"This is just ridiculous."
Han Jae-young chuckled, but it didn't seem like he was enjoying himself.
"Why on earth did we have two S-rank hunters on standby?"
Indeed, after all, the plan to have Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young stay on standby turned out to be a waste. They weren’t needed for the infiltration of the True Light Church. The dungeon was essentially a different world with a ti flow that subtly differed from reality. And, because I had deliberately caused a system error, when I returned to reality, an entire day had passed.
In other words, Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young had spent the whole night waiting in the car and only learned the next day at lunch about what happened at the True Light Church.
Yoo Han-ul shook his head.
"At least we managed to prevent the bombing, so it wasn’t all bad."
That was true. After the dungeon was cleared, the only ones who returned alive were a few cult mbers, Choi Mi-yeon, and myself. The survivors, suffering from magical and psychological trauma, were still out of their minds.
Imanbok is dead.
Only Choi Mi-yeon returned with Imanbok's head.
And naturally, the cult mbers, upon confirming Imanbok’s death, went into a frenzy. They were foaming at the mouth and rolling their eyes in madness. One of them even tried to use a priest’s bomb to blow sothing up. Amid the chaos of cult mbers screaming they would rather die than live without their leader, one unstable bomb went off. That explosion startled the two S-rank hunters, who rushed over imdiately.
Of course, a few of the cult mbers who had been shouting about dying t their end in the explosion. But thankfully, the riot that could have continued was suppressed once Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young arrived. If not for them, the entire building could have been destroyed.
"Eh, True Light Church probably had anti-terrorism asures already installed in the building, right? It’s likely that many people died, but the building probably didn’t blow up?"
"That's so comfort, huh? Are buildings more expensive than lives now?"
It was a devilish kind of logic.
Han Jae-young laughed out loud.
"Just kidding, just kidding."
Even as he said that, his lips curled in a bitter grin, probably because he was quite frustrated about wasting his precious ti.
It was annoying, to say the least, for soone his age to whine about such things.
"The death toll is quite high," he remarked.
It wasn’t exactly a pretty sight either, seeing the police searching the building. Yoo Han-ul’s expression darkened as he watched, his voice tinged with sadness.
"I can’t believe such a serious incident happened at the True Light Church. I should’ve just reported the tip-off directly to the police."
Here it ca—the pointless regret typical of people like him.
The kind who would punish themselves for not doing better, even though they were already being kind to themselves. Sotis, I wonder if such people lack the basic self-preservation instincts necessary for survival.
I furrowed my brow.
"The police must have acted fast, huh? I’m sure they already have control over public authority. But they probably didn’t even catch Imanbok. That’s why I went in undercover."
"That’s true, but…"
"Enough. I really hate hearing useless talk."
Past mistakes are done and gone, and no matter how much you regret them, you can’t change them. So there’s no point wasting the present on it, especially not with useless self-censorship.
"I agree that it’s unnecessary talk. So, Jeong Da-on Hunter," Yoo Han-ul said, suddenly looking at with a gleaming look in his eyes.
He always looks at like that with curiosity, and it’s incredibly uncomfortable.
How is it possible for both of them to make so irritated?
If I had known I could solve this myself, I would have told them both to get lost. Being too cautious is also a fault.
"So, in conclusion, the True Light Church confessed to smuggling explosives and leading the Gwanghwamun terror, right?"
"Yeah. We have the recording."
While there was no clear recording regarding the Soul Core or bracelet items due to Imanbok’s restrictions, the smuggling and the Gwanghwamun dungeon break were different matters. Once the truth was revealed, it was even more absurd.
"They said the goal was to expose new hunters to fear and then lure those frightened young hunters to the True Light Church."
At least that was Imanbok’s confession.
Apparently, when the True Light Church started seeing fewer new recruits, they panicked.
‘Still, there’s sothing that doesn’t sit right.’
Given the scale and the level of magic used, it didn’t seem like sothing the True Light Church could have done alone. Furthermore, even when I asked Imanbok how the dungeon break was triggered, his answers were vague, which made uneasy.
If Imanbok had truly carried out these actions, there wouldn’t have been any reason for him to avoid answering directly.
‘It’s highly likely he was unconsciously manipulated.’
In reality, it was the enemy of humanity who targeted and caused this, but maybe the True Light Church was trying to cut ties with that person to avoid being implicated. Still, I’m guessing that Imanbok’s confession was recorded, and I’ll pass it along to the police.
Whether true or not, Imanbok is clearly a card with so usefulness to the "enemy of humanity," so I believe it’s necessary to uproot the rotten root of the True Light Church. Once the police investigation starts, at least the research done by the True Light Church will be exposed.
‘Of course, if that person is indeed related to the Central Administration, the research materials may be hidden…’
Either way, by watching how the governnt agencies act, I can figure out how this person is connected to the Central Administration.
"I did hear the recording," Han Jae-young said, his expression full of curiosity.
"What state was Imanbok in that made him so terrified while confessing?"
