READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 336. The Old Man’s Horse
But no one could interfere with the alien’s plans, and time flowed mercilessly.
.
.
.
Before long, the sun hung high in the sky.
——————=
‘Now that I think about it, there’s always so much trash on the sidewalks. Is it the fault of those who throw away waste carelessly, or is it the management’s fault for not placing enough trash cans?’ -1
‘I’ve noticed people are ignoring a child wandering the streets alone. For the record, I had to warn that child who was about to run onto the road, and it caused them to cry.’ -1
——————=
According to the calendar, it was already a while past the beginning of autumn, yet on clear days, the temperature was still warm enough for sweat to trickle down.
In such peaceful times, a man was walking in the park.
However, he wasn’t listening to music with wireless earbuds or walking a dog on a leash.
He had a notebook that could easily be purchased for less than 2,500 won at an office supplies store.
Likewise, a pencil that seemed to have been hastily acquired was all he had with him.
“……”
The man, dressed lightly, continued to walk around a park near a certain hospital.
He was continuously jotting down something with his writing supplies in hand.
“Uh? Over there. Is that person under the tree… Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, perhaps?”
“Hey. You must be mistaken. Why would Kim Gi-ryeo be in our neighborhood out of nowhere…?”
“No, no. No matter how you look at it, it really is him! You should hurry and take a look.”
“Uh? No way, it really is him?”
“Wait here. He doesn’t seem busy right now, so I’m going to go talk to him first.”
But his appearance wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
Golden hair that didn’t fade with time.
And, as if it would feel rough to the touch, it was a lifeless, apricot-colored leather garment that constituted his outer gear.
Thus, the citizens strolling in the same park easily recognized him.
The S-Class Hunter of Korea. Kim Gi-ryeo was there.
“Excuse me~ Sorry to bother you. Is it…?”
“……”
“Wow! It really is Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter!”
Those who encountered the top-ranked Awakened were as delighted as if they had just won the lottery.
“Wow. Hello, Hunter! I just heard on the news that you got injured in a dungeon and were recovering… So this is where your hospital is? Amazing! I was just visiting my friend who got admitted for appendicitis!”
“……”
“Um, excuse me. But if it’s okay, could I get your autograph? I mean, not just for me, but my girlfriend is a huge fan of yours…”
However, the alien was becoming increasingly annoyed by the situation.
One step closer and it’s ‘Let’s talk!’
Two steps closer and it’s ‘Let’s take a picture!’ How could he observe humans leisurely?
“-An autograph?”
He flinched.
At that moment, the blond Hunter let out a short sound.
The regular citizen’s body stiffened unknowingly.
‘Huh, what’s up? I thought he’d be relaxed like other Awakened. But now that I’m closer, his vibe is more intense than I expected…’
When someone with a fierce gaze, often seen on wanted posters, looks down at you, it’s only natural to feel tense.
However, contrary to the citizen’s expectations, the following situation was not bad.
“I’m not the type to sign my name just anywhere. I can’t do that. So please, tell me the name of the person who will receive it instead.”
Kim Gi-ryeo had a pretty moderate demeanor.
A situation that didn’t quite match his fierce impression passed quickly.
“Oh! Thank you so much.”
In a situation where one might be annoyed by the invasion of privacy, his kindness was impressive. Truly, the fourth S-Class of Korea had a reputation for great character, it seemed.
“Thank you. Have a great day!”
If things had gone like this, it wouldn’t have turned out this way.
As Kim Gi-ryeo lightly nodded to bid goodbye to the Korean citizen who cherished the few words he had written, the moment the other person disappeared from view…
He immediately raised his hand and finished writing this sentence in his notebook.
——————=
‘These bastards have no concept of privacy.’ -1
——————=
At this point, it would have been better to get angry in person.
As can be inferred from the recently passed citizen’s reaction, the details of the recent Beast incident had not reached the public.
The ordinary people who entered the park were unaware that the leader of the fake Beasts was Enzo Chiano, nor that Kim Gi-ryeo had been taken away after coughing up blood, as this information was under temporary media control.
However, Kim Gi-ryeo was overly sensitive to such situations.
Three consecutive failures leading to ruptured organs.
After experiences like that, it was perfectly understandable for a researcher (even one with a generally poor personality) to start getting frustrated about why situations were going awry.
‘The criteria for scoring are getting lower.’
He was gradually losing objectivity.
This aspect was something even Kim Gi-ryeo himself was aware of.
However, questioning whether it was worth his effort to go so far for Earthlings became a dilemma upon the brief flurry of annoyance.
‘Still, I’m trying my best not to stray too far from fairness.’
He took out his cellphone.
‘Usually, I got precise information from media outlets. But news tends to be overly sensationalized and focused on negative incidents, so it wouldn’t be helpful for this situation.’
While his eyes scanned the screen,
Kim Gi-ryeo turned his newly awakened senses outward to survey his surroundings.
‘By the way, the crowd seems to be growing…’
It seemed the word had gotten around that an S-Class Hunter was spotted near the park.
“Hmm.”
In that case, it was time to wrap up his stroll in the park and move on.
Having made the judgment, Kim Gi-ryeo left the park holding just a notebook.
He had only concealed his magic slightly.
Yet, simply because he wasn’t in formal attire, many people were uncertain about him.
Thus, he surprisingly blended in, able to record the developments among the crowd.
