Chapter 142: A Seeping Fragment (4)
I was thoroughly sick of water by now, but the lake reflecting the snow-white mountains was beautiful. So, this place was…
“Switzerland, you say? So, you were abroad after all.”
“I wouldn’t say I lived there, more like I was traveling.”
“You lived quite leisurely, didn’t you.”
“It was a time when staying in one place for too long was dreadfully boring.”
I still hadn’t managed to extract any of Seong Hyunjae’s memories. More importantly, I couldn’t push myself any further. I could feel that forcing myself to continue would be dangerous. My body’s mana was already depleted, and there were likely other adverse effects as well.
‘When it was Diarma, I was fine, so I thought I’d be okay this time.’
But back then, it wasn’t me using the skill—it was Diarma. And during Iryn’s time, it had only been a calm conversation. I should have kept that in mind, but I got too caught up in the thought of being able to match Seong Hyunjae.
Still, I had gained something from this, so I needed to make the most of it.
“Are you not going to tell me before we leave?”
“Tell you what?”
“The thing you are hiding.”
“Well, which one? There’s more than just one or two.”
“The truth—not that trivial answer about future foresight.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke. Considering I had wielded the strength of twice S-grade stats and even used Black Blood Flame, it would’ve been impossible for him not to notice. Here in the mental world, one can only use abilities they know and have experienced. But the powers I had used didn’t exist in the present.
I had brushed it off with him earlier, saying, “It’s because I can see the future.” But even I thought that sounded strange. Not that I was about to explain further.
“There’s no reason for me to tell you.”
“I won’t remember it anyway.”
His voice was soothing, almost coaxing. The age gap between us was already significant, but his tone made it feel as though he viewed me as even younger.
“That makes me trust you even less. How do I know you’re not deceiving me?”
“If I were capable of remembering, do you think I would have left you alone like this? By now, I would have meticulously pried everything out of you.”
He wasn’t wrong. At the same time, I firmly resolved never to use a mental skill on Seong Hyunjae again. I’d foolishly assumed I could easily win, but I had been gravely mistaken. I had narrowly avoided having my own memories entirely picked apart.
“So this is purely a place of confession. It’s not good to keep things bottled up for too long.”
“You’re really acting kind all of a sudden. Your overwhelming warmth is bringing tears to my eyes.”
“I’ve always been kind.”
“Did you forget what happened just last night? Should I gift you some knitting supplies for dementia prevention?”
“I appreciate the thoughtfulness, but if it’s for my birthday, I’d prefer a finished product.”
Maybe I should knit him a 5-meter-long hot pink scarf.
Seong Hyunjae didn’t press me further and simply waited. A person who wouldn’t remember anything—it was oddly enticing. He’d listen well, and he’d even give thoughtful reactions. We could even discuss future plans.
‘The ungrateful brats told me not to talk about the regression, but if he doesn’t remember, it shouldn’t matter.’
Sitting on a rock, I turned my head to look up at Seong Hyunjae.
“It’s nothing special.”
He wouldn’t remember it anyway. And if I kept my mouth shut, he might try to force the truth out of me. In that case, it was better to speak first.
“I regressed. From five years in the future to the present, using an item.”
“I see.”
Seong Hyunjae responded as though I had just told him something completely ordinary. Like it was a common occurrence, happening about once a month. Thanks to that, the tightness in my throat from the tension loosened a little. I started speaking more casually, as if it were nothing.
“Don’t you have any questions? Like whether the Sesung Guild Leader was alive or dead? I’ll even generously answer one or two.”
At my words, a delicate light formed at the tips of his long fingers, moving precisely according to his will.
“Five years’ worth, I’d imagine.”
Was he talking about skill proficiency? Did that mean he assumed he was alive five years later?
“Well, you were alive. But you were missing.”
“That’s a little unexpected.”
“Before you disappeared, there were suspicions that you killed Chief Song Taewon.”
Seong Hyunjae tilted his head slightly at my probing look, as if asking whether he had really committed murder.
“I can’t think of any reason I would do that.”
“Maybe because he got in the way of you dismantling the Hunter Association?”
“It would be boring without an audience. And, more importantly, isn’t the Association too trivial to exchange for something like that?”
