S Chapter 56

It’s not an exaggeration. More than anyone, the Hunter Association was curious about this incident. Of course they were. They were currently being beaten up from all sides. From building protests to various inflammatory articles… The public criticism was endless. It was a full-on concentrated attack. They were even misunderstood to have tried to kill the children without even properly investigating.

This was truly a groundless accusation. Hadn’t everyone watched in real-time as they were unable to enter the dungeon? But the public had no interest in such facts. Even if they pleaded with tears, it wouldn’t work. Why?

Because they carried many modifiers: ‘Association,’ ‘Hunter,’ ‘Pro,’ ‘Expert.’ Regardless of the intermediate process, their judgment of ‘dungeon removal’ was wrong. If they were wrong, what then? They had to take the hit. …And so they were continuously being beaten up.

Of course, as Hunter C said, they tried. But if the result was wrong, it was just a futile effort. Especially since this matter was quite serious, wasn’t it? If the dungeon clear had been delayed even a little longer, innocent children might have been sacrificed.

To use an analogy, it was like the attending physician declared death, saying there was nothing more to be done, and was about to cremate the patient, when another doctor suddenly revived them with CPR… It was absurd and unbelievable, but what could be done? It had already happened. Anyway, they had to take responsibility. It was, in vulgar terms, the fate of those who wear the hat of authority.

Therefore, saying “We’re sorry” and bowing in apology was meaningless. Of course, the Hunter Association would also know this.

‘There’s only one way to clear their name.’

Find the dungeon clearer and present them to the public.

And so, on the third day of the incident, one of the four victims opened his eyes. His name was Shin Jukyeong, nineteen years old this year, the only son of UA Group, and he had recently failed his Ability Manifestation. Therefore, he was excluded from the list of suspects.

‘They say he’s suffering quite a bit from the side effects, right?’

Clearing a dungeon with a body like that? It’s ridiculous. Just surviving was a miracle. More importantly, cocoon remnants were found inside his body. Just like the other two child victims. That meant he had been kidnapped and bound by monsters.

Amidst all this, the only one for whom no cocoon remnants were found was a boy named Yang U-dam, who had not yet woken up.

‘There’s a possibility that a completely different person cleared the dungeon, but I have a feeling that Yang U-dam guy is suspicious… but he’s not waking up, so how can I ask anything?’

Regretfully clicking his tongue, he headed to Shin Jukyeong’s hospital room. Just as he was about to open the door, he overheard a suspicious conversation.

“It’s too big…!”

“No. Bear with it.”

“This is impossible!”

Crazy? What in a sacred hospital…!

“Hey!”

He flung the door open with a shout.

“Huh.”

Man 1, holding medicine and a water cup.

“Huh?”

Man 2, grubby and in a patient gown.

“Ah?”

Man 3, who had massively misunderstood. The three stooges were complete.

“Ahahaha, I seem to have misunderstood a bit.”

Hunter C gave an awkward laugh. However, the hospital room was silent except for Hunter C. Even the guardian, who had been friendly, had left, telling them to talk, so it was quite chilly. Even the television wasn’t on, doubling the embarrassment.

‘The kid’s quiet. Is he living up to his looks, is that it?’

As the silence lengthened, Hunter C, who had been observing, deliberately feigned a cheerful voice and spoke.

“Are you feeling okay? I was very worried.”

“…Yes, well.”

The reply was stiff. Quite a businesslike attitude. But this much was like a fairy. Usually, they’d shout to get lost, or even hit them in the face. Anyway, they’d hit them.

“That’s a relief. Oh, this is nothing special.”

“Ah…”

“You’re still uncomfortable, right? I’ll put it in the refrigerator.”

He walked towards the refrigerator, holding the drinks he had brought. Is he really a young master? Why is a hospital room refrigerator this big? Children from wealthy families are always enviable… He clicked his tongue, grumbled about the world for a moment, then belatedly came to his senses. Ah, this isn’t the time for that.

Hunter C subtly scanned Shin Jukyeong. Though he was wearing a patient gown, his physique and height were above average.

‘His body is in better condition than I heard.’

It was clear he had maintained himself consistently. He said he was aiming to be a Hunter, so he must have worked very hard.

‘But of all things, he failed his manifestation and even got side effects.’

Guys who work that hard should become Hunters. It’s a pity.

