By Zephyria 
Edokus, who had shouted reflexively, immediately lowered his voice. It would be disastrous if Gu Yeong-min became displeased and threw him out.
What kind of quest is it? Can I recover some of my strength?
Before explaining, Gu Yeong-min first read the quest window displayed in the air.
[Quest 06]
[Germinate a magical beast seed in the field south of Kaesong.]
[Quest 07]
[Erase the traces left by the chaos grand warrior on Earth.]
“I don’t know the exact details, but it seems your trail was picked up somewhere. Until now, a new quest had never appeared before the previous one was resolved.”
Then, wh-what do I do?
“It’s not like you’ve actually gone outside, Edokus, but since the quest appeared for So-hee as well, I’m going to erase every possible trace. You did disguise yourself whenever you stepped out, even for a second, right?”
I… I did…
Even while enduring Ahn So-hee’s sarcasm, Edokus had steadfastly lived as a shut-in, but whenever he stepped a single foot outside, he cross-dressed. This had been the case even on the walk from Gwacheon to Kaesong.
“Regardless of the quest, there is a high possibility they suspect you are in Kaesong, so please be careful.”
But this time, even if the apostle prepared, it’ll be hard to stop.
Thinking of a future where the Apostle of Death and Beauty was removed and things became safe, Edokus felt a bit more energized.
But these quests… the more I hear about them, the stranger they are. They feel similar to divine utterances, but it’s a method I’ve never experienced before… In Mak Slecht, the god conveys divine utterances to followers or manifests as an avatar because the human spirit and body cannot withstand it. If they touch the god’s true form, they go mad and die, or collapse and die.
“I think I know what you mean. There’s something similar in Greek mythology. Like a human who saw a god’s form and burned to death?”
But a chaos grand warrior like me is different.
Apostles and grand warriors who receive divine protection are also human, so they can only communicate through divine utterances or avatars. However, the chaos grand warrior was not so.
A chaos grand warrior is created directly from chaos, imbued with the energy of chaos, and upon death, becomes a follower who fully returns to the chaos at the foundation of the world.
That’s why direct communication with chaos is possible. As for me, having lost everything and being left as a mere husk, chaos doesn’t even treat me as a follower, which is why it’s silent…
Though he had not been reborn through exuviation like Edokus, Gu Yeong-min also possessed the energy of chaos. As proof, he could sense magical energy. Edokus’s stories about his new origin, which Gu Yeong-min had only vaguely guessed at, were always intriguing.
“I received energy from a chaos grand warrior born on Earth. Perhaps that person devised a different method by referencing divine utterances?”
But the more I think about it, I don’t think they’re a grand warrior. I could share magical energy with a seed bearer, but giving quests like you do was beyond my ability. It feels like they handle magical energy in a different way.
Edokus muttered in a doubtful tone.
In Mak Slecht, there were only grand warriors, so I couldn’t speculate, but could the one on Earth be an Apostle of Chaos?
“Does an apostle have a different power than you, Edokus?”
Typically, an apostle acts as an agent for a god’s miracles, while a grand warrior acts as an agent for their military might. The same applied to the Apostle of Chaos and the chaos grand warrior of antiquity.
A chaos grand warrior primarily moves magical beasts to trample and shake the world as chaos desires. In other words, it is force exerted through the use of magical beasts.
The chaos stagnating at the foundation of the world is an ancient god and a mixture of ancient filth. It exists in all time from the beginning to the end and intervenes in the world. An apostle might be able to move magical beasts to some extent, but…
Edokus shared a cautious guess.
I suspect they might have been granted something related to time.
✽ ✽ ✽
The hunters’ accommodations for conquering the Kaesong field consisted of two-person rooms. Without needing to take any action, Kim Si-baek naturally ended up sharing a room with Tae-un.
The central location of the lodging was, without a doubt, the large training ground. From morning until night, the shouts of hunters training and coordinating their movements could always be heard.
The immediate goal was the S-class magical beasts of the field, but not a single hunter among the fifteen participating guilds worried that this raid would fail. The S-class magical beasts of the field were merely a passing point; what they were ultimately eyeing was the Kun of the Han River.
