they refer to houses as small restaurants that are usually homes as well. It really doesn¡¯t matter the size of the shop though. It¡¯s not just in Korea, where they use a word like ''chicken house''. CH 11 ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between you two?¡± Despite Ga-jun¡¯s question, Seon-woo didn¡¯t even look back. Then he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. But the phone was already broken. ¡°My phone is still in fine condition.¡± Ga Jun took out his phone from its protective case and held it with his two fingers. ¡°Give it to me.¡± ¡°Are you a thug? If you answer the question, I will give it to you.¡± His eyebrows twitched slightly as if it was annoying, but if he fought here now, his Hyung¡¯s hunger would be prolonged. He asked with a small sigh. ¡°What did you ask?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with him?¡± Then Seon-woo tilted his head with a puzzled expression. ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°He is my Hyung.¡± Seon-woo answered while smiling proudly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said he¡¯s my Hyung.¡± ¡°Hyung?¡± ¡®But you don¡¯t look alike at all!¡¯ Ga-jun looked at the two of them back and forth several times. Meanwhile, Seon-woo took the phone from Ga-jun¡¯s hand and called someone. - Guild Leader! ¡°Deputy Guild Leader. I¡¯ll give you the address, so please send us a car here.¡± - Yes, I¡¯ll send one, right away. No, other than that, are you okay? You said another guild was attacking! On the other side of the phone, Chan-young, who was worried, poured out a lot of questions, but Seon-woo said only the address and hung up immediately. He threw the phone back to its rightful owner. Ga-jun, who barely accepted him, muttered with a blank expression. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for real.¡± ¡°Then one more time, just this last time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m obliged to give you an answer.¡± ¡°Then is that your Dongsaeng over there?¡± Ga-jun looked at Hyeon-woo and asked. ¡°I said he¡¯s my Hyung.¡± ¡°Ah, Hyung. That¡¯s your Hyung?¡± Ga-jun swallowed his saliva. ¡®It somehow doesn¡¯t fit.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t say it out loud. It was because he remembered the bloody gaze he had seen earlier when he said that Hyeon-woo was small. ¡®No, in the broadcast, he said he was a sincere, kind and good Hyung? Where? Seon-woo said he was his younger brother.¡¯ Somehow, the outward appearance of Seon-woo trembling resembled Hyeon-woo. Not long after, the car sent by the Seon-Hyeon Guild arrived. Next to it was a bike, and on top of it was Chan-young in a suit. It seemed that he came here directly because he was frustrated. ¡°Guild Leader!¡± A pathetic voice called out to Seon-woo, but he didn¡¯t care and put Hyeon-woo in the car. He got on the other side of him. ¡°Go after us.¡± With those words, the car left immediately. After that, the car was nowhere in sight and only Chan-young and Ga-jun were left. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Seon-Hyeon¡¯s dog? Have you been abandoned?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Chan-young spoke with a grim expression, but Ga-jun did not stop laughing. He felt like he wanted to attack, but Chan-young knew that he would not be able to defeat Ga-jun. Besides, the opponent is the Guild Leader of the Baekho Guild. He shouldn¡¯t even bother to touch him. The best thing he could do was to just grind his teeth and leave this place. ¡°Then let¡¯s see each other next time.¡± Upon hearing Ga-jun¡¯s greeting, Chan-young distorted his expression. After seeing the bike leave, Ga-jun, who was left alone, brushed off the dust that was stuck to his body and walked to the other side of the road. He realized that his phone was ringing and picked it out. - Hey! ¡°Ah, Hye-sun Nunim [1].¡± - What happened? Why no contact? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to take it all for yourself, are you? ¡°No, am I such a person to do that?¡± - Then what! ¡°It got taken back by Ji Seon-woo.¡± - Why were you not able to take it away? ¡°You¡¯re blaming me for not being able to deal with Ji Seon-woo alone for a long time, too?¡± - No, it¡¯s not like that. You chose a very remote place to prevent Ji Seon-woo¡¯s pursuit. How did that person come? ¡°I know, right. How did he get here?¡± - Are you kidding me? ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± - Damn. Did you figure out anything else? Ga-jun paused for a moment before answering. ¡°No¡± - Really nothing? ¡°Yes.¡± - Lies. A cold voice came from the other side. She was quick to notice. ¡®Seriously, I deliberately replied late, but if you don¡¯t know, you¡¯re an idiot.¡¯ - Did you find something? If you tell me, I¡¯ll give you some information. ¡°What information?¡± - About the Peace Guild Leader. ¡°Don¡¯t we both know the same about that person, though?¡± - I know one more thing. ¡°What is it?¡± - You first. This is tricky. ¡°Ji Seon-woo and the First-Generation missing person Ji Hyeon-woo are brothers. Next it¡¯s your turn, nunim!¡± - It was like that. Somehow, Ji Seon-woo put his own life at risk to protect him. After all, he almost put his head in the monster¡¯s mouth. Ga-jun was already bursting up with excitement. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, it¡¯s not. If Ji Seon-woo¡¯s personality is ramen [2], he will retaliate. Should I consider shaping up my body in the meantime?¡± - Yeah. I¡¯ve been getting some important information for a while now. It¡¯s my turn, right? I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to be the only one in the world who knows?. ¡°¡­¡­Other than my nunim?¡± - Yes. The one who almost caught Ji Seon-woo was the leader of the Peace Guild. I couldn¡¯t even get hold on to the information properly. It might not even be power. That was new information. I thought there was not enough information for something that came up suddenly, but it seemed he was such a strong person. Ga-jun licked his lips with his tongue. It looked like there was a lot of work to be done for a while. Ga-Jun had not yet given up on the First-Generation missing person. ¡®There was only one person who came back so strong, so how could I give up so easily?¡¯ He wondered. ¡®How did you become so strong, and why did you come back alone? There are many things I want to know.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll have to be more careful next time.¡¯ Ga-jun was a natural snake. A tenacious and persistent snake that did not give up. So even if the situation had changed, he had no intention of giving up. Because of the slowly setting sun, Ga-jun¡¯s shadow stretched long. Like a snake. In the car that left from the area, Seon-woo started with an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hyung. I know food is more delicious when you eat it in a restaurant, but it¡¯s still dangerous to do that.¡± ¡®I want to take him to the restaurant myself, but the danger still remains. So, Let¡¯s have one of the guild members get some fried chicken for us.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡®What does it matter where you eat?¡¯ Seon-woo was here next to him, and Hyeon-woo answered with a smile. ¡°Then let¡¯s get home quickly.¡± Seon-woo was moved by Hyeon-woo¡¯s words. ¡®You called it home. Even with those words, my heart is pounding. It feels like my hard work is being rewarded.¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± Seon-woo leaned over to his Hyung, who was sitting right next to him. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± It was Ga-jun who was injured, not Hyeon-woo, but he kept his mouth shut. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, are you okay?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Seon-woo rolled his eyes for a moment and answered, ¡°Maybe a little sick.¡± ¡°What? Where?¡± Hyeon-woo looked at Seon-woo with a bewildered expression. And then, suddenly the car stopped. Kaiiik! Seon-woo quickly embraced Hyeon-woo and protected him. It stopped roughly, but no one was injured as the driver was also Awakened. That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any problems. Why did the car stop? It was because of the man standing in front of the car? The driver was a person with a strong professional spirit. There was no way he would forcefully stop just because someone suddenly appeared. The most important person to him is Seon-woo, the Guild Leader. If so, it must have been stopped for another reason, and it seemed that he could understand the reason without saying it. Seon-woo got out of the car with a fierce expression on his face. ¡°Hyung, wait inside.¡± The driver, who had already come to his senses, made a determined expression on his face. Now he will try to protect Hyeon-woo no matter what. Seon-woo got out of the car and looked at the man standing in the opposite direction. A tall man in an old hoodie and jeans was hunched over at his waist. He was the man Hyeon-woo saw at the department store earlier. The Guild Leader of the Peace Guild, Han Do-jin. It didn¡¯t take long for him to figure it out. ¡°Is there anything left to see here?¡± The driver must have already contacted the guild. Not only that, Chan-young was also nearby. In many ways, it was a disadvantage for him. Still, Do-jin reappeared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but.¡± Do-jin opened his mouth. ¡°I have one request.¡± Seon-woo frowned at those words. ¡°Why did you ask me this way?¡± ¡°It was too, too urgent.¡± Do-jin said so and knelt down on the spot. ¡°Please. I will give you anything you want!¡± ¡°No need.¡± Seon-woo cut Do-jin¡¯s words resolutely. All he lacked was his older brother, and he was already satisfied. However, he didn¡¯t want to do anything other than pay for it. It was more so because he had a rough idea of what he wanted. ¡°I want to meet the First-Generation missing person.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Wait, wait¡­ I want to ask only one question.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Even if I give you everything you want?¡± ¡°There is nothing particularly lacking.¡± He was refused several times. Then, Do-jin¡¯s back was pulled tight. He didn¡¯t have time for him. If the First-Generation missing person returned at this rate, he did not know if he would be able to find it again. He had no choice. Do-jin got up and rushed towards the car. However, he was blocked by Seon-woo, who was preparing in advance. His long legs gracefully swung through the air, but Do-jin did not avoid it. As he stepped back, he crossed his arms to block the attack, like a man in defense mode. After that, he ran like a madman at the car again. A quick fight followed. At first, Do-jin, who had just been deceived, realized that there would be no end if this was the case. In the end, he swung his fists toward the swinging leg. ¡ª TL note: [1] Nuna means older sister and only males call older females that. Nunim is a more formal and respectful way of calling older females. Hye-sun is the Guild Leader of River on Number 4 of the strongest guild¡¯s list. Check the Character Profile for more details. [2] If a person¡¯s personality is like ramen, it means that the person is simple minded. He wouldn¡¯t think much and just fought. CH 12 It was a violent sound that could not be heard as flesh collided flesh. Then, Seon-woo recovered his leg and immediately began to use his powers. He was also an expert at using his body as an S-class Awakener, but he realized something after bumping into Do-jin. Physically, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to beat him. Apparently, Do-jin¡¯s abilities were related to his body. So, there was no hesitation in using his powers. Drops of water spinning sharply were shot at him like bullets, but when he swung his fist hard again, they exploded as if they were being swept away. Meanwhile, the driver took Hyeon-woo and Kero out of the car and evacuated them outside. ¡®I know it wasn¡¯t okay for me to be attacked in the car.¡¯ Spontaneously, Hyeon-woo saw the two of them fighting with his own eyes. ¡®Well?¡¯ Hyeon-woo, who naturally judged the situation, stopped moving for a while. The man holding on to Seon-woo was stronger than he thought. ¡®During the time I have stayed on Earth, it seems that I have been exposed to a lot of the world through the media.¡¯ ¡®In the process, I came to know more about Seon-woo, and he did say that he was one of the strongest in the world.¡¯ Naturally, it also meant that he was the strongest in Korea. But that man looked stronger than Seon-woo. However, he did not show any intention of harming Seon-woo. So, it was difficult for the man to move right away, without harming him. Suddenly, Hyeon-woo made eye contact with the man. They were sharp but cool eyes. ¡®It was the man I saw in the department store. But I think I have seen him before.¡¯ Hyeon-woo tried to look through his memory to find where he had seen him before. There weren¡¯t many people that he had met in his life. He was only fifteen when he was sent to the Demon Realm, and he had no choice but to live in the Demon Realm. So, his memories before going to the Demon Realm were not that clear. Most of his remaining memories were of Seon-woo. ¡®So where did you get those eyes?¡¯ Hyeon-woo paused a bit and finally remembered. ¡°Han Ye-won.¡± Hyeon-woo remembered a person who had been buried in the back of his memory for a long time. Han Ye-won, a girl who was three years older than Hyeon-woo. A sophomore in high school that cared a lot about others ahead of herself, even in a difficult situation. She especially tried to take care of Hyeon-woo, who was the youngest. As soon as Hyeon-woo uttered her name, Do-jin, who was rushing like a madman, stood tall on the spot. Because of that, Seon-woo¡¯s attack hit him, but he shouted without regard for it. ¡°Han Ye-won, do you know Ye-won?¡± The words continued quickly. ¡°She has short hair, and her hair is lighter than other people. Her height is about 160 cm. Her personality is very bright and cheerful, and she likes to help others. She was eighteen years old at the time of her disappearance.¡± As the atmosphere strangely changed, Seon-woo lowered his raised hand, unable to attack. Do-jin stood there and shouted with an expression of wanting to really find out what had happened to her. ¡°That child is also a First-Generation missing person!¡± ¡®I know. Remembering these memories that had been buried all along makes my head ache.¡¯ Hyeon-woo was reminded of the terrible circumstances he had been put through at that time. Ye-won was a very kind person. But the Demon Realm was not a place where she could survive just because she was kind. She had to have a knack for combat and venom to survive. She did, but before a year had passed, she was killed in a reckless battle. He could still remember it even now. ¡®I have an oppa.¡¯ The last person to see her was Hyeon-woo and he even watched her die. It was because he was the person who was closest to Ye-won. ¡®He looks cold on the outside, but he¡¯s actually a good guy. I have to take care of him.¡¯ Ye-won vomited blood and wept bitterly. ¡®I can¡¯t protect you now. Oppa, Do-jin oppa.¡¯ Ye-won, who always tried to look strong, cried like a child. ¡®It hurts, it hurts a lot.¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to cry until she got her brother back. So, she clenched her teeth and endured it. Even Hyeon-woo was shaken at the end of Ye-won. He couldn¡¯t help but be shaken. Ye-won, who had died, was pitiful and Hyeon-woo was afraid that he would become like that too. He just wanted to cry too. ¡®It¡¯s alright, Ye-won. I¡¯m here.¡¯ He lied with his words. He tried to deceive her with his voice and pretended to be Ye-won¡¯s older brother. Perhaps the dying Ye-won would have already known it was him. It was all because of Hyeon-woo¡¯s clumsy consideration. Still, Ye-won smiled and said one last time. ¡®Oppa. Thanks.¡¯ That was the end of Ye-won. It felt like his stomach was going to explode. The deaths he had been trying to forget the whole time, shook Hyeon-woo¡¯s heart. He pressed his hand against his trembling chest and struggled to endure it. He did not want to show the suffering of the past in front of Seon-woo. ¡®Did he notice him?¡¯ Seon-woo said firmly. ¡°Hyung, ignore it.¡± Without thinking much. Seon-woo, whom Hyeon-woo knew, was a very friendly child, so he shook his head. It was okay for him to be in pain. Now that he met Seon-woo, he would endure this much. ¡°No, I know. I know Han Ye-won.¡± If so, that man must have been with that person at least. Han Do-jin. Han Ye-won¡¯s only one oppa. ¡°Then you would be Do-jin.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡± Do-jin¡¯s lips trembled. He hesitated several times, hesitated, and then opened his mouth. ¡°Ye-won, what happened to Ye-won?¡± ¡®He looks cold on the outside, but in reality he is a good person.¡¯ He remembered the story Ye-won had told him. Hyeon-woo looked carefully at Do-jin¡¯s face. His handsome face, like a man, looked cold at first glance because of his eyes, but his eyes were different. The black eyes swaying under the dim light looked so deep and beautiful. Hyeon-woo took a deep breath. ¡°Han Ye-won¡­ My younger sister.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± Do-jin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I am the only First-Generation Awakened to return alive. The others are all dead.¡± There was some silence for a moment. Tears welled up in Do-jin¡¯s eyes, and then immediately fell to the floor. The soil on the floor soaked up the water and dyed it a dark color. ¡°Ugh.¡± A groan escaped Do-jin¡¯s mouth. Was it sad to hear the cry of an animal that had lost its young? The corners of Hyeon-woo¡¯s eyes looking at him trembled. ¡°Uh-a-ah!¡± Do-jin, who collapsed on the spot, smashed the ground with his fist and wept. The tears didn¡¯t stop. His parents hated Do-jin from an early age because he stuttered his words. The stuttering, stupid child was dismissed and abused because he was not their child. However, his three-year-old younger sister did not abandon Do-jin. She always smiled and stayed by his side. ¡®Oppa!¡¯ She was a bright and lovely child. So, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to protect her, but he couldn¡¯t. One day, 10,000 people disappeared from Korea. Among them was Do-jin¡¯s beloved sister, Ye-won. From the moment Ye-won disappeared, Do-jin¡¯s world became hell. Even in that situation he struggled to get himself to stand up again. Because he had to find Ye-won. From that day on, he started working by selling items. He traveled all over the country to find his sister, gathering information. But it wasn¡¯t easy. Around that time, 100,000 people disappeared again, and the portal opened. The world was a mess, but Do-jin did not give up and moved on. And then, some of the Second-Generation missing persons returned as saviors. ¡®You can come back.¡¯ Hope had arisen. His hope became the driving force behind Do-jin. It made him continue searching for her again. So, at some point, he was awakened. He gained strength, and he also fixed his stuttering. It seemed that he could find happiness just by finding his younger sister. Being Awakened made it much easier to gather information. It was easy, but there was a clear limit to what individuals could collect. So, a guild was set up. The name was Peace Guild. Being the Guild Leader made it easier to gather information, but he still couldn¡¯t find Ye-won with that. It was because the First-Generation missing people did not reappear in the first place. Some analysts have talked about it. Maybe the first 10,000 people who disappeared were experiments that were perished due to bad luck. Because as the generations went on, the missing people returned more quickly, and more survived. The first generation was a throwaway. That was the conclusion of others. Still, he did not want to give up, so he continued to pursue the information, and finally found the information of the First-Generation missing person. There was a First-Generation missing person who had returned. ¡®Let¡¯s join hands together.¡¯ He did think it was a bad thing to combine forces with him, but he still took his hand. The Seon-Hyeon Guild, who had the First-Generation missing person, refused to show him, so he made dozens of requests to visit him, but all were rejected. ¡®Just hold onto Ji Seon-woo¡¯s ankle. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡¯ Was what Ga-jun said. However, Ga-jun failed, and Do-jin became more desperate. He was afraid he would never see the First-Generation missing person again. Because, once they entered the guild headquarters, meeting the First-Generation missing person would be like picking a star in the sky. So, he hurried to find them and came this far. He came. The news he found out was not good news. ¡®My beloved sister, my precious being, had died.¡¯ Do-jin lost control all over his body. He didn¡¯t know what to do with himself now. ¡®Is there any reason to live?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know. Do-jin blankly looked down at the floor. Darker thoughts began to fill his mind. ¡®I¡¯d rather end this.¡¯ He pulled out a weapon that he hadn¡¯t taken out the whole time. Kara. The cursed dagger he obtained from a dungeon. A dagger with a longer blade than normal rotated in Do-jin¡¯s hand. Then, the dagger held in reverse moved straight towards the target. That target was himself. CH 13 Kwajik. Do-jin lowered his dagger in an instant. However, he did not feel any pain. The dagger pierced because it wasn¡¯t his body. He hurriedly withdrew, but it was too late. Confused, Do-jin raised his head and looked at the person standing in front of him. The First-Generation missing person, whose name he did not know yet, was standing right in front of him and frowned. A dagger blade was held in his hand. ¡°Hyung!¡± Seon-woo rushed in panic, and then Do-jin moved quickly. ¡°What, what are you doing!¡± Carefully, he opened the hand holding the blade of the dagger. His hands were supposed to tremble in this situation. Kara is cursed, sharp and hard above all else. Anything could be cut easily. It was natural to be worried as someone, who didn¡¯t have any strength, was holding it with their bare hands. Do-jin clenched his teeth and fully extended Hyeon-woo¡¯s hands. But it was weird. His hands, which were supposed to be covered in blood, were perfectly fine. Not a single scratch was seen. ¡°Why?¡± While muttering blankly, the outstretched hand was recovered. Then, Seon-woo, who ran, grabbed his hand again and spread it out. ¡°Hyung, your hand!¡± ¡°My hands are fine. I guess he was out of control when he heard the news. He didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡®No, that¡¯s not possible.¡¯ Do-jin stared blankly at his dagger, then drew on his own hand with it. When he drew with his force, a wound was formed, and red blood flowed. The dagger was functioning normally. ¡°But what just happened now?¡± It was something that couldn¡¯t be figured out. He mindlessly stared at the flowing blood, and suddenly something of a soft skin touched him. Adjusting his gaze, he saw the First-Generation missing person putting his hand on his cheek. And then he pinched his cheek. He didn¡¯t seem to have any strength, but it hurt quite a bit. ¡°Your skin is so firm that it doesn¡¯t pull well. What were you trying to do?¡± When asked, Do-jin bit his lips. ¡°Hyung!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, wait a minute.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that dangerous. Look, you¡¯re still here.¡± Hyeon-woo pulled Do-jin¡¯s cheek again and released it. Then he asked again. ¡°What were you going to do?¡± Do-jin couldn¡¯t even open his mouth. He wanted to die. But it only felt difficult to say those words. ¡°Do you think Ye-won would be happy to see this?¡± No, no. If it was Ye-won, that kind child would cry when she saw this. She would ask him why her Oppa didn¡¯t spare his own body and why he did such a thing. ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then why did you do that?¡± Do-jin lowered his eyes at the questioning. The one right in front was not Ye-won. Yet, strangely, there was no feeling of rejection. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be apologizing to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, though.¡± As he apologized again, his eyes, which looked at him, slowly looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± At those words, the corners of his eyes became hot again. While tolerating his tears, Do-jin asked him. ¡°Your name, I want to know your name.¡± ¡°Hyeon-woo, Ji Hyeon-woo.¡± ¡°Hyeon-woo nim.¡± ¡°Just call me Hyeon-woo.¡± ¡°Hyeon-woo.¡± When Do-jin called his name, Hyeon-woo patted his head as if he did a good job. It seemed that his heart had calmed down for a while. Do-jin didn¡¯t know why though. ¡°Hyung, come here.¡± Seon-woo, who had been staring at him from the side, quickly grabbed Hyeon-woo and pulled him towards himself. ¡°Then, is the business over now?¡± ¡®Is it over? I did find out what happened to my sister.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, you are right, now that everything is over.¡¯ However, Do-jin could not easily answer a ¡®yes¡¯. Do-jin already heard that she was dead, but he still had regrets. ¡°Not yet.¡± At those words, Seon-woo¡¯s expression darkened. But Do-jin did not back down. ¡°Hyeon-woo, can I follow you?¡± He wanted to hear about Ye-won¡¯s story. He thought about what happened when he only heard that she was dead, but he also realized that it wasn¡¯t just that happened to her and there was more to it. He has not yet found a body, nor has he been able to find out what happened. Do-jin made up his mind. ¡°I will do anything. So please let me follow you.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit is this? Aren¡¯t you also the Guild Leader of a guild? Do you think that would be possible?¡± Seon-woo, who intervened in the middle, looked at Do-jin with an absurd expression. ¡°Then, I will quit being the Guild Leader.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°I just have to hand over the guild to the Deputy Guild Leader.¡± ¡°Correct that phrase. Did you lose your mind?¡± It was not unreasonable for Seon-woo to say that. He was about to give up the Guild Leader¡¯s position in the Peace Guild, which was in the top 5. It was the same as saying that ¡®I would throw away everything I have now.¡¯ However, it was also understandable. If it was the same situation, Seon-woo would have done the same. ¡°Please let me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to quit being the Guild Leader. If you come here from time to time, I will tell you her story.¡± Hyeon-woo suggested a reasonable alternative. ¡°But.¡± ¡°I keep my promises.¡± ¡°Not because of that, it¡¯s because I was worried.¡± ¡°What?¡± At that, Do-jin looked at Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand. It was the hand that held the blade of the dagger earlier. ¡°What if something like this happens again in the future?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Hyeon-woo hid his hand behind his back with an awkward expression. ¡°If it happens again, I will just turn it around, like I did now.¡± Seon-woo stared at Hyeon-woo like Do-jin did. ¡°Why did you do such a dangerous thing, Hyung?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t dangerous.¡± That was true. Even if it was the most dangerous weapon, there was no way a strong person like Hyeon-woo could get hurt by such a thing. However, neither Seon-woo nor Do-jin was unaware of that fact. So, it was natural to worry. ¡°It was dangerous.¡± ¡°It was dangerous, Hyung.¡± Do-jin and Seon-woo spoke together as if they had made a promise. ¡°Because I¡¯m not¡­¡± He tried to deny it, but his voice was getting smaller and smaller. He had the confidence to defeat both of them with his own strength, but he didn¡¯t know why his voice shrank so much. As he was able to turn his head away from their eyes, he saw Kero looking up with a subtle face. ¡°What.¡± Looking at Kero wearing such a tired expression, he grabbed Kero and pulled his body with his hands violently to relieve his anger. ¡°Wang.¡± Kero remained calm, entrusting himself to Hyeon-woo¡¯s hands. ¡®I¡¯m glad that I have a small body or else, I would have got hit.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go back now, Hyung.¡± Seon-woo looked at Hyeon-woo, who was just escaping from reality, and held out his hand with softened eyes. And just around that time, Chan-young arrived in the area. ¡°Guild leader?¡± Chan-young, who arrived late, saw Do-jin standing next to him, with a wary expression on his face. Seon-woo then briefly explained the situation to him. ¡°I am the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild.¡± It was so brief that it was impossible to understand what was going on. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡®Why is the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild here? I wonder if he was also targeting the First-Generation missing people, but his attitude is too docile for that to happen.¡¯ While Chan-young was wondering what had happened, Seon-woo put Hyeon-woo back in the car. Then he said to Chan-young. ¡°Oh, do you remember the chicken restaurant we went to last time?¡± ¡°The place you stopped by sometimes? Yes, I remember.¡± ¡°Bring only three chickens from there. Soy sauce, seasoning, fried.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°ASAP.¡± Having said those words behind, Seon-woo gracefully got into the car. Meanwhile, Do-jin¡¯s gaze was fixed on Hyeon-woo the whole time. So, Seon-woo urged the driver. ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The driver got back into the driver¡¯s seat and grabbed the steering wheel. However, just as they were about to leave, they saw several people standing in the way. While they were delayed for a while because of Do-jin, others seemed to have caught up. Seon-woo was annoyed and ruffled his bangs. ¡°This is bothering me.¡± Seon-woo had to get out of the car again. As soon as he came out, clicking his tongue, Chan-young quickly came to his side and walked alongside him. He decided that it was better to join Seon-woo than to protect Hyeon-woo now. Because his abilities were compatible with Seon-woo. ¡°The guild members will arrive soon.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°Most likely within 5 to 10 minutes.¡± That should be enough time to hold out those people. ¡°Keep it.¡± Seon-woo pointed to his car with his chin as he passed by the still standing Do-jin. With that being said, Do-jin quietly moved and stood next to the car. ¡°Hey.¡± Looking at Seon-woo like that, Ga-jun waved his hand. Standing next to him was a young man with a soft impression, his hair close to blonde, and a woman with a cool-looking appearance. It was Hye-sun and Ja-yun, the guild leaders of other guilds who were S-class awakeners. It was Hye-sun who spoke first. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again soon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Seon-woo answered with a cold face. Then, Ga-jun shrugged his shoulders and spoke. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I can¡¯t miss this great opportunity.¡± The plan to do next was to take time and play along. When you get chances, you have to hit more on the spot. If Seon-woo also had an idea of what to do, he would change the place where Hyeon-woo stayed after this. And he would set his guards up even more thoroughly. So, it was right to move now. ¡°You know I can¡¯t give it to you, right? ¡°I know. You¡¯re not fighting alone, are you?¡± Having himself suddenly surrounded, Seon-woo looked at the three people and snorted. ¡°Do you really think you would win if you guys gathered together? ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we at least try when we have the chance?¡± While saying that, he had a different thought in his mind. It was probably difficult for him. No matter how superior they are in numbers, the opponent was the same S-Class Awakener. It was close to impossible to defeat him within a short time. ¡®It¡¯s even during the day, so why didn¡¯t you choose another method to end this quickly? CH 14 Ga-jun pulled the new leather gloves and clasped them tight. ¡®Well, it seems that they are working together. How classic!¡¯ This time, they wanted to waste time and drag it out. These three were not the only ones who came here. They also brought those who were considered the strongest in their guilds. While the guild leaders took their time fighting against Seon-woo and Chan-young, they would probably attack from the other side. ¡®Yes, I know what I have to do.¡¯ Ga-jun moved his gaze to the back of Seon-woo. Another familiar man stood there. ¡°But who¡¯s the other familiar face?¡± ¡°Han Do-jin.¡± Why was the Peace Guild Leader here? ¡°Why are you here?¡± Do-jin did not answer Ga-jun¡¯s question, and just stood still with his body stretched out as if protecting the car. ¡®I¡¯m in trouble. I mean, there is a monster over there.¡¯ Originally, Ga-jun could have been left out from carrying out such dangerous work. However, he decided to move again under one assumption. It was the possibility that Seon-woo did not know of Hyeon-woo¡¯s powers. It could also be said that Hyeon-woo might be hiding his power from Seon-woo. If not, would he treat his brother who had so much power like this? There were two extreme situations on how the Awakened treated their weaker families. One of them was ignoring them, and the other was being overprotective of them. Ga-jun thought that Seon-woo¡¯s actions were the latter. ¡®If you want to hide your power from your brother, there is a chance of you doing that here.¡¯ As Ga-jun was thinking like that, and as they were judging each other¡¯s situation, Chan-young intervened. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Are you fighting the Seon-Hyeon Guild now?¡± ¡°No¨Cwhat? That¡¯s about it, right?¡± Ga-jun scratched his head. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± A sharp voice rang out. ¡°Are you talking about starting a war?¡± ¡°Not to such an extent. We have heads, too. I¡¯m not going to wage war here.¡± ¡°There are a number of S-class Awakened people!¡± Chan-young exclaimed in a sharp voice. ¡®Fuck, there¡¯s also a monster on the other side.¡¯ Ga-jun broke into laughter. But Chan-young seemed to have misunderstood it. Like Ga-jun, sparks began to flutter from his gloved hands. Then, a strong electric current wrapped around Chan-young¡¯s body. Chan-young was a rare Thunderbolt Awakened. Using his abilities, he was able to move his body quickly and shock his opponent with lightning. As a long-distance sniper, he had the disadvantage of the ability being somewhat difficult to use, but it was still a difficult ability to deal with. There, Seon-woo¡¯s ability was water-based, so their compatibility was perfect. As the lightning that occurred with the sparks started to bounce around, water droplets began to float in the air at the same time. The lightning that had been frantically bouncing like crazy stuck to the water droplets. Then, as the water drops filled with lightning quickly poured down, Hye-sun grabbed his shield and stepped forward. Thud! A large shield pierced the ground, and a translucent curtain wrapped around the three people. Indomitable shield. That was Hye-sun¡¯s ability. It halved the effect of most attacks, and the body of the shield was strong, tough, and held up well. As soon as Hye-sun blocked the attack, Ja-yun sent a slash of wind. The wind had a cutting power that could cut even a tree in two, but it was soon blocked by ice. But Ja-yun did not hesitate at all. Sending the loud attack in the first place was just bait to cover up a full-scale attack. The real attack started with Ga-jun. He used poison little by little, and Ja-yun secretly carried it with the wind. The attack continued with ease, perhaps thanks to matching the incoming attacks several times. If there was a problem, it was that Seon-woo was sensitive and didn¡¯t really suffer any damage from poison attacks. Seon-woo trapped the poisoned wind with water. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s how you block it.¡± Hye-sun pulled his head from behind the shield and murmured. Then he hid his body again from the attack that came flying again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you good at blocking too?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t stop it¨C You have to stop it.¡± Hye-sun frowned and focused his attention on Seon-woo. A few other people followed him, and they separately began to move, soaring into the air. ¡°Is that an S-Class Awakened?¡± A guild member of the Cradle(??) Guild spoke with an anxious expression. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s only one person. There are several of us, so it¡¯s okay.¡± Another guild member of the Baekho Guild responded by sticking out his tongue. ¡°Some drag the time out, others go for the car.¡± If it was Seon-Hyeon Guild, the driver would also be an Awakened. But they were the elites of each guild. So, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to defeat him. So, for now, it was Han Do-jin, they just had to hold on to him. Do-jin felt a new presence and dropped out of the car. He pulled out a dagger with his hands. He really wanted to fight with all his might. Because that would be something that could make up for even a little bit for what he had done to Hyeon-woo. His bent back was straightened as he stood tall, revealing a tall body. However, the presence of the hidden person didn¡¯t feel so great, because he was trying to kill someone on purpose. Do-jin began to move within the shadows. ¡°Uh?¡± The body, which had been moving secretly towards the car where Hyeon-woo was, suddenly stopped walking. ¡®Why did I stop?¡¯ He tried to move somehow, but it was in vain. He didn¡¯t budge, as if something was holding him. ¡®But who is it?¡¯ The eyes that had been rolling like crazy suddenly fell down. Then he realized. ¡°Crazy, are you a shadow?¡± It was the shadow that held him. The long shadows under the dim moonlight looked like monsters. And in the meantime, black darkness passed by, and one by one they began to fall on the spot. Before long, not a single one of those standing could be seen. Do-jin reappeared at that moment. He tucked away his old clothes and went back to the side of the car and took his seat. And Ga-jun was seeing that as well. ¡®This is bad.¡¯ ¡®Now, Things are getting messed up. I brought the elites of the guilds, but I didn¡¯t know that I would fall to Do-jin so easily.¡¯ ¡®What should I do?¡¯ As Ga-jun was pondering, he heard a calm voice next to him. ¡°I am stepping down then.¡± It was Ja-jun. ¡°What? Why!¡± Hye-sun, who could not understand the situation as he was concerned with the defense, asked. ¡°Everyone on our side has collapsed. I think it¡¯s the right time to step back now.¡± Having heard these words, Hye-sun looked around and frowned. All the people on his side fell, but the strength of the other side did not change. It didn¡¯t look like it would be pushed, but the problem was the time limit. In a fleeting time, the guild members of the Seon-Hyeon Guild would arrive. Hye-sun, who smashed the lightning that Chan-young had sent, grinded his teeth. ¡®Ja-yun was right. I had to leave today. It was disappointing, but I couldn¡¯t help it.¡¯ As soon as he decided to step back, Hye-sun took a deep breath and yelled. At the sound, those who had fallen trembled and came to their senses. ¡°Retreat!¡± At those words, they began to get up and pull themselves after being defeated. And at the same time, several cars appeared, and the guild members of the Seon-Hyeon Guild poured out. Hye-sun left Chan-young and Seon-woo, who were still attacking, and he immediately pulled his shield out and took care of his guild members. Ga-jun and Ja-yun did the same thing as him. Although they held hands for the sake of necessity, they were only rivals in the end. ¡°Catch them!¡± Hearing Chan-young¡¯s voice, the guild members moved quickly. However, even if they were injured, the opponents were not as good as they were, so they could not catch much. You may not be able to kill them, but you would be able to steal money or items from their Guild and send them back later. ¡°Haa.¡± Chan-young looked around to see the messed-up surroundings and ruffled his hair roughly. ¡®I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t too late though. No matter how strong Seon-woo is, his opponents were three S-class Awakeners.¡¯ ¡°Are you okay?¡± When he asked Seon-woo, he nodded his head with an indifferent expression and began to walk towards his car. ¡°Make sure to clean-up everything.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, and chicken. Don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± Chan-young nodded with a puzzled expression on his face. And the moment he realized what Seon-woo was going to do, he quickly divided the guild members in half and let them come along as escorts. The car carrying Seon-woo and Hyeon-woo slowly moved away, having one of the escorts with them. The Guild members alone would be enough to clean up the site. Chan-young glazed at the moving car and found his bike. He was going to go buy some chicken. When he thought about whose mouth it would go into, he wanted to burst into tears, but he couldn¡¯t disobey Seon-woo¡¯s words. ¡®And I still don¡¯t know how it came to be like this.¡¯ Chan-young took a deep breath and put on his helmet. *** After Returning back to the so-called home, Hyeon-woo stretched out his hands a little. ¡°Wash first, Hyung.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As he came out of the living room in his pajamas after a simple wash, a fragrant smell stung his nostrils. Unknowingly, he walked in the direction of the smell and saw three well-fried chickens laid out on the table. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡®Come to think of it, I couldn¡¯t eat anything because I was kidnapped. I think a rumbling sound came from my stomach again.¡¯ Hyeon-woo quietly sat down in front of the table and took the plate in front of him. ¡°What do you like to eat first?¡± ¡°Fried!¡± Seon-woo picked up a piece of fried chicken and placed it on the plate in front of Hyeon-woo. He gulped down his flowing saliva. The yellow chicken was well cooked. But he waited patiently as his younger brother had not yet been seated. ¡°Eat first.¡± Seon-woo, who placed the drinks and sat down, said so, but Hyeon-woo shook his head. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Me too, Fried.¡± Hyeon-woo lifted the tongs and placed the chicken on the plate in front of Seon-woo. Then he finally got to try the chicken. CH 15 10-13 minutes 22.07.2022 15. A piece of chicken was lifted. From a look, he saw the crunchy skin surrounding the chicken. Underneath it was a soft, tender meat with a moderately salty taste. He took a large bite and chewed it. ¡®Oh, the taste is still truly heavenly.¡¯ Hyeon-woo ate the rest of the chicken without hesitation. ¡®I missed chicken so much in the Demon Realm that I caught a similar-looking beast and fried it, but the taste was terrible.¡¯ ¡®How can that taste even compare to this?!¡¯ Hyeon-woo grinned as he continued eating with gusto. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, right?¡± Seeing Hyeon-woo eating hard, Seon-woo asked in a friendly voice. It was surprising to those who knew him. ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± Kero, who sat down and looked up at the two of them eating chicken, flinched at Hyeon-woo¡¯s words. ¡®I want to eat. But I have to be patient.¡¯ Kero, who knew Hyeon-woo¡¯s personality, was developing his patience and endured him if needed. ¡°Eat as much as you want. I can buy more if you want.¡± Hyeon-woo nodded his head and started to indulge in chicken again. After he frantically ate a few pieces, he felt a bit full. ¡°This time, the seasoned one.¡± As soon as the words came out, Seon-woo placed the seasoned chicken on the plate. The seasoned chicken was just as delicious as the fried chicken. The slightly soggy exterior of the seasoned chicken and the savory flesh inside was enough to stimulate the tongue. The soy sauce chicken wasn¡¯t too bad either. He added a little bit of Cheong yang[1] red pepper, and the flavor of the sweet and spicy soy sauce was so delicious that he thought he could eat it all the time. As his eating speed started to slow down, Seon-woo opened his mouth, looking at Hyeon-woo with a friendly expression the whole time, ¡°Remember what happened back then? The day I was sick with a cold?¡± At those words, Hyeon-woo slowly nodded his head. ¡°I remember.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but remember. At that time, Hyeon-woo was young. He was panicking as he left his younger brother, who was having a severe fever. Still, he went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, but the fever did not go away easily. He went to the hospital, but he had no money. He was afraid that his brother would die. So, he wiped his brother¡¯s sweaty forehead with a towel by his side the whole time while suppressing his tears. He tried to feed him a little bit of boiled porridge with his clumsy skills. However, he couldn¡¯t get it through his mouth because his mouth was drooping. Seon-woo then said that he wanted to eat something. It was chicken. ¡°I told you I wanted to eat chicken.¡± Yes, you did. That was what his sick brother wanted to eat, so he ran outside with only 5,000 won. And he scoured every chicken house nearby and managed to find an old-fashioned chicken that cost 5,000 per whole piece. He picked it up, placed it on his arms, and ran, giving it all to Seon-woo without putting a single piece of meat in his own mouth. ¡°Yes I do remember.¡± ¡°It tastes similar to the chicken I ate back then.¡± By chance, the taste was so similar that Seon-woo became a regular at the restaurant. He wouldn¡¯t miss anything that reminded him of his older brother, so he visited it occasionally, even though he was busy. Hyeon-woo put down the chicken he was eating after hearing Seon-woo¡¯s words. He was smiling as he spoke, but Hyeon-woo could grasp the emotions he would have had at the time. ¡®I also missed you.¡¯ Hyeon-woo bit his lip. ¡°Hyung.¡± ¡°Seon-woo.¡± The two exchanged mournful glances with the chicken in between. After a long time, they finally met again. Now, Hyeon-woo would never leave again. Hyeon-woo pushed the remaining chicken to Seon-woo. ¡°Chicken. Eat more.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Just eat.¡± Hyeon-woo pressed the chicken forward to make it easier to eat and put a piece in Seon-woo¡¯s mouth. Seon-woo ate it and smiled softly. Hyeon-woo was happy to see his younger brother eating well, so he fed him again. After both of them ate, they spent time together on the sofa. *** A sleek black car drove down the road and stopped at one end. Two men exited it. One was Moo-hyuk, and the other was a rather skinny man with glasses. ¡°It¡¯s already been cleaned up and dealt with.¡± Moo-hyuk¡¯s expression hardened at Young-jin, the man with glasses¡¯ words. ¡°The news came too late.¡± ¡°The budget unit is different from the guilds. Our intelligence department is also working hard, but it is not easy to catch up on actual-time information.¡± The result was this¨C Arriving at an organized place after a fight had already taken place. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why this is difficult.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Young-jin answered, sliding his glasses up with his fingers. ¡°If it goes on like this, the Hunter Administration will never be ahead of the guilds forever.¡± A look of displeasure appeared on Moo-hyuk¡¯s face. ¡°Be sure to prevent this from happening.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Young-jin bowed his head. ¡°By the way, how was the First-Generation missing person? Before you went over to the Information Department, you should have known that we¡¯ve lost him to the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± How was it? Moo-hyuk traced the still vivid memories. He was a small and delicate-looking man. In fact, he wasn¡¯t that small or fragile by normal standards, but he seemed that way to him as an S-class Awakened. ¡°He was a weak-looking man.¡± ¡°I had high expectations because it was the First-Generation, but I¡¯m sorry to hear that he looked weak.¡± In general, an Awakener was stronger with precedence. It was said that the 2nd generation was stronger than the 3rd generation. So, he guessed that the 1st generation would be stronger than the 2nd generation. It seems like it doesn¡¯t look like that at all. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one First-Generation that returned, so he¡¯s still probably useful.¡± The whereabouts of the other First-Generation people, the degree of power they had, and the information they know. Everything was important. Not a single thing could be missed. ¡°I would like to know more about the Demon Realm.¡± Another world from Earth. Knowing more about places with unusual vegetation will change a lot. Perhaps due to the emergence of the First-Generation, it could make their country get ahead of others. ¡°So, we just have to get him back.¡± But would it be easy? He had the same bloodline as Seon-woo from the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Moreover, when he heard the story from the scene that time, Moo-hyuk said that Seon-woo seemed to care about him very much. ¡°The story is complicated in many ways.¡± Young-jin shut his mouth and headed back to the car. However, Moo-hyuk just stood there and looked at the empty lot next to the road. How long had it been? Just as Young-jin was starting to get tired of waiting, Moo-hyuk went back to the car. *** ¡®I had a dream.¡¯ A small child with chubby cheeks was smiling while looking at Hyeon-woo. ¡°Hyung!¡± He was running, a bag with a bun in one hand, and his body tilted as if he was about to fall. Confused, Hyeon-woo ran and grabbed him. Fortunately, the child did not fall. ¡°You have to be careful, Seon-woo.¡± ¡°Yes! Hyung, look at this, I got a bun at school.¡± Then he showed Hyeon-woo the red bean bun. ¡°Let¡¯s eat half and half.¡± ¡®It¡¯s okay to eat it all alone.¡¯ It was lovely to see the younger brother who uttered strange words like ¡® share it half and half.¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t for his younger brother, several years after losing his parents, Hyeon-woo wouldn¡¯t be where he was today. His beloved brother, Hyeon-woo, raised the corners of his mouth, and slowly opened his eyes. He saw a familiar ceiling, having been accustomed to the ceiling of Seon-woo¡¯s house. Hyeon-woo blinked and turned his head. Right next to him, Kero was sleeping with his belly exposed. Originally, he was known for being sensitive, but seeing him laying down with his stomach out in the open, this guy had changed a lot too. Hyeon-woo raised his upper body while fiddling with Kero¡¯s belly. ¡®I am glad to have such a peaceful time sleeping in. When was the last time I ever had this feeling? I can¡¯t even remember right now.¡¯ ¡®Should I lie down a little longer?¡¯ As he was about to lay down again, the door opened with a knock. ¡°Hyung.¡± Seon-woo was standing with a small bag. ¡°I have something to give you.¡± Again? When he came back, Hyeon-woo received a lot from Seon-woo. After some time, he even started to feel burdened just to receive something from his younger brother, who he once thought as purely someone to be protected. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give anything more to me.¡± He stood up and tried to sneak a peek at him but pretended that he didn¡¯t want to hear anymore. There was no way he would listen to his words of explanation. Seon-woo came to the bed and spilled the contents of the bag on the duvet. More came out of the little bag than he expected. ¡°It¡¯s a space bag.¡± So, that was why it had so much. ¡°But what is this?¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s question, Seon-woo picked up an accessory that was scattered on the bed. ¡°This is a ring.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just a ring?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s an artifact. It¡¯s called the ring of protection¡± Then he talked about its abilities. [Ring of Protection (Unique)] Unleashes a strong barrier when the owner is in danger. Cool down time: 48 hours Then, Seon-woo, who took Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand, put the ring on him. The ring, which seemed rather large, constricted on his finger as soon as it entered. ¡°Once you put this on.¡± ¡®It is a ring that I don¡¯t need at all. But if I hold onto it, my brother would be relieved.¡¯ Hyeon-woo accepted the ring with an open mind. However, Seon-woo¡¯s wants from his heart did not end with the ring. [Movement Earrings (Unique)] Short distance movement is possible when worn. Can move to another random location, Cool down time: 24 hours ¡°These earrings also.¡± [Bracelet of Sacrifice (Unique)] Damage received by the owner will be dealt on the opponent. Broken after 10 uses. ¡°Bracelet too.¡± [Necklace of Regeneration (Unique)] Slowly heals the owner¡¯s wounds. Can be used after replenishing mana. ¡°This is a necklace.¡± The earrings had already begun to burden him. ¡°Do I even need to have all of these?¡± ¡°You have to.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it a bit odd for a grown man to wear all this?¡± Hyeon-woo smiled awkwardly and tried to convince Seon-woo, ¡°I avoided designs that were too flashy though.¡± That¡¯s right. All of them looked pretty elegant, but there were a lot of things to be worn, and the wearer was himself. ¡ª [1]Cheon yang- A predominantly rural area, it is known throughout Korea for the spicy Cheong yang chili peppers which are grown there. CH 16 ¡°But I don¡¯t think this is a little bit.¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s timid refusal, Seon-woo wore a gloomy expression on his face. Then he started rummaging through his bag again. ¡°Actually, I have prepared a few more things. If you don¡¯t like this, you can use something else.¡± ¡°Uh? Then I¡¯ll choose something else!¡± Hyeon-woo responded coldly. ¡°Then what about this?¡± The item he took out was a circlet. Why do fancy decorations worn by elves on their foreheads in fantasy exist nowadays? [Purification Circlet (Unique)] Poison resistance and mental attack resistance by 30% The moment he saw it, Hyeon-woo quietly grabbed the earring. ¡®I could never wear a circlet! The items that came out next were as splendid as the circlet, so I became afraid to look at them. A cloak with soft fur, a wand that looks like that of a king, and colorful gaiters that reach the shin.¡¯ It seemed like it would be possible to get all eyes on one body by wearing just one thing. ¡°You only need one or two of these.¡± ¡°No, just wear everything.¡± Hyeon-woo sighed and asked with his last regrets. ¡°But do I really have to wear all this?¡± ¡°Yeah, everything.¡± ¡°Too¨CIsn¡¯t it too much?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot. Still, I was only choosing here and there.¡± Hyeon-woo wanted to cry. ¡®You said you don¡¯t want to hurt your brother, so isn¡¯t it okay to have your ears pierced? The process of collecting accessories is kind of hard and slow. I really want to throw everything out the window if I can. Maybe Kero can chew all of this and run away¡­¡¯ He looked at Kero with anticipation, but he was yawning with sleepy eyes. ¡®He¡¯s no help!¡¯ Hyeon-woo was desperate. ¡°But now I feel a little more relieved.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m glad you feel relieved.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hyung. Awakened people usually wear more for the sake of their abilities, but they probably just don¡¯t because they don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡®This was why I did this¡¯. Seon-woo sincerely thought so. Of course, Hyeon-woo¡¯s thoughts were different. ¡°That¡¯s right. But last time I saw there were people who didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Someone called Ga-jun.¡± Seon-woo paused for a moment at those words. Then he frowned and answered. ¡°Nope. Do Ga-jun is also using several.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°First, gloves. I keep a few pairs and use them alternately. It¡¯s not hard to find, so the grade isn¡¯t high, but it¡¯s quite useful.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Several rings that are invisible but attached to a necklace.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He remembered holding Do Ga-jun by the collar, but he didn¡¯t even notice the accessories. ¡°It¡¯s not just Do Ga-jun. Lee Hye-sun and Ryu Ja-yun also carry a few accessories in case of emergencies. Earrings and rings are the basics.¡± ¡°Who is Lee Hye-sun?¡± ¡°The Guild Leader of one of the strongest guilds. The person holding the shield. And behind her was Ryu Ja-yun.¡± When Seon-woo explained their names along with their basic appearance, it wasn¡¯t difficult to pinpoint who was who. But were they wearing accessories? That part didn¡¯t come to mind. If the accessories flashed during the fight, he would have known right away. While in doubt, Seon-woo spoke again. ¡°Anyway, from now on, never go out. Understand? Rather let me do it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After promising that he wouldn¡¯t go out several times, Seon-woo showed a relieved expression. ¡®Yeah, it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ Albert from the Demon Realm also did wear quite a bit of accessories, didn¡¯t he? Still, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t want to wear it. ¡®That¡¯s because it¡¯s Albert!¡¯ Because Albert was absurdly beautiful! But Albert was not him! Hyeon-woo rolled over the bed in agony. ¡°No way I won¡¯t wear it! Let¡¯s cut it down a bit!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to reduce?¡± ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°You look good, Hyung.¡± Seon-woo laughed bashfully. ¡®It will suit you much better than me!¡¯ Even though he was wearing a suit, he looked so handsome that he seemed to be able to rock this kind of accessory. But he wasn¡¯t Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo was wallowing in agony, and then something came to his mind, so he jumped up. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re not wearing accessories! You said everyone was carrying a few!¡± ¡°I am carrying a few around though?¡± ¡°What do you wear?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t normally use it. Do I even need it? Because the S-Class Awakening feels like a strategic weapon in itself, I didn¡¯t have to wear accessories. I just keep a few in my inventory for emergencies. Do Ga-jun is very careful, so he keeps it separately.¡± This was quite silly. The cute and lovable little brother looked mean for the first time. For that reason, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t even need to wear accessories. Because he was strong. He didn¡¯t dare reveal his power to his brother before, but now he couldn¡¯t bear it. He thought it would be better to prove he was strong and walk around comfortably rather than wear all of this. ¡®Let¡¯s confess.¡¯ As soon as he thought of that, Seon-woo rolled his eyes and pulled out an ordinary looking necklace. It was a metal necklace without any decoration, but this was also an accessory with a special effect. ¡°Then will you use this?¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t want to add anymore!¡± ¡°You already know that Do Ga-jun wears several rings on his necklace, right?¡± ¡°I know?¡± ¡°This is the necklace. It looks simple, but it has special abilities. If you put several items here, the stats will be reflected. In addition, there is an item reduction function, so it¡¯s particularly convenient.¡± Then there was no need to wear these accessories one by one. Therefore, this necklace had a unique grade without any other abilities. And there were only two of them in the world: One for Seon-woo and one for Ga-jun. It was because it came from a dungeon that opened in Korea. Hyeon-woo, who thought of trying to prove his strength, only calmed down after seeing it. At this point, he seemed to change his mind again. ¡®If that¡¯s the only one, then I can wear it.¡± He hated having the same necklace as Do Ga-jun, but it was still the better choice. ¡°I will do that.¡± ¡°Great. Then I will work on it and return it to you.¡± Then, cautiously, Hyeon-woo began to remove all the accessories he was wearing. ¡°But it¡¯s a bit of a shame.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It suits you well.¡± Hyeon-woo frowned at him without realizing it. ¡°No, what?¡± ¡°I meant it, really.¡± ¡°Then, you wear them rather than me, okay? It would be really good.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seon-woo laughed shyly. Then, he took the earring he had removed from Hyeon-woo and brought it to his ear. ¡°Looks good?¡± Hyeon-woo nodded his head as if possessed. Even though he said that he himself was ugly, Seon-woo was still a cute and lovable little brother. Yes, Seon-woo was now in his early 20s. He was still young. How can he play a joke on him like this? ¡°Then, Hyung and me, Let¡¯s wear a pair of earrings like a set?¡± At that, Hyeon-woo nodded his head without realizing it. ¡®I would like to wear earrings like my brother wears.¡¯ Then, just after the thought surfaced, he came back to his senses. ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird to have an earrings set between brothers?¡± ¡°What¡¯s weird? Doesn¡¯t brothers and sisters usually do this?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± After being in the Demon Realm for a long time, Korean customs seem to have changed a bit. ¡®I don¡¯t know since it¡¯s usually with a sister, but maybe it will work since I have a brother?¡¯ While contemplating, Seon-woo, who took out a few earrings and looked at Hyeon-woo, asked. ¡°Which one do you like?¡± A simple one. The simplest one! Hyeon-woo chose a small earring studded with black jewels. ¡°Oh, this? I only have one now, so I¡¯ll have to get another one.¡± Seon-woo, who hummed a little, took care of the earrings that Hyeon-woo had chosen. It doesn¡¯t seem like it had been a long time, but he was kind of tired. Hyeon-woo drooped again as he stood. Then he asked Seon-woo as if he had suddenly remembered. ¡°Then what happened to that person?¡± ¡°Who?¡± He thought he knew what happened, and he trembled. ¡°Yewon¡¯s oppa.¡± Seon-woo tilted his head slightly and looked at Hyeon-woo. ¡®So cute, I don¡¯t want anyone else to see it.¡¯ Hyeon-woo said while stroking Seon-woo¡¯s hair softly, ¡°You know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Seon-woo let out a small sigh and continued. ¡°But do you really need to keep such a dangerous bastard close?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just willing to tell him a story?¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t Hyung talk, and I record it so he could listen to it?¡± In this case, his head was taut. Seon-woo¡¯s well-groomed hair was messed up when Hyeon-woo turned his stroking in the opposite direction. ¡°Don¡¯t be grumpy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Seon-woo pouted while Hyeon-woo pinched his nose and shook it lightly. ¡°Tell me where he is.¡± Seon-woo pointed down with a dissatisfied expression. ¡°Below?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fighting at the lobby entrance.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t let him in.¡± ¡°Tell him to come in.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Others were usually terrified to see Seon-woo¡¯s fighting spirit. It was because he had always adhered to a rigid attitude since he didn¡¯t like it when things didn¡¯t go his way. ¡®But what does that matter?¡¯ It had been 10 years since Seon-woo last saw him. During the period that he and Seon-woo couldn¡¯t meet, he thought of everything he wanted to do with Hyeon-woo. So, he didn¡¯t hesitate to do things that might make others feel a bit uncomfortable. Seon-woo put his face on Hyeon-woo¡¯s lap, who was sitting on the bed. Then, Hyeon-woo began to card his hair in a more comfortable manner. ¡®I have to protect him.¡¯ For that to happen, Seon-woo had to be stronger and sharper. So that no one would ever think of touching Hyeon-woo. Never to lose his Hyung again. ¡°Seon-woo is good, right? So, let¡¯s bring him in right now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He had to let him do what he wanted to do. And it was Seon-woo¡¯s job to keep him safe. ¡®Before that, let¡¯s call that man first. I don¡¯t like it, but it¡¯s what my Hyung wanted.¡¯ CH 17 Do-jin, who was called into the room by Seon-woo, did not change much from the last time he saw him. Long, messy bangs that covered the eyes, and old clothes that looked clean but had been worn for too long. He had his back hunched, so it felt like he was very approachable. ¡°Hello.