Trivial, he says. Then again, S-classes aren’t exactly as common as pebbles, so it wasn’t entirely wrong. Judging by the fact that he left the MKC and Sudam guild leaders alive, it seemed like he didn’t entirely disregard talented people, even if they weren’t on his side. …Though considering he didn’t seem to treat them as human beings, maybe I should omit the “people” part.
“Still, with that plunder skill of yours, it doesn’t seem completely unrelated.”
There’s no way someone in a healthy state of mind would just hand over their primary skill. Not to mention, I had no idea how he even acquired it. I had a few guesses, though.
“Why not ask Chief Song directly? See if he has any reasons to give you a skill and then die.”
“That sounds like a question that’ll get me choked again.”
He’d probably glare at me like I’d gone insane. Maybe I should ask just to see his reaction. I was curious.
“And other than that… if there’s nothing else you’re curious about, let’s head out. You won’t remember anything anyway.”
“Han Yujin.”
“Yes, and unlike now, I lived quite an uneventful life.”
Nothing worth mentioning. To him, my story would be dull at best. As I stood up from the rock, Seong Hyunjae finally spoke.
“Congratulations on reconciling with your brother.”
For a moment, my mind went blank, and I wasn’t sure how I felt. The silence that followed felt both long and short at the same time.
“…Your memory.”
“I don’t retain anything.”
“Then what, are you seriously trying to change careers to become a fortune teller or something?”
“If one were to have the chance to return to the past, wouldn’t it be natural to prioritize what they regretted the most? And those regrets are likely things they had been remorseful about in the future. Judging by the situation, Han Yujin’s regression seems to have occurred about two months ago, and it was around then that the distant relationship between you and your brother suddenly changed.”
I had no response to his steady string of observations. It was true that Yuhyun showed up just as I regressed, but even if he hadn’t, I would have immediately gone running to the Haeyeon Guild. I wouldn’t have been able to bear it otherwise without seeing him for myself.
What followed would’ve been more or less the same as it was now.
“Your extreme tendency to protect your brother, to the point of accepting anything he does…”
Seong Hyunjae trailed off and turned to look at me. It would’ve been nice if he kept his mouth shut. This time, he actually did, and for that, I was genuinely thankful.
“…I dragged you into this by regressing without your consent. Aren’t you resentful? You must’ve worked hard for those five years.”
“I do feel bad for my past self.”
He clicked his tongue in mock sympathy, his expression one of pity.
“Living such a boring life, listening to the nonsense of a foolish lizard. How could I have endured something like that?”
It’s the same person, you know. I wanted to erase my past self, who had even felt the tiniest bit guilty toward him. I thought he might regret losing those five years, but I hadn’t expected him to insult his own pre-regression self. Poor pre-regression Seong Hyunjae.
“Next time, let’s continue this conversation outside. I’d like to hear about it in more detail.”
“Keep dreaming.”
Like I’d actually tell you. If it weren’t for the fact you won’t remember this, I wouldn’t have told you even now—I’d have kept silent until… well, until I was torn apart, probably. Seriously, why is this guy so broken? I really thought I could win this time, but then his pre-regression combat memories started surfacing.
I thought doubling Yuhyun’s stats and buffing my attack skills would be enough, but Seong Hyunjae also had memories enhanced by buffs. Of course, that made sense. And judging by his absurdly powerful buffs, he was probably connected to either those ungrateful brats or the filial-duty-obsessed psychos, so the stat gap wasn’t significant either.
‘Then Yerim must also be ridiculously strong in mental spaces.’
Since she has memories from her Mermaid Queen skill. Why is it that Yuhyun doesn’t have anything like that? I need to give my brother something, too.
Grumbling internally, I released the skill. As Seong Hyunjae’s figure disappeared, my consciousness started to blur for a moment when—
A hand.
Someone grabbed my wrist. Then, an all-too-familiar voice followed.
“Hello, Han Yujin.”
Golden-tinged eyes narrowed at me. Wait a second. Are you telling me that guy leaves and this one enters? What the hell is going on here?
“This won’t do.”
Kang Soyeong stared firmly at the man standing before her. Haeyeon Guild’s Kim Minui. A B-rank support-class hunter. In contrast, Kang Soyeong was an A-rank combat-class hunter who held her own even without the benefit of the Dragon Rider skill.
So, naturally, Kim Minui should have been no match for Kang Soyeong. Her sharp glare should’ve made him cower like a mouse before a snake.
