Chapter 65

 

“What are you buying?”

 

“I don’t know. Don’t bother following me if you’re going to talk nonsense.”

 

“So cold.”

 

It was a road that blocked the start of an argument and headed towards Wolgye Bridge. As soon as we entered the main road, several sirens sounded as cars passed by in a line. It wasn’t the first time I had seen a few cars pass by like this before, but as the endless stream continued, naturally, my attention was drawn there. The cars were headed towards the area near Wolgye Bridge, where there was a mountain. 

 

Now that I think about it, smoke was rising from the mountain, and there were helicopters hovering. I approached the people murmuring nearby and asked.

 

“What’s going on over there?”

 

“Ack, you scared me! Why are you acting so strange?”

 

“Personal reasons.”

 

The woman, who had been strangely glancing at me and Seong San-ha, folded her arms and shook her head.

 

“We don’t know either. It’s near the dungeon, and they said the Center for Awakeners are coming there today.”

 

“Center for Awakeners? Espers?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

The women looked at me strangely until the end and then left the place, avoiding me. Is there a national-owned dungeon nearby? Could Han Seo-jin be there? 

 

I glanced at Seong San-ha without realizing it. If I knew it would seem like I was seeking permission, I would never have done that!

 

Seong San-ha, who was observing from behind with his arms crossed, let out a sigh.

 

“It’s impressive for you to think about asking for permission in advance, but of course not. Do you know what position you’re in?”

 

“Permission for what! Besides, I’m just going to observe from a distance. I don’t intend to get any closer.”

 

“Suddenly missing the Center? Seems like there’s a sentimental side to you.”

 

“Miss them, my foot. I’m just curious if those guys are still alive.”

 

Although I had already decided to go in my head, the problem was what to do if that bastard interfered. If only it wasn’t for that annoying “come here”!

 

After staring at me for a while, Seong San-ha chuckled and shook his head.

 

“It’s not a good dating spot.”

 

***

 

As I climbed up the mountain not too high, I looked down and saw a gate shimmering in blue light. And in front of it, I spotted a familiar back of the head. I could tell who it was just by looking at his back. It’s Han Seo-jin!

 

Next to Han Seo-jin was the tough friend I had seen before. It was strange that he was with him instead of with the Raven team.

 

As I tried to get closer by grabbing a tree, Seong San-ha grabbed my robe from behind.

 

“Be careful. If you go any further, you’ll be caught.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Although I couldn’t see the situation accurately from a distance, the Esper teams were in a confrontation with a group of hunters. The atmosphere of yelling back and forth seemed much more serious than what I experienced before. I had heard from Han Seo-jin that the external teams often faced friction and consisted of strong Espers, but since this wasn’t a national-owned dungeon, the hunters seemed to be more daring.

 

When a hunter who was throwing things and causing trouble responded aggressively to the Esper team’s reaction, Park Mu-il was about to rush forward. Han Seo-jin grabbed Park Mu-il’s shoulder to stop him and stepped forward instead. Seeing that, I also unconsciously reached out.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Han Seo-jin, who barely thinks about it when he’s on offense, would come forward and probably do nothing.

 

Contrary to my concerns, Han Seo-jin grabbed Hunter’s face with his bare hands. Surprisingly, the hunter, momentarily taken aback, kneeled without resistance like a doll, and Han Seo-jin immediately kicked him in the shoulder.

 

“Whoa….”

 

The force of holding onto the tree increased due to the surprising and aggressive action of Han Seo-jin, to the point where my hand gripping the tree felt strained. The hunters couldn’t easily rush forward and were cautiously avoiding Han Seo-jin.

 

Seong San-ha, who approached from the side, looked in the same direction and asked, “Do you recognize anyone from the special forces?”

 

“Special forces? Oh, you mean the external team?”

 

“Do they call it that in the Center? Park Mu-il’s Esper team is one of the most aggressive teams known at the Center. They are known for their pure-blood supremacy and elite members, so it’s not a place our puppy would get involved in.”

 

Ignoring Seong San-ha’s gaze that seemed to say “You’re just a Class C,” I nodded and said, “Yeah. It doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”

 

Was Han Seo-jin transferred to the external team…? I don’t know the details, but it was nice to see him after so long, even from a distance. Since I saw that he was doing well, it was enough, and as we turned to leave, there was a cracking sound and the ground beneath us shook. It was because an attack, unable to be restrained any longer, had been wrongly directed towards us, affecting the area where we were.

 

Seong San-ha quickly reached out his hand. Grabbing my arm, which was about to slide down the dirt being swept away, he looked towards the gate and muttered curses.

