READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 338: I’m Retiring
The first thing the other party said was this.
“Why are you sitting here using that inside the building?”
He replied to the hospitalized person’s question without hesitation.
“Because of you, of course.”
He seemed a bit flabbergasted, though.
The other person lowered his sunglasses with his index finger, briefly revealing the [Dragon’s Eye].
“To be honest, I usually wouldn’t need to use this.”
“What? The sunglasses?”
“Most people don’t know. The ability attached to [Dragon’s Eye] can surprisingly be adjusted by oneself.”
“Ah.”
“But for some reason, a few days ago, a flashbang went off right in the middle of South Korea.”
Boom!
Kang Chang-ho compressed and released one hand, demonstrating the burst of air.
This allowed me to understand the problem he was currently facing.
‘Aha.’
The cause, as he directly explained, was [Dragon’s Eye].
Detecting the power of the Awakened with the naked eye…
This was, of course, a function that couldn’t be easily substituted with other items, but fundamentally turning it off completely was impossible, leading to some inconvenience.
“Is my mana reflecting that badly in Mr. Hunter’s eyes?”
In the meantime, Kang Chang-ho had shifted his legs into a crossed position.
The man sitting awkwardly on the couch raised the corners of his mouth exaggeratedly and soon replied.
“Just like a blue giant star.”
An unfamiliar expression.
I was encountering a word I had never heard before, including before and after my reincarnation.
Just based on the feeling, it seems he compared the aura emitted by my body to something big and blue, but…
‘What unusual things people say these days.’
Kang Chang-ho laughed to the point where his mouth was wide open.
And suddenly, he showed a negative expression.
“To add, the sunglasses I’m wearing right now are a special product that blocks the light of Awakened reflected in [Dragon’s Eye].”
“Oh.”
“As I said earlier, if I just try not to see it, there’s really no problem in everyday life.”
“I see.”
“So usually I only wear this while driving when I need to see traffic lights or during the midsummer.”
Come to think of it, around last summer, it seemed that this Earthling often wore accessories, or maybe not…
“Isn’t it uncomfortable to wear something on your nose bridge?”
It was when I had a moment of uncertainty.
“But since our Mr. Kim here is shining so much, from now on, I have no choice but to deal with that discomfort.”
The man on the couch said.
“I’d like to ask something at this point. Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, what exactly happened at that gate where there were supposed to be beasts?”
It was a question I had anticipated.
“Ever since I had to wear sunglasses indoors, the light has only increased. Plus, it’s not just about the quantity. The characteristics of your mana, which used to always move like a candle in the wind, suddenly disappeared.”
Let me preemptively say that while this body has a growth limit left, the amount is so tiny that it could be compared to an ant’s tear.
Looking back, it’s now clear that [Dragon’s Eye] had probably been observing the potential for a mage’s growth for some time.
Then, when someone went through a second awakening, the artifact judged me, an extraterrestrial, as a being that had exhausted its ‘potential for change.’
So that’s why the fluctuation phenomenon almost disappeared.
Based on the performance of this tool, the current situation could be interpreted by Kang Chang-ho like this.
‘I can’t hide the fact of growth in front of that item.’
Therefore, it would probably be better not to spout any nonsense.
“There’s no great secret. I just fought with beasts in that dungeon, and while trying to protect my body, I continued to fight back and somehow my strength increased.”
For reference, I planned not to reveal that the original owner of this body, Kim Gi-ryeo, was the only possible reawakener in modern times.
‘I’m under no obligation to thoroughly explain the concept of second awakening to such a person.’
Well, that’s part of it, but honestly, I also felt a bit lazy.
I summarized what had happened in the dungeon as much as possible.
“So you automatically grew stronger after facing a crisis?”
Upon hearing this, Kang Chang-ho leaned half his body toward the sofa armrest.
“Hmm.”
Of course, it didn’t take long for a response to come back.
Not from someone else, though.
At least this man had believed in the potential for breaking through the limits of psychic abilities for some time.
Moreover, the mechanism by which Awakened beings emerged in this world backed up his claims.
Stress. Crisis. Shock.
These have generally been what created psychic abilities, so it didn’t sound absurd that I had grown stronger while under the threat.
