Chapter 76

As Kim Hansol relayed the detailed circumstances, the veins in her neck stood out, but she responded as calmly as she could.

"Mr. Chaya, can't you see the situation? Namgung Joon is a highly dangerous individual. I didn't expect his abilities to be this strong either."

Lee Seungwan's last memory was of Namgung Joon. If that's the case, it naturally means that Namgung Joon hypnotized Lee Seungwan.

Not only that, the sword that led to Kim Hansol's near-death was none other than Lee Seungwan's weapon. In other words, she almost died from a sword wielded by Lee Seungwan, not some unknown top-tier creature.

Kim Hansol raised the dagger stained with her blood, pointing it sharply upward.

"Namgung Joon elevated the hypnotized individual to his level. It means he successfully transferred his abilities, something I've only heard about in theory."

Chaya glanced down at Kim Hansol.

"It sounds like he transferred his abilities to the hypnotized individual, but that's not easy. It only happens when the hypnotized individual has infinite trust in the hypnotist."

His ambiguous statement left not only Kim Hansol but also Seowoon puzzled. Chaya was sniffing Seowoon's neck again. Seowoon pushed his nose away with her palm and asked what he meant.

"Since that ho-bread is Jigeun Jun's subordinate, we should take him out first. Once the rumor spreads that he was used, Jigeun Jun's gang will lose all trust."

Jigeun Jun...? Kim Hansol tilted her head even more in confusion.

"Namgung Joon."

Seowoon quickly corrected the name. That kid had even changed his two-character surname and was causing chaos.

"So, you can't just transfer abilities to anyone?"

Seowoon nodded, agreeing with Chaya's point.

"I once met another hypnotist besides Namgung Joon. I heard that the higher the affection of the target, the easier it is to hypnotize them. However, that person, being a top-tier, couldn't transfer abilities."

Most people who awakened as hypnotists tend to hide.

Many people view the ability to control others through hypnosis unfavorably. Namgung Joon, however, didn't hide his abilities from the moment he awakened. Perhaps he had even stronger abilities than expected. The ability to transfer abilities was something he had been hiding all along.

"…Ugh, my head hurts. What if… if this incident reveals that the deputy guild leader has re-awakened as a healer?"

Healers are precious, but in reality, they are treated like emergency kits. Given that Tachun already has many enemies, she was worried about Seowoon.

"Guardian of the field mice! If you want to die, come at me."

Chaya raised Matari high. Kim Hansol looked at him with a sense of disgust but reined in her gaze in front of Seowoon, who had saved her life.

"As you can see, even if things get a bit strange, we have Chaya."

"Am I strange?"

'Han Donhee says I'm really strange.'

'Looking at me makes you think so?'

He lowered his head and stared at Seowoon, just like that day.

Suddenly, Kim Hansol felt a sense of déjà vu. It reminded her of the black tiger variant that occurred a year ago. The black tiger, treating the manseong as prey, had opened its large mouth and devoured the upper body of a DK guild member. At the time, the variant's obsession with food had been eerie, but now it sent shivers down her spine for a different reason.

Could he be looking at guild members or my friends like that?

Seowoon, pushing Chaya's face away as if it were nothing, was a sight to behold. At that moment, as Seowoon's hand pushed Chaya away, their eyes met. He was smiling, but not really. He was pretending to be light-hearted while clearly keeping his guard up.

What, why me? Confused, Kim Hansol cleared her throat.

"If it's possible to re-awaken not just as a seeker but in different systems… I should pray to become a swordsman this time."

Kim Hansol made a joke on purpose. No longer wanting to stay, she picked up her dagger and headed for the front door.

"Deputy guild leader, I'll keep my mouth zipped tight."

"Yes, we should hope Namgung Joon doesn't find out."

If today's incident reaches Namgung Joon, it will be clear that Tachun's deputy guild leader has re-awakened as a healer. They had to do something before that happened.

Kim Hansol, with a venomous look, sincerely thanked them again.

"I need to go gather the kids. I'll definitely repay this favor, no matter when."

"Can I not take you to the northwest?"

"There are our kids at the intersection. Thanks for your concern."

Chaya grabbed Seowoon's arm from behind and shook it, just like when he used her unconscious body to say goodbye.

He playfully rubbed his nose against Seowoon's scalp and even nibbled on the hair that stuck out. Since Chaya was behind her, Seowoon didn't notice. Kim Hansol shook her head, saying she had seen something she shouldn't.

