“Where did you go to?” Jeong In-Chang asked while waving at Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“Pfft.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong was unable to hold it in and burst into laughter upon seeing him.
“...”
Jeong In-Chang turned his head to the side out of embarrassment as he knew why Lee Jun-Kyeong was laughing. His right eye was black and bruised. Lee Jun-Kyeong inwardly thought to himself that he had not misheard the commotion.
"Are there pandas among your ancestors?" he asked teasingly.
Jeong In-Chang pouted. "That’s… that’s a little too far…."
"Hahaha."
He then announced proudly, "Still, I went blow for blow this time, George has a bruise that’s the same size on his left eye."
Lee Jun-Kyeong glanced at his comrade’s fists; it didn't seem like a lie.
‘Still… You tried hard.’
Truthfully, there was no reason for Jeong In-Chang to feel ashamed. After being extensively trained, he had fulfilled the role extraordinarily well within the Catalyon Gate. It was just that he expected more from himself and wanted more, which brought upon a feeling of shame and increased effort.
The desire for strength was essential for what was to come. Regardless of whatever reason drove that desire, it was not something bad.
‘It’s good.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong was happy with the change he saw in Jeong In-Chang.
He smiled and stated, "Please protect me well in the future."
"…!"
He had heard Jeong In-Chang weeping while he was asleep.
Lee Jun-Kyeong continued somewhat evilly, "'I will definitely protect you from now on…' is what you said, right? I mean, it already seems to fit the name of your Sponsor, but…"
Jeong In-Chang's face turned red after hearing those playful remarks. He would never have thought that Lee Jun-Kyeong had heard it.
Lee Jun-Kyeong continued to tease him, "Please be like that with your future girlfriend, not with me.”
Jeong In-Chang couldn't speak out of sheer embarrassment, but then, he suddenly discovered something and commented with a glint in his eye, "What is that?"
There was a necklace hanging from Lee Jun-Kyeong's neck, and he had never seen it before. He wondered when Lee Jun-Kyeong had been able to get something like that in a closed environment like the Round Table.
“There’s no way…”
Jeong In-Chang's complexion first turned blue, then white; his changing complexion was reminiscent of an artist’s palette.
“Did you go meet a woman again?”
Lee Jun-Kyeong hemmed and hawed, "Well, that is…"
Apparently, Jeong In-Chang was right on the mark.
“As expected. I knew you would do that again. Mr. Lee, were you originally from England? You seem to have a lot of women hidden in England. I didn’t know you were such a playboy... It’s a little disappointing."
This time, it was Lee Jun-Kyeong who was the flustered one. As Lee Jun-Kyeong stood there for a while with a red face, Jeong In-Chang felt the pleasure of revenge.
“Pfft,” he chuckled.
"Are you ready?" Yeo Seong-Gu approached, his complexion riddled with exhaustion.
"Did things end well?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked him. Although the Round Table had already ended, they still had to sort out the details. They must have been discussing all night because of the issues over the division of resources and such.
“Yeah,” Yeo Seong-Gu said as he approached and tapped Lee Jun-Kyeong's shoulder.
‘For some reason, he seems to have gotten a little more affectionate.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered if it was because of the secrets he had told the Hunter. Or, it may have been because he had found out about their relationship in the distant future. Regardless, something had made them closer.
"Let's go."
Yeo Seong-Gu rubbed his shiny bald head a few times and then took the lead. They just had to exit through a door Merlin had made if they wanted to leave.
"It’s a little regretful."
Jeong In-Chang seemed to have gotten quite close with George as he repeatedly glanced behind him while incessantly saying how regretful it was just to leave. The same went for Lee Jun-Kyeong, who looked back for a moment and then turned his head.
Finally, they reached the exit prepared by Merlin, and a Hunter belonging to the Round Table greeted the party at the door.
"We hope to see you again,” he greeted lightly, while Yeo Seong-Gu also nodded his head to say hello.
The moment everyone was about to go through the exit, the Hunter interjected, "Merlin has asked me to convey that she is waiting.”
Yeo Seong-Gu looked surprised.
"M… Merlin?" asked Jeong In-Chang.
Lee Jun-Kyeong stayed silent.
