Chapter 57: An Unwanted Revelation

Though everyone present exuded an air of discomfort, not a single person met Dokyeom’s gaze. They must have implicitly understood that their presence was perceived as nothing more than an unwelcome burden.

Without uttering a single word, Dokyeom seized Beom Yeonhu’s wrist and calmly led him away from the bustling area.

He then steered Beom Yeonhu into a secluded corner, out of sight. With a sudden burst of force, he slammed his hand against the wall right beside him.

“I distinctly called for only our Yeonhu. So why did those burdens tag along? Beom Yeonhu, perhaps you can enlighten me as to what exactly transpired.”

Beom Yeonhu’s eyes blinked, a silent flicker of distress. They had once again transformed from the sharp gaze of a fierce hound to the soft, innocent look of a puppy.

His unmoving lips began to part, as if to form a reply. Yet, before any sound could escape, a different voice interjected.

“I was concerned for Yeonhu, so I was the one who suggested we come together. Please don’t be too harsh on him, Hunter-nim.”

At the sound of the voice from beside him, Dokyeom’s head tilted sharply. The moment his gaze shifted, his eyes locked with someone else’s.

It was Kang Taesan. His strikingly pure white eyes, reminiscent of falling snow, met Dokyeom’s. He offered an awkward smile, his hand reaching to rub the back of his neck, his gaze mirroring a pristine snowscape.

“My conscience wouldn’t allow me to send Yeonhu off by himself, so I came along. I understand how rare such an opportunity is, but as his friend, I simply wanted to accompany him this far, just in case he made a mistake and squandered this excellent chance. Fortunately, the Sahyeon Guild instructors graciously permitted me to join. I assure you, my intentions are entirely pure.”

His words were delivered in a soft, gentle cadence. To an unsuspecting ear, such amiable sentiments might have easily been mistaken for a genuine act of friendship. Indeed, Dokyeom himself had initially perceived them as such.

However, the very instant he attempted to believe those words, Dokyeom’s world abruptly inverted into a suffocating blackness. The sensation was so overwhelming that it made him gag.

His swirling vision spun wildly, dragging him into an abyssal depth. He plummeted endlessly, a sensation entirely unlike anything he had experienced before. Dozens of seconds passed as he was drawn into a bottomless chasm. Only then did the faint rustle of cards flipping reach his ears.

Charr-r-r-

[Hey, shouldn’t we help him? Beom Yeonhu looks seriously injured.]

[Leave him be. It’s always like this with him. He probably still deludes himself into thinking he’s the hotshot he was before his awakening. It’s truly pathetic. Isn’t it about time he learned his place?]

[Don’t be so harsh. He’s trying his best, in his own way.]

[Kang Taesan, you’re doing it again. Seriously, you lost to him so many times during your player days, and you still want to defend him? People need to know when to quit and live within their means. I swear, I think he’s just trying to curry favor for some position. Look at him now. No one’s cheering him on, yet he’s still struggling so desperately. If it were me, I’d just quit out of sheer disgust.]

[…He’s pitiful. Anyone can see how pathetic it is, him clinging to that position with such desperate struggle.]

The faint smile that had blossomed on Kang Taesan’s lips slowly vanished, as if dissolving into a mist. From that very moment, Kang Taesan’s entire life began to unfurl before Dokyeom’s eyes, like a relentless wheel. It encompassed everything from what he already knew, to an unknown future, and even the ‘altered’ segments of his destiny.

When the myriad scenes, having completed their whirlwind journey, finally returned to their origin, Dokyeom realized he had been holding his breath. As he exhaled a ragged gasp, like taking his very first breath, all his senses surged back to life.

Ultimately, Kang Taesan was also registered to the skill. He became a , almost as if his fate had been predetermined.

Time had frozen at the precise moment Dokyeom’s gaze had met Kang Taesan’s. A profound stillness hung in the air. Then, piercing the silence, a jarring ringtone blared.

The sound was attention-grabbing, demanding focus. As if restarting, Dokyeom’s arrested gaze shifted, revealing Han Yuseong’s face behind Kang Taesan, looking down at his phone.

Han Yuseong wore a peculiar expression, difficult to decipher. Even the fervent fans, who had been snapping photos incessantly, fell silent. Both the instructors and the trainees now watched Han Yuseong with focused attention.

Presently, Han Yuseong answered the call.

“Yes, this is Han Yuseong.”

Han Yuseong, who had initially answered the call without a hint of emotion, now subtly furrowed his brow. As if having received unsettling news, his gaze shifted directly to Dokyeom. Taking the phone from his ear, Han Yuseong addressed Dokyeom with a voice tinged with a sigh.

“Hunter Han Dokyeom, have you set your phone to silent mode once more?”

“…Probably?”

“Answer it.”

Han Yuseong stepped forward decisively and offered his own phone. Dokyeom eyed it with a hint of suspicion before casually taking it and placing it to his ear. He had, it seemed, completely forgotten the chaos he had wrought.

“Yes, this is Han Dokyeom.”

–Mr. Han Dokyeom. No, *sigh*… What exactly are you doing there right now?–

Only after hearing that almost expiring sigh did Dokyeom recognize the person on the other end of the line. It was someone he absolutely wished to avoid at this particular moment.

