LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 284. Dissolution (3)
“I can’t help but think I mistakenly targeted the wrong person this time.”
“……!”
“Well, living in a world where nothing is absolutely certain, I still wonder deep down if someone might be a monster.”
“That……”
“Shooting a beast that mimics humans so perfectly is a sin in its own right. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Kang Chang-ho turns to face him as he finishes his sentence.
“And this might not quite be an apology for the misunderstanding, but—”
He brings over the remaining documents he had placed on the drawer next to the hospital bed.
The surface is rough.
Brown, like soil.
Thick.
This is a material Kim Gi-ryeo had seen before.
In the Hunter industry on Earth, it was an artifact known as the Knight’s Pact.
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Contract Details
1. Kim Gi-ryeo transfers all rights to his body to Kang Chang-ho effective upon reaching the age of 34 (January 1, 20XX (GMT+9) 00:00), and Kang Chang-ho will not use the transferred rights for any purpose other than activating the Enhancement Heart.
+
Of course, it was now just ordinary parchment since the effect had already worn off.
Kang Chang-ho shows the artifact he had kept as a party to the promise.
Zziiik.
Moreover, by tearing the original in front of the only related party, he visually declared his intentions.
“The promise ends here.”
Kang Chang-ho has officially abandoned the use of the Enhancement Heart.
“What?”
“Not only for the ten-year period but for life. Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter will not be targeted as a sacrifice again.”
“……”
“The compensation that I should receive is gone. Naturally, I have no obligation to follow you around as an S-Class talent anymore.”
You don’t mind, do you?
“Anyway, you’ve already recovered quite a bit of your abilities, haven’t you?”
The patient looks at Kang Chang-ho blankly.
The one wearing Kim Gi-ryeo’s skin soon shouted in disbelief.
“No, wait. Are you really just going to abandon that contract so easily?”
It was shocking to see someone’s attitude change completely in just a few hours.
However, contrary to the Great Mage’s thoughts, Kang Chang-ho had anticipated this situation long ago.
In fact, the contract they made was structured to indefinitely delay full implementation.
“…I originally planned to let you live if I felt like it.”
After a moment, Kang Chang-ho’s somewhat blunt tone came out.
“As you can see from the Knight’s Pact, there’s no deadline for when I have to use the transferred rights.”
“….”
“If I decide to use the Enhancement Heart after four days, just that alone can extend the lifespan of the sacrifice indefinitely.”
The large Hunter shrugs and continues his nonchalant explanation.
“It was a clause designed with various situations in mind.”
“Huh.”
“But then, the Hunter in question ends up performing exotic tricks nearly every day…”
Clink.
Kang Chang-ho tosses the torn parchment fragments into the hospital trash can as he speaks.
“Honestly, before I had any doubts because of Justitia, I was inclined to let you live for a few years just for kicks.”
The man who always wore a smile now had an unusually calm face.
“But now, I’m done. I’m just tired of it all.”
“….”
“Interesting fun only lasts a day or two. How can I keep watching someone who constantly drenches themselves in their own blood for years to come?”
He shook his head, displaying such behavior.
“I want to.”
He turns his oddly slit-eyed gaze towards the window, looking at the pine trees briefly.
“I want to live only seeing good things.”
An unexpectedly ordinary thought for someone with a terrifying dragon’s eye.
“So it seems I need to get rid of you, Kim Gi-ryeo, right in front of me.”
“Ah.”
“Sorry for rambling. Anyway, to conclude, I’m just going to stop being that nice guy who played the fool.”
“Wait, really?”
“I’m not going to worry about the Enhancement Heart anymore since I recently got a substitute anyway…”
Kang Chang-ho once again firmly declares the termination of the contract.
Uh-oh?
But for the alien, this situation was nothing short of astonishing.
Actually, he had gotten overly confident based on guidebooks he had seen in his previous life.
Could it be because of that?
A mistake he thought was dumb ended up saving his life.
Looking back, the various declarations he had confidently made began to take on a different meaning, intertwined with changes in the dungeon’s layout.
All those statements he had made to mock the trapped enemy were forcibly redefined by the deep wound in his heart.
“Um, then what about the fact that I hid the contract being voided…?”
Kshhh.