Right after the grinning employee said that, they were suddenly standing in a random alleyway in England.
"W…where are we?" exclaimed Jeong In-Chang.
***
"How the hell do you know Merlin? Is that also…" Yeo Seong-Gu asked carefully. But Lee Jun-Kyeong just smiled brightly. He recalled the last conversation he had with that person.
'I know the location of Excalibur.'
Merlin’s eyes had flashed before saying, 'Tell me.'
In fact, he had almost died at that instant. Although he had gained a lot this time from the Catalyon Gate and had become stronger, he still wasn’t yet at the level to compete with one of them.
Yeo Seong-Gu looked confused. "Then… that?"
"Yes. Merlin gave it to me," Lee Jun-Kyeong said while touching the necklace. He only got this necklace after he finished negotiations with Merlin. One day, there would be a time when this would save his life. Of course, there was also the effect of increasing his stats.
This was an item that was beyond unique-grade.
“Hmm…”
Yeo Seong-Gu thought about something to himself and then nodded.
Lee Jun-Kyeong and his companions were currently inside an airplane with a large fuselage. It was a private plane owned by Asgard—or, at least on the surface, owned by the Korean Association.
Snore…
Next to him lay Jeong In-Chang. He was sleeping as he had fought with George until the end. There were only a few people on the plane: themselves and a few crew members. Although they could have returned using the portal, it wasn’t the best idea.
There were a few reasons they were taking a private plane instead of a portal. First of all, a portal consumed a lot of energy and involved a certain degree of danger, so it was better to fly like this when they weren’t in a hurry. And that was not the only problem either.
While it was beside the point, the leaders of the secret organizations were still uncomfortable with using portals. Furthermore, objects that would allow for spatial travel, such as Lightning or Bifrost, were generally restricted from usage. After all, if they were used excessively, other powers would take notice. In any case, it was an absurd luxury to ride such a private plane.
He sat there, basking in happiness at the thought that they go back this way.
‘I’m tearing up,’ Jeong In-Chang had said at the sight of it. Let alone the Northern Army Guild, even Jeong In-Chang, a B-Rank Hunter, clearly had a tremendous amount of money. Lee Jun-Kyeong was confused as to how they had spent all of it, as Jeong In-Chang lived a difficult life even compared to ordinary people in this era—in other words, similar to how he had been living.
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed at the thought.
"Get some sleep. It’s going to take quite a while."
After saying those words, Yeo Seong-Gu put on a sleeping mask and went to sleep. He was exhausted after having to stay up for several nights in meetings, not to mention handling the work of the League Guild as well.
He was a member of the secretive Asgard, but he was also a rising rookie and the guild master of the League Guild, which would quickly become a behemoth. Because Yeo Seong-Gu had to account for his sudden absence and deal with the work that followed, Lee Jun-Kyeong could only imagine how busy he was.
"Ah… Could you give me some water?"
At that point, Jeong In-Chang had woken up next to him and had spoken to the flight attendant. The water soon arrived, and Lee Jun-Kyeong ended up having to listen to Jeong In-Chang’s chatter instead of being able to rest like he had wanted.
“Well… I rode a plane for the first time a little while ago, and one of my friends had told me that you had to take off your shoes to get on the plane. So I took off my shoes and got on, but then people laughed.”
"…"
Lee Jun-Kyeong thought to himself, ‘There really are people who believe stuff like that.’
To think there was someone who actually had fallen for this kind of nonsense that even a child wouldn’t have been tricked by.
He snorted. “Ha.”
“Is something wrong?" Jeong In-Chang asked.
"No, everything is fine,” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded. He worried that he may have to get something like an Elixir of Intelligence later if the chance arose. It was said that it could dig up one’s potential and permanently boost their intelligence, but Lee Jun-Kyeong had an ominous feeling about it.
‘There’s no way he wouldn’t have any latent intelligence in the first place… right?’
The flight continued in this manner.
"By the way,” Jeong In-Chang whispered again in a tone that made him sound as if he were on a TV program. "There is something I don't understand."
"What?"
Lee Jun-Kyeong finally responded to the shift in Jeong In-Chang’s tone, which had become a little more serious.
"It’s about George. I don't know why he was so nice to me."
