HG | Chapter 26

As soon as the command ended, a large, dark cavity appeared in the body of the monster, which looked like black dust. The densely packed teeth lining the circular, cylindrical mouth shape evoked fear and disgust.

“Aaaaah!”

Cheonghyeon threw Jang Yuseong into it. The mouth, which was about the size of four adult male fists, expanded in the blink of an eye to swallow the sturdy young man.

Thump!

“Good, you’re eating well. Make sure to chew thoroughly and don’t spill.”

What on earth… just happened?

The remaining group was utterly dumbfounded. A human, at least 180cm tall, disappeared into the monster’s mouth in mere seconds.

Crunch. Crunch. Crack. Snap.

The sound of the monster chewing and consuming a human, bones and all, echoed without any filter.

“Ugh!”

Oh Jinhyuk, who was closest to the scene, suddenly bent over and vomited. It wasn’t a sight that could be stomached with normal fortitude. The other guys didn’t vomit, but they were equally pale.

Like a snake that had swallowed its prey whole, with its body bulging, the monster’s belly prominently bulged and undulated as it visibly broke down and digested what was once a human in real-time.

It was a truly nauseating yet overwhelming spectacle. Everyone except Cheonghyeon held their breath, fearing they might be next if they even breathed wrong.

‘Even so, throwing a perfectly fine human into a monster’s maw…!’

It was a method of discipline that thoroughly shattered common sense, not something done to awaken the group’s spirits.

They knew that Im Cheonghyeon was the greatest esper in Korean history.

‘So, what does that matter?’

Just as Hakyung regretted not witnessing his father’s feats firsthand, they too had only learned about Im Cheonghyeon’s achievements from textbooks. In other words, no matter how great Im Cheonghyeon was, he was a hero of a bygone era. An esper who had spent more time resting than actively working.

On the other hand, they were still students but active. Even if the rank difference was clear, they didn’t feel the need to crawl before Cheonghyeon, who had taken a long break and whose skills must have declined. If push came to shove, they could tell their parents to stop him.

Even if he got angry, how much could he punish them? They thought it would at most be a suspension or a few hits, given it was just a matter between kids.

Crunch, snap!

Regardless, the monster continued to chew and swallow the human without a care.

After some time.

Grrk-.

“Eek!”

As the chewing noise gradually subsided, the monster opened its mouth wide again. Wider than when it had swallowed Jang Yuseong. Its mouth had opened almost as wide as its body.

Gulp, gulp….

From the monster’s mouth, something black began to emerge headfirst.

“Damn, Lord…”

Unlike when it had swallowed Jang Yuseong in one gulp, it seemed to struggle as it regurgitated, inch by inch. Despite the slow vomiting, the group was too dumbfounded to think of attacking the monster. They recognized the object the monster was regurgitating at a glance.

Another monster.

The five humans finally felt a chilling sense of crisis.

Cheonghyeon placed his hand on the heads of the two ‘monsters’ and smiled with narrowed eyes.

“How is it, interesting, right?”

It seemed he had intended this from the start when he said, ‘I’ll show you something interesting.’

Han Heeseong tried to ignore the goosebumps rising on his neck.

“As you just saw, when a monster eats a human down to the skull, it becomes a new monster.”

“That’s insane.”

“Now, play hard with these two friends. I’ll give the ‘human’ who survives until I return the privilege of apologizing to Hakyung.”

Easy, right?

Cheonghyeon explained in a gentle, detailed manner, as if addressing his son’s friends. He maintained a minimum level of courtesy as an adult, hoping the kids would appreciate it. In Cheonghyeon’s life, there had never been a history of being this kind to an enemy.

If something bothered him, he destroyed it. That was his way.

“Start.”

At the signal, he released the monsters. The two monsters immediately charged at the group. Despite their large size, they bounced like bouncy balls, quickly closing the distance and landing among the group like grenades.

The guys, who had been standing around dumbfounded, naturally went into a frenzy. It was chaos.

