Chapter 244. Before the Destruction (2)

A 5-pyeong monthly rented room that is old and drafty is your only residence?

Haseong paused for a moment at the words of his fellow S-rank. After some time had passed, the conversation resumed.

"Then, when you don't have work, you always rest here... in this room?"

Hearing that, Giryeo looked at him as if questioning why he was asking such an obvious question. With a nonchalant expression, he pointed to the navy blue blanket scattered nearby. On it, a white charging cable was plugged into the familiar smartphone.

A lifestyle revealed in truly simple terms. Of course, it's not as if there are only one or two people in Korea who spend their days fiddling with their phones on a blanket.

"An S-rank Hunter?"

Where did you blow all the tutoring fees I gave you to be living like this?

Such a question naturally hitched at the back of his throat.

However, Haseong managed to swallow it down by pushing the hot green tea aside.

On the other side, despite his younger age, the person was effectively like his teacher. Naturally, he felt a bit of hesitation, and on top of that, there was something inherently difficult about dealing with him.

"It's not polite to pry into someone's private life."

Haseong soon shifted the topic of conversation naturally.

"Then, I will send the items to this address."

And at that moment, Giryeo got up from his seat once more and rummaged through the snacks to offer to the guests. Inside the cupboard, he found a glowing blue object that didn't quite match the worn-out one-room apartment.

"I think I know why Jung Haseong's magic power suddenly became unstable."

It was the infinite power core.

Sparkle-

The indomitable device that had been capable of handling everything from petty thieves to threatening beasts had gradually exhausted its power. However, there seemed to be a minor error in the calculation process, as the energy depletion rate was somewhat ambiguous—if used sparingly, it could last until autumn.

"Still, it's about time I should move my place."

Unlike what Earthlings often worry about, the alien had no hesitation in thinking about moving to a mansion-like house.

Click.

After finishing his fantasy about where to live, Giryeo finds a suitable snack and brings it to the tray. However, the awakened Garion members hastily waved their hands and said.

"I'm grateful for the tea, but you don't need to give us snacks as well..."

"T, that's right."

"We must have disturbed you while you were resting. We'll just have this and leave soon."

Although not particularly introverted, since there were guests present, Giryeo had to refrain from any actions that might make him seem like an alien. So, even if they wanted to leave quickly, it wasn't an issue. He simply nodded at their words and sat cross-legged. However, after a short while, the leader of the Garion guild subtly glanced around and, for once, initiated the conversation.

"Hunter Kim."

Although he was planning to move soon, that was an unspoken plan within his nervous system. For now, what outsiders could observe was simply the reality that Korea's fourth S-class Hunter was living in a place that didn't match his income level. Looking at this small room, which could probably be seen entirely with a 200-degree horizontal field of view, a sudden curiosity arose.

"By the way, Hunter, what do you do when you're not working?"

"Hm?"

"Hobbies... I'm asking about your hobbies right now..."

Is this too personal? Haseong often lived with a sense of self-censorship, even outside of late-night hours. He couldn't help but worry if the question he had just asked might have upset the other person. However, without a moment's hesitation, Giryeo responded with a surprisingly refreshing voice, revealing his interests...

"Hobbies?"

In his previous life, he had been an archmage who mastered a single discipline to its peak. Now, as an alien traversing vast interstellar spaces and mingling with unfamiliar mammals, his interests had evolved. Considering these characteristics, the leisure activities that a blond man would engage in usually converge to one.

Acquiring information. The concept commonly used for knowledge transfer, whether in his homeland or here, was sound and text.

"Maybe that?"

Whoosh.

Giryeo turned his head and looked towards somewhere. At the end of his gesture, a few books were stacked up.

<Easy and Simple Learning: How to Use the Latest Smartphone>

Since realizing that there were many inaccurate articles online, the alien had gradually increased his usage of educational books. Although he was still unaware that his book rental history was recorded in the library's database, his cautious nature, which was above average, led him to carefully select the books he borrowed from public places.

<Law Dictionary in Daily Life>

In simple terms, it meant that he avoided topics that would make him too obvious as an alien. This kind of information was something that even Earth's natives often found curious, so it wouldn't be a problem.

"Reading... is your hobby?"

"Well, for now. Most of the reading is for learning rather than for leisure, so I'm not sure if it should really be considered a hobby."

If he started telling unnecessary lies even in light conversations, the point at which he couldn't keep track of his own words would come much sooner. Therefore, Giryeo maintained a clean and honest attitude to avoid making false statements he wouldn't be able to remember.

"<Smartphone Usage>... Then, let me ask one more thing. What do you usually do on your phone?"

"Well, I usually read digital newspapers or watch YouTube..."

"Oh, YTube! I used to always have it next to me when I ate back in my student days. It's definitely convenient and nice since old variety shows get edited and uploaded there."

"Uh... well, sorry, but I don't watch variety shows or dramas, so I wouldn't know about that."

"Uhm?"

"YTube is for watching live news broadcasts, and occasionally I'll watch an interview if a friend appears, but generally, I don't watch entertainment videos like that."

However, as the conversation continued, the hero's expression gradually stiffened.

"Do you use the video streaming app... solely for checking the news?"

Would that have been a slip of the tongue by Earth's standards?

This time, Giryeo started to worry about the small details. Jung Haseong asked with a serious expression if there was any particular reason for his actions.

But to that, Giryeo would have to say, "Actually, I'm a semi-transparent intelligent life form from a massive ocean planet where one year lasts 640 days. Because of this, it's hard for me to independently discern the truth of the information you all speak of. So, out of caution, I avoid engaging with purely entertainment-driven content and instead focus only on more reliable sources like news and books."

"...That's not something I can answer, is it?"

"Impossible."

