Chapter 118: System Age (1)

Cold sweat beaded on Jin Seong-ha’s temple. A man who never broke a sweat even in the fiercest battles.

Ppuru… Ppuru rubbed its round body anxiously against Jin Seong-ha’s neck.

Here too, a fluffball was working hard to soothe its owner.

After a moment, Jin Seong-ha opened his eyes and exhaled heavily, like a salaryman finally home after a late night.

“I feel it right now too.”

“…”

As expected.

Ion felt as if someone had held a lighter to Sanse.

He must not say it’s the Apostle’s gaze.

He offered a more natural guess.

“It might be someone’s skill. Someone with a surveillance skill so powerful even you can’t touch it could be watching you…”

“Could it be the Apostle?”

“…”

Jin Seong-ha saw through it instantly, rendering Ion’s cushion useless.

“Who knows. Maybe Age. For now, be careful what you say. Tell me when the gaze disappears.”

“It’s hard to know exactly when it disappears. It consumes too much mental strength to maintain detection. It’s not passive like the Sage’s Mirror—I have to focus completely. Imagine lifting a 5-ton water tank while trying to fill a soju glass without spilling a drop.”

“…You can do that?”

“Not just anyone could. That’s why I’m exhausted after one detection.”

Jin Seong-ha wiped sweat with a handkerchief. It wasn’t a stamina issue—purely mental.

Then there was only one thing Ion could say.

“You’re just going to detect it once and call it quits because you’re tired? Keep doing it and you’ll improve. Muscles grow by tearing them during training. From now on, detect it constantly. Get exhausted, faint, whatever—your mental strength will grow. Stop whining and train.”

“My NPC is raising the protagonist to be strong.”

That’s what happens when the teacher is like that.

“But the problem isn’t just me.”

“Yes?”

“The gaze is getting craftier. At first it was completely exposed, but now it hides behind sunlight, tree branches, air fresheners, phones—objects around me. I’ve caught it hiding behind things a few times, but there must be times I missed.”

“…”

“It’s growing too. Even if I train, I might never catch up.”

The other side was evolving.

Of course… they wouldn’t let a creation read the creator’s gaze forever.

Unable to touch the creation’s base detection ability, they were instead raising their own concealment.

“And strangely, the gaze doesn’t contain hostility, resentment, or wariness. It feels… affectionate. Like someone who cherishes me is watching.”

“…Affection? That’s really weird. Might be a stalker—be careful.”

“This gaze right now… is warm and gentle. Feels like my older brother is watching from the sky.”

“…?!”

Ion was a beat late in freaking out. He almost hit his head on the ceiling. He slowly turned to stare at Jin Seong-ha, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

“…? …?”

He couldn’t form the sentence.

Jin Seong-ha had told him he awakened his fourth skill. His expression and tone had been so calm and relaxed that Ion never imagined Choi Jung-go was dead. If the awakening had come from Choi Jung-go’s death, there would have been pain in his voice.

He had assumed Butterfly Mask had been protected well and the fourth skill awakened smoothly some other way.

But suddenly saying Choi Jung-go was watching from the sky?

“Choi Jung-go Hunter… don’t tell me…”

Ion asked cautiously.

“…”

Jin Seong-ha, wearing a deliberately serious face, met Ion’s eyes and finally couldn’t hold it—he burst out laughing.

“Ah, Jung-go hyung is on a long vacation right now. He said he was so buried in work he felt like he’d die, so the guild master forced him to take extended leave. I awakened my fourth skill, so Butterfly Mask has no reason to target him anymore. He’s probably traveling lightheartedly.”

Ion let out a long sigh.

“You’re insane. You said that on purpose to confuse me, didn’t you?”

“I was joking because you never asked about Jung-go hyung’s life or death. Did I scare you bad?”

“You call that a joke…”

“That’s just how I am. I’m not the stiff, emotionless person depicted in <Hunter and Hero>. Get used to my jokes and pranks.”

Ion’s insides were boiling, but Jin Seong-ha picked Ppuru up from his shoulder and handed it over.

“To make up for it, squeeze Ppuru all you want. It’ll cheer you up.”

Ppu, Ppuru!

Ion snatched Ppuru. Its ears flattened. It tried pushing Ion’s wrist away with its tail, but Ion didn’t let go.

Baba had soft fluff with a firm core inside (about the hardness of an apricot seed), but Ppuru was pure soft fluff.

With Baba he had to be careful not to hurt it, but Ppuru could be kneaded like dough.

Knead-knead-knead-knead.

Ppuru…

Squeezed in Ion’s hand, Ppuru looked up at Jin Seong-ha with pleading eyes, but Jin Seong-ha only smiled and didn’t rescue it.

Night fell; the navigation clock read 9 p.m.

