Chapter 54: A Tired Heart (2)
But for some reason, my mana felt much more unstable than the last time I checked.
‘Am I just tired?’
I tilted my head but slowly walked north.
Before long, a familiar face came into view.
‘Just as I thought, it’s Jeong Ha-seong.’
The current number one in the rankings was in a standoff with a large monster.
*
Why did things end up like this?
Jeong Ha-seong was confused.
‘This is tough.’
Closing the gate, closing it again, and again. It had been 40 hours of this nonsense.
Yet, the situation had worsened instead of improving.
– An artificial Dungeon Break has been confirmed!
This was clearly an act of terrorism.
But who on earth would do something like this?
What benefit could there possibly be to unleashing monsters?
“Phew…”
Jeong Ha-seong took a deep breath.
This was no time to get swept up in emotions.
‘The Magic Tower Guild Master just had to be in Cheongju at a time like this.’
As if things weren’t bad enough, he couldn’t even expect help from other S-Class hunters right now.
He needed to keep his wits about him.
“Graaaakh!”
Swoosh, bang!
Monsters that had broken free from the cage known as the gate charged at him.
When they swung their front legs once, the surrounding structures crumbled like paper.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and activated a skill.
It was the very fire skill he had been relentlessly using for the last 40 hours.
“Kaaaah!”
“Gyaaaah!”
On the surface, the flames still looked overwhelming.
But this S-Class hunter was quite fatigued, and thanks to that, the power of the skill had dropped to about half.
“Phew!”
Jeong Ha-seong took another deep breath.
Had he run out of mana? He had been feeling dizzy since earlier.
‘I only have a few left.’
Reluctantly, he pulled out a potion he’d been saving.
It was at that moment.
“P-please save me…”
A pitiful voice came from somewhere.
Jeong Ha-seong stopped drinking the potion and suddenly turned his head.
“Please… save me…”
“Ah!”
There was a person pinned under rubble from a collapsed building.
Jeong Ha-seong immediately rushed over to him.
“D-don’t move! I’ll clear the debris right away!”
He didn’t even need to roll up his sleeves.
A High-Ranking Awakened was beyond exceptional in physical capabilities.
“Are you okay?”
“My legs won’t move. Please help me up.”
“Ah, yes!”
As Jeong Ha-seong supported the civilian, he thought to himself.
In a disaster situation like this, the communications would surely be down, so if he called the guild staff on the radio to evacuate…
“But, you’re Jeong Ha-seong Hunter, right?”
Just then.
Jeong Ha-seong’s eyes widened at the sudden heat he felt.
Looking closer, the civilian who had just asked for help was somehow holding him tightly.
As if trying to prevent him from escaping.
“Uh?”
The question was just a blink.
Boom!
What followed was a violent explosion.
Searing pain.
And splattered blood.
“Ugh…?”
Beeeeeep.
A loud ringing pierced his ears. Ha-seong helplessly knelt.
The explosive item that the civilian had hidden detonated.
‘A self-destructing terror!’
It was the moment someone’s wish came true.
Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the emergence of the gate, they triggered another Dungeon Break.
Depleting Jeong Ha-seong’s magic.
Holding their breath and waiting for the perfect moment.
The cult known as Nachalsawon finally made their move.
They aimed to eliminate the weakened S-Class hunter directly.
“Ugh, cough.”
Particularly, this poor hero was an easy target.
He always worried about hurting others with his own flames, so he usually walked alone.
“Gah.”
Ha-seong tried to pull out a recovery potion from his waist pouch, but massive blood loss prevented him from doing so.
Before long, the Awakened’s consciousness faded.
*
So, what does it all mean…?
To put it simply, it went like this.
“If I hadn’t been here, it would have been a real disaster.”
After the chaos erupted, I had been keeping an eye on the situation and sprinted over in shock as soon as the self-destructing terror occurred.
What on earth is going on?
“Yikes, that’s a nasty wound!”
The situation was grim.
Swept away by the powerful explosion, the civilian had vanished without a trace, leaving only Jeong Ha-seong, bleeding profusely from a hole in his chest.
I was a bit startled by the sudden incident, but I immediately began providing first aid calmly.
“Thank goodness I brought healing potions.”