One of them, who ran towards Cheonghyeon desperately, shouted. His name was, Kim Jungwook, was it?

“S-save me…!”

“‘Me’?”

“Please, please save me!”

“Hah, just once, please, argh!”

The monster that had been Jang Yuseong bounced low off the ground, preparing to leap again. Whether close or far from the monster, they all screamed in terror.

“Geez…. Talking back to an adult. Their mindset is rotten.”

Tsk tsk. It’s the end of the world, the end. Back in my day, we trained our skills surrounded by hordes of monsters.

It was truly pathetic and ridiculous to see espers begging for their lives without even pretending to use their skills. And they dared to talk about guiding. The fact that they had assaulted and harassed his son under the guise of guiding became all the more evident as an inexcusable disgrace.

A chilling aura lingered in Cheonghyeon’s eyes as he looked down at the group.

‘Should I just kill them cleanly?’

He felt like it wouldn’t be enough to grind those bastards into powder and feed it to their parents. The parents who released such beasts were also at fault. Their crime was failing to correct their children’s excessively inflated egos and releasing trash into the world.

Splat!

“Hey! Damn, Han Hee-gyeom, you…!”

At that moment, a shout filled with shock caught Cheonghyeon’s attention. Finally, one of them had used esper energy, causing the monster to collapse in front of him.

‘An electric shock? Did he electrocute it?’

Whether it was because he lacked a clear skill or his execution was sloppy, he failed to deal with the monster. It seemed the energy output was strong enough to knock the monster off balance and make it fall.

The monster, sprawled on the ground as if struck by lightning, convulsed intermittently. However, it wasn’t dead, and its body twitched as if trying to get up quickly.

Han Hee-gyeom shouted in desperation.

“Damn, what! We have to survive first! If you’re going to die, die yourself!”

“Aaah!”

Crunch!

The fallen monster, which seemed to have been Jang Yuseong, startled and pushed Oh Jinhyuk, who was scolding him harshly. The spot where he fell was, coincidentally, the monster’s mouth.

The monster, which had been lying down and convulsing, suddenly opened its mouth wide and swallowed the falling human. It was a chillingly timed event.

Now, only four remained.

“Eek!”

Meanwhile, the monster Cheonghyeon had brought was doing its job very well. It maintained a tantalizingly close distance, chasing the group. Among them, Kim Jungwook seemed to have a talent for running, engaging in a breathless race with the monster.

Click, click!

If this moment were a scene from a movie, people would have watched with clenched fists, captivated by the thrilling spectacle. Even Cheonghyeon was impressed by the monster’s appearance. It ran with its sharp, shark-like teeth clashing, drooling between them. It was a terrifying sight for those being chased.

Meanwhile, the monster that had been ‘Oh Jinhyuk’ was born. Four humans, three monsters. The number of prey and hunters on the ring became roughly equal.

“Aaah!”

“Do something about that!”

“<F-fireball>!”

“Don’t come near me, you bastards!”

The three people being chased by the monster Cheonghyeon had brought ran towards Han Hee-gyeom.

Kim Jungwook, Park Woojin, Seo Yeonjae, and Han Hee-gyeom. The four seemed to be trying to fight off the monster together, but Seo Yeonjae, unable to overcome her fear, ran towards the path Cheonghyeon had disappeared into earlier, as if trying to escape the forest. Her feet were quite nimble, but since her magic didn’t work on the monster, fear seemed to blind her. It was highly likely she didn’t know where she was running.

“Hey! Seo Yeonjae! Where are you going!”

Kim Jungwook, unable to stand it, tried to go after Seo Yeonjae, but the monster blocked his path, forcing him to change course.

Cheonghyeon couldn’t hide his regretful sigh.

“That way is dangerous…”

Why had Cheonghyeon returned so quickly after going to catch the monster? It was because their habitat was right in front of them.

‘Really… pathetic.’

Is this the reality of current espers? Why are those who have attended awakener schools all along in such a state in actual combat?