¡± When he got up and they greeted each other in an awkward manner, Do-jin bowed with his head down. ¡°Hello.¡± Then he stood still and looked at Hyeon-woo. It was strange to have a calm composure compared to his strength and size. ¡°Then shall we sit down?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment as he sat on the sofa. Do-jin sat down on the floor, on his knees. ''No, are you being punished now?'' He gestured to the sofa, swallowing the words as they were about to pop out of his throat. ¡°Please sit here.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Do-jin slowly got up from his seat and moved to the sofa and sat down. Seon-woo, who looked at him, took a mug from the kitchen next to the living room and put it down in front of Hyeon-woo. Inside was hot chocolate that looked sweet. ¡®Where did you get this from?¡¯ After hesitating for a while, he took a sip and found it to be delicious. He drank some more without realizing it, and only later realized that he was the only one holding a mug. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you drink too?¡± When he asked Seon-woo, he answered right away. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I don¡¯t like sweets.¡± Actually, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t really like it either. Still, it was a quality beverage, so he pushed the mug to Seon-woo. ¡°You should drink it too. It¡¯s worth drinking.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seon-woo smiled bashfully and took the mug. Only after watching his brother drinking hot chocolate, Hyeon-woo realized one thing too late. There was nothing laid in front of the guest, Do-jin. Then, as Hyeon-woo glanced at Do-jin at the door, Seon-woo said in a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s a guest.¡± ¡°What do you mean by guest? I¡¯m not the one who wanted him here.¡± Seon-woo spoke in a soft but firm tone and sipped the hot chocolate again. Apparently, he still had in mind the fact that Do-jin had attacked first. But what could he do now? Hyeon-woo got up from his seat. ¡°Hyung?¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Hyeon-woo wanted to give some hot chocolate to Do-jin so he too could drink it. Upon seeing that Hyeon-woo had made his way to the kitchen, Seon-woo quickly followed. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I still need to give him something.¡± ¡°Then I will.¡± ¡°Can I help you too then?¡± ¡®I¡¯m a few years older than him and I don¡¯t even seem to know how to make this.¡¯ Hyeon-woo asked Seon-woo, who took out a tin of hot chocolate powder, and read the description on it. No, ¡®tried¡¯ to read was a keyword here since the contents of the manual were all in English. ¡°I want to help you too.¡± Seon-woo next to him told him that it was a little different from what Hyeon-woo himself ate. So, he poured a little into another bowl and tasted it, but it tasted something subtly different. There was not enough powder. Hyeon-woo added more powder. ¡®The colors are similar.¡¯ ¡®That would be enough.¡¯ Hyeon-woo confidently put the mug down in front of Do-jin. ¡°Please drink.¡± Do-jin hesitated for a while and picked up the mug. There was silence between the three for a moment. Do-jin, who finished all the hot chocolate, quietly put down the mug and finally opened his mouth to speak, ¡°I would like to hear more about Ye-won¡¯s story.¡± He would have done that much anyway. ¡°I will pay the full price. Whatever it is.¡± ¡®There¡¯s no need to pay. It¡¯s merely telling a story of the past, so there¡¯s no need for any prices.¡¯ However, Seon-woo had a different idea, ¡°What can you offer?¡± Hyeon-woo carefully stabbed Seon-woo with his finger. However, Seon-woo did not withdraw his words. To such a Seon-woo, Do-jin answered carefully. ¡°I will give you anything.¡± ¡°Then how about something like this? Please protect my brother.¡± Hyeon-woo, who was about to stab Seon-woo again, stopped. What was this about? ¡°Of course, I will protect your Hyung, but I think you¡¯re well aware how the world works.¡± The value of the First-Generation missing person. Seon-woo only needed his Hyung, but the others didn¡¯t know that he was his Hyung. They were curious about everything that the First-Generation missing person with a particularly prolonged period of disappearance knew. They would not give up thinking that there might be a helpful clue to make them stronger. So, the stronger the people who could help him protect his Hyung, the better. ¡®Besides, he seemed to be stronger than Ga-jun.¡¯ Seon-woo felt it while they were fighting. Do-jin was never under him. He didn¡¯t know how such a person had been hiding his skills until now, but since Seon-woo found out about it, he couldn¡¯t just let such a useful person go. ¡°I will do that.¡± Do-jin¡¯s reply was quick. He didn¡¯t seem to have thought about it deeply. ¡°Great. Then let¡¯s make a contract for you.¡± After hearing his response, Seon-woo brought out a document that he had prepared. Although it was a contract with all the terms and conditions attached, Do-jin did not hesitate to sign it. Do-jin seemed to be older than Hyeon-woo on Earth, but to sign a contract right away without even verifying the content... He was a person who was likely to be deceived wherever he went. Hyeon-woo spitted out those thoughts. ¡°Now, what would you do if you get scammed?¡± ¡°Are you going to scam me?¡± ¡°Not that but still.¡± Hyeon-woo had no intention of scamming, and Seon-woo was not childish enough to do that. ¡°Then that¡¯s finally done and over with.¡± Hyeon-woo, who said he was okay with it, decided to change the topic. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the story of Ye-won Noona.¡± This story was not only about Ye-won, but also about Hyeon-woo. In the beginning, they used to go together often. Hyeon-woo picked out the good memories from here and there. The first time they worked together while hunting monsters and were hungry and wandering in search of something to eat. They found some fruit in the demon realm and when they ate it, they got colic. He did not speak about horrible memories, because Do-jin wasn¡¯t the only person here. Hyeon-woo also had something he didn¡¯t want to say to Seon-woo. Day by day, the number of people who were becoming increasingly sensitive and committing crazy things had also increased. Hyeon-woo and Ye-won, who were young and weak, were in an environment where they could not easily let go of their hearts and rest easily. He had realized that people couldn¡¯t all come together even in difficult circumstances. There were those who wanted to survive by pushing someone into pain. There were situations where people couldn¡¯t trust others. As he tried to remain calm in that situation, he realized how easily he could forget. He forgot who he was and began to abandon his humanity. Hyeon-woo, who was barely at the age of a high school student, was poisoned and destroyed in an instant. For decades from that moment on and until the last person died, Hyeon-woo survived alone and stayed in the Demon Realm. So, he could say that he really didn¡¯t get out unscathed. ¡®Still, I thought it would be okay to talk about this.¡¯ It changed him. Hyeon-woo, who was once weak, was no longer there. Still, the more the story went on, the more detachment he felt. ¡°Hyung, let¡¯s stop.¡± At some point, Seon-woo came and grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it for today.¡± Do-jin also added to Seon-woo¡¯s words, ¡°Looks like I put too much pressure on you. Sorry.¡± ¡®Why are you saying that?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know why, but the two seemed to be worried about Hyeon-woo. ¡°Kiiing.¡± Suddenly, Kero, who was on the sofa, whined. Hyeon-woo nodded his head as he thought about it and agreed, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story to tell all at once.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So, just rest.¡± ¡°Yeah, Hyung. Let¡¯s lie down first.¡± Seon-woo lifted Hyeon-woo again and took him to the bedroom. Then he laid him on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Beside him, he put Kero, who was trembling. ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go and bring you a healer.¡± Healer? What was going on? ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Call what healer? I look fine, don¡¯t I?¡± At that, Seon-woo took Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand with a bitter expression. ¡°Okay. I will call the healer for you later, so let¡¯s rest for a while.¡± Then he patted his chest, turned his back, and left the room. Hyeon-woo laid down, but sleep did not come. So, he opened his eyes, grabbed Kero and hugged him. It felt surprisingly good to rub Kero¡¯s belly fat, which had become chubby recently. Well, he should pretend that he¡¯s sleeping since he would worry his brother. Hyeon-woo simply closed his eyes. Seon-woo, who came out after closing the door, beckoned at Do-jin. Do-jin understood the meaning and immediately got up and went outside. Seon-woo followed him. He opened his mouth only after the thick door was closed. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± It was a sharp voice. ¡°Sorry.¡± It was something he hadn¡¯t even thought of. If Do-jin had been in the Demon Realm for 10 years, there would have been many painful memories, but he simply wouldn¡¯t care. He felt a sense of guilt that he had made it difficult for someone who was still vulnerable all because he wanted to hear about his sister. It was the same with Seon-woo. He¡¯d taken a deep breath, desperately suppressing the rising questions that time. He must have wondered about how his older brother had lived all this time. ¡®How did you survive in the Demon Realm, and why can''t I gauge the strength of your power?¡¯ There were many things he wanted to ask. Still, he didn¡¯t ask. Because he wanted to protect his Hyung. It meant that he had to approach him more slowly. ¡®I did.¡¯ But then Do-jin ruined it all. No, no. It was also Seon-woo¡¯s fault. Seon-woo could only simply clench his fists. CH 18 Chap18. Even though he knew he shouldn¡¯t be like this, he still wanted to listen to the story using Do-jin as an excuse. He was overly greedy. ¡®Yes, let it go and take your anger out on others.¡¯ Seon-woo laughed bitterly. And then, he apologized to Do-jin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡± He didn¡¯t have a good personality, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn''t understand Do-jin¡¯s situation. There was a time when Seon-woo was like him, naive and kind, in the past. That was when he was with his brother. ¡°No.¡± Do-jin, who answered Seon-woo¡¯s words, bowed his head and looked at the floor. ¡®I want to hear more about Ye-won.¡¯ But what if it caused the other to suffer? Originally, he would not have cared about such things and would have tried to listen about his beloved sister¡¯s story more, but strangely, the thought about Hyeon-woo suffering weakened him. ¡®It¡¯s because he looks weak.¡¯ Because he looked small and weak. ¡®And now what?¡¯ Things got awkward. Although Seon-woo had apologized, seeing his hardened expression again, it seemed that he would not allow Do-jin to approach Hyeon-woo anymore. He didn¡¯t even know if Seon-woo would break the contract. It was difficult to break a contract that was entirely favorable to him. A solution was needed. Do-jin, who had organized his thoughts, opened his mouth first. ¡°I will protect him according to the contract.¡± Seon-woo looked at Do-jin, his eyes with unknown emotions. ¡°I won¡¯t ask any more questions about Ye-won.¡± ¡°Then you already know that you don¡¯t have to defend my Hyung, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°But why are you doing that?¡± ¡°I just have to, anyway.¡± Do-jin touched the corner of his mouth with his hand. ¡°It may be difficult right now, but maybe one day he will be able to say it easily, right?¡± ¡°If he doesn¡¯t speak about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine either way.¡± Do-jin had no will to live any longer anyway. He wanted to die, but Hyeon-woo was the one who stopped him. So, giving his life to him wouldn¡¯t be so bad. He created a guild, but it was created out of necessity in the first place, so he had no regrets. ¡®At this point, the guild should be organized.¡¯ They were the people who he had gathered out of his hypocrisy with the sole thought of finding his younger sister. Now was the time to let go. The power of the guild would decrease when Do-jin leaves, but they would still be able to withstand it. Do-jin thought so. ¡°Yeah? What did you say now?¡± The man with a particularly sharp raised eyebrow asked with a surprised expression. His name was Park Hyun-hee. He was the deputy guild leader of the Peace Guild. He couldn¡¯t become an S-class awakener, but he was an A-class awakener. Regardless, he was barely recognized in the country. He looked at the table in disbelief and asked again. ¡°Did I hear it wrong?¡± ¡°No. You heard right.¡± Thin lips trembled. ¡°Then you really want to leave the guild?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyun-hee pressed his clenched hand onto his head. The Peace Guild was a little different from other guilds. Even though it was a guild that was ranked 5th, there were still many things that were lacking. It was good that the guild members were all working hard and gathered strength, but there were some things that just didn¡¯t work. Strength was not something you could get just because you want it. That was why the Peace Guild needed a guild leader. A strong man who saved them and brought them together. But the strong man wanted to abandon them. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Hyun-hee clenched his teeth. ¡°But why?!¡± In the meantime, the Guild Leader, Do-jin, had moved as he wished. He worked hard and barely managed to get to this point. Despair tightened Hyun-hee¡¯s heart. ¡°The purpose has been achieved.¡± ¡°Is that the purpose you mentioned when the guild was launched?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± At that time, Do-jin told them his intentions. ¡®I established the guild for a purpose. I can do anything for that purpose. The guild is only a means to reaching that purpose. Are you okay with that though?¡± At that time, Hyun-hee and the guild members answered. ¡®It¡¯s okay. The person who led us here is Do-jin-nim. We will do anything for Do-jin-nim.¡¯ Yes, it was then. But time passed, and things changed. As the guild developed, he became greedy, and he wanted to aim higher. If the guild leader left, everything would be in vain. ¡®I¡¯m not great enough to take on the guild leader position.¡¯ The guild must be operational. But he just couldn¡¯t do that. If Hyun-hee became the guild leader, the guild would go down again. ¡°Again, can¡¯t you reconsider?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Do-jin answered firmly. ¡°We only came here in the guild to serve the guild leader.¡± ¡°I know. So, once in a while, I¡¯m going to help out too.¡± That was not enough. It felt like the ground under his feet was collapsing. ¡°Is it because of that First-Generation missing person?¡± The information was controlled, but some top officials knew it. The Guild Leader couldn¡¯t solve everything alone, so it was natural. In addition, Hyun-hee knew that Do-jin¡¯s younger sister was one of the First-Generation missing persons. Do-jin didn¡¯t have an answer, but that seemed to be the answer. He didn¡¯t know what the First-Generation person said, but he had a reason to be with him. Hyun-hee shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t you just use us like before?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a nuisance?¡± ¡°No! Why is that a nuisance!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to go to dungeons as often as you used to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Most of the things that the guild leader can do, you can¡¯t do them.¡± ¡°I know, so it¡¯s okay.¡± The moment Do-jin, who was looking at Hyun-hee, opened his mouth again, Hyun-hee spoke first and struck him with the most important words, ¡°The Guild Leader must be the strongest in the guild. I can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the Deputy Guild Leader second only to me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a significant difference? Please don¡¯t abandon us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Still, he was glad Do-jin slightly changed his mind. Hyun-hee took a deep breath and harbored a grudge against the First-Generation that had created this situation. Tuk tuk. The slightly pale man who was tapping the desk with his finger said to Moo-hyuk, ¡°Bring him to me.¡± ¡°The Seon-Hyeon Guild is blocking access.¡± ¡°No matter how strong the Seon-Hyeon Guild is, it is impossible to ignore the government¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Even if they refuse and remain silent, nothing will happen to me.¡± ¡°At least, our country has the first* and it¡¯s a miracle.¡± The man clicked his tongue and spoke his words. ¡°Guild, that guild. They¡¯re like bastards who only care about their own interests. Do you really think Ji Seon-woo will ignore the Hunter Administration¡¯s offer?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell by looking at the non-response that we received?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Then we can¡¯t stand still.¡± The man, Kim Chul-su, narrowed his eyes. Director of the Hunter Administration, Kim Chul-su. He was a non-Awakened man who took the position of head of state due to his political qualities. He had no idea how frightening it would be if the Awakened were determined, since he was always protected. He thought it was because of his power that he had some courtesy that everyone reluctantly maintained. Moo-hyuk, holding back his urge to sigh, looked at the man in front of him. ¡°Intimidation by force is outdated. Now is the time to respond differently. So, let¡¯s spread the information.¡± ¡°You mean that First-Generation person''s information?¡± ¡°Yes! Notify the families of the First-Generation missing persons, and also let the media on to this secret. If you want it all, even Ji Seon-woo can keep hiding it. There is the image and reputation of the Seon-Hyeon Guild. But with the families, it¡¯s harder to maintain that. Get it as complicated as possible, and protection is our bait!¡± It was an idea of Kim Chul-su. His voice seemed excited. He seemed to think that he might catch the leash of the Seon-Hyeon Guild at this opportunity. Did he not say that Ji Hyeon-woo was Ji Seon-woo¡¯s family? Things would get more complicated. ¡®I¡¯d rather be the Director.¡¯ No, it was still too early. No one wanted to seat a young man in his late 20s as the director of the Hunter Administration. So, Moo-hyuk remained in his position. ¡°Then we will pass it on to the intelligence department and proceed like this.¡± ¡®I think only the resentment of the S-Class Awakened will live on.¡¯ Moo-hyuk reluctantly answered. ¡°Alright. Then I will take my leave?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Director flicked his hand. That was rather rude. Bang. The delicately crafted door closed, and Moo-hyuk immediately clicked his tongue. Now, the country will be inundated with the newly known information about the First-Generation. And the news will spread to other countries as well. To the Awakened powerhouses, Japan and the United States. ¡®I need to move too.¡¯ CH 19 The story about the First-Generation missing person was spread everywhere. The news began to get more detailed, and rumors spread that the top guilds were monopolizing him. ¡°No way." ¡°I hope they catch these people. Even If it¡¯s a high-level guild, would they be able to hide a person?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that possible though?¡± People turned their attention to the guilds. The guilds still kept their mouths shut. However, if people¡¯s eyes were drawn more towards the matter like this, they would be unable to sit still. No matter how strong a guild was, it was impossible to ignore the public¡¯s gaze. During the commotion, an organization formed by the families of the missing people began to move. It had been 10 years since their family members disappeared. Because of that, the news was like light to those who did not give up and waited all this time. ¡°We must meet the First-Generation missing person.¡± ¡°Yes. But how do we meet them? They have been talked about on the Internet every day, but the reality is different. The guilds keep their mouths shut and we don¡¯t even know where they are.¡± ¡°I know. I know!¡± The group leader, Park Deok-soo, clenched his teeth. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t we do something?!¡± Others bowed their heads at the voice that spat out with anger. Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman raised her hand and said, ¡°How about contacting the guilds first?¡± ¡°Will those arrogant bastards listen?¡± ¡°Better than doing nothing.¡± While they were eagerly discussing what to do next, the office door suddenly slammed open. And a young man came in and shouted. ¡°Seon-Hyeon, it¡¯s the Seon-Hyeon Guild!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The guild with the First-Generation missing person.¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the news!¡± It was not information from the broadcasts or the major media outlets, but it was enough to make their first move to find the First-Generation person. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll try to contact the Seon-Hyeon guild.¡± The image of the Seon-Hyeon Guild was good. Unlike other high-ranking guilds, they had never been arrogant and had made frequent social contributions. So, one way or another the answer would come back. They believed so. *** ¡°Wow, fuck you. Are you fucking serious?¡± Ga-jun smiled low at the news. ¡°Even if I were to die, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss the First-Generation monopoly.¡± All the guilds, who knew where the First-Generation person who disappeared was kept, remained silent. If one waited patiently in the future, chances would come again. There was no need to talk about it elsewhere and increase the number of competitors. So, they kept quiet, but someone else did it. The Hunter Administration. It seemed like they were trying to hide the source of the information as much as possible, but unless they were idiots, it was easy for anyone to see who had done this. As he was laughing aloud in shock, the phone rang. It was Hye-sun. ¡°Hey, Noona.¡± -You¡¯re crazy, aren¡¯t you? ¡°I have always been half-crazy.¡± The goal was big, but there were many things that stood in his way, so he might have become crazy because of how frustrating it was currently. - If this information spreads, only more competitors will stick with it. Why did you do this? ¡°That¡¯s what I want to say too. Besides, how many enemies does Ji Seon-woo have?¡± - Then you weren¡¯t the one¡­? ¡°I¡¯m a gentleman.¡± - Bullshit! So what are you going to do? Are you gonna cover it? ¡°The rate at which information spreads is too fast for that. Even the Baekho Guild won¡¯t be able to cover it easily this time around.¡± Ja-yun and A-yun were children of the owner of a media company, and thanks to that, they were good at information warfare. But neither of the two would be able to help this time. - Damn internet! Hye-sun¡¯s angry voice was heard. ¡°What are you going to do? Still, we will have to think about the larger goal first, so let¡¯s get together." - Okay. I will tell you when you are in the Baekho Guild. Hye-sun¡¯s guild had a good relationship with the Baekho Guild. It was because she was close to A-yun, and her older sister, Ja-yun. ¡°Yes, then.¡± Ga-jun hung up the phone and looked into the drawer for a cigarette. He didn¡¯t enjoy it usually because it felt boring to him since he could smoke anything poisonous. But now, he was drawn to it. ¡°Really, what are we going to do? Tsk.¡± Ga-jun clicked his tongue and remembered the First-Generation missing person, Hyeon-woo. Now what was he going to do with him? His strength was not weak, but sometimes there was a greater power than strength. ¡®I wonder how Ji Seon-woo will respond.¡¯ While ruminating the worst scenario possible, Ga-jun rummaged for a cigarette. *** The information that was circulating around Korea soon began to leak out to the overseas: Japan, Russia, and the USA. The Awakened Powerhouses heard the information and began to observe each other. In the country of Japan. A young man, who had been meditating on his knees on a polished wooden floor, slowly raised his head. ¡°Junichi-sama.¡± Not long after, he heard a voice calling him from the other side of the door. ¡°Come in.¡± As soon as the words came out, a man with a terribly stern look entered cautiously. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Information has arrived.¡± ¡°Seeing that you called me in a hurry, it seems to be important information.¡± His voice was gentle, but hearing those words, the man stiffened his body. It was because he knew that Junichi, the young man with a soft impression in front of him, was different from what he saw. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°It is said that a First-Generation missing person has appeared.¡± At that, Junichi slowly tilted his head. Seeing that, the man felt fear and spoke quickly. ¡°The place where the First-Generation missing people is hidden is said to be the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± ¡°Seon-Hyeon Guild?¡± Junichi¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Hmm. Do some more research and bring back more information.¡± ¡°I will do that.¡± ¡°Then go away.¡± The man cautiously stepped back and went out the door. As soon as the door closed, Junichi clenched his fist, which was resting on his lap. Seon-Hyeon Guild. It was a guild with Ji Seon-woo as the guild leader, whom he considered as a rival. That guild had a First-Generation missing person? He felt concerned. Then there was only one answer. ¡®If you care, I should have it.¡¯ Junichi opened his eyes, which had been slightly closed, and stared fiercely in front of him. Maybe this time they would be able to surpass Ji Seon-woo. So, there was no need to rush. *** ¡°A First-Generation missing person?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Ivan-nim.¡± The red-haired man blinked his eyes with a drowsy expression on his face. His name was Ivan, one of Russia¡¯s first powerful awakeners. Flame Ivan. ¡°What did my father say?¡± ¡°Sir Pyotru says he will be watching for the time being.¡± Unlike the newcomers in other countries, he did not have a position as a guild leader yet. He was also lazy by nature, but it was also because his father, who was stronger than him, occupied the position of the Guild Leader. ¡°Then I¡¯ll watch as well.¡± He decided to do that, but it was still interesting to watch. ¡®An awakener, who disappeared for 10 years.¡¯ How strong would he be? Although Ivan was said to be lazy, his attribute was fire. He had a deep burning fire inside, so he had an intense sense of victory. He, too, became interested in the First-Generation Awakener. And it wasn¡¯t just Junichi from Japan or one of Russia¡¯s first powerful Awakeners, who had an interest in the first-generation person. *** In a high building. A man was standing near the window. He had a rare appearance with neatly swept blonde hair and had hidden hard muscles under his suit. ¡°They found a First-Generation missing person.¡± ¡°Yeah. It looks like they were found by the Hunter Administration this time.¡± ¡°Are they still there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. It¡¯s the Hunter Administration who found them, but it seems that they were stolen by the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He was intrigued. While Second-Generation disappearances occurred all over the world, First-Generation disappearances only occurred in one region, which was in Korea. After that, there was no news until the second generation of missing people returned, so everyone gave up. To think that they came back after 10 years... ¡°Seon-Hyeon Guild. It¡¯s a little dangerous there.¡± ¡°But anyway, it¡¯s the guild of a small country.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the guild leader an S-class awakener?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s only one person. No matter how strong one is, one person cannot defeat many. Aren¡¯t there 3 S-class members in our Guardian Guild? Sir Leon is there too.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. But let¡¯s try to make a small contact with the First-Generation person, Alec. We have a branch in Korea, right?¡± Although it was not large, Korea was a country where dangerous portals suddenly opened frequently. For that reason, the United States, which had friendly relations with Korea, put some of its guild branches in it as an excuse to help. The Guardian Guild was one of them. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Inform me on what¡¯ll happen there.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± The world was moving along with the news right now. *** ¡°Ugh, nice.¡± Hyeon-woo, who was wearing soft pajamas and holding a mug full of tea in both hands, was casually watching the large TV. A movie that he hadn¡¯t seen yet and was released in those 10 years was playing on the TV, while Kero was lying on the rug on the floor and sleeping. It was a peaceful afternoon. He quite liked the glamorous display screen in which the movie was playing on. Hyeon-woo sipped the yarrow tea and yawned a little. Then he turned his head and looked at Do-jin standing at the entrance of the door. At first, Seon-woo tried not to let Do-jin in, but Hyeon-woo objected. ¡°I know that he wants to help me, but is it okay for him to stand outside the door without rest?¡± ¡°Hyung, S-Class Awakeners are strong, so even if he stands there for a few days, he will be fine.¡± That¡¯s not the problem. Hyeon-woo made a determined expression. ¡°Still. Please let him stay inside.¡± Seon-woo seemed to have many complaints, but in the end, he listened to Hyeon-woo. There were many more compromises along the way, but they are too long to list, so he will omit them. In such a way, Do-jin came inside. And from then on, Do-jin stood like that in front of the front door, protecting Hyeon-woo. CH 20 ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand there. Come here and sit down.¡± ¡°I am fine here.¡± Do-jin spoke firmly and stood there. At this rate, he would have to get through to him by using his words. ¡°I will feel burdened if you keep standing there.¡± Then, as he lowered his eyes, Do-jin began to move slowly. Seeing him move like that with his enormous size somehow reminded him of a large dog. ¡®A large black retriever.¡¯ However, unlike other retrievers who seemed to like people, this retriever was still shy. Do-jin entered through the front door, but he hesitated from afar. ¡°Come closer.¡± ''Let¡¯s beckon him to come closer.'' Hyeon-woo waved his hand softly because his appearance was somehow amusing to watch. ¡°I told you to protect me. Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to do that if we¡¯re too far apart?¡± So, Do-jin started coming closer one step at a time. Then, finally, he stood leaning on the sofa, close to Hyeon-woo. ¡°You can sit down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quicker to react like this.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be hard?¡± ¡°It is not hard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to see you so sit down here.¡± Hyeon-woo tried to make Do-jin sit down somehow, but he didn¡¯t budge. The line he had drawn seemed to have ended here. Hyeon-woo scratched his head and turned his gaze to the TV. Seon-woo had come downstairs after a long while and was doing his job as the Guild Leader. His hands were quickly tied down by dealing with delayed tasks. After quickly processing all the paperwork, he got up and headed to the conference room. He wanted to go up and be with his Hyung, but things didn¡¯t work out. In the conference room, the Deputy Guild Leader of the guild, who had come there in advance, was waiting for Seon-woo. ¡°Guild Leader.¡± The Deputy Guild Leader, Chan-young, along with several other guild members, welcomed Seon-woo. ¡°How are things going?¡± Chan-young frowned in response to Seon-woo¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not good. I tried to block the information from spreading somehow, but it has already spread far.¡± ¡°How was the overseas¡¯ reaction?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not big yet, but it looks like almost everyone knows about it now.¡± ¡°Is the source as expected?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Hunter Administration.¡± As expected. It was unlikely that other high-ranking guilds, including Ga-jun, would have done this because they were greedy. The more the rumors spread, the harder it became for them to get what they wanted. So, they kept their mouths shut. That was where the Hunter Administration messed up. Seon-woo¡¯s expression became twisted. Before they could put their hands on his Hyung, he had to take him away from here. His stomach swelled with rising anger. ¡®Now.¡¯ Just when he was finally able to live peacefully with his Hyung, everything was messed up by the Hunter Administration. Subduing his temper, Chan-young carefully continued to inform him and held out the documents. ¡°And today, the Hunter Administration sent an official letter.¡± Seon-woo ripped open the yellow envelope and took out the documents inside. Then his expression got even worse. It took long for those dogs to write something. The article was long and lengthy, but to sum it up, it was something like this. ¡°Hand over the First-Generation missing person.¡± The paper in his hand was crumpled. Then, the frozen paper crumbled with formidable force and fell to the floor. ¡°Ignore it.¡± ¡°But the situation is not good to just ignore. Information has been spread to the public. In addition, we received a call from the First-Generation Missing Family Coalition. If it is true that there is a First-Generation missing person, they would like to meet him.¡± Chan-young mimicked the words he received from their call. He understood. Seon-woo knew the pain of the loss of family better than anyone. But he didn¡¯t want to let Hyeon-woo go outside. Before he became one of the world¡¯s leading Awakeners, he made many connections. Some of them were good relationships, but there were also many that were not. They wanted him to put his brother in front of such people? It was sure to end badly. But he couldn¡¯t just hide his Hyung like this. Something had to be done. ¡®Should I kill him?¡¯ Should he disguise Hyung as dead and hide him in a more secret place? No, no, then what about the rest of his life? Even if Seon-woo survives, would his Hyung welcome a life where he has to live in hiding for the rest of his life? Seeing Seon-woo in such a troubled state, Chan-young swallowed his saliva. Hyeon-woo was Seon-woo¡¯s family. What if something happened to him after he got out of the way? The wounds Seon-woo would receive would also affect the Seon-Hyeon guild. ¡°I think we need to protect Hyeon-woo.¡± That was why he chose protection. The others¡¯ opinions were the same too. The rest can be dealt with somehow. With that in mind, he offered his opinion. Seon-woo, who stared at Chan-young, asked. ¡°It goes without saying that we need to protect him. More than that, Deputy Guild Leader¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How much influence do we have with broadcasting?¡± ¡°It''s pretty big?¡± Oh, he answered stupidly. He regretted it later, but it was already too late. ¡°What if I add the influence of the Arthur Guild?¡± ¡°If you can add more, that¡¯s great. The guild leader of the Arthur Guild is the heir of a giant press company.¡± ¡°Yes. Good. Contact the Arthur Guild. I want to see them as soon as possible.¡± Then, Seon-woo said what he was thinking. All the leaders present agreed in favor of the plan. If your opponent came out with a press play, it was okay to counter them in the same way. Everyone started moving in a hurry. ¡°I got a call from the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± At Ja-yun¡¯s words, A-yun widened her eyes and approached her. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°They want to meet us?¡± ¡°Hmm, indeed. For media play, we¡¯d be quicker to help.¡± ¡°Media play?¡± ¡°Ji Seon-woo said that he seems to want to protect his Hyung? Then there are only two ways. Either hide his Hyung more deeply or expose him altogether.¡± A-yun folded her outstretched fingers. ¡°Hiding him more deeply is the plan for now, but if it were me, I would reveal him altogether.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that risky?¡± ¡°You have to take some risks. If you show him well, at least in broad daylight, you should be able to move freely in crowded places. You usually like the image of Ji Seon-woo, right? To be honest, even though his personality is like a dog, that dog still tends to stick to the morals of a human being.¡± It was only sometimes that Ji Seon-woo acted violently. A-yun pointed it out and said. ¡°Then we have to help them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to help. But we can¡¯t help them for free either, so we must have something to gain, right? If I were Ji Seon-woo, I would try to beat him with money or items, but that¡¯s not what we¡¯re asking for.¡± ¡°Meeting the First-Generation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Wow, I had the same thought. How did you guess the same as me?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the First-Generation missing person?¡± ¡°You have to tune it out. Leave it to me!¡± A-yun proudly stretched her chest. The meeting between the Arthur guild and the Seon-Hyeon guild was easily scheduled. A-yun tensed her body before Seon-woo, who came to the Arthur guild. Now they had to get what they wanted. The road ahead would not be easy, but they would just have to do their best. Bang! A-yun exclaimed, slamming her desk with both hands. ¡°What our guild wants is a meeting with the First-Generation!¡± She would never yield! After she opened her eyes and spoke, Ji Seon-woo opened his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°No matter what you say, I will never back down¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°I said, you can do that.¡± He allowed this so easily? A-yun looked at Ji Seon-woo doubtfully. ¡°Instead, the number of times is limited to three.¡± ¡°10 times!¡± ¡°2 times.¡± ¡°9 times!¡± ¡°1 time.¡± ¡°Hey, if you come down like this, it will only be your loss, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just one less press agency.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy to hire a major media company, would it?¡± ¡°There are many ways to hire one.¡± Ugh, screw that handsome face! A-yun grinded her teeth. He looked at A-yun¡¯s half-dreary face with a relaxed expression. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, both of you. Let¡¯s determine the appropriate exchange together.¡± ------ ¡ª ¨C HM: Summarizing what happened till now, A-yun and Ja-yun seemed to have a connection to Seon-Hyeon Guild and Seon-woo literally asks them to help him. hehe I love the fact that Seon-woo seems like a tsundere and yandere at the same time. lol Davine: It''s kinda disgusting what the HA is doing. Separating families¡­ This is the worst. CH 21 Seon-woo, who returned to his residence, blinked at an unfamiliar sight¨C Do-jin, who had been standing alone in the hallway, was now in the living room. It wasn¡¯t just that. The two were even playing games together. ¡°Success!¡± After Hyeon-woo pulled out a wooden block from the wooden tower from where he was standing, Do-jin reached out his hand to pull out another piece of wood from the tower. Then, carefully, he began to push the wooden block in the middle by hand. He didn¡¯t know how the hell this happened. ¡°Hyung.¡± ¡°Oh, Seon-woo is here!¡± Hyeon-woo waved his hand. Seon-woo approached Hyeon-woo and glared at the Jen-ga [1] placed between them. He prepared a number of games for Hyung to play with him whenever he was bored, but now Do-jin and Hyung were playing them. His stomach swelled up, upset. It would have been nice to play with him first rather than with Do-jin. ¡°Were you playing a game?¡± ¡°Yes. It was more fun than I thought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you had fun.¡± Meanwhile, the wooden tower Do-jin was just touching collapsed. Since an S-Class Awakener could clearly complete it without any problems, it must have been deliberately destroyed. ¡°I lost.¡± ¡°Again? You seem weak in Jenga.¡± Could he really be? Still, seeing his Hyung smile made him feel a little better. Seon-woo sat down next to his Hyung and held out an envelope. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Profile sheet.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Seon-woo explained the matter to Hyeon-woo, who had asked him to elaborate: The situation outside now, the movement of the people¨C this was the way he chose to solve it all with his Hyung. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± After the explanation, Seon-woo spat out words of apology. Seriously, he didn¡¯t have the face to see his Hyung. He thought he could protect him somehow, but in the end he made it hard for his Hyung. If he had been a little stronger, this might not have happened, but Hyeon-woo said, looking at Seon-woo who blamed himself, ¡°Stop apologizing. It didn¡¯t happen because you wanted it, right?¡± When Hyeon-woo spoke firmly, Seon-woo¡¯s eyes widened. Looking at their relationship, Do-jin hid the bitterness that sprouted. It was because whenever he saw him, he thought of Ye-won. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re still young.¡± Hyeon-woo wiped Seon-woo¡¯s reddening eyes with his finger. Then he opened the envelope in his hand. ¡®Profile Sheet, huh?¡¯ Name, age, gender, birthday, hobbies, specialties, etc. One by one, he filled in the blanks. But the further he went, the more difficult it started to get. ¡°Hobby?¡± ¡®Did I have a hobby?¡¯ Hyeon-woo calmly moved his head. Before going to the Demon Realm, he was too busy working hard. In the Demon Realm, he was too busy surviving, so he didn¡¯t have any hobbies. He used to beat monsters or fight demons when he was bored, but that couldn¡¯t be considered a hobby. Perhaps the hobby requested here was more ordinary. Hyeon-woo scratched his head with a ballpoint pen in his hand. No matter what, nothing came to mind. ¡°Nothing comes to mind?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. What are your hobbies?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I just want to know.¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, Seon-woo put on a troubled expression. Seon-woo had lived as fiercely as Hyeon-woo. He didn¡¯t have time to pursue his usual hobbies. Still, if he had to say it, there was one, but could he call it a hobby? It was to follow the old memories with his Hyung. He bought the house they used to live in, kept the surroundings as it was, and sometimes went to sleep there. ¡°Reading.¡± So, Seon-woo talked about his most ordinary hobby. ¡°Reading? What book are you reading?¡± ¡°Just some books?¡± After hearing Seon-woo¡¯s answer, Hyeon-woo asked Do-jin this time. ¡°What are your hobbies, Do-jin?¡± Then, Do-jin, who was cleaning up the fallen Jenga, slowly raised his head. ¡°Are you talking about hobbies?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Do-jin thought for a moment before answering. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything.¡± Like Hyeon-woo and Seon-woo, Do-jin could not afford to pursue a hobby. He had run himself ragged just finding his sister. He didn¡¯t come up with a good answer even when he asked people around him, so he was worried about what to write in the blanks. He thought while swiping the ballpoint pen with his finger that he really couldn¡¯t think of anything in particular. ¡°If nothing comes to mind, shall we do something together?¡± Seon-woo became interested by Hyeon-woo¡¯s words. ¡°A hobby?¡± ¡°If we try together, we might be able to find something we like.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go?¡± Seon-woo got up from his seat with Hyeon-woo. Do-jin hesitated for a while and then tried to back away, but Hyeon-woo caught him. ¡°It might come to mind more easily if you do it with a group of people.¡± With that, Do-jin quietly joined. He decided to try reading first. Fortunately, there was a library in the building that was Seon-Hyeon Guild''s base. It was for the welfare of the employees. Only a few people actually used it. ¡°The library is so big?¡± There was also a dedicated librarian. Once the three of them dispersed, they decided to find a book they wanted to read. Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment, then approached the nearest bookshelf. When he returned after picking a book to read, Seon-woo and Do-jin were waiting for him. ¡°What kind of book is it?¡± ¡°This.¡± ¡ºMonster Encyclopedia¡» ¡°You?¡± Responding to Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, Seon-woo showed the book. ¡ºHistory of Reasoning¡» Then, the two naturally turned their gazes to the Do-jin. ¡ºCollection of Dutch fairy tales¡» Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t know on what basis he chose such a book. All three seemed to have picked a book. Still, he decided to read it once and placed it back in the library. It was not a typical library, so there were cushions and blankets on the sofa where you could sit comfortably. Seon-woo naturally sat on the cushion of the sofa, as did Hyeon-woo. On top of that, Do-jin put a blanket to cover them. Then the three of them had a reading session together. ¡®Monster Encyclopedia, huh.¡¯ The monsters discovered so far were classified according to their grade. And most of them were monsters that Hyeon-woo knew. ¡®Oh, when this is cooked, the hands taste surprisingly good. And this guy is fast, so he¡¯s good at being ridden on and playing with sometimes.¡¯ Memories of the past, which were filled with violence came to his mind. Soon after, Hyeon-woo quickly got tired. Hyeon-woo flipped through the book and glanced at his younger brother. Seon-woo¡¯s book was thicker than Hyeon-woo¡¯s. There were no illustrations, and dense writing filled the pages. Hyeon-woo naturally lost his interest. So, this time, he shifted his gaze to Do-jin. Since it was a children¡¯s book, the cover was colorful. Looking at it from the side, he found it quite interesting. Hyeon-woo¡¯s head gradually leaned towards Do-jin. Do-jin noticed him, who seemed to be interested in his book, after a while. He just picked it up and was reading it, but he wasn¡¯t particularly interested, so he gave the book to Hyeon-woo. Then, Hyeon-woo¡¯s tilted posture became more comfortable. Flalang flalang. In the silence, only the sound of the paper flipping was heard. And after a while, Seon-woo got up from his seat. Then, he changed the book, and this time the cover was different from the earlier one. It was a fairy tale book like Do-jin. But Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t notice it. As Seon-woo¡¯s forehead creased, the sound of turning the paper grew louder. Then Hyeon-woo raised his head and looked at Seon-woo. ¡°Have you read all the books before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What book is this?¡± ¡ºGerman Fairy Tale Collection¡» ¡°Is it fun?¡± ¡°Hyung, would you like to see mine too?¡± Seon-woo asked with a bashful smile as if relieved. Then, naturally, he intervened between Do-jin and Hyeon-woo and sat down. Time passes so fast and quietly when you take your time to read. ¡°Whoaa!¡± Hyeon-woo, who left the library, stretched out for a long time. Although children¡¯s books were interesting, it was not a hobby he wanted to continue. Seon-woo seemed to have noticed that too. ¡°Then, shall we try something else next time?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± The three of them stood quietly for a while, then searched for hobbies on the Internet. ¡°Game.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pass.¡± Even now, he plays games occasionally, but it was subtle to be called a hobby. ¡°Watching a movie.¡± ¡°Pass for that, too.¡± ¡°Cooking?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done that. Shall we try that?¡± The three returned to their living quarters on the top floor. Seon-woo put on the apron like he was familiar with it, and also put it on Hyeon-woo. Then, he pulled out the ingredients from the refrigerator. He seems to be very familiar with picking up a knife too. Come to think of it, he even made tea every time. ¡°Are you good at cooking?¡± ¡°I can only do the basics.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°A light side dish and rice? What about Hyung?¡± ¡°Me too.¡± In a house without parents, it was impossible to entrust young Seon-woo to cook, so it was always Hyeon-woo who cooked. He did cook then but seeing that Seon-woo was going to cook now, he was deeply moved. He had grown so much. While Hyeon-woo was impressed by his younger brother, he asked Do-jin too. ¡°Are you good at cooking too, Do-jin?¡± ¡°Ye-won said I was good.¡± She did. In the Demon Realm, Ye-won would complain when she ripped off the corpses of tasteless monsters. ¡®Do you know how good my brother can cook? Now, I have to eat something so tasteless here!¡¯ Having that said, it seemed like he was really good at cooking. The three of them divided their roles and started cooking. Seon-woo made the rice and soup, Hyeon-woo served light side dishes, and Do-jin was in charge of the main course. The ingredients were sufficient, and the kitchen was spacious, so the three of them were able to cook to the best of their abilities. Bulgogi japchae, egg rolls with spinach, bean sprouts, stir-fried anchovies, and a beef stew to complement the rice. ¡°Do-jin-ssi is really good at cooking.¡± Hyeon-woo, who had eaten Do-jin¡¯s food, opened his eyes and admired it. On the other hand, the food Hyeon-woo made was subtle in taste. ¡ª------- Notes: [1] Jen-ga - Game using wooden blocks. Players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks. ------ HM: Do-jin really can really cook. just like Ye-won said. Davine:... Maybe this is how Hyeon-woo''s stomach and heart are conquered? CH 22 It wasn¡¯t that the dish was tasteless, but it had a strange taste, which wasn¡¯t particularly tasty. ¡®By the way, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve cooked properly.¡¯ Even when he was young, he wasn¡¯t particularly good at it, and he felt sorry for his younger brother who still ate it well. ¡°What about mine?¡± ¡°Yours is delicious too.¡± It wasn¡¯t as good as Do-jin¡¯s, but Seon-woo was also quite good with his hands. Thanks to them, he had a good lunch, but he didn¡¯t want to include this as a hobby. It was because they were the ones who did most of the work. ¡®Food prepared by others is the best.¡¯ Hyeon-woo nodded his head at the newly realized truth. He had tried many things since then, from light sports to artistic hobbies. But he particularly didn¡¯t really like anything. After finishing all of that, Hyeon-woo went to the sofa where he usually lay and lay down. He couldn¡¯t be more comfortable, being covered with a blanket and hugging Kero in his arms. ¡°Now I see. My hobby is taking naps.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good hobby.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just write it down as it is, can we?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like it can¡¯t be done. I think we need to give a little narrative crisp to it.¡± ¡°A narrative?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± He had faith that Seon-woo could do it on his own. But on the other hand, didn¡¯t they do all the work? He also wanted to contribute. ¡®Well, it¡¯s because Seon-woo likes doing it anyway.¡¯ Sometimes, it was good to move along in the direction of your brother. Hyeon-woo smiled bashfully and stretched out his body. He gradually fell asleep. It was a calm night as usual. Of course, the serenity did not last long. Because there was still work to be done. Early in the morning, Hyeon-woo was sitting in a chair and fell half-asleep. It was because he woke up too early. ¡°Would you like to sleep in some more?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s only an appointment.¡± ¡°We can delay it.¡± Hyeon-woo answered confidently as he waved his hand at Seon-woo. ¡°No. You must keep your appointment.¡± ¡°You are my Hyung though.¡± Seon-woo raised Hyeon-woo and naturally wrapped a blanket around him. He was still sleepy, and when he was covered in a blanket, his eyes started to close. Then, the door was opened wide, and a lively female voice was heard. ¡°Hello! My name is A-yun, from the Arthur Guild!¡± A-yun was a woman who had her hair tied up and looked young. In his eyes, she was probably around the same age as Seon-woo. ¡°Let¡¯s see. This person is an acquaintance, and this one is also familiar, so there is only one person left. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m seeing the First-Generation for the first time!¡± Seon-woo stopped A-yun from coming closer. ¡°I am a non-Awakened person, should you really be wary of me?¡± As she grumbled, Seon-woo answered. ¡°There is a famous rumor that the Guild Leader of the Arthur Guild handed over various items to her younger sister.¡± ¡°Still, there are no items that can kidnap anyone. I¡¯ve already been checked at the entrance.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being careful, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so like you.¡± A-yun made a sullen expression and took a step back. Then she pulled out a tablet from her little bag. ¡°Then I will tell you about today¡¯s schedule. First on our list...¡± Go to the saloon. Of course, this was no ordinary saloon. It was the best place among the saloons frequented by famous celebrities and conglomerates. They did not accept just anyone. ¡°But! Who are we? A member of one of the top guilds in the country! The reservation wasn¡¯t difficult to get. It¡¯s also the saloon my mother frequently goes to. S-class Awakeners say that their skin naturally improves, but of course it doesn¡¯t! It needs management. Full course, please!¡± ¡°We will do our best.¡± Then, the saloon manager and an employee stuck to Hyeon-woo¡¯s side. ¡°Oh my, you have very nice skin?¡± The manager admired and massaged Hyeon-woo¡¯s face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to touch too much.¡± He massaged his whole body, including the face, cleaned it up, and even put on make-up. During the makeup part, Hyeon-woo resisted, but A-yun was more adamant than his refusal. ¡°Let¡¯s do it just a little. A little. It will feel like it is nothing. Too much of it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Do I have to?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a person who is weak to things that are pretty and sleeping.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pretty.¡± Hyeon-woo grumbled, but A-yun expertly ignored it. Then she tapped the tablet and smiled contentedly. ¡®This is the real thing.¡¯ She thought he would look similar just because he was Ji Seon-woo¡¯s older brother, but he wasn¡¯t. He was a little taller, slenderer, and gentle in appearance. When he lowered his eyelids slightly for makeup, it even made him look innocent. He was a perfect fit for the current plan. She didn¡¯t know what his personality was yet, but seeing what he had been doing, he didn¡¯t seem to be particularly angular. It seemed like he would get a good response on air if he was left standing still on his own. ¡®You don¡¯t even have to act.¡¯ Because Ji Seon-woo was good at that. He could just stay behind Ji Seon-woo. ¡®First, a documentary, and then as the guests of the Daring Dinner Show Broadcast. After attracting a certain amount of attention, let¡¯s start outdoor activities.¡¯ The first thing to do was to meet the First-Generation Missing Family Association. Of course, she had no intention of going alone. She had to attach a few people to keep her safe. This way, step by step, she would make it a natural thing for the Seon-Hyeon Guild to have him. ¡®Ugh, I really want to talk to you.¡¯ A-yun looked at Hyeon-woo while fiddling with the tablet for some reason. What she wanted to ask was a pile of mountains. But she couldn¡¯t ask because she promised not to ask while she was working. If you ask her, that sassy Ji Seon-woo would break the contract. It was true that Ja-yun and A-yun were the children of the owners of a large media company, but it was not that there was no other way for him at all. And now, she was just buying time. ¡°How is it?¡± Hyeon-woo, who had completed all the procedures, stood right in front of her. ¡°Cool! You¡¯re quite a looker.¡± Even before management, he was a beauty, but after doing the make-up, he shone more. Then, the coordinator A-yun called in and gave her new clothes. Wearing a toned-down pink angora top that looked fluffy and soft, and with the right pants, he looked really harmless. ¡®You don¡¯t look like a 25-year-old.¡¯ Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t go to the military? He wouldn¡¯t be going there anywhere in the future either. The missing people and the awakened people were exempt from the military. The guilds that were wary of each other held hands for the first time at that time. If an Awakened person was forcibly taken out, the country would try hard not to let him go. Besides, the environment was also poor. ¡®That guy¡¯s a damn military thing.¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s stop thinking about this.¡¯ A-yun erased her thoughts about the army from her mind. Then, she went outside with Hyeon-woo, who had been styled. After Hyeon-woo had been cared for from head to toe, and appeared in front of him, Seon-woo, who was in the waiting room, put on a surprised expression. It was the same for Do-jin. ¡°What did I say? They do it really well here.¡± (Seon-woo) ¡°¡­¡­You look really great.¡± (Do-jin) A-yun shrugged. *** The four then moved to the location by car. The destination was a village in a remote place. No, to be precise, this was a remote private neighborhood. A warning sign was posted at the entrance. //From here on out, this is a private property.// In front of him were those who had been invited in advance. It was the team from the production company that shot the documentary of Ji Seon-woo in the past. As for the documentary, A-yun acknowledged that it was good. ¡°You came early.¡± ¡°I just came on time.¡± The director smiled and replied. ¡°Thank you for today.¡± ¡°I should say the same to you as well.¡± The money he received was huge since he was chosen to film this. Not only that. It was the first time they were shooting with a First-Generation. The aftermath would assuredly be amazing. As a director, it was something that must be done well. After all, this vast land was private property. It was awesome. The director barely suppressed the desire to blow a whistle in excitement. On the other side, the writer was showing the script that had been prepared in advance to the brothers. The writer had also struggled to write in such a way that it would not be too exaggerated or pretentious but could also stimulate people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Then we will start shooting after familiarizing ourselves with the scripts!¡± The director, who ate to his heart¡¯s content through his suppressed feelings, shouted. Before the broadcast had started, Hyeon-woo looked around with a blank expression on his face. He didn¡¯t notice it while he was reading the script, but now that he saw it, it was a very familiar place. ¡°It was here.¡± His parents passed away 11 years ago, and he barely got a small monthly rented room in Dal-dong with the remaining money. It was the neighborhood with the house, where he lived together with Seon-woo for a year. His heart was pounding. How could he explain this feeling? Hyeon-woo started moving slowly along the road. ¡°Uh? Uh! Camera action!¡± The director, who saw it, instantly sent a cameraman to go behind him, but Hyeon-woo did not hear it. Only the memories of his past came to mind. As they climbed a high slope, there was a small house at the end. Entering through the old green gate, he saw the house, which stood just like how it was back then. Hyeon-woo carefully walked towards the room, where they had once stayed a long time ago. The wooden door was incredibly old, but well maintained. A sign that it hadn¡¯t been entirely unoccupied over the years. He opened the door, and a part of his old memory was unveiled upon seeing the room. Like the well-maintained front door, the inside was also cleaned up. However, he felt the unique feeling of old objects that could not be erased. He took off his shoes and went inside. From the low crippled desk to the spoon in the cutlery, everything stimulated the memory. ¡°Hyung.¡± All of this couldn¡¯t have been maintained alone, so someone must have done it. And if there was such a person, it would be Seon-woo. Hyeon-woo looked back. There stood Seon-woo, who was grown up now. --- Support On KoFi by buying chapter earlier: Chapter 23 ---- HM: That nostalgic part. AAAAAAAAAAh! Davine: I am kind of curious about what A-yun had to ask. I am still unsure whether Jayun is a girl or a boy¡­ HM: Lolwwww CH 23 He was one of the best S-Class Awakeners. His head knew it, but his heart didn¡¯t understand. To Hyeon-woo, Seon-woo was still his lovely little brother. He abandoned a child who was only 11 years old for 10 years, but he had grown well without him. It was an unfamiliar feeling that made his heart constrict, as if he felt happy but guilty at the same time. As the corners of Hyeon-woo¡¯s eyes turned red, water droplets began to form inside his eyes. And he was now able to say what he had been wanting to say this whole time. ¡°I am back.¡± At that, Seon-woo rolled his eyes in happiness and smiled. ¡°Come on, Hyung.¡± In the house where they lived long ago, the brothers exchanged greetings of reunion. ¡°Now please don¡¯t disappear again.¡± ¡°Un, I won¡¯t disappear.¡± ¡°Promise.¡± Hyeon-woo curled his pinky around the one that Seon-woo extended. He reiterated the promise he had made whenever he left the young Seon-woo. Now, even if something worse than that happened, not even if that fairy came, he would not leave Seon-woo¡¯s side. ¡°Perfect!¡± The director muttered with an ecstatic expression on his face. He had prepared the script in advance, but it ended up being totally unnecessary. The story was unfolding in its raw form, so what was the use of a script here? It was worthwhile to follow along despite sweating a bucketful. ¡®The scene is so good.¡¯ Ji Seon-woo was a rare handsome man. The Hyung was also a different breed of handsome. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if those two got along together? The director naturally looked around the room and followed the two out to the yard. After that, filming continued smoothly. They would have to edit it to find out, but it seemed like something great would be born. Filming ended late in the evening. He filmed in the town he used to live in, went to the Seon-Hyeon Guild, and looked around for a while. Neither Seon-woo nor Hyeon-woo had a tense personality, so there was nothing particularly difficult about it. ¡°When will the edited version come out?¡± A-yun asked the director. ¡°I think if I stay up all night, I will finish it by next week.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll check it out as soon as it¡¯s finished.¡± The broadcast date had already been set. It was to be premiered on HBC¡¯s prime time. Originally, a documentary called ¡ºHuman Age¡» was being aired at that time, and it was a fairly popular program. She was thinking of pushing this into the pro¡¯s hands. Of course, She was planning to do thorough publicity. A-yun looked at Seon-woo who was having a conversation with the director. Ja-yun and A-yun were also close siblings, but they seemed to be closer. ¡®If you drive, I will carry you.¡¯ Then his gaze turned to the side. Seon-woo, he was his older brother, so it was okay, but Do-jin was not. He was treating an adult male as if he had grown up rather quickly. In the evening, he covered him with a blanket to avoid being cold and gave him a hot drink he bought from somewhere. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been a long time since the two of you met each other.¡¯ Just by looking at what he was doing, he seemed to be treating someone important. It was a little different to ask Seon-woo or Hyeon-woo directly but Do-jin was different. A-yun sneaked to Do-jin¡¯s side. ¡°Hello?¡± She couldn¡¯t say hello properly before, so she said hello again. Then, Do-jin looked down at A-yun with an indifferent face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I think the weather was nice today and it was perfect for filming.