Chapter 16: Apology on the Grill
The Awakening abilities of Hunters.
Various items discovered in the Gate.
Since the Dungeon Shock seven years ago, this world has been surrounded by all sorts of supernatural phenomena.
Is it really wise to underestimate others when even an octogenarian can break rebar?
‘What kind of Awakening type could he possibly be?’
I’d love to scratch a bit deeper, but…
Kim Gi-ryeo’s mysterious demeanor raises my suspicions. Therefore, I decided to back off slowly.
‘After all, the goal was to see how he would react to the threat.’
Kang Chang-ho made sure to get his testimony before clearing the path that was blocking the Gate.
‘But still, it’s pretty funny that he parades around claiming to be F-Class with that attitude.’
Kim Gi-ryeo shot me a glance with his sharp eyes as he passed by.
Kang Chang-ho briefly pondered while locking eyes with the Hunter.
‘Interesting. What on earth is Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter thinking?’
Unfortunately, no item that lets me read minds had been found yet.
“Aaaahhhhh, I’m aliveeeee!”
So, Kang Chang-ho had no way of knowing what was going on inside Kim Gi-ryeo’s head.
*
1. Support Kang Chang-ho and backstab the S-Class Hunter.
2. Support Jeong Ha-seong and confront the S-Class Hunter here.
‘Huh? No answers?’
A few minutes earlier.
I was blindsided by the threats tossed around by an Awakener.
Neither choice seemed good at all.
‘Is this Earthling a total weirdo?’
However, Kang Chang-ho wasn’t just wielding a knife; he was almost coercively demanding a choice.
I couldn’t help but picture one thing when I saw his fist.
That overwhelming strength that crushed Black Lynx’s skull with bare hands. Could my current body withstand it?
‘…Nope. Better off following his orders. I just need to get out alive, right?’
Considering how he looked, he could probably take out a person without breaking a sweat.
In that case…
‘Jeong Ha-seong is an S-Class Hunter, but he wasn’t a bad guy. If I support someone, he wouldn’t go and kill me, right…?’
Yeah, letting go of this option seemed safer.
With my calculations done, I opened my mouth.
“Okay. So, I just need to say I was the one who knocked out Jeong Ha-seong?”
Since I wouldn’t have to uphold this lie for life.
‘Damn it, just wait till I get my magic back! I’ll turn you into a cornerstone for conquering the planet!’
Even if I managed to recover a tenth of my past strength, Kang Chang-ho wouldn’t be a problem.
So first, I’d survive and buy some time. That was my reasoning for accepting the offer.
“Good thinking.”
Kang Chang-ho, however, didn’t seem overly joyful despite the successful intimidation.
‘What the heck is he thinking?’
Then came a brief explanation from Kang Chang-ho. Basically, he told me what to testify about when we got outside.
‘Damn it.’
I cautiously made my way toward the exit, casting a glance at the S-Class Hunter.
‘Anyway, I’m alive. I’m alive!’
I found myself wondering if there might not be a ridiculous twist waiting for me, like the exit being fake.
“Ah!”
Fortunately, as soon as I stepped outside, my worries melted away like snow.
Tall gray buildings. The blue mountain cutting across them. The street littered with cigarette butts.
“Phew.”
Finally, I’m back.
I absorbed the familiar sights and exhaled, calming my startled heart.
“Ah! S-Class Hunter has emerged from the third exit!”
“Gate 3 clear!”
“Roll the camera, roll the camera!”
But wait, why are there so many people here?
“Are there any other survivors? How many Hunters started the assault?”
“Uh, uh…?”
“Congratulations on your return! But did you experience the Dungeon structure…?”
Crowds of people jammed inside the controlled area bombarded me with questions.
I froze, momentarily speechless, as I scanned my surroundings.
‘Gate? No, all the exits were right here!’
Apparently, it seemed like more than just a couple of Hunters got tangled in this unfortunate incident.
In this open area, six gates faced each other in a clockwise manner, and the people gathered seemed to be aware that this tunnel was sort of an exit.
‘People on Earth sure love to gawk.’
But there’s no time to be dazed.
Kang Chang-ho appeared from behind.
Carrying an unconscious Jeong Ha-seong, he created a huge stir.
“Kang Chang-ho Hunter!”
“Two S-Classes…!”
“Is that really Jeong Ha-seong? Why is he unconscious?”
Wouldn’t you know, there were police around, so the onlookers couldn’t just cross the perimeter.
Eventually, the first to approach the S-Class Hunter was a man dressed in black waiting near the Gate.
“Kang Chang-ho Hunter? We need to ask you a few questions.”
“Did the Association send you?”
“Yes.”
The nicely-suited Earthling briefly glanced at the unconscious S-Class Hunter.
“Actually, there are many questions I want to ask, but first, I have to know. Why is Jeong Ha-seong unconscious?”
“Ah, this…”
“Did he get caught up in some Gate gimmick?”
Kang Chang-ho shook his head at the Association employee’s question.
He discreetly raised his finger and pointed directly at a guy.
“No! There was a bit of friction over selecting a sacrifice in the Gate. That guy fainted Jeong Ha-seong.”
At that, the Association employee adjusted his glasses and raised his voice.
“What? That guy made Jeong Ha-seong faint?”
Coming out and starting with a false statement, huh!
I grimaced slightly, half exasperated from Kang Chang-ho’s antics.
“Speak sensibly! How could Korea’s top representative be taken down by a Hunter I’ve never even seen before?”
