Resurrection Chapter 22 - Seo Heesoo, that crazy bastard...

“Yoon Younghyun and Team A are under my control, so that’s fine, and as for Yicheong… it’s actually better this way.”

“Better?”

“Yicheong wouldn’t want my abilities to be misused. They’d be extremely wary of someone like Yaksha getting involved with me. So if someone plans to use me, they’re likely to face resistance.”

“You mean they’d keep each other in check.”

“Exactly, right? I wouldn’t fully trust them, but didn’t you say you’d protect me, Heesoo hyung?”

When I asked with a laugh, Heesoo hyung’s expression grew serious. He pulled out a chair for me to sit in with a thoughtful demeanor. He didn’t say a word until I sat down facing the table.

I felt a bit disappointed when he didn’t readily answer a casual question. Waiting for him to sit across from me, I grumbled jokingly, “What’s this? You said you’d protect me before, but now you don’t want to?”

Heesoo hyung looked straight at me. Then he lowered his eyelids.

Thanks to the table lamp being on, his eyelashes cast long shadows like a canopy under his eyelids. I saw those shadows tremble faintly, like ripples on water.

Heesoo hyung whispered almost inaudibly, “If I were still a holy warrior, I could have been confident. But despite my resolve, I’m not sure if it’s possible.”

I tilted my head. “Why’s that?”

“Because Yaksha isn’t the only S-rank. If powerful people want you, I don’t know if I, just starting over, can protect you.”

“You can do it!”

I reached out and grabbed his hand on the table. Heesoo hyung didn’t grasp my hand back, but he lifted his eyes to meet mine. Staring into his eyes, I continued, “You can do it. If I didn’t think you could, I wouldn’t have gone to save you in the first place.”

He seemed to find my firm belief puzzling. Looking at me as if wondering what I based it on, he said, “Do you really think I’m the only one who can fulfill your wishes? There could be others stronger, with clearer purpose…”

“Those people aren’t you, Heesoo hyung. No one’s like you.”

“I’m just an ordinary person. Not much different from others.”

“No, you’re different. No one could ever be like you.”

I looked at Heesoo hyung without a shred of doubt.

I know there’s a fanatic-like quality to my attitude. But I chose him based on rational judgment.

Heesoo hyung, living as a holy warrior, gave up everything an outstanding hunter could enjoy. His righteousness, kindness, and self-sacrifice were practically endorsed by a god.

As for the rest of those guys… I’d rather trust a monster than a hunter.

At least monsters don’t hide their instincts for slaughter and predation. But hunters, to grow stronger and gain more, could even deceive themselves.

I tightened my grip on his hand and continued, “You’re the savior I chose. You don’t need to doubt, verify, or prove it. I’ll make it so.”

Heesoo hyung’s eyes wavered, but I was ready to repeat myself until he believed in himself. If I could instill new conviction in him, I’d say it hundreds, thousands of times.

“So just trust me and follow.”

Heesoo hyung let out a deep breath. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to look at me. The hesitation in his eyes was gone.

“Alright. I won’t question it anymore.”

“Good.”

I grinned, let go of his hand, and picked up a fork, pointing at the cooling cheese oven spaghetti. “Shall we dig in?”

“It’s store-bought sauce, but I hope it suits your taste.”

I twirled a heap of cheese-covered spaghetti and popped it into my mouth. The store-bought sauce, made with synthetic tomatoes, tasted close to ketchup. The fake cheese felt like chewing rubber, but the fact that Heesoo hyung made it made it delicious.

I cleaned my plate, not leaving a single piece of onion.

👑

After clearing the dishes, I sat at the table and held both of Heesoo hyung’s hands. It wasn’t to create a cheesy scene but to review the skills he’d newly acquired as Wolfheddin’s apostle.

For some reason, activating the partnership required skin-to-skin contact. Maybe it’s to prove closeness between partners? Last time, Heesoo hyung touched cheeks because we were both wearing gloves then.

