Chapter 56: The Weight of a Choice That Was Never His

Everyone has a place where they belong.
The real problem is: who decides that place for them?

Sung Ji-woo had never imagined that knowing what would happen in advance might become a curse. But right now—he was shaken to his core.

He couldn’t understand why he had never once thought of this before—from the moment he first met Yoo Hee-ro until now.

“Prevent Yoo Hee-ro from becoming a villain. Stop him from destroying the world.”
This was the mission and goal Ji-woo had created for himself. Because, from the very beginning, he believed he was the only one who could do it.

But what about the person at the center of that mission—Yoo Hee-ro?

Hee-ro always listened. Almost too well. So obedient it felt endless. Maybe that was why Ji-woo had grown careless… entitled.

Hee-ro wasn’t a system.
He wasn’t a mission to be cleared.
He wasn’t a game character to be raised.

But Ji-woo had never once considered him as a human being.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone tapped on the door of the general store. Ji-woo rushed to open it.

“Hee-ro?”

If Hee-ro had come back, Ji-woo wanted to apologize first.

“…Uh, he was heading toward the main street earlier.”

But it wasn’t Hee-ro.
It was Gu Min-ah.

******************

On her way to the store, Gu Min-ah had run into Hee-ro. She had no intention of greeting him—she was just about to walk past when Hee-ro grabbed her.

“…Do you need something from me?”

He asked nothing of the sort. Instead, he said:

“How do you erase a Divine Beast?”

Min-ah frowned like she’d heard something absurd.

“How do you erase it?”

“…”

“Divine Beasts simply exist. Erasing or not erasing is beyond human ability.”

“But we did it inside the dungeon.”

“That was just making it disappear temporarily.”

Hee-ro nodded.

“Then I’ll rephrase. How do you make a Divine Beast disappear?”

“…Are you a Divine Beast ability user? Never heard that.”

“No. But… neither is my hyung. That’s why I’m asking. You gave it to him, didn’t you?”

From the moment he first saw a Divine Beast inside Ji-woo’s store, Hee-ro had suspected Min-ah. She was the only Divine Beast ability user he knew.

But Min-ah only looked at him like he was speaking nonsense.

“Me? No. What are you talking about? Divine Beasts aren’t items you give to someone. Humans don’t choose Divine Beasts—Divine Beasts choose humans.”

Leaving that irritated remark behind, she walked away.

**********

Sitting at the counter and sucking on a candy she found in the drawer, Min-ah asked:

“…Are Divine Beasts trending now?”

“What are you talking about? Who else said they’re a Divine Beast user?”

“Your brilliant junior.”

“Hee-ro? That’s impossible.”

“Exactly. The way he talks, he doesn’t seem like one. But the strange part is—something shows up around him. Something that doesn’t show around you.”

Her candy clacked against her teeth as she rolled it.

“What do you see?”

“The aura that appears when a Divine Beast syncs with an ability user. But it might’ve been my imagination. It was dark outside.”

“What?”

“A black aura was rippling around him. Anyway, here’s the stuff you urgently needed.”

She tossed her bag to Ji-woo. It was heavier than expected and pushed him back a step. Inside were ores and wood normally found in gathering-type dungeons.

“Thanks.”

Ji-woo checked the items by eye—everything he needed was there.

“Next time, I’m charging more. You know that, right?”

“…Why? Something happen?”

“Of course something happened. The X-gate burst open. Everyone’s scrambling to claim resources. They open it to the public next week.”

“Ah… I forgot about that.”

The X-gate’s core had been destroyed.
Meaning it was now the largest gathering-type gate on Earth.

Every hunter would flock there.

A gate without a core lost most of its original power.
Meaning monsters and dungeons inside would be weakened.

“At first, prices will spike. Wait for the market to flood, then buy them cheap.”

“Right. But I already have preorders, so I can’t help it.”

“If you pay well, we’re happy. Anyway—did your brilliant junior pick a guild? That’s all hunters talk about lately. I’m sick of hearing it.”

“What’s with that nickname?”

“Your brilliant junior? Isn’t it perfect?”

Ji-woo laughed weakly despite himself.

