Chapter 112.

An underwater cave near England’s Bristol Channel .

Chameleon Troupe founded a new base here . A guild expedition was planned near Suwon’s abandoned factory and since they’ve wanted to move to a new base for a while, they used this opportunity to finally do it .

“Oooh…”

Today, the Chameleon Troupe gathered to assess their revenue for the third quarter and to discuss the battle prowess of their ‘seat candidate’ .

Or at least, that was their initial plan .

But because several members were busy with missions or personal affairs, only five had gathered for today’s meeting .

Standing in front of these five, Boss displayed a video of Kim Hajin performing his mission .

“He killed 20 people in just 21 seconds . Is that even a gun?”

A handsome man with a gentle complexion spoke with awe . He was Chameleon Troupe’s seat of Green, Jin Yohan .

“How can a gun be that strong? What a mysterious Gift . ”

“So? What do you think?”

Jain urged him to give his assessment .

“Hmm, I’m not sure, but he should be around the level of a high-intermediate rank Hero . ”

“What? That high?”

“Huh? How is that high?”

Jin Yohan’s tone caused Jain to frown .

This was the problem she had with strong people . They underestimated the standard of lower ranks too much .

“10 high-intermediate rank Heroes are enough to beat you up . ”

“Nah~ that’s an exaggeration . Maybe a hundred can . ”

Jin Yohan shook his head as he generously praised himself .

“Then what do you think, Jain?”

“I think he’s… intermediate rank . Like Kim Suho, he should be about intermediate rank grade 7 to 9 . I’m not sure about how he’ll fare versus one strong opponent, but he seems helpful for fighting many weaker opponents . ”

Jain quickly pointed out Kim Hajin’s strength and weakness, but if Kim Hajin himself heard it, he would collapse from being overpraised .

“Eeeh, only intermediate rank?”

“I’m being generous too . If he has that much potential now when he’s only 17… think about how he’ll be in 5 years . He’ll be an incredibly sharp weapon . ”

Jain had already come to her own conclusion .

That Kim Hajin had a weapon-type Gift that enhanced and transformed weapons using his magic power, and that he had an Anti-Magic Physique that transformed his internal magic power to have an anti-magic property .

“We need Gyeong for assessments like this . Is he still in the Demon Realm?”

“Yeah, that fool doesn’t seem to want to come out . ”

Demon Realm .

It was another name for a place called Pandemonium .

Although humans avoided talking about it, Pandemonium was more lavish and hedonistic than Las Vegas, and was a place that anyone could enter, so long as they had the strength to break through the crowd of monsters surrounding it .

Cheok Jungyeong was currently taking pleasure in fighting in this place .

“What does Boss think?”

Jain turned the question to the leader . However, she didn’t get a reply . Jain turned her head and saw Boss busily clicking on a gaming console .

“…Boss, you’re playing a game?”

“Hm? Ah… it’s nothing . ”

When Jain asked, Boss retorted nonchalantly with her eyes still fixed on the console .

She looked rather cute .

“Did you suddenly fall in love with electronics after exchanging a few texts with Kim Hajin?”

“… . ”

Pibibip— A Game Over sound effect rang out .

Boss then turned off her gaming console and turned toward Jain with her black eyes .

“Jain, don’t get cocky . ”

Hearing this, Jain slowly averted her gaze .

But remembering how friendly she was when she was texting Kim Hajin, she felt wronged .

Feeling somewhat jealous, she changed the subject to Droon .

“Droon, you cleaned up properly, right?”

“Yep . The victims were rescued, and I ate the rest! Both humans and bullets . ”

Droon said so with a bright smile .

Jain let out a sigh .

“…Say ‘fed’ . It’s creepy saying you ‘ate’ it . Also, did you find out what that wolf was?”

“Yeah, it’s Kim Hajin’s pet!”

“No, that’s not what I…”

There was one thing Jain was unsure about . That was the mysterious wolf that suddenly shot out of Kim Hajin’s chest .

“Don’t worry about that . ”

Boss stepped in .

“I will ask him myself . Kim Hajin seems to trust me very much . ”

“…Really?”

“He’ll believe me even if I say you use red beans to make wine . ”

“Well, if you say so… . ”

For now, Jain just nodded .

**

Two days later .

As promised, we met in front of the Korean restaurant Chae Nayun invited us to .

Han Jung Gak, a 3-star Michelin restaurant .

Although only five were supposed to come, I ended up joining as well .

“Welcome . Come in, come in . ”

As a regular who enjoyed eating at Han Jung Gak since she was a kid, Chae Nayun led the group in .

Modeled after a traditional Korean house, Han Jung Gak’s interior was clean and homely .

We followed Chae Nayun to our reserved seats .

It was a long table for six, and I sat down on the innermost seat .

Next to me was Kim Suho, then Yi Yeonghan . In front of was Chae Nayun .

