Chapter 10
He was a huge man.
Rather than being outright gigantic, he simply had a well-proportioned, solidly built physique, but considering my current height, he looked plenty huge to me.
“Uh……”
The man seemed just as confused.
He was staring at me with an expression that seemed to ask what kind of creature I was, but apparently, he hadn’t come here with any business involving me.
“Who are you?”
I was surprised by my own words.
Because of my side effect, I couldn’t speak informally to anyone except Seo-ha, but the words had just flowed out naturally without any hesitation.
Come to think of it, that peculiar aversion wasn’t showing any signs of manifesting either.
There had only been two situations like this so far.
The first was Seo-ha.
And the second was when I encountered monsters in the dungeon.
Flutter!
“Ugh?”
I threw the blanket at the man and quickly put some distance between us. Then I asked in a cold voice,
“What are you?”
“What do you mean, what am I? I’m just……”
“A monster wearing human skin?”
The man made a meaningful expression at those words before quietly starting to laugh.
“Well, you’ve got quite the intuition.”
Just as I was frantically searching for an escape route, the man scratched his head sheepishly and spoke.
“I guess once you reach a certain level, your power just leaks out even when you try to hide it? Sorry for startling you.”
“……”
“Yeah. If you sensed this monstrous power of mine, I suppose that reaction is understandable. Still, being too strong can be a problem sometimes.”
For some reason, the man puffed out his chest and raised his shoulders proudly.
Looking at him, I thought to myself.
What the hell is this idiot?
“More importantly, where’s Seo-ha? I was told she was definitely here.”
“Uh……”
This time, it was my turn to be confused.
Was he really not a monster?
“Seo-ha went out to attend an event.”
“What? There are still two hours left.”
Apparently, we needed to have a conversation first.
Choi Ha-min, an S-rank Hunter known to the world as the “Geumgang,” and Korea’s first Returnee, opened Baek Seo-ha’s accommodation door and found a pure-white girl.
Silver hair that shimmered in the light and jewel-like red eyes.
With a blanket pulled over her head, the girl looked like a fairy from a storybook.
Then she suddenly threw the blanket at him and became wary like a stray cat. Apparently, she was the type of Hunter with exceptionally sensitive senses.
A monster, huh.
Considering his current state, he might indeed be closer to one than a human.
Choi Ha-min gave a bitter smile inwardly before beginning a conversation with the girl.
And in the process, they learned each other’s identities.
“Right. I definitely heard about you. So you’re the Returnee who is Seo-ha’s family.”
“……”
Perhaps because both of them had gone through similar experiences, Choi Ha-min and Baek Eun-ha quickly became comfortable with each other.
Once their conversation had reached a natural stopping point, Baek Eun-ha eagerly asked him a question.
“After you returned to Earth, how did you Awaken?”
Choi Ha-min was a Returnee, but at the same time, he was also classified as an Awakened.
However, he apparently didn’t understand the question, so Choi Ha-min merely looked at Baek Eun-ha strangely.
Sensing his gaze, she muttered with an unsatisfied expression,
“…Why?”
“No, I was wondering what you meant. Anyone who returns to Earth with power automatically becomes an Awakened the moment they return, don’t they?”
At least, that was what Choi Ha-min knew.
“Huh?”
Baek Eun-ha widened her eyes as though she were hearing that for the first time and tilted her head.
It wasn’t exactly Choi Ha-min’s type, but honestly, that expression was quite cute.
After he explained things in greater detail, Baek Eun-ha began venting her frustration.
“Then why didn’t I?!”
“How should I know? Unless someone crossed over without accumulating any power on the other side, I’ve never heard of someone losing their power during the transfer.”
In truth, he already knew the real reason because Baek Seo-ha had told him before.
Baek Eun-ha’s memories had all been fabricated by herself, and naturally, there was no way she could actually possess the power that existed in those memories.
But he couldn’t tell her that, so Choi Ha-min concealed his pity and played along with her appropriately.
After soothing the complaining Baek Eun-ha for quite some time, she finally calmed down and collected herself.
In moments like this, she was no different from his little sister when she had been young.
Remembering the day of their reunion, Choi Ha-min naturally smiled.
“Still, you came back safely, didn’t you? I’m sure Seo-ha thinks that’s enough.”
“Of course that’s true, but……”
They had said everything they wanted to say to each other.
So now it was time to talk about something else.
“So Seo-ha went to Building C?”
“That’s right.”
“…But the event venue is the hall in Building A.”
“Huh?”
The fact that she had left two hours early was strange as well.
Something was bothering Choi Ha-min.
He asked Baek Eun-ha, who was wearing a confused expression,
“Want to go pick her up together?”
Two days before the invited event was scheduled to take place.
Helena, an S-rank Hunter whose name was famous throughout Europe, looked at the information delivered to her with a puzzled expression.
“This is rather strange.”
If a simple investigation proved insufficient, she had intended to make use of her status and influence as well.
But unexpectedly, the background investigation into Song Ha-yeon had ended rather anticlimactically.
They had managed to identify the whereabouts of the master who had taught her necromancy.
“Who would have thought she had contacted him simply through an online broadcast……”
Apparently, they had switched to another method of communication somewhere along the way, but the initial records existed, so tracing the rest had been easy.
The owner of the account they discovered lived in a luxury apartment complex in Seoul.
And that was where a problem arose.
Baek Seo-ha.
Helena knew that name as well.