“Everyone’s desperate to recruit a navigator. They need someone who’s actually gone down to the X-gate lower floors. And he’s good-looking too. Perfect mascot material.”

“People really can’t wait to use him.”

Ji-woo muttered bitterly. He had thought similarly himself—he wasn’t any better.

“Good-looking? He’s not just good-looking. He raised our country’s average appearance score. You didn’t know?”

If nothing else, she was absolutely right about that.

“…Of course he would.”

Min-ah shrugged.

“This industry is like that. Even the Association and the government are fighting to recruit him. Don’t even get me started on international groups. The International Hunter Association looks ready to offer him a director’s seat. Peace Director or something.”

“…What nonsense.”

“So? What did your brilliant junior say?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been with him since yesterday. He didn’t say anything?”

Ji-woo didn’t answer for a long time. Sun-rye wandered over and sat by his feet. Ji-woo stroked the dog’s beige fur.

“Not really… he didn’t bring it up.”

“Well, of course he wouldn’t. You’re not a hunter.”

Min-ah asked if she could take more candy. Ji-woo nodded numbly. She scratched Sun-rye’s chin twice and left without hesitation.

The shop fell silent.

Ji-woo stood there, deep in thought, then dragged his tired body into the staff room. In the corner sat Hee-ro’s bag.

If he left his belongings behind… that meant he intended to return.

In the underground facility of the Hunter Association, Yoo Hee-ro faced the Association President. Beside him stood Son Seong-cheol, who called himself Hee-ro’s manager.

“You showed up yourself, so we’ll cancel the missing-person report.”

“How generous of you.”

Hee-ro’s mood was at rock bottom. No wonder his words came out sharp.

Most of all, he knew these people weren’t on his side. They only pretended to be. The old, naïve him might’ve been fooled—but the current him wasn’t.

“We have a great deal we need you to do.”

The President spoke in a tone that wavered between polite and insulting.

“What was your motive for clearing the X-gate? It couldn’t have been an easy decision.”

“My hyung seemed to want it.”

“Hyung? Who is that?”

“Sung Ji-woo.”

The President frowned as Son Seong-cheol explained. After nearly two years of digging into Hee-ro’s past, he knew almost everything.

“Sung Ji-woo? Is he on the hunter list?”

“He’s a civilian. They met in high school. Both attended a gifted-ability school. They were paired through the mentoring progra—”

“That’s enough. Sounds like nothing special. Is that really your motive? Lying won’t benefit you.”

Hee-ro rubbed his brow.

“If believing that helps you sleep, go ahead. I solved a problem your people couldn’t fix in a lifetime. That should be enough—why are you trying to add meaning where there isn’t any?”

Insulted, the President’s face turned red. He inhaled deeply, but the breath he exhaled trembled.

“Then how about this. We confirmed you’re a failed product of the discarded HERO Project.”

Hee-ro froze.

“Now are you willing to cooperate?”

His expression relaxed. He smiled lazily.

“Congratulations. I had a feeling you’d figure it out eventually. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone here was smart enough.”

“…What?”

“Then you must also know this. I found the project disgusting, so I burned every single document related to it.”

“Yes, very crafty of you. The head researcher is furious.”

“Great. Getting arrested for arson and spending a few years in jail doesn’t sound bad right now.”

I survived three years in that hellhole, he thought.

After being abandoned by Sung Ji-woo, Hee-ro’s mood was already buried beneath the metaphorical 120th floor of the X-gate.

And now he had to face the Hunter Association?
There was no way his words would come out gentle.

The President shook his head.

“No. That’s not why I brought it up. We’re not looking to punish you.”

“Heh. The head researcher would cry hearing that. She’s desperate to screw me over.”

“All things must be sacrificed for the greater good. There’s no room for petty emotions. We want only one thing—your willing cooperation.”

Hee-ro sighed and gestured for him to continue.

“What was on the 120th floor of the X-gate? How did you clear it alone? Does this mean the HERO Project succeeded?”

“…So many questions. Fine. One at a time. What was on the 120th floor, you ask?”

The memories surfaced effortlessly. It hadn’t been long, and the events were unforgettable.