Chapter 176
[It's the egg of Kamish!]
Suho made a puzzled expression as he looked at Beru's startled face. "Do you know that name?"
[Of course I know! Kamish is...]
Beru all the sudden began speaking passionately as he told Suho about the red dragon, Kamish.
After hearing the story, Suho nodded. "I see. It's the egg of the dragon that my father met when he was young."
[Yes. Back then, Kamish was one of the prisoners of war. He was captured by the rulers during the fight. It seems that this is the egg Kamish laid before going to war in this timeline.]
Listening to Beru's explanation, Suho felt strange. "It might be."
'I wonder. Would it be possible for the dragon born from this egg to become the Dragon Emperor's successor?'
Suho, who was closely examining Kamish's egg, naturally had no choice but to come up with this thought. Looking back at the series of events he had been through, the probability of that happening was very high.
Laura, who was listening to the conversation between Suho and Beru, then conveyed to Suho what Cha Hae-In said while handing over Kamish's eggs. "Cha Hae-In nim suggested you put this in the Shadow Dungeon."
Suho nodded. "I think that would be for the best." After Cha Hae-In found this egg in the Tomb of the Dragons, she thought a lot about how to handle it. It would be a waste to break something so valuable, but it's a pity to just leave it in its original place too. Eventually, what she came up with was Suho's Shadow Dungeon. It also seemed that no matter what kind of monster would be born from this egg, it would be safe if it hatched in the Shadow Dungeon. So this was the best idea.
"Thank you for telling me. I will make sure to take care of this egg, just as my mother said." Suho immediately thanked Laura, who then opened the second bag she had brought.
"These are the high-level essence stones (1) you asked for last time." At the same time, a different color appeared in Suho and Beru's eyes. Surprisingly, the number of high-level essence stones in the bag was not one but—
"You got three?"
"Yes. Of course, it wasn't easy. The number of high-grade essence stones on the market is so small, the bidding competition was a bit fierce."
This was the second year of the Cataclysm.
The Hunter industry was still in the early stages of development, so there were plenty of things to develop, which means there was always a thirst for resources due to the lack of it. In particular, the high-level essence stones that hunters retrieved from dungeons are truly rare among rare items. They were frantic to take from each other in the field of science or the hunter industry the second they are released on the market. So, of course, the price wasn't cheap in the least.
"It must have been very expensive, but thank you very much."
"Don't mention it. This is nothing compared to the price of our boss' life."
Laura promised to bring more again if she ever finds a higher level essence stone.
"…And now, this is the real topic I wanted to discuss with you about." Laura slightly turned her gaze with a firm expression and looked at her subordinates who were currently entering the office of the Woojin Guild. As if they had understood in advance, the Scavenger Guild employees left the office.
"From now on, all of what I'm about to say should stay confidential, as it holds some sensitive information that must not be known to the outside world."
"Mhm, my guild members agree to not disclose it."
"All right."
Lim Do-Gyun and Esil were all of Suho's guild members, and they weren't the ones who would go around talking about secrets. Rather, Suho caught Lim Do-Gyun getting scared and secretly trying to follow the Scavenger's staff.
"Hyung, I think you should listen to this."
"No, I don't think I should..." Lim Do-Gyun was feeling insecure as the scale of Suho's activities on which he was active these days had gotten out of control. However, there was no way to escape this because Lim Do-Gyun was in charge of most of the work except for the battle.
Meanwhile Esil sat next to Suho with an indifferent face to the subject.
Suho plugged the USB that Laura had first handed over into his laptop and Laura explained the rest by displaying the video files in the data on the screen.
"Please take a look at this video."
"Christopher Reed?"
The face that appeared on the screen was Christopher Reed, an American S rank hunter who had been killed by Thomas Andre.
"This is the material we found during our investigation at the time. Apparently after Christopher Reed awakened as an S rank hunter, he started receiving psychiatric counseling regularly."
True to Laura's words, in the video, Christopher Reed was having a conversation with a psychiatrist.
-…I don't know why my heart is so empty these days. Maybe the other awakened feel this way too?
He looked quite tired, and the counselor opened his mouth with a look of incomprehension.
-Christopher, the other awaken I've consulted feels the exact opposite of you. Everyone gets drunk with the full power and feels a sense of exaltation.
-But why am I the only one feeling this way?
-Well… You may feel insecure when you hit a huge jackpot that is too much for you to handle. If you gradually adapt to your strength, you may be okay.
