Chapter 58
Incomplete? Were there incomplete relics too? As I tried to recall whether Do Yudam had ever repaired a relic in the original work, I shoved Baek Eunseong aside as he thrust his face right up to my nose.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Who's worrying about whom right now. I had been about to click my tongue at the curses swirling around Baek Eunseong, but stopped myself and took a step back to avoid the people approaching him.
Pushing Baek Eunseong's back as he tried to follow me, I distanced myself from him, and the people who had been watching for an opportunity swarmed over.
"Vice Guild Master, my son was in your care before, do you remember?"
With those words as the start, a circular ring formed around Baek Eunseong. The people who had enclosed Baek Eunseong were chattering ceaselessly about how splendidly he had performed in the Academy's dungeon.
I retreated to a corner, leaving behind Baek Eunseong who was smiling humbly while looking down at the floor. My face burned from the glances alternating between Baek Eunseong and me.
"Can I stay with you too?"
"Yeah."
As I stood in the corner with nothing to do but observe the hall, Yang Jiyul sidled up next to me. Harassed by the Association people who were making a fuss about how the elixir was made and declaring that a genius of the century had appeared, Yang Jiyul sighed with all his might.
"What's going to happen to my brother now?"
"It depends on what you say. Are you going to reveal that Yang Jihwan made you purify poisonous herbs, or are you going to say Yang Jihwan made the potion alone?"
"...I don't know."
"Think about it. For your reference, if you say Yang Jihwan made the potion alone, you won't be able to enter dungeons for the rest of your life."
At my words, Yang Jiyul's face crumpled into a crying expression as he crouched down. I stood next to him and wiggled my toes. Ah, I should have just gone home. I wanted to laugh out loud in sheer satisfaction.
That's what you get, Yang Jihwan. Why bother someone who was minding their own business.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a false accusation. I had merely pointed out the fact that he had omitted Yang Jiyul's efforts and reported it as his own, reaping all the benefits alone.
Even so, I was going to wait for Yang Jiyul, who was trying to protect his brother, to think it through sufficiently, but then I spotted Do Yudam wandering around the hall alone in the distance. After summoning Asil, I called out to Do Yudam, and the child came running with a bright smile.
"Hunter Seong Dohyun!"
"Why are you walking around alone."
"Huh?"
"Where did your guardian go."
"Ah, Hunter Jeon Jiyoon is with the Association President earlier,"
What a uselessly busy person. Clicking my tongue, I grabbed Do Yudam's hand and tucked him to my side.
"Stay here. Don't you know you have to always accompany your guardian when attending crowded places?"
"Hehe, I know that but..."
Do Yudam, whose cheeks had turned red, fidgeted with the hand I was holding and inched closer to me. I was contemplating whether to say something to Jeon Jiyoon or Jeong Uichan when Do Yudam spoke up.
"Um, Hunter Seong Dohyun."
"What."
"That... never mind."
"Why did you stop mid-sentence. What is it?"
"Well... there's one more dungeon practice left, and Hunter Jeon Jiyoon has been too busy so..."
"So?"
"So I'm asking you to go with me!"
"Agh! You scared me!"
This damn old man!
At the voice that suddenly appeared, I threw a punch as if about to faint. Then, at the sound of amused laughter, I pulled back my hand that had been thrust right up to Kang Youngchan's nose and glared at him.
I told him not to pop out of nowhere, but he never listens. Do Yudam had also been startled by the sudden commotion and had taken a combat stance.
"Next time I'm really hitting you!"
"Hahaha."
"Would it kill you to make some noise when you walk around!"
After calming down the startled Do Yudam and Yang Jiyul, I snatched a cup floating in the air and wet my throat. I was so startled that the water almost wouldn't go down my throat.
"Let's see, our Hunter Do Yudam. This old man will open the dungeon, so go with Hunter Seong Dohyun."
"What about my opinion?"
