# 73
“…Mother received me directly?”
During the time Jin-ha was born, dungeon detection radar had not yet been commercialized. Since no one knew when or where dungeons would break out, the world was completely chaotic and dangerous. In such a situation, facilities like obstetrics clinics couldn’t have been properly restored. So the fact that Mrs. Cha, his mother’s friend, had delivered him wasn’t particularly surprising.
However, if that was true, there were too many inconsistencies with the new information he had discovered.
“Yes. Mrs. Cha was saying that while I was a difficult birth and she had a terrible time, you had short labor pains and just slipped right out. She’s always comparing things, that Mrs. Cha.”
Cha Ki-young grumbled as he slurped his tea. Judging by his rough manner of putting down the cup and his deteriorating posture, it seemed he was recalling times when he’d been compared as a child and become resentful.
While Jin-ha could understand that young Ki-young might have been hurt, it was pathetic that he still acted like this as an adult. When Jin-ha gave him a disapproving look, Cha Ki-young quickly noticed and straightened his back.
“Come to think of it, how is your mother?”
“She went to America. There’s some important land there where there was an illegal trespass. Seeing how she insisted on checking it personally, I think it might be an herb field or something.”
“Is that so? I wanted to meet her and ask some questions…”
“She should be back in two or three days?”
“I have to go back tomorrow.”
Cha Ki-young’s face contorted.
“Why again? The kids who went with you stayed for a week!”
“How can you compare me with kids?”
Jin-ha made a perfunctory excuse and checked the photo with his Information Eye.
[Lee Seung-jun’s childhood photo]
35 days after birth.
Unfortunately, no special information remained. To begin with, the Information Eye only displayed proper information when the target was right in front of him. When looking at media that recorded targets, like photos, he could only read extremely limited information.
That was why Jin-ha had to travel in person to check information about gates. Because he couldn’t read information through images transmitted via electromagnetic waves.
Similarly, if he saw a living monster directly, he could read its biological characteristics and weaknesses, but from a monster’s corpse, he could only read information about it as “material” or “byproduct.”
And from a human corpse, he could only read the name.
He didn’t know why there was such a difference. He could only vaguely guess that since the Information Eye originated from some system of the world, this difference also followed the world’s classification method.
“Anyway, please investigate the portals in America for me. Not the portals currently in exchange, but the closed ones.”
“Got it. I’ll look into it alongside your father’s movements after enlistment. For that…”
Cha Ki-young, lost in thought for a moment, turned to Seok-ho.
“Seok-ho, you’ll have to go to America again.”
“I’ll go anywhere as long as you give me plenty of travel expenses.”
Seok-ho hugged the tray, his large frame making his eyes sparkle.
***
With not much time left, Jin-ha moved quickly. First, he went to Cheong to check the Section Chief’s office again, and in the archives, he used his Information Eye to see if any clues from the time of disappearance remained on the Section Chief’s belongings. Unfortunately, not much information remained.
Not only was the Section Chief inherently cautious and suspicious, leaving no traces, but quite some time had passed since the disappearance, causing information to dissipate. Moreover, since people like Deputy Director Nam had handled things after the disappearance was taken seriously and the search began, useless information had been overlaid.
Jin-ha thought he might have to give up on the documents he was supposed to receive from the Section Chief.
He guessed that the unmarked documents he was supposed to receive from the Section Chief would contain information about how his father came to Korea from America, or the price he agreed to pay in exchange for hiding and guaranteeing his identity. While it was regrettable, it wasn’t desperately needed. Fortunately, it was information that could be inferred from the investigation results Cha Ki-young had brought.
The more he investigated his father, the more confused he became. His father’s past, wrapped in countless lies, kept flowing in unexpected directions, making speculation seem meaningless.
That made investigating America and the other world even more important. Jin-ha planned to investigate the Abon Kingdom and Master Senistry while Cha Ki-young investigated America. By gathering the warp and weft and weaving them together, the truth would surely be revealed.
Even while walking amidst confusion and uncertainty, Jin-ha thought it was much better than standing still out of fear without seeking any answers. At least now he was moving forward.
“I apologize for my rudeness last time. Next time, I’ll be sure to contact you in advance.”
When Jin-ha arrived at Rest Home C and apologized politely, the civil servant in charge smiled awkwardly.
“It’s fine. You had your circumstances. I was too inflexible.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Jin-ha bowed again and walked through the portal.
Even if not smoothly, everything was moving forward. Not just the issues about his father, but other matters too. The children were studying magic diligently, and although Seo Ji-seop wouldn’t admit it, he seemed to find magic quite interesting. The new information about dungeons would also be of great help to Earth and would save many lives in the future.
The only problem was that he was being dragged along in his relationship with Riyekan. But now, thinking about it after this brief separation, he realized he had been unusually considerate of Riyekan’s feelings.
At first, it had been a strict superior-subordinate relationship, but now he held a part of Riyekan’s soul. As long as Riyekan craved it, there was no reason for Jin-ha to be unconditionally submissive in this relationship.
Jin-ha confidently exited the portal.
Yes, he was a person who had overcome the B-grade side effect of an abnormal status with mental strength. If he kept his wits about him, he would surely be able to handle that childish manipulation easily.
***
Confidently arriving at Riyekan’s room with Legas’s guidance, Jin-ha lost himself the moment he faced the man lying askew on the dark green couch.
Under the hazy sunlight of the beach, the man was sprawled on the couch like a Greek god. With one hand dangling over the sand and the other arm covering his eyes to avoid the sunlight, he looked like he was in repose. Fatigue emanated from his pale face. Had he not been sleeping well?
The concern that briefly arose was pushed far back the next moment. This lazy man often just casually adjusted his tunic like a bathrobe and walked around, and now the cloth had fallen away, revealing glimpses of his firm abdomen and chest through the gap. Jin-ha froze with a held breath, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight.
With each of the man’s slow breaths, the fabric would lift slightly, showing what was inside, then hide it again. Jin-ha unconsciously swallowed.
Just then, sensing his presence, Riyekan slightly moved his arm away and turned his gaze in Jin-ha’s direction. The languid eyes that had seemed bothered gradually transformed into those of a carnivorous beast. Not ferocious, but eyes ready to hunt at any moment slowly examined Jin-ha’s entire body. As if double-checking that he was indeed who he had been waiting for.
That gaze was so fierce that Jin-ha felt the tension of truly facing a wild animal. Then, suddenly, expression returned to Riyekan’s cold face, and warmth filled his icy gaze. His upturned eyes curved gently.
“Welcome, Hunter Lee Jin-ha.”
Reflexively exhaling, Jin-ha tightly clenched his trembling hand. The scent of ash that brushed his nose somehow made his heart race wildly and his breath short. An astonishingly primal desire was heating his blood.
Riyekan’s face, which had looked pale just moments ago, had recovered its color in this short time. Riyekan sat up, not caring about his disheveled clothes, and swept his fallen hair back. The tunic that had been barely hanging on his opposite shoulder slid down with a whisper.
Jin-ha barely managed to fix his gaze upward, resisting the urge to follow the flow of the cloth.
Something was wrong. A trembling that had never dominated him in his entire life was now overtaking his reason.
“You’re prepared, right?”
Jin-ha flinched as he looked at the man. What had he just said? Ah, yes, he asked if Jin-ha was prepared.
It was a continuation of their conversation before he left for Earth. He had said Jin-ha would have to take responsibility since he would surely get lonely.
Of course, he was prepared. Taking responsibility for a lonely Riyekan wasn’t difficult. As he had done several times before, he just needed to caress Riyekan while the mage took out his erect dick, stroked it, and ejaculated.
And if given the chance, he wanted to touch those shimmering shoulders and firm arms, no, rather those obscenely perfect abs and chest. It might not be bad to rub their dicks together and stroke them like they did last time. Riyekan would probably prefer doing it together rather than alone…
Wait. Jin-ha gritted his teeth and shook his head. This was strange. Indecent fantasies he would never normally have were tangling up his mind. He urgently looked around and found a mirror.
[Lee Jin-ha]
Abnormal Status: O%?g? � 이 i�& (12 days)
Fever(B), Mana Depletion(F), Nausea(A), Sexual Urge(A), Tachycardia(D)
Good Lord. Sexual urge was at level A. Tachycardia had also increased in level.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
