Chapter 236: Calm (3)
Thud, thud, thud.
Even though there was still a significant distance between him and his opponent, it felt like someone was walking right beside him.
Swish.
Just before the man crossed the gate, the Great Mage swiftly completed his spell.
An expert with exceptional skill often makes difficult tasks seem easy.
He had cast a quadruple illusion spell, completely concealing his magic power along with his sound, appearance, and scent. With a casual expression, he finished his stealth and quickly held his breath.
‘Why is he inside this dungeon?’
For now.
No matter how straightforward the layout was, he shouldn’t be clashing directly with Kang Chang-ho here.
The alien wrapped in all sorts of magic was already in a form that couldn’t be recognized by Earth’s standards. Gi-ryeo, trusting his magic, boldly moved back towards the entrance but…….
‘No, that question was wrong.’
Moments later, a familiar magic signature entered the dungeon completely.
As he got closer to the Hunter, a question arose.
‘Why is he “inside the dungeon”?’
Why is Kang Chang-ho here?
Despite having ample wealth, Kang Chang-ho wasn’t wearing a single stealth item.
In other words, he had entered the place, boldly showing his face to the association employees at the entrance.
Since an S-Class Awakening level effectively served as a free pass to use any gate comfortably, it wasn’t illogical.
However, the problem was that he had never seen the other party use this privilege.
Kang Chang-ho had never entered a dungeon by his own will until now.
Whenever the contractor had conveyed information about going to subjugate somewhere, it had only been the occasional appearance of a sacrifice for protection; that was the extent of all activities of the third S-Class.
‘A notorious job shirker from South Korea is personally visiting a new gate?’
Thud. Thud. Thud.
From far away, a heavy set of footsteps echoed from the end of the dark path.
This time it wasn’t an illusion.
As he waited briefly, a familiar figure was soon illuminated by the dim light of the magic stone.
Was [Dragon’s Eye] beneficial for night vision?
Despite entering the dark cave, Kang Chang-ho didn’t utilize any additional light source.
Like a carnivorous creature with glaring retinas, he quietly surveyed the cave with his brightly shining green pupils.
“……”
“……”
Eventually, the two seekers passed by each other silently.
Once again, the inferior Earthling body couldn’t detect the hidden Great Mage with magic, and just as one side who broke the curse item’s promise let out a sigh of relief.
Whoosh.
Kang Chang-ho suddenly turned his head.
‘……!’
But it wasn’t because he sensed any presence.
The enormous figure had shifted his gaze as if wary of something since he stepped through the gate.
He wasn’t actually seeing the invisible Kim Gi-ryeo; he was focused on a small magic stone behind him.
‘Not empty-handed?’
Kang Chang-ho was gripping an unfamiliar object in his usually busy hand.
Unlike the pain-inflicting dagger of an F-Class con artist, it was a crude piece resembling a genuine stake.
And its function was…….
‘Is such a device available on Earth?’
The Great Mage cast a glance at the blue slender stake held by Kang Chang-ho and then turned his body.
While it certainly was an intriguing sight, regrettably, there was no time left for further observation.
Due to all the magic layered onto his body, his magic power was rapidly depleting.
If any one of his stealth spells were to dissipate midway, that stake would inevitably be driven into his own body.
‘What a bizarre coincidence. If by chance, he came to find out I broke the contract……. Oh no, gosh.’
Dashing footsteps.
Gi-ryeo hastily changed his pace.
Hmph.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the cave, the contractor’s mumblings echoed, but the alien had no leisure to listen patiently to that.
-……Seoul is troublesome.
*
Outside.
Once Gi-ryeo escaped the gate, he immediately returned home to check the state of his piles.
“Oh wow.”
Contrary to his worries, the magic disturbance device for the [Dragon’s Eye] was functioning very smoothly.
[0 missed calls]
[0 missed texts]
As you can see, there were no problems discovered in other parts either.
This meant Kang Chang-ho didn’t notice the contractor’s deviation and did not enter the dungeon.
“Hmm?”
However, the problem was that if this continued, the situation would get even stranger.
A few hours later, as dinnertime approached.
First of all, knowing that the clause in the contract was ignored, the violent ex-convict would not stay quiet. The mere fact that the other party remained silent only proved that the dreaded secret was intact.
‘Ugh.’
Kang Chang-ho, regardless of his title as a Hunter, was an individual who rarely went hunting.
