Chapter 77: The World Turns Noisy

“Thanks for the meal.”

After thanking the restaurant owner, the two of them got back into the car.

The moment he fastened his seatbelt, Sung Ji-woo pulled out his phone and searched for the news. Just as he’d expected, an article with a title clearly designed to bait outrage was already up.

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[Exclusive] HERO, Who Said He’d Join a Guild with Sung Ji-woo, Declares Guild Founding After Just Four Days?! Waiting Guilds Left Like Dogs Chasing Chickens

Only four days after announcing that he would join a guild alongside Hunter Sung Ji-woo, Hunter HERO has abruptly retracted his statement. Earlier this morning, HERO revealed an unexpected plan, announcing that he intends to found his own guild.

Following the joint guild-joining declaration, countless guilds sent love calls to Sung Ji-woo and HERO. However, both individuals are currently reported to have disappeared from public view.

This is not the first time Hunter HERO has gone off the grid. After his return ceremony, he disappeared without notice, prompting the Hunter Association to take the unusual step of filing a missing person report. Guilds and the Association alike have not hidden their disappointment at what they see as a lack of responsibility unbecoming of a so-called national hero.

One hunter who had waited in front of Sung Ji-woo’s general store for four days commented bitterly,
“I feel empty. If this was how it was going to be, they should’ve said so from the start. It feels like the two of them planned this together just to toy with us.”

On the other hand, another hunter stated,
“I was planning to transfer guilds soon anyway. If HERO makes his own guild, I’d like to join that one.”

Amidst the growing noise and controversy, one thing is certain: Hunter HERO’s next move has captured everyone’s attention. All eyes are now on the founding and future direction of this new guild.

• I’ll always support Hunter HERO ^^

• Told him to do whatever he wanted and he really went and lived exactly how he wants LOL
  └ Must be a fun life

• But this isn’t a personality scandal or anything, right? LOL

• Yu Heero saved our lives just for fun, that alone earns him a hundred years of immunity, you trash reporters

• I know Yu Heero is amazing, but as someone who stayed up four nights waiting there, yeah, I’m pissed LOL
  └ Talking about yourself?
  └ Yeah, f*ck, it was brutal. Mid-summer and I got bitten by like 20 mosquitoes LOL

• Shared~ Thanks for the great article~

• Does this guy think saving the world once means the whole universe belongs to him? Fine, damn it, take it all
  └ LOL I want to argue but I can’t

• Ability aside, isn’t this actually a problem? Honestly, Yu Heero is one thing, but Sung Ji-woo is the real issue here;
  └ 2222 Who the hell is this guy to be acting up?
  └ He only even became a hunter thanks to Yu Heero, right? Didn’t he barely survive running a general store ‘cause he can’t fight? LOL
  └ ? This is a new level of bullshit. There are tons of testimonials about Sung Ji-woo LOL No supporter better than him
  └ Testimonials my ass LOL And he was a supporter? Wow, what a total weakling
  └ Screenshotted and sent to Sung Ji-woo. Lawsuit incoming, good luck
  └ Sue for what? Defamation by stating facts? Now you can’t even say the truth? Typical supporter behavior—riding the bus and whining

• Shouldn’t hunter articles have comments blocked like celebrity news? The comments are disgusting
  └ This isn’t entertainment news, it’s social news, so why?
  └ Are hunters celebrities? LOL Though the way people worship them, they kind of live like ones

• Not sure if I’m clueless, but honestly, I want to join that guild
  └ 222 Looks like it’ll hit rank 1 next quarter
  └ You think rank 1 is that easy? Reputation, guild evaluation—everything’s factored in LOL
  └ Rank 1 might be too much, but top 10 seems doable? Didn’t Yu Heero completely crush the subjugation points with the X-Gate clear?
  └ That counts too?
  └ Why wouldn’t it? LOL Individual achievements still count after joining a guild. That’s why guilds went crazy trying to recruit returning hunters who’d gone below X-Gate floor 30. Remember Helios? They grabbed two guys and their ranking shot up.

• Recruitment post coming soon, time to wait it out
  └ As a civilian, I’ll just grab popcorn

“Is your goal to make the whole world your enemy?”

They say the difference between words can change everything, but how did he manage to say only things guaranteed to spark controversy? At this point, it was practically a talent.

His head was already starting to spin. If he really built a guild with this guy, it felt like rumors and scandals would never stop.

At the same time, letting him roam free outside his sight felt just as bad—like he’d cause an incident so big Ji-woo wouldn’t even be able to clean it up afterward.

“I wasn’t aiming for that or anything… as long as you’re by my side, hyung, I don’t really care.”

“That’s not what we’re talking about right now.”

Sung Ji-woo let out a deep sigh. Worries crowded his mind.

“And how exactly are we supposed to make a guild…?”

“Should I go submit the application now? If we turn here, that’s the road to the Hunter Association.”

“…No. Let’s not rush. First, we go to the general store.”

