READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 276: Value is Something That Comes and Goes
It became clear what that Earthling had misunderstood.
Moreover, it seemed like the abductors had brought up related topics, perhaps to support their speculation about alien creatures.
“By the way, I’m surprised.”
Kang Chang-ho began to explain using his own experiences.
“From what I’ve seen… how about you guys? Hmm, right. You guys didn’t really show those kinds of behaviors. You were just eager to kill whenever you saw a person.”
Seeing him refer to them as “you guys” with such a careless term indicated that he hadn’t really settled on a name for those bugs in his mind.
“Oh dear, after releasing all those monsters, now you’re talking about saving lives….”
The more the conversation progressed, the clearer the truth became.
Kang Chang-ho had been repeatedly voicing complaints about the Gate, suggesting that he might think of me as the creator of that cosmic straw, wouldn’t he?
“What the….”
Additionally, it was highly likely that Kang Chang-ho had encountered the Ki-simche during the [Possession] phase and had noticed their existence.
If he had met them in their basic or descended states, that would have been the end of him.
“Ki-simche that have settled onto a person’s consciousness tend to want to kill nearby planetary beings at every opportunity, so if he met a possessed body as he said, it would make perfect sense for him to reject those alien bugs without question.”
My body was gradually getting stiff, and I shifted my butt a bit.
But at that moment, because of that slight movement, a magic tool resembling a ribbon reacted, filling the gap between the chair and my lower body perfectly. As a result, my posture became even more uncomfortable.
However, Kang Chang-ho’s words weren’t finished yet. Therefore…
“The behavior of giving up on escaping and pressing the doorbell is interesting, but sorry, but this alone can’t clear Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo of suspicion.”
I put my complaints about my posture aside and listened for a moment.
“There are just too many suspicious points beyond that.”
The idea that I might be confused with Ki-simche because we had so many similarities…
“Hmm.”
Honestly, it was a subject I had never considered, but as I silently listened to Kang Chang-ho’s claims, it started to sound somewhat plausible.
1. Almost absolute immunity to psychic magic. (Cannot be attacked unless it’s magic of Alphauri level.)
First of all, since they were creatures that steal others’ bodies, they had an excellent ability to preserve their own identity.
2. Extremely sensitive to magic power flow.
In this world, the stronger the hunter, the more that ability tends to increase, but it was strange for one person to consistently detect multiple elements that others wouldn’t notice.
Thus, Kang Chang-ho suggested that this phenomenon could be interpreted as the various side effects caused by some superior monster capable of creating Gates.
Ki-simche.
While they were somewhat behind modern Alphauri, their overall evolutionary state was definitely superior to that of Earthlings.
“The extent to which they adapt to mana and their ability to manipulate it cannot be compared to those mammals in this place.”
Therefore, the Ki-simche had several characteristic advantages, as Kang Chang-ho mentioned.
Unfortunately, this caused complications as it was very similar to the Great Mage spirit that had taken over some poor soul’s body in a studio room.
“That guy might certainly think so.”
Ki-simche. To think that I would be mistaken for such a bug-like species.
A sense of displeasure swelled up, similar to how modern humans felt when told they looked like zoo primates.
But I swallowed that emotion to focus on gathering information.
The abductor was still talking.
“And the reason I chose Gates as a shocking gift was to check the limits of your cognitive ability regarding magic power.”
“….”
“But the result was far beyond my imagination. I mean, to wake up and notice it right before a dungeon fissure properly opens… isn’t that a bit much?”
In conclusion, someone’s excessive competence had become a problem.
“Seriously, that’s a talent that just doesn’t seem human. Hm. I’m jealous.”
Kang Chang-ho praised—or at least it felt like praise—as he slightly shifted his posture.
He put one thumb in his pants pocket, continuing the conversation.
“Moreover, I also obtained testimonies related to this topic….”
However, I never expected such a bombshell declaration to come out of that calm tone.
“Wait a second. Testimony?”
Hack cough.
I immediately coughed.
Fortunately, the phlegm that had hardened in my throat had already been spat out once, so I didn’t end up spewing any bodily fluids.
“Yeah. Testimony.”
What followed was equally shocking.
“I actually met our Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter’s mother not long ago.”
“Gah!”
“And what did that lady say back then? She used words I hadn’t heard before, as if her son had recently changed into a completely different person….”
Lee Hwa-young’s sudden intrusion.
In this whirlpool of bad luck, to think the original family of the body I had forgotten about would show up.
Kang Chang-ho continued, questioning the credibility of such evidence and driving me to a wall with a few more words, but I was half out of my mind and missed most of it.
“Do you really think a parent wouldn’t know if their child changed?”
No f*ing way. Come on, I clearly didn’t recognize anything last time…
Suddenly, I felt a pang of unjust frustration. How could I end up cornered again by the family of the body I’d forgotten?
“So, a person… said such testimony to you…?”
I asked in disbelief.
“Oh dear, even if she’s not his real mother, if you’re borrowing Kim Gi-ryeo’s identity, you should pay attention to that lady’s title.”
Kang Chang-ho scolded my reference to Kim Gi-ryeo’s family as “that person,” but he didn’t seem to mean it since his expression shifted to one of indifference.
“Anyway, to answer your question, once again, I received testimony from that person, and I recorded the situation clearly.”
The subsequent explanation was concise enough to be summed up quickly.
