Ch. 57 - Chapter 57

Clink.

"Hey, this is really good."

"Please don't change the subject, Mr. Chun Haesun."

Dinner with my sister.

Even with the compliment about the food, her relentless questioning showed no sign of stopping.

The guy who said he'd just step out for a quick workout ended up staying out all night and came back, then slept like he was knocked out the entire day, it was understandable.

But I had my own reasons.

When I fully absorbed the Golden Core, I'd briefly lost consciousness. By the time I woke up and saw the Red Venomous Viper, a considerable amount of time had already passed.

At the time, I had no idea I'd been unconscious for that long.

Only after completely wrecking the school building and seeing the dawn break did I realize with shock just how much time had passed.

Looking at the brilliantly shining sunlight, one thought crossed my mind.

I was so screwed now.

Whether it was the aftereffect of summoning the Red Venomous Viper, my body was completely exhausted. After collapsing into a deep sleep, I woke up to find it was already evening again.

Now, I was eating my humble meal while avoiding my sister's burning, scrutinizing eyes.

"Our Haesun has changed. That once good child now lies without batting an eye..."

"That's not it, really. I didn't know it would take that long either.”

"Was that incident in today's newspaper also your doing?"

"It wasn't me, okay?"

It seemed there were quite a few complaints filed overnight.

It made sense, considering the devastating roar of the Red Venomous Viper and the shockwave of it destroying the school happened back-to-back.

My sister was convinced I was the suspect (?) in the incident.

Bingo.

"Hey, this beef is really tender. Is it Hanwoo beef?"

"That's pork, you know.”

My sister let out a snort, then chuckled softly.

Unlike mine, her gentle, kindly eyes curved into delicate crescent moons.

"Still, I guess I should be grateful. Our Haesun, who used to catch a fever after walking just a few steps, has now gotten strong enough to stay out all night.”

"Right, right. So you really don't have to worry anymore. I'm even stronger than most Hunters now.”

"Yeah. And you've gotten more handsome, too."

My sister put down her chopsticks and stroked my cheek.

Our handsome Haesun.

That's what she always said, even when people flinched at the sight of me.

In the past, the tips of my sister's fingers would have touched reddish blotches, but now only smooth skin remained.

Pinch.

"And you've gotten better at lying too."

"Ah, hhhe hahihaho (hhhe no way)."

My sister's interrogation concluded with just a pinch on my cheek.

Whether it was when I was constantly sick with a chronic illness or am now an 'S'-rank hunter, it seemed there wasn't much difference in how worried she felt about her younger sibling.

After all, I've faced life-and-death situations in high-difficulty dungeons.

Even if only for my sister's sake, I needed to become even stronger.

I would absolutely never let the power to decide my life or death fall into someone else's hands again.

* * *

[User Information]

[Black Aether: 10,284 BA]

[Physical Enhancement Level: 'C'-rank]

[Self-healing Ability: 'S'-rank]

[Psychokinesis Level: 'S'-rank]

[Unique Ability:

Poisonous Step - Level 2

Beast Communication - Level 1

Lion's Roar - Level 1

Body Shield - Max Level]

As confirmed the night before, my Poisoner level had risen.

This was the first level up since my awakening.

Before, there was only the simple information of 'Level 1,' but this time, a special name appeared.

‘Summoner.’

it seemed to mean someone who summons, but there was no explanation of what was being summoned.

After all, just last night, I had summoned the vicious Red Venomous Viper into this world.

'I summoned it...'

If I had created something from nothing, the title would have been called 'Creator' or something similar.

The fact that I was called 'Summoner' suggested that I likely manifested, in an Aetheric form, a monster that existed somewhere.

But how was I able to visualize a monster I'd never even seen before?

Unfortunately, there was currently no one I knew who could provide an answer to that question.

On a more encouraging note, my Psychokinesis had reached S-rank.

I didn't have many abilities I could use yet, but as my Psychokinesis level increased, I could become more resistant to mental attacks, including 'illusion'.

If ‘Body Shield’ provided immunity to external impacts, then the level of Psychokinesis granted immunity to internal attacks.

