Seoul, which I set foot in after a long time, was as peaceful and yet as intricate as ever. In England it was early evening, but in Korea it was well past midnight. Even so, lights rippled through the streets. Perhaps because the commotion in London had made live broadcasts, there were few windows—whether in houses or apartment buildings—that did not hold light.

“Chatterbox Party was at the end of November.”

More than a month had already passed since I left home. Because I’d been drifting between spaces with different time flows, it felt even longer. Yuhyun had spent his birthday abroad, and so had the New Year. I looked through the car window at shops still bearing traces of Christmas.

“My birthday isn’t far off either.”

About three weeks remained. It could be long or short, depending on perspective. I wasn’t sure if I’d be back in Korea by then. Truthfully, I couldn’t even picture where—or how—I would be. Perhaps I’d be peacefully blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.

In any case… for some reason I felt that by then, in one way or another, things would have been wrapped up. Whether I was here or not.

“This way.”

When we arrived at the Hunter Association and I stepped out of the car, Choi Youngjun approached with long strides. Then he lowered his voice and asked,

“Director Song, are you unharmed?”

“Yes. It will take a bit more time before I’m fully back to duty.”

“Because of the London incident, I suppose.”

I didn’t know what Director Song had told them before leaving, but he must have given some explanation.

“Everyone is very worried. There have been multiple dungeon breaks before…but nothing like this.”

We had lost an entire city. And that city was the capital of a nation, one of the world’s great metropolises. Refugees aside, countless people who had watched were in shock. But there was no hiding it, and you couldn’t simply reassure them unconditionally.

Yuhyun, standing close beside me, gripped my hand. He was holding back from telling me it wasn’t necessary for me to go in, that I should go home and rest.

“…Dad.”

Gyeol also called to me with concern. I couldn’t afford to let my expression look too troubled. I took a deep breath.

“You’ve checked everything, right? Please give me a brief explanation…ah, Team Leader Seok. Team Leader Seo.”

From Haeyeon as well they had arrived at the Association. Seok Simyeong and Seo Kyunghun quickly approached and flanked Choi Youngjun.

“Guild Leader, how about heading straight to Haeyeon?”

“Is it the Hunter Association’s way to hold a man who’s just finished hours of combat here and pester him?”

Kyunghun, with a sharp tone, retorted. His eyes mirrored Seok Simyeong’s so closely that it worried me a bit—Simyeong did do his job well, but I hoped Kyunghun wouldn’t become too much like him.

“The broadcast was at Chief Han Yujin’s request. It’s unthinkable that Guild Leader Han would return alone. If you wish, the Haeyeon side may depart first.”

When I implied that wasn’t the case, Seok Simyeong wore an expression of obvious agreement.

“I have no intention of stepping back without Chief Han Yujin. He is invaluable to Haeyeon, after all. I ask you to handle things with care.”

It was a warning that if anyone mistreated me, Haeyeon would respond. Choi Youngjun offered a friendly smile.

“The Hunter Association also values Chief Han. After all, it’s thanks to him that I’m standing here. How dare we treat him lightly?”

…Why are they sizing each other up here? Just explain the situation. Fortunately, the three paused at that, and Choi Youngjun resumed walking and spoke.

“We’re receiving ongoing requests for information sharing from hunter associations around the world. At the same time, they also want to join Team Hangyeol, like Europe, America, and Japan did.”

“Team Hangyeol?”

“I heard that the one who led the support effort for the London incident was none other than Hangyeol. Isn’t that right?”

“No, that’s right. Our Gyeol did it.”

Gyeol, sleepy-eyed and nestled in Yerim’s arms because Dad was tired, blinked at me and gave a bright smile. He was truly an angel.

“Riots erupted in various places, and domestically there were attempts at protests and looting, saying the end was near. London’s perfect evacuation calmed the mood, but many people still feel fear.”

In the spacious conference room, broadcast cameras were lined up. I could see logos of overseas networks.

“And the dokkaebi are….”

“They need to be properly introduced.”

In Korea, you couldn’t hide the existence of dokkaebi, so the government and the Hunter Association already knew. But thanks to the preexisting dokkaebi—Yunyun—everyone had quietly cooperated. The high-ups understood Yunyun’s abilities well and had long believed dokkaebi were untouchable.

“Chief Han Yujin! Please explain the London incident!”

“Did you know in advance?”

“Why didn’t you warn people—”

Yuhyun stepped forward. The reporters, whose low murmurs had rippled like fish darting toward prey when they saw me, immediately fell silent. I climbed onto the platform set up for the press conference. Exhausted, I pulled out a chair and sat. Peace padded behind the table, pressed his cheek to my foot.

“The location could not be specified.”

I opened my mouth slowly.

“We only learned recently, and the monster packs were planning to invade cities at random. If we had warned in advance, there would surely have been massive panic. Still, if we had no countermeasures, we would have informed you.”

