Chapter 165: Homeward Pt. 2
He had finally found traces of people by using mana stream.
‘It’s hidden.’
Moreover, at the same time, Lee Jun-Kyeong could feel a sense of disharmony in his surroundings.
The world around him was completely brimming with mana due to the cataclysm, and traces of mana that he had barely been able to sense with his mana stream seemed as if the aura of the people had been hidden by someone.
This was a sign that there was someone else involved, and this someone who was working impossibly hard to try to hide the residents. But, even still, he was able to find them.
“Where are they?” Yeo Seong-Gu said as he looked over at Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“Over there,” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded, pointing his finger somewhere. Yeo Seong-Gu and Jeong In-Chang nodded as they looked over.
“Why couldn’t I notice it too…?” asked Jeong In-Chang
“Hm…”
Now that Lee Jun-Kyeong had pointed out the exact location, they also seemed to be able to feel the sense of incongruity as well.
‘It’s similar to that…’
They noticed that it looked similar to the mana veil constructed by the cataclysm.
A formation.
Where Lee Jun-Kyeong had pointed, there was a formation that hid people’s presence.
It seemed to cover such a wide range, and it was a barrier of a fairly high level.
“So it’s at a level enough to fool our eyes…”
“Still, I’m glad,” Jeong In-Chang said in a relieved tone.
“The fact that there is a barrier here means that the Hunters are still alive and that they are protecting something…”
Somewhere along the line, a smile appeared on his face.
“Doesn’t that mean that a lot of people have survived?”
Yeo Seong-Gu and Lee Jun-Kyeong looked over at him as the Hunter let out a sigh of relief.
Innread.com ].
“Why do you think that?” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked.
Unlike Jeong In-Chang, Yeo Seong-Gu and Lee Jun-Kyeong’s expressions were not very good. They both had a hardened, somewhat relieved but indescribable expression.
“You never know.”
However, the person who responded to Lee Jun-Kyeong was Yeo Seong-Gu.
“If the people are actually safe.”
***
The closer they approached, the more the barrier became more sophisticated.
“Doesn’t it seem like a pretty strong Hunter?”
Being able to create formations of this magnitude was tantamount to proof that the ability of the Hunter who had created it was great.
‘At least Hero-Grade.’
It was clear that it was a high-ranking Hero-Grade Hunter that had set up this barrier.
Although there were unorganized groups of monsters rampaging around the barrier, they only seemed to hover around the barrier itself.
“They don’t seem to be able to notice it,” Yeo Seong-Gu remarked.
“I guess there really was a reason why they didn’t deal with the monsters,” Jeong In-Chang commented as well.
The people were safe even if they didn’t clean up the monsters, so it seemed as though the Hunter had meant to avoid making any useless sacrifices.
‘But it’s the same as abandoning anyone that isn’t under their protection.’
No matter how well the formation had been set up, it didn’t seem as though it was enough to be able to gather all of the citizens of Gwangmyeong within its barrier.
Lee Jun-Kyeong knew that it would be fortunate if there were even ten percent of the total population of Gwangmyeong protected within its barrier.
“The Hunters…” Lee Jun-Kyeong swallowed slowly and said, “Or, at the very least, it means that the Hunter who had made this barrier had no intention of saving the countless other people in Gwangmyeong.”
Jeong In-Chang’s brows furrowed. As if Yeo Seong-Gu had the same thoughts as Lee Jun-Kyeong, the Hunter was quietly shaking his head.
“...”
However, there was something slightly different in his expression.
“By chance…” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked. “Is it someone you know?”
Yeo Seong-Gu’s face expressed something ominous, and the gloom in his eyes alluded that he knew something about the creator of the barrier or the situation at hand.
“I have some guesses, but it couldn’t be.”
Yeo Seong-Gu shook his head, but his ominous expression didn’t fade away.
They moved carefully, slowly along the edge of the barrier. They continued on their path as they observed the monsters and the ruins outside of the barrier.
When they finally stopped, it was only because it felt as though someone was staring at them.
“…!”
It was a peculiar gaze that could be felt from somewhere nearby.
“It’s a Hunter,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said after sensing the mana.
