Chapter 114

“The situation was exceedingly dire!” Gwan Seungya declared, his theatrical voice carrying over the ambient chatter of the banquet hall. “Lacking any combat prowess at the time, I was relegated to rear support—until a monster ambushed me from beneath the very floor!”

“Whoa.”

Despite his eyes being swollen red from the hysterical sobbing fit he had unleashed upon seeing Nam Shin-hoo before the banquet even began, Seungya now stood with his chest puffed out, proudly boasting of his near-death experience to an enraptured audience.

Of course, Seungya hadn’t been the only one reduced to a blubbering mess. A veritable cascade of tears had erupted among the Saint Guild members and affiliated Hunters the moment they laid eyes on Shin-hoo. Hunter Chae Yeonjeong, in particular, had collapsed to the floor in a fit of wailing, apologizing profusely through a mess of tears and snot on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion before finally fleeing to the restroom out of sheer embarrassment.

Shin-hoo had witnessed people weeping over his return several times now, yet a complicated knot tightened in his chest with each display.

It might not be so bad, having people shed tears over my death, Shin-hoo mused quietly.

After all, in his previous life, there had been no one left to mourn him.

“Right at that moment!” Seungya thundered from across the room. Weaving his grand epic, the man dramatically threw out his arms like a seasoned stage actor. “The monster’s massive jaws clamped down on my torso, and my vision plunged into pitch darkness! I sensed my impending demise immediately! Ah, I thought, Hunter Gwan Seungya ends his short, brilliant life here!“

His voice swelled in volume, echoing with enough resonant power to fill half the expansive banquet hall.

“But in that final, breathless second! A voice echoed crystal clear in my ears. The voice of the great man who raised me!”

An ominous premonition suddenly seized Shin-hoo’s mind. Don’t tell me ‘the great man’ he’s talking about is…

“He told me, ‘You are not someone destined to fall here! Your abilities hold infinite potential!’ Yes, that was the kind of man he was. In my final moments, his voice—reaching out to me, urging me to build a new life together—flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope and jolted me awake! I realized then: I must carry on his will!”

Shin-hoo slowly brought a hand to his face, massaging his temples. He was at an utter loss as to where or how he should even begin to dismantle that hopeless fabrication.

I’m not even dead, he grumbled internally.

“Upon forging that iron resolve, a system window materialized before my very eyes!” Seungya cried out, reaching his triumphant climax. “It was a congratulatory message announcing my re-awakening! And just like that, I was reborn as an S-Rank Hunter!”

“That is so cool. Could something like that happen to me, too?”

“Your stories never get old, Hunter Gwan Seungya!”

Clicking his tongue softly from the sidelines, Shin-hoo swirled the champagne in his flute just as Choi Kanghyeon drifted to his side.

“That is a repertoire he has already spewed on national television dozens of times over,” Kanghyeon noted dryly. “You will likely… hear it quite a few more times.”

“I can see that.”

It clearly wasn’t a performance Seungya had only given once or twice. Time had altered the man significantly; draped head-to-toe in extravagant designer clothing and ostentatious mana stones, barely a trace of his formerly timid self remained. Then again, remembering how Seungya had wailed loudly enough to bring the building down just hours prior, perhaps he hadn’t changed completely. He had simply grown thick-skinned enough to spin heroic tales with puffy, bloodshot eyes.

“I have permitted his storytelling until now because it serves our interests,” Kanghyeon murmured, “but I can put an end to it today if you wish.”

“No, it is fine.”

Shin-hoo completely understood Kanghyeon’s calculated leniency. The guild members had desperately needed a beacon of hope after losing their overwhelmingly powerful Guild Master, and a B-Rank Hunter miraculously re-awakening into an S-Rank was the perfect narrative to rally their fractured morale. Furthermore, there was no better success story to manufacture a favorable public image.

“So, what is the general consensus among the attendees tonight?” Shin-hoo asked.

Kanghyeon offered a subtle, relaxed smile—a distinctly positive signal. In truth, Shin-hoo didn’t need to ask; he could already feel the palpable waves of goodwill radiating toward him and Kwon Haeju.

While no one dared to approach them directly just yet, the crowd watched the two men with sparkling, awestruck eyes. Veterans who remembered Shin-hoo from the old days were busy whispering his past achievements to the newer generation, and those rookies, in turn, scrutinized him with profound admiration.

He was the man who had purged the corrupt, antiquated guild associations. He was one of the two absolute pillars who had single-handedly propped up South Korea when it was nothing but a weak, fledgling nation. Amidst the flurry of embarrassing, honeyed praises, snippets of quiet gossip drifted their way.

“I heard the two of them used to hate each other, but I guess those were just baseless rumors.”

“Actually, I heard something completely different. I heard they were, you know, intimately close. And that Hunter Kwon Haeju changed so drastically precisely because he went missing…”

“I knew it! That makes perfect sense.”

“Seeing two incredibly handsome men standing together like that… well, I can’t quite put it into words, but it is a wonderful sight.”

It seemed a fair bit of embarrassing speculation had woven itself into their benign curiosity.

…As long as it creates a positive image, I suppose it doesn’t matter, Shin-hoo rationalized.

Though the reactions skewed slightly from his initial expectations, the overwhelming majority of the attendees harbored genuine affection and curiosity toward him. The sudden resurrection of a legendary Hunter declaring his intent to reclaim the apex hadn’t triggered any hostility. At this rate, resuming his activities exactly as he had before his disappearance would be a seamless transition.

