Resurrection Chapter 10 - Me? Kim Yitae!

Puk!

The guy stabbed by my magic sword didn’t scream but instead shouted defiantly.

“It’s Kim Yitae! Kim Yitae is here!”

I delivered a powerful kick to his jaw, but the enemies who noticed my presence yelled loudly.

“Kim Yitae! Don’t move!”

“We’ve already detained Seo Heesoo!”

“If you try anything funny, we’ll deal with Seo Heesoo right now… Argh!”

One of them was shouting but suddenly screamed. Soon, the sounds of screams began to spread in a consistent direction, as if they were moving.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

“Guh!”

“Aaah!”

By then, the smoke started to clear. As the smoke bomb’s effect wore off, visibility improved.

I reflexively raised my magic sword upon seeing a figure appear before me. However, the person standing at the tip of my blade wasn’t an enemy—it was Heesoo hyung.

“Heesoo hyung!”

I called out to him happily, and Heesoo hyung, wiping the blood splattered on his cheek with the back of his hand, said.

“The smoke bomb was a good move, but I was struggling to pinpoint the enemies’ positions. Thanks to you, I was able to take them out.”

The enemies had exposed their positions by recklessly shouting to threaten me. They were such idiots. Even though there were dozens of these riffraff, they weren’t hard to deal with…

That’s when it happened. Someone appeared silently behind Heesoo hyung’s back.

I realized it was the guy I had kicked away earlier who had gotten back up. A gleaming blade flashed in his hand, and I opened my mouth wide.

“Heesoo…!”

Seeing my expression, Heesoo hyung started to raise his greatsword, but at that moment—

Puk!

A blade sprouted from the enemy’s mouth. I froze in shock, and the guy, pierced through the head from behind, collapsed sideways without even a final scream. Naturally, the person who had stabbed him from behind was revealed.

I thought it might be Kang Cheoljun or one of the stragglers, but it was neither. I muttered blankly.

“Yoon Younghyun.”

I don’t know how he managed to hide his massive frame so silently. Yoon Younghyun appeared behind Heesoo hyung, who was stepping back.

Flicking the blood off the machete he favored, he spoke with a face full of concern.

“Yitae sunbae! You’re safe!”

“How did you get here…?”

“It felt like something bad was happening, so I came closer and saw people fighting, not monsters. I heard shouts about Seo Heesoo, so I thought you might be caught up in it and rushed over. Good thing I did.”

“Oh, I see.”

I felt the tension drain out of me like a receding tide and let my shoulders slump. Heesoo hyung turned to him and gave a slight bow.

“Thank you for your help.”

“Uh, um… No need to thank me.”

Perhaps embarrassed about having rambled about Heesoo hyung earlier, Younghyun mumbled awkwardly. At that moment, Kang Cheoljun came running up.

“What’s going on?”

I briefly explained the situation.

“Oh, the enemies launched a pincer attack here, but thankfully Heesoo hyung held them off well. Younghyun came to help too… Oh, right, this is Yoon Younghyun, Team A’s leader, and this is Kang Cheoljun, a public servant from the Special Task Force Mugunghwa of the IIA.”

I introduced the two, and they exchanged brief greetings. Soon, the members of Team A, led by Yoon Younghyun, and the stragglers hiding around the ruins appeared.

Team A, perhaps because they shared something with Yoon Younghyun, were all large in stature. Even Kim Mina, the only woman on Team A, was no exception.

Boasting impressive pecs and splendid lats, she pushed the straggler she brought toward me. Then she stared intently at Heesoo hyung.

Why is she staring like that? Sure, Heesoo hyung is handsome, but she’s looking too much.

For some reason, I didn’t like that Kim Mina was showing interest in him. It’s like she’s staring a hole through him. She hasn’t fallen for him, has she?

As I subtly stepped in front of Heesoo hyung to block her view, Kim Mina looked at him over my shoulder and said.

“All the bodies scattered around the paths—are those all your work?”

I couldn’t help but turn to look at Heesoo hyung. Meeting my eyes, he lowered his head with a dark expression, as if deeply ashamed.

I realized my mistake, but I couldn’t undo the fact that our eyes had met. Heesoo hyung said in a gloomy tone.

