#084
“…Were magic stones found at the place you went today as well?”
Eunseok asked in a somewhat stiff tone, trying to suppress the unsettling emotions in his chest.
“Yes, they were,” Choi Hanseo replied.
Eunseok put down his chopsticks at Hanseo’s answer.
“Are you that concerned about it?” Hanseo asked. He seemed to have a rough idea of what Eunseok wanted to say.
“I suspect that the true aim of those who spread magic stones across the country might be a Gate Break.”
Hanseo silently put down his chopsticks. Eunseok stared at him, demanding an answer.
“You really don’t rest for a moment, do you?”
“What do you think, Choi Hanseo? And what does the Ability Management Bureau think?”
Instead of answering, Eunseok continued to ask questions. Hanseo’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was a look that suggested he didn’t particularly want to open up about this topic. Eunseok was perceptive. So he could keenly pick up that Hanseo had already reasoned about this situation and come to some conclusions.
“Are you not going to tell me?”
When Eunseok asked firmly, Hanseo stared at him for a moment before letting out a faint sigh. Eunseok quietly waited for Hanseo to start speaking in earnest.
“The Ability Management Bureau just calls them terrorists. They call themselves the Apostles of the Apocalypse.”
“Apostles of the Apocalypse?”
“It’s a grandiose name.”
Hanseo chuckled.
Apostles of the Apocalypse.
Just from the name they gave themselves, their aim was clear. They probably wanted to see humanity on the brink of extinction, like when the first Gate incident occurred 20 years ago. There might be grand and philosophical reasons behind it, but such things weren’t important anyway. There was no desire to listen to their unnecessary ramblings.
“How did they manage to secure so many magic stones?”
Eunseok asked with sharp eyes.
“For that quantity, it’s unlikely to be from a single source. They probably obtained some by raiding Gates, and bought others through the black market.”
“Weren’t the domestic Gates managed by the Ability Management Bureau?”
Hanseo opened a bottle of water and offered it to Eunseok, as if telling him to drink while talking. Then he answered slowly.
“Currently, Gate discovery relies entirely on people’s eyes. When a Gate is discovered, it’s immediately reported, and then the Bureau either handles it or distributes it to guilds. Technology to predict when and where Gates will appear is constantly being developed, but no country has succeeded yet. In the end, Gates generated in places that go unnoticed by people either explode, or fall into the hands of those who specialize in finding and conquering such Gates.”
“But conquering Gates would require hunters with considerable abilities.”
“Hunters who disappeared instead of joining guilds after completing their mandatory service period. And hunters who awakened late like you, Eunseok, and are confirmed to be unregistered. Or hunters who officially work as regular hunters but do backdoor work… If they gather these people, it would make for a considerable force. There are probably guides operating through similar routes too.”
“…A Gate Break must absolutely not happen.”
Eunseok spoke quietly but firmly.
What happened and what they experienced 20 years ago was truly horrific. Countless people died terribly without even a proper chance to escape. And now they’re trying to intentionally cause such an incident again? It was absolutely unacceptable.
“Eunseok.”
Hanseo reached out and gently stroked Eunseok’s cheek. His touch felt comforting.
Well, he must have thoroughly investigated Eunseok’s background, so he probably knew well about the past where Eunseok lost his family. Eunseok didn’t particularly find it unpleasant that Hanseo had investigated his background. Rather, it was comfortable because there was no need to bring up the past explicitly.
Hanseo got up from his seat and walked towards the living room sofa. Then he reached out his hand towards Eunseok.
Eunseok stared blankly at the large, strong hand extended to him.
“Come here. I’ll comfort you.”
The hesitation didn’t last long. Eunseok approached Hanseo and took his hand.
***
His whole body felt languid. It was a pleasant languor, as if everything had been fulfilled.
“Are you awake?”
Hanseo’s languid voice was heard from behind. The arm holding Eunseok tightened. The loosely nestled body was pulled deeper into Hanseo’s embrace.
It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling.
Since his very young days when he would snuggle into his family’s arms, there had been no one to embrace him like this. Until now, physical contact with others only occurred briefly during violence, training, or combat.
Despite being in the arms of another man, a contact that had been absent for so long, there was no sense of rejection or discomfort. Eunseok stared at the arm he was using as a pillow with eyes still not fully awake.
It was a firm arm that looked strong even at a glance. The wrist wearing a watch and the large, well-shaped hand were loosely relaxed.
Eunseok already knew how powerful this arm could be, which he was merely using as a pillow. And conversely, he also knew how tender and persistent its movements could be.
Hanseo kissed Eunseok’s nape. It was the spot where Eunseok had a mole, invisible to his own eyes. He seemed to quite like that mole of Eunseok’s, as he had repeatedly kissed, sucked, and licked it persistently throughout the night.
“This is nice. Sleeping together and waking up together.”
Hanseo whispered in Eunseok’s ear with a voice full of satisfaction. The warm breath pouring into his ear gently enveloped his body with the stimulating sensations he had felt last night. Last night, Hanseo had kept his promise to comfort him very accurately.
Unlike the first sex that felt like being devoured by a beast, he focused solely on melting Eunseok’s body thoroughly. As he intended, Eunseok experienced every pleasure and ecstasy that a human body could feel to its peak. Naturally, during the time he was completely dominated by those sensations, the negative emotions that had filled his head and heart were washed away.
“From today, I’d like to move with the 1st Combat Team.”
Instead of answering, Hanseo kept kissing Eunseok’s nape.
“I promise I won’t separate from the team members.”
Eunseok said again, but Hanseo didn’t answer. Instead, he moved his lips from the nape down to the spine. The kisses trailing down the spine made Eunseok’s body tingle. It felt like each nerve that had just woken up in the morning was fully blooming.
A faint moan was about to escape involuntarily. He couldn’t just passively endure it. Eunseok raised his hand and traced Hanseo’s arm that he was using as a pillow with his fingertips. Hanseo’s fingers, which had been loosely relaxed, visibly twitched.
As Eunseok intertwined their fingers one by one, moving up along the arm to the large hand, Hanseo gripped his hand tightly.
“Can’t I?”
Eunseok asked again.
“…Is this pillow talk again?”
“That’s right.”
Huu…
Hanseo let out a faint sigh on Eunseok’s nape. He still seemed weak. Seizing the moment, Eunseok slightly turned his head and lightly pressed his lips to Hanseo’s arm that he was using as a pillow. Their interlocked hands tightened.
“I’m barely holding back, what if you stimulate me? Look what’s happened,”
Hanseo pressed his body close. Something hot and hard pressed firmly against Eunseok’s body from behind. It was his fully erect dick.
Eunseok’s body stiffened reflexively. Hanseo buried his nose in Eunseok’s shoulder and chuckled lowly.
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to pounce on you first thing in the morning. Well, if you want it, I’m more than willing.”
Hanseo whispered softly and gently nibbled on Eunseok’s nape as if asking for his opinion. Each time his teeth lightly grazed the skin, Eunseok’s spine tingled. The sensations that had shaken his entire body last night were slowly awakening.
“I need to go out for exercise soon. More importantly, are you not going to answer me?”
Eunseok urged for an answer while suppressing the sensations that were trying to respond.
Hmm.
Hanseo took a deep breath and then kissed Eunseok’s nape with a smacking sound, as if in agreement.
“Inside the Gates is fine, but for external activities, you must stay close to at least one person at all times.”
“Understood.”
