LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Goodbye, My ■■ 4
“Heh, hehe…ehehe….”
“We’re here.”
She made a sound eerily similar to mine when she got drunk.
How do I know?
Because Yeonhwa told me when she took care of me the last time I downed 200 cocktails with her.
She said I kept laughing the whole time I was drunk.
Just like Yoon-jung right now.
“Hehe…hehe…”
Yoon-jung was so drunk she couldn’t even speak or hold herself up properly, but thanks to the information I got from Yeonju, I knew where Yoon-jung lived.
It wasn’t hard to get her home.
Even though we drank together and talked until we were out of our minds.
Even though we shared countless stories.
Shia could never get the answer she wanted from Yoon-jung.
Thus, the relationship between Shia and Yoon-jung remained unchanged.
Maybe they grew a little closer after drinking, but their relationship was still just Park Yoon-jung and Lee Shia.
“…Heh, hehe…ugh…”
Yoon-jung’s house was a small single-story home.
It was obvious it wasn’t expensive.
Located in a secluded area near a slum, just looking at the outside, you could guess how bad it would be inside.
Yeonju had told Shia that Yoon-jung lived with her family, but there were no signs of anyone inside.
“Excuse me.”
“Heh…hehe…”
The door wasn’t locked.
Maybe they had nothing valuable to steal…
As soon as I stepped inside, Yoon-jung collapsed onto the floor like a heap of rice cake, and I helped her onto a blanket.
“If you sleep here, you’re going to wake up with a stiff neck.”
“Ugh…mmm…”
Her coat reeked of grilled meat and alcohol, so I removed it.
Yoon-jung, squirming like a caterpillar with her eyes closed, crawled under the blanket.
There was no bed, and the floor had no heating, but Yoon-jung fell asleep, groaning, either from the alcohol or exhaustion.
“…There’s nothing here.”
It wasn’t that the place was tidy, but more that there was nothing to indulge in.
A musty smell that couldn’t be hidden, a few blankets, and distorted light peeking through the window.
It seemed Yoon-jung usually kept the place clean, but the house felt too desolate and empty to be called a home.
“Mom…no, Yoon-jung…if you say you’re not, then I’ll understand.”
“…..Snore….”
Shia knew that Yoon-jung was lying, but she couldn’t figure out what it meant.
No, to be exact, she didn’t want to figure it out.
Maybe there was a special reason.
Maybe she just didn’t remember me.
‘Most likely, even if she reincarnated, she… wouldn’t remember me at all…’
Reincarnation was absurd in itself, but in this era of hunters, reincarnation wasn’t even that strange, considering the chaos and mysteries of this world.
Magic, gates, returnees, and other worlds were everywhere.
It wouldn’t be odd if reincarnation existed too.
And if Yoon-jung had reincarnated, like Shia, she might have been a special case caught up in the Great Rift, born again in a new body.
However, while Shia’s body in this world had been destroyed in the Great Rift, her soul and memories had remained intact, allowing her to reincarnate as the Saintess of the Dead.
She was lucky—her identity as a human, her soul, and her memories had all survived intact despite her body being torn apart.
Even if Yoon-jung’s soul had once been Shia’s mother, the chances that Yoon-jung still had those memories were slim.
‘…I should just be grateful we met again.’
Shia didn’t believe in fate.
Fate of destruction, fate of defeat.
She had shattered those along with Menelapie and Teresa in the previous world.
‘It’s okay if you don’t remember me.’
So Shia decided to be grateful for meeting this young high school hunter, who might have been her mother.
‘It’s okay if you forget me.’
Pushing away the melancholy, Shia gathered holy power in her hand.
[Miracle – Trace]
The holy power, white like smoke, began to gather in her hand.
Holy power was originally converted from the malevolent energy and life force Shia absorbed.
Even though her stomach growled from the excessive condensation of holy power, Shia continued to gather it.
After a while, the white holy power in Shia’s hand condensed into a small, solid gem.
A small, swirling crystal of black and white—it was like a one-of-a-kind jewel that didn’t exist in this world.
“…Snore….”
“If you wake up, please take this… Please think of it as me, and always carry it with you.”
Although I still don’t know what our relationship is…
Shia pulled out a handful of her long hair.
She infused the hair with holy power, turning it stiff like leather.
She tied the crystal to her hair, creating something that resembled an expensive necklace.
Shia placed the pendant next to Yoon-jung.
