Chapter 137 – The Chase (Part Two)

The chirping of birds drifted in from outside the window.

A man, propped up in a white bed, gazed out the window of the mansion.

He had short, dark hair and a solid, muscular frame, but his pale complexion and the dark shadows under his eyes stood in stark contrast.

Though he now looked his age, having just entered his forties, there was a time when he was known as the savior of humanity, the strongest Awakened on Earth.

Min Ji-hoon.

The legend who had saved humanity from the brink of annihilation twenty years ago, and the only person in history to have reached the SS-rank.

But now, he lived a reclusive life in a mansion deep in the mountains, far from the city.

“You must be busy. Are you sure you should be all the way out here?”

Min Ji-hoon asked, his gaze still fixed on the world outside.

The man standing beside him spoke.

“Making a little time for this is fine.”

Ryu Jin-tae, the Director of Aegis.

He gently pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.

Then he looked at his old friend.

Min Ji-hoon’s brow furrowed slightly, as if something was bothering him.

“The stench of blood is overwhelming. Human blood.”

“…My apologies. I thought I’d gotten it all off.”

Ryu Jin-tae quickly apologized.

He’d tried to be careful, but having been steeped in the smell of blood at the scene, it was hard for him to notice it anymore.

“It can’t be helped, with everything that’s been happening lately.”

“I see.”

An awkward silence settled between the two men before Ryu Jin-tae broke it.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad.”

Min Ji-hoon replied curtly.

But contrary to his words, his complexion looked anything but well.

It was a fact known to the entire world that Min Ji-hoon’s health was far from normal.

The reason was a rare disease that had plagued him for over a decade.

It was unusual for an Awakened to suffer from an illness for so long.

Especially since nearly any pathogen that entered the body of a high-ranking Awakened would naturally die off shortly after. Yet, Min Ji-hoon was suffering severely.

Such a thing could only happen under specific circumstances.

Either from the after-effects of a severe injury or a pathogen from a monster from another dimension, or from a congenital disease one had before becoming Awakened.

Min Ji-hoon’s case was the latter; he had suffered from a rare congenital disease even before his awakening.

In his youth, the symptoms had been minor enough not to significantly impact his daily life, but that changed after he became an Awakened.

When the rifts first appeared twenty years ago, Min Ji-hoon awakened immediately and gained immense physical power, but the disease did not disappear. It remained within him.

He then took on an unimaginable number of cases, far more than any ordinary Awakened could handle.

This meant constant exposure to the toxic energy of high-rank monsters, which caused his condition to worsen dramatically.

It had deteriorated to the point that anyone less than an Awakened of his caliber would have already died. Even Min Ji-hoon could no longer fight on the front lines; he was confined here, doing all he could just to prolong his life.

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood. Is something wrong?”

Ryu Jin-tae asked.

Complex emotions were visible on Min Ji-hoon’s face.

His curt replies and somewhat cold demeanor suggested he was lost in thought.

As a comrade who had fought alongside him for years, Ryu Jin-tae could tell just by looking at him.

“Ah… Was I?”

Min Ji-hoon blinked.

Then, as if remembering something, he changed the subject.

“How is Kang Il-hyeon? Has he recovered?”

Min Ji-hoon turned his head from the window and asked.

As he met Ryu Jin-tae’s gaze, his face was gaunt, but the sharp light in his eyes, a relic of his past, was still alive.

“I heard he’s about to be discharged. He even has a new team member, though I don’t know where he found them… But you show a particular interest in Kang Il-hyeon. Not that I don’t understand why, given his performance.”

Ryu Jin-tae said, his curiosity piqued.

Ever since confining himself to this mansion, Min Ji-hoon had paid almost no attention to the goings-on of the outside world.

But Kang Il-hyeon was an exception.

He had remained indifferent even when Seol Ah-yeong and Lee Tae-hee emerged—prodigies of the century who were expected to fill the void left by the legendary generation from twenty years ago, which included Min Ji-hoon himself.

But he always listened intently to news about Il-hyeon, who had appeared later, and even went so far as to search for related articles online.

“I have high hopes for him. It’s a shame I’ve never met him in person.”

“Should I call him over? I’m sure Kang Il-hyeon wouldn’t mind the chance to meet you.”

“No, the time isn’t right.”

Min Ji-hoon politely declined his offer and waved a hand in front of him.

Then, from the empty space, he smoothly drew out a sword.

Ryu Jin-tae stared at him in surprise as he suddenly used his ability, which could strain his body.

“Using your ability like that…?”

“I’m feeling alright today.”

*Click! Vwoom!*

As the sword was drawn from its sheath, a clear ring echoed around them.

Their eyes were drawn to the faintly vibrating blade.

“That sword… it’s been a while.”

Ryu Jin-tae murmured.

His sword, Peacemaker, which glowed with a clear blue light.

It was one of the master swords forged by a fallen comrade who had used his own ability in its creation.

