TGHW Volume 1 Chapter 12

“You, come here.”

The night he saw the theradron on TV, Ji-ha left Beom to play as soon as he entered the dream forest and looked for them. Pretending not to know anything, I caught a guy walking around the stream and put it on my palm. 

“You know everything you did today? Call the captain quickly.”

When I say captain, I mean the biggest knight, not the queen. The guy nodded his pincers as if he understood what he was saying. When I put it on the ground, it ran excitedly and disappeared into a hole in the ground. 

“……”

How long has it been? Horns and pincers slipped out of the hole in the ground. Ji-ha, who was watching right next to him, met his black eyes and wiggled his fingers. 

“You’re not guilty, so why are you doing that? Come out quickly.”

He hesitated for a long time, then looked up and crawled out. At times like this, it looks like a puppy. Ji-ha took a closer look at the guy. It’s very similar. No, it was identical with the theradron from Jirisan Mountain. Except for the huge difference in size, the Theradron in Jirisan and the Theradron in the dream forest were the same species. 

“Here, come up here.”

When I tapped my palm, he spread his wings and jumped in. Even so, he kept averting his gaze. 

‘Certainly intelligent.’

Ji-ha put him on the palm of his hand and showed the mountain he had drawn on the floor beforehand. Showing Jirisan Mountain, it was a gesture of “Why?”, but when I drew the fight between monsters and insects, I stepped back as if I was surprised.

“This is you, right? the insect that led his men to Jirisan Mountain. I heard that the polluted land was also purified, did you do it using my scroll?”

it was after confirming that one scroll of harmony had been torn off. The Theradron Knight looked at the painting and Ji-ha’s face in turn, then spread its wings and ran away. 

‘Do you run away because you have nothing to say?’

Well, it’s an insect, so I can’t speak. After waiting for a while, he came up with a large ether stone in his mouth. 

“Is it a bribe? Sorry, but I……” 

Ji-ha, who had tried to refuse, was dumbfounded to wee the Theradrons endlessly biting the Ether Stone and Essence. How many of these are there? Thousands were placed in front of him. Although the size of the Essence and Ether Stones were small, the whole forest was dyed golden when they were collected like this.

“Are you giving all this to me?”

Nod. The knight moved its pincers. I tried to refuse the bribe, but isn’t this too much? JI-ha smiled and pulled a little in the corner. It was 10 Ether Stones and 10 Essence. 

“I will only take this. Because you guys did the job. Seeing how much you’ve collected, you must have done it because you needed it this much, right?”

No will that work? The Knight took more with his pincers and placed them at the feet of Ji-ha, but he refused. 

“Look, there are over 500 of you guys. There are a lot of numbers, so you’ll need that many, right? Also, to use power in real life, you will need a lot of energy. All I did was write a few runewords. So I am good with this.”

it was clear that these guys understood the language that Ji-ha was speaking. The Theradron Knight turned around and rubbed his forepaws, and his subordinates entered the hole in the ground holding the Ether Stones and Essence. And the knight dedicated the largest ether stone to him. Ji-ha’s eyes widened. 

“Where did you get something this big… Ah, it must have come from an elder lich. Don’t you guys need it?

The knight coolly spread his wings and disappeared into the hole in the ground. As a result, Ji-ha has 20 Ether Stones and 15 Essences. I suddenly felt rich. 

‘Anyway, how did you handle this?’

It is an ether stone that was dropped by a catastrophic monster. I’ll have to find out the price, but I’m sure it’s in the billions or more. A stone the size of a walnut was shining golden in the palm of my hand. But Beom, who was playing alone, came and his eyes lit up. 

“Huh? Why? Do you want to play with this?”

Wow. Aren’t you looking at the Ether Stone while crying in pain? What is with this guy who hasn’t even looked at it until now? When Ji-ha held out the Ether Stone, the guy took it in his mouth and chewed it hard.

“OMG.”

It was the first time in my life that an animal chewed an Ether Stone. He licked his tongue, swallowed it whole, and looked satisfied. Then, he climbed up on the thighs of Hi-ha, rolled up and fell asleep right away. 

“I am.”

I thought he was playing with it, but chewing it is absurd. 

‘Is it used as an energy source?’

Ji-ha speculated that Beom was a natural god or a powerful being that was equivalent. Now that it was out of the danger of death, it may be a process of conserving strength. Well, the Theradron also took the Ether        stone. Where did you use it, but how to eat it? Ji-ha took out another Ether Stone and bit it, but realizing that only his teeth hurt, he put it back. 

