Bright blue flames exploded in succession before his eyes. Before James Whitaker could even react, the man stretched his hand out. Despite how light and playful the action seemed, James could neither avoid nor resist it. James was grabbed by the throat and lifted in the air.
“Keuk, kuhuk….”
“Tell me, which wicked person on this land dared you to do such a thing? You cannot even fathom the kind of existence Shin Jiho is.”
The man handled James, whose face had turned crimson red, like a toy. His voice carried a rhythmic charm, echoing like a funeral march across a bloody battlefield.
With Ryu Dae Geon in his arms, Jiho stared at the two men in a trance as if he had been bewitched by a fox.
The person grabbing James Whitaker’s throat is someone Jiho couldn’t have even imagined to see here….
Yang Hojin.
No Name Guild’s C-rank healer, Yang Hojin. That Yang Hojin who stutters bashfully and always appears weak.
But only the man’s outer appearance resembles him. Even though his facial features and figure are the same, there’s something so different about the current Yang Hojin from the old “Yang Hojin” that Jiho almost didn’t recognize him.
His slightly bent posture had straightened, and instead of the usual intimidated atmosphere around him, he was oozing a haughtiness as natural as though he had been born with it. Just these alone makes him a completely different person.
Yet the most crucial differences are those on Yang Hojin’s body. The long, sharp nails on the hand gripping James’s throat. The triangular ears poking from his hair. And Jiho doesn’t know how, but the nine fluffy tails sticking out behind Hojin.
Gumiho.
Though he looks like the legendary animal, Jiho finds it hard to believe.
“H-hunter Yang… Hojin?”
“Ah.”
Hojin frowned at Jiho’s trembling voice. He seemed to increase the force in his hand as James quickly lost consciousness and fell limp. Hojin tossed James aside and approached Jiho.
“Th-that person….”
“Don’t worry, I tied him up. More than that, it’s not good to endure pain… are you alright?”
“Uh….”
Hojin’s tone had completely changed. Though he’s still not very loud, his tone was low yet clear when he questioned Jiho, and it didn’t sound like his words were swallowing each other.
Stunned by the striking shift, Jiho couldn’t answer. Hojin let out a frustrated sigh.
“Are you still enduring the pain when you’re in such a sorry state?”
“Ah….”
Only then did Jiho frown at the faint twinge of pain.
The reason Jiho didn’t hesitate to block the attack for Dae Geon is because of his skill, [The Happy Prince].
When Jiho sacrifices himself for someone else with this skill, not only does Jiho momentarily not feel any pain, but abnormal stats are recovered while it’s activated as well. Thanks to this, Jiho was cured of the poison and he could focus.
His original plan was to tank the attack with [The Happy Prince] and use that moment of clarity to run away, but….
“Do not move; stay still. For I will heal you.”
Jiho obediently turned around as if he had been entranced by Hojin’s voice. Hojin began to heal Jiho’s back with [Heal], which is much stronger than Jiho remembers it being. After healing Jiho’s back, Hojin treated Dae Geon’s injuries too.
Can he really trust Hojin? Jiho was worried, but now that [The Happy Prince] has worn off, it hurts too much to run away.
On top of that, he was originally going to run away using [Treasure Chest from the Dragon Palace], but….
Status
| Name | Yang Hojin |
| Occupation | Guildmember of Mireu, Guildmember of No Name |
| Rank | S |
| Title | Man’s Best Friend Fox Who Repays Grace Revolutionary Guardian of Freedom and Equality Born Actor 1000-year-old Gumiho Fox Immortal Secret Agent Kidult Hunter |
| HP | 2207 |
| MP | 3701 |
| STR | 1520 |
| AGI | 2472 |
| Skill | Disguise ( SS ) Essence Absorption ( SS ) Fox-Fire ( S ) Charm ( S ) Dual-Cultivation ( S ) Space Warp ( S ) Mixed Spell ( A ) Divine Sorcery ( A ) Heal Spell ( A ) |
According to his occupation, Yang Hojin is part of Mireu Guild. There’s no need to run because even if he does, Jiho will just end up right in their nest.