As Ji-woo fell silent, staring bleakly ahead at the uncertain future of guild creation, Yu Heero glanced at him and asked carefully,

“…This time, was it my fault again?”

The question was filled with nothing but genuine curiosity. Ji-woo felt all the strength drain out of him. Right—this was just the kind of person he was.

“No, it’s not like you did something terribly wrong.”

“Then?”

“Well… you were a bit lacking in countermeasures. Next time, let’s make sure you talk things over with me first.”

“Yes, I will.”

With just a little scolding, he obediently agreed. That made it hard to really get angry at him. Sung Ji-woo forced a smile, cultivating patience.

“Then you also have to consult me next time, hyung.”

“About what?”

“When you tried to report me to the Hunter Association last time.”

“…Ah.”

He’d forgotten about that. The root of everything had been right there. Looking at it this way, it felt like this whole situation was also born from his own hasty judgment, leaving him with nothing to say.

“There was no need to report anything… it’s not like you’re a criminal.”

If anything, Yu Heero was closer to the Hunter Association’s savior. He’d cleared the X-Gate—the one that had been giving them endless headaches—without a single casualty.

Hearing Ji-woo’s words, Yu Heero replied calmly,

“That’s how they treat me.”

“…Like a criminal?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

It was so absurd Ji-woo couldn’t even imagine it, and he asked dumbly. Yu Heero shrugged.

“I don’t know. They locked me in a basement and interrogated me.”

“What? Why the hell—?”

Could it be… that day? The day he’d sent Yu Heero to the Hunter Association?

“That day?”

Ji-woo asked cautiously, and Yu Heero nodded slightly.

“Are they insane? …This isn’t okay.”

The moment he imagined Yu Heero being treated like that, anger surged up inside him. For a split second, he even considered turning the car around and ramming it straight into the Hunter Association—before forcibly swallowing the boiling rage.

Think rationally. I’m an adult. I’m an adult.

Bullshit. Rationality, my ass. Ever since his past life, there hadn’t been a single thing about the Hunter Association he liked. They called themselves an association for hunters, but in reality, they were an organization that grew by sucking hunters dry.

The way they believed hunters would forever dance in the palm of their hands was disgusting. And in truth, until the very end of the world, hunters did exactly that.

He had been no exception. There was no right to refuse—only compulsory orders. All he could do was offer up his life quietly.

Being sent to a special school for those with abilities, cut off from society, thoroughly brainwashed—the effects were undeniable. He, along with countless other hunters, followed orders like worker ants until the moment they died.

Only when death was right in front of him—facing that immense light, whether heaven, hell, or nothing at all—did he finally realize it.

What a miserable life it had been. How exhausting it was to desperately live a life that might not even have been his own.

To avoid repeating that nightmare, Sung Ji-woo had run away. He neither had the power nor the will to change the world. All he could manage was avoidance.

But now, even that no longer worked. The deeper he tried to sink, the more he was dragged back up. And Yu Heero was always there.

Ji-woo turned his head to look at him. Yu Heero was smiling foolishly.

“This doesn’t seem like a situation to be smiling in.”

“Seeing you get angry on my behalf makes everything feel okay.”

“That’s how it works? You’re complicated in some ways and ridiculously simple in others.”

“I wasn’t even that angry, to be honest.”

“Why not? You busted your ass clearing the X-Gate, and now people treat you like a ticking time bomb—a criminal.”

Yu Heero kept smiling. Every time Ji-woo cursed at people on his behalf, his mood only improved. After laughing for a while, he spoke softly.

“It just feels pathetic. They’re scared to death but pretending they’re not—it’s kind of entertaining.”

A chill ran down Ji-woo’s spine. Yu Heero continued to smile brightly, letting out small laughs now and then. Looking at his innocent face, it almost felt like everything he’d just heard was an illusion.

“But you’re not scared of me, hyung.”

“Why would I be? I’ve got no reason to be.”

The answer came out reflexively. Maybe it was because Yu Heero’s face, as he asked, seemed almost too harmless.

In truth, Yu Heero did cause him trouble from time to time, but Ji-woo had never found him frightening. Sometimes, the things that resulted because of Yu Heero scared him—but that was his own problem.

“Some people are afraid even without a reason.”

“…Weird people.”

“That’s why I like you.”

“…That logic is strange. Where did the ‘that’s why’ even come from?”

Yu Heero just smiled without answering.

“We’re here.”

While they’d been trading nonsense, they’d already arrived at the general store. It had only been four days, yet seeing the place felt strangely comforting. Sung Ji-woo gazed up at the signboard with a wistful expression.

Beside him, Yu Heero wore his usual dissatisfied look. It was obvious—he was still annoyed that his name hadn’t been added to the sign, just like he’d demanded last time.

But after already conceding on the guild, there was no way Ji-woo was letting him take over the sign too. Passing by Yu Heero, he opened the door to the general store.

“Welco— Ji-woo!”

Gam Ju-an, looking noticeably gaunt after just a few days, greeted them.