-You mean it's because I became an S rank hunter? That I feel like I've won the lottery all the sudden? But sir, these feelings are a little different from that.
Christopher Reed spoke out about his feelings with a serious expression on his face. Laura showed Suho the videos where he had been receiving periodic consultations in order. Most of the conversations that took place in that consultation were similar.
- Sir, I am still anxious. I think I'm too weak.
- Why did you come to think that way? Chris, you are an S-rank Hunter.
-I don't know. Even though I've definitely become the pinnacle of hunters, I feel weaker than before. I want to become stronger.
"….."
While watching the videos, Suho exchanged glances with Laura with a firm expression. Laura nodded and said. "You're correct. The emotions he felt are exactly the same as our boss was feeling not too long ago."
In the meantime, Christopher Reed's counseling videos continued in order in the video. Most of the content was there.
- Sir, I want to become stronger. No, I think I can become stronger. But I still don't know how.
- Sir, I've been thinking about it. Maybe there is a huge potential hidden in me? S rank or higher?
-Sir, I...
All the sudden, in a certain moment, Christopher Reed's expression while receiving counseling began to change into a confident one.
-Sir, I think I've found a clue to becoming stronger.
-That's good news Chris. But what is that method?
-That… It's a secret, so I can't tell you, but it works! If I use the method 'they' taught me, I can definitely become stronger.
- Who are they?
"They?" Suho also had doubts.
Tik.
In an instant, all expressions disappeared from Christopher Reed's face at the question the counselor gave him.
Chills.
His eyes had become devoid of any life. Christopher Reed, who had always come with a blank and depressed face, was now making a completely different expression. Then, looking straight into the camera lens that was recording all the counseling process so far, he slowly raised the corner of my mouth.
- I don't…think I can answer that. If I were to do that… I,ll… Thank you, sir–
Click.
Upon stopping the video, Laura elaborated. "…After that counseling, he was never seen again. Instead, he bought a luxurious mansion and began living in pleasure."
It was common for hunters to live spoiling themselves until their heart's content. It was the ordinary behavior of the nouveau riches that have existed in a long history, transcending gender or age. However, Laura, in a way, after intensively investigating Christopher Reed's natural cours, had found something.
"However, many of the people who were invited to visit his mansion have gone missing."
"Heuk! Missing?! Could it be murder?" Lim Do-Gyun asked with a frightened expression. Laura shook her head slightly and replied.
"No, If it was murder, it would just be murder, but after researching it, it looked like there was more to it. A large amount of Stardust was found in Christopher Reed's mansion."
"Stardust? Actual Stardust?"
"Yes, that's right. It's a magic booster that's quite widespread in Korea too." After hearing the unexpected story, Suho's gaze immediately turned to Esil. Originally, Stardust was a magical power booster developed by lower-level demons in the process of imitating a Bloodstone, the exclusive property of demon aristocrats.
Esil nodded with a firm expression. "It seems that there are demons in that country as well." In a way, it was natural. Even at this moment, the demon world was still torn into many pieces, wandering through the dimensional rift. From a global point of view, the fragments of the demon world could not have been connected to only Korea by a dimensional rift. If this was the case, there was a high probability that a Demon Factory also existed in the United States, or to be exact, all over the world.
"A Demon Factory… I know quite a bit about Stardust. Although, rather than Stardust, our boss had a different reason for killing him."
"…?" Laura turned on the next screen. It showed one picture. The interior of Christopher Reed's ultra-luxury mansion, which has now disappeared after being destroyed by Thomas Andre. It was a picture taken by a brave journalist who risked his life to sneak in and take it.
"… According to the reporter, at some point Christopher Reed seems to have fallen into a strange cult."
"A pseudo-religion?" Suho asked with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. The very next day, the reporter suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth without any knowledge of his whereabouts. He's probably dead, but we recently found a note from the reporter."
Click.
Laura turned to the next page. Immediately, the words he left behind appeared on the screen.
[Outer God] (2)
Suddenly, everyone's eyes widened, including Suho.
"The Foreign Religion." (3) Laura looked at the word with a heavy expression as she opened her mouth. "They seem to be calling their religion by that name."
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1: It took way too stupidly long to find out this was an essence stone and not a runestone. Kinda reason for the delay.
2:The name is written in English
3: Could also be translated as The Outer God Religion