Originally, Cheonghyeon’s plan was to have them devour each other, and then, for the last survivor, force-feed them monster corpse powder and push them to keep fighting. When they eventually begged to be killed, he would turn them into powder. That was the original scenario.

But at this rate, it seemed like they would all end up ‘monsterized.’ It didn’t seem like it would take long. Even though all but Han Hee-gyeom were B-rank or lower, if they had worked together from the start and gradually hunted them down, they wouldn’t have faced such a pathetic outcome.

The ‘giant monster’ was a monster equivalent to an A-rank awakener in terms of rank. It was a high-ranking monster, and its unique trait of turning other species into its own kind was characteristic of the giant monster.

The outbreak areas were filled with monsters with unique traits like the ‘giant monster.’ Researchers came and went from Haegakryeong, claiming to study the monsters here, but how much could they really learn without openly sacrificing ‘humans’?

Would they put endangered species into its mouth for monster experiments? The destruction of nature due to awakeners’ overloads didn’t only affect humans. Countless plants and animals were also extinct or barely surviving. Twenty years ago, even livestock used for experiments were now designated as protected species and couldn’t be used.

‘To think Hakyung was harmed by such creatures…’

My delicate and beautiful child.

Checking his watch, he saw that it had been about an hour since he entered the dungeon. Including the time he spent dragging them here, it had already been three or four hours since he left Hakyung’s side.

Cheonghyeon decided it was time to end this dull fight.

He gazed at the chaotic battlefield. In the meantime, one of them had lost a leg. They wouldn’t help their injured friend. Their behavior, focused solely on surviving, predicted that fact.

‘There’s nothing more to see.’

Cheonghyeon sent a wavelength command to the ‘monsters.’

-The monsters will remain ‘here.’ If new monsters are born, keep them here.

‘Here’ referred to this clearing where only they and the monsters existed. Cheonghyeon planned to personally collect the powder from those ‘monsters.’ He had missed one, but even getting five was a decent harvest.

Having organized his plan, he left the place without hesitation.

“Aaah!”

“S-save me, ugh!”

Crunch, crack, snap….

The unpleasant screams echoed faintly beyond the clearing’s boundary. Cheonghyeon shook his head with a displeased expression.

“This episode of the eating show is really unsettling.”

Next time, I’ll have to tell them to choose their menu more carefully.

He grumbled as if watching video content from beyond the screen. If Hakyung heard, he would have looked at him in disbelief, but Cheonghyeon found the joke amusing.

‘Monster eating show… intriguing?’

He was genuinely intrigued. Wouldn’t it be fun to bring an annoying guy and throw him into the monster pit?

He thoughtlessly entertained the cruel plan as he ran swiftly. His precious son was waiting for him. The child who cried, saying it hurt and was difficult, and eventually fainted from exhaustion.

Recalling the moment when his beautiful face twisted in sorrow, his heart ached.

He would never let him cry like that again.

He repeated the resolution he had made several times as he kicked off the ground.

In the distance, the dungeon entrance shimmered.

***

Fortunately, Hakyung didn’t wake up until Cheonghyeon returned. He slept deeply, as if releasing all the tension and accumulated fatigue.

The deep sleep was partly due to Cheonghyeon’s scent and energy subtly permeating the bed. Hakyung had curled up like a child on the spacious bed, lying in the spot where Cheonghyeon usually lay. Unknowingly, he had moved to a place where he felt comfortable.

“……”

As soon as he returned home, Cheonghyeon came to check on Hakyung and stood silently, leaning against the doorframe.

Seeing Hakyung asleep in his spot. The scene of him seeking protection even in his absence touched Cheonghyeon’s heart.

Beautiful. Delicate. Lovely.

Something he wanted to shower with all the affectionate expressions left in the world.

At this moment, Hakyung was just that.

He quietly stepped back out of the bedroom. After washing up in the opposite bathroom, he received a message from Secretary Song.

Cheonghyeon replied absentmindedly and put on light indoor clothes. Casual black pants with a slight sheen and a black shirt.

