“Hu, hi… Hehehe….”
“I’ve arrived.”
As I got drunk, it seemed like I was making strangely similar sounds to myself.
How did I know, you ask?
I heard it from Yeonhwa, who took care of me from start to finish when I downed 200 cocktails last time.
She said I just keep laughing when I’m drunk.
Just like Yoonjeong now.
“Hehehe… hehehe…”
Yoonjeong was so drunk she could barely speak or hold herself up, but I knew where she lived thanks to the information from Yeonju, so taking her home wasn’t too difficult.
The two of us kept drinking.
Even if we talked until one of us passed out.
Shia still couldn’t hear the answer she wanted from Yoonjeong.
Thus, the relationship between Shia and Yoonjeong hadn’t changed.
Maybe they got a bit closer while drinking, but we were still just Park Yoonjeong and Isia.
“…Huh, huh… he…”
Yoonjeong’s house was a small residence.
Naturally, it couldn’t possibly be an expensive house.
It was located in a remote place close to a poor neighborhood, so one could easily guess how bad it was inside just by looking at the exterior.
According to the information Yeonju gave, she lived with her family, but there didn’t seem to be a hint of anyone inside.
“Excuse me.”
“Heh… hee…”
The door wasn’t locked.
After all, even if a thief came in, there was probably nothing to take…
As soon as I walked in, I picked Yoonjeong, who had flopped down on the floor like a limp rice cake, and laid a blanket over her.
“Go to sleep; if you sleep here, you’re gonna get out of shape.”
“Uhh… um…”
I roughly peeled off her coat, which reeked of skewers and alcohol. Yoonjeong squirmed with her eyes closed, worming her way under the blanket.
There was no bed, and the cold floor didn’t have proper heating, but whether it was because of the booze or something else, Yoonjeong began to moan and fell asleep.
“…There’s nothing here.”
This place wasn’t organized, nor was there anything like a luxury.
There was a moldy smell that was impossible to hide, a few blankets, and distorted light shining through the window.
Yoonjeong probably did some cleaning from time to time, but this house was just too bleak and quiet for someone to live in.
“Mom… No, Yoonjeong… If you say it’s not, then I’ll take it as that.”
“…Kuhh…”
Shia could tell that Yoonjeong’s words were lies, but she still couldn’t grasp what that meant.
No, to be more precise, she didn’t want to understand.
She thought there might be a special reason.
That maybe she couldn’t remember her.
‘The most likely scenario is that after being reincarnated, she doesn’t remember me at all…’
Even though reincarnation was unfathomable, the current era of hunters couldn’t treat reincarnation as anything strange; it was a time of mystique and chaos.
With magic, gates, returnees, and otherworldly beings running rampant, perhaps it wouldn’t be odd if reincarnation existed as well.
And if we were to assume reincarnation, Yoonjeong would be a special case too, reborn into a new body just like Shia after being swept away by the Great Rift.
However, Shia had been reincarnated into the body of the Mangja Seongnyeo, preserving her soul and memories intact while her physical body had perished during the Great Rift.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Yoonjeong’s soul, even if it belonged to Shia’s mother, lacked the memories to remember her.
‘…Let’s be grateful for meeting again.’
Shia didn’t believe in destiny.
The fate of destruction, the fate of defeat.
She was the one who had shattered everything with Menelapie and Teresa in her previous world.
‘You don’t need to remember me.’
So, she decided to be thankful for meeting this young high school hunter, who might have once been her mother.
‘It’s okay if you forget me.’
Shaking off her gloomy feelings, Shia gathered her Divine Power in her hands.
Bam!
Divine Power gathered in white mist-like wisps in Shia’s hands, accumulating more and more.
Divine Power is created by exchanging the malicious entities and life force Shia consumed. So, even though a growl sounded from her stomach as she over-concentrated it, she didn’t stop gathering her Divine Power.
After a while, the white Divine Power solidified into a gem-like form.
The small crystal, flickering between black and white, looked like a one-of-a-kind gem that didn’t exist in this world.
“Kuhh….”
“If you happen to wake up, please take this… just think of me and keep it with you always.”
Even though she still didn’t know what kind of relationship they had…
Shia plucked a handful of her long hair.
As she injected Divine Power into the severed hair, it became stiff like a leather cord.
Binding her hair with the gemstone made from Divine Power, it transformed into something resembling an expensive necklace.
Shia placed the pendant next to Yoonjeong.
“…Whenever the question of who I was in my previous life arose, I always thought of you, Mom.”
The brave yet delicate human, blooming like a flower.
The gentle but stronger than anyone person.
No matter how powerless she thought she was, she couldn’t bear to stand idly by when weaker and unfair people suffered… my idol, my one and only mother.
“Thanks to you, I’ve come back like this.”
I thought I’d never meet again, but here we are.
“So… I won’t force myself to call you Mom… or Mother… anymore.”
As you wished.
No, I won’t impose myself on you.
Ah, what a disaster.
I feel like I’m going to cry again.
There’s nothing worse than a son crying in front of his mother…
Shia forced her eyes shut and tried to smile.
“When you want to cry, just smile instead. Yes, that’s what you said.”