Hunter C assessed Shin Jukyeong with personal feelings unrelated to work. As a senior Hunter, it was out of pity. But because of this, Shin Jukyeong could not be the protagonist of this incident’s resolution. There was no such thing as a second chance for someone who had failed their Ability Manifestation once. Hunter C shook off his random thoughts and got to the main point.

“Jukyeong, I’m going to ask you a few questions now, and I’d like you to be honest.”

“Yes.”

“Just tell me calmly what you remember. First…”

Honestly, it was a conversation started without much expectation. But what was this? The conclusion of the not-too-short, not-too-long story was, surprisingly, a jackpot.

Click.

“Thank you. Please take good care of yourself.”

Even as he said his goodbyes and left, he felt dazed. Hunter C stared intently at the closed hospital room door. If everything they had just discussed was true, this was huge.

“Uh. Hello?”

He walked down the hallway, frantically calling somewhere.

“Contact me immediately when patient Yang U-dam wakes up. Control outside access. And I need to see the Chairman of the Hunter Association.”

“Foolish idiot (`-´)”

‘What now?’

“Stupid blockhead (–) Going through all sorts of troubles~ blockhead~”

‘…You said it wrong on purpose, didn’t you?’

“Caught me, huh? lol”

‘Eve.’

“ς( ◜▽◝ ) Woo-hee~!”

She was pretending to be playful, but it was all sincere. He understood. From Eve’s perspective, he might seem foolish. But since this was the development he had hoped for, there was no regret. Jukyeong blinked, recalling their recent meeting.

‘-That’s all I remember.’

‘Jukyeong.’

‘Yes.’

‘Is what you’re saying truly factual? It’s quite an important matter. There should be no exaggeration or embellishment.’

‘As far as I saw.’

What kind of conversation was all this? It wasn’t difficult. He had simply given testimony exactly as planned: ‘U-dam defeated the boss monster.’ Of course, if he pushed it too overtly, it might arouse suspicion, so he spoke vaguely but clearly emphasized the key points.

First, he started with ‘my memory is hazy’ to prevent them from digging too deeply. It was a pre-emptive defense. There was no benefit in saying too much.

‘The longer your tongue, the higher the chance of talking nonsense.’

His speaking skills weren’t great either, so it was better to cover up anything disadvantageous.

‘Rather than clumsily babbling, it’s better to just say half my memory is gone.’

That way, when an unexpected jab came in, he could just respond with ‘I don’t remember.’ Above all, the guy had come specifically to dig for information. There was no harm in being careful.

‘If I conceal the contradictions like that…’

He would subtly hint at the ability. There was no need to explain every single detail. In fact, the less detailed it was, the more realistic it would seem.

‘Then I came to my senses, and I was on the floor. I heard that kid telling me not to move in front of the monster. The strange thing was, I really couldn’t move. Uh… like, I wanted to move but couldn’t?’

This much was enough. Furthermore, this part was… surprisingly 50% true. In the not-too-distant future, his younger brother would manifest a psychic/mental-type ability. And a very rare one at that: ‘Hypnosis.’ An ability considered top-tier even within the psychic/mental system. At that time, he was an unregistered hunter, so he never had a proper rank assessment, but he estimated it would be around A- to S-rank.

‘It didn’t work on me, but he was probably the strongest among psychic/mental ability users.’

Jukyeong nodded slightly. Anyway, after rattling off the story like that, he would finish by subtly suggesting that U-dam was also in a dazed state, which would be the end of it.

‘I just need to create the picture that he used his ability unconsciously.’

It was fine if they didn’t believe it one hundred percent. He knew the narrative wasn’t perfect. After all, everything would become clear once his younger brother woke up. Therefore, Jukyeong’s last task was…

“Jukyeong, will you be okay?”

‘I have to pour everything into it.’

Yes. To make his younger brother manifest his ability. In other words, to make a lie into truth!

Jukyeong had no intention of missing this opportunity. Wasn’t this a major incident that the entire nation was paying attention to? He could guarantee that a better chance than this wouldn’t come.

The rebellion of the weak! Unbelievable growth! A miracle that shone when everyone had given up! Even a refreshing reversal!

‘These are elements that are bound to work.’

Clichés always work. Ah, a bright future was unfolding. At this rate, Aolluseu would also be gone. Jukyeong gave a sly smile, like a cat with a fish in its mouth.