Chapter 163

“Why are you asking me back?”

Heuksan looked at me as if I were a lunatic, and I wiped away my tears.

I used to have normal thoughts too, but how did I end up like this?

Of course, I don’t plan to take it back now.

Since there’s at least one person looking at this realistically, I somehow felt relieved.

“Baeksan, thank you.”

“Thank you, huh?”

“Yeah, I needed at least one person to see things normally.”

Heuksan stared at me blankly, as if wondering what she just heard.

“But don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking. Seolhyang knows, and Siho knows too.”

“……What kind of crazy talk is this? What does unnie even know!”

“I’ll call Seolhyang.”

If this keeps up, Heuksan will think I’m a complete lunatic instead of opening up to those around her, so I decided to resolve this situation first.

Of course, even while I was calling Seolhyang, Heuksan looked at me like I was crazy.

I wish she could understand that I had no choice either.

[ Yes, my husband, what’s up? ]

After a while, Seolhyang answered my call.

When I explained the situation to her, she let out a small laugh at her drowsy voice.

[ Baeksan, switch with her. ]

Hearing Seolhyang’s words, I handed the phone to Heuksan.

Heuksan took the phone with a very displeased expression and started talking to Seolhyang, and as the conversation went on, her face began to go blank.

It was the expression of someone who had just heard something beyond common sense.

After a few minutes, when the conversation with Seolhyang ended, Heuksan handed the phone back to me.

Still with a blank expression, she slowly looked up at me.

“……Has the world gone mad?”

“No, it’s still normal.”

“Then what the hell did you do to allow this situation? Who do you think you are?”

“Call me Kang Ha-chan.”

“Damn it, I’m not asking for your name!”

As Heuksan shouted, I just let out a hearty laugh.

A complicated feeling lingered in my eyes.

“A lot has happened.”

Like the fact that I don’t have the option of saving the world alone.

Heuksan looked at me with an exasperated expression and then shook her head.

“Why would unnie…….”

Seeing Heuksan, who still seemed unable to understand Seolhyang, I spoke.

“But it’s not a lie that I like Seolhyang and the others’ feelings.”

Looking at my sincerity, Heuksan turned away with a face that still couldn’t accept it.

“I don’t get it. I can’t understand this with my common sense. I’ll never understand this even if I die.”

Hearing that, I gave a bitter smile.

Then, Baeksan, who was watching from the side, nodded.

“As expected, even though you look like that, you’re still the me from the past. You’ve got common sense properly ingrained.”

Who else but himself?

Anyway, we take good care of each other.

And so, I finished that day’s work at the company without any issues.

After having a meal with Siho, Ji-eun, and Woo-jung, I was driving to drop off Heuksan.

Expensive cars really are different, huh?

As I marveled at the driving feel, Heuksan spoke.

“Hey, Kang Ha-chan.”

Just like Baeksan, Heuksan called me the same way.

“There’s a Dimensional Gate opened up ahead.”

As soon as I heard that, I turned the steering wheel.

“Tell me the direction properly.”

Heuksan looked at me with a surprised expression, as if she didn’t expect me to turn the direction so quickly.

If a Dimensional Gate has opened, I’m not going to just sit back.

“Turn right at that intersection.”

Still, Heuksan cooperated with me.

So, I drove quickly following Heuksan’s instructions.

After stopping the car at the location Heuksan pointed out, I opened the door and got out.

The area, with several large commercial buildings, looked dangerous no matter where you looked.

“Kang Ha-chan.”

Then, this time, Baeksan called me too.

He looked ahead with a displeased expression and spoke.

“This is probably what I mentioned last time.”

As soon as I heard that, I realized.

It was the intelligent Dimensional Being Baeksan had mentioned before.

“Baeksan, it’s coming.”

“I know.”

Hearing my words, Heuksan immediately enveloped herself in red aura.

As soon as Heuksan rushed into the building, I followed behind her.

Then, emergency alerts about the Dimensional Gate started popping up everywhere outside.

“It’s a Dimensional Gate! A Dimensional Gate!”

“Everyone, evacuate!”

Residents of the commercial building rushed out, shouting, and people poured out like a flood.

Watching that, Heuksan and I silently stared at the space in front of us.

I’ve gotten used to this strange flow by now.

Sure enough, with a tearing sound, the space in front of us began to split apart.

At that moment, something popped out with a *plop*.

It was a very small white balloon.

Under the white balloon was something black, and upon closer inspection, it was a bug.

I soon realized that the white balloon was the bug’s body.

It was a Dimensional Being I had never seen before.

“……Is that an intelligent life form?”

The moment I muttered that, a red lightning bolt struck.

The lightning burst the bug’s balloon and shattered it.

“What are you staring at? In front of a Dimensional Being.”

Heuksan frowned as she looked at the Dimensional Gate.

“Sorry.”

I was momentarily taken aback because the intelligent life form Baeksan mentioned looked like that.

At that moment, more bugs like the one before started pouring out of the Dimensional Gate.

As the white balloon bugs poured out of the Dimensional Gate, Heuksan and I simultaneously enveloped ourselves in red lightning.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The lightning bolts exploded one after another, bursting the balloons randomly.

The problem was their numbers.

Because the balloon bugs kept pouring out of the Dimensional Gate.

“Baeksan, can you close the Dimensional Gate?”

“The Tower of Apocalypse is intervening. It won’t be resolved until a certain number of Dimensional Beings pour out.”

