Chapter 50

“Cheonma!”

When Baekseolhyang shouted belatedly, someone landed in front of Cheon Hong-ryun.

As soon as the new figure appeared, Cheon Hong-ryun immediately swung her sword, but her opponent was no pushover.

They clashed swords with Cheon Hong-ryun, forcing each other to retreat.

The hooded woman, holding only a thin, white wooden sword, flipped in the air and landed.

At that moment, Cheon Hong-ryun’s delicate eyebrows twitched.

Her eyes began to sharpen slightly.

She was starting to feel annoyed seeing a woman who had momentarily mimicked her swordsmanship.

“How dare you copy my swordsmanship?”

With that, Cheon Hong-ryun’s leg moved back, her sword drawn to her waist, and camellias began to flutter.

It was as if she was about to unleash the divine power of Cheonma.

The woman, who had been staring intently, immediately swung her wooden sword.

But the direction of the sword was different.

“Kuhak!?”

Song Hyuk-seo, who had been sensing something was off, was struck in the solar plexus and collapsed.

Seeing this, Cheon Hong-ryun hesitated for a moment, and the woman, without hesitation, hoisted Song Hyuk-seo onto her shoulder and leapt into the air.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

As Cheon Hong-ryun swung her sword belatedly, a barrage of sword strikes, accompanied by fluttering camellias, rained down on the woman.

Using Song Hyuk-seo, who still had a shadow on his body, as a shield, she blocked Cheon Hong-ryun’s sword strikes.

However, she couldn’t completely block them, and her hood tore, revealing a cascade of black hair.

“Huh?”

Baekseolhyang, who was trying to catch her with Eun-hyeon, widened her eyes at the sight.

The face from her childhood memories had grown into an adult’s face.

A person who had disappeared long ago and hadn’t been seen since.

“Unnie Mari?”

When Baekseolhyang called out her name in a daze, the woman glanced at them and then vanished like a mirage.

Perhaps because she had seen an unexpected face, Baekseolhyan, frozen, reached out a moment too late, her hand only brushing through empty air.

As she began to fall, Eun-hyeon caught her and landed gently.

“What’s this? Did you let her get away? That’s one…”

As Cheon Hong-ryun approached to scold Baekseolhyang, she stopped upon seeing her expression.

It was the first time she had seen Baekseolhyang so deeply troubled.

“…Why are you like this? It doesn’t suit you.”

“…Ha-chan had an older sister.”

“Huh?”

Hearing Baekseolhyang’s words, Cheon Hong-ryun froze.

She was one of the few who knew Ha-chan’s past.

Of course, she knew what an older sister meant to him.

“Did I just swing my sword at Domi’s sister?”

And she seemed shocked for a different reason.

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then we should chase her.”

As Cheon Hong-ryun prepared to run after her, Baekseolhyang looked at Eun-hyeon.

But she only shook her head.

“There’s no trace of her. It’s as if she’s vanished from the world.”

Baekseolhyang had been searching for Ha-chan’s sister personally.

Although Ha-chan had never confided in her about his past, as the head of the World Returner Association, she had been keeping track of the Returners’ personal details and movements.

Of course, that included Kang Mari.

Despite her continuous search, Kang Mari had disappeared as if she had vanished from the world.

Using the Crown might solve the problem, but knowing the consequences, she had been trying to track her down by other means.

And then Kang Mari suddenly appeared.

To mediate the fight between Song Hyuk-seo and themselves.

She was clearly not part of Giraseong.

If she were, Song Hyuk-seo wouldn’t have reacted that way.

“…Come to think of it.”

At that moment, Cheon Hong-ryun opened her eyes groggily and began stroking her chin.

“She seems familiar for some reason.”

“My face?”

Cheon Hong-ryun made a disgusted expression.

“Not you, Domi’s sister.”

“Why do you find Kang Mari familiar?”

“I don’t know.”

Cheon Hong-ryun frowned and tilted her head.

“Is it because she looks like Domi? Or maybe from somewhere else.”

She seemed to be pondering, but Baekseolhyang raised her hand to stop her.