"…"
Jeong In-Chang continued, “Honestly, he seemed angry, but it was a little strange. If, by chance, you had suffered the same thing from Heracles, I would have killed him with just my eyes alone.”
'Thank you for that, but I don't know if that's possible.’
"But not only was he nice to me… but his attitude towards you, Mr. Lee, was also the same. Is that the demeanor of high-level Hunters? Is that what this was? What was it… Noblesse Oblivion? Was it that sort of thing?"
"Obliv… what?"
Lee Jun-Kyeong almost burst out laughing, but he quickly controlled his expression and looked out the window. Apparently, Jeong In-Chang really didn’t have any latent intelligence.
The first plane ride he was ever able to ride and the first scenery he was able to see from the sky exposed Lee Jun-Kyeong to a different color of existence.
‘The night sky is endlessly dark.'
"It must be an instinct,” said Lee Jun-Kyeong abruptly as he was looking at the night sky where only darkness existed.
“What do you mean by instinct…?”
Lee Jun-Kyeong replied while lifting one corner of his mouth in a smirk, "It must have been my instinct that I didn’t want the sun to be covered in the first place even though I prefer to dwell in darkness.”
"…?"
Jeong In-Chang had an indecipherable expression after hearing that.
–The plane will land soon. Please fasten your seat belts.
The flight attendant's voice rang out, announcing the approaching landing.
***
"Demetrios!"
George's voice echoed through the room. The first place he had gone after returning from England was the ward where Heracles was being treated, but Heracles wasn’t there. Then, Athena sent George elsewhere, to Olympus’ training ground.
Woosh! Woosh!
Demetrios punched the air. Although there wasn’t any mana being emitted, the entire training ground was resonating.
"What happened? When did you wake up?"
George ran to Demetrios as if he was about to shed tears. Since Demetrios had never been hurt before, George hadn’t realized how precious the giant was to him.
"George," Demetrios said as he smiled. His complexion was still pale, and his mana unstable. Also, the huge scar created by Lee Jun-Kyeong on his upper body still wriggled as if it were alive. It was a scar that remained even after treatment with potions, and not just any potions, but Olympus’ special potions.
"Why do you look so sad? Have you never seen a defeated Hunter?" Demetrios asked with a happy expression.
George responded despondently, "Because you never lost."
"Well, that's true too."
Demetrios shrugged immediately and wiped his sweat with a towel.
'Something has changed...?'
George felt uncomfortable looking at him, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
Yet, it didn’t seem to be something bad. Demetrios had always radiated uncontrollable violence and power, and he had always appeared impatient. But now, he stood there calmly, as if he had gained control over himself.
"What happened?" George asked again. Although there were many things he wanted to say, right now, he wanted to hear something from Heracles first.
Demetrios grinned. "Calm down."
"Does it look like I’m in a state to calm down?!” George snapped.
Demetrios smiled again and spoke. "I don’t think he intended to become my enemy in the first place."
"What are you…?"
George had a strange feeling after hearing that indecipherable statement.
‘For some reason, I did…’
George had felt the same way. There were too many inconsistencies to say that they had been trying to kill Demetrios. It was as if they had wanted something different.
Therefore, George didn’t hate them that much.
Demetrios interjected, "It was a gift."
George’s eyes widened. "What?"
Demetrios’ eyes suddenly turned red.
“You…!”
It was a sign of madness. George took a step back, bewildered at what was going on.
"Don't be like that too much. Now…"
Demetrios punched.
BOOM!
Vibrations and deafening sounds incomparable to before, filled the training center.
The giant continued, "I have total control over the madness, and I can even use the power of madness to a certain extent."
"What is that…"
George couldn't quite comprehend the current situation.
“Excuse my interruption,” a voice suddenly said.
Someone had showed up at the training center, carrying a large box.
Boom!
The loud sound it made when it hit the floor clearly showed how heavy the box was.
"What is this?" George asked Demetrios.
Creak.
"My weapon," Demetrius responded as he opened the iron box.
He took it out of the box, proudly showing off his new weapon.
Then, he noticed it.
"What's wrong with your left eye?"
