Chapter 408

Setting aside the explanation that followed, the fact that Choi Jin’s younger sibling was brain-dead was crucial information. That transformation-type Awakener was still in their twenties, and there had been absolutely no news of them suffering serious injuries from dungeon monsters or anything of the sort. For a funeral to be mentioned so suddenly was highly suspicious.

‘Judging by the atmosphere, she definitely seems to have died because of the [Knight’s Oath].’

After that, Kim Giryeo asked a few more questions.

“By the way, was your sister’s case investigated by the police?”

Choi Jin answered. Since a young person had died so suddenly, there had naturally been a brief inquiry into the circumstances. However, it had never developed into a formal investigation.

“No, why wasn’t there an investigation? An Awakened person died under such abnormal circumstances.”

“Hunter Kim Giryeo.”

At that point, Seonwoo Yeon stepped in with an explanation.

“Death caused by a contract-type artifact isn’t considered murder under the law.”

“What did you say?”

“For now, that’s how it’s treated...”

For reference, the situation was not much different in many developed countries.

Artifacts used for agreements, such as the [Knight’s Oath], fundamentally required the consent of the living being involved. Pressing the thumb of someone who was asleep—or unconscious—onto it was meaningless. Of course, there were cases where people were forced into contracts through threats, but even when such circumstances were uncovered, law enforcement could ultimately punish only the assault or coercion itself.

“What, the law actually works like that?”

So far, deaths caused by the [Knight’s Oath] were not legally recognized as homicide.

Especially when it was impossible to determine what clauses had been written into the artifact or who the deceased’s counterpart in the contract had been.

“Unless measurement techniques improve, we have no choice but to treat deaths caused by contract penalties as the individual’s own negligence.”

In that case, wouldn’t it have been better to simply ban such a dangerous item altogether?

The blond man had that thought for a moment, but a counterargument came to mind almost immediately.

“Well, banning artifacts would have caused plenty of inconvenience too.”

How could anyone simply disregard something like this?

A magical vessel capable of erasing humanity’s deeply rooted fear of betrayal and establishing trust even more reliably than the law itself had appeared right before their eyes.

“Anyway, it’s something people would use illegally regardless. And even if the magical effect itself is based on a ‘benevolent promise,’ it becomes dangerous the moment that promise is broken.”

After that, Seonwoo Yeon continued explaining, to the best of her ability, the precedents she knew regarding the [Knight’s Oath].

Her knowledge was not entirely precise, but she had once seen a case featured on the front page of a portal site in which the very act of entering into an unethical clause had itself been judged a crime.

“But even in that case, you’d still need to get your hands on the original artifact bearing the two parties’ fingerprints.”

Now that he roughly understood the background, it was clear that this case would be difficult to investigate through ordinary procedures.

Of course.

Humans on Earth still could not properly distinguish between an Awakened being’s mana and mana applied through status effects.

So what more could be expected from a primitive planet whose magical studies were still at this level?

“Hunter Giryeo?”

The fourth S-rank Hunter returned from his thoughts.

There were many things on his mind, but judging solely from the information available, he did not have many options.

“More importantly, the person who actually matters has had her mouth sealed by a contract.”

“So, is there any way to make this easier?”

“There isn’t.”

After a long silence, Kim Giryeo finally spoke.

“Hunter Choi Jin.”

“...Yes.”

“Then this will be my last question. Has your younger sister already been cremated?”

Someone had placed a contract on the Choi sisters.

To be honest, he still did not fully understand the details, but it seemed unlikely that such a minor topic would have been strictly prohibited, so the conversation continued without incident.

“In my family... we don’t cremate the dead.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Jin’s eyes grew redder.

“And to begin with, my family still couldn’t accept what had happened... so they kept hesitating, and because of that, all the funeral procedures have been delayed...”

The A-rank Hunter had remained silent throughout the funeral.

