Chapter 374

In the latter stages, he had mostly adjusted the strength of his skills to match his companion, but the occasional glimpse of his true power was still overwhelming.

“It’s something I whipped up easily with magic, but maybe it’s about time I showed off a little.”

Besides, Kim Giryeo himself had repeatedly insisted that his muscle density had increased, presenting it as evidence.

“Is... that so? There really aren’t any signs of your illness progressing, and you’re completely healthy now?”

One Monday afternoon, the alien finally succeeded in earning his trust.

At last, he was free from the excessive caution Jung Haeseong had shown ever since the previous Happiness Gate incident and the confirmation of his lung cancer.

Kim Giryeo breathed a sigh of relief as he observed the national hero’s visibly relaxed demeanor. It was good that the resistance to his money-making activities had eased, but having to go through so much trouble just to restore his image was rather exhausting.

The native he had met shortly after migrating to Earth had been so easy to handle.

In any case, that Awakener named Jung Haeseong was suspicious of absolutely everything.

“Since Ahn Yoonseung is A-rank, he basically never even thinks about talking back to me...!”

A Hunter from the Neo Sisters Guild would believe him even if he claimed soybeans grew into blocks of tofu.

And if he showed them a block made from red beans instead, they would probably accept that too.

“Come to think of it, didn’t that guy say he didn’t have any special plans this week?”

Sob, sob.

Kim Giryeo briefly lamented his second life, which seemed destined to be filled with endless excuses, before quickly changing the subject.

After all, he had already finished everything he needed to do today. And, coincidentally, that particular mammal had come to mind.

“Alright. Let’s call Ahn Yoonseung and have a meal together for the first time in a while.”

The blond Alphaurin decided he might as well spend some of his free time strengthening their bond.

“It’s not right to only contact someone when you need them.”

For once, the alien had arrived at a perfectly sensible conclusion.

“You have to build goodwill from the beginning if you want to exploit someone consistently.”

Well, so much for that.

Perhaps his Alphaurin habits had not completely faded, because the soul reached for his phone while entertaining such petty calculations.

From an Earthling’s perspective, however, none of that mattered.

[Calling... Ahn Yoonseung]

After all, a hero revered as a global idol... not only refused to look down on someone in such a lowly position, but even made a point of meeting him regularly?

No matter how one interpreted it, a human could only see such behavior in a positive light.

.

.

.

And so, Kim Giryeo and Ahn Yoonseung met without any trouble.

“Hyung-nim.”

At that moment, Ahn Yoonseung showed an unexpected trace of hesitation.

“Why?”

After listening to his explanation, Kim Giryeo realized that Ahn Yoonseung still felt guilty about the call he had made during the Red Gate incident a few days earlier.

When chaos had broken out in Seoul, he had called in the strongest water mage.

Frankly speaking, things could easily have gone badly because of it.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

“Yoonseung, there’s no need to go that far...”

When Ahn Yoonseung bowed his head, Kim Giryeo waved a hand, trying to stop his Earthling acquaintance.

“I’m actually grateful that you trusted me when I said I was fine and called me. Usually, people treat me like I’m lying.”

Of course, ever since coming to this planet, I have been bending the truth a little more often than usual.

“I-I didn’t really believe you. I just did what you asked and treated you like usual... so somehow that makes me feel even more sorry...”

“That won’t do. Hey, Ahn Yoonseung. From now on, every time you apologize, you’ll have to pay a fine.”

“Hup!”

Anyway, they managed to settle the matter through conversation.

The Hunters had reunited at a Hunter-exclusive restaurant in the city.

Since the alien had already come to the capital to receive his commendation, he figured it would be best to fit in a meal before returning to the coast.

And so, they immediately followed through on their plan to eat together.

“Wow, this is delicious. As expected of Ahn Yoonseung. You really do have refined taste—every restaurant you take me to is above average.”

Around then, a peculiar ornament inside the restaurant caught the alien’s attention.

Much like the misconception he had formed when first setting foot in this solar system, it was a plant decorated in various ways by human hands.

“Come to think of it, Christmas is coming up soon!”

“Yes. Christmas is exactly two days away!”

Now he remembered what it was called.

A “tree.”

Kim Giryeo nodded as he looked at the green decoration dominating the restaurant interior.

“I didn’t really understand it last year. But now I get it—decorating things like this around this time of year is an annual tradition.”

Just as he began wondering about the origins of Christmas, Ahn Yoonseung spoke up.

