Chapter 36: From Here On, This Is the Wargod’s Domain (2)

“You’re going to Wargod with Lude?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Ow! Aunt!! That hurts!”

Inside the guildmaster’s office of Sanctuary, a sharp smack! rang out.

Clutching his back with a pained face, Kang Ihyun winced while Kang Sujin waved her reddened hand through the air, scowling fiercely.

“Be quiet! Do you have any sense at all! You’re the second rank in the Republic of Korea right now, and if you disappear too, do you expect me to sit and watch Baek Jangmi snatch away the high rank gates?! Do you know how many gates we had to hand over to her last week because of those Erosion Types!”

“B-But! But, ow, Aunt!!”

When Kang Sujin pulled a massager baton out from under her desk, Ihyun quickly rubbed his back and scurried away.

Seeing his aunt looking about ready to lose her reason from fury, Ihyun’s “maxed out social skill passive” activated instantly.

“A-A-Aunt! But it’s Wargod. Wargod! Huh?! Would you really be okay letting Lude walk into that den of snakes all by himself?! Huh?! Didn’t Aunt Jangmi give you any warnings at the meeting?!”

At his last words, Sujin flinched. Her hand froze in midair. Rolling her eyes, she lowered her arm and touched her chin.

“Now that you mention it…”

Sujin recalled that meeting. She remembered the sudden mention of a card from Baek Jangmi.

‘The Hermit, reversed.’

The Hermit reversed, one of the tarot cards that means “secrets revealed.” Like Sujin, Baek Jangmi never spoke without meaning.

“Fair enough, rather than sending Lude into Wargod alone…”

Strong, yes, overwhelmingly strong. But immature in mastering his heart, immature in hiding his thoughts.

If he went north, they might rip out every secret from Lude even Sujin didn’t know and come back with all of it.

Sujin turned to her nephew. He was quick witted, just like the grandfather she hated, sharp to notice things.

“Ihyun.”

“Yes.”

Sujin’s gaze was serious. Ihyun nodded and dusted himself off as he stood. With a long sigh, Sujin said,

“I’ll cut the period down to four days, including you. In exchange, do not let Lude get stripped bare by those Wargod bastards. Not even his family register.”

“Understood!”

Frowning, Sujin sat back down. Folding her arms, she told Ihyun,

“Show them that Sanctuary is not soft. Show Lude, and show Wargod.”

At her words, Ihyun bowed deeply and left the guildmaster’s office.

“…Oh, come on. Stop saying things like out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Even though his Constellation insisted it was a good thing, Ihyun looked edgy as he brushed his bangs back and pulled out his phone.

On the screen was a promotional video for the guild Wargod, the reliable public enterprise managing the northern region.

At the tail end of the video, a silver haired man flashed by. Ihyun froze the image.

“If it’s an S-rank, it can only be this guy…”

Domestic rank six, Jeong Suho, an S-rank Hunter of the Wargod guild. The number one marksman.

His epithet was Blue Bullet. His nickname was the Grand Duke of Northern Korea.

And his most famous title was the God of Battle.

Among the six S-rank Hunters in Korea, he was the lowest ranked. He was often looked down on, but reality said otherwise.

Rank did not always mean combat power.

The core of a gate was not “slaying.” It was “rescue.” Ranking wasn’t only about power, but about versatility.

The common point among ranks one, two, and three was that they were Hunters who could clear gates without causing heavy casualties.

It’s easy to kill and destroy, but saving and preserving is difficult.

Rank one, Black Illusion Lude, could perform both delicate illusion work and manifest it as reality with overwhelming spirit energy. He had countless other strengths as well, able to fight, restore, rebuild, and rescue almost entirely on his own. He was an undisputed all-rounder, number one in a way no one could deny.

Rank two, Kang Ihyun, could wield both sword skills and healing, along with the powers of several archangels.

He could battle and restore people simultaneously.

Perhaps Min Jaeyoon also reached rank three thanks to the incredible diversity of the seventy two demons under his command.

Even before combat training, he had managed to hold out inside an Erosion-infected school until the rescue squads arrived, without a single casualty. That made him one of the five most capable in the country.

Jeong Suho had none of that. He had only one thing: overwhelming force and command in battle.

And with that one thing, he was ranked six in the nation. That meant his raw combat strength was second to none.

So beyond Blue Bullet, he carried the title of God of Battle.

That matched the character of the guild Wargod so well that Suho was seen as the Hunter who best embodied the guild’s philosophy of symbiosis.

If Kang Ihyun was the face of Sanctuary, Jeong Suho was the face of Wargod.

‘And he’s Nari’s high school classmate…’

After learning that, Ihyun had agreed without hesitation to join Nari’s military duty.

[Your Constellation, Staff of Purification, asks if it’s because Jeong Suho is so strong.]

