By Zephyria Lee Sa-young… what? Eui-jae looked at Nam Woo-jin with a hardened expression, but he turned his body again and started walking slowly.
“What I’m about to say now are stories that haven’t been revealed to the outside world.”
He pointed to the sky with his finger.
“It was not long after J’s death was announced… the whole country was in an uproar. It was also a time when the government was at its worst.”
A time of chaos, having lost the nation’s power. Naturally, those in higher positions must have covered up many incidents to quell the anxiety. Eui-jae thought about what was buried in those 8 years that he didn’t know about.
They had already passed the garden and entered the quiet forest. Nam Woo-jin shone white amidst the deep green.
“Lee Sa-young was found in a laboratory.”
“……”
“No, it would be more accurate to say it was a place that used to be a laboratory. Everything had melted away in Poison. In the middle of the black ruins, he was said to be sitting alone, wearing loose patient clothes.”
Naturally, the image he saw in the Rift came to mind. Just Sa-young’s hand touched it, and the brilliant garden instantly melted black, turning into a Poisonous swamp where nothing could live. Eui-jae witnessed firsthand the huge forest, which was as green as this place, corroding from his fingertips.
A deadly Poison that even A-rank Hunter Min-gi Seo wouldn’t dare approach. If he didn’t have the Basilisk’s poison trait, he might not have been intact next to Lee Sa-young.
“The surroundings were completely devastated. It was impossible to even approach carelessly. It was obvious that you would die if you did.”
Nam Woo-jin continued slowly.
“Only Jung-bin, equipped with protective gear, could barely approach him. In the end, even he was poisoned and had to drink a separate Antidote.”
Prometheus, who artificially creates Awakened, and Lee Sa-young, who was found after messing up and melting Prometheus’s Laboratory. And the current Sa-young is chasing them.
Some clues that shouldn’t fit together were being matched one by one. Eui-jae frowned, feeling a slight displeasure.
“Are you trying to say that Lee Sa-young is the first successful product?”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
The sound of a bird chirping was heard from somewhere.
“Whether he Awakened by their experiments, or whether the System listened to Lee Sa-young’s desperate prayers and Awakened him.”
“……”
“Well, I think it’s the latter.”
Nam Woo-jin had a relaxed smile on his face even while rattling off quite shocking stories.
“Besides, at that time, their research hadn’t progressed much, so they brought in people with a few more unique points and used them as test subjects.”
“Unique points?”
“Yes. Whether they were caught up in a Rift, or had wounds from being attacked by a Monster. Anyway, a special point related to the Rift. To put it bluntly, it was almost an anarchic state, so it wouldn’t have been difficult to kidnap test subjects.”
A special point related to the Rift. In an instant, a small whisper lingered in Eui-jae’s ear like an auditory hallucination.
“Save… me.”
In the Rift where deadly Poison covered everything and became a terrible sight, a boy dying while being embraced by two people who had melted in Poison. J, who had been searching so desperately for the faint sign of a survivor, was able to find him only after tearing down the outer wall of a collapsed building.
The boy looked at J with difficulty even as his whole body was melting from being covered in Poison. His powerless lips twitched. A cracked and locked voice was heard, as if his vocal cords were damaged by the Poison.
“Please save me.”
That appearance was the same as Cha Eui-jae, who was 17 years old and wanted someone’s help… Eui-jae had no choice but to take the boy’s hand.
Even if he lost his entire family when he opened his eyes again, and was in a tragedy where he couldn’t guarantee detoxification. Even if he had to live a life more painful than death in the future. So even if he received all the resentment.
He couldn’t ignore that desperation.
Eui-jae stared blankly at the pure white man. Maybe that child was also targeted by Prometheus like Lee Sa-young. Because he saved him back then. Nam Woo-jin was observing Eui-jae with his hands in the pockets of his white gown.
Suddenly, Eui-jae realized the identity of the displeasure he had been feeling since earlier. He didn’t avoid the pure white eyes and asked.
“But why are you telling me this?”
“……”
There must have been a reason why Sa-young didn’t tell him about his background. Just as he has things he hides, Lee Sa-young must have things he hides too.
His and Sa-young’s deal was possible because they were in a relationship where they didn’t dig into each other’s deep secrets. Of course, that bastard did investigate him, but he didn’t pry into why he wanted to live quietly.
So he also didn’t want to hear Sa-young’s intimate stories in a place where he wasn’t present. Unless he told him directly.
“Just because I’m Lee Sa-young’s assistant doesn’t mean I’m entitled to hear this story.”
Nam Woo-jin had a rather satisfied expression when Eui-jae showed his discomfort.
“That’s a natural reaction. It would have been more troublesome if you didn’t react like that.”
“Yes?”
“Well, think of it as a kind of shackle.”
“What is that…”
Before he could ask further, he felt a small presence behind him. When he turned his eyes to that side, a boy was standing at the end of the garden. He could tell at once.
That is… not a person. Clear, glass-like eyes reflected Eui-jae as he was. The child bowed his head and greeted.
“The patient’s treatment is over, so I came to inform you. Master, and guest.”
“Then shall we end the walk soon? I will guide you to your party.”
Before he knew it, the garden had disappeared and the surrounding scenery had returned to a library filled with books. Nam Woo-jin gestured for him to follow and went ahead.
Countless books that could collapse and rot someday passed by them. Does he know? That when Doomsday comes, this library that he has cherished will also collapse.
