Episode 284: Preparation to return home (2)
First of all, there was no communication from Park Dong-jae or Lee Ye-rin regarding Yuuji’s whereabouts.
Even though they are probably keeping track of their movements, the lack of contact means that there is no movement yet.
“Looking at the situation, I think we could at least try some spiritual training.”
As Corruption Demons became Corruption Beasts, the importance of the Dark Ages returned.
In order to immediately resurrect the extinct Corrupted Beast, 500 Dark Ages are needed, but Ganghu’s Dark Age stats are still below that level.
As spiritual body training can also promote growth in the dark ages, it soon became a task that needed to be tackled.
“This time, the fallen tree played quite a role. “I had a lot of fun with the skills I recently acquired.”
The most satisfying time is when you see great benefits from recently added skills. Did you feel rewarded?
No matter which dungeon you go to, you can obtain skills as long as the middle boss or main boss is not the same as other dungeons.
For that reason, Ganghu always enjoyed going to dungeons. There is always an expected value for a skill.
For an ordinary hunter, it might just be a simple hit and run where you just attack and get loot.
For Kang-hoo, there was always the pleasure of going beyond that.
When you see a boss monster that shows off its spectacular performance and skills, your mouth starts watering.
“I never thought it would be such a shame not to be able to use the flying attack.”
Ganghu raised his legs in place and recalled the skill he had stolen from Lee.
I was planning on smashing his lower jaw with this when dealing with Prosecutor Hunter, but I put it off until later.
“Wait… I need to close my eyes.”
It didn’t seem like Ayane’s cleanup would end quickly.
Since three hunters are dead and it happened in a foreign country, there will be at least a thorough investigation into the situation.
Kang-hu closed his eyes because he thought it would be enough to just take a nap and wake up. I fell asleep faster than expected.
* * *
It was past midnight and the darkness was thick at dawn.
At the bar on the top floor of the hotel, Kanghu and Ayane shared a glass of whiskey.
Unlike most services that close before midnight, this hotel’s bar had quite long operating hours.
Thanks to this, the two were able to have a conversation to conclude their German itinerary with strong alcohol.
Kanghu came up to the bar first, and Ayane, who had finished showering, came back after lightly drying her hair.
Her face was completely devoid of makeup, but her skin was as elastic as usual.
“Ayane, how are you going to sort out the situation?”
“Good. “Anyway, non-intervention was the rule, so they just took care of it and said they would hand it over to the Japanese Public Security Agency.”
“You mean the corpse, right?”
“huh. That’s it. “They didn’t even ask about the whereabouts of the items they were wearing or anything like that.”
“Because it’s kind of an unwritten rule.”
“yes. “First of all, a dead cub… doesn’t talk, right?”
Ayane’s hostility toward the Hayabusa guild members was evident in her appearance as she gritted her teeth again.
It is said that the life of a mercenary means you never know when you will die.
He seemed very annoyed that he had sent someone this far to seek revenge.
Of course, since he almost died because of revenge, he must have been heartbroken.
“You’ve had a hard time with this request.”
“I don’t think that’s what I want to hear. “It feels like I just went for shooting practice, really?”
Ayane shook her head, as if Kang-hu’s words about her hard work didn’t seem to resonate with her.
No matter how I tried to recall it, it felt like I was just spooning on the table Kanghu had prepared.
I didn’t hate it.
No, it was actually good.
Because I liked Kang-hoo’s proactive appearance, I fell in love with him and wanted to be with him.
Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure I played my role within it, but I was doubtful whether it would work out well.
“anyway.”
“Thank you, Ganghu. “Ah, you said you didn’t like saying thank you over and over again, right?”
“huh. That’s enough. “It tickles my face.”
They say that hearing praise and gratitude over and over again makes you feel better.
The coldness deeply rooted in the character of ‘Shin Kang-hoo’ is strangely unfamiliar with praise and gratitude.
Even if you nod your head once or twice, you soon find yourself wondering why you are so grateful.
For that reason, it was a bit burdensome to see Ahn Young-ho and Park Dong-jae, who had become ‘thank you bots’.
In particular, Park Dong-jae is even more outrageous as he does not hesitate to put up a death flag saying that he will sacrifice his life for himself.
“By the way, the room. Should I have caught another one?”
“it’s okay. I can just sleep on the sofa. “I’m not a bed type to begin with.”
Perhaps because my body remembers the hardships I endured in the Cheongmyeong concentration camp, I feel uncomfortable in a comfortable bed.
In other words, places like hard floors or sofas that are difficult to sleep on for long periods of time are better for your body.
It wasn’t really an empty remark, but she snorted and told me not to say anything I didn’t mean.
braided.
Instead of speaking, the two people drank a glass of whiskey in one go, and their eyes became deeper than before.
And for about a minute.
Without saying a word, I surrendered my body to the cool breeze of dawn and my emotions to the soft lighting of the bar.
I didn’t really feel the need to say anything. I felt like just looking at each other was enough.
When a slight blush appeared on Ayane’s face, she naturally spoke.
“I’ll be honest. “When I first saw you, I fell in love with your handsome face and body more.”
“I see.”
