Chapter 70: The Untamable Tamed

Thoughts he had never deeply considered surged to the forefront, completely filling the expanse of his mind.

The moment he realized Sagyeol was not Lee Myeong-hwan’s son, a colossal wall that had long defined Yeowon’s worldview vanished in an instant.

Yeowon found himself abruptly confronted with what lay beyond, utterly unprepared. Emotions he couldn’t name and desires he didn’t know how to manage surged wildly within him.

For the first time, he felt a flicker of gratitude for his outwardly impassive demeanor. Relieved that his inner turmoil remained hidden, Yeowon turned to Sagyeol.

“If this is how it’s going to be, why do you even have your own bed?”

“Indeed. Perhaps I should have just bought a bigger one for you.”

“…”

Initially, he had tried to send Sagyeol back to his own bed, but it proved utterly futile. Every morning, he would awaken to find himself enveloped in a pair of firm arms.

The situation was bewildering. Even if he had softened somewhat after arriving in the mortal realm, he had spent countless years in the Demon Realm.

Could it be true that he hadn’t even sensed Sagyeol returning and embracing him in his sleep?

‘It means my subconscious judged that he would never cause me harm.’

That, in itself, was a peculiar sensation.

As Yeowon was lost in contemplation, Sagyeol, who had been observing him, discreetly reached out and grazed his chest. Yeowon allowed it.

His hypersensitivity to the scar was a thing of the past. Sagyeol possessed an unusual fixation on Yeowon’s chest.

Whenever an opportunity arose, he would extend his hand to rub and massage it, to the extent that Yeowon had simply grown accustomed to it.

Sagyeol’s eyes narrowed. His touch grew bolder. He completely lifted Yeowon’s T-shirt, his fingertips tracing the prominent scar.

Only then did Yeowon flinch, a subtle tremor passing through him. Sagyeol’s fingers slowly outlined the rough, uneven mark, as if deciphering braille.

It was as though such an action would unveil the very story woven into its depths.

‘How much longer will it take?’

Neither Sagyeol nor Yeowon knew the answer. Sagyeol yearned to ask, yet sensed it wasn’t the opportune moment, while Yeowon believed it was a story he would forever be unable to share.

Sagyeol felt a burning impatience. Though Sagyeol typically carried a weighty, rock-like demeanor, he became utterly rigid whenever the scar was touched.

Despite his certainty that time would allow him to color Yeowon with his own hues, seeing such an unyielding response inevitably stirred a sense of unease within him.

With eyes that held a profound depth, Sagyeol pressed his lips to the nape of the unyielding man’s neck. His skin was as firm as Sagyeol’s own.

Yet, a gentle warmth lingered beneath, and the skin itself was surprisingly soft. From his body emanated the same scent of body wash that Sagyeol himself used.

‘Yes. For now, this is enough.’ Sagyeol thought with a sense of resolve, then spread his fingers and firmly gripped Yeowon’s chest.

The firm, muscular chest was too broad to fit entirely within his grasp.

“What are you doing?”

“Before, you’d recoil if my fingertip merely brushed your nipple. Now, you’re letting me hold your chest while you’re lost in thought. It’s fascinating.”

“…Of all things.”

Yeowon subtly pushed Sagyeol’s arm aside. Sagyeol let out a soft chuckle.

“I want to touch you.”

“…”

“Let me touch you.”

His confident demand was met with an utterly bewildered expression. Sagyeol did not laugh.

With Sagyeol’s serious tone, Yeowon found himself at a loss. Without awaiting a response, Sagyeol reached out once more and gently twisted the single remaining nipple.

“Ugh.”

Yeowon, a shiver running through his shoulders, let out a soft groan and turned to glare at Sagyeol with icy eyes.

“That hurts.”

“My apologies.”

Apologizing readily, Sagyeol brushed his lips against Yeowon’s earlobe. His hand, however, remained firmly clasped around Yeowon’s chest.

“Is that… really so good?”

“Hm?”

“My chest.”

“Yes. It is.”

Yeowon was rendered speechless by the straightforward reply. He knew something felt off, yet he still lacked the insight to fully grasp what was amiss.

