NOVEL NEXT #100
#100
“Phew… Dealing with that Dan Joo-hyuk is always so exhausting.”
“Are you okay, bro?”
“Yeah. I should be the one apologizing to you.”
“It’s fine.”
In the small office that Dan Joo-hyuk had swept through like a storm, Heo Sang-yeon stretched out.
He had been extremely fatigued recently. Though he had a lot of work, he wondered if it was enough to drain his energy this much, to the point where it was a bit puzzling.
It was bad enough that Heo Sang-yeon himself had thoroughly checked if it might be injury aftereffects. Fortunately, there were no such signs, which led to the sad situation of now having to suspect aging.
Even hunters with extended youth eventually grow old.
At that moment, Heo Min-ji, who was nearby, carefully continued speaking.
“…You’ve been acting unlike yourself sometimes lately. Like suggesting that I pretend to be Lim Hyun-sung’s lawyer this time.”
“You’re right. I guess I was at a loss with all the dead ends… I think I’m a bit tired.”
“No, it’s more than that…”
As Heo Min-ji hesitated to continue with a very troubled expression, A-rank hunter Lee Tae-jung entered Heo Ji-yeon’s office.
“Ah, Hunter Lee is here.”
He was the vice guild master of Heo Sang-yeon’s guild
As the hunter working closest to Guild Master Heo Sang-yeon, he was considered the most skilled among A-rank hunters, nearly at S-rank level. Recently, he had been busy working with Heo Sang-yeon to resolve the mass hunter injury aftereffects incident.
Heo Sang-yeon’s guild
As a result, unlike large guilds in other countries, the guild itself didn’t have a very strong presence. Following Heo Sang-yeon’s guild, all guilds in Korea formed a unique ecosystem cooperative with the government.
“I’ve told the other hunters to disperse.”
“I see. Thanks for your hard work, I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing.”
Lee Tae-jung, who also had a military background, stood near Heo Sang-yeon with a gruff expression. Being acquainted with Heo Ji-yeon as well, they exchanged brief greetings.
“So, have you withdrawn your suspicions about Hunter Yoon Pa-ran?”
“Yes. It seems he just got caught up in this. He doesn’t seem like a bad person. Hmm, there might be an issue with the orphanage location.”
“I see.”
Lee Tae-jung, who had a build as large as Dan Joo-hyuk’s, nodded silently with an expressionless face.
Heo Sang-yeon, deep in thought while Lee Tae-jung stood quietly, suddenly raised his head.
“By the way, you’re going to China?”
“Yes.”
“Is that so? I heard Japanese hunters recently entered the country en masse. There seems to be a lot of exchange lately. The governments have been quite permissive.”
“Indeed.”
While continuing the conversation absent-mindedly, Heo Sang-yeon’s mind was extremely complex with other thoughts.
The trail he had been following had abruptly come to an end.
In the past month, nearly 50 hunters had seizures. Although this included minor and temporary symptoms, it was an absurdly high number considering the usual frequency of injury aftereffects.
Especially, five of them had seizure symptoms despite not being injured by monsters. While they were controlling the media and preventing rumors from spreading among hunters, Heo Sang-yeon felt increased pressure with Minister Byeon away in Russia.
With Dan Joo-hyuk’s return, it was somewhat of a relief. Although Dan Joo-hyuk preferred to work alone, he did help when there was a truly big problem.
Of course, the frustration hadn’t completely dissipated. It was as if there was a monster ghost, making it impossible to find any clues.
“Sigh…”
Though it would have been unfair to Yoon Pa-ran, it almost would have been better if he had turned out to be some kind of mastermind.
They were at such a dead end that they had considered apprehending Yoon Pa-ran first, even after seeing the orphanage’s donation records.
“……”
As Heo Sang-yeon continued his train of thought, he suddenly tilted his head slightly.
Come to think of it, he had confirmed that Hunter Yoon Pa-ran was pouring money into the orphanage.
Yet, he had called him out without a moment’s hesitation. Even though he could have been an innocent benefactor.
It was a choice unlike himself in many ways. He recalled Ji-yeon’s constantly worried expression beside him.
“Guild Master, are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Lee Tae-jung, standing nearby, asked worriedly. While rubbing his suddenly throbbing forehead, Heo Sang-yeon answered nonchalantly.
I must be really tired these days.
Anyway, Yoon Pa-ran didn’t seem like a bad person when they met. It was Heo Sang-yeon’s own eye for people, honed through various chaotic experiences. He had a similar sense when Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly brought him to his villa.
