HG | Chapter 38

“Han Hee-gyeom!”

Hakyung shouted the monster’s identity as if screaming. Why is he here?

The appearance of Han Hee-gyeom was so sudden that it made Hakyung’s resolve to ignore him as much as possible seem pointless.

He was dumbfounded. How did that guy manage to show up everywhere he went? He didn’t have any foresight-related skills, as far as Hakyung knew.

Unaware that Cheonghyeon had thrown Han Hee-gyeom’s gang to the monsters, Hakyung found this situation bewildering. The fact that he appeared as a ‘monster’ in Haegakryeong was a huge shock.

“You….”

Hakyung almost asked what had happened but quickly swallowed the question.

‘What’s the point of asking now?’

What’s done is done.

“Hmm…. This is unexpected.”

Meanwhile, Cheonghyeon found the situation intriguing and his eyes sparkled.

Is that ‘Han Hee-gyeom’?

The ‘thing’ that resembled Han Hee-gyeom in appearance and speech was a monster no matter how you looked at it. While it was familiar for a human to turn into a monster, it was the first time he saw one retain a human form and reason.

“What did you do, Hee-gyeom?”

What did you do to cause such a unique phenomenon to manifest in you?

Cheonghyeon called out to Han Hee-gyeom, but it was Hakyung who flinched in surprise.

“D-Dad…. Do you know Han Hee-gyeom?”

[Of course, that bastard knows! He’s the one who made me like this!]

Han Hee-gyeom, who had been enjoying their surprised reactions, suddenly flew into a rage and thrashed about. Hakyung instinctively leaned back.

“Ugh.”

‘Disgusting.’

When he got agitated, black veins suddenly bulged on his pale skin. His face, neck, arms—everywhere on his skin, black veins stood out, making him look extremely repulsive.

Of course, there was something he couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he wanted to.

“What did Dad do…?”

[Your dad turned me into this-!]

“Hee-gyeom, you shouldn’t be so loose-lipped.”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

It was a mess. The dull sound was faster than Han Hee-gyeom’s mumbling. Hakyung’s body suddenly lurched forward, and his vision spun. Cheonghyeon had leaped forward and swung his fist without a word of warning.

After regaining his dizzy vision and checking on Han Hee-gyeom, he saw that the guy’s mouth was gone, preventing him from speaking. Instead, he was glaring with murderous intent, but the black veins marred Hakyung’s aesthetic sense.

“Hee-gyeom.”

Cheonghyeon sat down on Han Hee-gyeom’s upper body. Thanks to Cheonghyeon supporting him from below, Hakyung avoided touching the guy.

“What did you do to the monster?”

Monster? You mean the giant monster, right?

Hakyung held his breath and perked up his ears. He didn’t realize he was clutching his father’s chest tightly, resting his head on his broad back.

“Your friends… it seems they were all eaten.”

Having deduced that much, Cheonghyeon looked up. Whether it was because the ‘commander’ was captured by the enemy or because no orders were given, the horde of monsters that had gathered in black had stopped at a distance.

It was a scene that clearly showed who was causing the ‘monster wave’ and how the monster rush and wave were triggered.

Ultimately, it was the ‘boss-level’ higher entities that controlled the monsters. While it was unclear what Han Hee-gyeom had done, it was consistent with the idea that he had at least risen to the level of a mid-boss.

For Cheonghyeon, killing someone was tediously easy. But now, he wanted to delve into the phenomenon that piqued his curiosity. It was more than simple curiosity; he had a hunch that he had to find out.

“Let’s do it this way.”

A good idea came to mind.

[……!]

Cheonghyeon struck the lower jaw of the monster that was trying to regenerate. Han Hee-gyeom’s eyes widened with bloodshot veins. The black veins wriggling indicated he was in pain.

“If you answer my questions honestly, I’ll let you activate the monster wave.”

“……?”

Hakyung secretly tilted his head at the tone that seemed to be doing a favor. If it was a monster wave, it meant dealing with all those monsters endlessly… was he misunderstanding something?

Hakyung watched the one-sided abuse scene over Cheonghyeon’s shoulder. The guy who had constantly tormented and harassed him couldn’t even move in front of his father, even as a monster. It was as expected, and he had genuinely wished for this situation, even dreaming about it, but witnessing it firsthand felt different.

‘Dad… doesn’t lose to anyone.’

His steadfast belief grew once more.

“How did you become a monster and control the monsters… no, never mind.”

Cheonghyeon stopped mid-sentence and rubbed his chin.

‘If this guy is a monster, wouldn’t it be easier to brainwash him and make him talk?’

That seemed like a much faster method.

If brainwashing didn’t work, he could think about it then. But if his guess was correct, it would be better to use him as nourishment for growth rather than just killing him.

“Child, how’s your stamina right now?”

“Um, well… it’s better than before.”

“Can you guide?”

“A little….”

“Then let’s practice a bit.”

“Huh?”

D-Dad…?

Cheonghyeon dusted off his hands and stood up. For Hakyung, it was a disjointed development. Why was the flow shifting to guiding in the middle of interrogating Han Hee-gyeom?