The recovery potion that Kang Chang-ho had given me!
Such a thing was better used by a man in such dire need than a Great Mage like me.
“Phew, it works well.”
Whoosh! I used the recovery potion without hesitation.
In no time, the fallen hunter’s wounds began to heal.
“Hmm.”
Fortunately, regaining consciousness didn’t take long. A moment later, the man’s eyelids fluttered slowly.
“Are you okay?”
Blink. Blink.
I cautiously asked as I looked at Ha-seong, who had just opened his eyes. The first words he returned were…
“Why are you here? What about the evacuation…?”
What a pointless question.
But I couldn’t be too harsh on a patient. I answered as clearly as I could.
“I was running around looking for an evacuation shelter, but I happened to find you.”
“Ah…”
“How are you? Can you move your body yet?”
The wounds were healed, but did he still feel pain?
Jeong Ha-seong grimaced and struggled to lift his upper body.
Then he placed his hand on his chest and, with a startled expression, continued speaking.
“Did you use a potion on me?”
“Yes.”
“How can such a serious wound heal so quickly… Uh, how much was it? I’ll make sure to repay you.”
“Well, you see… I also received it as a gift, so I’m not sure of the price.”
But just then.
Creeeek.
Along with the irritating crackling noise, a sudden message erupted from Ha-seong’s waist.
– Emergency transmission. YTV headquarters A-Class 3 entities. YTV headquarters A-Class 3 entities.
It was a radio message.
The S-Class hunter immediately responded to the voice as soon as he heard it.
“This is Jeong Ha-seong. I will be there in 5 minutes.”
But wait a minute, what did this madman just say?
Jeong Ha-seong rose to his feet.
Seeing that, I hurriedly got up as well in an attempt to grab him.
“Wait a minute, Jeong Ha-seong Hunter!”
For some reason, it seemed like this guy didn’t realize his own condition.
“You shouldn’t be moving around like that!”
“Uh?”
“The explosion totally wrecked your lungs! You were just unlucky. Thankfully, I healed you, but you need to take it easy for a while.”
That’s the thing about reckless bravery.
How could he think about using magic in that condition?
“Especially today, you can’t use any skills. Your newly regenerated lung tissues are weak, and using magic could lead to lingering side effects.”
In this world, there’s no organ that isn’t precious.
But for a mage, lungs are those organs that are especially important.
If there were irreversible damage done to the lungs, a sorcerer’s abilities could plummet overnight.
Therefore, Jeong Ha-seong really needed to lie down somewhere right now.
“Thank you for your advice, but in this situation, I have no choice…”
This damned S-Class ignored my words and tried to head to the scene. The sight of it made my blood boil.
“Did you really understand what I said? If you do this, you could end up with permanent damage!”
“I will take that risk.”
“No, hey!”
I threw myself in front of him with everything I had to stop him.
A struggle ensued, but that inflexible man maintained his stance.
“Kim Gi-ryeo, people are dying even as we speak.”
I couldn’t comprehend. I spat out whatever came to mind.
“So what does that matter? It’s not your fault, is it?”
But damn it. That light remark seemed to strike a nerve.
“What did you say?”
Jeong Ha-seong’s face twisted in an instant.
“Why would you say something like that? Don’t you see what’s happening? If I don’t go, dozens will die right away!”
“That’s their business! Is there only one hunter in this city? Just leave it to the others today….”
“Yes. Once this is handled, I’ll rest right away. Please step aside for now.”
“I can’t let you pass!”
I desperately blocked him, throwing my body between him and the direction he intended to go.
“Do you have family there? Unless it’s that kind of situation, please…”
“Phew. Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, I really appreciate your help, but let’s stop now. You’re getting in the way of my work.”
But Jeong Ha-seong’s response seemed to grow colder.
‘This is impossible to communicate with!’
It was too obsessive to just be plain heroism.
At this point, he must have recognized the seriousness of his injuries.
Why couldn’t he just sit still?
It’s not like someone was holding a knife to his throat…
“Ugh.”
At first, I was annoyed by Ha-seong’s stubbornness, but as time passed, a sense of pity washed over me.
‘Is he being forced to act because of orders from the Association or something?’
