There were quite a few bastards who dared to flee, being the culprits behind the Shifnaha incident.
They had the greed of pigs, setting up a chaotic scene, yet they couldn’t clean up the mess they made and just ran away like the lowly beasts they were.
Some of them fled to other countries the moment the incident broke out, while others hid away in remote places.
To catch them, I took matters into my own hands.
I wanted to smack them down personally, and I was worried that I might miss one, so I had to capture them myself.
Just imagining one of them managing to escape and living it up somewhere made me grind my teeth.
I simply couldn’t stand that image.
So, I teamed up with the association and started looking around.
I also had a nagging thought to get back to Shio-ram as soon as possible.
Leaving Lee Ha-yul alone filled me with a deep-seated anxiety.
He was the kind of kid who seemed like he’d get caught up in another incident if left by himself.
That’s how my emotions were.
But rationality told me he’d be safe within the confines of Shio-ram.
Even though he hadn’t shown his face in decades, the president was there. Likewise, the vice president, who doesn’t go outside much, was around, along with various hero guards and facilities.
So I kept reminding myself that he’d be fine in Shio-ram as I kept moving.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to wrap everything up over the weekend. The number of those who fled was in the dozens, scattered like bugs.
Even if we mobilized gates to scour everywhere, it wouldn’t be easy to catch them all in less than two days.
But I still wanted to finish as quickly as possible and head back to Shio-ram.
I made haste, executing my plan.
“…All 23 targets, including Derays Blair, have been captured.”
And by the end of the weekend, I had caught them all.
It was early Monday morning, and while it felt a bit touch-and-go, I had managed to hunt down every last one of those cockroaches.
“……”
Having wrapped up my thoughts, I surveyed the area around me.
The underground shelter, reeking of cash thrown around, was bustling with association members searching for criminal evidence.
The guy listed by the association had already been dragged in and beaten up. They’d made him into a mess, and after getting just enough treatment to keep him alive, he’d be handed his punishment.
Good news.
I finished faster than I expected. I hadn’t missed anyone.
Now, as soon as the workweek started, I just needed to give Lee Ha-yul his lecture.
‘…I just don’t know.’
The results were great. But I couldn’t fully rejoice about it.
I hadn’t stopped moving all weekend. I had definitely put in the effort.
But I didn’t think things could wrap up this quickly.
No matter how strong she was, she was just one person with two hands and feet, even with the assistance of the association’s members, we couldn’t scour the whole world right away.
“Well, for now, that’s the apprehensions wrapped up. Thanks to Lord Clyde’s help, it went smoothly.”
“Just for show.”
“If you skip the formalities, it might come back to bite you later with criticisms about my attitude. That would definitely drag down my job evaluation.”
Approaching the dazed Attra was a doll-like figure—Maxwell, the eccentric who insisted on wearing a suit even in disaster zones.
He neatly summarized the situation using a hologram projected from his smart watch and said, “As I mentioned earlier, all criminals listed for tracking have been captured. Minor details will be sent your way once handled.”
“Right, good work.”
While receiving the holographic report from Maxwell, Attra scrutinized him with a complicated gaze.
Maxwell.
He was a superhuman belonging to the association’s disaster management department, responsible for preventing and tackling incidents caused by dungeons and managing recovery efforts.
I didn’t know the intricate hierarchy within the disaster management department. I had no idea what tasks he was specifically overseeing.
But I did know that Maxwell received instructions directly from the council member or the association president.
Back when I met him in the field, Maxwell was acting under a council member’s orders.
Even when he reached out to me for cooperation, he was following directives from the council member.
– Are you talking about the upper echelons, the councilors?
– No, I mean the ones even higher up.
Right now, we were acting on orders from above those higher-ups.
I glanced at the association members hustling around, aware of Maxwell’s presence.
The Shifnaha incident… or as it was termed, a disaster of large scale. It made sense that a considerable workforce would be sent to apprehend the culprit behind such a catastrophic event.