Giryeo tried to brush off the situation with a shrug. However, even at this moment, his skin maintained a neutral expression, a blank expression, so the atmosphere instantly became stagnant.

"Then even if famous animal videos come up through an algorithm, Hunter Kim doesn't touch them..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

At 4 AM, setting out to investigate [Mimic City], and before having a conflict with Chairman Go Byeongdo, a presumed investigator who had been secretly taking on missions while concealing their rank—what they do during their rest is nothing more than reading legal books and watching the news?

There are various preferences in the world. Therefore, there are surely people who find comfort in the act of learning.

It's wrong to automatically alienate someone just because their way of resting is different from yours.

But why? Even though all these sentences came to mind vividly, Haseong's mind kept thinking, 'I can't leave it like this.'

'Come to think of it...'

In a way, this was a sense of anxiety that stemmed from his upbringing. In fact, Jung Haseong was a famous genius in his neighborhood who had entered veterinary school on his own without receiving much private education, and his secret was his unwavering sincerity. Since he had nothing else to immerse himself in other than studying, he would often find himself glued to his desk. Most adults, upon seeing this, would say, "The parents must be really lucky," and even they would say that if their own children showed even a fraction of his dedication, they wouldn't have to worry about their future.

It was strange. For some reason, his other often scolded the picture-perfect model student.

"Son-- wake up!"

"Mom... I'm reading a book right now..."

"-- You finished all your homework and review this week, right? Haseong, the things you experience at your age stay with you for life. It's a shame to just be stuck with paper at such a beautiful age, don't you think?"

Every weekend, she would nag her child, who was always buried in books, and force him to get some sunlight. The family wasn't wealthy, so they didn't go to any extravagant places, but in spring they would go flower watching, in summer they would look at the water, and in autumn they would collect fallen leaves from the trees on the back hill and make bookmarks with them, keeping them until winter.

"-- Hurry up and listen to your mom. If you keep sitting at that desk all the time, you'll end up worn out!"

During his teenage years, he couldn't understand why his mother would go so far to interfere with his studies. Sometimes, her constant nagging felt so annoying that he wished she would just stop. But now, at this moment, Haseong finally understood his mother's feelings. And that's why, out of the blue, he blurted out these words.

"W, wouldn't it be better if you went out for a walk or something instead?"

There was nothing he could do. From their conversation, Haseong had realized that Kim Giryeo was living a rather difficult and exhausting life. As far as he knew, the only activity that might help someone with such pathological single-mindedness was something as trivial as this outing.

"For example, somewhere like the sea!"

At the time when he was deeply grieving after losing all his friends due to Dungeon Shock, the drastic measure his guardian took to help him was a trip to Busan. Because of that trip, he encountered a kraken, leading to an incredible event where he awakened as Korea's first S-rank hunter. But, well, that's another story.

"Sea?"

To Jung Haseong, the experience from that time was remembered as a very pleasant memory. The quiet scene of waiting for the sunrise beyond the rippling waves, with the cold morning breeze and the two of them warming their hands together. In a way, the national hero had endured many hardships, using the memories of that day as a foundation to survive through tough times. And yet, amidst all of this, he had found someone in the industry who, for some incomprehensible reason, controlled their desires to such an extent.

"Ah, t, that..."

What kind of mindset did I have to say that? The fire wizard with black hair was shocked by his own words, his eyes widening as he swallowed nervously. However, the response that came from the other party after that was even more shocking.

"Is that so?"

The blonde man suddenly began packing his things with an incredibly enthusiastic attitude.

***

Three hours after the short tea time. The West Sea.

"Kkuruk kkuruk."

"Oh..."

What is this? It feels like the background changed in the blink of an eye...

Ssssk.

The number one ranked Hunter, Jung Haseong, raised his arm and lightly rubbed his eyes. Still, the scenery in front of him didn't change. There, ahead, Kim Giryeo was happily watching the seagulls. And just now, that monotone creature had snatched the shrimp-flavored snack he was holding in his hand.

Kkuruk-!

Tak.

The long bird, holding a factory-made flour fritter, flew away. Kim Giryeo, in a rather careless manner for an S-rank Hunter, looked up at the seagull soaring into the sky. At that moment, Jung Haseong found himself deep in thought.

"Why didn't he even refuse and just go straight to the beach? No, more than that, how could someone decide to go to Incheon so quickly?"

How could he possibly know? In fact, the body of the blonde man contained the soul of an aquatic creature, which is why Kim Giryeo had been personally interested in Earth's oceans for quite some time.

But sadly, luck was never on his side. The first attempt to see the sea at Gampo Port ended with him getting caught with the military and a massive incident. After that, he knew, the only activity that might help someone with such pathological single-mindedness was something as trivial as this outing.

@ Producing magical tools that could suggest contract cancellation to some improvement.

@ Planning a way to awaken Kim Giryeo's potential.

Since he had two research topics to achieve in the future, it was not a situation where he was completely relaxed, but since the topic came up, he was okay with taking a quick look at the ocean, which had been his long-cherished wish.

"Is it because he was grateful for having his opinion listened to? After all, Jung Haseong even drove me all the way here."

Most of the planet was surrounded by vast oceans, and the surface meeting the atmosphere was something he hadn't had many chances to see in his previous life. Giryeo put aside his interest in living creatures and refocused on observing the sea. However, since he still identified his true nature as an aquatic creature, seeing so much water made him suddenly feel the urge to dive in.

'I didn't bring any clothes to change into... and on top of that, there are eyes watching nearby. It'd be a bit much to carelessly use a drying spell too.'

Giryeo glanced back and forth between the sea and his clothes with an uncertain expression. And at that moment, the 'watchful eyes' standing beside him carefully started a conversation.

"Um... this just suddenly came to mind, but, Hunter Kim Giryeo, do you perhaps..."