Chapter 40: Ground Zero (5)
Why have you been watching me for so long?
Just curious.
You know that following someone around in Ground Zero without a reason can lead to misunderstandings and fights.
Its okay. Im good at escaping.
So, did your curiosity get satisfied?
No, it deepened. Why are you here, anyway? This place has few monsters, and the paths are complicated.
Jung Yu-ri was a woman of great curiosity, as characterized in the original work.
Unlike Yun Sang-mi, who often approached Kang-hoo with a clingy demeanor, Jung Yu-ris curiosity about Kang-hoo was genuine.
Her gaze felt different.
Youve seen it, right? I came here for the Mad Solarkium.
I see
Jung Yu-ri gazed intently at Kang-hoo, as if trying to memorize every detail of his face.
It felt as though she was seeing someone up close after a long time.
She looked at him with a sense of wonder.
Anyway, Id prefer if you didnt follow me around anymore. Even if you mean no harm, I dont particularly enjoy being watched.
Sorry. Its been a while since Ive seen a hunter enter Ground Zero with such pure intentions.
Her reasons for being here were not entirely pure.
She had taken a job to track and eliminate Jo Gu-bin.
Only by fighting would she know how the fight with him would unfold; it could turn into a messy brawl.
Hows the world these days? Is the Jeonghwa Guild still dominating everything? Or has The Abyss landed a blow on them?
Jung Yu-ri changed the subject.
Her immediate mention of the Jeonghwa Guild indicated her dislike for them, as he remembered.
The anticipation she had for the warlord group, The Abyss, seemed to align with his views.
Kang-hoo decided to close the distance between them slightly.
To him, Jung Yu-ri was a figure of strategic importance.
Living in Ground Zero, she had grown rapidly beyond imagination.
Getting closer to her could prove beneficial for future endeavors. It would be a helpful relationship.
So.
While Kang-hoo wasnt usually the type to initiate conversations, today he was actively engaging with her.
The entire Seoul is under the control of the Jeonghwa Guild. There are also quite a few satellite guilds outside of Seoul.
Thats serious.
Do you have personal grievances against the Jeonghwa Guild?
A lot. Very much so. There are people I must avenge. But I dont want to leave here right now.
I see.
But are you hurt? Why do you look so pale? Does eating Mad Solarkium help?
Having been frequently asked about his pale complexion, he was no longer surprised.
He wondered if he should try tanning, but he doubted his naturally pale skin would change dramatically.
Its just the way I look.
You have an interesting skill set for an assassin. Did you collect good skill books?
Ive gathered them diligently.
Kang-hoo nodded.
Most of his skills were acquired through skill theft rather than skill books, but there was no need to explain that in detail.
Afterward,
Kang-hoo had quite a long conversation with Jung Yu-ri.
He wanted to rest after collecting all the planned Mad Solarkium.
And he wanted to build a certain level of rapport with her.
It was preparation for the future.
Of course, he didnt come across as desperately wanting her or being clingy.
He just listened to her stories and kindly responded to her questions, turning them back to her.
But even that seemed to have given Jung Yu-ri some comfort.
Her loneliness must have been great.
Its time to move on.
I didnt expect to have such a long conversation in Ground Zero.
Fate is like that. Sometimes it connects unexpectedly, and sometimes it breaks.
Will you come back here again?
Why?
Just. You seem pure. How should I put it? Throughout our conversation, it felt like you were focused only on me.
Are other hunters different?
Some just look at my body or subtly try to create a secretive atmosphere
Its not unusual.
The quality of hunters coming to Ground Zero couldnt be great.
It was fortunate if they didnt end up fighting.
Thats why he seemed to score higher in a relative comparison.
And you look sad. Something about your face draws me in.
Do I look like Im about to cry?
No, its like some people whose eyes are soaked in sadness. Drowning in melancholy.
He guessed the character setting couldnt be overcome.
Shin Kang-hoo, the character, was always depicted with deep-seated negative emotions.
So, even if he tried to hide it, it seemed to show in his eyes, actions, or even in the way he spoke.
Yeah. Ill come back. I dont know when, though.
Kang-hoo didnt give a definite date, but he made sure to promise to return.
Jung Yu-ri was worth the visit. She would be a lot of help in various ways in the future.
Please, come back.
Yeah. I just hope I wont be stuttering for a lack of things to say.
Ill keep that in mind.
And dont die.
Kang-hoo left a word of concern for Jung Yu-ri, seemingly indifferent, and quickly left the place.
Now alone, Jung Yu-ri touched the tree, still warm from Kang-hoos presence, lost in thought.
Her eyes were filled with many crossing thoughts.
Before dawn.
Having found a suitable cave to catch some sleep, Kang-hoo slept for about 2 hours and started moving with a refreshed body.