When Lee Jun-Kyeong turned his head toward the gaze he could feel from somewhere on the outskirts of the barrier before them, he suddenly frowned.
“...”
There were a total of three Hunters looking toward them, and they were outside of the barrier just like they were.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong felt something indescribable as he saw their faces.
‘They’re thinking about something.’
Even though they had found Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party, the Hunters before them didn’t take any action. It was clear that they were troubled.
“This way!”
And finally, the Hunters called out to the party.
***
Lee Jun-Kyeong could see it—there was something strange about how the Hunters acted after they had discovered the party, standing there thinking about what to do.
“Aren’t you the Underdog and Yeo Seong-Gu?”
They were acting strange when they had recognized his party, and these actions caused him and his companions to deepen their suspicions.
The Hunters had followed them all the way to the inner edge of the barrier. Lee Jun-Kyeong subtly asked them a question, probing their intentions, “You seemed to have seen us earlier and stopped for a moment…”
“Ah! Um…well, that’s…”
“Just…we just didn’t expect to meet you here!”
There was a tremble in their voices as they seemed to trip over themselves to answer quickly.
Then, Yeo Seong-Gu made the next probe, “But the outside was full of monsters just now…”
“That is…”
The Hunters weren’t able to easily answer their questions as if it was a difficult topic. Instead, they simply turned around and guided the group toward the barrier.
“This way!”
Following, the party entered the formation and headed toward the Sports Complex. However, as they entered the formation and continued forward, there were no signs of any people around them.
‘These guys are deliberately avoiding any people as they guide us somewhere.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong signaled with his eyes toward Yeo Seong-Gu and Jeong In-Chang.
Because he had now entered the barrier, he was able to verify the aura of people using his mana stream. Although he could sense that there were most likely people inside the gymnasium, the Hunters that were guiding them were taking them into a building that was empty of residents.[1]
“Who is the one who set up the barrier?” Yeo Seong-Gu asked again.
“...”
The Hunters' expressions hardened again. Although they refused to answer properly, Lee Jun-Kyeong and his companions all sensed it.
‘Something is wrong.’
There was something the Hunters were hiding, and it was most likely the kind of sickening thing that they shouldn’t know about.
To them, who were moving cautiously as they weren’t able to get involved just yet, a voice rang out.
“Welcome.”
At the same time, Yeo Seong-Gu’s face hardened.
“Looks like I’m welcoming you once again, my old friend.”
“...”
Yeo Seong-Gu’s face twisted as he looked over at the owner of the voice.
It was a skinny man who looked frail. However, his whole body was adorned with fancy decorations and luxury clothes. He had spoken as he looked over at them.
“Is it someone you know?” Jeong In-Chang asked Yeo Seong-Gu quietly.
Soon, Yeo Seong-Gu responded.
“Aegir, a Hero who had been banished from Asgard.”[2]
The man named Aegir was looking toward them with a bright smile, with dozens of Hunters standing behind him.
All of them seemed to be strong, radiating a deadly aura.
They were sure of it.
“There really seems to be a problem here.”
***
Lee Jun-Kyeong and his companions had finally met with Aegir, the overseer of this place and the person who had erected the barrier. However, they still weren’t able to see the people.
Step. Step.
All they seemed to do was walk around the Gwangmyeong Sports Complex and head off somewhere. The sound of multiple footsteps quietly resounded as Aegir stood in front of them, guiding them as his Hunters stood behind them.
Lee Jun-Kyeong and his companions were walking forward like captured prisoners.
While Jeong In-Chang seemed to be displeased with the situation, Lee Jun-Kyeong and Yeo Seong-Gu just silently followed.
“Here we are,” Aegir said.
Eventually, they had arrived at a room that seemed to serve as a waiting room.
“Heimdall. While I’d like to have a long talk with you, the way you look right now makes me think that you need a little break,” he continued.
“...”
“Rest for now. What you are searching for will come to find you soon, so let’s talk about them then.”
After saying that, Aegir disappeared with the Hunters. Although they had wanted to ask the Hunter and his followers something at all, they weren’t able to.
Jeong In-Chang opened the door to the room they had been guided to, his face stiffening at the sight before him.
Creak.
“What’s going on?”