“The food here is amazing . You can look forward to it . ”

Chae Nayun said as she looked into my eyes . Taken aback by her straightforward gaze, I looked down while pretending to nod .

Chae Nayun initiated the conversation in a cheerful voice .

“Being here together reminds me of the past . ”

“The past?”

“1972 . We were there for about 7 weeks . My skills improved so much while I was there . I haven’t lost once since I came back . ”

“…Didn’t you lose to Rachel?”

“That was a tie!”

The others chattered happily . They talked about what happened in the world of the past like an enjoyable memory and spoke up about the worries they had about the upcoming exams .

Waiting for the food to arrive, I listened in silently . Then suddenly, I noticed that someone was acting strange .

It was Shin Jonghak .

“Oi, Kim Suho, is your exam preparation going well?”

“It’s so-so . What about you?”

“Have you seen me study for an exam? I’m different than you . ”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Right, I’m different than you from birth . Someone like you who succeeded through hard work probably can’t understand . ”

Although Shin Jonghak was showing rivalry towards Kim Suho, he wasn’t acting particularly hostile .

He should have been more intimidating if he was the same as in the original story, but Shin Jonghak’s current actions were mellow to the point it was funny .

Of course, this was a good thing, but still… I was curious .

Why did Shin Jonghak change so much?

“Your food is here . ”

A waiter came into our private room, cutting off my thought .

All sorts of dishes like braised short ribs, soy sauce marinated crab, kimchi, and stone pot rice, were placed on the table . They were your typical Korean food .

Of the over dozen side dishes, only the grilled short rib patty was limited one per person . As it was also my favorite food, I picked up and took a bite .

“Wow, this is amazing . ”

The patty practically melted when it entered my mouth, leaving an incredible taste that left me exclaiming subconsciously .

“Yeah, it’s really good . ”

Kim Suho also commented from next to me .

He seemed to be the type who savored his food as only a small corner of his patty was bitten off .

However, I wasn’t that type .

I put the entire patty in my mouth .

“It’s good, right? Right? See, I told you it was going to be good . ”

Seeing me chew the patty, Chae Nayun cheered ecstatically .

“It’s good, right~?”

“It is, so quiet down . ”

“Huhu . ”

I swallowed the patty and went back to observing Shin Jonghak .

He was staring at Kim Suho with hawk-like eyes . He seemed to be on the lookout for any breach of table manners so he could nitpick and attack, but soon, he gave up and focused on his own food .

I also looked down at my plate .

“…What?”

For some reason, there was another grilled short rib patty on my plate .

What happened? Did I spit it back out?

After looking at the patty in bewilderment, I raised my head . At that moment, my eyes met Chae Nayun’s . She was smiling at me contently .

So this was her doing .

When I pointed at the patty with my chopsticks, Chae Nayun moved her mouth without making a sound .

‘You can have it . ’

“… . ”

Her kindness was a bit burdening .

However, the patty’s savory smell tickled my nose .

Gulp .

I swallowed hard .

In the end, I surrendered to the patty and took a bite . While I was chewing on it, a sudden current of electricity sparked in my head .

I looked at Chae Nayun, who was eating bibimbap, then turned to Shin Jonghak .

Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun .

In this three-way relationship, the biggest source of Shin Jonghak’s character development was…

Chae Nayun .

I stared intently at Chae Nayun .

Did giving her the time capsule affect her too much?

No, that was impossible . Chae Nayun liked handsome men .

At that moment, Chae Nayun laughed .

“Why are you staring? Do you want me to order more?”

“Huh? Oh, um, no . ”

“Excuse me, Aunty~!”

Before I could stop her, Chae Nayun called a waiter .

“Can we get two more grilled short rib patties?”

With sadness and inexplicable anxiousness, I watched Chae Nayun ordering cheerfully .

**

The next course after lunch was karaoke . The group went to a karaoke bar near Han Jung Gak and took turns singing .

Chae Nayun was surprisingly good at singing, and Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan were decent as well . Shin Jonghak, whose singing Yoo Yeonha looked forward to hearing, was also better than average .

However, Kim Hajin was… on a whole different level .

He was in a league of his own, so much so that he would have been successful as a professional .

“Wow~ my ears are melting . ”

“Why don’t you just go pro?”

While Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan were making a fuss, Yoo Yeonha glanced at Chae Nayun .

Kim Hajin’s singing had just ended, but Chae Nayun still had her eyes closed, seemingly savoring the lingering imagery .

It was then .

Yoo Yeonha received a message on her smartwatch .

[Come outside . I have something to talk to you about . ]

The sender was Kim Hajin .

Yoo Yeonha glanced at Kim Hajin, then left the karaoke room .

After waiting for about three minutes…

“Hey, buddy . ”

Someone called her in a friendly tone .

Yoo Yeonha couldn’t help but laugh .

