Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was then. 

Whether he understood my words or not, Cha Jae-joon pulled something out of his inventory with a serious expression. 

Han Seung-hoo and I simultaneously watched his actions with keen interest.

—I’ll leave this to you. Will I gain credit then?

I first checked the sentence floating above Cha Jae-joon’s head and then confirmed what he had taken out. Then my mouth hung open.

“…What I’m seeing right now… is it true?” 

Was what I saw real? 

If I was stunned with my mouth hanging open, Han Seung-hoo was genuinely staring at the item Cha Jae-joon had pulled out.

Well, it was a natural reaction. The item in Cha Jae-joon’s hand was the ‘Ego Sword,’ an SS-level weapon, very rare with only five in the world, with the Black Dragon’s Heart embedded. 

Many terms refer to this Ego Sword.

‘A sword that grows on its own’ or ‘a sword that imprisons the soul of a dragon.’ 

The first weapon that came out of the gate when gates first appeared in the world. 

…And a weapon that chooses its owner.

The length was about 1 meter, and the Black Dragon’s Heart embedded in the handle sparkled brilliantly due to the magic emanating from it. It was said to contain the burning will of the Black Dragon, becoming stronger over time.

However, this weapon had one fatal flaw. 

‘The person with that sword eventually… dies, right?’

Up to now, the Ego Sword, known to contain magic that humanity cannot handle, has led all its owners to death. The Ego Sword supposedly chose a human who would become its nourishment.

Therefore, even a weak hunter could become the owner of the Ego Sword if chosen. As the deaths of the chosen hunters continued, the weapon disappeared from people’s attention.

‘If I hadn’t heard rumors recently that the owner of that weapon had changed to a young person…’

I probably couldn’t have thought that the sword was the Ego Sword. 

And I wouldn’t have believed that the person holding it was in front of me. 

But instinctively, I could tell that the sword was the Ego Sword. My instincts were telling me.

That magic couldn’t be replicated with mere imitation. So, the statement that the current owner of that great and cursed sword was Cha Jae-joon was mind-boggling. It felt surreal. 

I wondered if I was dreaming and seriously contemplating if it was a moment to seriously consider.

Up until the appearance of Han Seung-hoo, I could have tolerated anything. Well, life brings about such events, I thought. But…

‘…Cha Jae-joon is a bit much.’

I had been trying to accept unbelievable things with composure, but that peace I had maintained was just shattered completely. 

Yeah, I should have noticed something was off from the moment the text floated above his head. No, even if I had noticed, how could I have known that the crazy guy was the new owner of the Ego Sword?

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no solution to this situation. If I had been teased this much, it would have been enough; now I wished someone would wake me up from this delusion.

If I was going to be thrust into this chaotic reality without any protective gear, the incident should have occurred within the limits I could handle at least. Overwhelming overload surged through my throbbing head.

I covered my eyes with my hands and tried desperately to accept the current reality. If I didn’t accept it, I could be in danger now.

‘Yeah, it’s something that could easily happen.’

And the same was true for Han Seung-hoo. 

He already had his main weapon in one hand, a wand encrusted with the Blue God’s Tear. The gem was glowing a fearsome blue as if it were about to strike.

I glanced at Han Seung-hoo for a moment and then shifted my gaze to Cha Jae-joon. 

Cha Jae-joon had put the Ego Sword into the ground and was leaning on it, smiling gently when our eyes met. Above his head, a heart was floating, as if to say, ‘Take a good look.’

“Mr. Han Seung-hoo.”

“…Yes, Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“Can you win against that person in a fight?”

“…I’ll have to get into a fight to know for sure. I’ve never seen the Ego Sword in action before.”

“…Then, would you mind talking to Cha Jae-joon instead of me?”

“Go out there?”

I nodded decisively while looking at Han Seung-hoo.

“If you end up inevitably fighting, try to do it as far away from home as possible. Even if I don’t know him, if Han Seung-hoo uses a skill here, the house will be in ruins.”

“That’s obvious. I don’t plan on destroying the house on top of everything else.”

“And try not to fight if possible.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Even though he said he would do his best, excitement filled Han Seung-hoo’s eyes. He was also a hunter. A very powerful one at that.

In front of such a person, the appearance of an individual with a legendary weapon was naturally awakening the combat instinct within him. So, I had to offer Han Seung-hoo conditions compelling enough for him not to fight. 

Fortunately, there was something appropriate right now.

“I’ll allow you to speak as long as there’s no violence.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yes, Han Seung-hoo.”

“Then wait for me. I’ll definitely call you sister because of that.”

Han Seung-hoo, who smiled so brightly that it almost blinded the eyes, covered himself in mana and moved towards the front door. He opened the door and headed to the front yard where Cha Jae-joon was. 

Cha Jae-joon, who was watching, just smiled at me.

‘…Something feels uneasy.’

Cha Jae-joon surely knew who Han Seung-hoo was. Despite that, he didn’t lose composure, still with a heart floating above his head. 

Watching him like that made me feel unnecessary anxiety.

And that anxiety came from an entirely different direction, heading straight towards me.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-soo was looking around with a serious expression. 

Something was off. Yes, this was the first time he felt the waves from the gate.

Even with a gigantic green crow monster right in front of him, Kang Yoon-soo was solely focused on the strange waves emanating from its side. 