“Are you reading it?”
Jiho’s heart shook erratically at Hojin’s light tone. As soon as their eyes met, Hojin’s eyes turned round. He truly looked like a fox.
“I know you can read it.”
Hojin’s low whisper chilled Jiho. Did Hojin purposefully disguise himself as “Yang Hojin” because he knows that Jiho can read system windows? If something like that is possible…. Can Jiho really trust in his ability to see the system?
When Jiho hastily attempted to run away, Hojin grabbed him tight. Then he swiftly brought his gleeful face in front of Jiho’s. Jiho and Hojin’s faces were too close.
“Shin Jiho.”
“…Are you really Yang Hojin?”
Hojin smirked at Jiho’s confusion before changing his expression. Into the face of the “Yang Hojin” that Jiho’s used to.
“B-but I-I am Hojin…. Do you not believe me? Well, since I’ve… lived 1000 years d-doing a lot of d-disguising, and t-this kind of acting….”
His voice gradually decreased in volume before cutting off. His expression full of fear instantly returned to his confident one like he switched TV channels. Hojin released his hold on Jiho and shrugged.
“Like that. Sorry for tricking you? It wasn’t for a bad purpose.”
“But w-why are you speaking so casually?”
“I might look like this, but this body’s lived 1000 years. Do you feel unpleasant that I speak casually to a clump of blood like you?”
“No…. That’s not what I meant.”
Jiho thought of dropping honorifics too, but he frowned. What’s important here isn’t the fact that Hojin could be his grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather… anyways, it’s not that an immensely old man is speaking casually to him.
“Spy.”
“Sorry for tricking you?”
Hojin shamelessly apologized at Jiho’s voice laced with betrayal.
“But I am not your enemy. Mireu Guild and I merely approached you for the greater good.”
The greater good.
A perfect excuse. After all, it’s hard to argue when they say they tricked him for a bigger, more important purpose.
But still, as the person who was tricked, Jiho isn’t happy. Planning to hit him if the reason isn’t anything special, Jiho glared at Hojin.
“What is Mireu Guild’s purpose?”
“It is to prepare for the catastrophe that is to fall upon this world.”
“Do you mean through the guild’s activities? If that is the case, you could’ve told me and asked to work together….”
“No, not that. The story’s a bit more complicated and older than that.”
Jiho can tell that the story is going to be long. Didn’t Hojin say he’s lived 1000 years? It’s even one of his titles: [1000-year-old Gumiho]. If even he says that the story’s old, it can’t be anything simple.
“Instead of doing this here, should we go home? I’m worried about the injured.”
“W-whose house?”
“Your house if you are fine with it.”
“…”
Jiho considered it for a second before shaking his head.
“It’s probably a mess over there. If there is a hotel nearby, let’s go there.”
It was an attack in the middle of Gangnam. There’s no way no one else noticed it. Normally, Jiho should be there to lead the scene, but….
Jiho picked up his ringing terminal and sighed.
This is more urgent. If Hojin disappears, he won’t be able to get an explanation, leaving today a mystery.
Hojin grinned at Jiho’s words before lifting Dae Geon onto his back.
Looking around the clean room scattered with concerning things, Jiho sighed.
Ryu Dae Geon is unconscious on the large bed, James Whitaker is tied up on the floor, and someone can be heard showering from the bathroom.
In an attempt to calm his raging insides, Jiho drank large gulps of water. The bathroom door opened.
“Are you not going to wash up?”
Jiho glanced at Hojin, who had come out of the shower wet and in a shower gown. After arriving here, Hojin unhurriedly took a shower for 30 minutes.
“I am fine.”
Having finally calmed his churning stomach, Jiho wasn’t planning to get up from the sofa anytime soon.