‘There are 15 essences again.’

After much thought, he raised his strength. 

‘Then strength is 9 and endurance is 8.’

Looking through the backpack, there were 19 Ether Stones, including today’s ones. Ji-ha made a satisfied face and carefully opened the book so that Beom wouldn’t wake up. 

***

Ji-ha received a call from the management center after a long time. 

—This time, we are recruiting a second team. Because it is an unprecedentedly large dungeon, we select people with a lot of experience and knowledge. Yes. It’s in front of the fountain. 

“Thank you. I will go.”

The phone call ended and Ji-ha prepared to enter the dungeon. Since they enter after all the monsters have been dealt with, there is no need for potions and scrolls that hunters use. The important thing is tools and vitality potions. Sturdy tools and high stamina are needed to gather resources and gather materials while wandering around the dungeon. In the case of Ji-ha, there was a high probability of being selected because of the knowledge even though there was no physical work contribution. 

‘A person like me is also useful.’

Beom came next to me, and JI-ha contemplated whether to put him in his backpack and take him away. Although its existence is known……

‘There are no specific rules, so it’ll be fine.’

After putting all the tools in and tapping the backpack, the guy went inside and only stuck his head out. Finally, I put the vitality potion on my belt and finished my preparations. In the evening, after eating, I went to the fountain in the 6th district, and there were quite a lot of people. Even though it was a second team, a hunter was to guide them in case of an emergency. 

“Come on, stand in line. Move freely and then you can be excluded!”

“You, Uncle, you’ve been going back and forth ever since we started, warning!”

“Again, don’t try to hide anything from your body.”

Hunters and ordinary people differ in this place. Those who have the authority to control, and those who must be controlled. Since only the hunters could enter the dungeon and deal with the monsters, there was no choice. An employee of the management center came out and explained to the people what to pay attention to. They were all people who had been in and out of dungeons for many years, but there were cases where they would later claim that they did not know, so they were informed in advance. 

“And…hmm… Mr. Yu Ji-ha?”

The woman who went around to check the number of people was unexpectedly familiar with Ji-ha. The person who received his information when he awakened as a worker and went to the Management Center. She made eye contact and passed by. Her eyes seemed to say, “You’re still here.”

‘I can’t help it, because I don’t have the ability.’ 

He had many extraordinary things, but he was not strong himself. He had a body and abilities that are no different from ordinary people. However, Ji-ha did not feel much regret. 

‘I just have to do what I can.’

As I was trying to be quiet, a man next to me started talking to me. 

“Hey Ji-ha, long time no see. I came in at the right time.”

“Ah, mister, long time no see.”

It was Mr. Cho, in his 40s, who learned his face while going in and out of the dungeon together. He seemed to be quite happy to take this opportunity, and he laughed hard. 

“As you know, this dungeon is huge. Even for people like us, there must be quite a bit to gather. Don’t you think? Maybe an artifact will come out.”

“Even if the artifact comes out, would it come to us?”

Ah, that’s not it. Hunters like that don’t take miscellaneous things because they’re annoying and lower level. Don’t you remember the last time Mr. Zhang got the rune shield? In the end, the important thing is networking.”

“Well, it is.”

Wherever you go, connections are important. But all of a sudden, people’s eyes were focused on him. Seo Hye-jin came out of the dungeon after finishing the quest. Her lofty figure and graceful appearance gave off an aura that was not seen in ordinary people. 

“Did you beat the quest alone this time?”

“The people who went in with me were also in the upper ranks, but they said they were completely watching.”

“Since I went with Han Seung-hyuk as a pair, where will my skills go?”

“The hunter is ranked 12th, but everyone treats it as a single number, so what?”

“Anyway, she’s really pretty… Even wearing armor like that, it shines.”

Everyone was busy whispering and peeking at Hye-jin’s appearance. Certainly, single numbers exude a slightly different atmosphere from others, and Hye-jin was no exception. Han Seung-hyuuk was also said to be extremely handsome, and Cha Hwa-yeon had blazing red hair. It is absurd to say that he is a native Korean and has red hair, but that is the reality. When Seon Hye-jin was about to pass by people, Ji-ha did not pretend to know her and remained silent. She found him. 

“…Are you entering the late stage?”

“I got a call this time.”