Most of them had been lost or destroyed in battle over the years, but Min Ji-hoon’s remained intact.

Though it had not seen the light of day for a long time, stored in the mansion’s basement since he became inactive, its former sharpness was undiminished.

Its strength and power were on another level compared to the swords used by ordinary Awakened, and most importantly, it held the power of foresight—the ability to see the future.

Precognition was a tricky ability; unless the wielder was an S-rank Awakened, it would only show fragmented glimpses. But even that held immense value.

“It’s been rotting in my hands for too long. It doesn’t deserve that.”

“Are you thinking of passing it down to one of the younger generation now? But there’s probably no one who can wield it properly.”

“There is one person who’s caught my eye.”

“Don’t tell me… you mean Kang Il-hyeon? Should I give it to him for you?”

“No, that’s not it. Kang Il-hyeon will never receive this sword.”

At Min Ji-hoon’s rather unexpected words, Ryu Jin-tae tilted his head.

He was so interested in Il-hyeon, yet he wouldn’t pass the sword to him.

Just as Ryu Jin-tae was about to ask who he intended to pass it to, Min Ji-hoon rested the sword on his shoulder and changed the subject.

They started with trivial matters, but eventually, the conversation turned to recent events.

The irrational, indiscriminate acts of terror and the slowly increasing number of Gates.

As Ryu Jin-tae confessed he couldn’t grasp why they were doing this, the words ‘No, you already know’ nearly escaped Min Ji-hoon’s lips.

But he held them back, swallowing them down.

After a little more conversation, he used fatigue as an excuse to send him away.

Alone in the silent room, Min Ji-hoon looked down at his sword again.

Unlike a moment ago, the blue light imbued in the sharp blade began to fade.

Simultaneously, the appearance of the sword and its sheath slowly transformed.

*Shhhk!*

Once its form had completely changed, Min Ji-hoon used his ability to send the sword far away.

“Cough…!”

Min Ji-hoon coughed up dark blood.

It was the backlash from using his ability in his terrible condition, just as Ryu Jin-tae had worried.

He was keenly aware that his life, which he had held onto for so long, was now drawing to a close.

Leaning his head back wearily, Min Ji-hoon gazed out the window and muttered.

“There’s no need for me to interfere… Our era has passed. All I can do is wait and see what comes.”

* * *

Il-hyeon was in his hospital room, gathering his clothes.

“You haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“I’ve rested enough. Time to get back to work. Even if I were heading straight into the field, I’ve been resting for too long.”

Il-hyeon replied nonchalantly to Astrid’s concerned words.

The internal injuries that the doctor had described as ‘catastrophic’ were now mostly healed.

And the Gates and terrorists appearing even now weren’t taking any breaks.

“Hm?”

“Whine…”

A fluffy puppy whimpered at Il-hyeon’s feet.

It seemed sad that the time to part with Il-hyeon was approaching.

Il-hyeon gently stroked the puppy’s head.

“Take good care of things. You’re strong enough, right?”

The small creature was actually one of Il-hyeon’s summons, powerful enough to overwhelm most Awakened.

Although there had been no further attempts to target the hospital or Gwen like the last attack, their contract was still in effect, and he needed a summon to guard the place just in case.

Furthermore, he had assigned a weasel to Gwen, who would be operating separately from the hospital more often.

“Squeak, squeak!”

Just then, the sound of a weasel came from beyond the door.

Sure enough, Gwen entered the hospital room, and the weasel peeked its head out of her lab coat’s breast pocket, waving a paw.

“How are you feeling?”

“Perfectly fine. It looks like you’re about to leave too, Gwen.”

“I have to. We have a contract.”

Her departure was scheduled to coincide with Il-hyeon’s discharge.

However, while Gwen was heading to Seoul to meet up with the members of the newly formed team, Il-hyeon would not be joining them; he was leaving for South America.

He had already explained everything to Seo Jeong-hwa when she visited, and an acquaintance at Aegis had helped with the necessary procedures, so the team should function fine without him.

The three of them were a strong force, and while he was a little worried about potential accidents, the other weasel that always stayed with Seo Jeong-hwa was there, which gave him some peace of mind.

“Seoul… It’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”

“You’ve been there before?”

“Yes. When the very first Gate appeared, I was right there.”

Gwen’s words made Il-hyeon’s eyes widen.

“In the very park where the Gate opened. It was my first time visiting an Asian country as a tourist… I saw the monsters pouring out of the rift with my parents. We nearly died, but we managed to survive.”

Seeing Il-hyeon’s surprised expression, Gwen offered a faint smile.

It was a familiar reaction.

No one she had ever told had failed to be shocked upon hearing that she had witnessed the beginning of the calamity, the first-ever Gate, up close and survived.

“Surprising, isn’t it? A survivor from that hell.”

“Ah… no. That’s not why.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s just… I was there at that time, too.”

Il-hyeon said, stunned by the incredible coincidence.