“Haah- Haa-ng-”
I placed my hand on her shoulder, trembling like a aspen tree, and warned her again in a slightly subdued voice.
“··· Just do it one more time, and you’ll really be in trouble?”
“Y-yes··· Huh? Ah, yes! I-I won’t do it again···”
“Jung Tae-hyung, you too. Watch your words. How long are you going to continue with the behavior of a villain?”
“··· I apologize, Master.”
I reaffirmed the hierarchy once again.
Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung is my best card.
The twins have the strongest attack skill among my forces.
All three of them are precious subordinates to me.
“Twin Siblings. From now on, treat Tae-hyung like my representative. Also, please refrain from using vulgar language among comrades. And just to add, even if you unleash dozens of Twin Casts, you won’t even brush against Tae-hyung’s collar.”
“──?!”
The twins’ eyes went wide at my words. They seemed to find it hard to believe that Tae-hyung was strong enough to that level.
Of course, I had exaggerated quite a bit.
The twins’ cooperative skills possess intricate movements and astonishing destructive power, making them not so easily dodged.
That’s why Mrs. Kim, who was much stronger, was defeated in a single strike.
“I understand…”
“I’ll be careful. Master, please forgive me…”
The twins were reestablishing their positions by looking at Tae-hyung again.
While this doesn’t mean our previously strained relationship will immediately improve, at least it should prevent any internal conflicts.
It was amusing how easily their stance changed with just a few words from me, but it made me realize how significant the power of the Demon Servant was.
‘And we should slowly grow our own forces, right?’
Cha Jin-hyuk’s side is growing at a much faster pace than I expected, so there’s no need for us to supply him with more personnel.
I’ve heard that Haseirin’s recruiting ability is immense, so I’m a bit worried that she might threaten Jin-hyuk’s position in the guild.
After all, the place where the main forces of the Orc Legion Commander dwindle is where we live, so our own strength must not be neglected.
I sent the twins ahead and had a conversation with Tae-hyung.
“To be honest, I can understand the twins’ feelings. Aren’t you bored?”
“Perhaps because I’ve lived so busily··· it’s not as bad as I thought. The mission to protect the one whom you serve, Master··· I still think it’s not a bad idea.”
“··· Is that so?”
I guess it wouldn’t be incorrect to say I’ve lived busily, considering the amount of wrongdoings I never stopped.
“Yes. And at my level, I feel a wall in growing by defeating monsters. It might be more efficient to sit quietly and meditate to seek enlightenment.”
I had started this conversation thinking it was a shame to just let him doddle like this, but he was already coping well on his own.
“Meditation is good, but can’t you grow enough in the Giant’s Dungeon? You’d gain a heap of experience points taking down the monsters there.”
“That place? I used to challenge it fervently in my younger days. But after encountering that monster on the 5th floor··· I gave up.”
“A monster?”
“Yes. I felt like no amount of training over hundreds of years could let me win. After that, I became more engrossed in other things.”
“To hear someone as strong as you say that…?”
“If I’m with you, Master··· it might be possible one day.”
“Hmm··· well, that’s a story for much later. By the way, I have to go to China soon. So get ready for that. I might stay for a few days.”
“China… Understood.”
The day when ‘Inessa’ calls is not far away.
Initially, I planned to go alone, but after hearing the twins’ opinions, I changed my mind a bit.
‘It’s a bit excessive for bodyguards.’
Yeon-hee has an earring artifact, so she can escape most perilous situations.
The twins should be enough as a safety measure.
Moreover, Jo Gi-man hasn’t returned to the country yet.
I’ve heard that things have been quiet over at the Association lately.
Of course, I don’t know what kind of happenings are going on inside, but since they’re working for the peace of this world, they likely won’t cause any incidents.
‘When I go to China, I’m sure I’ll clash with their forces. Dealing with that alone would be too much of a burden.’
In China, the number of Awakened Ones reaches 15 million.
Just counting A-rank Hunters, who are in the so-called top 0.5%, that’s nearly a million, so bringing Tae-hyung along feels like a natural flow.
“Well then, take care.”
“Please look after yourself, Master.”
After parting with Tae-hyung, I headed straight for the place where I resurrected Arang and Ho-yeol.
Once I arrived, I methodically resurrected 19 Hunters one by one.
It was quite tiring to stabilize them, explain things, and impose a few conditions each time.
“I-I have such power?!”
‘The explosive growth of strength.’
“Wow, I even got the [Thorn Armor] skill!!”
‘Not a bad skill for a Warrior.’
“My magic recovery rate has increased by 20%! I can’t believe it.”
‘So it’s gone up by 20%? That person seems to be the luckiest. I’m a bit envious.’
There were various reactions, but as time passed, everyone was satisfied with awakening their potential.
– You will create a miracle that resurrects deceased beings!
– The achievement [The Resurrector] activates. The Weight of Existence increases.
‘Nice. Just this alone makes this work worthwhile.’
As I nodded contently at that moment.
‘Hmm?!’
A massive shape swept through my mind.
‘What is that…?’
Something as colossal as the Fragments of a Great Being – something with wings vast enough to cover the sky.
– You get closer to the traces of the Dragon Lord.
‘··· Just tossed a single fragment of memory at me and called it a trace. What a joke.’
At least I felt a bit reassured that there were no events like my consciousness getting sucked into somewhere.
‘Being swayed against my will isn’t such a pleasant experience.’
After mulling over the giant presence vividly a few times, I turned to face the 19 Hunters staring intently at me.
‘··· What are you waiting for me to say?’
I didn’t want to disappoint them, but I didn’t have much to say to the people I brought back to life.
I just tried hard to remember their faces.
They’re all capable individuals, so they might come in handy later.