At this point, I was even starting to wonder if I should switch to being a tank.

'But the problem is...'

A faint heat haze rose from my palm.

The Red Venomous Viper was clearly sucked into this area and disappeared.

I assumed this must also have been its original summoning route.

Black Aether, in its very existence, is lethally toxic, and simply making contact with a target can inflict a fatal injury.

Even without summoning the Red Venomous Viper, simply releasing the Aether alone makes it the ultimate killing weapon.

The key is controlling the amount.

But controlling the Aether isn't as easy as it sounds.

It feels like holding back a locomotive using only a thin membrane which is ready to run wild at any moment.

Even after getting a full night's sleep, I still couldn't feel completely awake.

Even trying to release just the tiniest fraction; that is, half of a half of a half of a half of a half of the power I visualized in my mind, felt like a dam was about to burst.

Pwoooosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"See, this is what I mean..."

Black Ather soared sky-high, heedless of any limit.

Thank goodness I was training on the rooftop, or I might have ended up wrecking the entire house.

Releasing Black Aether recklessly in my current state was dangerous.

It was highly likely to endanger not only monsters but everyone around me as well.

It would be great if there were some means to control this vast amount of Aether.

It seemed like I had to train more rather than clearing Poison Dungeons for the time being.

Hmm.

Just as I was about to gather some Aether again in my palm, my phone buzzed.

It was from Bisu.

“Speak.”

[Why are you answering the phone so harshly?]

“It's not like we're that close to begin with.”

[You're the worst… I'm moving next week.]

“Oh….”

Though I answered dryly, it was certainly welcoming news.

Bisu, who had been bound by Yaksha's clutches, had finally found freedom after a long period of slavery.

Although she wanted to escape from that place immediately, she said that she needed some time to prepare for moving since she had secured her accommodations and food from the black market.

[So, about that...]

"No."

[Damn it. How can you say no before I even say what it is?]

"Whenever you start with that tone of voice, it's always something I don't want to do."

[Wow... So an S-rank Hunter can even read minds, huh?]

Bisu readily admitted it and got straight to the point.

Since it was her first time being independent, she said there was a lot of furniture and other belongings to move.

She was asking me to come to her new place and help her with them.

[They're really heavy for me, but hunters can lift them with just one hand, right?]

"Just hire someone. These days, they even set everything up for you."

[That would be expensive. Most of the furniture I bought in advance was second-hand, you know.]

"Where does your confidence that I'd help you for free come from?"

Then, Bisu imitated a line that sounded from a very old movie.

[Between friends~]

"We're not."

I answered half-jokingly, half-seriously, and an unexpected silence followed.

Normally, by this point, a string of expletives would have been the natural response.

[If you say so... I really don’t have anyone else around me.]

“...…”

Was the joke too much?

I had known from the start that if she moved, there’d be no one to help her.

Those in the black market, by nature, avoid any kind of public activity.

I was teasing her a bit because the idea of helping for free felt too boring, but I didn’t expect her to get all serious on me.

"Okay. I'll come."

[Hah, I knew it!]

Oh, shit.

Listening to Bisu, who replied in a bright voice as if nothing had happened, I realized that it was actually me who had been fooled.

You little rascal.

[Just come straight to the address I sent you via text. It's in Haebang Neighborhood, so it's not too far from there.]

"Haebang Neighborhood?"

[...Why are you so surprised?]

"That's the place where the recent explosion happened, wasn't it? Didn't you know?"

[Ah~~~ So that's why the property suddenly went on the market cheaply. No wonder.]

I couldn't believe this.

The fact that there was an explosion was pushed aside, and she simply reacted as if cheap is all that mattered.

Haebang Neighborhood was the very neighborhood where the Glory Guild's laboratory was located.

Following the explosion, a fire broke out in succession, making it impossible to cover up the incident itself, but there was just one thing they succeeded in concealing.

Yoo Jiwon's body was never found.

With an Aether explosion of that magnitude, it was possible his body was shattered into pieces.

However, according to reports from the scene, not a single trace of Yoo Jiwon was found.