The sleep time was ridiculously short compared to the norm, but his condition had improved more than expected.
The abundant mana and natural energy unique to Ground Zero seemed to give him strength unknowingly.
Kang-hoo had already identified the possible location of Jo Gu-bin.
For hunters without prior knowledge of Ground Zero, securing food was the first problem.
Difficulties in gathering or cooking meant they had to hunt monsters that were edible.
However, the places where such monsters were distributed were limited. Thats why they were identifiable.
For instance, the sunflower that sprayed acidic liquid at Kang-hoo was an absolute no-go for consumption.
The moment someone ate it,
paralysis would start from the esophagus, leading to instant death. There was no chance for detoxification.
Eventually, Jo Gu-bin had to head to the limited places where edible monsters were, which were near here.
The last confirmed location of Jo Gu-bin was in the Imjin River area.
Kang-hoo was confident that Jo Gu-bin would definitely be in the place he anticipated.
In this unpredictable wilderness, it was unlikely he would have the courage to wander around causing trouble.
Kang-hoo, who knew Ground Zero well, found it uncomfortable; Jo Gu-bin, who couldnt afford to be careless, even more so.
While moving, Kang-hoo deliberately traveled through rough terrains and slopes.
The Solarkiums that grew along the safe routes commonly used by hunters had naturally long vanished.
However, there was a higher chance of finding wild Solarkiums in places untouched by hunters.
Thanks to that, he had been able to gather a few more Solarkiums, totaling ten spare ones. That was sufficient.
Kang-hoo revisited the information about Jo Gu-bin, which he had received from Lee Ye-rin.
It was a compilation written by a father who had lost his daughter to Jo Gu-bin.
The handwritten notes in it were filled with resentment, anger, and sorrow in every letter.
Occasional tear stains reflected the despair of a father who had lost his daughter to a murderer.
The feeling of not being able to die until he had witnessed the revenge of his daughter.
His estimated level was 150.
He was of the magic type, and his main ability was freezing.
Not an easy opponent to deal with.
Freezing as an ability could be incredibly threatening, depending on how it was utilized.
Then,
a text message from Lee Ye-rin arrived.
[A designated request has come in for Mr. Seon-gyu. The client is the same person who assigned the Gong Tae-su case.]
[The client has a lot of trust in Mr. Seon-gyu. Would you like to accept it?]
Designated request.
A request that doesnt come in often.
It means the client must trust the performers skills. If they werent certain, they wouldnt make the request.
But conversely, it also meant a significant reward was promised.
Given its a higher-tier request than before, it could be expected to be at least 2.5 billion won.
[First, I need to know the brief details and the amount of the request. Im busy now, so Ill look at it later.]
He sent the reply.
There was no need to rush. If Lee Ye-rin was anxious, it was her concern, not Kang-hoos.
It seemed there wouldnt be a need to worry about requests in the future.
Once he starts accumulating designated request clients, he could choose only the types of requests he wanted.
[From this point, 300 meters north is no longer under the jurisdiction of South Korea.]
[The Ground Zero in North Korean territory is essentially unmanaged, so be aware of all incidents and accidents.]
He saw a warning sign.
North Korean land is valuable in the long term.
Dungeons in North Korea are not systematically or regularly conquered, and there are many unknown dungeons yet to be discovered by hunters.
The dungeons known to be in North Korean territory are less than half of the actual number.
However, one cannot freely travel to North Korean land outside of Ground Zero without the approval of the Hunter Public Safety Bureau.
There was too much foreshadowing spread about North Korean land in the original work. Now that I think about it, I hardly collected it.
Kang-hoo, as the original author, smirked at the life he had lived.
He had scattered foreshadowing so aggressively that less than half was collected by the end.
That led to a lot of criticism for poor collection of foreshadowing, especially in conjunction with a traitors ending.
If it were a novel, just collecting the foreshadowing would be a super-long story. If my life after transmigration becomes a novel, it would be really hard to conclude.
Kang-hoo chuckled at the ludicrous thought.
He felt he could easily pen several volumes filled with dungeon tales from North Korea.
Suddenly,
He sensed a faint ripple of mana nearby.
His ultra-sensitive mana detection, coupled with his tracking skills, picked up on the signal.
He couldnt discern the identity of the presence, but from this point forward, he had to be wary of Jo Gu-bin.
Thus, Kang-hoo quickly aimed for a tree in front to sidestep into cover.
At that moment, speed and stealth mattered less than finding a solid hiding spot.
How far had he traveled?
He was close enough now to make out the intruders face and attire.
Keke. I should have come to Ground Zero earlier. Strike from the shadows, and nobody knows the assailant. Klkl!
A malevolent voice cackled, reverberating ominously under the overcast sky.
Got him.
It was indeed Jo Gu-bin.
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