Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Time rewound to the moment Shim Young-jin had screamed and locked eyes with the examiner.

Do-jae immediately left the spot.

‘That was the test tube?’

Then he recalled the scene he had just witnessed.

Overwhelming power.

Speed, strength, destructive power—nothing was lacking.

‘How strong is he? Is he an A-rank Hunter?’

The strongest Hunter Dojae had ever seen was A-class Hunter Song Deok-hoon.

But he only saw him; he didn’t know his actual skill level.

The people he saw daily were E or D-rank at best, and now that he’s reached C-rank himself, he could only speculate.

‘But why did he run away?’

After the examiner swiftly disposed of the monster, Dojae hurriedly left the scene.

For some reason, he wanted to get away from there.

Thinking about it now, it might have been because he didn’t want to get entangled with Shim Young-jin.

But that doesn’t make sense.

Hadn’t he resolved it?

Not to harbor ill feelings toward them.

‘What on earth was it for?’

I try to recall that memory.

The memory of hearing the scream and rushing toward it.

The scene where a chunk of metal fell onto Shim Young-jin’s head.

The figure of the examiner who blocked it.

The boss monster whose body and head were soon separated.

And the expression on the examiner’s face as he licked the blood from his lips.

‘Yeah, the aura emanating from the examiner was just too ominous.’

It wasn’t about a menacing appearance or actions that were just cruel and brutal.

It was a repulsion emanating from its very existence.

It was the voice of instinct telling him not to approach.

Dojae tended to trust his instincts to a certain degree.

Hadn’t he found the magic stone almost entirely by relying on his instincts?

Even if his instincts were wrong, avoiding that test tube was still the wisest course.

There was no need to make the foolish mistake of picking a fight with the test tube.

‘This isn’t the time for this. How much is that thing you just picked up worth?’

Do-jae took out the point necklace to check.

On the way to Shim Young-jin, Dojae had come from the direction of the cliff’s upper section.

So, just as he was about to head back down, he spotted a small, glittering object.

And it was a gold coin engraved with the mark of the Suppression Army.

[1280]

‘A thousand points?’

It truly deserved to be called treasure.

Seeing how it surpassed the passing mark in one shot.

‘They say luck is part of skill.’

At least the minimum goal is achieved.

But he couldn’t stop here.

Dojae moved forward to earn even more points.

***

After the two-night, three-day survival test ended.

Receiving a call from his younger brother’s attending physician, Dojae hurried to the hospital.

“He’s improved significantly. Still, I recommend continuing mana therapy for the time being. We can move him to a regular room after monitoring his progress for about a week.”

Money is terrifying.

His brother’s condition, stagnant for years, was rapidly improving thanks to a few hundred million won.

A wave of guilt washed over him, thinking how he had made his brother suffer all this time when the treatment could have been this simple.

Squeak-.

My brother was still in the special care unit.

He’d only watched other patients his age get better each time, but soon he would be the one getting better.

“Brother’s here.”

“Bro!”

Whether it was the treatment’s definite effectiveness or not, his younger brother had gained a lot of weight compared to before.

Even so, compared to other kids his age, he was still small and thin, but to Dojae’s eyes, the difference was stark.

“I told you, right? Just three more treatments.”

“Yeah! But did my doctor change? He’s so nice and handsome!”

Do-jae chuckled.

That’s how it must look to his younger brother.

It made sense. When you make good money, you naturally have more leisure, and that means you can afford better care.

“But I need to tell you something.”

“What is it? You didn’t forget to buy Metallic Hero, did you?”

“Ah, Metallic Hero… Ta-da!”

Dojae pulls a large box out of his bag.

Metallic Hero Mark Eleven.

It’s the 11th suit of the Metallic Hero, modified for free movement even underwater.

The color scheme, perhaps meant to evoke the sea, features a blue base with white stripes in a wave pattern.

“Whoa! Bro! You know I saw this the day before yesterday? This thing lifted a ship out of the water and saved people, right?”

“You little brat, I saw it ages ago.”

“What? When? So what happened? How did he fight that guy who looked like Naga?”

“Huh? Naga? How did you know about Naga?”

In response to Dojae’s question, his younger brother pointed to the bookshelf.

There, a book titled ‘The Great Encyclopedia of Aquatic Monsters’ was shelved.

Do-jae had left a few of his books there, and it seemed his younger brother had read one of them.

“Don’t get interested in monsters. You don’t need to see stuff like that.”

“Why? Can’t I become a hunter like you once I’m all better?”

“No way!”

“Hee.”

Dojae’s stern expression made his younger brother sulk.

He had only said it because he admired and liked his brother, but Dojae’s response was so cold that he pretended to be upset.

Do-jae also realized he’d been too harsh, so he brought up the topic in his most affectionate voice.

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about… Do you want to go stay with Auntie?”

“Aunt?”

They had prepared a place to live together, and soon his younger brother would be discharged from the hospital.

But the moment he received his acceptance letter yesterday, he had to change his plans.

Because the acceptance letter listed his third choice unit, not his first.

[Acceptance Letter]

[Name: Lee Do-jae]

[Assigned Unit: 3rd Punitive Corps]

[Training Unit: 3rd Punitive Corps Training Battalion]

…….

After two nights and three days of hardship, it ended up being the 3rd Punitive Corps.