“…In the previous world, whenever I questioned who I was or whether I was even human, I always thought of my mother.”
A human as brave as a blooming flower.
Fragile yet stronger than anyone.
Someone who couldn’t bear injustice or the suffering of the weak, no matter how powerless she herself was…my idol.
My one and only mother.
“Thanks to you, I made it back.”
I never thought we’d meet again, but we did.
“So…I won’t call you mom anymore… I won’t call you mother… I won’t force it.”
As you wished.
No, I won’t impose myself on you.
Ah, this is bad.
I feel like crying again.
There’s nothing more embarrassing than a son crying in front of his mother…
Shia closed her eyes and forced a smile.
You said to laugh when you want to cry, right?
“Just… don’t push me away. That… I couldn’t bear.”
What should I say now?
We’re not anything.
So… let’s start again from zero, from nothing.
Can we start… as friends?
“…I’ll come back. Sleep well.”
Shia stood up and left without stopping.
If she stopped even once, she felt she wouldn’t be able to leave.
It had been a long time since she thought she’d forgotten, since she thought she’d never meet them again… How could it be so joyful? How could it be so sad?
No, we are nothing now.
Just like Yeonju said, we’re complete strangers, not even a drop of blood shared…
As Shia left, only silence and darkness filled the room.
“…Hic…hic…”
A delicate hand clutched the pendant in the blanket.
“…Hic, hick…sniff, sob…hic…”
○○○
After leaving Yoon-jung’s house, Shia walked.
She just walked, quietly, endlessly.
Was there a place like this in Seoul?
So quiet, with so many abandoned buildings.
No people.
Behind, just dark woods and a small hill.
On the other side, the neon lights of bustling downtown Seoul, but this place was so quiet and lonely.
“This is proof that humanity once reached the brink of extinction.”
Suddenly, a voice from above made Shia lift her head.
A familiar presence, a familiar voice.
It was Yeonseo, one of the first people Shia met after returning to Earth.
“Would you believe that this place was once a district filled with financial institutions? Now, new buildings have gone up elsewhere, but back during the monster invasion, we had to raze this area completely to eliminate the nests.”
“……..Hello, Unnie Yeonseo.”
“Yes, hello there, little Shia.”
Yeonseo, balancing precariously on a column of an abandoned building, jumped down beside Shia.
“It’s late.”
“……Yes, it is.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but sometimes I just can’t sleep at night and end up taking late-night walks. Sometimes I even go out for dinner.”
She must have been waiting here for me.
Grrrr…
“…Did you not have dinner?”
“It’s not that…”
Oh no, it seemed I used too much holy power making that pendant earlier.
It wasn’t like I was starving, but the alcohol and skewers I had with Yoon-jung had become almost meaningless.
And Yeonseo, being the kind of grandmother who couldn’t stand seeing someone go hungry, wouldn’t let this go.
“Shall we go for a meal? I know you’re not in the best mood today, so let me…”
“No, today I…”
Grrrr
I tried to refuse…
Stomach, please get a clue.
“Hahaha, don’t worry. I’ll get you back in no time.”
And so, Shia was led by Yeonseo to a quiet restaurant.
Thanks to Yeonseo’s ability, the landscape of abandoned buildings disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by a small, cozy restaurant.
I’ve eaten so much today…
On a day when I didn’t even want to eat, I ended up eating a lot.
“This is a traditional set menu restaurant in Gyeongju’s Bomun Tourist Complex. The monster ingredients used here will suit your palate, little Shia.”
“…There aren’t any customers.”
“It’s outside of business hours, but I once saved the owner’s parents. Ever since, I’ve been allowed to drop by when no one else is here.”
“Pardon my intrusion.”
As the young woman brought various dishes on a delivery drone, Shia felt her somber mood lift a little.
“This is seaweed salad made from the acidic lake’s algae. The main dish is green oak pork belly boiled, with side dishes of eggplant tempura and… Oh, may I ask, what’s your blood type?”
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, this stone pot rice is topped with alraune fruit and petals, but alraune can taste quite spicy to those with blood type AB. If you don’t like spicy food and you’re AB, I can swap it out for something else.”
“…No, it’s fine. I’ll just eat it.”
It was Shia’s first time eating at a restaurant that used monsters as ingredients so professionally, and she blinked as she inspected the dishes.
Compared to what I’ve done on my broadcasts… This feels like real cooking.
“If it’s not enough, I can order more, so dig in.”
“..Thank you. Ha…mm…!”