This person originally entered the dungeon as a latecomer. There were so many strange things happening around me that I forgot about it for a while. Hye-jin pondered for a while before saying. 

“Can I help?”

“Yes? How……”

“If you enter the dungeon with me, you will be able to move freely until it closes. I have that kind of authority.”

It’s because it is a single number. They inherited their abilities from their parents and developed them more powerfully. The government named the numbers from 1st to 9th, which is equivalent to saving the country, as Single Numbers, and gave considerable authority to them. They even had immunity, so they were like noblemen of the present age. 

“Wow, I envy you……”

“Seo Hye-jin is an escort, what kind of connections do you have?”

“Wasn’t that person a Hunter with nothing?”

There was talk of envy among people. But JI-ha rejected her offer. 

“It’s okay. I’m just going in to gather materials.”

“But there is such a thing as just in case, so I will go along with you.”

“You just came out. You must be tired.”

“This is nothing.”

She stood on the side of Ji-ha. She was ready to follow him to the dungeon. The two hunters in charge of the guide had a conversation and tried to transfer authority to Hye-jin, but she shook her head. 

“No need to worry.”

Ji-ha felt Beom wriggling in his backpack and turned his back to show it to Hye-jin. As a cat with gray fur came out in front of her face, a gentle smile appeared on her lips. 

“Cute. You’ve eaten something good. You’ve grown plump.”

“Yes. It’s pretty expensive.”

For example, an Ether Stone worth billions of dollars. 

“Give me your paw. Huh? Don’t like it? Why?”

Beom tapped Hye-jin’s fingers with his paw. It’s an iron wall blocking. 

“He doesn’t like holding his front paws. If you give him a snack, he reluctantly allows it for a while.”

“He’s a shameful guy.”

Cho listened to the conversation between the two right next to him and doubted his ears. The ice witch’s reputation was well known to him. As I live, I want to experience all kinds of extraordinary things. Before long, the leader began to enter the dungeon. 

***

“Mr. Ji-ha, did you see the news yesterday? It’s about a mythical level monster, a theradron.”

“Cool.”

The dimensions inside the dungeon were flat. It was a forest with no end in sight, but if we made a mistake, we might get separated from the group, so everyone moved together. It was the first time Ji-ha knew that Hye-jin was such a talkative person. 

“I don’t know if I can say this, but Mr. Ji-ha is also a hunter… There was even a trace of giants, so there has been an uproar lately.”

“A trace of a giant?”

It was information I couldn’t help but ask. Was there such a thing as a giant among monsters? When I heard the story, something was strange. 

“I entered the devil ant dungeon from the guild on the Busan side, but there were no ants and only a large palm print was left. Yes. Based on the marks, it is concluded that it was the work of a giant almost the size of a building.”

“The work of a giant the size of a building? No way……”

Ji-ha, who thought it didn’t make sense, stopped walking after thinking about something. Haven’t you ever sung the palm of your hand at an ant, the herald of a miniature world? It was too cynical to say that. He looked at his palm blankly and asked Hye-jin.

“Aren’t there any footprints?”

“Mysteriously, they say they couldn’t find any traces other than the palms. If you think about it, the footprints of a giant like that would have been far away, but they ran away quickly.”

“Well, it would be scary if the devil ants were nowhere to be found and only had large palm prints.”

“Originally, there was a plan to attack the ant nest, but it was canceled because of that palm. A dungeon is like an unknown world.”

It’s an ant house…… This made it clear that the palm print was left by Ji-ha. The miniature world beyond the fog is somehow connected to the dungeon. 

‘Similar to the Theradron… I don’t know exactly what this is.’

What do the beings who talk to him want, what do they want to show? Ji-ha realized that he was falling behind in the ranks, and made fun of his busy steps. Hye-jin clung to him and said quietly.

“Mr. Ji-ha? There are other good places besides here.”

“Other places are good, but I think you will hear something if you fall for nothing.”

If you irritate the nerves of the hunters who came as guides, it will not end with nagging. And while the group is moving, I know that I should refrain from individual actions if possible. But her thoughts are a bit different. 

“I saw precious plants over there. I think it can be used as a good material.”

“A precious plant? Hmm… Come to think of it, maybe it’s okay……”

As expected, this person seems to be quite interested in materials. Hye-jin was a little happy  that she had found an interest of Ji-ha. 

“If I tell you in advance, those hunters won’t be offended. Because the scope of responsibility narrows. And if I’m like this, it’s going to be quite uncomfortable.”