But just to be safe, he turned on the Hunter-exclusive app to check the status of that gate.
[Unknown Cave]
[Rank: B]
[Current Status: Clear]
[Conqueror List: Kang Chang-ho (S)]
To his astonishment, a notice indicating completion was displayed there.
Kang Chang-ho had formally cleared the gate through the Hunter Association.
‘Am I seeing this wrong?’
And the man’s last muttering he heard in the cave.
……Seoul is troublesome.
Although he wanted to immediately question why he went to the dungeon and what that statement meant back then,
He was a body that had secretly returned from the dungeon, completely disregarding the contractor’s warnings. Naturally, he couldn’t mention anything.
Common sense dictated that he shouldn’t even know that Kang Chang-ho had gone to that dungeon.
If he were to even bring up the topic of the [Unknown Cave], he would have to desperately pretend not to know.
“Hah……”
Nevertheless, he genuinely felt a pang of anxiety.
Kim Gi-ryeo pressed a hand to his forehead and selected his breathing, which had gotten uneven after the episode.
It was fortunate he uncovered the possession phenomenon of that monster in the [Unknown Cave] sooner than expected.
If he had ventured a little deeper into the dungeon, his stealth magic would have almost failed to maintain its steep cost, nearly causing it to dissipate midway.
‘Had a new presence emerged suddenly in the cave, Kang Chang-ho’s piercing eyes would have surely fixed themselves on me.’
Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine.
Gi-ryeo never wanted to experience such a perilous threat again.
So in his mind, he vowed that regardless of his resistance to the curse effect, he wouldn’t carelessly break promises again…….
‘Hmmm.’
In the middle of all this, a different realization struck him.
Seeing how nervous he got just from that primitive sorcerer’s visage, it seems he wasn’t quite ready to meet his end yet.
If he truly thought it didn’t matter if he died, he would have remained as calm as a cucumber even in such a crisis.
‘Wow, even after living so long, the survival instinct is still strong…….’
Gradually, the lost refinement and will were beginning to reflect in the dried-up gaze of the corpse.
After all, it was hard-won youth. He thought it would be wasteful and inefficient to just give up his life due to failure.
Rustle.
Gi-ryeo rose to his feet and began to tidy up after a long time.
A round soda-lime glass bottle was rolling around on the floor of the studio.
This was cheap soju purchased from a discount mart by the alien occupying the Earthling’s body.
Even though he was technically awakened, this small amount wouldn’t be sufficient to get him drunk, yet he managed to satisfy his curiosity.
Specifically, he realized why he had no memory of being intoxicated in the brain of the body’s owner.
As soon as he sipped that soju-like liquid,
He recalled additional minute details that had yet to be restored.
Oh, wait. Kim Gi-ryeo has tasted this before, right?
After becoming an adult, he had purchased soju out of curiosity at a convenience store.
However, as soon as he tasted the drink, he made a face that resembled someone who had just sniffed an alcohol lamp in a science lab after taking just one sip.
‘I gave up drinking. Eventually, I remember using the leftover soju as a refrigerator deodorizer.’
This body’s tongue found the taste of cheap liquor quite unpleasant.
That’s right.
He still hadn’t fully analyzed the small Earth being known as Kim Gi-ryeo.
There might be keys to solving all problems hidden among the connections of neurons severed by depression, just like this soju incident.
‘Right. What nonsense am I talking about?’
Clatter.
The blond man thought while neatly packing the living waste scattered around the room into a garbage bag.
‘As a scholar, I must conduct research.’
This was a moment when his initial fervor and ambition returned.
He would diligently consume and acquire the knowledge of the planet’s sciences like a starved ki-simche.
With the power created that way, he would ultimately achieve complete safety.
This time, let’s live happily.
Having finished his resolution, he lifted the trash-filled bag in both hands and rose.
Hubris had long been a chronic flaw of this mage, yet his tilted personality also had its advantages, just like any creature.
He was exceptionally fast in escaping despair.
*
Twenty hours later.
On a bright day.
[Chat Room]
[Me: Yoon Seung-ah]
[Me: Wasn’t it said that it ends precisely at 1 o’clock?]
[Me: I made a reservation for the restaurant at 2 o’clock, so is there enough time to change clothes?]
[Ahn Yoon-seung: Yup! 1 o’clock is correct, Hyung-nim!! I’ll report back as soon as we exit the gate!!!!]