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± It was a short answer that was cold enough for anyone else to back away, but who was his opponent? It was her. She naturally continued the story. ¡°By the way, how did you become close with Hyeon-woo? You two seem friendly with each other. Do you have any tips?¡± ¡°¡­Do we look friendly?¡± Do-jin asked. That was pretty friendly enough! Who would have acted like that to a person he was not even close to? ¡°Yes, you look friendly.¡± Do-jin turned and looked at Hyeon-woo. Being young, Do-jin¡¯s emotional state was something that A-yun couldn¡¯t understand. She thought it was pretty quick. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± After a while, a negative answer came. ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°I am just paying for my sins.¡± What sin? If he was doing that, A-yun would also have to repay Hyeon-woo for her sins. She was involved in the plan to kidnap him, after all. Or was there some other reason? A-yun smiled and continued the conversation casually. ¡°Then I must pay something back too. What should I do?¡± A-yun tilted her head and bumped her fist with her open palm as if she¡¯d gotten an idea. ¡°Shall we ask Hyeon-woo? Is there anything he wants?¡± ¡°Ji Seon-woo will not welcome you.¡± Did that mean that Ji Seon-woo reluctantly allowed Do-jin to be next to Ji Hyeon-woo? There might be room for prying in though. A-yun ordered someone else to buy some drinks from a nearby store. After that, she approached Hyeon-woo with a drink on a paper tray. ¡°Now that autumn is over, it¡¯s a bit chilly.¡± ¡°I know. Right.¡± Hyeon-woo quickly accepted the words. Seon-woo next to him was staring at him, but he didn¡¯t really stop him. So far it was fine. ¡°I bought some drinks; would you like some?¡± ¡°I already have something to drink.¡± ¡°You can drink one more. What do you like? I bought several types too.¡± Then Hyeon-woo looked at this side in curiosity. In the meantime, A-yun sat down on a chair placed nearby. ¡°There¡¯s strawberry latte, and there¡¯s also hot chocolate. How about grapefruit-ade?¡± ¡°Grapefruit-ade?¡± He seemed to be intrigued. A-yun took grapefruit-ade from the tray and handed it to Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo handed the cup he was holding to Seon-woo and took the grapefruit-ade. And after chugging it down, he frowned. ¡°It¡¯s bittersweet.¡± And then he kept drinking. ¡°But it¡¯s also sweet.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? That is the charm of grapefruit-ade.¡± A-yun replied with a smile. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s continue on like this.¡¯ Then they might be able to get closer in a few days. He seemed to be good at talking to Do-jin. A-yun smiled and pulled out another drink. *** Tododok. A hand tapped the phone at an extraordinary speed. - Hey, did you see that? - What? - The documentary rerun on Friday evenings, ¡°Human Age.¡± I heard that Ji Seon-woo will appear in it. - Really? I need to see it! The story of an S-Class Awakened isn¡¯t easy to see. - I agree. But seeing the trailer, I just can¡¯t wait. It¡¯s said that one more person will appear. - Who is it? I only heard that Ji Seon-woo was going to show up - I don¡¯t know. It stimulates a lot of curiosity, though. I¡¯m going crazy because I¡¯m curious. - I hope it¡¯s Friday soon! Firstly, the trailer brought an explosive reaction in the general public. Usually S-class Awakeners were called the Sky. It was because they were so high up above and difficult to understand. But all of that was broken because of Ji Seon-woo, who first appeared in a TV documentary. It was also about that time that Awakeners approached the general public in a more friendly manner. After that, the number of appearances on TV of the Awakeners increased too. It didn¡¯t bring about as much craze as when Ji Seon-woo appeared, but it was enough to satisfy the curiosity of the general public. Thus, more and more people became fond of Awakeners, and children often write their hopes for the future to be one of the awakened. However, after that one documentary, Ji Seon-woo hadn¡¯t appeared in any media. People were saddened by that fact. Meanwhile, it¡¯s said that Ji Seon-woo would appear in ¡ºHuman Age¡». There was also an unknown person that would make an appearance! Naturally, it piqued everyone¡¯s curiosity. At every place where people gathered, stories and theories about the documentary came and went. ¡°Isn¡¯t Friday coming soon?¡± ¡°Ah, are you going to watch ¡ºHuman Age¡» too?¡± ¡°You should see it! Ji Seon-woo appears in it. Now he¡¯s 21, and he¡¯s one of the world¡¯s best S-Class Awakeners!¡± ¡°Ugh, I want to see him soon.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The response to the trailer was explosive, so the price of advertisements before and after ¡ºHuman Age¡» skyrocketed. HBC screamed joyfully. A-yun was the same. ¡°Wow, look at this. Oppa!¡± A-yun pushed the tablet in front of Ja-yun with an excited expression. ¡°The reaction is amazing!¡± Ja-yun stroked his younger sister¡¯s hair. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay because you did great too.¡± ¡°Why, you don¡¯t like your oppa?¡± ¡°The fact that the response is so good means that Ji Seon-woo is very popular.¡± ¡°It is not just that.¡± In that sense, she felt a sense of crisis. A-yun retrieved her tablet, which she had pushed on him. ¡°Still, my oppa is very popular.¡± ¡°Not like Ji Seon-woo.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still higher than Uncle Ga-jun.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the kind of person who thinks and moves like that.¡± Apart from this conversation, they discussed about the meeting with the First-Generation. ¡°You can feel the loneliness of the child, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°More than that, are you prepared for an interview with the First-Generation?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve put together a detailed list of questions to ask. He said he would answer anything, so I wouldn¡¯t miss out on this opportunity.¡± Anyone wants to leap to a higher place. Ja-yun and A-yun also had such desires. At the very least, they didn¡¯t want to stop at third place in the guild ranks. So, it was natural to prepare thoroughly. ¡°Someday, back to normal!¡± ¡°To normal.¡± The two immediately looked at each other and exchanged a smile. Time passed without exception afterwards. Friday night, 9pm. HBC documentary, ¡°Human Age.¡± Start broadcasting! ¡ºJi Seon-woo, the illuminating hero.¡» It started with the title of a previously aired documentary. Some of the content of the documentary the PD shot in the past passed quickly. And finally, the scene, where the producer asks Ji Seon-woo, who laid down a white chrysanthemum in front of a grave. ¡ºIf you were to meet your brother again, what would be the first thing you would say? ¡» At those words, Ji Seon-woo, who was looking down at the chrysanthemum with a forlorn expression, slowly shut his eyes and opened them. And said with trembling lips. ¡ºHyung, please come back quickly. ¡» The camera angle changed and mirrored the gray gravestone. Then, something small fell on it and spread out in a small circle. CH 24 Tears. It was tears. Everyone knew it even without seeing it. The first tears of an S-Class Awakened anyone had seen. Then, the changed angle illuminated the sky and fell down to show the earth slowly. It reflected the back of Seon-woo, who was getting farther away. Then the music played with the appearance of the scenery, and a new title appeared. ¡ºFamily of Heroes¡» The background changed again. This time, it was a cozy and neat studio. On a chair in the center of the studio, Ji Seon-woo, dressed in a different and more comfortable outfit than the usual, was sitting. ¡¸Hello. ¡¹ After hearing the greeting of the invisible reporter, Ji Seon-woo greeted back. ¡¸Hello. ¡¹ ¡¸It has been two years since the first documentary. How have you been? ¡¹ At those words, Ji Seon-woo smiled faintly. ¡¸Well. How have you been? I do not know. ¡¹ ¡¸Why do you think so? ¡¹ ¡¸Because every day was like hell to me. ¡¹ ¡¸Seon-woo-nim has everything as an S-Class Awakened. But why did you have such a tough time? ¡¹ ¡¸You have everything? It¡¯s not like that. For me, there is only one thing I lack. ¡¹ ¡¸What is that? ¡¹ Then, a word popped up in the corner of the screen. [Family] ¡¸It¡¯s my Hyung. ¡¹ ¡¸Oh, I remember. It was from the first documentary. I mean, the Hyung who is said to be the First-Generation missing person... ¡¹ The ratings began to soar sharply. Hyeon-woo hugged a large cushion and looked at the TV with an excited face. It was amazing to see his brother next door doing the broadcast. In the meantime, he would have almost felt that way if he could watch it there in person, but he couldn¡¯t watch the outside broadcast. ¡°That¡¯s so awesome.¡± When he looked at Seon-woo with his eyes lit up, Seon-woo was looking away with an awkward expression. Even the best of the world could feel ashamed in front of their Hyung. ¡°But how did you come up with the idea of going on a TV show the first time?¡± ¡°It was concluded that the mass media would be effective in promoting the image of the Seon-Hyeon guild, and.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°You can watch the show anywhere. Rumors spread quickly too. If you are somewhere else on Earth, you can see it too. That¡¯s what I wanted.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Hyeon-woo let go of the cushion he was holding, approached Seon-woo and sat down next to him. Then he gently stroked his brother¡¯s head, who was still looking elsewhere. Then, Seon-woo lowered his head to match his height. ¡®Damn Fairy.¡¯ He wished he could have come sooner. His brother had been waiting so long like this. The past years felt wild. Because of that fairy, he couldn¡¯t protect his brother, nor did he see him grow up. ¡°Do you have any pictures of your childhood? Any photos taken during middle school or high school.¡± When he asked in anticipation of the graduation album, Seon-woo put on a troubled expression. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t go to school after awakening.¡± Hyeon-woo was shocked by those words. ¡°Then did you not study something!¡± ¡°I took the GED later. Just because it was good to have some knowledge.¡± ¡°What about your memories of school days?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really need it?¡± Where he goes on with the things he didn¡¯t need! Hyeon-woo swallowed the rising resentment. If he could have stayed by his side, he would have been able to help Seon-woo properly graduate from a school. He himself was not here at the most critical time. It was so upsetting. The next time he meets the fairy, he would rip those limbs apart. ¡°I was really okay with it.¡± Seon-woo continued to say it was okay, but his heart did not calm down easily. ¡°Rather than that, let¡¯s finish watching the rest of the broadcast. Didn¡¯t you want to listen to what I am going to say?¡± ¡°¡­I must see it.¡± Hyeon-woo turned his gaze back to the TV. On the screen, Seon-woo continued talking calmly. ¡¸Yes, I have only one person I can call family. ¡¹ This time, another text appeared on screen from below. [Sincere, and Affectionate] The screen stayed like this the whole time: not too gloomy, but not too bright either. But it was so stirring that it struck people¡¯s hearts. ¡¸How old were you when your Hyung disappeared? ¡¹ ¡¸I was 11 years old. ¡¹ ¡¸Who is your guardian? ¡¹ ¡¸There was none. My only guardian was my Hyung. ¡¹ ¡¸Then how old was your Hyung? ¡¹ ¡¸He was 15. ¡¹ So, he was only a sophomore in junior high school. However, the little boy tried to do a lot for his younger brother. Every morning he delivered newspapers, trying to make some money. The process was not easy, but he tried not to fall apart, thinking of his younger brother. ¡°Ugh.¡± Hyeon-woo covered his face with a cushion. His brother¡¯s story was fine, but he was embarrassed to hear his own story. ¡°It¡¯s hard to listen to.¡± As he mumbled with his face covered, Seon-woo laughed out loud. ¡°Why is it not good?¡± ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re exaggerating too much. It wasn¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ve worked hard enough.¡± His stomach churned at Seon-woo¡¯s words. ¡°Do you really think I have worked hard enough?¡± ¡°Ung. That¡¯s why I have grown up like this.¡± How could his younger brother still be so nice and kind? Hyeon-woo stretched out his hand with his head buried in his cushion. Then Seon-woo took the hand and held it. Yes, it was like this before. Whenever it was difficult and he wanted to break down, Seon-woo would hold his Hyung¡¯s hand tightly. Then the power to continue rose up. ¡°Let¡¯s continue watching.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two concentrated on the broadcast again. ¡¸How was it when that older brother disappeared?¡¹ Seon-woo gently stroked his chin with his hand and covered the corner of his mouth. ¡¸I couldn¡¯t believe it. Because I always thought that Hyung would always be by my side. So at first, I waited recklessly.¡¹ He covered himself with a blanket and waited in the cold room. But after a day, Hyung did not come back. It occurred to him that something big was going on in his young mind. So he then went out and started looking for his brother. ¡¸But even when I called out for him, my Hyung didn¡¯t appear.¡¹ As he was a child without a guardian, Seon-woo was sent to an orphanage after a report from the owner of the house. He struggled to not go, but there was nothing a helpless little boy could do. ¡¸After a while, I found out that a portal had opened and 10,000 people who were nearby had disappeared.¡¹ ¡¸It was a terrible case.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ ¡¸This was an incident 10 years ago. ¡¹ There were many missing people, and many people fell into mourning. And after that, as the second generation disappeared and returned, the world of the Awakened was opened. ¡¸How would you feel if your Hyung came back? ¡¹ ¡¸I will be more than happy. ¡¹ [It has been 2 years from last interview] The screen changes, this time revealing another person to the camera. A well-dressed young man has a very gentle impression. ¡¸Hello.¡¹ ¡¸Please introduce yourself.¡¹ ¡¸Yes, my name is Ji Hyeon-woo. I am currently 25 years old. And I¡¯m also a First-Generation missing person.¡¹ The ratings, which had already skyrocketed, rose even more. Comments - What did I just see? - A First-Generation missing person? - - That has to be a lie! HBC¡¯s bulletin board shook as if it was about to explode. No, it wasn¡¯t just the bulletin boards of the broadcasting stations that had exploded. Information began to appear on the Internet quickly and everywhere was overflowing with the stories of the First-Generation. Comments - Is this even possible? - Isn¡¯t that the main thing? - No way, Ji Seon-woo wouldn¡¯t lie! Besides, it¡¯s from HBC, right? It¡¯s Public broadcasting? While everyone was surprised and talking, the broadcast was still being conducted steadily. The reporter continued the question in a calm tone. ¡¸The first generation that went missing 10 years ago, right? ¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡¹ ¡¸Also Ji Seon-woo¡¯s Hyung, right? ¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right as well. ¡¹ [Hyung has returned] The screen then switched again, this time showing the brothers side by side. ¡¸How did you feel when you first found out that your Hyung had returned? ¡¹ ¡¸I was really happy.¡¹ ¡¸What about your Hyung? ¡¹ ¡¸So am I. ¡¹ ¡¸He must have changed a lot over the course of 10 years, how did you recognize each other? ¡¹ ¡¸No matter how many years have passed, my Hyung will always be my Hyung. ¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s amazing. ¡¹ The reporter didn¡¯t ask any questions that could cause a backlash or irritation to other people. He continued the conversation calmly and in a similar tone throughout. And when the conversation was over, the story of the two brothers began. They showed the room where the two are staying in the Seon-Hyeon guild and took a sneak peek into their daily life. Then, they released the parts that were filmed by the director. Hyung returned to his old house. They climbed the slope to reach an old, small house. And for the first time, he shed tears as he saw the house that was still maintained as it was. No matter how beautiful it looked, people were mesmerized and fixed their eyes on the screen. After passing the section where he shed tears like that, he showed his Hyung who was immersed in his unfamiliar daily life. ¡¸What, how did this change like this?¡¹ Wherever he went, Hyeon-woo had a surprised expression on his face. In 10 years, even rivers and mountains would have changed and so many things have changed. Besides, even before disappearing, there were still many more things that he had never experienced because he was young, so everything felt strange. Seon-woo, who stood by his brother¡¯s side, gave a happy expression. At first glance, it seemed like the brothers had changed a lot. Comments - cute! - Both the brothers are handsome. - Then what happened to the rest of the First-Generation? - I also wanted to know. I was curious about it. Did you say that on purpose? - do you know that you''re saying this in public? - There is a person I know who said that they decided to make a bold decision and have a conversation with the First-Generation missing person. - I¡¯m glad if that¡¯s true. But no one had the luck to see him? I cried so much that I ran out of tissue papers. - Me too. Tears came out when I was seeing them, and I was so young when this was happening! The story of Seon-woo and Hyeon-woo continued to be discussed constantly all over the place. There would probably be a buzz about this story everywhere for a while. CH 25 ¡°I haven¡¯t done that much.¡± Hyeon-woo protested with his voice, but it was after the broadcast had already aired. ¡°It¡¯s well done.¡± After seeing everything, Seon-woo shared his impression. He had already seen the final edit but looking back at it again, it was perfect. Provocative stories were cleverly avoided while stimulating people¡¯s emotions. ¡°I know.¡± Once he had taken the first step, he would continue to appear on TV for a while. Of course, he never intended for it to be like that forever. ¡®You have to cut it off at the right time.¡¯ Of course, the process would not be easy. The people around him were still aiming for his First-Generation Hyung. He would go out of his way without hesitation to lose the public¡¯s interest in his Hyung. *** After the documentary was aired, the reactions were divided into two. Positive and negative reaction. Of course, the positive response was overwhelmingly high. The negative reactions were buried. With the favorable situation, A-yun released the information. ¡®You did a lot of good work.¡¯ Seon-woo did a lot of good things by putting forth himself and the Seon-Hyeon Guild. She was aware of it when researching it roughly, but when she dug into the guild, some myths poured out. ¡®He set up a foundation to help others.¡¯ The foundation was helping the families of the missing and at the same time supporting children in difficult circumstances. The children who grew up with such support had no choice but to think that the Seon-Hyeon Guild was good. Day after day, the story of the Seon-Hyeon Guild and his Hyung continued to be on the news. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he only did good things for others.¡± A-yun grumbled and entered the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Tomorrow was the day of the conversation with the families of the missing persons. Before that, she heard the story in advance and had to see Hyeon-woo to keep his mouth in line with the script. ¡°Hello!¡± As she actively entered the conference room, those already inside the room turned to A-yun. Ji Seon-woo, Ji Hyeon-woo, Han Do-jin, Seo Chan-young. ¡®It¡¯s a gorgeous composition.¡¯ Of course, A-yun wasn¡¯t the type to be pushed anywhere. ¡°Come here and get this first.¡± As soon as A-yun arrived, she handed out a bunch of papers one by one. ¡°This is a list of expected questions. By the way, isn¡¯t this included in the number of pre-arranged meetings? As needed, other small questions can also be asked.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you know. So, please take a look at the questions first.¡± ¡¸Is there anyone else who survived? ¡¹ ¡¸What was the environment like there? You seem to have no power; how did you survive there? ¡¹ ¡¸Do you remember anyone? ¡¹ Such questions like that filled the space. Seon-woo¡¯s eyes frowned as he looked at the questions that could be said. ¡°Do they really have to ask something like this?¡± ¡°The other party is the family of a missing person. Imagine that your family is gone. They¡¯ll ask for more.¡± Seon-woo knew that too. Still, he had no choice but to speak. Because his Hyung was precious to him. ¡°There is nothing I can do about it. Now, let¡¯s get started!¡± The questioner was A-yun. ¡°Is there anyone else who survived?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°How did you survive alone?¡± I¡¯m just lucky, and strong. But he couldn¡¯t say it all outright. So, he needed an excuse to respond. Hyeon-woo picked up Kero, nodding at his feet, and placed it on the desk. The puppy was cute and looked like a chubby Pomeranian. A-yun let out an exclamation without knowing it. ¡°Cute!¡± Last time, she was busy filming, so she couldn¡¯t see it properly, but when she looked closely, it looked very lovely. Unknowingly, A-yun approached him and stretched out her hand. Because she wanted to touch it. At that moment, his round eyes sparkled and wrinkled the back of his nose. ¡°Growl.¡± At least it was just a little puppy. But strangely, she couldn¡¯t move any more. An unknown fear engulfed her body. About that time, Hyeon-woo tapped the dog¡¯s head. ¡°Stop it, Kero.¡± As soon as the introduction was over, little Kero¡¯s body began to swell in an instant. Even though it was a fairly large conference room, it felt cramped. ¡°Uh, huh?¡± A-yun pulled out the chair and leaned back. She thought she was going to open the door and run away. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s safe.¡± Hyeon-woo smiled and said to A-yun, ¡®It doesn¡¯t look safe!¡¯ The moment Kero stopped growing, a terrifying monster appeared. The three-headed monster with a muscular body stood there and stretched his body. As a result, the desks and chairs in the conference room were pushed and fell. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Hyeon-woo then slapped Kero¡¯s leg. ¡®What if I were to get bitten by that!¡¯ A-yun was terrified, but what she thought didn¡¯t happen. The giant monster quietly folded its legs and crouched down on the spot. ¡°I will introduce you again. This is Kero. When I was in another world, I got a lot of help from him.¡± ¡°Are you a tamer?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not a tamer.¡± ¡°But how do you deal with monsters? In response to A-yun¡¯s question, Hyeon-woo told the story he had prepared in advance. The Demon Realm was a difficult place for humans to live, but it was not an easy place to live as a monster either. You had to fight all the time to survive. Therefore, even monsters were often injured. Cerberus was such a monster. Cerberus, who was injured by someone, collapsed, and Hyeon-woo healed Cerberus. Afterwards, Cerberus began to protect Hyeon-woo. It was such a joke. Of course, what actually happened was different. Hyeon-woo was the one who beat Cerberus to the point of losing his mind, and it was Hyeon-woo who dragged him around as soon as he barely recovered and used him as a vehicle. It was just the sad death of Cerberus who tasted hell after touching a human to try having a special meal. ¡°That is possible.¡± A-yun looked at Kero with curious eyes. Although it was a play, Kero took on a good role and raised his head proudly. ¡°Keep your head down! The ceiling will collapse.¡± The result came back to being slapped again, though. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve confirmed it, I think you can make it go back to the way it was.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say his name is Kero? How strong is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know all the types of monsters that appeared here yet.¡± ¡°Oh, I suppose so. Then how about experimenting? Monsters can be provided here. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to know how strong you are?¡± A-yun was excited by the added information. However, before he could proceed any further, he was interrupted by Seon-woo. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to do that.¡± At the resolute words, A-yun looked down at the questionnaire again with her regretful face. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s move on to the next question. Do you remember anyone?¡± ¡°Some I remember. But I can¡¯t remember them all as there were so many other people.¡± It was because there were many people who died before they could even have a conversation. Later, there were fewer people and they got to know each other. It was possible to leave behind their last words before but after everyone else died, it was impossible. Hyeon-woo¡¯s shoulders shook slightly as he recalled the past. He tried to forget everything, but not everything was forgotten. Although time is medicine, the medicine did not completely cure everything. Seon-woo wrapped his hand around Hyeon-woo¡¯s shoulder, hoping that his own warmth could reach him even a little. The questions continued. Hyeon-woo answered all the questions sincerely. After such a long practice session, he was exhausted. ¡°I want to rest.¡± ¡°Then shall we go up?¡± ¡°Unn.¡± Hyeon-woo naturally reached out to Seon-woo as he answered. Then Seon-woo hugged Hyeon-woo. As he left the conference room, Kero followed him. Do-jin watched it all quietly. He wanted to wrap Hyeon-woo¡¯s shoulders, which was shaking the whole time he answered. How hard it must have been for Ye-won, who was 18 at the time of her disappearance. And Hyeon-woo was only 15 years old at that time. He was a little younger than his younger sister, Ye-won. What had he gone through to survive on his own and return after 10 years? He thought he would protect him to pay for the sins he had committed, but everything was starting to change little by little. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to follow them?¡± A-yun, who had also been left alone, asked Do-jin. ¡°I had something to think about for a moment.¡± ¡°Well, now that Ji Seon-woo is attached to a monster called Kero, I think it¡¯s safe. I can¡¯t wait to see how many crazy people will attack the Seon-hyun guild headquarters in the first place?¡± A-yun tapped the questionnaire on the desk and spoke again. ¡°I think it¡¯s great.¡± Do-jin didn¡¯t answer, but he started talking to himself. ¡°At such an early age, he fell into another world alone and survived. I used to go out with my friends at that age. I can¡¯t even imagine.¡± No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn¡¯t. A-yun sighed and got up from her seat. ¡°Once the preparations are over, let¡¯s prepare for tomorrow.¡± All possible questions have been drawn up, but they were only hypothetical questions in the end. When do people, who have lost their families, only ask sensible questions? ¡®No.¡¯ A-yun thought. So, they had to be more prepared. They hadn¡¯t really become close yet, but she didn¡¯t want to see Hyeon-woo ruined. ¡®I¡¯m not usually this weak-minded.¡¯ She stretched a bit and left the conference room. While A-yun was leaving, Do-jin was still immersed in thought. CH 26 ¡°It¡¯s finally today.¡± The families of the missing people, including Park Deok-soo, looked up at the large building in front of them. Today, they would be able to know the whereabouts of their families who had disappeared. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± They hastened their steps. The meeting was to be held in the auditorium. After being seated according to the guide, it was 1 o¡¯clock: the promised time. As soon as it was time, the front door opened, and several young men entered. ¡°It¡¯s Ji Seon-woo.¡± The first person he recognized was Ji Seon-woo. Then his older brother Ji Hyeon-woo, the vice guild leader Seo Chan-young, but the last young man was unknown to him. ¡°Now, let¡¯s start the meeting.¡± The microphone was taken by Seo Chan-young. It was a conversation, but it was impossible to ask all their questions person by person. Therefore, a representative from the families of the missing persons was selected and placed in the front seat. Once the questions were asked by them, the entire questioning session would be scheduled to be held for a set amount of time. Park Deok-soo sat in the front since he was the leader. His hands trembled at the thought that he might know where the missing family was now. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them, looking at Ji Hyeon-woo. All the people next to him were tall and bulky, so he looked particularly young. How did he come back from there with a body like that? He seemed to be smaller than Park Deok-soo¡¯s own son in the past. ¡®Then maybe my son is still alive.¡¯ He had a glimmer of hope. ¡°Hello. This is Ji Hyeon-woo. He is also the first-generation.¡± The innocent-looking face bowed. He hesitated for a moment, holding the microphone handed to him. Then the question time began. The first person to ask the question was Deok-soo. ¡°Others, what happened to other people?¡± Thousands of people disappeared together. What had happened to so many people? In the time interval between asking the question and getting the answer, his heart started beating like crazy. ¡°All, all are dead.¡± His heart sank. He wanted to shout that it was a lie. Did he just say that they were all dead? Park Deok-soo didn¡¯t want to believe it. The auditorium became noisy. There were people who shouted that it couldn¡¯t be, and some people started to cry. Then he immediately came to his senses. He mustn¡¯t break down here. If he were to collapse, the time he spent searching for his son would be for naught. ¡°Is that true, really?¡± When he stuttered, the answer came back. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do you know that?!¡± Without realizing it, his voice began to rise. ¡°If they had been alive, they would have come back this time. But in the middle, the fairy once told me something. That I am the only one who survived.¡± Fairy. It was the existence that those who were brought to the other world and awakened used to talk about it. A coordinator, a helper to aid in awakening. It used to be called various names, but it was said to not be a good being. ¡°Lie! It is a lie! Someone like you survived but my son died?¡± Deok-soo started crying at some point. ¡°Tell me the truth!¡± As soon as the words fell, what seemed like black wool that was in the corner stepped forward. Then, a voice called out in an instant. ¡°Kreung!¡± A huge beast with three heads roared. The noisy auditorium became quiet in an instant. Should he run away? As one of the people watching was about to move, a voice was heard. ¡°Kero is safe. You don¡¯t have to run away.¡± ¡°Hey, what is this monster?!¡± ¡°He is a friend who helped me in the Demon Realm. Kero, go back to normal.¡± When Hyeon-woo tapped the beast, it quickly shrunk again and became smaller. Yes, he had no abilities, so he shouldn¡¯t have survived there. There must have been something that helped him to survive. Deok-soo sat down on the spot and understood. And he asked in a calmer voice. ¡°Then, what about my child? Are all the others really dead?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why? Why!¡± His eyes got hot. Then tears began to flow. These were the tears he had been holding back since his child disappeared 10 years ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hyeon-woo bowed his head and apologized. But he actually knew. It was not him who should apologize. He didn¡¯t kill anyone; he was just lucky to survive alone. He wasn¡¯t the one to blame. He knew, even though he knew, he was resentful. While Deok-soo was crying, a middle-aged woman sitting next to her hurriedly spoke up. ¡°My, do you know the name of my child? Yena, it¡¯s Park Yena! She¡¯s 21 years old. She was a college student at that time. That day, she was going to hang out with her friend. I wish I had known that would happen!¡± She then tapped her chest. She was aware it wasn¡¯t her fault. She just saw her go out to play as usual, so what went wrong? People¡¯s voices continued. ¡°Do you know my children, my husband, and my wife?¡± The wailing continued. Hyeon-woo¡¯s expression, who had treated them calmly at first, began to turn pale. ¡®I thought I was strong enough.¡¯ It must have been an illusion. ¡®Is it just that only my body has become stronger?¡¯ He let out a small sigh, and suddenly something fell on his head and obscured his view. He didn¡¯t even notice that someone was approaching. Bewildered, he tried to remove the cover on his head, but large hands stopped it. It wasn¡¯t Seon-woo. He was dealing with the bereaved families now. So who was this? ¡°Stay still.¡± It was a familiar voice, Do-jin. It was then that he realized that it was Do-jin¡¯s jumper that covered his head. An unfamiliar scent wafted through. However, it wasn¡¯t particularly offensive or unpleasant. Rather, it had a pleasant scent. It felt cool and soft. Do-jin gently hugged Hyeon-woo as the jumper was not enough to cover him. The hugging was so careful that it was as if he was dealing with a piece of glass. It wasn¡¯t Seon-woo from his family, and it was the first time he had been treated like this by someone else. Maybe it was because of that? It felt weird. The old memories that had been holding him down all this time stimulated Hyeon-woo. ¡°Ugh.¡± Tears seemed to come out. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± A friendly voice comforted him but listening to it made him feel even more sad. Hyeon-woo quietly entrusted himself to Do-jin. He was covered by a jumper anyway, so no one could see him. So, for a while, he decided to rely on him. For a moment, just for a few more moments. The disturbance in the room had calmed down to some extent. ¡®Hyung!¡¯ Seon-woo looked back at his brother, worried the whole time. He was worried about how he would deal with this situation. And he saw what he didn¡¯t want to see. He pursed his lips and approached Do-jin, who was embracing his Hyung. ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± He wanted to say something, but without him, his brother might have suffered more. So instead of saying something to him, Seon-woo chose to embrace his brother. Do-jin quietly retreated from Hyeon-woo¡¯s side. ¡°Take this too.¡± Then he rolled up the jumper, but Hyeon-woo held on to the end. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I want to stay like this for a moment.¡± No matter how hard it looked, he naively thought that he would be able to ignore the objections of the bereaved families. Even though he knew it couldn¡¯t be. ¡°Would you like to go in and rest?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m still fine.¡± Hyeon-woo, who stuck his head out between the jumpers, answered. He felt sorry for him, so he took his hand. Thirty minutes later, the interview proceeded again. The questions were not much different from the expected questions that A-yun had chosen. So it went smoothly afterwards. ¡°From now on, the Seon-Hyeon Guild plans to actively cooperate with the First-Generation Missing Family Association in preparation for unforeseen events. From support for livelihood through the foundation and to finding the remains of the First-Generation missing persons. We will do our best to help.¡± So the lengthy conversation was over. As soon as the conversation was over, Seon-woo immediately grabbed Hyeon-woo and returned to his residence. Then he laid him down on the bed and gave him a cup of hot tea. ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡± ¡°Rest though. It was very difficult.¡± ¡°Yes. okay.¡± Seon-woo placed Hyeon-woo¡¯s head over a pillow and covered him with a blanket. After that, he went out of the room. It was to give Hyeon-woo time to vent out his emotions by himself. Hyeon-woo took a sip of the fragrant and sweet tea and fell into his thoughts. Still, the big hurdle had now been overcome. He said that there were still people who were aiming for him, but it would be less than before. Although there were conditions attached, it was still a little bit of freedom. So what should he do now? ¡®I want to rest.¡¯ That thought had not changed since the Demon Realm. He wanted to roll around while being lazy. He wanted to enjoy peace in a peaceful world. Now that would be possible. He was idly sipping the cup one more time, and then suddenly found a jumper tossed beside the bed. Hyeon-woo got up naturally, picked up the jumper, and placed it on the table. He hadn¡¯t been able to say thank you. When they meet again, he should start by saying thank you. ¡°Kheong!¡± Kero, who had stretched out on the floor, jumped up onto the bed. ¡°Yeah, you did well today too.¡± After stroking the dog¡¯s hair, he got excited and turned his body over. Then, not long after, he fell asleep. ¡®He¡¯s really easy to be taken advantage of.¡¯ -- CH 27 After a good night¡¯s sleep, he felt better. ¡°Hyung, eat.¡± Just when Seon-woo called him, Hyeon-woo, who was about to stand up, looked at the jumper on the table. ¡®I have to give it back.¡¯ When he went outside with the jumper, he saw Seon-woo and Do-jin setting the table. At first, Seon-woo didn¡¯t like to share the table with Do-jin, but with Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, they ended up having a meal together. Of course, Do-jin didn¡¯t always join them to eat. Mostly because Do-jin avoided it. He said doing it because it was against his job, but truthfully, he just felt that it was awkward. So, he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Thank you for the jumper.¡± Hyeon-woo approached Do-jin and handed him his jumper, and he quietly accepted it. The jumper was slightly worn out, like the clothes he was wearing now. ¡°Don¡¯t you get clothes or presents?¡± Even if he didn¡¯t care about what he wanted to wear, he was still the guild leader of a guild. If he was seeing Do-jin wearing something like this, there must be a reason as to why. So he asked and Do-jin nodded. ¡°Yes, these are the clothes that my sister had picked out.¡± So that was why. He could understand Do-jin¡¯s words, but he heard Seon-woo¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°I, also, still have the clothes my Hyung bought me!¡± ¡°Why do you have that?¡± He wouldn¡¯t be able to fit in it now. Seon-woo has grown a lot since then, so he would rip it if he did wear it. ¡°Because my Hyung bought it.¡± Seon-woo replied with a smile. Hyeon-woo approached Seon-woo and reached out his hand and stroked Seon-woo¡¯s head. He couldn¡¯t keep the things Seon-woo gave him; he had had a little doll hanging from the bag that was given to him by Seon-woo on his birthday, however, he lost it while he was in the Demon Realm. After that, he took the risk to find it back then but found nothing. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡®So he too, kept the things that I had bought.¡¯ Hyeon-woo smiled softly. ¡°Thank you. Come on, sit down. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Seon-woo pulled Hyeon-woo¡¯s chair and urged him. The meal that Do-jin and Seon-woo made together was unbelievably delicious. He felt sorry that he had become a useless Hyung that just ate without contributing, but Hyeon-woo¡¯s own cuisine wasn¡¯t particularly delicious. ¡®I still need to practice a little.¡¯ This was not the Demon Realm, and these days would pass. So it would be good to learn a little something. Hyeon-woo thought so. ¡ª-- ¡°Young people are crazy these days!¡± Contributing to the country and promoting its development, they didn¡¯t understand how great this really was. That was why they were showing this type of behavior. ¡°Ryu Young-jin.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A man with a rather skinny body and glasses hanging on his face answered. ¡°How can this not work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard. The budget and time were insufficient.¡± ¡°What budget and time!¡± Kim Cheol-soo crumpled the newspaper in anger and sat down on his chair. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be all that was revealed. He is a man who has been in the Demon Realm for 10 years. He must know something more.¡± ¡°Yeah, but if you summon him in that state, from now on, he¡¯ll force you to eat swear words.¡± ¡°Even if I get insulted, I will do everything if I can to summon him.¡± The Seon-Hyeon guild would reject Ji Hyeon-woo¡¯s summons. And there was also the possibility of threatening the state again. In fact, there were a lot of cases like that. ¡°Who would want to serve the country under such pressure? Is our country the only country here?¡± With that said, there were also the Awakeners who floated abroad. Once they crossed over to the US, they couldn¡¯t touch them anymore. Because that was what Korea was now. ¡°Nothing matters.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. So there are other stories coming out in the intelligence department.¡± ¡°What story?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not explain it right now.¡± ¡°Not right now?¡± Young-jin approached Kim Chul-soo and whispered into his ear. His face, which was initially dissatisfied, began to straighten out gradually. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad plan. But you know what will happen if this fails?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Okay, then, let¡¯s go ahead with it.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Young-jin greeted Kim Chul-soo and exited the director¡¯s office. And just then, he met Moo-hyuk, who passed by him. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t it only been a few days since I last saw you?¡± ¡°It seems that my concept of time has blurred since I have been working overtime in the intelligence department.¡± Moo-hyuk, who had quietly listened to Yeong-jin, looked at the director¡¯s office. These days, Young-jin¡¯s office was often visited. He knew the reason why, but somehow he had an ominous feeling. But he couldn¡¯t ascertain anything with only a gut feeling. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going now.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Moo-hyuk looked at Young-jin walking away and moved his body again. He looked like he couldn¡¯t stand still anymore. *** Hyeon-woo was sitting on the wide floor, blankly staring at the other side of the glass window. The blue sky and the slowly flowing clouds were beautiful. That was a sheep cloud, which was a butterfly cloud. That one¡­ As he was watching the clouds, Kero, who was sitting next to him in the same way, tugged at him and dug into Hyeon-woo¡¯s arms. It was something he couldn¡¯t have imagined doing before, but now he did it often. It was because he knew that Hyeon-woo would not give up on Kero even after this. ¡°Good.¡± This quiet time was so good. He wanted a life where he didn¡¯t have to struggle; something similar to this. Hyeon-woo hugged Kero and laid him on his side. The rugs on the floor were soft to the touch. ¡®It¡¯s strangely so peaceful.¡¯ It was the height of laziness. Meanwhile, Seon-woo was quickly moving his hand though the papers. This was the headquarters of the Seon-Hyeon Guild, and there were Do-jin and Kero next to them. Other than that, the best of the guild members were protecting him, and Seon-woo was also close by, so he was safe. While knowing this, he still couldn¡¯t bear to hurry and return to his older brother¡¯s side. The anxiety he had cultivated for a long time did not go away easily even after he got his older brother back. ¡°Guild Master.¡± Then Chan-young came to Seon-woo. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A dungeon-type portal has been opened abroad.¡± There were two types of portals: Gate type and Dungeon type. A Gate type dungeon occasionally opened and released monsters. For that reason, if you did not subdue it in time, the surroundings would become a mess. And in Dungeon type, which was this case, the monster did not come out immediately. Instead, the number gradually gathered from within. Then finally, it broke out. Either way it was dangerous. Therefore, each country wanted to solve the portal before any possible monsters came out. In Gate-type to destroy the monsters pouring out and in Dungeon-type to kill the Dungeon boss from within. That was the condition for the portal to close. Both have conditions and could be predicted, but unfortunately, if they occurred in sparsely populated places, they may burst before they could be stopped. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the side of Africa. The scale is said to be S-class. That¡¯s why they need S-Class Awakeners, so they¡¯re asking for help here and there.¡± There were very few S-class Awakeners. It was because the powerful countries offered good conditions and took away even the S-class Awakeners that were there. ¡°Then there¡¯s no need for me to go.¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think we need to go. Since the conditions given are generous, I think they will probably approach the other countries first.¡± ¡°Then leave it at that.¡± Seon-woo turned his gaze back to the documents he was reading. But things didn¡¯t work out so easily. Not long after, news came in. ¡°The portal measurement results say that it seems to exceed S-class!¡± Then it sounded quite dangerous. But there would still be Awakeners who would want to go. The more dangerous the dungeon, the higher the value of the given item. Yes, that was right. ¡°It is said that there are no S-Class Awakeners who gathered to help.¡± ¡°Did the dungeon explode at the same time?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like it.¡± ¡°Quite amazing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling it to you too. The price is also going up.¡± Originally, Seon-woo might have been there too. But how long did it take to make a simple round trip to another country? In the meantime, he would be leaving Hyung alone. Unthinkable. ¡®I did.¡¯ The conditions reviewed were exceptionally good. ¡®The guardian of the phoenix.¡¯ An item that absolutely protects the wearer. Although there was a limit on the number of times it could be used depending on the period, it was still excellent. This was because it was able to block the attacks of S-class Awakeners. For a moment, Seon-woo thought of the item that his Hyung was wearing. Even if he collected only good things and gave them to him, he still felt that it was not enough. If an S-Class Awakener were determined and attacked his Hyung, it was obvious that he would not be able to properly block it. ¡®They can covet him.¡¯ Seon-woo was worried. He went through it to check if this was a plot to covet Hyeon-woo. However, such a tendency was not seen. ¡°Is it okay if I leave for a while?¡± Chan-young replied to the words that came out after thinking about it. ¡°Of course. As always, I will protect the guild of Seon-Hyeon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more worried about my brother than that.¡± ¡°I will protect him too! No matter what happens.¡± Even though he looked like that, Chan-young was definitely a strict Deputy guild leader, and his power was not weak. Seon-woo thought for a while before answering. ¡°Great. Please report that we have agreed to this request.¡± ¡°Alright. How many teams will go together?¡± ¡°I will take only one team.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take more?¡± ¡°That should be enough.¡± Anyway, Seon-woo would take care of most of it, and Team 1 would only play a supporting role. ¡°I will prepare right away.¡± Only after Chan-young went out did Seon-woo take a moment to take his eyes off the documents. He didn¡¯t know if it was a good thing, but he needed items to protect his brother. In addition, if a dungeon-type portal exploded when there was no one to listen to the request, the loss of life would be enormous. It was better to go. CH 28 Seon-woo informed Hyeon-woo and Do-jin about the news. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Africa. Kenya to be exact.¡± Africa. Hyeon-woo¡¯s face looked a bit worried when he heard that he was going to a distant country to close a portal. He knew that Seon-woo was strong enough, but he didn¡¯t know what level he was as he had never seen him encounter a monster. So his anxiety was natural. ¡°It is not dangerous. So don¡¯t worry too much.¡± As if reading Hyeon-woo¡¯s mind, Seon-woo tried to relieve his worries. Still, the worries did not go away. ¡°But just in case, take Kero since I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s like.¡± Then he handed him a black wad of hair. Kero, who was just asleep, yawned and faced Seon-woo. ¡°Wang?¡± It looked completely unreliable. But he saw how strong he was. He knew that Kero was originally a strong monster. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Seon-woo returned Kero to Hyeon-woo as it was. ¡°It¡¯s better to protect my Hyung than me.¡± Because there was a higher probability that his Hyung was more at risk than himself. However, Hyeon-woo also began to be stubborn. ¡°There are a lot of people who will protect me. So you take Kero.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t.¡± Kero, who was suddenly moved back and forth between the brothers, gave him a dissatisfied expression on his face. ¡°Or take me!¡± ¡°I want to know where it is and take me there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kenya!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What is wrong with me going?¡± Hyeon-woo asked, waving Kero. ¡°Hyung is resting here. You¡¯ve been through a lot already. It must be difficult, so why do you want to follow me?¡± ¡®Cause I¡¯m worried about you.¡¯ Hyeon-woo bit his lip thoroughly. ¡®Would you rather have me following you secretly?¡¯ If he used Kero, he would be able to follow along without difficulty. But in that case, of course, there would be an uproar here. Hyeon-woo, the target of protection, disappeared. What should they do? As he was thinking about it, Do-jin next to him spoke up. ¡°It will be fine.¡± ¡°However!¡± ¡°Really, Hyung. I am not weak.¡± ¡®Weaker than me!¡¯ Hyeon-woo pressed down the words that almost spilled out of his throat. ¡°Take Kero too.¡± An endless fight ensued. The quarrel subsided only after a long time had passed. In the end, Seon-woo decided to take Kero with him. ¡°Wang?¡± Seon-woo let out a small sigh as he watched Kero tilting his head cutely in his arms. In the end, he couldn¡¯t win against his brother¡¯s stubbornness. ¡°Are you thinking about leaving it behind secretly?¡± ¡°If you leave it behind, he will follow.¡± He read thoughts like a ghost. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take you.¡± What kind of help would an uncontrolled monster be? It didn¡¯t seem like a bad thing if he did this to calm his brother¡¯s anxiety. ¡°Then please.¡± Seon-woo bowed his head for the first time after meeting Do-jin. ¡°I will do my best.¡± Do-jin also looked at him and bowed his head. So it was decided that Seon-woo would go abroad. Ever since he had returned to Earth, this was the first time he was ever separated from his brother. Only one person disappeared, but somehow the house felt empty. ¡®Please keep him safe.¡¯ Before sending it, Kero had also been warned. ¡®If Seon-woo gets hurt.¡¯ Hyeon-woo motioned to cut his neck with his hand in front of Kero, who was tense for a while. ¡®You die.¡¯ ¡®Waw, wang!¡¯ Kero, with his legs straightened, barked vigorously. Recalling the hellish days in the Demon Realm, he raised his paws and swore that he would surely protect him. Or, it was because he was the only one who was in trouble. So Kero was taken by Seon-woo with him. Now he just had to wait for the day when Seon-woo returned and lead a normal life, Hyeon-woo thought. He would wait until that day came. *** Chan-young handed Do-jin an envelope with a troubled expression. ¡°Sent from the Hunter Administration.¡± Do-jin silently opened the envelope and looked inside. Then he raised his eyebrows as if in trouble. ¡°Is there a new portal open in Korea? ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an S-class, maybe even higher.¡± ¡°But I am not the only S-class Awakener.¡± ¡°It seems that almost all other guilds have received this request.¡± Most of the portals opened were level A or lower. The portal in Kenya, called the S-class, had opened not long ago. In that situation, a dungeon that was more dangerous than that had been found. One abroad, and one at home? ¡°So, it seems that all domestic S-class awakening people are gathering.¡± ¡°Is it really a dungeon that goes above class S?¡± ¡°The Hunter Administration¡¯s measurements are on the more accurate side. So, it should be right.¡± Yes, but this felt fishy. He knew that the Hunter Administration coveted the first generation, but it was more so because they had been too quiet. In such a situation, a portal was suddenly opened, so he had no choice but to raise his suspicions. ¡°What kind is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gate type.¡± The gate type is more dangerous than the dungeon type. ¡®If all this is true.¡¯ The human casualties would increase. He knew that, but he couldn¡¯t easily decide whether to participate or not. Because Hyeon-woo was here. At the same time, Kero was also absent from his side as he was following Seon-woo. If Do-jin was absent, the strength of the escort would drop sharply. ¡°Once I¡¯m here, I intend to stay here.¡± Chan-young was similarly asked, but he was going to refuse anyway. As the Guild Leader Seon-woo was also absent, the calculation was that even the Deputy Guild Leader would not be forced to participate. Do-jin clenched his teeth. He didn¡¯t know what to do. If he weighed the lives, he had to go. But what about Hyeon-woo? Strangely, he didn¡¯t open his mouth. ¡°Go.¡± Hyeon-woo spoke to Do-jin in a calm voice. ¡°I will be fine, so go. It¡¯s important to save more people.¡± ¡°You could be at risk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Chan-young is there, and there are others as well.¡± ¡°What will you do if the target is stronger? ¡°I will knock him down!¡± Then he clenched his fists. Chan-young, who looked at him, turned his head back and shook his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t laugh openly because of the situation, but now it looked as though he was crying. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how you are supposed to clench your fists.¡± Do-jin stretched out his hand and corrected Hyeon-woo¡¯s way of clenching his fist. ¡°Like this. Yes, put in a little more force, and then the blow will go in.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± The shape of the grip again was perfect. His comprehension was amazingly fast. ¡°So, go safely.¡± How could he be reassured? Do-jin rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. ¡°Are you worried? I think it would be more comfortable for me to go and protect others than to stay here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Isn¡¯t Chan-young strong too? ¡°Yeah? Yes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± It was brilliant to see them shove their backs to quickly protect others. It must have been difficult for him too, but maybe it was because he was so kind. Do-jin¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Then please promise me that you will not leave this place.¡± ¡°I will, so please go safely.¡± ¡°Never, never do anything dangerous.¡± Then, Do-jin pointed out the things he had to be careful about one by one. He taught him what was dangerous, how to respond in such a situation, and how to save himself. ¡°I will be back as soon as possible.¡± In fact, it was Jeju Island where the portal opened. It was not a place that you could run to immediately if you had a car. So he could only make that promise. So Do-jin also left the residence. As soon as Do-jin left, Chan-young strengthened the security. He called the teams that had gone outside, and he himself sat down in the living room. Chan-young, who was sitting in front of the table, operated the tablet and quickly turned the paper. He seemed very accustomed to working. He grew tired of watching him, so he leaned back on the sofa. Hyeon-woo wanted to enter the room badly, but Chan-young was told not to let him out of his sight. The result was this. ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Chan-young¡¯s back twitched as he poured out his feelings. ¡°I can¡¯t help it now, so be patient.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± He¡¯d rather have Kero for company. No. Right now, Kero was working hard to help his brother, Seon-woo. Hyeon-woo, who was scrambling around, pulled out a game machine. Then he started playing the famous kart game. The character on board the glitzily painted small car began to sprint frantically. However, the game was not particularly good, so it hit, slipped, and slammed. If he memorized the map, used the power he had originally, and adjusted it, he could have run perfectly, but he didn¡¯t want to do that. Ho, what a messed-up game. Chan-young got up from his seat. 12 o¡¯clock. It was around lunch time. He stood in the kitchen as if it was natural and began doing something. Ding. Ding. Ding. The sound of the microwave was loud. ¡°Eat.¡± He warmed up the frozen rice and picked up some canned food. If Seon-woo saw this, he wouldn¡¯t allow him to feed his Hyung! He looked like he was weeping. Still, this was the best Chan-young could do. He couldn¡¯t even call in someone to cook from outside. There was a chef inside too, but in the current situation, it was good to be careful about everything. The best thing to do was to cook by himself, but Chan-young had never cooked before. Huk, Hyeon-woo sat quietly at the table as he worried whether he should complain or write a complaint. No, it looked like his eyes were twinkling. ¡°Is it canned food?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Wow, I haven¡¯t eaten much canned food.¡± Then he started to open the canned food. ¡°Nowadays, canned food is available.¡± Sesame leaves, ginseng, stir-fried kimchi, and various flavors of tuna. It wasn¡¯t as good as the homemade dishes, but the taste was not bad. In addition, the added novelty made the meal more enjoyable. CH 29 Even without Seon-woo or Do-jin, daily life went on. There was nothing dangerous. But just when the moment the thought set in, a visitor came. ¡®At least now.¡¯ The Deputy Guild Leader of the Phoenix Guild, which had its main branch in the United States, came to visit. Who would you call someone that came directly to you even after you have rejected them several times? ¡®Why are all huge Guilds like this!¡¯ They didn¡¯t care about others as much as they knew the power they had. Besides, one of the national enemies was the United States, so it was a shame. Chan-young clenched his teeth. The other was a huge American guild, but the Seon-Hyeon guild was not to be belittled either. He might not need to deal with it in person. But the opponent did not retreat easily. He said that he would sit down in the lobby and wait for Chan-young. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hyeon-woo, who felt unusual, asked Chan-young. ¡°The Deputy Guild Leader came directly from an American guild.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I turned down their requests to meet the first generation several times.¡± ¡°Are you going by yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That person¡¯s too persistent.¡± Anyway, the answer to return would be refusal again. Chan-young, who had been thinking to the point that his head was steaming, finally came to a conclusion. ¡°Can I leave for a moment?¡± ¡°You can. Since It¡¯s important.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, though! I shouldn¡¯t be like this in the first place!¡± Chan-young was ready to bang his head against the wall. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll be back as quickly as I can, so just stay here. You must never leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going out.¡± After hearing Hyeon-woo¡¯s confirmation, Chan-young stepped outside. ¡®I hope nothing happens for the time being.¡¯ At this point, the deputy guild leaders of guilds of other countries would probably also come to visit. Chan-young moved quickly. After he refused the face-to-face meeting, he was about to come back. He didn¡¯t like Hyeon-woo, but he was the only family member of the Guild Leader of the guild. He did not want to neglect his protection. But everything didn¡¯t go as expected. ¡°Why not!¡± The opposing side began to call out to him. There were two major guilds in the US. One of them was the Guardian Guild and the other was the Phoenix Guild. The two were like the Seon-Hyeon Guild and the Baekho Guild in Korea. One overwhelmingly won 1st place, and 2nd place felt like they were cheating to win 1st place. His action also resembled rudeness. Chan-young¡¯s face wrinkled at the sound coming through the interpretation item. ¡°If I say you can¡¯t, you can¡¯t. Since you came without notice, don¡¯t you know how rude this is?¡± ¡°How many times have you refused this request? That¡¯s why I had to come to you myself.¡± Was he stupid? He declined, so why was he here? In his mind, he wanted to forcefully pull him out of the lobby. However, the person was someone who could not be ignored. ¡®I¡¯m being serious, but are you pushing the limits to this extent?¡¯ He had a somewhat ominous feeling. Just as he was about to get out of the seat, the Deputy Guild Leader reached out and tried to grab Chan-young¡¯s forearm. Although he quickly avoided his hand, the incident created tension in the lobby. ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t mean to fight. I just want you to listen to me more.¡± The Deputy Guild Leader laughed and made excuses, but the mood had already changed. Chan-young wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed something strange. Hyeon-woo, who had been quietly staying at home, also recognized that the situation had taken a strange turn. At the same time, he closed his eyes and began to scan his surroundings. A powerful force was released, and he kept walking back and forth around the center of the building. All the information of the awakened people staying nearby entered Hyeon-woo¡¯s mind. He also had a strange feeling. Apart from those who play quack in the lobby, why were there so many Awakened people outside? Even considering that it was near the Seon-Hyeon Guild Building, it was too much. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Chan-young didn¡¯t seem to be able to come back for a while. There was a guard outside the door, but they wouldn¡¯t come in if nothing happened. ¡®Great. Shall we move a little then?¡¯ Hyeon-woo got up and quickly changed his clothes. Then he pressed his hat in so deep that his face was obscured. ¡®It would be nice to have a mask.¡¯ He shouldn¡¯t do anything right now, but he couldn¡¯t help it. Hyeon-woo approached the open window in that state. It had a safety device, so it didn¡¯t open all the way, but it seemed like he could somehow get through it. ¡°I think this is a great place to go through.¡± He made his way through the cramped window and started climbing down the wall of the building. ¡®I should have learned a technique that helped me be a little more agile.¡¯ He regretted it later, but what should he do now? What else could there be than to beat them himself? Hyeon-woo came down the building immediately. As soon as he put his foot on the ground, he erased his footsteps and began to move. Other than that, no one could defeat him because of erasing his presence. It was because he was the first to learn this while adapting to the barren environment of the Demon Realm. As such, he became good at hiding. Shortly after moving on, he found his target. A stronger person than the average Awakener, and a foreigner. There was one person who was just right for him. He was moving cautiously in the shade of the building. Hyeon-woo showed his presence again, approached him and took off his hat. ¡°Hey?¡± Upon hearing the greeting, the Awakener was startled and immediately turned around. Then, after checking Hyeon-woo¡¯s face, he took out a radio from his arms and hurriedly shouted something. As soon as he checked it, he put the hat back on. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are saying.¡± It has been a long time since he learned English. Besides, Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t even a good student. The sentences were long, so he wouldn¡¯t understand it the slightest bit. He started with some inducement. Hyeon-woo turned around and started running. It wasn¡¯t fast because it matched the speed of the non-Awakened. So, it wasn¡¯t long before he caught up. The crowd of foreigners, who originally consisted of only one, had grown to many. ¡®But it seems that it¡¯s not just foreigners, huh?