Ch. 56 - Chapter 56

“Hmm….”

There were two of Do Isu’s business cards on my desk.

One was given to me by the twin siblings, and the other was obtained directly from the black market.

The design of the business cards and the company name, ‘Umbrella Industry’, were both identical.

However, the key difference was that the mobile phone numbers for Do Isu were different.

Which number should I call?

After a moment of hesitation, I dialed the number on the business card I received from the twins.

This call wasn't made as a 'business partner,' but rather as 'someone who had helped his children.’

[Yes. Speaking.]

"This is Chun Haesun."

[Oh...!! Hunter!]

A delighted voice came through the receiver.

He probably didn’t expect me to call back so soon.

[Actually, I was just reading an article about you, Hunter.]

"An article about me?"

[Yes, the one about the Gosong Street Gate. I heard your performance was remarkable.]

"Oh, that."

After the train incident, reports about me began spreading like wildfire.

I, a healer, of all people, had taken down a 4-star monster with my bare hands; you can imagine the attention it drew.

With so many witnesses aboard the train, I couldn't even negotiate to frame it as the Blue Sword Guild's work.

Well, not like I could have hidden it forever anyway.

In a way, I even felt somewhat relieved.

Though I was sure the number of people bothering me was about to skyrocket.

[I had my suspicions, but... it turns out you handled the Poison Monsters yourself as well.]

"I didn't do it alone."

[Haha. You don't have to be humble to me.]

Seriously, you.

At least when it came to defeating the Giant Treasure, it was all thanks to two helpers.

[By the way, what brings your call? Since it’s ringing on my personal phone, it doesn’t seem to be about business.]

As expected, he was quick-witted.

From just the phone call, he had already grasped my intention to some extent.

Gathering confidential information.

I wanted to investigate the circumstances of the 'Glory Guild Research Institute Explosion Incident.'

Since it involved Yoo Jiwon from the Glory Guild as well, I couldn't help but be somewhat concerned.

As the head of the Blue Sword Guild said, this incident had been thoroughly concealed.

I tried hacking into the Association's data network through V1, but there was no significant result.

Or rather, I should say there was no information to hack in the first place.

If even the Association's private network couldn't access the information, then asking other guilds would be pointless.

But there was one person.

Do Isu, who was secretly developing monster industry technology behind the Association's back, might know something.

"I want to know about the Glory Guild lab explosion incident."

[…….]

For the first time, Do Isu, who had always responded immediately, maintained silence.

[......May I ask the reason?]

"So you do have some information."

[Yes. To be honest, if I hadn't been indebted to Hunter Chun Haesun, I would have pretended not to know from the beginning.]

"I don't have the best feelings toward the Glory Guild and Yoo Jiwon."

Do Isu should know by now that I was a resident of Gaebang Neighborhood.

So he didn't ask questions like, ‘Why don't you like them?’.

[…… That's all we know.]

"Thank you. It was a great help."

[You're welcome. Please feel free to contact me anytime.]

Beep.

Though he said that, this would likely be the last time he offered free information.

What he willingly shared with me today must constitute a form of repayment for helping the twins.

From then on, it becomes a kind of 'debt.'

'Berserk…’

The information leaked by Kim Seunghwan of the Blue Sword Guild was true.

According to the last data transmitted to the cloud from the Glory Guild Research Institute, Yoo Jiwon had entered a ‘Berserk’ state.

The stage where the body collapses, unable to withstand the accumulated Aether within.

A hunter who has entered the Berserk state becomes no different from a bomb itself.

They radiate Aether energy randomly to their surroundings while undergoing a process of mental collapse.

According to Do Isu, aside from the researchers present at the scene, Yoo Jiwon's body was not found.

It's as if a time bomb that could detonate at any moment has vanished without a trace.

‘He was still visiting the research institute even after becoming a Hunter…’

He must have been planning to somehow restore his abilities.

The Vice President's face, which had looked devastated as if he had lost a country when his child was assigned to a low tier, came to mind.

I thought he was a man skilled at controlling his expressions, but the expression on his face at the Hunter Qualification Test was almost demonic.

Yoo Jiwon's temperament didn't seem all that different from his father's, either.

Thinking back to how he put on a showy display for the reporters inside the test site, it was not hard to imagine how much resentment he must have been holding in all along.