“I see.”
The other party accepted it with a somewhat indifferent attitude.
“In fact, from my perspective, it’s almost a lucky guess, so I’m not surprised.”
“Right.”
“Then let’s consider the awakening level settled. Additionally, I’ve heard some strange stories about you using water skills prominently in the dungeon, Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter… Sorry, but could you explain this part as well?”
But I never expected follow-up questions to come out this soon.
‘Aha.’
Thinking it over, I remembered I had mentioned attributes in front of Kang Chang-ho.
That I was an Awakened being who automatically defended against external threats…
The incredible healing power I showed during the battle with the fake beast could simply be explained by tying it to this ‘self-preservation’ attribute, as I had mentioned that I received treatment better than others.
In fact, I think there might have been some small misunderstanding regarding regeneration at a hospital.
However, the fact that I had filled the gate with water was totally contravening the one-attribute-per-person rule of Earth’s abilities, which made it appear strange.
‘Maybe because I scattered so many lies around, contradictions are now popping up left and right.’
So what? I pondered while sitting on the hospital bed.
Now that I had plenty of power, there was no need to tremble at just S-Class.
Honestly, here, even saying “What do you care?” and proudly keeping silent would have resulted in no possible actions from this Earthling.
But the problem was that my lung condition wasn’t completely well yet—almost the whole week had been like this—so I decided to avoid unnecessary disputes.
After all, I could probably get through today with some quick thinking.
“The water skills I used in the gate? That was a acquired psychic ability I got from a skill stone.”
I finally spewed out an explanation devoid of sincerity or anything else.
Causing such a disaster with a skill that isn’t even my main attribute is just plain ridiculous.
To be honest, in a normal case, this would be nonsense.
However, the hunter with purple hair seemed to have more information than others and seemed to easily accept this.
“Got it.”
Whether they were combat participants or modern-day psychics, the damage humanity inflicts is usually influenced by their physical class.
Kang Chang-ho used the earlier Kagoshima raid as an example.
Looking back, his binding ability was quite impressive, so it made sense that with inherent talent, other auxiliary skills would also manifest strongly, and he accepted everything willingly.
‘Wow~ Even flimsy excuses are working now.’
In the past, I used to be so nervous that my hands would be wet every time I crafted a lie.
It seems that the essence of a con artist is confidence.
And does the success rate of deception increase as the con artist’s confidence grows?
It was around the time I had these thoughts that Kang Chang-ho, having dispelled all doubts, added another comment.
“No matter how much blessing of awakening you received, continuously flaunting such an amount in the air is… well, to me, quite awkward, you know.”
Oh right.
What he meant was that he had been expressing dissatisfaction because the owner of [Dragon’s Eye] hadn’t hidden their awakening level at all.
Unfortunately, right now, I didn’t have a functional lung after several explosions.
Even without such accidents, I likely wouldn’t have bothered to be considerate toward someone like him.
‘Now it’s not even F-Class, and hiding all this mana is such a hassle.’
He hadn’t hidden the power that had grown to SS-Class.
Thus, the other party was still feeling a bit dazzled even while wearing the sunglasses.
But contrary to my expectations that he might show a bit of irritation regarding this phenomenon, the man on the sofa quickly shifted the conversation to another topic.
“Well, anyway.”
The knight’s pact had long been liquidated, and fundamentally, we weren’t close enough to see each other’s faces regularly.
“So let’s wrap up the chit-chat.”
Kang Chang-ho spoke.
“Honestly, I know that you wouldn’t appreciate a face-to-face conversation that much, but sometimes the nuances of online communication can get distorted, so I came to see you directly. Please understand this part.”
I nodded.
“And the reason I told you to contact me as soon as I regained my strength was, you probably know it too.”
“They said the compensation was ready?”
“Correct. The compensation for the studio demolition. The money from selling [Justitia] just came into my hands the other day, so now I can hand it over as clean cash.”
The following was a topic that everyone at this place had expected.
‘Got it.’
That guy had a history of demolishing perfectly fine buildings in the past.
“So the amount of money I prepared is…”
Again contemplating, it was indeed an execution that would make even terrorists weep.