But where did the two of them find Lim Hyun-sung’s arm? They must have been busy practically living in low-rank gates.
As he reasoned, Heo Sang-yeon’s thoughts naturally jumped to one place. That strange stone fragment Dan Joo-hyuk had shown him at the villa.
“Hunter Lee, about that stone from back then.”
“Yes.”
As it happened, Lee Tae-jung in front of him was the one who had confirmed with him that no status window appeared for ‘that stone’.
“You said no status window or anything appeared when you touched it, right?”
“Yes. Nothing was visible.”
“Where did you put it?”
“In the guild’s underground storage.”
“I see. Thanks for your hard work.”
Despite the rather abrupt questions, Lee Tae-jung answered calmly.
He was always a grateful friend who quietly helped with work.
“Alright. We need to move again. There’s a lot to do.”
Forcing himself to muster some energy, Heo Sang-yeon stood up abruptly.
He needed to think more about that strange stone as well.
“Ji-yeon, I’ll give you a ride. Let’s go.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“Hunter Lee, is the car out front?”
“Yes.”
Lee Tae-jung answered gruffly this time as well.
Heo Sang-yeon always had a habit of looking people straight in the eye. Accustomed to this, Lee Tae-jung silently accepted his gaze.
It was always a gaze full of trust towards him.
“……”
Eventually, his gaze passed over Heo Sang-yeon’s face and stopped at a corner of his vision.
[Great Calling]
Find the mark of that person in the depths of the gate in China at the coordinates below.
37.27943934909762
121.73647405381786
Time limit: 16 days 02 hours
Reward for success: Power of ■■■ ■■
Penalty for failure: Death
“Let’s go.”
There was no hesitation in Lee Tae-jung’s footsteps as he quietly followed behind Heo Sang-yeon.
3 days later.
“Hmm……”
In front of an A-rank gate, Yoon Pa-ran was deep in thought.
A few days ago, at that lawyer’s office, Heo Sang-yeon had asked Dan Joo-hyuk for a favor. He had asked him to test whether hunters who had recovered from injuries could safely enter gates again.
“What’s wrong, Yoon Pa-ran?”
“……”
But why was he here too?
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Dan Joo-hyuk had suddenly come close and was subtly striking up a conversation. In front of the gate, many hunters waiting to enter had gathered.
As Dan Joo-hyuk spoke to him, Yoon Pa-ran growled lowly, conscious of the gazes turning towards him. It was clearly another attempt to tease him about this saint’s outfit.
“Shut up.”
They say humans are creatures of adaptation, and Yoon Pa-ran had finally adapted to this bizarre underwear.
Just yesterday, he had cleared two gates with Dan Joo-hyuk. In the process, Yoon Pa-ran had perfectly adapted to this cursed item and skill.
Surprisingly, Dan Joo-hyuk had kept his word.
He had backed off when Yoon Pa-ran said he needed to look after his siblings, and even asked for Yoon Pa-ran’s opinion every time they entered a gate.
Although it was unclear how long this whim would last, it wasn’t a bad situation for him. It allowed him to squeeze in a bit more time.
Today’s A-rank gate was the same. Although it was a favor asked by Heo Sang-yeon, Dan Joo-hyuk had suggested that it might be good for Yoon Pa-ran to try using his skills in an A-rank gate as well, and invited him along.
“I was asking about the shoes.”
He said this while gifting him an A-rank shoe item.
“……”
At Dan Joo-hyuk’s amused words, Yoon Pa-ran’s gaze reflexively went to his feet.
The item, which looked like a snow-white sandal, was designed to be secured by wrapping straps up to the ankle. At a glance, it looked like something you’d wear to a temple, and seemed difficult to run in.
[Wizard’s Shoes of Cloud Walking A]
Makes the body light and agile enough to walk on clouds.
**All curses have been purified.
However, it had quite good performance even among A-rank items.
It not only made the body more agile but also increased running speed. Especially, it had a function to maintain balance even on terrible terrain, making it a very stable equipment for ranged attackers.
Above all, it was perfectly curseless, so it wouldn’t be difficult to resell later. Yoon Pa-ran, who liked this fact the most, nodded obediently.
“It fits well. It’s comfortable.”
Dan Joo-hyuk smiled with satisfaction at Yoon Pa-ran’s answer.
Just as he was about to say something else,
“Hunter Yoon Pa-ran!”
A hunter called out Yoon Pa-ran’s name from afar. Tall and with a clean-cut face, he approached the two urgently.
And for some reason, with a very welcoming expression.