S Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Currently, the Hunter Association was in an uproar. An S-grade dungeon, which was rare, had appeared in the mountainous region of Gangwon Province. On the giant screen, a red mark blinked. Hunters began to move busily.

“Team A will go first!”

A hunter who could teleport shouted loudly. The majority, including him, were A-grade hunters. Even the follow-up team consisted of high-ranking hunters. They had even managed to recruit an S-grade hunter, despite their tight schedule. They were, in a word, fully prepared.

“Senior, is it right for twenty people to go for just one dungeon?”

“How many years have you been in?”

“Just over two years, I guess? Something like that.”

The senior chuckled at his junior’s audaciousness. However, he maintained a rigid posture. His demeanor and resolve strongly indicated that he would not let down his guard.

“You still have a long way to go.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think our hunter rank and the dungeon rank are the same? They’re completely different. A-grade dungeons and S-grade dungeons differ in scale from the start. Especially on rainy days like this, the probability of a Water Dragon appearing is high. You’ve heard of them, haven’t you?”

“…Yes. They’re characterized by commanding many monsters. They’re cunning and cruel, I hear.”

“And strong.”

A monster that could even freeze a far senior hunter. Only then did the junior realize his complacency.

“Everyone… let’s not die.”

The hunter in command of Team A said. The team members steeled their resolve, preparing for the battle that was about to begin. But what was this?

“…!”

The point they arrived at was already a complete mess. And what’s more? The cold, dead body of a Water Dragon lay sprawled before them, its tongue sticking out long.

Everyone’s eyes widened to the size of beans. Snot was even running down some faces. The atmosphere felt like it should have a ‘Tti-yong~!’ sound effect. Their carefully bolstered morale crumbled.

“What on earth happened…?”

This situation made no sense. Why was the Water Dragon dead all by itself?! Perhaps there had been a fight among the monsters? Hmm. Unfortunately, that possibility seemed unlikely. Even after scanning the other monster corpses nearby, none were of a higher rank than the Water Dragon.

So, does that mean a person handled it?

‘…No, no. What a terrible thought.’

The hunter, who had been vaguely imagining, cut off his thoughts and swallowed dryly. It wasn’t an exaggeration. That truly couldn’t be the case.

Now, think about it. Someone beat a Water Dragon and slaughtered all the monsters within the dungeon. Whether it was one person or many, it was a problem. Why? Because they were an unregistered hunter. If an officially unregistered manifested individual possessed this much power… Yes. S-grade dungeon? Water Dragon? It’s laughable! That would truly be a monster, no, a disaster.

‘Even the time elapsed wasn’t much. Did they clear it in at most 15 minutes?’

It was at that very moment.

“Here! There are children!!”

Someone shouted from afar.

Children? People moved quickly. Indeed, two children lay not far from the scene. Their age appeared to be around 17-19. They hurriedly placed a finger under their noses. …Thankfully, they were alive.

“Both have many injuries. Give me the first aid kit!”

“Bring something to cover them! And water!”

They approached to rescue them one by one. But the body of the boy they lifted first jolted. What was it? Blinking and scanning, they saw the black-haired boy still lying down was tightly holding the other boy’s hand. As if protecting him.

‘He’s not letting go even while unconscious?’

It was truly surprising. To be exerting all his strength even while unconscious. How precious must the other person be for this to happen? Hunter A hesitated. What kind of relationship did they have? Brothers? Friends? In any case, it was extremely tender.

“Ugh…”

Just as he was lost in thought, the boy Hunter A had lifted opened his eyes with a groan.

U-dam, covered by a blanket, stared at the teacup in front of him. Hot steam rose from it. When he subtly shifted his gaze, he saw people moving busily. How long would he have to stay like this? It felt just like being interrogated.

‘There’s nothing to get out of me, even if you try…’

U-dam, his interest cooled, leaned back on the sofa. Just then, a hunter with a bushy beard approached. His genial impression wasn’t bad at all.

“How are you feeling?”

“Well…”

U-dam shrugged. It meant he felt the same as always, nothing special.

“And nothing you remember?”

Nevertheless, the question came.

“No.”

U-dam replied blandly. It wasn’t a lie. His memory was indeed fragmented. Trying to recall made his head ache as if it would shatter. He had left the villa on his motorcycle… and encountered a very large monster. Then… um…

“A raccoon…?”