Delicious.
Really delicious.
The alraune stone pot rice had a rich flavor that lingered in the rice, and a subtle rose fragrance made it feel like I was eating a high-end Western dinner, even though it was just rice.
The oak pork belly boiled was so well cooked that it made my failed butter oak pork belly look like a joke. And there wasn’t even a hint of the horrible gamey smell.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary set menu, but the seaweed salad wriggled as if alive, and the oak pork belly shrank and expanded like lungs.
The alraune stone pot rice occasionally shimmered like a rainbow.
Haum, gulp.
So good…
Normally, I’d jump out of my seat, cry, or laugh and scarf it down in a hurry.
But today wasn’t a good day, so Shia sat quietly, subdued, and ate her meal with much more decorum than usual.
“Yes, even when you’re not in the best mood, when you’re sad or angry, you still have to eat. Otherwise, your body will suffer.”
“…Mmm, gulp… Thank you, Unnie Yeonseo…gulp.”
“Yes, yes.”
Yeonseo also began to eat from her own smaller bowl of rice.
Yes, you can’t stay gloomy in front of food forever, right?
“Listen while you eat.”
“Haum, yes.”
“I heard from Yeonju about your situation…”
“…Gulp.”
“It didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, did it?”
“No…”
“I won’t press you. Family matters are sensitive, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful, but they always leave scars on your heart that never really go away.”
I’ve been through that too.
Yeonseo added as she picked up some pork belly.
“…Shia, the S-rank promotion exam will be starting soon.”
“Oh, really?”
Of course, that was why Yeonseo would come find me.
She saw Shia as a future leader for Korea and the hunter world.
There was Yujin, too, but Yujin had been fighting for far too long, like Yeonseo.
Other S-rank hunters either lacked cooperation skills or had too many personality issues.
“I’ve recommended you and Yeonhwa to the association and the prime minister. Once the assembly formally approves the S-rank exam, the Hunter Association will contact you.”
“…Gulp. I see… Thank you.”
“I think you’ll be able to achieve S-rank without much trouble… But I had hoped to celebrate more cheerfully and noisily… It’s not the right day for that, is it?”
“…No. Thank you, though, Yeonseo Unnie.”
“Yes, yes…”
Shia had already made a name for herself by playfully taking down a centipede dragon on her broadcast, and she had turned many other monsters into mush and food.
The Hunter Association had been monitoring her broadcasts, partly to keep an eye on her, and they had confirmed her accomplishments.
Shia had long possessed the skills and abilities worthy of S-rank, but in modern times, S-rank wasn’t just about ability. Cooperation, personality, and many other factors were considered, so an official promotion exam was necessary to achieve it.
“The real reason I brought you here isn’t just the promotion exam.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, do you know anything about China?”
Why China all of a sudden…?
“…Gulp…”
“Let me clarify. I’m asking about the People’s Republic of China in the post-Great Rift hunter world.”
“…I’m not sure.”
Of course, I know nothing.
The only things I know are that, with its massive population, China has a lot of hunters.
After the Hunter Era began, they successfully managed the Great Rift, making them one of the few countries to do so.
Granted, they had to abandon their northwestern region, but they managed to protect their important eastern coastal region, so you could call it a success.
Other than that, my knowledge is just bits and pieces I’ve picked up online or from Namuwiki.
Still, why would Yeonseo suddenly bring up China?
“It might seem sudden, but this directly involves you. The ‘Mountain’ Guild, known as the ruler of Shanxi Province, is officially visiting Korea soon, coinciding with the S-rank promotion exam.”
The Mountain Guild.
I’ve heard of it.
One of the super-giant guilds located in Shanxi Province in central China.
Rumor had it that they had 100,000 hunters.
Including civilian support and apprentice members, they were said to have over a million people, making it the largest guild in the world.
Although they presented themselves as a guild, in reality, the Mountain Guild was directly supported by the Chinese Communist Party and served as its military force, enforcing the party’s orders and maintaining public order.
“Gulp, so what does that have to do with me?”
“Well, little Shia. It might seem random, but do you know the real reason China was able to expand its power so much after the Hunter Era began?”
Not sure.
All I know is this isn’t history class…
“China has a lot of people, which means a lot of awakened individuals. That’s how they managed to minimize damage from the Great Rift.”
But that wasn’t the only reason.
