By Zephyria 
Tae-un, who usually answered immediately regardless of whether it was correct or not, let out a humming sound and quietly rolled his eyes.
“Sorry if that was a difficult question to answer.”
“It’s not that. I’m just thinking about it. You might have a prince complex, Hyung, and be under the illusion that everyone around you likes you. In that case, wouldn’t the most filial and desirable attitude toward an elder be to lie and say yes just to flatter you…?”
“….”
As expected, he shouldn’t have asked. Kim Si-baek pinched the impudent mouth talking about filial piety with his fingers.
✽ ✽ ✽
It was truly ironic that the lack of presence made tracking even more difficult. Moreover, since he was allied with a human who appeared to be an accomplice, how well would Edokus—who already possessed a fierce survival instinct—be able to hide?
When the 7777 Guild’s investigation yielded no significant results, Kim Si-baek shifted his line of thinking.
‘The incident at the Management Center, and the one at the amusement park—they both happened when I was there.’
Since it was almost certain that he was the target at the amusement park, it was right to judge that the Management Center was no coincidence either. If so, there was a high probability that the third incident would also occur near him.
To prevent innocent civilians from getting caught in the crossfire, it would be best to refrain from leaving the guild building for the time being. If his behavioral patterns became consistent, where would Edokus strike from? Breaking directly into the 7777 Guild, where Edokus’s face was distributed, would be too risky in many ways. It wasn’t a method a weakened Edokus would choose.
In that case, Edokus might use Kim Si-baek’s publicly disclosed schedule to set a trap in advance, and the areas where magical energy is dense—making it easier for Edokus to employ his tricks—could be narrowed down quickly.
‘Probably the fields south of Gaeseong or the Han River…’
He had to prepare not only for hunting magical beasts but also for the threat of Edokus.
The S-class magical beast in the Gaeseong field, which the 7777 Guild decided to raid in cooperation with the Tobazishu Husarsky Guild and others, was a dragonfish. He would have to think more about it once the strategy being discussed by the guild’s Strategy Department was finalized. While waiting for that time, Kim Si-baek played the raid videos of Kun, which he had been watching in his spare time lately.
The battles with Kun were essentially a condensed version of the evolution of human weapons, ability utilization, tactics, and magic when facing magical beasts. The first raids shortly after the Great Cataclysm were clumsy attempts that blindly clashed abilities, but human responses evolved rapidly over time.
According to Tae-un, this raid was expected to proceed similarly to the videos he had seen so far. However, they planned to supplement their defense with magical tools developed and invented in the meantime… Imagining that scene, Kim Si-baek gauged the total strength if he were added to the mix.
Unless it was an apostle of the god of life and seeds, who could occasionally revive the dead and had a terrible relationship with the gods of the underworld, Kim Si-baek’s healing power could not exert a significant influence on the battlefield.
‘I think a moderate large-scale blessing might be possible once, but…’
Since the people of Earth distrust the existence of gods, he didn’t know how efficient it would be.
‘If Gloiuken were here… no. Why do I keep thinking about someone who isn’t here?’
As he struggled in a place lacking divine power, he tried to erase Gloiuken—who was evolving into a cheat-code level in his mind day by day—from his thoughts. Just then, he heard Biyendwe, who was rolling around in the cradle, suddenly smack their lips. It seemed they were talking to Lee Han-gyeol.
It was his first return home in three long weeks. Having stayed up for two nights, he was sleepy and his mind was dull. Lee Han-gyeol, staring blankly at the changing floor numbers of the elevator, decided to offer a prayer since he had a moment.
‘Biyendwe-nim, I’m going home to sleep first, and then I plan to have dinner at that new clam grill place in Eunhaeng-dong. I heard it’s delicious.’
[Death and Beauty conveys that your god will have Greek yogurt with plenty of honey, topped with fruit jam and chocolate for dinner tonight.]
‘Oh, as expected, you really know your food. Do you want to go on a gourmet tour with me next time?’
[Death and Beauty agrees with the opinion of my believer, but expresses the opinion that if only two people are going, the restaurants in front of the company would be better.]
When he asked why they had to stay near the company, Biyendwe gave a vague excuse and played innocent, but he later heard the reason from Kim Si-baek.