¡¯ Some were Asians like Hyeon-woo. ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo, right?¡± The man in the front asked a question. Knowingly following him and asking him again, Hyeon-woo smiled bloodily and loosened his hand. These guys weren¡¯t even worth it, but it was just a matter of time. ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°I need you to follow me.¡± It came as a threat. But how many people would agree if he simply told them to follow him? Hyeon-woo had no intention of doing that. Since Seon-woo was not here, he was planning to beat all these cockroach-like bastards. Just as he was raising his fists, someone walked towards him. ¡®Are you the boss?¡¯ The atmosphere was a little different from those around them. Hyeon-woo straightened his posture and stared at the person who suddenly broke in. He was a tall young man in his 20s, but the impression he gave off was quite strange. With his half-closed eyes and meticulously organized hair, at first glance, he looked like a typical student who couldn¡¯t even use his strength, but Hyeon-woo knew that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡®You have a strong body.¡¯ The outward appearance looked relaxed, but the momentum hidden inside was sharp. Judging by rough measurement, he seemed to be a little weaker than Seon-woo. However, the difference was subtle and may be overturned by effort. ¡¸What are you doing here?¡¹ This time, he still couldn¡¯t understand what it meant, but he could roughly understand what he said. ¡®It¡¯s Japanese.¡¯ ¡°What! Don¡¯t interrupt me, get out!¡± The man in front said threateningly and swung his fist. He gave off a bad impression, he was big, and he wasn¡¯t afraid of ordinary people. He had the opportunity to run away, but he picked the wrong opponent. The new man tapped his ear and raised the corner of his mouth to laugh. ¡¸Did you tell me to get out?¡¹ Instead of turning away, the man strode towards them, shouting. At that point, Hyeon-woo returned to bystander mode. Here, it seemed that he didn¡¯t even have to join himself. ¡¸I don¡¯t want to get my hands dirty.¡¹ As the man put his hand to his side, a woman suddenly appeared and held out something like a staff to him. No, when he looked closely, it wasn¡¯t a staff, but a slender sword. ¡°What¡¯s the madman saying?¡± ¡¸You are rude.¡¹ Then the results were as expected. The rude guy was beaten hard with a scabbard and crawled on the floor, but when he wanted to be pushed, foreigners picked him up and bounced him around. There were tears in the process, but he decided to skip the details. Hyeon-woo got up after sitting down. And just as he was about to stand up, the sword touched his neck. ¡¸Are you from the same group?¡¹ ¡°What are you saying now?¡± He wished he could speak in a language he could understand. The person was contemplating whether or not to stab him, when a woman standing next to him spoke up. ¡°He asked whether you are in the same group?¡± She seemed like she could speak Korean. ¡°No. I would have been helped if I was in the same group.¡± ¡¸He¡¯s not in the same group.¡¹ The man kicked his tongue and withdrew his sword. ¡¸You are lucky.¡¹ Then he turned around and suddenly stopped on the spot. ¡¸Why don¡¯t you take off your hat?¡¹ ¡°He asks you to take off your hat.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like to?¡± ¡°Then excuse me for a moment.¡± The woman stepped forward and reached to take Hyeon-woo¡¯s hat. He won¡¯t let her take it. He stepped back hesitantly, and by then, her hand had already brushed past the tip of the hat. Because of that, the hat that was roughly placed on his head fell off. ¡°Ak!¡± He came out secretly, so he couldn¡¯t reveal his face. He even revealed his face to those guys earlier that he didn¡¯t even remember. ¡®That was too careless for me to do.¡¯ When Hyeon-woo was about to pick up the hat again, the woman¡¯s eyes widened as she saw his face. CH 30 ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo!¡± His identity was revealed. Still, he tried to deny it just in case they were guessing. ¡°I¡¯m not him.¡± ¡°It seems right. But. Why the hell are you here?¡± ¡°I was just walking for a while.¡± ¡°When this is happening?¡± Those clumsy excuses didn¡¯t work at all. Of course, no wonder it wouldn¡¯t work. In a situation where the people around him were aiming for him, who would go out alone calmly? Hyeon-woo slowly stepped back. As it was, he was going to deny that he went out after escaping. There were eyewitnesses, but no one would believe them. Everyone believed that Hyeon-woo had no power. At that time, a young man spoke to Hyeon-woo. ¡°Did you say Ji Hyeon-woo?¡± Hyeon-woo paused for a moment at the sudden Korean word. ¡°Can you speak Korean?¡± ¡°A little bit.¡± He took something out of his pocket and threw it at Hyeon-woo. At first glance, they looked like Bluetooth earphones. When he accepted it, the man tapped his ear. Now that he was seeing clearly, he was wearing the same thing. ¡°It¡¯s a translation item.¡± He listened to the woman¡¯s explanation and placed it in his ears. ¡°Now I can speak comfortably.¡± It was translated surprisingly clearp. ¡°By the way, he said he was Ji Seon-woo¡¯s older brother. Then, why can¡¯t I feel any power?¡± That was because he was hiding it. ¡°Are you awakened?¡± ¡°I am not obligated to tell you that.¡± Then the young man closed his eyes and smiled. ¡°You are cheeky.¡± ¡°It would be you who is the cheeky one.¡± The air was respectful, but it was an atmosphere where it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if he raised a knife. ¡°I think it¡¯s similar to Ji Seon-woo in not trying to lose at all.¡± ¡°What do you mean? That I am weaker than my brother?¡± In an instant, the atmosphere became tense. The only person that fidgeted in-between was the woman who had been interpreting all the time. She let out a short sigh and the young man approached Hyeon-woo. But she did not feel particularly alive, so she stood still and greeted him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the arrogance of the powerless brings only danger?¡± What was he saying now? Although he kept it hidden, Hyeon-woo was actually stronger. Judging by how much power he showed, the words that the young man spat out corresponded to him. ¡°Well, when you fall into hell, then you would be doomed by fate. When that happens, it would be too late to regret it.¡± ¡®You¡¯re the one in danger.¡¯ Hyeon-woo put strength into his fist. He was thinking of hitting someone like this¨Cif no one else showed up through the alleyway. ¡°Hey. Junichi.¡± The new arrival was a blonde American young man. With the appearance of an angel, he naturally approached and spoke to the young man himself. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you all here.¡± ¡°Siegfried.¡± ¡°I want you to call me by name. I have a wonderful name, Leon, so why do you call me by my last name every time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to call you that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s tricky. But who is this guy here?¡± ¡°If you know that, what are you going to do?¡± Junichi was rough the whole time, but Leon didn¡¯t budge. He laughed out loud and bowed to greet Hyeon-woo. ¡°Hello? My name is Leon. May I know your name?¡± ¡°Chan-young.¡± He felt sorry for Chan-young, but that was the only name that came to mind right away. ¡°Chan-young. That¡¯s a cool name. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your name, is it?¡± And then he rolled his eyes and smiled; it felt like there was a halo on his head. It was a look that could attract people. However, Hyeon-woo, who had seen a lot of beauties in the underworld and in the real world, did not fall for that. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Well, if you want to be called by that name. Then, I can call you that.¡± Then he reached out his hand, and a sword blocked his way. ¡°Do not approach any further.¡± ¡°Oh my, are you jealous, Junichi?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to call my name? ¡°You can call my name instead.¡± ¡°I absolutely hate it.¡± Leon¡¯s body moved right after Junichi¡¯s sharp voice sounded. Then, other saints entered the alleyway. They all wore the same uniform, and wore badges engraved with strange patterns on their chests. ¡°In your positions.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He looked at their clothes without saying a word. From the clothes to the accessories they were wearing, and to their attitude were nothing short of maniacal. But nonetheless, these were America¡¯s ¡®Guardians¡¯. They sounded like formidable opponents. ¡°Yuki.¡± ¡°Yeah! The call finished a while ago.¡± As soon as the words were finished, a new group appeared. He was a member of a huge Japanese guild, the Orochi Guild. The atmosphere was getting progressively worse. Leon, who was looking at the new arrivals, suddenly turned his head and asked Hyeon-woo. ¡°How about this? If you want, I can protect you from those dangerous people.¡± Weren''t they both the same? Hyeon-woo frowned without realizing it. ¡°I bet this is a lot more personal than you think.¡± ¡°The bullshit is excellent.¡± Junichi said sarcastically, but Leon ignored him neatly. ¡°It really is. How long will you just be protected by your younger brother? Why don¡¯t you come over here and have a look? I¡¯ll give you anything you want.¡± Leon let out a sugar-coated sound in a warm voice. But Hyeon-woo had no intention of going over there. For that reason, looking at the situation, he slowly retreated. Then he grabbed the stone he had kicked with his hind feet in his hand and threw it at the entrance of the alleyway. He was so sneaky and quick that no one noticed him. Thud! At the sudden sound, their eyes naturally turned away, and Hyeon-woo succeeded in pulling himself out of the scene. When Junichi and Leon turned their heads again, no one was there. ¡°Ha?¡± Junichi looked around while holding his sword. But no sign was felt anywhere. ¡°Yuki.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Being Junichi¡¯s secretary, Yuki had sensory powers. Although she wasn¡¯t as strong as he was, she had a great talent for finding and chasing those who were hiding. But even such Yuki couldn¡¯t find anything. ¡°There is no trace.¡± Yuki wasn¡¯t the only one who couldn¡¯t catch a trace. Leon was also unable to do so. ¡°Where did you suddenly disappear?¡± He disappeared like a mirage. But there were too many eyewitnesses to call it a fantasy. A guild member who was good at tracking came forward and searched for him, but the result was not much different than Yuki¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Junichi left the alley as soon as he confirmed that Hyeon-woo had disappeared, and he couldn¡¯t find him. After that, Yuki hurriedly followed, and the remaining guild members began to take care of the fallen. It was because they knew that knowing where they came from would be useful in many ways. ¡°Hmm.¡± Leon knew that and coveted the fallen man, but he did not move easily. The guild members he brought here were not the elite of the ¡®Guardian¡¯. He was just dragging those who had time to spare. On the other hand, Junichi seemed to have brought the key personnel of the guild members. The face was familiar. ¡°I have to leave today.¡± Leon shrugged his shoulders and moved on. ¡®It¡¯s a strange feeling anyway.¡¯ No power was palpable. If it made you look weak, then that was not the case. Instincts buried deep within him trembled every time he looked at him. He has never seen anything like this before. ¡®Well, let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡¯ As Leon moved on, the men in uniform followed him. People¡¯s attention was drawn to the appearance of them passing by in unique attire. ¡°Are they cosplaying?¡± ¡°No. Isn¡¯t that the Guardian Guild¡¯s outfit?¡± ¡°The Guardian Guild is an American guild. Why are they here?¡± ¡°But there is the Seon-Hyeon guild over there. Could it be that he came for some reason?¡± Leon caught on to the sound and smiled. The pouring interest was quite surprising. Which kid would hate it, though. And that one kid, Junichi, was just getting into the car. ¡°Yuki. How long will it take to send me the information I got from the people I caught earlier?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll finish it in one day.¡± ¡°Half a day.¡± ¡°Yes, I will finish it in half a day.¡± At that moment, Junichi slowly leaned back on the backrest. As soon as he saw Ji Seon-woo¡¯s documentary, he came to Korea quickly, and was fortunate enough to see his Hyung. He didn¡¯t believe everything on the show, but he thought he wouldn¡¯t turn away if the content was right. ¡®I was lucky.¡¯ Aside from luck, the image of Ji Hyeon-woo was bad, though. Junichi, he hated incompetence and weakness. And Ji Seon-woo¡¯s older brother seemed to be a typical underdog. A leech that could not live without relying on others. He thought that there was no way he was really incompetent because he was the first generation. He thought he was hiding his power, but he wasn¡¯t. Then, did he survive in the Demon Realm with the help of that huge monster? ¡®Is that possible?¡¯ Junichi was also dragged into the Demon Realm because he was a second-generation Awakened. No matter how powerful a monster was, it was not an environment in which one could survive easily. There were very few edibles, and he had to risk his life to get them. The environment was barren, and the types of monsters were diverse. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ It seemed like he had to dig a little deeper. Including what was happening in the Seon-Hyeon Guild these days. Ji Seon-woo was suddenly called abroad, and the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild, who guarded the first generation, was also called to Jeju Island. Then, suddenly, the Deputy Guild Leader of the Phoenix Guild came to the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Suspicious people were wandering around the guild. If he put all this together, something seemed to come out. ¡®The more you know about the enemy, the more favorable it is.¡¯ So he was thinking of digging into all this. On the other hand, there was a gaze watching the entire scene. ------ HM: I want Hyeon-woo to beat them himself or I¡¯ll be the one to beat them myself. Lol wwwww. And yas, Yuki is gender-neutral name. So, please¡­. Idk what gender it is either. It does say that she¡¯s a woman in the last chapter. Wwww Davine: again with the gender neutral¡­ Tbh I have absolutely no idea why Hyeon-woo''s hiding his powers. Vote ''Who is your favorite character?'' CH 31 ¡°You failed.¡± In the dark-coated car, the face of another man sitting next to the driver, who was holding the steering wheel, was severely distorted. ¡°Damn it.¡± He clenched his teeth and let out a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you failed. After all, some people were captured by Iwamoto¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you get them back?¡± ¡°Would that be easy? Although he is being criticized for being behind Ji Seon-woo, he is also an S-class awakener. An Awakener can¡¯t break through even if they jump on it.¡± ¡°What if it can¡¯t be retrieved?¡± ¡°It is not easy either. No, why did Japan and America appear here? At least Russia was not involved, so I have to say we are in luck?¡± ¡°I was quite unlucky. By the way, is Ji Hyeon-woo the person you tracked down earlier? There would be no way to get him out of the guild easily.¡± ¡°That could be right, or it could be a bait if you are unlucky.¡± What a time of the day it was. Awakeners with strange abilities and items no less appeared. There could be items that imitated faces or caused confusion. Besides, the opponent was the Seon-Hyeon Guild. It boasted enormous power and wealth, so it was likely that they might have it. ¡°It would be difficult.¡± The man, who was holding the handle, raised his glasses as if it was a habit. ¡°We need to think about the next plan.¡± There was silence in the car for a moment. *** In a wide communal area, a huge ice flower began to bloom within. The fast-growing ice flower soon stopped growing, then shattered and scattered all over. ¡°Kye-eek!¡± The ice shards shot at a frightening speed destroyed all the large-scale monsters in front. It was a shabby end for a triumphant crowd. ¡°Clean it up!¡± When Seon-woo left, team 1 that followed, began to clean up and kill the monsters that had fallen quickly. Meanwhile, Seon-woo took out the unconnected phone and looked at it with a nervous expression. He was optimistic, but again, the electronics inside were not working. Kero sat next to him, clenched his front paws, and yawned. ¡°Kyaang!¡± A smile appeared on Team 1¡¯s face, looking at the cute figure involuntarily. But after a while, the tension began to circulate again. It was because he realized that Kero was a different being than he had seen. Because it was Kero who played an active part in meeting the mid-boss. The huge mid-boss who was in the shape of a wolf was smashed by Kero who jumped right in. He bit his leg and ripped it off, spewing blue-white flames from his mouth, melting its body. Just looking at him running, he seemed crazy. Seon-woo also wondered if he would even have to subdue Kero. Fortunately, after dealing with the mid-boss, it got smaller again and followed him at regular footsteps, but it was not forgotten. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit strange, by the way?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know I said it was an S-class or higher dungeon, but it doesn¡¯t feel like that.¡± A grade, if you pushed it. It was a dungeon like that. If it had been a higher-grade dungeon, Ji Seon-woo would not have been able to afford that much. And Seon-woo was also feeling the sense of incongruity they felt. ¡®Strange.¡¯ It felt like the dungeon grade was lower than he expected. Even considering that it was a country with few awakenings, the level was too low. At least three S-class saints were included, but they did not actively participate. Like a time stopper which had run out of time. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! It was a rumor.¡± ¡°Really. Even if we don¡¯t touch it, it looks like we can clear the room soon.¡± It was annoying to see him talking. He thought it would be more dangerous because he was desperately hanging on, but it seemed like it could have been solved if only Kero and the first team were deployed. Of course, dungeons were always in flux, so he wouldn¡¯t really leave them that way. Seon-woo put the phone in his arms and said. ¡°Let¡¯s speed up more.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± First of all, breaking through the dungeon as quickly as possible was a priority. *** On the other side. Every time the dagger was held in the reverse position, the monster fell down. At that sight, the other awakened people, who also entered the dungeon, looked surprised. The Guild Leader of the Peace Guild. As the guild leader of a guild that stayed in the top 5 in Korea, he expected it to be somewhat strong, but this was beyond it. Han Do-jin was an awakened person with more power than people thought. ¡°What. Since when did he become so strong?¡± Hye-sun, who was standing in front of him, asked her own guild member with her trembling expression. ¡°If the guild leader doesn¡¯t know, how am I supposed to know?¡± ¡°No-, well that¡¯s true too.¡± When she first faced Ji Seon-woo, she didn¡¯t think he was that strong. Was he hiding his power? Hye-sun scratched his head, then vigorously stepped forward with her feet and began to push a monster with her shield. ¡°Hey!¡± Dogs and cows all hide their strength, so an honest person would live with shame! Her desire for power grew even greater. ¡®I want to be strong.¡¯ I want to become stronger and stronger and stand on top. For that purpose, Hye-sun was thinking of doing anything. He didn¡¯t want to be left behind. Thud! When the monsters that were being pushed down fell, they hit it down with the pointed part under the shield. ¡°Let¡¯s get it done quickly!¡± The awakened people, who followed Hye-sun¡¯s shout, began to move with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Do-jin went far ahead. *** ¡°Dungeon¡¯s cleared!¡± After confirming that the last boss had fallen, the Awakened people shouted loudly. The attack on the dungeon, which felt like it took a long time, has finally ended. As soon as the door to the outside opened, Seon-woo was the first to step outside. As soon as Seon-woo appeared, the reporters, who were waiting, light flashed from afar. Awakeners, who wielded violence in the dungeon, were the most sensitive when they come out of the dungeon. So, he usually blocked access, but Seon-woo was different. He never showed weakness or violence, so reporters were allowed to cover his story, even from afar. ¡®Yes, I did it.¡¯ The flashing of light from everywhere was annoying. Seon-woo looked ahead with bitter eyes. He wanted to turn it all off right now. There was no time to be tied up here. He had to go back to Korea and see his Hyung. ¡°Monster! It¡¯s a monster!¡± ¡°Run away!¡± Some of the terrified fled, and the Awakened who were blocking them approached. And then, Team 1 came out. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Team 1¡¯s leader, Ain(???), stepped forward and blocked the Awakeners who were approaching. ¡°It¡¯s not an enemy. No! It¡¯s a tamed monster!¡± At those words, the reporters, who couldn¡¯t run away, had their eyes twinkled. ¡°You mean taming?¡± ¡°Did Ji Seon-woo tame it?¡± ¡°No. No. Back away, monsters get excited sometimes!¡± Ain shouted resolutely and waved his hand. Then a low stone wall was formed between the people and Kero. Then, little by little, people began to calm their excitement. ¡°Guild Leader, what should I do?¡± At that time, Ain sighed in relief and asked Seon-woo for his opinion. ¡°Ignore it.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Was that okay? There was an image that Seon-woo had maintained so far, and Ain was perplexed, but soon understood. It was probably because he was worried about his Hyung that he left behind. He was also one of those who cried watching his documentary. ¡°Then I will go.¡± Soon, the first team surrounded Seon-woo. And Kero also returned to his small form and followed Seon-woo. ¡°Ji Seon-woo-ssi!¡± Some reporters called for Seon-woo, but he neatly ignored it. ¡°I will go back to Korea for the interview!¡± Still, the reporter was stuck with Ain. The guild members of the Seon-Hyeon Guild, who were dispatched to Kenya, returned to Korea. *** ¡°Dungeon¡¯s cleared!¡± The dungeon in Jeju Island faced an analogous situation. ¡°Wow. No human can do that.¡± As soon as Hye-sun left the dungeon, she panted and sat down. It was on the easy side for a dangerous dungeon, but the problem was the schedule. She had to take a break in the middle to check her condition, but Han Do-jin was running wild in front of her, so her speed increased without realizing it. That was why, after clearing the dungeon, she didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift a finger. Hye-sun, who was an S-class Awakened, was already like this and the condition of the others was worse. Some even fainted as soon as they came out. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going now.¡± As soon as Do-jin came out, he reported to Hye-sun and disappeared before he could be caught. ¡°No! If you go like this!¡± Anyway, the leader was the tanker, Hye-sun, but that was why it was difficult. ¡°Uwghaaa!¡± Hye-sun screamed, and she laid down on the spot. The sky was particularly blue today. ¡°Those monster bastards.¡± Ji Seon-woo and Han Do-jin were monsters. When would she be able to catch up with them? Hye-sun took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°Ah, Guild Leader! You can¡¯t sleep in a place like this!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll just sleep a little.¡± And then she fell asleep with a snoring sound. --- (We will be going on a chapter per month after this chapter. We are both busy with exams and life. Thank you for understanding.) We are looking for a quality rechecker for this series. It will take around 30 mins to check one chapter, since most of the editing is already done. We are hoping to finish 10 or more chapters in one month. (PS: a month has almost 30 days. so u will have enough time.) It will be from starting chapter, which is chapter 1, to the currently editing chapters. Once this is the over, ur role will be shifted to proofreading. CH 32 ¡°Ughaaaa!¡± The fairy, who was hanging upside down, screamed. ¡°Save me, save me! You cannot do this! This is a breach of contract.¡± He screamed desperately, but now there was no one here to help the fairy. ¡°Please let me go!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Alberg-nim!¡± The fairy whimpered and shouted the name of the demon that lay languidly in front of him. ¡°If you want to be released, tell me where Hyeon-woo went.¡± ¡°No. No. Although the portal has been opened, it is still an area you can¡¯t go to. Albert-sama can¡¯t go!¡± ¡°I decide whether to go or not.¡± ¡°Ughaaaa!¡± The fairy fluttered while being tied up. ¡®I¡¯m sorry!¡¯ However, no matter how wildly he ran, reality did not change. His master would not care much if one or two fairies disappeared. Because there were so many fairies. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to tell him than to suffer endless torture like this? The fairy wept. *** It was Do-jin who returned to the Seon-Hyeon Guild first. As soon as he arrived, he was greeted by Chan-young, who had dark eyes, and Hyeon-woo, who looked more comfortable than him. ¡°You are here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m back?¡± Hyeon-woo rubbed his eyes and greeted him. Seeing Hyeon-woo like this, Do-jin stopped for a moment. It was because he wasn¡¯t used to being welcomed by someone. Ever since Ye-won disappeared, no one had welcomed him with the slightest bit of interest. ¡°It was hard, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Do-jin took a step back without realizing that Hyeon-woo was approaching him. Then, Hyeon-woo came closer. There was a grim look on his face as he approached. ¡°Why are you running away?¡± Run away? He thought of running away? He had to say no, but his mouth didn¡¯t open. ¡°Come here. It was hard, so take a break.¡± Then, he tapped the sofa. He was drawn to the gesture and lay down on the sofa, when he put a blanket over him. Hyeon-woo was wearing it the whole time, so he could feel his scent in the softness. Do-jin didn¡¯t know what expression to make. Seeing the two of them, Chan-young sighed in relief. Now that there was someone to protect Hyeon-woo, he would only have to deal with the American Guild, who occasionally came and fought them. ¡®Things are weird.¡¯ Chan-young didn¡¯t know if Seon-woo or Do-jin noticed. How many years had he been serving as a Deputy Guild Leader? In the meantime, the one who had good eyes for these things found it difficult to handle everything on his own. ¡®Guild leader, please come back soon.¡¯ Chan-young could only beg and pray again and again. Fortunately, a few days later, Seon-woo arrived. At the same time, the American Guilds, who had been roasting Chan-young, no longer came. Although it freed him from the horrific entertainment, it was now time to point out the questionable part. ¡°Then you mean that no one has been by his side all this time?¡± Seon-woo heard from Chan-young what had happened and put his hand on his forehead. Fortunately, his Hyung was unharmed, but if anything had happened, he would have regretted it greatly. Therefore, Seon-woo¡¯s eyes looked at Chan-young as he calmed himself down. He knew he couldn¡¯t help it, but his heart wouldn¡¯t let it slip. ¡°Phoenix Guild.¡± If the Guardian Guild meant justice in America, the Phoenix Guild was a little different. It was more inclined to personal interest than to establish justice. Therefore, the overall image of the Guardian Guild was much better than the Phoenix Guild. ¡°The only ones who came to visit were the Phoenix Guild, but people from the Guardian Guild and the Orochi Guild were also seen around the guild.¡± Several prominent guilds were witnessed, but it was no coincidence. It was obvious that he was trying to get in touch with the first generation in some way. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything else?¡± ¡°It is said that the team leader has also found some other suspicious saint.¡± ¡°Did you find out who it was?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out yet, but I guess it¡¯s a domestic person.¡± Upon hearing that, an organization immediately came to mind. The Hunter Administration. The clues that had been separated began to come together. ¡®Kim Cheol-su.¡¯ He was the current director of the Hunter Administration. To be precise, he was a great person who could work with foreign countries for his own gain. If the dungeons in Kenya were the cause of the Phoenix Guild and the domestic dungeons by the Hunter Administration, then everything made sense. His Hyung didn¡¯t want anything big. He just said he wanted to rest quietly. They were the ones they should be angry at for daring to try such a thing. They probably had wondered what power he had. He was originally just slightly displeased with the Hunter Administration, but now even a bad feeling had arisen. ¡®You have to think.¡¯ This time it passed safely, but there was no way it would be like that in the future. So, in order to protect his Hyung, he had to have a bit more power. Whether it be influence or power. Seon-woo took a deep breath. And he let his feelings sink down there. Because it was time to meet his Hyung soon. ¡°Seon-woo!¡± As soon as he saw Hyeon-woo running warmly, Seon-woo embraced him. ¡°Hyung.¡± From now on, he thought that he would never break down. Since they had been apart for 10 years, He thought that this period of time would be okay, but he was mistaken. ¡®While I couldn¡¯t see you, I thought I was going crazy because I missed and missed you¡¯. Seon-woo neatly ignored Do-jin, who greeted him from behind, and enjoyed the greetings between his Hyung. He clung onto Hyeon-woo¡¯s back, trying not to fall. ¡°Ughoo, I¡¯m still young.¡± Hyeon-woo was casually wallowing around with his younger brother, one head bigger than himself. But that was only one day. Seon-woo had a lot of work to do, so he couldn¡¯t just stick with it any longer. ¡°Can¡¯t you rest?¡± Even though it was sad to say, Seon-woo only shook his head. ¡°Because I¡¯m the Guild Leader. It is necessary.¡± Seon-woo had no intention of leaving this position. It would be nice to hang out with his Hyung. He would be happy. But what if there was danger? Seon-woo was strong, but there were limits to what an individual could solve. There were some things that could only be solved by a group of people. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡± Seon-woo, who looked back at his affectionate face several times, returned to his daily life. So, the time he spent with Do-jin naturally increased. ¡°You said, Do-jin-ssi, was also a guild leader. Is it okay to stay here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. As usual, most of my work was handled by the Deputy Guild Leader.¡± Was that really okay? ¡°Then, what if the guild got stolen by the Deputy Guild Leader?¡± Did he think too negatively? Hyeon-woo laid down and stared at Do-jin. ¡°It¡¯s really fine. I was going to give up the Guild Leader position anyway.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a guild that you built up with difficulty?¡± ¡°I have accomplished my purpose, so I don¡¯t need it anymore.¡± The way he spoke seemed relentlessly cold in some way. As he blinked at his unexpected answer, Do-jin further explained as if he had noticed him. ¡°Even without me, the guild will run well. If it¡¯s a path that is maintained by one person¡¯s strength, it might be better without me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± As he got to know Do-jin, he felt that he was a person he could rely on in many ways. And he was also a good man. He didn¡¯t know why he was saying that. At Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, Do-jin looked down at him quietly. There was an awkward atmosphere for a moment. Well, it must be strange for a third party to intervene if he said that. Even knowing that, the words that went out were different from what he thought. ¡°Ye-won Noona said that her oppa was a very kind person.¡± ¡°A good person.¡± Do-jin¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I am a good person.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ye-won was a kind and affectionate child. So I tried my best to become an oppa who was not to be ashamed of for Ye-won.¡± ¡°Then, your efforts paid off. Ye-won Noona never once said anything bad about her Oppa. She is nice, sweet and kind.¡± He repeated the formula he had said many times. ¡°She said that her Oppa¡¯s such a perfect person.¡± ¡°Did Ye-won really say that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Do-jin lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. ¡°Those are undeserved statements. To me.¡± His voice was no longer heard after that. And Do-jin kept his mouth shut. Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t say any more. He just reached out and touched Do-jin¡¯s knee as if to comfort him. *** Seon-woo was full of dissatisfaction. He returned early, and because he tried to turn down as many events in the schedule as possible, what welcomed him was a mountain of work. He felt like he wanted to be by his Hyung¡¯s side, but there were some things they couldn¡¯t solve without him. So, he was forced to go downstairs. Even at this time, Hyung must be with Han Do-jin. He didn¡¯t like it, but he couldn¡¯t help it. It was best to finish the job as soon as possible and go back to his Hyung¡¯s side. Seon-woo was busy working with that in mind, and later, the secretary announced that a guest had arrived. ¡°Guest?¡± There shouldn¡¯t be any guests to come now. Maybe the Phoenix Guild came to reveal the truth again. Seon-woo got up from his seat and adjusted his clothes. At this opportunity, he was about to give a firm warning. However, the person who came to visit was not what Seon-woo thought he was. ¡°Choi Moo-hyuk.¡± It was Choi Moo-hyuk from the Hunter Administration. ¡°Send him up.¡± - Yes. Not long after that, Choi Moo-hyuk visited the Guild Leader¡¯s room. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t greet you right now. What are you here for?¡± Seon-woo reacted sensitively. It was only natural because he belonged to the Hunter Administration, which he suspected to have done a strange thing that had happened recently. They weren¡¯t on good terms either. CH 33 If Seon-woo was water, then Moo-hyuk was fire. It might be because of that, but they didn¡¯t fit well in many other ways as well. ¡°Yeah, I have come to you because I have some business with you.¡± Moo-hyuk calmly answered without raising any questions. ¡°So what is it for?¡± ¡°What do you think of the current Hunter Administration?¡± Did he even have to ask to know? It was nothing to Seon-woo, simply a piece of garbage that was busy taking care of its own profit. It wasn¡¯t like this when it was first established, but after the director was changed to Kim Cheol-su, the Hunter Administration began to be hostile to the guilds. It was their nature to bite and prey around, and they did anything for the benefit of the Hunter Administration. So its image in his head was bad. ¡°Do you really need to ask that?¡± ¡°No. In fact, you can tell without even asking.¡± Moo-hyuk laughed bitterly. He had an ideal, so he ignored the offers of numerous guilds and joined the Hunter Administration. When the guild, which was an individual power, was called out, the country was shaken. So, he thought that he should keep the guilds in check by raising the Hunter Administration, a national institution. For that reason, he made a different choice than the others. At first, he thought it was the right idea. The director of the Hunter Administration was also an awakened, and he was well aware of the current situation. He was trying to raise the Hunter Administration step by step rather than forcefully. Moo-hyuk agreed with him. But things turned around. A non-Awakened person came down as the Director of the Hunter Administration, while the original Director was demoted. Awakened ones, and non-awakened ones. It might not seem like it really matters. Because anyone just had to be righteous. But the reality was different. ¡°The current director is very greedy. And that greed endangers the Hunter Administration.¡± It would have been nice if there had been only a pure desire to strengthen the Hunter Administration. Seon-woo changed his posture a little. ¡°So what do you really want to say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple story. I want to rise up.¡± He didn¡¯t want to just tune in from the bottom up anymore. Originally, he wasn¡¯t the type to work for someone else. ¡°It will not be easy.¡± ¡°Because there is an old person above.¡± Moo-hyuk wanted to get rid of that old man. To do that, he needed the help of others. He wanted to do it alone as much as possible, but he knew that¡¯s impossible. ¡°So let¡¯s hold hands with me.¡± It was a convincing story, but Seon-woo did not rush forward. He understood what Moo-hyuk thought. That he wanted to change the situation now. So he became increasingly skeptical. ¡°Why now?¡± There must have been many opportunities to go out until now, but what was the reason for coming in and demanding cooperation from Seon-woo, with whom he had an especially troubled relationship? ¡°It is because it¡¯s now. The movement of the Hunter Administration is strange these days. It looks like the director is doing something with the intelligence department, but he doesn¡¯t tell the field staff about it. The management department is responsible for most of the work.¡± ¡°Strange movements?¡± ¡°Yes. So I came to the conclusion that I couldn¡¯t stand it any longer.¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s join hands.¡± It wasn¡¯t something he needed to think about for a long time. He was still displeased with Moo-hyuk, but considering the benefits it brought, he was right to join hands. Hence, the two made a secret agreement. *** After Moo-hyuk returned, another customer came to Seon-woo, who had been immersed in his work again. ¡°Keep your promise!¡± It was A-yun. A-yun, who came in a bright dress, sat on the sofa in the guild master¡¯s room. Then she boldly demanded the fulfillment of the contract. ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ll prepare a place.¡± ¡°No, no. There is no need to prepare a place in particular this time.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Ji Seon-woo-ssi. All you have to do is lend Hyeon-woo to me for just one day.¡± ¡°A day?¡± ¡°Yes! I won¡¯t do anything weird. I swear.¡± And then he shook his hand in rejection. ¡°So, straighten your face.¡± ¡°What do you need a day for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going out with him for a bit.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Did you mean that he knew what he was going to do and allowed him to go out? ¡°If you are worried, you can follow me. Or the Peace Guild Leader. He seemed to be okay with it.¡± That was happening due to an unfair contract. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be playing together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still talking. Don¡¯t you know how to play?¡± ¡°Whatever you do, the number of times is deducted.¡± ¡°I know. I will still play.¡± A-yun folded her arms in a confident manner. In a way, she might be hitting 1 in 3 chances. Knowing that, she couldn¡¯t back off. ¡®So, you want to have a conversation in a safe room and have the other party tell you all the information?¡¯ The answer is no. Everyone was on their side, and they were in a stable state, but what was she doing to spit the truth to someone he had only seen once? Even A-yun didn¡¯t do that. So she decided to put a little precipitation. ¡®It¡¯s easy to get to know people.¡¯ It had been that way since childhood. A-yun, who was pretty and lively, used to go to other people easily. And in the end, everyone confided in her. So, she wanted to do it again this time. ¡°I am busy.¡± ¡°Then send the Peace Guild Leader.¡± ¡°Peace Guild Leader.¡± Seon-woo touched his forehead for a moment. He didn¡¯t want to let his Hyung and him go and die. Anyway, recently, Do-jin seemed to be starting to be comfortable with Hyung, so it was starting to get annoying. ¡°I will make time.¡± ¡°Great. Then solve it.¡± ¡°But you have to agree to go out.¡± ¡°Can I ask you that?¡± If she had asked Seon-woo, it seemed that he would only say things that would make him refuse to go out. He was overprotective anyway. A-yun pursed her lips. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say anything strange.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret!¡± A-yun was terribly persistent, but Seon-woo wasn¡¯t easy either. He was the one who could do anything for his Hyung. Such statements were unbearable. So, Seon-woo decided to ask if he would go out. Seon-woo, who climbed up immediately, opened the door and went inside. At the time, Hyeon-woo was in the living room. There was¨C ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Seon-woo¡¯s voice lowered in displeasure. ¡°Uh? Seon-woo, are you here?¡± ¡°Hyung.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hyeon-woo blinked with an innocent expression. He was lying on the rug on the living room floor, holding onto Do-jin¡¯s thighs. ¡°There¡¯s a cushion next to you.¡± Seon-woo tried to speak calmly while suppressing his swelling inside. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°But why are you doing that?¡± ¡°How are you seeing this?¡± At first, he was joking and lay down on him. Since the muscular thighs were not comfortable, he tried to politely get up right away, but Do-jin¡¯s reaction afterwards was quite interesting. Hence, he got to this point because he was playing around and holding on. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± At least it was more comfortable than sleeping on a high rock. ¡°Uncomfortable. You will hurt your neck.¡± Seon-woo grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand, who was lying down, and made him stand up. ¡°Thank you. But didn¡¯t you say you were busy?¡± ¡°I got the urgent stuff done. And I still have some business to do.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A-yun is here.¡± That lively girl. Hyeon-woo immediately remembered A-yun. ¡°Let¡¯s go out together. If you don¡¯t like it, you can say no.¡± ¡°Outing? Where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. I will follow.¡± So he was saying it was not really a trap. Hyeon-woo pondered for a moment. The sky outside the window was high and blue. The weather was perfect for going out. ¡°Then shall we go out?¡± Once the decision was made, the next step was a breeze. As soon as he got dressed and came out, a bodyguard was attached to him as if he had been prepared in advance. ¡°It¡¯s been a while? Please take good care of me today!¡± A-yun was saying that, and Ja-yun was there too, as if he had already appeared from behind. ¡°Take good care of me.¡± There were three S-Class Awakeners. The ultimate party, which couldn¡¯t happen unless something had to happen, had been created. ¡°A moment before that.¡± A-yun first looked at Do-jin wearing a hood and then nodded. ¡°Okay, pass.¡± Then she stood in front of Seon-woo. ¡°Are you wearing a suit today? Can¡¯t you go and change clothes?¡± ¡°...I can.¡± ¡°Then go and change clothes.¡± A-yun spread her chest and said, looking as if she had to do that. ¡°It¡¯s strange to wear a mask while wearing a suit! Were you thinking of leaving, wearing that? Don¡¯t you know the trends these days?¡± After the documentary broadcast, the interest in the Seon-Hyeon Guild and the Awakened grew, and the enthusiasm still had not cooled down. In such a state, Seon-woo and Hyeon-woo, whose faces are known, went out without a fuss? It was obvious what was going to happen. ¡°So let¡¯s cover it.¡± ¡°If everyone wears a mask and a hat, wouldn¡¯t that be more suspicious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to use it.¡± ¡°I think the level of face recognition is similar.¡± A-yun learned how to use her image while doing TV shows from an early age. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t hesitate to dress herself up. For that reason, Ja-yun and A-yun were known for their faces. It wasn¡¯t as much as Ji Seon-woo. ¡°My Oppa is going to dress up. I am not.¡± ¡°Are you okay with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not an Awakened person, so even if I show my face, I wouldn¡¯t be recognized as much as my brother. Let¡¯s go, so hurry up and get dressed!¡± Reluctantly, Seon-woo changed clothes and came out to put on a mask and a hat. They all covered their faces and stood next to each other, looking really suspicious. If A-yun had covered her face, it would have been even worse. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± A-yun boldly took the lead. The first place they visited was a department store. Entering as a VIP, she went straight to the top floor. A personal shopping assistant greeted them, and immediately a lot of clothes were taken away. ¡°Now, shall we change clothes? Who shall we start with?¡± At that, Hyeon-woo quickly raised his hand. CH 34 ¡°Do-jin-ssi, I hope you go first!¡± ¡°Do-jin-ssi? That¡¯s right. Those clothes are definitely not good on you anymore.¡± It was a basic piece of clothing that would never go out of fashion, but it felt too old on him. ¡°¡­These were the clothes my sister bought me.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s your sister¡­ Ah! I must have looked at it wrong. Looking at it again, it seems like a very good fit.¡± A-yun was sweating profusely as she changed her words. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Yes, um. Shall we pick some clothes then?¡± ¡°I want to pick them myself!¡± This time, Hyeon-woo came out. It was because he wanted to repay Do-jin and style him with new clothes as his gratitude for lending him a jumper. Even though it was pocket money his younger brother gave him, he had money. So, it was okay if he bought one or two suits. That was his idea. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Hyeon-woo caught Do-jin who was about to retreat. ¡°Will you wear them?¡± At the next question, Do-jin could not back down any further. Sometimes, Hyeon-woo approached him as if there was no line between them. During those times, Do-jin was perplexed, but he accommodated it. He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t tell him more about his sister and seeing him like this reminded him of her. ¡°Yes.¡± Hyeon-woo smiled brightly at Do-jin¡¯s answer and looked around at the clothes in the store. What clothes would suit him? He had no knowledge in fashion. In the Demon Realm, he could only wear clothes from when he was younger, and when he came back to the modern age, Seon-woo picked out the clothes for him. So, he took out clothes that caught his eye in moderation. It was a light sweater that was good to wear in the fall. ¡°Would you like to wear this?¡± Do-jin quietly took the sweater and went into the dressing room. It didn¡¯t take long to change. It was a sweater he picked casually, but it looked better than he thought because he liked it. ¡°No, how can you have a body like that?¡± Hyeon-woo came closer without realizing it and touched Do-jin¡¯s upper body. He had noticed it since his thighs were firm, but his whole body was like a weapon. But he didn¡¯t really like it at the same time. He was just envious. ¡®Why can¡¯t I build muscles like those!¡¯ He had fine muscles, but he was far from that kind of body. Do-jin flinched as he poked his body with his fingers raised just because he was grumpy. ¡°Wow. It fits better than I thought. So what do you say about that?¡± A-yun, who was approaching him all of a sudden, looked at Do-jin¡¯s shaggy hair. ¡°I think it would be much better if we go and trim your hair. Shall we go get a haircut today?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Hyeon-woo actively agreed. ¡°I like it this way. It¡¯s comfortable.¡± ¡°But I think it would be inconvenient though.¡± His face wasn¡¯t ugly, but it would be much better if he removed the hair that covered his eyes. He didn¡¯t like it that much. Hyeon-woo made a sad expression. Well, it was a pity. He would have to try on some more clothes. A sweater, a fashionable T-shirt, and even a semi-suit, Do-jin came out wearing whatever he was given, and each time Hyeon-woo rubbed his chin with his hand and looked at him like a fashion savvy person. He was worried about which one he should buy as he went well with anything he wore. He had enough money to buy them all, but he couldn¡¯t spend all the money his younger brother had earned. As he was thinking seriously, Seon-woo, who had been sitting on the sofa watching the whole time, approached him and hung on his back. ¡°Hyung.¡± He could dress up well too. He didn¡¯t know why he only cared about Do-jin. Seon-woo tried not to express the displeasure that was coming to his mind, and he played foolishly on Hyeon-woo. A-yun and Ja-yun¡¯s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, but they didn¡¯t mind. What¡¯s important to Seon-woo was not the gaze of others. ¡°Oh, would you like to try on some clothes too, Seon-woo?¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, Seon-woo smiled shyly and nodded his head coldly. Then he pointed to the same sweater Do-jin was wearing. ¡°I want to wear that.¡± Unlike Do-jin, who showed an awkward attitude, Seon-woo knew how to catch the attention of others. When he changed his clothes and came out, his eyes turned towards it in one second. Hyeon-woo applauded without realizing it. So Seon-woo put on again what Do-jin was wearing. It looked like a demonstration, but only Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t know that. He just wanted his younger brother to try on the clothes, but he felt a little sorry that he didn¡¯t care enough about him. After Seon-woo, Hyeon-woo tried on clothes, and then A-yun. After that, they bought clothes and gave them to each other. A-yun to Hyeon-woo, Hyeon-woo to Do-jin and Seon-woo, and Seon-woo to Hyeon-woo. ¡°I¡¯ll wear it well.¡± ¡°Thank you, Hyung.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± He bought it as a gift, but the money belonged to Seon-woo. Hyeon-woo scratched his cheek because it was awkward. After the gift giving process was over, A-yun stepped out again. ¡°Okay then, we did some shopping, so let¡¯s go eat something delicious! I already reserved the restaurant.¡± The restaurant A-yun had reserved was a Korean-style restaurant in a remote location. At first glance, it looked like a hanok[1] as there was no signboard, but it was actually a restaurant. He had heard that such a place existed, but when he visited in person, he was still intrigued and wanted to look around. ¡°Welcome.¡± The owner, with a gentle impression, led them to the inner room. They sat in the room and opened the door to glance at the well-manicured garden. As soon as everyone took a seat, warm towels and tea came out. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a little while.¡± A-yun got up from her seat to open the door and stepped out. She thought about going to the bathroom for a while. She had no hesitation in her steps as this was a place she had been to several times. ¡®Now that it seems that a lot of their vigilance has been lifted, it would be good to ask questions slowly while continuing like this. What should I ask first?¡¯ As she was shaking her head, she suddenly had a bad feeling. So, looking behind her, A-yun saw a man in staff uniform. He greeted A-yun, and A-yun lightly bowed her head to receive the greeting. And just as she was about to pass by, there was a face that passed through her mind. ¡®Uh?¡¯ A new Awakened person in a changed world brought peace to the world by slaughtering monsters. They were kind of a hero. But how can all human beings be only good? Some people stood between good and evil, while others didn¡¯t. Rather than destroying monsters, they harmed the people and brought chaos to society. They all called it: Villain. They were a social evil. For this reason, bounties were often attached to their necks, and some were given cash to catch them. ¡®Burst Bomber.¡¯ The ability to touch a person and blow up his or her hand. He was a person who killed dozens of people and was vilified as a person with a bounty. She moved quickly to know whether her guess was still correct or not. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ Of course, Burst Bomber didn¡¯t show his face openly. But his face looked different. Maybe it was because he used an item. If she was ordinary, she wouldn¡¯t have recognized it and would have overlooked it. If she was ordinary, that is. But A-yun wasn¡¯t ordinary. Ja-yun had been worried about his younger sister, who was the guild¡¯s brain, and had handed A-yun various items. Unlike Hyeon-woo, who expressed his reluctance to equip items, A-yun wore them all together. Earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets. Even items that were invisible. Among them, there were some with the power to negate the effect of other items and some to increase mental resistance. That pierced Burst Bomber¡¯s item effect! ¡®Let¡¯s stay calm.¡¯ Although Burst Bomber was a high-ranking villain, it was not enough to beat three S-Class Awakened. No, to be honest, he would lose 100%. No matter how crazy a villain may be, he would not crawl to his deathbed. Then there was only one conclusion. ¡®It may not be us.¡¯ Apparently, their schedule overlapped with the person he was aiming for. ¡®Wow, unlucky.¡¯ A-yun turned around as casually as possible. Here he would scream and be heard inside, but he could have taken himself hostage. Therefore she intended to go back and make the existence of Burst Bomber known to others. Acting like this wasn¡¯t difficult. ¡®Great.¡¯ The villain did not catch A-yun, who turned around. Or she thought so. Pazik! The bracelet vibrated, preventing anything from penetrating into her body. The earrings then sent an attack, but the bomber easily blocked it. ¡°I¡¯m going to get caught in this place. I have no luck.¡± Caught! A-yun threw the small handbag she was holding at him. At the same time, the handbag exploded. This was because it was an item that gave damage when a strong impact hit it. However, Burst Bomber passed it easily. ¡°Oppa!¡± A-yun took advantage of the break for a moment and shouted. Then, she quickly took out her ring and threw it on the floor. [Sanderman¡¯s Ring (Elite)] On impact, it spurts out water smoke in one direction. It puts your opponent to sleep. Rumor has it that even huge monsters can be put to sleep in an instant. At the same time, she turned and ran. The shoes she was wearing were not common, so it wasn¡¯t a slow pace. But the opponent wasn''t bad. The bomber came out through the sleep smoke and reached out to A-yun. Then, the several layers of shields protecting her body were broken one after another. ¡®Is the grade wrong!¡¯ It occurred to her for a moment, but it was already too late. A large hand covered A-yun¡¯s mouth as she was about to scream, while the other hand was wrapped around her neck. When she woke up, A-yun was held hostage by the Burst Bomber, and S-class Awakened including Ja-yun stood in front of him. ¡°O-oppa.¡± ¡°A-yun-ah!¡± Ja-yun looked at the bomber with an angry expression. ¡°Ah, why are you shouting like that?¡± The bomber grunted and gave strength to the arm that wrapped around A-yun¡¯s neck. ¡°If you come close, it will explode, it will explode~! I can¡¯t be like this without real luck.¡± With a sigh, Bomber rolled his eyes and looked around. --- [1] Hanok - a traditional Korean house CH 35 35. ¡°Fuck!¡± He was a bit confused about the others ¨C the Seon-Hyeon and Yoram Guild Leaders. Judging by the power he felt at first, it seemed that they weren¡¯t beneath him. ¡®Is today the day I¡¯m going to die?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even reach his target. The bomber clicked his tongue. He already knew that the hanok restaurant was a place frequented by high-ranking people, but why did all these S-Awakened people gather here? The bomber slowly retreated back while holding A-yun. He was holding a hostage, so he wouldn¡¯t rush, but there was no way to escape. The end was already decided for her: either to die here, or to die while running away. The opponent was that dangerous. But she had no intention of dying quietly. When she died, she was going to take him down too. Power gradually entered the hands of the bomber that grabbed A-yun. And just as he was about to unleash his powers, a strange sound resonated in the hall. - PPiiik! A terribly unpleasant sound, a sound that was quite familiar to each and every Awakened. It was the sound of a portal opening! ¡°Hahaha, it looks like the sky is on my side.¡± Of course, opening the portal didn¡¯t necessarily mean surviving, but depending on the shape of the interior, there might be a way to escape. The bomber was gladly swept away by the portal that merged with reality and engulfed the commotion. ¡°A-yun-ah!¡± ¡°Hyung!¡± And the portal swallowed up the nearby Hyeon-woo. Seon-woo jumped into the portal, followed by Ja-yun. Despite swallowing a few people, the portal only grew bigger and bigger. There was commotion all around and screams resonating in the area. The swinging portal stopped expanding only after swallowing more than half of the hanok. And then soon it started to decrease. A portal was a term referring to a dungeon-type gate which swallowed anything it came across like a spider¡¯s trap and then closed. In this case, the portal could not be opened again until all the people inside were dead, or the attack was over. When Do-jin looked at the black portal, he suddenly realized that his hands were shaking. That day¨C the day when 10,000 people disappeared, Do-jin was with Ye-won. And he had no choice but to watch Ye-won disappear after being eaten by the portal. He screamed and rushed at her, but the portal did not swallow him. Some said he was lucky enough to survive but Do-jin didn¡¯t think so. The frightened expression on his sister¡¯s face, who had disappeared before his eyes, could not be erased from his mind. A wretched sense of guilt pounded in his chest. He tried to remember, but this time he couldn¡¯t do it. Do-jin tried to recall the expression on the face of Hyeon-woo before his disappearance. But nothing came to mind. Meanwhile, the portal door was getting smaller and smaller. Do-jin clenched his teeth and ran. ¡®I will never lose it this time!¡¯ Fortunately, he was able to narrowly enter the portal. Do-jin stood at the entrance and looked around. He didn¡¯t see anyone who entered first. And right in front of him was a road that split into several branches. The road was surrounded on all sides by a high wall and a faint light without a source illuminated the inside. Among the dungeons, a maze-type dungeon was said to be the worst. In this case, the first thing to do was to prepare a base and secure the surrounding area. After that, he had to search the paths one by one, marking it each time. So he had tried to do that. ¡°Oppa.¡± Ye-won¡¯s voice came from somewhere. But wasn¡¯t Ye-won dead? Hyeon-woo said so, so this was not Ye-won¡¯s voice. ¡°Oppa.¡± No, this was Yewon¡¯s voice. His mind was confused. ¡°Oppa.¡± He seemed to be going crazy by the voices calling out constantly. ¡®It¡¯s not Ye-won.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s Ye-won, right?¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ ¡®It is.¡¯ Yes, maybe Hyeon-woo was mistaken. Ye-won was still alive. She was alive and she used to call him this way. Do-jin started walking towards the direction of the sound. His sword behind his back hummed and wept, but it had no effect on Do-jin. The only thing that filled his mind right now was Ye-won. ¡°Help me, Oppa.¡± It was clear that Ye-won¡¯s voice was moving as he heard it, but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡®Because my poor Oppa can¡¯t protect me.¡¯ Was it because she was so grumpy that she didn¡¯t show up? She shouldn¡¯t. It was too dangerous to wander around alone in a place like this. ¡®I need to find her quickly.¡¯ ¡®Quick, quick, quick.¡¯ Do-jin¡¯s steps began to grow faster and faster. How long did he run like that? Do-jin finally found his sister. ¡ª ¡°Is it a maze?¡± Hyeon-woo looked at the forked road and tapped the wall with his hand. He thought there was a way to find a path in the maze. Was he supposed to follow the wall on the left? Or right? He had seen it on TV, but he couldn¡¯t remember how they had done it. ¡°Ummm.¡± He crossed his arms and stared at the wall, then clenched his fists¡ª And swung vigorously against the wall. Kwuang! The wall crumbled down with a loud sound. There was a hole so large that it was hard to believe that it had been a result of a human fist. ¡®If I go in a straight line, I will find a way.¡¯ Or he would meet someone. Hyeon-woo went through the hole and hit the next wall. Then again. He went on and on, until he found a vacant lot. It looked like a shelter that existed in the middle of the maze. ¡®That¡¯s very considerate.¡¯ He clicked his tongue and sat down on the floor to rest for a while. He felt uncomfortable because the floor was cold. It would have been nice to have a blanket, but it was a pity. Shaking his cold ass, he got up and started walking again. And as he approached the next wall, he found a familiar face. It was Do-jin. Hyeon-woo pulled his hand that was about to break the wall back and smiled clumsily. ¡®You didn¡¯t see anything, did you?¡¯ As he looked at him with a long gait, he smiled softly as he wiped his hair, wet from sweat. He had seen him with such close proximity before, but it was the first time he had seen him smile like this. ¡°I finally found you.¡± He quickly moved to Hyeon-woo and tightly hugged him. ¡°I was worried about you.¡± He could understand the part about him being worried. Hyeon-woo was superficially powerless. But what happened next was difficult to understand. Why was he suddenly hugging him? Besides, why was he acting like this? It wasn¡¯t a particularly bad feeling, but he was stunned. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Thank god.¡± Do-jin, who removed Hyeon-woo from his arms, gently stroked his head with his large hand. Was he originally a person who liked so much skinship? What was going on? Hyeon-woo looked at Do-jin in bewilderment. The eyes that folded in laughter didn¡¯t even think about opening up. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Why are you being so respectful?¡± He was speechless for a moment. Why was he saying something respectful? Hearing this, he took a closer look at Do-jin before realizing that he was not in a normal state. ¡®Who the hell do you see me as?¡¯ The answer came quickly. Han Ye-won. Now, Do-jin was treating Hyeon-woo like how he would to Ye-won. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will protect you.¡± Then, he naturally held his hand. He panicked as he tried to shake off his hand but was soon caught again. After that, every time he took it out, he thought it was a joke, laughed and grabbed it again. Seeing this, it seemed that he and Ye-won were really close siblings. He needed to fix this situation. He didn¡¯t know where or how he got deceived. ¡®The magic is kinda weak.¡¯ Most illusions were resolved with magic, so it was very simple to end the curse. He decided to try to solve it step by step while watching Do-jin next to him. ¡®I can''t.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t solve it, and time just passed by. ¡°Don¡¯t your legs feel sore? Shall I pick you up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Do-jin hugged Hyeon-woo and put him on his back. ¡°I said it¡¯s okay! Put me down!¡± He was about to run away right away, but suddenly Do-jin, lowering his head, said in a gloomy voice. ¡°Do you hate it that much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Why are you trying to pick me up?¡± ¡°I wanted to pick you up. You used to like me picking you up.¡± That was Yewon¡¯s Oppa. Hyeon-woo sighed as he was about to jump out and leaned his body against his spacious back. Yes, it was definitely comfortable. Do-jin carried Hyeon-woo¡¯s feet, as if trying to keep his feet from touching the ground. That was all. When it was time for him to eat, he took care of his meal and gave him a snack. ¡°You should eat some more. You need to eat a lot to be healthy.