hotmtlnovel Chapter 136
Chapter 136
The last trace of Yoo Han-ul was found around Sokcho, Gangwon-do.
Given that this area has a high density of dungeons, it wasn’t unusual that Yoo Han-ul had headed this way.
However, the problem was that the many mountains made GPS tracking difficult, and since Yoo Han-ul’s disappearance was classified, they couldn’t use many search personnel.
Normally, Han Jae-young would have brought someone like Shin Ji-eum with him, but this time that wasn’t possible.
At least, the fortunate thing was that Han Jae-young didn’t have to search this vast mountain range alone.
The meeting point he had arranged with the other search parties was the parking lot of Cheongdae Mountain.
Just as he was about to enter the parking lot, he saw a woman smoking a cigarette near the entrance.
The woman was watching Han Jae-young’s car as it entered the parking lot.
‘Still the same.’
Despite the passage of time, her eyes were still sharp and fierce, like a tiger.
Han Jae-young smiled wryly and got out of the car.
“Hello, Son Hyung-hwa Hunter. It’s been a long time.”
“Hold on a second. Let me finish this.”
Son Hyung-hwa took one last drag of her cigarette, then dropped the butt on the ground and stomped it out, finally greeting Han Jae-young.
“Yeah, Han Jae-young. It’s been a while. Was it... almost five years?”
“We saw each other at your daughter’s wedding.”
“Ah, right. Time flies, huh? I’m getting old now.”
Son Hyung-hwa said casually.@@@@
She looked like she was in her early 40s, so it was hard to believe she had a married daughter. But in reality, she had just passed her sixtieth birthday.
“So, how’s your junior doing?”
S-rank Hunters’ aging process slows down drastically once they reach a certain level.
“Oh, you know... same old. What about you?”
“I’m the same. Still a bit uncomfortable, though.”
Son Hyung-hwa smiled and showed the empty sleeve of her right arm.
Across her face, from her eyes to her lips, there was a large scar that ran diagonally, and her artificial eye had an unusual tint.
There had been 11 people in Korea who received an S-rank assessment.
Out of those, only 5 were still active as S-rank Hunters.
The rest had either died during dungeon raids or retired after sustaining serious injuries, with many of them now inactive.
And Son Hyung-hwa was one of those who had retired.
She was part of the first generation of Hunters who had fought before the system became structured.
“I’ve been retired for over 20 years, and I still haven’t gotten used to it,” she said.
It had been a long time since people mentioned or remembered Son Hyung-hwa, but in the previous generation, her name was known by everyone.
She was Korea’s third S-rank Hunter and was called the greatest swordsman.
But unfortunately, Son Hyung-hwa’s peak was short-lived.
The reason was a large-scale battle that took place about 20 years ago, known as the New York Disaster.
A dungeon break of unknown cause led to an S-rank monster appearing in the city, and since monster raiding wasn’t properly researched at that time, it resulted in the largest death toll in history.
Despite suffering significant losses, the U.S. government asked Korea to send Son Hyung-hwa to assist.
Naturally, there was strong opposition within Korea.
Why should they send one of their few S-rank talents to the U.S. for something so dangerous?
However, the government couldn’t withstand the U.S. pressure and ultimately sent Son Hyung-hwa to New York.
Son Hyung-hwa also went, saying that she would save people regardless of nationality.
And after that, the New York disaster was resolved, but the battle became her last.
She lost her right arm and left eye—fatal injuries for a swordsman.
Her golden years were so brief, and her exit was sorrowful.
“By the way, you said you were in New York recently?”
The weight of the word “New York” coming from someone like her was not ordinary.
“I didn’t just visit; I was stranded in a dimension.”
“That’s the same thing. So...”
Son Hyung-hwa gave a subtle expression as she mentioned a name.
“You must have met Estella. How’s she doing? Is she healthy?”
“Yes, she seems very healthy.”
“Good... I’m glad to hear that.”
Son Hyung-hwa ended the conversation with that.
Son Hyung-hwa and Estella.
Now, people compared Estella to Yoo Han-ul, but before Yoo Han-ul appeared, there had been a competitor in Son Hyung-hwa.