“It’s dangerous, so let’s take this off first.”

[Kyaaa!]

As soon as he stopped punching, the guy’s mouth regenerated, and he let out a ghastly scream. Cheonghyeon had just torn off the guy’s arms.

The guy had regenerative abilities. Sure enough, like his mouth, new arms began to sprout with a squelching sound. The size of the area made the process slower, but they would soon grow back as good as new.

“Let’s stop the regeneration first. Child, want to use your skill here?”

[Shit, get lost! Get lost! I’ll never leave you bastards alone. Never, kyaa!]

Cheonghyeon stomped on the monster’s chest and turned the half-grown new arms into powder. The whites of the guy’s eyes, bloodshot, gradually turned black. The scream was bizarre, proving he was a monster. Just as a cat’s hiss couldn’t fundamentally come from a human vocal cord, it was a sound from a different species.

Even though it was his father’s command, Hakyung hesitated. Until now, he had used his skill by connecting with the target through some medium or touching them directly. That meant he had to touch a part of the guy’s body.

‘I don’t want to.’

Do I have to touch that with my hands? Absolutely not.

When faced with extreme situations, humans devise all sorts of ways to escape. Hakyung’s mind began to race.

‘Isn’t there a way to use the skill without touching it?’

Even if there wasn’t, there had to be. While his father could make things disappear by touching them, he couldn’t.

While his eyes darted around in confusion, he suddenly noticed the powder on the ground.

‘…Powder?’

What used to be Han Hee-gyeom’s arm.

‘Didn’t Dad just move that powder with a glance or gesture to make things?’

But was the use of monster powder limited to just shaping things?

It didn’t seem so. In reality, its utility was limitless, but his father might not use it because he didn’t need it, or he might not use it because he didn’t want to show it to him.

During the last practice, Hakyung had activated his skill without directly touching Jang Yuseong. At that time, there was a balance controller between them. Why had the skill activated without contact then? The answer was simple.

‘Wavelength!’

The realization hit him like a wave.

‘Right…. It was because the wavelength connected. The skill didn’t activate where I touched; it recognized the target and detected the status abnormality when my wavelength connected with it.’

It was the same principle as guiding. The skill had a separate name and required an activation phrase, so he had mistakenly thought it was separate from guiding an esper.

“Child, are you ready?”

Hakyung emitted his wavelength without further ado. Just as an esper could use the byproducts of their abilities without touching them, he was confident he could too.

The horde of monsters gathered. Han Hee-gyeom stood at the forefront.

It was like the many days when they had come in groups to torment him.

“…I knew it would come to this.”

Hakyung muttered to himself. Perhaps it was a moment he had always wished for. Secretly, he wanted to eliminate them with his own hands.

Whoosh—!

“…Hakyung?”

[Grk….]

Cheonghyeon, who was pressing down on the guy with his foot to prevent him from moving recklessly, paused. The wavelength spreading from Hakyung was unusual.

As he suspected, Hakyung felt as if he were having an out-of-body experience, his senses floating. It was a situation where his previously closed field of vision suddenly opened up to the distant horizon.

‘Wow….’

It’s far.

Is this what an S-rank’s field of vision is like? It felt like, besides the eyes barely detecting objects right in front of him, countless eyes were stuck in the air, exploring the distant ends of the earth and conveying sensations to him.

‘Refreshing….’

The range covered by the undulating wavelength wasn’t much different from an actual S-rank. While he couldn’t be sure it was precisely ‘S-rank level,’ seeing Cheonghyeon’s golden mirage shimmering nearby made him realize his skill had evolved.

‘The skill is evolving more and more.’

By now, Hakyung couldn’t help but notice. The more time he spent in the dungeon, the more he used his skill, the more he grew in real-time.

Hakyung’s field of vision extended beyond the area where the monster horde gathered. It was on par with sharing Cheonghyeon’s field of vision. Not realizing this was ‘ability resonance,’ Hakyung missed Cheonghyeon suddenly clenching his fist.

“Child, don’t go too far.”

Hakyung snapped back to reality at the touch tapping his father’s bottom.

‘He knows everything….’

He’s not a three-year-old distracted by a butterfly. Is this why his father can’t take his eyes off him and can’t feel at ease?

Thinking it made sense, he gazed into the air. The system window that had been floating for a while was waiting for the caster’s acceptance.

※Status Abnormality※

An abnormal phenomenon is detected around the caster, activating the <Regeneration: Recovery> skill. To which target would you like to apply the skill?

▶Haegakryeong-8th Zone

▶Haegakryeong-Commander

▶Haegakryeong-Monster Army (Select)

“Huh? Select?”

This time, there were three options. The last option was a form he had never seen before.

The system, recognizing Hakyung’s question, displayed a small explanation window next to the main window.

▶Haegakryeong-Monster Army (Select)

1. Monster Unit

2. Archiril Unit

3. Sekion Unit

……

14. Total Unit

‘This is it!’

He had a rough idea of what scene would unfold next. Hakyung watched Han Hee-gyeom, who was wriggling like a bug, and clearly recited.

“Monster Army, Total Unit.”