“Oh, right. But hyung, you recently formed a guild, and you’ve been actively going on hunts with Hunter Jung Haeseong, haven’t you?”

“Mhm.”

“So starting next year, you’re planning to really focus on making a lot of money?”

One-person guilds were usually established to take advantage of tax benefits.

By piecing together what he already knew, Ahn Yoonseung had come surprisingly close to the truth.

But there was one small discrepancy.

“No. I’m not saying I’ll be doing this all year next year or anything. It definitely won’t be that long-term.”

Clang.

The blond man picked up a lamb skewer roasting over the fire in the center of the table.

Just before bringing it to his mouth, he finished what he had been saying.

“Yoonseung-ah, let me make this clear right now. I’m going to rake in a fortune in this industry and then get out. By the second half of next year, I’ll be holding a retirement press conference. Mark my words.”

At that, Ahn Yoonseung burst into hearty laughter as though he had just heard a punchline from a comedy show.

It was certainly nice to see a young man laugh so freely.

Even though, in reality, no joke had been made.

“If it weren’t for that 40-billion hole, I wouldn’t be living like this.”

For reference, the mansion the alien had recently gone to such lengths to purchase had suffered burst pipes after he tried to save money on the water bill.

The blond Awakened continued eating with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Retirement? Well, as long as your Awakened abilities are strong, there are plenty of companies these days that would want to hire you!”

“I’m not planning to take that kind of job either.”

“Eh? Ah! Right. Now that I think about it, you’ve always avoided using your psychic powers recklessly. So that’s why you’re saying that.”

“...”

Contrary to the Archmage’s own wishes, however, the Earthling sitting across from him seemed perfectly satisfied with his profession.

“Still, I always try to be careful with the power I gained so easily. And the longer I work, the more I feel that being an Awakened suits me.”

‘Some people are desperate not to be unemployed, yet he looks so happy to be working.’

“Did I ever tell you this? Um, actually, I got into university to study French Language and Literature...”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“When I started attending classes as a freshman, I realized it didn’t suit me at all. It was completely different from what I’d imagined.”

“Really?”

“When I talked to classmates who were top of the class, I thought, ‘Wow, I could never be that passionate about studying...’”

“Wait, top of the class?”

“Ah! Hyung-nim, as expected of someone I respect. You’re right not to use slang unnecessarily. But I went and made another foolish mistake—”

Ahn Yoonseung went on to say a little more about the friend in his department who had the best grades.

By the time the conversation, which had briefly wandered off course, returned to the original subject, he even said this.

“Anyway, that’s what I mean. Thanks to you, hyung-nim, I’ve found my place in this industry, and I really like it. I’m in good shape now, so I plan to give it everything I’ve got.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Thank you! I’ll make sure not to push myself too hard, but I’m still planning to take on some extra work around Christmas this year since I don’t have any plans.”

That was the ambition expressed by the A-rank Hunter famous for his skinhead look.

By then, the lamb chops they had ordered were fully cooked, so it was time to ease up on the conversation and concentrate on eating for a while.

“Hmm.”

Christmas.

Christmas...

Kim Giryeo mulled over what Ahn Yoonseung had just said, and for some reason, his thoughts began drifting elsewhere.

‘Just because it’s a global holiday doesn’t mean the mana bodies will conveniently take a break.’

There would certainly be no shortage of work on Christmas.

The Archmage—or, more precisely, someone who found the constant demand for Hunters rather displeasing—was not particularly happy about that.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

‘The idea that I could massacre the Gisimche again... that was before I realized the limits of the Earthlings in the warehouse.’

As could easily be inferred from the fact that he had remained inactive even after his second awakening, Kim Giryeo could no longer afford to charge recklessly into an all-out battle.

If he suffered catastrophic damage, he could not simply replace his body.

There was only one usable corpse left at his disposal.

‘I’ve only just regained my freedom. I don’t want to gamble away a precious life for no reason.’

Estimating probabilities was a fundamental skill for the soul of a great mage.

After running through various calculations, Kim Giryeo arrived at a clear conclusion.

An immediate showdown with the Gisimche was impossible.

Transferring into a top-tier corpse.

Fully restoring his lungs.

Developing suitable magical tools.

And so on.

The road to their extermination would be long and arduous.

‘Even with SS-class abilities, I still have a long way to go before I regain my full strength.’

Fortunately...

The planet he had reincarnated on still had plenty of time.

Based on what Kang Changho had said, it was possible to infer that the second-stage warning sign of the cosmic parasites—the phenomenon known as [Possession]—had indeed already occurred.

