novelraw Chapter 258 : Chapter 258
Chapter 258 : Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Hunt
I stared blankly at the sleeping Han So-hee.
Her hair, falling as she lay on her side, clung to her lips.
I used my fingertip to gently peel the hair away, then let out a light sigh.
Normally, I would have left the bed for her, but not tonight.
She had shown her own resolve and confessed to me like that.
If I were gone the moment she opened her eyes, she'd be upset, and that was that.
More than anything.
My gaze drifted downward.
Seeing her two hands firmly grasping mine, as if determined not to let go even in her sleep, I couldn't even think about leaving this place.
I chuckled lightly, then leaned my head forward and gently tapped her forehead with a kong—.
"Mmm."
She frowned, twisting her body slightly.
I smiled faintly and quietly closed my eyes as well.
But I couldn't fall asleep yet.
I opened one eye again and looked toward the door.
"Is there no privacy in my room?"
At my words, Ji-an peeked her head in and carefully gauged my reaction.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes."
She hesitated, then quickly shuffled over to the side of my bed.
She crouched down, resting both hands on the bed, and met my eyes.
"You heard all of it?"
At my question, she nodded silently.
Thinking about it, it was natural.
This vine was originally created by Ji-an's Trait.
The current situation wasn't solely So-hee's will; Ji-an's help was involved, too.
"The whispering you two did after dinner, was it about this?"
"That's right, well."
"......It's a little unexpected."
I honestly shared my thoughts.
While the two of them were usually on good terms, that was only for daily life.
At least when I was in the middle, Ji-an would immediately turn resentful.
When it came to me, there was no compromise.
"I thought you wouldn't stand by and watch, much less help."
"What could I do?"
Ji-an pouted her lips.
"She suddenly said she was going crazy because she liked me, Uncle. That she was going to confess or pounce on you right now, today. Cooperate with her. —She said it just like that."
Ji-an shivered slightly, recalling that moment.
Clearly, the look in So-hee's eyes at that time was completely out of it.
No one wouldn't be intimidated by those burning eyes, which were impossible to distinguish between madness and affection.
"So you helped her?"
Ji-an inhaled sharply for a moment. She twirled her hair with her index finger and let out a dry laugh.
"Of course not. If anyone else had asked, I would have ignored them, but......"
For example, Choi Da-yeon, or Da-yeon, or the Swordmaster's daughter....... I knew that her affection for me, Ho-cheol, was also excessive.
But there was absolutely no intention of conceding to her.
Ji-an finally shifted her gaze to look at So-hee.
She was wearing a bright smile, as if dreaming a happy dream.
"I, among others, will not allow......"
Ji-an had also longed for me for nearly 10 years.
For him, she wouldn't hesitate to risk her life, or even turn the world into her enemy.
There was no doubt or wavering in this feeling.
I thought my affection and love for him were second to none.
But precisely because of that.
I thought So-hee, who wavered, agonized, and finally gave an honest answer to her heart after doubting it several times, was amazing.
"If it's this So-hee, well, I don't intend to give up the #1 spot, but I think a joint #1 is acceptable."
Although I didn't show it outwardly, the surprise I was feeling right now was impossible to express in just a few words.
Ji-an's choice.
That wasn't just a simple concession, or allowing someone to be by my side.
"Even if it's not as much as you, Mister, I like her much more than anyone else."
"I'm a little touched. You're admirable."
"Really?"
Ji-an, who even bit her tongue, openly licked her lips with her tongue and slowly climbed into the bed.
"Then me too!"
Takt—!
Before she could pounce on me, I had already curled my index finger and flicked her forehead.
"Ack!"
"You're still a kid. You shouldn't do that."
I strictly admonished Ji-an, who was clutching her forehead.
Not a chance until she graduated.
"Ugh....... Then at least just sleeping together, how about that? Honestly, isn't it pitiful for me to sleep alone?"
Ji-an tried to look as pitiful as possible, widening her eyes.
"......Haa."
I sighed audibly, shifted my body slightly, and made room on the bed.
Ji-an let out a small cheer and climbed onto the bed.
A small bed for two now had three people.
Naturally, our bodies had to be pressed close together.
Ji-an curled up like a cat and stuck fast to my side.
Ji-an soon fell asleep.
I, too, finally closed my eyes.
The breaths and warmth were felt both front and back.
Even the sound of my heartbeat was vividly audible.
It was an uncomfortable, but not entirely bad night.
***
A few days passed, and the day of the monster hunt arrived.
I looked in the mirror.
My condition was in peak form, the injuries sustained in the fight with Yu-hwa had all healed, and my physical condition was optimal.
The newly evolved Trait was still a little hard to control, but I definitely had a better sense of it than when it first awakened.
Also, where this power should be used.
Click—
My preparations after that were brief.
I hung the Purple Crystal Sword on my waist and firmly secured Smiley's Peacemaker on my back.
Originally, I intended to bury it with Yu-hwa as a memento, but as if anticipating this, her last letter requested that it be used with me.
Although a sword was my main weapon, it didn't mean I couldn't use the staff at all.
Moreover, I hadn't seen a weapon as excellent as this one.
After packing a few reserve weapons and tools on my waist, I stepped out of the room.
I flinched for a moment when I saw So-hee standing by the door.
But I quickly regained my composure and spoke.
"I'll be back."
Strangely, I found it difficult to meet her gaze as I said that.
The confession wasn't the issue.
Separate from the confession, I was forced to read aloud the will I had written down previously in front of her.
