Ch. 63 - Chapter 63

“Is this…… my son?”

Yoo Inwon asked in a trembling voice, looking dazed.

On the table lay several large, vicious-looking teeth.

His entire body had been set on fire, leaving nothing but a few teeth behind.

Gu Gyeon was in the process of informing the Vice President of the Association about his son's death.

"That can't be... Are you sure you didn't see something wrong? ...Looking at this, how can this be..."

Yoo Inwon, checking the teeth with trembling hands, shook his head vehemently.

"No... This...!! This is not my son!!"

'That's not an unreasonable reaction.'

When faced with a cruel reality, denial is human nature.

Moreover, the teeth of Yoo Jiwon, which had turned into a monster, truly had a different shape than before.

If a missing son was ultimately dead and only this changed form remained, what parent would believe it at face value?

However, Yoo Jiwon's death was the 'truth' that he had clearly witnessed himself.

To vouch for that truth, he, the Chairman, had come forward personally.

"The last time I saw him, Yoo Jiwon was beyond just losing control; his body was in a state of abnormal transformation. His remains were lost due to spontaneous combustion from the high fire, but those were unmistakably Yoo Jiwon's…”

"Don't give me that bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!"

Considering the cordial conversations they usually had, this outburst was far beyond the line.

But Gu Gyeon silently endured his outburst.

After all, this was his only child, born to him late in life after he had turned forty.

Considering the effort he had put into grooming Yoo Jiwon as the Association's next leader, this level of disrespect was worth overlooking.

"Vice President."

The secretaries on either side moved to calm him down.

However, far from calming down, Yoo Inwon ended up having a fit, foaming at the mouth.

“……Well then.”

Gu Gyeon placed a document on the table and rose from his seat.

Although it had mutated, the DNA information extracted from the teeth matched Yoo Jiwon's.

The Association staff stepped in and politely apologized to Gu Gyeon on his behalf, and he silently rose and went down to the building's basement.

Crunch.

The handle, made of reinforced material, crumpled pitifully.

Normally, he would have controlled his strength, but today, Gu Gyeon found it difficult to quell his anger.

His hardened face was filled with a fierce, menacing aura.

Was it because he couldn't prevent Yoo Jiwon's death?

Or was it because of the Vice President's behavior, which seemed to betray their past friendship?

It wasn't that those feelings were completely absent, but they weren't the main cause either.

What was now filling Gu Gyeon's heart with such despair was an emotion he had never experienced in his life.

'A sense of defeat.'

Since that day, Gu Gyeon had been struggling with that rotten feeling.

The one he had faced that day wasn't Chun Haesun, but Yoo Jiwon.

However, the feeling of defeat that tormented Gu Gyeon was solely because of 'Chun Haesun’.

Because Chun Haesun had easily destroyed Yoo Jiwon, whom he himself had failed to subdue.

‘How on earth could he possess such power...’

He had heard news that Chun Haesun was clearing the Poison Dungeons.

But that didn't prove his combat ability.

He had been clearing them through his 'clan', not alone, and the dungeons he tackled weren't particularly high in difficulty.

Given his nature as a healer, he'd probably be more effective in Poison Dungeons.

Gu Gyeon had vaguely thought so.

But during the battle with Yoo Jiwon, the 'physical prowess' Chun Haesun displayed was so remarkable it made him question his own eyes.

The formidable Aether radiating from his hands seemed even more powerful than that of an average 'A'-rank Esper.

Since when.

And how.

Had Chun Haesun, a healer-type, came to possess such destructive power?

He had observed countless hunters while running the guild, but he had never seen anything quite like Chun Haesun.

There was only one thing Gu Gyeon could confirm from Chun Haesun's growth.

A helpless sense of defeat.

Yoo Jiwon had shattered his prized 'Wailing Wall' right before his eyes, and had even managed to crack his sturdy body, causing poisoning symptoms.

And even Maria, who had been supporting him from the side, also an 'S'-ranker like himself.