A young and talented individual being exploited for the nation’s safety…
Thinking back, my previous life was no different.
“Jeong Ha-seong Hunter.”
I hesitated for a moment, then quietly spoke after his back.
“This is the last warning. If your lungs get wrecked like this, you’ll truly regret it for the rest of your life. And yet, you’re still going to ignore what I said?”
“A warning?”
Jeong Ha-seong halted his action of preparing his flying magic tool and turned to look at me.
“You claimed to be F-Class, yet someone like you is warning me? That seems a bit contradictory. I apologize, but honestly, I doubt someone of your rank can do anything.”
There was an oddly condescending tone in his words.
Since I didn’t respond, Jeong Ha-seong turned his attention back to his item box.
“Seems you can’t do anything…”
That moment became my chance. I made a decision.
“…!”
Clank, clank.
Jeong Ha-seong stiffened at the sudden sound of a sharp chain.
That was the sound I made when I threw the incense burner.
Swoosh!
The S-Class hunter sliced the flying object in half with his superhuman reflexes, but the moment his sword destroyed that golden incense burner, I was sure of my victory.
“What is this…!”
Wham!
Cherry blossom-colored smoke billowed from the split incense burner. Seeing this, Ha-seong hurriedly covered his mouth and nose.
But it probably wouldn’t help.
“Ugh!”
Eventually, the fire mage crumpled to the ground.
That incense burner, which I had randomly acquired due to the kidnapping incident, could attack up to B-Class, so why would it work on Jeong Ha-seong as well?
The answer was simple.
I had modified that incense burner.
Thanks to that, anyone from Earth would fall asleep instantly. It was a bit regrettable that I had to debut and exit at the same time.
Thud.
As I kicked the scattered remains of the incense burner away, I approached him.
“Cough, um, how….”
He looked rather bewildered.
Now that I looked closely, I noticed a ring laying in Jeong Ha-seong’s hand.
‘Ah, so after being hit by Kang Chang-ho, he prepared sleep-resistant gear.’
Considering the effort he had put in, it wasn’t fair to get hit by the same trick twice.
As I rolled my eyes, I looked down at him and said.
“This is all for you.”
Then Jeong Ha-seong trembled his jaw, gritted his teeth, and fell asleep.
What a ridiculous situation.
A proud hero of Korea. The number one ranked hunter truly fainted at the hands of an F-Class?
“The rumor turned out to be true.”
It was bound to be a hassle, but I couldn’t just leave Jeong Ha-seong alone.
Seeing him overwork himself reminded me of my past life, and I couldn’t help but want to assist him.
This talented mage was deliberately ruining his lungs, and I couldn’t just turn a blind eye.
“Hmph. Well, I’ll think about the future later.”
Anyway, it’s my fault for being too kind.
I hoisted the unconscious S-Class on my back and headed to the nearest hospital.
*
You could say the first incident was a coincidence.
But when coincidence repeats, it becomes a necessity.
“Um, how did Jeong Ha-seong Hunter end up like this?”
“Do I need to explain to admit him? Uh, it just so happened that I had to use a sleep item on him.”
The number one in the rankings who appeared unconscious and the F-Class hunter who claimed to have put him to sleep.
Isn’t this a familiar scene?
Between the hospital staff, a commotion erupted. So where is the protagonist of this story now?
It goes without saying that Gi-ryeo had fled before Ha-seong woke up.
“Oh, patient! Are you awake?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo, that bastard….”
“Yes?”
Additionally, as soon as Jeong Ha-seong came to, he went into a frenzy.
“What the hell was that F-Class thinking, putting me to sleep in such a critical situation!”
It might be understandable to be stabbed in the back by a fellow hunter.
But just how deeply had he been put under to have lost 24 hours in a row?
He had only awakened after the Dungeon Break terror was resolved completely.
How many people died while he did nothing?
How many lives were lost?
Under the doctor’s advice, Jeong Ha-seong was forced to lie down, but his heart wouldn’t settle down. An unpleasant thudding echoed in his ears.
“Ha…”
A brief moment of silence passed.
Then, his phone lying at the head of his bed started ringing loudly.
[Association President☎]
Jeong Ha-seong splashed cold water on his face as he saw the name flashing on the screen.