‘No. That’s not it…’

It wasn’t because Suho was strong that Ihyun had rushed to Nari’s side. It was just… just that…

[Your Constellation, Staff of Purification, shrugs and says, well, if she grew up seeing Jeong Suho’s face all the time, no wonder you don’t register.]

“Please… don’t say it. It hurts.”

It was because Suho was too handsome.

Yes. Jeong Suho was a legend for another reason. He was too handsome. This was the age of Hunters as entertainers.

Each Hunter had their own fan base.

Women especially adored the charming prince type of Ihyun, who was gentle and kind to everyone, and the mysterious, dangerous, irresistible allure of Lude.

But the one who reigned supreme among women in their twenties was Jeong Suho.

Silver hair like moonlight, blunt blue eyes, a taciturn personality.

His title as God of Battle, his constant presence in the northern regions, his scarcity of appearances, all lent him an air of mystique.

That combination made him simultaneously mysterious, disciplined, strong, and gentle, sparking endless imagination.

For women, he was the ultimate idol. Of course, he never responded to it at all, which only made them love him more.

“And I don’t think they were just ordinary classmates.”

If it were just that, there would be no reason to avoid him so much.

After all, Nari had hidden herself under the name “Lude.”

A “normal” classmate would never even imagine Lude could be Nari.

But if she was still worrying like that…

Ihyun bit his lip, sighed hard, and wore a face full of unease.

“What really was their relationship…”

* * *

Music drifted in a cafe. Nari had been banished to the next table with only a large Mont Blanc cake her father had cut for her, because her mother, father, and the adults were having an important talk.

There was a small boy the same age as her, sitting with her.

He fiddled endlessly with a toy pistol, attaching and detaching pieces.

Opposite him, little Nari stared straight ahead.

“So, you’re living with us now?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… until I finish elementary school…”

“With me? Until you graduate?”

“Um… yeah.”

The boy tightened his grip on the gun, sneaking glances at her. Mom had said he was a friend brought from an orphanage.

He’d use the empty room next to Nari’s.

“I-It’ll be fine. I won’t bother you, I’ll stay quiet in my room. And…”

His face looked like he might burst into tears at the slightest tap. Nari sighed, stabbed the cake with her fork, and held it out.

“Here.”

“M…Me? No, I’m fine, I won’t be a bother…”

“Eat it! You’re my friend now aren’t you!”

When she snapped at him, the boy gulped down Mont Blanc.

Nari stabbed another piece with her fork. He chewed and swallowed.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m… Jeong Suho.”

“Listen up, Jeong Suho. I don’t like gloomy friends like you. You’re in the room next to mine, so you have to play landline phone with me and come play with dolls every day. Can you do that if you’re crying like this?”

“I-I like playing Hunter better than dolls…”

His eyes brimmed with tears again. Nari smirked at the sight.

“Then play Hunter. I like that more actually. But it takes two people, so I couldn’t until now.”

Finally, Suho wiped his eyes and nodded.

Crackle. The screen flickered with white noise, then photos rolled past.

Photos from kindergarten sports day, walking home hand in hand in grade school, birthday celebrations where he was always there.

Beep. The Lord of Chaos turned off the screen with a remote.

They were back in the lobby of the inner world. He sighed.

“So basically, he was half your family huh?”

“After middle school, I lived alone. But… he still took care of me. After Mom died, I practically lived at his house.”

“And then he left without a word? Tsk…”

He was a friend, family, sometimes more than that.

But hadn’t her family also betrayed her? She ground her teeth.

“He’s the same as my father…”

A bond as close as family had the same weakness. Since they weren't an official family on paper, they bore no responsibility.

So after Suho left for Wargod, Nari had learned to distrust others step by step. After that, she trusted only her Constellation.

“Well, you should thank Jeong Suho at least. He brought you to me. And your big brother here is glad.”

“Are you kidding? I had a really hard time then.”

Nari grumbled, and the Lord of Chaos stroked his chin, shrugging with a sly smile.

“But you’re fine now, right?”

“…Still, if I see him again, I can’t promise I won’t boil over. Who wouldn’t?!”

Pouting, Nari looked up at him. The Lord of Chaos slung an arm around her shoulders, ignoring her glare, and spoke casually.

“Nari, you need to look deep into your feelings. Sometimes people lash out at whoever is in sight because of a completely different anger.”

“What would I even be mad about? Other than this army thing, my life’s been peaceful.”

“Well, sometimes you just get angry for nothing. For example, the season when treacherous hormones mess with you.”

Snap. The Lord of Chaos flicked his fingers. A calendar appeared on the ruined wall.

Nari’s eyes flew wide. She jumped up.

“Oh.”

“Now you realized?”

The day she was to depart for Wargod had a bright red circle.

Nari clapped both hands over her mouth in horror. The Lord of Chaos shook his head.

“You’re about to get your period.”

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