1. The proper term is Noblesse Oblige.
“Where did you go to?” Jeong In-Chang asked while waving at Lee Jun-Kyeong.
“Pfft.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong was unable to hold it in and burst into laughter upon seeing him.
“...”
Jeong In-Chang turned his head to the side out of embarrassment as he knew why Lee Jun-Kyeong was laughing. His right eye was black and bruised. Lee Jun-Kyeong inwardly thought to himself that he had not misheard the commotion.
"Are there pandas among your ancestors?" he asked teasingly.
Jeong In-Chang pouted. "That’s… that’s a little too far…."
"Hahaha."
He then announced proudly, "Still, I went blow for blow this time, George has a bruise that’s the same size on his left eye."
Lee Jun-Kyeong glanced at his comrade’s fists; it didn't seem like a lie.
‘Still… You tried hard.’
Truthfully, there was no reason for Jeong In-Chang to feel ashamed. After being extensively trained, he had fulfilled the role extraordinarily well within the Catalyon Gate. It was just that he expected more from himself and wanted more, which brought upon a feeling of shame and increased effort.
The desire for strength was essential for what was to come. Regardless of whatever reason drove that desire, it was not something bad.
‘It’s good.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong was happy with the change he saw in Jeong In-Chang.
He smiled and stated, "Please protect me well in the future."
"…!"
He had heard Jeong In-Chang weeping while he was asleep.
Lee Jun-Kyeong continued somewhat evilly, "'I will definitely protect you from now on…' is what you said, right? I mean, it already seems to fit the name of your Sponsor, but…"
Jeong In-Chang's face turned red after hearing those playful remarks. He would never have thought that Lee Jun-Kyeong had heard it.
Lee Jun-Kyeong continued to tease him, "Please be like that with your future girlfriend, not with me.”
Jeong In-Chang couldn't speak out of sheer embarrassment, but then, he suddenly discovered something and commented with a glint in his eye, "What is that?"
There was a necklace hanging from Lee Jun-Kyeong's neck, and he had never seen it before. He wondered when Lee Jun-Kyeong had been able to get something like that in a closed environment like the Round Table.
“There’s no way…”
Jeong In-Chang's complexion first turned blue, then white; his changing complexion was reminiscent of an artist’s palette.
“Did you go meet a woman again?”
Lee Jun-Kyeong hemmed and hawed, "Well, that is…"
Apparently, Jeong In-Chang was right on the mark.
“As expected. I knew you would do that again. Mr. Lee, were you originally from England? You seem to have a lot of women hidden in England. I didn’t know you were such a playboy... It’s a little disappointing."
This time, it was Lee Jun-Kyeong who was the flustered one. As Lee Jun-Kyeong stood there for a while with a red face, Jeong In-Chang felt the pleasure of revenge.
“Pfft,” he chuckled.
"Are you ready?" Yeo Seong-Gu approached, his complexion riddled with exhaustion.
"Did things end well?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked him. Although the Round Table had already ended, they still had to sort out the details. They must have been discussing all night because of the issues over the division of resources and such.
“Yeah,” Yeo Seong-Gu said as he approached and tapped Lee Jun-Kyeong's shoulder.
‘For some reason, he seems to have gotten a little more affectionate.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered if it was because of the secrets he had told the Hunter. Or, it may have been because he had found out about their relationship in the distant future. Regardless, something had made them closer.
"Let's go."
Yeo Seong-Gu rubbed his shiny bald head a few times and then took the lead. They just had to exit through a door Merlin had made if they wanted to leave.
"It’s a little regretful."
Jeong In-Chang seemed to have gotten quite close with George as he repeatedly glanced behind him while incessantly saying how regretful it was just to leave. The same went for Lee Jun-Kyeong, who looked back for a moment and then turned his head.
Finally, they reached the exit prepared by Merlin, and a Hunter belonging to the Round Table greeted the party at the door.
"We hope to see you again,” he greeted lightly, while Yeo Seong-Gu also nodded his head to say hello.
The moment everyone was about to go through the exit, the Hunter interjected, "Merlin has asked me to convey that she is waiting.”
Yeo Seong-Gu looked surprised.
"M… Merlin?" asked Jeong In-Chang.
Lee Jun-Kyeong stayed silent.
