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Chapter 134

Everything in the world has a cause and effect.

The reason worms lie dead on the asphalt in summer is that it rained, and when a passing office worker thinks he’ll buy some drinks today, it’s because something unpleasant happened at work or he’s just not feeling great.

This signifies that even the smallest things have a clear causal relationship.

“That’s strange. Waves don’t usually happen this time of year.”

After a bit of chaos settled down, as Namgung Seong rested at his family home, Yeon-woo pondered over this while listening to Seong’s words.

Monsters are ultimately still living beings. They possess mana and are extremely hostile to humanity, but their behavior follows the principles of living creatures.

Just as sandworms start targeting humans when their population increases, the fact that waves occur also implies there are underlying reasons.

“That little rascal is dropping hints.”

“Did you catch on? I’m not trying to make you work, just telling you to keep it in mind, just in case.”

“If I weren’t an Academy student, I’d have thought about it too, you jerk.”

“Yup~ not my honor~”

He’s truly infuriating. The first rule of a hunter should be saving people, especially for an elite Academy student in situations like these, pulling back would clearly have negative consequences later when they officially become a hunter.

“Though I say this, if nothing happens, that’s the best case. When something occurs, there’s inevitably a sacrifice involved.”

“That’s true.”

But even if saying it is easy, that doesn’t mean it goes as planned, so Yeon-woo decided to stay cautious. Didn’t they say foresight prevents disaster?

Namgung Seong compiled the information about the incoming monsters and tried to identify which field they came from, then posted a request for investigation there.

All that was left was… to watch.

*

“Hehe, hehe, ahaha.”

A man crawled across the grass like a drunkard. His fingernails were filled with dirt and grass to the point that they were lifting. Blood flowed from the spots where his torn-off nails used to be, yet the man writhed on the ground as if he felt no pain.

A nauseating black wave spread from the area where the man lay. A horrible aura that any living being would find repulsive emanated.

As the black wave stained the ground, the weeds growing there quickly wilted and turned to powder, scattering in the wind.

The man observed this from a distance, unable to suppress a gulp. He understood. He knew what this was, and he realized the situation that led the monsters to attack the city.

‘Why is the Demon Cult here…!!’

The investigation was complete. The Demon Cult had appeared; there couldn’t be more severe news than this. Thinking so, the man turned around only to find in front of him—

“Eh?”

The man who had been rolling around like a lunatic just moments ago was now bent over, twisting his head at a 90-degree angle, staring at another man.

“Ugh, Aaaah!?”

The startled man summoned his aura to the limit and quickly retreated. He thought the demon cultist would use some technique, but the cultist just stood there blankly staring at him.

Even though the carefree demon cultist seemed harmless at a glance, the man didn’t let his guard down. The demon cultist was not someone that could be explained by logic or common sense.

Although it seemed they could engage in dialogue, they ended up becoming killers— that’s the demon cultist for you. He didn’t know the extent of this cultist’s skill, but just moments ago, this being had approached him without him noticing.

‘If that’s the case…’

The scout pulled out fireworks from a pouch at his waist and threw them to the ground. Boom!! With an explosive sound, red light shot up into the sky, and the man dashed off, leaving the startled demon cultist behind.

An emergency signal flare. His comrades, who had been searching a distance away, would surely rush over. In the meantime, he needed to escape from the demon cultist here. Even if he died in the process, at least the fact that the Demon Cult had appeared would be reported to Cheonju City.

‘Damn, I don’t want to die.’

If he was lucky, maybe someone would come to rescue him. Maybe Namgung’s people would come to deal with this demon cultist…

Suppressing his weakening spirit, the man had no choice but to run. He could feel the ominous energy of the demon cultist closing in behind him.

*

“What did you say?”

At the outburst of the D-Rank Hunters who rushed into the Namgung family estate, Namgung Seong’s expression twisted in disbelief.

It was the first time Yeon-woo saw Jo-in’s face crumple like that, and Namgung Seong making such a face was a bit interesting.

But she could understand that reaction.

“You mean the Demon Cult has crossed over?”

At Yeon-woo’s mutter, Namgung Seong rubbed his temples, looking like he had a headache. In front of him, the hunters awkwardly fidgeted.

Namgung Seong, who was about to dismiss them, noticed something odd and asked, “…Why are there three of you? Wasn’t there four?”

“Ah, um… We were investigating separately, and then the emergency flare went off. So we went there, but the one who set off the flare was nowhere to be found, and there was only this… contaminated soil left behind.”

Saying that, the representative hunter opened a box containing the soil they had collected as a sample.

Purple and decaying dirt. The unsettling color clearly indicated it hadn’t decayed naturally, and it exuded a poisonous smell, as if saturated with oil.