The joint training of the guilds was closer to preparing for the Kun.
The situation was the same for the 7777 Guild, the Tobazishu Hussars Guild, and the Gabyeolcho Guild, all gathered for the dragonfish raid. They were more focused on other issues than the dragonfish raid itself.
“Even if it’s temporary, we’re a raid team, right? Shouldn’t we have a more plausible name than something like ‘Dragonfish Raid Team’?”
“Right, right. I heard from a friend in the Gaon Guild that they’ve already come up with a name.”
“Since a dragonfish is also a dragon, how about Dragon Slayer?”
“But the Kun isn’t a dragon.”
“The Kun is a fish. Imugis live in water, so they’re fish relatives, and since they become dragons when they ascend, the Kun is a dragon too.”
“What kind of bullshit is this guy talking?”
In a sense, it was a peaceful sight. The only person seriously worrying about the Kaesong field seemed to be Kim Si-baek, who was pondering how Edokus would act.
[Death and Beauty predicts that no matter what Edokus does with the remaining magical energy, it will not be a threat.]
As stated, he was so weak that it was impossible to guess what he might do. Even if one more magical beast were added as before, there were already many magical beasts in the Kaesong field and many hunters to hunt them. They might be caught off guard for a moment, but it wouldn’t be a decisive blow.
Even if he targeted Kim Si-baek’s mind directly, Kim Si-baek was not so naive as to allow an attack he had already experienced a second time.
[Death and Beauty conveys that since the system says it is fine to ignore Edokus, there is no need for great concern.]
Biyendwe’s words were correct, but wasn’t there another chaos grand warrior? Someone whose intentions were unknown in a different sense than Edokus.
‘It would be good if the investigation into the person named Gu Yeong-min yielded results…’
As he stood lost in thought in the corner of the training ground, Justina waved her hand with a bright smile.
“Yo, Si-baek’s little brother! Today, we must have a deep conversation with big sister…”
Attempting to approach Kim Si-baek while Tae-un was briefly away, she was once again caught by Pi Min-hyeong and Seo Gae-un. The two quickly grabbed Justina’s upper and lower body, lifted her up, and nimbly retreated.
“Hey! Do you guys not know how to respect your elders!”
“Ehey, who calls someone in their early 50s an elder these days?”
“You’re at the age where you’d feel offended if someone gave up their seat for you on public transport.”
It was a noisy commotion, but since it had become a familiar sight over the past few days, the hunters soon stopped paying attention. Kim Si-baek simply waved his hand out of politeness.
[Death and Beauty points out that she isn’t actually a big sister.]
“That doesn’t mean I can correct her to ‘big brother,’ does it?”
[Death and Beauty requests a correction, stating that the accurate term is ‘grandfather.’]
“….”
Come to think of it, Justina was, at best, the same age as a late-born youngest child…
While Kim Si-baek was suffering from the reality of a fledgling half his age calling herself ‘big sister,’ Tae-un returned alongside Gwak Yun-sang. It was a relief that he hadn’t heard the previous conversation.
Kim Si-baek cleared his throat and greeted them as if nothing had happened. Tae-un trotted over and linked arms with him.
“Section Chief Gwak, what brings you all the way here?”
“I met Guild Master Tae just ahead. Where is the other Guild Master? I have something to say… Ah! Guild Master Jo! I have a word with you!”
Jo Byeong-seok, who had been talking with guild members, trudged over. Since Justina, who had been captured and taken away, could not be reached by phone, the vice-guild master of Tobazishu Hussars took her place.
“Um, it’s not that a serious problem has occurred. An unexpected guest has decided to observe the raid. They will arrive in two days.”
Having perhaps heard roughly on the way, Jo Byeong-seok asked instead of the silent Tae-un.
“A guest all of a sudden?”
Since there were quite a few wealthy individuals who treated large-scale raids as tourism products, his voice was lower than usual. He couldn’t be pleased with the idea of a life-risking raid being enjoyed as sightseeing.
Before he could misunderstand, Gwak Yun-sang quickly elaborated.
“It’s not someone completely unrelated; they are a magical beast scholar. A doctor named Cloud Carter—do you know him?”