“Let’s discuss this later. We need to clean up here and go see Ha-chan.”

“To Domi? I want to go too, but something seems urgent. What’s going on?”

“Ah.”

Baekseolhyang remembered that she hadn’t told Cheon Hong-ryun that Ha-chan had gone with Yekaterina to save Seo-ho.

Given her personality, she would have rushed there regardless of the plan.

“…Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to get angry.”

“I won’t get angry.”

And then Cheon Hong-ryun exploded in anger.

After hearing about the situation with his sister from Baekseolhyang, I stood silently with my arms crossed.

Then, glancing at Baeksan, he nodded as if sharing the same thought.

“It seems they’re moving based on a false prophecy.”

How much had Baeksan’s prophecy changed?

It was unclear, but the good news was that my sister was alive.

‘Considering even Ayu and Baekseolhyang couldn’t track her.’

Even if I tried to find her, it wouldn’t be easy.

If she had appeared, she could have shown herself to me at least once.

“I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Baekseolhyang suddenly apologized.

When I looked at her in confusion, her face was filled with regret.

“If I hadn’t panicked, I might have caught her.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault, Baekseolhyang. If anything, it’s my sister who messed things up. I should be the one apologizing.”

“No. In fact, she helped us. The battle with Asura, no, Song Hyuk-seo, would have cost us dearly.”

Hearing that, I felt a bit relieved.

“Considering we drove Giraseong out of Korea, this outcome is more beneficial.”

I was worried my sister might have caused trouble, but it turned out fine.

“…Is my sister part of Giraseong?”

“We’re checking. But from what I see, she’s not.”

That’s a relief.

Even if I don’t know where my sister is or what she’s doing, it would be complicated if she were involved in criminal activities.

“What happened to Giraseong?”

“We’ve captured most of the remnants in Korea. Some are still hiding, but it’s only a matter of time. The Korean branch has been completely uprooted. However.”

Baekseolhyang quietly looked out the window.

“Giraseong has spread worldwide. Once they realize the Korean branch is gone, they’ll start moving again. We’ll clash with Giraseong overseas as well.”

“One mountain after another.”

Now I understand what a full-scale war between the World Returner Association and Giraseong means.

On the other hand, I’m also worried about the World Returner Association.

After experiencing several battles between Returners recently, it’s not surprising if anyone dies.

“Don’t worry. Except for one guy, those idiots from Giraseong can’t beat the World Returner Association no matter what they do.”

Baeksan reassured me as if reading my mind.

I didn’t know who that one guy was, but his words made me feel a bit better.

“…Baekseolhyang, what happened to Gwak Sa-yeon?”

I asked the question I had been hesitant to ask.

She remained silent for a moment, then gently held my hand.

I could see Ayu and Si-ho grimacing slightly behind her, but Baekseolhyang ignored them and spoke to me.

“After merging with a Dimensional Being, Gwak Sa-yeon is classified as a Dimensional Being. With the Umbrella that Ha Si-ho and Yekaterina subdued, we’ve secured all the information about what Gwak Sa-yeon did and her dealings with Giraseong. We also preemptively stopped the homunculus they were preparing as her replacement.”

Baekseolhyang began to explain everything related to Gwak Sa-yeon.

As if trying to ease my guilt.

Her voice was incredibly gentle.

“Legally, there’s no issue, and JMC, knowing this, has cut ties with Gwak Sa-yeon, claiming they had nothing to do with her. So, there’s nothing to worry about, Ha-chan.”

“She deserved to die anyway.”

Ayu interjected during Baekseolhyang’s explanation.

“Domi Oppa suffered so much because of her!”

Ayu shouted in frustration, then lowered her voice when she noticed me looking at her.

But the anger in her eyes didn’t fade.

“She should have been thoroughly tormented until she wanted to die. How dare she do that to Domi Oppa and act so shamelessly? Domi Oppa did the right thing!”

It’s a bit much to say I did the right thing, but seeing Ayu venting her anger for me made me feel a bit better.