“It means friend . Don’t you know?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t? …Well, anyways, you know how I am, right?”

Kim Hajin laughed and nodded .

Cutting straight to the chase .

Yoo Yeonha wasn’t the type who liked small talk .

“Of course, I do . I need you to make me some bullets . ”

“Eh? Bullets?”

It was a request Yoo Yeonha didn’t expect .

“Yeah, but I’m not looking for manufactured ones . I’m asking for custom-made bullets . It’s possible, right?”

“…Yes, and Essence of the Strait’s workshop has state-of-the-art technology for it . ”

Even the biggest bullet was smaller than most thumbs .

Compressing and injecting mana into such a small object was a state-of-the-art technology that was only developed in the 2000s .

“I know that . But also…”

Kim Hajin took out a small leaf from his pocket . Yoo Yeonha couldn’t tell whether it was a fallen leaf he picked it up from the ground or a fresh leaf he plucked off a branch, but it was still an item that didn’t fit the situation .

“…What’s this? A leaf?”

“Grind it up and put it inside the bullets . ”

“Come again?”

After taking the leaf from Kim Hajin, Yoo Yeonha scrutinized it carefully . But no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t find anything special about it . Yoo Yeonha furrowed her brows and stared at Kim Hajin .

“You won’t tell me what it is even if I ask?”

Kim Hajin nodded silently .

“…I just have to grind it and put it in the bullets?”

“Yep . ”

“Okay . ”

“Thanks . Ah, tell the other guys that I’m going home first . ”

Yoo Yeonha tilted her head .

“We’re leaving soon too, so why don’t you stay?”

“I don’t feel comfortable . Shin Jonghak is eyeing me too much . ”

With that, Kim Hajin nudged Yoo Yeonha’s shoulder . Startled, Yoo Yeonha took a few steps backwards .

“D-Don’t do that… . It hurts . ”

“Ah, sorry . Anyways, I’m leaving . ”

“…Yes, see you . ”

Yoo Yeonha watched Kim Hajin walk away as she rubbed her shoulder . Then, an emergency message arrived on her smartwatch .

[Master, we may have found an incident related to Kim Hajin . ]

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened when she saw the message .

[Report . ]

[Something called Kwang-Oh Incident occurred on the year Kim Hajin was born . There is a huge cover-up of any information on it . One of our men was attacked while looking into it . ]

“Attacked?!”

Yoo Yeonha quickly began to type her reply . The amount of effort and money she spent on finding her investigators lingered in her mind .

[Is he okay?]

[Yes, he is recovering without any problems . ]

[Submit what you’ve gathered so far to me and halt the investigation for now . The safety of investigators always comes first . ]

[Understood, Master . ]

After ending the conversation, Yoo Yeonha stared at the words ‘Kwang-Oh Incident’ .

“Kwang-Oh Incident… Kwang-Oh Incident… why does it sound so familiar?”

Then, she remembered seeing the phrase in a casebook inside her family home’s library .

No, rather than a casebook, it was more like her father’s diary .

Although she was only seven when she saw it, she remembered it clearly .

She couldn’t read it in detail because most of it was written in Hanja, but her father had scolded her harshly for reading it without his permission .

“…I’ll have to take a look later . ”

‘Since Father is going on a trip this Friday, I can sneak a peek then . ‘

“Huhu . ”

Yoo Yeonha felt proud .

Now, she felt like she could properly return the favor to her ‘ally’ .

When she turned around joyfully, she saw Chae Nayun glaring at her .

“Hiik!”

Yoo Yeonha jumped in surprise .

“H-Hey, Nayun, what’s up?”

“I was wondering where… you went . ”

With her chin, Chae Nayun gestured her to come back into the karaoke room .

“Uh, yeah… Oh, Nayun, that person said he’s leaving first . ”

“What? Why? What did he talk about with you?”

Chae Nayun furrowed her brows and asked .

Finding this side of her quite cute, Yoo Yeonha poked her side with her finger .

“Ak! What is it?”

“Geez, you don’t have to look at me like that . ”

“Like wh— ah, hey, aaang, s-stop!”

Yoo Yeonha kept poking her .

Starting from her side to a more sensitive area .

“Ahng, st-stop poking me . ”

“What was that?”

“R-Really, aang . Hey!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Chae Nayun covered her breasts with her hands .

“Why are you poking me there? Are you mad!?”

“It’s because I’m jealous . ”

Even as she explained, Yoo Yeonha kept her eye out for an opening .

She couldn’t help but wonder how someone could have such a perfect figure with such a perfect squishiness and softness . On top of all this, her skin was milky white as well .

Poke, poke .

“Ah, aah . S-Stop, d-don’t . I-I’m ticklish, ah, stop—!”

Chae Nayun ran away from Yoo Yeonha’s sensitive fingering with a flushed face .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .