Chapter 98: Chapter 98

That day, Uijae had never once regretted taking the hand of that boy in the Mangwon Rift. However...

With his hands in the pockets of his apron, Uijae muttered nonchalantly.

“He was getting a lot better with the ongoing treatment. But he wasn’t fully healed. He needed regular antidote treatments, and... I didn’t return from the West Sea Rift. So, they couldn’t continue to supply the antidote.”

It was the fact that he couldn’t take responsibility until the end that bothered him. The thought of the boy, who must have quietly passed away in J's absence, had always lingered in a corner of his mind.

Did J, who had left the boy behind to enter the West Sea Rift, save everyone? No. He had saved no one. And on top of that, he was now living in a world that had been thrown into a peace he could no longer partake in. The hero, once celebrated, was now marked by failure.

Maybe that was why the people he saved from the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon felt all the more precious to him. They were the ones he managed to rescue after so many failures.

As Uijae talked about this fragmented, weary story he had long buried, he didn’t really understand why he was sharing it. It wasn’t as if he’d ever spoken about this to anyone before. He continued clumsily, as if compelled by the situation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He rubbed the sole of his shoe against the floor and added,

“I went into a Rift and came out eight years later. That’s how it was.”

“......”

Mingeojeong listened quietly, without any sign of sympathy or offering any unnecessary words of comfort. That actually made Uijae feel at ease. As Mingeojeong tapped his pen on the tablet, he spoke.

“I hope you won’t be offended by my question. Have you tried hiring a private investigator? These days, there are many errand services run by Hunters.”

“I did, but as soon as I mentioned the conditions, they kicked me out. Which, to be fair, is understandable.”

“And what about requesting access to medical records? Even though it’s from eight years ago, the hospital might still have them on file.”

“I tried that too. They said unless I’m the patient, a family member, or a legal guardian, I can’t access the records.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, if I were J, they might have let me, but Cha Uijae isn’t J.”

Uijae’s gaze shifted briefly to the calendar.

“And to begin with... I didn’t even admit him to the hospital through official procedures.”

“...What?”

Mingeojeong looked puzzled. Uijae hesitated for a moment, as if confessing a long-held secret.

“I… I snuck him in using J’s name. I had a bit of an arrangement with the hospital.”

“Excuse me?”

Mingeojeong’s voice rose by a pitch. Uijae shrugged.

“At that time, they rarely accepted people who were sure to die. There were so many people injured by monsters... and both medical personnel and hospital beds were in short supply. Most people believed that instead of holding on to someone who was on the brink of death, they could save more than ten others. Especially at Hunter hospitals.”

Three years after the Rift Day, South Korea, thanks to the efforts of J and Jung Bin, had regained stability more quickly than other countries. But the chaos hadn’t fully subsided.

There were no Rift detectors, no healers. Treating injuries from monsters relied entirely on the few rare potions available. In such a situation, there was no place that would give a bed to a civilian dying from poison. It was too obvious that they would die soon.

As Uijae reflected on his memories, he added,

“And I also worked it out with the hospital to keep that boy’s existence hidden. It... could’ve caused some problems.”

“Ah, that I understand. It could have been a weakness. Especially for someone like J.”

Mingeojeong nodded, then glanced cautiously at Uijae.

“Forgive me if my words were too blunt.”

“No, you’re just stating the facts.”

A short silence followed. What meaning was there in trying to find someone who was probably already dead? Even so, Uijae felt he needed to search for some trace. That was the duty of a survivor.

With a low, drawn-out sigh, Mingeojeong finally nodded and tucked the tablet away.

“To be honest, there aren’t many leads, so I can’t guarantee we’ll find anything. But I’ve got a sense of where to start.”

He pushed up his sunglasses and spoke earnestly.

“I’ll start by combing through the hospital records. Leave it to me, sir. Which hospital was it?”

He extended his hand as if asking for a handshake. Rarely did a statement about committing an illegal act sound so reliable. In fact, this was the first time Mingeojeong had ever seemed this trustworthy. Uijae took his hand out of his pocket and shook it slowly.

“It’s now the National Hunter Hospital. It used to be a private hospital.”

“...Pardon? The National Hunter Hospital?”

“Yes. National.”

Mingeojeong’s face turned pale as if he’d just seen a ghost. His fingers twitched as if he was trying to pull his hand away. But…

[Special Trait: Strength Enhancement (S+) has been activated.]

Cha Uijae didn’t let go once he had a grip on something. His hold tightened until Mingeojeong’s hand turned white. In a voice that trembled like a goat, Mingeojeong stammered,

“C-customer? You’re... really strong, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Aren’t we just shaking hands?”

*Crack.*

“Ack, ack, ack!”

“You’ll do it, right?”

“W-well, d-did you know that the National Hunter Hospital has close ties to not only the Bureau but also the three major guilds and most of the large guilds?”

“They must have grown a lot in eight years.”

“And did you also know that their security is top-notch?”

“I know that now.”

“...Agh. Okay, okay! I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Thank you.”