[There was information that Yoo Jiwon had been frequenting the lab even before becoming a Hunter. Rumors are also circulating that he may have used a Golden Core stored by the Association. We are currently gathering this information to pressure the Association in the future.]

It was a place he frequented even before joining the Glory Guild, so after becoming a Hunter, he must have been openly coming and going.

But something seemed to have gone wrong in the process.

I flinched involuntarily at the mention of the Golden Core, though I don’t think it showed.

I haven't done anything wrong, so why was my body reacting like this?

Anyway, most of my questions have been answered.

Once again, the Glory Guild lived up to expectations by showing its rotten side, and the Association was no different.

I felt like I really couldn't continue my life as a Hunter knowing this much distrust.

But even so, I had no desire to become a fixer.

To become the world's strongest Hunter.

I had no luxury to care about anything else.

"Let's see..."

Two more objects were placed on the desk.

One was the Soul-Unbinding elixir I'd received from Yaksha.

And the other was the ‘Golden Core’, which had just reached 100%.

"Ah, I guess I shouldn't call it a Golden Core anymore."

The name ‘Golden’ now seemed ironic.

The faint black corrosion that had been slowly encroaching had now completely engulfed the sphere.

If there was any difference at all, it’s that unlike other Black Cores, this one still had a relatively more vibrant sheen (?) to it.

If you take a tiny black pearl and inflated it several hundred times, it might look something like this

“What should I do first?”

Should I experience the Netherworld first, or try absorbing the Golden Core?

After weighing my options for a moment, I soon reached for the Golden Core with both hands.

The wait had been too long.

Had it not been completed, perhaps I could have held back, but now that the conversion rate had reached 100%, I didn’t want to delay even for a moment.

Moreover, who knew when I would return to my normal state after drinking the Soul-Unbinding elixir?

"I'll be out for a bit."

“You just got back and you’re leaving again?”

"This time I'll be back quickly. I'm just going for training."

After giving my sister, who was pouting, a pleading look, I stepped outside the house.

"This is definitely the perfect spot.”

The Glory Guild had begun full-scale disaster recovery work, but this place remained as it was.

Gaebang Elementary School, where young students used to go.

Because so many monsters had appeared here, it was decided to close the school instead of restoring it.

A new school was being built not far from here, and the Gaebang Elementary School where I stood would likely be cleared last.

Swoosh.

After carefully placing down the Golden Core, I switched my phone to video recording mode.

It was not just the grade of the core that was concerning, the thought of pouring Black Aether into the ‘brain’ for the first time in my life made me more than a little worried.

“I don't know how good the core you have is, but if you're going to use ‘that method’, don't do it indoors.”

Dr. Jin's advice was also one of the reasons I came out to the school playground.

At this point, I was almost disappointed that there wasn't a special event.

"Let's do this.”

I’ve never tried it before, but I had a rough idea of how to do it.

The Aether that had taken root to strengthen my entire body would be now concentrated in one place and directed towards my brain.

Instead, since I didn't know what might happen or how, I decided to take it slow.

Sitting cross-legged on the school ground, I let out a deep breath.

And then, I attempted to absorb just a tiny bit of the Black Core into my body.

Sharrrr……

A tingling sensation surged through my entire body, like being electrocuted.

I haven't even sent this Aether toward my head yet, and it was already this intense.

Was I going to pass out like this?

Rrrrr...

Something miraculous was happening.

My body, which had never been affected by any extreme poison or narcotic, was now trembling with excitement.

My heart was pounding, and I couldn't control my emotions.

The elation boiling from deep within me was overwhelming.

It's fortunate that I was sitting cross-legged; if I were in any other position, I would have exploded long ago.

"Uhm..."

This wasn't working.

I needed to stop first and slowly start over…

-Hisssss!

There was no going back.

Once it began flowing in, the Golden Core was now being absorbed into my body at a terrifying momentum.

The energy that entered my body didn't even wander.

Following the pathway (?) opened from both palms toward my head, they began to take root in my brain in perfect order…!

Crack.

Could that sound truly be coming from a human brain?

A shockwave, beyond pain, beyond any recognizable sensation, was detonating inside my head.

"Ugh...!!"

It was hard.

I wanted to stop immediately.

But the blackened Golden Core gave me no room to do so.

'Since you've tainted me this way, you must pay the price too.'

As if it was saying that.

"Ugh!!"

Far from stopping the absorption, the energy of the core surged in endlessly like a tidal wave.

