Chapter 128

…Alright.”

If it had been for any other purpose, Taeyang Kang wouldn’t have attended the press conference or anything like it. But knowing that the information Cho-i Hyeon spread was true, he sat there and waited. Cho-i Hyeon smiled, feeling like she had a well-behaved puppy, and stroked his head.

“W-what is it?”

“Because you’re cute.”

“Stop it.”

“No, I won’t.”

Taeyang Kang remained still, his face stiff, as she stroked him. Taehyeok Sa frowned in displeasure, but Cho-i didn’t care.

And so, time passed, and the press conference began. The camera shutters clicked loudly. Taeyang Kang was now facing reporters at the press conference venue prepared by Paehyeok Side. They were frantically pressing the shutters to capture both Taeyang Kang’s newly acquired spear and his appearance on camera. Taeyang Kang kept frowning, seemingly unaccustomed to the shutters.

“What was the structure of the hidden dungeon?”

“What is the grade of the item you obtained from the dungeon?”

“Is there a reason for your sudden visit to Korea?”

Beep- At that moment, microphone feedback echoed through the press conference hall. It was because a Paehyeok employee standing on the left lightly tapped the microphone. Everyone fell silent at the sudden noise and looked in that direction.

“Please ask your questions one at a time.”

When the employee spoke bluntly, the reporters fell silent. After all, this was ‘Paehyeok.’ They knew very well that if they didn’t follow instructions and acted as they pleased, they could be expelled. One reporter quickly raised his hand.

“Ask your question.”

“First and foremost, is the sudden reason for your entry into Korea due to the hidden dungeon?”

It was a rather sharp question right from the start. What Cho-i Hyeon wrote on Huntred had spread more widely than expected, and as soon as that information spread, with SS-Rank Taeyang Kang having cleared the hidden dungeon and obtained an item, it was necessary to find out if that information was true. The reporter thought he had caught them off guard.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

They had no intention of hiding anything about it anyway. The hall stirred greatly at his answer. Then another reporter quickly raised his hand.

“Ask your question.”

“Is it related to the posts circulating on the anonymous board these days?”

“Yes, it is.”

The sound of shutters stopped, and the hurried sound of something being written could be heard everywhere. And another reporter raised his hand.

“Does that mean it’s true that if you clear three similar dungeons in a row, the probability of a hidden dungeon opening is high?”

Taeyang Kang exhaled lightly and replied.

“I don’t know for sure, but the fact that I visited a hidden dungeon that way is undeniable.”

The sound of writing became even faster. Taeyang Kang looked around at the reporters taking notes and sighed inwardly. I really am not suited for this kind of show.

“What is the grade of the weapon you are holding?”

Then the host quickly stopped the reporter who asked the question.

“I cannot answer that question, so let’s move on to the next one.”

Then, reporters eagerly raised their hands to ask questions. The press conference finally ended after two hours.

“You did great!”

Cho-i said to Taeyang Kang, who was slumped on the sofa, looking drained, and patted his shoulder.

“Living a nomadic life all the time, this kind of thing doesn’t suit you, does it?”

“Uh, uh-huh…”

“Don’t worry too much.”

Cho-i smiled brightly.

“There are only twelve interviews scheduled from now on.”

“Huh?”

Cho-i handed him the paper she received from Taehyeok Sa and confirmed the schedule. Taeyang Kang could only stare blankly at the paper, dumbfounded. Then, he suddenly stood up, unable to understand why he had to do all this.

“I don’t know why I have to do all of that?”

“You signed the contract.”

“In the contract…”

[Article 2, If there are no special circumstances, Party A must comply with all schedules set by Party B.]

“This is about dungeon schedules…”

“No, it’s not. Is ‘dungeon’ written anywhere here?”

“Uh, no.”

“Exactly.”

“In the contract, Party A is…”

“It’s written, yes, yes. If you’re in a special dungeon or not feeling well, you might not be able to do it. But you’re not in that situation right now, are you?”

Cho-i Hyeon grinned and fluttered the contract. Taeyang Kang thought, I need to snatch that. Taeyang Kang was strong, but having lived a nomadic life for so long, he was completely ignorant of worldly affairs. Cho-i Hyeon was S-Rank. He was SS-Rank. Although Cho-i Hyeon had strange powers, it was clear that he would win if he ambushed her. Peck. Cho-i Hyeon kissed Taeyang Kang’s stiff cheek. His face instantly flushed red. She chuckled and said to Taeyang Kang,

“Please!”