…Even so, the dedication devoted to tracking the main culprit was remarkable.
Just looking at the specialized viewing magical tools in a few hands said it all.
The number of personnel was high, and the quality was adequate. Also, the mobilized magical tools were numerous and above standard performance.
Reflecting on the information received beforehand and the suspects caught, I thought the effort could have been halved without causing any problem.
In fact, with how things were going, it would have made capturing them easy.
Given the recent worldwide surge of dungeon activity, it was odd how much effort they dedicated, considering the complaints about insufficient manpower.
“Oh, if it isn’t too much trouble, could you please pass a word to student Lee Ha-yul?”
“Go ahead.”
“There are updates regarding the compensation and handed-down messages about this incident. If he can find the time to contact us, the association will pay him a visit.”
“I heard that request when he was discharged.”
“Oh, that new recruit handled it well, huh? Good job making his superior uncomfortable.”
Lee Ha-yul had made significant contributions during the Shifnaha incident.
From the moment the chaos erupted, he ran tirelessly saving countless people, single-handedly defeating an alpha specimen to help dismantle the dungeon’s outer wall, allowing the rescue team to enter smoothly.
The root cause of the incident stemmed from the dirty, ugly collusion that plagued the area.
Nonetheless, the association, which was responsible for maintaining the world’s order, had some accountability in the matter. They had to give Lee Ha-yul something to placate the public eye.
…I understood that; still, the attitude felt strange.
Typically, they would have come to the recovery room to collect testimonies from him the moment he regained consciousness. Yet instead, they had taken care of the discharge process without even approaching.
Now they were saying they hoped he would contact them when he had the time, only to return without making a visit and, just to be on the safe side, repeating they would drop by.
They were cautious, treating him as if he was someone exceptionally important.
They had poured excessive effort into apprehending the fleeing criminals.
They didn’t let any negative issues leak into the media and swiftly brought the law down hard on the few troubling statements that surfaced.
The reason was clear… Maxwell and the association had received direct orders from the association heads.
The association president or presidents.
Because the heads of the Tower of Space and the Tower of Harmony had directly given their commands.
‘……’
Attra knew next to nothing about Lee Ha-yul.
She was aware of the basic details about him, yet she never looked deeper, simply wanting to avoid getting attached.
Consequently, she couldn’t fully grasp the current situation.
With his special admission status, he was undeniably under the protection of the Tower of Growth.
This incident made her realize he was also receiving some unusual treatment from the heads of the Tower of Space and Harmony.
She didn’t know why.
Moreover, Attra hardly had any knowledge about Lee Ha-yul beyond that point.
She didn’t understand why he attracted the protection of the tower heads.
Why he hadn’t escaped during the incident while saving others remained a mystery.
Why he suffered from nightmares every time he slept hadn’t occurred to her either.
Most of it was because Attra never bothered to discover more about Lee Ha-yul or ask questions.
“…Tch.”
Attra bit her lip.
Unwanted thoughts crept in. She shook her head to dismiss them.
It was time to return to Shio-ram.
*
The sun was just rising when I arrived back at Shio-ram.
I barely managed to hit the timing just right.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I headed toward my residence.
As it was the crack of dawn, most people were sleeping.
Lee Ha-yul was likely one of them. By this time, he’d probably be snug in his bed.
“……”
Imagining that scene oddly didn’t sit well with me.
It felt somehow wrong that he’d be comfortably asleep in his bed and not in my arms.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I shook my head vigorously.
‘Guess I am more tired than I thought…’
How exhausted must I be to think such nonsense?
I needed to get some sleep, even if just for a moment.
I quickened my pace.
.
.
.
The next day arrived.
After lunch, it was time for my lecture.
As always, the session began with sparring.
Today was no different.
First, I checked on Lee Ha-yul’s condition and asked a few casual questions.
To my surprise, he was sporting some artifact around his neck.
