Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 101

Chapter 101

On the other hand, in a world completely tainted black.

“…According to the map, it should be here.”

With one eye stained black, Cha Jae-joon mumbled as he looked around. He carefully examined the cardinal directions, but unable to find what he was looking for, he scanned the map again.

“Do I need to go a bit further ahead?”

Despite squinting at the map with a tilted head, Cha Jae-joon sighed, not sure if he understood even after thoroughly examining it.

The reason he was wandering in a world where all colors were taken away and replaced with black was simple.

It was to complete the quest of finding the Blue Dragon’s Ego Sword.

The reason for his current struggle is traced back to the time he was kicked out of Seo Yeon-oh’s house.

Although the Blue Ego Sword had already become Seo Yeon-oh’s possession, strangely, the system window indicating the completion of the quest did not appear.

Perplexed by this, Cha Jae-joon checked the map he received along with the quest as soon as he left Seo Yeon-oh’s house.

However,

“Why is this marked here?”

If it was a quest to find and own the Blue Dragon’s Ego Sword, the location on the map should have pointed to Seo Yeon-oh’s house.

However… the map showed an entirely different location.

It was a place Cha Jae-joon was well aware of.

Right…

“This is where Seo Yeon-oh was kidnapped by the Blue Dragon.”

There was a mysterious, beautiful gate with a large tree. The Blue Dragon’s Ego Sword was still marked as being there.

Thinking it might be a malfunction, Cha Jae-joon even shook the map vigorously, but nothing changed, and the marked location seemed to shine even brighter.

Furthermore, he had the Blue Dragon’s claw fragment to activate the map, so he judged that the marking was not incorrect.

Therefore, Cha Jae-joon had no choice but to head back to the gate with the large tree.

Although he had circled several gates unable to use the ‘door leading to reality’ after leaving Seo Yeon-oh’s house, he could easily reach that place.

However, it was different from the mysterious and beautiful atmosphere Cha Jae-joon knew.

The entire place had changed into a gloomy and eerie appearance.

The green light that permeated the gate was inexplicably gone.

As if…

“It feels like when I obtained the Black Dragon’s Ego Sword.”

The feeling of thinking he had died without a word that day, closing his eyes, and then opening them again.

Instinctively, he passed through the dark and eerie place, and there before him was the memory of the Black Ego Sword.

An unforgettable memory, for sure.

So Cha Jae-joon could be sure.

…The Blue Ego Sword would exist here.

It was just puzzling. The fact that the Ego Sword, already in possession of Seo Yeon-oh, would exist here again.

“Well, maybe the Blue Dragon created two Ego Swords.”

There was a possibility that it made another one for someone else.

Having convinced himself, Cha Jae-joon moved to the location marked on the map in search of the Ego Sword. It was a moment of realization that he might be a complete novice in reading maps.

As of now, Cha Jae-joon was fervently walking while scrutinizing the map. Unlike the previous visit, he encountered no interference from monsters emitting a dangerous aura, making the journey incomparable in terms of danger. 

Even monsters, seemingly wanting to attack Cha Jae-joon, only stared at him without being able to move properly. Whether they were accustomed to this situation or simply ignoring him, Cha Jae-joon continued walking with black mana enveloping his body.

How long had he walked? The surroundings began to change. The black-stained trees and grass turned into mist and slowly dissipated, while the sky had a looming golden hue as if it would collapse soon. As if the world was about to shatter.

Even if an ordinary hunter would be terrified and flee from such a scene, Cha Jae-joon paid no attention and continued walking forward. 

“…Found it.” 

Barely emitting a blue light was the ‘Blue Dragon’s’ heart, embedded in the handle, signaling that it was the Ego Sword.

It closely resembled the Ego Sword that Cha Jae-joon possessed. To the extent that one could believe they were made together on the same day and time. It was then. 

“…Ah.” 

Softly uttering a suppressed scream, Cha Jae-joon slowly collapsed to the ground. He soon got up, but his two eyes were completely stained black.

He moved with a squeak as if someone was controlling him. His hand awkwardly reached forward and grabbed the handle of the Blue Ego Sword.

At that moment. 

