Chapter 61
A day had passed since Jeong Iheun had forcibly dragged out Baekdam, who had frozen stiff. Even as he left, he had looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out of his mouth.
Whether he did or not, Han Chasu paid it no mind. He was satisfied enough that he had made sure that absurd suggestion of adoption would never be brought up again.
After that, he faithfully followed the lesson he had gained from his outing to the rooftop garden.
In other words, he did not take a single step outside his hospital room.
“Wouldn’t it be better to go out for a moment and at least get some sunlight?”
“I’m fine.”
The medical staff fussed over him. It seemed that what he had said yesterday about being an orphan and so on had struck them harder than expected.
For Han Chasu, it was rather awkward. As he turned his gaze away, a gaunt man wearing glasses approached his side.
“Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”
“Pardon?”
“No matter how tasty the Medical Center food is, since it’s a set diet, it all ends up about the same. If it’s all right with you, when we go buy our own snacks, we can buy a few extra things for you too. Please feel free to tell us.”
Han Chasu hesitated. It was an extremely tempting offer. But was it all right to make the staff run errands like this? Just as hesitation appeared on his face—
“To be honest, the Development Office came and begged us to please do this.”
“Ah.”
He understood how things were going. After he collapsed, the Development Office had apparently been summoned by none other than the Director-General. ‘And they said more than half their budget was cut.’ Aside from essential expenses, every bit of funding for miscellaneous development had been wiped out. It was the price they paid for running wild while trusting in their abilities. ‘It’s not as if currying favor with me will bring back the budget they lost.’ No matter how he thought about it, they were an incomprehensible group. Still, if they were offering it up on their own, then, well. It wasn’t as if he was forcibly taking it from them, nor had he committed any sin against them. In that case, receiving a few small snacks should be fine.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Whatever it was, eating a lot was a good thing. And it would be even better if joy was added to that good thing.
When Han Chasu made his request, the man looked deeply pensive for a moment, then pushed up his glasses.
“Do you like fresh cream?”
He liked it so much he couldn’t eat it only because he didn’t have any. Han Chasu nodded. The man’s gaze deepened.
“There happens to be a newly opened shop nearby famous for rolls filled with plenty of fresh cream. I’ll buy one of each kind for you.”
“Thank you.”
He was truly a good man. Han Chasu expressed his deep gratitude to the medical staff. Everyone waved their hands and said it was fine, but the man in glasses merely shook his head silently.
***
It was around evening when Gi Taeyeon burst in through the door.
“Ha… I barely have time to show my face.”
Having only just managed to make time to stop by, he rubbed his dry face several times and handed over the antidote. It was obvious he had used something that did not need to be handed over in person as an excuse to slip out.
“You seem very busy.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve been rolling around day and night.”
The training system had now reached its final stage. With no more excuses left to make, the Development Office was said to be working while crying and choking down mustard.
“I never imagined those things whose brains have been eaten away by mold would choose me, of all people, as their test subject.”
For an instant, killing intent flickered from Gi Taeyeon as he grinned.
“…Perhaps that’s precisely why.”
Han Chasu let the words slip out casually as he opened the antidote. After getting involved with them, he had come to realize it keenly. The Development Office really was no ordinary pack of madmen.
The smile lingering at the corners of Gi Taeyeon’s mouth deepened. It was the sort of smile only someone who had shared the same experience could offer.
“If Hunter Han Chasu were to say even now that training is too difficult, everyone would be happy.”
“I’m sorry. That won’t do.”
At his firm refusal, Gi Taeyeon let out a long sigh. The smile was still hanging around his lips.
“Well, that’s more convenient for me too, so fine.”
What Han Chasu had wanted at first was one-sided sparring. But Gi Taeyeon had insisted that if they did that, he would not be able to treat him properly. ‘I’m the one who has to draw away the energy, so even if the other side hits me one-sidedly, there’s no way it’ll work properly.’ Therefore, Gi Taeyeon had suggested ordinary combat training to Han Chasu. It was possible because, inside the training system, their levels could be adjusted to be similar. ‘If we train, the areas I can touch will broaden. This actually worked out well.’ He had just been thinking that he was tired of merely holding hands out of necessity.
Besides, the last time he had checked, it had been much easier to gather the energy when they were embracing. If they grabbed each other and rolled around, progress would likely speed up even more. Han Chasu’s suggestion was good news for Gi Taeyeon as well.
Perhaps the antidote tasted quite foul, because Han Chasu barely managed to swallow it again today before asking,
“I heard it’s a virtual reality system. Does that mean we have to wear separate equipment?”
“Ah, I know what you’re imagining. You were picturing something amusing, weren’t you? Unfortunately, no.”
The person who had already been through it several times spoke.
“The space itself follows a kind of anomalous rule. It’s a virtual space realized according to the values entered into it, so they simply call it virtual reality. There aren’t any old-fashioned experience devices.”
