Chapter 280. Side Story   - Change Pt. 5

The training ground where the exams for Hunter registrations were held was unusually noisy today.

“What?!”

“Is something going on?”

Seeing the crowd of people, more and more people flocked to the area.

It had been a long time since the Hunter Registry had been this busy. Hunter registration was a process that could happen at any time as long as the Association was open. Moreover, since new Hunters usually were nothing big to look at, most Hunters didn’t pay any attention to them. The only people present were scouts from each guild who were watching quietly for talent.

However, something strange was happening today.

“That manager is Kim Su-Yeong!!”

“I heard that Kim Su-Yeong had become that person’s manager before he even registered!”

A would-be Hunter had come to register with Kim Su-Yeong.

“They said that he knocked out the examiner with a single hit!”

“What??!”

“Don’t you have to be at least B rank to be an examiner?”

It was said that during his registration test, the man next to Kim Su-Yeong had defeated the examiner with a single attack. A rumor spread quickly, and to everyone’s horror, Hunters were still gathering en masse.

BOOOMMM!

Then, all of a sudden, it sounded like the building was collapsing.

“What’s going on?!”

“Are we being attacked?!”

There was no way that a well-known Hunter was attacking the Association. Nevertheless, the sudden change was more than enough to confuse the Hunters. Then, at that moment, the dust fell, and everyone could see what had happened.

“W...what the fu...!”

***

“Ha...haha...hahaha...” Lee Jun-Kyeong smiled awkwardly.

Crack!!!

Even as he smiled, the walls continued to crack.

The walls of the training center had been created through intense research and technological development. Despite that, a crack was riding up the side of the wall.

“Th...there’s no way!!” shouted a Hunter at the registry office in astonishment.

“The training center was made with A-Grade Monsters in mind!”

As he said, the walls of the training ground were so hard that most Hunters couldn’t even scratch them. Although they were said to have been created to block the attacks of A-Grade monsters, in reality, the walls were sturdy enough to block even the attacks of S-Grade monsters to some extent.

The Hunters beyond the glass wall shouted as they looked at the walls meant to contain the strongest of monsters.

“It’s been destroyed just by wind pressure??!”

“Um...ha...hahaha.... Well...”

Lee Jun-Kyeong smiled awkwardly again and scratched his head. He hadn’t done this because he had wanted to.

An examiner had shown up asking to test his spear skills. Thus, all Lee Jun-Kyeong had done was raise the spear to settle into a stance. However, the wind pressure emitted from the movement of the spear flung the examiner and broke the wall.

“...”

Kim Su-Yeong glared at Lee Jun-Kyeong as if he was embarrassed.

–Didn’t you say that you liked just being quiet?

More than a month has already passed since Lee Jun-Kyeong had returned, and during that time, he had done nothing.

‘It looks like you want to just live quietly.’

Thus, his companions and those who knew him had thought that Lee Jun-Kyeong, who had obtained unfathomable strength, had just wanted a quiet life. Therefore, they had thought that he would only show moderate strength during the registration process.

–This...is a little excessive.

Even Kim Su-Yeong shook his head as he sent a voice transmission.

“That’s not it...” Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as though he was being unfairly characterized in his own way. “I really... I was really just trying to make a stance...”

Although it just sounded like he was making an excuse, Kim Su-Yeong quickly blocked his voice from spreading with a wall of mana. The one under the most stress right now was Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Tremble.

As he slowly looked over the devastation, his hands were shaking. Only then did Lee Jun-Kyeong understand why this situation had happened.

‘There are two reasons.’

The first was that it had been a long time since he had released his power. He hadn’t considered his own growing strength, which was growing even at this very moment. That was why he had completely failed to control it.

The second reason was a little more nefarious.

‘Are you seriously going to be like this, Surtr?’ Surtr was upset because Lee Jun-Kyeong was holding a different spear and had secretly lent Lee Jun-Kyeong its power. The result was what was shown.

“Ugh...”

The examiner, who had collapsed, was still unable to come to his senses. Already, there were plenty of Hunters outside.

“Hunter... Kim...?” The clerk at the registry office seemed to need an explanation.

“...”

However, even Kim Su-Yeong didn’t know what to say.

–You’ve made too big of a mess this time.

Not only were there so many gazes watching them, but everything at the registry office was also recorded on video. If Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted to live a normal life, then he could already have been considered to have failed.

“Huh???!!!!”

At that time, there was a commotion among the crowd again. The Hunters moved in perfect order as those who had gathered just to watch began to split apart and make a path like trained soldiers.

Thud.

It felt as though just the sound of the approaching footsteps was making the building vibrate. The Hunters held their breath as the Hunter at the registry office lowered his head, eyes widened in surprise.

“...!”

In the midst of that, the Association President Odin walked, approaching the training center.

“Odin...”

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at him with sunken eyes before being able to see who was walking next to him. Surprisingly, he saw other people he recognized.

“Dear Brother!”

Horus.

“You’ve really made a big one this time, Mr. Lee.”

Liu Bei.

“...”

And even Heimdall, with a bewildered expression on his face. The three of them were heading towards the training center alongside Odin.

“Lord Horus’ brother...?”

“Is Association President Liu Bei speaking formally to him?”

Because of those who had just arrived, a more significant confusion began to arise.

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong had already gone beyond smiling awkwardly and was now freezing like a stone statue.

“...”

'Why?'

That question continued to revolve around his mind. Just why on Earth were they all coming toward where he was?

‘Why are they letting others know that they know me??’

As Kim Su-Yeong had originally assumed, Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted to live quietly. His life could be considered long by some or short by others. However, all would acknowledge that his entire life had been marked by struggle. After his return, Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted to live differently than before.