Both were S-rank Hunters, one a mage and the other a swordsman, at the top of their fields. Naturally, they were a subject of great discussion.
More importantly, they had appeared like saviors at a time when the system had just started and chaos was rampant.
However, after the New York battle, the paths of these two diverged completely.
Estella solidified her position by playing a major role in the New York disaster, while Son Hyung-hwa retired from active duty.
Now, hardly anyone remembered Son Hyung-hwa’s name.
It wasn’t strange since they had gotten close, but...
‘...I thought we were close.’
Opportunity cost.
What Jeong Da-on said yesterday vividly came to mind.
Her normally emotionless face had uttered cold, calculating words.
I knew she had a secret, but I had thought she was fundamentally good...
The words were so cold that I even doubted my own judgment.
“Jeong Da-on Hunter...”
“Isn’t it more ridiculous to bring a newly awakened person with you? What are you talking about?”
Luckily, before Han Jae-young could say anything, Son Hyung-hwa interrupted Lee Hyun-jun.
“She’s only twenty. Do you really think Han-ul needs the help of a kid like that? If he brought her along, he’d probably freak out.”
“You, as a swordsman, wouldn’t know. You don’t see many mages who can use True Speech magic right after awakening...”
Being an advanced mage, Lee Hyun-jun probably knew that Jeong Da-on was far from ordinary.
“Is it true? That kid can use True Speech magic right after awakening?”
“Alright, alright. Didn’t we say we’d stop with the small talk?”
Son Hyung-hwa interrupted Lee Hyun-jun as she picked up a prosthetic arm from the car’s wall and attached it to her empty sleeve.
“Let’s start the search again. Time is of the essence.”
Even S-rank Hunters had trouble blindly searching a mountain range without any clues.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Plus, they had to enter the dungeon, check if Yoo Han-ul was inside, and make sure there were no issues before proceeding with the raid, so it was even more exhausting.
By the time they reached the fifth dungeon, they were barely holding on without health potions.
“...I’m really getting old.”
Even Han Jae-young, a young mage, was tired, but Lee Hyun-jun, an older mage, was even more exhausted.
He found a suitable rock and collapsed on it.
“Even over sixty, should I be doing this?”
“What’s sixty in this age of hundred-year lifespans?”
Son Hyung-hwa, who was the same age, chuckled.
“Anyway, mages are weak... We only have one dungeon left in Cheong
dae Mountain. Let’s wrap this up.”
“...Just a little more rest.”
“Even now, we don’t know where Han-ul is and you’re complaining? Stop whining... wait.”
Son Hyung-hwa’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
The sun was setting fast.
The mountain had become pitch black, except for the lantern Han Jae-young was holding.
Rustle!
Someone was stepping on leaves.
Son Hyung-hwa furrowed her brows.
“Is it a hiker? No entry after dark.”
“Could be a raccoon or wild animal.”
“Hyun-jun, you still can’t tell the difference between human and animal footsteps? It’s a person.”
And the footsteps were getting closer.
“...If it's a lost hiker, this is a problem. Should we escort them to the bottom of the mountain?”
“None of your business. Call a helicopter and charge them.”
“Let’s just watch for a moment. Jae-young, shine the light brighter. Let them come this way.”
Han Jae-young reluctantly agreed, even though he agreed with Lee Hyun-jun, and shone the lantern brighter.
Hearing the light, the footsteps came closer.
“Hmm? That kid...”
Son Hyung-hwa, who had been standing at the front, frowned.
“I’ve seen that face recently.”
It was true.
Han Jae-young’s eyes widened when he saw the girl walking up from the dark mountain.
If he had seen a ghost in the mountains, he wouldn’t have been this shocked.
“...Jeong Da-on?”
It was Jeong Da-on.
She had said she wouldn’t risk her life to save Yoo Han-ul and was planning to enjoy the weekend, didn’t she?
“What are you doing here?”
“Can’t you see?”
Jeong Da-on responded with her usual indifferent expression, as if she didn’t care about Han Jae-young’s astonishment.
“I’m just having a nice weekend.”
That was an incredibly cheeky thing to say.