“I guess so.”

I could see that the new hunters were also restless because they had a hunter who was treated as a single number. 

‘For those people, I’m sure they’re worried that the seniors won’t catch the pod.’

Hye-jin really doesn’t have that mindset at all, but that’s what a human heart is. This is also the dungeon where the quest was cleared… Are you okay?

“Thank you for guiding me.”

“I will lead.”

When she said something to the Hunters, her face was visibly delighted. I wanted to take care of my expression, it would embarrass people, but Hye-jin didn’t seem to care. When the two of them separated and went into the forest, people were buzzing. Beom struggled and jumped down from his backpack, and Hye-jin held out her hand, but he didn’t even look at it and stayed by Ji-ha. For a while, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Hye-jin talked about what happened in this dungeon, and the conversation proceeded in a way that Ji-ha responded. but suddenly the forest became dark. Both felt dizzy and staggered. 

“Just now?”

“Uh, something is strange.”

It is the same sensation as when entering a cave in a forest in a dream. Have you entered another dimension? The warm green forest has turned into a grotesque purple. Familiar trees and plants were transformed into bizarre creatures never seen before. Hye-jin couldn’t hide her embarrassment. It is the same scenery as the category 5 dungeon where he went missing. 

***

If the dungeon has been changed to category 5, it is wise to run away to the gate immediately. Up to the 4th grade, the terrain is relatively familiar and the monsters are not strong, but from 5th grade, the level is different. It was in this forest that the powerful ranking No. 1 Han Seung-hyuk disappeared. Hye-jin’s frozen expression completely collapsed. 

“Here it is, here… The place where Seung-hyuk went missing!”

Meanwhile, Ji-ha was quietly observing the moving plants around it. It was so large and ugly that one could doubt whether it was a real plant. I never thought I would see for myself the man-eating plants I had only heard about. 

‘But something is a little strange.’

Man-eating plants are very hostile towards animals, so most of them use all means to attack them. There are also types that stay still until they approach and then suddenly attack. Those wild man-eating plants were silent. 

‘Anyway, what should I do with this person?’

Ji-ha comforted Hye-jin, who rolled her feet saying she needed to find Seung-hyuk quickly. 

“Hye-jin, calm down a little. I don’t know if the place where Mr. Seung-hyuk went missing is around here, but a lot of time must have passed now, right?”

“That… of course time passed. But what about that? They must be waiting for me, but I need to find them quickly……”

“Calm down and look around. We don’t know if there are any monsters that pose a threat to us.”

Hye-jin finally came to her senses and looked around. When I saw the colony of man-eating plants making strange noises, I opened my eyes wide in amazement. 

“Why don’t these monsters attack us?”

“I don’t know……”

When Ji-ha was about to say something, something not even funny happened. Didn’t the an-eating plants that were swaying and dripping with sap suddenly uproot and run away? They were desperate, as if someone were eating them. Beom, who had been watching quietly, said “wow”, and rushed at it, biting down on the stem of the human-catching hell. In the wind, the seeds fell and the boy ran away as the stem became a rag.

“Oh my god, Beom is amazing.”

Hye-jin triumphantly tried to stroke the hair of Beom, who brought the seed, but the guy swerved and missed it. Embarrassed by her or not, Beom placed the seed at the foot of Ji-ha. 

“Why did you bring  this? It is a cannibal plant.”

Wow. It sounded like a call to grow. Come to think of it, couldn’t the reason why the cannibals ran away all at once be because they noticed Beom’s identity? It seems Hye-jin doesn’t know yet. Ji-ha put the seeds in his backpack and told her. 

“It is a strange thing that the human-catcher hell escapes. Anyway, where should I go back?”

“Wait.”

She took a compass out of her pocket, but the needle kept moving and she couldn’t orient herself. 

“Why is this like this?”

“At this rate, I won’t be able to find the gate, but it’s a big deal.”

It’s not that it’s not, it’s a really big deal. Since there is no way that there is a map inside the dungeon, all hunters use a compass to find the gate. If the needle swayed like this, the lost status was confirmed. Hye-jin stroked the compass with a depressed face. Could he have been in this situation? I remembered him who had fallen alone to lure a catastrophic monster. But Ji-ha tapped her on the shoulder. 

“There’s a golden light shimmering over there. Why don’t you go and see it?”

“Where… What is that?”