The only reason he had gone to register as a Hunter had been so that he could clear gates from time to time, either for entertainment or to help the family budget. However, he couldn’t understand why Horus was smiling too heartily as he looked at him.

“Hahaha!!”

“...”

Fortunately, at least Heimdall had kept his mouth shut as if he knew what Lee Jun-Kyeong was feeling. All eyes focused on him as that person approached.

‘Odin.’

Nothing had changed from before. He was still a handsome middle-aged man with an eyepatch over one of his eyes. Even his title was still Odin. Considering that the current Hunters had to earn their titles themselves rather than be given one by the Sponsors, he seemed to have had a great connection with the title Odin from the very beginning.

Odin walked closer as the Hunters around them fell silent at the sudden appearance of the Association President and other equally big figures.

“What’s all this fuss about?” he said in a cold tone. It was just like before. This was definitely Odin.

“Well....”

The registry office employee ran to Odin and began to explain. Although the explanation was short, Odin’s face clearly showed interest.

“Oh, ho?”

Although the person before him seemed to be acquainted with Horus, Heimdall and Liu Bei, Odin seemed to be even more interested in the fact that the person had shown such incredible skills for a rookie Hunter.

Scritch, scritch.

Lee Jun-Kyeong scratched his head and turned slightly to the side.

“Could I ask you for an explanation?” Odin said to Horus in a polite voice.

‘He really is different from before.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t forget to keep an eye on Odin during the entire time. This was their first meeting after he had regressed. In the past, Odin had been someone who had stood on the opposite side.

Horus opened his mouth and responded nonchalantly, “Isn’t it obvious? Lee Jun-Kyeong is my brother.”

"Brothers...?”

“Since he is my brother, it is natural for him to be strong. He is someone I acknowledge even more than I do myself...!”

Although Horus was beginning to talk more and more excitedly, after looking at Lee Jun-Kyeong’s and Heimdall’s gazes, he quickly shut his mouth.

“Ahem.”

‘Why has he changed like this?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked even more flustered. His companions had obtained their memories of their past lives a very long time ago. Of course, he understood that some of them had their personalities changed in the process.

That was especially true for Horus. Even when he had met him a month ago, Lee Jun-Kyeong had realized that Horus’ personality had changed to a surprising degree.

His bandaged appearance was the same. Despite that, it felt as though his personality had become both familiar but also lighter and more easy-going than before.

‘Still, this is a little too easy-going, isn’t it?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head.

“Brothers...?”

“Exactly! Siblings! As I said, he is the dear brother of I, the great Horus of Egypt!”

By this point, the water had already spilled, and Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn’t help but sigh. Then, he regretted leaving his house.

“Because of Mr. Lee, Korea will prosper forever.”

Even Liu Bei had to be stopped...

"Shit...” Heimdall cursed at the situation that had already occurred.

Liu Bei, China’s new General Secretary and the Association President of the entire Chinese Association, had suddenly said something like that—if any random Hunter had said something like that, it would have been dismissed as a joke or nonsense. But for him to do so...

“What on earth is this!?”

“Kim Su-Yeong is the manager, and...”

“The brother of Horus?”

“Korea will prosper forever because of him?”

These were all words uttered by the world’s top Hunters. It was so befuddling that even Odin had a puzzled look on his face. At that time, an ominous smile spread across Heimdall's lips.

He had just sighed as if he had just given up on everything, but his expression had suddenly changed. Almost like...

“NO!” Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted.

Heimdall’s expression was of someone who had given up on everything and was willing to go with the flow. A face that he would always make without fail before causing an accident. Everything around them exploded.

“This is my son!!!!!!”

Heimdall smiled with an irresponsible expression as he looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong. ‘You were already screwed anyway.’

***

“The son of Heimdall...”

The group sat at the Korean Association President’s Office. None of the people gathered there were ordinary.

Horus was said to be the king behind the scenes and ruled over all of Egypt while Liu Bei was the General Secretary of China and Association President of the Chinese Association. Furthermore, Kim Su-Yeong was someone who had suddenly left the Association and built a reputation, all just to return to work as a low-level employee.

Finally, there was even one of the few Apex Hunters in the world, Heimdall.

“Ha...haha...hahaha...”

Odin laughed as if it were absurd. Everything that had just happened had been because of that young man. Who on Earth was he?

‘No, that’s not it.’

If it was about identity, he already knew who he was. Didn’t the others say it already? The brother of Horus, the benefactor of Liu Bei, and the son of Heimdall?

"Well...yes, that's right,” Lee Jun-Kyeong answered.

Nevertheless, Odin couldn’t easily believe it, as Lee Jun-Kyeong had only just appeared all of a sudden. Heimdall's family had already been investigated. He wasn’t supposed to have any family. Moreover, neither Horus nor Liu Bei had any history of brothers or benefactors in Korea.

Just who on earth was this person?

“Whew...”

Odin sighed deeply and rested his head on his hands. Moreover, there was one more thing.

‘Just how...’

How strong was he? The young man before him had apparently caused a crack in the wall of the training center just by the wind pressure of raising a spear. If that really were true, then he would have been a Hunter who could not be underestimated.

‘But I can’t feel anything.’

Even with his S-Grade skills, he couldn’t sense the young man’s mana. The fact that the young man could hide his mana from him only meant one thing.

‘Is he supposed to be stronger than me? This young brat?’

Odin suddenly looked at the young man, who had literally appeared all of a sudden like a comet, and sighed so heavily that it seemed as though the sky was falling.

“Ha....”

Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly opened his mouth to speak to Odin. Things had already unfolded, and that meant that this wasn’t a situation that could be fixed.

“So, the hunter registration... could you complete it for me?”