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Join the ServerAs expected, the comment section was flooded with criticism aimed at Han Dokyeom.
Just yesterday, it had been clean, but now it looked like a hurricane had swept through. Even a street market would have been better.
[Chicken God: E-rank? lol… People sucking up to that are hopeless lol…]
[Walnut Cracker: Those who bully Ju Uiryeong really can’t tell shit from piss.]
[EW5: That Seolsan video was from Sahyeon guild’s capital, right? lol Why are they talking nonsense?]
[NoNop: Han Dokyeom? lol J-Dokyeom? lol… With E-rank being called J-rank, what are those who overvalue J-rank even doing? lol Bastards? lol]
“What, do these bastards think they saved the world or something to be giving advice…!”
Baek Jiun, his face flushed red, burst with indignation. Then, fuming, he added a stream of curses in reply to every spot filled with insults. But as he scrolled down, his expression grew increasingly peculiar.
It wasn’t for any other reason. He had found traces of someone who had already fought like a brawler in a keyboard battle.
Looking at the nickname made it even stranger.
‘Handokkyeom.’
Scrolling down further, he saw that one brawler, ‘Handokkyeom,’ had grabbed hold of those insulting Han Dokyeom and beaten them black and blue even on a rainy day. Their verbal jabs were so impeccable that the others couldn’t handle it and all fell away.
[gisi: J-Dokyeom, is this okay? Why did you come on stage yourself? lol…]
└ Yeah, you jerk. How much of a social problem are you that you sit alone in your corner, swaying, and vent your petty anger on others while throwing a fit? lol…
“…Uh…”
Somehow… that tone….
Baek Jiun blinked and glanced at Dokyeom. The sight of him shamelessly chugging a drink while avoiding eye contact planted the seed of certainty. Baek Jiun couldn’t help but ask.
“…That brawler, it’s not you, is it?”
Silence was the only answer. Baek Jiun let out a sigh of admiration, as if truly impressed.
“Wow, you really have a temper that’s no joke. I mean, you’re getting into fights again? You tell me not to act childish, but here you are, keyboard-warring yourself.”
“…Hey, let’s set the record straight. If you think about it, the ones who swore are at fault. Is that my fault? And why is that a brawler? I was just speaking nicely.”
“Where’s the ‘nicely’ in this? You’ve been immortalized as a brawler in here. You really have all kinds of talents. So strong, but so toxic. So toxic that even alcohol can’t preserve you. And what’s with ‘Handokkyeom’? ‘Handokkyeom.’ It’s like you’re parading to the world, saying ‘I’m Han Dokyeom, recognize me.’”
“So what?”
“You’re really something else. But do you not realize it yourself?”
Dokyeom suddenly raised his arm. Startled, Baek Jiun lifted his own arm to block.
“Wow… why are your hands so bad? How can you raise a hand against a kid whose blood hasn’t even dried? We’re all heavy and unmotivated today, why do you have to pick on me too?”
Ignoring Baek Jiun, who was complaining with a grumpy toad face, Dokyeom tossed the empty can into the recycling bin with a flick. Then he leaned back against the bench rest, sprawling lazily.
“What’s with this gloom?”
“Ah, it’s real! Everyone’s wearing a deadpan face, like they’re in mourning! No one’s dead yet, why the funeral atmosphere?”
“Well, tell me. I’ll listen. So why the funeral atmosphere?”
Dokyeom asked while digging in his ear, and Baek Jiun fumed at his attitude, saying, “Is that how a listener acts?” Yet his mouth itched, and after gulping down his drink, he even sat cross-legged as he got to the point.
“I mean, when I came to work today, everyone was gathered in one corner of the lobby, buzzing. Their expressions were sour, so I thought something was up and went to check. And when I got there, they were all gathered in front the company bulletin board.”
Looking back, when Dokyeom had entered the guild, the lobby had also felt different than usual—a strange, floating atmosphere. The backs of some hunters huddled together in a corner were restless.
But he had passed it off as nothing special. He thought it was due to the personal issues of Hunter ‘Lee Sanghyeon.’
The only officially announced casualty from the snowy mountain was one person. And that casualty was the hunter who served as the instructor for the Sahyeon Guild.
That hunter was ‘Lee Sanghyeon.’
Lee Sanghyeon had met a gruesome death on the snowy mountain, and his frozen body was discovered by Guild Master Hadongwon of the Media Guild.