It was understandable to question it, considering he confessed everything under extre fear. But I couldn’t really clarify much, since this wasn’t sothing I could reveal myself.
"Well, I guess he was about to die in the dungeon and wanted to confess or repent," I replied.
Upon saying that, I realized it wasn’t far off from what had actually happened. The only difference was that, unlike a religious leader, he repented before a demon instead of a god.
"Hmm. We asked him about the specifics of how he triggered the dungeon break. But still, it doesn’t sit well with …"
Han Jae-young gestured toward the cult mbers, who were still sobbing by the statue, even as the police tore through the building.
"Seeing them like that, though, I guess I’m glad this happened."
"Glad to see others in despair?"
"Well, it’s the everyday reality of insignificant people. Everyone’s all about myth and heroism. It’s ti for them to return to the grim reality."
Well, I was skeptical about whether they could truly escape. I didn’t think that those who had based their lives on the words of others, escaping from themselves, would easily return to reality just because their leader died.
It would be easier for them to find a new figure to rely on than to face the harsh truth.
"Since the governnt is setting up counseling centers, I guess we can only hope they work," Yoo Han-ul said, his expression still somber, though he had a rather practical view on things.
Well, no matter how many evil organizations’ bosses you take down, not all problems get solved.
"Still, I’m worried that by reporting this, there will be more cult mbers following their leader in death. I hope the police don’t issue an embargo?"
"The police just found the dungeon break criminal without breaking a sweat, so why would they issue an embargo? They’ll probably leak the information to a reporter secretly. The Central Administration is the sa. Lately, the dia has been trashing them as useless tax thieves..."
"...Your friends seem to have the sa personality as you, Jeong Da-on."
"Ah! You scared !"
It was then. Unexpectedly, Han Jae-young jumped in place, startled. It had been so silent that it was clear soone had approached without him noticing.
I was also sowhat startled, but it wasn’t because I didn’t notice; it was because of Han Jae-young’s reaction.
Choi Mi-yeon, covered in bandages, stood with a crutch, her face gloomy.
Han Jae-young sighed in relief.
"I thought you were a ghost."
"I’m half a ghost."
Choi Mi-yeon smiled wryly.
She really didn’t seem to have any vitality left. Even a millennia-old mummy would look livelier than she did now.
‘It’s not really surprising.’
Her condition made sense. She had been in a precarious state with the "Water Balloon" condition. While controlling the desert whale, she had essentially drained all the strength from her soul.
She was like an empty, cracked vessel.
That was Choi Mi-yeon now.
"I’m supposed to go to the hospital for a checkup and then undergo police questioning. So… I ca here to say goodbye to you one last ti."
"Oh, okay."
I didn’t really think it was necessary, but I didn’t show it. This was part of the socialization Jeong Da-jeong had taught .
"Thank you again."
Choi Mi-yeon weakly extended her hand without the crutch.
"Thanks to you, I could finish everything… properly."
It wasn’t hard to keep the events that transpired in the dungeon a secret. Choi Mi-yeon was hiding her cri, and I was hiding my mysterious powers. We were both accomplices keeping secrets.
I took her hand.
"I didn’t do anything."
Sensing the strength in my hand, Choi Mi-yeon smiled faintly.
"No, Jeong Da-on saved . Thanks to you, I fell from the heavens to the earth."
"That doesn’t sound like a complint."
"It ans, like Lee Ah-rin, I finally arrived at the miserable reality after being drunk on myths. No matter how much it hurts, you can’t start anything unless you face reality."
Choi Mi-yeon then looked at the sobbing people with a somber gaze.
"They all should."
Like Lee Ah-rin, it would be hard for Choi Mi-yeon to have a happy ending.
She couldn’t function as a hunter anymore, her injured body would never heal, and with her father dead, her friends and enemies gone, she was left alone.
She would have to endure the slow agony of it all.
I sighed and handed my phone to Choi Mi-yeon.
"...Contact if it gets too hard."
I hesitated for a mont, but I didn’t show it. After all, it wasn’t like I was worried about her.
‘It’s also interesting as a research subject...’
"Anyway, if I die before you, I’ll send you the latest idol track."
"Just don’t send any hacking programs this ti."
"Ahaha, you’re hitting where it hurts."
Choi Mi-yeon, having received my phone number, smiled once more.
"At least... I’m glad to have a friend to contact before I die. See you later."
She limped toward the ambulance.
I watched her back for a mont before turning away. Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young were both staring at .
"What’s up?"
"Well... um..."
"I don’t want to admit it, but Yoo Han-ul Hunter is right."
"What’s that?"
"They shouldn’t be together."
What did he an by that?
When I asked, Yoo Han-ul, grinning awkwardly, pointed at my phone.
"Da-on, you have 6 missed calls?"
"Eh?"
He was right.
I glanced at the missed calls and closed my eyes tightly.
Oh no.
I was dead to Jeong Da-jeong.
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