But perhaps because she finally felt there was someone she could lean on, Choi Jin began to pour out the feelings she had kept buried inside to the visitors standing before her.

“How did things really end up like this? This is all my fault.”

To be honest, at that moment, all she wanted was to die.

Yet the injustice surrounding her younger sibling’s death had still not been resolved, and above all, because of the contract bound to her own body, she could not even use her life as she pleased.

The situation was unbearably suffocating.

All Choi Jin could do was weep in despair—

Until the visitor before her suddenly offered an unexpected word of comfort.

“It’s not your fault.”

A quiet, soothing statement.

“This isn’t your fault...”

More precisely, it was an unfinished sentence, spoken as though something more was meant to follow.

Kim Giryeo stopped there and said nothing further.

“So Jinhee hasn’t been cremated yet, right?”

What appeared next was that characteristically dry, pale expression of his.

Even in the middle of such a serious conversation, the alien maintained a calm demeanor—an artificially measured serenity.

But regardless of what expression he wore, the fact that the Hunter’s body had been preserved well was, in any case, good news for him.

‘The question is whether Choi Jin, as the bereaved family member, will allow me access.’

Watching from the side, Seonwoo Yeon grew uneasy.

She was the only person present who knew the blond young man’s true identity.

“Excuse me.”

However, the response that came from the other side was far beyond what she had expected.

“But, Hunter Kim Giryeo...”

The bereaved family member, who had only just managed to stop crying, was the first to voice concern—

For a complete stranger.

“Hunter, have you been asking me all these questions because you intend to help me?”

“Why?”

“Actually, I heard something before. It was never properly verified, so I tried not to pay much attention to it...”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I definitely heard somewhere that Hunter Kim Giryeo has been resting because of health problems. So if you’ve come all the way here like this, could it be putting a strain on you...?”

A close relative had died an untimely death.

On top of that, a cousin with whom she had been fairly close had passed away around the same time.

Yet even in the middle of such an extreme situation, she was worrying about someone else’s health.

‘Genes really are frightening.’

Their degree of kinship was said to be fairly distant.

And yet the dragon hunter standing before him bore quite a few similarities to Ahn Yoonseung.

For example, the deep color of her eyes, and the distinctive texture of her skin that made her look younger than her actual age.

“I’m not sick.”

Moreover, although it was acquired rather than innate, she also possessed the same A-rank status.

The mage, who had spent a long time observing primitive humans, answered truthfully.

After dismissing concerns about his own body, he continued explaining.

“And if something like this happens, it’s only natural for me to get involved. There’s no need to weigh the pros and cons in the first place.”

“Why...?”

“Because right now, Choi Jin and I are actually in exactly the same situation.”

“Situation?”

“I just lost a younger brother I cared about, too.”

And since he had now clearly stated his reason for interfering, he should be able to openly suggest a shortcut.

“Anyway, this is an unavoidable request. I’m sorry, but would you allow me to briefly examine your younger sister’s body?”

At the center of everything was the B-rank transformation-type Awakener.

Kim Giryeo suspected that Jinhee, the younger sibling, would possess the most information, so he immediately asked for the bereaved family’s permission.

He intended to use [Memory Search].

Of course, there was still some damage remaining in his respiratory system.

But what was a little overexertion to an Archmage, especially for just one day?

“My sister’s... body?”

Kim Giryeo.

He was the fourth S-rank Hunter to appear in the country.

True to his reputation, even his appearance was suspicious enough to make him seem distant upon first meeting.

However, he had already shown kindness before, such as safely rescuing her younger sibling when she had been stranded in midair.

Moreover, he was exceptionally capable.

He had been the only person to notice that the sisters were under the effects of the [Knight’s Oath].

“...”

She now hated that same person enough to shudder at the thought of him.

Even so, she decided to trust this one person one final time.

Choi Jin nodded, confirming her decision.

“After all, Jinhee often said she wanted to see you again...”

With that, the consent of the bereaved family was obtained.