"Hoho, you're going to go together anyway."
Kang Youngchan laughed heartily without even listening to my answer and disappeared. I glared at Kang Youngchan's afterimage and squeezed my eyes shut. No, a dungeon isn't some neighborhood hill behind the house, is it really okay to go this often? And there's no need to go if it's not a Baekwoo Guild dungeon since the materials won't even drop, so why bother—
"Um... if you're busy... it's okay."
"Never mind. Let's go together."
I had to enter at least once anyway to test the 'Celestial Command' skill. I also needed to check whether Do Yudam could properly activate and deactivate his skill. After promising to meet Do Yudam again to coordinate our schedule, I habitually scanned my surroundings.
While picking out people wearing artifacts even though they weren't performing Association duties, I suddenly pondered the word 'incomplete.'
Could it be that because the relic is in an incomplete stage, it only ends with the body stiffening? They say you turn to stone when you receive Medusa's curse originally.
It was a plausible conjecture that I internally admired. At that moment, in the视野 that had been nothing but peaceful, I suddenly saw the flow enveloping the hall twist into a bizarre shape.
Swallowing dry saliva, I looked for Baek Hamin first. Rushing over, I embraced the child without hesitation.
"Uncle?"
"Just a moment."
It was a feeling I had experienced once before. An indescribable, purely anxious feeling. Tensing my expression, which didn't match the harmonious atmosphere around us, I raised the tension throughout my entire body.
—Ding!
Startled by the sudden text notification sound, I quickly pulled out my phone.
[Baekwoo Notice] A gate has been discov—
"Damn it."
Swallowing all kinds of curses internally, I swept a hand over my chest. What guild sends text messages one by one just because a gate was discovered. I checked the consecutive messages that came in, then looked at Baek Eunseong approaching me.
Baek Eunseong asked me in a low voice.
"With Jihwan's situation and the gate outbreak, it seems the party will be put on hold. I'll have a conversation with my brother and head back, so do you want to go home first?"
"...Be careful."
At my words, Baek Eunseong hardened his expression and nodded. After finding Jeon Jiyoon and sending Do Yudam ahead, I headed home. On the way, the secretary's phone rang in the car.
Baek Eunseong?
"Oh, yeah. Buddy. What's up?"
The secretary asked for my understanding and continued the call with his friend. I looked down at Baek Hamin, who had been chattering at me for a while, and pressed my index finger to my lips.
"What? You're asking whether the iron railway or the stone wall road is closer to home? Can't you see the ivy vines? No, why do you guys fight over something like that."
The secretary, who had scolded his friend, apologized through the rearview mirror, making eye contact with me for causing a disturbance. I watched that for a moment before throwing out a comment.
"I don't mind you making phone calls, but you really need to work on your acting skills."
"...Yes."
Putting aside the atrocious acting, I couldn't hear the other person's voice at all.
Hmm. What was the secretary trying to tell me with that improvised acting just now?
I patted Baek Hamin's bottom and organized my thoughts. Iron railway, stone wall road, and ivy vines... It would have been ambiguous from words alone, but connected to abilities, it wasn't a difficult hint.
Iron railway meant Baek Jiseong, stone wall road meant Baek Eunseong, and ivy vines meant Baek Hamin. A split could have occurred within Baekwoo centered around those three.
The topic of the fight was obviously 'Who is more qualified to be the Guild Master between Baek Jiseong and Baek Eunseong.' Given that Baek Hamin's name came up as well, it probably meant Baek Jiseong was using every trick to push Baek Kyeongmin.
No, but what does that have to do with the gate?
My thoughts kept chaining together, but the car had already arrived in front of the house.
Even after entering the house and sitting on the sofa, I was deep in thought about the correlation between the Baekwoo Guild and the gate when Baek Eunseong returned. A troubled look was evident on Baek Eunseong's face as he hurriedly stepped inside.
"What's going on?"
