The Otherworldly Magic Swordsman Who Disciplines the Hunter World Chapter 62

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Julian narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was, but he felt a sense of dissonance somewhere.

“Let’s just go for now.”

Whatever this place was, the goal was clear and the solution was simple.

Meet Hunter Kim Myungja, talk to her, and persuade her. Then, receive help to create a Return Stone, whether it was a skill or something else.

After that, it would be goodbye to this place. There was no room for Julian to intervene in that process.

It was a path he had traveled by pestering Gong Siyoung and forcing his way along from the start. He guessed that might be why Gong Siyoung wasn’t giving him a proper explanation. It seemed Gong Siyoung was trying to keep him from getting involved in this matter.

“I guess I’ll find out once I get there.”

As soon as he spoke, Gong Siyoung climbed the hill path without hesitation. Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, he didn’t look like someone sensing any dissonance.

Was he naturally fearless? Well, with that personality, it didn’t seem like he would be afraid of anything—unless he was the one doing the scaring. Julian picked up his pace to avoid losing sight of Gong Siyoung, who was leading the way.

Before long, they stopped in front of the house with the red roof. A wall built of bricks circled the entire house. In front of the green iron gate connected to the wall, Gong Siyoung composed his breathing.

While he knocked, Julian began searching in his own way. He peered around the wall and lifted his heels. As he stood precariously on tiptoe, he could see a bit of the inside.

“Huh? Over there, inside…”

While hopping on tiptoe, his feet got tangled. To make matters worse, it was a hill, making it hard to keep his balance.

Just before he fell, Gong Siyoung quickly caught him in an embrace. As soon as he was upright, the hands hurriedly moved away.

“Let’s be a little careful. Okay?”

He seemed conscious of it… but in the meantime, there was a strange hint of annoyance in his voice. Considering how he couldn’t even meet Julian’s eyes on the boat, it seemed he had regained his composure in the interim.

To confess the truth, it was a bit disappointing. Though it wasn’t something done just to tease him, watching Gong Siyoung’s flustered face had been quite entertaining. That effect, too, seemed to have worn off.

He didn’t know if there would be a next time, but if the opportunity arose, he vowed to definitely do it on the lips. While he repeated that vow to himself, Gong Siyoung focused on the task at hand.

“Excuse me, Teacher. This is Gong Siyoung from the Yeollak Guild.”

The massive iron gate didn’t resonate as loudly as expected. Knock, knock; the sound of knocking was repeated once more.

“Teacher, it’s Gong Siyoung from Yeollak. I’ve come because of the matter I mentioned over the phone.”

There was still no sign of anyone. Not long after knocking for the third time, a clatter was heard.

Without a sound, the iron gate slid open. Through the gap in the door, a woman with hair turned white peeked her head out. Through the briefly revealed opening, pink rubber gloves and a floral apron caught the eye.

Her face would have looked even younger if not for the white hair. The wrinkles around her eyes from frequent smiling gave off a warm atmosphere. Her suspicious eyes brightened upon discovering Gong Siyoung.

“Oh my, is that you, Siyoung? It is Siyoung! Goodness, how long has it been!”

“It’s been a long time, Teacher. I should have greeted you more often, but I apologize for coming so late.”

“Oh my, oh my, what are you saying! Come in quickly.”

With a screeching metallic sound, the door closed for a moment and then swung wide open. A bustling welcome followed along with a bright smile.

“You went through a lot of trouble to get all the way here, didn’t you? The way here is so rough.”

The chattering voice was full of joy. Like colors bleeding into a black-and-white world, she too instantly became lively.

Kim Myungja, who trotted across the yard, took off her rubber gloves and stuffed them into her apron pocket. Her hands were busy clearing away items cluttered on top of the small wooden porch.

“I didn’t think you’d come already. If I’d known, I would have tidied up in advance…! Wait a second, could you stay there for just a moment? I’ll bring out something to eat right away.”

She seemed flustered yet, on the other hand, so happy she didn’t know what to do. Gong Siyoung quickly stopped her.

“It’s alright. We don’t have much time, so I need to tell you my business quickly.”

“Aiyoo, but how can I treat a guest empty-handed! Just wait a second, just a second!”

“No, it’s fine. It’s really fi—”

“No, no! Just stay there, stay there!”

The two people bickering looked like a mother and son at a glance. They didn’t have resembling faces, but because of the age difference, it naturally felt that way.

Julian took a couple of steps back, tilted his head, and observed the two silently with his arms crossed.