While Lee Jun-Kyeong asked Jeong In-Chang why he was reacting like that, his face also stiffened as he looked around the room they had been guided to.
They had been guided to a room that seemed to be a remodeled waiting room that had been used by the athletes.
However, the sight of the room that was before them was incredibly off-putting.
“What the…”
It was gorgeous–to the point of insanity.
From furniture that was clearly of the highest quality to cabinets made entirely of gold and silver. The opulence had reached a point where one could be confused whether they were a renovated waiting room of a sports complex or a small, high-luxury hotel room.
To think, in this cataclysm, in a world that was being completely devastated, to think someone could enjoy such a luxury.
“The bastard hasn’t changed,” Yeo Seong-Gu said in a heavy voice.
The topic had turned to the identity of Aegir, which, while Lee Jun-Kyeong had not asked about, he was still curious about.
“That bastard was one of Asgard’s Hunters. Although he has the title of Aegir, he is less known than you might think.”
Aegir was someone who had been given a title that signified the identity of a Hero, but he was someone who wasn’t well known.
That could only mean one thing.
‘Proof of being strong.’
He was someone who had completely ignored the prestige and reputation that was seen as necessary to become a Hero and still obtained a title. That could only mean that he was favored by his Sponsor because of his incredible ability.[3]
To think that such a Hunter existed.
‘But I don’t remember the title Aegir.’
However, it was a name that Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t ever heard of in either the book of the Demon King or in the annals of history.
Yeo Seong-Gu looked around the room and sat on a gorgeous sofa as he looked over to Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“He was a promising Hunter that carried out the secret orders of Odin.”
“...”
“His last mission before he was banished was…”
The reason why the Hunter named Aegir had been banished.
“It was to monitor trends in Europe.”
“Olympus…” Lee Jun-Kyeong muttered.
“That’s right. Olympus.”
A picture had been drawn in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s head, connecting the dots.
A promising Hunter, one who moved secretly, and Olympus.
He spat out, “Defection.”
"That's right." Yeo Seong-Gu nodded. “That bastard was a spy who had gone to monitor Olympus, but instead, he was captured by Olympus and had information about Asgard stolen from him.”
“But you’re saying someone like that only ended up being exiled?” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked.
“Exile is just a word.”
Yeo Seong-Gu’s brows furrowed.
“That bastard ran away and hid when his betrayal was discovered, and Asgard was unable to find him. That was why I had thought about him when I saw the barrier here.”
“...”
Lee Jun-Kyeong was astonished that Aegir had been able to avoid Asgard’s gaze. That meant that the Hunter had the ability to avoid even Odin's gaze.
Something ominous ran down his spine.
Yeo Seong-Gu continued, “That bastard even received another title while at Olympus.”
“You don’t mean…”
“That’s right.”
While Lee Jun-Kyeong’s ominous feeling grew bigger, Yeo Seong-Gu continued, “Multiple Sponsorship. While at Olympus, his title was Midas.”
***
Shhh.
A pale figure started roaming around the Gwangmyeong Sports Complex. It came out of a certain room and was trying to inspect the place after being ordered by someone.
It was Hel.
The figure moved secretly using its astral figure and was examining the situation around them.
–It's like a palace, Master.
Hel communicated with Lee Jun-Kyeong as it traveled throughout the complex, directly explaining the situation in the building to the party.
–Every room is full of colorful ornaments strewn all over the place…
Shhhh.
–Some rooms are completely filled with gold.
Hel moved and headed elsewhere, to the place where the people were expected to be.
The gymnasium.
Hel, having entered the building, spoke to Lee Jun-Kyeong in an emotionless voice.
–I have found the humans, Master.
The figure quietly described the scene that had caught its gaze.
–They are like slaves, Master.
1. Korea has massive sports complexes with multiple buildings and things to do, like batting cages, hiking trails, soccer fields, etc. One of these buildings is a gymnasium. 👈
2. The host of the gods in Norse Mythos. His celebration for the gods is where Loki insults the other Norse gods, eventually resulting in the trickster’s imprisonment until Ragnarok. 👈
3. If you remember our first antagonist, Choi Yeong-Seong, Asgard had put the lives of dozens of Hunters on the line to try to boost his reputation enough to be a Hero for comparison. 👈
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