Right after the grinning employee said that, they were suddenly standing in a random alleyway in England.
"W…where are we?" exclaimed Jeong In-Chang.
***
"How the hell do you know Merlin? Is that also…" Yeo Seong-Gu asked carefully. But Lee Jun-Kyeong just smiled brightly. He recalled the last conversation he had with that person.
'I know the location of Excalibur.'
Merlin’s eyes had flashed before saying, 'Tell me.'
In fact, he had almost died at that instant. Although he had gained a lot this time from the Catalyon Gate and had become stronger, he still wasn’t yet at the level to compete with one of them.
Yeo Seong-Gu looked confused. "Then… that?"
"Yes. Merlin gave it to me," Lee Jun-Kyeong said while touching the necklace. He only got this necklace after he finished negotiations with Merlin. One day, there would be a time when this would save his life. Of course, there was also the effect of increasing his stats.
This was an item that was beyond unique-grade.
“Hmm…”
Yeo Seong-Gu thought about something to himself and then nodded.
Lee Jun-Kyeong and his companions were currently inside an airplane with a large fuselage. It was a private plane owned by Asgard—or, at least on the surface, owned by the Korean Association.
Snore…
Next to him lay Jeong In-Chang. He was sleeping as he had fought with George until the end. There were only a few people on the plane: themselves and a few crew members. Although they could have returned using the portal, it wasn’t the best idea.
There were a few reasons they were taking a private plane instead of a portal. First of all, a portal consumed a lot of energy and involved a certain degree of danger, so it was better to fly like this when they weren’t in a hurry. And that was not the only problem either.
While it was beside the point, the leaders of the secret organizations were still uncomfortable with using portals. Furthermore, objects that would allow for spatial travel, such as Lightning or Bifrost, were generally restricted from usage. After all, if they were used excessively, other powers would take notice. In any case, it was an absurd luxury to ride such a private plane.
He sat there, basking in happiness at the thought that they go back this way.
‘I’m tearing up,’ Jeong In-Chang had said at the sight of it. Let alone the Northern Army Guild, even Jeong In-Chang, a B-Rank Hunter, clearly had a tremendous amount of money. Lee Jun-Kyeong was confused as to how they had spent all of it, as Jeong In-Chang lived a difficult life even compared to ordinary people in this era—in other words, similar to how he had been living.
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed at the thought.
"Get some sleep. It’s going to take quite a while."
After saying those words, Yeo Seong-Gu put on a sleeping mask and went to sleep. He was exhausted after having to stay up for several nights in meetings, not to mention handling the work of the League Guild as well.
He was a member of the secretive Asgard, but he was also a rising rookie and the guild master of the League Guild, which would quickly become a behemoth. Because Yeo Seong-Gu had to account for his sudden absence and deal with the work that followed, Lee Jun-Kyeong could only imagine how busy he was.
"Ah… Could you give me some water?"
At that point, Jeong In-Chang had woken up next to him and had spoken to the flight attendant. The water soon arrived, and Lee Jun-Kyeong ended up having to listen to Jeong In-Chang’s chatter instead of being able to rest like he had wanted.
“Well… I rode a plane for the first time a little while ago, and one of my friends had told me that you had to take off your shoes to get on the plane. So I took off my shoes and got on, but then people laughed.”
"…"
Lee Jun-Kyeong thought to himself, ‘There really are people who believe stuff like that.’
To think there was someone who actually had fallen for this kind of nonsense that even a child wouldn’t have been tricked by.
He snorted. “Ha.”
“Is something wrong?" Jeong In-Chang asked.
"No, everything is fine,” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded. He worried that he may have to get something like an Elixir of Intelligence later if the chance arose. It was said that it could dig up one’s potential and permanently boost their intelligence, but Lee Jun-Kyeong had an ominous feeling about it.
‘There’s no way he wouldn’t have any latent intelligence in the first place… right?’
The flight continued in this manner.
"By the way,” Jeong In-Chang whispered again in a tone that made him sound as if he were on a TV program. "There is something I don't understand."
"What?"
Lee Jun-Kyeong finally responded to the shift in Jeong In-Chang’s tone, which had become a little more serious.