She looked up and was surprised. A golden light shimmered across the forest. It’s good to find anything in a dungeon like this, so I decided to try it. She finished the full doping by drinking all the potions. 

“Let’s go.”

As she took the lead, Ji-ha and Beom followed. 

***

What if monsters take over the Earth? How will the Earth change if the hunters give in and the day comes when no army can stop them? The answer was here. Ji-ha and Hye-jin forgot what to say as they looked at the land that had turned into hell. A foul-smelling blue smoke continued to rise from cracks in the ground, and some areas shook intermittently as if an earthquake had occurred. What was more unbearable was the terrible stench that entered the nostrils. The two covered their noses and frowned. 

“It is very strange. There are no monsters in a place like this.”

‘There was, but there isn’t.’

originally, it would be accurate to say that they were there, but they all packed up and ran away after feeling the beating. The guy wandered around carefree, then clung to the back of Ji-ha and cried. 

“Here is… Could it be the land eroded by monsters?”

“it may have been where the original monster was. Anyway, it’s hard to bear.”

Hye-jin, who has a strong body is in good shape, but Ji-ha is dizzy and has a hard time holding on. It felt like all the energy was draining from my whole body. Why did someone try to show him this hellish land? Was his intention right in the first place?

“Maybe they need my help, so I don’t know if they’re showing me this scenery.’

The meaning of the warning will also be included a little bit.  I shuddered when I compared the earth and the landscape in my dreams to this one. ji-ha is not very greedy, but he didn’t want to spend even a second in such a terrible place. 

‘It’s like when the Theradron purified the land… Why do mysterious things keep happening to me.’

Maybe someone is asking him for help? Ask for help, help the world not to change like this. 

‘I’ll help you.’

The moment I answered inwardly, the scenery returned to normal. Hye-jin was dazed and sat down on the floor. 

We were barely, barely in the same space……”

It seemed that she had a strong feeling that he was in the same space as Seung-hyuk when he disappeared. There was a slight dew in her big eyes. At that time, Beom, who was hanging on the back of Ji-ha, patted him on the ear. 

“Huh? Why are you hitting me?”

Looking back, there was a huge cave opening in the cliff. Was there anything like this before? I put up a glowstone torch and went inside, and I heard Hye-jin get up and follow me. Not long after entering , the two found traces of someone. Armor that was almost rags and a sword that was broken in half were lying around without an owner. Seeing this, Hye-jin almost lost her mind and rushed past Ji-ha. 

“Oh my god……!”

She frantically hugged the broken artifact and repeated Seung-hyuk’s name. 

‘So you came here.’

Dark red marks here and there indicate that he has shed blood. But it didn’t look like he was mortally wounded. Because there was only one blood stain. He must have been seriously injured when he entered here, but it was clear that he had abandoned his armor and sword to lighten his body. He comforted Hye-jin, who was almost going mad, and when he said that, she came to her senses with a hot feeling. 

“Wow, sure… There is a possibility, it will be. Probably so! That’s right!”

“For now, let’s retrieve the things and go outside.”

“Ah, okay.”

She sobbed, gathered the armor and sword, and stood up. There was a little bit of liveliness in the face that was always expressionless. Was it to confirm his chances of survival? The two looked around further, but couldn’t find any sign of him. Looking at Ji-ha’s shoulder leading the way, Hye-jin definitely felt it. Only good things happen around this person. 

‘You have to stick around, then……’

Maybe someday I’ll meet Seung-hyuk. I’m not sure, but I felt that way. They weren’t in the mood to gather anything, so the two of them immediately went outside to find the gate. The staff at the management center wondered why they came out so quickly, and the two sat down on the bench. 

“Really… Thank you. If it wasn’t for Mr. Ji-ha, I would have lived in despair all along. I haven’t confirmed that my brother is alive, but there’s still a chance……”

“It’s not like I did anything.”

“You think so? Is this all a coincidence?”

“Haha”

Ji-ha, embarrassed for nothing, took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth. I don’t know why he suddenly found such traces, but it was nice to see the color on Hye-jin’s face returning. 

‘That’s it.’

He broke up with her and returned to the store. I stopped by the dungeon after a long time, but the only income was the seeds of a cannibal plant. I was thinking about finding another job tomorrow, but an alarm popped up on my phone. 

—Korea ⅘ 15:37 270003****** Su-hee Jin Deposit 1,000,000,000. Balance 1,008,532,790.

Suddenly, 1 billion came into the account. 

