novelzi Chapter 116:
Chapter 116:
Chapter 116: The Core
A few months ago.
Golem.
Absorbent.
When I saw things that were common in my hometown also appearing in the Solar System, this was the first thought that came to my mind.
‘Goodness, even on Earth, the influence of Alphauri had spread! I should bite my tongue and die before they catch me!’
At the time, I was physically and mentally exhausted from working overtime repeatedly. I was surprised to see a pot lid that was astonished after seeing a child. I was shocked, thinking that an Alphauri could have followed me here.
‘Hiik!’
But after calming down and thinking about it, I realized that it didn’t make any sense. How did I come to Earth in the first place? I came here using reincarnation magic. And who developed reincarnation magic? I was the first in history, wasn’t I? Well, now I’m stuck in the body of that trash Kim Kiryeo and all my dignity is gone...
Let me say it again, I was the greatest genius wizard in my hometown. But could anyone really extend their reach to this distant planet, surpassing an archmage like me?
‘No.’
How could that be? As someone who was at the forefront of all magical science, I can confidently say that intergalactic travel by Alphauri was 100% impossible. They even had difficulty observing Earth due to technological limitations, and now they created something called the Gate to influence it?
Honestly, it would take them hundreds of years to do something like this.
‘Besides, the gates have been here since before my reincarnation, so the timing doesn’t add up.’
Then, who exactly is the owner of the gates? Now, there’s only one hypothesis left.
“Hmm.”
I moved my arm to take the phone out of my pocket. Then, I typed a few words into the search bar with my fingers.
[Gate Monster Encyclopedia]
What appeared in the results window were a few photos.
‘Yeah.’
Among them, a creature with blue-tinted hinge joints caught my eye. From this single photo, I was certain of the culprits who created the gate.
‘It must be those guys who are commanding this monster.’
How should I describe that group here?
Star Wanderers?
So poetic.
Nomads?
That’s terrible.
So, after much deliberation, I decided to translate them as ‘Hunger Heart Entities.’
‘Gi’ (飢) meaning hunger, and ‘Sim’ (心) meaning heart.
In other words, it means they are beings that are starving for human hearts.
And the main characteristics of these Hunger Heart Entities are... ... .
Let’s summarize briefly.
The Earth is currently being parasitized by a peculiar group that drifts through space and feeds off the mental suffering of intelligent life forms. Abnormal.
‘That’s for sure.’
At first, I didn’t realize, but now I’ve noticed that these creatures use the same tactics to lure their prey. The rare items found within the gate are clearly bait used by them! Additionally, Hunger Heart Entities tend to create bait boxes based on the information from the planets they’ve visited. It seems this is why materials or creatures for Alphauri often appear in the gate.
‘I, really...’
The invaders who once targeted my homeland are now threatening this planet flowing with milk and honey. But they probably never anticipated that things would turn out this way.
‘I guess I have to live long to see this.’
Why do I know so much about these Hunger Heart Entities? And why have the invaders I encountered in Alphauri traveled all the way to this distant solar system? All answers converge to one point: they nearly faced extinction in Alphauri. More precisely... due to a certain archmage.
‘Hmph.’
I was the first magician of Alphauri. My primary role was the defense of the planet. But what would have been the result if a cosmic parasite had visited the home of such a great wizard?
To summarize concisely, that race was massacred by me. No. It’s a bit strange to say massacre. Anyway, they were the ones who crossed the border without permission.
‘I wondered where they had run off to after being so thoroughly punished by me, and it turns out they had fled all the way to this distant galaxy.’
Hunger Heart Entities.
Once you understand their true nature, the purpose of the gate becomes clearer. As I said earlier, the Hunger Heart Entities nearly faced extinction because of me.
‘Jung Haseong?’
Haseong was surrounded by people, speaking about something, but Kim Kiryeo wasn’t particularly interested in the conversation. He pretended not to recognize him. Then, at that moment...
“—Hunter Kiryeo!”
To his surprise, Jung Haseong greeted Kim Kiryeo with an unusually loud and enthusiastic hello as soon as he spotted him. Kiryeo stopped in surprise at his call, but Haseong quickly approached him and said a few words with difficulty.
Did you sleep well yesterday?
Isn’t it snowing a lot today?
Did you eat?
Contrary to expectations, the questions were rather trivial.
“Yeah.”
However, a con artist like him couldn’t afford to neglect a genuine S-class hunter. He forced himself to show cooperation.
“Have you eaten?”
“Ah, yes. I ate...”
However, it was troublesome for the conversation to drag on like this. The young man with the black hair had been mumbling and hesitating about the topic he had brought up earlier.
“Why? Is there anything else you want to say?”
In the end, Kim Kiryeo, unable to hold back, urged him to get to the point. Only after hearing this did Jung Haseong address the main topic.
“Hunter Kim Kiryeo, would you be willing to join our guild?”
But hearing this first line, it felt like too much of the intermediate process had been skipped.
“What? Guild?”
“Actually, I was thinking of continuing to invite you as soon as we finished the Labyrinth of the 13th Month. But I think it would be better to make this suggestion when we meet by chance like now.”
“....”
“Since I’ve caused you trouble in the past, I feel bad about asking you to make time for me...”
Kiryeo interrupted him for a moment. There was something he needed to clarify first.
“Haseong, did you have a guild?”
Then the number one ranked Hunter quickly responded, saying that he is actually the CEO of a company called [Garion]. He explained that the company is quite different from a typical guild, as most of its staff are organized solely to support S-Class operations.
“If you come to our guild, we can really meet any conditions you have.”
Jung Haseong placed his hand on his chest as he spoke.
“Of course, we’ll make sure to give you a favorable share of the profits, Hunter.”
“So, you’re saying you want to hire me now?”
“Oh! No, not at all. I got a bit flustered and misspoke, but the guild would only be there to support you, not take a separate fee.”
What followed was a rather enthusiastic request.
“To be more precise, I would like to work with Kim Kiryeo-ssi as a team.”
However, as they know, the blonde man standing here is nothing but a pretty face with no real substance. Naturally, he doesn’t have the capability to enter the gates that S-ranks frequent. So, although Kiryeo intended to decline the offer, the sudden nature of the situation led him to give an honest response reflexively.
“I appreciate the offer, but isn’t that difficult? After all, our levels are too different...”
He paused. It was only after he had almost finished his sentence that he realized his mistake. He himself was a 4th-rank S-class hunter, meaning he was officially on a similar level to the hunter in front of him...!
‘Ugh! I unconsciously used my actual rank as a standard!’
But once something is said, it cannot be taken back. In the past, he might have used mind control to erase Haseong’s memory, but with his current F-rank abilities, he couldn’t use such powerful magic. At this point, his mind went blank. So, in his panic, Kiryeo resorted to a classic tactic.
“A, anyway, I’m busy, so I have to go!”
By brushing off the conversation and making a hasty retreat, Kiryeo avoided further discussion. So, what was the fate of the illegally registered individual who could not fully explain themselves? As expected, Kiryeo’s slip of the tongue caused an enormous stir.
【 Hunternet > Free Bulletin Board 】
[j*** : What did I really see?]
[k***** : Weren’t the two on bad terms??]
[Bl***: [Breaking News] Garion Guild Recruitment Cut for S-Class [Breaking News] Garion Guild Recruitment Cut for S-Class [Breaking News] Garion Guild Recruitment Cut for S-Class]
However, with a slightly strange flow.