Chapter 117 – GOY 117

#117

“Wow, ​so ​this ​is ​‘Abite’.”

Do ​Hyuk-jin, ​an Esper from ​Seong ​Han, ​gazed ​at ​the small island floating ​on ​the sea with ​sparkling eyes.

Do Hyuk-jin ​had ​long ​been ​deeply ​interested ​in Jeokrunhwa, and ​he ​had ​joined the guild ​on the condition that ​he could ​verify the ​results of ​Seong Han ​Pharmaceuticals’ ​Red ​Rune Transformation Research. ​However, once ​the contract was signed, ​Seong Han went back ​on his word and ​repeatedly postponed ​the ​promise to show him the research ​lab.

Ultimately, Do Hyuk-jin gave ​up ​on ​urging ​Seong ​Han and decided ​to sneak ​onto ​Abite island on ​his ​own.

‘I bought a yacht and ​got my ​license ​just for today.’

As ​the ​island ​drew ​closer, ​one corner ​of ​Do Hyuk-jin’s ​mouth curled up. However, his face, which ​had been full ​of excitement, soon ​froze.

The smell of blood.

The ​stench of ​rotting flesh and ​disgusting ​blood wafted from ​the island.

After docking ​the yacht, ​Do ​Hyuk-jin visit our site[stolen content]ran ​toward ​the large ​mansion ​visible before ​him.

The ​foul ​odor was emanating ​from ​that very ​place.

The ​moment ​he ​arrived at the mansion, Do Hyuk-jin was speechless. The grand estate was piled high with mountains of monster and human corpses.

‘A Gate Break?’

But it was strange. When a Gate Break occurs, monsters burst out onto the surface. They don’t stop until the boss is defeated and the gate is completely closed.

Yet, there was no sign of life on this island. Not only the humans, but the monsters were all dead.

Do Hyuk-jin gripped the dagger at his waist tightly and entered the mansion.

‘Mana?’

He paused for a moment. He felt a vast amount of mana coming from a shabby warehouse building that didn’t fit in with the grand estate. Tense, Do Hyuk-jin rushed toward the warehouse.

The door of the warehouse was miserably destroyed, its debris rolling on the ground. Just as he was about to enter, a blade-sharp surge of mana flew toward him.

Startled, Do Hyuk-jin leaped back. He then looked at the person who had attacked him.

A boy, drenched in blood from head to toe, was glaring at him.

Everything was red, but only his black pupils shone intensely, evoking a chilling sense of dread.

Do Hyuk-jin swallowed hard as he looked at the boy. Intense mana swirled around the boy’s small frame.

‘This child is the one who took down the monsters.’

Do Hyuk-jin could tell instinctively.

“Hey kid, Hyung isn’t a bad person. Hyung is here to help you…”

As he tried to say he would help, the black eyes took on a look of wariness.

This was a child who had no trust in humans. Do Hyuk-jin quickly corrected himself.

“I’m just someone who came to visit. So don’t be angry. I just came because I saw monsters and wondered what was happening.”

“…….”

“Did you happen to take them down?”

The boy nodded silently.

“That’s amazing. My name is Do Hyuk-jin. I’m a very famous S-Class Esper in Korea. Kid, what’s your name?”

Do Hyuk-jin knelt on one knee and asked kindly, meeting the boy’s eyes. However, the boy kept his mouth shut.

“Do you not want to say it?”

When Do Hyuk-jin asked cautiously, the boy shook his head.

“I can’t remember it very well.”

“You can’t remember?”

Since the age of six, he had neither spoken nor heard his name. Because the employees did not recognize him as a member of the Ju family, they deliberately avoided calling him by the name Chairman Joo had given him.

He had always been called things like ‘this kid,’ ‘that kid,’ ‘that brat,’ or ‘the fake.’

The boy searched his memories carefully and then slowly spoke.

“Seung-hyuk.”

“Huh?”

“It’s probably Joo Seung-hyuk.”

“What?!”

Do Hyuk-jin’s eyes filled with shock.

Joo Seung-hyuk was the name of Chairman Joo’s youngest son, who was said to be abroad.

That day, Do Hyuk-jin sent an urgent report to Chairman Joo.

Gate Break occurred at ‘Abite.’

All villagers and mansion employees are dead.

1 survivor – Joo Seung-hyuk (13 years old)

Presumed that Joo Seung-hyuk handled the gate boss alone.

Joo Seung-hyuk has Awakened as an Esper; mana measurement required. Probability of being S-Class is over 99%.

Joo Seung-hyuk searched the mansion frantically, but there was no sign of Lee Yeon-soo.

An anxiety he hadn’t even felt during his childhood of daily abuse tightened around Joo Seung-hyuk’s heart.

As he rushed out of the mansion, barely able to breathe, he heard a small sobbing sound from a corner.

Joo Seung-hyuk strode toward the source of the sound.

It was the warehouse. Joo Seung-hyuk flung the warehouse door open.

