Chapter 96

Chapter 96

“Anyway, that’s how he sent me the coordinates. Said he wanted some backup. But at the time, I was in the middle of chatting about all sorts of things related to this commission, with Adam Rogers present at the table. So the coordinates Lee Yoomyeong sent got exposed to everyone there, including me.”

‘It was chaos because of that…’ Hunter Joo Minjeong spoke in a tone that sounded like she was letting out a deep sigh, then picked up a cookie from the plate on the table.

“And after that, well… it all happened in an instant. Adam Rogers just checked the coordinates that came to me and ran out. The government officials at the table immediately kicked up a fuss, talking about apologies and compensation. I couldn’t make a decision on my own right then, so I contacted the guild, and while I was at it, the government too.”

“Just listening to it, you must have been incredibly busy.”

“Tell me about it. I was working on that same matter until just a little while ago. Actually, I have to go out again in ten minutes. I need to file a report about Adam Rogers bringing Yoon Seohee to his private residence, claiming it’s a safe zone.”

Listening to this story, I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift to one man who wasn’t working at all, just staring at his smartphone. I stared blankly at Jeong Seojin, still sitting next to me.

Of course, Jeong Seojin wasn’t the type to have such thin skin that he’d cave under my mere stare. With an utterly shameless expression, he looked at his phone screen and uttered a single word.

“What?”

Let’s just give up on trying to make this guy feel awkward. I waved my hand dismissively as if to say it was nothing, then turned my gaze back to Hunter Joo Minjeong. I planned to ask her everything I wanted to know personally, beyond just the current story.

“So, what happened to that strange building? Is it still there?”

“Huh? Ah, that is—”

“I’d like to explain that part myself, from here on.”

*Clack, clack.*

The sound of expensive dress shoes came from the direction of the front door, far off. I shifted my gaze from Hunter Joo Minjeong toward the source of the footsteps. Right on cue, one of the parties involved in this whole situation was walking toward us.

“Are you alright, Hunter Yoon Seohee?”

“…Me? I’m fine, of course.”

Adam, who had already come right up to us, gave a soft, gentle smile. But unfortunately, no one in this room welcomed his smile with warmth. For one, Hunter Joo Minjeong was looking at Adam Rogers with eyes that seemed thoroughly unnerved, and Jeong Seojin was still staring at his phone as if he couldn’t care less. And me… setting aside like or dislike, I was just bewildered.

“Looks like you finished what you needed to do? I thought you mentioned you had to report somewhere about this situation.”

“Since I’m fundamentally affiliated with the state, whatever I do comes with a duty to report… I apologize for making you wait because of that.”

“Oh, ah, no. You don’t need to apologize.”

I had no intention of scolding someone who was late because they were doing what they had to do. I stopped Adam, who seemed about to bow as if to apologize, then pointed to an empty chair that happened to be nearby.

“Please, have a seat. It looks like this conversation will be long, and it’d be more uncomfortable if you’re standing, Adam.”

“I’m grateful for your generous kindness.”

I had no idea what part of my actions counted as ‘generous kindness,’ but Adam did as I said. He pulled the chair I pointed at and sat down immediately.

And at the same time, Hunter Joo Minjeong, who had inadvertently ended up sitting next to Adam, jumped to her feet.

“Sorry, Hunter Yoon Seohee. I’m going to go finish up some work. I’ve got a mountain of things to do.”

“Ah… okay, take care. If there’s anything you need from me, please let me know anytime.”

“Just saying that is enough, thank you. But rather than that, if you ever need anything from me, let me know anytime. I’m fine. Well then, I’ll be off.”

With those final words, Hunter Joo Minjeong turned her back and headed for the front door. …At a glance, it sounded like she really was in a hurry for work, but… I stared at Adam for a moment without saying anything. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed less like she was pressed for work and more like she felt burdened sitting next to Adam.

“I think it’s time for some explanation.”

It was Jeong Seojin who broke the brief silence that settled after Hunter Joo Minjeong left. Still keeping his eyes on his smartphone, but leaning his body a little closer to me, he asked Adam about the full story of this incident.

“What the hell kind of incident was this, anyway?”

“…I’m just as curious, Adam. About this whole matter… could you explain it in your own words?”