“Cheonma is right. You did well. And don’t worry. As I said before, I’ll handle JMC properly.”

“Uh, okay?”

Hearing that she would take down JMC, the top Hunter company in Korea, I was startled and looked up at Baekseolhyang.

“After all, JMC is the one who created Gwak Sa-yeon. Even if we don’t destroy the company, those who helped or turned a blind eye to her atrocities.”

Baekseolhyang was smiling, but it wasn’t a smile.

“I’ll make sure to finish it properly. I hate loose ends.”

Goodbye, JMC.

I had stopped them from buying the Artificial Dimensional Gate, but I couldn’t stop Gwak Sa-yeon. I bid farewell to JMC.

I should tell Seo-ho to change companies.

“Thank you, everyone. Si-ho, Ayu, Baekseolhyang. You’ve all worried a lot because of me.”

Hearing my thanks, Ayu grumbled but seemed to feel better, and Si-ho smiled cutely, lifting the corners of her mouth.

“By the way, Ha-chan.”

“Yes?”

Thinking I had heard most of the results, I answered, and she told me why she called me.

“Ha-chan, you’re neither a Returner nor a Hunter now, but you have powers, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Given your personality, you’ll probably jump into action if something happens again.”

Hearing that, I flinched.

I could feel Baekseolhyang’s scolding gaze on me.

“With Gwak Sa-yeon, we managed to brush it off, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be the same next time.”

Then Baekseolhyang got to the point.

“Register as a Hunter.”

“Huh?”

And just like that, I was about to become a Hunter.

The next day, after deciding to become a Hunter with Baekseolhyang, I was discharged from the hospital.

Of course, I still had to visit the hospital daily for shots, medication, and internal check-ups, but discharge was discharge.

‘A Hunter.’

Even though I wasn’t a Hunter, I had always lived close to that profession.

I hadn’t actually helped Hunters fight Dimensional Beings yet, but I knew a lot about Hunters.

‘Given my current situation.’

I was definitely not an ordinary person.

The bullets from Kerafe, powered by Thunderbolt, could obliterate buildings with their immense power.

If I didn’t use Thunderbolt and just used Aura, it would still emit red lightning, which was dangerous in terms of firepower.

In any case, having a different status would make it easier to handle any future issues.

And the fundamental reason for these additional issues was within me.

I looked down at my hand.

The moment I fired Kerafe, the image of Gwak Sa-yeon disappearing still lingered in my mind.

Not guilt, but unease.

No matter how much I disliked someone, recalling that moment made my conscience sting like a needle.

‘If I could have controlled it.’

Things wouldn’t have turned out that way.

It wasn’t just about killing Gwak Sa-yeon, but the fact that I had to kill her to save Si-ho and Seo-ho that bothered me.

Would something like this happen again?

I couldn’t guarantee it.

According to Baeksan, I would be entangled with many Returners in the future.

I could feel it happening even now.

If I were to collapse just from firing a single lightning bullet, I would only be a hindrance, not a help.

“Baeksan.”

“What.”

Baeksan, who had been floating behind me, answered.

His tone was indifferent, but he seemed to know what I was going to say.

“I want to get stronger, like I said before.”

Baeksan had always nagged me to become strong enough to protect myself.

Back then, I didn’t feel it in my bones, but now it was different.

I had clearly realized my shortcomings and inadequacies.

I needed to change.

At least enough to protect the people around me.

“Don’t act like a shonen manga protagonist at twenty-six. It’s embarrassing.”

Teasing me when I’m trying to make a resolution.

“What, are you going to mock me for wanting to get stronger for others, calling it some savior complex?”

“Yeah, that’s a complex. You idiot.”

As he said that, Baeksan descended from the air and started walking ahead of me.

“And I never disliked your complex.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You told me not to act like a shonen manga.”

“Shut up. Follow me. I’ll train you thoroughly with a focus on physical strength until you recover.”

“Take it easy. I just got discharged today.”

“Don’t whine, you just said you wanted to get stronger.”

Baeksan always managed to make me think he’s a good guy.

That day, I felt like I had finally stood up after five years.