Chapter 438

"Come to think of it, has that Earthling ever cried this loudly before?"

At least as far as I could remember, I had never seen anything like it. The black-haired Earthling continued sobbing loudly, clinging to someone even after several seconds had passed. His usually tightly closed mouth was wide open as he wailed without restraint, and even I was startled by the intensity of his reaction.

"It seems like he really cherished his mother, huh?"

Family. It was a concept I had never experienced and, honestly, had no particular intention of experiencing, so it did not fully resonate with me.

"Still, seeing the Earthling so happy... isn't so bad."

I quietly savored a small sense of satisfaction as I watched the unusual family reunion unfolding before me. It was around the moment I found myself lingering over someone else's happiness...

"Huh?"

The Earthling, who had been sobbing while clinging to his mother, suddenly raised his head with a stunned expression. Something completely unexpected had just happened inside the private hospital room.

"What?"

The two of us, both officially recognized as S-ranks by the Hunter Association, turned our heads almost simultaneously. And where our gazes landed stood a human radiating vivid, surging magical energy—someone who appeared to be "just generating" it.

"Oh, that's right."

Simply put, Jung Haseong's mother had awakened. Come to think of it, [Magic Addiction] was essentially a form of [Failed Awakening Syndrome]. The condition occurred when someone who had stumbled at the threshold of evolution fell asleep, either to recover from the damage or to buy time for their body to adapt to magical energy. At least, that was how it appeared to me, and it was not far removed from what Earth's medical experts had theorized.

So that was what happened.

"Did they successfully awaken an insect that had failed to metamorphose and artificially complete its transformation into a mage...?"

The touching reunion ended there.

Immediately afterward, the newly awakened mage, still not fully conscious, recklessly unleashed her powers in every direction. As a result, Jung Haseong and I had to scramble to bring the situation under control. No, to be precise, I was the one who did most of the scrambling. After all, South Korea's top-ranked hunter was a blazing embodiment of justice. If I let that fire-wielding human run wild while another Earthling was already rampaging, the situation would only escalate...

***

Anyway, what kind of mess was this?

"Haseong-ah. Your mother..."

Bang!

A short while later. Once the hospital room had been somewhat cleaned up and the medical staff had been called in to perform one final examination of the patient, Jung Haseong and South Korea's fourth-ranked S-class Hunter finally managed to slip out into the corridor. There, the two began a brief conversation.

"Before she fell into a coma, what exactly did your mother do for a living? And just so we're clear, I'm asking about her occupation."

A politely measured voice echoed through the hallway.

"She was a special effects makeup artist."

"Ah."

"Before I was born, she worked as a regular makeup artist, but most of her career was focused on difficult projects—the kind used in films or stage productions."

"So that's why."

"Yes?"

"So that's why her abilities manifested in such an artistic way."

"I'm sorry."

"What was the proper term for that again?"

"Probably something like a creature you'd see in a horror movie... At least as far as I know, there's no monster that actually looks like that."

For reference, what they were discussing now was merely small talk about the chaos from three minutes earlier. A magical outburst powerful enough to completely destroy a hospital room that cost millions of won per day.

"An illusion-type skill, huh."

"So what we saw wasn't real after all?"

Soshk.

The blond man turned his head to the side. Inside the hospital room before them sat a Korean woman who appeared to be in her fifties or sixties.

"...!"

She politely bowed her head to the doctor and obediently underwent the examination. At one point, she even glanced in their direction and waved, greeting them with the gentle demeanor of an unmistakably kind-hearted Earthling.

"She really doesn't look like someone who just terrified us by conjuring up a horrifying monster."

"Ugh."

"A special effects makeup artist... I wonder how many grotesque figures she had to look at every day for her substance to manifest an illusion like that."

"I am truly sorry."

"It's fine. Of course I was joking when I said I was surprised."

Jung Haseong wiped at his face, which was a mess of cold sweat and tears.

"I never imagined my mom would awaken."

How on earth had such a beautiful reunion ended up like this?

"Anyway, she woke up safely. That's what matters."

Judging by the commotion caused during her awakening, the family of the nation's top-ranked Hunter now appeared to include an illusionist capable of creating phantasms. To be honest, it did not seem like an especially practical ability for fighting real monsters—but at least she had acquired a measurable mana level, which meant the chances of her collapsing again were low.

"No more colds, no more eye infections... from now on, she'll stay healthy for good..."

As the reality of what had finally happened sank in, tears welled up in his eyes once again.

"Hmm?"

Crying.

Jung Haseong lowered his head so deeply that it nearly touched the floor. Without making a sound, he nodded as tears streamed freely down his face.

"Really..."

His throat was too tight for him to finish an entire sentence, but at the very least, he was still able to say something as simple as this.

"Thank you so much."

But... could everything that had happened today really be brushed aside with a simple remark like that?

"How many times are you going to save me like this without asking for anything in return?"

"Hmm?"

"My mom... she's really the only precious family I have. So honestly, I kept thinking that if things got any worse here... I might not be able to keep living alone anymore..."

Just a moment ago, it had been "mother." And now, it was "mom."

Around the time the alien noticed this gradual change in how he referred to her, Jung Haseong slowly lifted his head again and spoke to the awakened one before him.

"What on earth am I supposed to do now?"

There was considerable force in the man's voice.

"Of course, I remember that even when you, Kim Giryeo-ssi, shared important information with me... you never expected any great reward in return."

"Isn't 3 billion a pretty big reward?"

"But this time, I really, really want to repay you properly! Truly, thank you so much!"

An objection briefly surfaced in the alien's mind, but it did not matter.

"Are you still not interested in the [Sunset Sword] at all?"

"What?"

"For now, out of everything I own, this sword is clearly the most valuable."

"No, that's..."

