Chapter 92: Golem Dungeon, Afterwards
Sa-hyeok’s mind went blank for a moment.
He had just learned that gods existed, and now he was being told that their power didn’t work on him?
The information was so unexpected that Sa-hyeok’s brain momentarily shut down, unable to process it.
“So, you’re saying…… I’m immune to the power of gods?”
“Not just immune, it doesn’t affect you at all. It’s like s*ooting a gun into empty space.”
At that moment, a recent event flashed through Sa-hyeok’s mind.
The knife that the Antenon agent had tried to stab him with in the golem dungeon.
The knife hadn’t even touched him.
‘Was that guy a Contractor too?’
But that guy’s other attacks, although he blocked them, did land.
‘……Or was it that only the knife was imbued with the ‘power of a g*d’?’
But wait a minute……
“How did you know that?”
“Because I tried using the power of a g*d on you.”
“Huh? When……?”
“I secretly used Heal on you in front of Master Ma Gwan-ho’s house. The Heal I use is a skill based on the power of a g*d.”
“And it didn’t work.”
“Right. Just in case, I tried using ‘Diagnosis,’ another skill that isn’t based on the power of a g*d, and that worked fine.”
“……You really tried everything on me, huh?”
“We’re going to be in the same boat from now on, so I had to make sure.”
“The same boat…… What’s the route?”
“First, uncovering Antenon’s true intentions. And if necessary, even dismantling Antenon.”
“You’re aiming quite high.”
“It has to be this big to be worthy of the name S-rank. So, what do you say? Will you join me?”
“I’ve been attacked by Antenon three times, directly and indirectly.”
Once at the Central Research Institute with the Colonnio.
Once in the Snow Dungeon.
And now, once again in the quarry golem dungeon.
“……If I can destroy them, I should.”
“Good, that’s the spirit.”
“But are there any other people on this boat besides the two of us?”
“No. And let’s not add anyone else for the time being.”
“Understood. Oh, but……”
“Hmm?”
“Can I ask which g*d you received your power from? There are countless gods in mythology……”
“Asclepius.”
“Ah……?”
“The g*d of medicine and healing in Greek mythology.”
He remembered seeing that name in the Greek and Roman mythology comic books he read as a child.
The g*d whose medical skills were so outstanding that he even brought the dead back to life, disrupting the order of the world, and was consequently killed by Zeus and turned into a constellation.
……To think he was borrowing power from such a g*d, it now made sense why his healing ability was so extraordinary.
At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
‘But if the power of gods doesn’t work on me, then I can’t benefit from that amazing healing ability either…… That’s a bit of a drawback.’
“Let’s end our meeting here for today. I’ll be living as Vice Master Byeon Il-gu for the time being, observing Antenon’s movements, so you should focus on your Hunter activities for now.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll see you later.”
With that, Cheon Hun took out the Human Skin Mask from his pocket again.
Just then, Sa-hyeok asked.
“Just one last question.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you trust me so much?”
Cheon Hun had revealed quite a few secrets to Sa-hyeok.
His goal of taking down Antenon, his hidden characteristic as a Contractor, and even which g*d he had made a contract with.
It was certainly a remarkable thing for Korea’s top-ranking Hunter to trust him, but at the same time, it was bound to raise questions.
Because the total amount of time Cheon Hun and Sa-hyeok had actually spoken face-to-face was less than two hours.
Hun answered.
“If you’re going to trust, trust completely. Likewise, if you’re going to doubt, doubt completely. This is how I treat people, so don’t worry too much about it.”
Although he said that, Hun had another, hidden reason that he didn’t reveal.
Was it because of the power of telekinesis that Sa-hyeok possessed?
That was one reason.
Was it because of the anomaly that the power of gods didn’t work on Sa-hyeok?
That was also another reason.
Was it because Sa-hyeok was a talented individual with a similar level of intellectual prowess as himself?
That was an important reason, but not the core one.
In fact, all these reasons were just secondary.
The real reason was ‘sincerity.’
From the moment they met until now, Sa-hyeok had never lied to Hun.
