Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 162

Chapter 162

When you think about it, Jung Tae-il always appeared in every significant event. 

Whether he was there from the beginning, joined in the middle, or even showed up when everything was coming to a close. As a result, Jung Tae-il was always present alongside me in every danger that arose from me. 

It’s not like he was always by my side like Han Seung-hoo, making efforts to come and see me. 

There were moments when his life was in danger, and he was even involved in unfair contracts. However, Jung Tae-il humbly accepted it as destiny. If he were an ordinary person, he would have doubted such situations. 

‘Why has he never doubted even once?’ 

Did he know something? 

I looked at Jung Tae-il intently, and our eyes met. His eyes were filled with straightforward trust, devoid of any hidden agenda.

There were many things contained in that gaze, too much for me to interpret and dare to attach meanings to, to the point of embarrassment. I cleared my throat and turned to look at Mr. Kim Chok. 

Although Jung Tae-il’s gaze briefly met mine, it continued to linger in my mind, but I tried hard to forget it. After all, I had to fulfill the mission given to me. 

“Yes. I have experienced this situation.” 

“…Then speak.” 

Behind Mr. Kim Chok’s words, there was another hidden message. 

Even if you’re not the cause of the current events, disclose everything, even if it’s not the cause, it’s a threat. In the uncomfortably transparent intention of Mr. Kim Chok, I let out a wry laugh. My laughter echoed loudly in the serious atmosphere. 

“Are you allowed to be this transparent in trying to deceive someone? What will you do if I don’t speak up because I’m upset?” 

“…Then, I’ll have to force you to speak. The events happening in various countries around the world are serious matters. Even if you’re uncomfortable, it’s futile.” 

“…That’s true. While innocent people are collapsing due to mana maladjustment, one hunter going astray isn’t a big deal.” 

“That’s not the point!” 

Finally, Mr. Kim Chok’s face contorted, raising his voice. Amidst the urgency, his ominous gaze seemed to question whether I should even come out like this willingly. But I had no intention of speaking while being treated like a criminal. 

If I’m also a victim, isn’t it unfair? It’s very distasteful to blame me as if I were the cause just because I experienced all the situations first. 

I put my head down while facing Mr. Kim Chok’s ominous gaze. 

“Then, please adjust your attitude. I’m a witness, not the culprit. Even if I were the culprit, who would easily speak in this kind of atmosphere?” 

“….” 

“If you want me to speak, then change your attitude.” 

“…Fine.”

Still, Mr. Kim Chok, who seemed unyielding, slammed the table before easing the sharp momentum he had built up. Then Kang Yoon-soo, who was standing beside him, gently smiled and encouraged me to speak.

“So, Ms. Yeon-oh, would you like to explain everything in detail? Seeing you make such a stern face indicates that the situation must have been extremely serious… So, it seems we need to come up with a plan from our side too.”

“…Do you also know the same thing, Mr. Yoon-soo?”

“Sorry. I’m curious about this matter as well, not just hanging on to Mr. Kim Chok’s words.”

“Haa….”

While mocking the oppressive Mr. Kim Chok, Kang Yoon-soo subtly implied the seriousness of the situation, emphasizing that everyone was waiting for my words. Moreover, with his unique warmth, he managed to thaw the icy atmosphere to some extent.

Seeing Kang Yoon-soo go this far, it didn’t seem necessary for me to keep quiet and accept Mr. Kim Chok’s apology. At least, except for Mr. Kim Chok, the others wouldn’t see me as the cause of this. 

“Then, I’ll only say it once, so please listen carefully. These are things I experienced at the risk of my life.” 

For hunters, experience is something you can’t buy even with money. By emphasizing this, it would serve as a warning not to doubt what I’m saying.

After taking a long breath, I slowly began to unfold the story. From when I first encountered Lich, the story of the connected gates, to the moment the sky cracked in the dungeon I went to because of the Red Dragon’s kidnapping. Since I’m not very eloquent, I simply conveyed the facts as they were. Who was beside me and what had happened. About who was exerting power when the sky cracked.

In doing so, I also realized something.

“…Come to think of it, at that time, Mr. Cha Jae-joon was also there. When the sky cracked, it seemed like Cha Jae-joon was emitting a lot of black mana… And now. Ironically, at the moment when gold was going to the sky in various countries, he was emitting black mana. More accurately, it should be the Black Dragon instead of Cha Jae-joon. That means…”

“Black Dragon? Are you joking right now? How can a mere monster outside the gate destroy this world?”

Mr. Kim Chok reacted strongly to my murmuring.

It was a natural reaction.

The gate and Earth are inherently different worlds. Unless there was a gate overflow crisis causing monsters to come out, entities inside the gate couldn’t interfere with the outside. But…

“She’s different. No, dragons are different.”

They are transcendental beings who manage the system.

So, to them, the world inside the gate and the Earth would feel like the same world. It’s just that the size of the world is different.

At that moment, while I was contemplating these thoughts…

Ding!!

[Leap Towards the Secrets of the World! The quest has been updated!

Even without a system administrator, you can reach the truth sufficiently.

Part of Seo Yeon-oh’s hidden power awakens.

Also, please retrieve the fragments of the world that you handed over to the system administrator ‘Allen’.

There will be answers within.

Success Reward: ‘Unknown’

Failure: Destruction of the World]

The bustling noise and the contents of the system window that filled my vision seemed to stamp approval on the thoughts I had harbored so far. The quest I had received from Allen had changed. 

Now, it stated that I could investigate the truth alone without relying on Allen anymore, implying that it was possible for me in my current state.

Furthermore, the quest indirectly hinted at the answers for me. It suggested that all the truths I was curious about would be contained within those fragments and that if I were to learn all the truths, I would gain the power to prevent the destruction of the world. 

‘…This is crazy.’ 

I had only wanted to live quietly and peacefully for a long time, but it seemed like it was my fate to save the world. 

Well, considering everything that had happened to me so far, there weren’t many other options. It was also something one of the system administrators had deliberately orchestrated. Though it lacked realism, all the unease I had felt disappeared strangely the moment I faced the task given to me. Rather than constantly doubting why things happened to me, it was better to just accept that it happened because of my destiny. 

Of course, both options felt equally miserable, but one seemed less mentally exhausting than the other. 

“Haa….” 

I let out a deep sigh as I looked around at the people nearby. 

They were lost in their own thoughts. It was difficult to tell whether they were stunned by the larger scale than expected or if they were plunged into despair. However, among them, only Jung Tae-il remained calm, quietly guarding behind me.

It was as if he already knew everything.

For a moment, I shifted my gaze to Arvani sitting on my knees. He seemed to be getting tired of this atmosphere, fiddling with his ears.

Arvani and Jung Tae-il could communicate with each other, and Arvani was the son of one of the system administrators. Although I didn’t know why the Black Dragon was doing this, it meant that he could predict what might happen.

“…Did Mr. Tae-il hear everything from Arvani?”

“……”

“What’s going to happen, and what plans is the Black Dragon making?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Jung Tae-il at my abrupt question. However, Jung Tae-il remained silent without blinking.

Watching him intently, I asked another question.

“Could it be that the system is restricting what Mr. Tae-il can say?”