There, he saw Lee Yeon-soo sobbing while clutching an old book.

‘You didn’t leave me. You didn’t leave again like you did back then…’

Relieved, Joo Seung-hyuk embraced Lee Yeon-soo.

I tried to run away.

I didn’t know when another opportunity would come if not today. This might be my last chance.

I gripped the handle of the towering main gate. There was no more time to hesitate. I just had to open the door.

Once I step through this door, I can escape. I can escape from Joo Seung-hyuk forever.

‘Forever?’

At that moment, the strength left the hand gripping the door handle.

It was different from when I had followed Ju Jeong-han. Back then, I only intended to stay away until Joo Seung-hyuk had his wedding.

But if I leave now, I will never see Joo Seung-hyuk again. If I am caught again, I will be imprisoned forever, and to avoid that, I would have to use extreme measures like naturalization.

If I were to naturalize, it would cause a massive ripple effect. The public would feel betrayed if one of the only S-Class Guides in their twenties left. The aftermath would even reach the families.

But more than anything, the fact that I would never see Joo Seung-hyuk again weighed on my mind.

Even though I was the one trying to run away from him.

If I leave, what will happen to Joo Seung-hyuk’s Guiding? He’ll be so shocked… Will he cry again?

Such pathetic thoughts surfaced late and held me back.

As I stood there hesitating, unable to make a decision, the mana stone in the ring glowed.

“Eh?”

Before I could figure out what was happening, power surged through the ring, controlling my body at will.

I followed where the ring led. Turning away from the main gate, I walked toward the gazebo, and the ring pointed toward the warehouse next to the cauldron.

Honestly, I felt relieved that the ring didn’t want me to go outside the gate.

Once I entered the warehouse, the force controlling my body vanished.

What on earth was that? Why did the treasure lead me here?

I looked around the warehouse. No, this wasn’t a warehouse.

Old blankets, worn-out clothes, a bundle of cloth that seemed to have been used as a pillow…

Did someone live here? There are plenty of spare rooms in the mansion, so why would they make someone live in a place like this…?

Among the old belongings, five books stood out.

‘First Steps in Hangeul’

‘Hangeul Master One Two Three’

‘Knock Knock Hangeul’

‘My Type is Omega’

‘The Alpha’s Pure Love’

Three were Hangeul textbooks for young children, and the other two were internet novels that had been popular in the past.

What kind of combination is this?

Could a child have been here? Or perhaps a middle or high school student who read internet novels back then?

Thinking I might find a clue, I carefully opened the book titled ‘My Type is Omega.’

At that moment, light poured from the ring, and my surroundings turned completely white. Then, a harsh voice echoed in my ears.

‘How dare a fake like you soil the Director’s mansion! From now on, live here as befits your status!’

A man shouted as he threw a boy onto the warehouse floor.

Rough curses poured out, but visit our sitethe young boy had inorganic eyes, as unauthorized copyif he stolen contentdidn’t know what emotions were.

I know who this child is.

It was Joo Seung-hyuk.

Young Joo Seung-hyuk tried to sleep in the warehouse, wrapped in an old blanket.

The employees of the grand mansion beat him and hurled insults at him for their own amusement. They giggled as they threw him meat that was nothing but bones after they had eaten their fill, and barked at him to eat moldy bread.

Horrific abuse continued, but Joo Seung-hyuk did not cry. He didn’t beg for forgiveness, nor did he think of asking anyone else for help.

Joo Seung-hyuk endured everything alone.

This was Joo Seung-hyuk’s childhood. He hadn’t stayed in the luxurious rooms of the mansion, but in this warehouse.

Tears welled up at the cruel sight, but I suppressed them.

The ring showed me the events that happened in this warehouse one by one.

The employees didn’t stop at cursing and starving him; they began to put him to work. Joo Seung-hyuk suffered through grueling labor from dawn until night, falling asleep in his exhausted body. Perhaps because he was hungry, he would hurriedly shove cup noodles—long past their expiration date—into his mouth.

Then one day, the man who bullied Joo Seung-hyuk the most threw him some books.

Textbooks someone had used and novel books filled with emoticons. The choice was too malicious for books intended for studying Hangeul. However, Joo Seung-hyuk did not get angry. Instead, a strange light flickered in his eyes as he opened the books.

He began to study Hangeul diligently, staying up all night.

It was the first bright expression I had seen since he was locked in the warehouse. But tears streamed from my eyes as I watched him.

Seeing Joo Seung-hyuk feel joy even over worn-out books, and continuing to write down emoticons because he didn’t know what characters they were, my suppressed emotions exploded.

I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t know how to make a pinky promise; he didn’t know about the cartoon characters or chicken nuggets that were a craze among elementary students at the time. But he said he had eaten cup noodles.

I finally understood all the reasons now. He had experienced none of the things he should have naturally enjoyed and learned as a child.

Then, someone hugged me. It was Joo Seung-hyuk.