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After what felt like forever in silence, the wolf, with its nose switched off and a sour expression, stared at Kang Tae-ho, who was just blinking at him, then sighed as he looked back at the collapsed Hong Yu-ri.

Last time, when it chewed off a wrist, I thought it was a bit much. Even Hong Yu-ri was begging for mercy! Sure, there’s a chance of claiming “I lost my mind,” but thinking about it, she brought it upon herself. Still, I didn’t expect her to be in this state. When she begged, I should’ve thought about it harder…

“Kyu?”

Perry tilted its head as if to ask what was going on. Just as it tried to approach Hong Yu-ri out of curiosity, I stopped it and reached out with a tentacle to lift Hong Yu-ri instead. The tentacle sprouting from the little puppy looked bizarre, and Kang Tae-ho shook his head as if suddenly awakened.

The wolf decided to speak up.

“…Who are we calling?”

If it was just the spilled mess, wiping it up would do, but I can’t very well clean it up like a maid, can I? Kang Tae-ho, forehead in hand, got up claiming he’d fetch someone quickly, and Perry looked confused about what he was doing. Just when I seemed to be dealing with it, I sensed someone approaching.

“S-Sensei…?!”

Who appeared was completely unexpected: Baek So-yul. With her eyes wide open, she tried waking up the collapsed Hong Yu-ri, but there was no way someone passed out could just get up. I thought maybe if I splashed water on her, it would help… Would muddy water have sufficed? Regardless, Kang Tae-ho was stumbling as he began to weave an excuse.

Honestly, it wasn’t necessary to go this far, but…

‘…Poor thing.’

That stubborn pride of hers. It’s enough to fit into the realm of mental issues—it made me somewhat wistful. I needed Hong Yu-ri’s help to go to the Square later, but…

‘At that rate…’

Getting help might prove difficult. I sighed inwardly and shook my head. It might be better to contact another mage rather than a broken Hong Yu-ri. There must be other mages besides her in the dawn. Anyway, as Baek So-yul carried away Hong Yu-ri, Kang Tae-ho frowned deeply.

“What in the world…?”

This situation felt absurdly exhausting. Anyway, as he shook his head and went to search for Alpha again, he burst out laughing when he saw that the puppy had vanished.

“That guy, seriously.”

Anyway, Kang Tae-ho, planning to tease Hong Yu-ri later, headed alone to the hospital.

***

“Did you go for a walk?”

Kang Tae-jun asked, and the wolf merely nodded. Kang Tae-jun was still buried under paperwork, and it was a mountain of it.

‘Is it not tiring at all?’

Even after fighting against Kang Hoon and getting hurt, still dealing with paperwork? It feels more like a steel man than a swordsman.

‘Ah, but there’s a real steel man.’

“Kyu~”

While playing with Perry, I remembered Baek So-yul whom I had seen earlier. Why on earth was she here? The thought slowly dawned on me. If the Academy fell and the scoundrels were targeting her, maybe the Dawn was protecting her. Other than that, it was hard to think of reasons.

“……”

From what she referred to as Sensei, it seemed like she was learning from Hong Yu-ri, but honestly, it confused me a bit, and I frowned.

‘Does she still not know?’

-Compared to thoughts, Baek So-yul’s magic power was shockingly pathetic. According to my insights, her power was just 307. Not even the average B class. Of course, considering the timing and that she is still an Academy student, it’s definitely impressive. But…

‘But thinking of Baek So-yul, she should be different.’

She was a witch, after all. The only one who could have been a witch’s calamity. -The calamity of the witch. When the sewer disaster happened in Busan, leading to chaos, kidnapped Baek So-yul went through some experiments by the scoundrels, lost her consciousness, and was reborn as a witch. The method was…

“What’s going on?”

I realized I had flared up without realizing it. At Kang Tae-jun’s question, I replied that it was nothing while trying to calm myself. Even when fighting against the Silent Mouth, this phenomenon was increasingly worsening. It seems I need to meet the system as soon as possible.

‘For now, Baek So-yul comes first.’

Back to the main point. The only reason Baek So-yul was the only one who could have been a witch was that there was a good reason. It was her physical condition. Magic absorption rate. Particularly exceptional at receiving external magic, like elixirs. In simple terms, her body could replicate magic power if she had the elixir.

‘Elixirs aren’t something you can obtain easily.’

So those guys used some methods. Just like in the past, in the blind spot, many humans were ground down to make magic power. Eventually, through all sorts of experiments, Baek So-yul, forcibly absorbing magic power, lost consciousness and became a witch that committed massacres.

‘Of course, it’s something that won’t happen now…’

Now that the scoundrels have been rooted out from this land, the probability of Baek So-yul becoming a witch is nearly zero. Even if the scoundrels remain, I don’t plan to leave them be. However, unless I can monitor Baek So-yul 24/7, I need to get her to a certain level. Not enough to get caught by the lower echelons, but just enough.

As I said, the method is not that difficult. Anyway, you just need to get her the elixir. I was going to turn to Kang Tae-jun when I noticed he was already on a call.

“…Understood. If everything’s okay, there’s no problem. By the way, have you met team leader 3?”

[Jinha? I just glanced over from the window, he doesn’t look dead to me.]

“At least that’s a relief.”

