Chapter 26: The Thread of Fate （2）
E-rank Link.
It might be a laughable level for Hunters, but for ordinary people, it was a disaster.
“Aaack!”
“Aack!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
The Lizardmen, appearing suddenly as if to shatter everyday life, indiscriminately slaughtered people, turning their daily lives into a living h*ll. If Yeon Woo-bin had been placed in such a situation, could he, even as a D-rank Hunter, have stepped forward?
To be honest.
He would never have stepped forward.
Not only were Mages weak in close combat, but an E-rank Link wasn’t just a single E-rank monster; it could mean facing dozens. While soldiers had a duty to protect people, there was no reason for him, a mere civilian, to risk his life to protect strangers he had never met.
But.
Kang San willingly moved forward.
As if going against the flow, he stepped into h*ll and used the Aggro skill towards the monsters swarming everywhere.
“Gasp.”
Inside the monitor.
A horrifying scene unfolded.
As dozens of Lizardmen charged at once, Kang San didn’t retreat a single step but faced them head-on. From that moment, a fierce battle began. Kang San mercilessly slashed at the Lizardmen, and with each enemy that fell, wounds appeared on his body. As expected, facing multiple monsters of the same rank was too much. He looked precarious, as if he could collapse at any moment, but Kang San showed no fear of retreating.
Yeon Woo-bin’s eyes twitched.
Even amidst the bloodbath, the sight of Kang San gritting his teeth and thrusting his sword into a Lizardman’s neck was shocking.
It was the same as in the ant nest.
Back then.
And now.
Kang San risked his life for others.
Even though no one forced him to do so, Kang San accepted the suffering of others as his own.
Why on earth?
Why did Kang San choose such an absurd sacrifice?
The consequences of sacrifice would only eat away at him, yet Yeon Woo-bin couldn’t understand why Kang San was fighting while covered in blood. If he died like this, it would be a truly meaningless death. The news wouldn’t portray him as a hero who saved people, but as a victim who would be forgotten in a few days. Some people might even criticize him as a fool with no abilities showing off, yet Kang San’s choice seemed to be made without hesitation.
Goodwill.
There was no other way to explain it.
And it wasn’t the goodwill of someone powerful, but the goodwill of a powerless, weak individual.
Emotions welled up inside Yeon Woo-bin.
‘If only there had been someone like Kang San-nim back then….’
A moment from the past.
Yeon Woo-bin’s mind dredged up memories he had tried so hard to suppress.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
First grade of elementary school.
He still remembered it vividly.
When he hugged his mother after school, Yeon Woo-bin suddenly witnessed the sky turning red.
The disaster that day was sudden.
Deafening siren sounds blared from all directions. According to the adults shouting in terror, an A-rank Link had occurred. It was an insurmountable disaster. Faced with an A-rank disaster that couldn’t be prepared for, people screamed and tried to escape from the Gate as quickly as possible.
Yeon Woo-bin’s mother was no different.
She hurriedly picked up Yeon Woo-bin and ran in the direction people were fleeing.
Soon.
Screams echoed.
At the sound of lives rapidly fading, Yeon Woo-bin couldn’t raise his head due to his mother’s tight grip. As if she was telling him not to raise his head. As if she was telling him not to look around. Faced with the strong will he felt in his mother’s grip, all Yeon Woo-bin could do was squeeze his eyes shut to avoid crying.
That was when it happened.
Thud━
The world turned upside down.
Crash!
As Yeon Woo-bin fell to the ground, the sight he saw along with the pain was his mother collapsing.
“Woo-bin! Woo-bin!”
His mother struggled desperately.
She tried to get up quickly and take care of Yeon Woo-bin, but it seemed her ankle was injured as she couldn’t stand properly.
And then.
“Aaack!”
“Run away!”
“Get out of the way, get out of the way!”
The crowd swept over his mother.
The terrified people didn’t care if someone was lying on the ground; they just pushed past everyone around them. It was a shocking sight. Yeon Woo-bin wanted to open his mouth and call out to his mother desperately. But his voice wouldn’t come out. As people surged forward, he couldn’t see his mother properly, and his small, first-grade body was continuously pushed back by the crowd.
He found out later.
That day.
The reason his mother fell was because someone had pushed her aside for blocking their way.
And that was his last memory of his mother.
Yeon Woo-bin lost his memory.
When he regained consciousness.
He saw his father, holding Yeon Woo-bin tightly as if he would break him, sobbing as if the world was ending.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“Gasp, gasp.”
He suddenly felt short of breath.
As the memories he had tried to suppress spread through his mind, Yeon Woo-bin frantically rummaged through the cabinet.
His hands trembled.
He found the familiar pill bottle and poured a handful into his mouth. Only then did the tremors in his body seem to subside.
“…Mom.”
His eyes reddened.
Mom.
She, who desperately called out Yeon Woo-bin’s name as she was swept away by the crowd, was later found dead, trampled by people. In the end, she couldn’t get up after she fell. People used her as a stepping stone to move forward, and from that moment on, Yeon Woo-bin developed a distrust of humans. He believed that humans, when their own safety was threatened, would readily sacrifice others without hesitation.