He showed no hesitation in revealing the truth, and he didn’t even offer empty flattery.
All people constantly have big and small lies on their lips.
Like, let’s have a meal sometime, you look beautiful, or thank you for your kind words.
But Sa-hyeok didn’t even bother with such trivial lies.
That’s why Hun trusted Sa-hyeok.
And there was also the calculation that he needed to show this level of trust first in order to firmly secure Sa-hyeok on his side.
Hun said.
“Then I’ll see you again.”
“Yes, take care.”
As Hun left and Sa-hyeok was about to jump down from the building.
“Ah, right.”
He remembered something he had forgotten.
══════════════════
A five-star hotel in Seoul.
A luxurious car entered the main entrance of the hotel.
A sedan worth over 500 million won.
Doormen lined up in front of the car.
“Welcome, Master Han Do-sik. This way, please.”
It was Do-sik who got out of the car.
The hotel doormen, having received prior notice, skillfully escorted Do-sik.
Two minutes later, a diplomatic vehicle stopped at the same spot.
The person who got out of the car was Polar Greyney, the Combat Supervisor of the Quarantine Organization.
The doormen, just as before, expertly escorted Polar.
And one minute later.
쾅!
A person fell from the sky.
It was Sa-hyeok.
The eyes of the doormen wavered as they saw him.
Even they, who had worked at this hotel for over 10 years, had never seen a guest fly in.
The head doorman greeted him first.
“Uh…… Hello.”
“Oh, hello.”
“You’re Hunter Min Sa-hyeok, right?”
“Ah, yes. But how do you know me……?”
“You’re quite famous among people, Hunter-nim. The world’s only Telekinesis user, a Multitasker, a mage who uses martial arts……”
“Ah……”
Sa-hyeok had unknowingly become quite famous.
Thanks to the YouTube videos of him hunting the Snow Wolves and Septaferus.
Surprisingly, Sa-hyeok’s rank (C-rank) didn’t have much impact on his growing fame.
Although people found it fascinating.
Anyway, Sa-hyeok followed the doorman’s guidance and entered the hotel.
The doorman asked.
“But Hunter-nim, you can fly?”
“Ah, yes. I didn’t have a car to take……”
“……?”
The doorman was momentarily speechless at the absurd answer that he flew in because he didn’t have a car.
Regardless, Sa-hyeok was also guided to a private room inside the hotel bar.
“You’re here.”
“You’ve arrived, Mr. Min.”
Upon entering the room, he saw Do-sik and Polar seated around a round table.
One was a Master of the Five Major Guilds, the other a high-ranking official of an international organization.
Powerful figures were gathered around the round table.
And Sa-hyeok confidently took his place among them.
Thus, the key players of the recent golem dungeon incident were gathered in one place.
Do-sik, uncorking a bottle of cognac, said.
“I arranged this meeting. As you know, the incident happened right after clearing the quarry dungeon, so we couldn’t wrap things up properly.”
The incident Do-sik was referring to was, of course, the death of Cheon Hun.
Polar asked Do-sik.
“Are there any clues about the culprit?”
“None. First of all, the protective magic cast on the body made an autopsy impossible.”
“How strong is the magic……?”
“It took eight mages just to move Master Cheon Hun’s body. That should give you a rough idea.”
“Ah……”
Hearing that, Sa-hyeok thought to himself.
What kind of expressions would they make if they knew that all those magical measures were Cheon Hun’s arrangements to hide the fact that he had been resurrected?
“Of course, the investigation will continue. Whoever it is, they will have to pay the price for killing Korea’s strongest Healer in broad daylight.”
쪼로록-
Do-sik poured the liquor into their three glasses and raised his glass, saying.
“To Master Cheon Hun, and Hunters Choi Yeon-woo, Park Ju-hyun, Lee Jin-seo, Kang Hae-on, and Kim Woo-sin.”
The five names mentioned after Cheon Hun were the Hunters who had died in the recent golem dungeon operation.
Sa-hyeok and Polar, with solemn expressions, raised their glasses and drank.