Though expressed indirectly, it basically meant they were scared. While he thought, ‘They really are a young god,’ he also felt a slight doubt about himself for so easily accepting the existence of other worlds or gods, even if he had witnessed bizarre phenomena.
‘I think it’s because Tae-un Hyung agreed with me from the side, but I feel a strange sense of trust toward my mentor too.’
The peculiar feeling he occasionally sensed from Kim Si-baek did not fade easily, remaining like a residue in a corner of his heart.
Regardless, communicating with a god didn’t suddenly create immense faith, but on the other hand, it was fun because it felt like talking to an AI chatbot. It was also nice that an immediate answer came back when he offered a prayer during a sudden moment of loneliness. Perhaps this is why people have religions.
Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the underground parking lot. Having passed three weeks, Lee Han-gyeol, who had forgotten where he parked his car, looked around the parking lot. Just as he walked toward the spot that vaguely came to mind and pressed the car key, a large, dark figure suddenly appeared.
“Gotcha, you little rascal.”
Lee Han-gyeol jumped in fright.
“Ugh, fuck! What are you doing appearing so suddenly!”
“Did you just say ‘fuck’ to your Noona?”
“…I said ‘ugh, jeez.’ Jeez.”
He quickly changed his words, having tripped over his own tongue, but he couldn’t stop Seo Gae-un from grabbing him by the side and hoisting him up as if he were a small child. The frail mage, who was 15 centimeters shorter and much lighter than Seo Gae-un, fluttered like a paper doll at her gesture.
“Hmm, the eyes are normal.”
“…What are you doing right now?”
“I’ve come to kidnap you.”
“Huh?”
Without giving him a chance to question her, Seo Gae-un flung Lee Han-gyeol over her shoulder and strode toward her Jeep. Being the only Awakened among the five without physical abilities, Lee Han-gyeol, who was always treated like a doll or a piece of luggage, grumbled.
“I’ll tell you everything once everyone is here.”
Having tossed out those words, Seo Gae-un put him in the passenger seat and even fastened the seatbelt for him. He didn’t know where they were going, but since he was tired, it worked out well. With the stable ride, Lee Han-gyeol fell fast asleep, his mouth hanging open.
And when he opened his eyes, he realized he had been kidnapped to Yang Eun-ho’s house, which was two buildings over from the dormitory apartments. It was also the newlyweds’ home of Yang Yura, who, like them, was from the Somang Orphanage. Pi Min-hyeong, who had finished work, had also brought the siblings along.
‘Everyone is here, so why was Tae-un Hyung left out?’
The question was soon answered. As soon as they finished dinner, the three people, including the kidnapper, surrounded Lee Han-gyeol, who was sitting with his back against the sofa.
With large humans blocking the front, he felt as if his breath was being cut off. Lee Han-gyeol, who had been peeling fruit, instinctively held up the paring knife. Of course, such a knife would be bent in half regardless of whose hand among them grabbed it.
“Wha-wha-what is it?”
“Hey, Lee Han-gyeol.”
Pi Min-hyeong, the eldest person present, opened the conversation.
“Are you being threatened by Tae?”
“Huh?”
He asked back blankly for a moment, but the gathered people were quite serious.
“We won’t scold you, so if Tae did something to you, tell your Hyungs and Noona honestly.”
“Ugh, fuck. What are you talking about?”
“Fuck?”
“…No. It’s just that you’re suddenly saying strange things.”
Yang Eun-ho sighed and pushed Pi Min-hyeong aside.
“How can you just press the kid? Hyung, you haven’t changed even after becoming a father. So, um, Han-gyeol. You’ve been acting strange often lately.”
“What did I do?”
Yang Eun-ho summarized the long sentence—’You carry around an ugly baby crow, talk to it as if you’re having a conversation, and mutter to yourself like a crazy person’—into one phrase.
“The mentor’s crow.”
“…Ah.”
The reason Tae-un wasn’t called became immediately clear. Seo Gae-un also gripped his shoulder firmly and spoke calmly.
“You can tell us honestly.”
Honestly? Lee Han-gyeol unconsciously chewed on that word. The answer Seo Gae-un wanted to hear was likely something else, but upon hearing those words, the person who came to his mind was Kim Si-baek. To be precise, the strange feeling that had been emanating from Kim Si-baek for some time.