“First of all, apart from you, I have set aside moving support and consolation money for the other residents.”
“Hmm.”
“You installed the [Infinite Power Core] so well in that small house. Therefore, I must include the value of that room, in addition to the cheap furniture as well.”
“Yes.”
“I calculated the final price for that studio to be a maximum of 5 billion won. However, given that I messed with another S-Class, it wouldn’t be right to simply stick with that, so I’ll send you a total of 40 billion won, including mental compensation.”
40 billion.
Thinking back to the time when I was really poor, this amount could buy a whopping 400,000 bowls of rice soup.
Objectively speaking, that money was more than enough to cover the price of the destroyed studio.
40 billion could buy almost most houses in the country.
‘Hmm.’
But at this point, there’s a small problem.
The fact that I actually liked Earth money, even as an extraterrestrial.
‘Recently, he sold [Justitia] and only offered me 40 billion?’
Personally, I despised the act of buying and selling absolution with money.
However, in a capitalist society, ironically, there’s no more effective punishment than collecting money from criminals.
Plus, since the one who had persecuted the great mage was that guy, I thought I’d take the opportunity to squeeze for more cash.
“40 billion is a bit… shouldn’t there be one extra zero added to that…”
It would also be a step up to disparage that a guy who sold [Justitia] recently only had that much cash.
400 billion.
By the way, if such an amount were to be coughed up, no matter how much of an S-Class hunter one is, wouldn’t they eventually end up as a debt-ridden person?
At that moment, Kang Chang-ho, who had been adjusting his sunglasses, instantly started to clarify.
“If the amount I just presented was for the settlement of Mr. Kim Hunter’s ‘assault’, then you’d have a point.”
“What?”
“But you’ve already received compensation for that wrongful indictment.”
“Don’t tell me you’re breaking the contract?”
“That’s part of it, but first, let’s talk about wishes. I did express my intention to grant you a wish as an apology.”
His argument was thus.
Even the sacred court, under the principle of once adjudged, does not pass the verdict on past offenses, he posed the question back to me, asking whether the compensation for the criminal act had not been mutually agreed upon through a wish and the breaking of the pact.
Moreover, this 40 billion presented would roughly be considered a civil lawsuit compensation.
In reality, considering the damage assessment one receives in court, this amount is a highly generous calculation.
“40 billion is more than enough for that dilapidated room. But now you’re asking for the budget of an entire city?”
“Hmm.”
“Did you hear somewhere that I sell miracle cures or something?”
“No.”
“Then I’m afraid I can’t just hand over that large sum for simply having erred. Just so you know, most of the money I currently possess is from the sale of [Justitia], and if I were to spend it all, it would create a huge problem.”
“A huge problem, you say?”
It was then that such a reason popped out.
“I have to go hunting.”
“What?”
“If the money runs out, even I would need to start working then. Just like the other hunters in the industry, I would have to tackle gates normally.”
No, well, when you think about the reasons of the world, that’s naturally how it would be…
‘Is he out of his mind?’
I didn’t know how many times I had thought of it just this year alone.
If an ordinary Earthling had said such words, there would have been no sense of discomfort.
But Kang Chang-ho was someone who had such a starting point above all.
“The reason for being stingy with compensation was that you simply don’t want to work?”
“Haha.”
“Wait a second. But based on what you just said, since you hardly go hunting, we can assume your current income is low. But if you were born with a golden spoon, you should have had a lot of money from the start, right?”
Did you earn like a nobleman and spend like a dog?
That question was just about to come out of my mouth when Kang Chang-ho suddenly interrupted me.
“Golden spoon. Oh, I have to explain that part too.”
Despite wearing accessories, he still seemed to be feeling the dazzle. I noticed he occasionally closed his eyes during the conversation.
“I can see that you, Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, know that my father was a businessman.”
“Yeah.”
“But contrary to what the media often exaggerates, my family isn’t really that great.”
He put a natural smile on his face.
“What I almost inherited was [Nari Steel].”
From his expression, he looked almost like someone who had gone on a vacation.
“It wasn’t even close to being part of the trillion-dollar club. In fact, it was a small-sized company that ranked rather low in the steel industry.”