“Huh?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

He shook his head slightly. The hunter raised an eyebrow and asked again, but U-dam shook his head once more.

“I didn’t say much.”

He was even resolute.

He didn’t know why, but a raccoon kept coming to mind unconsciously. Even he found it absurd. A raccoon, out of nowhere. U-dam rubbed his dry eyelids with his hand and continued.

“When I opened my eyes, these gentlemen were here. That’s all.”

Finally, a sigh mixed in. He looked quite tired.

“Hmm… this is difficult.”

The hunter scratched the back of his head. He seemed quite troubled. He probably had high hopes for U-dam, the sole witness. But since U-dam was no help, contrary to expectations, his frustration seemed to double. Isn’t it true that the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment? But what could he do? He couldn’t force U-dam to recall memories that weren’t there.

“But the person I was with-”

“Oh! Oh! You mean your brother. Don’t worry. We have someone on our team who’s good at healing, so he’ll be fine and won’t be in pain.”

He wasn’t particularly worried. U-dam, looking at the hunter fussing, replied indifferently, “Yeah, yeah.”

After that, a string of rather pointless talk continued. Listening silently, U-dam felt like they were seeing him and Shin Jukyeong as divinely ordained, affectionate brothers. Crazy fools. Are they sane?

‘Like hell that would happen?’

In truth, U-dam was the most curious person as to why Shin Jukyeong was there. Of course, he knew the circumstances. Cha Jae-min, whom he met after being rescued, had rattled off facts without being asked. That Shin Jukyeong had run up like a madman in the middle of the night, pounded on the door, kicked it open, gotten angry, and so on.

‘Then he ran out… So he went looking for you, no, for his brother.’

After uttering those last words, Cha Jae-min’s expression became strange. Perhaps he felt something was off after speaking, as he clammed up. He looked lost in thought. Then, he suddenly turned his head towards the room where Shin Jukyeong was. His gaze lingered for a long time. It seemed like he had a lot to say.

But U-dam didn’t ask any questions. He felt like he somehow knew. A feeling that couldn’t be defined by a single word, something like that…

“Student? U-dam student!”

“…Yes.”

“That’s enough for today. Get some rest. We’ll set up a perimeter, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, well. Do that.”

U-dam, finished with his reminiscence, stood up.

He left the bustling reception room and entered a quiet hallway. His silently walking footsteps suddenly halted. Under the bluish dawn light, U-dam’s eyes glinted. His persistent gaze was fixed on that room. Yes, the room where Shin Jukyeong was lying.

‘…Is he asleep?’

U-dam furrowed one brow. His face was like, ‘Why should I be curious?’ Yet, his feet remained still. This time, his gaze subtly shifted to the doorknob.

“It really… makes you want to grab it.”

He even muttered meaningless words to himself. How many minutes had he hovered there?

‘Alright. Let’s go.’

Shaking his head, he went straight.

‘…Is he really asleep?’

Backtracking again.

His damned curiosity wouldn’t disappear. Doubt and confusion struck him simultaneously.

“Mmm~ Mmm!”

U-dam, head bowed deep, fell into thought. He wore an ambiguous smile, as if troubled yet perhaps intrigued.

In the end, he let out a short, hollow laugh and boldly grabbed the doorknob. Worry? No. Nursing? Unlikely. This was simply surrender. The utter defeat of his nerves, not robust enough to ignore that immense presence. He had to convince himself of this mental victory for his mind to be at ease.

Click.

Upon entering the room, he saw Shin Jukyeong peacefully asleep. The noble young master’s face was a mess. U-dam, as if possessed, approached and sat down next to him. Even without turning on the light, the sliver of light from the window allowed him to check Shin Jukyeong’s condition.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen him sleep.’

He found it a little strange, thinking, ‘So this bastard actually sleeps too.’

‘Now I’m getting sleepy too.’

U-dam lay sprawled on the bed, using his arm as a pillow. The smell of disinfectant, the lingering scent of blood, the scent of the forest, and more—many odors mingled. Amidst it all, there was also a ‘Shin Jukyeong’ smell. …His unique, subtle lingering scent could be detected.

“Why did you follow me?”

“…”

“Huh? Shin Jukyeong.”

“…”

“Answer me, idiot. I said answer me?”

A pale finger gently poked Jukyeong’s sleeping cheek. It wasn’t an attempt to wake him up. For that, it was too careful.