Chapter 39

The Matahari (Sun) given by my uncle was a sword that suited Chahaya better than me. Why did my uncle give it to me instead of Chahaya? Now, it has become a sword that is too precious for me.

"Chahaya."

"Uh-huh."

The ice cream was all eaten, leaving only the plastic lid.

"I miss Uncle."

As Soon's lips pouted, Chahaya let out a hollow laugh.

"Why are you so nostalgic? I didn't know Uncle had passed away."

The guild leader of Tachun was not a Manseongjong. When Chahaya, a Chosangwijong, was not affiliated with any guild, many guilds tried to recruit him, and even the Variant Disaster Control Center joined in, urging him to work for the country. Uncle had a plan.

He founded a guild so that Chahaya could live as he pleased. There was no law that said a regular person couldn't found a guild, and many people joined just to be with Chahaya, the guild's figurehead.

The reason the Manseongjong guild members couldn't treat Uncle casually was because of Chahaya's background. Then, last winter, Uncle suddenly left for Indonesia before the first snow fell.

"Hasn't the funeral been over for a while? When is he coming back?"

When Soon heard that Uncle's parents had passed away, she felt a bit down.

"Maybe around the year after next?"

"…What?!"

Soon jumped off the railing.

I thought that after the funeral, Uncle would take a couple of months to sort things out and come back. He had transferred all the guild's decision-making authority to me, but I thought he would take it back soon.

Now, with the guild shrinking and me in a dire situation, I thought he wasn't in a hurry to return...

"Why is he staying so long?"

"Didn't you hear the story?"

"I heard he would come back after the funeral."

He looked awkward.

"Well… Uncle is from the Toraja tribe."

"What's that?"

"A tribe in Sulawesi. You probably haven't heard of it."

"Tribal?"

When Soon said "Ugau," moving her hand up and down, Chahaya couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not as developed as the Korean countryside, but it has everything it needs. Ugau? Are you crazy?"

He chuckled several times as he spoke.

The Toraja have a unique custom called Rambu Solo, where they don't immediately hold a funeral when someone dies. Instead, they place the body in a building.

Since many water buffaloes are needed for the funeral, they treat the body as if it were still alive until they can gather the funds.

Uncle said he wouldn't return until he could provide thirty water buffaloes on his own.

"Why do they need water buffaloes?"

"They are animals that guide the souls of the dead."

"Then wouldn't one be enough? Why do they need thirty?"

"The more they sacrifice, the better."

Soon's eyes widened.

"…Sacrifice water buffaloes?"

"Yep."

"Alive?"

"We also capture variants alive, don't we? I caught Cha Soon alive."

Chahaya took the remaining plastic from Soon's hand, which was slightly open.

"At least a few hundred people participate in the funeral. They need that many water buffaloes to feed everyone. It might seem cruel to you, but it's a well-calculated custom. Food is abundant now, but it wasn't in the past."

"Why don't you just give him the money?"

"It's about honoring the deceased, so he has to earn it himself. And I don't have money."

"I said I was sorry. Are you still holding a grudge…?"

Bringing up the money issue was a mistake.

"Where are you going?"

When Soon asked, "Don't you know?" she continued.

"Variant hunting?"

Soon pointed to Chahaya's scar.

"That's part of it. I also went to Korea through the gate."

Chahaya laughed mischievously.

"Did you donate all your wealth?"

***

<Northwest Tunnel, the 6th-level variant is a hormone-disordered hen and a Zhuque-level.>

What's a hormone-disordered hen?

Soon, sitting in the back seat, focused on the Messenger's words.

<It is expected to appear in about three hours.>

Soon looked at her wound-up wristwatch. In about three hours, it would be around 5 PM.

Today, a week after defeating the 6th-level variant, Soon informed the guild members about the tunnel expedition. By then, Yuchan and Abdulraziz had believed that Soon had reawakened as an animal with good instincts, similar to Saecheol. They seemed to like her more than before. The Messenger didn't impose restrictions unless directly asked about Messenger-related matters.

Kangsan was driving, Chahaya was in the passenger seat, and the other three were squeezed into the back seat.

Abdulraziz had said he would take care of Yeongil and join later, so they didn't mind. They hadn't seen Yeongil since he went diving, but he was a wanderer, so it wasn't a big deal. They just needed to meet him before entering the tunnel.