¡± Then, he fed it to his lips, so he couldn¡¯t resist. It was so close that he felt a sense of crisis because he didn¡¯t even have to lift a finger. ¡®I think I¡¯ll become a gluttonous human at this rate!¡¯ He was even in a dungeon. The problem wasn¡¯t just that. At some point, Do-jin¡¯s hand began to feel awkward. Until then, even if he followed Hyeon-woo¡¯s will, it felt like there was no emotion in it, but now he was overflowing with affection. As he was receiving his affection all at once, he felt guilty at times. Because he knew it wasn¡¯t his. ¡°Why are you like this all of a sudden? Do you feel bad?¡± Hyeon-woo shook his head at Do-jin¡¯s question. ¡°Why do you feel bad?¡± With a worried expression on his face, he continued. ¡°Is it because I¡¯m joking? Actually, I didn¡¯t play pranks like this in the first place.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s because I feel so good right now. Can you understand a little bit? I regret it a lot after you disappeared. Don¡¯t leave; I¡¯ll do my best to act like an Oppa. I¡¯ll try to do more things together. The more I think, the more I regret.¡± Hyeon-woo opened his mouth and closed it again. ¡°So I guess I¡¯m too clingy. But if you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll stop.¡± Then, he took the strength out of the hand he was holding. If this was the case, he could go back to the way he treated her in the past. Still, oddly enough, he didn¡¯t like it. Support on Kofi: Chapter 36, 37 Chapter 38, 39,40 ------ HM: Do-jin is having illusions. It¡¯s really funny that Hyeon-woo did Yewon¡¯s role. Wwwwww Davine: Dojin is practically seducing Hyeon-woo without knowing it. HM: haha, so true~ YRR: I want to see everyone¡¯s reactions to the big holes in a line to the center Hello, we have a new editor. We will try to mass publish some chapters to reach 40 chapters. Same with the TGITG series. CH 36 ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I feel a sense of unity as someone who has a younger sibling?¡¯ This time, Hyeon-woo grabbed the hand he was about to let go of. Their entangled hands trembled lightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Don¡¯t thank me for this! Hyeon-woo held back what he wanted to shout. ¡®But only until we meet someone else.¡¯ Until then, I thought I¡¯d give in to Do-jin¡¯s. But as soon as he made up his mind, he didn¡¯t know that they would immediately run into someone else. Thud! Of course. The Minotaur appeared suddenly and rushed at Do-jin, swinging his hammer like a windmill. ¡°Ummaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!¡± Even though the wind whistled from the swinging hammer¡¯s terrifying power, Do-jin and Hyeon-woo weren¡¯t nervous at all. Neither of them were weak enough to be defeated by a Minotaur. Of course, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t step forward. If he moved even a little, Do-jin would get scared and nag him. Do-jin clicked his finger a few times and a shadow rising from the floor pierced the Minotaur. ¡°Umaaww!¡± A scream of pain rang out followed by the Minotaur dropping on the spot. The sound of falling was quite noisy, but Do-jin didn¡¯t do anything else. He was confident he¡¯d be able to handle any monsters that were attracted by the sound. However, it was a person and not a monster that heard the sound and turned to flee. An Awakener with thin eyes and black hair. Iwamoto Junichi. ¡¸Why are you here? ¡¹(ET: These brackets indicate Japanese is being spoken) Junichi looked at Do-jin and Hyeon-woo with a confused expression and tried to get closer. It wasn¡¯t particularly strange, since traveling in larger groups is safer in a dungeon. But he could only walk a few steps before abruptly stopping. A shadow suddenly rose up like a spear in front of him. ¡¸What are you doing!¡¹ ¡°Don¡¯t come near us.¡± Do-jin stopped Junichi with a cold expression on his face. Faced with this treatment, Junichi raised both of his hands. ¡¸I also didn¡¯t intend to bump into either of you inside the dungeon. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be better to work together right now?¡¹ He tried to persuade him rationally, but Do-jin didn¡¯t seem to want to listen anymore. Before Junichi could say anything more, he drew his dagger. ¡¸If it¡¯s gonna be like that, I won¡¯t just stand by!¡¹ In response, Junichi drew out his weapon. He had a thin sword coated in a gloomy purple aura. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s an enemy.¡± Hyeon-woo tried to persuade Do-jin, but he didn¡¯t budge. At this moment, Do-gin only saw an enemy threatening his only Dongsaeng. ¡°Please stop it.¡± Another voice joined Hyeon-woo¡¯s. It was the voice Do-jin heard when he first entered the dungeon. ¡°That¡¯s an enemy.¡± Enemy? ¡°Yes, look. Your Dongsaeng is in danger. You have to protect her.¡± whisper whisper. It kept whispering in his ear. You finally found Ye-won, who you¡¯ve been searching for a long time. That person is a threat to Ye-won. You promised to protect Ye-won. So you must kill anyone that threatens her. He¡¯s an enemy. If you don¡¯t kill him, Ye-won will die. Will you lose your Dongsaeng again? Are you really okay with that happening? Wouldn¡¯t you cry bloody tears of regret? ¡®Yes, this time I must protect my Dongsaeng.¡¯ His eyes, which had been covered by his shaggy hair, were dyed black and a shadow fluttered all over his body. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the dagger. The moment he stepped forward, his body suddenly disappeared. He aimed at the enemy¡¯s neck with a dagger. The enemy, who was threatening Ye-won, turned back, and retreated. The enemy seemed to shout something, but the sound was incoherent. ¡®Do I need to recognize it? He is the enemy. Just kill him! Do-jin left Ye-won behind his back and ran to him once more.¡¯ Junichi clenched his teeth and threw the dagger. Han Do-jin is the Guild Leader for the Peace Guild in Korea. I heard that he did an excellent job on Jeju Island recently, but I hadn¡¯t paid much attention. The strongest person in Korea is my rival Ji Seon-woo. But what is this power? I am confident that I¡¯m second to none in terms of swordsmanship and speed, but I don¡¯t think I can trump him. Damn it! Daggers weren¡¯t the only thing that needed to be avoided. The shadows were also tricky. The opponent swung the shadow like a limb, and it felt as if he was dealing with several people at that time. His sword, which had already been accelerated to the limit, was shaking slightly, but the Guild Leader¡¯s attack didn¡¯t show any gaps. ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯ It was like performing acrobatics on a tightrope. Junichi¡¯s heart plummeted. He barely managed to block another attack. ¡®I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be able to hold out.¡¯ A red alarm went off in his head. ¡®No. I can¡¯t die here.¡¯ Junichi moved desperately. But his body suddenly stopped. He looked down at his feet and saw a shadow restraining him. He almost died in one shot. He barely escaped this crisis, but suffered a long sword wound in the process. His condition quickly began to deteriorate. ¡®Now what, God damn!¡¯ It seemed to be an ability of the dagger. Death was approaching faster every moment. *** ¡°Hyung!¡± Seon-woo wandered through the maze calling out for his Hyung. ¡°Here! I¡¯m over here!¡± But the first person he encountered was someone other than his Hyung. It was A-yun, who had been taken hostage. ¡°Thank god.¡± A-yun, who was holding accessories in her hand, wiped her chest. ¡°Have you not seen my Hyung?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him. Was Hyeon-woo pulled in too?¡± A-yun asked with a worried expression. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go find him!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going fast, are you able to keep up?¡± ¡°Of course. You know who I am.¡± A-yun confidently answered Seon-woo¡¯s question. It would have been nice if his Hyung had been more active in wearing items. Seon-woo casually checked over A-yun, who was plastered with items. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how fast I¡¯ll be.¡± ¡°What?¡± Then, Seon-woo placed A-yun on both of his shoulders as if carrying a sack of rice. He took off at his top speed. A-yun could barely handle the unsteady air roaring in her ears as she looked at the maze¡¯s blurring scenery. A monster appeared but was killed by Seon-woo in an instant. He reached out his hand to freeze and shatter. A-yun remained unaffected. ¡®How strong are you?¡¯ It¡¯s hard for the Yoram Guild to increase their rank because of this guy blocking them. A-yun grumbled inwardly. ¡®How much further do we need to go?¡¯ They heard the sound of metal hitting metal. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Seon-woo put A-yun down and ran straight to the scene: a small cavity in the maze where Do-jin and Junichi were fighting. Seon-woo¡¯s eyes quickly scanned the two of them. ¡®Which one?¡¯ Do-jin is, of course, an ally. Then it was said that Junichi was the enemy, but it felt strange. Although annoying and irritating, he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to do anything reckless, but he heard a voice that immediately erased his doubts. ¡°Seon-woo!¡± ¡°Hyung!¡± He finally found him. Seon-woo breathed a sigh of relief and moved to approach Hyeon-woo. But before he could take a few steps forward, he had to step back again. It was because Do-jin began attacking him. ¡°What are you doing!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Do-jin replied in a cold voice. ¡°Are you asking because you don¡¯t know?¡± He stared at the air for a moment. His smile twisted. ¡°You are an enemy, so I have to kill you.¡± Then, while Do-jin released his hand for a moment, Junichi pulled out his body and spoke with a nervous voice. ¡¸Isn¡¯t he crazy!¡¹ ¡°Han Do-jin.¡± When Seon-woo called, Do-jin looked at him. Now, at first glance he looked normal, but something about him was off. Seon-woo immediately asked Junichi to help form icy flowers. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. They suddenly started attacking me.¡± The situation was so urgent that it seemed that words wouldn¡¯t come out. Junichi briefly explained the situation in choppy Korean Language. ¡°It¡¯s a Demon monster.¡± ¡°Monster? Isn¡¯t he an S-class?¡± S-class Awakeners had high resistance by default. That said, even if Seon-woo was hit with a mental attack, he¡¯d barely be able to withstand it. But why was Do-jin so completely dominated? It seemed there was a possibility that this dungeon¡¯s grade might be S grade or higher. ¡°Let¡¯s subdue it for now.¡± At Seon-woo¡¯s words, Junichi raised his sword again. ¡¸I will put be in your debt.¡¹ Unified, the two of them started to deal with Do-jin. Seon-woo and Junichi faced Do-jin in battle. It seemed they were trying to subdue him through their combined efforts. Hyeon-woo looked at them in the midst of a fight before turning his gaze to the maze¡¯s ceiling. Above them hung a huge spider with a human upper body. The spider was muttering in a creepy, muffled voice. Upon tuning in to what it was saying, Hyeon-woo was shocked. ¡°They are enemies. You have to kill them all. That¡¯s how an Oppa protects his Dongsaeng. Yeah, good job, kill them, kill them all. If you fail, your Dongsaeng will die.¡± Contrary to its harsh and bizarre appearance, it looked like a monster from the Demon Realm. ¡®Strange.¡¯ Even so, it was strange. Despite being fairly powerful, the spider was unable to fully dominate its puppet. The Dongsaeng¡¯s presence seemed to have greatly weakened Do-jin. Have you been staring at me for a long time? The monster hanging from the ceiling finally noticed Hyeon-woo. His strangely ripped eyes narrowed at Hyeon-woo. Then, the muttering stopped. CH 37 ¡°It looks delicious.¡± Then, the spider demon grinned and slowly started crawling down the wall. Maybe he was used to hiding his presence, but Hyeon-woo was the only one who noticed him. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Hyeon-woo patted the stone he had picked up and placed in his pocket earlier. ¡®Are you going to try to kill me now?¡¯ Seon-woo wasn¡¯t even looking at this now, so it seemed like he could kill him secretly. Strength entered the hand holding the stone. And then, from behind Hyeon-woo, a ball of black hair leisurely walked in. It was Kero. ¡°Wang?¡± As soon as Kero found Hyeon-woo, he ran towards him. It was just a suitable time. Hyeon-woo raised his hand as it was and pointed to the ceiling. Kero¡¯s gaze naturally moved along with his fingers, and finding the monster was quick. ¡°Wang!¡± ¡°Catch.¡± As soon as the words fell, Kero¡¯s body swelled up. ¡°Kero?¡± The first to discover it was A-yun, who had retreated. At that voice, the eyes of others turned to Kero. Then, Do-jin threw away those who were fighting and ran to Hyeon-woo. But it¡¯s already too late. ¡°Grrrung¡± As soon as Kero was fully formed, he slammed the wall and jumped up to the ceiling. Then, he without hesitation shoved it into the monster. ¡°Kkiiiik!¡± The terrified monster tried to dodge, but Kero was a little faster. Its round, swollen stomach suddenly had a tooth lodged in it and green slime squirted out. The monster appeared to be in excruciating pain and Seon-woo and Junichi¡¯s focus shifted to it as well. Do-jin, who was in the middle of everything happening, tried to protect the monster but couldn¡¯t stop everything. Because of that, the monster that was struggling with pain fell as it was. ¡°Kkiik!¡± The monster, who had fallen to the floor and struggled with his legs, quickly flipped his body over. Hyeon-woo took advantage of the gap and moved quickly to hug Do-jin from behind. ¡°Hyung!¡± Seon-woo, who found him, screamed in shock, but Hyeon-woo pretended not to hear and clinged onto Do-jin. Then, he put strength in his arms and pulled him away. ¡°Stop it.¡± ¡°Ye-won, I have to protect Ye-won.¡± ¡°Ye-won is not here!¡± ¡°No, she is here!¡± ¡°Where are you!¡± ¡°Here, here I am.¡± Do-jin looked at Hyeon-woo, then looked at the monster. ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s me. Ye-won.¡± A monster called to Do-jin like that. Up until now, Hyeon-woo had been set as Ye-won and it tried to kill other Awakeners using Do-jin. However, the situation has changed and in its panic, tried to play the role of Ye-won itself. ¡°Not true. Ye-won was over here.¡± ¡°No, Oppa, I¡¯m here.¡± As the monster continued to speak, the facial expressions of others became distorted. ¡¸It¡¯s disgusting.¡¹ ¡°Gross.¡± A-yun immediately covered her mouth and stood far away. She looked like she was going to vomit at the disgusting look. ¡°Hey, that kind of monster exists?¡± Although she did not enter the dungeon, she had seen the data of many monsters. However, such a monster did not exist anywhere. ¡®It¡¯s a new monster!¡¯ A portal suddenly opened without any further notice, and a new monster appeared. Is the change about to begin again? She got goosebumps. Then, Hyeon-woo¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Kero!¡± Hearing the voice calling his name, a large, black beast ran straight to the monster to attack. ¡°Oppa!¡± A shrill voice rang through the air. Then, it started to fight Kero, who rushed in. Large log-like legs slammed against the wall and sprinted all over the place as if playing parkour. Then, from time to time, it spit out a lump of white smoke. As soon as it touched, Kero, who was rushing at him, shrugged and stepped back. That momentary gap was nothing short of an opportunity for the monster. It dropped onto Kero¡¯s back and began strangling him with its forelegs. Two of the three heads roared and ran wild, but the spider on his back did not fall off easily. Seon-woo joined as well. As the spider¡¯s legs, which had been moving like crazy, froze, their movements gradually slowed down. At the same time, Junichi moved. sogok! ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Its legs slowly stopped moving, having been cut in half by the sharp sword. The monster¡¯s face, which Junichi didn¡¯t want to see, changed even more bizarrely. ¡°Kill! Kill! Oppa, kill him!¡± At those words, Do-jin slowly began to move. ¡®I should catch it.¡¯ Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment. And in that gap, Do-jin got out of his hand and ran forward. ¡°Iwamoto!¡± Seon-woo urgently called Junichi, and he quickly ran away from the monster. All that was left was Kero, who was entangled with the monster. ¡°Wang!¡± Kero frantically ran around, trying to dislodge the monster from his back. Then, Do-jin stepped on the shadow behind Kero¡¯s back and mounted him. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± The monster spotted him and laughed and turned away. Joy floated over his grim face. ¡°Kill! Kill him!¡± ¡°Urrung!¡± Hot drops of blood started dripping from Kero¡¯s back. ¡°Kill it!¡± Do-jin moved his body while holding the dagger. Ye-won desperately cried, ¡°Oppa, save me!¡± Although there were obstacles, Do-jin was able to get near Ye-won before she died. ¡°Oppa!¡± Ye-won smiled brightly. Do-jin was happy with that smile. Yes, I will do anything to protect you. Whoever it is, I¡¯ll get rid of it all. Power entered his hand holding his dagger. ¡°Kill him.¡± A large black beast was running rampant. ¡°Kill it now.¡± Do-jin nodded at Ye-won and tried to wield the dagger. But at that moment, something flew at a high speed. One bounced off with a dagger, the other struck his hand. ¡®A stone.¡¯ The flying object was nothing special. It was just an ordinary stone. But why did he feel threatened by only a stone? Do-jin tilted his head. Ye-won spoke again. ¡°Kill!¡± ¡°Anything you want Ye-won.¡± ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°Kill!¡± Another person¡¯s voice began to mix with Yewon¡¯s voice. Then, he started to feel uncomfortable. He understood why after hearing it a few more times. Ye-won was telling him to kill someone. A child who said that life is precious and refused to even pluck a flower would say that? ¡°Oppa, why don¡¯t you listen to me? I said kill. Kill it! Kill it!¡± ¡°No.¡± Ye-won, whom Do-jin knew, was not the kind of child who could tell anyone to kill. His head was throbbing at his dreadful headache. Do-jin fixed his gaze on Ye-won, who kept muttering something. Even when looking from the front, the face doesn¡¯t look good. Jijijik. Do-jin¡¯s eyes were fuzzy like a broken TV screen and the small voice started to become a little clearer. ¡°Kill!¡± A creepy voice, as if scratching the blackboard with a fingernail, whispered in Do-jin¡¯s ear. Ye-won¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t like this. ¡°Kill!¡± Do-jin raised his hand, and with his dagger, smacked his forehead with all his might. The headache began to subside along with the excruciating pain. ¡®Once more.¡¯ He slammed it so hard that blood dripped from his forehead. The dripping blood ran down his face and touched his lips. He could taste the metallic taste of iron between his open lips. The face of a disgusting person suddenly came in focus. No, this is not a person. The upper body was human, but the lower body was a monster with a spider¡¯s body. At that moment, his mind cleared. Do-jin immediately grabbed the dagger and swung it towards the monster in front of him. The black dagger pierced through the corpse-colored skin and severed bone. It let out a terrible scream. But he didn¡¯t stop. He cut off its leg, cut off its arm, and dug out its flesh. The monster struggled and tried to run away, but the shadows that had grown suddenly caught hold of it. ¡°Oppa!¡± It cried desperately in a muffled voice, but to no avail. Do-jin continued to attack the completely restrained monster. To be precise, it would have been more accurate to call it a butchering rather than an attack. ¡°Hiiiiieeeee.¡± The cavity was filled with the screams of the monster. A-yun had long covered her ears and curled up, and Seon-woo and Junichi looked at him with firm expressions. The only one who seemed to look okay was Kero. Kero brushed his body and scratched his ear with his hind foot. Then, he made his body small again and returned to Hyeon-woo¡¯s side. How much time had passed? The monster, which was as big as Kero, gradually shrank. Still, the monster was remained alive. ¡°Kill.¡± The monster begged Do-jin with terrified eyes. But he did not listen to it command. Do-jin swung the dagger to shake off the green blood and walked to Seon-woo. ¡°Ugh!¡± Seeing Do-jin approaching closer, A-yun let out a suppressed whimper without realizing it and hid behind the wall. But Do-jin didn¡¯t even notice her reaction. ¡°This is the first monster of this kind I have ever seen. I didn¡¯t kill it because I thought it¡¯d be useful for research.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it almost a corpse already?¡± A-yun, who spoke up with courage, jumped as if on fire at Do-jin¡¯s gaze. ¡°It¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°Yeah, but.¡± A-yun slowly moved and changed position behind Junichi. She stood by the calculation that it would be better to be next to the S-Class Awoken than the wall. At that time, Seon-woo opened his mouth. ¡°Are you sane now?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was annoying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to know.¡± Even though he was saying that, Seon-woo¡¯s eyes were still full of mistrust. Do-jin accepted it. It was not an incomprehensible act. Anyone who could see him now would think he looked like a crazy person CH 38 ¡®That was bittersweet.¡¯ The spider demon taking advantage of his memory of his sister had left his emotions somewhat a mess inside. Still, Do-jin had no regrets. He felt cold outside. At that moment, Hyeon-woo, who was standing in a corner, came into Do-jin¡¯s line of sight. Seeing him, a bitter smile came to his lips. Just like A-yun did, Hyeon-woo seemed to avoid him. Do-jin probably wouldn¡¯t be able to protect him anymore. Hearing the news of his sister¡¯s death, he acted impulsively out of a desperation to hold onto what he could of her, and it had been a rewarding experience keeping Hyeon-woo safe from this monster. Do-jin patted his chest with his hands, swirling with emotion. They hadn¡¯t been around each other for a long time, but it seemed like there was a connection between his unknown emotions and Hyeon-woo. Then, he turned his head and saw Ye-won¡¯s face right in front of him. ¡®I thought we broke the illusion already!¡¯ He closed his eyes on his sister. Opening them again, Hyeon-woo¡¯s face looked on from where Yewon¡¯s had been. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was going to say. Are you okay?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see me fighting?¡± ¡°Aah.¡± At Do-jin¡¯s response, Hyeon-woo raised his lips and smiled. ¡°What you did doesn¡¯t scare me.¡± ¡°That might not be true for others.¡± ¡°Are you going to fight me like how you just were?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Ok then, why should I be afraid?¡± Was that really the end of the matter? Do-jin asked again with a bewildered expression on his face. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it scary?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t what scary?¡± He tore apart monsters. A-yun was still shivering and avoiding Do-jin, but Hyeon-woo seemed unaffected. ¡®Hah, I¡¯m not innocent either.¡¯ Hyeon-woo¡¯s time in the Demon Realm was not short. Decades. About the lifespan of a normal human. There were times when he was living alone and doing crazy things during his time there. He has done far more and worse than anything Do-jin could probably imagine. So he really was not bothered. But Do-jin didn¡¯t know that. ¡°This looks like it was a boss monster.¡± A-yun had been watching the monsters with Junichi as her escort from a distance. She got up. ¡°But this is not the boss room, is it?¡± ¡°No. Usually, bosses rarely come out of the boss room. So, I¡¯m actually not too sure what the situation is.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the boss, shouldn¡¯t we kill it?¡± ¡°Yes. For most dungeon portals, the clear condition is killing the boss. We won¡¯t be able to take it out alive to study it.¡± As soon as the words fell, Seon-woo immediately threw a large piece of ice into the monster¡¯s head. When his weak breath came to an end and he died, a change began to occur in the dungeon. The intricately entangled maze disappeared, and the roads began to merge. The boss room appeared towards the place where the portal, which opens to the outside, was located. ¡°Now we just have to escape. I¡¯ll look for others as we head out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The first person they came across was Ja-yun, who had been unconscious. He was with a few other unawakened people who seemed to be the ones who moved him to safety. ¡°A-yun-ah!¡± Ja-yun ran to A-yun and checked her condition. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I didn¡¯t get hurt. Really.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± A-yun stopped her Oppa from continuing his assessment and explained what had happened. Only then did Ja-yun put on a relieved expression. And as they headed to the boss room, they found the body of a familiar person. ¡°It wasn¡¯t one of his bombs.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like he was killed by a monster either.¡± If a dungeon monster had happened upon and killed the bomber, there would be no way the body would have stayed in relatively good shape. ¡°Oppa?¡± When A-yun looked at Ja-yun with suspicious eyes, he hurriedly shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± Seon-woo, Do-jin, and Junichi also denied their involvement. So, who killed the bomber? Ja-yun looked around with suspicion and someone approached the group from the other side. They had looked everywhere checking for survivors. Where did he come from? Ja-yun narrowed his eyes. At that moment, Junichi, who was quietly standing next to him, frowned and spit out a name. ¡°Siegfried.¡± ¡°Ahaha, have you all gathered here? And Junichi ¨C didn¡¯t I ask you to call me by my first name? My name is Leon.¡± At that, Junichi had a disgusted expression on his face. ¡°You¡¯re here too?¡± ¡°Somehow. I was coming to be treated at a famous restaurant, but I guess I got caught up in this dungeon.¡± Leon calmly explained, but Junichi was still suspicious. ¡°Then you killed that villain?¡± ¡°Who? Villain? Was there such a person here? If I had come across him, I would¡¯ve taken care of him, but I had no part in this incident.¡± Everyone claimed they didn¡¯t kill the bomber. But there was no way the villain would have died on his own. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Looks like the killer tried to cut his throat with a sharp blade in one movement. They did a pretty good job at it. But I can¡¯t figure out whose style this is. I don¡¯t see anything that could identify the killer. Interesting.¡± Leon rummaged through the body and spoke to himself. However, those present consisted of S-class Awakened that all heard everything clearly, Hyeon-woo being no exception. ¡®He seems very casual right now.¡¯ Hyeon-woo had met Junichi and Leon when he snuck out. He doesn¡¯t know if it was because of that, but these two were very suspicious. There were too many S-Class Awakened in one place. They came there to keep their promise with A-yun, but why were Junichi and Leon there? Was it a real promise? A number of suspicions arose, like the bomber that was hired to take someone out. Above all, it was also known that Do-jin, despite being an S-class Awakened, was weak against mental attacks. ¡®The monster was definitely dangerous, but it wasn¡¯t enough to beat Do-jin.¡¯ There was some kind of scheme afoot. Thinking this, Hyeon-woo turned and met Do-jin¡¯s eyes. His stiff eyes said his thoughts were on the same wavelength. Meanwhile, Leon removed his hand from the body. ¡°Well, for now, that¡¯s about it. I¡¯d like to know more about what¡¯s happened, but first we should evacuate the innocent civilians, right?¡± They all agreed with Leon¡¯s words. So, after leaving the body of the bomber behind and continuing on, they arrived at the boss room. The huge door that was closed was now wide open on both sides, and no sign of life was felt inside. After all, the giant spider monster seemed to have been the boss. Ja-yun was the first to pass through the portal leading to the outside, followed by A-yun, Hyeon-woo, and the general public. The rest of the Awakened were last. As soon as he came out of the portal, the first person he Ja-yun saw was Moo-hyuk. He probably moved to the location quickly because of the sudden portal, but that didn¡¯t make him feel any better. The relationship between the Guilds and the Hunter Administration was like water and oil, so only the non-awakened ordinary people would welcome them. ¡°Hello.¡± Ja-yun returned the greeting with a reluctant expression and held A-yun¡¯s hand. ¡°What?¡± A-yun also saw Moo-hyuk and frowned slightly. ¡°Why has the Hunter Administration appeared?¡± ¡°I came here after receiving a report on the occurrence of non-symptomatic portals.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You came very quickly. Okay, has the portal problem been resolved?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d say it¡¯s just been resolved.¡± Moo-hyuk responded, calmly accepting A-yun¡¯s sarcastic remarks. Then, when Hyeon-woo and the others appeared, the people dispatched from the Hunter Administration began to mobilize. They took the civilians aside to ask questions about the newly opened portal. Internally, Moo-hyuk wanted to hold on to the Awakened and ask them as well, but these particular ones were worse than normal. The Guild Leader or Deputy Guild Leader of each of the most prominent guilds. There was no way they would obey the orders of the Hunter Administration. ¡°Wait, wait. Where are you taking them?¡± A-yun didn¡¯t miss the Hunter Administration¡¯s movements. At the same time, guild members dispatched from the guilds took their place at the site. Among them, A-yun called out the ghost-like Yoram guild members. ¡®Are you trying to put a spoon on it without doing anything?¡¯ (EN: an idiom that roughly means they¡¯re just being busybodies; they look like they¡¯re helping by asking questions, but nothing is really being accomplished) A-yun cleaned up her messy clothes and approached the others who had just come out. And it wasn¡¯t just them. As the Yoram guild moved, other guilds did as well. ¡°Guild Leader!¡± Chan-young ran to Seon-woo once he spotted him. It didn¡¯t take long for the guild leader to observe and understand the situation. ¡°What will happen to the poor civilians that just escaped?¡± Although he was speaking with a smile, but Moo-hyuk knew a sword was hidden in his words. ¡®Whatever.¡¯ Moo-hyuk sighed as he watched the Hunter Administration staff lean back. Recently, someone had been taking away his trusted subordinates. After that, it was too difficult to take on the fresh newcomers that joined the management office. If you don¡¯t do what you¡¯re asked to do, you¡¯ll get scolded. The intention to tame Moo-hyuk was clearly visible. He wasn¡¯t one that could be tamed, but he was getting tired of dealing with this crap all the time. ¡°We¡¯ll give up on the investigation for now. May I ask you to share the information later instead?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Seon-woo said so while making eye contact with Moo-hyuk. He was verbally saying no, but since he had already reached an agreement with Moo-hyuk, he would hand over the information privately. Moo-hyuk understood and left. YRR: So ¡­. Who killed the bomber? O.O HM: shiranaiwayoo~ CH 39 When the Hunter Administration left, the guilds took over to clean up the scene. Following a guild agreement, Barricades were built around the portal to prevent people from entering and the rescued civilians were transported to the hospital. ¡°But I¡¯m not hurt!¡± Among them was Hyeon-woo. No matter how many times he said it was okay, Seon-woo showed no sign of backing down. ¡°Still, you can¡¯t be sure.¡± He came over and grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand to persuade him. ¡°Hyung, I want you to go to the hospital. Please?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± When his younger brother asked him with the twinkle in his eyes, Hyeon-woo couldn¡¯t refuse. Hyeon-woo and A-yun were persuaded by their respective brothers and headed to the hospital with a few guild members. The resulting interaction went about how Hyeon-woo expected. ¡°You are surprisingly healthy.¡± The doctor raised his glasses and said, ¡°You must have had a hard time eating properly in the dungeon, but it¡¯s amazing.¡± That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t suffer! A-yun didn¡¯t know, but Hyeon-woo had walked around the dungeon very comfortably. ¡°I think Hyeon-woo can leave the hospital¡­¡± On the other hand, A-yun decided to stay in the hospital a little longer. Although only faced mild fatigue, she could not be discharged from the hospital due to Ja-yun¡¯s reluctance. ¡°I want to leave too!¡± A-yun stomped her feet, but Ja-yun didn¡¯t listen. ¡°Next time! I will see you next time!¡± Holding tightly onto Hyeon-woo as he was leaving the hospital, A-yun emphasized it several times. ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Will you really meet with me again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was nice to see her smiling excitedly when he answered back. That¡¯s how he thought this portal incident would end. *** With the troublesome work over, peace will return to the city. Seon-woo had thought this to himself many times before. How long had he been out of the dungeon? He had slept so much afterwards that he couldn¡¯t put off work anymore. Seon-woo went to work in a gloomy state, Kero rising with him. Hyeon-woo yawned loudly as he sat down on the sofa in the living room in his pajamas. He casually picked up the remote to turn the TV on, when he heard Do-jin¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Hyeon-woo straightened his posture without realizing it at the sound of a soft voice that seemed to tickle his ear. Goosebumps ran down his back. ¡°What should we do for lunch?¡± There was kindness in every mundane question. Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t remember him originally acting like this; Do-jin¡¯s changed since they came out of the portal. Outwardly, nothing was amiss. Others wouldn¡¯t even notice anything was different. However, Hyeon-woo, who was close to him, knew for sure. A lot had changed since the event. In the past, Do-jin was kind to Hyeon-woo¡ª but it wasn¡¯t like this. Contrasting with the distance they maintained before, Do-jin was treating him like Seon-woo did. He was acting comfortably and lost the awkward stiltedness. Hyeon-woo even used to mess with him because of it. Now Hyeon-woo was feeling some whiplash with the overnight change. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ Hyeon-woo hugged Kero, who was lying next to him, and laid back on the sofa. Do-jin approached him, covering him in a blanket and patting his chest naturally. Hyeon-woo curled his toes from the awkwardness of it. ¡®No! I can¡¯t stand it like this.¡¯ Hyeon-woo swam through the sea of information using his tablet. ¡®I can tell someone really likes me now and it feels really weird. How do I deal with it?¡¯ He found someone with a similar problem, so he read a comment at the top. ¡®If that is too burdensome, how about trying to cut them off? Try making unreasonable demands.¡¯ Unreasonable demands! Hyeon-woo rolled his head around thinking about it. He quickly thought up a solution! At that moment, there was a good broadcast coming out on TV. ¡ºHello! Today, we invited Song Hyun-ssi, an actor who is making waves with his new movie ¡®Black Out.¡¯¡» The camera panned over to show a handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties. His neatly trimmed hair and blazer made his charm stand out even more. He turned up the TV volume on purpose and Do-jin looked over from the kitchen. ¡°That actor looks cool. Right? Why don¡¯t we take this opportunity to trim Do-jin¡¯s hair too?¡± ¡°My hair?¡± ¡°Right now, it¡¯s overgrown and covers your eyes. I think it¡¯d be uncomfortable to keep it like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not uncomfortable though.¡± He was expecting a reaction like that. Do-jin didn¡¯t even wear the clothes given to you at the store. And now Hyeon-woo was telling him to cut his hair. ¡°Still.¡± Hyeon-woo persistently kept biting on the part and stretched. (EN: an idiom meaning he continued pushing towards the matter.) ¡°How about a haircut like that? Doesn¡¯t it look cool?¡± ¡°Cool?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool!¡± Actually, Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t really interested in male actors. It wasn¡¯t that he was interested in female actors either. He had grown tired of pushing himself so hard, so he didn¡¯t want to exhaust himself from dating. ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± Do-jin stared intently at the actor on the TV screen. Then, as soon as his interest disappeared, he returned to preparing meals. ¡®Okay, you¡¯re doing great.¡¯ It seemed like doing this might be enough to nip the crush in its bud and help Do-jin separate Hyeon-woo and Ye-won in his mind. ¡®I did it.¡¯ ¡°I will be out for a bit today.¡± After saying that, Do-jin disappeared for about half a day. When he came back, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t recognize him and asked a question in shock. ¡°Who are you?¡± If one looked closely, he didn¡¯t massively alter anything. Do-jin just straightened his back, put on new clothes, and trimmed his long hair. Even though that was all that was different, he looked like a completely different person. ¡°Do I look weird?¡± Do-jin looked down at the sweater he was wearing and asked awkwardly. Come to think of it, that sweater was the one Hyeon-woo had given him as a present before. ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°Oh good. I wanted to show you at least once. If you were Ye-won, wouldn¡¯t she want to see this too? That¡¯s what I thought at least.¡± Thank god. Do-jin hadn¡¯t changed his appearance to pursue Hyeon-woo, as he had feared. Hyeon-woo wiped his chest. ¡°You¡¯re right. If it was the Ye-won Noona I knew, she would want this.¡± Do-jin smiled faintly in agreement. The ripple effect when a person who didn¡¯t usually laugh showed happiness was great. His appearance had only changed a bit! Hyeon-woo nodded his head and felt embarrassed at his previous thoughts. He had been scheming while Do-jin was acting with a different set of motivation. Kero rolled over as he suddenly kicked the blanket in shame. *** When he first exited the portal, Do-jin had felt extremely uncomfortable. He felt guilty for mistaking someone else to be his dead sister. He thought it was an inexcusable mistake, even though it was because he had fallen for the monster¡¯s mental attack. Because of that, he first tried maintaining a distance with Hyeon-woo. Even though the spell had been lifted, his heart still sighed with relief when they were together. Things he didn¡¯t notice before slowly made themselves apparent. Hyeon-woo hates waking up early in the morning. He enjoyed reclining rather than sitting on the sofa. He would sometimes hold a cushion or Kero in that state. TV could entertain him all day. He had been watching a strange drama. He likes to eat. But he doesn¡¯t drink coffee because of its bitter taste. A lot came to his mind and he felt very close to Hyeon-woo. ¡®Yeah, like a Dongsaeng.¡¯ Actually, Dongsaeng was an appropriate title. Hyeon-woo was now twenty-five and Do-jin was twenty-eight. With a three-year age difference, Do-jin was a Hyung. As his mind changed, so did his attitude. Hyeon-woo still felt awkward about Do-Jin¡¯s change of attitude. Do-jin came to think that this kind of life wasn¡¯t bad. ¡®Ye-won-ah.¡¯ For the first time since that day, he wore clothes other than the clothes Ye-won had chosen and cut his hair. He thought, let¡¯s live more humanly. ¡°Who are you?¡± With that in mind, when he entered the lobby of the Seon-Hyeon Guild, a security guard approached him with a questionable face. ¡°I¡¯m Han Do-jin.¡± ¡®Shouldn¡¯t you recognize my face by now? Why are you asking this?¡¯ ¡°Really? Is that true?¡± The guard opened his mouth as soon as he heard that. It wasn¡¯t just that. As they passed by, everyone they passed did a double-take. It was a strange sight to see the wake they left behind. ¡°What is this look?¡± The same was true of Seon-woo when they met in the middle. He looked Do-jin up and down with a displeased face, and then he asked. ¡°Do you really have to say that?¡± ¡°No, but are you about to go to my Hyung looking like this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I think it suits you better than the look you had before.¡± Seon-woo complimented his new style, but it was Hyeon-woo who actually put it together. But he kept his mouth shut because he didn¡¯t know what kind of reaction he¡¯d get if he said that. ¡°I heard my Hyung is the one that picked out your clothes.¡± Seon-woo didn¡¯t acknowledge his poking at a painful spot. His previous clothes were chosen by Ye-won, so he had only worn them to not forget the Dongsaeng he couldn¡¯t save. But he didn¡¯t forget his just because he changed his clothes. When he thought of his Dongsaeng, his heart ached and he felt guilty. Even if everyone else forgets, he would forever remember Ye-won. However, there was one more person he thought of as a Dongsaeng. ¡°Guild Leader!¡± Just then, Chan-young called to Seon-woo from behind. Seon-woo¡¯s gaze turned for a moment and Do-jin left the place. How will Hyeon-woo react when he sees the change? His heart pounded as he thought about it. And he has reached him now. Chiiyik. He felt a hole burning into the back of his head while he fried an egg. But Do-jin didn¡¯t look back. He knew that if he did, Hyeon-woo would look away again. It was strange to see an adult acting like this. ¡®Cute.¡¯ He had noticed the change in his appearance and kept looking at him. It felt surprisingly good to know he had captured his attention. He thought it¡¯d be nice for this to go on for a bit more. CH 40 The Director looked down from a high place. He could see a city shrouded in colorful lights through a transparent window. A lot of people must be working hard on it. They never would know when or where something life-altering might happen, so they had to grind on. It was their day-to-day life. That¡¯s why it was fun to step on. He sat down in his chair and clasped his fingers. The machine on his desk moved and began transmitting sounds. (EN: The following is a News Channel.) -Recently, non-symptomatic portals have increased. Not only that, but also new monsters that have never before seen are being reported simultaneously. ¡®They¡¯ are still controlling this news in association with a huge guild, but we don¡¯t know when this will leak. (EN: ¡®They¡¯ is intentionally vague) -Isn¡¯t it your job to prevent that as much as possible? It¡¯s not right to release such ominous news right away. Citizens will be worried. -What if there¡¯s a big accident! -Then we¡¯ll just let it play it. Those who responded to the shouting man continued to make evasive remarks. For him, citizens are not objects to be protected¡ª merely objects to extract money from. -Director! -I can¡¯t hear you screaming like that. He moved his finger to cover the speakers again. Humans haven¡¯t changed; they are selfish and so full of themselves. Such a human being happened to be what he needed the most. He smiled and lifted the wine glass from the table. ¡°For our glory!¡± I wonder how much longer humanity will survive. *** A vast expanse of desolate land with a huge shadow laid over it. ¡°Kirreuk!¡± The owner of this shadow was a Black Drake, body covered in splendid scales. The most powerful monster in the area, his steps were confident. ¡°Kirik!¡± These days, he isn¡¯t called upon too often. Life had become a little boring. Drake ran briskly to look for today¡¯s meal. He found a group of ¡®Les de Boers¡¯ who were grazing in the distance. Although the outside looked a bit tough, they were large and full of lots of meat. The Black Drake blew his nose and flew toward them. He was planning to strike from above. Suddenly, a strange hole appeared in front of the Black Drake. It felt ominous so he tried to turn quickly, but his momentum carried him into the hole. After fighting it for a while, the Black Drake flew toward a light he spotted in the distance. The moment he passed through the light, a landscape he had never seen in his life unfolded before him. ¡°Kirik?¡± As he looked around, other monsters passed by him. At the same time, a scream rang out. ¡°Ahhk! It¡¯s a gate! Run away!¡± ¡°How did this happen? Help!¡± The human was trembling in fear and howling. The other monsters were running rampant and treating them like appetizers, but the Black Drake was in no hurry. The humans he knew were much more terrifying. The Black Drake lifted himself up and soared into the sky. *** A small, shaking video showed insight into a terrible scene. ¡ºKyak! No! I don¡¯t want to die! ¡» ¡ºSomeone help! ¡» Desperately screaming, many people were caught by the monster and died. It wasn¡¯t that there were no Awakened in the portal, just that they all were low grades. They couldn¡¯t all be protected, and as a result many lives were lost. The once-peaceful streets were now stained with blood and filled with screams. The video had only been shaking slightly at first and now started to really move unsteadily. The person holding the camcorder was trembling with fear. Around that time, the hand of salvation arrived. Awakened people sent by guilds and the government poured in. Tankers with shields blocked the monster and the dealers attacked. Saints with support-type powers were busy moving around rescuing survivors. ¡ºHere, they¡¯re here!¡» The camcorder fell and hit the ground. The screen went black. One day, a video suddenly uploaded to RedTube went viral. Even though RedTube kept deleting the video for violating the rules, it couldn¡¯t be stopped. The speed at which the video spread was terrifying. After just about everybody had already seen it, the news began to cover it as well. Showing a screen half-covered with censored mosaic, the announcer added, ¡ºThe gate incident in New York is having a massive social impact. The portal exploded without any sign before it opened. ¡»(EN: This was originally in English.) Tik. The same thing on the next channel. ¡ºThe opening of the No-Warning Portal has not occurred in just New York. Apparently something similar has also happened in Korea. We were able to make contact with a survivor from the incident. Let¡¯s hear what they had to say.¡» Tik. No matter where I turned, there was only talk of no-warning portals. ¡°Tsk.¡± Seon-woo, who was watching next to him, clicked his tongue. He had paid large sums of money to keep the situation quiet, but it seems someone broke their contract. Did they not read it properly? Once he figures out who it was, they¡¯ll have a lot of money to pay. ¡°Additionally, monsters that have never been seen before have also appeared. This time, I have a video of a monster named the Black Dragon.¡± As time went on and the commotion in New York slowly subsided, the public¡¯s anxiety lingered. One of the most dangerous monsters had survived. ¡ºDo you see it? There¡¯s a black dragon way over there!¡» The New York anchor shouted with an excited voice. At the top of a particularly tall building, a massive monster hung off it. Its tail was fastened around the spiral while it dozed. ¡ºMany Awakened people have gone out to catch it several times, but they haven¡¯t caught it yet.¡» The monster was too clever. As soon as someone got close, it flew high up. That alone made it impossible for them to even touch it. They tried mobilizing a hunter with flying ability, but the monster was far superior. So the US decided to try a different method. They tried to mobilize more fighters¡ª but even that wasn¡¯t easy. The monster was very fast, and when he was running away he deliberately moved only to where there were civilians. It made it impossible to launch an attack recklessly. He would then launch his own attacks against the Awakened people. A fighter, hit by an acid-breath that melted everything, crashed down and wrecked the city center. Some thought that all people should be evacuated, but they were met with opposition. ¡°When are we going to move all those people away from it!¡± ¡°And how do you propose we do that? The monster will attack the moment we let up pressure. If you¡¯re going to object, come up with a better plan!¡± For that reason, the monster was still hanging above New York¡¯s buildings. ¡°It¡¯s a black dragon.¡± Seon-woo stared at the screen. Between the spider monster he had encountered and this black dragon, new monsters seemed to be popping up everywhere. Dealing with their current monsters was already a challenge. He didn¡¯t know how the world was going to be able to face portals that poured out increasingly strong monsters. ¡°It¡¯s a dragon.¡± Hyeon-woo, who narrowed his eyes, glared at the screen. ¡®Weird. Why does it look so familiar?¡¯ The monster flickered and changed its body position. Hyeon-woo saw a large white dot on his back. ¡®Hm? A spot?¡¯ The first bike he left behind in the Demon Realm, Black Drake, the tamed savage who initially rushed to eat Hyeon-woo. It looked remarkably similar to that blotch. ¡®Why are you here?¡¯ The fairy might be the cause of this. Basically, creatures from the Demon Realm cannot come to Earth. She had told this to Hyeon-woo, who was worried about what would happen if these terrible monsters went to Earth and harmed Seon-woo. ¡®That¡¯s the rule. By default, entry to other dimensions is prohibited for creatures from the Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm, as they could destroy the world. So rest assured. Monsters from the Demon Realm will never appear on Earth!¡¯ Was it a lie? Or was it true and something else has happened? He still didn¡¯t know, but one thing¡¯s for sure: ¡°Seon-woo, I have a request.¡± ¡°Request?¡± Seon-woo¡¯s eyes widened at his first request. So far, Hyeon-woo had never asked for anything. Was Hyeon-woo starting to trust him? His heart was pounding. ¡°There.¡± Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand pointed to the TV screen. ¡°I want to go there.¡± Seon-woo¡¯s gaze touched the screen and then turned to Hyeon-woo. ¡°Where, America? I mean, we can go, but New York is dangerous at the moment, so would it be ok if we just avoid that area?¡± ¡°No, there.¡± ¡°Hyung.¡± ¡°I want to go to New York and see the monster up close.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s too dangerous. The hunters there haven¡¯t even fought it properly yet. It¡¯s like a volcano that you don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll explode.¡± At that, Hyeon-woo looked up at Seon-woo quietly. ¡°You can protect me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the ability to fly. If you get caught up in it, I can¡¯t guarantee whether or not I will be able to protect Hyung.¡± Hyeon-woo¡¯s gaze moved to Do-jin, who was sitting quietly on the other sofa this time. It was only when Seon-woo was next to Hyeon-woo, but these days he would normally leave. Since he¡¯s still the Guild Leader, he must attend to the management of the Guild, I guess. Hyeon-woo thought so at least. CH 41 ¡°I think I could probably go through the shadows to get on his back, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡± In response to Do-jin¡¯s answer, Seon-woo looked at Hyeon-woo while side-eyeing Do-jin. He was not being receptive to the possibility of a trip. Hyeon-woo had to convince him. ¡°What if I just look at it from a distance.¡± ¡°I think you already know the answer to that. Absolutely not.¡± ¡°But there haven¡¯t been major casualties yet. They said he isn¡¯t prone to attacking.¡± ¡°He might only be docile now while he¡¯s trying to figure out his surroundings.¡± Not all monsters had low intelligences. There were some that seemed to prioritize doing things that made them happy. Seon-woo hated it so much that Hyeon-woo wondered himself if there was any need to actually go over there. But what if that monster really was spotted? Then the story would be different. That would be an indicator that the demon realm was connected to the Earth in some way. Hyeon-woo dreaded learning the truth behind this mystery, having experienced the horrors of the demon realm for a long time. Dungeon monsters were of no concern ¡ª there were plenty of strong people on Earth. The Demon Beasts, however, were a different story. They were on an entirely different level, compared to them. ¡®I can¡¯t ignore it.¡¯ Hyeon-woo was desperate. Strong enemies that suddenly appear and hate humans while the Earth currently lacked the talent to deal with them. If humanity was pushed back, their entire society that had been painstakingly reassembled until now would collapse once more. What would happen if society collapsed? People wouldn¡¯t go to work, and stores would close. If they got to that point, Hyeon-woo would no longer be able to continue being pampered. ¡®I¡¯m actually strong!¡¯ You will have to confess everything to your brother and fight hard to achieve peace. Hyeon-woo thought about the number of demons. Even if they killed and eliminated them, they would continue to spring out of portals like a bottomless well. Fortunately, when he had faced Alberg, the strongest power amongst the demons, the little ones had stopped attacking. But before that he had been in a lot of pain. Repeat that experience again? Hyeon-woo absolutely hated it. He could not allow the demons to come directly from the Demon Realm. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just say that. Hyeon-woo bit his lip carefully. He had to convince Seon-woo somehow. ¡°I really, really want to go!¡± Hyeon-woo grabbed Seon-woo¡¯s hand and met his eyes. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Please yes?¡± ¡°Please no.¡± Hyeon-woo tried a different tactic. ¡°Actually, that monster resembles a monster I know. Named Spotty. He helped me a lot when I was having a hard time.¡± I didn¡¯t lie. When it had been difficult to run long distances, I would ride on Spotty. ¡°Like Kero?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°How could that be though? I heard that the entrances from the Demon Realm to Earth are blocked.¡± For as much as Seon-woo had been in the Demon realm getting stronger, he knew that much. So he wanted to dissuade his Hyung. Maybe they looked alike, but there was a higher probability that it was a different monster. ¡°I know that. But it really looks like him!¡± ¡°Are there any other characteristics other than the spots on the body?¡± ¡°One of the claws on the front toe should be white.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I will find out.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Are you sure you really want to go there?¡± ¡°Yes! I really do want to!¡± Hyeon-woo responded. Seon-woo contacted the Seon-Hyeon guild member, who was already dispatched abroad, and the answer came back not long after. [The fourth toe on the left of the front paw is white.] After hearing the answer, Seon-woo touched his forehead. Obviously, the number of people targeting the first generation has decreased compared to the past. But only the tabloids had really given up; everyone else was still interested. Did he lie? But he was able to identify a special characteristic and wanted to go despite his urging. It would definitely still be safer at Seon-Hyeon guild¡¯s headquarters. Didn¡¯t he decide to let his Hyung have a little more freedom? Seon-woo let out a small sigh. Do-jin¡¯s gaze was fixed on the TV. After the news was a drama. It was a ridiculous drama that Hyeon-woo had been into lately but Do-jin didn¡¯t particularly like it. He didn¡¯t even enjoy watching TV in the first place. Still, he always ended up watching it with and because of Hyeon-woo. Usually, his impassive face would express itself while watching the drama. ¡°Ah, turn it up!¡± Hyeon-woo exclaimed and opened the bag of potato chips. As he ate his potato chips and immersed himself in the screen, it was a nice sight to see. Then, Do-jin had the shadow he had sent out return to him. He was able to use his shadows to scout information elsewhere, learning of what the shadow had seen and heard. It was the ability that he had been constantly using to get information about his Dongsaeng. It was a tightly held secret and he had refrained from using it since he came to the Seon-Hyeon Guild, though recently he had begun using it little by little. ¡®Would Ji Seon-woo lie?¡¯ He had said he was hesitant about latest information. ¡®It¡¯s definitely dangerous to go out now.¡¯ At least in Korea, the Seon-Hyeon Guild held a lot of influence, but it was a different case in other countries. It was particularly difficult to exert a great deal of influence in the United States, as the Guardian Guild and the Phoenix Guild held most of the power. Even if they were to secretly leave the country, there was still a risk of being caught. So, the safest thing was to stay within the Seon-Hyeon Guild in Korea. Do-jin looked at Hyeon-woo, who was frowning. He was wriggling with his hand in the empty bag of potato chips. He quickly got up and opened a bag of cookies. Hyeon-woo naturally started eating new sweets. Around that time, Seon-woo returned. Hyeon-woo, who had been watching the drama the whole time, got up and approached Seon-woo. Even with the show¡¯s climax running behind him, Hyeon-woo gave his full attention to his brother. ¡°Ok, Hyung. Let¡¯s go to America.¡± In the end, Seon-woo chose to tell the truth to him. Except for Hyeon-woo, the guild members organizing the affairs for the sudden trip rushed about. There was only one thing Hyeon-woo could do ¡ª familiarize himself through the New York Travel Guide. He was not acting like a person traveling to see a dangerous monster. ¡°Oh and Hyung, take this.¡± Seon-woo handed Hyeon-woo an item that had arrived. It was a metal bracelet engraved with a colorful pattern. [Guardian of Phoenix (Unique)] Completely defends against incoming attacks from outside 3 times. Startup word: Phoenix, live forever! ¡°It will completely block three attacks.¡± Only 3 times. Though most would focus on that detail, the phrase preceding was more significant. It provided a perfect defense. With ¡®attacks,¡¯ there¡¯s a big difference between a backstreet bully hitting a person and a dragon spewing its breath. A bully might hurt a few people, but a dragon¡¯s breath has the potential to decimate a city entirely. Even such an attack could be defended. ¡°Are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°Because to me, Hyung is the most important thing.¡± Seon-woo settled the bracelet on his brother¡¯s wrist and continued. ¡°And don¡¯t not use the bracelet. If you think you might be in any danger, just use it.¡± He calmly spoke as if others wouldn¡¯t have shuddered from hearing his words. ¡°Ugh.¡± Thinking so, Hyeon-woo was at a loss for words. Eh. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s going to be used anyways. Seon-woo and Do-jin were always by his side, and even without them, he was confident that he could stop anything. ¡°I also have a translation item.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Seon-woo had doubted his brother, as he had not given Hyeon-woo a translation item. ¡°The Japanese guy gave it to me. Do you know Junichi?¡± ¡°Did you mean Junichi Iwamoto?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s his name.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see it then.¡± Hyeon-woo brought the translation item that he had thrown in the corner of the room and showed it to Seon-woo. He looked it all over just in case, but it was just a high-end translation item made in the studio. There was no special device in sight. ¡®Still.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to carry what others gave him. Because of that, Seon-woo broke the translation item given by Junichi on ¡°accident¡±. ¡°Ah, my mistake. I think he gave you a cheap one. I¡¯ll bring you a new and better one.¡± The shattered pieces were dumped into the trash can. Hyeon-woo knew that Seon-woo broke it on purpose, but he just smiled a little and moved on. His jealous little brother was so cute. It seemed that his younger brother¡¯s possessiveness did not fade with age. Time passed, preparations were made, and then it was the day of their flight. ¡°It¡¯s my first time flying in an airplane.¡± Hyeon-woo entered the airport with an excited smile. After the portal opened, the number of tourists has decreased, but there were still people who traveled. That¡¯s why the airport was crowded. ¡°Do we line up there too?¡± ¡°No, S-class and higher-ranked Awakened people have separate procedures. They pose different dangers.¡± As soon as he finished, they were approached by an airport staff. ¡°Hello. My name is Park Hyun-chul and I¡¯ll be helping you through boarding today.¡± He led them to a VIP room. ¡°This is a special room that can only be used by S-class Awakened. If you want to simply rest comfortably, I¡¯ll let you be.¡± Then, he took a step back and stepped out. In the meantime, Hyeon-woo looked inside and exclaimed with admiration. There was a bar on one side and a few finger foods were nicely laid out next to it. A little past that, there were expensive looking sofas and tables to lounge on. ¡°This is so amazing.¡± ¡°Hyung, what do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Is this place a buffet?¡± ¡°Only finger food. They will make other food fresh, if you want to order any. There¡¯s also a bedroom in the back, so if you are tired, take a nap.¡± Then, he handed the menu to Hyeon-woo. CH 42 Wow. The menu had so many options that it could¡¯ve been a full-fledged restaurant. ¡®I don¡¯t know what to eat.¡¯ Hyeon-woo was seriously reading the menu when the closed doors opened. He heard a familiar voice. ¡°How are you? It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡± It was Leon, the guild leader of the American Guardian Guild. Dressed in a bright suit, his soft blonde hair was half back. In his guild uniform, he looked like something out of a cartoon. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Seon-woo got up from his seat imperceptibly and faced Leon. ¡°You normally say ¡®it¡¯s nice to see someone,¡¯ you know.¡± ¡°Are we supposed to be happy?¡± One smiled and the other continued the conversation with an expressionless face. And Hyeon-woo, who was overhearing their conversation, soon realized a fact. ¡°You can speak Korean?¡± Hyeon-woo was not wearing the translation item at the moment. Still, Leon¡¯s words sounded like proper Korean! The last time they had met, they had only spoken in English. ¡°I¡¯m very interested in Korea, so I¡¯ve been very diligently studying the language. I¡¯m not fluent yet, so I still use the language of my own country more.¡± This is the first time he had seen a foreigner who can speak Korean so well. Anyone listening in would think he had lived in Korea for several years. ¡°By the way, you said you were going to America, right?¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a secret, is it?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to make rumors.¡± Leon shrugged his shoulders at those words. ¡°I know you are waiting for your flight time, but I think I can be of some help in that regard.¡± ¡°There is no favor without cost.¡± ¡°Of course there¡¯s a price. I wish to speak with the first generation for a moment.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Seon-woo refused firmly. ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about that then. Since you refuse my price, I must do this as a favor.¡± Seon-woo didn¡¯t know what kind of tricks Leon had up his sleeves. He looked at the still-smiling Leon with cold eyes. The guild leader of a guild competing for 1st and 2nd place in the United States, a powerful country. Was he really intending to give them a favor? The situation remained too suspicious, so Seon-woo naturally remained on guard. ¡°I brought a private plane. We have plenty of space, so why not go with us?¡± Seon-woo had heard that he was the successor of a giant corporation, so Leon boasted of his great wealth. He was a different person from Seon-woo, who had climbed up from the bottom and made the place he is at today. Seon-woo hesitated for a moment while trying to answer that he didn¡¯t need it this time. It wouldn¡¯t matter to him or Do-jin, but it would be a much better experience for his Hyung. No matter how good a seat was, it was obvious that a private plane would be more comfortable. ¡°I¡¯ll serve you well.¡± Leon smiled like a victorious man. The private plane was more comfortable than Hyeon-woo had imagined. From the inside, it looked more like a living room than an airplane. The sofa was big and nice, and there were several games to pass the time. A personal chef was even on board. ¡®It is amazing.