As soon as Jiho brought up moving, Hojin had put Dae Geon on his back, picked up James Whitaker, and stuck Jiho under his arms before teleporting.
Information
| Space Warp (Lv. 10) | |
| Rank | S |
| Description | You fold the land and run. Finding the energy that flows through mountains and fields, you fold them. You can fold up to 1km of space at a time, but you cannot teleport to a place where energy doesn’t flow. |
Although Hojin’s teleportation skill was incredibly fast… it was too disorienting for normal humans. While Jiho’s doing better than Dae Geon, whose face is still green from being moved like luggage, Jiho’s condition isn’t that good either.
However, as the user of the skill, Hojin looks not only fine but full of energy. Since he basically exposed himself instead of being exposed, it seems that he feels no guilt either. Hojin’s leisurely appearance is extremely infuriating.
“You’re done with the urgent calls?”
“Yes.”
Since it happened in No Name Guild, of course people called Jiho. Even though Jiho apologized for being unable to go there right away and he arranged for other people to take care of it, he doesn’t feel at ease.
“Then please hurry up and explain. I have to return.”
“It is difficult to rush this story. I understand your impatience, but… since I’m not sure there will be another chance, I believe I must tell everything before you go.”
If he’s unsure that there’ll be another chance, does that mean he’s planning to run away? Jiho raised his chin like he was challenging Hojin. Hojin’s eyes curved into a smile as he began.
“This is an age-old story. Before humans became the humans they are today. A story when us spirits and divine beings were still small in number and weak.”
The 1000-year-old fox carefully told the story from many thousands, and even tens of thousands of years ago.
“Those who can see into the future are rare, but they have all confirmed the same prophecy. One day in the distant future, a large catastrophe will bring despair and wipe out everything on this land. Though this catastrophe can be neither avoided nor delayed… we can prepare to fight and beat it.”
Having said this much, Hojin slowly took a sip of water. He was giving Jiho time to think over his words. Seeing the solemn look on Jiho’s face, Hojin smiled in satisfaction as he continued.
“We can’t just sit around and wait for the end to find us, right? That’s why those with power have been preparing for the catastrophe to strike for an unfathomable amount of time. They collected fragments of the prophecy and wandered around this planet for evidence to identify the catastrophe that is to fall and how that catastrophe can be prevented….”
Hojin’s gaze grew deeper as if he was tracing the past. He let out a low sigh.
“There was no progress for a long time. But upon entering the 20th century, we were able to quite accurately predict the catastrophe’s nature. Well, it’s more like the catastrophe became possible to see as it drew closer than us discovering it.”
“Is that catastrophe the fissures?”
“That’s right. The fissures. A breach in this world’s defenses that allows invasions from other worlds.”
And the monsters and dungeons that come through that gap appear to prey on this world. The parts consumed by these beings from other worlds become a land that can no longer be called Earth. A land that’s on Earth but not Earth.
“However, there’s no way this star would let it happen. Isn’t that why it passed that prophecy to those with power? This star cultivated plenty and increased the population while at the same time… creating, as other worlds have done, a single being to face this catastrophe.”
“A being to face this catastrophe…. Do you mean the boss monsters in dungeons?”
“Exactly. The person who appeared to face this catastrophe is the Earth’s administrator, the purest soul that this world has spent centuries making just for this moment. An administrator who shares the same fate as the Earth. That is you, Shin Jiho.”
“…”
Chills ran through Jiho’s body. He feels embarrassed to hear this straight to his face. Jiho wants to disregard such a nonsensical story, run away, and report him, but….
Unfortunately, what’s tragic is that he can feel himself being convinced.
LaZ Bird Corner
Lore? ʚ^..^ɞ ʚ^..^ɞ ʚ^..^ɞ
A little note: Yang Hojin talks casually, but he mixes in older words and speech patterns. Jiho switches between informal and formal speech (he’s getting used to the dynamic-shift).
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