That sigh, so familiar it was tiresome, and the accent heavy with exhaustion. This was Bae Juhyeok, the Sahyeon Guild’s operations manager, who was inevitably summoned whenever Agon created havoc.

The operations manager’s voice, likely emanating from a haggard face, sounded utterly spent, as if he might collapse at any moment. His repeated, profound sighs were punctuated by the boisterous commotion surrounding him. Dokyeom, however, merely rolled his eyes and replied with feigned nonchalance.

–I’m out getting food right now, so it’ll take a bit. Why, is something wrong?–

–Hahahaha! Food? *Food*?! Why are you suddenly pretending you don’t know, Mr. Han Dokyeom? Oh dear, my heart is pounding, just thinking you might actually be clueless! Haha, you’re not telling me you can’t hear the sounds echoing around you right now, are you? Oh my, some monster is screaming, ‘Help me!’ It’s Hunter Hwang Geunwoo’s familiar, a monster named ‘Lazard.’ I wonder if you’re familiar with it? I truly hope you never find out that Lazard’s lush fur has all been ripped out by Agon, leaving it looking like a plucked chicken!–

Dokyeom subtly lowered the phone from his ear. He knew, with a sinking feeling, that the *real* conversation with the operations manager was only just beginning.

–And it would be *fortunate* if that were all! Hunter Hwang Geunwoo currently has one leg bitten, and his face is utterly pale, but I suppose you’re completely oblivious to that too, aren’t you? And what’s more! No one dares to go in and rescue Hunter Hwang Geunwoo because they’re terrified of Mr. Han Dokyeom’s familiar! I truly hope you remain ignorant of this for the sake of your mental well-being! Huh?! Mr. Han Dokyeom?! Is this even remotely acceptable?!–

The voice, which had initially verged on madness, finally twisted into a torrent of resentment and fury. Dokyeom promptly held the phone far from his ear. Once the fervent sounds subsided, he brought the receiver back.

–Mr. Han Dokyeom’s familiar! Agon! Is currently! Staring at me with wide, menacing eyes! Why, is it about to bite *me* now?! Completely oblivious that I’m the one who always cleans up its messes, isn’t it?! What exactly happened, Mr. Han Dokyeom? Someone told me—and it wasn’t just one or two people—that they saw you, Mr. Han Dokyeom, putting Hunter Hwang Geunwoo into a shark tank! Is that true, or is it a lie?!–

“Ah, I merely had the best intentions, you see, hoping to make a friend for our Agon…”

–Hahahahaha! Who is telling such an utterly unbelievable lie right now?! Is that why you ripped out all your ‘friend’s’ fur?! Do you even realize how miserable and sorrowful Lazard’s cries are right now, with all its fur plucked out? My heart is absolutely breaking! Do you understand?!–

‘No, not *that* dramatic…’

“Alright, alright, I get it. Ah, I made a mistake. I’m going to get indigestion if I keep talking like this. Just put Agon on the phone for me. If you can’t get close, then put it on speakerphone.”

Dokyeom waited with a reluctant expression for the sounds to spread. For a brief moment, a wide echo filled the air, accompanied by the murmuring of people. The monster’s piercing wails were an unwelcome bonus.

Listening to the monster’s sorrowful sobs, Dokyeom hesitated. He then spoke in a low tone, as if delivering a scolding with a switch—a peculiar blend of feigned sternness and genuine indulgence.

“Tsk, tsk, good job. I’ll give you food, so wait patiently. And you, don’t eat anything strange. If you ate fur, spit it all out. I’m going to check.”

–Haha, Mr. Han Dokyeom? What are you doing right now? ‘Good job’? ‘Spit it out’? Are you *praising* it?! That’s not how you scold a–

Click-

The call was unilaterally cut off. Han Yuseong’s sigh reached his ears. Dokyeom, gripping the disconnected phone, spoke as if making a confession.

“My heart was pounding.”

Han Yuseong immediately raised an eyebrow, as if asking for clarification. Before he could speak, Dokyeom preempted him with a profoundly innocent expression, offering his excuse.

“Listening to the manager’s voice, my chest suddenly grew anxious, my heart pounding so much that I thought I would die of fright if I took any more. So I hung up.”

“……”

Not a single person there believed him. Not Han Yuseong, nor Beom Yeonhu, nor Kang Taesan, nor even the guild trainees who were craning their necks like meerkats from afar to watch the scene unfold.

Han Yuseong merely closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, clearly exasperated.

****

“Excuse me, were you really kicked out? Seriously?”

“Yes, truly kicked out.”

“Aren’t you a Sahyeon Guild Hunter? So why were you kicked out? Why, why?”

“Someone told me to leave because I wasn’t authorized.”

To the teasing questions from someone beside him, Dokyeom replied with a drawn-out sigh.

The攻略team had already completed all preparations and was simply awaiting entry into the Gate. Dokyeom watched them with a bored expression from beyond the distant safety line.

About ten minutes prior, having received an eviction order from Han Yuseong, he had been relegated to observing from outside the safety line, alongside the dedicated fans.

Now, as if finally intending to enter, the Hunters who had been gathering their gear turned towards the shimmering blue Gate. At the very end of that line, Beom Yeonhu, Kang Taesan, and two other men joined them.