Finally, Uijae smiled brightly and let go of Mingeojeong’s hand. Mingeojeong winced as he poured a potion over his aching hand from his inventory. Uijae also pulled out the beginner hunter’s potion kit that had been gifted to him and sprinkled some on Mingeojeong’s hand.

Once the color returned to Mingeojeong’s whitened hand, he dejectedly grabbed the doorknob.

“Please understand that it might take some time to crack into a national hospital…”

“That’s fine. I’m used to waiting.”

“I see. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you’re planning to move as J, please contact me or the Guild Master.”

That last request was unexpected. Uijae blinked.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? It’s to back you up, of course.”

Mingeojeong blinked back, equally confused. Uijae, with his mouth slightly open, was briefly stunned as if struck by something.

The contract he had made with Lee Sayoung had been based on the assumption that Cha Uijae and J were two different people. Now that they knew the truth, they could easily exploit it... so why weren’t they?

As one question arose, others quickly followed like a cascade of ropes tying him down. Uijae suddenly asked,

“Why are you helping me so much? This isn’t part of the contract.”

“Well… I’m not really sure myself…”

Mingeojeong awkwardly adjusted his slipping sunglasses, revealing his dark under-eye circles. After pondering for a moment, he grinned and slid the door open.

“Maybe... it’s just your good deeds coming back to you?”

“......”

“You may not think of it as a good deed, but to someone else, it might have been salvation.”

With that, Mingeojeong waved and disappeared into the shadow beyond the door. Uijae stared after the dark figure for a long while, before finally letting out a deep sigh.

*Bang!* The fist slammed down on the metal desk, making the files on it rattle.

“I told you already, I don’t know who it was! How the hell am I supposed to recognize someone wearing a mask? You keep asking the same question!”

A man sitting in a room full of monitors was biting down on a paper cup in frustration. The screens displayed different rooms that all looked very similar.

On the leftmost monitor, Hong Yeseong was sprawled out in the interrogation room, slumped in his seat like a melting slime. The Hunter sitting across from him looked perplexed but pressed on with his questioning.

“But Hunter Hong Yeseong, if you didn’t see his face, how are you so sure it was J?”

Hong Yeseong scoffed.

“You know J logged into Channel 1, right? That’s how we confirmed he’s alive. The Bureau Chief personally certified his survival too. He took down an S+ grade golem in one hit, and he was wearing a mask. And then he said he’s J. How could I not believe that? Honestly, I thought a savior had come. He showed up just when I was about to die.”

“Then why did you escape?”

“I was called by fate.”

Hong Yeseong pouted his lips dramatically, spewing out nonsense. The Hunter questioning him couldn’t help but sigh.

A dungeon reconfiguration and an unprecedented S+ grade dungeon ranking had taken place. Just that alone was enough to turn the world upside down, but on top of that, J had appeared and taken down the dungeon boss in one blow.

Oh, the chaos! J had done it again! The Awakener Management Bureau and the Rift Management Agency had both gone into full emergency mode. With Jung Bin lying half-dead at the Seowon Guild, the Awakener Management Bureau had started grilling every other “Super Hamster” they could get their hands on, desperate for any bit of information.

But…

“Can you handle this?”

It was the Management Bureau that was struggling, not the Hamsters.

The Super Hamsters were far too formidable to easily intimidate. They thought Yun Gaeul would be the easiest to coax, but she pulled the high school senior card and escaped. Lee Sayoung invoked his right to remain silent and exuded such a menacing aura toward the interrogating Hunter that a restraining order had to be placed.

The only one who had actually spoken was Hong Yeseong, but all he’d done so far was spout nonsense. Looking up at the ceiling with his clear eyes, Hong Yeseong suddenly shrieked.

“Hey! When are you letting me go? I’ve got work to do. There’s an idea floating around in my head, and if it dies, it’s on you! I need to get to the Artisan Village in Bukhansan, like, now!”

The Hunter questioning him awkwardly glanced at the CCTV camera in the corner of the ceiling, a silent plea for help. But the person watching through the monitors couldn’t assist him.

Because of the low, commanding voice that had suddenly filled the room.

“Well, well. It’s rare to see such distinguished guests all gathered here.”

The voice belonged to a man who had just entered the monitoring room. His black hair, streaked with a few strands of gray, and his wrinkled face gave him a fierce, tiger-like expression despite his age. He silently observed the screens before standing tall.

With a *tap* of his cane on the floor, the Hunter who had been gnawing on his paper cup hastily stood up and bowed.

“Ah, Hunter Song Joheon! I didn’t expect you here! How did you—?”

Song Joheon, the head of *Samra Guild*, one of South Korea’s three major guilds, gave a warm chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry. I’m here with the Bureau Chief’s permission.”

“Ah, I see, understood.”

“I’ve been briefed on the situation…”

Song Joheon’s gaze shifted to the central monitor. On the screen, Lee Sayoung sat alone in an interrogation room, legs crossed, eyes closed, as if meditating. A slight smile tugged at the corner of Song Joheon’s lips.

“So, J has returned, has he?”