“……”
However, as he continued with this action, negative numbers began to pile up in his notebook.
‘Already -23 points.’
The alien hidden beneath Kim Gi-ryeo’s skin finally realized the issue in all this process.
‘At this rate, no matter how slowly I grade, the outcome is obvious.’
He recognized that he was the one avoiding the growing negative numbers.
The guy who, feeling discontent with the world, had gone on a shooting spree.
The thief blinded by money who robbed a friend’s house.
Moreover, despite appearing friendly, he was stingy with time regarding less significant matters such as animals or environmental issues in life.
Looking from the external perspective of an Alphauri, it seemed Earth had already missed the time to change direction.
So, Kim Gi-ryeo wanted to help.
Yet, as he aimed for the target score of 100, strangely, the grading criteria began to turn toxic again.
Even the moment he saw a merchant forcing an elderly person to buy something right in front of him…
“Excuse me. This one looks like they’re deaf and wouldn’t understand the trade agreement anyway. So let’s leave it at that.”
“Uh! I-I’m really sorry.”
He hesitated to add more negativity.
‘Isn’t this exactly what I was worried about—losing objectivity?’
The reasons were simple.
Gu Seo-hyeong, Jeong Ha-seong, Ahn Yoon-seung.
If they realized he was onto their plans, it was obvious they wouldn’t react positively.
‘As a side note, Seo Esther would actually be closer to failing if we classified her strictly…’
This was a purely hypothetical scenario, but if Ahn Yoon-seung’s family didn’t meet the criteria, how would they react?
Could he eliminate them?
‘If I’ve drawn the sword, I should at least cut some meat. This is becoming complete bias, ruining everything.’
Ironically, Kim Gi-ryeo thought the answer to his most recent thought was ‘No.’
So he soon wore a displeased expression.
He had already become a being unable to wield destructive levels of magic due to primitive limits, and now he was struggling to attend to just a few mammals’ sentiments.
To merely watch a world brimming with egoism while twiddling his thumbs seemed intolerable.
–Thud–
It was just around the time the extraterrestrial being was contemplating that.
“Oh dear… Thank you for helping me. You’re such a kind young man.”
“Where were you headed?”
“I was just going to the market right ahead. Now that I’m almost there, don’t worry about it; here, have this.”
The elderly woman, who had escaped from the harassment thanks to his help, suddenly pulled something out with her frail hands.
[Golden Ginseng Candy]
It was a single crude-looking candy.
Seeing this thank-you gift made Kim Gi-ryeo suddenly decide he didn’t want to be swayed by emotions.
Even if it meant doing things that his Earth friends wouldn’t like.
‘If I clean up the useless trash that won’t show any signs of reform, it’d surely reduce the likelihood of good people being scammed or harmed.’
But suddenly having the S-Class Hunter he knew turn into a mass murderer would definitely take a toll on his mental state too.
‘Either way, it’s a minus.’
The extraterrestrial lamented the wavering state of his determination for trivial reasons.
However, he didn’t stop what he was doing.
Again, this specific case involved a thorough examination of corpses just hours prior due to his fourth organ rupture.
‘Having recovered from a state where my organs were nearly destroyed, I’d be rendered powerless today anyway. Guess I should postpone my discharge until tomorrow…’
It was too vast and intriguing a world as Korea, an otherworld, just to lie flat in a hospital bed and let time pass.
Thus, Kim Gi-ryeo strolled aimlessly outside until after lunch, around the time orange hues began to show in the sky.
“Hmm?”
Just as he decided it was time to return to the hospital,
‘What’s this?’
A sensation that interfered with the limits of a Great Mage’s perception settled in.
At this time, the extraterrestrial was unaware of the existence of taxi-calling apps and had come out to the road to hail a cab.
However, while wandering through an unfamiliar urban area and suddenly encountering familiar magic, curiosity naturally arose.
‘It’s Seonwoo-yeon.’
It was still bright afternoon, yet why was Seonwoo-yeon’s magic sensed from a completely different building instead of the association?
‘Aha.’
Kim Gi-ryeo reflexively checked his phone for the time.
The answer came immediately.
[04:23]
[Saturday]
[Battery – 80%]
The other person hadn’t gone to work for the weekend.
‘Looks like someone’s really got their day sense sold off. Who would’ve thought they’d be a Hunter?’
It seemed highly likely that Seonwoo-yeon was currently at her residence.
‘Since she sometimes visits people using the [Seocher] skill, I think it should be okay for me to check this out a bit.’
A light curiosity sparked within him.
Thinking back, he had visited the homes of Kang Chang-ho, Jeong Ha-seong, and Ahn Yoon-seung, but he had no insight into how a small citizen with the surname Seonwoo lived.
Thus, he became a little curious and wanted to confirm.
‘If the magic feels strong, it’s definitely this direction…’
If he were to catch sight of a plain, stair-step apartment, he wouldn’t need to look further and would plan to turn back.
But soon, the extraterrestrial discovered that all his assumptions were wrong.
‘Oh?’
A vividly colored playground, striking his memory like a jolt, made his cold body twitch.
And the unusually low floors of the building.
[Tomorrow’s Nurturing Facility]
As Kim Gi-ryeo absentmindedly brushed one eyebrow, he pondered.
‘Oh. Suddenly being confronted by this makes me forget. How old is a teenager on Earth…?’
He understood from the sign that this was where children were nurtured, but why was Seonwoo-yeon inside that building?