From the entrance we’d come in, Noah arrived with Yunyun and the other dokkaebi. The dokkaebi, curious, tried to peer around, but Yunyun, acting maturely, held them back—though he himself looked eager to jump in.

“Everyone, we lost a major city called London in an instant. Yet not a single person was lost. So please, continue your lives as usual. It’s sufficient to carry only the most essential valuables on you.”

Whether something like this would occur again, or whether we could reclaim London, we didn’t yet know. But there was no need to give up daily life out of fear.

“Yunyun.”

“Yes!”

Yunyun teleported beside me. The other dokkaebi appeared in quick succession. The cameras panned to them. Yunyun cleared his throat.

“Beloved Kim sirs, I am Yunyun, the Dokkaebi Great King.”

“I—hm!”

“Fool, I told you to stay still.”

“I want to introduce myself to Kim sirs too.”

The dokkaebi chattered in tiny voices. Yunyun cleared his throat again.

“Our dokkaebi created dokkaebi gates and helped the Kim sirs in London, sipsumnida. From now on, we will continue to help the Kim sirs, the humans.”

“Are dokkaebi an awakened group?”

A reporter asked. I answered in place of Yunyun.

“Dokkaebi are neither monsters nor humans. They are a newly emerged species resulting from the dungeon’s appearance and its influence.”

For dokkaebi to continue increasing and coexist in this world, they couldn’t forever hide that they were different from humans. And now was the best time to reveal themselves: the only beings capable of creating perfect evacuation routes from monsters that might strike anywhere.

Some reporters gasped inwardly. Even Hunter Association staff, ignorant of the deeper reasons, looked taken aback.

“…Are they dangerous?”

“Dokkaebi fear blood and cannot harm living things. They even hesitate to harm monsters. Being born that way, they would never attack humans first.”

They were supremely safe and incredibly helpful—perhaps even more readily accepted by human society than someone like Giseungsu. However—

“We cannot harm the Kim sirs, the humans. But if the Kim sirs harm us, we will not stand by, eopsumnida.”

Yunyun said with a hard expression. The dokkaebi clung to him. Dokkaebi cannot attack others. In other words, humans might be tempted to mistreat or exploit them—and, left unchecked, could do so.

“We cannot fight, but we are not weak. If you harm a dokkaebi, I will cling to that Kim sir forever.”

The reporters looked puzzled at his words. “Cling”—it sounded too light to be a threat.

“We will appear anywhere twenty-four hours a day. We cannot injure you. But we will douse you with water, trip you, scream when you try to sleep, overturn your dinner table when you eat, interfere when you work, and grab your ankle when you go to the bathroom. You cannot escape anywhere, because dokkaebi can go wherever.”

Faces that had laughed at the idea gradually stiffened. It was a prank—but one that would be relentless, twenty-four hours a day. With teleportation skills, there was no running away. Even an S-Rank Hunter could not catch Yunyun. An ordinary person wouldn’t last a week.

“The Dodam Giseungsu Breeding Grounds sponsors the dokkaebi. Haeyeon Guild, the Hunter Association, Sesung Guild, and Breaker Guild also cooperate.”

We too would not remain idle. It would be best if dokkaebi and humans helped each other, but realistically that was impossible—humans create chaos even among themselves without laws.

“The European Hunter Association and the Healer Association will also cooperate.”

Then an unexpected voice sounded. Saint Emily Spencer entered with Hwang Lim. Why was she here in Korea?

“The dokkaebi’s abilities will greatly aid healers tackling dungeons. Healers will be able to enter higher-grade dungeons more safely.”

Indeed. The reason we couldn’t bring healers into upper-level dungeons easily was safety. But with teleport-capable dokkaebi accompanying them, they could be protected perfectly. Though only Yunyun could currently teleport humans, more would awaken soon.

Emily approached Yunyun and extended her hand. Yunyun shook hands with her.

“As the representative of healers, I welcome the dokkaebi.”

“Thanks, Saint!”

Yunyun beamed. Emily then stood by my chair. I startled—should I stand?

“Please remain seated.”

Emily’s gaze flicked briefly to Gyeol. I looked at Gyeol too. If dokkaebi were accepted, the world would be much easier for Gyeol—and for children like Giseungsu.

“Will London remain lost forever?”

Emily asked, looking at the cameras as she spoke to me.

“Yes. But we will find a way to reclaim it.”

How much could I reveal? The more people learned about the transcendent beings, the weaker our ability to protect our world would become. Yet there had already been too much involvement. And if this wager ended safely, the transcendent beings had promised not to meddle with our world…though I couldn’t fully trust that promise.

“There are entities outside that create dungeons.”

I heard dry gulps. The repercussions of the Chatterbox Party had reached everyone. Though the memories of non-awakened and low-rank awakened people had been erased, the sensations remained.

“…Gods?”

A reporter asked in a trembling voice. One could think so, but I shook my head firmly.

“They were once similar to us.”