"Besides, I recently discovered a new feature of this [Sunset Sword]. It seems to help its owner whenever they're in danger."

Now Jung Haseong was even willing to hand over that national treasure-level item.

"Trading a Legendary for an Elixir..."

The blond alien paused to think, having never considered an exchange like this before. After all, even on this planet, health was ultimately the most valuable thing.

If you wanted to obtain legendary-grade equipment, healing someone like this was actually the orthodox way to do it.

"No, forget it."

But the problem was the role of the weapon being offered. Unless it was that greatsword sitting somewhere in Japan, [Sunset Sword] had been personally modified by someone to protect a specific mammal. For the original owner to simply take it away now... that was a bit much.

"It doesn't make any sense. That weapon is only useful when it's protecting Jung Haseong."

Still, since this was such a rare opportunity, should I take it and at least try disassembling it?

The top-ranked hunter still had his usual one-handed sword hanging at his waist today.

If you stared at the sword for long enough, you could almost get the strange impression that its hilt was trembling ever so slightly...

"That weapon is for you to use, Jung Haseong. Like I said before, I don't like close-range weapons."

His deliberation ended there. Kim Giryeo, influenced by the Earthly sense of attachment he had acquired after reincarnating, ultimately refused the reward. For an archmage, it was not an especially necessary item in the first place, so even something grandly called an "elixir of all cures" was something he could give away without lingering attachment. Yet no matter how trivial it seemed from the giver's perspective, the Earthling who had regained his mother could hardly treat it lightly.

"Well, it wouldn't be strange if the problem was solved through sheer luck."

Even the blond man who had given him the elixir said that he had done all of this simply because "Jung Haseong had lived a good life."

"For the past few years, even when all I got online were insults, I just kept working while constantly carrying this strange sense of indebtedness..."

To think that an S-rank hunter would recognize the achievements of the number-one ranked person, whose efforts seemed to go unnoticed even by the heavens! And on top of that, to repay all the hardships he had endured until now in such a way...

"How did I end up meeting benefactors like this?"

At that moment, Jung Haseong thought.

There was a saying in this world that one should not take in a black-haired beast. In a way, it was a natural expression. How could someone not be called a beast if they forgot the kindness they had received?

"Honestly, I still can't believe any of this."

Jung Haseong glanced once more toward the hospital room where his family was sitting.

"Mom really, really woke up..."

No matter how many times he thought about it, the reality of it filled him with emotion all the way to his throat. So instead of offering a hundred shallow words of thanks, Jung Haseong decided to make a single sincere promise.

"I will truly repay this kindness for the rest of my life."

After all, even if he tried to thank him properly right now, Kim Giryeo would probably just tell him it was fine. So from now on, he would carefully consider how he could act in ways that would benefit him. Every single day, he would think about what Kim Giryeo truly needed. Jung Haseong envisioned his plans for the future and nodded with a resolute expression.

"I will never forget what you did for me today, not even until the day I die. If there ever comes a time when you need my help, please don't hesitate to contact me immediately."

"You really don't have to go that far."

"I mean it, so please do! If you ever ask me to do something, I'll do everything I can to make it happen!"

For reference, this hospital was also famous for allowing sunlight to pour in from practically anywhere. And at that moment, gentle sunlight streamed quietly through the window beside Kim Giryeo. On any ordinary day, it would have been nothing more than a meaningless natural phenomenon. But to Jung Haseong, it looked almost like a halo radiating from the man himself. He continued to shower the benefactor who had saved his mother with boundless respect and gratitude.

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[Changes 3.5]

• Acquired an S-rank subordinate

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Looking at the situation as a whole, there was really nothing to complain about. After all, he had handed over a single item and, in return, had managed to make the nation's number-one ranked hunter voluntarily offer his labor.

"Since he wants to repay the favor that badly, wouldn't it actually be rude to refuse too much?"

The alien standing there could not even bring himself to think of the word "inhuman." And in that state, he managed to resolve several problems.

"Well, with only Seomeo Yeon, things still feel somewhat uncertain. She's low-ranked, and she's also in a position where she can't really make full use of her special status as a public official."

The first thing that came to mind was an acquaintance.

"Besides, this time, because I thoughtlessly asked her to have the information corrected as quickly as possible, Seonwoo Yeon nearly got punished. From now on, I'll have to go through Jung Haseong, even if I have to force myself."

Somehow, the longer he operated on Earth, the more awakened individuals he found himself able to make use of... But for now, he would simply chalk that up to his imagination.

"Anyway."

Kim Giryeo finished organizing his thoughts and spoke casually.

"Don't be so desperately grateful just because you received an elixir. For now, just keep acting the way you normally do."

"The way I normally do?"

"I'm asking you to keep protecting the country while taking the lead in Korea. Even if I return, it's not like I'll be working all that much."

"Ah."

"If the number-one ranked person keeps taking the lead and doing his job properly, then I can finally relax and go eat galbitang on my days off without worrying."

"Do you want some galbitang?"

"Huh?"

"Should I order it by phone right now? No! I'll just run out and buy it myself!"

But something seemed a little off here.

"..."

Soshk.

The blond archmage turned his head and glanced toward the nearby hospital room. When he looked that way, the patient inside responded with a bright smile, but the alien maintained a subtly expressionless face as he rolled his sambagean eye.

"Yeah. Well... anyway, that worked out."

Even though this life would end in the blink of an eye, Jung Haseong would now be able to remain happy for a long time because of this.

"Of course, fighting those cosmic monsters that descended from the void is important, but that doesn't make my current life any less meaningful."

Just because he failed to answer for a moment, South Korea's top hunter nearly stormed off toward the restaurant. However, since many procedures still remained before the patient's final discharge, the golden-haired alien calmly restrained the elderly awakened woman's guardian.