¡¯ Maybe because the portals had started not too long ago, but Ga-jun was the oldest among the guild leaders he has met so far, although he looked like he was still in his 20s. ¡°Hyung, what¡¯s wrong?¡± While Hyeon-woo was lost in thought, Seon-woo asked with a worried expression. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m just thinking about how all the guild leaders look so young.¡± Leon seemed to have heard too. He let out a small laugh. ¡°Do I look so young?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes.¡± ¡°How old do I look?¡± ¡°Are you in your mid-20s?¡± ¡°Wrong.¡± ¡°Are you in your late 20s?¡± Should he have guessed higher? While he was thinking, Leon continued. ¡°I¡¯m in my mid-30¡¯s.¡± ¡°Really? But you look so young?¡± ¡°I get that a lot.¡± As Hyeon-woo exclaimed, Seon-woo, who was standing next to him, said in a dull voice. ¡°You are pretty old, huh?.¡± (TL: The direct translation would be something like Ahjussi, huh?) Seon-woo was 21 years old. Even if Leon acknowledged their 10-year age gap, it was still rude for Seon-woo to say it. Hyeon-woo poked Seon-woo in the side. However, Seon-woo did not correct what he said. Leon didn¡¯t say anything either. ¡°Ji Seon-woo-ssi is young.¡± (EN: ¡°ssi¡± adds respect to the address, like Mr. or Mrs.) Leon returned with ice behind his smile. Thanks to that, the atmosphere quickly became chilly. It was then that Do-jin muttered one more line in between. ¡°One is young, and the other is old, so I guess I must in the middle.¡± He spoke with such a good-natured expression as he utterly wrecked them. Hyeon-woo hadn¡¯t thought Do-jin was this kind of person, but these days he had started throwing bombs like this. Although there were such minor problems, the flight was comfortable overall. The staff on board were all friendly, the food was delicious, and the bed was soft. It felt like Hyeon-woo was resting in a real hotel. Even after landing, Leon¡¯s kindness did not end. ¡°Are you here to see the monster too? I was just about to go there; wouldn¡¯t you like to go with me? You will see it sooner if you guys come with me.¡± Seon-woo resisted his impulse to immediately refuse. Leon brought them to see the monster as quickly as he had said, though it was from a distance. ¡®I think it really is Spotty.¡¯ Hyeon-woo, who was fiddling with the telescope from afar, sighed a little without saying anything. He was straining his eyes and could still barely make it out. ¡°Could we get closer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Everyone in the vicinity has been evacuated. Just because it¡¯s quiet right now doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t remain vigilant.¡± Then, there was only one way left. Hyeon-woo tapped Kero, who was wallowing at his feet. He pointed to a location on the tall building and took the seat next to him. It was a simple move, but Kero did not disappoint his expectations. Understanding the motion, he immediately snuck away, shaking his chubby buttocks. The Drake looked up at the sky. He was happy to lie under the blue sky. He stretched out and looked down the building. Most of them had disappeared, but some remained. The so-called awakened people. Although he feared people, he had been observing them during his time here and he felt some surprise. These people seemed to be weaker than the ones he previously experienced; the people he saw in the Demon Realm were unique. Does anyone flinch when confronted with someone weaker than them? Of course not. The Black Drake ripped open his motley mouth, revealing sharp teeth. Today, he was going to wipe out all the people nearby. And then he would leave to find more prey. The creatures of the demon realm are basically creatures of darkness. For that reason, they are always violent and want to harm others ¡ª to become stronger, to build up darkness! For that reason, Spotty gave a menacing grin and spread his wings. It was time for his hunt. ¡°Guild Leader! The black dragon is moving right now!¡± The Awakened person, who was monitoring Spotty hastily reported. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Where? Here, right here!¡± As soon as the words fell, the large body crashed to the floor. Thud! The Awakened people narrowly escaped the blast zone of the dragon¡¯s landing. They were immediately sore, but glad that they hadn¡¯t died. ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle! Call for support!¡± The team leader shouted, and the Awakened people surrounded the dragon. ¡°The raid starts right now!¡± At first, they were stressed, but these were the guild members of the Guardian Guild. The best guild in America. The pride of being a member of that guild inspired their hearts. So they did not run away even when encountering the Black Drake head-on. The tanker stepped forward, and the dealers launched their attack. Mass amounts of power filled the air and poured down on Spotty. However, Spotty snorted and took it all with his ease. Black Drake was a monster with high magic resistance and a thick skin. He could easily withstand most attacks. After overcoming the first wave of attacks, he swung his heavy tail. The tanker in front of Spotty blocked him, but almost collapsed on the spot as a result. His blow was that strong. ¡°Kirrruk.¡± Spotty fluttered and ran wildly. Normally, he could have killed them right away, but he toyed with them instead. Alright, alright. Spot¡¯s body trembled, looking forward to the impending time of slaughter. He hooked his claws under a frontliner¡¯s shield. Embarrassment appeared on the face of the person who had been covered by the shield. Then, just as he was about to open his mouth, something gently landed on his head. ¡°Wang wang!¡± It was a tiny little puppy. The tanker, who had been caught taking a break from the attack, retreated back, but his team were similarly in shock at the intrusion. ¡°A puppy?¡± ¡°A Pomeranian?¡± ¡°Why is there a dog here?¡± Whether or not he knew how these people felt, the puppy patted the spotted head with his front paw. ¡°Wang wang! Ahrrrk.¡± For Kero, it was a warning in its own way, but the oblivious Spotty was furious. He shook his head. Kero had been planning on dropping onto the goofy creature, stomping on it, and then devouring it. CH 43 ¡°Oh great, now we need to save that too now. Really?¡± The team members were startled by the sound of the team leader spouting his frustrations. It¡¯s not that he hated dogs. Although it was close to the breed he very much liked, it was difficult to even take care of the dog in such a dangerous situation where people were also injured. He was really surprised at how well the puppy had been holding up so far, delicately balancing on top of the monster¡¯s head. Because of it, the monster grew angrier. Why, why can¡¯t I get you off! At first Spotty only shook his head, but he was starting to go crazy. Back and forth with great power. He banged his head against the wall and flapped his wings. He swung his tail, but something felt off. ¡°Kiiiik!¡± I am so angry. I will definitely kill you! Spotty began to soar high into the sky. He intended to get really high and dislodge the dog by rotating his body. However, as the altitude increased, strangely, his head felt heavier. He tried to flap his wings hard, but the weight increased and they began to drop. ¡°Kiiiik!¡± Spotty was desperately trying to regain control of the situation to make sure the annoying creature was disposed of before he got hurt. Ultimately, they crashed into the ground. What? Huh? Spotty groaned and looked back. Then a black wall filled his gaze. Wondering just what that creature was, he slowly looked up and saw three dog heads at the end of the black mass. Kero made eye contact with Spotty and grinned. Even though it was in the form of a beast, it was clear enough to tell he was smiling. Then, Spotty vigorously bounced back up and whisked Kero away. This time, Kero didn¡¯t resist. ¡°Kirrrrk!¡± (EN: Balrog = Spotty¡¯s real name // Kerberos/Cerberus = Kero¡¯s real name) It was the first time seeing a familiar face since leaving the Demon Realm. Kero was in disbelief that his eternal friend Balrog was actually before him. (Spotty) Upon closer inspection, two of the heads were merely illusions. It can¡¯t be. Spotty¡¯s chest swelled upon recognizing his friend. (Kero) Balrog and humans weren¡¯t too hard to beat, but Kerberos didn¡¯t know whether he could win. There wasn¡¯t a big difference in class between him and Balrog. Spotty narrowed his eyes and glared at Kerberos. Then he looked up and started flapping his wings. He knew it was foolish for a creature that could fly to engage in a hand-to-hand battle with a creature that couldn¡¯t. People did it because they thought it would be fun, but even Kerberos wouldn¡¯t be able to manage it. So, he tried to fly high, but Kerberos was a little faster than him. ¡°Kwang!¡± Kerberos, who sprinted and shortened the distance in an instant, bit his wings and dropped. I¡¯m going to rip this dog apart! Spotty immediately began writhing like crazy, hitting him in the head, but he didn¡¯t budge. Thud thud! Two giant monsters were entangled and spread across the street, and a loud sound resounded over and over again. Streetlamps bent; trees broke. A hole was smashed into the wall of a building and the road cracked. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll step back!¡± The manager hurriedly shouted. A small, black puppy had suddenly grown up and started attacking the Black Dragon. From then on, they were useless. ¡®Should we attack?¡¯ As he gritted his teeth and strategized, something came to his mind ¡ª The Korean first generation Awakened. He had heard that a Korean had easily handled a single monster. ¡®The Three-headed Gatekeeper of Hell.¡¯ Kerberos from the legend. This is how the stories described him. ¡°Should we attack?¡± ¡°No, we watch. Watch until they tire!¡± He thought this was the best course of action, not knowing if the dog was friend or foe. As the team leader issued orders, the battle continued. Time began to reveal which side had the upper hand. At the point where Spotty could not fly, the victory had already passed to Kerberos. Spotty tried desperately to spit his acid breath but was blocked by flames. Spotty¡¯s affinity was poison while Kerberos¡¯ was fire. It was said that fire beats poison, so it was a battle with a natural disadvantage to Spotty. He was so chagrined he felt like crying. Spotty was just starting to make a move, and Kerberos showed up. Spotty, who had held out until the sun went down, eventually collapsed to the floor. The shiny scales he had always been proud of were torn here and there while his wings were punctured. Not only that, but he was utterly exhausted; there was no strength left in his body. Kerberos approached triumphantly as he lay there and tapped Spotty with his front paw. ¡°Kirk.¡± He shook his head to say no, but the dog was too close to him. In the end, Spotty sniffled and made his body smaller. After a bit, the only thing that was left was a cute little snake with tattered wings. (EN: we aren¡¯t sure about this description, but here is an image search of it.) ¡°Wang!¡± Kerberos, who suddenly became smaller again, bit such a lizard in his mouth and held onto it with a triumphant attitude. Then he began to walk proudly down the street. ¡°Are we supposed to hold on to it?¡± There were a lot of questions today. ¡°Who? You? Yes, justice seems to be on fire, so I will entrust you with a mission.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s follow where that monster goes.¡± ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, jump out.¡± The team leader didn¡¯t think it would be dangerous, though. He entrusted the work to the team members and looked around the horribly ruined streets. Now how long will it take to restore this? A sigh came out. Kero noticed that someone was following him, so he lightly accelerated. With his small body, he jumped up a height that could not be imagined, and he jumped on the roof of the building as it was. It looked like it was flying. After 20 minutes, Kero finally arrived at his destination and stretched out his chest. ¡®I¡¯ve caught a lizard!¡¯ A stupid lizard couldn¡¯t do anything since it can¡¯t fly. Kero walked up to Hyeon-woo and spit it out in his mouth. ¡°Kirrrrr.¡± As soon as he got away from Kero, Spotty wept bitterly. He hung in the dog¡¯s mouth while he ran for over 20 minutes and thought he was going to die. So, he tried pretending to be weak to buy sympathy. (EN: He shrank like Kero) ¡°Long time no see.¡± He only opened his eyes and was greeted by Hyeon-woo. Spotty blinked slowly and looked around him. Then he looked at Hyeon-woo¡¯s face once again and looked at the sky once again. He started to scream. ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡± Kero¡¯s front paw slammed past the head of Spotty. He banged his head on the floor in an instant but was so startled that it didn¡¯t bother him. ¡®What is that monster doing here?¡¯ All of a sudden, his body trembled. ¡®Are I dreaming? It¡¯s a dream, right?¡¯ He closed and opened his eyes, but reality did not change. ¡°Is that the monster from earlier?¡± ¡°Unn.¡± ¡°He gets smaller too?¡± Most of the monsters known to have considerable power in the Demon Realm were able to adjust their size. That is why Kero and Spotty were able to become smaller. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do with this now?¡± Seon-woo pointed to Spotty. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What should I do?¡± Leon intervened between the two of them talking. ¡°You can¡¯t just take it with you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a monster that destroyed part of New York, so if a foreigner takes it, other people won¡¯t be able to stand still.¡± ¡°But Kero caught it?¡± Things got complicated. Spotty was still docile for a monster, but the damage was not small. It was because the monster wasn¡¯t kind enough to ignore the incoming attack. As a result, several fighters were destroyed, and several saints were injured. The streets had also just been destroyed during the battle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but things are complicated.¡± Leon said with a bitter smile. ¡°If you take him what will you do with him?¡± ¡°It is a rare living monster, so it will be used for research.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be difficult.¡± ¡°How would you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Seeing Leon, who had no intention of backing down, Hyeon-woo folded his arms. Leon¡¯s a cunning guy, so if he has to, Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t mind making a mess. Then Seon-woo asked: ¡°Hyung, do you want to take it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Seon-woo said as if he had to trust him. And around that time, the member of the Guardian Guild, who had been following Kero and Spotty, arrived. Gasping for air, he looked at Spotty, Kero, and his guild leader, and immediately corrected his posture. ¡°Greetings to the guild leader! For glory!¡± ¡°Enough with the greetings. Rather, bring this monster to the truck.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Thus, Spotty was loaded into a transport truck and taken to a laboratory in the United States. Seon-woo, Hyeon-woo, and Do-jin decided to stay a little longer in New York to examine the situation. *** ¡°Is this the monster?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°But why is it this small?¡± ¡°They said that it¡¯s possible for it to adjust the size of its body.¡± ¡°Awesome! That¡¯s a new discovery.¡± The researchers all looked at the small monster trapped behind the huge, transparent wall with excited expressions. They couldn¡¯t believe this little thing was a monster the size of a house. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s not feeling very well. Allow it to rest some before starting experiments. So much to do!¡± Spotty, who had his head buried in his front paws the whole time, slowly lifted his eyes as he listened to the faint voice of the man. He remembered the last words Kero had delivered. ¡°Make them tired of you. Let me know if you lose control of the situation.¡± It¡¯s that easy. Spotty grinned and buried his head in his paws again. Recovery from the injury came first. CH 44 Spotty groaned and pretended to be dying. In the Demon Realm, he reigned as an apex predator, but even so, he had to learn to survive during childhood. He had occasionally used camouflage to escape from monsters that preferred live prey. It worked great on people too. He was doing this because he was told to tire the humans, but he wasn¡¯t told how it should be done. Spotty decided to demonstrate his superior control of his. ¡°It seems that its health is getting worse and worse.¡± ¡°Will it return to its full size when it dies? If it doesn¡¯t we might have to do our experiments with that tiny body? That might alter the test results.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we give it a little bit of nutrition? Just enough to not die.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the situation dangerous again? That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t given it any food.¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s better than dying like this.¡± The director of the lab thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡°Okay then, just a little bit. A monster I¡¯ve never seen before was brought in; it¡¯d be a waste to kill it.¡± ¡°Does it eat meat?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± People opened the door a little and threw some meat in. However, Spotty groaned and did not even look it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s deliver the nutrients another way¡­¡± An Awakened in protective gear entered the fortified holding cell. ¡°Good luck in there!¡± They only needed an Awakened for when things like this happened. The pushed Awakened grunted, trying to recall what the researchers had said. ¡®Since the body is small, insert the needle into its back. Don¡¯t put it too deep.¡¯ A gloved hand touched Spotty¡¯s sagging body. And now was the moment Spotty had been waiting for. Laughing while widening his mouth, Spotty immediately rushed to the Awakened person. His now-gigantic body crushed and wounded the Awakened. Thud! A loud noise resounded throughout the holding cell each time the body collided with it. ¡°Paralysis, pump paralysis gas in!¡± Gas immediately spread throughout the cage, but it was already too late. The cage had been cracked during Spot¡¯s rampage. The clever Spotty continued hitting the body against the weakening area. The Awakened was now covered in blood and no longer moving. Weiiiing! The alarm bell began blaring, and the saints who were guarding the laboratory flocked to it. At about that time, Spotty was pulling his long neck out of the broken cage. ¡°You must not let it get away!¡± ¡°Catch it!¡± In the midst of the commotion, Spotty opened his mouth. He began spewing a poison that dissolved everything. The saints quickly retreated, with those unable to escape its path grabbing hold of their melted bodies with cries of pain. As the attacks continued, Spotty pulled his foot out through the enlarged gap. The building was half-collapsed and with a crackling sound, his huge body emerged free. Then it was a nightmare. He couldn¡¯t fly because of his injured wing, so he ran rampant on the ground. No one died right away, but many were seriously injured. In particular, the non-awakened researchers who had not been able to avoid the path of destruction suffered the most. Until the Guardian Guild¡¯s first team arrived, they were nothing but sacrifices. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Leon clicked his tongue when he saw the Black Drake, after the guild had barely managed to restrain it. Since there was no huge cage to put it in right away, they simply tied and nailed it to the floor, but even in this state it acted cleverly. It hangs as if dead, only to bite any approaching Awakened. Realizing that method wouldn¡¯t work anymore, it started struggling like crazy. The string that tied it up was pulled taut as if it were about to unravel at any moment. ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything about it?¡± The head of the research institute looked at it with a sad gaze. ¡°For now, I think it would be best to kill him.¡± ¡°No! We can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s a new monster! We have a unique opportunity to research such a monster! We will learn so much more using a living specimen. ¡° ¡°So?¡± The Seon-Hyeon Guild had originally caught the monster and were claiming their share, but the director of the research institute acted selfishly. ¡®Because humans are really selfish.¡¯ But in that aspect, humans were also interesting. So, Leon decided to be more generous with the director of the research lab, who was as troublesome as the monster. ¡°We will try using a tamer.¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s a brilliant idea. Hopefully, that will resolve the situation while we conduct our research!¡± The director of the lab was pleased with the Guild Leader¡¯s solution. The next day, a few tamers arrived at the research center. Upon being greeted by the sight of such a ferocious monster, a few immediately gave up. ¡°What? You expect me to be able to handle that? It¡¯s a freaking monster! The highest I¡¯ve ever tamed was a red bore.¡± A red bore looked like wild boars with red fur. It was a monster favored by tamers because of their thick leather and fast speed, but they were also smaller than Spotty. After some of them had left, only those with the desire to tame the giant monster and those with obligations remained. They took turns among themselves and came forward one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll be the first!¡± Nick, a fairly famous tamer, rubbed his hands and stepped forth. But soon after he almost lost both hands. If Leon hadn¡¯t pulled him from where he had been waiting, Nick would have been swallowed. The other tamers fared no better. All of them were defeated. Despite their wholehearted efforts, some laid on the floor, collapsed and vomiting blood. They were truly incompetent. ¡°What are we to do now?¡± The director of the lab made a crying face. ¡®I don¡¯t want to see the crying face of an old, middle-aged man.¡¯ Leon clicked his tongue and fell into his thoughts. ¡®Should we try using the first generation for this?¡¯ Although Ji Seon-woo lovingly cared for him, they were undoubtedly interested in this monster. ¡°Just wait a little longer. We¡¯ll find someone to deal with it.¡± ¡°Please, please hurry up!¡± Leon left the director of the lab and the laboratory. *** That afternoon, Hyeon-woo was visited by Leon. ¡°Hello?¡± Leon, who came to their hotel, greeted them with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Seon-woo stepped forward and faced Leon. As soon as Seon-woo stepped forward he shielded Hyeon-woo behind him, as Do-jin also guided him inside. They might not get along well with each other, but in times like these they moved in sync. ¡°Might I come in for a moment?¡± ¡°Before I consider letting you in, I¡¯d like to know the purpose of your visit.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re interested in the Black Drake, no?¡± ¡°I¡¯m interested, but why have you been ignoring the request until now?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. It¡¯s complicated here, too. So, will you let me in?¡± Seon-woo took a step back with an expressionless face. It was an invitation to enter. Leon calmly stepped inside. ¡°There¡¯s something I want him to listen to as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll listen and deliver.¡± ¡°Oh my. Do you not even trust me?¡± Leon of the Guardian Guild was an Awakened with a good external reputation. He was a man to be trusted under normal circumstances, but Seon-woo felt reluctant. For that reason, Seon-woo only maintained a public relationship with Leon when traveling to and from the United States. Because of that, the last time he was with Leon, he remained attached to his older brother the whole time. Seon-woo neatly ignored Leon¡¯s words and went straight to the main point. ¡°So what do you mean?¡± ¡°The Black Drake. It¡¯s out of control.¡± Leon willingly revealed his intention and secrets. ¡°I¡¯ve called tamers, but they were unable to do anything. I can¡¯t kill it either. You understand the value of a new living monster.¡± Seon-woo stared at Leon without answering. ¡°Can I borrow your Hyung for that reason?¡± ¡°It is a monster that even a tamer could not stand. Do you think my Hyung can stand it?¡± ¡°I think he can. He tamed that monster.¡± Leon¡¯s hand pointed to Kero, who was lying on the floor. ¡°And that monster easily subdued the Black Drake.¡± ¡°Kero-ya (???) dealt with that problem. The new monster is a different story.¡± (TN: the tone is that it wasn¡¯t a big deal) It wasn¡¯t a very negative reaction. If he was completely opposed to the idea, Seon-woo would have undoubtedly attacked by now. He was an Awakened rumored to love his Hyung that much. ¡°Is there anything you want? I¡¯d hate to return empty-handed.¡± ¡°We will cooperate with you. However, we want the monster. We are willing to provide experimental materials if necessary.¡± ¡°That is not a very easy condition to fulfill. But it¡¯s not impossible.¡± It was possible for Leon to accomplish, even if it wasn¡¯t for anyone else. Not only was he a Guild Leader, but he was also the child of an extremely successful American businessman. He was also able to exert significant influence over the Hunter Institute. ¡°But it seems a bit unfair to just give it all away like this. So let¡¯s get me one more thing out of this.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°A conversation with the First-Generation Awakened. I only want that.¡± Leon raised the corners of his lips. Seon-woo¡¯s expression hardened hearing his words. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything that would harm him.¡± Leon raised both of his hands and looked at him as he continued. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. What is the difference between the Demon Realm he experienced and the one I lived through?¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m not related to the first generation Awakened. I have a desire to become stronger than I am now, but I think you will ultimately achieve that first.¡± It was a candid answer. CH 45 ¡°Give me some time to think.¡± ¡°Alright. Let me know here once you¡¯ve come to your decision.¡± Leon handed him a business card and went outside. As soon as he disappeared, Seon-woo let out a small sigh and put down the card. The demands, including a conversation with his Hyung, were about what he expected. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do. ¡°Hyung, do you have to go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyeon-woo seemed unwilling to change his mind. That monster, dead or alive, didn¡¯t matter to Seon-woo. Despite not wanting any of this at all, he was weak to Hyeon-woo. ¡°Okay. If you want to go, you must never leave us. Don¡¯t even make any sudden moves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Do you have Kero in the car?¡± Hyeon-woo held Kero with both hands and lifted it up high. ¡°Waang.¡± Seon-woo didn¡¯t get the slightest bit of confidence seeing the dog yawn with his mouth wide open. Still, he¡¯ll be fine as long as his Hyung follows him closely. He¡¯s the kind of guy who would run away with only his Hyung if something happened. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡± The other side wanted to see a little more, so he was thinking of taking the time. ¡°By the way, Hyung.¡± ¡°Unn?¡± ¡°Have you gone out sightseeing yet?¡± It¡¯s his first overseas trip, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to take a stroll outside? He asked with that in mind, but the answer he got back was different from what he had expected. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go out. People live just about the same way everywhere. I¡¯d rather take a nap or something.¡± Hyeon-woo answered and tapped the side of the bed. Then, before Seon-woo could react, Kero jumped up and lay down next to him. Seon-woo naturally grabbed Kero and moved him, took off his coat and joined his brother on the bed. As he watched his older brother¡¯s eyes slowly shut, he followed suit. Do-jin¡¯s in here too, he thought. *** In the afternoon of the next day, Seon-woo messaged Leon. That took a while. You think so? I think I got back to you pretty quickly.¡± Well, since we are the ones who need Hyeon-woo-ssi, there is nothing we can do about it. We are sending a helicopter over. It will take you to the training center. The helicopter landed on the roof of a nearby building at the appointed time. After riding it for about 30 minutes, the research center began to appear. A high-rise building surrounded by a dome of unusual material. As they got off the helicopter and approached the entrance, the waiting Leon greeted them. ¡°Welcome.¡± The building was larger than expected from what they had seen in the sky. And they found out that the skyscraper had only one floor above ground, because the ceilings on several floors had been opened. It seemed to accommodate the giant monster. ¡°This is it. Please be sure to wear the translation gear before entering.¡± Wearing the item and going further inside, they saw Spotty trapped, lying flat on the floor. His eyes were closed, and his body was more tattered than before. ¡°He seems well-behaved.¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, the nearest researcher sighed with a tired expression. ¡°Well-behaved? No. No. It¡¯s hard to articulate how cunning and violent the monster is. Even knowing that, if someone approaches it, it immediately opens its mouth and bites them. I can¡¯t keep track of how many people have been injured so far. Additionally, we¡¯ve had to adjust and retie the beast several times. Since it¡¯s adjustable in size, we don¡¯t know how to best bind and anchor it. It was hard enough getting a resizable constraint chain.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you not have issues if people stopped approaching it?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just keep wasting my time waiting around. I had to try something.¡± The researcher shrugged his shoulders and answered. ¡°You¡¯re right. Time is gold.¡± A middle-aged man appeared. ¡°This is Wilson, the head of the lab.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Wilson.¡± Wilson reached out his hand for a handshake, but no one moved to accept it. Wilson retrieved his hand with a slight wrinkle on his face. Now, to him, these were the people he was pleased with, but not happy with. No matter how odd this kind of contradiction seemed to be, it made sense after he reviewed the facts again. Hyeon-woo was needed to calm the monster and gather the necessary information. But in the end he will take the monster away from them. He said he would provide the information, but how could that compare with being able to conduct the research himself? Naturally, he had no choice but to harbor complex emotions. ¡°So what do you think? Can you handle it?¡± ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ll be able to.¡± Hyeon-woo replied matter-of-factly and walked towards the Black Drake. Tension began to appear in the gaze of those around him. ¡°Is it really ok for him to get so close?¡± The researcher whispered to Wilson, the head of the lab. ¡°It will be fine. Didn¡¯t you even guarantee it yourself?¡± Hyeon-woo, imperceptibly approaching Spotty, reached out his hand. Then he gently stroked the Black Drake¡¯s forehead, who then opened his eyes. The distinctly reptilian eyes looked at Hyeon-woo. ¡°Wang wang!¡± Beside him, Kero stood dignified and barked at Spotty. ¡°Kreung.¡± Spotty shook his neck and rubbed his head on Hyeon-woo¡¯s palm in a sign of submission. ¡°Can you release it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Release that terrible monster?¡± The researcher waved his hand in horror. ¡°We should be alright now.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s dangerous! Absolutely not.¡± Leon, who was watching the two of them quarrel, opened his mouth slowly. ¡°Please release it.¡± ¡°Are you crazy!¡± ¡°What are you worried about? We have a few S-Class Awakened here.¡± Then, looking at Seon-woo and Do-jin, the researcher¡¯s complexion improved a bit. Come to think of it, two of the three visitors today were S-Class Awakened. America¡¯s pride, Leon was also an S-Class Awakened, so even if the monster was released it would be subdued immediately. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll release it.¡± Several Awakened cautiously approached Spotty. They began to untie the restraints that were wrapped around his body. Spotty snorted as if he was annoyed by their touch, but he didn¡¯t attack. Because Hyeon-woo was right in front of him. While he was only a ferocious monster in front of other people, in front of Hyeon-woo he could only be a gentle sheep. He has been beaten up too many times to not have learned his lesson. When he thought of the pain he had experienced, he immediately cooled down. Eventually, all restraints were released and Spotty¡¯s body was freed. With his body raised, he looked around and straightened his wings. ¡°This way.¡± When Hyeon-woo called, he immediately complied. ¡°What should I do now?¡± Leon answered Hyeon-woo¡¯s question. ¡°You just have to prove that you can handle the monster with certainty.¡± ¡°Ok. Paw!¡± Spotty placed his large hand on Hyeon-woo¡¯s small hand. ¡°Turn around! Roll! Speak!¡± Whatever he commanded, the Black Dragon performed the trick. ¡°Huh. You said you¡¯re not a tamer, right?¡± ¡°I guess I am one though.¡± ¡°But how is that possible?¡± Wilson¡¯s eyes lit up. Monsters were also monsters, but Hyeon-woo¡¯s handling made him a coveted test subject. Leon warned him in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± ¡°Hahaha, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Wilson pretended, but Leon, who knew what kind of person he was, only warned once again. ¡°You are only to experiment with the monster. Do you understand?¡± But there is such a coveted material right in front of you! Wilson¡¯s hand twitched. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± With the two speaking, Hyeon-woo¡¯s proof of competency finished. He handled monsters better than anyone else. ¡°Then, can I take Spotty with me?¡± ¡°You even came up with a name for it?¡± ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t it fitting?¡± In fact, the name came during his time in the Demon realm. Bike No. 1, Spotty. All of a sudden, bikes no. 2 and no. 3 came to mind, but we wouldn¡¯t meet them. Hyeon-woo wanted to believe so. ¡°Good. Then when do we start giving you the information?¡± ¡°Once we have prepared sufficiently, we will contact you again. I don¡¯t think we are in a state to do that at the moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest of the process, Wilson. Would you like to return by helicopter?¡± ¡°Yes please.¡± Things went smoothly. Although Wilson looked at the monster and Hyeon-woo with a sad expression the whole time, he did not open his mouth, Leon¡¯s warning ringing in his ears. So the four of them came back to the hotel as five. After getting smaller and changing into the shape of a lizard, Spotty gave a small yawn and entered the hotel room. A tremendous roar came from Spotty¡¯s belly. He hadn¡¯t eaten or slept while dealing with the lab people, so it was a natural result. ¡°Were you not fed there?¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s question, Spotty vigorously agreed. In fact, he wanted to swallow a few people during his stay, but he only tasted them before spitting them out. He had remembered that Hyeon-woo was also human. ¡°Then let¡¯s order some room service.¡± Hyeon-woo ordered some meat dishes with Seon-woo¡¯s help. Before the dishes arrived, Spotty washed himself and rolled over on the bed. Unlike the rough soil of the Demon Realm, the soft, soft bed made him instantly doze. It felt even better than he expected. Just as he was about to fully pass out, the food arrived. CH 46 ¡°Kirrk!¡± Holding a rare steak with both of his hands, Spotty took a bite and widened his eyes. Oh my! What kind of meat is this? It melted in his mouth. He rushed to shove the rest in his mouth lest someone stole it from him. ¡°Ke, Kerung.¡± It felt so good that he unknowingly let out a trill. He also tried to eat the white meat on the side of the plate. It wasn¡¯t as good as the red meat, but it was also quite tasty. ¡°Kerruk.¡± Spotty ate so much food that his little stomach was left bulging. Even though it was enough to feed 5-6 people, it all went into Spotty¡¯s stomach. ¡°Krruk krruk.¡± After eating all the food, Spotty climbed into the bed and stretched his legs out. Then, he began to suck his front paws, coating it in saliva. Kero looked at him displeased, but he didn¡¯t make a move ¡ª Hyeon-woo was still there. ¡°He looks so cute, right?¡± Hyeon-woo gently rubbed at the bloated belly with his hand. ¡°Whew.¡± Spotty flapped his short, spotted paws a few times before falling asleep. A few days passed like that. Life was heaven, and Spotty started gaining weight from the copious amounts of food he constantly consumed. Even though his body was small, he seemed to eat as much as he would in his large state. What would they have done if Seon-woo wasn¡¯t rich? Just thinking about it made him shiver. After resting and eating well, Spotty more readily cooperated in gathering materials for research. When the researchers tried to remove the flesh excessively, Hyeon-woo stopped it. So, the lab was no longer greedy and acted much more appropriately. After that, all that was left was a conversation with Leon. They chose a cafe with a private environment on the lower floor of the hotel. Leon and Hyeon-woo were seated by the window, with Seon-woo and Do-jin seated nearby. And thus the conversation between them began. ¡°The cafe is so big, but there are no customers.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because we¡¯ve rented it out for a while. How are Kero and Spotty doing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing well.¡± Hyeon-woo decided not to elaborate on the damages the two monsters had caused. He had argued enough with Seon-woo about it already. Instead, he changed the subject. ¡°So what do you want to know?¡± ¡°Drink some tea first. The tea here is particularly good. The tea food was also quite sophisticated.¡± Certainly, as Leon said, the tea and the tea food that came with it were delicious. After enjoying it all, Leon finally began his questioning. ¡°Isn¡¯t Spotty from the Demon Realm?¡± ¡°He is.¡± ¡°Then, that means the Demon Realm and the Earth are connected.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know to what extent, but it seems so.¡± Leon only tapped the teacup with his finger. Then he began again. ¡°Have you ever met a demon in the Demon Realm?¡± ¡°A demon?¡± ¡°Yes, demon. Fairies have talked about demons several times, but we never actually came across one.¡± Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment. Should he tell the truth or hide it? Leon, the Guild Leader of the Guardian Guild, was a righteous person who had taken the lead to protect the Earth from external threats. If so, wouldn¡¯t he be able to solve this problem as well? In order to do that, some information sharing would be necessary. Coming to this conclusion, his hesitation disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ve met them before.¡± ¡°What was it like?¡± The first demon that came to his mind was Alberg. Al. But he was reluctant to talk about him for some reason. So, the next one he thought of was Tiamat, a 9th rank demon. She was a female demon with long purple hair. Tiamat was a little different from the other demons who broke under Hyeon-woo¡¯s relentless attacks. She had watched him calmly without directly engaging. Instead, she utilized a lot of indirect methods. Hyeon-woo knew Tiamat as the one that handled with poison. ¡°It was a demon that handled poison.¡± At first, he didn¡¯t have any poison resistance, and so suffered a lot. At the same time, he also became really good at escaping. After a successful get away, he once decided to catch her and chase after her. Those who played a major role at that time were Bike no. 1, Bike no. 2, and Bike no. 3. ¡°Was it beautiful?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t most demons?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true then.¡± Hyeon-woo slowly unfolded the story. As he spoke, he added and subtracted details. Leon drank all the new information, nodding occasionally. ¡°Thank you. I wanted to know more about the Demon Realm.¡± ¡°Are you preparing for future dangers?¡± ¡°Probably. To say that such a monster has crossed over from the Demon Realm means that other things might also come over. The fairy had said that creatures from the Demon Realm could never come to Earth, but maybe that¡¯s not true.¡± Lies. Hyeon-woo remembered the fairy who he had beaten up in the Demon Realm. She used to shout out that she would never lie, but was it really all a lie? He didn¡¯t really believe in the fairies, but he felt a little uncomfortable. ¡°Then, today¡¯s teatime ends here. Are you planning to return to Korea after this?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There are so many things to see and eat in New York, but you only stay in hotels before going.¡± ¡°It¡¯s poor timing right now, but it¡¯ll get better. I can enjoy it next time when I come to visit?¡± ¡°Sure. Then, tell me when you leave. I will drive you to the airport.¡± Leon acted like a gentleman until the very end. Even so, some parts of the conversation kept bothering him. However, Leon is a person with a certain identity. ¡®Acting nice to get whatever out of us seems to have been in vain.¡¯ Hyeon-woo thought so at least. ¡°Are you done?¡± As Leon got up from his seat, Do-jin and Seon-woo approached. ¡°Yes, we finished.¡± ¡°Then will we go back home now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Now he will go back home and continue his lazy life as usual. Thinking of it, Hyeon-woo stretched out. Leon had not disclosed where the Koreans were staying to the public. He gathered and told only a few guild leaders from other strong American guilds. It was thought that it would only incite anxiety if it were reported to the citizens right away. So, only a small fraction of the information was released to the public. [Korea¡¯s First Generation Awakened of the Seon-Hyeon Guild is taming monsters.] That information. *** ¡°Wow!¡± Leon also lent his private plane back for their return trip. Thanks to this, Hyeon-woo was able to return to Korea comfortably. Their first meeting hadn¡¯t gone well, but Leon seemed like a better person than he had expected. He slept soundly and got off the plane with a smile, but the airport was strangely noisy. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± When Hyeon-woo asked with a puzzled expression, Seon-woo quietly handed his phone. There was a screen floating on it. ¡¸Ji Hyeon-woo shows the spirit of Koreans in New York.¡¹ What did I do in New York? Hyeon-woo looked down at the screen with his finger. And gradually his face began to wrinkle. The famed brothers of the Seon-Hyeon Guild went to New York and caught the monster wreaking havoc on the city ¡ª and even taming it. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much of an exaggeration?¡± It was Kero who actually caught the Black Drake, and Seon-woo stood by Hyeon-woo¡¯s side without lifting a finger. Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t do anything special either. To put it bluntly, he just ate and rolled around in the hotel. And Do-jin was beside him the entire time, yet that was omitted. ¡°No, more importantly, how did the public find out?¡± ¡°The Guardian Guild Leader must have released it.¡± Seon-woo gritted his teeth as if he didn¡¯t want to even say Leon¡¯s name. It didn¡¯t solve the situation in the slightest, but it helped him feel better. Hyeon-woo handed Seon-woo¡¯s phone back and looked at the airport again. The crowd was churning as to welcome a celebrity. ¡°For now, the airport officials have decided that we will exit through the back door.¡± That¡¯s right. They wouldn¡¯t be able to make it through the front door. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hyung.¡± But they thought too lightly of the reporters, who were like leeches. They infiltrated the back door and were arguing with the airport security guards and drawing the crowd¡¯s attention to the commotion they caused. ¡®Why.¡¯ Seon-woo made a tired expression on his face while Do-jin blocked the people from approaching them. ¡°Hyung, let¡¯s go home first.¡± ¡°Seon-woo?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go together!¡± The moment Hyeon-woo said that and stepped forward; they were suddenly surrounded by darkness. When it brightened again, they were already outside the airport. ¡°Seon-woo!¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°But there were so many people!¡± At that, Do-jin smiled a little. In front of his Hyung, Seon-woo acted meek and appeared weak. It was a different story when Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t there. So, as long as his Hyung was removed from the vicinity, he would be fine. ¡°Ji Seon-woo is an S-Class Awakened, you know.¡± ¡°Yes, but¨C¡± He was worried because he¡¯s his Hyung. It was inevitable. ¡°Look, he¡¯s exiting the airport now.¡± Seon-woo confidently strode out of the airport. There were no reporters behind him. ¡°Have you been waiting for long, Hyung? Let¡¯s go home now.¡± Seon-woo smiled and put Hyeon-woo in the car first. Then, before Do-jin could get on, he quickly closed the door. ¡°Can you find a different ride?¡± Seon-woo flashed his vicious side. He truly acted differently when he was with his Hyung and when he wasn¡¯t. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just act like your normal self when you are with your Hyung?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Seon-woo spoke firmly, opened the door, and got in. Do-jin watched, full of disappointment, as the car drove away. CH 47 The Seon-Hyeon Guild¡¯s External Public Relations Support Department phones rang nonstop. ¡°This is the Seon-Hyeon Guild External Public Relations Support Department. How can I help you? Yes yes. Since the Guild has yet to say anything, I don¡¯t know either. I¡¯m really sorry. We will release a statement once more information has become available.¡± As soon as one hangs up the phone, another call rings. ¡°This is the Seon-Hyeon Guild External Public Relations Support Department. How can I help you? On a TV show? I can¡¯t give an answer right now. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± KKrrung. KKrrung. The phones rang nonstop everywhere. Followed by the voices of the guild members answering. Ever since the Guild leader and his Hyung made the news, countless calls had been pouring into the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Calls for broadcast appearance inquiries, advertisement inquiries, requests from other guilds, etc. The entire guild had turned into a separate call center. ¡°Uwaaaa, no more. No more calls! My throat is dry!¡± The staff whined at the phones, which continued to ring like crazy. ¡°Let¡¯s hold on a little longer to get paid that bonus.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to die before I get my bonus!¡± ¡°Please hold on!¡± ¡°No more!¡± The manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with an awkward expression. The Seon-Hyeon Guild already received a lot of phone calls for being the top guild in Korea, but this was the first time this had happened. Thanks to this, he had not been able to leave work for several days. He hoped that the craze would subside quickly, but will the end ever come? There was no end in sight. *** ¡®Ah, I want to rest.¡¯ Hyeon-woo looked ahead with a blank expression. In front of him sat a middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and a woman with tied up frizzy hair. ¡°Hello!¡± The woman spoke first. Lee Hye-mi, the interviewer of Today¡¯s Also a Challenge! ¡°This is PD Park Jung-su. Thank you for choosing our program.¡± (EN: PD = Producer) It wasn¡¯t something he really wanted to choose. Seon-woo was also displeased with the options left to them. ¡°Why do we need to go on a show?¡± Deputy Guild Leader Chan-young explained why they needed to appear on the show and bowed his head. He avoided making eye contact with Seon-woo. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no need to appear on TV. I¡¯d rather have a conversation like last time with all the press.¡± Meanwhile, Do-jin worked on convincing Hyeon-woo. ¡°You need to do it.¡± At that, Seon-woo¡¯s sharp gaze cut to Chan-young. ¡°It¡¯s fine for us to do this, but it¡¯s not necessary.¡± Seon-woo reprimanded. But Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t an idiot either, or he knew how things were going now. Media soaked in soup were praising them, but not all of them were like that. Knights with impure intentions came up from time to time. ¡¸Can a weak Awakened be able to handle monsters so well? Wouldn¡¯t he more likely run in fear of the monsters? Without special sanctions, these monsters might run wild and inflict enormous damage. ¡¹ How could he do nothing when hearing such slander? No matter how much he wanted to rest and wallow in laziness, handling this situation was more important. Hyeon-woo would do anything for his only younger brother. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It will be fine. It¡¯s a show I watch often.¡± ¡¸Today¡¯s Also a Challenge!¡¹ It was a program in which a person from a unique occupational group came out every week and teamed up with a few entertainers to play a game. Do-jin chimed in. ¡°Watching a show and being part of it are two different things. It will be a lot harder.¡± ¡°I can do it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you are good at it or not.¡± Seon-woo contorted his face. ¡°Hyung, I don¡¯t want you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do.¡± He had accumulated power and influence for times like these. So why couldn¡¯t he make everything happen the way he wanted? Even knowing someone was pulling strings behind-the-scenes, Seon-woo hadn¡¯t been able to catch them. But even if he did, he couldn¡¯t get rid of them all. Murder is a sin in modern society. In the desperate situation, tempers flared. Seon-woo became resentful of himself. ¡°I¡¯m also a fan of the show.¡± Of course, even as a fan, it wasn¡¯t to the extent that Hyeon-woo wanted to appear on the show with them. Shows are best enjoyed lying down and watching it. Hyeon-woo agreed to go on despite their conversation, and now the situation had come to this. The interviewer swallowed nervously, looking at the lizard and the small dog lying on the desks and to the right and left of Hyeon-woo. Even with the knowledge of there being two S-Class Awakened in the room, she was still terrified. ¡°Then let the interview begin! First of all, Ji Hyeon-woo, are you a tamer?¡± ¡°Yes, I am a tamer.¡± Not true. However, if the seemingly weak and powerless Hyeon-woo could handle monsters without a reason why, people would be uneasy. With that in mind, he decided to call himself a tamer. ¡°So that¡¯s your special quality. No wonder. It¡¯s not easy to deal with monsters no matter how long you¡¯ve been in the Demon Realm.¡± The interviewer nodded as if she was convincing herself while she spoke. She didn¡¯t ask any particularly irritating or intrusive questions. She had stayed true to the questionnaire she had given in advance. ¡°You have complete control over the monsters, right?¡± After all the interviews were over, the PD asked again as if to confirm. ¡°Of course.¡± As Hyeon-woo nodded, the interviewer carefully asked. ¡°Then can I touch it?¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s fine with me present.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s do this.¡± Of course, the finger that was supposed to point towards Kero turned towards Spotty. Spotty narrowed his eyes but did not bite the fingers. There was a scary person sitting next to him. ¡°Uwaaa, so smooth and cute!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! I like reptiles, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a cute one. I¡¯m really looking forward to the shooting day.¡± If the interviewer was friendly, and the PD was also relaxed, the atmosphere would also be friendly. So, it was decided that they would appear on the show again. *** ¡°Wow, wow. What a delightful sight!¡± Ji-soo, the youngest girl on Today¡¯s Also a Challenge!, looked to one side with her eyes twinkling. Across from her stood an exquisite man, taller than average. ¡°That must be the Seon-Hyeon Guild Leader over there..¡± A young man in a solid suit stood waiting, his hair pulled back. Despite turning 21 this year, his serious atmosphere made him appear older than his age. ¡°Who is that over there?¡± To that, Deok-man, the youngest of the comedians answered, ¡°Is that an S-class Awakened over there?¡± ¡°S-class Awakened?¡± S-class Awakened were not common. Even within the Awakened Powerhouse that was the Republic of Korea, they could still be counted with just hands. Was one really here? Her heart pounded wildly. ¡°Hey, wake up. You know he¡¯s not filming today.¡± ¡°I know. I know, but it¡¯s still amazing!¡± ¡°Rather than that, worry about whether ordinary people and monsters who come together for the first time will be able to shoot properly.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I heard that the PD and the interviewer met earlier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but I¡¯m still a little bit worried whether it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Deok-man shook his head. ¡°Is it because of the monster? I¡¯ve talked with the Tamer too.¡± ¡°The class is wrong. He can¡¯t be a tamer!¡± ¡°It will be fine.¡± ¡°How are you not scared?¡± ¡°Look at you being a coward!¡± Ji-soo patted Deok-man¡¯s back and laughed. In the meantime, time passed, and it was time to shoot. Ji-soo, Deok-man, Ji-hong, the eldest woman Lee-young, intelligent Je-yeon, and the main MC, Park Soo-kwang. The opening started as soon as six people gathered. ¡°Today¡¯s Also¨C¡± ¡°¨CA Challenge!¡± Everyone clapped and laughed. After a short conversation, it was time to introduce the day¡¯s guest. ¡°Did a special guest come today? I heard he¡¯s the hottest person in Korea right now!¡± ¡°I know, I know!¡± Ji-soo raised her hand and jumped. ¡°Now, shall we call out who it is?¡± ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi!¡± At the same time as those words, a huge monster appeared from the sky. A monster with a black body with an aura of intimidation enough to take your breath away just by looking at it. The monster smiled arrogantly at the people who looked at him with frightened eyes. Just before the scream came out, the monster just rotated in mid-air and took the form of a small, winged lizard. ¡°Krruck?¡± Then, he placed his short front paws on both cheeks and tilted his head slightly. The oppressive atmosphere disappeared in an instant, cuteness taking its place. ¡°So cute!¡± Lee-young, was the first to burst into laughter and say that. In the meantime, a black Pomeranian suddenly appeared, trotting in to lie in the center. The others started to laugh as well. ¡°I am introducing our guests for today! Welcome Spotty and Kero!¡± ¡°These are monsters? The atmosphere is so different!¡± Je-yeon came in and made a fuss. ¡°I know, right? Shall we ask their owner how he did it?¡± ¡°Wang wang!¡± ¡°Krruck!¡± ¡°Introducing Ji Hyeon-woo, the incredible master of these two monsters!¡± Ji Hyeon-woo slowly walked in from where he had been waiting off camera. Having shot the documentary, he thought he would be fine. He was feeling more nervous than he had thought he would. CH 48 5:50 p.m. A-yun checked the clock and laid out perfectly-popped popcorn, French fries, and coca cola on the table. ¡°Oppa! It¡¯ll start soon.¡± After her shout, Ja-yun walked over and sat down on the sofa next to her. ¡°There are still ten minutes left until it starts.¡± ¡°Ya but it¡¯s only ten minutes. I¡¯m super excited today.¡± Today¡¯s Also A Challenge! had special guest appearances sometimes. They knew today¡¯s special guest ¡ª Ji Hyeon-woo! ¡°Will they show that monster ¡­. Spotty?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be interesting.¡± A-yun said that and laughed out loud. ¡°It is really interesting! All Awakened are going to be sitting in front of the TV watching the show.¡± Numerous guilds showed interest in the monsters Hyeon-woo had tamed, but the Seon-Hyeon Guild did not seem to have any intention of revealing them separately. So he brought both monsters to the broadcast. ¡°You know, we can still meet up and talk to them.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we watch the show? There are only three more times we agreed to meet.¡± The last time they met had also been the dungeon portal fiasco. They agreed not to count that against their agreement. ¡°Also, it¡¯s just fun to watch the edited version in real time. I think it¡¯s been too long since Oppa¡¯s watched the aired shows.¡± A-yun ate freshly fried French fries and beat Ja-yun. ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re having fun, that¡¯s fine.¡± In the meantime, the commercials ended, and the full-fledged broadcast began. ¡ºToday¡¯s a Challenge too!¡» The first-person speaking was the main MC Park Soo-kwang. After his usual remarks and others¡¯ greetings, the first thing that appeared was the monster. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a black dragon.¡± Spotty was huge. He reportedly took out a number of elite fighters in New York and went up against three teams of the Guardian Guild. Beyond that, they only knew that the monster had been taken care of; they weren¡¯t sure what to make of it now. You mean Hyeon-woo dealt with a monster like that? Goosebumps swelled up A-yun¡¯s spine. ¡°I want to see it for myself.¡± ¡°Then ask them to.¡± ¡°Unn.¡± A-yun put down the fries she was eating and began to focus on the screen. ¡°Today¡¯s game is a hidden treasure hunt! There are several small balls with hints hidden in this lot now. Find it, combine hints, find out where the treasure is, and bring it here to win!¡± At Park Soo-kwang¡¯s words, Je-yeon asked, ¡°That¡¯s how we normally play the game. Today¡¯s important thing is how to divide teams!¡± ¡°I know, right? There are seven people, so how do we split us up?¡± Ji-soo raised her hand and quickly spoke, ¡°I want to team up with Ji Hyeon-woo!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°No, in that case, how do you choose a team?¡± ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Ji-hong laughed out loud. ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo, you¡¯re very popular. But we aren¡¯t splitting the teams like that today!¡± ¡°Then how will we?¡± ¡°The teams will be . . . Monster Team vs Human Team!¡± ¡°Really?¡± When Lee-young heard this, her eyes widened as if surprised. She was surprised that the monster she thought they were just showing off would participate in the game. ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo, Spotty, and Kero are a team!¡± ¡°Eh? eh?¡± Is this a disadvantage or an advantage? Everyone had a sad expression on their face. Their opponent was someone who handled high-ranking monsters. That power made it easy to win. However, younger audiences wouldn¡¯t be able to watch the show if done improperly. So what if we fight in a cute state that doesn¡¯t show any power? Wouldn¡¯t it be more advantageous to have six people? Because Ji Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t seem to have excellent physical abilities. ¡°Is that okay?¡± Ji-soo asked carefully. ¡°It¡¯s possible! Ji Hyeon-woo agreed!¡± ¡°Wang wang!¡± ¡°It seems that Kero has also agreed.¡± ¡°Kirrk.¡± When Kero barked, Spotty cried out as if he didn¡¯t want to lose either. ¡°Oh, what a battle!¡± So the game began, not knowing which side had an advantage. Inside the office, which was slowly getting dark, Ga-jun smoked a cigarette and smiled. ¡°You are funny.¡± It wasn¡¯t even funny to play the role of a clown while hiding his power. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s a monster.¡± It used to be Kero at first, but the number of monsters has always grown. Although the name ¡°Spotty¡± was unassuming, the power it possessed couldn¡¯t be ignored. ¡°Perhaps, Ji Seon-woo is lucky.¡± Or maybe you are just unlucky? There¡¯s no way to know that. But that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want to be down there. ¡°Then the game begins!¡± As soon as the short, strong bell rang, the people dispersed in all directions. ¡°Find it, find it quickly!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it easier for us 6 vs 3?¡± Deok-man said so and looked at the plate installed in the square. The number of marbles recovered there was to be recorded. ¡°I don¡¯t know. So, let¡¯s find it quickly!¡± At the same time, the camera focused on the other team. Spotty was flying around at a blistering pace. He quickly found a golden marble hidden in a place slightly higher than a person¡¯s height. Then Spotty bit it, swung his tail, and returned to Hyeon-woo. <1 piece> The number was recorded on the record board. In the beginning, everyone was preoccupied with finding marbles. However, the real fun of the game began after some marbles were collected. ¡°Participants, it is now possible to steal marbles.¡± As soon as it was announced, Ji-hong flashed her eyes at teammate Lee-young. ¡°Let¡¯s go get them.¡± ¡°From Hyeon-woo? But he¡¯s alone, wouldn¡¯t that be too much?¡± ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s with that devious smile?¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± Lee-young and Ji-hong immediately set out to find Hyeon-woo. However, it wasn¡¯t Hyeon-woo they ran into. ¡°Waang?¡± It was Kero. Unlike the impression Spotty gave, who kept to his original appearance, Kero was relatively less scary since his form was the only one people had widely seen. Besides, he looks just like a Pomeranian. It was more difficult to feel a sense of crisis. ¡°It¡¯s Kero. Kero!¡± ¡°Wang wang!¡± When she called his name, Kero, who had been going the other way, turned and trotted over. ¡°Ah ah, so cute!¡± ¡°Wake up! Kero is our enemy!¡± ¡°Enemy, yes, enemy! Can we take Kero hostage? I¡¯ll exchange him for marbles!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea.¡± The two walked up to Kero with a sly smile. However, things quickly went south. ¡°Paw!¡± ¡°Wang!¡± ¡°Oh my God, did you see him give me his paw? He¡¯s so smart!¡± When Kero with his lifted paw looked at her, Lee-young moved her hand and touched him. Kero seemed to be saying, Look at me, I¡¯m cute right! She fell in love with the way he proudly puffed his chest while showing off his cuteness all over his body. In the end, Ji-hong, who had been resisting his charm, and joined the admiring of the now wriggling Kero. It was then a black shadow appeared behind them. It was Spotty. Without a sound, he crawled on the floor and approached the bag Lee-young was wearing around her waist. Then, using his teeth and front paws, he cleverly unpacked the bag, put it in his mouth and flew away! It was around that time that Lee-young noticed her empty waist. ¡°Ouch! My bag!¡± She waved her hand too late; Spotty had already jumped high. ¡°Come down, come down!¡± After struggling for a while, when they looked back later, Kero had already disappeared. ¡°Hey, these scammers!¡± Lee-young swung her fists in anger. She lost all her marbles in a really absurd way. [Comments] ? Isn¡¯t Spotty so cute? ? Kero is so cute! ? Two cheaters! It¡¯s perfect karma. Posts began to appear on the broadcast bulletin board. It was the same for other communities. [Comments] ? You said it¡¯s a scary monster~! He¡¯s not scary at all! ? How do you understand people so well? Miraculous. ? I know right. Did you just see? Handing the stolen bag to Ji Hyeon-woo? ? Ack, I just saw Spotty with the bag. It must have been specially made by the producers! ? This time, Kero is biting people. Ji-soo gently gave him a marble as he looked at her cutely with her bright eyes. But it seems that she will give him hers too. ? Heuk-heuk, I want to keep watching Kero and Spotty even after the broadcast is over! Please use tweet or Byeolsta! I want to see more photos and more videos! ¡°Good, good.¡± PD¡¯s eyes rubbed his hands with his eyes twinkling. ¡°The ratings are going up!¡± ¡°Rising!¡± The interviewer next to him also applauded with excitement. ¡°There are few places where broadcasting services are provided abroad, so many people signed up to the site to watch it. Oh my God, this broadcast was a hit!¡± Because of that, everyone was in a celebratory atmosphere. ¡°But it¡¯s really cute.¡± ¡°The monsters?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a good talker, and he¡¯s cute too. Will they go viral?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± It seemed that the monsters¡¯ public approval were quickly improving ¡®I¡¯ll do it the way we originally aimed for it.¡¯ People were originally reluctant to see the tamed monsters, but with this kind of broadcast, it would be different now. ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That such a monster exists.¡± There were two now. The PD waved his hand and watched the ratings continue to rise. CH 49 Ji-soo and Deok-man ran after Kero, but eventually collapsed from exhaustion. ¡°Uh-huh, no. There is no end to this!¡± In the first place, humans couldn¡¯t beat dogs in a running race. But the opponent was also a monster! There was no way they could win. Then, Ji-soo replied with a sly smile. ¡°Let¡¯s take a hostage! Dig up a trap.¡± They couldn¡¯t defeat a monster, but wouldn¡¯t they be able to take on the weak Hyeon-woo? Hearing Ji-soo¡¯s plan, Deok-man put on a serious expression. ¡°You mean Ji Hyeon-woo?¡± ¡°Okay! Deok-man, you¡¯re quite in shape. On the other hand, Hyeon-woo looks too skinny! Let¡¯s catch him and have the monsters bring back the marbles.¡± Though normally the Awakened depend on their abilities, they typically also have an upgraded body. However, since Hyeon-woo is on the slender side, he seemed weak. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it!¡± The two held out their arms and exchanged sharp glances. It was necessary to attract more people than those who heard the scheme. ¡°Uh, isn¡¯t that a bit sneaky?¡± ¡°Unnie, not you too. There¡¯s no problem with being a bit sneaky?¡± (EN: Unni - Older sister. Title used between familiar women) It was not like Lee Young, who was thrown out of the same team to the bottom in the last game for saying that she would win alone. ¡°Right? I was just saying too.¡± Lee Young smiled meanly and rubbed both hands. ¡°Great, so now Lee Young-Unnie and Ji Hong are going to be together?¡± ¡°The other two?¡± ¡°The two of them can do this, so leave them alone. You need someone to attract the attention of the monsters.¡± ¡°Then he can do it.¡± The four of them moved together in conspiracy. Without a shared walkie-talkie, they decided to gather once someone discovered Hyeon-woo. ¡°Break!¡± The four dispersed in different directions. Not long after, Ji Hong saw Hyeon-woo standing on the hill. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so relaxing. Just sitting and basking in the sun.¡± ¡°Ah, look at him sitting leisurely.¡± ¡°He¡¯s in a very open area. Can I catch you?¡± -- ¡°Let¡¯s come at him from multiple directions and catch him between us.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± As soon as the four gathered, they surrounded the hill and slowly began to narrow their siege. As they crept closer, Hyeon-woo stood up. ¡°Uh, let¡¯s go. Run at him!¡± ¡°Whoaaaaa!¡± Four people began sprinting toward Hyeon-woo, who screamed. Hyeon-woo seemed hit with the realization that he knew he would be caught and held ransom. The four thought so. But there was something they didn¡¯t know ¡ª Hyeon-woo already knew they were approaching. ¡°Kirreuk!¡± A heavy thing landed on Ji-soo¡¯s head, who was running hard. ¡°Kkak!¡± Flustered, she stopped on the spot and brushed her hair, but the monster clung to it and did not fall off. ¡°What, what is this!¡± Then, something smashed into Deok-man¡¯s butt, who was coming from the opposite direction. ¡°Ugh!¡± Though he didn¡¯t fall, Deok-man struggled to keep his balance and faltered in formation. That gap was just enough for Hyeon-woo to escape. Hyeon-woo threaded himself between Ji-soo and Deok-man like flowing water and waved his hand to his new point of safety. At the same time, Spotty and Kero jumped to escape with Hyeon-woo. ¡°Ah, ah!¡± Lee Young, who noticed the fact too late, pointed a finger, but the three of them were already running away. ¡°We missed them!¡± ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll have more opportunities.¡± Ji-soo said while tidying up her messy hair. However, Hyeon-woo was a newcomer. Even if Hyeon-woo¡¯s luck had led to their preemptive discovery, they were forced to retreat because of the monsters. While they were stewing in defeat, the monsters continued finding the marbles one by one and finished the game! Du-gu-du-gu-du-gu! A cheerful drum sound resounded, and MC Soo-kwang exclaimed. ¡°Congratulations! Today¡¯s winner is the Monster Team!¡± ¡°Kirreuk!¡± ¡°Wang wang! Wang wang!¡± Spotty triumphantly circled over their heads while Kero barked excitedly with a puffed chest. ¡°I lost. We lost.¡± Jae-yeon sighed and said. ¡°We had so many, I really thought we would win!¡± Ji-hong said with a sad expression on her face. ¡°How are these monsters so smart? Are the other monsters just as smart?¡± ¡°No. Spotty and Kero are particularly smart.¡± At those words, Spotty and Kero pushed out their chests further. ¡°Wow, really!¡± ¡°Then, is this over? Really over?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so unfair! Let¡¯s have a revenge match!¡± ¡°Alright then. Normally I would just end it, but how often do we get something like this? Let¡¯s have a revenge match.¡± Saying so, Soo-kwang took out a box and showed it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°This box has several different games written on paper! We¡¯ll draw one to determine what we do for the revenge match. The losing side makes the draw.¡± ¡°Me, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Ji-soo raised her hand. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s let our Ji-soo. She¡¯s usually lucky.¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± ¡°Well then~¡± Ji-soo put her hand in the box and felt around. She took out a note and unfolded it. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Eating Contest?¡± ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Nice one! There will be a lot to eat! One person from each team will come out at a time to eat. They can be swapped out with other team members. The team that eats the most wins.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± For a moment, people¡¯s eyes turned to Spotty and Kero. ¡°It won¡¯t grow bigger, right?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s worth a try, ya?¡± How much would they need to eat to take back their pride? The members of the Human team gained new resolve. ¡°I mean, I even got 3rd place in the eating contest!¡± Ji-hong smiled and came out first. They were served mini hamburgers and given 10 minutes. From Hyeon-woo¡¯s side, Kero came first. ¡°But can dogs even eat hamburgers?¡± ¡°Not normal dogs; so owners at home take care not to feed your pets human food. Kero is a monster, so he¡¯ll be ok.¡± ¡°Aha, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then, the eating contest starts now!¡± Ding! With the sound of the bell, Ji-hong began to rapidly inhale the mini hamburgers. ¡°They¡¯re going at about the same speed!¡± Each time Kero opened his mouth, he swallowed one hamburger. ¡°How¡¯re you hanging in there? Does your stomach feel like it¡¯s gonna explode yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got this. It¡¯s easier than I thought!¡± While the team members were chatting, Ji Hong ate more than 20 hamburgers. ¡°I can keep going!¡± As she passed 30, Ji-hong¡¯s eating speed gradually slowed down. But Kero was still swallowing the hamburger with an expression reminiscent of a Tibetan fox. ¡°I, I can¡¯t do it anymore.¡± In the end, Ji-hong backed off and Jae-yeon stepped up. He also worked hard, but he couldn¡¯t beat Kero. Around that time, Kero switched places with Spotty. ¡°Wang.¡± It was not because he was really hungry, but because he was tired and was excited. Spotty, who exchanged with Kero¡¯s place, rubbed his front paws gently in anticipation. Lately he had been obsessed with human food. Spotty didn¡¯t even swallow one at a time. He used his long snout to bite three at a time, swallowing and chewing them together at an incredible speed. ¡°I feel cheated.¡± Lee-young swapped in and rapidly emptied the plates in front of her, sprinting through the end of the challenge. ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°This is a foul! Foul!¡± Lee-young said while biting the hamburger, but Soo-kwang shook his head. ¡°This is a kind of a suicide goal. The competition continues.¡± ¡°Argh, where¡¯s the next one!¡± ¡°Here. Is it even worth still trying now?¡± That also made sense, so Lee-young shut her mouth again and started eating. Although they worked so hard, the second match of revenge also turned out to be a victory for the Monster team. Hyeon-woo hadn¡¯t even come out yet. ¡°Uah, at least it was fun!¡± Ji-hong held out her hand while saying that. Hyeon-woo also held out his hand and smiled. ¡°We had fun too.¡± ¡°Will you come back on the show again? I want to play with the Spotty!¡± Ji-soo was also enthusiastic. ¡°I want to play with Kero!¡± Lee-young spoke up, and Deok-man rose to shake hands as well. ¡°I really enjoyed today. It seems like it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been this into the games.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After the rest of the team members exchanged pleasantries, MC Soo-kwang wrapped up the challenge and filming finished for the day. *** After shooting the episode, Hyeon-woo lazily rolled around. He enjoyed his peaceful day with Do-jin, Seon-woo, Spotty, and Kero. ¡°Hmm.¡± Hyeon-woo, who had slept in, got up from his seat and wriggled down on the sofa. Seon-woo wanted his Hyung to lead a regular life, but that was easier said than done. He was barely active with Seon-woo present, returning to laying down once his younger brother left for work. Do-jin did not actively dissuade Hyeon-woo. ¡°Eat breakfast and go to bed.¡± He sat the limp Hyeon-woo down and placed a tray in front of him. Eggs and bacon with piping hot oatmeal. Hyeon-woo liked Korean food, but the occasional Western meal wasn¡¯t bad either. When he finished eating half asleep, Do-jin patted him on the back. At first, this behavior was very awkward; who did it? But humans are animals of adaptation. Hyeon-woo slowly began to adapt to Do-jin¡¯s behavior. It was at this time that he fell asleep in Do-jin¡¯s arms for a long time while his body digested the meal he ate. He woke up back up at 12 o¡¯clock. ¡°Lunch will be ready around 1 o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± The hours were long. CH 50 Hyeon-woo yawned again and turned on the TV in a daze. Spotty greeted him on the screen. ¡®How many times has it been rebroadcast?¡¯ Do they usually do reruns like this? Hyeon-woo scratched his head and flipped through the channels to watch monsters and people he didn¡¯t live with. He heard the doorbell amidst his lazy morning. Sometimes Seon-woo would ring the bell to have his Hyung welcome him, so Hyeon-woo lifted his heavy body. Looking at the screen, it was indeed Seon-woo waiting outside. Seon-woo smiled after the door opened and stepped inside. ¡°Hyung.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± After greeting Seon-woo, he realized that there was someone else behind him. It was Chan-young, the Deputy Guild Leader. ¡°Hello?¡± Chan-young bowed politely and came inside. ¡°I came here to tell you something.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Before Hyeon-woo had the chance to hear the message, Seonwoo cut in as if he already knew. Chan-young wrinkled his brows with distaste with what he was to say. Chan-young looked a little timid in front of Seon-woo. ¡°What is it?¡± In response to Hyeon-woo, Chan-young turned on the tablet he was holding and handed it to him. There was a social media profile page floating on it. ¡°Byeolstar?¡± ¡°Spotty and Kero are popular right now. We think you should have a separate Byeolstar account. Of course, if it bothers you, you don¡¯t have to do it!¡± As Chan-young said so, he glanced at Seon-woo¡¯s eyes. Actually, the Deputy Guild Leader wanted to capitalize on Hyeon-woo¡¯s recent fame. Since Spotty and Kero got on the air, there had been a lot of phone calls, fan letters, and gifts pouring in. Chan-young believed they could seriously raise the Seon-Hyeon Guild¡¯s image. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it.¡± Seon-woo firmly said. ¡®I¡¯ve seen some Awakened do it, but I¡¯ve never given it thought.¡¯ Still, if Chan-young thought so, it must be beneficial. Aside from being weaker than Seonwoo, Chan-young was quite a capable person. ¡°You would just need to post a picture once in a while. We¡¯ll take care of comments and other management!¡± Chan-young worked hard to appeal to the good points of being on Byeolstar: Corporate image would improve, citizens would think more highly of it, and this would be helpful to the guild. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it if Spotty and Kero weren¡¯t gaining traction, but they are surprisingly popular. They¡¯re kinda the mascots and you could be more of a cheerleader! You¡¯ll never fight have to fight anyways.¡± Since there is no way not to fight at all, Hyeon-woo would need to occasionally follow Seon-woo into a dungeon-type portal. Rather than teasing or fighting with his brother, Hyeon-woo would play a different role. This seemed to be the intention. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Seon-woo spoke again. Do-jin came close looking interested in the conversation, but did not give his opinion. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Would it be difficult to just take a few pictures and post them? Hyeon-woo nodded his head and said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chan-young¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to do it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. What¡¯s so difficult about it?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll create an account for you.¡± ¡°I know how to create an account.¡± ¡°Of course, then you can do it yourself.¡± Chan-young replied with a brightness in his voice, as if he felt more at ease. ¡°Please allow us to screen content before you upload it as a precaution.¡± ¡°Ok I will.¡± And that was Hyeon-woo¡¯s beginnings as a Byeolstar. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Hyeon-woo leaned back on the sofa with the tablet. Signing up wasn¡¯t too difficult. Ji Hyeon-woo (Photo of black Spotty).jpg (It¡¯s blurry, but recognizable picture of a furry individual).jpg Take good care of me #Monster #Spotty #Kero After writing a brief introduction, He took a picture of Spotty and Kero. He took a picture of them lying on the rug without any particular angle to decorate and uploaded the first picture. He just uploaded this because he didn¡¯t need to get approval. ¡°Should I have used more props?¡± I think the picture I posted is too simplistic. Hyeon-woo pondered for a moment, then brought a small doll and placed it next to Kero. ¡°Wang?¡± It seemed better than nothing. He also tried putting a cushion next to Spotty. It looked awkward. This time, he picked up Spotty and placed them on the cushion. This one looks pretty plausible. ¡ºGreat, upload¡» Hyeon-woo smiled and posted a picture. Office worker A was browsing the internet news on the way home from work. He was browsing to see if there¡¯s anything new, and he suddenly gets a message from a friend. Hey hey, have you seen it? What? Spotty and Kero are on Byeolstar! Really? Surprised, he opened Byeolstar and saw a plain account. An account with no picture of the main account, only a name and a short introduction, ¡®Ji Hyeon-woo and the monsters¡¯. There were some photos posted there, but as soon as Mr. A saw them, he immediately burst into laughter. ¡°Pfft!¡± Feeling stares around him, he quickly covered his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t help the laughter coming from within. The first picture was of Spotty. But from a little distance, he looked just like a black stone on a rug. It seems that they wanted to take a picture of a cute figure lying on a rug, but the result was a mess. Just in case, he looked at the next picture but the level was not significantly different. In the era of advanced mobile phone functions, it was not difficult to take great photos without holding a camera. But what a launch shot like this! It was unfortunate yet so funny. In particular, it was more so that it seemed that he had put a lot of effort into it. At first, he only took pictures on a rug, then a cushion was created, and then a small doll was added. ¡®I want to take a picture of them.¡¯ Mr. A looked at the picture while giggling and sent a text message to his friend. Ji Hyeon-woo, are these actually his photography skills? It seems real He¡¯s bad at taking a picture too Sobb. My spotty, my kero! Give me your pictures! They weren¡¯t this ugly! They were so much cuter on the show! Why didn¡¯t someone else take a picture of them? I know. I should leave a comment. The friends cried and kept talking. This¡¯s kinda weird. Hyeon-woo had only posted a few pictures, but the number of followers was rapidly climbing. Hyeon-woo watched his phone ring like crazy until he finally managed to turn it off with Do-jin¡¯s help. He then read the comments and realized he had a big problem. ¡®I¡¯m bad at taking pictures?¡¯ Do-jin¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly as he read the comments from the side. He seemed to be laughing. ¡°How the hell did you take the picture?¡± ¡°I thought I posted some good shots.¡± Hyeon-woo grumbled and showed his gallery to Do-jin. Looking at them, Do-jin was at a loss for words. He knew that Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t very familiar with modern technology other than game consoles, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. There were pictures where Spotty looked like a stone, Kero had two chins, and something blurry like a meme. ¡°You could do with some practice.¡± ¡°Are they that bad?¡± ¡°Would you like to try taking a picture of me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Determined to take a better picture, Hyeon-woo opened the camera and pointed the lens at Do-jin. The Do-jin on the screen was a proud man. Cool eyes, a tall nose, and charming lips. The original is so good, why ruin it? Hyeon-woo immediately took the picture. Click. At the sound of the shutters, Do-jin came back. Hyeon-woo opened the photo album, and immediately alternated between the picture and Do-jin in shock. He looked good in pictures but Do-jin¡¯s picture was nothing compared to the real thing. ¡°Strange, what¡¯s wrong with this? I¡¯ll take one more shot!¡± Hyeon-woo pointed the phone at Do-jin again. ¡°Yes.¡± Do-jin took a leisurely pose. However, the picture didn¡¯t come out well. ¡°Why, why!¡± All of the pictures of other Byeolstars were pretty. Why are you like this? It couldn¡¯t be like this. Hyeon-woo pursed his lips and thought hard before coming to a conclusion. ¡°I need to change my phone.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the latest phone?¡± ¡°Is this the latest phone?¡± He just didn¡¯t know because his Dongsaeng bought it for him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you buy a camera instead?¡± ¡°Alright. That must be it!¡± Hyeon-woo decided to buy a new camera. Since the allowance given by Seon-woo was sufficient, he got permission and prepared to go out with Do-jin. He could just ask Seon-woo to buy it, but he thought he¡¯d learn some tricks from an expert. ¡°Wait.¡± Do-jin, who was watching Hyeon-woo come out dressed casually, handed over a hat and sunglasses that he had prepared in advance. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo is popular. I think it would be better to cover up a little more.¡± The popular ones are the monsters. Would someone show that much interest in him, an ordinary person? Not even a celebrity. Still, since Do-jin had given him them, he put on the hat and sunglasses. They reached the lobby, where Chan-young was waiting with a few people. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to go out alone. We¡¯ll trail you but you won¡¯t even know we¡¯re there.¡± If they openly followed him, they would attract attention. This level was quite understandable. Just as he was about to go outside, Seon-woo arrived. CH 51 ¡°Are you going out? What do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to buy a camera.¡± Seon-woo thought for a moment about Hyeon-woo¡¯s words. He wanted to say not to go out because he would buy the best camera for his Hyung. Or to wait to go together after his work was done. ¡®But that would be selfish.¡¯ When his Hyung was involved, he was insatiably greedy. It was probably because they had been apart for so long. Seon-woo suppressed his desires and settled on saying, ¡°Be safe and stay vigilant.¡± At the same time, Hyeon-woo rejected the card he was trying to hand over. ¡°I have enough money. You gave me plenty last time.¡± ¡°But you never know. This has a high limit, so you can buy anything you want.¡± Unbeknownst to Hyeon-woo, the offered card could easily buy a foreign car. However, Hyeon-woo shook his head and gently pushed Seon-woo¡¯s hand back. ¡°It¡¯s enough?¡± Hyeon-woo smiled as he held Seon-woo¡¯s hand holding the card tightly. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t taken a picture with Seon-woo since he was 10 years old. He had nothing to take pictures of, and above all, life was very difficult. He was so busy living that he never even thought of taking pictures. He wanted to take a picture with Seon-woo after he got the camera. ¡°I will be back.¡± Hyeon-woo waved his hand and went outside with Do-jin. Kero was put on a dog leash and trotted beside him, while Spotty went into the bag on his back. He wanted to leave them behind, but Seon-woo insisted that he take the two of them with him always. After all, they were monsters that were of great help. Like that, Do-jin and Hyeon-woo made it to a large camera store. At the center of the store, where all kinds of cameras were lined up, Hyeon-woo put on a troubled expression. He didn¡¯t know which to buy! ¡°Welcome. Are you looking for anything?¡± ¡°A camera that even beginners can take good pictures with!¡± The staff started guiding him with a smile at his abrupt response. ¡°If you are just starting out, how about a digital camera? It¡¯s easy to take pictures with and it¡¯s not difficult to transfer the photos to a computer or phone.¡± ¡°Can I try it out?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Hyeon-woo took the digital camera with trembling hands and took a picture of Kero. ¡°The dog is cute.¡± Fortunately, the staff didn¡¯t seem to know Kero¡¯s identity. He seemed to be no different from any other dog. ¡°Shall we look at the picture you took?¡± A friendly, smiling staff member moved the photo to a nearby laptop and opened it to show the photo. There was a lump of pitch-black shadow that seemed to have risen from hell. ¡°Um?¡± The staff stayed blank for a while, then checked the camera again. Then he put on a puzzled expression. The lighting in the store wasn¡¯t bad, and the dog was cute, so why did this picture come out? The stabilizer for shaky hands was also included. He asked him to take a picture with a different camera just in case, but the picture that came out didn¡¯t change much. ¡°...It seems that you are still very clumsy with photography.¡± ¡°Is there any way to take a good picture? Wouldn¡¯t a more expensive camera be a little different?¡± ¡°There are no shortcuts for every road. Practice. Practice is important.¡± Sometimes there are people like this. A person who can¡¯t take a picture no matter how good the camera is. In this case, practice was the only way to achieve better pictures. The staff recommended a digital camera at a reasonable price and repeatedly asked him to practice. In the end, Hyeon-woo had no choice but to leave the shop sullenly with a camera box. If Seon-woo had seen it, he would have immediately assigned a famous photographer as his teacher, but he wasn¡¯t there at that moment. Instead, he was with Do-jin. ¡°Since you bought a camera, shall we go and look around for a while?¡± ¡°Around where?¡± ¡°Practice is important, so why don¡¯t you take pictures of the things nearby?¡± ¡°Yeah, practice!¡± Hyeon-woo¡¯s determined attitude reappeared. The two headed to the Han River. Fortunately, the camera was somewhat charged. Click. Hyeon-woo started walking around and taking pictures. Clouds in the sky, buildings in the distance, pigeons roaming nearby, and Kero jumping between them. As he took pictures with excitement, the number of pictures quickly passed a hundred. Then, when he suddenly looked around, he saw Do-jin smiling faintly, looking at the distant sky. Click. His fingers moved without realizing it. Do-jin looked back belatedly, but at that time he was already photographing something else. ¡®Why did I turn away so fast? I don¡¯t have anything to hide.¡¯ Why did he pretend he didn¡¯t take a picture of Do-jin and start aiming at something else? Hyeon-woo tilted his head, but there were no explanations coming to mind. After leisurely spending a few hours, they returned home. ¡°You¡¯re a bit late.¡± Seon-woo, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, spoke in a rough voice. ¡°I was practicing taking pictures.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± His younger brother was cute even when he was sulking. Hyeon-woo quietly took out his camera and focused it on Seon-woo. Click. ¡°Hyung?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too cute.¡± As Hyeon-woo smiled and said that, Seon-woo¡¯s expression twisted. Why, of all things, now! His expression must have been weird. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Seon-woo went into his room, changed his clothes, and came out. Then he sat back down on the sofa and took position. He looked like a model in a magazine. Whose younger brother was this handsome? Hyeon-woo smiled. ¡°You can take a picture now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Hyeon-woo took dozens of pictures. He was excited to take a picture and lowered the camera, but Do-jin held out his hand. When he held the camera without thinking about it, he gently pushed Hyeon-woo¡¯s back. ¡°Sit next to your brother. I¡¯ll take a picture of you together.¡± Come to think of it, he had said he wanted to take a picture with Seon-woo too. Hyeon-woo quickly went and sat down next to Seon-woo. Kero, who was staring at them, jumped up and got in between the two, and Spotty also slipped out of the bag and poked his head between his shoulders. Seon-woo made a disapproving look, but didn¡¯t push the monsters away. ¡°Smile.¡± They heard the sound of the shutters. ¡°How does it look?¡± As soon as the picture was taken, Hyeon-woo stood up and immediately approached Do-jin. Seon-woo was also curious about the photo and followed suit. On the small screen, he could see Seon-woo and Hyeon-woo together. Seeing it made his heart tear up. ¡°Can you print this out?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Then print it so I can keep it.¡± His younger brother had already grown up and changed a lot, but there were still some things that hadn¡¯t changed. The two of them were still family. ¡°Print one for me too.¡± Seeing Seon-woo ask Do-jin for a favor, Hyeon-woo reached out and grabbed his large hand. ¡®My dear younger brother.¡¯ The two looked at each other and laughed silently. It was a heartwarming moment. And Do-jin, who was looking at the two of them, gave an unnoticed bitter smile for a fraction of a second. Click. After that, Hyeon-woo wanted to add taking pictures to his list of hobbies, but it was only for a while. ¡®It¡¯s not easy to take pictures either.¡¯ It was definitely a hobby that required effort. After he devised the composition and took a picture, he needed to correct and printed it. The process was too tedious for him. Moreover, his photographic skills were not improving at all, and all of them reminded them of the psychic picture memes. As a result, there were more days when Do-jin held the camera instead of Hyeon-woo, and pictures taken by Do-jin started to be uploaded to Byeolstar. Ji Hyeon-woo (Kero yawning).jpg (Spotty eating).jpg A picture taken by a Hyung of mine. #Monster #Spotty #Kero #Stargram Comments Doesn¡¯t it seem like his photography skills have suddenyl improved? He said he bought a camera in the last post. Even so, it didn¡¯t seem like his skills had improved at all. I know, right? What¡¯s going on? Ah, the reason is written on the photo today. A Hyung I know took the picture. Who is this Hyung?¡¯ Is it the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild? Rumor has it that he always sticks around with Ji Hyeon-woo? Wasn¡¯t that just a rumor? Why would he stick around? I don¡¯t know Anyways, the kids are cute. I don¡¯t know who it is, but please keep taking the pictures. Yo! I have to leave a comment! Please continue to take cute pictures! Hyeon-woo, who was looking at Byeolstar, read the comments aloud. ¡°Please continue to take pictures.¡± ¡°You mean me?¡± ¡°Yes, you know what my pictures are like.¡± A cursed skill that did not improve no matter how many times he practiced. ¡°Still, you¡¯ve gotten a little better.¡± ¡°A little, a little.¡± It was fortunate that it was an era in which science had advanced. In the old days, the photos would have been even more miserable. Hyeon-woo looked up at Do-jin as he lay down and rolled around, then looked away. TV was doing a special broadcast for the upcoming November. It was a mountain covered with autumn leaves, and the roadside trees that were dyed yellow were very pretty. ¡®Ah, it¡¯s that time soon.¡¯ The day he would never forget was approaching. Every year around this time, Hyeon-woo would go on a rampage in the Demon Realm. ¡®I¡¯ll always take care of your birthday.¡¯ He would arrange birthday presents he couldn¡¯t give, blaming himself for not keeping his promises. He left everything in the Demon Realm, so he didn¡¯t have anything, but he still remembered it. A necklace made from the teeth of Red Drake, a magic stone obtained from beating a demon, a yut nori game set made from the wing bones of Balrog, and so on. There were dozens of similarly collected items. If the fairy gave him a little more time, he would have brought them somehow. But now he couldn¡¯t. That was right. November 15th was quickly approaching. That was the 22nd birthday of Ji Seon-woo, his one and only younger brother. CH 52 When they were younger, they had been unable to celebrate his younger brother¡¯s birthday properly. Despite wanting to celebrate like others, -their circumstances made it difficult to put on a small party. It was hard for him to make a living ¡ª forget buying a cake. Hyeon-woo did all he was able to, buying a loaf of bread and putting a candle on it. He normally gifted a notebook or pencil. Seon-woo smiled at the memory, but it remained sad in Hyeon-woo¡¯s. ¡®I want to treat him properly this birthday.¡¯ Like how everyone else did it, Hyeon-woo wanted to buy a pretty cake at a bakery, cook meat, and get his brother a proper gift. ¡®I still have a problem ...¡¯ Hyeon-woo still didn¡¯t have any money. There was a lot of money on the card Seon-woo gave him, but the moment he used it, Seon-woo would find out that he was preparing for his birthday. Besides, getting someone a birthday present with their money felt weird. ¡®Money. I need to get some money.¡¯ Hyeon-woo¡¯s eyes widened and he opened an employment website. He wanted a short-term part-time job for a few days. Seon-woo hated him going out alone, but what if it was just for a day? While he was thinking that, he heard Do-jin¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°Do you need money?¡± Hyeon-woo was surprised out of his focused efforts. He was so preoccupied with Seon-woo¡¯s birthday that he didn¡¯t even notice Do-jin approaching. It wasn¡¯t like this in the Demon Realm. Even still he noticed right away when Kero approached. It seemed that he had become very relaxed after coming here. Hyeon-woo realized this and answered Do-jin. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in need of some.¡± ¡°For Ji Seon-woo¡¯s birthday present?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Hyeon-woo looked at Do-jin with surprise. ¡°I have money, but I¡¯m guessing you need money of your own. And I just heard that Seon-Hyeon Guild Leader¡¯s birthday is coming up.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Is it a secret from Seon-woo?¡± ¡°Yes, shh.¡± Hyeon-woo put a finger to his mouth. ¡°But it seems like working part-time would be difficult.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your face is already known.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if I wore a mask and a hat?¡± ¡°Even if you get permission and go out, there will be bodyguards attached to you. You¡¯d still get caught right away.¡± ¡°I can pretend that I want to work part-time to save up to buy something for myself.¡± He didn¡¯t think his brother would be fooled by his excuse, but as popular as he was in the public¡¯s eye, he wouldn¡¯t go unnoticed by one or the other. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make money some other way?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Like filming a CF [1] or something like that.¡± It was risky for him to go outside. Do-jin knew that staying inside was good for Hyeon-woo¡¯s safety. But thinking about the look on his face when he bought a camera not long ago, he thought it might be a good idea to go out once in a while. He would protect him somehow. He hoped Hyeon-woo would be able to do what he wanted to his heart¡¯s content. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too big a thing to do?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯d be a better cover for his birthday preparations.¡± Hyeon-woo accepted Do-jin¡¯s advice. He decided to shoot a CF. The news reached Seon-woo first. ¡°Why do you want to do a CF all of a sudden? You said it was annoying the other time.¡± ¡°I just got a little interested.¡± ¡°All of a sudden?¡± ¡°At first it felt annoying, but after seeing the short film, it looks fun.¡± He evidently had no talent for lying. It was quite difficult to hide the truth, especially from his brother. But fortunately, Seon-woo didn¡¯t ask too much. ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll tell the Deputy Guild Leader. Hyung can do whatever you please.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Hyeon-woo left Seon-woo behind and quickly looked for Chan-young. ¡°A CF that makes you the most money?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Are you doing this because you need money?¡± Chan-young asked with a confused face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to use Seon-woo¡¯s money for this.¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s determined words, Chan-young spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping the money they paid for your appearance on that variety show. Can I just issue it to a card?¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°This is about it.¡± Chan-young wrote down the amount and showed it to him and Hyeon-woo immediately smiled broadly when he saw it. It seemed that this would be enough to buy all the cakes, meat, and birthday presents he could possibly want. Giving this amount for one broadcast appearance, do broadcasters have a lot of money? ¡°Then you¡¯re not going to film a CF, are you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What do you need the money for? You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Hyeon-woo thought about it for a while, but soon he came to the idea that he, the Deputy Head of the department, would know about Seon-woo¡¯s birthday. Other guild leaders also threw huge parties every year, so Seon-woo probably did too. Then it might be better to mention his plans in advance. He wanted to take care of it personally, but since there would need to be some preparations at the guild level, he thought it would be better not for them to overlap. ¡°Seon-woo¡¯s birthday is coming up soon.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s the Guild Leader¡¯s birthday soon.¡± ¡°The guild must have prepared something, right?¡± ¡°No. The guild doesn¡¯t normally prepare anything.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Hyeon-woo, freaking out, asked again. ¡°Why not? Other guilds throw huge parties!¡± Some rented a building in the outskirts of the city or rented a cruise. They rented a large space wherever, invited people, and held the birthday party. But Seon-woo¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t celebrate their Guild Leader¡¯s birthday at all? ¡°Because the Guild Leader doesn¡¯t like making a big deal of it.¡± He didn¡¯t like his birthday? Seon-woo used to love his birthday so much. A few days before his birthday, he would already be diligently preparing for it. In case his brother had forgotten, Seon-woo would circle the 15th on the calendar with red colored pencil and brought up his birthday several times a day. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the reason the guild doesn¡¯t celebrate specific birthdays.¡± ¡°Do you know why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been asked about it before by reporters during interviews. Wait a minute.¡± Chan-young rummaged through the bookshelf on one side of his office and pulled out a magazine. Like a fashion magazine, it had a stylishly dressed woman adorning the cover. Hyeon-woo immediately looked for and flipped to the interview section. Q. It is now the middle of autumn. Isn¡¯t it your birthday coming up? A. That¡¯s right. Q. November 15th, right? Now, let me ask you something to clear up some of the questions. Why don¡¯t you celebrate your birthday every year? You said you don¡¯t accept even the smallest of gifts, is there a reason for this? A. A birthday is a special day for me. Only on that day, my Hyung, who was busy every day, would come home early to celebrate with me. Even though I knew he wasn¡¯t able to do much, I¡¯d keep talking about it because I was afraid my Hyung would forget my birthday. Q. You were so cute when you were little! A. I wonder if I was cute. I don¡¯t know. Q. So you don¡¯t celebrate your birthday right now because you have no one to be your Hyung? A. (Ji Seon-woo-ssi answered with a smile. However, the smile was filled with sadness, making even the reporter feel his pain.) Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand that held the magazine gradually regained strength. He had a thought of this once in the Demon Realm. He wanted his younger brother to be happy even without him. But he also hoped he wouldn¡¯t forget him. Even though he knew that it would contribute to Seon-woo¡¯s sadness, he couldn¡¯t completely abandon his selfishness. And the moment he saw the reason why Seon-woo didn¡¯t celebrate his birthday, he was happy even in the midst of his heartache. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡¯ Hyeon-woo held the magazine and covered his face. ¡°Don¡¯t crumple it. It¡¯s a magazine I barely managed to get a hold of.¡± He heard Chan-young¡¯s nervous voice, but he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. After Hyeon-woo managed to control his expression, he took down the magazine. ¡°Let¡¯s throw a birthday party.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell Seon-woo. Let¡¯s party bigger than other guilds! If there¡¯s not enough money, I¡¯ll shoot a CF!¡± ¡°Seon-Hyeon doesn¡¯t lack money to the point we can¡¯t host a birthday party. But a big birthday party? There¡¯s less than two weeks to plan and throw it.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying we can¡¯t?¡± Chan-young laughed at that. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t do. Anything is possible. Please only get the permission for it.¡± One just needed money and people. And Seon-Hyeon was a guild rich in both. He didn¡¯t know if the invited guests would attend, but it would work out somehow. Chan-young had been wanting to celebrate Seon-woo¡¯s birthday similar to other guild leaders, hence his quick agreement to Hyeon-woo¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get Seon-woo¡¯s permission and report back!¡± The completely secret birthday plans had already been blown away. Hyeon-woo left the office of the Deputy Guild Leader and headed towards Seon-woo¡¯s office. He said while opening the door vigorously, ¡°Let¡¯s have a birthday party!¡± ¡°?¡± Seeing Seon-woo staring at him with a surprised expression, he shouted again. ¡°Let¡¯s have a birthday party!¡± ¡°Whose birthday party?¡± ¡°Your birthday party!¡± At Hyeon-woo¡¯s words, Seon-woo smiled softly. ¡°It would be nice if you could do it for me.¡± ¡°Right? Then, where should we have it? A party on a boat? A hotel on the outskirts? Or do you just rent a building and set it up from scratch?¡± Seon-woo¡¯s expression, which had been smiling softly, slowly cracked. However, the excited Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°Do you really have to do all that?¡± ¡°But you said you¡¯ve never had a birthday party so far and everyone else does it like that!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what everyone else does.¡± That statement encouraged Hyeon-woo¡¯s actions. Doing this and doing that. He wanted to make it possible for them to have a splendid birthday just like they saw on TV. ¡°What if we kept it small?¡± ¡°How could I allow that? Up until now, I haven¡¯t been able to celebrate your birthday properly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fine though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± It really was the truth. His Hyung blamed himself for not taking care of his birthday, but they were all happy memories for Seon-woo. That was why he didn¡¯t celebrate his birthday anymore after Hyeon-woo disappeared. However, Hyeon-woo came back again and now it was November. His heart started pounding at the thought of being able to celebrate his birthday again. But his Hyung didn¡¯t seem to be satisfied with that. ¡°Hyung, do you want me to have a big birthday party like everyone else?¡± Seeing Hyeon-woo nodding his head, Seon-woo quietly buried the idea of the birthday he wanted. ¡°Great. Then let¡¯s do it big this time.¡± When he said that with a playful grin, a smile appeared on Hyeon-woo¡¯s face as well. Yeah, all he needed was for Hyung to smile. There were many birthdays left in the future. For this birthday, he decided to do whatever his Hyung wanted. Footnotes: [1] CF - Commercial Film CH 53 How does one set up a fancy birthday party? He¡¯d need to get a large place, lots of decorations, delicious food, and so on. However, if anyone were asked to name the most important of the preparations, they would unanimously agree: Guests. Different kinds of guests should be there. They determined the quality of the party. That was why Chan-young carefully chose who to send the invitations to. First, he had to send invitations to all the guilds in the top 5 in Korea. He carefully evaluated the guilds. Thanks to rumors going around of a birthday party being held, he received many requests for invitations, but he had no intention of accepting them all. Although time was extremely short, invitations had already been sent abroad. ¡®I hope we can get most of them to come.¡¯ The time had come for RSVPs to start coming in. Chan-young checked them and moved busily. ¡ª ¡°What. A birthday party invitation?¡± Ga-jun looked at the invitation before him and made a puzzled expression. To this point, Seon-woo hadn¡¯t had a birthday party, so why now? Was it because his brother returned? Ga-jun took out the invitation and looked inside. The party was at a building on the outskirts of the city. It was an area people didn¡¯t go out to often, but if the organizer was Seon-Hyeon, it¡¯d definitely get some traffic. ¡®Should I go or not?¡¯ Considering his relationship with Ji Seon-woo, it might be better not to go. However, it was a party held by Seon-Hyeon Guild, recognized even abroad as the number one guild in Korea. It was clear that many of the world¡¯s influential people would gather. Missing out on a party like that? It¡¯d be a shame to miss such a party just because of their poor interpersonal feelings. ¡®I should go.¡¯ Hye-sun would go, of course, and the little ones Ah-yun and Ja-yun would also go. Needless to say, Han Do-jin lived with him and would attend. It was a bit weird for the Baekho Guild to be left out. His arguments were short-lived. ¡°Tell them we are going.¡± Ga-jun told the secretary who had brought the invitation and sat down. Now it was time to choose a birthday present. ¡°This is really annoying.¡± Come to think of it, Ji Seon-woo had never come to his birthday parties. He felt like he was losing somehow. ¡°Damn it.¡± Curses escaped from his mouth. ¡ª Somewhere in Japan, Junichi, who was training at a training center, woke up to a sudden feeling of another presence. And he received an invitation from an aide who came inside. ¡°Is this the first birthday party Ji Seon-woo has thrown?¡± ¡°Yes, from what I hear.¡± ¡°Then we should go. Please tell him we¡¯re coming.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll as you say.¡± ¡°And try to get an invitation list. Of whom all are coming.¡± ¡°So far, Ivan from Russia and Leon from America have responded yes. I¡¯ll get the rest of the list as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright. You may go.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± When the aide left, Junichi closed his eyes again. Maybe this time if he went to Korea, he might be able to have a fight. Most countries disliked fighting Awakened for the drain on national power it caused, but Junichi didn¡¯t care. He was driven only by the desire to become stronger. He was going to the party, but that didn¡¯t mean he agreed to the rules. Ji Seon-woo had never refused his duels though. So he had to prepare thoroughly from now on. He definitely wanted to beat Ji Seon-woo. No, Ji Seon-woo wasn¡¯t the only one he wanted to win against. Ivan of Russia, Leon of America. In addition, prominent Awakened from each country would be there. He wanted to overcome them all and stand on top. All his training was for that end. Junichi finally got rid of his thoughts and fell into deep meditation. ¡ª ¡°Birthday party?¡± A pale hand pulled out the invitation and the person raised the corner of their mouth. The party was held in a small country, but it was a party that could not be ignored ¡ª a small country that happened to have a lot of strong Awakened and opened portals. ¡°Then I shall go.¡± It was a good opportunity. The white hand stroked the black crystal. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to check the results.¡± Recently, the passageway from the Demon Realm had been opening little by little. Most notable thus far had been the successfully passed Black Drake, and based on this result, it was possible to open a larger portal. A stronger demonic creature could be summoned. Even so, the many notable figures on this guest list would undoubtedly catch on quickly, but that was unimportant. This was just bait. Bait for more chaos. -¨C As the size of the birthday party grew, Chan-young took over most of the planning, leaving Hyeon-woo with less involvement. But even so, he wasn¡¯t all that relaxed; he hadn¡¯t chosen a present for Seon-woo yet. ¡°Argh!¡± Hyeon-woo, who had been looking at the tablet for a while, slipped off the couch and rolled over on the rug. It was his birthday present for his younger brother with whom he had been separated from for a decade, and he didn¡¯t know what to give him. He was given the payment from the show, but the amount put him in an awkward spot. It was an excessive amount to buy an ordinary gift, but it was far from enough to buy something exclusively made for an Awakened person. ¡°Are you still thinking about it?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know what to buy.¡± When he was in the Demon Realm, he had somehow prepared gifts despite the setting. The environment was better now, but why was it so difficult? Hyeon-woo stretched out his hand and pulled Kero into a hug. Come to think of it, Kerberos¡¯ teeth were fairly strong. Spotty¡¯s teeth could also be used. ¡°Ke-ke-keng!¡± As he thought about this, his hands moved. Because of that, Kero, whose mouth was forcibly opened, jumped backwards in fright. Spotty had already been hiding behind Do-jin for a long time. ¡°Ji Seon-woo seems to be happy with whatever I do for him.¡± That was it. A kind and gentle younger brother would smile and accept anything his Hyung gave him. However, the desire to give something better was in Hyeon-woo¡¯s heart. As he now had access to more money, he began to think a lot. He couldn¡¯t do simple anymore. ¡°Can I help?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I can help find out what Ji Seon-woo wants.¡± This was a bit tempting. ¡°Then may I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Whatever you need.¡± Do-jin replied with a smile. Apart from these worries, the preparations went by just fine. An old building in the outskirts had been transformed into a building with a modern atmosphere, and the rough ground had been properly tidied up. The interior was decorated to fit a party, and the airport was noisy every day from all the Awakened coming in for Seon-woo¡¯s birthday. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was like this even when the Baekho Guild leader threw a party.¡± A subordinate who followed Moo-hyuk to the airport exclaimed. ¡°The gap between the 1st and 2nd guilds is huge. And Ji Seon-woo is still young.¡± Awakened had an advantage when they awakened at a young age. Because from the moment you awakened, you could grow according to your efforts. If that was the case, someday Ji Seon-woo would truly be able to stand tall as the world¡¯s No. 1. ¡°That¡¯s why so many Awakened are coming to the country.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But why are monsters brought in?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s because his Hyung is a tamer.¡± ¡°Is it a ploy to buy favor through the monster?¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± In reality, Hyeon-woo wasn¡¯t even a tamer, he only tamed them with his fists, but no one knew about it. ¡°Focus more on this than that. Now the Awakened from Russia, Japan and America are entering the country.¡± At those words, his subordinate also swallowed and straightened his posture. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s annoying.¡± [1] A Honam-type young man with red hair appeared first. He was half-Russian. He was an Awakened flame handler, just like Moo-hyeok. For some reason, one side of his chest was pounding. He wanted to fight. He wanted to, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do that now. Then, the people sent from the Seon-Hyeon Guild began to move. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Ah, the Seon-Hyeon Guild?¡± ¡°Yes, welcome to Korea.¡± From that point on, Ivan stepped back, and someone else dealt with a person from the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Ivan yawned the whole time and moved slowly. Then he spotted Moo-hyuk and stopped his steps. Just as Moo-hyuk recognized him, Ivan also seemed to recognize him. ¡°It¡¯s the same fire ability user.¡± The silence had turned into an unbelievably noisy atmosphere. Long blonde hair and a uniform unique to the Guardian Guild. Some people dressed as if they had come out of a cartoon. They heard that it was less common because they were in Korea, and there wasn¡¯t even a fuss when he visited Japan. ¡°Here, Please look here!¡± ¡°Aaaack!¡± People waved their hands vigorously. Leon passed by, waving his hand between the paths paved by the bodyguards. He could have sneaked out behind the scenes, but seeing him do that, they felt his showmanship was amazing. After those three had passed, it became a little easier for him to control the others. ¡®But the problem will be after this.¡¯ Until the day Ji Seon-woo¡¯s birthday passed, he had to keep an eye on them all the time. The Seon-Hyeon Guild would take care of it, and there was also the Hunter Administration, but even so, he couldn¡¯t take a step back. Moo-hyuk sighed quietly. ¡ª [1] Honam is the Southwest region of Korea, comprising the provinces of Gwangju, South Jeolla and North Jeolla. CH 54 Several foreign Awakened had entered the capital city. It was said that the Seon-Hyeon Guild was in charge of everything, but because of that, a strange tension circulated in the city center. Thankfully, as the days passed, nothing major happened. The few scrapes that happened were quickly resolved thanks to the Seon-Hyeon Guild and the Hunter Administration. And finally, the day came. Hyeon-woo stood in front of the mirror wearing a nicely tailored suit. The slightly purplish garment was not as uncomfortable as he thought it¡¯d be. He¡¯d heard that it was made by a craftsman and the quality certainly reflected that detail. ¡°It looks good, Hyung.¡± Next to him Seon-woo was smiling in a suit with a similar silhouette in a distinct color. Do-jin was strangely missing from the scene. Although he usually stuck to Hyeon-woo like a bodyguard, he was still the Guild Leader of a guild. Before the party was held, he was dragged away by his Deputy Guild Leader. Because of that, Seon-woo was in a better mood than usual. Hyung didn¡¯t have any choice but to wear a suit similar to his. ¡°You look good too.¡± It wasn¡¯t empty talk ¡ª it really was true. He was tall, had a good body, and was handsome, so he looked good in anything he wore. But what more could he say now that he had put on a suit that matched his charm? When Hyeon-woo smiled proudly and praised Seon-woo, Kero barked a lot. ¡°Yes, you are cute too.¡± Kero, who was wearing a cape matching Hyeon-woo, puffed his chest out. Originally, Kerberos was a violent demon. He didn¡¯t know why he was so obsessed with the word ¡®cute¡¯ these days. Besides, when Kero came out, Spotty came out too. Spotty, with a ribbon around its tail, turned around for no reason. ¡°You¡¯re cute too.¡± It wasn¡¯t until after hearing the same compliment that Spotty stopped spinning. ¡°Hyung, the party is starting soon.¡± In addition to the Awakened, many people from the political and business world must have gathered. Hyeon-woo took a deep breath. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Seon-woo closed his eyes and smiled softly. ¡°Of course.¡± Hyeon-woo also answered with a confident expression. And just as he was about to move on, he spotted a familiar person through the windshield. Do-jin was looking at the party from the car. It was admirable to see how he transformed into a plausible character in just two weeks. It was hard to make the time and go meet people like a normal person, so they had to wait until the party was finished. ¡°The preparations are complete.¡± Hyeon-hee, the Deputy Guild Leader, spoke to him from the side. After hearing that, Do-jin looked down at his wrist. A neat suit with an expensive watch he had never seen before. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t the first time he tried on a suit as he had gone to a department store with Hyeon-woo, but it was still a bit awkward. ¡°Do I need to dress up this much?¡± ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t usually make public appearances. I think it would be good to take this opportunity to make a proper impression.¡± Hyeon-hee looked quite excited. Several times he tried to hand over the guild to her and move on comfortably, but Hyeon-hee clung to Do-jin tenaciously each attempt. She convinced him that one day he would definitely need the strength of the guild. He didn¡¯t think that was wrong. He had come this far, but he didn¡¯t know. Was this the right way? ¡°Then let¡¯s go in.¡± Do-jin got out of the car and walked towards the party. There he kept a distance as the eyes of the people turned to him. They were the uninvited people and reporters who couldn¡¯t come inside. ¡°Who is it?¡± One reporter questioned and another reporter answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But anyone who got an invitation must be great.¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious. Look at him. He caught my eye even though he¡¯s so far away.¡± ¡°What is his level of Awakening? He¡¯s tall, has a great body, and looks perfect.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but shall we take a picture for now?¡± ¡°Come on, be patient. If you get caught, you will be chased out of here too.¡± ¡°I came here to find a scoop, but I¡¯ll take something like this.¡± The reporter grumbled and did not lower the camera. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to secretly film little by little.¡± His shutter remained quiet because he had adjusted it beforehand. After taking a few pictures, the reporter began typing on the laptop he had brought with him. Most Awakened had noticed the photographers. However, no one cared to approach and take away the camera. The Seon-Hyeon Guild was patrolling and nothing of consequence would come from them. ¡°It¡¯s better to be known.¡± Hyeon-hee shrugged and said. Being here was proof that each Awakened was known to some extent, so it wasn¡¯t bad for the Peace Guild. ¡°Is that so?¡± Because of that, Do-jin endured it even while feeling displeasure. He didn¡¯t think it was like this when Hyeon-woo held up the camera. He was still a bit uncomfortable when in the eyes of others. ¡°I¡¯m from the Peace Guild.¡± When he went to the entrance and handed over the invitation, the guards let him in. Just like the outside, the inside was exquisitely decorated. ¡°As expected of the wealth of the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± Hyeon-hee¡¯s eyes flashed at the extravagant display. However, Do-jin looked around without giving it any regard. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ He was trying to find Hyeon-woo. However, it seemed that the main characters of the party had not yet appeared. As he exhaled a little in regret and turned around, a woman with distinctive blue hair bumped into him. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± The woman quickly apologized. ¡°But you¡¯re not a familiar face. I thought that I knew almost all of the Awakened in Korea. May I ask for an introduction? I¡¯m Rin from the Baekho Guild. I¡¯m a Healer.¡± ¡°I am Han Do-jin from the Peace Guild.¡± ¡°Han Do-jin, if it¡¯s Han Do-jin¡­¡± Rin¡¯s eyes twinkled. She hadn¡¯t placed the face, but definitely knew the name. ¡®So you¡¯re the guild leader of the Peace Guild?¡¯ She approached him on purpose because he looked good even from a distance, and it seemed like she had hit the jackpot. Rin wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that way. Among those who stared blankly at the newly appeared strong man, those who noticed his true identity began to approach him. The Guild Leader of the Peace Guild was an S-class Awakened. Besides, Do-jin was attractive separate from his title. ¡®He has a different charm from Ji Seon-woo.¡¯ He was a bit taller and bigger than Ji Seon-woo. He was also strong. How was this not attractive? ¡®Where has this person been hiding until now?¡¯ People began to flock to the epicenter of interest naturally. Do-jin made a troubled expression, but he did not avoid the crowd. ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± A-yun, who had arrived before Do-jin, opened her eyes wide as she saw Do-jin. ¡°The Peace Guild Leader is extremely popular. Look. Look, Oppa.¡± As she stabbed Ja-yun in the side, he looked at Do-jin for a moment. However, his interest was just as fleeting, and he resumed his conversation with Ga-jun. She simply wanted to enjoy the party today, but was it too much? A-yun sighed deeply and listened to the conversation between the two. In the meantime, she found Hye-sun firmly exchanging a few glasses from afar. ¡°Hello!¡± Soon after, Hye-sun also joined them. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of foreigners here.¡± ¡°It is Ji Seon-woo¡¯s first time celebrating his birthday.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hye-sun scratched her head and raised a new glass. ¡°The liquor is delicious.¡± ¡°It must be high quality.¡± ¡°He has a lot of money. I¡¯ll have a drink or two before I go.¡± It had been ten years since the Awakened first appeared. Seon-woo hadn¡¯t neglected his relationship with foreign countries, but he had no one he could call a friend. Everyone was keenly aware of the frequent movements of the Awakened. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean anything, but some of them were in contact with foreign countries. And the guild leaders of the top-level Korean guilds gathered here were also maintaining their relationships. ¡°There are quite a few people from Japan, Russia, the United States, and other countries.¡± So, who else were they going to run into today? Hye-sun flipped her hair even as she drank her drink. In a waiting room upstairs, Hyeon-woo was looking down. The front glass windows were structured so that one could see the outside from the inside, but you couldn¡¯t see the inside from the outside. So, he was able to observe downstairs more comfortably. ¡®What was that?¡¯ Unlike usual, Do-jin was elegantly dressed in a suit and surrounded by people. A few Awakened were pushing their bodies onto Do-jin and pretending it was a mistake. He could understand why they¡¯d attempt that move. Do-jin was a capable Awakened, and he was as good-looking as Seon-woo when well-dressed. ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡¯ It was time for Do-jin to get his sister out of his mind and meet someone else. His trauma has stuck with him for so long, staying trapped in his sister¡¯s shadow. He might change when he meets someone new. That was why he had to cheer for him, but it felt strange. Hyeon-woo thought this while scratching the glass window with his finger. ¡®Am I in a bad mood right now?¡¯ Why was he in a bad mood? He couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°Hyung?¡± He heard Seon-woo calling from behind. Seon-woo held out his hand while he tried to understand. And after thinking it over, he figured out why he was in a bad mood. Do-jin wasn¡¯t dressed like this normally. They were people who did not even approach him when he was wearing old clothes and covering his face with his hair. But to see them clinging to him just because his appearance has improved? People like that couldn¡¯t make Do-jin happy. If Do-jin returned to his original form later, what would he do then? ¡®The time we spent together was quite long.¡¯ Sometimes, though, there were times when he felt he liked Do-jin Hyung. He was someone he had grown close to, and he didn¡¯t want to see him suffer again. After quickly rationalizing himself, Hyeon-woo straightened his body. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± To save Do-jin from being buried in the crowd! After he rescued him, this unpleasant feeling would go away. Hyeon-woo took Seon-woo¡¯s outstretched hand and left the waiting room. Kero and Spotty followed closely behind him. CH 55 This kind of attention was unfamiliar to Do-jin. When he was younger he had a stutter and once he was older he ignored anything that didn¡¯t help his purpose. So this was the first time that people had gathered around him and were friendly. ¡°Han Do-jin, the clothes you are wearing today really suit you,¡± a pretty woman smiled. ¡°Peace Guild Leader. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you; I wasn¡¯t expecting that you¡¯d be so tall.¡± Everyone might have had ulterior motives, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy rejecting everyone that approached him politely. He suddenly thought of Hyeon-woo, but today was Ji Seon-woo¡¯s birthday. Hyeon-woo would probably stick to him ¨C- they were family, after all. He wasn¡¯t related by blood to Hyeon-woo, unlike Seon-woo. Thinking this strangely made his heart throb. Unknowingly, it seemed that their bond had deepened. ¡®Well, he¡¯s like a Dongsaeng.¡¯ Since the time he had been put under the illusion curse, he had continued treating Hyeon-woo like a Dongsaeng. It wasn¡¯t weird for him to think of Hyeon-woo as one. ¡°Han Do-jin ssi!¡± Responding to the woman getting his attention again, Do-jin forcibly raised the corners of his mouth. ¡°The view from the balcony over there is nice. Would you like to go see it together?¡± She shyly spoke with a smile. She was flirting with him. He hadn¡¯t dealt with others flirting with him before, so it had taken this long to realize it. ¡®I should probably decline for now.¡¯ She was attractive enough, but his heart was not moved. Just as Do-jin was about to open his mouth to refuse, someone grabbed his arm. His arm began to react instinctively, but unconsciously lost strength in an instant and sagged upon realizing who grabbed him. ¡°Do-jin ssi!¡± It was Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo usually dressed casually in loose-fitting clothes, but today ¨C fitting for the special occasion ¨C he was in a proper suit. A semi-suit with a narrow waist that fit surprisingly well. A smile appeared on his face, which had previously been awkward and stiff. ¡°You¡¯re here already?