One reason I had to go to the Suppression Corps headquarters was because it was in Seoul.

If it were a commute, I could take care of my younger sibling on my own, but the 3rd Suppression Corps was too far.

Cheorwon.

The Third Expeditionary Corps was in Cheorwon, where the second practical exam was held.

I scored 4,910 points in the end, so I thought that would put me in the top ranks.

In the end, after much deliberation, Dojae decided to temporarily leave his younger brother with his aunt.

After all, being inside the expeditionary force was the only way to catch a glimpse of opportunity.

He just needed to find a way to transfer headquarters and bring him back from his aunt as soon as possible.

“Auntie will cook you delicious food and buy you nice clothes. I already told her everything.”

He hadn’t contacted his aunt once before.

After our parents passed away long ago and we lived together briefly, I stopped caring whether she was alive or dead.

The memories from that time were far from pleasant, but for my sister’s sake, I had no choice.

Of course, I had a plan.

Money.

Do-jae brought up money first in his call with his aunt.

And for the first time, Dojae realized her voice could sound so sweet.

“No! Can’t I stay with my brother?”

“Your brother probably won’t be able to come home often from now on. He might not be able to come home for days at a time.”

If he goes to Cheorwon, commuting back and forth to Seoul will inevitably become difficult.

Plus, if he goes on a subjugation mission, the time he’s away from home could keep increasing.

Punitive expeditions are a completely different matter from dungeon raids.

My younger sibling is at an age that needs someone’s care.

Even though my aunt was harsh with me, he still needed an adult around.

“Bro, I’m alone all the time anyway, right? The nurse or doctor only stays for a little while before leaving. I can just wait for you watching TV or reading comics like today.”

His younger brother grabbed Dojae’s arm.

He looked like he might burst into tears any second.

“Hyung, can’t I live with you?”

Do-jae stared intently at his younger brother.

All the past memories were replaced by a feeling of guilt, stabbing his heart.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

His younger brother smiled brightly.

Yes.

Do-jae had endured all this time just to see this smile.

***

A few days later.

There was still time left before commissioning.

In the meantime, Dojae decided to tackle the quest that had been harassing him daily like spam mail.

[Quest]

Category: Main

Content: A Great Being is watching you closely. The Great Being wishes to test whether you can fulfill its expectations. Should you fail to meet the Great Being’s expectations, you will have to surrender your heart.

Restrictions: None

Reward: The Great Being’s Recognition

Failure: Golem’s Heart Destroyed

‘Are they all so desperate because they can’t break the heart?’

A quest that outright demands a heart.

It’s enough to make me stubborn now.

No matter what happens, I vow to survive to the end and find out what this quest truly wants.

I read the final sentence written there.

[Do you accept?]

Dojae, already firmly prepared.

Even though he’d stowed everything away in his pocket dimension, making him look no different than usual, his expression alone was resolute.

“I accept.”

The moment Dojae finished speaking, his surroundings blurred.

He felt as if his body were floating.

When his feet touched the ground again, he found himself in a place completely different from before.

“A temple…?”

Before he knew it, Dojae found himself standing inside a colossal structure where a cool breeze blew in from somewhere.

Soaring ceilings and thick stone pillars that evoke a refreshing sense of openness.

Intricately carved decorations, monster paintings that seem to come to life, and even runes whose meaning is unknown.

Somehow, it felt strangely familiar—similar to that dungeon where he first gained his abilities.

Ding-.

A bell tolls, sending shivers through your entire body as its sound reverberates within the temple.

A voice, heavy yet tinged with femininity, whispers in my ear.

– I still do not acknowledge you.

The owner of the voice remained unseen.

Yet, for some reason, it sounded utterly impatient, as if harboring dissatisfaction toward Dojae.

“Are you a great being?”

Dojae asked cautiously.

The great being mentioned in the quest.

He wanted to confirm if the voice’s owner was that entity.

– Indeed. I am the one who sees through essence. I can see everything. Even your weakness.

What kind of being could utter such words?

Dojae asked once more, respectfully.

“Are you a newcomer?”

A thought that had surfaced unconsciously.

The thought that perhaps it was a god who bestowed such power and ability upon him.

It was something any human might naturally ponder.

About miracles and transcendent beings.

Yet in this world where Awakened and monsters clash, no entity worthy of being called a god had truly existed until now.

– God? Well, if that’s what you define as god, then I suppose I could be called one.

Dojae flinched in surprise.

He couldn’t help but marvel. So a god truly existed.

Awe, mystery, elation, glory…

Emotions swirled, filling his chest to bursting.

But how deceitful humans can be.

Countless questions immediately filled Dojae’s mind.

And the voice that had read Dojae’s thoughts answered.

– How foolish indeed. What do you desire? Do you seek an answer?

Why did God make me suffer so?

Why did my brother inflict such suffering?

His feelings toward God had already turned to resentment.

– Do not waver. I am not your god, weakling. I shall seal away your golems. But if you prove your worth, then we shall become your god!

Doja snapped back to his senses.

He opened the pocket dimension, but no golem emerged.

If not his god, then whose god was it?

Did the speaker mean ‘your god’ to imply religious diversity?

It didn’t seem to mean that.

Therefore, Dojae focused on one word.

‘Us?’

Could it mean there is another god?

No further answer came.

Instead, a massive stone slab rose from the ground far away.

Thud!