"Goodbye, sister."

Chaya grabbed both of Seowoon's hands and shook them like a theme park greeting.

Seowoon, lost in deep thought, remained still as Chaya did whatever he wanted.

Unlike Kim Hansol, who was convinced she had re-awakened as a healer, Seowoon still had doubts. She had the purple eyes of a mental system but had initially awakened as a swordsman. Could she have awakened incorrectly, like a doctor making a misdiagnosis? Her head was already aching.

After Kim Hansol left, Seowoon called out to Chaya, who was heading somewhere.

"You, don't go anywhere. Let's talk."

She thought he was trying to avoid her, but his destination was the refrigerator. Seowoon took the soft candy out of the bag and sat Chaya on a single-person sofa.

He opened the soft candy, sniffed it, and said, "It's a bit different," before chewing it. Seowoon sat cross-legged, facing Chaya.

"Start by telling me how you used the gate."

Initially, she was going to interrogate him due to Kim Hansol's words, but after some time, she realized it wasn't necessary. He probably had a few ugwangseoks in his pocket, given his excess.

Suddenly, Chaya peeled off the 'I like you' soft candy and put it in Seowoon's mouth.

"Did you accidentally use the gate with a ugwangseok?"

Seowoon was leaning towards that explanation.

"No, I didn't have any ugwangseoks."

Seowoon, who was chewing the 'I like you' soft candy, stopped mid-chew.

"Then?"

"After Youngil's incident, I tested with ugwangseoks. From level 3 to level 6. The black wall devoured up to level 5 ugwangseoks but spat out level 6."

Seowoon's mouth opened, revealing a white candy on her red tongue. Field mice are perverted about everything. Chaya only muttered this to himself.

"How did you confirm that?"

Chaya extended his hand towards Seowoon. His fist was full of soft candies. When Seowoon reflexively reached out, he spilled the candies.

He picked out the one with the message, "The whole universe will help you."

"I put them in the wall one by one and took them out. Only the level 6 ugwangseok remained. So, as soon as the gate appeared, I jumped in."

While Chaya was considered the best among the manseong, it was a reckless move.

"Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, I guess I was."

He chuckled and put the candy in Seowoon's mouth again.

"Because I wanted to find Cha Seowoon."

Ah, Chaya opened his mouth like before. Seowoon couldn't grumble this time. Feeling both grateful and apologetic, she peeled the wrapper and handed him the candy.

"Ah, what?"

Chaya leaned forward and opened his mouth. Seowoon, fearing he might suck her finger, quickly threw the candy into his mouth. There was no need to ask why he hadn't told her the truth before.

Since she was no longer a top-tier, he had been considerate.

If she had known this fact when they first crossed to Seoul, she would never have lent him the ugwangseok. She would have insisted on not crossing, no matter what.

He lent her the ugwangseok to protect her pride and gave a plausible reason.

"From now on, Cha Seowoon, I'll be your variant alert."

She didn't need ugwangseoks... He was really a good kid.

"This time, it's Cha Seowoon's turn to confess."

Seowoon, who had been praising Chaya in her mind, was startled.

"What confession?"

"I saw you fixing Kim Hansol."

Chaya drew out the conversation, scrutinizing Seowoon closely.

"…I don't really know. It was similar to when I first awakened."

Seowoon answered calmly, unlike when she was hiding the messenger.

"Our field mice, now a top-tier field mouse. There's fireworks on the roof; shall we have a re-awakening party?"

Chaya smiled, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey… You're strange, aren't you? Everything has been strange since we came to the narak. A lower-tier re-awakening to become a seeker, and me too…"

"Since the manseong are abnormal from the start."

True, the emergence of the manseong was strange from the beginning.

"Cha Seowoon, do you want to go to Sulawesi with me?"

It sounded like he was suggesting a trip abroad out of the blue. If it was due to the human variants, she would naturally go, worried about her uncle.

"Of course. I was planning to cross over and match the date. When do you want to go?"

Chaya leaned even closer to Seowoon. Not satisfied with the distance, he fully descended to the floor where Seowoon was sitting.

Seowoon looked at Chaya approaching her with a mix of tension and curiosity. When she slightly leaned back, he said, "There you go," and brought his lips to her ear.

He whispered as if sharing a secret.

The black wall of Namdong connects to Sulawesi.

Whoa! Surprised, she looked at Chaya, and his lips were right there.