He didn’t know for sure, but Taeseongyeon was probably involved in his death.
“But.”
“Ah, what was it… It said something like, about a month ago, they sent people to a gate in China. The number was… about 15?”
It had already come to that.
Dokyeom tilted his head back and stared up at the air.
It meant that that much time had passed since Han Yuseong was dispatched to the China team. Even after a month, there was no news from Han Yuseong. It was all silence. At this point, even the saying ‘no news is good news’ felt unsettling.
Of course, Dokyeom had tried to contact him. Everything was out of reach.
He had consoled himself thinking it was because of the gate, or because he was busy. Without communication skills, hunters couldn’t contact the outside from inside a gate.
Or perhaps the gate situation was worse than expected, causing delays, or he was busy with other tasks ordered by Taeseongyeon. That thought hadn’t changed.
At least, until he heard Baek Jiun’s words.
Baek Jiun’s voice, as he spoke while scratching his neck as if it had nothing to do with him, was no different from usual. Only Dokyeom interpreted it differently.
“But they said all the guild members who went there have gone missing.”
***
Dokyeom didn’t even remember how he got up and ran. After pressing the elevator button, he got impatient watching the slowly changing numbers and dashed toward the emergency stairs.
He headed for the first-floor company bulletin board. Reaching the now-quiet board, he scanned the posted official document first.
The name ‘Han Yuseong’ was on the list of missing persons.
Why is this… No, then Han Yuseong…
Chaotic thoughts swirled randomly, without order. Dokyeom pulled out the strands of memories that stuck up from within.
He had forgotten. As scheduled, the ‘Sahyeon Guild,’ which had been staggering after losing Taeseongyeon, would soon fall from its position as a top three guild, starting with one incident.
That incident was related to this ‘disappearance’ of the hunters.
I’ve gone crazy, Han Dokyeom. How could I forget that? That important incident…!
Suddenly, something pierced through his mind. Dokyeom stopped all movement and fixed his gaze on Han Yuseong’s name.
Han Yuseong.
Even though he was a person registered in ‘
Since back then, he hadn’t known who ‘Han Yuseong’ was.
That prediction was exactly right. Now Dokyeom knew exactly who ‘Han Yuseong’ was and what path his future held.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
“…It was Yuseong…”
Because he was the cornerstone and victim of Sahyeon Guild, which Dokyeom himself had written would crumble if one piece was removed.
It was him. It was Han Yuseong.
Only now did Han Yuseong’s future flash before his eyes. So much so that he was speechless.
“Then that blind spot was…”
Some kind of warning applied to a person who would later die.
I’ve gone crazy.
Dokyeom immediately pushed off from the spot and ran back to the emergency stairs. He burst out his breath uncontrollably and climbed the stairs recklessly.
Baek Jiun, who had been following Dokyeom down with a surprised face, saw this and started running up after him again.
“Hyung, what’s wrong! You ran out so suddenly, you scared me! Wait, where are you going?!”
He should have realized it when he heard about the Shanghai gate. Though it wasn’t a deeply discussed story, it was at least a turning point in the story’s progression.
When the ‘Sahyeon Guild’ collapsed from that incident, the story proceeded with Geon Ita’s ‘Wuhwa Guild’ absorbing all the hunters of Sahyeon.
He had been too caught up in the events before him to remember. Completely overlooked. He had secretly felt relieved, thinking that since Taeseongyeon was alive, that wouldn’t happen anymore.
“Huff, huff…”
He ran all the way to the top floor in one go. When he barely got out of the emergency exit on shaky legs, Dokyeom ran into Beom Yeonhu, who was just coming out of the representative office. Their eyes met, and Beom Yeonhu’s pupils dilated uncontrollably.
“Dokyeom.”
Even though he wondered how messy he must look reflected in those worried eyes, he had no time to care. Dokyeom passed Beom Yeonhu and entered the representative office. Then, he stopped unsteadily, panting chaotically.
Taeseongyeon was sitting at his desk, about to start work. He fixed his languid eyes on Dokyeom, as if asking what was the matter.
“Haah, haa… Taeseongyeon-ssi.”
Dokyeom wiped his damp lips with his arm and approached Taeseongyeon. After a few steps, he stood face to face with Taeseongyeon, their eyes meeting. Taeseongyeon’s sharp chin tilted slightly.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, The Boy Who Bit Moma's Leaf is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : The Boy Who Bit Moma's Leaf