As she held both of Taeyang Kang’s hands tightly and looked at him closely, he hesitated and stepped back. But with his hands held, even the Entity had its limits.

“I need to send a message that the information I spread is reliable, right? I explained it last time, didn’t I?”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

“Want another kiss?”

Taeyang Kang, whose hands were firmly held, instantly stiffened his face.

“……Please.”

“Hee hee hee.”

Taeyang Kang then left to fulfill the twelve schedules arranged by Paehyeok, and Cho-i Hyeon, lying on the sofa, asked Taehyeok Sa, who was just posing without saying a word,

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Will the information I spread help make Hunters stronger?”

“There will be many sacrifices.”

“That’s true.”

“But instead, only the real ones will remain.”

“…The real ones.”

So, does that mean I, who died hundreds of times there, am a fake? Cho-i Hyeon pouted her lips and crossed her legs while lying down.

“Why did you call me, anyway? Wasn’t Taeyang Kang the only one getting worked to death?”

“There’s somewhere we need to go together.”

“Where?”

“The materials research institute.”

“Oh, did they get results back from there?”

“Yes.”

Taehyeok Sa turned around and helped her up, answering.

“Even your skin.”

“Oh~”

Cho-i Hyeon whistled.

“It’s finally coming out now?”

Cho-i Hyeon stretched once in the position Taehyeok Sa had helped her into, then headed for the elevator. Taehyeok Sa slowly followed behind her.

***

Jueun Hyeon, a researcher at the materials research institute, was in a state of confusion. Paehyeok had entrusted them with three materials in total. An insect’s shed skin, a fragment that was either bone or stone, and…

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like human skin…”

Even an unknown lump of skin. She thought that out of all the materials she had ever received, none were as bizarre as this. She had dealt with everything from monster eyeballs to internal organs, but this really looked like human skin, no matter how she looked at it. The only difference was…

“Knives, guns, and even the attacks of an A-Rank hunter have no effect…”

This much was the same as the shed skin. Jueun Hyeon diligently wrote something on a chart as she observed the lump of skin.

“It seemed like they finally succeeded in inflicting a wound.”

And they managed to invite an S-Rank hunter and finally succeeded in wounding the shed skin and the skin. The shed skin was clearly split in half, but…

“The skin clearly regenerated.”

The lump of skin regenerated the wounded area. While hunters inherently boast higher regeneration abilities than humans, something detached from the main body does not show regeneration. However, this skin clearly ‘regenerated’ the wound inflicted by an S-Rank on its own.

“Even the composition seems similar to that shed skin.”

The difference was that the skin was smoother and harder than the shed skin.

“It can regenerate even when separated from the main body…”

If they researched this, it might be possible to create equipment that doesn’t break and regenerates itself. Jueun Hyeon, slightly excited, headed towards Paehyeok’s Group, who would be waiting for her.

“I don’t know about anything else, but that skin is amazing! Of course, the other materials also have above-average hardness, and I think they can be refined and made into equipment. But there’s nothing as great as this!”

She thought it was the discovery of the century. A material that regenerates itself. And if she could get more of that material and refine it, she could create armor that wouldn’t break and could regenerate itself. But for some reason, Paehyeok’s Group just looked uncomfortable when they heard that story.

‘Why?’

Jueun Hyeon looked at the two with trembling eyes. Meanwhile, Taehyeok Sa and Cho-i Hyeon were having an incomprehensible conversation.

“Hey, don’t even think about skinning me.”

“I never thought that.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s written all over your face.”

“It’s not written on my face. And I told you I didn’t think that.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Cho-i Hyeon just stared at Taehyeok Sa.

“Was I that untrustworthy?”

“What kind of obvious nonsense are you spouting, you bastard?”

Cho-i Hyeon made an ambiguous face. So, you’re saying my skin still shows regenerative power even after it’s detached from me? She looked down at her arm. She was sure it wasn’t like that before. In fact, she couldn’t say for sure because she hadn’t researched it this way before.

“Anyway, thank you. Today, I came to pick up the materials I entrusted to you.”

As Cho-i Hyeon smiled brightly, Jueun Hyeon’s pupils trembled rapidly. Y-you’re taking them now? It’s a material that could yield who knows what if we researched it more?

“You can take the bones and shed skin. But wouldn’t you mind entrusting the other materials to us for a little longer?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just take them.”

“Then at least where you got them…!”

“Hmm…”

Cho-i Hyeon pondered, then raised a finger and soon pointed to her arm.

“Here?”

“Y-yes?”