But Kang Soyeong felt the opposite. The cold gaze meeting hers was, if only slightly, unnerving. Did he possess some kind of special skill? It was hard to believe Han Yujin would rely on an ordinary B-rank hunter for company on outings, so that seemed likely. Or perhaps his actual rank was different.
“Please wait here. Didn’t you also receive a message from Han Yujin confirming that everything was fine?”
“It was just a text message. Anyone could’ve sent it if they took his phone.”
“Are you suggesting our Guild Leader is oppressing Han Yujin? That’s incredibly rude.”
“Can you say with absolute certainty, Kang Soyeong, that your Guild Leader wouldn’t harm him? Truly?”
The cold question left Kang Soyeong silent. She didn’t think her Guild Leader would harm Han Yujin. But if it became necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to act either.
“Well, even if he did, Guild Leader Seong Hyunjae isn’t the type to lie about it with a fake text message. He’d just openly admit it.”
That, at least, she could say with confidence.
“Instead of pretending to send a text from Han Yujin, he’d probably just say, ‘Come in if you’re worried, though it might take a while to talk.’”
“Then I’ll go in.”
“No, I meant it as reassurance that nothing has happened yet. So, no, you can’t.”
As the two continued their argument, a Sesung hunter approached them.
“That’s enough, Hunter Kim Minui. Please allow me to escort you to the reception room so you can wait comfortably.”
Kim Minui and Kang Soyeong didn’t even glance at the approaching hunter. Instead, Kim Minui took a step forward, facing Kang Soyeong, who was blocking his path. This movement prompted the Sesung hunter to act.
“I cannot allow any further disturbance. Please, excuse me.”
Just as the hunter’s hand was about to touch Han Yuhyun’s shoulder, their wrist was seized. With a sharp twist, Han Yuhyun yanked the hunter forward and used his other hand to grip the hunter’s neck.
“Urgh!”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The tightening grip on the hunter’s neck caused Kang Soyeong to panic. She lifted her leg to kick Han Yuhyun’s leg and bring him down, but before she could act, the hunter being held was forcibly pulled upward, blocking her kick.
Tap-tap. Kang Soyeong’s redirected kick landed harmlessly on the floor. Using her planted foot as a pivot, she spun in a full circle and aimed a knife-hand strike at the back of Han Yuhyun’s neck. However, by the time her hand reached, Han Yuhyun was no longer there.
Thud!
The thrown hunter rolled across the floor. Before she realized it, Han Yuhyun had already moved to stand where Kang Soyeong had been moments ago. He looked at her, now standing in his original position, and casually dusted his hands off as if nothing had happened. Their gazes met, and both were momentarily stunned by the sight.
“Just give me the portal key. You can even say I took it by force if you like.”
“Wait, excuse me—”
“If I ring the bell and they don’t open the door, I’ll turn back and leave quietly.”
Not likely. That was the immediate thought in Kang Soyeong’s mind as she bit her lower lip. Should she call for more reinforcements? But using force to restrain him wasn’t an option—Han Yujin complicated the situation. They seemed to have a close relationship, and upsetting Han Yujin’s mood wasn’t something she could risk lightly.
Frankly, for Kang Soyeong, maintaining a good relationship with Han Yujin was more important than her standing within the guild.
Besides, wouldn’t the Guild Leader, who had the authority to criticize her, also prioritize the latter? Most certainly.
“…I’ll try contacting the Guild Leader one more time.”
And if he doesn’t answer, well, I guess I’ll have to let him through. Kang Soyeong quickly pulled out her phone and made the call. This time, the previously unresponsive Seong Hyunjae finally picked up. After a brief explanation, permission to let him in was granted. Kang Soyeong let out a long sigh of relief.
“Here’s the mini portal key. Don’t forget to return it.”
She handed the key to Han Yuhyun and helped the hunter who was still dazed and sitting on the floor to their feet. The two of them silently watched Han Yuhyun as he strode off without hesitation.
“…No matter how you look at it, he doesn’t seem like a B-rank hunter.”
“Not at all, absolutely not.”
If that man was B-rank, and worse, a support-class, then they might as well demote themselves to C-rank.
‘Haeyeon’s Kim Minui.’
Where had someone like that suddenly appeared from? And why was he hiding his rank? Kang Soyeong tilted her head in confusion, unable to tear her gaze away from the hallway where he had disappeared.
–TL Notes–
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