Chapter 57: Calm after the Storm
Chapter 57: Calm after the Storm
Ji-woo went straight to Dong-hyun after resting his body for a while, ignored Yu-jin and the other B-rank hunters. He handed the armor set back to Dong-hyun along with the Dungeon Bead he had held. He also shamelessly asked for the kevlar vest again.
Dong-hyun, who was still amazed by how easily Ji-woo defeated the Demon Apes, became confused by that request. Anyhow, he still gave the kevlar vest back to Ji-woo and wore back the armor set without any questions. He also didn’t waste too much time to get changed and immediately crush the bead.
Ji-woo started to distance himself from Dong-hyun the moment they got out of the dungeon. Since Dong-hyun with his armor would become the most eye-catching thing after the story unfolded.
And he also hadn’t noticed Ji-woo isn’t around him anymore with the fuss about the state of the Team 3 leader.
Do-cheol’s pulse was already weak as Yu-jin and the other hunters pulled him out of the creature’s severed hand. And it got weakened as time went by, and gradually the heartbeat stopped.
Luckily the S-rank healer, Oh Dal-soo, was there. He was able to save Do-cheol in time. But unfortunately. That was not the case with other hunters who have been dead longer than Do-cheol.
Dal-soo shook his head. Informed Do-cheol, those other hunters besides him couldn’t get saved anymore.
It was Dal-soo’s limit as an S-rank healer. Even though he was called the Godly Doctor, he couldn’t revive someone after a certain amount of time had passed. Right now, he wasn’t strong enough to toy with the death and could only restore the conditions of the dead hunters who had lost their limbs to their original state.
It was the right thing to do to return the fallen hunters in good conditions to their families or acquaintances.
Do-cheol stood up with the help of another hunter and then walked haphazardly toward Dong-hyun. He had heard from other B-rank hunters about the incident after he lost to the Demon Ape.
Dong-hyun suddenly got nervous and sweated all over his forehead, seeing not only Do-cheol but Tae-hyun and Dal-soo were coming to him as well.
Meanwhile, Ji-woo watched what was happening from the other side. He was waited to see how Dong-hyun responded to the situation.
Anyway, whatever Dong-hyun said to the hunters. Ji-woo would help and try to prevent him from being dragged into the interrogation even though his true identity might get revealed to the hunters later. After all, it was his decision to save Team 3 from the Demon Apes despite knowing the risk that he would get exposed earlier than he expected.
Actually, Ji-woo had thought of abandoning Dong-hyun to keep his secret a little longer. He was not a saint, nor was he a hero or a savior. Sacrificing one or two people for his own sake was a common thing for him.
But considering the favor that Ji-woo got from Dong-hyun until now, he decided to repay all of it at once and take responsibility for his own actions.
Do-cheol and a few B-rank hunters bowed slightly to Dong-hyun in gratitude for saving Team 3 from the Demon Ape. They wouldn’t mistake Dong-hyun for someone else since he was the only one who wore the Red Crimson armor.
Dong-hyun tried to look back and only to find out that Ji-woo wasn’t there. He immediately panicked while glanced here and there, looking for Ji-woo. In the next moment, his and Ji-woo’s eyes met. He gulped when he saw Ji-woo’s icy cold gaze with a natural placid expression.
Dong-hyun returned his gaze to the hunters and reluctantly accepted the gratitude. He then also bowed awkwardly at Do-cheol and the others. Either because of the fear of Ji-woo or something else held him back from telling the truth.
The incident between Dong-hyun and Ji-woo happened in seconds. So almost none of the hunters noticed Dong-hyun’s panic and strange behavior except for Dal-soo.
Dal-soo had used his God Eye ability when Do-cheol approached Dong-hyun. This ability made him have x-ray eyes that could see the structure of living things. So, he could tell that Dong-hyun’s heart was beating fast and irregularly. Even the tightened neck muscles and dilated pupils did not escape his observation.
Those things make Dal-soo suspicious about the overall situation. He whispered to Do-cheol to give instructions to take care of the matter quietly at their headquarters first.
Dal-soo then put aside the issue of Dong-hyun’s odd behavior. He needed to hear the entire story from Team 3 first to decide if there was a problem or something hidden from this hunt.