Meanwhile, Sa-hyeok felt a strange sensation.
He knew that Cheon Hun was alive.
A memorial for a living person.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing that.
After the glasses were emptied, servers brought in some snacks.
Light and simple snacks.
It was an appropriate choice, as they hadn’t gathered for a drinking party.
The reason they had chosen a private room in a hotel bar was to hold a quiet meeting away from the eyes of reporters.
After washing down the liquor with a piece of cheese, Polar spoke.
“First, to report on the results, the dungeon in the quarry completely collapsed about an hour after the boss was cleared.”
“Collapsed?!”
Sa-hyeok was a bit surprised.
“Don’t be surprised. The dungeon itself maintains its existence through the power of the seed, so when the seed is destroyed or its function stops, it automatically collapses.”
“But the fact that it collapsed means……”
“The entire ground turned into sand and caved in. Completely.”
“So you didn’t send in an investigation team before it collapsed?”
“Sending people into a place that could collapse at any moment would be madness.”
Thus, the golem dungeon had turned to dust.
This meant that Sa-hyeok was the only one who knew about the existence of the texts engraved on the dungeon walls.
Sa-hyeok briefly considered whether to mention these texts……
‘I can decide whether to tell them or not after the content is deciphered.’
……He made his decision.
“Anyway, this proves that Mr. Min definitely destroyed the seed. Thank you for your hard work.”
At Polar’s suggestion, the three of them toasted once again.
After emptying their glasses, Do-sik asked Sa-hyeok.
“But how did you defeat the boss? It wasn’t an easy opponent.”
“First, I restricted its movements. I made a hole in the ceiling to bring in water.”
“Ah, you submerged it in water? But wouldn’t you have been submerged too?”
“It’s okay. I can control liquids now.”
“……Huh? What about liquids?”
Sa-hyeok silently flicked his finger towards the liquor bottle.
슈루루루-
The liquor in the bottle rose out of the bottle, forming a small water column.
The rising liquor filled their three glasses in turn.
The bottle didn’t move an inch; only the liquor moved to fill the glasses.
Sa-hyeok, raising his glass, said.
“Cheers.”
Do-sik and Polar swallowed the liquor with shocked expressions.
“……Not only flames and lightning, but now you can use Water Stream-type magic too?!”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not Water Stream-type magic. I can’t convert mana into water like Water Stream Sorcerers can.”
“That’s not the point!”
Polar, who had been listening, interjected in surprise.
“Mr. Min, you can use Flame magic too?!”
“Ah, you didn’t know?”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t used the Flame Ring at all in the golem dungeon.
Because setting granite on fire wouldn’t have caused any significant damage.
Anyway, Do-sik and Polar finally realized just how overpowered Sa-hyeok’s specs were.
Telekinesis, Flame magic, Lightning magic, and now even Water magic.
The Multitaskers (multi-attribute users) discovered so far could only handle two attributes at most.
But Sa-hyeok could use four.
It was all an application of telekinesis, but the fact that he could handle four attributes remained unchanged.
Do-sik thought to himself.
‘Ha Jeong-kwon, that guy…… I thought he brought in a genius, but now it seems he just recruited a monster!’
“Mr. Min, you should definitely come to the Quarantine Organization. Let’s go to the world stage together.”
“I’ll go there on my own.”
“Awww.”
After that, they discussed administrative and business matters.
And then, the conversation naturally flowed into personal topics.
Do-sik said.
“By the way, Ms. Polar, your Korean is very fluent. Have you lived in Korea for a long time?”
“No, I was born in Sweden and raised in the United States. My major in college was business administration.”
“Then you learned it by yourself……?”
“Yes. There was a reason. I almost died to a monster, but a Korean Hunter saved me. I started learning Korean after that.”
“Oh……?”
“And you all know him.”
“Who is it?”
“Hunter Gwak Ja-ryong. The current Master of the Kwonmu-mun Guild.”
Stop.
As soon as that name was mentioned, Sa-hyeok’s hand, which had been reaching for his glass, stopped.