"Um... a gate has been discovered. Two of them, in fact."
"So?"
"You're going too, right?"
"Well, obviously...?"
There were still many materials left to collect. As I nodded readily, Baek Eunseong gestured toward the door.
"Let's go out. Why?"
"We need to get your armor fitted."
* * *
"It's uncomfortable."
"You'll have to get used to it from now on."
Baek Eunseong smiled brightly and handed over a supplementary bag. Wear more than this? I refused with a scowl and sighed as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
Perhaps because I had worn nothing but hoodies and comfortable clothes since possession, the techwear clinging tightly to my body was uncomfortable. I refused the equipment the shop owner offered and peeled off the gear wrapped around my body as well. Stripping off everything one by one, all that remained was a small supplementary bag with expansion options.
"This is enough. It gets in the way when fighting."
"Then at least wear this."
I put on the harness that Baek Eunseong persistently offered and shot him a look that asked if he was satisfied now. Feeling stifled and struggling, I was about to take off the clothes when Baek Eunseong grabbed my waist. Wondering what this guy was doing, I looked up and saw a mountain-like stack of boxes passing by.
"Wait. There are people here."
Baek Eunseong looked at the shop owner who was setting down boxes around the perimeter and organizing items, and only let go of my waist after he had left. Finally able to undress, I tidied my messy hair and came out of the fitting room.
"Uncle..."
As soon as I came out, I scooped up Baek Hamin who was approaching with a tearful expression and looked around. In the brief moment I had left Baek Hamin alone outside the fitting room, the shop that had been empty when we entered was now packed with hunters.
Reflexively trying to pull up my hood, I grabbed only air and sighed. Of all things, I was wearing the shirt Baek Eunseong had lent me...
I opened the skill window and lowered the 'Day Words Night Words' value to the minimum due to the murmurs of people looking alternately between Baek Eunseong and me. Even so, scowling and turning away from the people chattering to the point of giving me a headache, I pushed away Baek Eunseong who was standing close to me.
"Hey, let's move separately."
"Huh?"
"Hamin too!?"
Baek Eunseong looked around at the surroundings and nodded with a reluctant expression, and I dragged the clinging Baek Hamin who refused to let go and stepped outside. Just that alone made me feel like I could breathe so much easier.
Letting out a short sigh, I headed to the store to buy shoes for Baek Hamin.
"I'll see you here."
I was having a hard time because of Baek Hamin insisting on wearing the sky-blue sneakers with Ppani drawn on them, when someone spoke to me. It was a man with an unfamiliar face.
"Who are you."
At my words, the man let out a small laugh and offered his business card.
Affiliated Guild: Kwon Soohyuk
Looking at the letters on the paper with indifference, I returned the business card to the man and stood at an angle.
"It wasn't because I didn't know your name. I meant don't talk to me, but it seems you couldn't understand that."
"Haha. You're quite witty."
What's with that artificial tone.
Even as I scowled and stepped back, Kwon Soohyuk approached with a sly smile.
"Let's talk over there."
"It seemed like your contract with Baekwoo Guild has expired, so I was curious about your future plans."
"What business is it of yours."
"I meant to suggest you join Gwisok, but it seems you couldn't understand that."
Grinning, the man opened the bag he was holding and presented it to me. Inside were artifacts related to water.
"I don't know what conditions the Baekwoo Guild offered, but I can promise you much better treatment."
I looked at Kwon Soohyuk who was politely extending his hand to me, then turned my head away.
"Hey, Baek Eunseong."
"Yes."
At my call, Baek Eunseong popped out as if he had been waiting.
No matter how much he tried to hide his presence. I shrugged and gave him a slight glance. Then Baek Eunseong ignored Kwon Soohyuk and extended his hand to me.
"Have you finished picking?"
"Roughly."
"Then..."
Slipping in between me and Kwon Soohyuk, he smiled softly.
"Let's go home now, darling."