“Just… don’t push me away, please. I can’t endure that…”
Now, what should I say?
We aren’t in any kind of relationship.
So… let’s start again from square one, from nothing.
Can we begin… as friends?
“I’ll come again. Sleep well.”
Shia got up and left without stopping.
She felt that if she stopped even for a moment, she wouldn’t be able to leave.
It was someone she thought she had forgotten a long time ago, and meeting her again was both unbearably joyful and achingly sad.
No, we aren’t anything anymore.
As Yeonju said, it’s as if we’re complete strangers, not sharing a drop of blood…
With that, silence and darkness fell into the room Shia left behind.
“…Huh… sniff…”
And among the blankets, a delicate hand grasped the pendant tightly.
“…Sniff, huh… huh, sniff…”
*
Shia stepped out of Yoonjeong’s house and walked.
Just quietly, endlessly walking.
Was there a neighborhood like this in Seoul?
So quiet, with many abandoned buildings.
There were no people. Just a dim forest and small mountains behind her.
On the other side laid the vibrant neon lights of downtown Seoul, yet this place felt very tranquil and lonely.
“It’s proof that humanity came close to extinction once.”
Suddenly, hearing a voice from above, Shia looked up.
A familiar presence, a familiar voice.
The one Shia had first met upon returning to Earth was Yeonseo.
“Would you believe me if I said this used to be a financial district? Now, new buildings are going up in new areas, but back then, the monsters nested here causing chaos, leading to the need to completely obliterate this area.”
“…Hello, Yeonseo Unnie.”
“Yes, hi. How are you, Shia?”
Yeonseo jumped down nimbly from a precarious balance on a pillar of an abandoned building to Shia’s side.
“It’s pretty late.”
“True.”
“When you get older, you can’t sleep at night, so I sometimes take late-night walks like this. I go out for dinner too.”
Shia guessed that Yeonseo had probably been waiting here since then.
Grrr…
“Did you… not eat dinner?”
“That’s not it…”
Oh no, I seemed to have used too much Divine Power while making the pendant earlier.
It’s not like I was starving or anything, but it was almost the same as if I hadn’t eaten at all since I hadn’t touched those skewers and drinks with Yoonjeong.
And Yeonseo was the kind of person who couldn’t just ignore someone in front of her not eating.
“Do you want to go get some food? You probably don’t feel great, so I’ll treat you today…”
“No, today…”
Grrr
I meant to refuse, but…
Stomach, please pay attention!
“Ha ha ha, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get back in time.”
With that, Shia was led by Yeonseo to a quiet restaurant.
Thanks to Yeonseo’s ability, the scenery filled with abandoned buildings transformed in the blink of an eye into a small, quiet restaurant.
I really ate a lot today…
Even though I wasn’t in the mood for food, I felt like I was eating way too much for some reason.
“This is a traditional restaurant located in the Bomun complex in Gyeongju. Since it uses monsters as ingredients, it suits your taste, Shia.”
“…There are no customers.”
“Normally, this wouldn’t be their operating hours, but I once helped the owner’s parents. After that, they said I could come during hours like these when there are no people.”
“Excuse me.”
As various dishes arrived on the restaurant’s delivery drone, Shia felt her previously heavy mood lighten a bit.
“This is a seasoned vegetable dish made from algae from an acidic lake. The main course is green orc pork belly, accompanied by fried vegetables… and this is… Oh, customer? What’s your blood type?”
“…Huh?”
“The stone pot rice you’ll be having includes Alraune fruits and petals, and people with AB blood type tend to experience a very spicy sensation. If you are AB and dislike spicy food, I can get something else for you.”
“…Oh, no. I’ll just eat it.”
It was her first time experiencing a restaurant that treated monsters as ingredients so professionally, Shia blinked in surprise while observing the dishes.
I felt as if everything I had done on the broadcasts until now was hardly real cooking.
“If it’s not enough, I’ll order more for you, so hurry and eat.”
“…Yes, thank you. Gulp…!”
It tastes amazing.
It really tastes amazing.
The Alraune stone pot rice had a rich flavor and a faint rose scent, making it feel like I was dining on the finest western dinner, even though I was just eating plain rice.
The green orc pork belly was prepared so perfectly that it made the failed butter roasted orc pork belly I attempted long ago seem like nothing. And the horrendous fishy smell didn’t appear at all.
It looked like a standard traditional meal, but the algae wriggled as if alive, while the pork belly seemed to expand and contract like a lung, and the Alraune stone pot rice occasionally changed colors like a rainbow.
Gulp, gulp.
So delicious…
On a normal day, I would be hopping around in my seat or crying or laughing while gobbling my food.
However, today wasn’t one of those days, so Shia maintained her demeanor and ate more calmly than usual.
“Yes, even if you don’t feel good, sad, or angry, you need to eat. Otherwise, it’ll hurt your body.”
“…Uhh, um… yes… gulp… Thank you, Yeonseo Unnie… gulp.”
“Yes, yes.”
Yeonseo began eating too, with a rice bowl smaller than Shia’s.
I can’t sit and sulk in front of food forever, right?
“Listen as you eat.”