Jin Seong-ha and Ion were still motionless in the car. They talked, used their phones, meditated, or watched Ppuru’s cuteness—mostly the last one. The moment it got quiet, Jin Seong-ha ordered more cuteness.

“Ppuru cuteness number 3.”

Ppuru!

Ppuru trembled on Jin Seong-ha’s palm, then yawned wide.

When Jin Seong-ha poked a finger in, Ppuru happily nibbled. Jin Seong-ha noticed Ion’s eyes move slightly.

“Cute, right? Want to put your finger in?”

“No. What’s cute about sticking a finger in? Baba’s yawns are way cuter.”

“Ouch, saying that in front of Ppuru is harsh. It understands everything and gets hurt.”

Jin Seong-ha covered Ppuru’s ears. Ppuru didn’t care whether Ion found it cute or not and only stared at Jin Seong-ha with sparkling eyes.

“If I said ‘Ppuru is way cuter than Baba’ in front of Baba, imagine how hurt it would be.”

“You’d never say that to Baba’s face. Because Baba is actually cuter.”

“The leader is quite confident. Have you ever stuck your finger in Baba’s yawn?”

“Once. It froze, eyes blinking, mouth half-open staring at me. You can’t imagine how cute it was.”

“Too bad I didn’t see it. So how many cute tricks does Baba know?”

“I didn’t number and train tricks like you. You’re kind of creepy. It’s already cute without—”

Ion’s words stopped.

“He’s here.”

“Too bad. Perfect timing.”

In the pitch-black night, someone was walking toward the parking lot.

Short sports hair, double-eyelid brown eyes, scar across the cheek.

Lee Do-jin, trusted aide of Ryu’s branch manager Sa Ji-woon.

They had been waiting for him.

Do-jin put on a helmet, got on his bike, and operated a terminal.

“We should’ve brought motorcycles too.”

Do-jin had two secrets.

The first: he worshipped the system.

Lee Do-jin was a devout follower of System Age.

In Teacher’s fake <Hunter and Hero>, when Ryu and the black market merged, Do-jin transferred to the Hunter Agency as a mercenary, then was scouted by Horizon.

The reason he transferred to the Agency was to recruit government figures into Age. After moving to Horizon, his target became the world’s strongest hunter, Jin Seong-ha.

But instead of recruiting Jin Seong-ha, the opposite happened—he was recruited by Jin Seong-ha.

After discovering Do-jin was an Age follower, Jin Seong-ha persuaded him and turned him into a highly capable double agent who fed information until Age caught on.

This was the story from Teacher’s version, so the real [Joy]’s play might differ.

“He’s moving. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

They tailed the bike.

Do-jin glanced in his mirror, sensing something, but couldn’t spot the transparent car.

It was late, so traffic was light. However, other drivers couldn’t see them either, risking accidents—so Jin Seong-ha pressed the second button on the steering wheel.

Vrrr—

With a mechanical hum, the car lifted into the air.

“Flying car. Always wanted to ride one when I was a kid… Our guild master really is an amazing crafter.”

Exactly.

The car wasn’t just coated in transparent material—it was an item itself.

[Moniti All-Terrain Flying Submersible Vehicle Prototype 02 (A) Possesses transparency function. Flight capable. PrototypePrototypePrototype I’m tired Please give feedback after use. ※Modified 67 times (Horizon) Durability 20/50

Too many modifications had lowered durability, but…

The two rode the world’s first transparent flying car, tailing Lee Do-jin.

Do-jin drove for an hour, then entered a now-closed tunnel.

They waited at the opposite exit, but he never emerged. Entering the tunnel revealed nothing—no bike, no Do-jin.

Only an abandoned truck that looked decades old, some drums, and trash.

“That’s it.”

Jin Seong-ha pointed at the truck in the middle of the tunnel.

He strode toward it.

Ion, lacking night vision like Jin Seong-ha, floated white orbs of light with magic and followed.

Jin Seong-ha studied the tunnel wall: a 3m-tall, 2m-wide rectangular magic circle was drawn on it.

Ion recognized the pattern—it was very similar to the designated teleportation circles the central command had shown him in Idea.

After Ion’s explanation, Jin Seong-ha stroked his chin.

“Direct portal to the cult headquarters, huh. Can you use it?”

Ion hugged the Sansevieria with one arm and traced the circle’s edge with the other, injecting mana.

It didn’t activate.

“It needs a paired magic tool or device. Probably only given to cultists. We’ll wait for Do-jin to come out and steal his.”

“We can’t wait forever without knowing when he’ll return.”

“Then how do we get one? Post on SNS?”

“Looks like someone’s coming to donate one.”

Jin Seong-ha shrugged toward the tunnel entrance.

Ion also sensed an approaching vehicle from afar.