In the fortunate turn of events, Gi-ryeo cautiously asked, wondering what would happen if the other party changed their mind again.
However, just poking at it lightly yielded a very firm response.
“I just said the contract is terminated, didn’t I?”
“…!”
“In that case, I won’t hold you accountable for the Knight’s Pact we made. In this rule-of-law society, who would ask for a penalty after already ending a promise?”
Kang Chang-ho turned his gaze back to the patient.
“Additionally, I’ll stop monitoring you from today on, which you despised.”
“Huh?”
“Your appearance is just too irritating. Quite frankly, I can’t promise to completely ignore that magical fluctuation, but…”
“Magical fluctuation?”
“I’ll try my best to ignore it.”
What a neat conclusion.
“So, I’m warning you, don’t interfere with my life again. If you meddle recklessly, I’ll truly kill you then.”
That might seem a bit excessive, though.
“Let’s both live our lives without bothering each other. Okay?”
“Just a minute. Uh, then. Lastly, I could craft that skill stone I mentioned before…”
“Forget it. By the way, I already maxed out the skill stones I’ve got.”
“Huh?”
“What? Kim Hunter. Didn’t you know that Awakened beings can only acquire a maximum of 20 skill stone techniques?”
“…Uh, uh, no. Of course, I knew that.”
“Hmm.”
“But I just thought, it seemed certain that we’re on the same side now… So I wanted to help. How about exchanging information regarding Gate monsters?”
“I’d rather not.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how you learned about things, you could never know more than I do unless you’re that monster yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
“If we lay our cards on the table, one side will end up worse. Besides, to be honest, I don’t really want to dive that deep into Gates…”
“Excuse me?”
“The problem is that there are suspects within Korea. Honestly, jumping into dangerous situations out of boredom is no different from diving into boiling water, Kim Hunter.”
A moment of silence passed.
The S-Class Awakened, leaning against a locker near the bed, nodded silently before speaking.
“Anyway, you agree to terminate the contract, right?”
Immediately, Kim Gi-ryeo replied eagerly.
If it meant resolving the restriction on his lifespan, then he was very much in favor.
“Got it.”
It was then.
The Third S-Class Hunter of Korea, perhaps still curious herself, suddenly asked a new question after hearing the patient’s response.
“Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask. When did you become aware of your condition?”
“Huh?”
“I was just wondering when you figured out what was wrong with your body.”
Honestly speaking, if he could remain so calm even after seeing a diagnosis, it was obvious that the symptoms had likely existed for a while.
However, this time, the conversation flowed in a direction Kang Chang-ho had not anticipated.
I originally intended to reveal again that I was an alien and explain that the diagnosis had no correlation with actual lifespan…
Anyway, the other party seemed to have already decided to let the sacrifice live, so was there any need to stir up new complications in this positive flow?
“Um.”
This wasn’t Alphauri.
So, since he couldn’t formulate a life outline to trick an Earthling, the Great Mage soon responded.
“I first thought there was something wrong when I was about 21.”
To be precise, he revealed the truth as much as he could.
“And shortly thereafter, I was bitten by a dog-like monster on a winter day and awakened. That was the definitive moment I realized. I kept coughing up blood in my phlegm.”
The patient couldn’t deeply empathize with why Kang Chang-ho was curious about such information, but he thought silence wouldn’t benefit the peace they had just achieved, so he just shared the actual experiences of the one who owned Kim Gi-ryeo’s body.
“Um?”
However, when Kang Chang-ho heard this, he widened his eyes in surprise.
“Not even a year, but a full four years? Then you could’ve just gotten a thorough examination back then.”
To recognize lung issues before an awakening and still miss the treatment opportunity seemed rather foolish from a third-party perspective.
Kang Chang-ho found it hard to understand.
“I would have liked to have received a comprehensive exam, but unfortunately, the circumstances didn’t allow it.”
“What circumstances?”
Yet, as with all lives, he had reasons.
“I was broke.”
It was so painfully obvious.
Now it felt almost tiresomely familiar.
“Really.”
“……”
“I only became free from financial burdens after becoming an Awakened. When I was just scraping by, paying 10,000 won for a doctor’s visit meant I’d sometimes have to live on just water without any side dishes.”
