Chapter 172. The Choi Sisters

That guide who was burned at the stake—A few hours ago, they had promised a separate reward if we defeated their nemesis, the blue giant. Until now, I had assumed the promise would naturally be honored, since it was made directly by a resident of the Gate. There was no need to rush it. Fortunately, even though the fairy who made the promise had perished, our contract remained intact.

"Here, here! Take this."

The fairies in the plaza soon laid out the rewards the guide had mentioned on the grassy field.

A small cube that fits in one hand. This is a material no hunter could fail to recognize.

"Item box?"

A magical storage box capable of holding equipment imbued with magic power. Who would have thought they'd sudd enly hand over something like this!

Even though it was of the common grade—the lowest among item box types—this reward was still needed to the rare grade, its internal capacity was modest, but that didn't matter. After all, no matter how small its storage space, this magical tool always started at a price in the hundreds of millions.

So, we discussed what to do with the item box, and it didn't take long before people began to reach the conclusion tha t the reward should go to the S-Rank Hunter who led the charge in the raid.

That's right. I had just come into an unexpectedly massive windfall.

"I originally sought an EX-grade item to become stronger, but with this, I'll just take what I'm given!"

Alright, now that I've watched the whole story unfold and received what I needed, it's about time to leave this feeding box.

"The sky has brightened a little."

When I looked around, the survivors were wearing different expressions. Some were happy to be alive, some hunters were scared by the bizarre custom of the fairies killing their own kind, and the most common emotion that flowed was a sympathy close to sadness. A few, including Seonwoo Yeon, were keeping quiet as they looked at the burning corps e of the executed.

"It's dawn."

Clap.

I clapped lightly to gather the raiders' attention and pointed them toward the path we should take.

"The vines in that passage should have shrunk by now, let's go check it."

Soon, the exit in the forest was revealed, with the obstacle that had been blocking the way gone as if it were a lie.

***

A little later. Korean Hunter Association.

"Hmm..."

Seonwoo Yeon tapped the keys of a cheap membrane keyboard before leaning her body against the back of the chair for a moment. The missing people who had been swallowed by the white gate had safely returned. It had been about t wo days since that incident had concluded.

It had been a busy few days. She had witnessed the first appearance of a dungeon creature that spoke human langua ge fluently. She had stayed in the fairy kingdom for an additional four hours, consulting with the association staff who had accompanied her. Since dungeons don't collapse if there are survivors inside, this was how they preserved the rai d site, even if just for a while.

But that was finally over. The association had ultimately failed to find a way to enter the one-way exit.

"Still, I tried my best because I wanted to be helpful, but it's a bit disappointing when there's no result."

Seonwoo Yeon, the last person to return, put her hands on the keyboard, enduring the fatigue spreading throughout h er body. Now, she had to write the report before the memories of the raid faded. Honesty, why is society so harsh on the worker ants?

"Phew..."

Still, this time, the higher-ups acknowledged her efforts and even gave her a special vacation. She only had to push th rough today. With that thought in mind, Seonwoo Yeon quickly tapped away at the keys.

"I want to drink coffee."

But what is this?

"E, excuse me..."

It was definitely just a thought in her head, but before she knew it, a refreshing iced Americano appeared next to her d esk.

"Investigator, it's still lunchtime. Could we possibly have a quick chat? Maybe over a cup of coffee?"

By the way, 'Investigator' is Seonwoo Yeon's current official title. She paused from writing the report and looked up at the voice calling her. As expected, standing there was the colleague she always faced at work.

"Yes. I'll just save what I was working on."

The C-rank awakened who had been trapped with her in the fairy kingdom—Chief Lee. They usually didn't cross path s personally, so it was curious why he suddenly brought coffee along with him.

.

.

.

A moment later.

"So that's what coffee means."

As soon as Seonwoo Yeon stepped onto the rooftop, she confirmed that her prediction was correct, because Chief Le e had already bowed his head before the conversation even began.

"I'm really sorry about what happened last time!"

"Um."

"T, that. Like I said back then, I couldn't make a normal judgment because I thought I might die in 10 minutes."

"Yes."

"I, it's just that we had only entered the dungeon recently, and since the team leader passed away like that..."

The team leader of the investigation team, who mistook the fairy for a monster and attacked first, became the first vict im. Now that I think about it, the funeral will be on Wednesday. Seonwoo Yeon frowned as she recalled the schedule i n her mind. It was after that when her successor spoke up.

"Really... I'm so sorry. If I hadn't done something like that, Investigator Seonwoo Yeon wouldn't have gotten hurt."

But this is something she needs to address. Seonwoo Yeon stopped sipping her coffee and said,

"I'm fine. Rather, this is something you should apologize to Hunter Kim Giryeo for, don't you think?"

That employee definitely handed over the mark to an S-rank, didn't they?

"Haha, Hunter Kim? Yes. Of course, I don't think a brief apology when we came out of the gate was enough. But..."

The awakened individual standing on the rooftop chuckled bitterly, reflecting on their own mistake.

"How could someone like me even dare to speak to an S-rank separately?"

He said that and took a sip of the coffee in his hand.

"To be honest, right after I did that, I didn't even dare think about being forgiven by Hunter Kim."

"_ _"

"I thought he was going to be really mad. Or maybe, I thought he might just return the tag he got?"

"Is that so?"