Both Kim Seunghwan of the Blue Sword Guild and Do Isu from Umbrella Industry had the same possibility in mind.

If Yoo Jiwon was indeed alive, it means he was as dangerous as a ticking time bomb.

Just in case of any unforeseen situations, it seemed better to help Bisu.

[Thank you, hero!]

Bisu hung up the phone with a cheerful voice.

Though I felt a slight unease, I decided to ignore my sense of apprehension.

What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

The era when a dragon could emerge from a small stream has long since passed.

The world favors those who already have, and the inheritance of wealth and power is taken for granted.

There is no need to care about the circumstances of those who live in the ditches.

Just as we don’t need to consider the circumstances of insects when we step on them and crush them.

I was born superior from the start, and I just need to live as I was born.

With brilliance.

While trampling over the envy of others.

"Growl..."

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

A probability less than one in ten thousand.

An Awakened one.

Born as the son of the Vice President of the Association and becoming an Awakened.

As expected, it was clear that I was the chosen one.

Even if my latent potential wasn't exceptionally high, that didn’t matter at all.

Now that the most critical hurdle had been crossed, the rest would be handed to me on a silver platter by the 'spoon' I was born with.

"Ugh."

As expected, my abilities began to steadily rise.

The Aether infused by the Glory Guild transformed me from an average healer into a promising talent.

And in the upcoming exam, I was certain to monopolize the media spotlight.

I planned to spend a few years moderately within the Glory Guild before transferring to the Association to inherit power and influence.

From the very beginning, I had not even a speck of a sense of mission to save people.

Isn’t it natural that insects without power are meant to die if an accident happens?

Everything went smoothly until the day of the Qualification Test.

There was a somewhat awkward transitional phase, but I was told my healing ability was at least B-level or above.

However, everything started to go awry from the moment I met that bastard.

Chun Haesun.

Ever since that bastard showed up.

Not only in terms of awakened stats, but during the healing assessment process, he completely monopolized all the attention and popularity.

All of that was originally supposed to be mine.

Because of him, my healing ability, which was perfectly fine before, failed to function properly. Instead of the qualification ceremony, I ended up hospitalized, practically half-disabled.

Because of that bastard, Chun Haesun.

"Grrr..."

Was this really a sound coming from my own mouth?

Unfortunately, it was indeed true.

An unpleasant sound, more fitting for a monster, leaked out incessantly, while blood and unknown filth flowed steadily from my lower opening.

It wasn't just my heart, but my entire body swelled up and then shrank.

The headache repeated as naturally as breathing, and my body alternated between hot and cold.

Though I should have been long dead by now, somehow I was still alive.

There were times when I wished someone would just cut my head off, but whenever that thought surfaced, a bitter, bubbling venom would well up inside me.

I was not meant to die here.

I was born to reign over others.

I couldn't die like a worthless cripple on the street, unable to even control my own waste…!

Booooo.

Again.

As my emotions intensified, the forcibly infused Aether within my body surged and boiled over.

It was about to explode once more.

"Ugh...!!"

My body felt like a balloon stretched to its limit.

With trembling hands, I clawed at my head.

A handful of hair came loose in each hand.

On the glass window, I could see a grotesque human test subject, apparently undergoing biological experiments.

The moment I realized that was my own reflection, I completely lost my sanity.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Psshhhk.

Right then.

Suddenly, everything came to a halt. Time, space, even the seething energy inside my body.

But the damn headache was still there, exactly the same.

Through the crack in the stillness, something appeared.

A 'something' resembling the shape of a human looked in my direction and mumbled something.

Fucking bastards.

They were acting like watching a monkey caged in a zoo.

One of them placed a hand on my forehead.

I’d love to smack his hand away, but I just couldn't do it.

My two eyes, drenched with bloody tears, saw nothing but red.

-□□□□□

A bizarre pronunciation that seemed unbelievable to belong to this world.

As soon as it ended, my body reacted sharply.

Like during the first explosion, no, an even more intense wave crashed through my entire body.

-Aaaaahhhh!!

With that, I lost all remaining reason.

Only one thing remained.

A ravenous, indiscriminate appetite for humans.

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