Chapter 245: Alpha’s Memory (1)
The helicopter didn’t land near us, instead touching down at a considerable distance. It seemed they judged it too dangerous to approach recklessly after seeing the battlefield. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to get any closer either.
“Yuhyun, are you okay?”
I had just patched him up with potions, and now he had fresh wounds again. While there were no serious injuries, he couldn’t completely hide his exhaustion. After all, he had barely been released and was already brawling with an SS-rank guard—he should have been resting and eating well for several days. It would be stranger if he were perfectly fine.
“If I had dragged it out a bit longer, I could have taken him down for sure.”
Yuhyun allowed himself to be treated but still spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“He was poisoned, so time would’ve worked in your favor, but you weren’t in top condition either. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”
“That’s true, but after fighting up close a few times…”
Yuhyun lowered his voice as he continued.
“He seemed to lack combat experience. He was easier to handle than Sesung Guild Leader.”
“Huh? Experience? But Sigma awakened much earlier than you.”
Solemnise’s Sigma had been around for at least five years.
“You mean experience in fighting people?”
Moon Hyunah suddenly cut in.
“With how things are set up here, high-ranking guards—especially other SS-rank awakeners—would rarely have the chance to fight each other. They probably only fought monsters. He’s skilled enough considering that, though.”
That was likely due to Combat Precognition. It was an incredibly overpowered skill. But hearing that he lacked experience only made Sigma seem even more different from Seong Hyunjae. Well, they really were different people.
“By the way, Young Master, you probably didn’t collect many points, did you? I’ve saved up quite a bit myself. The shop has some good stuff.”
Moon Hyunah spoke with an excited expression. If nothing major happened outside, she said she’d prefer to take her time installing the disk and leaving later. She also mentioned it’d be nice to grab at least one SS-rank piece of equipment.
“You must’ve gotten over two million points just now since you took down two SS-rank monsters.”
“Huh? No way. SS-rank ones only give about six hundred thousand per kill, so I got around a million.”
“…What?”
But I had received over a million per kill. Even Yuhyun, when he defeated the snake, only got around four hundred thousand. What was going on? I had fought alongside Sigma, yet I received over a million per monster… Oh.
‘Miracle Rookie title!’
It was the title that doubled dungeon item rewards. But since there were no dungeons here and monsters just popped out directly, it must have applied to points instead. That meant the original SS-rank monster hunting reward was only around six hundred thousand.
‘Since I get double, and Sigma doesn’t receive any points because he’s considered part of my side… I’m getting all of it—’
A million per kill. That’s it! Not only do I get double points, but my shop has way more options… Oh, this, this—
‘If I hunt alongside Sigma, I can monopolize double points!’
My heart started racing. There were tons of monsters outside the city. I wanted to sweep them all up with my dear Sigma. If I just lightly injured them with a bomb and let Sigma finish them off, my points would explode—
“Sigma! Are you feeling alright?”
If he could just spare me three days—no more, no less. And I even had bait items! If we lured all the monsters in the area and wiped them out in one go… My lips were curling up on their own. Three days. In three days, I could rack up hundreds of millions in points, deck out the kids with SS-rank gear, grab new skills, and even get useful miscellaneous items!
“Do you need help detoxifying? You know, I have high poison resist—”
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
Just as I was about to approach Sigma, Yuhyun grabbed me. Yuhyun, I’m doing this for your sake too.
“I don’t want to waste a valuable detox item, so I need to convince him to sign the contract properly.”
“Can’t we just kill him? Hunter Moon Hyunah is here too.”
“He’s not that bad.”
Even though I reassured him, Yuhyun still looked unconvinced. Considering Sigma had immediately attacked me, demanding my body back, I understood why. But little brother, he’s very useful.
“Oh dear, you’re not looking too good. Lanchea’s healer will arrive soon, but in the meantime, would you like me to hold your hand?”
Sigma, who was treating his burns with potions, looked down at me with a cold expression. His equipment must’ve been high-quality, but it had taken significant damage. Especially his top—it had burned so much that I wasn’t sure if it could even be repaired. What a waste—SS-rank gear was valuable.
“What are you scheming now?”
“What do you mean ‘scheming’? Have I ever done anything bad to you? Compared to how you’ve treated me, I’ve been nothing but kind from start to finish. Let’s keep things friendly—just a slight contract revision.”
“There’s no need for revisions. Can’t we just talk here?”
“This is important. I’d prefer to speak privately, take some time to answer Sigma’s questions. No need to frown. Are you pouting? Come on, don’t act childish. You’re almost forty—act your age.”