I could hear everything thanks to my D-class auditory skills, even without concentrating. He seemed to be on the line with Kang Tae-ho, who was visiting the hospital.

“Anything else?”

[Well, the injured were operated on, and the rest should be fine to be discharged in a few days.]

“…Got it. And?”

[Well… I guess I need to show my face at the funeral for the dead and that Bishop old lady.]

Kang Tae-ho’s voice carried a hint of bitterness. Kang Tae-jun sighed in response. It appeared they were sharing news about Neverland. They avoided total annihilation, but there were still many casualties. For a while, I guess they’d be worrying about the aftermath. After chatting for a bit, Kang Tae-jun hung up and briefly looked at the ceiling before I spoke to him.

-As night wore on, Kang Tae-jun finally stood up, having dealt with the massive pile of paperwork.

“…I guess it’s time to leave.”

Perry, who had been sleeping soundly, rubbed its eyes and tilted its head. Even when I rubbed it, it seemed like it had no intention of going back to sleep.

“Are you off work?”

As Kang Tae-jun received greetings from the on-duty clan member and headed outside, he got into the vehicle parked there. To be honest, just running would be several times faster, but given the conditions that I can’t reveal myself, there’s no choice but to drive. Even though it’s a bit frustrating, I had no other option. After driving for almost an hour…

‘It’s been a while.’

Finally, I was able to return to the cherished Jirisan. The high peaks and thickets still felt the same. Just a bit, it felt like returning home. I could sense some gazes directed at me, likely because I looked tired, but it wasn’t my fault if I hadn’t slept.

I reactivated my previously suspended sense of smell, and not too far along, I found what I had been looking for.

‘It’s still here.’

I had worried about wild animals getting to it, but luckily, that wasn’t the case.

-[54-Year-Old Ginseng]

In the days of being a worg, a bear had shown me a ginseng field. Due to limitations concerning using the same elixir to boost magic power, I can’t use it anymore, but for others, it’s a different story.

Kang Tae-jun couldn’t hide his amazement. He was shining with interest, as if his fatigue had vanished. Just ginseng, but just looking at it, you could tell the years were different. And the size was nothing to sneeze at… Kang Tae-jun nodded.

“…That’s impressive.”

I never imagined there would still be ginseng fields left while searching every nook and cranny of Jirisan for Alpha. Honestly, when they randomly said to go to Jirisan, I thought there must be some sort of trap…

“……”

Seeing the ginseng buried in the field made that suspicion completely vanish. With a bitter smile, Kang Tae-jun displayed a self-deprecating attitude. It was a little ironic he had been entrusted with his security while not fully believing it himself. Meanwhile, the wolf gave one ginseng root to Perry.

“Kyu~?”

Seemingly curious, Perry sniffed the ginseng, then grimaced after tasting it. Still, it was commendable that it didn’t spit it out. Perhaps it sensed the magic power contained within.

‘The flesh of the Juggernaut is still around.’

When the Silent Mouth had devoured it, I had stashed it away inside the Juggernaut. However, with Perry’s eating habits lately, that would soon run out. The fairy-type monster wouldn’t die from hunger, but I internally hoped to avoid making it starve.

‘For now, I’ll feed it ginseng…’

In the meantime, Kang Tae-jun was packing ginseng into the backpack he brought. I was doing the same with my storage skill, but even then, I couldn’t fit that much. Kang Tae-jun looked awed at the more extensive ginseng farm than I had imagined.

“That’s quite a lot.”

Looking rarefully satisfied, he hadn’t expected to gain from simply following along. It’s not that elixirs could be bought with just money.

‘Still, that’s fine.’

Anyway, if the hunter’s level rises just a bit, that’s nothing but good news for me. Even just a few roots of ginseng could be worth it if it means my debt to the dawn’s road would be paid off.

***

“…?”

In the deep of night, Baek So-yul, who was left to deal with Hong Yu-ri, woke up to a strange noise. When she turned to check beside her, she frowned. It was odd that Hong Yu-ri, who should have been there, was missing. Did she wake up in the meantime? Baek So-yul was about to pull off the blanket and get up when her movements halted.

“―――.”

Due to some sound coming from somewhere. Though I said “somewhere,” what kind of sound could that be when hearing it through the walls but the bathroom? What could she possibly do in a dark bathroom without a light on?

“S-Sensei…”

Baek So-yul, attempting to call her, clamped her lips together. The sound she heard was unmistakably a crying sound—more accurately, a suppressed, sobbing sound.

“……”

Thinking back, it did seem bizarre. No, it was bizarre in every way. There’s no way a hunter would faint because they stumbled. It seemed like Team Leader 2, the Sword Master, didn’t want to respond, but maybe she was suffering from phobia again. I could vaguely understand the reason for the water being splashed, so Baek So-yul silently sighed.

“―――!”

The muffled moans grew louder. It sounded like she was wiping her tears on her clothes. Eventually, unable to hold back any longer, she began to sob. In front of the dark bathroom door, Baek So-yul withdrew her hand from the doorknob and let out a deep sigh.

There shouldn’t be any dogs in the clan, so what on earth did Sensei see? Could it be that the Sword Master was playing pranks on her?

“……”

Lost in thought, Baek So-yul ultimately shook her head. Feigning sleep for the returning one would be the best, but sleep just wouldn’t come.

—That night, the two endured the night with sleepless eyes.

 

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