"It’s about George. I don't know why he was so nice to me."
"…"
Jeong In-Chang continued, “Honestly, he seemed angry, but it was a little strange. If, by chance, you had suffered the same thing from Heracles, I would have killed him with just my eyes alone.”
'Thank you for that, but I don't know if that's possible.’
"But not only was he nice to me… but his attitude towards you, Mr. Lee, was also the same. Is that the demeanor of high-level Hunters? Is that what this was? What was it… Noblesse Oblivion? Was it that sort of thing?"
"Obliv… what?"
Lee Jun-Kyeong almost burst out laughing, but he quickly controlled his expression and looked out the window. Apparently, Jeong In-Chang really didn’t have any latent intelligence.
The first plane ride he was ever able to ride and the first scenery he was able to see from the sky exposed Lee Jun-Kyeong to a different color of existence.
‘The night sky is endlessly dark.'
"It must be an instinct,” said Lee Jun-Kyeong abruptly as he was looking at the night sky where only darkness existed.
“What do you mean by instinct…?”
Lee Jun-Kyeong replied while lifting one corner of his mouth in a smirk, "It must have been my instinct that I didn’t want the sun to be covered in the first place even though I prefer to dwell in darkness.”
"…?"
Jeong In-Chang had an indecipherable expression after hearing that.
–The plane will land soon. Please fasten your seat belts.
The flight attendant's voice rang out, announcing the approaching landing.
***
"Demetrios!"
George's voice echoed through the room. The first place he had gone after returning from England was the ward where Heracles was being treated, but Heracles wasn’t there. Then, Athena sent George elsewhere, to Olympus’ training ground.
Woosh! Woosh!
Demetrios punched the air. Although there wasn’t any mana being emitted, the entire training ground was resonating.
"What happened? When did you wake up?"
George ran to Demetrios as if he was about to shed tears. Since Demetrios had never been hurt before, George hadn’t realized how precious the giant was to him.
"George," Demetrios said as he smiled. His complexion was still pale, and his mana unstable. Also, the huge scar created by Lee Jun-Kyeong on his upper body still wriggled as if it were alive. It was a scar that remained even after treatment with potions, and not just any potions, but Olympus’ special potions.
"Why do you look so sad? Have you never seen a defeated Hunter?" Demetrios asked with a happy expression.
George responded despondently, "Because you never lost."
"Well, that's true too."
Demetrios shrugged immediately and wiped his sweat with a towel.
'Something has changed...?'
George felt uncomfortable looking at him, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
Yet, it didn’t seem to be something bad. Demetrios had always radiated uncontrollable violence and power, and he had always appeared impatient. But now, he stood there calmly, as if he had gained control over himself.
"What happened?" George asked again. Although there were many things he wanted to say, right now, he wanted to hear something from Heracles first.
Demetrios grinned. "Calm down."
"Does it look like I’m in a state to calm down?!” George snapped.
Demetrios smiled again and spoke. "I don’t think he intended to become my enemy in the first place."
"What are you…?"
George had a strange feeling after hearing that indecipherable statement.
‘For some reason, I did…’
George had felt the same way. There were too many inconsistencies to say that they had been trying to kill Demetrios. It was as if they had wanted something different.
Therefore, George didn’t hate them that much.
Demetrios interjected, "It was a gift."
George’s eyes widened. "What?"
Demetrios’ eyes suddenly turned red.
“You…!”
It was a sign of madness. George took a step back, bewildered at what was going on.
"Don't be like that too much. Now…"
Demetrios punched.
BOOM!
Vibrations and deafening sounds incomparable to before, filled the training center.
The giant continued, "I have total control over the madness, and I can even use the power of madness to a certain extent."
"What is that…"
George couldn't quite comprehend the current situation.
“Excuse my interruption,” a voice suddenly said.
Someone had showed up at the training center, carrying a large box.
Boom!
The loud sound it made when it hit the floor clearly showed how heavy the box was.
"What is this?" George asked Demetrios.
Creak.
"My weapon," Demetrius responded as he opened the iron box.
He took it out of the box, proudly showing off his new weapon.
Then, he noticed it.
"What's wrong with your left eye?"
1. The proper term is Noblesse Oblige.