Sigma’s expression twisted into one of clear displeasure.
“Do I really look that old?”
“No, on the outside, you still look youn… wait.”
Hold on.
How old was he?
I had assumed he was the same age as Seong Hyunjae, but now that I thought about it, he did seem a bit younger, like Moon Hyunah had said. His default expression was stiff, but if he relaxed a little, he might actually look quite young.
“…You’re over thirty, right?”
No response.
Wait.
No way.
“…You’re in your twenties? Seriously?”
“That’s what most people assume.”
Sigma spoke as if it were strange that I was so surprised. Uh, well, yeah, his face was definitely smooth and youthful. But, damn. Twenties. For real?
“I’m older than you!”
“…What?”
“I’m in my thirties!”
“That can’t be,” Sigma muttered in disbelief. Even Yuhyun, who had been standing close to me, widened his eyes.
“Hyung, your age—”
“Yuhyun, how many years older am I than you?”
“Five years.”
“And how old are you now?”
“Twenty—”
“Twenty-six. So that makes me thirty-one. Call me hyung, Sigma.”
“Pfft.”
Moon Hyunah, who had been watching with great amusement, finally burst into laughter. Meanwhile, both Sigma and Yuhyun’s expressions twisted into deep frowns. Well, if you don’t want to, fine. But I really was in my thirties. The fact that someone who looked like Seong Hyunjae was younger than me didn’t even feel that bad.
Yeah, considering the circumstances here, it made sense that a young guy might have grown up a little rough.
“Let’s revise the contract first. Look, we both need some rest, so let’s meet tomorrow afternoon and discuss things properly. That’s fair, right? No running away like before—you have to actually listen this time. In exchange for answering three more of your questions, I’ll remove Alpha from the conditions. You probably have a lot you want to ask, so just accept it, Sigma.”
And while I was at it, I’d sweet-talk him into hunting monsters with me. My dear, beloved points shuttle. Just spare me three days, that’s all.
Sigma stared at me for a moment before agreeing to the contract revisions.
Right on cue, Lanchea’s healer arrived, along with their guards—and even the Solemnise guards. The Solemnise guards watched us warily as they tended to their leader. Their gazes toward me, in particular, were less than friendly.
Yeah, I may have caused a bit of a mess, but I swear I’m not a bad person. Really.
When we returned to the Achates Defense Bureau, the chaotic atmosphere had settled significantly.
Most of the upper ranks and guards had been arrested. Among the five S-rank guards, Bitera’s sister had suffered serious injuries in her battle against her. She was captured, while one of the remaining four was also taken by the Lanchea guards. However, three of them had disappeared.
A formal search would begin at dawn, but there was a high chance they had already fled outside the city.
“With more S-rank guards on our side, they won’t be able to act rashly.”
Bitera said with a smile. She didn’t seem to know that Gnos had been planning to kill me. The guards who had been with him, including Gnos himself, were still unconscious. I’d have to clear up the misunderstanding once they woke up.
“We were only watching the situation because of Alpha, but I never expected things to turn out this well.”
The resistance that had allied with Lanchea actually had four S-rank guards. Including Bitera, that made five. It wasn’t a small number, but compared to the Defense Bureau, it was only half, and with Alpha, an SS-rank, against them, all they could do was focus on smuggling children out.
They had been waiting, hoping that eventually, a child with SS-rank potential would appear.
She thanked me sincerely, but her words only left me feeling frustrated. In the real world…
I forced myself not to dwell on it too much, responded lightly, and excused myself.
Moon Hyunah looked like she wanted to say something, but I used fatigue as an excuse and went up to the guest rooms with Yuhyun. Honestly, I was exhausted. I hadn’t had a proper rest in ages.
“Don’t think about anything, Yuhyun. Just rest.”
Ignoring the glares of the Lanchea guards, we claimed the two top-tier suites in the building.
What? Why are you looking at me like that? My brother is an SS-rank guard too. This was Achates, for crying out loud. If anything, he should be the most respected person here.
Honestly, I felt like suing the Defense Bureau for the way they had treated him.
“For now, you need to eat something. Hold on, I’ll have them bring food right away.”
“…I don’t want to eat.”
“Huh? Why? You’re not hungry?”
As I spoke, I suddenly realized—ah.
The regular staff in the dining area were still the same. It was understandable that Yuhyun would feel uncomfortable. We couldn’t just replace everyone immediately, since it would completely cripple the Bureau.
But I still had to make sure he ate.
“There’s a kitchen here. I’ll cook some simple porridge for you. Go wash up. Want me to help wash your hair for the first time in a while?”