[Shit, you! You damn slut, I should have torn your pussy apart for sticking with your dad, but I can’t close my eyes with regret!]

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Han Hee-gyeom’s resistance intensified. As he reached out to grab Hakyung’s ankle while pinned by Cheonghyeon.

[You, you damn…!]

A light wave, similar to when he resolved the monster rush, spread like a tsunami. The light that erased and purified everything in its path.

It was the power of regeneration that Hakyung possessed.

‘You’re the same until the end….’

It had been a school life he had endured with difficulty. If he had known he had such power, he wouldn’t have had to endure the guy’s vile actions.

His feelings were mixed. Half relieved that the detestable guy was finally gone, half disappointed at how easily he was dealt with. And a bit of regret for not joining his father in dungeon conquests sooner.

Even while being dismissed as just an F-rank, if he had only honed his strength properly….

Hakyung embraced his father. The solid body. The one who raised him, protected him, loved him, and even awakened his power was standing tall like a shield before him.

“Haha… My child is strong.”

Cheonghyeon laughed heartily, as if he could see everything even when he couldn’t see anything.

“It’s worth feeding Dad’s strength to the child. Growing so well.”

The man who expressed pouring all kinds of bodily fluids into him as giving strength lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his shoe. The monsters were all swept away by the light wave, leaving his soles feeling empty. Hakyung had purified even the commander.

‘I wanted to find out how he retained his reason, but it’s a pity.’

But seeing his son so happy, any regrets quickly washed away. The new possibilities seen through Han Hee-gyeom’s case were more than enough harvest.

After the light wave receded, a new system window greeted the two of them.

《 SYSTEM 》

You have defeated the commander. The commander’s command authority is absorbed by the boss monster. The fame of the one who defeated the commander echoes throughout ‘Haegakryeong.’

《 SYSTEM 》

The boss monster awakens from its slumber.

It hears the fame of the one who defeated the commander, ‘Im Hakyung.’

《 SYSTEM 》

The boss monster shows interest in ‘Im Hakyung.’

《 SYSTEM 》

It examines the purified area.

Ding, ding, ding.

A series of system windows lined up, covering the air. The joy of having repelled the monster horde again was short-lived. Hakyung called Cheonghyeon with concern.

“Dad….”

“Yes. It seems the one with a heavy bottom has finally woken up. We’ll see its precious face soon, won’t we?”

“Aren’t you worried?”

This revealed that the boss monster also possessed exceptional intelligence.

Taking a human with reason as its subordinate, granting command authority, then reclaiming it, assessing the damage as soon as the command authority returned, and showing interest in Hakyung—was this the thought process of a ‘monster’ driven solely by instinct?

It was too seasoned to be just a monster. It had to be assumed that it could communicate with humans, and combined with its combat abilities, it wouldn’t be as easily dealt with as Han Hee-gyeom.

Most importantly, wasn’t this boss monster the one even Cheonghyeon couldn’t defeat?

Gulp.

Hakyung unknowingly swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and waited for Cheonghyeon’s answer. He was anxious. He had been on a winning streak all day, so he had become slightly complacent, but this was ‘Haegakryeong.’

A dungeon that once plunged Korea into its worst crisis.

“What is there to worry about when my guide is clinging to my back?”

Cheonghyeon laughed brightly. The sound of air escaping, like hearing a funny joke, resonated pleasantly.

“Oh. There is one thing I’m afraid of.”

He took a step toward the east. It was the direction where the monster lair, which he would have invaded last, was located. His hideout was there.

In hindsight, it wasn’t far from where he had released Han Hee-gyeom’s group. If Han Hee-gyeom had barely managed to survive by sacrificing his friends, he likely used that place.

Cheonghyeon unconsciously licked his lower lip.

“I’m afraid that now that our child is strong, he’ll pretend not to know Dad….”

“Why, why would you worry about that….”

Hakyung opened and closed his lips like a goldfish. It was the most unnecessary worry in the world. Cheonghyeon probably meant to convey that Hakyung’s worries were unfounded, but it made Hakyung’s heart drop.

Are you worried I’ll abandon you? Hakyung tightened his arms around his father. Didn’t he see the hands holding onto him now?

He went further and wrapped his calves around his lower body. Clinging with both arms and legs, he expressed his determination not to let go of his father.

Cheonghyeon suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Oh dear, Hakyung….”

His tone was embarrassed. Hakyung hesitated for a moment about whether to release his legs. It was a different reaction than he had expected. When he felt uneasy like this, it usually led to strange situations.

Grab.

“Eek…!”

A strong grip caught his ankle, which was hesitating to go down. Hakyung’s shoulders jumped in surprise.

Swoosh, swoosh.

“Ah, ah…!”

Father!

The moan that couldn’t be put into words faded between his teeth. Fortunately, he succeeded in withdrawing his hand. Hakyung closed his trembling eyelids and pressed his forehead against his father’s shoulder.

The one who had wrapped his hands around Hakyung’s ankles rubbed his foot against the center of his lower body.

“Haa… Hakyung. Dad really tried to hold back, but… you started it first, child…?”