‘Who is Jin Su-hee?’

Ji-ha thought that it had been entered by mistake and quickly forgot about it. These days, when unexpected money comes into the world, nine out of ten times it is wrongly deposited, so if you use it recklessly, you will be in big trouble. A call came soon after. 

“Yes. Keep it right. Yes… Oh, you’re the manager? Are you coming to pick me up? Excuse me, who…ah.”

Only then did he find out whose manager Jin Su-hee was. 

“You’re saying that 1 billion was not deposited by mistake?”

An absurd thing happened. 

***

Ji-ha was sitting on a sofa that was wide enough to roll around with Beom. It had just been a while ago that Hye-jin’s manager, Su-hee, had called and he was picked up and brought to the mansion. 

‘I understand why you gave me 1 billion……’

According to Su-hee, Hye-jin was thrilled to see the possibility that Seung-hyuk was alive. 

And when I got home, I made a decision right away. But Ji-ha couldn’t take the money. 

‘That’s not my money.’

Eventually, Hye-jin, who changed into comfortable clothes, and Su-hee, dressed in a suit, came out to the parlor. 

“You came. Thank you.”

Ji-ha and Beom stood up and sat down hesitantly at the same time. Su-hee handed him a coffee cup and Hye-jin sat down on the sofa across from him. 

“Hmm…what to say… Too much money came in.”

When Ji-ha separated his lips, Hye-jin waved her hand, saying it was nothing.

“That one billion is nothing. It’s enough just to see my brother’s potential…Rather, I thought it was insufficient. Have a coffee.”

*Hororok*

‘Ugh, write.’

It must have been a great quality coffee, but it didn’t suit the palate of Ji-ha. He likes sweet drinks. Seeing his crumpled expression, Su-hee stood up and made sweet coffee. It was only then that Ji-ha’s expression became comfortable and Hye-jin’s lips smiled slightly. He is a strange person in many ways. 

“So… Aren’t you going to accept it?”

“It’s definitely not the money I’m going to receive, but I’m a little concerned about giving it back, so I decided to donate it. You gave it to me to write it, so it doesn’t matter, right?”

“It doesn’t matter. Where do you plan to donate?”

“Hunter Academy. It’s not much, but I’m putting it in.”

‘I know I didn’t have that much room.’

Hye-jin was a little impressed by Ji-ha’s altruistic heart. Now, the situation is a little better, but in the past, the wallet situation would have been bad, but it was split and donated. Even if I gave this person 10 billion or 100 billion, it seemed that a similar answer would come out. She made up her mind. 

“Then let’s do this. I will donate 2 billion to the Hunter Academy in the name of Mr. Ji-ha by adding an additional 1 billion to the 1 billion.”

“No, even if you don’t……”

“It’s okay. Because I want to do it.”

While cutting fruit for Beom, Su-hee noticed that Hye-jin was quite excited. Is it because I discovered Han Seung-hyuk’s artifact? The slightest chance that he is alive… That must have given Hye-jin hope. Anyway, when she, who was no different from a younger sister, was happy, Su-hee felt at ease as well. Hye-jin said to Su-hee.

“Sister, take 1 billion from Mr. Ji-ha and donate a total of 2 billion to Hunter Academy.”

“Yea, I got it. Is it okay to select the target appropriately?”

“it doesn’t really matter, but it’s better to go to the less fortunate… right?”

Nod. When Ji-ha agreed, Su-hee took out her phone. 

“Of course it should. Leave it to me. Mr. Ji-ha?”

Meanwhile, Hye-jin looked at Beom, who swallowed the fruit her sister cut for her, with an interesting look. Perhaps he was recognized as a person who gave him something tasty, but he did not refuse even when Su-hee touched his front paws from time to time. After all, you have to pay a bribe to touch…… When Su-hee packed the tray and left, Beom climbed up to the couch to Ji-ha and curled up, as if he was full. Envy, really envy. You don’t turn it down when she first approaches you. Ji-ha sighed slightly as if the deposit was finished. I don’t know how much was in the original account, but most of the property was probably withdrawn. 

“Phew, I feel relieved now.”

“Mr. Ji-ha.”

Hye-jin sat down next to him and held his hand. It was a man’s long, soft hand. He was taken aback by the sudden contact, but he didn’t leave it out, as if he knew her true intentions. 

“Thank you very much. Thanks to Mr. Ji-ha, what can I say… I think I saw a ray of light. I’m not sure yet, but I have a feeling I’ll see him again someday.”