「Would you like to access the Awakened System?」

A notification popped up, and I promptly selected .

「You have accessed the Awakened System.」

「Contact with partner Seo Heesoo has been detected.」

「Would you like to share the Awakened System with partner Seo Heesoo?」

<Yes.>

「Now sharing the Awakened System with partner Seo Heesoo.」

After a few prompts, the Awakened System page appeared in my view.

Like a monster alert, it was visible only to me, giving the feel of a game interface.

However, what I was seeing now wasn’t my system but Heesoo hyung’s.

Originally, you couldn’t peek into another’s Awakened System, but a partnership made it possible.

Name: Seo Heesoo (Wolfheddin’s First and Only Apostle)
Class: Berserker
Level: 56
HP: 234607
MP: 359999
Main God: Wolfheddin

I gaped at his stats window. “Wow, I thought your level would be high, but it’s even higher than I expected!”

In contrast, Heesoo hyung was looking at my stats window with a surprised expression, making me grin sheepishly. “My level’s lower than you thought, huh?”

Heesoo hyung shook his head. “No, level 48 is plenty. It’s just…”

“How I managed as an all-purpose jack-of-all-trades before? It’s all about skill.”

I chuckled, calling it a trade secret, then realized serving just the Golden Emperor now was already a struggle.

Truthfully, I enjoyed serving multiple gods. It was lively, never boring…

Lost in nostalgia, a message came through.

―The Golden Emperor asks if you’re whining about being full now.

I quickly denied it. “No way, Your Majesty is far too great for me.”

―The Golden Emperor says to wipe the drool off your mouth before lying.

“Since I’m sharing the system with Heesoo hyung, would you like to greet Wolfheddin?”

As I hurriedly changed the subject, the Golden Emperor snapped.

―The Golden Emperor angrily declares he has no interest in associating with a mutt not even a dogcatcher would take. He finds Seo Heesoo distasteful, and the one who chose him even more so.

“Hey, wasn’t the dogcatcher jab my line? Did you like my insult?”

―The Golden Emperor says he’s never liked it, so watch your words and actions. He urges you to maintain the dignity of the First and Only Apostle representing him at all times.

“Dignity? That’s too tough.”

“Mr. Yitae?”

Noticing my silence, Heesoo hyung called my name. I looked up at him through the translucent system window. “Oh, the main god was talking to me. As you know, the Golden Emperor is…”

I swallowed the words “an attention seeker.” Misinterpreting, Heesoo hyung gave a wry smile. “He must think I’m lacking as your partner. I’m worried I’m upsetting the Golden Emperor because of me.”

I waved it off with an “Eh~.” “It’s not like that. By the way, how’s Wolfheddin?”

“How’s…”

Swallowing another “an attention seeker?” I asked differently, “What’s his personality like?”

Heesoo hyung thought for a moment, then furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure. He hasn’t said anything since I left the sanctuary.”

“Sounds like the quiet type. Would he mind if you took on a few more sub-gods?”

“I won’t know until I try.”

“Let’s check the skills first.”

I flipped past the stats window and opened the skills page.

Passive Skills: Robust Body / Iron Will / Remarkable Recovery / Lion’s Roar / Furious Shout / Breakthrough Charge / Prayer’s Strength / Eyes That See Darkness / Keen Instincts / Extreme Survivability / Unlock Required / Unlock Required…
Active Skills: Charge / Slash / Sword Dance / Sword Wave / Sword Light / Herculean Strength / Iron Stance / Iron Fist / Iron Palm / Unlock Required / Unlock Required…

For someone who just became the First Apostle, he had quite a few usable skills. The passive skills were especially impressive. Passive skills, which stay active or trigger automatically without casting, are incredibly useful.

I tested opening the details for . The skill’s level and description appeared.

Robust Body (Lv.7): An indomitable will to defeat enemies strengthens your body. Increases vitality, recovery, defense, and magic resistance. The more injuries and blood loss you endure, the more experience points you gain. Will evolve into a stronger body in the future.