READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 339. I’m Retiring (2)
Personally, I wanted to avoid saying anything weightless now that I had regained my status as a Mage.
‘Huh?’
As soon as I heard what Kang Chang-ho said, this thought crossed my mind.
‘What the heck is that nonsense?’
It was a frivolous expression that came to me spontaneously.
‘So, to sum it up, I’m purposefully acting like a human skill stone by calling upon the owner of [Enhancement Heart] whenever there’s a crisis? No, seriously, what does that even mean?’
The description about the colored pillar that just came up probably referred to that incident with the EX-Class prey when I was kidnapped by that individual.
However, I never acted altruistically inside that dungeon.
Choosing the blue (Trust) options in succession?
That was simply to earn points for conquering the dungeon.
‘Thinking back, my past self was struggling at every moment.’
The horrors that unfolded in the last room of that EX-Class Gate are truly things I don’t even want to recall.
Did the naive Ki-simche legion get their minds changed after experiencing the group selfishness of the Alphauri?
That place definitely had a mechanism to save the kinder entity among the two, yet suddenly the solution at the end of the box changed.
But I failed because I didn’t know that modified answer and followed my old knowledge.
‘Oh my god.’
In the past, I had put all my effort into dealing with the mammals, only to be defeated in the end.
That incident happened in an EX-Class dungeon.
But had that foolish moment of getting hit by lasers and collapsing really been glorified in hindsight?
‘I, I just had the juvenile aim of settling an old grudge. Even the act of driving that thing out of the illegally occupied gate has been interpreted as an act of concession.’
I was confused.
First of all, it was clear that the Earthling had made a wrong assumption.
However, correcting the mistakes in the sentences he spoke was nearly impossible.
‘Let’s see. To clarify here, I should start with the fact that I was originally an F-Class Hunter and couldn’t take any additional actions while being in critical condition.’
That I had to engage in deception right from the start was secondary.
‘Moreover, as soon as I underwent my second awakening, I had called Kang Chang-ho with vibrant intentions to pressure him. Little did I know I would end up hospitalized after a bout of coughing up blood due to carelessness toward my fallen subordinates.’
I finally closed my mouth after quietly piecing everything together on my own.
‘Oh my, no matter how I combine the truth, it inevitably connects to my ugly inner self.’
This first-year reincarnation I had gone through was filled with nothing but facades from beginning to end.
There was no way I could openly confess such undignified acts of a Great Mage.
‘Oh my god.’
In simpler terms, I was embarrassed.
Thus, I was left speechless in silence.
The rising shame caused me to lose desire to haggle about housing prices, and at some point, it ceased altogether.
Kang Chang-ho, on the other hand – I really had no idea what a mammal like him understood – nodded as if he comprehended something. Soon, the conversation silently shifted to the next topic.
“Alright, seems like this part has been conveyed clearly. So shall we get to the real main topic now?”
While I was down on the hospital tile floor due to face-saving issues, the man on the sofa spoke calmly.
“This is information that the former contractor specifically asked me to bring to you. I’ve put in a bit of effort this time.”
“……”
“Still, since the Beasts have already been taken care of by him, I never expected him to call right after being hospitalized to demand information about their backgrounds from me. But still, since this is Mr. Kim Hunter’s wish, I won’t add any unnecessary comments.”
Once this task was taken care of, today’s conversation would be concluded.
Kang Chang-ho had begun to brighten up, perhaps feeling hopeful that he could wrap things up soon, to the point that dimples formed on his cheeks.
“I won’t worry about what Kim Hunter does with this information, so don’t worry.”
Speaking of which, I suddenly wondered what that guy brought as the information he was to deliver.
‘Hmm.’
For reference, as can be surmised from the ongoing conversation, I had made some requests to the other party.
This was something I entrusted before even coming into contact with the corpses of the fake Beasts.
Enzo Chiano and two others.
I had figured out the identities of those illegal immigrants somehow.
However, I still had no idea how they knew about the existence of the monster called [Sunflower] or how they predicted the dungeon that appeared in Korea.
So, I intended to find out who hired the bone-masked group.
And in this process, I decided to utilize that S-Class Hunter, Kang Chang-ho, for cross-checking.