I heard it was something with a manifestation sense and marking function.
I had been looking for a similar artifact, so this saved me some effort.
[Yes, I received it as a gift from Elia.]
“…A gift?”
…Something felt weird, yet I brushed it off.
I pushed other things aside for now and entered the sparring session to warm up.
Although Lee Ha-yul had once had a physique below that of an average person, he had grown significantly and was now partaking in our spar.
It was an unarmed match, merely relying on our bare hands.
In the midst of it, I was feeling Lee Ha-yul’s astonishing growth firsthand.
His physical ability and magical energy had grown impressively, but more astonishing was his skill.
Every time I stretched out a hand, my attacks were swiftly countered. Even when I tried to create confusion with varied movements, he deflected them all.
Moves I might have struggled to handle in the past were now easily thwarted.
Past attacks that would have possibly slipped through were now nothing but air.
It was as if his fighting analysis had leaped to an entirely different level. His movements adapted accordingly.
Even plain close combat had become impressive. I realized Lee Ha-yul had more tricks up his sleeve than merely being a brawler.
He still possessed magic he wasn’t using and the artifact hanging on his back.
Moreover, he was likely harboring an ability linked to copying his unpublicized unique skill.
He had many cards hidden away. How he moved now wasn’t even close to his full potential.
As always, I raised my level.
‘……’
During this process, my mood was anything but calm.
That was an understatement.
I was extremely unsettled.
…My attacks were being blocked and slipped past.
In that process, the subtle changes in Lee Ha-yul’s expression became all too clear to my refined perception.
It felt like my body was about to seize up, as if something was pressing down hard on my chest.
Finally, the moment came when Lee Ha-yul’s defense would crack.
I took my chance, launching an attack. My empowered fist slipped through the opening.
The air split as my fist surged forward.
It struck.
Judgment and instinct, based on all that I had experienced, spoke clearly.
It struck.
My attack would.
It’d land on Lee Ha-yul.
My fist would collide with his face. He would contort in pain. Blood would flow.
Shifnaha, the underground shelter, pools of blood…
Corpses.
“……!!”
Boom! A gust of wind whipped through. Dust swirled around, and my hair flew chaotically.
The arm that launched the punch froze awkwardly in mid-air.
My halted fist trembled.
Lee Ha-yul’s face, however, wore a look of confusion, clearly not understanding why I had stopped.
My arm was shaking. I couldn’t believe it.
The tremors were scattering my power. At this rate, even if I punched, I would barely muster half of my original strength.
Having hands shake mid-attack was a habit I had worked on eliminating long before graduating the academy.
But right now?
I simply couldn’t stop shaking.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll continue.”
Gathering my shaking voice, I finally managed to speak.
Lee Ha-yul, after hesitating, squirmed his lips, then braced himself for the next round.
We resumed our spar.
I clamped my teeth together.
It was absurd. I had always managed just fine up until now. I was convinced that teaching this way was the fastest and surest way for growth.
“C…”
There was nothing wrong with Lee Ha-yul being strong. The only things dripping now were sweat and a bit of blood.
If I didn’t let it out now, I’d eventually have to pay with my life and future when faced with genuine threats.
“I can’t…”
This recent incident had challenged Lee Ha-yul with genuine threats. Had he been just a bit weaker, had luck not been on his side… he might have met his end.
“I… can’t do it…”
Throughout the spar, there were many opportunities to land a clean hit.
But I hadn’t succeeded even once.
I couldn’t suppress my shaking voice, pulling Lee Ha-yul into a tight embrace.
[?]
[Safe]
[Warm]
[Soft]
[Cozy]
[Like it]
Suddenly embraced, Lee Ha-yul’s mouth fell open.
It felt familiar. An ever-lovable warmth he had recently been seeking… a soft, warm embrace.
Without thinking, he burrowed into my arms.
The wings of the sky fluttered behind me.
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