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The area was riddled with sharp, protruding reefs. Beneath the countless jagged rocks, Beom Yeonhu crouched, shielding a Healer Hunter.
His body was ravaged, bleeding from countless bites, and he gasped for air, pushing past his limits. Yet, Beom Yeonhu’s eyes, blazing like a rabid dog’s, held no trace of fear; only fierce resolve.
Something that had been tightly suppressed burst forth, washing over Beom Yeonhu’s face. It wasn’t mere vitality or elation; it defied such simple descriptions. As if finally finding and donning his true self, he stood firm, protecting a life.
[…Beom Yeonhu… did… that…?]
As soon as someone whispered in a bewildered tone, Dokyeom was sucked out of the afterimage, as if pulled by an invisible force. He gasped, drawing a sharp breath, and saw Beom Yeonhu’s face, still holding onto him.
‘What is this?’
‘Was the scene I just witnessed also a skill’s effect? A past event? Or perhaps Beom Yeonhu’s memory?’ It was a phenomenon he had never experienced before.
Dokyeom gathered his dazed thoughts and inspected Beom Yeonhu’s body. Unlike what he had seen in the afterimage, Beom Yeonhu’s body was perfectly fine now. Whether he had been treated by a Healer Hunter or given a potion, it was clear he had recovered.
“…Hunter, as for me…”
Beom Yeonhu, who had kept his lips sealed until now, finally spoke, his voice tight with emotion. His gaze, fixed on Dokyeom, seemed distorted.
“Why, do you have something to say? And why are you touching my shoulder like a pervert?”
Dokyeom, on the other hand, offered a faint smile. Beom Yeonhu didn’t release his firm grip on Dokyeom’s shoulder. Instead, he simply allowed his suppressed voice to burst forth.
“I… I still don’t understand. What you saw in me, why you keep making proposals that are beyond someone like me… I still don’t know. But if…”
“Yes.”
“If you truly saw something in me… if there’s some potential, then I want to become a better Hunter. A Hunter who can repay Han Dokyeom Hunter for something, anything.”
What Dokyeom witnessed in that moment, as the suppressed emotions finally erupted, was Beom Yeonhu’s unwavering resolve. Watching the ‘puppy’ twitching his nose, searching for a landmark, Dokyeom nodded.
“Alright, then.”
Dokyeom met Beom Yeonhu’s eager gaze, savoring the moment. He felt Beom Yeonhu’s fingertips twitch.
“Let’s do it. But before that, let’s make a deal.”
Beom Yeonhu’s gentle eyes blinked slowly. As their gazes met, Dokyeom smiled.
“Yeonhu, you’re a year older than me, aren’t you?”
“Yes… but…”
“Drop the formalities, Hyung. Let’s be comfortable with each other from now on. I’ll make sure you become that great Hunter.”
His faintly widening eyes belatedly narrowed, as if on the verge of tears. Watching those eyes, uncertain whether they reflected laughter or sorrow, Dokyeom waited. After a long moment, Beom Yeonhu pressed his lips together, released them, and nodded.
As the breeze died down, a faint smile soon graced his lips. It was a smile that seemed to say, ‘Thank you.’
****
[Skill
[You were rejected from
“Pwha!”
As soon as he saw the message, Dokyeom frantically kicked off the water’s surface, his head breaking through. He gasped for air, his lungs feeling as though they would tear.
Following closely, Agon also emerged from the water, his head appearing before Dokyeom.
Dokyeom coughed, then immediately grabbed Agon by the collar and pulled him closer.
“No, we had a good night, didn’t we? Huh?”
“We walked by the sea at night, built sandcastles on the beach, and then you suddenly jumped into the water, and I went to find you, didn’t I? We played like that all night, you bastard.”
He had never spent so much time by the sea in his entire life. He had wandered the beach all day, so much so that dark circles had formed under his eyes.
It was called ‘a day,’ but it felt closer to a week. Including the hours he spent shivering alone on the beach at night, waiting for Agon, who had leaped into the water, it was a grand total of twenty hours.
Despite enduring the cold night air and sea breeze while waiting for Agon, when he finally reappeared hours later, he had something in his mouth, making Dokyeom’s worry seem utterly pointless.
Then, as if telling Dokyeom to eat it, he dropped what he had brought in front of him—an enormous pufferfish, unlike any Dokyeom had ever seen. Yes, a pufferfish. That fish laden with deadly poison.
At that moment, Dokyeom seriously agonized: ‘Is Agon really trying to kill me?’
‘Is he protesting because I didn’t eat that pufferfish and let it go? Does his mind waver several times a day, debating whether to help or not?’
“Hah, fine. I won’t do it, I won’t.”
Dokyeom finally released Agon and swam out of the pool with a frog kick. It had been half a month since he had been ‘confined’ to the guild’s swimming pool. Slowly, even this place began to feel as familiar as his own home.