By the way, today was a typical weekday with no plans whatsoever.
I sat at my desk, rechecking the messages I shared with an A-Class Hunter and switched the screen of my mobile phone.
“Ouch, my shoulder.”
For now.
I was in the process of deciding to actively live my second life about 20 hours ago.
But life tends to be more impactful through falls than climbs.
Perhaps because I was a high-level sorcerer in my previous life, I briefly felt disheartened by my current situation of being stuck in a lowly body.
‘In an F-Class Hunter’s body.’
Thinking again, surviving in the body of Kim Gi-ryeo wasn’t that impossible after all.
After all, I had magic tools.
Just like defeating Brooklyn with the Sword of Sunset.
The [Legendary] treasures existing on Earth certainly had the potential to contend with an S-Class Hunter.
In other words, if I had the right legendary tools, I could prevent Kang Chang-ho from trying to take my life on the contract’s expiration date.
‘Hmm.’
But the problem was…….
Currently, every single legendary item on Earth was owned by formidable masters.
The Book of Extermination from America.
The Sword of Sunset belonging to Jeong Ha-seong.
And some strange grayish-white great sword from the Kagoshima raid.
To be honest, the legendary great sword from Japan might become available for sale later, but that too wouldn’t be functional enough for me, an F-Class hunter.
In short, it was meaningless.
‘And in about two years, my deception will be uncovered, and my relationship with Jeong Ha-seong will probably be shattered, so even borrowing the charged Sword of Sunset wouldn’t seem realistic.’
Haha.
Anyway, what the heck do I do now?
I sat cross-legged with one foot resting on my opposite thigh, continuing my thoughts as I sat on the chair.
As I had just thought, I had a lot to do to clean up the various pretenses my past self had created.
Just thinking about it made me smirk.
But procrastinating on this task would only lead to bigger headaches.
‘The top priority now is to gather magic tools again. I need to increase my power to do anything.’
I outlined a rough plan and got up from my seat.
And today, to commemorate the revival of my enthusiasm, I intended to give myself a small reward.
‘Time to eat some ribeye and grill it.’
Unfortunately, Korean barbecue restaurants generally shun single guests.
So I had hastily arranged for a date with an Earthling for restaurant entry last evening.
Another A-Class?
Is that really a viable option given his reputation as the number one ranked and cursed sorcerer, not to mention being an ex-con?
‘There’s no choice.’
Sunwoo-yeon, who was B-Class and still relatively low in rank, couldn’t accept meals over 50,000 won due to the public official anti-bribery law…….
In any case, I needed the assistance of that defensive sorcerer to eat beef.
I fell into a brief trance before finally dressing up and heading out.
The current time was 12:30 PM.
Since Yoon-seung was a poor company employee (affiliated with a guild), he too was at work today, per his employment agreement.
Even though he would be quite far from the predicted raid completion time for the dungeon he entered earlier, for some reason, I felt hungrier than usual today.
Ding-a-ling.
“Welcome~”
“Huh, it’s Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“Where?”
So, to wait until the restaurant reservation at 2 o’clock, I entered a nearby cafe to grab a quick bite.
“One vanilla latte, please. Hold the shot. I’ll drink it inside.”
“Holding the shot? The shot?”
“Yes.”
“Then the drink will only have steamed milk and vanilla powder.”
“Sure.”
“Oh.”
Kim Gi-ryeo’s body, being an Awakened one, had a relatively high basal metabolic rate; hence, sipping on a drink before meals wouldn’t be a problem.
Normally, he reduced minor energy expenditures by keeping his body temperature somewhat low, but indulging in high-calorie food once in a while for a mood boost would be fine.
After tidying up my body, I realized Among all other good points of Kim Gi-ryeo, he had decent muscle mass, likely due to frequently engaging in manual labor.
Thinking back, Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t that bad, after all.
Slurp.
Before long, a plate of Earth-style drink arrived, and I savored a moment’s leisure.
After finishing the latte, I left the cafe, strolling down the nearby streets while reflecting on the advantages of my body one by one.
It was quite a peaceful time.
“……”
But it seemed that tranquility wouldn’t last long.
“Hmm.”
At the moment when the last highlight mentioned my body’s good vision,
I checked the screen of my mobile phone pulled from my pocket.
[01:13 PM]
