Chapter 379. Raid Prohibited (6)
Even if he brings up entertainnt, or ntions topics related to shopping.
"If you ask why I always wear luxury clothes but show no interest in other luxury items."
"..."
"I explained this before, didn't I? Suits are a kind of work uniform. But sohow, recently..."
"Yes."
"Sothing like Seo Yohan, or whatever. Anyway, there's a boutique run by the family of the Magic Tower's Guild Master. So I ended up buying clothes there because they were selling items, and that's how my wardrobe turned out like this."
"I see."
"In the end, it's just out of habit, but was there sothing wrong with the way I was dressed?"
Moreover, even after such a long conversation, only a consistent reaction ca out.
"No, there's no way."
A young man in his twenties who shows no desire for watches, cars, sports, luxury goods, or entertainnt.
However, the individual nad Kim Giryeo had already displayed several peculiar traits. In the Labyrinth of the 13th Month, he bypassed traps in ways that no one else could even attempt, and yet, instead of scolding the terrified Rank 1f or lacking decisiveness, he acted with his usual composure...
"In fact, even now, that scene still sotis appears in my nightmares."
This by no ans a process of praising a fellow hunter for having patience. What Jung Haseong found significant was the fact that the other person truly seed lacking in "empathy." Kim Giryeo remained indifferent in situations that would naturally shock an ordinary person. He even cast a gaze of "what are they doing?" if others showed any concern for his injuries.
"..."
Being a social creature, Jung Haseong was able to analyze the treatnt he had received so far. Approaching soone obvious was impossible from the start. Yet, no matter how intelligent, an ordinary Earthling would never reach such a conclusion.
"What's going on? Why has Jung Haseong suddenly gone quiet? Could it be that he just revealed he's an alien with that conversation?"
The hoowner sitting on the sofa was an alien straight out of a movie. It was even the almost stereotypical kind, once sporting green sli and a single eye. Any sane person couldn't even dare to imagine such a shocking truth. Unfortunately, Jung Haseong happened to be one of those "sane" examples.
"Soone with extrely low empathy, who obsessively pursues a dangerous and thrilling profession like a Hunter."
In the end, the Rank 1 Hunter wrapped up his thoughts on a false lead.
"Moreover, he always perford good deeds. Co to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing him wear a genuinely happy expression when rescuing citizens."
In other words, this was also the image that Kim Giryeo projected to the majority of Earth's inhabitants.
"Hunter Kim Giryeo... could there really be sothing wrong with his emotions..."
Rather than a trained operative, the blond hunter seed to possess an innately different temperant. Words like "psychopath" briefly crossed his mind.
"I've heard that even if soone is born with an antisocial brain, with correction from a young age, they can chanically learn a sense of morality."
Of course, on a planet where they say "leave dicine to the pharmacist," a diagnosis by soone without proper qualifications would be accurate. If there truly were a defect in the brain's emotion-regulating regions, most individuals would display patterns different from Kim Giryeo. But Jung Haseong didn't know such detailed specifics.
"Anyway, Hunter Kim Giryeo seems to know nothing of ordinary happiness. Even the dungeon itself has certified that much."
Ignorance was this mammal's only sin.
"It won't be easy to persuade him."
Jung Haseong looked at the hoowner with a strangely sympathetic gaze. But the alien showed nothing but cold-blooded indifference, without a trace of pity or tears.
"What was that mory-erasing magic formula again? If he ends up pressing with questions about being so kind of space monster, I'll probably have to fire at it him."
The two aliens thus fell into silence for a while. And in this living room, no further unusual situation unfolded.
"Then I've disturbed you enough on a day you should be resting. I'll take my leave now."
Contrary to the alien's concern, Jung Haseong rose to his feet right after a brief Q&A.
"That guy... the way he's stepping out the front gate with such a determined look on his face feels oddly unsettling..."
It was now the tail end of December. In other words, the ti when a new year was just around the corner.
***
The busy season has co. These cursed Oisimche—though a species ruled by appetite—seed to possess an odd streak of diligence. At fixed intervals, they created new demonic beasts and released them upon the earth's surface. And if one of them proved particularly efficient at extracting suffering, then its nest would even be expanded.
"They're awfully diligent when it cos to maintenance."
They were, in every sense, excellent harvesters. The so-called [Great Cataclysm] was nothing more than a wave concealing such intent.
"Hmm."
On Alphauri, I was the First Archmage. On Earth, I hold the unprecedented power of an SS-rank Hunter. And yet here I am—living the life of an unemployed man.