But that monster who had made two 'S'-rankers struggle so helplessly was destroyed with ease by Chun Haesun.

It meant the Glory Guild, which they had prided itself as the pinnacle of power, had become a laughingstock.

The moment when Chun Haesun's eyes met Maria's as he took down Yoo Jiwon kept replaying endlessly in his mind.

Maria's face, as she looked at that guy, was filled with deep emotions that words couldn't capture.

Emotions she had never once shown to him.

'Damn it...'

He had intended to recruit Cheon Haesun.

And he had been confident he could do it.

The offer to 'make him Maria's successor' was never an empty promise.

But within that offer, there was no implication that 'You can become a better hunter than me.'

Because he had thought that was impossible.

But Gu Gyeon felt a sense of unease stirring from the bottom of his heart.

The thought that Chun Haesun might, perhaps, become a hunter superior to himself.

That unease festered into jealousy and envy, ultimately leading him to scrap the idea of 'recruiting Chun Haesun’.

Because he feared that if Chun Haesun were to be equipped with the Glory Guild's cutting-edge technology, he might truly surpass him.

Buzz.

A message arrived on Gu Gyeon's personal phone.

It was from Yoo Inwon.

It seemed he had come to his senses after foaming at the mouth.

Gu Gyeon checked the contents of the text.

[Who did this to Jiwon?]

“…….”

Gu Gyeon had shown him Yoo Jiwon's remains and said that another hunter had dealt with him.

At the time, he was out of his mind with grief over the news of his son's death, but now that he had come to his senses, it was only natural that he would want to know more.

'How pathetic.'

Gu Gyeon thought to himself how pathetic he was being.

Because he knew exactly what kind of events his reply would set in motion.

Nevertheless, Gu Gyeon consoled himself with the thought that he was 'just telling the truth' and sent his reply.

His jealousy towards Chun Haesun was far too great for him to even consider mediating between them.

[The hunter who killed Yoo Jiwon is Chun Haesun.]

***

“Kiril!!”

The cry became a common sleep-talking sound upon returning to the present world.

I looked around and saw familiar scenes again.

The scenes from when I had taken the Soul-Undinding Elixir and lay down on the sofa.

The only thing that remained the same was Brie, rubbing his face against mine.

-Kku…

As if to help me come to my senses, Brie tickled my chin with his small, protruding horn.

I slowly stroked him, organizing my thoughts.

My consciousness was fading, but it was definitely Kiril.

Although I had only seen her for a day, her charisma was clearly etched into my mind.

In fact, even at a cursory glance, she had a very distinctive appearance.

A tall figure, over 170 cm tall, and a stylish trench coat.

With her striking bronze skin and one empty sleeve fluttering in the wind.

I called out to her in a hurry, but unfortunately, Kiril didn't seem to perceive my presence.

Even if I had gotten closer, there was no guarantee she would have recognized me, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of regret.

I wanted to show her that I had become an 'S'-rank hunter.

No, I wanted to show her that I had now become a full-fledged 'Poisoner'.

At the same time, many questions arose.

Why was Kiril in the Netherworld and not in the present world?

Her form there wasn't like mine, a mere 'spiritual body'.

It wasn't a simple astral projection; her actual physical body was present in that place.

In a place that wasn't the present world, what was she doing meeting a Crassus Dragon and discussing?

I couldn't know all of that, but one thing was for certain.

'The scale of her actions is just insane.'

Among all the hunters in existence, there probably wasn't anyone with a scope of activity as wide as Kiril's.

It was a bit disappointing, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

We were both alive and well, so we were bound to meet again someday

With that thought in mind, I stretched.

-Kkuwang.

"Hey, I told you not to touch that."

As always, Brie was wandering around with a single sparkling petal.

It was a leftover petal of the Aurum Bloom from treating Yuk Cheolwan's wife.

I had hidden it deep in the room since I had no immediate use for it, but somehow, that little guy found it and had been carrying it around on its body.

I was worried he might eat the petal like the poison in my body, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

Despite my warnings, Brie strutted around the living room with the petal wrapped around his body.