“You will definitely see him again. Maybe.”

Hye-jin smiled slightly and let go of his hand. 

“Are we friends now?”

“Um, ah… Well, you could say we are friends.”

The response was not yet, but she was not disappointed.

“If you need anything, just let me know. You can come here and play anytime.”

“Ah, then……”

Ji-ha decided to ask a question. It’s about a mythical monster. I vaguely know about its existence, but there is a story that the information that high-ranking hunters have is different. 

“Could you tell me a bit about the mythical monsters? It was amazing to see a monster like a Theradron on TV.”

“It’s on MiriWiki in HunterNet, so I can show you.”

If you can show it, it means don’t reveal it. After Su-hee brought her laptop, Hye-jin stepped back, and Hyejin connected to HunterNet and entered MiriWiki. When I clicked on the Mythical Class Monster column, a list appeared.

‘Even Earthworm was a mythical monster?’

How the hell did the forest in the dream come to be? I’ve already checked out the Theradrons, and I’ve seen a few names I haven’t seen before. The strange thing is that there is no content. 

“It’s empty with only names and categories, right?”

“MiriWiki is not written by us. When the first dungeon was opened, it appeared together with HunterNet, but strangely, the name we call it was updated. But there is no content at all. Everything was empty like this.”

I clicked on the Theradron, but nothing happened. Ji-ha was disappointed. Still, I thought there would be great information at the secret bulletin board of HunterNet. Perhaps reading his expression, Hye-jin brought up a different story. 

“This is a story passed down only to Single Numbers… I didn’t say anything, so that’s fine.”

“Uh… Excuse me, Hye-jin, isn’t it a single number?”

“Now it is. I ran out of points after entering any dungeon.”

When you clear a dungeon, HunterNet points increase. Ranking is calculated based on those points, but in Hye-jin’s case, it was a story that her points were lower than other rankers because she went through dungeons with low difficulty. She put on a pod and put it on her lap. 

“Back to the original… Other than the current Single Numbers, are there any people who first awakened?”

“Yes. Awakeners who demonstrated tremendous power.”

“The descendants of those nine Awakeners are the current Single Numbers.”

Ji-ha knew up until this point. What’s important is what comes next. Hye-jin quenched her thirst with cold coffee and made a shocking remark. 

“There is a saying that the current Single Numbers have inherited their parents’ abilities and have inherited them more powerfully. That’s wrong. The power of Single Numbers, including me, does not reach that of our ancestors. It’s not that I lack ability, it’s that someone who lends me strength is gone.”

“Did you sign a contract with them if you lent them your power?”

“Yes. My parents and the Awoken at the time called it a demigod. In the English-speaking world, it was called a demigod… It is said that the Awoken who borrowed their power were able to exert tremendous power.”

“Demigod, demigod… I don’t know what it is, but it’s great.”

Is it an illusion that somehow overlaps with the beings in the book called nature gods and wild gods? Hye-jin said, covering her laptop, as if telling him not to mind. 

“What I have said so far is speculation, not definitive information. Combat records at the time were virtually unknown.”

“It’s just 10 years ago, and it’s strange that there are no combat records.” 

“That would mean that the situation was serious at the time. I don’t know, but it must have been terrible.”

Today’s Seoul bears little resemblance to the Seoul of the past. This is because the city was blown away by the great war with the monsters. At that time, Korea’s military power was about to mark the world’s top 10, so it was able to project tremendous firepower. Nevertheless, it is said that they have not been able to completely end the runaway extinct monsters. 

‘Perhaps the Awakeners of each country made a contract with the demigod and killed the destruction-class monsters.’

Ji-ha yawned and rubbed the neck of the guy that just woken up. He remembered why this guy came to him. Could it be that during the Great War, he lost his strength and returned to his small body after fighting with monsters of the extinction class?

‘Then my role is… What he wants from me……’

Ji-ha looked down at Beom, who was soundly sleeping. Later, when it becomes fully grown, it may have a contract with someone to lend its power to them. The role of Ji-ha is the manager of the forest and the keeper of the demigods. 

‘Is that what you want from me?’

The tree in the dream glowed brightly, but Ji-ha didn’t notice it.