At least it was somewhat reassuring that the Association employee was using a normal thought process…
“Be honest. Kang Chang-ho, it was you, wasn’t it, that made Jeong Ha-seong like this?”
Kang Chang-ho seemed to grow more confident the more the other party doubted him.
“Hey, stop staring blankly over there and say something!”
Of course, he’s got something to rely on.
Ughhhhh.
In that moment, Kang Chang-ho stood in the blind spot of the Association employee, shooting a chilling glare.
I felt like that stare meant he’d kill me if I didn’t back up his lies soon.
So I promptly fulfilled my promise.
“Um, yes, it was me who made Jeong Ha-seong faint…”
“Uh, uh?”
Having prepped my story before coming out, the explanations flowed out smoothly.
“But I didn’t intend to harm him. I only put him to sleep for a smoother assault, so can you let it slide this time? I’m sorry.”
I prioritized closing the Gates, which pose a threat to humanity, so there was an accident.
What excuse could be more commonly used than that?
“When Ha-seong wakes up, I will definitely apologize to him personally.”
I slyly threw in a little trick. By saying this, the situation would likely trend towards being resolved between the parties involved.
‘Let’s downsize the scale of this incident for now. I really don’t want to lie in court…’
Of course, the real victim, who knows all the context, will probably be baffled by my lie.
But as long as I offer honest apologies while handing over a Dungeon reward, can’t I smooth things over somehow?
“No way, that can’t be! One of the same S-Class Hunters must have done something…”
Just when I thought I could rest easy…
The Association employee looked back and forth at us in disbelief.
Then, Kang Chang-ho made a sudden move.
“Uh, Kang Chang-ho!”
The S-Class Hunter stepped forward to say something to the Association employee, but then staggered greatly.
Now that I looked closely, his complexion was pale, and he was sweating profusely from dizziness…
“Phew, since earlier, it’s been nonsense.”
It was too convincing to be acting.
He had lost quite a bit of blood inside the Gate too.
“Can’t you see? Do you really think I can do anything to Jeong Ha-seong right now?”
“Uh, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, so get lost!”
With a half-annoyed shout, the Association employee hurriedly stepped back.
‘He’s not in serious condition, so why is he faking it?’
I found his trick tiresome, but I couldn’t show discontent.
“Hold on a second! Hunter! Was what you just said true? Did you indeed cause Jeong Ha-seong to lose consciousness?”
“Did you faint an S-Class Hunter?”
Then, the Earthlings outside the perimeter yelled at the top of their lungs.
Did I really need to repeat everything I just explained again?
But by the looks of things, they wouldn’t stop asking until they got their answer, so I responded casually.
“Yes, yes.”
With a nonchalant tone, I answered, and thankfully, the questions stopped flowing immediately.
However, from where the onlookers stood, I spotted something vaguely familiar.
‘What was that again?’
A few days ago, when watching Ahn Yoon-seung handle the Dungeon Break.
Suddenly, I recalled the item that the guy, who had provoked me then, was holding.
I recognized its name. Moreover, I knew its general function.
‘So it’s a device that records the situation we’re witnessing right now?’
A camera.
As I stared at the Earthling’s gadget they were holding, I turned away.
‘Why the heck are they taking pictures of my face? This is not something worth saving and reviewing.’
An easily forgotten fact is that I’m a foreigner who hasn’t been on this planet for long.
Kim Gi-ryeo’s memories have oddly large gaps, so there are often basic and common pieces of information that I might not know.
Thus, I was completely oblivious to how and by whom the information I always look up on my phone is updated.
‘Alright. I’m tired, so let’s just go home for now.’
…What really led me to learn about the connections between ‘reporters,’ ‘cameras,’ and ‘video uploads’ on Earth was 24 hours after this incident.
*
24 hours later.
At a restaurant near Kim Gi-ryeo’s house.
“Hrrrgh.”
The very place I got caught for a free meal on my first day of reincarnation. I blew on the white broth and slurped it down while reaching for the pickled radish.
But there was someone there to stop me.
“Excuse me, hyung.”
The Earthling sitting across from me asked with a pale expression.
“I saw the articles that came out in the morning before they got deleted.”
“……”
“Is it true that you made Jeong Ha-seong faint?”
Ahn Yoon-seung probably had a hurried meeting with me to confirm the facts.
I paused my chopstick movements and quietly replied.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Ahn Yoon-seung is a good Earthling, but I couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t spread my words.
“Haah…”
In my life, I had never been threatened into silence over lies before.
Ahn Yoon-seung looked astonished, mouth covered in disbelief, and at that moment, I was too drained to guess what he was thinking.
“Anyway, you didn’t get caught up in that EX-Class Gate yesterday, right? You’re okay?”
I changed the subject naturally, afraid Ahn Yoon-seung might ask for more.
It was at that moment.
–Bwooooon, bwooooon.–
“Hyung, I think your phone is ringing.”
The vibration from my mobile phone in my pants pocket interrupted me.
The name on the screen was Caller ID Restricted.
“Hello?”
I put down the spoon I was holding and fumbled through to answer the call.
Then, an unexpected voice came through the speaker.
–Is this Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter’s number?
“Yes.”
–This is Jeong Ha-seong.
“Ah! Yes!”
Now that I think about it, I had left my number with the Association to apologize personally yesterday.
As soon as I recognized the caller, I straightened my posture and spoke.
“Wait a moment. But before we talk, just a second.”
Since Jeong Ha-seong was contacting me.
“Can you do a video call right now?”
I glanced around, scanning for a spot in the restaurant where I could comfortably lay my head down.
Where would be a good place to bury my face?