“You’re tired too.”
“Thanks to my C-rank stats, even when I’m tired, I’m still way better off than my old F-rank self. Man, I hope I can keep these stats when I go back.”
Laughing, I shoved my little brother into the bathroom.
Seriously, if I could bring my stats back with me, that would be amazing. Even just C-rank made a world of difference. Raising the kids would be so much easier.
The large kitchen was fully stocked with all sorts of ingredients.
But when it came to actually cooking, I wasn’t sure where to start. Porridge? Or maybe a soup or stew instead? How should I prepare it?
Just as I was contemplating—
[★ Let’s Cook Together! ☆]
“…What? This place has cooking quests too?”
A quest window popped up, offering assistance.
[Fill the pot hanging on the right wall with about one-third water~ Take out the meat from the second shelf of the fridge. The first shelf has vegetables, too. First, chop the meat into small pieces to complete the first mission! ^∇^
Reward: A recipe book with helpful pictures & a special apron for your partner.]
Continuation. You are to translate THIS text, do not add anything that was previously translated to it. Don’t add the Title either.
How considerate of them.
But knowing someone was watching made me feel oddly self-conscious. I followed the instructions, chopped the meat, and received my reward. The recipe book was useful, but the apron… Why was it hot pink? Was this revenge?
I tried to avoid wearing it, but the next quest required me to put it on in order to unlock the next set of cooking instructions.
Damn Seong Hyunjae. He was definitely getting back at me for throwing that hot pink yarn ball at him on his birthday. Petty, as always.
Under the guidance of a certain presence that felt like it was standing right behind me, I somehow managed to make a decent-looking stew.
Why was he even good at cooking?
[Enjoy your meal!
Taking care of your family is important. But you must also take care of yourself! With a spoonful of your partner’s love, finish a full serving just for you! ♡
Reward: 10,000P, Hand-knitted Hot Pink Wool Gloves]
Why did the quest messages keep getting cheesier?
I was starting to get curious about the person who designed this system.
And what the hell were hot pink wool gloves? Just give me the points.
I set the table and called my brother, who had finished washing up. Fortunately, Yuhyun ate an entire bowl of stew.
With his stomach full, a yawn naturally escaped him.
With my brother safe and everything calming down, I could feel sleep creeping in fast.
–—
“Do you think I can take Alpha’s skills back with me? He didn’t have many compared to his awakening rank, but a few were pretty useful.”
Lying side by side on the bed, Yuhyun asked quietly.
“It won’t be easy. But if you get used to the feel of them, it’s not impossible. Anything you like in the points shop?”
“There’s a lot of good stuff, but I don’t have enough points.”
“You can just save up, so don’t worry and start picking what you want.”
Even if I had to squeeze Sigma dry or wring every last point out of the system’s fluffy yarn ball, I’d buy it for him.
“First, we need to find Yerim, Peace, and Noah. Luckily, Hyunah has an idea of where the first two are. Once we finish setting up the disk and Rookie passes on the strategy guide, we can grind points like crazy depending on the situation.”
Once I contacted Rookie, I planned to ask how much time had passed and see if they could slow time down as much as possible on their end.
Nothing should be happening outside anyway.
I had already told them I was monitoring potential tamed monsters, so even if they took a few days to clear the next phase, it wouldn’t seem strange.
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“You said this world… actually existed before, right?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how long ago, but it was a world that disappeared in the past.”
“So everything that happened here… really happened?”
“It did. But don’t let it get to you too much. We’ll be fine.”
Yuhyun fell silent.
Even though my brother had known about our world’s impending doom long before I did, actually seeing a real, vanished world seemed to weigh heavily on him.
I wondered how Yerim and Noah were holding up.
‘Yeah, I need to gather as much information as possible while I can.’
Partner, I’m counting on you. Please dig through the system thoroughly.
Sleep was already right at my throat, and before I knew it, my eyes drifted shut and my consciousness faded.
–—
When I woke up—
“…Yuhyun?”
My brother was gone.
Only the faint imprint of where he had been lying remained on the bed.
Since he had cut off all the imprint connections and fully recovered, there shouldn’t be any danger, but—
Where did he go without saying anything?
As soon as I got out of bed, a quest message flashed as if it had been waiting for me.
[Morning Exercise is on the Rooftop!]
At least he hadn’t gone far.
If he was on the roof, then Seong Hyunjae had probably seen him within a hundred-meter range.
That guy is surprisingly useful.
I threw on some clothes and headed for the rooftop.
–TL Notes–
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