Yeon-woo frowned at the sight of the soil. It was completely empty inside, essentially like garbage in existence itself.

‘…What on earth is that?’

If expressed in colors, it looked like a myriad of hues that didn’t mix or blend at all. It resembled oil floating on water.

If everything that came into contact with mana turned out like this, it made sense that they would have no choice but to flee their hometown. There’s no way any crops could grow on cosmic garbage devoid of nutrients or even the concept of soil.

In the meantime, Namgung Seong subtly gathered information about the remaining member of their hunter party and rubbed his forehead with one hand.

“…Damn it. It’s a participant from the War of Spirits.”

A glimmer of despair shone in Namgung Seong’s eyes as he spoke. He had somewhat expected this. The fact that the flare went off, yet there was no trace of any demon cultist or hunter at the site was telling.

The corruption caused by mana is absolute. To restore the land contaminated by mana, one would require nearly five times the pure aura used to corrupt it.

When it reached the level of a high-ranking demon that could color the nearby area with its hue merely by walking, practically purifying such a wide space was nearly impossible.

The man who first discovered the demon knew this fact. Although the level of the demon seemed not that high, those who understood the terror of corruption would have likely thought it best not to disclose Cheonju City’s location.

“To be honest, the probability of your comrade being alive is extremely low.”

“Wha…!”

“However, we can’t just abandon someone who might still be alive…”

Having said this, Namgung Seong turned to Yeon-woo.

“Can you deal with the demon cultist?”

“Well, I’m not sure. What do you think, Shar?”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Shar, who was munching on a snack beside her, made a noise as she contemplated. As she stared intently at the box containing the soil sample, she suddenly turned her head.

“Tae-oh, come over here and take a look. I think you’d know better than I do.”

“Hmm? What’s that about?”

The hunters appeared bewildered when they saw the two kids showing interest in the soil sample, but seeing Namgung Seong not intervene, they thought it was okay to just watch with uneasy expressions.

Tae-oh, munching away at a croissant, approached after Shar called him, and had a bit of a struggle to climb onto the chair since the table was a bit too high.

After tilting his head several times while looking at the box containing the soil sample, Tae-oh suddenly poked his finger into it and swiftly brought the dirt to his mouth.

“Y-Young Master!?”

The hunters rushed forward, ready to make him spit it out, but stared in disbelief at Tae-oh, who was savoring it with a clear expression on his face.

“It’s a dark spirit. Don’t worry too much.”

“Ah, I see. This person is that….”

As they spoke, the hunters’ eyes looking at Yeon-woo gleamed somehow.

It was as if they were staring at an object of admiration; feeling awkward, Yeon-woo turned her gaze away and whispered to Namgung Seong.

“…Am I becoming the subject of some weird rumors?”

“It’s not really a weird rumor. The fact that you are the contractor with the dragon and the dark spirit has already spread far and wide.”

“But why are they looking at me so strangely?”

“Huh? It’s only natural for you to be an object of admiration, being a contractor with a dragon. What are you talking about?”

Namgung Seong replied casually. Honestly, it was a strange feeling to become an object of admiration for someone older than herself, but they could be considered role models.

‘Yeah, I suppose there would be people looking up to me.’

The public sentiment regarding Yeon-woo leaned mostly toward thoughts like, “Wow, how lucky can you be to contract with a dragon?” Given she had been entirely unknown until entering the academy and grew up in an orphanage, this was likely.

Even browsing the internet now, many might find negative comments about her luck being too good. Things like, “Why would a dragon bond with someone like her?” could still be found.

Actually, even seeing those negative comments didn’t bother her too much. She had heard way worse insults before her return.

Lack of creativity, those modern trolls.

In a few years, public sentiment would likely totally shift.

But maybe it’s because of that, she was unexpectedly taken aback that there were indeed people who would admire her, despite overthinking everything negatively.

They say humans don’t fully realize until they’re faced with it, and it certainly felt that way.

Carrying a grand dream of one day saving the world, she ought to get used to it, but still lacked the courage to meet anyone’s gaze.

Meanwhile, Tae-oh, who had been swirling the contaminated dirt in his mouth, seemed to have reached some conclusion, his eyes widening.

“Sister’s right. It seems like some kind of curse, but it’s less toxic than last time… I think it’ll be manageable.”

…Huh? The concentration of mana is less severe than the Saturday curse? Maybe because the user isn’t a heavenly demon?

Thinking these thoughts, Namgung Seong turned his gaze toward Yeon-woo. What he was about to say was obvious. But since there are processes to this, Yeon-woo patiently waited for him to speak.

“Can I trust you to deal with the demon cultist and save them?”

“Buy me a meal?”

So cool, he’s like the embodiment of coolness. I’m officially impressed.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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