He possessed advanced skills for peering into others’ memories as a former Great Mage, but didn’t Earth have something comparable to such enchantments?
‘Electronic text system.’
If some group, in any shape or form, exchanged requests online, it would be difficult for even a Great Mage to accurately grasp the situation.
Moreover, the results of the memory retrieval I actually performed were in line with those concerns.
‘I discovered an individual with a suspicious profile in the memory of Enzo, who appeared to carry the highest rank among the three, but unfortunately, being a Non-Awakened, I cannot magically track coordinates. With only the Earthling’s face known, I have no clue how to conduct a search.’
Thus, I sat there with my arms crossed in silence, waiting for the other party to provide the information.
Rustle.
Soon, the other party began to take action.
He pulled out a bundle of documents from the bag that had been resting on the floor.
Documents. And here they are, a tangible item!
“Wait, did you really bring that information in the form of this?”
“Not hacked. Good readability. Well, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Seeing such an outdated material pop up, disappointment washed over me for a moment.
But the information it contained seemed to be sturdy enough.
The mammal in front of me lightly tapped the stack of papers, clearly revealing an unusual confidence.
“Anyway, just as Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter said, I detailed what sort of connections Enzo Chiano had in the past. Let me tell you, there are barely a few people in the world who can accomplish this. It’s a far better option than just receiving money.”
“Is it reliable information?”
“Are you suspicious because I came too quickly? But the only reason for my swiftness is that I already had my eyes on something beforehand.”
“Hm.”
“Besides, nowadays, there are plenty of tools that can reveal the truth. There’s no need for worry.”
“Like Justitia?”
“Thinking about it now, that item was probably one of the few legal means, which is why it came at a steep price.”
And that was it.
That individual provided information from the perspective of a planet’s native.
I would utilize the documents I had obtained from my wish well.
This was the core of our agreement, so there would be no more idle chatter.
“Well then, is that settled? The compensation and the information you wanted about the Beasts are both taken care of, so the calculations are all in order, right?”
Swipe.
The other party soon stood up from the sofa.
Kang Chang-ho approached the hospital bed and handed over the materials he collected.
His tone and movements revealed exhaustion oozing from every part of his body.
“Okay, now that everything is patched up. I must firmly state that you shouldn’t contact me through my number in the future, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter.”
It seemed like he was getting fed up.
A silver spoon S-Class Awakened suddenly offered to work unilaterally like this.
Well, he probably wasn’t thrilled about the process involved in this whole matter.
“It’s been a peculiar year for me. From tomorrow on, I plan to leave the country and not even show my face outside at all.”
At that moment, when the other party made a statement implying they’d go into hiding, I felt intrigued.
“You really intend to stay holed up that much? Why bother?”
“Why step outside when it’s nothing but suffering, leaving behind a nice home? Instead, thanks to you, Mr. Kim Hunter, I’ve finally come to realize how precious my boring everyday life is. So don’t worry about me causing trouble in the future.”
Of course, a mansion with a swimming pool would make anyone want to hide.
“I won’t be engaging in any activities for a while.”
“How many days are we talking about?”
“If the circumstances allow, perhaps around eight years.”
“Hmm?”
“Just kidding.”
I glanced at the Earthling, pretending to joke.
But honestly, in this situation, Kang Chang-ho’s plans didn’t matter much to me.
‘That guy thinks his wish rights have been exhausted, but…’
Logically speaking, a Great Mage wouldn’t let go of someone who had oppressed them for over a year without a care.
“By the way…”
I started my sentence with a negative adverb.
Then I approached it using logical reasoning.
“You seem to be under some misunderstanding. Would you like to replay the call we had in the past if it’s recorded?”
“Huh?”
“My real meaningless wish was just to clear out the Beasts that appeared in Korea together. The research part was merely a bonus attached to that request. But hey, Kang Chang-ho, where were you when the Beasts showed up?”
“……”
“You weren’t on-site, were you? So, instead of just handing over the documents, you’ll need to tag along to help me out; or else the deal wouldn’t be complete. It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”
From the face information I had and the documents Kang Chang-ho brought, it was evident that Enzo Chiano’s superior was obviously a foreigner. If I were to leave without him, an extraterrestrial being like me would struggle to get anything done.
