Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

If there were a garden of gods, would it look like this?

A flower garden, filled with flowers emitting their light, appeared as if it were a special resting place made for weary travelers by the gods.

Is this the feeling bestowed upon those who cherish their beloved garden?

Or is it akin to a secret place for a woman to rendezvous with a god?

Regardless of the reason attached, as I blankly stared at the flower garden that suited all the reasons, I finally realized that a man was standing at its center.

He was entirely white from head to toe, making it difficult to notice him.

Thinking he had a very faint presence, I changed my mind as he slowly lifted his lowered head to face me… It changed all my thoughts.

To dare call such a noble, beautiful, and divine countenance a person with a faint presence.

Having been trapped in dark dreams for so long, it was clear something was amiss with his head.

His white hair, as if ground from white stardust, and his ivory-like skin emitting a faint glow… even his eyes, transparent and clear, shining alone in the darkness.

He was a person who could be called a god in himself. People probably imagined this man into existence after encountering a god.

The owner of this flower garden is right in front of me.

I’ve seen many beauties before… but feeling holily beautiful was a first.

As I praised him with all the sacred words I knew, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…She played a serious prank. I apologize on her behalf.”

Without any explanation, he immediately apologized, causing me to blink my eyes.

Why apologize now? Aren’t we just meeting for the first time? Apologizing on behalf of someone else instead? Are there separate people who make mistakes and apologize?

…This is quite annoying.

Thanks to that, my momentarily blank mind cleared up. And then, I could feel a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘He deliberately fooled me.’

He hypnotized me just enough to accept his apology without realizing anything else.

Into the beautiful flower garden created by hallucination.

‘If I hadn’t learned how to read mana from Mr. Yoon-soo, I would have never known.’

A beautifully crafted hallucination with subtle mana threads.

When I received mana tutoring from Kang Yoon-soo, he casually mentioned it.

“This is my know-how, but I’ll tell it to you especially, Ms. Yeon-oh. Have you ever experienced hallucination skills from monsters?”

“…Once or twice.”

“You’re quite experienced. Not everyone can implement hallucination skills. Even if it’s a high-level monster. That’s how difficult hallucination skills are.”

“More difficult than other skills?”

“Yes. How difficult it is to completely deceive someone’s senses. Hallucination skills don’t show hallucinations. They make non-existent things appear real with mana.”

Kang Yoon-soo showed a kind smile and lightly flicked his finger. Suddenly, a large guardian made of stone appeared behind him.

The guardian, appearing deeply angered, swung its arm at me. I instinctively took a defensive stance.

I should be feeling the sensation of colliding with stone… but…

“…Huh?”

I didn’t feel any sensation. I only felt enveloped in warm mana. Surely, I was now within the guardian’s fist.

As I looked at Kang Yoon-soo in bewilderment, he smiled and waved his hand. Instantly, the guardian disappeared without a trace.

“It was created with hallucination skill. If it’s this sophisticated, it’s natural for monsters to be taken aback when suddenly appear. However, if you can’t manipulate mana as intricately, it’s a skill that can easily break. Since Ms. Yeon-oh is skilled in handling mana, you’ll quickly overcome hallucination skills. Because I taught you.”

When Kang Yoon-soo casually taught me how to handle mana, he also explained about hallucination skills.

Thanks to that, I knew how to overcome it.

Although I’ve never used it before because no one had used hallucination skills on me until now. As they say, you have to learn everything once.

I decided I would thank Kang Yoon-soo later when I met him and sharply directed my gaze at the man in front of me.

“Who are you to apologize instead of the one who did wrong?”

“…I’m sorry. I rushed to meet you without any preparation, so I might have offended you.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Then… what is it?”

He slightly lowered his head with an innocent and pure expression, looking up at me. I almost accused him of a crime without any wrongdoing on his part.

Even if I had broken away from the hallucination skill, it was clear that he could delve into people’s hearts with that appearance.

Usually, it would be best to awaken the clouded mind with pain in such situations… but it wasn’t allowed in this dream.

It meant that I had to overcome it solely with mental strength.

I stared at the unidentified man in front of me and reminded myself to treat him as an enemy. Otherwise, I would be entranced by his mana again.

While I struggled to endure, the man, unlike me, showed a gloomy expression before slowly raising his head.

“…I am Evan. It would be more appropriate to introduce myself as the White Dragon to you.”

“……”

“I’ve heard you’ve met others. I am also like them, so I hope you’ll treat me kindly.”

Evan, the White Dragon, politely bowed. Among the dragons I’ve encountered so far, he was the most polite.

If I had met Evan in a normal situation, I might have greeted him politely as well. However, the current situation is special.

The appearance of another dragon in this situation where other dragons are involved subtly indicates that they are at least allied. Moreover, he even apologized on their behalf, so, well, that’s enough said.

So, Evan seemed suspicious and irritating to me.

“Okay, Evan. I understand that you’re a White Dragon. But why did you come to me? I don’t think I’m the one you should be seeking out.”

“…That, that’s… something I can’t do.”

“Then what can you do? Just apologize on behalf of others?”

“…I’m sorry. This is all I can do.”

Evan distorted his expression as if in pain, and then began shedding transparent tears from his eyes. The tears fell to the ground, making the hallucinated flowers disappear. His surroundings began to grow desolate.

He hastily wiped away the tears with his sleeves. However, he couldn’t stop crying, causing his sleeves to gradually soak through.

“…Showing a pathetic sight on our first meeting. I hope you can forget about it.”

“…Uh, sure.”

“Instead, I’ll answer your curiosity. You’re curious why I came to you.”

“…Yes.”

“She’s started to cross the line. She’s begun to break the promises made by the tribe.”

It was information I couldn’t understand at the moment. The tribe and the line were details I couldn’t comprehend now. Maybe… I could understand what it meant after completing the Fragmented World quest. Let’s keep it in mind for now. It might be useful information.

I nodded as if to encourage him to continue. Then he began speaking again.

“She and I are exhausted. We don’t have the strength to endure anymore. But we have no way to escape. That’s why I’ve resigned myself, but she…”

“Who are you referring to as ‘she’?”

“…She’s my lover, and as you know, she’s known as the Black Dragon. And she’s also the reason you’re trapped in this darkness.”

…As expected.

There was no suspense as the expected name popped up. I’d been preparing myself for this since Ellie had said ‘my child’ when she’d seen Jae-joon. I closed my eyes tightly and looked at Evan. His eyes already contained the emotions of someone who had given up on life.

“I hope you can stop her. All I can do is ask this of you.”

“……”

“Don’t be afraid, kind one. I will lend you my strength. You haven’t faced any power before… And you…”

His voice gradually faded away. At the same time, his figure was gradually engulfed by darkness.

Not to mention that the conversation was getting dimmer as we went along.

Unable to let him go like this, I hastily reached out my hand. He looked at my hand and simply showed a tearful smile.

Even as he disappeared himself, he shouted at me as if gathering all his strength.

“…Go!”

With that voice echoing in the darkness, I… 

“Ugh!”

I woke up from the dream.

At the same time, the system window was humming in front of me, revealing its presence.