However, there were always exceptions to every rule.

“They are here,” Kanghyeon muttered, casting a sidelong glance.

As if he had been waiting for this exact moment, Haeju smoothly stepped forward, physically blocking Shin-hoo’s front. Though Haeju’s broad shoulders obscured his vision, Shin-hoo already knew exactly who was approaching them.

Yoo Da-on and Yoo Yeonho.

The S-Rank Hunter siblings who had awakened during his absence. One of them immediately addressed Haeju’s impenetrable defense.

“We only came over to say hello, but isn’t this security a bit excessive?” a bright, ringing voice challenged. “Especially coming from a man who usually ignores our existence entirely inside the dungeons.”

It was Yoo Da-on. As the younger sister of the S-Rank twins, she was a Hunter beloved by the public for her bubbly, unabashedly bold personality.

Of course, her end had been just as tragic as everyone else’s.

Da-on offered a brilliant, eye-crinkling smile at the stoic Haeju. “Not a single word today, either? Does he just detest speaking to rookies like us?”

“Da-on-ah,” a gentle voice chided from behind her.

It was Yoo Yeonho, the older brother of the S-Rank duo. Born a mere five minutes apart, they shared the exact same age and birthdate, yet Yeonho was infinitely more mature and grounded than his fiery sister.

“I apologize,” Yeonho said, bowing his head respectfully. “My sister was acting discourteously.”

“Yoo Yeonho, why do you always have to act so subservient?” Da-on snapped, rounding on him. “It’s not like we’re lacking in comparison.”

“It is not about being subservient,” Yeonho corrected soothingly. “It is simply about observing basic etiquette.”

“Ugh, you’re such a rigid bore.”

“If you let this side of yourself get broadcasted on national television again, Mom is going to scold you.”

“…”

In Shin-hoo’s memory, the siblings were an anomaly among Hunters. It was a common, morbid joke that very few high-ranking Hunters had living parents, as the profession often preyed upon those from impoverished or tragic backgrounds. But Da-on and Yeonho had been raised in a harmonious, loving household, showered with affection. Their parents were healthy, and their family dynamic was entirely devoid of trauma. Perhaps because of that pristine upbringing, both siblings possessed remarkably transparent, unwrinkled personalities.

To put it nicely, they were Hunters who hardly felt like Hunters at all.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen the two of them standing side-by-side like this, Shin-hoo thought.

Witnessing the past iterations of people he had observed for years in his previous life was always a jarring experience. It evoked a strange sense of nostalgia, but it also dragged the horrifyingly uncomfortable memories of their inevitable ruin to the surface.

A ragged fragment of his oldest memories violently unspooled in his mind.

‘Why should I have to fight while taking orders from you?! Figure it out yourself! You always have! Since when have we ever operated as an alliance for you to suddenly summon me now?!’

The memory echoed with Da-on’s razor-sharp, venomous screaming. And lying motionless behind her furious figure had been Yoo Yeonho—reduced to a permanent vegetative state.

That haunting image was the exact reason Shin-hoo hadn’t considered the newly awakened S-Rank siblings as viable candidates for the world’s salvation. Both had technically survived until the moment Nuckelavee descended upon the world, but they had been in no state to be called truly alive.

As Haeju stood his ground, radiating silent hostility, Shin-hoo placed a calming hand on his rival’s shoulder and stepped around him. Ruining his first impression with these siblings would be severely detrimental to his plans.

“Hello,” Shin-hoo greeted smoothly. “I suppose I should say it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Oh?” Da-on tilted her head up, her bobbed hair swishing lightly as her eyes gleamed with newfound intrigue. “I thought you were just going to hide behind Kwon Haeju forever. You have a surprisingly nice voice.”

She unabashedly scrutinized Shin-hoo from head to toe, taking in every detail.

“You’re much better looking in person than in the archival videos,” she appraised bluntly. “Plus, you have a baby face. You definitely don’t look like you’re in your thirties.”

Considering his physical body was currently frozen at twenty-eight years old, her assessment was entirely accurate. Her sharp perceptiveness matched her renowned kinetic vision perfectly.

“Thank you,” Shin-hoo replied graciously. “I will take that as a compliment.”

“Hmm. But the way you speak makes you sound fifty. What a waste of a good face.” Delivering her scathing evaluation without missing a beat, Da-on grabbed Yeonho—who was currently massaging his temples in second-hand embarrassment—and yanked him forward. “Anyway, let’s do proper introductions. I am Yoo Da-on, the rising nova of the Hunter world who appeared while you were playing hooky, ahjussi. And this lacking-but-kindhearted guy here is Yoo Yeonho. He’s my older brother, for the time being.”

Even in his past life, she had absolutely refused to call him ‘oppa’ with any genuine respect. The deep-seated resentment of being designated the younger sister over a mere five-minute difference clearly remained unchanged.

“I know of you,” Shin-hoo smiled. “The fastest Hunter in the world.”

“Wow, you really know how to flatter a person, ahjussi. You’re completely different from a certain boring someone over there.”

Da-on shot a withering glare at Haeju from the corner of her eye before turning back to Shin-hoo with a radiant, saccharine smile. Shin-hoo hadn’t the faintest idea what Haeju had done to earn such concentrated animosity from the young woman, but he figured he would have to unravel that particular mystery in due time.