“…Yes.”

“Wow, that was some clean work. I heard you’re no longer a holy warrior. That’s impressive.”

Heesoo hyung replied as if making an excuse.

“I had no choice but to protect myself.”

It seemed true that he wasn’t worried about the enemies but about my wounds. He was no longer a holy warrior, and he was doing things he would never have done in his holy warrior days.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Back when he was a holy warrior, he could resolve situations without killing, but not anymore.

Among his abilities was one called <loss of=”” will=””>. It was more effective than fear, making most people voluntarily throw down their weapons and surrender. Having lost such an ability, it was only natural for him to become more ruthless.</loss>

Seeing Heesoo hyung unable to accept this natural change pained my heart.

I reached out and gently patted his shoulder. Heesoo hyung gave me a look that said he was okay.

Breaking the awkward atmosphere, Yoon Younghyun threw out a question.

“From what I heard them shouting, it seems Seo Heesoo was their target. They came prepared, so how about giving up and turning back now?”

At his blunt words, Heesoo hyung didn’t respond immediately. As I was about to speak for him, Heesoo hyung stopped me and opened his mouth.

“No way. I came here to become an apostle of a new god. I can’t give up halfway.”

Yoon Younghyun scratched his rugged jaw, looking troubled.

“Hmm, with your skills, even without a new god, you could be chosen by another god, no? Your swordsmanship doesn’t seem rusty either.”

“Being chosen isn’t hard, but becoming a first-class apostle is. There’s competition from other apostles… And above all, I don’t see a reason to give up now.”

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it? This place is practically a monster exhibition. Are you going to put Yitae sunbae in danger just to get tougher?”

Seeing Yoon Younghyun spout nonsense, I finally spoke up.

“Danger or not, what’s it to you? Strictly speaking, I’m not the one in danger—Heesoo hyung is. I’m the one who wanted Heesoo hyung to come here and take the risk.”

“Then why Seo Heesoo? Is there a need to be so fixated on him?”

Of course there was.

No one, including Yoon Younghyun, met the conditions I had in mind except Heesoo hyung.

Hunters, in general, were blinded by wealth and fame, making them untrustworthy. Decades ago, when everyone else turned their backs on me, only Heesoo hyung, the one and only holy warrior, was worthy of my devotion.

Not understanding this, Yoon Younghyun blabbered on as if he were somebody.

“How about I… No, even if it’s not me, there are plenty of people who want Yitae sunbae. If it were someone I could accept, I wouldn’t be so persistent. This is all for your sake, sunbae.”

It was strange that Yoon Younghyun was trying so hard to persuade me. What’s with this guy today?

He had asked to be my partner a few times before, but he’d never been this persistent. He’d always backed off easily, whining about being disappointed or teary-eyed. But today, his attitude was not just serious but downright obsessive.

Something felt off, but I couldn’t abandon the sanctum over a few words. I stated my position firmly.

“No matter what anyone says, this is my choice. The person I’ve chosen is Heesoo hyung. So mind your own business and stay out of it.”

“Hoo…”

Younghyun let out an uncharacteristic heavy sigh. He scratched his nearly shaved head with his left hand and glanced at Heesoo hyung.

“Even if it means you and I might end up as enemies, Yitae sunbae?”

I shrugged as if it were no big deal.

“If you’re willing to risk becoming my enemy to enter the sanctum, I won’t stop you. Opportunities are fair, and I’m not afraid to compete with you. Once we reach the sanctum, Heesoo hyung will become the first-class apostle, you’ll see.”

“If it’s Seo Heesoo, that might be possible.”

“Exactly. So if anyone’s going to give up, it’s you.”

At my resolute words, Younghyun let out a “hmph” and took his left hand off his head. Then, with an air of complete indifference, without a hint of killing intent, he casually swung the machete in his right hand forward, as if offering something.

Distracted by his left hand scratching his head, I hadn’t even noticed the weapon in his right hand. It was surely the same for Heesoo hyung. Reflexively, I reached out as if to catch what Yoon Younghyun was offering.

In reality, it was to block an attack, but it was so sudden that I couldn’t stop Yoon Younghyun’s action. All I managed was to grab the handle of the machete he thrust forward.