Hearing Baeksan’s explanation, I clicked my tongue.

If the Tower of Apocalypse is intervening, there’s no way.

Heuksan, knowing that well, kept bursting the balloon bugs.

Then, at that moment.

The bugs we missed one or two started changing as soon as they hit the ground.

Somehow, as soon as they touched the ground, the balloons swelled up and turned into human forms.

It was as if they were absorbing memories from the ground, and I was shocked by their bizarre appearance.

If they’re intelligent life forms, they’re just monsters wearing human skins.

I immediately reached out and burst the head of the balloon bug that had turned human.

Because my ability was the strongest against Dimensional Beings.

After a few minutes, Hunters arrived.

They must have heard about the situation at the Dimensional Gate.

“Are you Hunters?”

They looked at us with a puzzled expression.

When a Dimensional Gate appears, the area is usually sealed off, and Hunters enter.

So, seeing us already there before the sealing, they were puzzled.

“Ah, yes, we’re Hunters.”

I took out my Hunter ID from my wallet to avoid any misunderstandings.

The moment he received the Hunter ID, he made a blank expression.

After rubbing his eyes once, he looked at the Hunter ID again.

And then he made a blank expression again.

Just as I was wondering why he was like that, he opened his mouth.

“SS rank……?”

The moment he muttered that while looking at the Hunter ID, my hair stood on end.

I quickly took out my wallet and checked its contents.

At the same time, I took out my F-rank Hunter ID and realized what he was holding.

“Is, is this real?”

“……Huh, the Hunter Management Bureau logo, is this real?”

As the Hunters started making panicked expressions, I also panicked.

I didn’t expect to show that in a hurry.

“Hey, hey!”

When I called out, they flinched and looked at me.

Their eyes shook roughly as they looked at me.

If I were really an SS-rank Hunter, they seemed at a loss on how to handle it.

Realizing there was no way out after showing the Hunter ID, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Because I’ve seen the stories about SS-rank Hunters circulating among Hunters on the Hunter site a few times.

I eventually gave up and quietly said.

“……Can you keep it a secret?”

As I spoke, the Hunters’ eyes gradually turned to admiration.

Seeing that, I smiled wryly and took back the Hunter ID.

“Hey!”

At that moment, Heuksan’s voice echoed.

As soon as I heard that echoing voice, I felt something rapidly gathering behind me.

At the same time, I faced the Hunters right in front of me.

Seeing their confused faces as they handed me the Hunter ID, I reflexively enveloped myself in aura and stretched out both arms.

Boom!

At that moment, an explosion erupted, and I was caught in the blast.

My body swayed heavily.

The impact on my eardrums from the explosion made my head ring.

Feeling the faint vibrations around me, I barely opened my eyes with a weak exhale.

“Hey, Kang Ha-chan!”

Baeksan’s voice echoed through my ringing ears, mixed with noise.

At the same time, my tattered clothes fluttered behind me as my consciousness returned.

It hurts.

Even though I protected myself with aura, the explosion was quite strong, and I felt a sharp pain.

When I raised my head, there were Hunters looking at me with shocked expressions.

They seemed to have not expected the explosion at all.

Even I, who protected myself with hastily summoned aura, was in this state.

If they had been caught in the explosion, they would have surely died or been severely injured.

“Are, are you okay?”

I forced a smile through the pain and spoke.

It seemed like my back was burned, as a throbbing pain made my head hurt.

“Are you an idiot? Why did you take the hit for them…….”

At that moment, Heuksan’s voice reached me.

She was looking at me with eyes that couldn’t understand me at all.

She knew I could have dodged if I wanted to.

Still, thankfully, Heuksan seemed unharmed, having defended herself well.

“It’s okay.”

As I said that, I popped the Hwandan Ayu gave me into my mouth.

Then, the pain gradually subsided.

I’m always indebted to Ayu.

As I thought that, I felt the presence of a Dimensional Being ahead.

In the distance, there was a giant bug with multiple balloons attached to its body.

One of the balloons on its body had burst, and it seemed the explosion earlier was because of that.

‘It’s dangerous.’

If all of those burst, this entire area might be blown away.

As if knowing that, a creaking laughter seemed to come from the Dimensional Being.

It had already placed a hand on one of its balloons.

Seeing it threatening like that, I could understand why Baeksan called it an intelligent life form.

“Baeksan.”

Heuksan glanced at me.

I masked the pain with Hwandan but spoke while feeling cold sweat.

“Can you buy me some time?”

“……Okay.”

She seemed confused after I saved the Hunters, but she answered well.

“Hunters, stay quiet for a moment.”

So, I told the Hunters and quietly gathered my aura.

Crack!

At that moment, red lightning burst from Heuksan’s side.

The intense red lightning was something no living being could ignore.

So, the intelligent life form’s gaze was drawn to it in an instant.

Seeing that, I immediately unleashed my full aura and kicked the ground.

With a blurred afterimage, I reached the creature in an instant.

As my hand stretched toward it, the Dimensional Being’s eyes turned toward me.

As if it had already expected it.

The moment its eyes curved, the balloons were engulfed in a white light.

It’s going to explode.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my eyes shot open.

If it explodes like this, the entire area will surely be caught in the blast.

So, my aura expanded several times faster than before, and a blue light burst from my hand.

The exploding light touched my hand, and the blue light spread out.