Afterward.

The moment the Archmage gained legal permission to examine the body, he went to the deceased and performed his usual magic—

What he commonly referred to as “opening the head.”

Fortunately, despite the ominous name, it did not actually damage the corpse.

“Hmm?”

Around thirty minutes later, the memories of the deceased appeared before the mage’s eyes.

***

[Thunder God’s Stone Hammer].

An item capable of generating a small amount of lightning according to the wearer’s will and, most importantly, providing powerful elemental resistance.

Recently, electrical engineering companies from various countries had begun pooling their resources to secure it for non-Awakened bidders.

Once such equipment was placed in their hands, the companies’ electricians would no longer have to risk severe injuries while working.

[Efreet Heavy Armor Set].

This, too, was a cutting-edge item whose performance had famously been verified by the Hanshin Guild at enormous expense.

Since it was primarily defensive equipment, the armor had already proven useful outside hunting grounds as well, protecting wearers from volcanic eruptions and other extreme high-temperature environments.

Recently, renting it alone cost billions.

But then again, it was hardly unusual for research equipment to be expensive.

[Dungeon Shock Generation: From Despair to Hope... The ‘Exceptional Performance’ of Drugs Found in Gates Continues to be Verified]

Humanity on Earth had gone through a period of chaos after monsters first appeared.

However, once a certain level of public order was restored, the advantages of this extraordinary situation gradually began to reveal themselves.

[A New Lifeline for Severe Trauma Patients: Successful Regeneration of a Foot Two Years After Amputation Using Dungeon Drugs]

The advent of magic brought a certain refinement and progress to the world.

Moreover, throughout previous history, technological advancement and environmental destruction had often gone hand in hand.

But the newly discovered divine resource known as mana was revolutionary even in terms of carbon emissions.

At the very least, the polar bears were thriving.

The threat posed by monsters was certainly terrifying, but for ordinary people on Earth, the arrival of magical power was surprisingly welcome.

“Hunter Choi Jin! You were a key figure in the successful operation to reclaim the capital of South Korea. Could you say a few words?”

“It’s an honor to see such a rare high-ranking Awakened in person! May I ask what you plan to do with the enormous earnings you’ll receive in the future?”

“Well... I haven’t made any specific plans yet... but for now, once I go home, I’ve decided to buy some potions for my parents as a gift...”

“Potions?”

“My mother injured her fingers while working in a factory when she was young. Nowadays, even old injuries like that can be completely healed with medicine.”

“Excuse me, but where do you live?”

“I live in Chuncheon. I was only called here temporarily, so once the work is finished, I’ll probably go straight home...”

Even back then, she wore her hair in a short bob and had a distinctly urban appearance.

In her twenties, Hunter Choi Jin had been a textbook success story born from the Dungeon Shock era.

“By the way, could we wrap up the interview here? I have a dinner appointment.”

“Of course. Of course.”

And there was someone quietly watching this exchange with the reporters of the modern age.

Roughly the same height as Choi Jin.

Perhaps due to another inherited trait, their eyesight was not significantly different either, and they did not wear glasses.

“Hey! Jinhee!”

The world once seen by the person bearing that name flowed into his mind.

“All my work in Seoul is finished now.”

The sight of Choi Jin running toward her from up ahead belonged to a memory from when the deceased was still alive.

But before the Archmage began thoroughly scanning the dead woman’s mind, a brief thought passed through his head.

“Come here! Let’s go have dinner with Unnie.”

Come to think of it, people in this world often said that civilization had advanced because of the Dungeon Shock...

He wondered what would happen if a few new examples appeared at this point.

“What do you want for dinner? What should I buy you today?”

“Cheese dakgalbi.”

“You had that yesterday, didn’t you...?”

For example—

A patient born with a brain disorder that resulted in reduced intelligence.

Or someone so trusting by nature that they were easily deceived.

For people like that, had the world truly become easier to live in after the advent of magic?