Having worn black clothes out of habit because of the blood since the old days, his wardrobe was still filled with black shirts and pants. The details were similar, so unless observed closely, it looked like he only had the same clothes hanging.

Ten minutes later, Secretary Song arrived with a healer.

“It’s been a while, Director Im.”

“You look well.”

“Thanks to you.”

The healer, Jo Jeongho, politely extended his hand for a handshake. He was someone who owed his life to Cheonghyeon in the past. It was during the dungeon days that Cheonghyeon barely remembered, so he didn’t think much of it, but Jeongho was completely won over by his indifferent attitude and volunteered to be Cheonghyeon’s helper. Being one of the few healers in the country and quite skilled, Cheonghyeon didn’t dismiss him. That relationship had lasted for over a decade.

“I’ve been waiting eagerly for you to call, but there was no contact, so I almost felt disappointed.”

Jo Jeongho spoke with a good-natured tone, following Cheonghyeon. He maintained a half-step distance from Cheonghyeon. Secretary Song and Jo Jeongho naturally kept that distance.

Cheonghyeon chuckled lowly.

“You’re going on and on about wanting to see Im Cheonghyeon on the brink of death.”

“Will that day ever come?”

Secretary Song signaled Jo Jeongho with his eyes. It was a hint to keep the jokes in moderation. Ahem. Jo Jeongho cleared his throat to change the atmosphere and cautiously asked.

“So, why did you call me? You seem perfectly healthy, Director.”

“My son.”

“Ah- your son is injured?”

Cheonghyeon’s F-rank son was famous if famous, and secretive if secretive. Like Cheonghyeon, there wasn’t much known about him besides being an ‘F-rank guide.’

Even low-rank espers attracted paparazzi, but none dared to follow Cheonghyeon. No matter how rare a scoop was, was it more precious than their life?

As those who tried to pry into his private life died one after another, the rumors couldn’t help but spread. Losing their lives was bad enough, but he also filed privacy invasion lawsuits against companies and individuals alike, so attempts to dig into Cheonghyeon and those around him ceased.

It could be said that Im Cheonghyeon was someone who followed the law while lightly disregarding it. More precisely, he was a person above the law. From the government’s perspective, it was extremely troublesome, but there was no way to restrain him. Every time they sent an esper unit to capture him, they were annihilated.

High-ranking government officials and Awakener Association executives concluded that Im Cheonghyeon was likely the highest rank among S-ranks. It was just that human technology was insufficient for precise measurement.

“Quiet.”

Standing in front of the door they had quickly reached, Cheonghyeon gave a warning. He even brought his index finger to his lips to emphasize silence.

“Don’t wake him up, and leave as soon as you’re done treating him.”

“Yes.”

“Secretary Song, take care of your business.”

“Yes, Director.”

As Secretary Song left, Cheonghyeon opened the door as quietly as possible.

Squeak, creak….

The sound of peaceful, deep breathing and a tranquil atmosphere filled the bedroom. Cheonghyeon stepped aside to make way. Jo Jeongho nodded briefly and moved on tiptoe.

Hakyung happened to be curled up, exposing his injury. He couldn’t lie on that side because of the pain, but Jo Jeongho clicked his tongue in sympathy and placed his hand over the injury.

“Poor thing… It must have hurt a lot.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a warm light enveloped Hakyung’s face. It was a white light that seemed to emanate only from that spot. Cheonghyeon was reminded of the light Hakyung had emitted. A light so intense it momentarily blinded his vision.

Hakyung had called it the <Regeneration> skill. Judging by his bewildered expression, it was clear he didn’t know when the skill activated or how to use it. If so, there was a possibility it could activate without Hakyung himself knowing.

As he watched the bruise gradually fade, Cheonghyeon came up with a new plan.

‘…Should I take on a teaching position?’

To observe Hakyung using his skill and also to get a sense of the school’s atmosphere.

It was a somewhat impulsive plan, but the more he thought about it, the more appealing it seemed. He unconsciously rubbed his chin.

‘But… to get a professor position, do I have to resort to threats?’