“If Hunter Yoon Seohee wishes it, then by all means.”

A soft smile rose at the corner of Adam’s lips. Wearing a smile that seemed gentler and warmer than anyone else’s, he began to explain the full story of this incident. The cause of what happened, the course of events, and finally, the outcome — all of it.

* * *

“There is a valid reason they call me a monster.”

Adam Rogers spoke in an utterly calm tone.

“It’s because I contributed to the deaths of their acquaintances, or their family members.”

There was no sorrow in his voice, no despair, not even a hint of bitterness. Nor was there any guilt.

Adam Rogers’ story went roughly like this.

Five years ago, on that tragic day when Dungeons appeared and a large-scale Monster Parade broke out across the country. He underwent a sudden awakening, and at the same time, lost something.

At first, he didn’t even realize that something was missing. After feeling as though he had embraced a fallen star whole, he only knew that he had become incredibly strong. So, to test his newfound power and body, he began traveling across the country, taking down monsters.

He started to notice something strange around the time he had killed a total of five monsters. Around then, he had just slain a ‘griffin’ — a creature with an eagle’s head and a lion’s body.

“When I went to take down that thing, it had just ended the life of a child who couldn’t even scream.”

Without hesitation, he killed the griffin in a few sword strikes. Immediately after, he stared at the corpse of the child who had lost their life to the griffin. The little one, who couldn’t have lived even ten years, wore a twisted expression as if they had died in agony.

And he, faced with that pitiful death right before his eyes, felt nothing.

Only then did he realize there was an empty space in his heart. Something that had vanished from him the moment he awakened. Something he had lost without even noticing.

If he had to name it, it was something that could be called ‘humanity.’

“Actually, it’s a rumor that circulates among S-Rank and above awakeners, but they say that high-rank Hunters often experience ‘losing’ something at the moment of awakening, or just before it.”

With those words, Adam Rogers stared at Jeong Seojin. It was a gaze that seemed to ask, “Have you also experienced losing something?” But Jeong Seojin gave no answer to that look. He merely stared blankly at the teacup set before him.

So Adam Rogers fixed his gaze back on Yoon Seohee and continued his story.

Though he had realized his humanity had vanished, that didn’t mean he was tormented or despairing. He simply thought it was something that came with gaining immense power, and he accepted the situation calmly.

After that, he continued to slay countless monsters. One-eyed monsters, skeletal armies made of skeleton soldiers, monsters with the appearance of insects as large as a building. He didn’t rest for a single moment until the Monster Parade subsided.

Perhaps that was why.

Around the time the seemingly endless procession of monsters began to dwindle, he faced a monster that had the appearance of something half-formed into a human. Unlike its incomplete form, it possessed quite high intelligence and was holding the families or relatives of nearby high-rank Hunters as hostages.

To deal with this troublesome monster, people deliberated and eventually requested him to subdue it. Because it was ‘him,’ Adam Rogers. Because he was called the strongest awakener. Because he had taken care of all the nuisances across the country so far. And because no matter how strong a monster was, he had always won.

So surely, this time too, he would resolve it safely.

That’s what people thought, and as was only natural, their assumptions were all wrong.

Adam Rogers was not the kind of person to prioritize the safe return of hostages while killing the monster, sacrificing himself to some degree in the process. He was, after all, someone who had lost his humanity from the start. When faced with a choice between the lives of the hostages and one of his own legs,

He abandoned the former without a moment’s hesitation.

Because, in his own judgment, he saw no reason to do otherwise.

He succeeded in subduing the monster immediately after. However, in the process, nine out of the ten hostages held by the monster died, and one was left with injuries severe enough to make movement difficult for the rest of their life. People were stunned by the sudden outcome. Some threw stones at him, others condemned him, and still others, saying it couldn’t be helped, burst into tears.

Adam Rogers returned from the vivid scene of the past and gazed at the present. Clink. The sound of the teacup hitting the saucer was loud.

“Andres was one of the latter.”

“…Andres was?”

“Yes.”

The man whose hair had turned blue right after his awakening had a fairly gentle disposition back then. Of course, he was just as quiet even then, but at least that Andres, despite his sister having returned as a corpse after being taken hostage, tried to understand rather than blame or reproach Adam Rogers.