Kim Myungja acted as if there was no visitor other than Gong Siyoung, and Julian didn’t particularly strike up a conversation. Now was the perfect time to observe. He slowly scanned the yard.

Compared to others, Julian often heard that he had good intuition. The fact that he had survived until now was also half due to his good intuition. Most of the time, his gut feelings that felt somewhat uncomfortable or chilling turned out to be correct.

It was similar to when he saw through the hallucinations of Minos. An indefinable sense of dissonance continued to pile up.

It was only because he trusted Gong Siyoung that he hadn’t said anything specific until now. If it weren’t for him, he might have chosen to wait on the boat with Park Ildo.

“Anyway, I can’t beat Siyoung’s stubbornness.”

As if the argument had ended at some point, Kim Myungja shook her head.

Gong Siyoung’s gaze brushed past Julian. Even after seeing him standing far away, he didn’t say anything in particular. Rather, he seemed a bit relieved.

The more he did, the more the curiosity grew. If Gong Siyoung wasn’t speaking openly, there must be a reason for it.

Because he knew that, Julian didn’t pry. If Gong Siyoung had intended to tell him, there had been plenty of opportunities.

He tapped his crossed arms. Should he join the conversation or not? How would they react if he asked what he was curious about? There was much he wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

While he was glancing around to gauge the mood, Kim Myungja let out a clear laugh. Bringing up old stories, she smiled shyly.

“It was like that in the past, too. How are you exactly the same now as you were back then? Since everyone was frantic in those days, you must have had a hard time too, Siyoung. Still, thinking back now, those times were happy.”

When was the “those times” she was referring to? The period when the two worked together? When Hunters first appeared and monsters first showed up?

Suddenly, a scene from the television he saw at the hospital came to mind. The Gong Siyoung on the screen had a youthful face. At most around fifteen or sixteen years old, he protected people and defeated monsters with a youthful face.

Exactly how old did they say he was back then?

“Still, I was happy then…”

For someone discussing happiness, it was a somewhat bitter sentiment. Even at her words, Gong Siyoung just smiled. It seemed to be because he had nothing in particular to say.

It must have been hard to discuss happiness even as a lip service. Because even to Julian, who didn’t know the situation, he looked overwhelmed back then.

Kim Myungja quickly waved her hand. With a kind smile, she stood up from her seat.

“Oh, me. I’ve brought up useless talk and held up a busy person. Right, what did you come here for?”

“I intend to make Return Stones. That’s why I need your help, Teacher.”

“You mean Return Stones? You kept saying you’d make them, but you’re really going to make them now?”

Ultimately, this was the reason for the journey. There was no reason to hesitate now.

“An overlapping gate has occurred. It’s not certain how many Dungeons are overlapped inside. Based on what’s been revealed so far, a total of three or more have been confirmed. There are probably many more.”

Even the three known Dungeons couldn’t be considered perfectly cleared. Dungeons changed continuously, and monsters and environments were reset anew.

Instead of laying out that long, tedious story, Gong Siyoung explained succinctly.

“If there are no Return Stones, many Hunters will die. A lot of them.”

At the word “death,” Kim Myungja’s eyes sank coldly. Her mouth, which had lost both its kind smile and friendly laughter, hardened into an expressionless mask. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she blinked slowly.

“That’s… a strange thing. No one dies here. It’s safe here, Siyoung.”

She spread her arms as if to show him. Spin; she turned her body in a circle and pointed to the surroundings. Her skirt hem fluttered following the movement.

“It’s safe here. Everyone is happy and safe here. But dying? Just who is dying?”

Her smiling expression was exactly the same as a moment ago, without a single error. Feeling that he couldn’t take it anymore, Julian quickly approached Gong Siyoung’s side. He lightly tugged on Gong Siyoung’s collar. Julian moved his lips slightly.

“I was going to keep my mouth shut if possible? But that…”

Gong Siyoung exhaled a sigh as if he understood. He cut him off and moved Julian behind his back.

“Please wait a moment. Let me finish this first.”

Kim Myungja slowly lowered the hand she had stretched high toward the sky. Every time she blinked slowly, her expression changed.

To anyone’s eyes, she did not look normal, but Gong Siyoung was just as formidable. Without so much as a twitch of an eyebrow, he continued speaking.

“That’s why I’ve come to ask for your help, Teacher. If you help, we can protect more people. So they can safely escape the Dungeon alive. Your skill is absolutely necessary.”

“But Siyoung… you know. I’m worn out, and I’m very weak now. If I help you…”

“I know. This island will disappear.”

Kim Myungja nodded weakly.

“Yes. If I help you, this place will disappear too. Because this is a world I created.”