Wasn't a will something you wrote for a situation where you wouldn't be around?
Naturally, it contained a fair amount of my true feelings that I had only kept to myself, and revealing that while alive was quite.
No, it was very embarrassing.
"Ah, yes. Be careful."
So-hee also couldn't meet my eyes as she replied.
There are no secrets between us!
—Even So-hee, who made me read the will aloud, couldn't help but be embarrassed because she hadn't expected such cringeworthy words to come out.
"......Tsk."
Only Ji-an, who had likewise finished her preparations next to us, let out a sound of disbelief.
Of course, I had no intention of dragging Ji-an into the fight.
She was merely an auxiliary, preventing potential civilian casualties from the rear.
In fact, most of the heroes mobilized for this mission were for that purpose.
No matter that I was a villain or whatever, the Association had no choice but to prioritize the extermination of that monster.
The Gate we arrived at with Ji-an.
The faraway violet space shimmered like a mirage.
And a tent was set up far away from it.
This was the operation headquarters for today's monster hunt.
For a headquarters, it was just a small tent with a few heroes and about a dozen Hunters.
It was learned that the Gate connected to the Giant-type Monster had a total of three entrances.
Since not even one Gate could be managed carelessly, personnel were distributed, and the rest of the people were on standby at the entrances of the other two Gates.
The people gathered here were at least A-rank.
Some were comparable to S-rank.
And there was even the Swordmaster, sitting alone on a log, cleaning his sword.
This was a force that would require me to suffer a considerable loss of blood if I were to fight them all.
Of course, not all of them would enter the Gate and fight that monster.
Including Slasher, who was hiding somewhere nearby.
Only three of us would enter the Gate directly: me, the Swordmaster, and Slasher.
I casually opened a wooden box piled up nearby.
It was packed with the weapons I requested.
There were dozens of such boxes.
The other locations were the same.
And more than anything.
My gaze turned behind me.
That was the core.
As I was looking at the weapons behind me, the Swordmaster noticed me and approached.
Ji-an noticed the Swordmaster, quickly hid behind me, and glared with a wary look.
It had been less than half a year since she tried to kidnap the Swordmaster's daughter, Da-yeon.
It would be very troublesome if there were bad feelings.
Of course, the Swordmaster showed no interest in her and simply spoke to me.
"Truly remarkable. To gather so many heroes and Hunters. And......"
His gaze went behind me.
He knew my financial resources were considerable.
He was a top hero, after all.
A villain would earn several times more.
However, the weapons I procured now were not the kind that could be obtained just by having a lot of money or cooperation from the Association.
"You couldn't even get these with money."
Even the Swordmaster couldn't have acquired these weapons.
"Well, I have some connections."
I received full support from [The Top], one of the major corporations in the Battleground.
Of course, I paid the full price for everything, but they were all items that couldn't even be bought with money in the first place.
"Plus, the government somehow gave me permission."
In fact, I hadn't even considered these weapons.
I didn't even know the Hunters had such weapons in the first place.
However, these weapons would clearly be a great help to my plan.
After a short conversation, I looked over the Swordmaster's shoulder to the back.
"You didn't bring the kids, did you?"
Da-yeon and Ye-jin were not visible.
Still, just in case, I asked, and the answer I expected came back.
"No. This is just a simple hunt, there's nothing for those who will become heroes to learn."
While the other heroes came for hero work, the Swordmaster did not.
He came to hunt the monster purely at my request, not the Association's.
"That's a relief."
Woong—
Feeling a vibration in my pocket, I took out my phone and checked it.
A message came that all other locations had also assembled and completed preparations.
The two places other than this one.
Seong Se-ah was at one, and I was introduced to an unfamiliar Hunter at the other.
Since she recommended them, they should do well.
I clapped my hands lightly.
Everyone's gaze turned to me.
"Looks like everyone's gathered here, too. Let's get ready."
A briefing was conducted under the leadership of the operator who came from the Association.
Compared to the assembled force and the investment cost, the plan was neither complicated nor difficult.
After the briefing ended.
I connected the communication simultaneously with the other two locations.
"A is ready. Setup is complete."
[B is done. Just waiting for the signal.]
[This is C area. Briefing complete, weapons are ready.]
I lightly tapped the table with my fingertip.
"Any more waiting or testing needed? Let's just smash it."
[Got it!]
[Confirmed.]
The communication was cut, and the weapons began to move.
Just the movement and aiming caused a deafening roar.
Kugugugung—
I chuckled wryly, looking at the weapons aiming at the Gate.
"I never thought I'd be setting off fireworks at this age."
Of course, they weren't real fireworks.
Weapons that impressed even me and the Swordmaster.
The Gate Collapse Missiles precisely aimed at the inside of the Gate.
Although, unlike a real missile, their physical destructive power was almost nonexistent, their might when dealing with a Gate and a monster was definitely not an exaggeration of the term 'missile.'
A bright red flame erupted from the tip of the missile.
"That's unexpected. You weren't the type to enjoy using this kind of tool."
The Swordmaster stroked his chin, recalling me during my villain days.
I responded casually.
"If it were a person I was fighting, I wouldn't go this far. That's a fight. But this is a monster, after all. Just a slightly strong beast."
Kwaaaang—!
I snickered, watching the tail of the missile launched into the Gate.
"Who cares about that when hunting?"
Inside the Gate, a massive roar and the ground trembling were felt from far away.
They were so dismissive of people.
Let them have a taste.