“Gulp, yes…”
“I heard about your situation from Yeonju…”
“…gulp.”
“It doesn’t seem to be going well.”
“Yes…”
“I won’t pry too deeply. Family issues can be sensitive, sad, sometimes joyful, but they can also leave deep scars on a person’s heart.”
I understand completely.
With that, Yeonseo picked up some pork belly.
“…Shia, the S-grade promotion match is starting soon.”
“Is that so.”
Well, if that’s the case, it’s natural for Yeonseo to come to see me.
Yeonseo sees Shia as the next potential talent to lead Korea and the Hunter world.
There was Yujin too, but he had been fighting for so long and was way too well experienced. Other S-grade hunters were often lacking in cooperation or had personality flaws.
“I’ve recommended you and Yeonhwa to the association and the prime minister. Once the council officially decides on the S-grade promotion match, the Hunter Association will contact you.”
“…gulp. Really… thank you.”
“I believe you’ll achieve S-grade without much difficulty… however, I wanted to celebrate with more excitement, but it just doesn’t seem to be the right time.”
“…It’s just fine. I genuinely appreciate it, Yeonseo Unnie.”
“Yes, yes…”
Shia had already beaten the Centipede Dragon and many other monsters on her broadcasts, and the Hunter Association had monitored her achievements, confirming her skills and records.
Originally, it wouldn’t have been strange for Shia to get her S-grade a long time ago, but today’s S-grade requirements evaluated not just skill, but also teamwork, character, and other factors, so she needed to go through the formal promotion match to be awarded it.
“Honestly, the reason I’m holding onto you isn’t just because of the promotion match.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I want to ask if you know about China.”
Why bring up China all of a sudden…?
“…gulp…”
“I know it sounds a bit odd, but this discussion is directly related to you. The ‘San’ guild, known as the leader of Shanxi province, is supposed to officially visit Korea for the upcoming S-grade promotion match.”
“San Guild.”
I’ve heard of it.
One of the mega guilds protecting Shanxi, which is located in the center of China, was rumored to have around 100,000 hunters. Including civilian support and trainee personnel, the total membership likely exceeded a million, making it the largest guild in the world.
Although they superficially operated as a guild, the San Guild was actually receiving direct support from the Chinese Party, acting under their commands while concurrently maintaining public order, thus functioning as a state-sanctioned force.
“Gulp… hmm… How is that related to me?”
“Well, Shia, given the situation, do you know what facilitated these Chinese folks in expanding their influence since the Hunter Era began?”
Well…
I guess now isn’t history class or anything…
“Since China has a large population, they have a lot of Awakened Ones. That’s what people generally say.”
Of course, that’s only a part of it.
“But they were not satisfied with their numerous Awakened Ones and even actively brought in hunters from other countries under the guidance of the state and party. Sometimes they offer money, support, expensive equipment, or even abduct people to their country. Using various sweet words and threats, they did whatever they could.”
“…How do you know all this?”
“Hehe, because I’ve experienced it firsthand.”
“…Directly?”
“Yes, when I was younger… Ah, of course, I’m still young. Don’t get weird ideas.”
Jokingly shrugging, Yeonseo spoke, but it wasn’t really light-hearted as she subtly flicked her fingers to separate the space for the two of them, ensuring their conversation wouldn’t be eavesdropped.
I don’t think it’s likely, but it would be nice to avoid any possible monitoring.
“It was in 2031… When the cherry blossoms should have been blooming, but the blast from the Gate and the Great War had obliterated what remained of those cherry trees… Anyway, that was the first time. Some disgusting guy told me he’d give me whatever I wanted if I’d stop my activities in Korea and come over to the Republic of China.”
“Wasn’t that during the first Great Rift?”
“Exactly. They told me there’s no hope in Korea, and my talents were wasted, insisting I should come over. This guy made similar offers to other hunters recklessly. Well… I didn’t take him seriously, so I turned him down. But some people must have given in to the allure of money and crossed over to China. By the way, I’ve heard that some of my old classmates who were my peers back then are still active in China… Heh, I should probably save the rest of this story for another time; it might take all night.”
Yeonseo quenched her throat with barley tea.
“Anyway, Shia. The reason I bring this up is that, while I’m worried about you participating in this S-grade promotion match, do you know which guild your friend… or rather, Park Yoonjeong belongs to?”
“I heard it’s the Sanwool Guild…”
Wait a second… ‘San’?
No way.
It must just be a coincidence that their names sound similar…
“The Sanwool Guild is a subsidiary of the San Guild, the leader of Shanxi province in China.”
The moment she said that, Shia’s expression changed entirely.
“………”
“Maybe it won’t happen, but… no, you might need to start being a bit worried now.”
“Really, thank you for that information, Yeonseo Unnie.”
“Yes, let’s put a pin in this discussion for now, dear. Apologies for bringing up something unnecessary that’s going to make your meal cold.”
“Yes…”
After that, the two continued to dine in silence for a while.
The food was genuinely delicious and plentiful.
But Yeonseo couldn’t shake the feeling that Shia wasn’t enjoying her meal like a person should, almost like a volcano ready to erupt.