"If my past self were to hear this, he'd probably scoff—saying I finally got the situation I'd always wished for, so what am I dissatisfied about?"
Lazing around...
I wedged myself into the living room sofa and killed so ti. But even while doing so, my eyes stayed fixed on the screen of an electronic device.
[Dungeon Search]
[Result Range: A Limited]
January, January, January.
[Notification] Y-Tube Live Broadcast [Newsflash]: The Cataclysm Confird, Yet Another New Monster Discovered...]
This month is truly a season that simultaneously provokes the tempers of both debt collectors and scholars. But why is it that I, a grand SS-rank elite awakened being, have to rot in my room instead of going out to hunt?
"No work!"
Never in my life did I think I'd end up saying sothing like this. But as the current situation makes clear, with the start of a new month I've once again been pushed into rciless "consideration." And the cause, of course, was none other than that lung-shredding spectacle back during the disposal of Heavenly Palace Island.
I stepped up with the best of intentions, and this is how they dare repay the favor?
No matter how much I tried to persuade them that I was fine, well, if they'd seen such a shocking sight with their own eyes, it would hardly be believable.
To continue from the point when the rank 1 Hunter visited this mansion—after that, Jung Haseong embarked on an extre course of action.
I should've realized it the mont that car magazine popped up out of nowhere! I really should've thrown out so kind of half-baked then."
Damn it. Every day, they send soone over (co to think of it, I heard Garlon respected his staff's wishes and kept it temporarily) just to make go through that low-level, Earth-style treatnt...
Moreover, Jung Haseong's kindness didn't stop at rely checking whether he was alive or dead. The top-ranked youth would occasionally co by himself and make these strange suggestions.
Here you go, Hunter. This is what a called a laptop.What's the point?And on this, there are strategy gas that instead that even awakened ones like us can enjoy, regardless of our reflexes.What's the aning of this? Are you trying to mock right now?You ntioned you've hardly ever played gas, right? Then perhaps you might find sothing you like among these.
Every ti Jung Haseong ca to my place, he'd bring so piece of Earthly culture with him. He said that avoiding it just because it looked boring from the start was different from actually experiencing the culture firsthand.
At first, it was a gaming console. Next ca sports equipnt like a catch ball set. And after that, there were so many other things that it's hard to even list them all.
Is this kind of thing considered normal on Earth?
But it was fairly easy to guess what had triggered Jung Haseong's unusual behavior.
"No, I an, logically... is there anyone in this world who doesn't have any happy mories?"
The absurd misunderstanding that occurred at the Türkiye EX-class gate...it must have sprouted after witnessing the alien's hemoptysis. From the perspective of an ignorant human, it was sowhat understandable why Jung Haseong was so worried. From an objective viewpoint, it was true that I, as an Awakened, appeared a little... unusual.
Tiring
But even in a situation like this, I couldn't just obediently play along.
"Dungeon alarm!"
With a sudden jolt!
Hearing the sound from my phone, I quickly sprang up from my seat.
"Also, a golem has appeared. A new type of golem ah, it's that one. It's definitely the one that rolls around with gold lted and filled inside a pipe."
...
...
...
But well... Honestly, I'll be the fool if I hadn't seen this coming.
"Oh my, Hunter Jung Haseong."
A smoker's voice ca over the surface of the idol's hide.
"How did you manage to get here before , considering this is Andong?"
"..."
"Ah, I guess I really need to get myself a car soon."
Finally, in front of the newly appeared Golem Gate, I imdiately started hurling all sorts of taunts at the humans I spotted. I even found myself slipping into polite speech, sothing I normally never used.
"Ah, it's Jung Haseong again. Again--"
Well, that young man with the streaked hair had been blocking all sorts of dungeons for days.
"Hunter... Kim Giryeo."
The weak hero, now showing dark circles under his eyes and a sullen complexion. Again, today was already mid-January, during the [Great Cataclysm]. But normally, just the arrival of January wouldn't have such a shocking truth.
"The period sees frequent appearances of new-type monsters, but fundantally, the number of dungeons itself doesn't increase."
Since Haseong is a hunter who's accumulated an enormous amount of experience, he would normally have been able to get through this period just relying on his so-called "instinct" from years of practice. But the current Jung Haseong looks utterly exhausted—so what could be the reason for this?
"Now, stop getting in my way."
"This dungeon was reserved by our company first. There's absolutely no issue with the procedure."