“Thank you very much. I will definitely repay this kindness someday.”
“Feel free to contact us anytime!”
The Hunters who listened to my cautions and expressed their gratitude began to leave one by one.
Some handed me their business cards, while others passed a note with their number written on it.
Among them, there were those shedding tears in overwhelming gratitude, and then there were the absurd ones who approached me, confused about what I had done to them.
Of course, I knocked them out in one blow, but it reaffirmed the idea that the changes in personality after being resurrected by the Life Potion are limitless.
‘There are quite a few who will go to extremes with their emotions and personalities.’
However, no one expressed a rational fondness like Arang did.
Considering almost half of the female Hunters, that’s a positive outcome.
‘Arang must have just gotten unlucky, stumbling into me.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be a lie that she held some affection for me since we first met.
But it seems she experienced an unfortunate event triggered by her otherwise minor emotions during ordinary times.
‘Phew— it’s over.’
I spent a total of two hours doing this work.
‘No need to stick around any longer.’
I left without regrets.
Going back and forth to Jeju Island, the morning passed in an instant.
While waiting for Yeon-hee to come out in front of the dungeon, I had a lot of time left.
‘Ah, maybe I should go there?’
On my way to the Red-haired Dire Wolf Dungeon, I took a detour and arrived at the studio apartment I lived in during my previous life.
The deposit was a bit steep, but remembering the joy when I found a new place with low rent brought back nostalgic memories.
It had been almost half a year since I started my life as a skeleton, yet here I was, visiting this place again. I’m quite the character.
‘Hmm… it feels bittersweet.’
A world line that has changed in many ways.
Yet, I held a vague belief that I, in this world, would still remain unchanged.
But.
‘Oh······ someone else is living here?’
As I sensed inside the studio where I used to live, there were women’s shoes and workout shoes far too small for my feet crowded in the shoe rack.
The arrangement inside the room was entirely different from how I had it set up.
There wasn’t a single trace of a man, so it wouldn’t make sense to think that I lived here with a girlfriend.
‘Did they move somewhere else? I don’t think there was a better place than this.’
Now that I was here and it was empty, I felt impatient.
Even if I requested help from Helen, it’d take quite some time.
‘Hmm…’
I couldn’t easily leave the front of my old studio.
Something felt off.
Suddenly, everything seemed fresh and new.
It was a building that hadn’t changed much aside from my absence, but still…
At that moment, I spotted a middle-aged woman passing by in the hallway.
‘Huh? That aunt is the landlord!’
She wore an old floral tracksuit and carried a wallet larger than her face, but she was indeed the owner of this studio apartment building.
[Disguise]
‘I’ll disguise myself as Bae Joo-ah.’
I activated my disguise as a woman for the first time, aside from Yeon-hee.
I didn’t change to my own appearance because it would be easier to get answers by asking as a woman than as a man.
That landlady tends to be wary of men.
And besides, someone whose face is somewhat recognizable like Yeon-hee could also be risky.
“Excuse me… if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask something?”
I can never call that woman ‘aunt’ or ‘ma’am.’ The moment she hears those words, she would ignore me and walk away.
Past experiences in my previous life always help me out in small ways.
“Um? Who are you?”
“Ah, I’m looking for someone, but even after ringing the doorbell, there’s no answer. Do you know a tall man with a beauty mark under his eye, a somewhat good-looking face? His name is Yoon Han-gyeol.”
“Which room? 606?”
“Yes, yes! Yoon Han-gyeol…”
The landlady showed no signs of suspicion while looking at Bae Joo-ah, the neatly dressed, bespectacled model student.
She said with a slight intake of breath and raised her hand high.
“That lad went out with a date!”
The landlady pointed upwards with her finger.
“······Where is that?”
I sensed something was off but had to ask.
“At a young age, tsk tsk, it was in January, right? He suddenly collapsed, I’ve heard. He was quite charming, unlike the young people of today. His face was quite fine too.”
“He died… did he? Is he the man named Yoon Han-gyeol?”
“That’s right. I have an excellent memory for the names of those who pay rent, you know. You take care of your life, too. There’s no set order for leaving.”
With that, the landlady hastily resumed her path.
“······.”
Once I couldn’t see her back any longer, I unknowingly leaned against the doorframe of the hallway.
“I died?”
I died in January.
I suddenly collapsed and became a star in the sky.
“January······.”
I stood in the corridor for quite some time.
It felt like a rock had settled in my mind.
I wondered if the unfamiliar body was the reason, so I tried dispelling the disguise, but the heaviness only worsened.
Unwittingly, I staggered out of the building, heading home rather than to the dungeon.
Upon arrival, I went straight to the bed.
Covering myself with the blanket carrying Yeon-hee’s scent, I gradually began to feel the reality of it all.
‘In this world, I’m dead…’
I’ll definitely need to confirm again, but there’s no reason for the landlord to spout nonsense.
January… the exact point when I was summoned.
The timing overlaps perfectly, so it’s hard to dismiss it as just coincidence.
‘I might have anticipated such a situation…’
That’s why I kept excusing myself busy, probably telling myself I’d just forgotten.
‘I suppose they cremated the body.’
After the First Wave broke out, most countries in the world enforced cremation, and our country did the same.
If they didn’t do it, the deceased could turn into a zombie and have an unwanted reunion.
‘I guess in this world, I vanished without leaving even a tiny trace…’
My mind was tangled.
It’s already a done deal.
Even though thinking about it would yield no answers, I couldn’t shake off the complex emotions.
‘Hoo—’
I stepped into the backyard and swung my great sword wildly.
At that moment, the suffocating feelings that had overwhelmed me melted away, and before I knew it, I reached a state of ecstasy.
How much time had passed like that?
“······? Is that you, Il-wol?”
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