Gi Taeyeon yawned and put the antidote bottle in the trash can. Behind him, he heard Han Chasu make a thoughtful sound.
“You’ll understand once you go there. So… how are you today?”
“I’m perfectly fine. No part of my body has become hazy or anything like that.”
“That’s a relief. Did you bathe properly?”
“……”
Han Chasu stared silently at Gi Taeyeon. At this point, he could not help but be suspicious.
“The last time I lost consciousness in the bathroom, it was an accident.”
“Who said otherwise?”
“You keep asking, so I was saying it to confirm.”
He wasn’t a child, yet he was being checked on every time about whether he had bathed properly. Han Chasu shook his head, newly dumbfounded by his own situation.
Then again, to others, he appeared to be a pitiful production-type suffering from trauma. Perhaps it would be better to be someone who frequently lost consciousness in the bathroom instead.
At least the latter ended with words, but the former—
“Han Chasu.”
Like this, they came to find him at all hours and tried to check on him.
“Guild Leader.”
“I’m late today. I’m sorry.”
He had called out in surprise, but Jeong Iheun seemed to think he was blaming him. Seeing him hurry inside while shrugging off his coat, Han Chasu felt troubled.
“Chief Gi is here too, I see.”
“I was just about to head back anyway. Then I’ll be going.”
At Jeong Iheun’s eyes gleaming as if he might devour him, Gi Taeyeon quickly disappeared. Han Chasu stared at the closing door with a frown. ‘He could have stayed a little longer.’ The speed with which he slipped away from troublesome matters was practically a heaven-sent talent.
Soon, a man clad in nothing but a shirt filled his field of vision.
“This child still doesn’t seem to have any intention of waking.”
Jeong Iheun was stroking the demonic spirit stone with a regretful expression. Han Chasu did his best to hide the guilty feeling that pricked at him. It was because ever since the day Jeong Iheun had forcibly placed it in his arms, he had not gone anywhere near it.
“Perhaps it simply sleeps a lot? You said every demonic spirit has a different personality, so maybe this one has a slow-moving personality.”
“That may be true.”
His regretful gaze would not leave the demonic spirit stone. If he was going to look so heartbroken over it, Han Chasu did not understand why he had given it to him instead of keeping it himself. Ah, had he said Han Chasu had won it at the auction?
Han Chasu narrowed his eyes. ‘Come to think of it, what is a free auction within the guild? It’s also strange that it’s an auction, but instead of a successful bid, they call it winning.’ It was something that had never appeared in the original work. Han Chasu asked Jeong Iheun, who was subtly trying to bring the demonic spirit stone over and tuck it into his arms.
“Guild Leader, will another free auction be held?”
“Is there something you want?”
Jeong Iheun’s eyes sparkled as he answered a question with a question. Seeing his face brighten all over, Han Chasu quickly guessed what was going through his mind.
The pushover was about to act like a pushover again. Han Chasu clicked his tongue soundlessly and continued.
“I simply want to know what came out.”
“I don’t think there will be anything Hunter Han Chasu would be interested in, but… hmm, please wait a moment.”
Jeong Iheun fiddled with his phone. Han Chasu’s eyes carefully observed him. ‘He doesn’t think there will be anything I’d be interested in?’ In other words, that meant he knew what item the original Han Chasu had wanted when he participated in the auction.
“Hmm.”
Han Chasu looked down at the demonic spirit stone settled between his legs. ‘If my guess isn’t wrong, the item the original Han Chasu wanted was probably this…’ Why on earth had he wanted something that required so much care and had no ability? Questions filled his mind, but there was no way to know the answer. Still, one thing had become clear.
It would be better not to wake the demonic spirit after all.
Han Chasu wrapped the demonic spirit stone in a soft blanket and quietly pushed it away. Jeong Iheun was absorbed in his phone call. ‘When I return home, I’ll have to put the demonic spirit stone in storage first.’ He did not know why the original Han Chasu had wanted the demonic spirit stone, but going along with his intentions was dangerous.
Besides, did he not already have many things he needed to do?
[ The aura of a nemesis has been detected within a 10m radius! ]
[ Number of identified nemeses: 1/4 ]
[ Skill Defiance (A) has been activated. ]
Han Chasu’s gaze was calm as he looked at the system messages that had passed by. ‘The recognition radius of the Defiance skill is 10 meters… It isn’t that wide. It’s certain that among the people who came up to the rooftop garden, there was someone called a nemesis.’ But what he was curious about was this. ‘They call them a nemesis and even force anger to surge up inside me, so why has the other party not attacked me until now?’ Doubt settled over Han Chasu’s face.
Meanwhile, even while Jeong Iheun was on the call, he did not take his eyes off him. His hand twitched as if he wanted to reach Han Chasu at any moment.
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