***

Strange rumors have been circulating among ranker-level hunters these days. There was a rumor that Hye-jin suddenly went crazy. It is inevitable to be surprised to see a person who has been going back and forth between dungeons, houses, and shops with a cold face for several years suddenly attending a social gathering. He even greeted them first and smiled, giving the impression that the person himself had changed. Someone posted on HunterNet’s free bulletin board. 

Hyun Seung-ah: Didn’t Hye-jin have a man?

Seong-ho Park: What is a man… Let’s not speak carelessly. Knowing that Hye-jin only has one.

Hyun Seung-ah: No, I was really shocked. She smiled and said hello, but at first I thought she was crazy. What would you think if Hye-jin treated you like that?

Seong-ho Park:… Did you eat something wrong?

Cha Hwa-yeon: Hye-jin has a man? She can’t do that… Although she is lacking a bit, she is a kid who only looks at that older brother. 

Bae kang-min: You secretly disparage Hye-jin.

Cha Hwa-yeon: You have to speak right away. 

Seong-ho Park: Now that I’ve heard from my wife, it seems like she’s talking gibberish about having hope for something. What is hope? Anyone know?

Cha Hwa-yeon: If you know that, you’re here to open a fortune teller. 

Seong-ho Park: Anyway……

The flow of comments flowing to Hye-jin must have given her an upset stomach. Normally, that would make her feel bad, but she’s an outlier. However, someone who knew her situation well appeared. It was Su-hee. 

Jin Su-hee: It’s uncomfortable to talk carelessly about Hye-jin. 

Hyun Seong-ah: No, I’m not disparaging, I just said it out of curiosity……

Cha Hwa-yeon: It’s a conversation between hunters, so stop worrying.

Jin Su-hee: I am also a hunter. 

Cha Hwa-yeon: Who doesn’t know that only patterns are hunters? Before that person signed up, you were at the bottom. 

Seong-ho Park: No, why are you trying to fight? mr. Hwa-yeon, let’s do it in moderation.

Jin Su-hee: In a dungeon, I found an artifact that Seung-hyuk used in the past. Because of that, don’t carelessly tell others that she has a man. 

After that, Su-hee’s comments didn’t come up, and other hunters were embarrassed. 

Hyun Seong-ah: Ah… driving me crazy. Comments are not deleted. I don’t know, so I’ll have to call. 

Bae Kang-min: But wouldn’t it be bad news if we found the artifact Seung-hyuk used? I don’t know why you like it.

Seong-ho Park: She must have found good news near the artifact. Maybe the traces of healing wounds.

Bang kang-min: If that’s true…But where did she find it? Did she go into the dungeon yesterday?

Hwa-yeon pursed her lips and looked away from the screen. Originally, I didn’t mean to say that, but I couldn’t help it because I was crying. But she had no intention of apologizing to Jin Su-hee. Instead, Hwa-yeon gave instructions to Cheol-heon.  

—Find out who Hye-jin went into the dungeon with. 

After a while, Cheol-heon typed. 

—Already confirmed. She entered the category 3 dungeon that opened two days ago… There is a record that she entered again after clearing it. It’s like the late stage. 

—She went in with the late team? What is she doing?

—I don’t know about that, but you know that big cat in the general store? She saw him. 

—If you are a cat in a general store, Yu Ji-ha?

—It would be strange to think that this is just a coincidence. Why do these things only happen around him? It’s not uncommon for dungeons to twist and another dimension to appear……

—You’re hiding something. I should have offered around 2 billion then. 

—If I had seen Yu Ji-ha, even if I offered 10 million won, he would have refused without a change in his expression. 

—No way. Can he refuse even if I offer 100 billion won?

—Isn’t that kind of money a burden for us too? Well, there’s not much I can’t do.

—That’s what it says, that’s what it says. 

—Anyway, if he has a special ability, it wouldn’t be bad to be close to him. 

—How do you get close? He doesn’t like money, and he only reads books every day. Can I introduce him to a lady?

—I don’t think you’ll like it very much… What a troublesome man. It’s not that there’s no way, so I’ll look for it.

 The conversation stopped there. Hwa-yeon was able to find what was believed to be Seung-hyuk’s artifact only after a long search through HunterNet’s battle report. Shattered armor and a sword broken in half…… Her face contorted. I thought I just forgot. Hwa-yeon saw something that was blurry and covered her face with her palm. 

“Sigh……”

A long sigh filled the empty office. And in the dream, Ji-ha witnessed a large tree. 

‘You look a little weak.’

A brilliant fruit hanging from the tree that was suffering caught his eye.