She was a famous Hunter not only in Korea but throughout the world, and Helena had also developed a personal interest in her apart from this matter.
But something about it was strange.
As far as Helena knew, Baek Seo-ha was a highly skilled spearman.
Could spear techniques merely be a smokescreen?
No matter how much she thought about it, that seemed unlikely, but there was always a possibility.
Just as she continued pondering, new information arrived from the Information-type Awakened she had hired.
It concerned another person living in that house.
“…Interesting.”
They hadn’t even been able to determine with certainty whether the person was male or female.
But apparently, one thing was certain: they were a member of Baek Seo-ha’s family.
In that case, let’s start with the closer possibility.
Having made her decision, Helena contacted Baek Seo-ha with an alluring smile.
She wanted to have a conversation about her secret.
And that was how today’s meeting came to be.
“What did you call me here for?”
A special training facility in Building C.
It had originally been designed for another purpose, but it had been specially modified for training and social activities among high-ranking Hunters.
“Well, what do you think my reason is?”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t come here to make small talk.”
Baek Seo-ha’s attitude was cold.
She had probably already realized that Helena had investigated her background, so her reaction wasn’t particularly surprising.
“Please don’t be so impatient. I simply don’t know yet, either.”
Helena smiled gently as she observed Baek Seo-ha’s reaction.
And she thought,
Maybe it’s not her after all?
If Baek Seo-ha really had profound knowledge of necromancy, she wouldn’t be calmly facing Helena like this.
[Groooan.]
[Kieee…….]
[Goooo…….]
At least, that would be the case if she could sense the presence of the dead filling the training facility.
“I’m a little disappointed.”
In the situation just now, Helena had had more than ten opportunities to kill Baek Seo-ha.
Apparently, the rumors that she was close to S-rank had merely been gossip spread by impatient people.
Just as Helena was about to lose interest and leave, Baek Seo-ha responded with a mocking smile.
“Heh.”
“If you want to test me, I don’t particularly mind.”
And where she casually glanced, an undead was twisting its body, desperate to devour a human soul.
It meant she had noticed everything from the beginning.
“Ah……”
Helena’s expression changed when she realized that.
An ominous red light began to glow within her beautiful, jewel-like green eyes.
And in the end, unable to contain herself, she spoke.
“We happened to meet by chance before the event and decided to get a little exercise together……”
The death energy was enough to make one’s mind go blank.
“Let’s go with that story.”
“Ghk! W-Wait! Slow down a little! Ugh.”
Thud. Thud.
Boom.
For some reason, while we were on our way to Building C, Choi Ha-min suddenly hardened his expression and started running while carrying me.
In what people commonly called the princess carry.
“At least…… huff. Carry me on your back!”
“We don’t have time. Seo-ha is in danger.”
“What?”
I wondered what he could possibly mean, but Choi Ha-min’s expression was serious.
So I had no choice but to endure it and simply let my body go limp in his arms.
Bang!
BANG!
When we finally reached the training facility in Building C, explosive sounds straight out of a war movie were echoing from inside.
“Tsk.”
Choi Ha-min clicked his tongue and hurriedly manipulated the controls to unlock the entrance.
We passed through a long corridor and entered the building.
Whoosh.
Rustle.
The scene inside was horrifying.
The interior of the building, which was clearly made from sturdy materials, had been completely wrecked.
“Just the two of them did this much damage……”
Choi Ha-min looked surprised as he forcefully swung his arm.
Whoosh!
The cloud of dust cleared, revealing the figures of two people.
One was obviously Seo-ha.
And the other had a strangely familiar face.
It was the woman I had met in the busy shopping district.
“Huff, huff. Oppa? How did you……”
Seo-ha asked in surprise, but my stomach had been completely turned upside down by the express train ride, so I wasn’t in any condition to answer.
“…Impressive.”
After a brief silence, the woman spoke to Seo-ha, who was catching her breath while leaning against her spear.
“I heard you were close to S-rank.”
“……”
“But from what I can sense, it doesn’t seem like you’re merely close.”
The woman smiled alluringly before letting out a quiet laugh.
“But in the end, this was the wrong answer.”
Then she turned her gaze toward me.
Very intensely.
Sensing that gaze, Choi Ha-min’s expression twitched as he responded.
“Helena, is it? What is the meaning of this?”
“Meaning? We simply spent a little time together.”
“You think wordplay like that will work?”
Choi Ha-min seemed quite angry.
He felt like a completely different person from the one who had been joking around with me earlier.
Seeing this, Helena waved her hand as though trying to calm him down.
“Please don’t be like that. I was simply curious about something. In the end, neither of you has any noticeable injuries, right?”
That was certainly true.
Considering how fierce the traces of their battle looked, there were surprisingly few injuries on their bodies.
It meant both sides had been restraining themselves while fighting.
“Good grief. The event hasn’t even started yet, and you’re already causing trouble.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Helena left with only those words.
At the very last moment, she once again sent me a gaze filled with intense desire.
A brief silence followed.
Then Seo-ha marched over and immediately snapped at Choi Ha-min.
“Do you know where you are? Why did you bring Oppa here?”
“Huh? No, I—”
“Did you forget everything I told you? I said he needs to be managed at the same level as a newborn baby who needs an incubator.”
“Look, I’m not that……”
“And Oppa, you’re a problem too. Didn’t I tell you not to follow just anyone around? Why did you follow someone as suspicious as him?”
“Th-That……”
In the end, I got thoroughly scolded by Seo-ha again.