¡± ¡°I came early. What are you doing over here?¡± ¡°What?¡± Had he forgotten something? While in thought, Hyeon-woo pulled Do-jin with more force. His body, despite being larger than Hyeon-woo¡¯s, was dragged away. ¡°We have to stay together. That way you can protect me.¡± Hyeon-woo appeared grumpy. What was upsetting him so much? Unwittingly, he reached out his hand and gently brushed the other¡¯s cheek. He had touched Hyeon-woo before, but this was the first time he¡¯d treated him like this. Sure enough, Hyeon-woo was surprised by the sudden action. But he didn¡¯t let go of his hand. ¡°That¡¯s Ji Hyeon-woo. But why are you taking Do-jin away?¡± To that, Hyeon-woo replied calmly. ¡°Because he is my bodyguard.¡± ¡°A bodyguard?¡± A Guild Leader was a bodyguard. The people surrounding them began talking. The only people who knew that Do-jin was protecting Hyeon-woo on a regular basis were the guild leaders of the top 5 guilds and people from the Seon-Hyeon guild. It was natural not to know. ¡°No matter what, you are the Guild Leader of a guild; how can you be a bodyguard?¡± Do-jin answered their question, ¡°He¡¯s right. I¡¯m a bodyguard.¡± He admitted it. Then the people around them shut their mouths. ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Hyeon-woo took Do-jin and escaped from the crowd. Then he slipped into a nearby balcony. A few people with regrets glanced at them, but they didn¡¯t catch up. It was because Do-jin, who was being dragged, looked at them with sharp eyes. ¡°Hey, what kind of relationship is that?¡± The people scattered again. And inside the balcony, Hyeon-woo was scolding Do-jin. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°What?¡± Do-jin had no choice but to answer blankly this time. ¡°With how scary the world is, why are you so defenseless?¡± ¡°Was I defenseless?¡± He didn¡¯t think so. He had always been vigilant so that he could quickly respond to whatever happened. But when Hyeon-woo said this, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°Of course. You didn¡¯t stop when the woman groped your arm earlier. Was she the only one? Didn¡¯t you notice that someone else tried to put her hand on your waist as well?¡± No. He was noticing that much. It was just a friendly gesture, so he thought for a moment about what to do. ¡°That is outright sexual harassment. You should have said no and avoided it!¡± ¡°Is it sexual harassment?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± It wasn¡¯t quite like that. What kind of madman could be trying to sexually harass the Guild Leader of the Peace Guild? ¡°Look. Touching you with her arm like this!¡± A slender, white hand gently brushed Do-jin¡¯s muscular arm. Then, it passed through his chest and stayed on his waist. His chest tickled at the trembling hands. ¡°Surely she must have tried to touch your waist like this!¡± Do-jin wished Hyeon-woo would touch him more. At that thought, he unknowingly grabbed the hand that was leaving his waist. ¡°That¡¯s right! You have to do it like this!¡± Hyeon-woo exclaimed triumphantly, whether he knew Do-jin¡¯s heart or not. ¡°I know.¡± It shouldn¡¯t be like this. Hyeon-woo was just worried about him and gave advice. Even knowing that, his hand moved involuntarily. Do-jin¡¯s big hand grabbed Hyeon-woo¡¯s arm. ¡°This is how you do it.¡± Then, a hand that slid down grabbed his waist and pulled him closer. ¡°You mean I have to be careful?¡± Hyeon-woo, who was enveloped by Do-jin¡¯s chest, nodded with a puzzled expression. As he watched the top of his head swaying right below him, a certain impulse soared. ¡®I want to kiss you.¡¯ Do-jin was surprised at the sudden surge of the urge. He didn¡¯t think he ever had such thoughts with his younger sister either. He rubbed his lips with his free hand. ¡®How is my condition right now?¡¯ His mind was fine. It wasn¡¯t even an addiction due to skills or other drugs. But why did he feel this way? When he raised his head, he saw the moon shining in the night sky. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Was it because Hyeon-woo was so cute? His younger sister, Ye-won, was also lively and lovable, but Hyeon-woo was not far behind. It was a little hard to say these things when one sees a grown man, but when Do-jin sees him, his cuteness sometimes made his heart race. ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡± It was a mistake to say it out of the blue. ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± Hyeon-woo, who had a ridiculous expression on his face, returned a sharp answer. ¡°I think you¡¯re wonderful.¡± Hyeon-woo didn¡¯t think so, but he didn¡¯t deny it. Hyeon-woo kept saying something while keeping his head buried in his chest, and he could feel Hyeon-woo¡¯s breath on his shirt. It was ticklish, but he didn¡¯t hate it. Just then, fireworks exploded outside. And a loud bell rang. ¡°I have to go!¡± Hyeon-woo was startled and went away from Do-jin. At the same time, he felt a presence. ¡°Hyung.¡± When he turned around, he saw Seon-woo, the main character of the party, leaning over the entrance to the balcony and looking this way. ¡°Seon-woo!¡± ¡°Time is up, what are you doing here?¡± A sharp gaze poked Do-jin. ¡°We were just talking for a while.¡± ¡°Is that conversation more important than my birthday?¡± When Seon-woo made a sullen expression while doing so, Hyeon-woo quickly rushed towards him. The warmth in his arms faded to cold. After all, no matter how hard one tried, the one without the same blood cannot win. Do-jin let out a small sigh. ¡°No. no, it¡¯s not that. It was an important story, but you are just as important to me!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Hyung. The party will begin soon.¡± ¡°Okay. Do-jin ssi, hurry up and come out too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there in just a second.¡± Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and followed Seon-woo. Do-jin, who waved his hand toward him, leaned against the balcony railing. He tilted his head back and saw the full moon. ¡°Dongsaeng, is that right?¡± He murmured softly and closed his eyes. He was just looking at something different than usual, and it must have been that she was groping for no reason and had an ulterior motive. Do-jin stayed still for a while and straightened his body. He was thinking of going inside and continuing his profession of bodyguard that Hyeon-woo wanted him to do. CH 56 People exclaimed in admiration at the sight of Ji Seon-woo, who appeared at the same time as the firecrackers that exploded outside. One could feel the confidence as he walked out of the balcony. The illuminating hero. As in the broadcast, they were different from normal people. Somewhat surprising how Hyeon-woo''s sense of presence was second to none. ¡°He said he was Ji Seon-woo¡¯s Hyung. Neither of them is lacking.¡± ¡°I know.¡± People who had looked down on Hyeon-woo after seeing him on TV changed their minds. ¡°Ji Seon-woo is like a lion. There¡¯s no way the Hyung of the lion, who¡¯s the king of beasts, could merely be a cat.¡± "I''ll have to take a more cautious approach." Seon-woo passed through the murmurs and went back to his original place with Hyeon-woo. After confirming with him, Chan-young let out a sigh of relief and exclaimed. "We welcome the distinguished guests who have come to the party hosted by the Seon-hyeon Guild today. Please enjoy it to your heart''s content.¡± With those words, soft music played in the hall, and the birthday party began. There were no grandiose greetings or welcome ceremony, but it was enough to enjoy it the way one wanted because each person was meticulously cared for. However, simply having fun could not fulfill the purpose of coming here. So some people began to move slowly. First, Seon-woo was surrounded by people, and then Hyeon-woo also began to gather a crowd. ''I''m sure it''ll be a nuisance.'' He tried to escape, but even if they were weaker than him, they were all Awakened. It seemed unreasonable to escape openly in such a wide and open space. As he was tickling Kero, whom he had hugged for no reason, someone bumped into his back. It was Do-jin. With Do-jin supporting him, he felt at ease. Hyeon-woo felt that he could overcome the somewhat troublesome task. ¡°Ji Hyeon-woo ssi.¡± The first person to speak was a red-haired foreigner. ¡°I am called Ivan of Russia. It is an honor to be able to meet in person someone whom I have only heard about through rumors.¡± At the same time, he gently curled his lips, which was unpleasant. Because his eyes weren''t smiling. He didn''t want to get close to the Russian, but it was Seon-woo''s birthday party. He couldn''t make him look bad here. Hyeon-woo smiled because he wanted the party to continue smoothly until at least they cut the birthday cake he had prepared. "Hello, nice to meet you. You must have come from afar." ¡°I¡¯m from America.¡± Then he looked at Leon from the other side, who was driving people around just like Seon-woo. Maybe it was because it was a famous American guild. They were very popular even though they were not the hosts. But wasn''t that the same here? Right now, Ivan was attached to Hyeon-woo, but he was in a situation that wasn''t much different from Leon''s until just now. This man was the son of the head of the best guild in Russia. It was a once-in-a-moon case in which a son became an Awakened after his father, and his power was said to surpass his father, who was called the Russian Brown Bear. ¡°Ah, the music has changed. I know this too.¡± Ivan still held out his hand to Hyeon-woo with a smirk. ¡°Would you like to dance with me?¡± For a moment, his expression almost contorted. Ivan was also a man, he himself was a man too. But he wanted to dance together? They were two people who stood out, but if they did something like that, it seemed like all eyes would be on them. So the moment he was about to refuse, a hand reached out from behind. The big, tough hand grabbed hold of Hyeon-woo''s hand from where it was and gently pulled it toward him. He was dragged away and ended up leaning against Do-jin''s chest. ¡°I have a previous engagement with him first.¡± Do-jin spoke in a quiet but determined manner. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for the next dance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reserved that one as well.¡± ¡°Then the next.¡± ¡°I think you know what the answer will be.¡± Ivan¡¯s smile hardened. ''You¡¯re angry.'' Hyeon-woo looked at Ivan while holding Do-jin in his arms. Seeing this, it seems a bit amusing. ¡°You are an interesting person.¡± ¡°That one is also funny enough.¡± It was the first time he had ever seen Do-jin refuse to lose even a single word like this. He wondered if something might happen, but Ivan unexpectedly quietly withdrew. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get so hot on a good day like this. I¡¯ll look forward to next time." After Ivan got farther away, Do-jin naturally turned Hyeon-woo around and held his hand again. ¡°Then shall we dance?¡± "Ok?" What did this person just say? Wasn''t that what he said to stop Ivan? When he stood there blankly because he didn¡¯t understand, Do-jin let go of his hand and stood right in front of him, bending his waist. Then he bowed politely and held out his hand again. ¡°Would you like to dance with me?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± It didn''t seem like it was this hard even when fighting against the demons who were ranked top in the Demon World. There was a lot of curiosity in the gaze looking at this side. ¡°Are you really like this?¡± Hyeon-woo clenched his teeth and said, but Do-jin just laughed and didn''t back down. What was in it was a bit of grumpiness, mischief, and sincerity. He had nowhere else to go. ''Let''s see!'' Hyeon-woo grabbed Do-jin''s hand, which he reached out to him. "Gladly." The two made their way to the center of the hall. Some happy people were dancing there, and they went in between them. ¡°Just so you know, I can¡¯t dance. I''ve never danced before." Hyeon-woo whispered in Do-jin''s ear he belatedly remembered. ¡°Well, come to think of it, I¡¯ve never really danced before.¡± "What?" Then what were they doing! Embarrassed, his body naturally became tense. There must have been music playing, but he couldn''t hear it properly. ¡°What were you thinking!¡± As he hit Dojin''s arm with his fist, his body was pushed back little by little. ¡°You are stronger than you look.¡± "That''s not what''s important right now!" ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t we try to roughly match the music?¡± Then, Do-jin put his other hand on Hyeon-woo''s waist. Then he began to move his feet, leading his stiff body. ¡°Just follow my lead.¡± He said he didn''t know how to dance, but Do-jin skillfully led Hyeon-woo by moving his body in a very comfortable manner. Despite stepping on his feet several times along the way, Do-jin¡¯s content smile never faded. As he kept looking at him like that, it seemed that the tension gradually eased. His steps started to feel more natural. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t know how to dance.¡± No matter how he examined it, this wasn''t a person who didn''t know how to dance. It seemed like he was just trying to make fun of Hyeon-woo. Had it not been for this situation, he would have been more flexible. ''I was nervous too.'' After he disappeared, it seemed that there was pressure to do well because it was his brother''s first birthday party. As soon as the tension was released, the music filling the hall was clearly heard. He didn''t know the name of the song, but it sounded really nice. Now he knows how to match the rhythm quite a bit. After playing around with his feet a few times, he started to feel excited when he turned around in a big circle as Do-jin led. It was quite enjoyable while the music was short if it was short and long if it was long. By the time the song ended and the next started playing, Do-jin and Hyeon-woo''s dance was over. ''It''s more fun than I thought.'' Hyeon-woo smiled with a different expression from when he started. Should they dance one more time? He didn''t know the next song, but with Do-jin, he would be able to dance just fine. Thinking so, he was about to extend his hand again, but someone pulled Hyeon-woo from behind. ¡°Seon-woo-ya?¡± ¡°Next with me.¡± Why was his cute little brother so grumpy again? Seon-woo naturally took Hyeon-woo''s hand and moved toward the center of the hall. Do-jin, who was left alone, looked back at something, standing there and looking down at his hand. But for a moment, Do-jin raised his head and waved his hand at Hyeon-woo. Beside him were Spotty and Kero. Seon-woo was a bit more skilled than Do-jin. He was good at both dancing and leading, so he was much more comfortable than when he was dancing with Do-jin. But strangely, what he kept thinking about was Do-jin''s face. ¡°Hyung, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°Our Seon-woo. You¡¯re such a good dancer, don¡¯t you think? Did you learn it?" "A little." ¡°How is this level just a little?¡± After pouring out compliments, Seon-woo''s sullen face returned to normal. ¡°Hyung is good too?¡± "I''m just following you." Hyeon-woo shrugged. Even after one song was over, Seon-woo didn''t know how to be satisfied. The childish little brother let go of his Hyung only after dancing three songs. The time to cut the cake was approaching. The music faded again, and the lights in the hall went out. But no one was surprised here. Most of them were Awakened so they knew the order. This could not have been more agitated. ¡°Next there will be a cake cutting ceremony!¡± Then, lights fell on the two of them standing in the center of the hall. "Let''s go, Hyung." Hyeon-woo stepped forward to congratulate his younger brother on his birthday. CH 57 Some people like to party, while others don¡¯t. ¡°Why, why did I lose at rock-paper-scissors!¡± Even while the party was in progress, portals could open, and monsters could pour out. That was why there was someone who had to remain in the guild just in case, and it was decided to arrange the 2nd and 6th teams. The first team was selected from the top teams and one team was selected from the middle teams. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, team leader.¡± ¡°But why! I¡¯m good at rock-paper-scissors! To lose at a time like this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fate.¡± The deputy team leader looked out the window with a dejected expression. The party must be in full swing by now. ¡°Seon-woo niiim!¡± The deputy leader¡¯s actions made the team leader cry again. Basically, those who entered the Seon-Hyeon Guild were similar. They admired Ji Seon-woo, who was stronger than anyone else. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that there were no people who came in with the idea of wanting to join a large company, but eventually, as time passed, they changed their minds. She couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated when she saw Ji Seon-woo fight even once. That was why the deputy team leader fully understood Lena, the team leader of Team 2 who was crying. ¡°I didn¡¯t think a portal would open today. Ehyo. I just wanted to go to the party.¡± Lena was muttering with her cheek against the desk when suddenly a sharp notification sounded. Upon hearing the sound, Lena jumped to her feet, and her deputy team leader quickly pressed a button located nearby. A huge portal is about to open in Myeong-dong! Measurements suggest that it is most likely an emitter gate. Asking for help from the Seon-Hyeon Guild. Lena quickly stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She packed her weapons and inspected the armor she was wearing. And just as she was about to leave, she heard another notification. A gate has opened! Monsters are pouring out. The location is Gangnam! Quick help is requested! Despite the sudden request, Lena was not taken aback. Because she had more teams waiting. But the notifications didn¡¯t stop there. A gate appears to be opening in Eunpyeong! No, not just Eunpyeong! Gates are now appearing simultaneously all over the place. There were ten places in Seoul alone, but the numbers were staggering if the other provinces were included. Moreover, all of them were release-type gates. The faces of Lena and her deputy team leader went pale. ¡°Contact the Guild Leader! I¡¯ll go somewhere nearby first!¡± It wasn¡¯t just to the Seon-Hyeon Guild that the request came in. Other guilds were also moving quickly at the frantic requests. Normally, this would have been enough, but with the sudden opening of the gates and the people who had not been able to evacuate, the conditions were becoming the worst in many ways. *** ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± People stopped at the bizarre circular entrance that suddenly appeared in the middle of Gangnam. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a portal?¡± ¡°Why is it open here? But there was no warning today.¡± It was rare for a portal to open without warning. ¡°Yeah?¡± If the portal was open, they would have been notified in advance to evacuate. The Awakened guarding the portal were also nowhere to be seen. A few immature people had already started to stand around it and take pictures or videos. And five minutes later, hell opened in the middle of the city. Krrrrk. The first thing that jumped out of the entrance was a dark red wolf. When a wolf the size of a cow jumped out, a person recording nearby froze. The wolf did not hesitate to take advantage of such a good opportunity and immediately charged at the person, baring its sharp teeth. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± Someone pulled the screaming man by the scruff of his neck. It was an Awakened who happened to be nearby. Lucky for the men, bad for the Awakened ¡ª his level was not high. ¡°Run away quickly!¡± Still, he did not run away. If he ran, most people would die. Humans cannot overcome the speed of wolves. ¡®I don¡¯t even have a weapon.¡¯ He sighed and stepped in front of the wolf. ¡°Quick, call 511!¡± It was a number to urgently report when a portal or monster appeared. It was only then that people hurriedly picked up their phones. ¡°Just a little, let¡¯s hold on a little bit longer.¡± The closest guild was the Seon-Hyeon Guild. If they moved fast, help could get there in no time. The Awakened looked at the portal with a pale face. *** The cake was chosen and prepared by Hyeon-woo. He chose the large, white cake because he wanted to give his brother a memorable birthday and this cake shone under the lights. ¡°I¡¯ll light a candle.¡± With those words, Hyeon-woo lit each candle and went out. He was only 22 years old. Hyeon-woo wanted his younger brother, who had more years left than years lived, to continue to be happy in the future. ¡®One more to light ...¡¯ He brought the lighter towards the last candle. Suddenly, he felt a huge force pressing down on the party. Thud. The sound of something heavy falling. The chandelier on the ceiling swayed like crazy, then it quieted down. After that, people started to mutter. A few people took out their cell phones, and others followed suit. When Chan-young answered the phone, his expression hardened. ¡°Gates are opening simultaneously across the country.¡± That was enough. Seon-woo stepped forward and said. ¡°The party is over.¡± ¡°Oh, damn it.¡± Hye-sun scratched her head and stepped forward. ¡°Looks like everyone got the same news.¡± At that, Ga-jun shrugged. ¡°They said the standby team has already been dispatched.¡± ¡°Us too. What about you?¡± Ja-yun answered Hye-sun¡¯s question. ¡°So have ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still not enough?¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°First of all, we have to send all the escort personnel back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that too.¡± Beside Hye-sun, Ga-jun nodded and reached into his jacket to take out the poisoned bottle. ¡°Hey, why did you bring poison to the party?¡± ¡°In case I fought Ji Seon-woo.¡± ¡°On his birthday? You¡¯re like a poisonous snake.¡± ¡°What a surprise. Aren¡¯t you glad though? Because I¡¯m properly prepared.¡± ¡°I am too.¡± Hye-sun took out her shield from her space bracelet. Ja-yun also spoke with his sister as he prepared for battle, ¡°A-yun ah, you should also go with the others. Get as far away from here as possible.¡± A-yun shook her head in disagreement. Even she, a normal person who couldn¡¯t sense what was happening, could tell something was going to happen here soon. Judging from what was occurring all around Korea right now, it was probable that a gate was about to open here too. ¡°Is it very dangerous?¡± ¡°A little.¡± Ja-yun replied with a bitter smile. Actually not a little. It was because the energy he felt was getting stronger and stronger. How high will this power level rise to? He had an uneasy feeling. Therefore, all of the low-level Awakened at the party were sent out. ¡°I¡¯ll stay!¡± Several people offered to stay, but the guild leaders refused. ¡°Other areas are also seriously being affected right now. We need to direct others there anyways. Leave it to us here.¡± After sending everyone out like that, there weren¡¯t even ten people left in the empty party hall. The top five Guild leaders in Korea, as well as Ivan from Russia, Junichi from Japan, and Leon from America. ¡°I think you can go out too.¡± Ga-jun said, but they did not move. ¡°Can¡¯t I watch it?¡± Junichi asked calmly. ¡°No. What do you want to watch anyways? Don¡¯t you have any intention of helping?¡± ¡°Nah, you guys should be able to handle it.¡± Even if they tried to help, there were many things that got in the way because of various problems and negotiations between countries. But even so, he didn¡¯t want to leave this place. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving either.¡± When the eyes watching from the side disappeared, Ivan calmly spat out his words and agreed with Junichi. ¡°Hu, you unlucky bastards. Then what about you?¡± Ga-jun tried to hold back the swearing and asked Leon. ¡°South Korea and the United States have long been allies. Wouldn¡¯t it be right to help if I can?¡± Leon was better. However, Hye-sun wrinkled her brow and grumbled because she didn¡¯t like the other two¡¯s answers. ¡°Are they trying to get attraction?¡± ¡°By the way, Nu-nim, aren¡¯t there only five S-class awakened people here?¡± With Foreigners excluded, he counted. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°But do we really need to be here?¡± ¡°You know why, don¡¯t you?¡± Hye-sun patted Ga-jun on the back. The amount of energy gathering was unusual. It was enough to get goosebumps even on the backs of S-class Awakened people. ¡°Yeah, but ...¡± ¡°Then wait patiently. Look, the gate is opening.¡± Small cracks in the air began to grow. A crack, the size of a human head, quickly became large enough for a car to pass through, and because that was not enough, it grew even bigger. ¡°Hyung. Get out too.¡± Seon-woo winked at Chan-young, who was still there. Then, without hesitation, Chan-young stood up and hugged Hyeon-woo like a bag of rice. ¡°What? Hey! Wait!¡± Hyeon-woo tried to pull himself out, but Chan-young grabbed him and started running. ¡°Kirrk!¡± Spotty and Kero, who had been crying their voices out the entire time the portal appeared, tried to follow, but Hyeon-woo waved his hand. ¡°You stay there! Seon-woo, protect Seon-woo!¡± In an instant, the distance began to widen. The party hall, which seemed large, became smaller and smaller. People who had left earlier began to appear, but Chan-young did not stop. CH 58 Chan-young, who had been running, stopped after he caught up to A-yun and the people from the Seon-Hyeon guild among the party ahead. ¡°Stay safe.¡± Chan-young, who put Hyeon-woo down as if throwing him away, turned around. He seemed to be going back to the party. Hyeon-woo reached out to him when he got down to the floor, but he was already running far away. ¡®What¡¯s going on.¡¯ Hyeon-woo tousled his hair roughly and looked in the direction he came from. There was an intense, demonic force coming. ¡®I have to go back.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t leave his brother alone in a place like that. No matter how strong Ji Seon-woo was, he was his only younger brother. As he put his foot forward with that thought, someone grabbed his arm. ¡°No.¡± It was A-yun. ¡°We are helping by staying back.¡± No. If he used his strength properly, having Hyeon-woo by their side was much more helpful. He had been hiding his strength for several reasons, but now he was done. His brother¡¯s safety was more important. Hyeon-woo took A-yun¡¯s hand away and strode forward. ¡°No way!¡± People from the Seon-Hyeon Guild blocked his way, but they couldn¡¯t catch Hyeon-woo. He didn¡¯t seem that fast, but he cleverly slipped through the crowd. Compared to other Awakened, he didn¡¯t look like someone with relatively high stamina. ¡°Come back!¡± He heard A-yun¡¯s voice from behind, but he ignored it and ran. His body that had become heavy from inactivity gradually lightened. It was also just a matter of time that he would catch up with Chan-young, who was returning. Chan-young, who turned around at his appearance, said with a surprised expression. ¡°Why are you following me!¡± ¡°How could I leave my little brother alone!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not alone! Go back.¡± Chan-young stopped and once again blocked Hyeon-woo. ¡°If you are there, the guild leader will get nervous and won¡¯t be able to fight properly!¡± Why couldn¡¯t this person properly grasp the situation? Chan-young looked back and forth between the party leader and Hyeon-woo as he suppressed his anger. He had to run right away and help the Guild Leader, but he now had to take him back. Would he be able to reach in time if he left him back? Chan-young, who gritted his teeth and pondered, came to a quick conclusion. No, time was running out, he would not be able to bring him back and then return to the party. If so, there was only one way. He said, pushing Hyeon-woo behind a large wall nearby. ¡°Don¡¯t move from here if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± He couldn¡¯t help it now. Chan-young knew that Hyeon-woo had Phoenix¡¯s guardian. That item blocked three attacks regardless of the size of the opponent¡¯s attack. If that was the case, it would be okay to leave Hyeon-woo alone. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Having said that, Chan-young turned around. In the meantime, the power that had pushed the party hall to its limits bloomed. The rift, which had grown to a terrifying size, stopped expanding only after destroying most of the party hall. And the owner of the power he had felt until now began to appear through the cracks. Krrng. The beast groaned. Even though it was just that, goosebumps ran down his spine. The first thing to appear was an elongated snout. The mouth, covered with shiny black scales, opened, revealing bizarre teeth. Then, a long tongue flicked through the air and began to roar. Krwa-rwa-rwa-rwa! Spotty seemed nervous at the sound and raised his tail. Despite its similar appearance to Spotty¡¯s actual form, this one was different. His body began shaking and he was breaking out in a cold sweat. Kero was only doing slightly better. He had returned to his original form with feet firmly planted on the ground. This was an unusual opponent. It was not known whether Kero and Spotty would be able to win even if they fought with all their might. It was felt by the people here as well. Junichi, who had been leaning on a pillar that was intact the whole time, stared at it and grabbed his sword. A spark began to rise from Ivan¡¯s hand, and Leon also started preparing for battle. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s going crazy.¡± As Hye-sun, the tank, stepped forward with her shield, Ja-yun began manipulating the wind. Ga-jun released his poison into it. ¡°What about you?¡± As soon as Ga-jun asked, Chan-young jumped inside and stood next to Seon-woo. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m roughly ready.¡± Although it seemed that they were not the only ones prepared. He had no choice but to say that to relieve tension. Before they knew it, the animal¡¯s head came out of the gate. Then came the neck, hard chest, teeth, and forepaws with sharp claws. ¡°Is it a real dragon?¡± The others thought Ga-jun was right. Although Spotty had been called the Black Drake, it seemed that a real black dragon was emerging. ¡°This is terrible.¡± Hye-sun let out a deep sigh. ¡®If he does well, this place will become my grave.¡¯ Why would such a terrible being suddenly appear? Looking at the faces of the people here, it didn¡¯t seem like she would lose, but she didn¡¯t know what would happen to her. Because it was almost certain that she would stand in front of her once holding her shield. ¡®But I can¡¯t run away.¡¯ She clenched her fist and pounded her shield. Hye-sun¡¯s ability was to reduce damage received, and to strengthen her attack ability. She didn¡¯t have the ability to provoke, but she could draw its attention with a commotion. ¡®Now, look here.¡¯ Big yellow eyes looked at Hye-sun. And soon smiled. Despite his reptilian face, it was not difficult to recognize him. His body, which had been slowly coming out, began to pick up speed. The body that seemed to come out endlessly was finally revealed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that size a scam?¡± Ja-yun, who was looking up at him blankly, said. ¡°It¡¯s a scam.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a scam.¡± Ga-jun and Hye-sun answered. On the other hand, Seon-woo was calmly raising water droplets in the air. It was a great weapon by itself, but it would become even more terrifying if Chan-young next to him energized it. Kirk-Kirk-Kirk. The dragon, which took out all of his body, made a strange noise. It sounded like laughter. Spotty shrank even more. And Kero was tilting his head at that point. Still, the dragon felt stronger and more frightening than that. But somehow it looked familiar. ¡°Krrng?¡± Why did it look familiar? Kero narrowed his eyes, but the dragon attacked first. As it turned its house-sized body and swung its tail, there was a sharp wind noise. Hye-sun was the first to block him, and then an attack was made. A whip of water soaked in lightning wrapped around the body, and poison mixed with the wind swirled around him. ¡°I can¡¯t lose.¡± Ivan poured the flames from his hand at the dragon, and Junichi and Leon took up their swords and stepped forward. It was not easy to pierce the scales because he was so big and hard, but he did his best to move. Lightning flashed, ice exploded, and the flames that landed flew as if to burn everything. It was a spectacular sight to see. But even after all that, the dragon was still intact without moving. This didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working?¡± When Ga-jun said that with a nervous expression, Hye-sun opened her eyes and said. ¡°Don¡¯t just talk!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an invincible magic shield!¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± ¡°Here it is!¡± As soon as the words fell, the dragon stood up intact. ¡°Just why you!¡± Saying that, Hye-sun stopped the dragon¡¯s tail from swaying again. It was so heavy that her body was pushed backwards by itself. She kept dealing attacks like that, but the scales were only slightly singed and there were no major wounds. It would be nice if they had a strategy, but this was a monster they had never seen before. Numerous forces poured down on the vacant lot where the building collapsed. Among them was Seon-woo¡¯s ability that stood out, followed by Kero. The flames pouring out of the three heads were not far behind Ivan¡¯s abilities. Krrck. The dragon¡¯s cumbersome movements gradually began to take shape. It looked like it wasn¡¯t familiar with combat. The pattern was simple. Kyaoooo! At that point, Spotty seemed to have gained courage and began assisting in the attack. And that angered the dragon. ¡®How dare you, how dare you!¡¯ The Dragon from the Demon Realm, who had been on the defense, caused trouble. The dragon¡¯s stomach simmered, and his mouth opened. He was going to fire its breath. But the present Awakened weren¡¯t ones to just allow an attack. Attacks poured in, and Hye-sun changed her position. Spotty clung to her head, and Kero did a whole body headbutt, changing the direction of its breath. It was a moment of nervousness. And Hyeon-woo, who was watching it from a little distance away, aiming for an opportunity to intervene, suddenly realized one thing. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that dragon look familiar?¡¯ In the past, when Hyeon-woo lived in the Demon Realm, he had three bikes. Among them, No. 1 was the first he had subjugated, No. 2 was a huge snake that only inhabited the Demon Realm, and No. 3 was the largest dragon among them. Even so, the dragon was young, so he was on the small side compared to other dragons. Hyeon-woo rubbed his chin with his hand and then tried to increase the size of the young dragon he had seen. Didn¡¯t they say that usually after the hatchling season, they grow up all at once? It was a long story, but there was also a lot of resemblance if you looked closely. Actually, the black dragon just resembled him, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. Hyeon-woo slowly began to move forward. The others were busy fighting and didn¡¯t notice Hyeon-woo¡¯s movements. What was the name of Bike No. 3? ¡°Ah! I remembered.¡± Two-eyed. Unlike Spotty, no name came to his mind, so he named it after its most prominent feature. Of course, most creatures had two eyes, but his were exceptionally big. As he got closer, another noticed him. Leon looked at Hyeon-woo and made a surprised expression. When he noticed, it didn¡¯t take long for the others to notice Hyeon-woo as well. CH 59 There was no way an Awakened wouldn¡¯t have known it was a monster. The big eyes that had been looking at them rolled and turned to inspect the approaching human. The reptile¡¯s bright yellow eyes narrowed to slits. Its huge body trembled. ¡®That¡¯s a familiar face.¡¯ His childhood had been perfect. He was stronger than anyone else and was a fearsome being. No monster dared to attack and even if it did, it became a meal. His parents once told him that there were things in the world to be wary of, but the young dragon, having not yet encountered the demonic human, roamed around in triumph. Then one day, he went out farther than usual. He found an unusual creature that looked pale and weak. ¡®Ah, is that a demon?¡¯ He was curious because he had never seen a demon. ¡®Demons are to be wary of. Most are weaker than us, but there are those who can subdue us with a single finger.¡¯ He had heard that, but the existence in front of him didn¡¯t look like it could subdue a dragon with a single finger. So he approached calmly. He was thinking of catching it, doing some research on the demons, and mess with others. ¡®That was a mistake.¡¯ Seeing him proudly appearing, the demon frowned and spat out his words. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡®Kieeek!¡¯ What do you mean by that, he was a great dragon! He shouted loudly and confidently jumped at the demon, and after that he understood the word pain. It was said that he had been beaten to death. The strong scales and tenacious vitality that he was usually proud of were just punching bags that allowed him to be hit more. ¡®Okay, you¡¯re the Bike number 3 from now on. Your name will be Two-eyed.¡¯ The great Black Dragon Harmonia became known as Two-eyed. He was so upset about being beaten that he even tried to ask his parents for help, to no avail. This particular opponent was a terrifying existence that even fought with the first place in the hierarchy of the Demon Realm. He knew at that time that he was a human, not a demon. It was hell for a while after that. When called, he ran as he was called and became a bike. What the heck was a bike? He was even number 3, not number 1 or number 2! ¡°Who am I!¡± His eyes trembled with rage, but he couldn¡¯t escape once he was caught. Life will be like this. The past of beating monsters with our will would not come back. When he thought so, he disappeared. He started hitting the bow again, but there was no one to stop him. The only thing left now was happiness. When he thought that way, he met another being. It was an unknown demon. Two-eyed fought fiercely, but he couldn¡¯t defeat the demon. His parents said that dragons were great beings, but why do they just explode stuff here and there? He was so sad that he felt like crying. ¡®Go in here.¡¯ What the victor, the Demon, wanted was to enter with Two-eyed through an entrance. The entrance was a portal to another world, but Two-eyed, somewhat less magically literate, couldn¡¯t figure it out. He had no choice but to step inside it. But what was this! After passing through the portal, another world was before his eyes. There were even a lot of people there. Just like that terrifying human who was stronger than the demons! Two-eyed stared for a moment. Then he realized that the people here were weak compared to the human he met before. This level could be easily won. A smirk broke out involuntarily. Although the people attacked it, it didn¡¯t hurt much compared to the splendid effect. ¡®Alright, let me show you where my confidence comes from.¡¯ Two-eyed slowly pulled his body out of the portal. If he went back, he would meet that demon, so it was okay to stay here for a while. It wasn¡¯t long before that thought was broken. The face of the new man, who had entered, was strangely familiar. Dragons are an intelligent species; once they have seen something they do not easily forget. ¡®Why are you here!¡¯ Two-eyed closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. But what he saw hadn¡¯t changed. He was still standing in front of him, looking up at him. Two-eyed slowly lowered his head with a frightened expression. Then, after putting his head firmly on the floor, he rolled his eyes again. ¡°Hyung!¡± In the meantime, two of the guys who were fighting were quite good, and one weaker one clung to him. It was common for the weak to entrust themselves to the strong, clinging to him for his protection. ¡®It¡¯s unlucky.¡¯ Two-eyed quietly blinked. It was a sign of submission. ¡°Hyung, why did you come back! Are you crazy?¡± Seon-woo was terribly angry. ¡°Get out immediately.¡± Do-jin pulled Hyeon-woo¡¯s hand and put it in his arms. And since he was about to move immediately, Hyeon-woo urgently shouted. ¡°Wait a minute, just wait a minute!¡± ¡°What are you waiting for!¡± Do-jin also scolded Hyeon-woo, who was nervous unlike usual. ¡°I knew you were fearless, but you shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± ¡°Look- look there!¡± Hyeon-woo quickly pointed at the dragon. The dragon, which had proudly raised its body and arrogantly looked down at the surroundings, was lowering its body like a well-behaved puppy. And he rolled his big yellow eyes, which looked strangely gentle. There seemed to be no intent to attack. ¡°Why is it doing that?¡± When Hye-sun spat out the words with a lot of tension, Ga-jun answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°If my eyes are not wrong, I don¡¯t see any intention to fight.¡± People nodded their heads as if they agreed with Ja-yun¡¯s words. Just a moment ago, it was glaring at people as if to tear them apart. Why did it suddenly change its attitude? The worried eyes turned to Hyeon-woo, who had just arrived. ¡°Hyung.¡± Seon-woo ruffled his hair with his hand. Then he asked in a deep voice. ¡°Is it a similar situation to Spotty?¡± Hyeon-woo answered with an awkward smile. ¡°I guess so?¡± The words also reached the ears of other Awakened. Ivan and Junichi looked puzzled, and Leon crossed his arms and looked at the monster and at Hyeon-woo. ¡°Is taming possible?¡± Actually, it wasn¡¯t taming, but Hyeon-woo nodded at first. And cautiously stepped forward. Seon-woo and Do-jin guarded him by his side. ¡°Two-eyed?¡± When the name was called, the monster blinked slowly. ¡°Come.¡± After saying that, Two-eyed began to slowly draw his body forward. A long neck, a solid chest, and then a torso, which were quite long and large. It was a size that was incomparable to the Spotty. The party hall shook as the body came out completely. It looked like the hall would collapse soon if it stayed like this. ¡°Shall we go outside?¡± Everyone had no choice but to agree with Hyeon-woo¡¯s words. When everyone left the party hall, Two-eyed stretched out his body. Standing against the background of the broken party hall and lighting, the figure looked like a monster from the Japanese prehistoric era. ¡°It reminds me of Godzilla.¡± Hearing what Ivan whistled, Junichi looked at him with an expression of absurdity. ¡°I¡¯m not saying they look exactly the same.¡± ¡°I know that much.¡± Two-eyed stretched and lowered his body again. His behavior was like that of a well-trained dog. ¡°Can you go smaller?¡± He nodded at Hyeon-woo¡¯s words and was enveloped in light. And when the light disappeared, a young man with black hair and yellow eyes stood in his place. Because this was unexpected. Hyeon-woo blankly stared at the handsome young man. ¡®No, I knew it was a dragon.¡¯ If it was a dragon, it was possible to polymorph after becoming an adult. Compared to other black dragons, he was smaller and less childlike, so he didn¡¯t know, but now he was an adult. Hyeon-woo called his name again with some admiration. ¡°Two-eyed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He even knew how to speak. Hye-sun stared at Two-eyed with an expression as if her eyes were about to pop out. She couldn¡¯t even take her eyes off it. ¡°Stop watching, Nu-nim.¡± Ga-jun, who couldn¡¯t see it, covered Hye-sun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah, why! It¡¯s a monster!¡± ¡°To me, it looks like a naked young man. Let¡¯s protect ourselves from the sight.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Hye-sun grumbled, but quietly covered her eyes. ¡°Anyway, this case will remain peculiar.¡± Ja-yun put on a tired expression. Even so, they did not relax for a second. They couldn¡¯t. A huge monster had appeared and now it turned into a human. The battle had stopped thanks to Hyeon-woo, but it was unpredictable what would have happened if they had continued to fight. ¡°Why are things always so complicated with you?¡± Hye-sun let out a deep sigh and turned around. CH 60 ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left to do here so I¡¯ll go to another area to help.¡± How much help would just one S-class Awakened person running around be? She was willing to act selfishly, but she still had a righteous side. That was probably why Hye-sun was trusted by her guild members. ¡°Then me too.¡± Ga-jun also raised his hand and stepped back. He would have liked to stick around and claim a stake in the monster, but he knew it wouldn¡¯t work. Considering the cases so far, Two-eyed would join Hyeon-woo¡¯s team, just like Spotty or Kero. Well, Two-eyed might change its mind and attack humans, but Hyeon-woo was by its side. Ga-jun knew Hyeon-woo¡¯s strength. ¡®Do monsters only gather around monsters?¡¯ It was terrifying. Ga-jun followed Hye-sun and moved his body outside. If he walked a little further, there would be a car in decent shape, and they could leave together. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Ja-yun also joined them. The ones left were Seon-woo, Do-jin, Hyeon-woo, and Chan-young. And there were only three foreigners. As the monster threat disappeared, the people who were standing far away slowly reapproached. ¡°We¡¯d better move quickly, too.¡± Do-jin said that and hugged Hyeon-woo. ¡°First of all, Hyung, please move with me.¡± Seon-woo had to act like any other guild leader, but he was too anxious to leave his Hyung behind. Right now, the monster was staying still, but its behavior might change later on. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go along too.¡± Seon-woo did not reject him. Since he clearly felt the power of Two-eyed, he decided that two would be better than one. ¡°Can I follow you too?¡± Ivan tried to sneak up on him. ¡°You mean without a price?¡± ¡°Looks like the whole country is in chaos, but I¡¯ll give you my strength.¡± Ivan tapped the interpreter device next to his ear and spoke. In addition to interpreting, it was also a communicator, so it seemed that he was listening to various things. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°What can¡¯t you do? Russia is a good friend of Korea.¡± Shameless. But it was clear that it would be helpful to go together. ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± Leon also joined naturally. When the two joined, Junichi frowned and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll help you too.¡± Thinking of the relationship between Japan and Korea, it seemed like he would back down, but he seemed more curious about Two-eyed than national relations. ¡°Very well.¡± Seon-woo did not refuse their help. It was right to use it if it was available. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to put some clothes on you first.¡± Hyeon-woo said while looking at Two-eyed. ¡°Can¡¯t you make clothes?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°I see. Then wear this.¡± He took off his jacket, but it was too small. It was only natural as he looked like he was over 2 meters tall. ¡°Can¡¯t you reduce the height?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± This time, Do-jin stepped forward and took off his jacket. His clothes fit him better than he thought, probably because he was big. The problem was the bottom. It was covered by tying up a torn curtain that was rolling around. ¡°It looks strange.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to bring the clothes separately.¡± Until then, it seemed that he would have to endure like this. Chan-young contacted the other guild members, and the rest of them walked a little and got into a car. When he turned on the broadcast while sitting in the car, a public broadcast was played. Like all channels, it was telling the same story. ¡°Currently, gated portals have been opened simultaneously across the country. Citizens, please do not leave your home and lock the door tightly. If you are outside, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. We will repeat it.¡± Still, the gate that exploded in the city center was easier to deal with. It was because the guilds were concentrated in the city center and people were dispatched quickly. The problem was in remote areas. Such places were far from guilds, and it was common that there were no Awakened waiting. ¡°The government supported it with helicopters.¡± The government was also stepping up quickly, but it was difficult for the Awakened to step forward. Even if it were a flying monster, there wasn¡¯t much they could do in the helicopter. In order to move by helicopter, it was necessary to use an Awakened, who was capable of long-range attacks. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long night.¡± And so it was. That night, no one could sleep because of gate-type portals bursting here and there. By the time they managed to clear the urgent gates, a full day had passed. ¡°Just fuckin- Damnit!¡± Hye-sun, whom he met once in the middle of moving, was swearing. No matter how strong an Awakened person was, there was a limit. But she fought all day long without sleeping, so it was only natural that she was exhausted. The problem was that it wasn¡¯t over yet. Perhaps because Korea was the first place where portals were opened, the number of Awakened people was large and strong comparatively. They all came forward and managed to prevent the situation from getting worse, but the released monsters were still roaming deep in the mountains. Until everything was solved, she had no choice but to take a nap and keep running. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it doesn¡¯t seem like this has happened in other countries.¡± ¡°Why is Korea the only one!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Because of that, it seems that there is a lot of interest from foreign countries.¡± ¡°They were afraid that the same thing would happen to them.¡± Hye-sun and Ga-jun exchanged information. He already knew Seon-woo, but that didn¡¯t mean that talking with them wasn¡¯t helpful. ¡°But there are also rumors ...¡± In the meantime, Ja-yun suddenly intervened. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°That these portal aren¡¯t a spontaneous coincidence.¡± The Yoram Guild was uniquely knowledgeable. The guild leaders¡¯ faces crumpled at those words. ¡°There are a few eyewitnesses. He said he saw someone doing strange things when the portal was open.¡± ¡°Have you looked for information in the middle of this? How great.¡± When Hye-sun exclaimed, Ja-yun grinned naturally. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? We still haven¡¯t clearly defined the criteria for opening the portal, but isn¡¯t this a bit like that?¡± ¡°Right. By the way, Ji Seon-woo ssi. Where are the three foreigners that you were with?¡± ¡°I sent them to a nearby gate.¡± ¡°Wow and they didn¡¯t want to stick around?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t forever, can they?¡± He moderately appeased them and sent them to the nearby gate. Having S-class Awakened people with this level of power flocking together was a waste in itself. ¡°Then what about that monster?¡± Then, Seon-woo¡¯s calm expression cracked. The monster, whose name was Two-eyed, was someone that his Hyung before he knew it. ¡°Still, it¡¯s in human shape. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird calling him Two-eyed?¡± That was the reason. ¡°Because both his eyes are good.¡± What was good about them? Every time Seon-woo looked into his eyes, his stomach was boiling with anger. It was the same with Do-jin who disapproved of him. It was because he had been attached to Hyeon-woo ever since he turned into a human. ¡°Hyeon-woo!¡± He was calling his name like that when he was just a monster. The corner of Seon-woo¡¯s mouth twitched. He didn¡¯t like it in many ways. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡± Even now, Two-eyed was with Hyeon-woo. Even though Do-jin was by his side, he couldn¡¯t be relieved, so he didn¡¯t have time to talk for a long time. ¡°Uuh, yes. Cheer up!¡± After Hye-sun¡¯s fight, Seon-woo parted ways and went back to the nearby barracks. Inside, Hyeon-woo was lying on Do-jin¡¯s thigh. Spotty was sticking to him from the top of the car somehow. Kero was fine, but Spotty was more attached to Hyeon-woo, perhaps because he was afraid of the newly appeared monster. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Unn.¡± ¡°Where are we going next?¡± ¡°Gangwon-do Hangseong.¡± ¡°Another helicopter?¡± ¡°Unn. I¡¯ll send it soon.¡± ¡°Then you should get some rest too.¡± Hyeon-woo stood up and pulled Seon-woo¡¯s hand. Then he tried to lay him down on the bed he was lying on. Seeing that, Do-jin naturally fell to the side at the sight. Seon-woo also had no intention of sleeping on Do-jin¡¯s thigh. ¡°This is delicious!¡± Then a familiar voice came from beside him. It was the new monster, Two-eyed. He was holding a large bag of cookies in his hand, which he was eating eagerly with greasy hands. It was something that looked strangely pure. Still, he didn¡¯t like him. Seon-woo moved to Hyeon-woo¡¯s thigh and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt better with the hand stroking his forehead. ¡°Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t celebrate my birthday properly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fine. All of a sudden, the portal was opened at a time like this.¡± Hyeon-woo let out a small sigh. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with that as long as I¡¯m with Hyung.¡± ¡°Still.¡± ¡°Or should we do it again when this is over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep now.¡± Hyeon-woo gently stroked Seon-woo¡¯s eyes. CH 61 61. Seon-woo barely got any sleep. There were still many areas nationwide in distress. He got up from his place as soon as he opened his eyes. His Hyung and the monsters were dozing, and only Do-jin was awake. ¡°I think you should wake up soon.¡± He wanted to sleep more, but the conditions did not allow it. Seon-woo shook Hyeon-woo¡¯s shoulder, who was sitting and dozing off. ¡°Hyung, you have to get up now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m up. I¡¯m up. Did you get some sleep?¡± Hyeon-woo yawned and asked Seon-woo. ¡°Unn, I slept well.¡± ¡°I need to sleep more.¡± He said it regretfully, but they both knew that it was impossible to do that now. ¡°The helicopter has arrived!¡± There was a loud noise outside, and Seon-woo, Hyeon-woo, and Do-jin went outside. When Hyeon-woo got on the helicopter first, followed by the monster and Seon-woo, Do-jin, who remained last, said. ¡°Please be careful.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going with me?¡± ¡°No, I think we¡¯ll have to split up for a while.¡± Do-jin spoke with a sad expression. The current situation incomprehensible. S-class Awakeners were stronger than most monsters. It would be much more helpful for them to separate than to have a group of them together. ¡°Then see you later.¡± Then, Do-jin seemed to hesitate for a while, then spoke up. ¡°Please call me Hyung next time we meet.¡± After that, the helicopter door closed. ¡°Uh. uh?¡± Hyeon-woo¡¯s expression became blank when he finally understood the meaning of the words. ¡°You want Hyung to call you Hyung.¡± Seon-woo grumbled as if he was in a bad mood. However, the words didn¡¯t come into his ears properly. In the meantime, the helicopter floated in the air and flew toward Gangwon-do Hoengseong. ¡°The situation is worse than we thought.¡± The mayor of Hoengseong said, sweating profusely. Hoengseong was in a mess because the Awakened were dispatched to the city center first. They had evacuated in haste, which resulted in minimal loss of human life. But the monsters got more scattered the more they were neglected. Originally, the Awakened who lived in the area were searching for them, but they were largely ineffective because of their small numbers and team sizes. ¡°Then we should split up too.¡± Hyeon-woo suggest while looking at a map near Hoengseong. ¡°No way.¡± A negative answer came back immediately, but Hyeon-woo did not back down either. In this situation, it was a waste for an S-class Awakened to stick with him. That was why, for the first time, he refused Seon-woo¡¯s protection. ¡°I¡¯ll be ok with Kero and Spotty.¡± Hyeon-woo pointed to Two-eyed. ¡°He hasn¡¯t demonstrated stability yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. He can¡¯t hurt me.¡± It was because Hyeon-woo was stronger. When Hyeon-woo winked at him, Two-eyed, who was holding the snack bag nodded. Now that he had on clothes that fit his size, he looked like a normal young man on the outside. Although his obsession with sweets was somewhat childlike. ¡°How can you be sure of that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been quiet up until now.¡± Even after saying that, Seon-woo did not back down. However, since Hyeon-woo was also stubborn, it eventually escalated into a fight. A chilly wind blew between the two as the mayor stepped down. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you listening!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°I told you I have Spotty and Kero! And what do others think if they see you doing this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what others think.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important!¡± Seon-woo had been separated from Hyeon-woo until now. It was not that he didn¡¯t understand the anxiety it created, but wasn¡¯t it too much? Even Hyeon-woo, who was lazy and hated to work, was well aware of the seriousness of the current situation. There was a shortage of workers. It was necessary to separate here, but the problem was that his younger brother did not want to let him go. ¡°Let¡¯s just split up!¡± Hyeon-woo said firmly. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°We have to.¡± The two stubbornly glared at each other. ¡°Hyung.¡± Seon-woo sighed and said. ¡°I am worried about Hyung. If something happens to Hyung, you will resent me.¡± As he looked at his younger brother who spoke pitifully, his heart was shaken. But he couldn¡¯t lose his resolve here. Right now, Hyeon-woo was a great force in the situation. Being together could have had an adverse effect on Seon-woo¡¯s reputation. ¡°Nothing like that will happen.¡± ¡°What if another dragon-like entity appears?¡± ¡°Two-eyed is there.¡± ¡°If a stronger being appears.¡± ¡°Seon-woo. You know that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Hyeon-woo stretched out his hand and stroked Seon-woo¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You will come back safely. Let¡¯s go.¡± Hyeon-woo persistently persuaded Seon-woo. And he finally succeeded in getting the answer he was looking for. ¡°Be sure to bring your walkie-talkie and call me if anything happens. I¡¯d like to give it to someone else as well.¡± Seon-woo looked at Hyeon-woo, who was walking away, with a sad expression until the end. ¡°You¡¯re too overprotective.¡± Hyeon-woo grumbled and started to follow one of the guides. She was said to be a D-class Awakener and could use telepathy but had no talent in combat. However, using her unique ability, the ghost-like traces of the monsters became clear for people who were looking for them. ¡°I¡¯m thrilled to see Spotty and Kero in real life!¡± She also happened to be a die-hard fan of Spotty and Kero. She kept glancing at Spotty and Kero, guiding Hyeon-woo deep into the mountains. ¡°A series of monsters passed this way.¡± As soon as the words were out, Kero began to enlarge his body. His tall body began to sniff and follow the trail. ¡°Oh right. Come to think of it, Kero is a dog!¡± Su-jin clapped her hands in admiration. To be precise, Kerberos was the name of the species, but he looked like a dog on the outside, so it wasn¡¯t technically wrong. Kero just caught up with the group of monsters that looked like red bulls and roasted them all. This was even without Spotty. Then, the task of finding traces passed from Su-jin to Kero. ¡°It¡¯s so convenient that now I¡¯m feeling sorry for my other colleagues.¡± Su-jin smiled shyly as she made the comment. She suffered herself walking on the mountain road, but seeing her worrying about others, she seemed to be a really kind person. Hyeon-woo smiled and moved together while talking about trivial things. It took about half a day to do that. Hyeon-woo met a familiar face in a fairly deep mountain. ¡°What?¡± Why was he here? Hyeon-woo blinked and looked at the man standing right in front of him. But no matter how he looked at it, it was him. Leon of the Guardian Guild of America. ¡°Hello?¡± It was Leon who called out first. ¡°Have you not returned to America yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to my allies in such a situation.¡± Taking his words at face value, he seemed like a righteous person. However, Su-jin, had an anxious face. She quietly pulled on the hem of Hyeon-woo¡¯s clothes and whispered into his ear. ¡°I can¡¯t use telepathy right now. I¡¯ve never had anything like this happen before.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange. Besides, the routes were coordinated in advance so that no one would overlap. It¡¯s strange that an Awakened from another country is here.¡± Hyeon-woo listened to Su-jin¡¯s story and straightened his head again. He knew why she was unable to use telepathy; from the moment they ran into Leon, a telepathy-blocking aura stretched over the mountain. Even while the two of them were whispering, Leon was looking at him with a smile on his face. He didn¡¯t show any signs of attacking. That was why Hyeon-woo decided to just move on. ¡°Then we will go over there.¡± As he was about to move, Leon took a step forward. ¡°That¡¯s what I have been dealing with. I¡¯d like to talk to you for a while, would you mind?¡± ¡°I have nothing to say. If you have something you want to tell, please tell it through the Seon-Hyeon Guild.¡± ¡°I want to do that too, but won¡¯t that get in the way?¡± There was nothing left to say about this. If it was Seon-woo, he would still be like that. After Hyeon-woo was silent for a moment, Leon continued. ¡°It¡¯s not something bad for you either.¡± Then he moved his finger towards Su-jin. She closed her eyes and collapsed on the spot. He could have stopped the ploy, but she wasn¡¯t dead and only let herself fall asleep to her own favor. ¡°Krrreung.¡± Kerberos showed his teeth and growled. Then, Spotty shook his head in displeasure and flapped his wings. ¡°There¡¯s no harm. It just knocked her out for a moment.¡± Hyeon-woo crossed his arms in a more relaxed manner and looked at him crookedly. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Leon held out a hand and said. ¡°Would you like to hold hands with me?¡± ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a bad offer for you either, Hyeon-woo ssi. I want to keep world peace. I need you for that.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make you a villain?¡± At those words, Leon erased the smile from his face for the first time. ¡°Sometimes you have to bend for justice.¡± ¡°What about the other Awakened, who fainted?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to her enough. So please listen to me.¡± When he lifted his chin as if to say something, Leon spoke again. ¡°Because of what happened in Korea this time, the United States also started a more detailed investigation into portals. And I found out. There are people who artificially open portals.¡± ¡°Why would someone do such a thing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about him yet. But we know we have to stop them. That¡¯s why we decided we needed more talent, and we wanted to recruit Hyeon-woo first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary tamer, right?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be. Spotty, and Kero are also great, but didn¡¯t you acquire something greater than that?¡± Two-eyed. The reason Leon approached him was because of Two-eyed. Support on KoFi: Chapter, 62, 63, 64, 65 Chapter 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 ------ HM: (The best comment from the chapter) There¡¯s a guy in front of you who¡¯s fighting against the top of the Demon Realm Davine: Another day of waiting for HW to reveal his powers¡­ HM: wwwwww I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s waiting¡­ www¡­. By the way, this author also wrote ¡®I¡¯m the Lousy Side Top.¡¯ YRR: I¡¯m with you Davine. I thought he was finally going to say something, and not just rely on his pets. But also, how does SW think he tamed Two-eyed originally? Why wouldn¡¯t he still be in control, especially considering the submissive behavior he immediately displayed? 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