Seeing it like that, it almost looked like he was wearing clothes.

I chuckled and watched his antics for a while.

"That child will become a great source of strength for you in the future."

That's what Big Tiger said when he saw Brie in the Netherworld.

"Well, just looking at size, you seem much more likely to be a great strength than Brie?"

"It's difficult to judge ability by appearance alone. Isn't that the same for humans?"

"That's true, but..…"

"I can see it. Inside that little one's body, a destructive power is accumulating. If it ever wishes, it can transform into its adult form at any time and help you."

"Oh, really? He just sat there quietly even when I was dying in the dungeon."

"It probably didn't consider that a true crisis."

"Hmm."

It was a rather dubious conversation.

Hey, Brie.

Do you really possess such an ability?

Even as I thought that, Brie tumbled over and rolled up in the petal of Aurum Bloom.

-Kkwang.

Hmm.

I guess Big Tiger was mistaken.

***

Bang-

Why did Black Aether release itself in the form of hot ‘Poisonous Flame’?

Looking back on the battle so far, it might have resonated with my emotions, manifesting as a fiery temper.

If that's the case, what would happen if I kept my mind as cold as ice?

Clang.

Hmm.

No difference.

It seemed that another mechanism was at work, aside from emotions.

Well, even those who were born as Espers mostly specialize in just one type of Aether ejection.

It's not like they created the classifications of fire-type and ice-type for nothing.

For me, having just awakened the 'Poison Flame,' trying to immediately acquire another type of property would be no different from trying to run before I can walk.

-Kieeeek!

The Red Venomous Viper was a creature with clear strengths and weaknesses.

It was unrivaled in physical confrontations, but if I summon it carelessly, I risk having all the surrounding facilities destroyed.

The saying about being strong but stupid surely applies to that guy.

I needed something to neatly organize the churning Aether after absorbing the Golden Core.

[Three new messages.]

When I returned home after training, there was a pile of messages on my phone.

[Unsaved Contact: This is Lim Jongchan, a reporter from SBC. Since you weren't available, I'm leaving a message. I'd like to conduct an interview regarding the Gosong District KTX Gate incident…]

The Blue Sword Guild did a good job of creating a smokescreen, but even so, there were reporters with a keen nose for the story.

If they tried to piece together the events in chronological order, it surely wouldn't add up.

I praised their outstanding professionalism and deleted the messages.

[Supervisor Pyo Hyukgyu: Okay. I will come to visit you in front of your house tomorrow.]

This was a reply to the text I had sent earlier.

Yoo Jiwon's change was truly bizarre and shocking.

To the point where it couldn't simply be dismissed as a 'berserk.’

I searched through the Hunter Association's internal network, but I couldn't find anything useful.

From the start, Gu Gyeon would have written the report based on what he witnessed, so it was no different from the information I already had.

So, I needed a different information network from the Association.

A man whose status was that of a Supervisor, but whose 'primary affiliation' lay elsewhere.

Pyo Hyukgyu.

They were an organization that knew I could absorb Black Cores, so perhaps they might also have information about Yoo Jiwon's transformation.

I sent a brief reply confirming my understanding and then opened the last message.

[Bisu: Hey! Why is the written exam so hard ╥ ╥? I solved past exam questions and only got 15 points! Help me out!]

I lightly pressed the delete button.

Failing the Hunter Qualification written exam means you have a serious problem with your intelligence.

With a score of 15, it's right to just give up on being a hunter, for the sake of humanity.

[Bisu: Hey, you there you bastard?]

Deleted again.

No contact from the one I was waiting for, only spam messages.

And then, a moment later.

[1 new message]

“Oh!”

Unlike the other messages, an exclamation erupted from my lips.

Because this notification wasn't sent to my phone, but to V1.

[The item is ready, so come and get it.]

The successor to Exa, which had been smashed to pieces.

Dr. Jin's weapon, made from the world's hardest substance, 'Pranium', was finally completed.

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