"Looks like the variant will appear around 5 PM today?"

"Chik!"

Soon easily ignored Han Donhee, who had turned into a mouse.

"It's a chicken variant, probably Zhuque-level. Kangsan and Yuchan, don't attack until I give the signal. The two Chosangwijong, fight as you see fit. As I said, we're going to act like we owe DK a favor, got it?"

In other words, don't immediately deal with the variant when it appears; wait until DK is in a tight spot and then appear like a ray of light.

"Chik!"

"Little Han Donhee doesn't know moderation."

Chahaya scolded her without turning around.

"Chik-chik-chik-chik! Chik-chik-chik! Chik!"

Han Donhee jabbed at Chahaya, saying something to her.

"Rat, interpret it."

"Crazy brat, stop making nonsense and do your best."

"Chik."

Han Donhee nodded, agreeing. Yuchan laughed strangely. Their laughter was always bizarre.

"Hey, you became a hero in Korea, right? You pretended not to, but you're a show-off."

Han Donhee, back to human form, grabbed the headrest Chahaya was leaning on.

"I didn't know you had so much money, Chahaya. Chosangwijong are really rich."

"Bro, if you were going to donate, why not to our guild? Is that how all Chosangwijong make their money?"

Kangsan and Yuchan chimed in.

"No, this brat is particularly rich."

Han Donhee, sitting in the middle, leaned back against the seat. As soon as he filled the space, Soon was pushed all the way to the door. Whether the splint was effective or it was just a bruise, her injured arm quickly healed.

<If I had shouted, "My person, I will protect!" at 100 decibels, it would have healed immediately.>

It seems to include myself, but would I do it?

"Give and take."

Chahaya clasped his hands in front.

"Damn, did this brat work hard to earn it?"

"Hard work is for Han Donhee, not me. It came naturally."

Chahaya had donated about 350 billion won.

Honestly, Soon didn't know the brat had accumulated so much wealth. And to donate it all without a second thought...

Moreover, he didn't distribute it but donated it all to one children's support organization. The donor's name was "Elephant Rat."

Since he didn't specifically ask for it to be kept secret, the children's support organization immediately revealed that "Elephant Rat" was Chahaya. Soon couldn't add any comment to Chahaya's crazy behavior.

Just a crazy guy. No, a crazy guy who did a good deed.

I have money too, but could I donate it all?

It would be almost impossible. Moreover, I need to pay Ukwangseok for the gate fee, so I can't sell it and get the money.

"From here, we'll move on foot?"

Kangsan parked the car about 1 km from the Seora Department Store. Soon checked her wristwatch again.

"Yeah, walking from here should be fine."

As they opened the car doors, the air that had been blocked by the big guys cleared. While the others put on their hats, Kangsan locked the car.

Chahaya, who had been scanning the surroundings, suddenly drew his sword. Before anyone could ask, he cut a branch from the cherry tree above his head. He split the leafy branch in half and stuck one in each ear.

"Cha Soon-style camouflage."

The other guild members looked at Soon, their eyes asking if it was really necessary.

"Chahaya, why did we bring hats?"

Of course, Chahaya, without a hat, was wearing a mask.

"First-class Chahaya, here I come!"

Han Donhee teased, saying the things in his ears looked like flowers.

"From now on, let's split up. I know the way, so I'll go separately. Who wants to go with Chahaya and me?"

I'll go, Kangsan raised his hand. It seemed perfect. If he and Han Donhee were together, they might cause trouble and destroy a few buildings in the northwest. Yuchan was intimidated by Chahaya.

"Then Yuchan and Han Donhee will go with me. Chahaya, you go to the Seora Department Store side, and I'll go to the broadcasting station side. The meeting point is where we started climbing before, right? After dealing with the variant, we'll also meet up with Abdulraziz and Yeongil for maintenance."

"Yeongil?"

Kangsan, the driver and the last to join the car, was puzzled.

"What?"

"How is Yeongil coming?"

"How is he coming? He's coming with Abdulraziz."

"…But, Yeongil is dead…"

Soon's team all widened their eyes. Many gazes, as if asking what nonsense, were directed at Kangsan.