“So, this is... Babylon’s base, right?”
“Yes...! That’s correct, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo.”
On the outskirts of Yongin, in an abandoned industrial complex.
Kang Hyunsoo sipped on his iced Americano as he casually surveyed the area.
Overgrown weeds, rusted iron gates, and shattered windows created an eerie atmosphere, yet he appeared entirely unfazed.
The one who seemed tense was Choi Jiwoo, standing beside him.
In response to Kang Hyunsoo’s question, she bashfully looked at the ground before quickly lifting her head to answer.
From above, where he was concealed, Swallow adjusted his sunglasses and commented.
- She's blushing so much. Back then, she didn’t seem to fancy you that much, but now that Master has gotten ridiculously handsome, her feelings have grown significantly.
Hmm? I know I’ve gotten better looking, but is it really to that extent? Maybe she’s just nervous because this is Babylon’s base.
- Master’s current appearance is that impactful. Besides, while this may be Babylon’s base, I heard almost all of them were caught in Paju. It’s far too quiet for any remnants to be hiding here.
Although Choi Jiwoo kept her gaze down, her usually stoic and professional demeanor didn’t seem noticeably different to Kang Hyunsoo.
However, something did feel off.
For one, she couldn’t seem to meet his eyes directly. And if she were nervous about Babylon, she would have already drawn her weapon for caution.
If she were truly concerned about remnants of Babylon, she would’ve unsheathed her rapier and been on alert. Instead, she walked quietly, hands clasped in front of her.
Kang Hyunsoo and Swallow’s suspicions were, in fact, correct.
Internally:
‘This is so strange. Why am I acting like this? I can’t even look him in the eye!’
Choi Jiwoo was trembling at the sight of Kang Hyunsoo.
It had been so long since she felt this way that her nerves were overwhelming her.
She was more jittery now than when facing the boss monster of an S-rank dungeon.
And as for Babylon’s base...
“This way, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo.”
“Hm? You know the way?”
“Oh, did I not mention it? Actually, this is my second time searching this area.”
“Your second time?”
They had already conducted an initial search.
Choi Jiwoo’s voice wavered slightly as she continued.
“The first time was right after the Babylon remnants were interrogated. The Hunter Bureau Chief personally led the operation, and I joined later as backup.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Today’s search is just a follow-up to make sure nothing was overlooked, so you don’t need to be too tense.”
When Choi Jiwoo proposed this follow-up search, Go Kyungseok had said it wasn’t necessary.
But Choi Jiwoo insisted.
Her real motivation was meeting Kang Hyunsoo. She fabricated a reason and minimized the team size to ensure it was just the two of them.
The remnants of Babylon had already been dealt with during the first search led by Go Kyungseok, so there was no need to worry about them.
For Choi Jiwoo, this was a date disguised as a mission.
And that’s exactly how this search felt.
Clang!
Even as they walked past deserted streets and into a pitch-black abandoned factory, Choi Jiwoo’s demeanor showed no signs of tension or vigilance.
“This is it. Babylon’s members said this was their base.”
“It’s similar to the research lab beneath Jaewon University.”
“Yes, the experimental subjects have already been transferred to the Hunter Bureau. You can just walk with me and check if we missed anything.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Together, they strolled through the abandoned factory lined with glass tubes.
Empty tubes and scattered potion bottles littered the area.
There was no need to discuss what had happened here.
Both were fully aware that Babylon had been using siphoning magic to extract energy from humans and monsters alike.
Looking around, Choi Jiwoo broke the silence.
“It’s... hard to believe people could commit such atrocities. During interrogations, the Babylon agents kept saying the same thing: ‘As long as it makes us stronger, we’ll do anything.’”
“As long as it makes you stronger, you’ll do anything...”
Kang Hyunsoo repeated Babylon’s words quietly.
They brought to mind two people he had mostly forgotten.
Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun.
Once, he had considered them inseparable from his life, companions who had betrayed him in his previous life.
Although he had obliterated Babylon while chasing the potential they had sought, he still didn’t fully understand the reason behind their betrayal.
But now, he felt he was beginning to grasp it.
‘They must have thought I was no longer useful.’
Right before his regression, Kang Hyunsoo had begun to distance himself from the two.
As the Sword Emperor, he could no longer afford to continuously yield hidden pieces and rewards to them.
Their demands had grown increasingly excessive, and Kang Hyunsoo had begun to find excuses to avoid party play.
Eventually, they ambushed him and betrayed him.
Seeing him pull away, they must have decided he was no longer worth using and stabbed him in the back.
That sequence of events had been confirmed after his regression in the Misty Dungeon.
Back then and even now, he couldn’t fully comprehend their actions. But the Babylon remnants’ words had completed the picture.
If being stronger justified everything, then any obstacle to that strength would be removed without hesitation.