So I decided to utilize Kang Chang-ho’s labor for dealing with the aftermath of the fake Beast incident.
When taking care of significant matters, having more hands on deck isn’t a bad deal at all.
Porter.
Driver.
Or even a criminal helping with smuggling, and so on.
Considering it, Kang Chang-ho actually had potential to contribute in various ways.
“I just said I want to stay only in Korea from now on.”
“Yes.”
“That was just about five seconds ago.”
“I heard you loud and clear.”
Oh right.
I suddenly remembered that now I had regained my strength, so I could speak informally to anyone.
But.
‘If I change too suddenly, there could be unnecessary problems. Besides, using honorifics doesn’t mean I can’t attack others, so I’ll keep my tone as is.’
I fell into thought for a moment before continuing.
“Does your opinion matter, Mr. Kang Chang-ho? Or is it more important that I, the innocent one, am asking?”
While it was fine with Jeong Ha-seong since he was roughly my equal, I still felt that this society wouldn’t easily allow someone like me, who was approaching thirty-two, to bypass the hierarchy altogether, so I chose to use polite language.
“Back when I was stabbed in the neck, I was too weak as a patient to really care, so I overlooked it. However, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve received a proper apology after casually breaking the contract. Even if you attempt to repay me with money, you keep trying to evade it…”
By the way, it seemed that with my increased magical power, my heart had become a bit more relaxed.
Now, I felt that the anger I had previously felt had mostly faded away.
Looking at Kang Chang-ho, I only felt annoyance akin to that directed at insects.
However, conversely, now that I had regained my strength, I didn’t feel the need to hide that minor discomfort anymore.
“Excuse me, but do you know how to kneel?”
I blurted out the sentence that popped into my head without filtering it.
“Oh.”
But how could he react like that to just those words?
“Of course. I finally understand what you were talking about.”
Just as I was about to express my frustration and challenge him, Kang Chang-ho took immediate action.
‘What the…’
Thud.
He somehow found a suitable spot in the hospital ward, and before I knew it, he had knelt down at that position.
‘Wha-what… wait a minute? This isn’t what I expected. This isn’t how I imagined it at all.’
Could it be the angle of his legs? Or was it the expression that Earthling wore?
The Awakened made himself comfortable and spoke after settling down.
“I sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding I once had.”
At this point, the sense of absurdity was overwhelming.
“…and the doctor I think expressed my choices through my actions before, but I never expected to hear this in person.”
If he knelt, then okay.
If he apologized, then fine.
Honestly, the one who committed the offense couldn’t show a better attitude than this. Still, it felt unsettling.
Moreover, if this guy could apologize so easily, why had he been so high-handed until now?
By the time I was pondering this, Kang Chang-ho spoke again.
“Doesn’t it feel a bit odd, even in this situation?”
“……”
“The reason is simple. I’m not genuinely apologizing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Right now, you’re confident that you’re not tied to the Gate, which is why you’re taking this action.”
“……”
“If I were unaware of the truth, I would have done the same thing multiple times. After all, you were the one who left clues that made me suspicious.”
He was looking directly into my eyes.
“While Justitia may not be present, I’ll just be honest for conscience’s sake. I have zero regrets about capturing and injuring you; the only thing I consider a mistake is targeting a human like you as a sacrifice for [Enhancement Heart].”
“……”
“And that thought won’t change, even if an awakened S-Class individual might ruthlessly kill someone in this very spot over anger.”
Kang Chang-ho added a few more words.
“Regrettably, this is just my personality. And it’s really hard to buy a person’s sincerity with money.”
Those were shocking opinions.
“Moreover, there’s one more thing that can’t be easily traded in this world. That’s time. I hope we don’t hold onto old grievances too tightly.”
Of course, there were plenty of reasonable aspects within the Earthling’s words.
However, I felt furious that he was still brazenly unremorseful after witnessing the Hunter he had bullied rise back up as an SS-Class.
For a moment, I considered whether to proceed with a crude execution out of anger. But Kang Chang-ho, like a thorn in South Korea’s side, made that idea blurred instantly.