Ms. Lee Hwa-young, that gene carrier, ultimately ignored the last warning from the aliens.
It seemed she attempted to contact the media for money and ended up meeting Kang Chang-ho in the process.
“So if Kim Gi-ryeo takes even one step out of here, an article related to the voice recording will be published immediately, so don’t pull any foolish stunts….”
Just as the abductor seemed poised to launch into threats, I drifted into another train of thought.
‘I reflected the will of the body owner and even gave a chance!’
Why is it that every time I show mercy, nine out of ten betray me?
‘How dare they.’
Rage began to swell at the news of someone breaking a promise.
My mind was consumed by the thought that Hwa-young had crossed the line.
As time passed, the intensity of that emotion gradually diluted, but by that point, a different kind of motivation began to well up.
‘Damn it.’
With no proper countermeasures for the abduction, my survival probability was practically zero.
However, despite that, I began to fervently consider my escape plan once again.
The one who ignored the high mage’s warning was living large, so out of pride, I couldn’t afford to just let it all go.
My plans shifted.
Originally, I had intended to ruin the opponent’s enhancement heart with self-sacrifice, but now…
To keep the promise I had made to Lee Hwa-young, I had to think of a way to survive and return.
‘Those inferior primitive bastards. I swear I will exact my vengeance somehow.’
No matter how you slice it, as long as I end up in Seoul, that’s all that matters.
If enhancing hearts or vengeful spirits become the driving force of my life, that’s great.
‘How can I stop that insane abductor’s actions?’
I quietly turned my head, thinking.
As a result, I began to make a statement.
“Wait a moment….”
I had to make a judgment in that short time.
The first thing I needed to do here was to prove that I wasn’t a Ki-simche.
That was urgent.
Despite how Kang Chang-ho appeared, he was actually a patriot who stayed active in the domestic market of South Korea, hardly ever traveling abroad.
No matter how alien he was, I knew that now.
The reason that primitive sorcerer from the enhancement line was in a stand-off with me was that, in reality, the theory of Ki-simche possession was likely a bigger reason than the scam of a ten-year contract.
“Excuse me…. Hunter Kang.”
I began to clarify.
“I want to, well, explain something….”
“Using honorifics now.”
“Right now, Hunter, you have a very big… misunderstanding….”
“With that nail stuck in your throat, it must be hard to breathe, so just say it briefly. You were able to speak informally at the beach before, right?”
Huh. That brat.
The great mage should have just let it go when he had the chance.
“Hmm… cough. Um… Last time, I must have… been out of my mind.”
I suppressed the urge to curse and stated my case as neatly as possible.
“I really don’t know what kind of mindset I had… when I said that.”
“Don’t you know?”
“But at least please listen to this. …I’m really not! This has absolutely nothing to do with Gates….”
Each time my vocal cords vibrated, the nail digging into my throat felt worse, but I had no hesitation in completing my sentences.
“What you referred to as ‘those’ is something I know!”
These statements had the potential to trigger a truth judgment on Justitia, so perhaps that Earthling could be persuaded.
“What?”
“They targeted human bodies… and I suspect they made a Gate… I’ve met something like that too….”
With my throat physically torn, my voice sounded metallic.
I highlighted my claim with a half-twisted voice.
“But to say I’m the same as those… isn’t our behavior completely different?”
I appealed for unfairness by revealing the biggest characteristics of possessed Ki-simche.
“Those… things, speak clumsily. Even if they somehow handle their limbs, communication… at least in Korean, would be really hard without vocal expressions.”
Kang Chang-ho reacted to that.
The S-Class Hunter, who had turned his back and was about to move, paused and gazed back at me.
When our eyes met again, there was a hint of surprise in his expression.
Then he rolled the Dragon’s Eye as he said, “Indeed.”
He had found it strange as well.
“Because all the cases I’ve seen so far couldn’t even say one word properly, let alone Korean.”
“……!”
“Besides, it’s hard to imagine someone sitting calmly in a human body, moving in such strange ways.”
“Ah! So you knew…!”
But my excitement was short-lived.
Just as I was about to exuberantly utter a bright statement, Kang Chang-ho immediately countered.
“But that doesn’t mean my past experience proves your innocence, does it?”
There were so many unresolved issues that I couldn’t simply let this slide.
“Kim Gi-ryeo. How would you explain your invalidation of a top-tier contract item?”
Finally, that question came out.
This was why having someone who was too competent was exhausting.
What a pain this was just because of that one trait.
“That….”
I closed my eyes for a moment to gather my thoughts.
If someone well-versed in magic followed the actions of a great mage consistently, they could easily decipher the intentions buried in someone’s past.
In fact, I had subtly laid the groundwork for this all along.
‘During the Dragon Raid, I had shown excessive abilities that could simultaneously tie down Japan’s S-Class. After all, that magic had been useful enough to be my main attribute even in my previous life…’
Kim Gi-ryeo’s main talent was Telekinesis!
How much effort had I put into making that claim?
But the order of this guy’s questions was always a problem.
Since the immunity regarding the Knight’s Pact had now been revealed…
‘Going with a simple claim like being a telekinetic offers nothing in return.’
From now on, I had to find a way to persuade the opponent, even if it meant overturning my earlier plans.
And based on this logic, a new excuse popped into my head.
“…That might be my awakened trait!”
I decided to use a certain element I hadn’t revealed before.
At this point, I would definitively establish Kim Gi-ryeo’s external abilities.