Dal-soo also couldn’t let the hunters who were confused about their situation wander around. It was because the commotion he caused while headed toward this Portal Gate would surely attract the attention of the other guilds. Especially Shadow and Artates guilds.
Right now, the incident was better to get discussed in a smaller scope. The knowledge related to the Dungeon’s Dual Owner was too valuable to be a piece of public information. It could be a chance to gain something from other guilds if they managed the intelligence very well.
However, Ji-woo knew that Dal-soo had watched Dong-hyun when he glanced at him earlier. Thanks to the big difference in Mana, Dal-soo really stood out from the rest and was clearly perceived by him.
For simple comparisons, E-ranks to A-ranks were the same as grades one through six of elementary school. No matter which class they were in, they were still in the same place. However, the S-rankers were in a different league than those hunters. They were like at the level of high school students. Not only separated by one degree but also separated by a whole field.
Yet, there was another hunter besides Dal-soo who knew what Dong-hyun did to Ji-woo without him knowing. This hunter had been watching the two of them ever since they came out of the Portal Gate. So, that hunter knew something was off.
In the end, Dal-soo, Ji-woo, and that hunter didn’t do anything or confront each other until they returned to the Demigod’s headquarters with Team 3.
The Demigod Guild was fortunate enough to only lose dozens of hunters as a loss inside the Portal Gate that had Dual Owners. If that compared to the previous two cases, each of which had only one survivor.
Team 3 hunters who didn’t know the real story were allowed to go home. Previously the higher-ups had told them that the ones who defeated the Demon Ape were Do-cheol and several other B-rank hunters. They also didn’t know anything about the Red Crimson hunter.
On the other hand, Ji-woo left the building after receiving a thank you from Do-cheol for his role as the one who distracted the Sabertooths to give Team 3 a chance to survive. He was also unsuspected about how Ji-woo could do it. After all, for such a situation, all that was required was nimbleness. Tae-hyun had told him beforehand how deftly Ji-woo dodged Yujin’s barrage of attacks in the Battle Royale test.
But Ji-woo didn’t go home right away and instead stood waiting in front of the headquarters entrance.
After a while, Dong-hyun came out with Tae-hyun.
“Dong-hyun~si, thank you for your cooperation. You don’t have to worry.”
“Ah, yes.”
Taehyun bowed slightly toward Dong-hyun then went back inside. Now, all that was left was how the Demigod guild managed the information regarding the Double Owners. In a moment, they would get some calls from other guilds.
On the other hand, Dong-hyun was surprised to see Ji-woo at the entrance as he walked out in sorrow.
“J-Ji-woo~si?! Why are you here?
“I-I didn’t say anything unnecessary to them. Don’t worry.”
Dong-hyun gulped. Although, Ji-woo, who was in front of him, had the vibe of someone that was easy to trample on. He still treated Ji-woo with courtesy for it.
“Heh, I don’t care about that. How about you?”
“They wanted me to come to report every day starting tomorrow until further notice. They also confiscated my Crimson armor set.” Dong-hyun answers glumly.
Ji-woo had guessed that the Demigod guild wouldn’t easily believe anything Dong-hyun had told them. It didn’t matter what really happened inside the tier-3 Portal Gate. The Demigod Guild themselves would determine the truth after they investigated more. The fact that they got held onto Dong-hyun’s armor already indicated that they didn’t want rumors about the Red Crimson hunter to spread before they verified it.
People with authority tend to believe their own eyes rather than the words of others. But, it also proved they weren’t fools who could get tricked easily without preparation.
Ji-woo patted Dong-hyun on the shoulder. “Don’t be discouraged. It’s better than having them interrogate you for 48 hours straight. Isn’t it? Cheer up. I’ll give you a new sword later in exchange for your short sword that got destroyed while I was using it.”
Dong-hyun answered hastily. “I-It’s okay. You don’t have to, Ji-woo~si.”
Ji-woo smiled on the side. He knew Dong-hyun was adamant that he was the one that took action in the dungeon since Ji-woo hadn’t got questioned by the Demigod guild. And that made him have a good impression of Dong-hyun.
On a floor in the Demigod guild building, a pair of eyes watched Ji-woo from the room’s window. Keep an eye on every move without missing the slightest detail.