Whoosh—whoosh—
“Hey, go away. I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now.”
Dokyeom promptly pushed Agon’s shoulder with his foot as he approached. Even that attempt was thwarted when his ankle was caught. Agon simply drew closer, looking up at Dokyeom with a quiet gaze.
‘Does he still not trust me? Or perhaps he doesn’t want to allow
‘But what can I do?’
‘I really want to save that damn Taeseongyeon.’
Having been preoccupied with Beom Yeonhu’s situation, he had momentarily forgotten, but in truth, Taeseongyeon’s matter was far more urgent.
‘Was it about a month?’
As Dokyeom recalled, roughly a month after the Eulwangri Sea Gate incident, a Red Gate would reappear in Korea. However, just like with Eulwangri, they would be forced to helplessly waste time in a situation beyond their control.
The timing of a ‘Gate Break,’ when monsters poured out, varied for each gate. Sometimes it was as fast as half a month; other times, there would be no news for up to two months. Of course, among them were gates where the phenomenon occurred rapidly.
That was precisely the ‘Red Gate’.
While it would be ideal to discover them, Red Gates were not only difficult to find, but even when they were, they typically presented as volatile situations, like volcanoes on the verge of eruption.
The incident that was about to occur would be exactly one of those. This was because the gate would emerge beneath the ground in downtown Seoul—in other words, deep underground in a confined space.
Since it had almost been a month since Dokyeom emerged from the Eulwangri Gate, information about this new development would surely be conveyed in some way. And its beginning would certainly be…
Knock-knock—
“Are you Hunter Han Dokyeom…?”
Dokyeom’s gaze drifted to the glass door entrance of the swimming pool. Someone, having knocked, peered in, their head poking out as they observed him. Their eyes were entirely fixed on Agon, as if wary of him.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“The CEO’s office called for you, so you should go up. Ugh! I’ve delivered the message, so go up right away!”
The Hunter, having quickly delivered the message, swiftly closed the door and fled. Dokyeom watched them leave, then wiped himself dry and stood up.
“Stay here, I’ll be back in a bit. I’ll be quick, very quick.”
Dokyeom grabbed a towel from nearby, shook his hair dry, and headed for the changing room, all while under Agon’s piercing gaze. After a quick shower, he put on some spare clothes and took the elevator. In the mirror on the wall, he noticed his lips were blue.
He rubbed them gently with the back of his hand until they regained some warmth and color. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Dokyeom strode out, passed the secretary’s office, and headed for the CEO’s office. He gave a soft knock, then opened the door and entered.
“Taeseongyeon, you called me to give me a…”
Dokyeom stopped mid-sentence, realizing the office was filled with people. Besides Taeseongyeon, Han Yuseong and several other Hunters were present.
All eyes simultaneously turned to Dokyeom. The atmosphere in the CEO’s office was rather heavy, suggesting a serious conversation had been underway. Seizing an opening, Dokyeom subtly took a seat next to Han Yuseong.
“Han Dokyeom, sit next to me.”
“I think this seat is more comfortable for me, CEO Taeseongyeon.”
He showed his haggard eyes, which had wrestled with Agon all night, conveying a ‘Are you crazy?’ look. Taeseongyeon, surprisingly, let it slide without a word. Suddenly, a warmth brushed Dokyeom’s cheek.
He reflexively turned to see Han Yuseong wiping away the water that had dripped from Dokyeom’s wet hair with the back of his hand, then flicking it off.
“Let’s try to dry your hair, Hunter Han Dokyeom.”
“Why bother? I’m just going back anyway. I barely managed to shower despite how annoying it is, so why are you nagging me?”
As he subtly pushed away the hand touching his cheek, another droplet fell onto his skin. Dokyeom casually wiped it with his sleeve. Behind Han Yuseong, Hunters with wide eyes craned their necks like meerkats, gazing at Dokyeom, as if intensely curious.
‘Ah, I must have been arrogant again. In front of these great Hunters.’
The Hunters’ gazes at Dokyeom were precisely that. The moment he left, the rumor that ‘that E-ranker acted so arrogantly in the CEO’s office’ would probably spread throughout the guild.
Having experienced it several times, the pattern was obvious. Now, Dokyeom’s actions had become regular subscription content for other Hunters. Dokyeom sighed and asked Taeseongyeon, who was looking at him with a suspicious gaze, about the purpose of the call.
When Taeseongyeon’s indifferent eyes slowly closed, the conversation began. “I apologize for calling you while we were in the middle of a discussion, Han Dokyeom. It’s nothing else, but I called you because I’d like you to work with the team here on a matter related to a gate the guild is managing.”
The low voice resonated politely. His demeanor was calmer and more serious than his usual playful attitude towards Dokyeom.
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