"Why do you say there's no problem? You're practically sweeping through the dungeon unilaterally, like a macro."
Reflexively, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Are you really going to make use harsh words?"
But as the interrogation began, the other party instead displayed a strong, assertive stance.
"Am I really the one at fault here?"
First, let's hear what they have to say.
"You even refused when I offered money. You're rejecting the solution you yourself suggested first, Hunter."
"It's not that I refused. You said you don't have cash right now, and that you'd have to sell your equipnt to gather hundreds of billions."
"Yes."
"Besides, if we're talking about covering the money anyway, that ans you'd have to work more instead of . I just don't like that."
"Yes..."
"Now I have plenty of strength anyway, so I just want to earn my living with my own hands. That's my honest feeling."
"..."
"Those are, without a doubt, thoughts with not a single flaw."
The conversation, which had begun in the calm tone of a modern adult, quickly escalated into a heated debate.
"Then, on the other hand, I want to ask—what exactly is wrong with our actions?"
"Hmm?"
"Hunter Seo Esther and I are doing this purely out of a desire to help."
"No, that..."
"I didn't dare say anything at the ti, but after all the trouble you went through on the ship, why are you already back to work? Wouldn't it be fine to rest for about a month?"
There's no way it would be fine. The tax paynt period starts in February, and this month is still January.
But just before I was about to reveal the appropriate truth, Jung Haseong interrupted with a sharp outburst. With a look of deep frustration, he began recounting the feelings he had harbored all this ti.
"Hunter, every ti you show up you look utterly exhausted, your face pale and drawn!"
No, that's just because Kim Giryeo's cheekbones are naturally large...
"Besides, your skin isn't exactly fair, but if you look closely, there's no color or vitality in it."
Of course, he's a corpse.
"Even if you tried to act fine, at your low looks clearly..."
"I see."
Every ti the other person spoke, words of rebuttal instinctively escaped my mouth. I guess the last comnt he made reflected my own inner slump from starting work—just the natural fatigue of a regular office worker. Yet Jung Haseong seed so shocked and aggrieved by it all that he kept talking, without even daring to argue.
"I've never seen anyone as remarkable as Hunter Kim Giryeo in this line of work."
A sudden complint, huh.
"I truly respect you."
"Hmm."
"If people like you, Hunter, don't hold up the backbone of this industry, everything would feel unstable. Not just —most people feel the sa way now."
"Do you really think so?"
"So, no matter how slim the chances are, I hope you won't give up on the treatnt."
A heartfelt remark had just been spoken.
"In a world where superhumans exist, miracles can happen too, right?"
If I were an ordinary sorcerer, I would have wiped my tears and heeded the plea of this primitive creature.
"I want to make money."
The problem, however, was that the circumstances didn't allow it. February was already just around the corner in this world. With deadlines already tight enough to drive one mad, the thought that [Garlon] was about to snatch the gold-egg-laying Golem dungeon right from under my nose sent a chill down my spine.
Moreover, even aside the most primal desire of accumulating wealth...
"This... isn't right."
When I thought it over, I realized that the fact soone dared to stand in the way of my actions was irritating. In a month or two this period just relying on his so-called "instinct" from years of practice could easily be resolved by rely aphonizing a lot from that S-rank backbone. Yet, I avoided that option because I didn't want to cause harm to a human. In other words, it was a matter of "pride."
But Jung Haseong and Seo Esther, on the other hand, kept trying to relieve my burden—they blocked , pleaded, blocked again, pleaded again, repeating this cycle over and over. A cascade of considerate considerations. The intention was admirable, yet I genuinely didn't know where to begin correcting their misunderstanding. Perhaps this situation had already beco irreversible the mont the heart E-x-try results were revealed.
"Hunter Kim?"
"..."
Swish.
I opened my eyes wide and briefly scanned the empty space. At that mont, my mammalian hands instinctively swept back my golden bangs, and along with these small actions, I sank into deep thought.
"Okay."
"Co to think of it... do I even have an obligation to make Earthlings understand ...?"
The hand that had been clutching his hair enough to expose his forehead now trembled violently. It was the twisted anger characteristic of an Alphauri manifesting itself.
It's one thing that the seizure stickers got slapped on because I couldn't cover the hundreds of billions in unpaid debt—I even did my best to reveal the truth. Yet those humans happened already, and why is the situation still unresolved? I even did my best to reveal the truth. Yet those humans refused to believe . Honestly, it makes a little pissed off. And frustrated too.
So, after tens of thousands of considerations...
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