“But they weren’t satisfied with just their own awakened individuals. The Chinese government and the party began actively recruiting awakened people and hunters from other countries to join their ranks. They’d offer money, support, high-end equipment, or rare monster by-products. In some cases, they’d practically kidnap people and bring them to China. They’d use flattery, lies, and even threats.”
“…How do you know all this?”
“Hehe, I experienced it firsthand.”
“…You did?”
“Yes, when I was young… Ah, but of course, this old lady is still young. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Yeonseo shrugged playfully, but this wasn’t something to joke about. She snapped her fingers, subtly separating the space around them to ensure no one could eavesdrop.
It was unlikely, but now they didn’t have to worry about being overheard.
“It was around 2031, I think… The season when cherry blossoms should have been blooming, but they were gone because of the gate wars. I remember feeling disappointed. Anyway, that’s when it happened for the first time. Some bastard came up to me, saying he’d give me everything I wanted if I stopped working in Korea and came to China.”
“That was during the first Great Rift, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. He said Korea had no future and that my talent was wasted here, telling me to go to China. He made the same offer to other hunters, too, hunting for recruits like we were prey. Well, I sent him packing because I found him disgusting, but some people gave in to the money and crossed over to China. I’ve heard that some of my contemporaries are still active in China… Ahem, I could talk about this all night, but let’s save it for another time.”
Yeonseo took a sip of barley tea to quench her thirst.
“Anyway, little Shia. The reason I brought this up is that China’s national policy since the Hunter Era began has been to recruit talent, awakened people, and hunters from other countries. They call it ‘Wolf Warrior Hunting.’ It’s not an official term, but that’s what it is.”
“Isn’t that normal? Recruiting talent is something any country would do. Even if their methods are a bit aggressive, is it really a problem…”
“And the hunters they recruit almost never return to their home countries.”
“They don’t come back?”
It made sense in my head, but seeing it play out felt suspicious and strange.
“Do they take their families with them? Gulp… Haum, chew, chew… Or do they change their nationality…”
“No, not like that. They just never come back.”
“…..?”
Shia tilted her head in confusion.
“They either suck them dry and discard them, use them for some kind of experiments, or send them as cannon fodder in giant gates. No one knows for sure. They parade a few hunters around for show, making it look like everything’s fine… but I’ve been watching their tricks for years. I’m convinced they’re up to something nasty and underhanded with all the awakened people they’ve brought in from around the world.”
“…..”
“Of course, there’s no hard evidence. They aren’t stupid, so even I can’t act recklessly. One wrong move could spark an international incident. And yes, some people go to China, strike it rich, and live perfectly normal lives, even traveling back and forth to Korea. But as for the ordinary folks… No one knows what happens to them.”
If what Yeonseo said was true, then the fact that China was officially visiting Korea for the S-rank promotion exam meant that their Wolf Warrior Hunting would be a major factor.
The S-rank promotion ceremony was a huge event that attracted attention from other countries, and China would undoubtedly make offers to those who succeeded in becoming S-rank.
Even if they were rejected, they could still target those who participated but didn’t make the cut.
“Yes, that’s possible. But do you know this, Shia? Wolf Warrior Hunting doesn’t just target high-ranking hunters like A-ranks. It doesn’t matter if they’re B-rank or F-rank. They’ve even made offers to unawakened people who haven’t received any ranking.”
It wasn’t something you could directly call suspicious, but at the same time, there wasn’t much to formally complain about.
Since it was private transactions involving money, there was no way for the government or the Hunter Association to intervene as long as the process remained legal and above board.
“And little Shia, the reason I’m telling you all this isn’t just because I’m worried about you being part of the S-rank exam… Do you know what guild Park Yoon-jung belongs to?”
“The Sanwoomul Guild, I heard…”
Wait a minute… ‘San’?
No way.
It’s just a coincidence that the names sound similar, right…
“The Sanwoomul Guild is a subsidiary of the Mountain Guild in Shanxi Province, China.”
At that moment, Shia’s eyes hardened.
“………..”
“It might be nothing… but then again, we should start worrying now.”
“You’re right. Thank you, Unnie Yeonseo.”
“Well then… Let’s continue this conversation later, little one. I’m sorry for bringing it up and letting the food get cold.”
“Yes…”
After that, the two of them ate in silence for a while.
The food was truly delicious.
There was plenty of it, too.
But Yeonseo could sense that Shia wasn’t really enjoying the meal.
Even though Shia sat there quietly, eating steadily, it felt like she was a volcano on the verge of eruption.