Thanks to that, Yoo Soo-hee, who was next to him, was busy blocking the crow to prevent any attacks.

She was one of the few tanks capable of blocking attacks on the front lines. Thus, Kang Yoon-soo could afford to concentrate only on the waves. 

The enraged crow, angered by the nonchalant attitude of humans, swung its legs fiercely towards Kang Yoon-soo.

Being larger than a human, just its movement created a strong gust of wind. 

When the disheveled bangs covered his sight, Kang Yoon-soo finally turned his attention to the crow. The blue eyes, seemingly oblivious to fear, were unusually chilly today. 

The crow continued its charge towards Kang Yoon-soo. Knowing that a fierce monster was rushing towards him, Kang Yoon-soo didn’t move.

The giant leg of the crow was about to strike Kang Yoon-soo without hesitation. 

Kyaang! The crow collided with Yoo Soo-hee’s arm and was thrown back.

Despite the collision between a bug and a human, the sound of steel colliding echoed through the space. Yoo Soo-hee firmly held one of the crow’s legs and tore it apart.

Literally tore it apart.

It was an unbelievable strength, but Yoo Soo-hee showed no sign of effort. There was not a single wound on her body, but instead, the sleeves of her clothes were shredded. It seemed that the sharp legs of the crow couldn’t protect her clothes. 

Yoo Soo-hee calmly stood there and forcefully slammed Kang Yoon-soo’s back with her hand.

Under the incredible force that could tear apart a crow, Kang Yoon-soo fell to the ground without resistance.

“…Ouch.”

“Well, who told you to stay still?”

“…It was a monster that I didn’t have to face directly. And you could handle everything here by yourself.”

“….”

When Yoo Soo-hee tried to strike Kang Yoon-soo again without saying a word, he awkwardly smiled and brushed off his clothes as he got up. Then, he looked around and sighed at the current situation.

The remaining members of the conquest team were burning all the crow’s eggs while Yoo Soo-hee and Kang Yoon-soo dealt with the crow.

Facing a bug-type monster, the most crucial task was removing the eggs. If they weren’t removed in time, they could face waves of monsters spawned from the hatched larvae.

So, only the two strongest members were facing the crow, while the rest of the team scattered to remove eggs scattered everywhere. Since the crow killed by Yoo Soo-hee was the last one, other team members were expected to finish their mission easily and return.

They had defeated the crows easily, and the eggs were burned in time. 

So why was Kang Yoon-soo sighing and lamenting? It was because the busy Kang Yoon-soo, who normally didn’t have any gates coming into his territory, was not accustomed to participating in gate conquests.

Kang Yoon-soo’s lack of involvement in gate conquests was somewhat inevitable. 

As the master of the guild ‘Janwol,’ he prioritized gate detection activities and rarely participated in conquests. Therefore, he wasn’t officially part of Janwol’s gate conquest team.

Currently, gate conquests were conducted by guilds that acquired the gates through government bids, and the guild’s conquest team would then move accordingly. Gate conquest teams had to be ready to participate at any time, but Kang Yoon-soo kept leaving his post.

As a top-ranked player, the strategies had to be adjusted around Kang Yoon-soo, and his fluctuating participation became a variable. Eventually, he ended up leaving the conquest team entirely.

Though Kang Yoon-soo had experience with gate conquests, he rarely participated due to the reasons mentioned earlier. The only exception was situations like the present one.

Even the leader of the conquest team, Han Seung-hoo, couldn’t participate in the gate conquest now. While Han Seung-hoo was the vice-master of Janwol, filling in for him was a task that naturally fell to the guild’s master, Kang Yoon-soo.

In the end, all these circumstances are traced back to Kang Yoon-soo’s prophecy to Han Seung-hoo, advising him to enter the gate. 

Kang Yoon-soo let out a long sigh.

“If I knew this would happen, I shouldn’t have sent Seung-hoo.”

“Yeah, why did our leader have to deal with this mess by sending himself when it’s a job for Tae-il alone?”

“I don’t know Seung-hoo’s schedule in detail, Soo-hee.”

Yoo Soo-hee, who played the role of Han Seung-hoo’s right arm in Janwol’s conquest team, dragged Kang Yoon-soo forcibly into the gate as a consequence of sending their leader away.

“Did you not anticipate this when you sent them? When you sent the two into that gate, you should have been prepared for the consequences.”

“Tae-il can’t go alone.”

“He’s the strongest man in Korea.” 

“I know that, but it still makes me nervous.”

“You’ll be the only one who treats him like a child….” 

To Yoo Soo-hee’s words, Kang Yoon-soo just chuckled. 

He was the one who had almost raised Tae-il like a child after his awakening, and Kang Yoon-soo knew him better than anyone else.

He briefly got lost in memories, thinking about the cute little Tae-il. Watching that adorable sight with cold, calculating eyes, Yoo Soo-hee grabbed Kang Yoon-soo’s arm and dragged him away.

“Regardless, since the leader who was supposed to lead the conquest today is gone, the master should take charge without consulting, right?” 

That was the reason why Kang Yoon-soo was currently inside the gate. Thanks to this, they discovered the strange waves. 

Kang Yoon-soo couldn’t help but feel like fate was toying with him.