As Yeowon grumbled, unable to voice his thoughts, Sagyeol chuckled softly and whispered.

“More precisely, it’s *you* I like.”

“…”

‘Ah.’

The rhythmic pulse he felt in his palm subtly shifted. Recognizing this, Sagyeol’s own heart began to pound in unison.

The morning sun, rising at an angle, cast a brilliant glow across the bedroom. The bed seemed to carry the very scent of sunlight.

Entwined upon it, the two felt each other’s presence more acutely than ever before.

‘Perhaps.’

The day he would hear about the scar.

The day he would speak of it.

It might not be far off at all.

The incident arrived without warning. One of the teams, which had been pushing into the disaster zone without hesitation, reported a significant number of casualties.

While it was an immense relief that there were no fatalities, the guild’s leadership, upon receiving the full report, quickly reconsidered their initial assessment.

The attacks, regardless of the hunters’ rank, had proven utterly ineffective against the creatures. They immediately dispatched a request for assistance to Credit.

After hearing the description of the monsters, Yeowon spoke.

“Lepta.”

“Lepta, you say…”

“A herd of wild horses that migrates with the seasons.”

The territory’s vicinity was not a natural habitat for Lepta. However, at certain times, herds of wild horses with sleek, dark bodies would occasionally appear in the grasslands.

Yeowon’s eyes, clouded with a faint reminiscence of the past, softened. Yet, this moment of reflection was fleeting.

If Lepta had indeed emerged through the gate, then…

“They are difficult to deal with.”

The reason lay in their elemental attribute.

“Of all things, it had to be darkness.”

While they possessed healing capabilities, that wasn’t the immediate concern, so he set it aside. Darkness was an attribute ranked among the highest and rarest.

Unless confronted with a diametrically opposed light or an equally potent darkness, attacks against them were futile. Lee Hyun-su, his expression utterly rigid, subtly nudged Yeowon.

“So, there’s a solution, right?”

Yeowon nodded in affirmation.

“I just need to catch them myself.”

‘That doesn’t seem like a good idea at all.’ From behind, he felt a murderous aura more potent than any monster’s.

‘Does he want to die?’ ‘Utter nonsense.’ The unspoken words felt more distinct than any spoken aloud.

Yeowon, having grown accustomed to Sagyeol’s possessive displays, didn’t even bother to question the reason behind them. He continued to address Lee Hyun-su.

“Where is my axe stored?”

Having uttered the words, Yeowon paused, a sudden realization dawning on him. It was a phrase he had always used when, as the lord, he embarked on the seasonal wars.

Lost in a peculiar wave of nostalgia, he failed to notice the increasingly chilling atmosphere. Lee Hyun-su looked at Yeowon with an expression of desperate plea.

“While public interest has certainly died down somewhat, it’s still too early for you to step forward. Reporters will set up tents and stage protests in front of the guild building, and the guild’s operations will be paralyzed by endless inquiries.”

Although there was a hint of exaggeration, it was far from a lie. The situation was indeed comparable.

Naturally, this problem could be entirely resolved if Yeowon actively participated in public engagements, but with that gatekeeper of hell constantly watching, such a solution was utterly unfeasible.

‘There’s a limit to how much he can hover.’ Sagyeol glared fiercely at Lee Hyun-su.

‘Stop him.’ ‘Or you’re dead.’ Lee Hyun-su offered a forced, bright smile.

‘I seriously want to quit everything.’

“So, perhaps you should reconsider…”

Yeowon shook his head. This time, his resolve was unyielding.

“If not me, no one can catch the Lepta.”

At this stubbornness, which was undeniably backed by reason, Lee Hyun-su let out a pained groan. Sagyeol, who had subtly moved behind Yeowon, smiled.

He tapped his lips with his index finger, then drew his thumb across his own throat. It was a clear threat: if Lee Hyun-su’s words caused trouble, he would be dead.

Lee Hyun-su smiled back, a hollow expression. Then, he pulled out the resignation letter he had carefully kept in his pocket and slammed it onto the floor.

“I’m not doing it! Damn it!”

“…Is that bastard crazy?”