"With someone like Kim Giryeo right in front of us, what could we have done? We just left the choice to the S-rank Hu nter. Honestly, if someone became the tagger by their own hand, at least it wouldn't feel as absurd or unfair."

The C-rank Awakened, explaining his feelings at the time, gradually lowered his voice. The words that followed only a dded a heavier burden to his heart.

"...But I never imagined that he would take on the role of the tagger himself."

Seonwoo Yeon also remembered the situation from back then. When Kim Giryeo refused to pass on the role of the tag ger, she truly felt her heart drop. Especially since she had already witnessed the tragic end of the humans who had be en taken by the fairies.

"That was to reassure the people..."

If Kim Giryeo hadn't willingly embraced the bomb, the raid team would have experienced a hellish ten minutes. They h ad already been conditioned by the previous balloon game to believe that the loser would die soon. In such a situation, if they became the tagger, they would have resorted to any means necessary to escape that fate.

Perhaps an assault targeting the weak would have occurred. Wouldn't cruel acts, like breaking a fellow human's leg to escape the role of the tagger, have become common?

"We were able to leave the dungeon without seeing any of those terrible scenes, all thanks to him."

The black-haired woman also agreed with this thought.

"No, looking back on it, really... how could he not pass on the tagger role? Did he seriously think about hunting the fairi es or something?"

When he muttered in a thoughtful tone, Seonwoo Yeon blurted out a sentence.

"Yes?"

"It's just how he is."

It was always like that. Kim Giryeo sometimes did bold things with an expression that showed no sign of hesitation or understanding. Knowing that, Seonwoo Yeon took the mark from him.

She felt that if she didn't, he truly would have never passed on the tagger role.

"Is he normally like that? Ah, come to think of it, Investigator, you and the Hunter are close, right?"

"Just a little."

"Anyway, it's amazing. I didn't know he was this kind. Wow, how does he manage to take care of everyone even in su ch a situation...?"

The C-grade Hunter was busy praising the blond man, but for some reason, Seonwoo Yeon had an ambiguous reactio n to this part.

"Kind?"

For some reason, this expression didn't seem to suit him very well.

Cold-hearted. Seonwoo Yeon subconsciously thought that such a word suited him better. Even after everything that h appened during the game of tag, it still felt that way. After all, Kim Giryeo showed that side of himself during the later s tages of the raid.

"_ _"

Seonwoo Yeon still vividly remembered. The expression Kim Giryeo had on his face as he watched the burning fairy.

"Tak, tak..."

Giryeo showed no signs of distress even when he saw the guide who had been burned alive while trying to help him.

If the anger left over from the tag game was what caused him to harbor resentment toward the wingless fairy, then it would make sense.

But what Kim Giryeo showed was neither disgust nor satisfaction. It was simply colorless and odorless—just a stiff, or dinary reaction. How could anyone expect compassion from a man like that?

"_ _"

There's a saying that even butchers don't look the animals in the eye when they slaughter them. Somehow, Kim Girye o seemed like a butcher who would carve up meat without a single blink, and because of that, every time Seonwoo Ye on experienced his kindness, there was always an uncomfortable feeling she couldn't shake.

She wanted to believe in his kindness, she really did. But that every competent hunter kept evoking a chilling sense of reverence, making it hard for her to fully trust him.

"No, don't overthink it. He's a good person who took on danger for the sake of others."

Seonwoo Yeon tried to think positively, but she couldn't suppress all the worries in her heart.

"Really..."

When she had collapsed from the fairy's punishment, what expression had that Hunter been wearing, she wondered.

"This is really a pointless thought."

Perhaps, even in that moment, he had given her the same gaze he had given the fairy in the ashes. If it hadn't been for this anxiety, she wouldn't have felt such distance from Kim Giryeo.

***

"Yahoo! I don't have to carry around a bundle of stuff in my pockets like a peddler anymore!"

On a quiet afternoon, in Kim Giryeo's one-room apartment, I sat in the corner, savoring my happiness. I had secretly e nvied the people who carried around item boxes for a long time, but now, I too had acquired one of those fancy magic storage boxes.

"And who would have thought I could get such an expensive magic tool for free!"

The item box still had a lot of empty space even after containing [Hydra] and [Surprise Box].

I hummed as I checked the remaining space.

"It's perfect--"

And as the saying goes, the item box came into my hands at just the right time. In fact, I still hadn't given up on getting the dragon's lungs, and I was planning to challenge the Dragon Raid again for this purpose.

To be honest, even now, I still have strength that's somewhat excessive for an F-rank.

"After being tormented by my whole life, I'm overworked again..."

I decided to be a little more greedy. And about 10% of this decision was likely influenced by yesterday's gate. The app earance of an entity that mimicked intelligence. The appearance of that scenario gate wasn't exactly a good omen.

To return to the earlier topic, I was planning to attempt hunting a new dragon at any moment.

I wanted to increase the chance of obtaining the dragon's lungs, even by just 1%. Of course, this time, unlike in Japan, the survival of a nation wasn't at stake. So, it would be better to take my time, starting with thorough research.

However, dragons always appear at high ranks, and the gate itself is rare, so there is little information on the Internet.

"Hmm."

So, I decided to meet with an expert in that field in preparation for the dragon's nest that would eventually appear. And surprisingly, I was able to use my connections for this matter.

The best dragon slayer in Korea, and also the world's first owner of a [Dragon's Heart]. It just so happens that this fam ous person is a distant relative of one of my acquaintances.