My whole body was burning like a furnace, and an indescribable ‘crack’ sound kept echoing inside my head.

Even when I defeated the Giant Treasure, I never thought of this, but I might actually die.

Overwhelmed by the staggering impact, I finally toppled backward.

Even as I fell, countless thoughts flooded my mind.

Over ten years of suffering from poisoning.

My sister, forcing a smile with tear-filled eyes.

The moments I was seized by malice upon discovering Poison-type monsters.

And lastly, the thing that appeared when my sister was on the brink of death.

The Red Venomous Viper.

-Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

Is this what they call one's life flashing before their eyes?

The Red Venomous Viper I saw that day appeared vividly in my mind.

Scales like steel gleaming crimson.

A sinister head resembling a king cobra, with fangs reminiscent of a Grim Reaper's scythe.

Its ferocity felt as though it could drench the pitch-black night sky entirely in blood.

Right.

I summoned that thing that day.

I don't know how I did it, though.

-Kyaaaaaaaaaah!

Ugh, so loud.

I couldn't tell at the time because of all the chaos, but that's a voice that could shatter eardrums.

It was definitely going to wake up all the residents in the middle of the night…

Hold on.

Wasn't this inside my memory?

Swoosh.

As if stretching its body, the Red Venomous Viper moved itself this way and that.

"This can't be..."

It wasn't just a memory.

The imposing 'creature,' standing majestically against the night sky, was real.

Right there, just beside where I was lying down.

In the midst of that hellish thrashing, did I summon this thing?

The absorption of the Golden Core ended as soon as the Red Venomous Viper appeared.

There was nothing left in my hands now.

My mind and heart were pounding at the same time.

Many things have changed inside me from before.

The night sky had brightened like a CG Milky Way, and the earthy scent of the playground had thickened.

The five senses of my body have developed to an unbelievable degree.

So that's why that creature's cry felt even louder.

-Sssshhh

As if reading my thoughts, the Red Venomous Viper prepared to take a breath.

Stop it, you crazy bastard.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

-???

One more roar, and the Hunters might get dispatched.

I raised both hands in a panic to stop the creature, and amazingly, it halted its movement.

A monster so huge that I had to crane my neck way back to even see its face, actually listened to me.

You've got to be kidding me.

Swoosh.

The Red Venomous Viper lowered its head and came closer to me.

It stared at me with pupils so large it was hard to cover even with both hands.

-keu-reu…

I was certain even most Hunters would wet their pants in this situation.

I, too, stood frozen like a statue, but I clung to one thought to keep my sanity that I was the one who called this thing here.

"Don't make any noise here."

I warned it, as if I were warning a dog that barked frequently inside.

-Kreu……

Did it even understand me?

Just as I was harboring such doubts, the Red Venomous Viper suddenly raised its head high.

The mere movement of it sent a strong gust of wind billowing through my hair.

Why was this creature acting like this again?

Then, it shook its raised head up and down.

Swoosh.

It's just that it was so large that it didn't look like it, but that fierce movement just now probably meant...

"Did you... nod?"

The Red Venomous Viper moved its head up-and-down once again.

It was a motion that anyone could mistake for a headbutt.

"Haha..."

It was both fascinating and amusing.

Despite its fierce appearance, its actions were like those of a servant.

The Red Venomous Viper, which hadn't appeared no matter how much I called (?) since the day of my awakening, finally revealed itself again.

The overwhelming physical force that utterly crushed a large Poison-type monster without a trace.

I suddenly wanted to witness that power again.

"And there's a demolition target right before my eyes..."

The elementary school building, destined to be torn down someday, came into view.

Without any particular command, I simply gestured toward the school building with just a look.

Then, as if he'd been waiting, the Red Venomous Viper charged towards the building, its eyes flashing with a gleam.

Could it truly exert the same overwhelming physical force as it did back then?

KWAANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The instruction I gave the Red Venomous Viper to stay quiet now felt ironic, as a tremendous roar erupted across the entire surrounding area.

Not only was the roar louder, but the ground trembled from the force of the attack.

The blasting sound, even shaking the ground.

Anyone witnessing it would think a war had broken out.

"Good job. Now come back in."

Without a word, the Red Venomous Viper transformed into Aether and returned into my body.

That massive form vanished without a trace, leaving only the completely shattered remains of the building in desolate silence.

And then,

I received some exciting news I'd never heard before.

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