His father was the same.
From that day on, his father became obsessively protective of Yeon Woo-bin.
He hired bodyguards at great expense and drew a line, preventing Yeon Woo-bin from ever leaving the fence he had created.
Then one day.
When Yeon Woo-bin awakened his innate talent, his father said with a grim face:
“…That power bestowed upon you is not a blessing. The moment you think you can protect yourself, your complacency will create a disaster you can’t handle. Woo-bin, you just need to live an ordinary life like everyone else. Even if you do nothing, nothing will happen. You trust Dad, right?”
Bloodshot eyes.
Yeon Woo-bin nodded.
He lived under such overprotection, but a question lingered in his mind like a lump.
What if.
Like the day his mother died.
If he faced a disaster he couldn’t handle, how would he survive?
Jo Han-byeol said that his innate D-rank talent was truly special.
If he nurtured it and developed his abilities, couldn’t he gain a secret weapon to prepare for unexpected situations?
Just as his father’s overprotection stemmed from trauma, the image of his mother dying replayed endlessly in Yeon Woo-bin’s mind. His mother falling to the ground, her cries echoing from beyond the crowd. From that moment, Yeon Woo-bin considered the path of a Hunter. However, contrary to his expectations, when he secretly visited the training ground with Jo Han-byeol, he couldn’t use his magic properly due to the trauma whenever he faced a monster. The power of his magic itself was certainly at a D-rank level, but the trauma choked Yeon Woo-bin, preventing him from doing anything.
He resented the heavens.
If only he had no talent.
He would have accepted his life within the fence.
Knowing that the power he held was significant, yet unable to utilize it, his self-loathing grew with each passing day.
And then.
He met Kang San.
Even though Yeon Woo-bin didn’t trust himself, under Kang San’s protection, he was able to fully manifest his magic as a Mage for the first time.
“…That’s why. Because he’s this kind of person, I was able to trust a stranger and use my magic.”
It wasn’t a coincidence.
The way Kang San acted after falling into the ant nest wasn’t a facade; it was his true nature. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to risk his life when no one would know. Ordinary people would brag if they were involved in something newsworthy, but Kang San didn’t even reveal that he was the one who did it.
His mind felt at ease.
Whether it was due to the medication or Kang San.
He felt a sense of calmness wash over him.
Yeon Woo-bin continued to replay the video.
Kang San’s calm walk towards the monsters, the Aggro skill he used against dozens of monsters, his gritted teeth as he was covered in blood. He replayed the video countless times, as if to engrave it in his mind without missing a single moment, even though he felt like he had memorized it all by now.
As the sun set.
Even as darkness enveloped the world outside the window.
Yeon Woo-bin’s gaze remained fixed on the monitor.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
A few days later.
Kang San visited the hospital.
Since he hadn’t received the room number from Jo Han-byeol, he went directly to the reception desk and asked for Yeon Woo-bin’s room.
But.
“…Please wait a moment.”
The staff’s reaction was strangely hostile.
They kept a close eye on Kang San, and soon, a group of people appeared.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m someone who participated in a raid with Yeon Woo-bin. I have some things to settle, and I wanted to check if he’s doing okay.”
“Your name?”
“Kang San.”
On their chests.
He saw the label “Security Team.”
It felt overly strict for a simple hospital visit, but Kang San waited for them to finish their procedures.
A security guard spoke.
“We have a few questions. What was the reason you participated in the raid together?”
“…Do I have to explain that as well?”
“It’s a necessary procedure.”
“I received a request from someone named Jo Han-byeol. We took the promotion test together before, and he asked if I wanted to join a raid. He said he would bring his own party members, and that person was Yeon Woo-bin. Is this a sufficient explanation? Then please explain. The reason you’re interrogating someone who’s here for a hospital visit.”
Kang San couldn’t understand.
It wasn’t like he had never been to a hospital before, and their procedures were definitely unusual.
Moreover, this place.
The Hunter Emergency Center was the representative hospital of South Korea, the very best in the country.
Kang San himself had used it a few times when he was injured, so he questioned their illogical procedures.
Suddenly.
The security guard seemed flustered.
“…Are you perhaps unaware?”
“Of what?”
“Ah, I apologize. If you don’t know Young Master Woo-bin’s identity, it’s natural to react that way.”
Young Master Woo-bin.
It was a perplexing title.
He hadn’t heard anything about this from Jo Han-byeol.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have questioned the security guard’s procedures.
“The only son of Director Yeon Gyu-seong, who established the Hunter Emergency Center. That person is Young Master Yeon Woo-bin. As you’re visiting a VVIP room, we need to understand the situation accurately. We’ll contact him right away. We’ll inform him that Kang San-nim, who participated in the raid with him, has come to visit.”
That was it.
The best hospital in South Korea.
Yeon Woo-bin was, as they say, a “golden spoon.”