Then, Nam Woo-jin’s question cut through Eui-jae’s thoughts.
“Oh, by the way. Do you happen to know Hong Ye-seong?”
“Yes, I know him.”
Beyond simply knowing him, he unilaterally decided to hit that damn bastard in the head. Eui-jae had never forgotten the grudge he had held against him, the Inhart magic stone parrot.
When they arrived at the central hall, Nam Woo-jin turned around and took out two stiff tickets from the inside pocket of his doctor’s gown and handed them over. The black tickets, which looked like exhibition tickets, had Korean and Chinese characters written together in white brushstrokes.
‘Artisan Exhibition’
“…Artisan Exhibition?”
“Hong Ye-seong’s equipment auction is called the Artisan Exhibition. It is scheduled to be held in Songdo in a few days, and only people with tickets can enter.”
Nam Woo-jin kindly explained to Eui-jae, who had inadvertently received the tickets.
If it’s a place to auction off equipment made by Hong Ye-seong, there will be plenty of S-rank equipment. Hunters who are greedy for equipment will be eager to participate. The price of these tickets must be terribly expensive.
Of course, Eui-jae only had a desire for kitchen utensils, so he felt like he had received a stone.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“This is a reward for saving PRO-009 by throwing yourself.”
Nam Woo-jin smiled brightly. Eui-jae’s mind was filled with chaos.
‘This is so troublesome. The future where this scrap of paper will become the root of all evil is obvious.’
Where should he say he got this? It’s suspicious to say that Nam Woo-jin gave it to him as it is, and it’s even more suspicious to say that he picked it up on the street. If he put it on Tomato Market, a bigger aftermath than the Mana Stone incident would come. Fortunately, Eui-jae was slowly able to predict what would happen in the future.
“No, I’m D-rank, so I don’t need something like this. I don’t have any money, so how can I auction…”
“Then sell it to other Hunters. They’re probably going crazy because they can’t get this.”
No, he didn’t want to throw bait to those crazy Hunters. The moment the tail that he was the seller of this ticket was stepped on, the Hanover Soup Restaurant might explode that day.
But in the end, the Artisan Exhibition ticket was neatly held in his hand. Eui-jae wanted to cry a little.
On the way back, the Seowon Guild prepared a vehicle. Grandmother and Ha-eun rode side by side, and Eui-jae and Sa-young sat side by side in the back. Ha-eun didn’t seem tired and kept talking.
“Uncle, that place was really fun. There are a lot of books, and the passing uncles and older sisters are kind. There are a lot of comic books too. A boy did coloring with me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! Oh, and…”
Ha-eun wriggled and turned around, spread her palm wide, and made a V with her other hand and overlapped it on her palm.
It’s a familiar gesture. Well, that’s what Gas mask does every time the weekend entertainment program and drama that Eui-jae watches ends! Whether she knew that Eui-jae’s expression had changed awkwardly, Ha-eun was excited and chattering.
“The older brother next to Uncle did this for me.”
“Huh?”
“He did it more than twenty times when I asked him to do it!”
Eui-jae glared and turned to look at Sa-young. Sa-young was looking out the window with his arms crossed, but turned his head to Eui-jae as if he felt his gaze. Their eyes met.
“You…”
He did that… in real time? More than twenty times? Eui-jae couldn’t bring himself to speak. Sa-young, who was watching Eui-jae, let out a short laugh. It was a clear sneer.
“Why. Are you so grateful that you’re going crazy?”
“……”
“I didn’t know, but I guess I have a talent for taking care of children. I found out thanks to someone.”
“……”
Rude bastard…. You must have done that weird thing well.
It was clear that Ha-eun had seen something wrong. Eui-jae poked Sa-young’s side painfully with his finger. The firm body sitting next to him flinched.
“Heeuh… Heuh…”
At the entrance of Jirisan Mountain, a young man wearing colorful hiking clothes, a hiking hat, and sunglasses was staggering down the mountain. He was panting so much that people climbing Jirisan would glance at him once. Moreover, it was even more so because a group of burly men in suits were chasing after him.
Jeong Young-suk, the general manager of the Hanmaeum Mountaineering Club, clicked her tongue as she watched the young man running down the mountain as if being chased.
“Oh my… shouldn’t we report that young man?”
“I know. There are people like agents in the mountains.”
“Let’s leave them alone. They must be filming a movie.”
“Wow, am I in a movie?”
The murmurs of the members of the Hanmaeum Mountaineering Club faded away, and the feet of the young man wearing hiking clothes finally reached the flat ground. The young man plopped down on the ground with a thud, then stretched out his arms and raised his hands in a cheer.
“Fucking! Finally! Finally, I’m free!”
The hat was slightly blown off by the wind that blew at the right time, revealing the young man’s face. His clear eyes were filled with tears. The suit standing behind him took out a walkie-talkie and reported.
“Yes, Team Leader. Hong Ye-seong has just finished descending the mountain. We will move to Songdo immediately.”
“Uwaaaaaaaa!”
“Yes? No, that’s not the sound of a roe deer. That’s the sound of Hong Ye-seong wailing. Yes, yes. I understand.”
The name of the young man who was happy to be on flat ground was Hong Ye-seong. The only existing S-rank Artisan. He was returning to the world after a long period of confinement on Banyabong Peak in Jirisan Mountain.
“Kkiyahooot!”
In order to participate in the auction to be held in Songdo!
And now—it was a week before the Artisan Exhibition.