Crunch! The Black Ego Sword, attached to Cha Jae-joon’s waist, emitted black mana and voraciously grotesquely devoured the Blue Ego Sword. Consuming it entirely, the Black Ego Sword seemed satisfied and gradually diminished its light. Soon, light began to seep into Cha Jae-joon’s eyes which had turned completely black.

“…Hmm, what just happened?” 

Staring at his hand and blinking, Cha Jae-joon turned his head at the sound of something crumbling.

… The sky which had a golden hue collapsed with a deafening noise. 

Without confirming what had happened, Cha Jae-joon hastily began to run towards the gate entrance, which appeared suddenly and seemed to have collapsed.

* * *

Returning to the dark warehouse once again, Kang Yoon-soo observed Seo Yeon-oh, who was engaged in conversation with Kim Chok, with an expression that seemed fascinated.

‘…She insists on helping.’

Indeed, an ordinary person would not usually help someone who had once hindered them. However, Seo Yeon-oh was different. Having already experienced being captured once, and having been recently kidnapped, one might expect her not to assist Kim Chok, who was powerless in the hands of her father, a government official.

He even tried to dissuade her, warning her about the danger. Kang Yoon-soo had even asked why is she getting involved.

However, Seo Yeon-oh had responded with a cool smile.

“It’s difficult if you don’t eliminate the cause.”

It was a valid point. If you cover up the phenomenon without addressing the root cause, the same thing would likely happen again.

However…

“You probably don’t need to do this, Yeon-oh. This is a chronic issue between the government and the guild. There’s no reason for you to dirty your hands. Even if you try to resolve it, it’s something Mr. Kim Chok and I should handle.”

“Well, that’s true. But if they’ve already targeted me through Mr. Kim Chok, even if it’s something unrelated to me, I’ve become involved. So if I don’t step forward, the government will continue to be ambitious.”

While it was a problem between the government and the guild, Seo Yeon-oh had already become a party involved. Even if she were to distance herself, there was still a possibility of the government reaching out after the issue was resolved.

It was a plausible statement, especially considering the excessive greed of government officials.

Therefore, Kang Yoon-soo couldn’t tell Seo Yeon-oh to step back from the situation. However, Kang Yoon-soo had overlooked one fact…

“Well, now that the discussion is more or less concluded, shall we go see Mr. Kim Chok?”

Seo Yeon-oh’s execution power was tremendous.

That’s how Kang Yoon-soo ended up coming to where Kim Chok was guided by the recruiter. As soon as they arrived, Seo Yeon-oh talked to Kim Chok, stating that she would help.

Thanks to that, Kang Yoon-soo could see the amusingly bewildered expression on Kim Chok’s face. However…

“No, I said I would help you?”

“Why is Hunter Seo Yeon-oh helping with that?”

“That’s because I also don’t like the fact that the government keeps mentioning me.”

“Even so, this is my father’s and mine’s business.”

With Kim Chok’s stubbornness conflicting with Seo Yeon-oh’s determination, the conversation was not getting through at all. Thanks to that, the same dialogue continued.

Finding the situation peculiar, Kang Yoon-soo couldn’t let the two continue like this, so he eventually spoke up.

“Stop fighting. Mr. Kim Chok, stop your unreasonable stubbornness. If you’re acting like this because you’re uneasy about Seo Yeon-oh, I’m willing to help. Please accept it now.”

“Huh, Kang Yoon-soo, you?”

“Yes, me.”

“Do you think I’ll accept your help? More than that, does Hunter Seo Yeon-oh doesn’t know about Kang Yoon-soo’s deal with the government?”

“…Why is that coming up now? It’s irrelevant.”

Kim Chok raised the corner of his mouth as if to say it was not irrelevant. He seemed ready to speak to Seo Yeon-oh right away. In response, Kang Yoon-soo quickly spoke to change the topic.

“What are you talking about? A deal… Are you saying that Kang Yoon-soo made a deal with the government regarding me?”

Seo Yeon-oh was quicker. Kang Yoon-soo looked at Kim Chok with a helpless expression, and seeing that expression, Kim Chok chuckled and slowly opened his mouth.

Soon, Seo Yeon-oh’s expression began to stiffen.