It wasn’t that joining Babylon had corrupted Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun; rather, it seemed their inherent natures were like that from the beginning.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
As Kang Hyunsoo recalled those events, he responded to Choi Jiwoo’s comment.
“It’s an empty declaration. Humans may have free will and can do as they please, but they also bear the consequences of their actions. If someone treats others as tools, they should remember that they, too, can be reduced to a tool at any moment.”
Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun had treated him as a tool, and after his regression, Kang Hyunsoo had done the same to them.
When they became useless, he discarded them in kind.
There is nothing more wretched than holding onto convictions in the face of utter defeat.
If you cannot bear to consider others’ perspectives, you must possess power far surpassing any individual or organization that enforces such norms.
But Seo Jieun, Choi Taehun, and Babylon had failed. Their cry that “strength justifies all” had been reduced to the lament of the weak.
Choi Jiwoo, catching the meaning behind his words, gazed at him with shining eyes and spoke softly.
“...I’ve thought this before, but Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, you’re truly a kind person.”
“Me...?”
“Yes. From assisting the Samcheon Guild hunters, uncovering the Jaewon University incident, and eliminating Babylon in Paju... Any ordinary hunter would’ve run away, but Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, you stood your ground and fought to the end. I think you’re truly kind-hearted and strong.”
“That’s not the case. I simply... acted in a way that best served my interests.”
“No, I mean it. Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, you’re kind and strong. I have a good sense for people.”
Kang Hyunsoo tried his best to deny her statement, but Choi Jiwoo shook her head firmly, sticking to her perspective.
Then, suddenly—
She smiled.
Looking up at him, she gave him a radiant smile.
At that moment—
“Was Choi Jiwoo always someone who could smile like that...?”
For a fleeting moment, Kang Hyunsoo felt as if the dim, abandoned factory had been illuminated.
Despite the near absence of light, the brightness of Choi Jiwoo’s smile seemed to dispel the shadows around them.
The conversation was pleasant and uplifting.
As they chatted while walking, they eventually found themselves back at °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the factory entrance.
At the threshold, Choi Jiwoo bowed her head slightly, expressing her gratitude.
“Thank you for accompanying me. Thanks to you, we completed the mission safely without any danger.”
“It’s already over?”
“Yes, since we’ve already been here once, I only checked the necessary areas. I figured you must be busy, so I didn’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“That feels a bit anticlimactic. Well... there’s still plenty of time left. How about we grab a meal? My treat.”
“A meal...?”
“Yes. You helped me with the summoning orb incident. It’s not much, but I think it’s only right to treat you to a meal as thanks.”
“Oh, no, no! If anything, I should be treating you. You saved me from Ji Wonhoon, after all. And the Hunter Bureau owes you a lot too.”
“Then let’s take turns. I’ll go first today.”
“Ah, I feel so guilty now...”
Kang Hyunsoo swiftly concluded the conversation and pushed the factory door aside.
Such discussions often dragged on endlessly if not resolved quickly.
However, just as he and Choi Jiwoo were about to leave Babylon’s base, bickering lightly—
- Um...? Master, sorry to interrupt, but there’s something on the floor.
Swallow, who had been following silently in stealth mode, spoke with a puzzled tone.
“Something on the floor?”
- Yes, your footsteps sound different here compared to other areas. It’s faint, but it feels hollow underneath.
Hearing Swallow’s observation, Kang Hyunsoo stopped just before exiting.
Choi Jiwoo, noticing his hesitation, tilted her head in confusion.
“Is something wrong, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo?”
“Hold on a moment.”
Answering her, Kang Hyunsoo knelt down on one knee.
And then—
[Activate]
[Projection (C)]
Boom!
Using the minimal force of a projection blast, he cleared the dust covering the ground.
“This is...!”
“Looks like the saying ‘hiding something in plain sight’ fits perfectly here. To think they’d hide this right at the entrance...”
A hidden passage with a handle was revealed beneath the concrete floor.
Kang Hyunsoo grasped the handle and pulled it upward, uncovering a staircase leading underground.
This was something even the Hunter Bureau had failed to uncover.
But before they could descend, Choi Jiwoo stopped Kang Hyunsoo.
“Wait a moment, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. We should report this to headquarters and request backup.”
“Request backup?”
“Yes, we don’t know what’s down there. If we go in alone, it could be dangerous.”
Her caution was justified. In such situations, rash actions were unwise.
However—
- Master, there could be something related to your Beauty talent down there.
Standing still wasn’t an option either.
Considering that Ji Wonhoon had a fragment tied to Beauty, Swallow’s suggestion wasn’t entirely out of the question.
And as if to confirm their suspicions—
[You have discovered a clue to a hidden altar.]
[Emergency Quest granted.]
[Emergency Quest]
[Follow the clue to discover the hidden altar (0/1).]
A quest appeared, one unlike anything Kang Hyunsoo had encountered before.