However, the following remarks were hardly positive.
Kang Chang-ho crossed his arms and shifted his sitting posture as he chose his words carefully. Then he continued the conversation.
“Moreover, due to this being the case with main clients, after the dungeon shock, the shipbuilding industry went into a recession, leading to a heavy hit…”
“A recession? I’ve never heard of that before.”
“Really? Well, considering that during that time, there wasn’t a single company that wasn’t struggling, it probably didn’t get much news attention.”
“Hm.”
“Then let me explain. In the past, the technology to detect gates wasn’t developed, so it often happened that monsters would pop out of the ocean, leading our ships to capsizing from bad luck.”
“Ah, I see.”
“There aren’t any monsters that would soar to the altitude where planes fly, but the situation in the marine sector was different. But when a large oil tanker, instead of a local fishing boat, gets wrecked, how can one not face a market slump?”
To sum it up, there’s one conclusion.
“Anyway, our family was not the capitalists people thought we were.”
Kang Chang-ho candidly stated he lacked money.
“All I did was play golf with my parents and travel abroad every now and then.”
“……”
“Of course, it might sound funny to someone who had to endure hospital bills.”
He said that and paused his body movement for a moment.
“……”
The tinting of his sunglasses was so dark that sometimes it was impossible to read what he was thinking.
“But you see.”
But that silence didn’t last long.
“Given that Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter was living in such an old building as an S-Class… it’s obvious you’re not materialistic at all. No matter who’s watching.”
Some thoughts that I could not understand briefly popped up.
“Therefore, the whole issue with the compensation probably isn’t that important to you. It seems you just brought it up to tell a criminal to repent properly.”
“….”
“Unless you change the terms of the wish here, that 40 billion is the maximum I can pay, so please understand that, Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter.”
“….”
“Now removing the prologue, let’s talk about the most important matter—about the request I heard over the phone a few days ago.”
“….”
“However, honestly, if I ask whether we’ll get to meet again outside of this… it seems unlikely. Hence I bring this up.”
Of course, the sentences that followed were equally ridiculous.
‘What? I have no interest in money and no material desires?’
Even as an extraterrestrial from Alphauri, money comes first, and material things come second.
When completely divorced from reality, what on earth should I add as commentary?
But just as I was lost in such bewilderment and silent contemplation…
“Since this might be our last conversation, let me add just one more casual chat.”
The moment Kang Chang-ho raised a topic, I felt a complete change in my head.
“I’m being serious here. I hope that when you think it’s the end, you stop doing those contact tricks.”
“Hmm?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, after beating the beast, you came out of the dungeon and were the first to look for me, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“However, when I relay the words of a Neo guild member without changing a single word, it clearly indicates that Mr. Kim Hunter had shouted ‘bring Kang Chang-ho’.”
“What?”
“Calling Kang Chang-ho? That’s the sort of expression that is generally used for someone presumed to be in danger. If someone suddenly loses contact and wants to send a search party, common sense would dictate they wouldn’t say to call that person over, would they?”
Sweat rolled down.
‘Wha—?’
It’s true that I had made a mistake in the past sentence he mentioned.
‘Now that he points it out, it certainly sounds strange just by changing one word…’
Had I been caught?
Was it exposed that I had no intention of searching for the Korean person who hung up first? That I was only looking for someone to flex my strength from the start?
At that moment of worry, as I quickly simulated the upcoming fight in my head, the following words from the other party were this.
“So what? In the end, my intention is quite clear. The great Mr. Kim Hunter figured that if he was going to die anyway, it would be efficient to at least donate some skills before going.”
……
“If you think about it, even in that gate where the color pillar appeared, isn’t it weird that an S-Class Awakened being with healing skills just stood there blinking while getting hit by a laser? If they clearly knew the other guy had [Enhancement Heart], shouldn’t they have squeezed out their abilities and countered instead?”
……
“When it came to signing the contract, I was berated in various ways, but now that you know I’m opposed to the gate maker, you’re now generously offering me skills. But if you behave like you’re just doing me a favor, then I’ll purposely avoid using [Enhancement Heart]. And I mean it. If you’re going to die, just die alone.”
What… What did he say?