“I don’t care! I quit! I’ll resign and go back to farming, raise cows or something!”

“Are you disrespecting cattle farmers now? Do you think raising cows is easy?”

“Aargh!”

Regardless of their antics, Yeowon calmly stated what needed to be said.

“I must do it. Because Lepta can be tamed.”

‘Wouldn’t it be a waste to simply kill such creatures?’ At the casual remark, Lee Hyun-su’s jaw dropped. Sagyeol reacted similarly.

He gripped Yeowon’s shoulder, an expression of disbelief on his face.

“Tame them? Monsters?”

“Are you saying that’s possible?!”

“…Is there a reason it shouldn’t be?”

The two ordinary high-ranking hunters were rendered speechless. Monsters were creatures to be eradicated, not befriended.

Furthermore, given the naturally aggressive and ferocious nature of monsters, the idea of taming them was utterly unthinkable.

“No. Come to think of it, I believe I’ve read records of a few attempts made early in the Gate’s opening.”

“I remember that too. They failed miserably, wasted a huge amount of taxpayer money, and everyone involved resigned. That was the end of it.”

After that, it became widely accepted that monsters could not be tamed.

“Most cannot,” Yeowon added in a nonchalant tone.

“But there are some who can be subdued if you press them with overwhelming power.”

“…”

‘Doesn’t that just mean he’ll beat them into submission?’

“Good heavens. This is no ordinary matter! It’s not just about having another means of transportation in the disaster zone!”

Aside from walking, drones were practically the only mode of transport in the disaster zone. However, they had several drawbacks.

They were incredibly expensive, extremely delicate equipment, and thus restricted to navigating fixed maze-like paths. On top of that, they consumed an exorbitant amount of the user’s magic power.

“Even if you combine all the drones the Association has, there aren’t twenty. Plus, due to the magic consumption, an A-rank hunter can’t reach the frontline base camp in one go. They have to rest three times in between.”

This was somewhat surprising. To that extent? Sagyeol, who had been listening, spoke indifferently.

“Even I can’t go in one go. I have to rest at least once.”

Yeowon’s mouth parted slightly. Simultaneously, he recalled the massive ice mountain he had seen in broadcast footage. Sagyeol’s magic power, capable of creating such a thing, could be depleted?

“An airship…”

“Base camps move every time you go deeper, so you can’t just move a dock, can you? Besides, with monsters swarming, you’d need twice the current personnel to protect it fully.”

Yeowon nodded. Indeed, that was true. But Sagyeol’s expression remained indifferent.

“I understand that it has to be a flying type. A chassis that can run through such a jungle, whether it’s four-wheeled or whatever, would be hard to implement. But it’s not like you’re going comfortably; you’re barely hanging on, so why is the fuel efficiency so terrible?”

Yeowon’s expression became subtle. The drone, which seemed like the pinnacle of modern technology, suddenly felt like scrap metal. While the disaster zone was vast, if Sagyeol’s magic power was depleted, its fuel efficiency was indeed tremendously poor.

Lee Hyun-su grumbled. “They say it’s the best they can do! If the research team and engineers were doing it just to torment hunters, I wouldn’t say a word.”

“…Why are you, a hunter, siding with those eggheads?”

“…Indeed. Why is that?”

Birds of a feather flock together, and one’s arm bends inward. Living buried in paperwork, he seemed to have developed a sense of kinship with them.

Embarrassed, Lee Hyun-su cleared his throat. “Anyway, using monsters for transportation would prevent magic power loss. Yeowon will clear away the Black Mist anyway… In any case, the subjugation will be much easier.”

Yeowon nodded in agreement. Lee Hyun-su continued to mutter in admiration, while Sagyeol gazed at Yeowon with eyes that seemed to drip with sweetness. Even Yeowon, accustomed to most stares, flinched at the intensity of that gaze.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m wondering where such a lovely and capable person dropped from.”

“Nonsense.”

His earlobes quickly turned red. Sagyeol chuckled and clung to him. Lee Hyun-su, with a face that had given up all hope, left the spot.

Yeowon, unable to push him away yet unwilling to fully embrace him, was pinned in an awkward position, thoroughly pestered.

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