They were transcendents, but still people. Long ago, they had lived ordinary lives.

“You may have faced them directly—in hazy memories, the man who traversed dungeons at will.”

“Chatterbox,” someone murmured. A once-vague figure, now familiar to all. That vagueness itself made people sense he was from beyond this world.

“And he died.”

Transcendents could die too. They were not perfect beings.

“At the moment he sought to shake the world, by people.”

People. I had never been alone. My sister’s power was with me, and the strength of others. Because we stood together, it was possible—once, twice, three times. Could we do more?

“So it’s all right.”

I was speaking to the people, but also to myself.

I exhaled slowly. Silence followed, then someone asked,

“Is there a precise method?”

“What is their objective?”

“When might a second London incident occur?”

Questions began to pour in. Emily tapped my shoulder and smiled, then answered for me.

“There’s little known, everyone. We’ve only just caught their trail.”

“You should go rest now,” Emily whispered as she helped me up. I hesitated, feeling like I was offloading my burden, but she offered a playful wink.

“It’s usually young people who run these operations while we handle the aftermath.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me; I’m making you work hard. But don’t worry—you’ve done this before.”

As someone respected by both hunters and civilians alike, she could整理 things far better than I. I bowed my head slightly in thanks and left the platform. Now—to go home—

“My love~.”

…It would have been less awkward if it were Rietra. Hwang Lim came striding out after us toward me, sparks flying before him. He raised both hands as if in surrender.

“I have something to tell you. It concerns someone above me.”

Someone above… the Puppeteer? I frowned and motioned to Hwang Lim, who glanced around.

“I need to speak to you alone—.”

“Nonsense.”

Yuhyun cut him off coldly. I also felt uneasy being alone with that man. Then Gyeol, yawning, handed me a sound-blocking item.

“Dad, use this.”

“Thanks, Gyeol.”

But wasn’t this Seong Hyunjae’s? Had Gyeol been carrying it all along? I activated the item, and Hwang Lim spoke with barely moving lips.

“Until the wager ends, I can’t get involved.”

“…That’s useless to me. Naturally.”

“And someone with the Puppeteer asked me to deliver this message.”

At first I didn’t understand, but at his last words I snapped fully awake. Wait—surely not.

“Not the Puppeteer, but someone with him? That person is also a transcendent?”

“No. It seems they belong to the Puppeteer. I don’t know much, but he seems very fond of them.”

…Fond of them? I couldn’t make sense of how things were unfolding.

“Can I meet them now—?”

“There’s no one. It’s thanks to the London chaos that I could even convey it. There’s been constant communication failure.”

Hwang Lim tapped my shoulder and looked down at me.

“My dear Jina. I support you. I have an escape, but this is more fun. To put it another way, I’m totally smitten—”

“Shut up.”

I deactivated the sound-block and, without hesitation, drove the Regent’s Sword through Hwang Lim’s sheath and into his abdomen. He gasped and clutched his stomach.

“With a devoted fan, you’re too cruel!”

He didn’t bring the Puppeteer with him.

“It’s home! I’m back!”

Yerim cheered, flinging off her shoes as if throwing them, and Gyeol, now fully awake, scampered after her. Ah, how long it’d been. I’d missed this.

—Kiyaang!

Peace, happy at returning home after so long, rolled and tumbled. I wondered whether Ppiyak had come back yet.

“Hodu, turn on the lights.”

The living room brightened immediately. Though I wanted to collapse on the sofa, I held myself and went to wash up, changing into pajamas. Despite everything, I couldn’t lie down right away. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Yerim, still full of energy, opened the fridge.

“There’s only frozen food—who wants ice cream?”

So full of energy. I returned to the living room and turned on the TV. All channels were broadcasting London coverage. Everyone—was finally—

“Now you can give it to Hangyeol.”

“How startling!”

“Ah! What is this! Even Sesung Guild’s leader tag came with you?”

Yerim jumped and Gyeol frowned. But I couldn’t throw it away. I unhooked the necklace and gave it to Gyeol. Seong Hyunjae climbed onto Gyeol’s shoulder.

“Gyeol has to take care of this. It can’t be helped.”

Gyeol sighed deeply and picked up his ice-cream spoon. Our Gyeol was truly responsible. Now that we were home—

“Gyeol, do you want to meet your siblings?”

It would be safer for Seori and Byeori to stay home too. Gyeol swallowed his ice cream in one gulp and opened his eyes wide.

“Yeah, okay! Just a sec, okay! I’m ready.”

He checked his clothes, smoothed his hair, and nodded. Then we started with Byeori. Gyeol’s nervous face made me a bit nervous as well. I called Byeori, and the round, furry creature that had popped out of my palm transformed into a child. When Byeori’s eyes turned toward Gyeol, everyone held their breath—

“No!”

“You don’t eat that!”

Byeori grabbed Seong Hyunjae and, pressing his shimmering head, immediately popped him into his mouth. Oh dear, Byeori!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep