#204
Weakly leaning against the steering wheel, Dan Joo-hyuk was filled with irreversible regret. If only he could know what Yoon Pa-ran was thinking right now, he’d be willing to spend his entire fortune.
“Hah…”
Having barely slept for several days, he had a mild headache. Even for an S-rank, neglecting basic survival needs like this wasn’t good, but he couldn’t help it.
Recently, Dan Joo-hyuk was experiencing for the first time what it felt like to lie awake at night due to worries.
Massaging his brow bone, he straightened up from the steering wheel. As if trying to escape this problem, his mind kept organizing recent events.
He had a good excuse anyway. After all, making the surroundings safe was all for Yoon Pa-ran’s sake.
“…”
However, neither the prisoner brought from Russia nor Lee Tae-jung had any new information to reveal through interrogation. Due to the prolonged questioning, their minds increasingly seemed to become blank sheets.
Noh Won-min had regained consciousness, but his condition was worse than the other two, making interrogation impossible. Being a civilian, not a hunter, it couldn’t be helped.
Anyway, circumstantially, it must have been Noh Won-min who buried the suspicious item at the orphanage.
‘We did it.’
‘Buried it, there.’
Yet a subtle irritation remained. He wanted to be certain whether Noh Won-min’s use of “we” was just the ramblings of a disturbed mind.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been sleeping.
“Hah…”
He wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. So that Yoon Pa-ran could focus solely on considering his feelings.
At least now that he’d removed Kim Tae-jun as the mastermind, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
“…”
Just then, his phone rang, cutting through his thoughts. Looking down, he saw it was Heo Sang-yeon.
Swallowing another sigh that was about to escape, Dan Joo-hyuk accepted the call.
—Hey, Hunter Dan. I have a favor to ask.
“Go ahead.”
—About the newly opened safe zone. Could I visit it too?
As soon as the call connected, Heo Sang-yeon conveyed his request in a bright voice.
However, his forced cheerfulness was only irritating.
“Why?”
—I have information for Hunter Dan, and I’d also like to see what this safe zone that’s appeared in reality is like.
At the mention of information, Dan Joo-hyuk narrowed his eyes. In the current situation, all Heo Sang-yeon could bring would be foreign developments, but would they be useful?
His fingers tapped the steering wheel as if gauging the value. Yet soon, the thought crossed his mind that visiting the Yongsan safe zone with Heo Sang-yeon wouldn’t be bad.
In fact, being an S-rank hunter himself, Heo Sang-yeon could visit the safe zone alone. However, since he started defending Kim Min-ji, his position had gradually narrowed. Many were pressuring him over the fact that Lee Tae-jung, his closest confidant, was a key figure involved in the Great Gate incident.
In this situation, visiting the site where the Great Gate had opened would be uncomfortably conspicuous. After all, it was now essentially a major government facility.
“Come to the address I’ll send you.”
Heo Sang-yeon was still someone worth keeping indebted.
Besides, Dan Joo-hyuk desperately needed an excuse to move around right now.
—Thanks, Hunter Dan. I’ll be there soon.
Though the call ended, Dan Joo-hyuk stared blankly at the orphanage where Yoon Pa-ran would be for a while longer.
Then, as he started the engine, another heavy sigh escaped his lips.
❖ ❖ ❖
Dan Joo-hyuk arrived in Yongsan at roughly the same time as Heo Sang-yeon.
It seemed he had lingered in front of Yoon Pa-ran’s orphanage longer than he thought.
“Where’s Kim Min-ji?”
As soon as he got out of the car, he scanned around the solitary Heo Sang-yeon. Since he had said he would monitor her thoroughly, he had expected him to bring Kim Min-ji on a leash, so this was unexpected.
“…She agreed to wait quietly in the basement.”
Heo Sang-yeon hesitated momentarily before reluctantly answering. It seemed he felt awkward about openly bringing Kim Min-ji to the site where the Great Gate had opened.
Imagining Kim Min-ji sitting obediently in the underground sealing formation, it seemed like a tearful ordeal.
Amusingly, Dan Joo-hyuk could somewhat understand that feeling, which made him a bit irritable.
“The information?”
“My, how impatient.”