“So… I just said let’s stick to one day. “There’s no pressure on either side, right?”
“yes. “I wanted it too.”
“huh. But the more I get to know you… the more I fall in love with you. “What can I say, I can’t escape.”
“Do you like me that much?”
“huh. Even if you try to push it away, it gets better, and if you don’t push it away, it gets a lot better.”
Ganghu laughed.
No matter how many times I experienced it, the idea of someone liking me was not unfamiliar to me. felt good.
It was like that when I lived the life of the original author.
He lived solely on the happiness of readers liking him and wrote diligently.
There was no way I would hate receiving the attention of the opposite sex. Kang Hu didn’t hate her either.
she added.
“But for mercenaries like us, a distant relationship seems really meaningless. “Isn’t it better for things to stay like this?”
“To not be shaken.”
Kanghu answered briefly.
The fate of mercenaries is that even if nothing happens today, tomorrow may be stained with blood and death.
Therefore, it was also a life where it was easy to get hurt if you had feelings for someone.
This is because I must always be aware that that person could leave my side forever at any time.
“For you Kanghu. And for me. I just think this relationship is good right now. Anyway… thank you so much. I will never forget what happened today. Even if I die tomorrow.”
“That guy’s death threats are a bit…”
“You know. “I could have died today.”
“Don’t live with death in mind. Just live today fiercely as if there is no tomorrow. “There is no need to worry about death in advance.”
“Live today fiercely….”
“Don’t indulge in unnecessary luxury.” “If you are not living properly today, why are you thinking about death tomorrow?”
“….”
Ayane was unable to respond to Ganghu’s sharp advice and fell into a swamp of silence.
When I think about it, it seemed like I always lived worrying about tomorrow.
Will there be work tomorrow? Can I make some money? Aren’t the incoming requests a bit tricky? do.
In reality, I was not thinking about what I was doing today.
That is what Ganghu pointed out.
I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it resonated quite deeply in her heart.
“Today I live as I am today. Tomorrow is another day that I live as today. “Live like that.”
Kang-hu’s words were not only advice to her, but also a promise to himself.
I always lived intensely in this moment. Otherwise, you never know when you will fall behind.
Others say that Kang-hu is a very powerful assassin who does everything on his own.
Actually, my thoughts were different.
There was a long way to go, but it was too far.
No matter how much he said he had caught up with, Jang Si-hwan was still one of the top hunters.
There were still too many enemies to defeat and trample on in order to reach him.
Kang Dong-hyun, Ishihara Yuuji, Jeung Seon-rak, Vincent Meyer, etc…. It is expected to increase further in the future.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Ganghu.”
“Don’t look away. “It’s a tight life to be faithful to today.”
Kang Hu held out his glass.
I planned to spend this morning having a drink with her. I think the story will be long.
* * *
Noon that day.
After sleeping well and waking up.
Before returning home, Ganghu met Lars and handed him the magic ring he obtained in the dungeon.
It was a good item to hand over without hesitation since it was something you didn’t need at all.
He didn’t show any condescension.
I handed the item to Lars indifferently, as if I was just giving him a souvenir or something.
If I had made a fuss about it by showing off all the flaws that exist, I would have been undervalued by Lars.
When I handed it over indifferently, I got a better response from Lars.
Anyway, that’s how I stamp my eyes.
I asked Lars to sell the items I stole from the three hunters of the Hayabusa Guild yesterday, including the Fighter’s Pride.
On-site appraisal takes place.
Later, the price was evaluated, including all post-processing for ‘disputes’ due to problems with obtaining the item, and a settlement of 135 billion won was received.
Total balance is 386 billion won.
Now, even with simple cash calculations, the amount has reached the level where a level 1 item can be placed within sight.
Usually, first-class items start with a base price of 500 billion won to 600 billion won.
If I saved a little more, I could aim for useful first-grade items.
You may wonder if there really are that many expensive items, but there are so many of them in the world of hunters.
You only see the world as you have experienced it.
The market where items worth hundreds of billions of dollars are traded was more active than the market where items worth less than that amount were traded.
With the settlement settled, the first official schedule in Germany came to an end.
There was an unexpected accident(?), but it was a happy ending that ended in great benefit.
The moment of parting.
Lars said, licking his lips with a regretful expression.
“I think the guild will contact you again soon. It’s confirmed. Next time… I definitely want to accompany you.”
“If only you would call me.”
Kanghu smiled and nodded to Lars, whose eyes were sparkling.
Lars’ interest can be seen as a very positive sign. Rather, it is a good opportunity to appeal to him.
Being able to appeal more means that there are more opportunities to stimulate his greed and ambition.
Of course, in order to do that, you have to show that you have some merit.
Anyway, what Lars wants is power.
If we could satisfy that desire, there would be no need for an organization like the Thirteen Stars.
After wrapping up their schedule in Germany, Kanghu and Ayane boarded separate charter flights to return home.
The two were together when they came, but when they left, their destinations were different – Korea and Japan.
A momentary farewell.
The two promised to meet again soon and returned to their daily lives.
now.
The time has come for Kang-hu to meet his first and last teacher, Cheon-sal No-soo.