‘One occurrence is fine. It only becomes a real problem once reports start appearing all over the country.’

The only magician in this world who truly understood the Gisimche soon reached that conclusion.

‘Besides, even if humanity really has entered Stage 2, there should still be nearly a thousand years left until the final stage—[Descent].’

In any case, there was only one thing he needed to remember for now.

Do not provoke the Gisimche recklessly.

Trying to wipe them out with half-baked strength would only encourage disruptive evolution within the newly emptied ecosystem.

Instead, Kim Giryeo decided to bide his time and aim for the outbreak period of [Possession], when the Gisimche would be at their weakest.

‘I could survive even if this entire Earth were turned upside down. So you pitiful offspring of mammals should be grateful that I’m willing to step in and deal with this at all.’

Of course, at this rate, once Christmas arrived, everyone would inevitably end up working without a break...

“Hmm.”

That could not be helped either.

‘In the most wholesome sense possible, that is simply none of my business.’

Perhaps ever since the moment he had closed his notebook, fleeting thoughts—half-formed resolutions—had repeatedly surfaced and faded away.

‘I can’t run around hunting down every monster just because I feel sorry for the Earthlings. That would be physically impossible anyway...’

He continued thinking as he stripped the lamb from the bone.

‘Smashing gates within South Korea is one thing, but if I interfere with their feeding on a larger scale... who knows what kind of backlash that might provoke.’

But he allowed his thoughts to wander no further than that.

It had been ages since he had gone out of his way to enjoy a proper meal, and he had no intention of letting thoughts about the Gisimche spoil it.

‘Let the Earthlings handle their own affairs. I mustn’t interfere with the ecosystem carelessly.’

And so Kim Giryeo neatly pushed his lingering concerns aside and focused on the lamb.

No—

More precisely, he had just made up his mind to do so.

[With Christmas approaching, department stores are scrambling to outdo one another in fierce competition...]

For reference, the restaurant had a small television mounted on the wall for customers to watch.

Until just moments earlier, the scrolling captions at the bottom of the screen had been displaying peaceful news.

But now, the text had changed.

[[Breaking News] Pacific Ocean near Minamitorishima — Unprecedented and Severe Dungeon Phenomenon Occurs]

“...”

“Where did I put my phone?”

“Hold on, move that glass next to you.”

Rustle, rustle.

The moment the breaking news about the gate appeared, the Hunters hurriedly began searching for their phones.

Naturally, Ahn Yoonseung, with his strong sense of duty, was among them.

Yet the most renowned Hunter at the table—Kim Giryeo—showed no such reaction.

Flip.

Instead, the blond man calmly reopened the menu he had set aside earlier.

“What drink should I try next?”

From an Archmage’s perspective, it was difficult to feel anything resembling tension over something like this.

Come to think of it, during the recent incident in Turkey, he had initially been alarmed when he heard that an S-rank Hunter had been swallowed by a gate.

Yet once he entered, the dungeon’s structure had turned out to be laughably simple.

‘Could this just be another commotion caused by those mammals’ ignorance?’

Besides, he still had not memorized the entire map of Earth.

That long, island-like name sounded as though it belonged to Japanese territory.

In any case, it probably had nothing to do with Korea, right?

Gulp.

Kim Giryeo thought little of it as he finished the last of his sparkling water.

“Gasp!”

“Whoa, what is that? Is this real?”

“Isn’t that CG?”

“No, I just asked a friend who lives in Japan, and apparently they can really see it from there.”

Murmur, murmur.

The reactions around him were unusual.

The Hunters who had been busily grilling lamb skewers just moments earlier were now murmuring among themselves in low voices.

“Hmm?”

Now that Kim Giryeo had regained his S-rank status, his hearing was exceptionally sharp.

Thanks to it, he quickly noticed the change in the restaurant’s atmosphere.

“Yoonseung, let me see your phone too.”

“Ah! Yes, yes, hyung-nim.”

His curiosity already piqued, Kim Giryeo finally checked the search results Ahn Yoonseung had pulled up and learned what the breaking news was actually about.

“Hmm.”

The incident being reported in those red captions was by no means trivial.

Nor was it something they could simply ignore on the grounds that they were Koreans.

“Are these guys insane?”

Tilt.

Kim Giryeo stared at the phone screen, tilting his head with a blank expression.

The idea of the Gisimche putting on some kind of Christmas event was hardly to his liking...

Either way, it had been a long time since something troublesome enough to make even an Archmage tense had appeared.