“……”
“Even when my body was acting weird, the thought of going to the hospital… well, it just didn’t cross my mind. But anyway.”
The ghost that had taken the skin of Kim Gi-ryeo wandered through memories.
Initially, he thought he simply had a cough from the smoke of cigarettes.
Furthermore, being so young, he didn’t think he could possibly have a chronic illness, which led to the mistake of procrastination.
“It was when I became certain that I had already awakened, so working it out by myself yielded no answers. Yep, I’m just now remembering this.”
He briefly outlines the life of the true owner of the name Kim Gi-ryeo.
“Hmm.”
Unless you’re lucky enough to be born as the child of a business tycoon in the steel industry, can you really find a young person without money in this world?
The sorcerer from the binary star system thought his relayed circumstances were not particularly noteworthy.
Yet, upon hearing the story, the man with purple hair seemed to have come to a judgment.
After a considerable silence, he finally spoke.
“Kim Gi-ryeo.”
Kang Chang-ho made an unexpected suggestion.
“I have something separate to promise, unrelated to the contract termination.”
That promise had already caused him considerable stress over the changing seasons, so he instinctively shrank back.
However, what Kang Chang-ho said next was something not too bad for the alien.
“I will, when you need it, provide help for any sort of issue regarding Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, just once.”
Why the sudden change?
“Of course, only within the limits of my abilities. If you start asking for an elixir or something ridiculous, I’ll block your call.”
Gi-ryeo genuinely did not understand and inquired back.
Free labor? Why would someone make such a nice promise here?
But the response he received was half-hearted.
“Just.”
It was simply something he felt like doing.
“This time, I owe you more than just the torture.”
“Owe?”
“In the dungeon, you took the hit for me. Your head didn’t take any damage, did it? Have you already forgotten this?”
“……”
“Honestly, I’m not the kind of person who can’t live with debts. But sometimes, like today, I want to balance the books.”
An indecisive S-Class. Now that he thought about it, such a phrase could be quite formidable.
No, what on earth is this elixir…
Kim Gi-ryeo mumbled the same words to himself as he couldn’t comprehend some term that had come up in their conversation.
However, Kang Chang-ho had now said all he needed, and he prepared to leave the hospital room indifferently.
He gathered his car keys and wallet, which he had taken out with the documents.
Rustle.
To think this tedious fate would come to a close.
“Wait a moment.”
Just then, the blond Awakened called out to the mammal as he was about to leave the room.
After various complex conversations that had somewhat faded in authenticity, one could confidently say Kang Chang-ho, had indeed pitied his contractee enough to change his mindset entirely.
Even I, the soul of inertia, could recognize that much.
Of course, the contractor hadn’t intended that at all.
Nonetheless, it was clear that Kang Chang-ho had concluded that Kim Gi-ryeo had sacrificed himself on his behalf.
Moreover, the diagnosis obtained by pressing the doctor had quite an influence on the situation.
So then.
“But, have you ever been told that you have a lot of sympathy in your life?”
Gi-ryeo asked this to the back of the other party’s head.
He hadn’t expected the contractor to have such a true nature, and it was a question that arose out of curiosity.
Have you ever been told that you’re full of compassion?
Whoosh.
The mammal turned his head at that remark.
Kang Chang-ho slightly raised his arched eyebrows.
On one hand, it seemed he was trying to recall if he had ever experienced such a thing in the past.
On the other hand, a fleeting look crossed his face as if he was fascinated by someone daring to ask such a thing.
But whatever it was, the result remained the same.
Drurrr, thud!
Kang Chang-ho ignored the patient’s words and left the hospital room.
That Great Mage just said a mammal was hopeless…
sigh.
As the guest’s magical energy faded,
Gi-ryeo sank into the bed, leaning back comfortably.
Well, anyway, it wasn’t that meaningful of a question, so what if it got brushed off?
Ultimately, what mattered was that the weaker party survived. Thanks to this Earthling’s choice, the sorcerers had finally come to a resolution.
Contract termination… so be it. There’s no other way.
He decided to abandon the previous plan of using Kang Chang-ho’s body as a vessel to kill him.
This left him with a light conclusion.
*
…No, to be precise, this should have wrapped up nicely like this.
Thud, thud.
A few minutes later, it happened.
“Kang Chang-ho!”