 

Staring blankly at the scene where the trees below fell and the ground that had stood just moments ago had collapsed, I murmured, “Thank you.”

 

“I’ve been thinking since last time….”

 

Seong San-ha reached out and flicked my hood, which had come loose.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to get an item instead of this?”

 

“I was already planning to get one.”

 

“Want me to give you one?”

 

“….I don’t need it. I already have one shitty thing hanging around. Why would I accept what you give me?”

 

Seong San-ha shrugged his shoulders, pulled his hood back over his head, and turned away.

 

We headed back to our original destination, Wolgye Naru. There wasn’t any specific purpose in mind. I just browsed through the materials sold by the merchants and pondered what kind of S-rank potion I should make. 

 

Seong San-ha, surprisingly, didn’t bother me and simply stood by my side with his arms crossed. Without unnecessary conversation, I could comfortably contemplate quests and potions as I wandered around.

 

‘What should I make?’

 

While I had received commissions before, I had never thought about the grade of the potion beforehand while making it. Although there was a higher chance of getting a good grade for rare and difficult-to-make potions, it wasn’t always the case. But perhaps because I had just seen Han Seo-jin, one thing immediately came to mind.

 

‘Is there a guiding potion after all? Fortunately, since Joo Ho-hyun himself is a guide, we have a model to compare with, but the problem is that there are no Espers to experiment with. Ah! If I could make good use of that measuring device, maybe I could come up with some method?’

 

As I pondered, a scene that greatly disturbed me caught my eye.

 

“This is… maybe they’re picking herbs? Shouldn’t we stop them?”

 

“Do you think so?”

 

“Maybe?”

 

“Should we stop them?”

 

It felt like watching Baek Da-in on the first day all over again. Unable to resist, I ran towards the scene of complete novices trying to roast the petals of the Asbomora flower in a furnace.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Who are you?”

 

As I approached closer, the situation became even more absurd. The guy who had turned his back on me was carefully putting fresh Navar powder into a storage jar.

 

“What are you trying to buy?”

 

“Welcome, customer.”

 

“How are you taking care of the ingredients? You’re supposed to sell Navar powder in this state and soak the Asbomora flower petals in the preservative! Are you friends with Baek Da-in?”

 

“Who’s that…”

 

As I pointed out each mistake, a passing customer seemed to think I was a material merchant and asked me. Frustrated, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. How could gatherers not know how to manage materials! Yet, there were still occasional customers. Our workshop had never had customers until now!

 

After setting everything right, I brushed off my hands and glared at the woman and man.

 

“Do some studying.”

 

“In fact, we have separate main jobs, and this is just a hobby… We didn’t know much. We could have wasted precious materials. Thank you.”

 

“I’m leaving.”

 

It was annoying enough that they had customers even though it was just a hobby.

 

I had come to scold those idiots, but suddenly my hands were filled with materials I hadn’t even thought of buying. Seong San-ha, who had been watching from a distance, shook his head with his tongue pressed against his cheek.

 

“They say people like you are easy targets.”

 

“I bought them for research materials.”

 

“Now that we’re done here, let’s go to the workshop.”

 

“Don’t talk as if you’re the owner.”

 

With my hands full, we couldn’t look around Wolgye Naru anymore. As we moved our feet, someone called us from behind.

 

“Excuse me, excuse me! Just a moment!”

 

“Why? I’m not buying anything else.”

 

“No, that’s not it. I actually brew alcohol as a hobby, so please take a bottle.”

 

“Alcohol?”

 

As I accepted the bottle he offered, I saw some suspicious contents inside.

 

“Are you crazy? Are you telling me your hobby is… brewing alcohol with these materials?”

 

“Haha… Well, think of it as a modest hobby. It’s not as elaborate as potions, but wouldn’t it be nice to take care of your health while drinking? It’s invigorating, it boosts vitality, and besides, imagine how sluggish your body would become… Anyway, it’s a gift, so please try it once and if you like it…Alright? We’re always here.”

 

The man winked and gestured towards where we were standing before, then quickly disappeared. As I stared in bewilderment at his retreating figure, I felt Seong San-ha’s steady gaze beside me. I offered him the bottle of alcohol and said,

 

“Do you want it?”

 

“It seems like you’re not good with alcohol.”

 

“It’s not that. It’s just strange. Alcohol as an item.”

 

I had never heard of such a thing before. Seong San-ha nodded as he examined the contents of the bottle closely.

 

“It’s not that I can’t drink it. Want to have some together?”

 

Who said I’d drink with you? I distinctly remember thinking that way, yet…

 

‘Why am I sitting here with this guy?’