Chapter 11: 11

The Monsters Disappeared? (2)

“You? Are you finally out of your mind?”

This is what Kim Bongpal said after listening to Hwang Dongpal, but it couldn’t be. Hwang Dongpal wasn’t crazy as everything he just said was true. What he said went like this: at the time the Dragon Lord was slain, a portal appeared over his corpse. It was similar to when a monster appeared through a rift. However, the difference was that it didn’t disappear.

“There was a riot.”

How could there be such a thing? Everyone, regardless if they were a hunter, couldn’t help but wonder where the monsters appeared from and what the identity of the magical power that suddenly appeared was. But suddenly, a portal, now called a Gate, appeared to answer those questions. And new ones arose.

Was that where the monsters came from? So what kind of world was it in there? A new world? If that was right…should humanity pioneer that other world?

“Some say we need to conquer it, and some say let’s wait and see because we don’t know anything yet.”

Several opinions conflicted. However, there was something they all agreed on. For now, they wanted to keep this secret from the public.

In any case, the latter opinion eventually prevailed. Humanity struggled with the emergence of the Dragon Lord. If a monster was more powerful than that beyond that Gate, humankind’s defeat was apparent.

Thus, a small expedition team left to assess the situation beyond the Gate. After precisely twenty-four hours, they returned with something unusual.

It was a Mana Stone.

“I’ve never seen it in person, but it took the form of a small blue stone.”

It was at that moment public opinion changed. Previous monsters only left corpses when they died, though that alone was valuable. Among them was the shell of a monster that boasted a hardness beyond the diamond. After the world was stabilized, there were rewards for killing monsters.

But the monsters beyond the Gate were different. If you killed those monsters, Mana Stone, a type of solidified mana, could be found inside their corpses. Of course, someone would ask if it was just solidified mana, then how great was it?

Hwang Dongpal held such a curiosity.

“Do you know how great it is? Do you know the theory that Jake, the first American Awakener, once published? According to that, we use mana in real life, but with one Mana Stone….”

However, Hwang Dongpal couldn’t continue to the end.

“Stop.”

There was one Awakener who didn’t want to know what everyone was curious about.

“Fuck it. Why do you talk so much?”

“…Huh?”

“So, what’s the point?”

Hwang Dongpal felt like he was being choked. How great was the Mana Stone, and how much would it change the future? No one knew how many days and nights the hunters around the world talked about it. However, Kim Bongpal never cared.

Hwang Dongpal remembered what another first-generation Awakener had said to him in the past. Why was Kim Bongpal called Kim Bongpal? It’s because that’s who he is. It was a bit strange, but there was probably no better way to describe him.

“Haah. That’s the point.  A Gate has appeared.”

“So?”

Hwang Dongpal, swallowing back his retort, continued.

“…It’s fucking money.”

The emergence of a Gate to another world was a high-level change and an opportunity for wealth.

“Jerk. You could have said that from the beginning.”

For Kim Bongpal, it was the most appropriate explanation.

 

 *

 

Holding back Kim Bongpal, who was about to leave, Hwang Dongpal added a few things.

The monsters that appeared beyond the Gate were twice as powerful as the existing monsters. There were also several disputes over the ownership of the Gate now being held among several countries that participated in the Dragon Lord’s subjugation. The most dominant in that conflict was the United States. Thanks to that, the Gate’s access was now limited. Some would say that was why the public didn’t know about it.

Kim Bongpal wasn’t particularly curious, so he listened with one ear and let it spill out the other, but he didn’t bother to stop Hwang Dongpal from talking because Seo Hayeon was listening to all of it. Thanks to this, Hwang Dongpal, excited because he had no one to talk to about these things, continued on for nearly an hour.

‘He talks too much.’

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Kim Bongpal yawned and laid himself deeper on the sofa.

It was a fascinating story, though. Another world, huh? It was indeed an amazing story that could open even his eyes. Of course, that didn’t mean Kim Bongpal intended to go to another world, and his thoughts remained the same.

There was no need for hunting.  Endlessly cutting, slicing, and slashing monsters was boring, and he wouldn’t have ever bothered if it weren’t for the money.

In fact, all the hunters these days were like that. Workers who did simple labor with swords, without any grandiose aspirations like the media portrayed. At least, that was what Kim Bongpal thought. It might be different in the case of another world, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to go there.

However.

‘Tsk. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her to meet Dung Fly.’

He was a little concerned about Seo Hayeon. Kim Bongpal from five years ago would be surprised if he heard it, but the time he’d spent with her had long since changed him.

 

 *

 

“Kid.”

“Yes.”

“What are you going to do?”

“…How about you, Uncle?”

“I’ll go back to El Plades. Damn it. I feel like I’ve been re-involved with hunting these five years.”

Kim Bongpal’s answer shook Seo Hayeon. It was clear he planned to leave. Seo Hayeon wanted to ask one question: if I stay in Korea, will you stay with me? She smacked her lips, but no words left her.

During her five years with Kim Bongpal, she learned a lot about him. What kind of face he made when he was happy and when he wasn’t, maybe even more than he knew about himself. So, she was sure he wouldn’t hold himself back just because she asked.

“What about you? What are you going to do?”

Seo Hayeon avoided answering his question. It was Kim Bongpal who filled the empty space of her now lost family during these five years. She didn’t want to separate from him yet; that was her honest thought. However, this was what it meant to be with Kim Bongpal.

She wouldn’t be a Hunter, and she wouldn’t avenge her father. But even now, Seo Hayeon was still thinking about it. Five years was long enough for a middle schooler to become a hunter. Even though her desire to fight had faded a little, she still recalled her memories of her father’s funeral. When she reunited with her uncle and decided to walk this path.

Seo Hayeon’s gaze returned to Kim Bongpal. He hadn’t aged a day as far as she could tell. But, what would Seo Hayeon from that time say about herself if they happened to meet today?

She wouldn’t say anything good about it. At that time, she had a deeper hatred for the monsters than she did now as a full-fledged hunter.

“I… I don’t know. I’ll think about it and tell you.”

What if she told him that she would follow her uncle? Kim Bongpal might curse, get annoyed, and then tell her to do whatever. However, that was both what Seo Hayeon wanted and what she didn’t want.

It was a vague feeling. Maybe it was because she came to see her father today. After all, she made a promise in front of his grave. She wanted to burn her hatred that was fading away and destroy all monsters.

Even if it was a promise, her father would never have wanted for her.

“I see. Well, rest some then.”

With that, Kim Bongpal turned around. Seo Hayeon silently saw him off.

 

 *

 

A week had passed since the two arrived in Seoul. Meanwhile, Kim Bongpal didn’t ask Seo Hayeon anything else. What she would do next, whether she would try to become a hunter, and if so, whether she would head to the Gate. None of it.

Kim Bongpal waited patiently, hoping Seo Hayeon would organize her thoughts and choose what was best for her. If she wanted to be a hunter, Kim Bongpal would offer his full support. His account balance had grown tremendously during his five years without much expenditure. When he checked at the Seoul branch of Os Pago Bank a few days ago, even Kim Bongpal was surprised.

Although the capital invested in the hunter and their hunting skills weren’t necessarily in direct proportion, the more money they spent, the stronger a hunter could be.

And if she wanted to be with Kim Bongpal, he wouldn’t stop that either. El Plades…maybe he wouldn’t visit it again. The city of El Plades wasn’t a good place for a children’s education. Of course, Seo Hayeon said she’d been an adult for several years now, but she was still a kid compared to Kim Bongpal.

Anyway, after a week.

“Uncle, I have decided.”

Seo Hayeon visited Kim Bongpal.

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