In the VIP Ward of Seoul Neo Hospital, someone burst through the elevator doors to confront Kang Chang-ho.
With black hair and a red sword.
An appearance that no modern Korean could possibly miss.
Jeong Ha-seong was on the first floor of the hospital.
Moreover, not alone, the lobby that should have been full of common people was now eerily filled with police.
“Ah.”
Only then did Kang Chang-ho remember something as if a light bulb went off in his head and checked his phone.
─I’ll be in the hospital on the Daehung Road for a while, so if you want to talk further, come over.
This was the content of a conversation he had had with Jeong Ha-seong not long ago.
“We just talked a little while ago, and you’re already here…?”
“Come outside quietly right now. Don’t resist. Thanks to the support from the Neo Sisters Foundation, most of the building’s occupants have already evacuated. I warn you, if you escalate things further, there will be no turning back!”
The attitude of the national hero was as cold as ice.
He even drew his blade, which could cut if it merely brushed against something.
What sort of gruesome act was this in a place that should only deal with sacred medical tasks?
“Hmm.”
In contrast, however, Kang Chang-ho remained relatively calm.
Because he had already foreseen such a situation when he exited his hidden sanctuary shrouded in barriers.
“Never thought I’d see a Hunter flipping a politician’s scandal upside down just to cover their own issues! Hey! What sort of reverse-thinking was that?!”
Soon, the emergence of a new S-Class Hunter was observed from not too far away.
Kang Chang-ho turned his head to check on Esther’s departure.
“If there’s a problem with Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter’s safety, then it’s a legal matter!”
The Magic Tower Guild Master shouted.
It seemed that intimidating a newspaper editor to divert public attention was of no use anymore.
“Well……”
But to Kang Chang-ho, this was not a matter of a public relations battle.
In the past 24 hours alone, they had committed myriad crimes that, on paper, would take at least three lines to compile, including a building terror incident and ongoing kidnapping charges.
While the brawl in the sand was one thing. Getting investigations tangled over the events of the weekend is a whole different level…
Kang Chang-ho rested his chin in his hands and thought this through.
Yet, his contemplations didn’t last long.
He had already considered a solution.
“Everyone, just calm down.”
Kang Chang-ho raised both hands to show his palms facing upwards.
A gesture of surrender.
At that moment, he shouted.
“I’m sorry!”
His tone was surprisingly confident.
“Of course, if a person commits a crime, they should be arrested. Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll stop pouring money into the media and go to the police station right now.”
“?!”
“And I will acknowledge all the violence I’ve inflicted on Jeong Ha-seong Hunter and aim to provide the best compensation, so keep that in mind.”
To think that someone who had hidden so thoroughly would suddenly act so submissively.
It seemed a tad excessive to merely be trying to meet the criteria for a lenient sentence through confession.
“Hey! Police officers with Awakened powers in the back! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and put cuffs on this criminal!”
But there was hardly enough time to be surprised.
Given what then transpired, this was really nothing compared to what was to come.
.
.
.
A few hours later.
“Patient, please slide your body back towards the rear of the bed for a moment. I’m bringing in your meal tray.”
“Ah, okay.”
Morning time in the hospital.
The service in the VIP Ward was practically akin to heaven.
The room is spacious, the temperature and humidity are perfect, and furthermore, the meals delivered at mealtime were ambrosial, balanced, and nutritious, so Kim Gi-ryeo was relaxing in the paid room just a bit longer.
Wow, the meals here are akin to a lavish seven-course feast.
Upon glancing at the advertising pamphlet nearby, he noted that the ward was operated by chefs who came from a five-star hotel. It wouldn’t hurt to sample the food before he left, would it?
Perfectly seasoned mackerel stew.
Seasonal vegetables.
A beautiful soybean paste soup that would likely cost at least 50,000 won if ordered from a hotel.
Gi-ryeo licked his lips as he looked over the appetizing side dishes.
Let’s watch some TV while eating.
And this was why money was fantastic.
This room even had a high-end smart monitor installed on the wall.
The blond man used the remote control to turn on the news as usual.
However, just a few seconds after switching on the screen,
“……”
When some text scrolled across the bottom of the YTV Channel,
He found himself unable to put a spoonful of food into his mouth and froze in place, unable to move.