Ignoring Heo Sang-yeon’s grumbling, Dan Joo-hyuk nodded toward the front and headed for the safe zone. He displayed an impressively cheerful smile on his somewhat gaunt face, further annoying Dan Joo-hyuk.
“The Russian Tsar seems to be dying.”
“I see.”
Dan Joo-hyuk responded casually, as if not particularly surprised. Recalling the [■■■ Fragment] he had sensed from the Tsar, this was an expected outcome. The man wasn’t a hunter, so he couldn’t withstand a monster’s energy.
He had aimed for immortality but apparently failed, hastening his death. It was a foolish act; if he had just lived normally, he might have enjoyed a long life.
“Hmm, with the Tsar bedridden, their security has become quite lax. If we infiltrated directly, we might find some clues, but I can’t move right now.”
“Ah.”
The fate of a dying dictator was predictable. Even basic security would likely be sloppy. Those who seemed loyal would all be waiting for the dictator to die so they could seize power.
In such a situation, infiltration would be worthwhile. Breaking into a dictator’s palace had a high probability of revealing interesting information.
“How about Hunter Dan going to check it out?”
“…”
However, Dan Joo-hyuk didn’t feel as interested in such matters as he used to. He remained indifferent to Heo Sang-yeon’s suggestion.
He had no desire to go far from Yoon Pa-ran.
“I’ll think about it.”
Though necessary, he still wasn’t inclined to do it. Yet sending someone else wasn’t ideal either, as there was no one as capable as Heo Sang-yeon.
Pondering alternative methods, Dan Joo-hyuk continued walking. By now, the faint veil of the safe zone was visible in the distance.
“Huh? Really? …If you want to go, you should go soon, right?”
Finding Dan Joo-hyuk’s response unexpected, Heo Sang-yeon asked cautiously. Glancing at his gait, it seemed he had completely recovered physically.
Strangely, his mood wasn’t particularly good. Today especially, the aversion he felt toward Heo Sang-yeon pierced his mind like a stench.
Recently, Dan Joo-hyuk had been avoiding situations that might cause him to feel aversion. He didn’t want to be reminded of the S-rank syndrome. After confirming through experiments that the syndrome persisted, a sense of helplessness had tried to overwhelm him again.
“I know.”
Nevertheless, Dan Joo-hyuk skillfully concealed that emotion and continued walking. The two had now approached the boundary of the vast safe zone.
Yoon Pa-ran’s safe zone differed from those inside gates in many ways.
The biggest difference was in how the safe zone formed. Inside gates, the sacred statue served as a ‘starting point’ for the safe zone. But in reality, the safe zone extended outward from the statue in all directions, forming a dome.
Yoon Pa-ran had said he didn’t know why this difference existed. However, this form was certainly advantageous for protecting the sacred statue from powers like the [■■■ Fragment]. After all, the more the statue was broken into pieces, the more its power diminished.
“We’ve arrived. From here is the safe zone territory.”
“Oh? The overall shape is different. Interesting.”
Casually explaining this to Heo Sang-yeon, the two crossed the boundary of the safe zone.
This area had been cleared of people in advance, so there was no sign of human presence.
“…”
As they crossed the boundary, Dan Joo-hyuk noticed a second difference.
Inside gates, entering a safe zone didn’t give any particular sensation. There was no way to determine it except by carefully judging whether monsters could pass through.
But in reality, crossing the boundary of the safe zone gave a subtle sensation. This was a vague feeling that even Yoon Pa-ran said he didn’t understand well.
Perhaps Heo Sang-yeon, also an S-rank, would know. With this thought, Dan Joo-hyuk glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
However, the moment Heo Sang-yeon crossed the ‘boundary’ of this safe zone with him:
“Ah.”
A phenomenon completely different from Dan Joo-hyuk’s expectation occurred.
“Huh…?”
Both were startled and hastily distanced themselves from each other. As if they had attacked one another.
But what actually happened was the complete opposite.
“What, is this…”
“…”
Until just a moment ago, it had felt like walking beside an S-rank monster. Sometimes it felt like walking next to a cockroach smeared with filth. Whatever its identity, it came with an irrational impulse that it would attack at any moment.
But that sensation had completely disappeared.
“Hunter Dan, can you feel this?”
“…Yes.”
It meant that the symptoms of S-rank syndrome toward Heo Sang-yeon had completely vanished.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
